Fiction:Second Great Cyrannus War/Borealis Front

The Borealis Front of the was a major theatre of conflict between the  and the, the  and the , occuring simultaneous to the  and a demonic invasion by  led by. The front began simultaneously to the Battle of Coruanthor and the subsequent outbreak of the New Republic Civil War. Seeking to further destabilise 's regime, Imperial forces led by Fleet Admiral launched a bold attack on the Republic's colonies in Borealis, seeking to wrest one of the last loyal colonial sectors from the Republic's dying hands.

Battle of Tilranni's Vigil
The streets of Tilranni's Vigil were awash with celebration. News had just reached them from Cyrannus that the New Republic had emerged victorious at the pivotal Battle of Coruanthor, sparking hope that far from being invincible, the Empire could be defeated. In the Praesator's Palace in the central city, Praesator Eimaer, elected governor of Republica Heleanor, looked at the reports and frowned slightly. While he was glad that the Republic had emerged victorious, he feared that with the rise of and her "True Republic" faction, civil war loomed heavy on the horizon. Furthermore, troubles closer to Tilranni's Vigil and her colonies were fresh in his mind. Across Borealis, Commodore represented the Republic in the ongoing, leaving the planet relatively undefended. On the bridge of the Star Battlecruiser, Fist of the Empire, Fleet Admiral smirked as her fleet dropped out of hyperspace in orbit over Tilranni's Vigil. Turning from the viewports, Camarelur approached a holographic display unit, showing her fleet facing down the Republic's local defense armada.


 * Jora Camarelur: "How the mighty Republic have crumbled. A meager three frigates and a squadron of snub fighters. Pathetic. You may open fire when ready."
 * Crewman: "By your command, Fleet Admiral."

The Republic defenders were utterly unprepared by the Imperial attack. A single Judicator-class Battlecruiser was capable of holding its own against a fleet of Star Destroyers, and yet all the Republic had to defend Tilranni's Vigil was a trio of assault frigates. Green turbolaser fire erupted from the Fist of the Empire, lancing across space before impacting against the Republic ships, destroying all three in a matter of seconds. A single squadron of the new ASP Interceptors handled the starfighters, leaving Tilranni's Vigil in the firm hands of the Empire. Watching the battle in space unfold from his office, Praesator Eimaer ordered all citizens to return to their homes and sent out a distress beacon in the hopes that the Republic and its allies would somehow manage to retrieve it.

A Plea for Aid
Across Borealis, Commodore Agmaer stood on the bridge of the Venetian Sky, watching with anger as Fleet Admiral Camarelur publicly executed Praesator Eimaer on the steps of Tilranni's Vigil's capital. Alongside the and the, he had just emerged victorious over a raiding party of  in the Zaknirr System and while he was certainly concerned about a potential Imperial invasion of the Republic's colonies in Borealis, he foolishly believed that the Empire was firmly concentrated on the war in Cyrannus and the Plazith Rim.

Banishing his regrets from his mind, Agmaer opened a channel to both the Collective and the Alliance, hoping to convince them to send whatever forces they can spare to liberate Tilranni's Vigil and take the fight to the Empire.

Agmaer was met with the sight of the Royal Admiral  of the Collective and Legate  of the Paladian State, sent to represent the Polar Crystal Alliance. Both of them had some degree of worry on their expressions as they heard the news.
 * Commodore Agmaer: "My friends, I bring dire news from the Republic's colonies in Borealis. The Empire has invaded, and conquered, our capital world of Tilranni's Vigil before I received word that they had even arrived."


 * Herquie: "Well, this couldn't have come at a worst time. We're already fighting a war at the moment."
 * Olcinius: "This isn't the first time I have to deal with the Cyrannian Empire. Attacking us right in the middle of the Ganthorea conflict is just something I'd expect from the likes of them. Attack us right when we got our backs turned."
 * Agmaer: "It was foolish of me to direct Republic forces away from our defense fleet for our campaign, but now isn't the time for regrets. Please, I know that we're all in dire straits, but I ask for whatever ships or personnel that you can spare to help us."

After some moments of consideration, the holograms replied:


 * Herquie: "War with the Empire was inevitable. We were just waiting for this day to come. The Collective has its Royal Marechal at the front line against the Ganthorea, leaving me and my forces available to help you ward the Empire out of our galaxy."
 * Olcinius: "The time for deception and hide-and-seek tactics is past. The Paladians have been kindly asked by the Council to help our Cyrannian allies, and we shall do just that. But that's all the help we can offer."

Agmaer let out a sigh of relief, for he knew that any victory against the Empire would be impossible without support from the Republic's allies.


 * Agmaer: "Together, we will drive the Empire out of Borealis and finally liberate my people from their vile clutches!"

Battle of Haeren
Three days after the Battle of Tilranni's Vigil, the Empire continued to spread into Republica Heleanor, sweeping across systems with very few casualities. While the Republic maintained strong defences in Borealis prior to the outbreak of the Second Great Cyrannus War, the desperate situation in Cyrannus necessitated pulling much of their ships back from the colonies to defend the Republic's core worlds. Additionally, in a gesture of solidarity with their MCA allies, President had sent Commodore Agmaer to aid the native Borealisans during their conflict, leaving the colonies vulnerable to Imperial invasion. In command over the battlecruiser Heresiarch, Admiral Terentius had just dropped out of hyperspace over the Republic colony of Haeren, though unbeknownst to her, it would signal the end of her string of victories.

