The Great Imperium War, how I dread to talk about it. In many ways there were no winners, the Second Imperium fell and some of the greatest atrocities committed in Odestrian History occured.
—The Memoirs of Emperor Panokkus Genzzus the Saviour.
The Great Imperium War also known as The First Fence War or The Odestrian Civil War to people outside the Imperium, was a conflict which took place in the Odestrian Imperium during 3973 BBY to 3,968 BBY. The war is often seen as one of the most destructive in Imperium history, with both sides taking heavy losses and massive devastation across the Imperium. It is marked by the virtual destruction of Odestria's surface and the complete annihilation of Barakua.
Prior to the conflict, the Second Imperium was in a sharp decline owing to a decade of economic and political stagnation. This was owed to the lack of trade the state could make with the Galactic Republic and surrounding powers, as well as various domestic and administrative mishaps. This ended up causing the Imperium to decentralize more with more degrees of power being held by its constituent federal entities. This decentralization came to a head when the systems of the Barakian Fence, largely inhabited by the Panasian offshoot "Barakians" seceded from the Imperium and formed the Confederacy of the Barakian Fence, also known as the "Fence Confederacy." As relations between the Imperium and the Confederacy continued to decline both side began to prepare for war.
The war had officially began in 3973 BBY or Year 100 of the Second Imperium, with the First Battle of Alnell, from there, the territory of the Imperium was divided and conflict quickly spread throughout Odestrian Space. The initial phase of the war saw the Fence invade the Imperium from three different fronts, Nitan, the Union of Rah'katov and within the Panasian subsector "Chievvak." The War started with a Barakian sweep across any planet they attacked, bringing down Odestrian morale and bringing the Imperium to the brink of collapse. Once the second year rolled around, the Odestrians started to gain ground and slow the Barakian advance until 3970 BBY or Year 103 of the Second Imperium, where the Fence laid waste to the surface of Odestria in the tragedy known as OdestraRak.
After the Battle of Tosep, the Confederacy began to loose ground, with what was left of the Imperium making gains in Nitan and the Union before managing to drive the Barakians back to their central systems, following this the OdestraNav launched Operation Deep Wound, a full scale invasion of the Barakian homeworld Barakua under the pretense of occupation. The real plan however was the annihilation of the world under the new Imperial Doctrine of "Kalypsithenos" which involved attempting to remove any possibility of the Barakians to make war again.
Prelude[]
An Empire in Decline[]
The prosperity of the Second Imperium was short lived to say the least, it only took a few decades before the cracks of the Blezzus reforms began to appear and slowly disintegrate the state.
—Loremaster K'Krell Tokotov
The issues with the Second Imperium had existed since the reformed and remilitarized Republic transitioned into the new age. What many Odestrians enjoyed for the first generation of the new Autocracy was a form of nostalgic “honey moon” fever which took hold tightly. Unlike the more theocratic "First Imperium,” the Second Imperium differed from its earlier incarnation by being a largely secular state, with most Force and Odessan worship being strictly reserved for the newly reformed “Church of Odessan.” Additionally, unlike the First Imperium, the new Blezzus Imperium was conceived as a Federation, with the central government on Odestria giving equal leadership roles to various smaller “Imperial constituencies.” These constituent states were: The Union of Rah’Katov, the Hudron Systems, the Barakian Confederacy and the Panasian Union. As previously stated, the central Imperial government on Odestra relied on the authority of the constituencies in order to stay “legitimate” This left the Second Imperium as a much more decentralized state than the Fourth or even Third incarnation. After Ardok Blezzus died during the 5th Year of the Second Imperium, his son Filipon Blezzus I took the Silver Throne and denoted more power to the Odestrian Senate and the Prima Consul. With the power of the Imperial government routed more in the democratic senate than in the Throne, the Consul began to run the Imperium instead of the Emperor. While this worked for a short while issued began to arise in the 40th Year of the Second Imperium, with the death of Filipon Blezzus I and the ascension of his son Filipon II.
A lot can be said about the inept nature of Filipon II’s initial reign. His souring of relations with the Republic and other Odestrian trade partners led to condemnation of his government by people within the Imperium and outside of the State. The manner in which he would handle dissent also led to mass condemnation from the outside, leading to the breaking of trade relations with the Imperium. By the 50th year of the Second Imperium, the state was very much in decline, with the inability to trade with the outside and the economy being increasingly difficult to retool, the Odestra Kpsul began to devalue more and more. The creation of jobs was centralized within systems belonging to the Panasian Union, with states outside of these systems being increasingly shafted on what little trade deals were being made with the Odestrian state. While this was happening, the state continued to decentralize, Odestria losing power with the constituencies more and more. This led to nationalist movements to arise within the constituencies, gliding to political prominence with the promise to stop unemployment and bring a “new dawn for the races of the Odestrian Imperium.”
A racial dispute[]
Since being invited to join the Imperium, the Barakians and the Panasians had a fair share of differences to deal with. Barakians often times felt like second-class citizens within the larger Imperial machine. Despite the fact that Barakians were in fact, an offshoot of Panasians, it seemed rather ridiculous for these issues to have occurred. Yet, the constantly deteriorating situation of the Second Imperium began to exemplify just how deep the divides were.
At the time of the Imperium’s decent into decline, the Barakian Fence was the most heavily industrialized area of the Imperium, with thee largely Barakian population being in control of the shipyards at Tezik as well as the vast minerals from Purgatorius and Tenograd. Even the Barakian homeworld of Barakua was surrounded by twin asteroid belts which made for an excellent source for mining. With the decay of the Imperium, many of the jobs and wealth was flowing from the Barakian Fence to Odestria, jobs working the mines and shipyards being given to Panasians and Humans who were from other parts of the state. As would be the case, the Barakian population of the Imperium became quite disgruntled by these actions. At the same time, the rise of the Barakian nationalist movement known as the "ZIMERE!" (Barakian: Mine) had arisen within the constituent government of the Barakian Fence. As would be the case, their calls for nationalism and autonomy would resonate with more nationalistic minded Barakian peoples. These issues were further accentuated when mass protests had started when a group of Barakian workers were laid off from their posts at Tezik shipyards in order to make room for new workers from Odestria and Rah’katov. As a response, Filipon II deployed the Odestrian Legion to the Barakian systems to quell the rapidly deteriorating situation. As would be the case, this would simply cause more of an outcry from the people of the Fence thereby leading to the election of the Barakian state to the Fence legislature during the 90th year of the Second Imperium.
Political tensions[]
With the election of the fervently nationalist ZIMERE! party, the Odestrian government was caught off guard by the increasing demands of the Fence. With the representatives in the Odestrian Senate being comprised of these radicalized Barakians demands were soon being made for greater autonomy from the Odestrian state. Senate hearings began to fill up with these issues and more nationalist elements began to arise in the Union of Rah’Katov and even the Panasian Union as well. The NowusImperiumPartei was still the ruling party of the Senate around this time and their lack of a true party ideology made it difficult to muster up anything but reactionary responses to the Fence’s calls for sovereignty. Still, any calls which the newly nationalist Fence would bring up, Senate would reject them. The issue then arose that the Barakian seats in the senate constituted enough to effectively prevent any federal legislation from being passed and so that’s what ended up occurring.
