I have identified the key to victory in this upcoming battle to be the maximum application of high firepower, disregard for the life of the local population, and full suppression. As these people can hardly be described as developed, let alone Human, I do not see the need for restraint.
—Excerpt from a report by Ivran Gresev, prior to the battle
The Second Battle of Ankarr was a comparatively large battle during the Cruentusian War. Having learned of the adopted homeworld of the Zayre species, Ankarr, the Srav Federation launched a full-scale invasion of the planet, intending to subjugate the Zayre race and remove them as threats. The Sravs also saw the move as vengeance against the Zayre for assisting the Srav enemies earlier in the war. To strengthen their numbers, the Sravs hired a large force of Savi Alliance mercenaries, and allowed Savi commanders to participate in the planning and execution of the battle. Both sides then launched a lightning assault on Ankarr, with Zayre warriorwoman Storm Ironwings and former Necasian leader Carsal Redharn mounting the defense. The Zayre, however, considered themselves disadvantaged by what they felt was the orbital superiority of the other factions, and took losses from liberal use of chemical and nuclear weapons by the Sravs. Under Ironwing's command, the still Zayre managed to hold their ground in some areas. Nonetheless, the Zayre were eventually overwhelmed by numbers and firepower, and the Sravs began what was considered to be a repressive occupation of the planet. Following the battle, Irownings and Redharn fled underground and led an unsuccessful resistance movement against the Sravs before eventually fleeing off world.
Prelude[]
This information will prove useful, if true. Inform your leaders that they have a new client.
—Jasef Yuiln to the Savi mercenaries
Yuiln confers.
A few weeks before the battle, the sentient and bird-like Zayre had attacked the planet of Palanhi to test out their crystal weaponry, which they had developed to compensate for their lack of conventional technological explosives. In the process, they hired mercenaries from the Savi Alliance to assist them with the conflict. Upon the conclusion of the battle, the Zayre killed the mercenaries to prevent them from leaking information on the location of the Zayre to the fascist Necasian Military and the socialist Srav Federation, both of whom were determined to eradicate the Zayre. Despite what the Zayre had hoped for, a few mercenaries survived and tracked the Zayre to the planet Ankarr.
The Savi Alliance decided that the Sravs would be the best recipients for this intelligence, as the Sravs previously had entanglements with the Necasians during the Battle of Cul-Huq and the Battle of Toydaria. The Savi ranks also contained a number of Necasian deserters, who did not want to risk being caught and executed. Savi leaders arranged to meet Srav supreme leader Jasef Yuiln within the Politikdel building in the Srav capital of Yuilnokrad, Sviat. During the meeting, the Savis presented what they had discovered, in exchange for a fee beforehand. The Sravs dispatched a number spy probes after hearing the information, and the probes confirmed what the Savis had told them.
Srav commander Ivran Gresev immediately pressured Yuiln for an invasion of Ankarr, stating that the Zayre needed to be eradicated before they could become a larger threat. Due to the fact that many Srav forces were occupied elsewhere with an ongoing offensive against the Necasians, Yuiln made an offer to the Savis that would pledge a large Savi force to bolster the Srav invasion numbers. The Savis quickly agreed, deciding they needed the prestige to gain further customers. Gresev hand-picked several top-ranking Srav commanders, including Nataska Vergulva, a Srav-described heroine to the Srav people who had fought against the Zayre during the Battle of Hypori. Gresev also chose an elite sniper named Rak Dremsk.
As the Srav and Savi joint task force was assembled, Yuiln stressed to Gresev the need occupy the Zayre rather than exterminate them, feeling that they could be eventually indoctrinated into the Srav cause. Gresev was disappointed, as he hoped to eradicate the Zayre, but nonetheless complied. To this end, he brought two kommissars, Laverta Suka and Anatol Kurzak, with him to aid in the subjugation. Within a few days, the task force was prepared and headed out to Ankarr as planned. Gresev stressed to his commanders to use any means necessary to suppress the Zayre.
The battle[]
Crimson skies[]
What are our orders, comrade commander?"