Defending Haeren were not just the planetary defenses of the Republic, but also the fleets of the Polar Crystal Alliance and the Indoctrinate Collective. Most specifically, the Royal Guard of the Dracogonarious, the ships of the Civitas and the new, largely automated fleet launched by the, led by and , and comprised of completely new starships. On the bridge of the Venetian Sky, Commodore Agmaer ordered all ships to open fire on the Imperial fleet, before launching fighters and bombers to meet the Imperials in deadly dogfights. The Collective had awaited for the chance to fight the Empire since the subjugation of the, and showed little mercy as they unleashed their weapons upon the Imperial invaders, supported by the Paladian forces. Entire swarms of URO fighter-bombers, many remotely manned but mostly automated, made their way towards the Imperial fleet, to the pride of several Ottzelloan generals who had been itching to use their military might ever since the old Unified Nation collapsed.

In her command chair on the Heresiarch, Admiral Terentius slammed her claw on her chair. She had expected an easy victory, but the arrival of the interlopers necessitated an alternate approach. Shielding the Heresiarch behind swarms of fighters and a formation of Imperial frigates, she directed her subordinates to continue moving their vessels, both to provide the Heresiarch with a constant line of sight to the enemy flagships, as well as to protect its flanks from fighters and bombers. Intensifying forward batteries, the Heresiarch managed to destroy a Republic cruiser, before redirecting the debris into a nearby Paladian warship through heavy tractor beams. Having no time to evade, the warship was torn in half as it was struck, forcing nearby vessels to flee from the vicinity to not be caught in the ensuing explosion. Olcinius clenched his fists at the sight, growling under his breath.


 * Olcinius: "So they're not just tyrants, they also fight dirty."
 * Agmaer: "We need to break the blockade and destroy that flagship. Any ideas would be appreciated!"
 * Olcinius: "Any chance we can flank it?"
 * Agmaer: "Hm, my ship has a heavily armoured bow designed to ram enemy vessels. I could take a run at their blockade with the Collective ships, while the Paladians and the URO attack from behind. That way, we'll box them in."
 * Olcinius: "I'm not a fan of doing it from the back, but it's either this or the world is lost."
 * Durzhan: "I can call in for more reinforcements should we need it. Otherwise, we may need to send in a few of our unmanned frigettes to crash into their flagship as a suicide mission.."

The engines of the Venetian Sky roared into action, propelling the ship through the battle while the PCA fleet engaged in a micro-jump, appearing behind the assembled Imperial armada. Just as the Imperial commanders were about to react, the Venetian Sky smashed into an Imperial Arquitens-class light cruiser, bisecting it and opening a hole in the Imperial defences straight through to the Heresiarch. Though she attempted to reinforce her flanks, Terentius' eyes widened when she discovered that it had utterly collapse, leaving the Heresiarch vulnerable on all sides. The Paladian and Ottzelloan forces, now behind the Imperial fleet, quickly opened fire while they were vulnerable, before they had the chance to regroup, and many Ottzelloan ships flew straight into it to cause a collision. Thrown off her chair by the force of the impact, Tenentius ordered the remaining Imperial vessels to retreat, watching as most shot off into lightspeed. However, just as the Heresiarch was about to escape, the Venetian Sky unleashed its forward ion cannons, disabling it while allied bombers finished the mighty vessel off. The Battle of Haeren had been won.

The Campaign for Republica Heleanor
With the death of Admiral Terentius, the Republic, the Alliance and the Collective continued to build on their momentum, winning victory after victory over the Empire, which had managed to capture large portions of Republica Heleanor soon after the Battle of Tilranni's Vigil. Fleet Admiral Camarelur, however, had a trick up her sleave. During the Battle of Pestoxtro, Republic and Collective forces had just emerged victorious over an Imperial army sent to capture the world's precious supplies of hypermatter. Before they could begin their celebration, however, the Fist of the Empire, the flagship of Camarelur arrived in orbit. Deploying a single shuttle down to the planet's surface, the Republic soldiers prepared to take the occupants prisoner. However, emerging from the ship came a single figure garbed in black armour and robes. The Phaedric Lord had arrived. Narrowing her yellow eyes, the crimson humanoid ignited her blades and lunged forward, and within moments, nothing remained of the allied forces on Pestoxtro.

For the next four months, the Empire viciously engaged the allies in constant battles throughout Republica Heleanor. While both were seemingly evenly matched, each time Archaxys arrived at a battle, it almost always ended in a devastating Imperial victory. As it became clear he was the decisive asset of the Empire's victories, Royal Admiral Herquie worked on operations dedicated to finding and assassinating the Phaedric Lord, though he would continue to elude him at every opportunity, much to his chagrin. Meanwhile, Olcinius and the Ottzelloans were too pushed back, having no experience with fighting something like Archaxys until now which left them at a disadvantage.

The ongoing war with the Ganthorea at the Karstul Sector meant reinforcements were becoming more and more infrequent, and Herquie, Durzhan and Olcinius' forces begun to wear thin as the months passed, further pressuring Republica Heleanor. Indeed, with the outbreak of the Battle of Coruanthor back in Cyrannus, no reinforcements could be deployed from back in Cyrannus. At this rate, the Empire would surely topple their resistance entirely.

One day, however, the allies received the news that the Ganthorea had finally been defeated at Karstul. A new hope shined upon Republic; the defeat of the aliens meant reinforcements could finally resume, and they would be able to push the Empire back once and for all. However, they would quickly find out the Polar Crystal Alliance's war had only changed hands with the arrival of an even greater enemy: the, who was accompanied by none other than. News of a nightmarish insurrection in the galactic arm spread quickly across not just Republica Heleanor but also across the Imperial territory, though despite this, they continued their focus on eradicating the Republic and those who defended it; if the Corruptus were busy with the Polar Crystal Alliance, then they were none of their immediate concern.

Trivia

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