Eventually, as the Senate continued to falter, Filipon II stepped in and made the choice to ultimately deal with the Barakian representatives, giving them a portion of their demands for autonomy. With this, the Barakian planets no longer had to pay certain taxes to the Imperial government and additionally, Barakian central worlds would be controlled by the Fence legislation directly as opposed to the Odestrian senate. This further decentralization allowed for the Fence to effectively function as a quasi-independent nation within the borders of the Imperium, creating its own militia and own starships. This stabilized tensions for a time until the 98th year of the Second Imperium or 3975 BBY. During this galactic year, a small Mandalorian raider band made their way through Odestria’s defenses and raided the Imperium’s capital. Furthermore, the raid, specifically centered on Ladvidago city, led to some abductions by the Mandalorians, most notably Koran Orsanov, the future Darth Dajivan and the son of Senator Dariev Orsanov. When the Mandalorians were brutally repelled from Odestria, most notably due to the exploits of the famed Gregori Lebnev, the central government had a hard time getting the trust of the people back. Not only was the center of the Imperium hit by an attack seemingly out of nowhere, but it was done by a group of, what the Odestrians saw as “Barbaric Outsiders.” Furthermore, the Senate took no action on the attack, the Mandalorians fled from Odestrian Space and the Odestrian Legion never made any attempt to pursue them.
The attack not only proved just how weak the Odestrian central government was at the time, but also proved that Odestria was not as strongly protected as the state made it seem. With these revelations, the Fence officially demanded secede from Odestria on the 99th Year of the First Imperium.
The Fence Confederacy secedes[]
Supreme Marshall Friez Zamiliev (Front) with his cousin Kilox Zamiliev, after the UDI.
The unilateral declaration of secession from the Fence was unprecedented and the weakened government on Odestria had little time to react to very rapid withdrawal of all Barakian centered businesses from the officially remaining constituencies of the Imperium. Furthermore, there was also a fear that other constituencies would attempt to withdraw from the Imperium following the Fence’s declaration. There was a growing fear on Odestria that, since the Imperium proper had no way of preventing this, there would be no way to stop other constituencies from leaving as well. Still, with no way to officially stop the creation of the Fence Confederacy, the Senate officially acknowledged the independence of the Fence 3 months following the UDI. With this, the new Confederacy began making demands from the weakened Imperium. Odyat, with its Barakian minority, was transferred to the Fence along with several other systems. As these systems lay on the border regions with the rest of the rump Imperium, the central government under Prima Consul Vusiev, had little choice in the matter.
Fortunately, the withdrawal of the Barakian Fence did not spell the end for the Imperium. Rather than withdraw, the Union of Rah’katov, now the second most powerful constituent outside of the Panasian core, furthered its relationship with Odestria by sticking by the central planet. The Hudron Systems soon followed and the Odestrian Imperium was saved from total collapse and disintegration. While this saved the Imperium proper, it only made the situation with the new Confederacy worse. Since the UDI was enacted, the Fence had made numerous claims throughout Odestrian space and their largest unanswered demand was for Alnell, the capital of the Hudron Systems. Since the ending of the Odestra-Nilof war one hundred years prior, Barakians tended to take pride in the amount of work put into making Alnell the encumenopolis it had become. It was for this reason that, even though the planet was on the other side of the Imperium in relation to the Fence, it was still rightfully a Barakian world. It was the demand for Alnell that finally led to the Odestrian government sanctioning the Barakian Fence and declaring the state as illegitimate. As these relations started to rapidly cool, even more so than they already had been, both sides prepared for conflict.
The War[]
For all intense and purposes, the Great Imperium War was a race war. Once that made the brutality of the war against Nilof look like a simple squabble between children. Somewhere between the Fence’s secession and the start of the War, the Odestrian government seemed to forget the industrial capabilities of the Barakians.
—K'Krell Tokotov
The Battle of Alnell[]
A star map of the Odestrian Imperium at the onset of the Great Imperium War
The first battle of the Great Imperium War was irrefutably the first battle of Alnell. The battle had occurred 24 Odestrian hours after the Fence ultimatum for Alnell expired. Almost immediately, after the time had expired, the newly minted Fence battle fleet entered the Nell system and decimated the small home fleet that patrolled the system. This new 5th Scourge Fleet, under the command of Admiral Dressiv, quickly overwhelmed the planetary defenses and landed on the surface of the ecumenopolis.
The Fence 5th Fleet quickly destroyed the comm buoys within the Nell systems, cutting off communications with the Imperium. On the ground, the Defense Legions under the Hudron Commander Nichols Dessas, fought valiantly for three standard days against the overwhelming odds. However, with the lack of communications the Alnell Defense Legion was stuck fighting a battle that was already lost. Following another week of fighting, the Alnell Defense Legion surrendered and the planet quickly followed. The first battle of the Great Imperium War was over and the Fence was the winner.
On Odestria and throughout the Imperium news spread of the capture of Alnell. Surprise quickly turned into anger, not against the government but against the Fence. Nichols Dessas, who had managed to escape the battle, returned to Odestria and spoke to the Imperium via the Odestrian News Network. “The First Battle of Alnell was a defeat” He said, “But that’s just the first battle, the second battle is when we take Alnell back.” This speech was said to be the first piece of Great Imperium War propaganda and Dessas’ message was sent throughout the Imperium as a word of hope. The first battle may have ended with a Fence victory, but the war had just begun.
Year One[]
It's us or them, and we can't lose. Doing so means the end of, not only the Imperium, but anything that isn't Barakian.
—Emperor Filipon Blezzus II
OdestraLegatus Candorious Nanov circa. 2I 98.
Almost immediately after taking Alnell, the planet was completely annexed by the Fence with Supreme Marshall Friez Zamiliev claiming it to be a “cornerstone event in Barakian history.” The rest of the 5th Fleet met up with two more large Fence battle fleets: the 3rd Scourge Fleet and the 4th Vindicator Fleet. In the systems bordering the Union of Rah’Katov and the Panasian Union, two other invasion fleets amassed at Odyat in order to make their way into the Imperium proper.
All major Odestrian worlds ensured to fortify and what ships the Odestrians could spare were formed into patrol fleets. The major concern was the holding of the Imperium Hyperway which the Fence had used in their unprovoked invasion of Alnell. Emperor Blezzus assigned OdestraLegatus, and discrete anti-Hudron bigot, Candorious Nanov as the man to lead the War effort. Given his own prejudice, Nanov directed the OdestraNav to fortify key systems in the Union of Rah’Katov and the Panasian Union in order to prevent further losses in the heartland. In doing this, he left all colonized systems within the Hudron Union with weakened fleets save for Castrum Nitan.
Northern Front[]
Nitan Campaign begins []
With much of the Imperium’s major military holdings secure due to the Nanov Order, much of the Odestrian High Command turned its attention to the southern border with Barakian Space as the most likely front for attack. Since any major hyperlanes from the Nell systems were blocked by Castrum Nitan, a fortified and militarized star system, Nanov had two OdestraNav offensive fleets, the 5th Fleet and the 6th Fleet, also called “Odessan’s Fist” (Panasian: Kishto Odessan), deployed to the Chievvak subsector and the Union of Rah’katov. Defending Castrum Nitan and Vizegrad was the 8th OdesiNav under LegatusNav Harpov and the 9th CastrumNav under LegatusNav Dessik. With this, the hope was that the Fence incursion to Alnell would be sealed off and the bulk of the OdestraNav would be free to engage any major Starfleet the Fence would send into the Imperium proper.
In reality, much of the Nanov plan was doomed to fail from the start. The intel that had been given to Odestrian High Command was filled with numerous inaccuracies and false information. What High Command didn’t know was that the Fence’s planned offensive was a three-pronged attack to be deployed from three separate hyperlanes leading into Odestrian Space. This was known to the Fence as Cassus Blanc (lit. Case White) which was developed in large part by the Fence Generalis Kemik del-Fance.
