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Everywhere I look––in every corner of the Gigaquadrant––I see the same signs: hard times are ahead of us. Alliances are beginning to fracture, old rivalries are beginning to resurface, and the great tectonic plates that make up the political landscape of the universe are shifting.

- Alexandre I

The Great Xonexian Schism is a term often used to refer to the devastating intergalactic war that occurred in multiple galaxies in the later stages of the Gigaquadrantic Conflicts, pitting a large alliance of nations against the floundering might of the legendary Delpha Coalition of Planets. Like many great wars, the Schism's origins cannot be traced to a single definable cause or event. Instead, it was the result of many factors, including border conflicts, economic disputes, geopolitical tension, and diplomatic incidents that worsened relations between the Delpha Coalition of Planets and numerous other nations in the years leading up to 2800.

Finally, the Halcyon Incident in 2800 turned the political situation in the Xonexian cluster into a powder keg, leading to the rapid deterioration of alliances and organizations which had stood for decades, and to an eventual war between these factions that would shake the international order at its very foundation.

Origins[]

Flashpoints (2797-2802)[]

War between the Xonexian Allies and the Delpha Coalition of Planets did not happen overnight. A long string of incidents, diplomatic blunders, scandals, and conflicts from 2797 to 2802 slowly chipped away at relations between superpowers and led to the creation of the two rival alliances.

  • French Quadrantia Trade Route Crisis (Quadrant Galaxies, July 18-July 26th, 2799)
    On July 18th, 2799, reports spread along the French Quadrantia Trade Zone of a lone Blade-class DCP vessel actively violating established policies with the trade route's use. In response to this, a fleet of French vessels under command of marshal Aurélien Ortiz were sent to investigate and peacefully reroute the lone vessel. When he managed to rendezvous with the fleet at the vessel's last-known location however, he was met with the site of an entire armada's worth of wreckage, with only one conclusion to make...


  • Bugs In The Code (Andromeda Galaxy, October 5th, 2799)
    Starting on the Andromedan Kraw colony of Neo Komraes, a string of admissions to doctors by users of the Morphis nanotechnology spoke of brief fevers. Further diagnosis revealed that each of these patients' nanite colonies were documenting encounters of "anomalies" in the obscure segments of their DNA. Spearheaded by Salisse'Ensha was a pursuit to understand what these anomalies were, learning quickly however that these were no mere random anomalies in her patients' genetic codes...


  • Halcyon B Incident (Cyrannus Galaxy, 2800)
    A conference meant to appease tensions between Great Gigaquadrantic powers turned out to have the opposite effect. Halcyon B––the location of the conference––was sabotaged, leading to the deaths of every diplomat on board. In the frantic aftermath, rage and paranoia were rampant as the powers accused one another of the deed.



  • Scramble for Mirus (Mirus Galaxy, May 4-June 19, 2801)
    Seeking a stronger foothold in Mirus, the Triad launched a massive landgrabbing campaign in early May of 2801. The objective was to acquire as many derelict Dominatus factories abandoned after the Dominatus War as possible. These––the allies hoped––would prove to be decisive in the coming war. However, their move did not go unnoticed, as the DCP launched their own campaign in Mirus.


  • The Road to War (Hegemony Territory, April 2802)
    In April 2802 the Hegemony signed the Parisian Declaration and joined the Xonexi allies. The Hegemony swiftly geared itself up for war so they would be ready when the first shots were fired. Plans were created, new naval vessels were finished, an all new weapons were rushed into the hands of soldiers. Though these actions would create a recession in the Hegemony's economy, the Hegemony would be prepared for the coming storm.


Orion War (Feb-March 2802)[]

Further reading: Orion War
Orion War04

Kindred Coalition and Allied forces clash at the Battle of Calaras, widely thought to be the last great conventional battle of the Great Xonexian Schism.

The event that finally sparked war between the DCP and Xonexi allies was the infamous February Crisis, a political event in Orion's Spur which led to war between the Orion League and the Kindred Coalition, a DCP sympathizer and unofficial ally. The Orion League's failure to defend the Kindred Coalition during the Plazithian Seismomachy had instilled in them a distrust for it. That distrust was leveraged into fear, ushering in numerous nationalist politicians into high government offices. These, unknown to the general public, were puppets of the Delpha Coalition of Planets. They were in the process of signing a secret alliance with them when their plans were found out by the French Secret Service and leaked to the general public. Urged on by fervent anti-DCP hysteria, the most outspoken leaders in the Orion League immediately denounced the government of the Kindred Coalition, accusing it of betraying its allies and its own people. Led by France, a coalition of nations put forward an ultimatum, giving the Kindred Coalition government two days to step down, threatening military action if they did not comply. In response, the Kindred Coalition ordered the Corsican Defense Force to leave its territory as quickly as circumstances could permit. With both sides unwilling to back down, war was inevitable.