"Do I really need to tell you? Kill. Kill them all.
—A Srav officer and Gresev
When the combined Srav and Savi fleet dropped out of hyperspace in orbit around Ankaar, Gresev immediately ordered full orbital surveillance sweeps of the planet as he assumed that the Zayre were too primitive to have any form of sensors. Nonetheless, the Zayre possessed some rudimentary communication and detection equipment they had gained a year earlier in a battle with Savi mercenaries during the Skirmish on Ankarr, so they were aware of the threat within minutes. A few of the Zayre noblewomen panicked at the size of the invasion force, claiming that they were facing 'crimson skies', after the Srav colors. Carsal Redharn, the deposed Necasian leader who was now serving as a consort to Ironwings, was also alarmed. Ironwings insisted that they fight, stating that they had overcome all other threats on their homeworld up until then.
As Srav landing waves assembled in the upper atmosphere, the Savis, under the command of former Necasian officer Holst Kolgan and female Chiss mercenary Rafe Taker, immediately launched wings of FireWing interceptors that targeted rural Zayre villages and farms. Groups of Savi mercenaries were launched straight into some of said locations via drop pods fired from Savi Strat-class cruisers, where they began randomly killing any Zayre they found. Despite this, Ironwings was already enacting invasion protocols that she and Redharn had been planning for the better part of a year, ordering evacuations and call to arms, and Zayre warriors were already moving into the Savi drop locations and engaging the mercenaries.
Kolgan nonetheless considered these to be nothing more than preliminary scout forces, and the bulk of the Savi force was descending in borrowed Klasnost-class transports along with the first Srav invasion waves. Gresev used small-scale tactical nuclear weapons on spots near the landing sites, but was shocked when missiles descending near the central Zayre city were intercepted by bolts of lightning. Unbeknown to him, the Zayre were using their Worship Crystal, an large artificial crystal that increased the prowess of individual Zayre in a vicinity to boost their powers. This Worship Crystal intercepted the missiles with its elemental abilities.
The Sravs and Savis, however, were already unloading forces at their predetermined landing sites. Rafe was leading the forward Savi groups personally, with Kolgan commanding from orbit. Vergulva and Dremsk were both in charge of the foremost Srav brigade. Due to his unfamiliarity with Zayre culture, Gresev assumed that simply taking out various targets in the region where the Zayre population was most concentrated would force them to surrender, whereas it increased their desire to repel the invaders.
Burning earth[]
A nuclear cloud rises.
Advance! Kill these mongrel freaks! Make their towns glow!"
"I like your attitude, comrade. Carry on.
—Kolgan and Gresev
As the Sravs took a more cautious approach to the battle to minimize casualties, assembling their forces into divisions with specific tasks such as seizing various locations, the Savis advanced forward, their vehicular forces consisting mostly of custom built tanks, anti-air vehicles, and artillery. The Savis immediately headed for nearby shrines in the countryside, intending to loot and pillage them, partly for their own greed and partly to break Zayre morale. Aircraft defense cannons from the Savi anti-air vehicles repelled Zayre warrior women who moved to stop them. Rafe, covered by Srav snipers, eliminated those who attempted to stop them on the ground. Savi artillery shelled random structures, such as bridges and food storehouses.
Nonetheless, under their invasion protocols, a number of Zayre were already fleeing their villages to locations in the remote mountains and forests across the continent. Warriors and supposedly skilled civilian fighters were already performing hit-and-run raids on the Savis, neutralizing artillery concentrations. Some Zayre, however, found themselves struck down as Vergulva and Dremsk's snipers advanced to strategic locations along the advancing front lines. Meanwhile, the Savi Strat cruisers began shelling Zayre locations from orbit with mass-driver cannons, although the lack of accuracy from the weapons meant that the artillery often ended up desolating random fields. FireWing and Zulkrum-class heavy interceptor squadrons attempted to perform air strikes on the Zayre capital, but the Zayre utilized their Worship Crystal to disable the Savi electrical systems with electrical discharges.
