Lore:Colony War

The Colony War was the second armed conflict between the United Colonies and Freestar Collective [Starfield], notable for its use of innovative and controversial military technologies.

Background

The Colony War had its roots in the "Great Game", a century-long period of brinkmanship between the UC and Freestar Collective. The Treaty of Narion forbid either power from settling outside its treaty-defined borders, but allowed for the potential construction of "outposts", without clearly defining the distinction. This led to both powers toeing the lines of the Treaty, attempting to stay within the letter of the law while ignoring the spirit.

In 2303, the Freestar Collective established a farming facility on Vesta [Starfield], in the Lunara System [Starfield]. While the Collective maintained that the facility was a mere outpost, UC leadership saw it as a clear violation of the terms of the treaty. In 2308, the UC deployed the Red Devils [Starfield], an elite Xenowarfare team, to destroy the Vesta facility, setting off the Colony War.

Events of the War

The Colony War was marked by the use of innovative and controversial military technologies and tactics on both sides. Under the command of the feared and respected Admiral Francois Sanon [Starfield] - also known as Vae Victis, "woe to the defeated" - the UC deployed both Mechs and xenoweapons to the front lines. The Freestar Militia also made heavy use of Mechs, as well as making use of a volunteer "civilian navy" flying armed merchant ships.

Siege of Vesta

One of the earliest engagements was the Siege of Vesta, with some considering it where the UC drew the first blood of the war. The UC deployed Xenowarfare assets in the form of the Red Devils [Starfield] and Stalkers [Starfield], taking the Freestar defenders completely by surprise. These assets proved extremely effective, the collective Faced a 93% casualty rate. Whilst the UC forces did not face any losses, a stark demonstration of the potency of Xenoweapons.

Londinion Terrormorph Outbreak

During the war, the UC planet Toliman II [Starfield] suffered the worst Terrormorph [Starfield] outbreak in recorded history. Swarms of Terrormorphs attacked the city of Londinion [Starfield], overwhelming the UC defenders. Fearing that the Terrormorphs might escape the planet by boarding escaping ships, Admiral Sanon ordered an orbital bombardment of the Londinion spaceport, killing thousands in the strike and effectively trapping both the Terrormorphs and Londinion's remaining population planetside.

Battle of Niira

By far the fiercest fighting was on the planet Niira [Starfield], in the Narion System [Starfield]. UC forces were able to establish a strong defensive position.

The Freestar Militia used their notorious First Cavalry during the battle, though they lost nearly all of their Mechs in a large attempt to take over a UC base. Attempts by the Collective to advance on Parduk Pass failed, with Captain Myeong of the UC Marine Corps holding the site for a week before withdrawing - blowing up the pass in the process and insodoing taking out a Freestar mech battalion. Despite the victory, both the Collective and United Colonies lost many soldiers during the battle of Parduk Pass.

When the First Cavalry started gaining ground, a ceasefire was called due to both sides suffering too many casualties. Unwilling to abandon victory and having lost his men for nothing, the commander of the First Cavalry disregarded the order and pushed on, causing both him and those soldiers under him to get court-martialed and locked up, though they still failed in gaining victory despite these efforts. What remained of the First Cavalry was disbanded after the battle.

Battle of Mars

Near the end of the war, the Freestar Militia launched an attack on the planet Mars in an effort to disrupt UC industrial output. The attack was however thwarted by UC forces, sparing the city of Cydonia [Starfield] from possible damage.

Battle of Cassiopeia

The Eta Cassiopeia system was a target of the war for both the UC and FC, due to its refineries being needed to bolster supplies. The battle was fought in space, with both sides losing hundreds of soldiers. The outcome of the battle is unknown.

Battle of Cheyenne

Fought in 2311, the final battle of the war culminated as the UC Navy forced the remnants of the FreeStar Militia fleet back to their home system of Cheyenne, in an attempt to decapitate the Collective by taking Akila [Starfield], it’s Capital. On the ropes and about to be destroyed, the Freestar Militia was saved as Civilian ships intervened, making use of hit-and-run tactics to take out the main ships of the UC Fleet. Sanon ordered his fleet to fire on the civilians, but his subordinates - exhausted by the war and possibly dismayed by their Admiral’s actions at Londinion - refused to engage. Their refusal to fight subsequently allowing the Collective to win. The - albeit very costly - victory at Cheyenne allowed the Collective to sue for peace, finally bringing the war to a close, with both sides exhausted by the conflict.

The Armistice

As with the Narion War, both parties were determined not to repeat the mistakes of the Colony War. The horrors of modern warfare were too much to bear, and both sides agreed to limit fleet sizes and outlawed both xenowarfare and mechs. All data and technology pertaining to both subjects would be locked in an archive under New Atlantis, inaccessible without the unanimous consent of the UC, Freestar Collective, and House Va'ruun. Units like the Red Devils were dissolved, and labs and factories were shut down.

Three senior UC officers, Commander Henry Durant, General Indira Rastogi, and Fleet Admiral Francois Sanon were publicly charged and convicted of war crimes due to their conduct during the war and were sentenced to death. Despite Sanon's conviction due to the bombing of Londinium and firing of civilian ships at the battle of Cheyenne, Sanon was considered too valuable of an asset to lose by the UC leadership. They faked his execution and had him permanently imprisoned in secret.

The war left many military facilities across the Settled Systems [Starfield] abandoned, leading to a new wave of crime as these facilities were repurposed by pirates, spacers, and freshly unemployed mercenaries.

Notably despite a pyrrhic victory for the FreeStar Collective, the War resulted in the foundational demand of the UC - and cause of the war - being acquiesced. Vesta was not settled.