Orion War07

At Second Hat'Mohr, the Angelfire was used for the first time, marking a revolution in the conduct of warfare.

The then-termed "Orion Allies" invaded the Kindred Coalition Orion Territory on February 11 and managed to expel all Kindred forces by the next week after a series of hostly contested battles. The Allies sued for peace, though their terms enraged the Kindred leadership, leading to a month-long political deadlock. Dignitaries from all corners of the met at the Congress of Steanov VI and tried to mediate a solution between the different parties, yet no agreement could be reached. On March 18, the Coalition counterinvaded the occupied Orion Territory and soundly defeated the Allies at the Battle of Calaras, forcing them to retreat all of the way to the local capital of Hat'Mohr.

At the Battle of Second Hat'Mohr on March 27, the Allies unleashed the Angelfire, an anti-ship hyperspatial missile which had never been used in combat prior, and utterly devastated the Kindred Coalition navy. With their opponent in shambles, the Allies declared victory once again, but the celebrations were to be short-lived.

The War Begins[]

DCP Orion Proclamation[]

The DCP hereby announces it can no longer stand by and watch humanity fall victim to the shocking imperial ambitions of the Draconid Imperium and her commonwealth, of who's actions recently are also an affront to intergalactic order.

- Orion Proclamation, issued on March 31, 2802

With the Kindred Coalition territory in the hands of the Orion Allies and its authority flaunted, the Delpha Coalition of Planet’s reaction was swift. It issued the infamous Orion Proclamation, unilaterally laying claim to the territories and assets of the Orion Allies in the name of restoring intergalactic order.

In response, the Xonexi Allies, led by the Draconid Imperium, the TIAF, and France, formally met on Paris on April 5, 2802 and unanimously issued the short but strongly-worded Parisian Declaration. Signed by twenty nations, it denounced the DCP's imperialist attitudes and rejected its authority to enforce the international order. Finally, in the closing paragraph of the document, the allies officially declared war on the DCP, a move that stunned the Gigaquadrant. A cataclysmic conflict that so many had fought to avoid had begun.

Battle for the Milky Way[]

BMW 02

Draconis forces retreating while under heavy counterbattery fire during the Battle of the Concordat, the first large-scale engagement of the war.

Immediately upon declaring war, both Allied and DCP forces rushed to the fore. The Allied Plan A, devised two years earlier at the Alcanti Triad conference, called for joint offensives against the DCP in the Orion Arm. The DCP, on the other hand, deployed its troops to the Northern Milky Way, seizing the Draconis Concordat route and the Draconis colonial territory of Tholfame-22. Despite initial Allied victories at the Battles of Katar and Mana Run, the critical Operation Deviant Rim offensive ended in a catastrophic failure.

FallOfTholfame 01

The Battle of Tholfame-22 on April 22 was one of several early Allied successes, greatly boosting Allied morale for the early war.

This was due to severe logistical problems imposed on the Allies by the Maelstrom, a collection of artificial anomalies surrounding DCP territories which made movement nearly impossible within DCP space.

Allied hopes for a miraculous recovery were dashed when DCP forces conquered the Draconis Tholfame-20 territory in Orion’s Spur, placing them within striking distance of many Orion nations, inspiring fear and panic in such nations as Roreinia and France. Desperate, the Orion League launched Operation Hera in early June, an attempt to reclaim Tholfame-20. After a lengthy engagement which ended on June 21, dubbed the “Battle of the Dying Sun” by some, the Orion League offensive was decisively repelled and the Allied navies in Orion’s Spur shattered.

Concerned by these new developments, a new anti-war movement emerged in Orion's Spur, seeking to put an end to the conflict before it was too late. In France, a liberal faction of the Parti Socialiste, in league with conservative parties, managed to gain a majority in the French Parliament, leading to crippling political deadlock. The drop in Allied morale was palpable, translating into a loss of confidence in GITO markets. The Parisian Stock Market was the first to feel the effect of the deteriorating Allied economy as speculators hurriedly sought to sell off their assets. The government, entrenched in gridlock, was incapable suspend the stock market to avert the crash on June 21, an event whose effect was echoed throughout Orion's Spur. Soon, the gilo was worthless as a currency, resisting any attempt by the Orion League administration to save it. The Galactican market was temporarily shut down later that day, followed by every other GITO stock market by general directive from Araveene.