Becoming angry at the Zayre actions, Gresev launched nuclear strikes on some of the mountains and fields that rural Zayre were fleeing too, having noticed the Zayre fleeing from orbit. Dispirited upon seeing their supposed safe havens engulfed in nuclear fire, many of the Zayre became despondent, but others became more determined to repel the invaders and elected to return to the main region of battle.
Night of the long guns[]
Hey, pretty! Do you people have men? No? I guess it is up to us to show you what men can do to you!
—A Srav soldier to a captured Zayre
A Zayre in battle.
Following the nuclear strikes, the Sravs and Savis were moved forward at a relatively stable pace. In occupied villages, Zayre were tagged and herded into large buildings such as temples for later transportation. The Zayre who were considered most attractive were used as sexual slaves in the camp by soldiers of the other two factions, with their wings cut off or amputated for easier pleasure. Villages where resistance was too fierce for the Sravs and Savis to occupy were destroyed from orbit orbit, and the areas around them were shelled to eliminate survivors. This was sanctioned and encouraged by the Srav and Savi commanders, who hoped that this would drive the Zayre to despair.
By nightfall, Gresev did not want to lose the momentum of his advance, and initiated a push that his soldiers would call 'the night of the long guns'. Many Savis, however, took the opportunity to take over Zayre homes to rest for the evening, drinking alcohol and raping the Zayre. As this was hapenning, Rafe and veteran Savis continued to aid in front line operations, destroying Zayre aqueducts and resistance pockets. Ironwings, having known what was happening, was already responding. Zayre warrior women used launchers located on volcanic vents to fire crystal bombs at the advancing enemy. Impacting around the Srav and Savi front line, the crystals expanded rapidly on impact, weakening forward units and creating barriers that proved durable under shell and missile fire. In response, Srav Vesetroika destroyers and Savi Strats filled the skies above the region with numerous air defense rounds, taking out many Zayre crystal bearers.
Ironwings was determined to do something about the enemy orbital support. On Redharn's advice, she took flight and engaged a wing of Srav Zulkrum fighters, using her reflexes and crystal-boosted abilities to dodge their missiles and Gatling fire. Engaging one, she tore the pilot out of the cockpit and dragged the fighter as high as she could fly into the upper atmosphere, pointing it at a Savi Strat cruiser. She then let go and flew down, the fighter carrying on with its own momentum. The crew of the Strat noticed it as it approached, but as the computer systems recognized it as a friendly object they did not note it until it was very close. The fighter then impacted into the cruiser, the nuclear-tipped missiles it was equipped with causing an explosion that critically damaged the cruiser and caused it to flounder and lose height.
Inspired by this, Ironwings headed to the front lines, avoiding anti-air weaponry as she moved to eliminate an advancing Srav and Savi contingent in a forest. Using the darkness to her advantage, she took out several soldiers from above the treetops before they were able to put on infrared goggles to gain visibility. In response, Ironwings conjured up a localized but intense lightning storm with their elemental abilities that ravaged that area of the wood. Some stragglers equipped with missile launchers and a number of Srav Molot anti-infantry walkers began firing on her during the storm, driving Ironwings back.
While Ironwing's presence and actions increased the Zayre will to fight, the progress of the Sravs and Savis was slowing. The damaged Savi Strat cruiser, meanwhile, entered the atmosphere and plummeted into one of the planet's oceans, causing a tidal wave that damaged the relatively unscathed Zayre coastal settlements. Despite this, the Zayre were euphoric that the seemingly untouchable enemy orbital presence could be damaged. By sunrise, it appeared that the Srav and Savi task force had been forced to a halt.
Crimson dawn[]
We got new orders: commence 'maximum application of firepower'. Blow the crap out of everything, then.
