Second Battle of Shel Du

The Second Battle of Shel Du was the name given to a mixed uprising and riot on Shel Du in 134 ABY. As the resentment between the native Selff and Vimesk came to a boil, they overthrew the Royal government and launched into a series of destructive vendettas and retaliations until the Royal government forcibly restored order some weeks later.

Background
Warfare and civil strife had been a constant fact of life between the Selff and Vimesk for millennia before the Golden Empire annexed the planet and forcibly pacified the natives in 120 ABY. Under the eye of the Empire and its Consul, the Selff and Vimesk could no longer taken open action against one another, but lawsuits between the two species spiked, and Selff and Vimesk companies regularly attempted to undercut or take over one another. Corporations on both sides were regularly in court, accused of violating Royal anti-discrimination laws for refusing to hire or wrongfully terminating members of the opposite species.

In early 134 ABY, a Selff was elected Tribune of Shel Du. Within two months, he had blocked three edicts from the Consul aimed at providing opportunities to underprivileged Vimesk, each requiring a final order from Queen Rin Sakaros in the Consul's favor. Each incident resulted in hate crimes targeted at both species, and the resulting government crackdowns stirred resentment toward the Royal presence.

In the fourth month of 134 ABY, the Tribune of Shel Du was assassinated at the Consulate while attempting to enter the building for a meeting with the Consul. He was shot to death along with all of his Selff bodyguards and a Massassi sentry stationed at the building.

Explosion
The assassination of the Tribune led to spontaneous riots almost immediately. Vimesk in Selff-dominated areas were beaten and had their homes burned, and many were killed. Attempts by the Royal government to restore order were met with hostility from both sides, and the Consulate was invaded by a mob. Many rioters were killed by the Massassi guards before they, too, were overrun. The Consul and her husband were killed by the rioters.

With the Royal forces in chaos, the Selff and Vimesk seized Royal arsenals around the planet and unleashed their fury on one another. The majority of both species remained indoors while their more violent counterparts turned nearly every major city into a war zone.

Pacification and aftermath
Once alerted to the problem, Tariun Sakaros dispatched Captain Torin Saedrin as Legate to end the threat and restore order. Saedrin took his flagship, the Firebird-class war cruiser Inimitable, along with a Royal Navy battle group to Shel Du. After ordering the populace to disarm and surrender and being rebuffed, Saedrin ordered the major rebel outposts shelled from orbit.

A Royal Army invasion force attacked the planet. With their stolen Royal Army weapons, the rebels were a substantial threat to Saedrin's force, but the Royal Army was aided and abetted both by small Army units which had managed to hold out against the chaos and Selff and Vimesk who were more afraid of the rebels than each other. Using this intelligence, Saedrin and his ground commanders were able to root out stubborn rebel strongholds.

Within six weeks of the Tribune's assassination, Shel Du had been brought back under Royal control. The leaders of the rebellion were executed by firing squad. Under torture authorized by Rin Sakaros, rebel operatives identified the people who had assassinated the Tribune and who had stormed the Consulate. Many had been killed in the weeks of violence, but the survivors were tried and convicted for treason and hanged unweighted, causing them to slowly suffocate.

The next Consul of Shel Du required all former rebels to take an oath of loyalty to the Golden Empire and a vow of peace with the other species. Those who refused were imprisoned for life. Tariun Sakaros increased the size of the Shel Du garrison.