When a Parliamentary coup in France on June 21 resulted in the accidental death of Laurene Maxime and many of her entourage, the withdrawal of the country from the Xonexi Allies, and the resigning of Jean-Baptiste Teindas as Generalissimo of the Orion League, all hell broke loose. One after another, the Allied nations of Orion’s Spur surrendered, and after a secret coup d'état in the Draconid Imperium, the Imperial Talon Navy withdrew its forces from the galaxy on June 23. The Battle for the Milky Way had been won by the DCP.

Operation Dark Waves[]

October 2805 (For more information, click here)

Allied victory in Mirus[]

OR 05

The Lafayette's Yakuza cannon, a prototype Riftfire weapon, proved to be a decisive factor in the outcome of the war in Mirus.

The other theatre of the early war was the Mirus Galaxy, where the Alcanti Triad and the DCP held a significant amount of territory due to the Scramble for Mirus two years earlier. Both sides, spread extremely thinly due to their focus on the Milky Way, were forced to rely on the firepower of their flagships in their bid for victory. The French Lafayette star dreadnought, serving as the Allied command ship, proved its effectiveness at the Second Battle of Demogorgon Prime, singlehandedly turning the lengthy siege of the planet into an overwhelming victory for France. It then went on to challenge and defeat Commander Narrisai’s flagship, the ‘’Emperor’s Will’’, in a hotly contested engagement, though sustained heavy damage in the process.

With the remainder of Commander Narrisai's forces defeated by a combined Franco-TIAF-Hegemony force at the Battle of the Rift, the DCP Mirusian territories were quickly seized by Allied troops. By the end of May, Mirus’ great industrial might was in the hands of the Allies, though a great portion of it was lost when France surrendered in mid-June.

Andromeda Campaign[]

DCP mobilises for the War of wars

The DCP mobilizes its forces for the invasion of Andromeda.

Phony War[]

A lull in the fighting ensued in the aftermath of the Battle of the Milky Way as both sides licked their wounds. From late June to early September, the DCP consolidated its hold on the Milky Way and persuaded a great number of Civilisation members to rally behind it. In Andromeda, the Draconid Imperium pooled its vast resources in preparation to defend the galaxy against an inevitable DCP invasion. Diplomatically, it attempted to sway its closest allies in the Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth into joining the war to little avail. Andromeda, reeling from the devastating effects of the Shattering, was not ready to face an outside threat.

Allied intelligence in former Allied territories in the Milky Way painted a horrifying picture. At numerous staging points throughout the Milky Way, the largest DCP-Civilisation armada since the War of Ages was gathering. It was clear that the DCP's overt show of force was an attempt to intimidate the remaining Allies into signing a peace deal. Peace talks were held, but with neither side willing to concede that the other had an advantage, they failed by September. It was during this period that the DCP created the Human Superstate, an entity meant to encapsulate all of humanity and eventually create a single, unified human state from the Orion League countries that surrendered during the war.

On September 14, after three months of idling, the DCP war machine resumed its advance, decisively ending peace talks with a determined assault on Andromeda.

The Invasion Begins[]

With the majority of the Milky Way’s wormhole connections to Andromeda severed by the retreating Allies, the Civilisation’s invasion had no other choice but to cross the darkspace that separated the two galaxies. Projecting troops, starships, and supplies to another galaxy on such a scale proved to be a logistical challenge of the kind that faced the Anti-Dominatus Coalition almost a decade earlier, though DCP planners had attacked the problem with energy.

From September 14 to early October, the Civilisation invasion force left the Milky Way, tethered to the galaxy’s industrial power by a complex system of supply lines and a trickle of reinforcements. Leading the invasion was Emperor Wormulus II himself, acting as an energetic figurehead for a complex Plazithian chain of command.

With the DCP threat realized, a vote within the Andromedan Light authorized the organization to defend the galaxy from extragalactic threats, namely the Civilisation invasion. Nations such as the New Tertamian Alliance and the Artharon Empire rallied to the Allied cause, though the move further strained bonds within the Commonwealth between those nations who wished to remain neutral and those who wanted to act, deepening fault lines caused by the Shattering.