—A Savi mercenary
Gresev was beginning to lose patience, so he brought forward units of Kurtev-class heavy assault tanks, which shattered the blocking crystal formations with their nuclear shells. He also authorized the use of poison gas in Savi artillery shells and ordered toxins dumped into water channels leading to the Zayre capital city. This initiated a morning push Gresev dubbed 'crimson dawn', named after the crimson colors of the Srav Federation. As a result of the toxins, a number of Zayre found themselves falling ill within several hours in the capital. Zayre priestesses were overstretched trying to provide witch doctor duties and spiritual support, using healing spells and medicinal recipies in an effort to help injured Zayre recover. Gresev was also tempted to bombard the capital to the ground from orbit with conventional shells. However, he refrained from doing so due to being ordered not to decimate the Zayre population.
From the Zayre point of view, their noblewomen were begging Ironwings to surrender in order to prevent further destruction, but Ironwings retorted that their honor needed to be preserved even if the battle was lost. However, Redharn noted from older Savi equipment readouts that the Sravs appeared to be transferring auxiliary nuclear reactors from their orbital presence to a place not far from the battlefield in a valley. The Sravs also appeared to constructing some sort of device. Accessing Necasian intelligence networks to work out what this meant, Redharn learned to his shock that this corresponded with the construction of a Tsarka bomb, a super-powered nuclear weapon that the Sravs had previously used during the Battle of Kasa.
Redharn spoke with Ironwings, informing her that if the Sravs completed the device they could potentially devastate most of the planet, reducing the Zayre to extinction. Ironwings was unconvinced until Redharn showed her footage of the bomb being detonated on Kasa. Visibly horrified, Irownings gathered her personal bodyguards and took flight, creating cloud coverage with their elemental abilities.
Unbeknown to the Zayre, this was what Gresev wanted. In the battlefield, the Zayre defense began to flounder without Ironwing's command, and the Sravs began launching missiles filled with nerve gas at the Zayre defense lines. The gas proved fatal to less experienced Zayre, although more experienced veterans were either able to purge their systems of the substance or create air bubbles around themselves. Both Dremsk and Vergulva were taken aback at this use of gas weaponry, but decided not to voice their concerns, as the Zayre were now being pushed back. Many Zayre were now heading back to their main city, dispirited upon seeing the now-desolated countryside around them.
Beginning of the end[]
Look, you see those big bombs the Sravvies use? This is like them. But multiplied by a million.
—Redharn describing the Tsarka bomb to Irownings
Arriving in the valley where the Zayre believed the Tsarka bomb was being constructed, Ironwings and her followers came across a number of sentry guns and automated anti-air batteries, as well as a few Molot walkers. Noting that the bomb seemed almost complete, Ironwings began to move in as quickly as she could, but her wing was wounded by a barrage of armor-piercing bullets and missiles. Taking cover, Ironwings's wounds were repaired by one of her warriors who specialized in healing, but Ironwings was still finding the bullet barrage overwhelming.
One of Ironwing's teammates quickly had an idea in order to avoid these barrages. Flying upwards as rapidly as possible, the teammate directly attacked a nearby Srav Drapeznik gunship, pulling the pilot out of the cockpit and ripping off the side-mounted weapons. Returning to the valley, she attempted to use the mounted Gatling cannon, but this plan failed. Instead, she took the missiles from the cannon and threw them like grenades at the Sravs, destroying most of the defenses. This was Ironwing's cue to move in and eliminate the rest.
Unbeknown to Ironwings, she was playing into Gresev's hands. The Tsarka bomb being constructed was a decoy mock-up, and Gresev and Kolgan had both guessed that she would try and eliminate it. Gresev primed the nuclear reactors lying there, which Ironwings became aware of. Realizing what this meant, she began to fly away at her maximum speed moments before Gresev detonated the reactors. Radiation covered the valley, catching Ironwings in its fallout. Weakening rapidly, she called for other Zayre to help carry her, intending to get back to the city and bathe in the Pool of Healing, a fountain containing unique healing water.
Shocked by the sight of their foremost warrior in such a state, many Zayre began to fight in what they considered a halfhearted manner. Establishing a line not far from the capital city, Gresev readied both Srav and Savi artillery, and ordered Vergulva and Rafe to don anti-chemical masks. The artillery proceeded to open fire, covering most of the area between their lines and the capital with noxious gas. Vergulva, Rafe and several Srav Hammer Division elite troops equipped with gas masks then moved across, using the cloud as cover and orbital uplink to find their way. Viewing the smoke as 'foul enemy magic', the Zayre kept as alert as they felt they could.