At the same time as Fence fleet arrived in the Rah System and the rest of the Union, a massive battle fleet under the command of Admiral Desik del-Kart departed the Nell system and split off to attack both Vizegrad and Castrum Nitan in a simultaneous maneuver. While the fleet at Castrum Nitan held strong against this onslaught, the 8th OdesiNav was almost wiped out within moments, putting Vizegrad into Fence hands. Additionally, with the weakened defenses of many of the Hudron’s planets due to the Nanov order, the Fence fleet swept through the sector, isolating Castrum Nitan by blockading the Panasian Trail. While the blockade effectively left the Castrum without any backup, the Battle of Castrum Nitan progressed for three solid years due to material support from the nearby Nickian Union.
Southern Front[]
Katov Campaign begins[]
At around the same time that Admiral del-Kart’s fleet blitzed the Hudron systems, another battle fleet left the Yat system under the command of Admiral Jessik Klenz. This fleet travelled up the Katov trade spine and punched a clear hole through any defensive patrol fleets that stood in its way. Once it exited into real-space at a nexus point between the Katov Trade Spine and the Imperium Hyperway, the fleet divided again. Elements under Commodores Jeesik nar-Velk and Marok Niek attacked both Tractes and Hispanios, taking control of the hyperlanes leading in from Barakian space and effectively bringing the whole of those sectors under the thumb of the Confederacy. Admiral Klenz led his main host of ships to Rah’katov, the capital of the human system within the Imperium and the second most powerful constituency next to the Panasian Union itself. While much of the fighting was relegated to space when the Fence attacked Tractes and Hispanios, Admiral Klenz knew that Rah’katov could not be taken simply from space. In a similar manner to the Nitan campaign, virtually all major hyperlanes leading to Rah’katov were blocked off to prepare for a lengthy siege. That is with the exception of the Imperium Hyperway, the most important lane in Odestrian Space.
As the Fence battle fleet invaded the union of Rah’katov there was a rapid mobilization of the OdestraNav fleets stationed there. Given Nanov’s previous order, much of the OdestraNav’s heavy hitting divisions were either en-route to the human systems, already there or within the Panasian Union. Given how the Fence fleet would split up their hosts, many of the space engagements were not total losses, nor were they decimated. However, due to the Fence’s advantageous positions in between hyperspace lanes, the fleets that were defending Tractes and Hispanios had little choice but to withdraw in order to protect Rah’Katov.
Once the Fence fleet arrived over Katov, the Ground legions mobilized under the command of LegatusYeldus Kamarev. While much the fighting was relegated to space, a few Fence carries broke through the defensive blockade and began to engage the Odestrian Ground Legions. The fighting in space was fierce, and when all seemed to be lost for the OdestraNav, the fleets that had withdrawn from Hispanios and Tractes arrived to bolster the defense of the planet. On the ground much of the fighting was focused around the capital Katovgrad as well as the major settlements around the city. For the first time since the Odestra-Nilof War, the Odestrian Legion had to rely on trench warfare in order to hold the defensive advantage. Rah’katov was the first major space and ground battle of the war, lasting for much of the first and second year. It spawned a renewed desire to fight and brought forth one of the most predominant heroes of the conflict, Panokkus Genzzus.
Panas Campaign: Beginning of the Battle of Chievvak[]
Main Article: Battle of Chievvak
The
third Fence campaign was launched from Odyat around the same time as the other
two. After waiting a standard week, the last Fence fleet under the command of
Admiral Grelk del-Klev attempted to blockade the Rexinov hyperway and slice effectively
slice the Imperium in half, blockading the entire coreward side. However, what Klev
was not prepared for was the bulk of the OdestraNav that had been placed in the
Chievvak subsector. These fleets, the 10th Nav, 13th HevikNav and the 12th Scourge
Fleet were collectively known as “The Wall” and they were placed under the
command of Admiralus Demitri Dessius
Demisev. When del-Klev’s fleet deployed across Chievvak it was met with strong resistance
from all fronts. What started out as a few major skirmishes turned into an all-out
space battle for attrition which was fought across the Chievvak sector of the
Panasian Union.
Some of the most brutal initial fighting was over Chiev, especially during the early days of the battle. The Fence battlefleets were relentless and took no prisoners. Still, with the bulk of the OdestraNav being readily available in the Panasian Union, the Fence found that Chievvak would not fall as easily as the Hudron systems did.
Consequences[]
Nanov: I was fighting the enemy!
—The falling out of Emperor Blezzus and Candorious Nanov
After the first year of the conflict, the Imperium was facing a massive invasion from the Fence and was effectively surrounded.
The first year of the war was disastrous for the Odestrians, both politically and militarily. Much of the Nitan sector was under Fence control with only Castrum Nitan remaining in Odestrian hands, albeit under heavy siege. Rah’Katov, homeworld of the Odestrian human population, would become a battleground both in space and on the ground and swaths of the Union would be brought under Fence control. Finally, in the attempt to cut Odestria off from the major shipyards of Chograd, the Fence engaged the OdestraNav in full force in the Chievvak subsector, leading to a steady war of attrition across the region.
On Odestria, the initial strategies of the war effort were largely criticized. The choice to abandon the Hudron Systems was officially seen as a strategic move bolster the defensive of the URK and the Panasian Sectors. When OdestraLegatus Nanov’s bigotry was revealed as the reason for this, along with the choice to settle largely Hudron refugees in the Tesserae caves, there was a massive outcry from the Odestrian populace to have Nanov removed from office. Emperor Blezzus had no choice but to act or risk losing more people to the cause of the Fence. Nanov was stripped of his post to lead the war effort, with Odestrian High Command being fused with the force-sensitive Order of the Sentinels as a result. With this the man in-charge of the war effort was Supreme Commander Petro Kieranov, the leader of the Order. With this, many Odestrian Sentinels were made Generals in the Legion the most notable being Panokkus Genzzus and his companions from Vindicator Team. With that, the first year of the Great Imperium War had ended, but the carnage had only just begun.
Year Two[]
In order to secure the future of the unified Imperium. I'm giving command of the war over to the Sentinels. Petro Kieranov, the future of Odestria is in your hands.
—Emperor Blezzus
As the second year of the war came around, it was clear that the Barakians would not stop until they had achieved a total crushing victory against the Imperium. The second year was characterized by this bloodthirsty brutality the Fence high command seemed to inspire in their soldiers. The war spread further into the Panasian Union, reaching the edge systems of the Panasian core within a matter of months. Within the Inner Imperium, more planets fell to the Fence onslaught. Casualties were immense and much of them belonged to civilians whom the Fence took no mercy on. On the Odestrian side the war effort was in the capable hands of Supreme Commander Petro Kieranov, the head of the Order of the Sentinels. With this, the Order was fused with the Odestrian Legion, putting force-sensitive Odestra Knights on the front lines against the Confederacy.
Anger on Odestria[]
Main Article: Coridos Coup
Sentinel control over the military was not widely accepted by the general populace. Since the Odestrian Revolution there had always been a large fear of the Church of Odessan getting a hand on more of Odestrian society and the Odestra Knights of the Order of the Sentinels were not widely trusted by much of the Imperium’s population. This all came to a head when military officers, who were secretly loyal to Candorious Nanov, attempted a bloodless coup against the Sentinel’s control over the Legion. This coup failed and the Officers were all tried with high treason and demoted, sent to the front lines of the conflict. This was not the end of the unpopularity of the Sentinels however. With their control over the legion many alien minorities believed that the war would turn into a religious crusade against the Fence and that anyone who was not religious in the conflict would be persecuted. While Supreme Commander Petro Kieranov attempted to stem rumors, what High Command needed was an offensive victory. However, with most of the Legion stuck on defense, an offensive attack proved infeasible.