Segmentum Umbra[]

Battle for Segmentum Umbra

The defense of Outer Illaria involved forces from the Draconid Imperium, the defunct Orion League, the TIAF, the NTA, the Mardvaeli Republic, the Hegemony, and many others.

On October 27, the first Civilisation warships began arriving to the south of the New Tertamian Alliance in Segmentum Umbra. Though there were a number of skirmishes between them and the Andromedan defenders massing inside the Tertamian territory, Wormulus II waited until enough of his invasion force had arrived before initiating the Battle for Segmentum Umbra. His plan: use the Civilisation's overwhelming military force to plow his way through to the center of Andromeda, jumping from territory to territory by logistical necessity. Once the capitals of Alcanti and Elysium had been secured, he could make peace with the Allies on his own terms.

However, he could not wait in Segmentum Umbra forever. Having no bases in Andromeda to strike from, his forces were draining the resources they had hauled from the Milky Way at an alarming rate. On November 11, Wormulus and his forces attacked, focusing their efforts on Outer Illaria, one of the largest Tertamian broder provinces. Having learned from the painful lessons of the Milky Way campaign, they bombarded the province extensively with hyperspatial artillery before following up with a deadly combination of conventional and hyperspatial forces. After twelve days of intense fighting, the shellshocked Allies were forced out of Outer Illaria, retreating further into NTA territory.

With more fleets arriving to secure his rear, Wormulus pressed on. He had little interest in conquering the whole NTA, a task which would take months and deplete his forces. In order to maintain diplomatic and military momentum, he was aiming for a quick victory. He formed a sizeable vanguard from what fleets had seen the least action and led them deeper into Andromeda, looking to seize the passage between Segmentum Umbra and Crepusculum before the Allies could divert their forces.

Battle of the Umbral Passage

The Battle of the Umbral Passage ended in a Pyrrhic victory for Civilisation forces.

Umbral Passage[]

The so-called "Umbral Passage" was a critical strategic position to whomever held it. To the AGC, it was the connector to their forces in Segmentum Umbra. To the Civilisation, it was the gateway to inner Andromeda, a key stepping stone on their way to Alcanti. Since the beginning of hostilities, the passage was held by the Draconis 1st Battlefleet under the command of Lord Admiral Vontarion. Having lost the Paragon's favor after his defeat during the Battle for the Milky Way, he was effectively commanding the AGC rear guard. On November 26, against all of the expectations of Allied planners, Vontarion engaged the DCP for the last time.

Backed by Draconis hyperspatial artillery, Vontarion's forces held against wave after wave of Civilisation attacks across a narrow front, negating Wormulus' numerical superiority. The 1st Battlefleet took advantage of chokepoints, of the Civilisation's tight formations, and of artillery's natural talent for wreaking havoc, consistently inflicting more casualties than they suffered. However, what was most impressive about Vontarion's tactics at Umbral passage was that he would repeatedly place the Civilisation's forces within the firing arc of DCP artillery, forcing them to reposition by several hundred lightyears before being able to fire again. On November 30, an estimated 30,000 DCP artillery pieces were silenced on the Civilisation's right flank, giving the Draconis a definite tactical advantage.

Even after Vontarion repelled fourteen such attacks, suffering crippling losses, Allied high command sent very few reinforcements to relieve him. The bulk of Allied forces were being moved from Segmentum Umbra to Segmentum Crepusculum to prepare for the defense of inner Andromeda, a journey that took them the long way around Andromeda's outer disk. The Allies needed Vontarion to delay the Civilisation until the repositioning could be completed, leading to the legendary admiral's desperate and cunning defense. On December 5, Wormulus ordered the Civilisation forward for the fifteenth time. This time, Vontarion's artillery had been whittled down enough by counterbattery fire that the remaining guns succumbed to the DCP's opening volleys, releasing the floodgates for Wormulus' forces. What remained of the Draconis 1st Battlefleet, led by the TNSS Dominax, engaged them at close range. Some of the Draconis' greatest conventional ships-of-the-line offloaded broadside after broadside, fighting desperately to repel the Civilisation a fifteenth time. However, at the end of a day's worth of fighting, it was the Allied line that broke, resulting in the fighting death of Lord Admiral Larnus Vontarion on the bridge of his flagship.