Shattered hopes[]
A Srav Hammer soldier fires on the Zayre.
I think this has a lesson for all of us, comrades: winged freaks with swords should never go to a gunfight.
—A Hammer Division soldier
Reaching the walls of the city, wearing camouflage as a precaution, the Srav team blew open a hole in the walls with high-grade explosive charges and moved into the city. Some Zayre noticed and engaged them, but were gunned down. Approaching the Worship Crystal, some of the Hammer troops weakened it with missile launchers, while Vergulva took out Zayre around it with Rafe covering her.
Meanwhile, in the central Zayre temple, Ironwings was bathing in the Pool of Healing, where she was informed of the intruders. Ironwings felt that she should leave and attack them, but the priestesses around her insisted that she stay as she was still in no condition to fight. Irownings instead ordered elite Zayre berserkers to engage and eliminate them. Redharn, meanwhile, was readying an escape route.
Elsewhere, the Hammer team was moving to the crystal, placing explosive charges along the bottom. They were caught off guard by the Zayre beserkers that ended up killing some of the Hammer troops. Rafe, on the other hand, had sensed their approach and began eliminating them with quick pistol shots, until she found herself out of ammunition. Vergulva kept them back with grenades as the Hammer troops set the last charges before the team pulled back. Feeling that they had driven the intruders out, the Zayre believed there was cause to celebrate.
Rafe remarked that they were celebrating too soon as they made their way back out of the city. As they did so, Vergulva detonated the charges. The crystal was destroyed and Vergulva informed Gresev and other Srav officers of this. Upon this cue, divisions of Srav and Savi vehicles rapidly rolled towards the city, dispersing the gas cloud with counter-chemicals. The city walls were weakened by artillery barrages, and Savi mercenaries were dropped via orbital pods in the outer streets to weaken resistance. Ironwings could not sit back anymore and moved to fight, despite not being fully healed.
Broken spirits[]
I have a very reasonable proposition. Surrender and yield your weapons. Your treatment will be lenient and reasonable."
"You barbarians have no sense of honor, do you? I will fight until the last breath escapes my body!
—Vergulva and Ironwings
After being alerted to the crystal's destruction, forward Srav and Savi tanks reached the wall and quickly broke through it with quick shell barrages. Zayre who took to the air found themselves kept down by anti-air weapons and Savi FireWings, while Zulkrums and Drapezniks performed random air strikes. Meeting up with the forward units, Vergulva and Rafe led the advance of their respective sides, incapacitating or killing Zayre they came across. Many civilian Zayre tried to flee, but many were cornered before being either killed or captured.
Vergulva herself managed to reach the main temple. Once she did, Ironwings unexpectedly appeared and cut down the troops around her. Standing before one another, Vergulva attempted to reason with Ironwings, asking that she surrender to avoid further bloodshed. Ironwings felt that the troops were barbaric and knew nothing of honor, so she would fight to the death. She moved to attack, and the two began to scuffle. Still weakened from radiation, Ironwings found it difficult to fight. Ironwings was further wounded when Vergulva shot her with her VLOK-19 combat pistol, Ironwings' armor taking most of the bullet's blow, and was then knocked to the ground. Shattered, Ironwings decided that she did not want to be seen in this state, and that the honorable thing would be to flee, as she did not want to die in what she considered to be such a humiliating fashion. Knocking Vergulva to the ground with a kick of her own, Ironwings quickly made her way back to the temple and, with Redharn, began to escape in a secret tunnel that lead to mountains some distance away. In order to prevent any Srav or Savi forces from following, she caved in the entrance behind her.
With Ironwings gone, the Zayre High Priestess was the next highest authority. She moved to meet Vergulva in the ruined city square, announcing her surrender, which Vergulva accepted. Moments later, Gresev arrived in a shuttle and was informed of the situation. Pleased with the outcome, Gresev made sure as many Zayre as possible were watching, and then as an act of spite shot the priestess in the back of the head before declaring that Ankarr was a territory of the Srav Federation.