Raid on Odyat[]
Under the command of LegatusNav Musarev, the 4th Odestra StrikusNav led a stabbing assault at the Fence world of Odyat, the planet given to the Fence following the UDI. While the raid had the element of surprise, it ended up failing to meet the objective of disturbing Fence supply routes up the Panasian Trail. The cost for the OdestraNav was minimal but the attack’s failure severely lowered morale within the Imperium.
Northern Front[]
Siege of Castrum Nitan continues and the Fence tightens their control over Alnell[]
In the Nitan Sector, among the Hudron worlds of the Imperium, the siege on Castrum Nitan continued. By this time much of the fighting never made it past the system’s asteroid belt known as the Kesho Belt (lit. Outer belt). The siege had been effectively bogged down into a war of attrition however, with much of the Fence fleet being kept back to avoid Odestrian Turbolaser batteries located on the asteroids. The Fence battlefleet under the command of Fence Admiral del-Kart, continued its attack on the system while splitting off to attack the nearby Fortross system. While the battle there was costly for the Fence, the system and planet still fell to the Confederacy in a matter of weeks. Still, the Castrum was able to get limited supplies from the Nickian Union, keeping the defenders of the system fed and ready for the continuous barrage of Barakian attacks.
Meanwhile, control over Alnell was tightened and more non-Barakian citizenry were being driven off the planet, either outright or by orders made by the occupational government meant to persecute non-Barakians. These refugees who managed to escape the planet, flooded into the Panasian Core, left the Imperium for the Nickian Expanse or fled to the Greater Galaxy, settling within the Republic which was, at this time, suffering from numerous Outer-Rim attacks from the Mandalorians.
Assault on Sevi VI[]
While the siege on Castrum Nitan continued, del-Kart created another incursion fleet from elements of the Fortross invasion fleet. From there he put this battle group under the command of Commodore Marsek Trovekk and instructed him to lead another attack into the Union of Rah’Katov in order to distract defenders from an upcoming assault on Rah’Katov proper. The battle fleet entered the Sevi system from the Imperium Hyperway and attacked the metropolis on Sevi VI, assuming that most of the defense fleet would have been re-deployed to defend other planets in the Union that were currently under Fence attack. It was to Commodore Trovekk’s surprise that the Sevi defense fleet was very much at total strength and after a fierce battle in the skies above Sevi VI, the incursion was miraculously defeated, marking the first major defeat the Confederacy had taken since the War began.
This victory was a huge morale boost for the otherwise exhausted Odestrian Legion. News of Sevi’s defense spread across the Imperium like wildfire, rekindling the hope of tired protectors. The Office of Propaganda on Odestria used the victory as a means to boost the morale of citizenry at home or on Occupied planets, the war was not lost.
Southern Front[]
Katov Campaign: Battle of Rah'Katov[]
Main Article: Battle of Rah'Katov (Great Imperium War)
We make our stand here, Rah'katov is one of the most important planets in the Imperium, if we lose it without a fight, the war could be over.
—High General Panokkus Genzzus
While much of the defense of Rah'katov was relegated to trench warfare and defensive tactics, it would be the second year of the war that saw one of the largest early battles come to a head. Much of the fighting had been space battles or lengthy ground battles of attrition. However, when the third month of the second year of the war came about, the largest battle of the war was about to be fought. Fence Admiral Jessik Klenz was getting badgered from Barakian command, Zamiliev wanted Rah’katov to fall and he wanted it soon. The upper echelons of the Fence’s military government were prepared to put everything they had into the battle and so battle plans were drawn up to break the stalemate and conquer the Odestrian human homeworld.
Cassus Neivre (Panasian: Case Black) was drafted in order to take Rah’katov quickly and end the attritional warfare on the surface. The Confederacy would prepare for an all out set piece battle, one where it was the bulk of the Odestrian forces versus a bulk of their forces. Klenz was instructed to divide his fleet in three, one was to attack the Katov battle circle from the northern hemisphere of the planet, the other was to attack the south and the third was to blitz through the opening created by the other two and gain air superiority over Katovgrad and surrounding districts.
Odestrian military intelligence was able to crack some of the Fence’s battle plans prior to the attack on the planet, LegatusYeldus Kamerev and his staff coordinated much of the ground forces to help in Rah’Katov’s defense. While there had been sparse on ground fighting mostly relegated to trench warfare, the fact that the Planetary defense fleet had air superiority meant that much of the Fence invasion army was bogged down by artillery and aerial bombardment. In space, the defense was under the command of the Odestra Knight General and future statesman, Panokkus Genzzus along with his Ship, the JTC-Class Freighter Argent Aguila and Vindicator Squad, his elite party.
Generalis Kemik del-Fance on Rah'Katov following the Fence victory.
When the battle began and Cassus Nievre was enacted, the Fence found itself running against a wall. However, after an eventual breakthrough, they found their way to the surface of Rah’Katov and fought with the Odestrian Legion on the Ground. When space was no longer a priority, Genzzus gave command to his right hand, Melek, then led a force to the ground to help in Rah’Katov’s defense. While the battle was largely in favour of the Odestrians, mostly due to Admiral Klenz’s mishaps, that all changed when Generalis Kemik Fance arrived with a fleet of the Fence’s newest weapon, Mobile Battery Platforms or MBP’s. When these were unleashed on the defenders of Rah’katov the Odestrian Legion was routed and the Fence took huge swaths of the planet’s surface in hours. With the battle effectively lost the Odestrian Legion made a large-scale retreat from Rah’katov, effectively securing the planet in the hands of the Fence.
The fall of Rah’Katov was not, however, a crippling defeat. The defense of the planet and the difficulty the Fence had in taking it became one of the most moral boosting propaganda pieces of the war for the Odestrians while for the Fence, the fall of the planet itself was its own morale boost. Panokkus Genzzus and the remnants of the Legions defending Rah’Katov made a retreat and split up, half the force under Genzzus heading to Sevi VI, where the Fence would strike again in the coming months, and the other heading back to the Panasian Core, to help bolster the systems for the oncoming Fence offensive.
Panas Campaign and the Battle of Chievvak continues[]
An Odestrian O1 Starfighter faces a Fence Patroller during a Fleet engagement during the Battle of Chievvak.
The battle within the Chievvak subsector seemed to be one that was set to last for a long time. This was due to Admiral del-Klev’s relentless strategy when pursuing Odestrian patrol fleets, attempting to leave no remaining ships. The OdestraNav would respond in turn, prisoners were not to be taken and any Fence battle fleet was to be eradicated. Along much of the Rexinov Hyperway, the Fence placed orbital mines in order to stop the movement of Odestrian supply ships heading from Chiev to Odestria. In response, Admiralus Demisev gave the Petrisic order, that any civilian supply ships were to be given a fighter escort in order to give it some protection against Fence raiders. While this worked in essence, civilian merchant ships and Military munitions were still being destroyed at an unacceptable pace, especially with the Fence fleets placing orbital mines within certain hyperlanes which they held control over.
Admiral del-Klev attempted to stem the creation of Odestrian ships by sending raids against the Odestrian shipyards at Chograd, While the initial results were positive for the Fence, the unyielding defense fleets at Chograd made any attack against the planet useless, any damage Fence raids would do were repaired in a standard week. Following this, del-Klev attempted to plan an invasion of Chiev in order to destroy Odestrian mineral production. This was deemed unfeasible when the Fence Military began to suffer manpower shortages following the Battle of Rah’Katov.