At the end of December 6, the Umbral Passage was within Wormulus' hands, but victory had come at immense cost. Though the 1st Battlefleet––the pride of the Imperial Talon Navy––had been entirely destroyed, the Civilisation had suffered as much as four times the casualties, casting some serious doubt on Emperor Wormulus' strategy and leadership. The combined DCP-Civilisation armada still outnumbered Allied forces in Andromeda, but by a much smaller margin. The Battle of the Umbral Passage, though it strictly counted as a defeat, greatly boosted Allied morale and restored hope that the invasion could still be repelled.

The "Chokehold" Theatre[]

Prior the events of the Andromedan Campagin in 2802. Encouraged by the morale and sense of victory, specially after the victory in December 2802, the invaders DCP and their deadly puppet: the Civilization, had a fierce fight with the Xonexi Allies outside the Tertamian Alliance territory. Despite the heroic acts and one of the Xonexi Allied member's naval pride at their disposal, the Xonexi Allies suffered a decisive loss to the Delpha Coalition and their puppets. DCP managed to lockout the Tertamian Alliance’s only rescue by taking hold of the passage separating the inner disk of Andromeda and its outer ring. But DCP was however in need of a more solid foothold in Andromeda and to establish dominance and decrease the expenses of supporting the frontline troopers. But Umbra lacked proper and reliable population to assimilate, the Alliance was being under siege, there were other powers, so their attention was caught by the presence of the Naakjian Confederation. One of the Civilization deserters. High military officials of the DCP army and from the armies of Civilization members begun creating an invasion plan with the only goal to conquer the Confederation. But there was an issue hindering them, the Confederation was a member of the Mou’Cyran Accords, an organization promoting neutrality. Attacking the Confederation would likely get the Accords on DCP’s forces that would increase the pressure and exhaustion on them. In order to prevent this, the high officers addressed the issue to Wormulus.

After a few hours of inpatient mumbling and thinking, Wormulus got an idea, DCP was on good terms with the Galactic Empire of Cyrannus - who are one of the very influential neighbours of the Confederation. Upon contacting with the representatives, they were able to plot a coup with the help of propaganda in order to cause a loyalty cascade in the Confederation, which would ultimately split it into two separate galactic regions with one in Cyrannus and Andromeda respectively. This was an effective plan because the Andromedan part of the Confederation couldn’t care less for MCA and other powers in Cyrannus, while the situation was very much the opposite for the region in Cyrannus, they are strongly influenced by GEC and the impression of MCA and is the NC’s delegate in MCA, a coup convincing the Cyrannian government of NC would declare independence and break itself free from NC. Due to terms and agreement, the Cyrannian NC will still be member of MCA, while a furious Andromedan remnant of actual NC will throw profanities and denouncements on the separatists and the MCA after officially departing it.

Now, the Andromedan region of the Confederation was no less than a defenceless and morally confused nation, a target in the perfect state for an invasion. Within several days, the invasion faced very little resistance from the helpless and undermanned security force as the coup sapped out the strongest of the military and moved them to Cyrannus. Not so much later, the Confederation capitulated and unwillingly accepted the DCP annexation of itself for its better good. Erasing the Naakjian Confederation out of physical existence, it only exists in the legends, tales and artifacts.

The invasion inadvertently caught the distant neighbour Nomatari Sovereignty's attention. Concerned about its own safety and the evolution of the ongoing war, Zaalqoríum, the totalitarian queen of the Sovereignty, issued an empire-wide mobilization of the military forces and recalled all foreign forces from their normal duties back to the home empire. Top military officers and commanders organized into a wide group together with Zaalqoríum, they discussed about the war and how they would approach it. Thinking that trying to contact with DCP would lead to a scenario meaning death of the Sovereignty and total enslavement of the population. Fuelled by this fear they concluded that the only way to approach the war is to attack the DCP and its allies and drive them out Andromedan premises. Anxious months flew by when the group discussed about the plan until it was clear that they've to take this on their own hands. Military forces were sent to enforce the borders and strengthen security, and to assault bypassing DCP forces and supply lines in order to drive them out of their own premises to lighten the border pressure. Without any declaration of war, Sovereign forces launched assaults on the Delphan aggressors and supply lines, crippling the infrastructure of the Coalition forward bases.