Aftermath[]
Comrade Gresev, as a senior officer of the Srav Federation, I must protest against the barbaric treatment of innocent."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. The troops need some fun, Nataska, and I don't see why we should deny them. After all, it's only a bunch of mongrel freaks with wings we're talking about here.
—Vergulva and Gresev
Gresev responds to Vergulva's demands for more leniency to the Zayre.
In the battle's immediate aftermath, the Sravs attempted to set themselves up as the new authority on Ankarr, despite seemingly heavy Zayre resistance. With a number of Zayre dispirited, a group of the less warlike Zayre offered limited resistance. Although large portions of the planet, including the capital, were under Srav control, the Zayre resistance, of which there was a large number, fled to positions more easy to defend due to the natural geography of them. These included areas such as Zayre nesting grounds in Ankarr's mountains. The resisting Zayre, under the command of the still relatively weak Ironwings, fought a fighting retreat, although the land before them was relatively unoccupied by Srav forces.
Within the first eight hours of the Srav occupation, Srav gulag labor camps were set up across the continent for the captured Zayre population, and newborn Zayre were taken for 'superior Srav education'. Although the traditional Srav method for building gulags, using stone and metal, was planned for the occupation of Ankarr, the Sravs never had time to build permanent camps during their occupation. Prefabricated detainment areas were set up in the colder areas of Ankarr within the first two days of the Srav occupation of the planet. Zayre who were considered too dangerous for standard containment or indoctrination were sent to these gulags that were set up in the arctic territories of Ankarr. With the Zayre having become a captive species, the Sravs endorsed all methods of subduing Zayre resistance, whether official and military wise. Rape and theft of Zayre was common and sanctioned by Gresev as a method of subduing the Zayre. However, Vergulva was appalled at this, leading to a difference in views between the two Sravs that would eventually lead to Vergulva killing Gresev at the end of the war. A number of high ranking Zayre left in the capital had their wings clipped, which they found extremely painful. Despite the Srav plans to do this to the majority of Zayre and iron out the inhuman features of them, this was never completed during the occupation of Ankarr.
Vergulva continued to oppose Gresev at every turn, managing to insure that, after the first eight hours, these methods of subduction stopped, and that only high ranking Zayre were affected. The two main Srav kommissars on the planet, Anatol Kurzak and Laverta Suka, would then take over occupation after a few days, with Gresev leaving for battlefronts elsewhere. Vergulva, however, left strict instructions that the Zayre were not to have their wings clipped and that rape was to be kept at a minimum. Although Vergulva recognized that the Zayre were captured enemies, she did not believe in punishing an entire species, many of whom were innocent in her opinion.
The nuclear fallout on Ankarr, compared to some of the other battles in which the Sravs participated, was relatively light, with the Zayre having managed to have kept it to a minimum. Although three Zayre settlements were devastated, all within five miles of each other, and a portion of farmland around that general area was affected, relatively few Zayre became the victims of radiation poisoning or of deformities due to radiation-related incidents. The Zayre resistance on the planet that had not managed to join with Ironwings's combined movement was the focus of Srav attention during the first few days of the occupation, although many of the groups remained secret and managed to keep up resistance without the Sravs noticing.
The Sravs began working on a number of programs that would, in their opinion, civilize the Zayre population during the first twenty-four hours. During the first few weeks of occupation, resistance was regarded to be at its fiercest. After these few weeks, the rebellions began to die down due to what were considered to be the brutal and harsh punishments inflicted by the Srav Federation. Nevertheless, the resistance always remained at was considered by the Sravs to be a fierce level.
Legacy[]
Behave and respect your elders, or Suka and Kurzak will come for you.
—A Zayre warning to children generations after the battle
The Second Battle of Ankarr led directly into the subsequent Srav occupation of Ankarr. The majority of the planet fell under the rule of the Srav Federation, with the exception of the few areas in which the Sravs considered the Zayre resistance to be too fierce. The occupation of Ankarr lasted up until the end of the war which, unbeknown to anyone at the time, would only be a few months later.