Elements of the 3rd Incursion Fleet under the command of Commodore Menook arrived over the skies of the Twi’lek world of Selicus with the intent on invading the planet and gaining a foothold within Chievvak. However, Menook ran into the same issue that prevented del-Klev from invading Chiev, his fleet lacked the manpower required in order to sustain an invasion force, as well as hold the system. Following a brief battle in the Selicus system, Menook withdrew to join the rest of the 3rd Incursion fleet in the Crateros system.
Case Green[]
By the end of the second year of the conflict, the Fence had been making huge strides into Odestrian territory, however, following Rah'Katov, their manpower began to suffer.
The offensive into the Odestrian held territory was not moving as fast as Supreme Commander Zamiliev wanted. Several options were given in order to create a situation where the Confederacy would gain total victory over the Odestrians and force the Imperial government into an unconditional surrender. With much of the OdestraNav kept in the Chievvak Subsector along with the Fence Battle Fleets, it was becoming more difficult for the Fence’s central command to put together invasion forces to attack non-combatant worlds within the Imperium. While Zamilev wanted more invasions and to conquer the Odestrians planet by planet, the manpower shortage within the Fence was making such tactics less feasible.
Several plans were drawn up for an all or nothing attack on the Imperial capital of Odestria, a plan which would effectively cripple the Odestrian faction to the point that surrender would be the only viable option. With fleet victories being won by Demisev and Genzzus within Chievvak and the Inner Imperium respectively, time was running out. While the Fence seemed to hold plenty of Odestrian aligned territory, the question became prevalent if they would be able to keep it. Generalis Kemik del-Fance, fresh off his victory at Rah’katov, came up with the suggestion to used a fleet of the new MBPs in order to effectively terror bomb the surface of Odestria. Initially, the plan was as equally unfeasible as Odestria effectively became a fortress during wartime. With this, the biggest issue for the Fence was how they would get past Odestria’s defenses.
Year Three and OdestraRak[]
In order for our victory to be assured, Odestria must fall with one stroke. Only then can we assert our dominance in the region.
—Friez Zamiliev
As the war moved into its third year, millions continued to die on the war-torn planets of the Imperium. While the Odestrians were still forced to fight a defensive war against the offensives of the Fence military and industrial complex, cracks began to show following the Battle of Rah’Katov in year 2. With slight knowledge of this, the Odestrians began to attempt more offensive moves, attacking Fence targets in Chievvak and launching a liberation of Rah’Katov, which began with great success. The Fence was running out of able bodied Barakians to send to the front. The Confederacy began to use younger soldiers in order to fight on the front. However, this move was unsustainable, the Fence
needed a better tactic to continue occupying captured worlds and so, with the green light from Kemik del-Fance, the military began to automate, including its fleets with the introduction of MBPs. Much of this automation was reserved for Case Green, the Fence’s secret plan to force total Odestrian surrender with the effective crippling of the federal center, Odestria.
The Federal government, fearing of a potential Barakian strike on Odestria, had much of the Sentinel controlled command moved to Odestragrad along with important military figures and Supreme Commander Keiranov and his General Staff. Kieranov, for his part, used this as the opportunity to call Panokkus Genzzus back to Odestragrad to promote him for his numerous victories against the Fence. The now High General Genzzus was given the position of Kieranov’s second in command. Following this, Genzzus took command of the newly formed 3rd LiberisNav, with his ship, the Argent Aguila at the front and took them to Rah’Katov to lead a counter attack.
Northern Front[]
Siege of Castrum Nitan continues.[]
By the time the third year of the siege came about, the defenders of Castrum Nitan were overly weary. The only way the Odestrian Legion could get fresh supplied and soldiers into the fortress system was through the Nickian Union, which itself was fighting the aggressive Jeng’ha in a brutal conflict that threated the Nickian Expanse. Elements of the Fence Battle Fleet made it past the second asteroid belt of the system, this included Commodore Mrekiv’s corvette the Closed Destroyer a prototype starship equipped with advanced weaponry that could threaten the core planets of Castrum Nitan.
This did not spell the end for Castrum Nitan’s defenders however. Numerous landings took place on various military instillation within the Inner asteroid field of the system. While this meant the Fence were able to show off the discipline and training of the Fence Orbital Marines, they didn’t expect to face the might of the Odestrian Legion on the ground. While the Fence Marines were well equipped, the Legionaries were battle hardened after the three-year long siege. After months of brutal on the ground fighting, the Fence marines retreated and the siege was, once again, a mostly naval conflict.
Another attack on Sevi VI is repelled[]
In an attempt to regain his lost honor, Commodore Marsek Trovekk, against the orders of Fence Admiral del-Kart, led another invasion attack on Sevi VI, figuring that the rumored Odestrian counter attack on Rah’katov left the defenders of Sevi VI weakened. The Fence was becoming desperate, the military was stretched far too thin and command was getting desperate for a fast solution, fearful of an Odestrian counter attack prior to Case Green. While Trovekk had believed the defenses over Sevi were weakened, he was proved very wrong. Not only were the Odestrian defenses over Sevi VI not weakened, but also bolstered by fresh ships that had come from the victories won in the Battle of Chievvak. In a stunning display of discipline and heroism, the OdestraNav annihilated the Fence fleet and Commodore Trovekk along with it. Tales of this total victory spread throughout the Imperium, rekindling the hope in tired defenders and proving just how desperate the Fence were becoming in their state. Plans began to be drawn up for an immediate counter attack to recapture lost territory and push the Fence back into their prewar positions.
Final planning for Cassus Vertan[]
Meanwhile, the planning of Case Green was entering its final stages. Zamiliev green lit the mass production of Generalis Fance’s MBPs. In order to meet the material requirements, numerous mineral rich planets within the Fence were strip mined in order to meet quotas. This was one of the most fateful choices in terms of Zamiliev’s planning. Case Green would be an all or nothing assault to make sure the Odestrians would surrender, and no contingency was drawn up in case surrender didn’t happen. As the Fence military machine worked day and night on assembling the fleet of MBP’s for Case Green, there was another severe issue that needed to be addressed. Even if the MBP fleet was to arrive at Odestria, there was no way for the Fence military command to get the access codes in order to pass through the minimal defenses around Odestria undetected.
The most crucial aspect of the Fence’s plan came in the form of Felix Domilov, assistant attache to the head of the OSL. Having been recruited over to the Fence’s side since the second year of the War, Felix was asked to give the codes for Odestria’s security systems to Fence military command. While initially holding doubts about doing so, Domilov was assured that the codes were to hold the planet hostage, something which was backed up by the Fence’s plan to send Kilox Zamiliev, second-in-command in the Fence power structure, to Odestria in order to enact Case Green. With this, the final piece was in place and all Friez Zamiliev had to do was wait.
Southern Front[]
Second Battle of Rah'Katov and the Genzzus Offensive[]
With his new command and much of his the Rah’Katov Legion constituted under his own force, Panokkus Genzzus would take his forces to Rah’Katov and assault the weakened Fence hold over the system. As much of the Fence’s MBP fleet was withdrawn in order to prepare for Case Green, the new “Legius Genzzus” (Genzzus Legion) was able to take back the occupied world, sending another massive morale boost throughout the tired Odestrian defenders. Numerous other systems were taken back in what was dubbed as the “Genzzus Offensive,” and what seemed like a finished war began to turn around.
