Battle of Renthiv

The Battle of Renthiv, also called the Conquest of Renthiv, was a six-day campaign which took place in 155 ABY and saw Renthiv and its native Garjo defeated by the forces of the Golden Empire under Breek Zagrev.

Slight
The Empire, having ascertained Renthiv's location (although little about ground conditions other than the presence of a sentient species), sent diplomats in late 154 ABY. The Garjo were not interested in joining the Empire, and of the five leaders they visited, four had the diplomats and their entourages executed; the fifth allowed some to escape in order to court battle with the Empire and test Renthiv's strength against the aliens.

When she heard of the killings, Queen Rin Sakaros was livid, and ordered a full-scale assault on Renthiv. Though she considered leading the Prime Fleet there, she and Sorrik ultimately agreed to delegate the duty to Executor Breek Zagrev. Zagrev and her fleet attacked in early 155. After drawing up a battle plan with her second-in-command, Lieutenant General Shelin Laraste, Breek ordered the ground assault while leaving Captain Augu Pentag of the Valkyrie in command of her fleet.

Initial attack
Zagrev and her forces landed on the largest continent shortly before dawn. The Garjo, aware of the impending assault, were prepared to meet them, and battle was joined immediately. Zagrev herself took the field along with her apprentice, Jinyx Windrunner, as well as her Royal Guards Aearbo Manitani and Serasuna Yun. They reinforced the Empire's attack on the principal Garjo city in the plains; the Army took the city block-by-block, losing many to Garjo counterattacks. Jinyx eventually fell into, devastating Garjo lines but leaving herself vulnerable.

Laraste, meanwhile, landed with a cohort and attacked Chondurchad, the largest port city on the continent, several hundred kilometers northwest of Zagrev's position. Aerial bombardment was ruled out early, as the Garjo had numerous anti-air laser cannons and shot down much of the first wave of bombers.

Vos'elk'eetash attempted to join a ground assault by the 3rd Massassi Cohort, but her transport was shot down, and she lost over an hour defending the handful of survivors from Garjo attacks before reinforcements arrived to cover her. Finally fighting her way onto the battlefield, she was diverted again to rescue Jinyx, whose Force Rage was fading and who was becoming correspondingly weaker. Jinyx's ankle was broken, but Selkee reached her in time and got her to safety.

Stalemate
Breek bunkered down in the city, leveling an entire block and setting it up as her command center while Laraste continued his attack on Chondurchad and the 3rd started an assault in force on the near highlands. Though Breek was confident she could take the planet, she knew casualties would be high; the Garjo were substantially more ferocious than anyone she had faced, and larger by far even than the Massassi. Faced with the undeniable odds, Breek requested reinforcements, pulling in more Centurions and tens of thousands more soldiers.

In the time it took them to arrive, the Empire settled into a holding pattern, staving off Garjo attacks and digging in on the plains. Breek knew reinforcements were likely to come from other continents, and risked bringing bomber units down to the surface to intercept flotillas bearing those troops. The Empire continued a slow, unproductive slog against a Garjo citadel in one of the main continent's highland regions. Laraste finally took Chondurchad over the night between the second and third days of battle.

Reinforced
Early on the third day, a contingent of Centurions arrived, along with over a hundred thousand reinforcement soldiers. Rajj-Yo began a drive into the south, barreling straight into an army heading to attack Breek. Kylaea Porén, Ghess, and Rouva landed with a third of the new troops to take the war to the eastern continent, while Luna Raquelsei and Selish Anteran fought in the west. Assayr took a group of the 17th Massassi Cohort to bolster the attack on the highlands.

Zedvyoyen
Faced with the renewed attack, the Garjo fell back, but those defending the citadel in the highlands sallied out. Assayr, overextended, ordered his troops to retreat, intending to stay alone and hold off the Garjo as long as possible; fourteen of his Massassi soldiers refused to leave him and opted to die alongside him instead. Breek reluctantly conceded to the arrangement, ordering a bombing run on enemy lines to free Selkee and troops from the 17th to reinforce, although she knew it would not be in time. Assayr and his Massassi killed over a hundred Garjo before the giants ceased ranged attacks and simply charged. All four of the surviving Massassi were cut down; Assayr managed to kill or maim several of his attackers before he was impaled through the chest.

When Selkee arrived, she attacked the Garjo alone, calling on the Force to several aside, breaking the necks of others,  blasterfire with her mind and  a shot to the chest without harm. In a dark version of her normal, she raised the temperature of a giant's blood until it boiled inside his veins and air embolisms in his brain killed him. Closing the distance, she drew both of her lightsabers and slaughtered dozens of Garjo before they finally fell into retreat.

For the first time since the invasion of Renthiv began, some of the Garjo voluntarily surrendered to Selkee, calling her zedvyoyen. Taking Assayr's body and her captives back to Breek, Selkee found a Garjo who, like her, spoke. She was able to interrogate him and discover useful information about the Garjo's plans and strategies.

Wrap up
The renewed highland force pushed the Garjo back to the mountain citadel over the next day, eventually sabotaging anti-air batteries and allowing bombing runs to commence. Faced with complete annihilation and having heard reports of Selkee's massacre on the mountainside, the surviving members of the garrison agreed to surrender the citadel, provided Selkee was the one to accept their surrender. The Chiss took the fortress on the fifth day of battle without incident.

Kylaea, Ghess, and Rouva split their forces to attack three eastern cities at once, preventing them from reinforcing one another. With Chondurchad secured, Laraste swept down the east coast with some of his forces, catching the last holdout on the main continent in a pincer with the southern army of which Rajj-Yo was part. Scattered forces surrendered, though many opted to fight to the death.

When the last surviving king was discovered leading the remnants of his army, Breek took the field again with Jinyx, sweeping out of the capital to join Anteran and Raquelsei in attacking him. Ultimately, some of the 3rd Massassi Cohort cornered the king, killing him and his bodyguards. The last forces around the globe capitulated or were destroyed shortly after.

New reign
With Renthiv pacified, Breek began rounding up the scattered populace and the rebuilding of Garjo society. The Garjo became restive shortly after when both Breek and Selkee—the general who had conquered them and the zedvyoyen—departed the planet to bury Assayr in Keltrayu's Tomb, but Laraste and the Centurions kept order until Breek returned a week later. She remained onworld for over a month, overseeing the work of the Royal Integration Corps and the installation of garrisons.

The Garjo, having surrendered to a superior force, acknowledged their defeat with better grace than the Empire had expected. Many expressed interest in fighting for the Empire, and though a great many of Breek's advisors were leery of the idea, Sorrik persuaded Breek to overrule them and begin the process of training small groups of Garjo in the Empire's style of warfare.