The enforcement of Srav rule onto the Zayre species came not long after the occupation of Ankarr began. Despite Redharn and Ironwings's supposed best attempts to rouse rebellion against Srav rule, this had a lasting effect on the Zayre which meant that, after the war, a number of the Zayre rules resembled the Srav laws in multiple respects, such as punishments for dissidents. Unlike on other worlds, however, the Sravs did not have the opportunity to start constructing their own buildings in larger numbers on Ankarr. The Zayre architecture remained relatively intact, save for a few minor details that had Srav influence upon them such as more emphasis on geometric shapes. The various pieces of art made by Zayre during and shortly after the Srav occupation featured a number of Srav influences, such as less abstractness. Many Zayre, although they held no real feelings towards humans, subsequently began to hate those of Srav heritage for years afterward.
The fields ravaged by the Srav occupation, or by the attack upon the planet, went through what the Zayre considered to be an intense restoration and farming effort, both during the Srav occupation and afterward. With some of them having been completely killed off by nuclear weapons, this soon became a full scale project. The fields that were only damaged underwent minor restoration, while the ones ravaged by nuclear radiation or chemical weapons had new soil transported in from other areas of the planet. They intermingled with the damaged soil, before nutrients were manually pumped into the soil, in a way similar to the restoration attempts of the Noghri on Honoghr during the Thrawn Crisis.
Although it took some time for the fields to return to a usable state, though never managing to produce as high a crop yield as some of their neighbors, they eventually did a few years after the Sravs left the planet. The predominantly Human Srav Federation on the planet had a number of linguistic effects on Ankarr, with the majority of Zayre being unable to speak the language of Galactic Basic Standard before the occupation as opposed to after when most Zayre were bilingual.
After the war, a number of the Human members of the Srav Federation declared themselves to be peaceful, and they wished to remain on the planet. Although skeptical of the truth of these claims, some Zayre were merciful, above their better judgment, and condoned the Sravs staying. This meant that, years later, a large number of the population was Human, and many members of both species had married and given birth to hybrid children. The battle was also regarded as having had a profound effect on Zayre culture. The battle and the subsequent occupation was remembered by the Zayre as one of the darkest times in their history. The kommissars who were responsible for the occupation, prominently Kurzak and Suka, eventually became bogeymen figures to the Zayre that were used to scare children in Zayre culture generations later. Shortly after the war and as a result of the battle, Ironwings and Redharn joined the United Coalition of Worlds, an organization that stood for many years after war. The United Coalition eventually became the Galactic Republic, the dominant government of the galaxy for twenty-five thousand years after its formation before being replaced by the dictatorship of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY.
Behind the scenes[]
The Second Battle of Ankarr was created as a collaboration between Unit 8311 and Thomas "Darth tom" Rattim, two users on the Star Wars wiki of fan invention, as part of Star Wars Fanon's collaborative Project Cruentus. The battle was written with minimal inspiration from outside sources, most of it being created purely from Unit 8311's imagination. Unit 8311 did, however, watch clips of the Russian Federation's invasion of Georgia while writing it in order to get a feel for how such a battle would look and be carried out. The battle also explored the themes of supposedly advanced technology against seemingly primitive ingenuity, which was already explored in Star Wars canon during the Battle of Endor from the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. During the film, the seemingly primitive Ewoks defeated Galactic Emperor Palpatine's best troops on the Forest Moon of Endor.
During the Second Battle of Ankarr, the supposedly primitive versus advanced idea was played out when the Zayre used magic and seemingly less advanced methods of waging war. This was opposed to the more advanced weaponry used by the Sravs, but the authors still had the Sravs use what some might consider a barbaric method of warfare. These methods included the frequent use of chemical and nuclear weapons, which the authors believe would overcome any magic. This was reflected in the battle when the Zayre were overwhelmed by firepower. The authors have also stated that one should listen to militaristic rock while reading about the Second Battle of Ankarr.