Battle for the Rexinov Hyperway[]
Since the beginning of the War, the battle of Chievvak was fought for control of the vital “Rexinov Hyperway” which connected the mineral rich industrial worlds of the sector to the Panasian Core. With Genzzus’ assault on Rah’Katov, Admiralus Demisev led his own offensive to finally pushed the Fence Battle Fleet off the Rexinov Hyperway, winning a critical victory for the Odestrian forces. While the tide of the war began to seemingly turn in favour of the Imperium, the Odestrian government was clueless as to what the Fence was about to unleash.
OdestraRak[]
Main Article: OdestraRak
We've got contacts, MULTIPLE CONTACTS they're...they're coming out of hyperspace IN THE ATMOSPHERE!
—The last recorded call from Odestrian Docking Authority.
With the bulk of the OdestraNav tied up in Chievvak and the Union of Rah'Katov, the Fence was capable of using Domilov's coordinates to bring ruin to Odestria.
On the eve of the 15th of Keraktum on the 103rd year of the Second Imperium, the skies of Odestria went dark with the fleet of Kemik del-Fance’s MBPs as they emerged from hyperspace in Odestria’s atmosphere. While the Odestrian defenders managed to raise the Castrum defenses over Odestralee, the megatropolis of Ladvidago and the meadows of Tessarae were left largely defenseless. For over 6 hours, the MBP’s unleashed a seemingly unending barrage of turbolaser fire, reducing the glittering towers of Ladvidago to rubble and the field of Tessarae to a burning ruin. During this period, much of the Odestrian government on Odestria, within Ladvidago was slain, killed when the government district was eradicated by the bombs dropped by Kilox Zamiliev’s command.
Following the 6-hour bombardment, during which time word started to echo across the Imperium that Odestria was under attack, the MBP’s deactivated. The stagnant bombing platforms crashed to Odestria’s surface following their deactivation, impacting across the bombarded areas, further damaging them. After seemingly ending, the MBP’s detonated with a force cited to equal to 50 megatons of TNT each. The force of these hundred of MBP’s sent shockwaves across the planet, Geopenze was hit with massive ground quakes that toppled structures and created massive fissures. A blanket of smoke and radioactive fallout blanketed Odestria’s atmosphere, turning the once vibrant planet, black to those observing in space.
Aftermath of OdestraRak[]
The state of the Odestrian Imperium at the end of the 3rd year of the conflict.
Following the Scourge of Odestria, the central government of the Imperium was largely decapitated. Emperor Blezzus, taking full responsibility for the carnage on Odestria, soon abdicated. The large toxic cloud that enveloped much of the planet was sure to set it on a path be unlivable, risking the corrosion of the atmosphere as a whole. As a result, the parts of Odestria that were safe from the full destruction of Cassus Vertan (mostly Geopenze and Ofortus) was evacuated to other planets in the Panasian Core, mostly Odestragrad, Coraz and Uzgaut. As a result of this, the Odestrian civilian government collapsed and the Second Imperium became a rump of what it was before. With what was left of the senate on Odestragrad along with any remnants of Sentinel Command, the remnant government began to makes plans of surrender to the Fence.
Year Four[]
Unless the people of the Odestrian nation wish to face the same sort of fire they faced on the 15th of Karaktum they will concede to the demands of this government
—A piece from the Barakian ultimatum.
The Barakian Ultimatum[]
In the wake of the costly attack on Odestria, the Fence’s high command was eagerly awaiting calls for surrender from the shattered Odestrian government. In order to intimidate or possibly help tip the scales more towards surrender, the Fence delegates bluffed, saying that another attack like the one on Odestria was possible and in fact in its planning stages. They then issued an ultimatum to the Odestragrad council. While Sentinel command was initially against the idea, the was no way the council felt confident that the war could be won. The attack on Odestria was unprecedented and left the planet in a state that was thought to be un-repairable, at least at the time. With this in mind the Odestragrad council quickly made plans of surrendering to the Fence and preventing another attack like the one on Odestria.
Genzzus' "Coup"[]
It's become clear to me that this government is unwilling to see the writing on the wall, the Barakians are baiting us into surrender. If you think it a good idea to take this bait then I see you unfit to lead us to victory.
—Panokkus Genzzus
To Panokkus Genzzus, the idea that the Fence could hope to muster another attack was ridiculous. Having been commanding on the front line, Genzzus witnessed the
manpower shortages that effectively lost the battle of Rah’Katov for the Fence. He surmised that the attack on Odestria was effectively a do-or-die assault meant to lead the Odestrian faction to surrender. This was further backed up when the Fence battlefleet began to tactically withdraw from several non-important systems across Odestrian territory. He voiced his concerns to the council, but they weren’t keen on risking the fate of Odestrian civilization should the Fence not be bluffing. Genzzus did manage to garner the support of Sentinel command and with that power, he took control of the Odestrian remnant government, relieving the Odestragrad Council and almost leading to a second civil war within the Odestrian’s own ranks. With the power of the Odestra Knights on his side however, Genzzus was able to successfully rest control of the military, unifying command under his leadership.
The Odestrian State[]
Main Article: Odestrian State
There was a genuine fear throughout the Odestrian populace that Genzzus took command for the simple reason of continuing the war. There was talk of him being a warmonger and comparisons of him to the tyrant Josef Xervov. Genzzus faced numerous threats and instances of anger from civilians and those in the remnant government. In order to make a unifying call to the population, Genzzus made his famous 3rd Dicumdar speech, in which he addressed to the Odestrian controlled worlds of the Imperium. In his speech, he told the people that if the Odestrian people surrendered, then the sacrifices of all who died, on the front lines and on Odestria, would be in vain. He told the people that the Barakians meant to destroy Odestrian civilization, that Odestria for them was simply the first step. He made a call to unify the people and when he made that call, the people unified. Genzzus managed to successfully constitute a suitable fighting force and emergency military government. He promised the reinstatement of the Imperium after the Fence was defeated and a return to the status-quo. With this, he constituted the Odestrian Legion and OdestraNav into the First Avenger Legion (Zi UnusAvengis Legius) marched towards the end of the war.
The "Great Withdrawal"[]
The manpower shortages of the Fence’s military were becoming more and more evident, even in the wake of Case Green. With the utter devastation the Fence caused and the seemingly strong response the Odestrians gave to it, it was no surprise that there was a genuine fear that Case Green was a mistake. As a result of this, Fence Admiral del-Kart, who at that point was put in command of the siege on Castrum Nitan, began to withdraw troops in order to strengthen holdings on Alnell and prepare for an Odestrian attack. With this event the siege on Castrum Nitan, which had been going on for the last 3 years, had continued but was effectively weakened.
The news of this, brought forward by Odestrian military intelligence was met with a sigh of relief from the exhausted defenders of the system. For the majority of the war, Castrum Nitan had been the sole system that had not fallen to the Fence in their occupation of the Hudron Systems. The idea that the lengthy attack finally had an end in sight was one which led to a boost of morale among the defenders of the Castrum.
The Hudron systems wasn’t the only place which saw mass Fence withdrawals. Fence forces began a tactical retreat from the Inner Imperium, giving up the systems surrounding Rah’Katov and withdrawing to the Barakian Fence’s main systems in order to dig in and prepare for a new offensive against the Odestrian faction.
Genzzus Offensive Part II: Operation Bisect[]
Using the opportunity, provided by the Fence withdrawal, Genzzus and Kieranov quickly put into action, the second part of the Genzzus Offensive, Operation Bisect. The objective of the plan was to cut the Fence proper off from the Expansion District, known as Ketro Province, and Tenograd. From there the plan was to encircle Odyat and prepare an invasion force to liberate the world.
Meanwhile during this time, Fence military command, mostly under the leadership of del-Fance, was preparing for another all-or-nothing assault on the remainder of Odestrian space. The plan was to use fleets massed at Alnell and Tosep to attack the Odestrians on two fronts. At this point however, Fance was largely delirious with his planning, making battle movements for fleets which no longer existed. At the same time, Barakian military intelligence was largely crippled and the military had no idea about Genzzus offensive. The thought was that the Odestrian fleets would remain in their space in order to prepare for another offensive or continue the defensive war. This meant that the fleets amassing at Tosep had no idea about what was about to occur and as a result, was left unready and largely defenseless.
Three standard days after the Odestrian fleets got into position, the offensive kicked off and the Genzzus Legion cut through Fence space, slicing through the unsuspecting Fence defense fleets at every hyperspace nexus that they were encountered in. Once the fleet arrived at Tosep, it virtually annihilated the fleet that orbited the planet. With this, much of the Fence’s offensive capabilities were destroyed and the tide of the war officially turned to the side of the Odestrian faction.
Panic on Barakua[]
After the news of the main hosts destruction reached Barakua, the Fence’s morale was effectively crushed. Despite the extensive propaganda campaign instituted by the Fence’s government the lack of potential men to be conscripted was lacking severely. The civilian population of the Fence was tired of the fighting and the overall casualty lists was leaked to the Barakian public by Odestrian Military intelligence. Riots began to brake out in the streets of Barakua and other Barakian worlds. The people wanted the war to end, they wanted to come to an agreement with the Panasians who were still fighting. Word began to spread to the upper echelons of the Fence government. Supreme Commander Friez Zamiliev began discussions of surrender. Much of the Fence’s military government agreed and plans were being drawn up to begin negotiations of a cease fire.
When word of this reached Generalis del-Fance, he staged an immediate military coup using the new automated armies. While the Zamiliev’s remained as symbolic figureheads of the Confederacy, Fance held the true power and he took the effective control of the Fence’s remaining military assets.
Operation of Kieranov - The Encirclement of Odyat[]
With the overwhelming victory at Tosep, the Fence’s controlled systems were split in half straight down the middle. The entire western part of the Confederacy was cut off from the east and from there Genzzus’ fleet moved into the Expansion district and moved to take the vital worlds of Kathirr and Tenograd, known to the Barakians as Kruz. The plan that was sent to all under the code of victus was encircle Odyat, the planet that sat at the hyperspace nexus between the Imperium proper and the Fence.
When the fleets arrived over Odyat, the invasion and liberation of the planet was all but assured. The liberation happened in three phases. The first phase involved the complete destruction of the defense fleet in orbit of the planet, the second phase involved the rapid invasion and securing of key industries and urban centers, taking Yatlee in less than a week. The final phase involved the rapid removal of any Barakification done to the planet within a week of the planet’s surrender. With that, the liberation of Odyat was all but assured.
Northern Front[]
Siege of Castrum Nitan ends[]
Following the great withdrawal, the Barakian assaults on the Castrum got weaker allowing for relief to arrive within the system and allowing for the Nitan Legion to fight back against the siege. Once the final withdrawals from the system had finished, the Legion pushed back and sliced through the assault force. The three-year long siege had finally ended and soon after the Fence lost hold of all the systems within the sector, save for the Nell system which is where much of the Fence withdrew too. However, Admiral Demisev would not be deterred and the Nitan legions soon began to head to towards Alnell.
The Liberation of Alnell[]
Main Article: Second Battle of Alnell
The stage was now set of the liberation of Alnell after three years of Fence occupation. On the Barakian side was Admiral del-Kart who ensured that the whole of the withdrawn fleet was prepared for the incoming Odestrian attack. On the other side was Admiralus Demisev and the ground legions under the command of Legatus Nichols Dessas, the Hudron who was once in command of the Alnell Defense Legion. After the all the preparations were made, the Odestrian fleet made its way to Alnell.
The Fence was faced with several logistical problems leading up to the defense of their occupied world. The most important of these was food and medical supplies. With Alnell acting as a defacto exclave from the rest of the Confederacy, the Barakians relied mostly on food shipments and on-world supplies. However, with much of Alnell’s supplied having been dedicated to the siege of Castrum Nitan, the stores kept on-world had been reduced to effectively a quarter of their original amounts. There was the additional issue of the on-going manpower shortages of the Fence military which had been plaguing the Barakian cause since the battle of Rah’Katov, earlier in the conflict. With all these variables in play it seemed nigh impossible for the Fence to win at Alnell and indeed they did not.
The outcome of the battle and subsequent liberation of the Nell system was all but assured. When Demisev’s fleet moved into the system it quickly destroyed Admiral del-Kart’s force in orbit before the legion made its way planet side and liberated the occupied populace. Legatus Dessas, having promised to return when the planet initially fell, made his triumphant return as a hero to the beleaguered population.
The push to Barakua[]
The state of the Imperium at the end of the fourth year, following Operation Bisect.
It stands to reason that this war is almost over, we're entering the final stage.
—Marshall Petro Kieranov
As the fourth year of the war came to a close, the conflict which had very much been against the Odestrians from its onset had turned around. The Fence had been effectively kicked out of Odestrian space and with the majority of the sectors secured, the Genzzus Legion began to clean up any Fence holdouts. The Odestrian command had been fully secured under Genzzus’ leadership and the push towards Barakua could now begin without delay, it was clear to both sides that the war would soon be over.
The Final Year[]
From this point there is no turning back, the war will be over by the year's end.
—Josef Barthen
The push continues[]
The opening of the war’s fifth year would see numerous Odestrian successes in the push to Barakua. Within the first few months, most of the Fence holdouts within the Inner Imperium and Hudron Systems had surrendered. The Battle of Chievvak, which had raged for much of the war’s duration, had begun to finish up. With much of the Fence’s naval capabilities withdrawn to their core systems, the rest of the OdestraNav had no issues mopping up the rest of the Fence Battle fleet which remained in the Subsector. With this, the year long naval campaign came to an end and the Fence was virtually pushed out of the pre-war Odestrian territory.
The Planning of Deep Wound[]
As the outcome of the war became clearer to Genzzus, the question became how to suitably finish the war. There were some within the Odestrian State’s government that wished to simply sign a peace treaty to end the war, inflicting punitive measures on the Barakians and hampering their ability to make war. However, the side that ended up being loudest was that of Legatus Josef Barthen. Barthen’s proposed doctrine involved measures to completely annihilate an enemy’s ability to make war against Odestria again. This would be done by effectively meeting an atrocity done against the people of Odestria, with an even greater atrocity. For Barthen it was simply, OdestraRak had severely damaged the Odestrian national consciousness, for Humans and Panasians. The solution was then to completely annihilate the Barakian national consciousness, preventing them from arising as a military force again. While Genzzus had his reservations about the virtual annihilation of a planet, Barthen assured him that this would only be done if the Barakians and the Fence as a whole refused to unconditionally surrender. Thus, the measure of Kalypsithenos was born.
The Final Push[]
The state of the Imperium at the time of Barakua's encirclement.
While most of the Confederacy’s planets surrendered, Barakua and Baraten did not. The stage was set for the invasion of the Barak system and the final end to the destructive conflict which tore Odestrian space apart. While the Odestrians attempted to make contact with Barakua in demands for a surrender, Kemik del-Fance refused, demanding that the Barakians fought until the last man and claiming that the surrender would allow for the Odestrians to claim sovereignty over the Fence once more.
With no other options, the Genzzus Legions invaded the Barak system, moving from planet to planet and taking the whole system within two standard days. As the Odestrian fleet approached and encircled Barakua, a massive space battle broke out, with the Fance’s MBP fleet and the remnants of the Fence Battle Fleet using Barakua’s asteroid field for cover and as weapons against the Odestrian onslaught. The battle was not long to last however, and almost after another day of fighting, the stage was set for the apparent invasion of Barakua.
Operation Deep Wound[]
Main Article: Operation Deep Wound
That's it, the shuttles are launched. Operation Deep Wound has begun.
—Chief of State Panokkus Genzzus
While made to look like a standard planetary invasion, Operation Deep Wound was actually planned to involve no total control of Barakua’s surface at all. The operation itself was split into three phases with the final goal of delivering a pay load of three H.A.V.O.C Fission Bombs to three dug out locations on the planet. The final result then was the shattering of Barakua’s external crust and already weak atmosphere, dooming the planet to the same fate that was thought to have doomed Odestria following the Barakian attack.
Phase One[]
The first phase of the attack was that of planetary invasion. After Barakua refused to surrender, the orbiting Odestrian fleets began the mass deployments of the 127th Imperial Rifles and the 137th Odestrian Vindicators down to the surface. The main purpose of this was to create three “digging” zones in order to create the nests for the fission bombs. This however, appeared to be the creation of on-world outposts which the Odestrians would use to spread their forces across the planet. Given the asteroid blasted surface of Barakua, creating a sustainable digging site was the most difficult task with Odestrian military intelligence mapping out key areas on the surface where the asteroid belt didn’t occasionally shower down.
Phase 2[]
The second phase involved the securing of key transport hubs and urban areas. Some of the heaviest fighting during this phase took place in the Barakian capital of F’risen, where the Odestrian soldiers had to fight bloody building to building combat in the domed city. While the objective of this phase appeared to be part of the overarching invasion plan, the ulterior motive was that of containment. The plan was geared towards containing much of the Fence’s military within the larger urban centers and away from the dig sites, thereby allowing for the planting of the bombs to go off without much of an issue. It was at this point that the Odestrian Legion attempted to get civilians from the urban centers offworld, as many as they could. Prior to the invasion, many civilians were moved offworld to Baraten, against the command of del-Fance who wanted them to act as obstacles for the Odestrians to overcome. While the Legion successfully evacuated thousands of civilians, there weren’t able to get even half of the millions who still resided on Barakua. The second phase was the longest and bloodiest of the stages of Operation Deep Wound.
Phase 3[]
The final phase involved the successful planting of the bombs and the evacuation of all Odestrian personnel from the planet. The bomb in the northern hemisphere was the first to be planted, it was then hidden from sight and the squads made their way to the evacuation sight. By this time, much of the fighting across the world has decreased in intensity. Much of the Barakian civilian fighting group the PyopleSturm (Barakian: Storm of the People) had largely surrendered and were taken off world. In F’risen, the Zamilievs had been arrested personally by Panokkus Genzzus and his Vindicators while del-Fance fled off world. Much of the Fence’s senior staff and leadership would be later tried, but for now the objective was to get them off the doomed planet. Once all the fission bombs were planted the signal words were given out and the Odestrians began a mass evacuation of the planet. This was to be done as quickly as possible in order to prevent the realization of the true Odestrian objective. In all it took over 72 hours to evacuate the planet, during this time the Fence military believed that they were successful in driving the Odestrians off, likely due to their breakdown in communication between units. There were still some Odestrians who remained on world until the detonation, likely due to pre-existing hatred of the Barakians as a species, while those attempting to commit genocide with their bare hands would continue to try, they ended up meeting the same fate as the planet itself.
The destruction of Barakua[]
Light them for Odessan
—Josef Barthen
After the third phase was completed and the evacuation was successful, the order was given out by Legatus Barthen himself. As he activated his holocommunicator, he is said to have spoke the words “Light them for Odessan.” With that, the fission bombs were activated and in a flash of blinding light, the external crust of Barakua cracked and her dual asteroid belts collided. Huge chucks of the world shot off into orbit, joining in with the belt and leaving a shattered husk of a world orbiting where the world of Barakua once stood.
Aftermath[]
Surrender of the Barakians[]
To the Barakians, their nationalism, and their cause, the message was clear. Attacking Odestria and leading their campaign of total war and genocide across Odestrian space was a mistake. Within 24 standard hours after the destruction of their homeworld, the Confederacy of the Barakian Fence surrendered to the Odestrian State and after four and a half long years, the Great Imperium War finally came to an end.
Treaty of Odyat[]
Occuaption zones within the Barakian Fence following the Treaty of Odyat.
While the Barakian defeat was an unconditional surrender, the Odestrian government under Genzzus’ command wished to format official articles in order to formally show and end of the war to the greater galaxy. With this, what remained of Barakua’s provisional government met on Odyat in order to sign the treaty of the same name. The treat formally stripped the Barakian Fence of any claims of self-governance along with establishing four occupational zones within the systems of the Fence in order to both aid in rebuilding and to de-ZIMEREify the planets within. The treaty also established plans to decentralize the Barakian population, scattering them throughout the Imperium as to ensure they weren’t kept to such an isolated part of Odestrian space. Finally, the treaty established the necessity for a war crimes tribunal to take place on Alnell.
Alnell Trials[]
The aforementioned trials took place on the planet Alnell and featured the trials of much of the ZIMERE party’s upper leadership as well as several Barakian military leaders. While much of the trial’s authenticity is called into question by many Barakian scholars, the outcome was one of unilateral acceptance. Friez Zamiliev, Kilox Zamiliev and 24 other members of the Fence’s leadership were sentenced to death by hanging, another 13 were sentenced to death by arena combat and 4 were sentenced to life imprisonment. Kemik del-Fance was tried in absentia and sentenced to death by hanging, however he went missing shortly after his departure from Barakua.
The ruins of Odestria and the Desolatus[]
Odestria’s surface still remained in ruins. While the capital of Odestralee remained largely untouched by the bombs, radioactive fallout poured across the atmosphere causing mass amounts of farmland and cities to become radioactive wastes. While the continent of Geopenze only suffered from the occasional radiation storm, Ladvidago and Tessarae were much less fortunate.
The two badly bombed continents, both suffered from mass radiation storms and radioactive fallout following OdestraRak. Firestorms and black rain resulted in any livable land to become inhospitable and black clouds poured over the planet. This was known as the Desolatus and if left unchecked, would result in the total destruction of Odestria’s atmosphere.
The Second Fence War[]
Main Article: The Second Fence War
Kemik Fance would eventually return with his automated armies to claim revenge against the Odestrians and establish a new “Second Fence Confederacy.” While this was nowhere near the same in terms of scale and destruction, the Second Fence War is often seen as a continuation of the Great Imperium War in terms of combative capabilities. Resembling a prolonged guerrilla campaign and war of attrition rather than a full mobile war, the second war was relegated to much of the war-torn planets of the Barakian Fence, leading to further economic and civilian devastation. This war would end with Emperor Panokkus Genzzus killing Kemik Fance in single combat, finally crushing the Fence’s chance of ever being a sovereign galactic entity.
Legacy[]
Sources[]
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
- Star Wars The Old Republic
- Star Wars The Old Republic - Codex Entry: "Wild Space"
- The Unknown Regions
- The Essential Atlas
- Star Wars: The Essential AtlasOnline Companion
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
- Timeline 8: The Jedi Civil War
- Odestrian Codex- The Great Imperium War
- "On the chronology of the Great Imperium War"
- Odestrian Militarism - Why?
- No potential for Democracy
- "The Eternal Barakian Guilt"
- The Fourth Imperium Rises