Shortly after the attacks so realized the Coalition that they had to deal with an another nuisance hindering their cause. Thinking it should be an easy job because they had Umbra under control and the resistance under control, so they added the Sovereignty to their list of enemies and was to be dealt soon as possible. Cooperation forces were sent to neutralize the threat. It was, barely successful. The forces and the military tops of the Coalition army underestimated the true capabilities of the Sovereign forces. So the assault attacks continued with the now more frequent appearance of attacks spreading terror on neighboring planets to the border. Wormulus II lost his temper and stepped in the tops' plans and demanded stronger available forces to be used. It was a decisive choice as the Sovereign vessels were torn into pieces by the more devastating forces. The assaults and terror attacks ceased. Sensing a good outcome, invasion forces of Coalition and Civilization fleets combined were assembled and begun intruding Sovereign premises, but the forces faced heavy resistance and even more hard-shelled resistances when Coalition ground forces stepped on planet soil. The invasion became seemingly more difficult and slow to accomplish due to the stubborn insurgents holing up in reinforced defensive shelters and fending off ground forces, and robotic fleets that transfinitely appeared and destroyed in a constant pace keeping a exhausting pressure on intruding fleets. Zaalqoríum had the audacity to release a public message directed to Wormulus II and his allies, saying that the newfound war is a product of arrogance, selfishness and her and his mutual taste in imperialism, mocking them. Except when Zaal commented how Wormulus' was more aggressive. Within the same message presented the total emperor Zaalqoríum new cards to the table, what would turn the tide to favor the Sovereignty. All of the Sovereignty's forces were collected to the main territory in Andromeda and was ready to roll out upon the invaders and try to annex the Coalition's premises.

In efforts to minimize the causalities, the DCP tried to call back the fleet with success but at a cost. Any forces that couldn't be saved were sacrificed to slow down the Sovereign supremacy forces and more importantly, sabotage the Andasium network so much as possible.

This had a significant effect on the Sovereignty's economy, they use the Andasium to a very little extent for their own cause but they sold a very large majority of it to other empires for a very low yet optimal price guaranteeing their rich success. Zaalqoríum was of course furious about the news and told the forces to "show them [the DCP and CIV] no mercy". And so begun the invasion to break through DCP's defence lines and begun to wrestle control over the occupied systems and claims off DCP. The goal was to liberate the Naakjian Confederation, attack and destroy the DCP and Civilization-controlled supply depots, military stations and front-line stations. All to 'strangle' the new threat. But it wasn't only limited to this 'strangulation' theatre, a fleet was also sent to aid the Tertaminan Alliance's struggle against the attacking DCP forces and try once for all to break the Umbran Passage, which would once again secure the Xonexi Alliance an advantage.

Campaign for Inner Andromeda[]

Shortly after the shock of Larnus' heroic demise passed, the Grand Senate asted no time voting for a new Lord-Admiral. The announcement followed a fortnight of debate amongst all the possible candidates. The debates almsot reached a stalemate between foru candidates until Uriel Ultanos proposed a candidate, his decision of Leondias Drevex being backed by seven praetors initially, but as debates progressed, it became a majority agreement amongst both the Homeland and Security councils that Leondias would ascend to the position of lord-admiral of the Draconid Imperium and commander-in-chief of Allied forces in Andromeda. Leondias was presented the title from a hastily-prepared ceremony in an ampitheatre on Battlestation I over Alcanti and covered by fifteen Allied news organisations.

Immediately after his ascension, Leondias would be thrust into one of the biggest pitched battles of the war, an engagement which promised to rival the Battle of Manticore in its size and scope. Upon inheriting command of the allied forces in Andromeda, he had inherited an impossible task: repelling the oncoming Civilisation invasion force. At his order, the allied armada––a fifteen-nation army––deployed inside Andromeda's inner disk in the path of the Civilisation invasion force. Wormulus' forces lined up on the opposite side, outnumbering them two-to-one. As the defender, Leondias had chosen the terrain. Andromeda's inner disk formed a natural choke-point which he would use to even the playing field, much as Larnus had done at the Umbral passage.

Despite the decisive numerical advantage, the Civilisation's faith in Wormulus' ability to lead had begun to falter. This was apparent in the private communication of some of the Civilisation's top officers, who feared that the coming battle would be a "repeat of the Umbral Passage except with more disastrous implications."

Both sides drew battle lines light-years across along large tracts of the southern regions of Segmentum Crepusculum. The Coalition-DCP forces began their foray into Inner Andromeda through unleashing massed volleys of hyperspatial ammunition and rocketry that were scattered thoughout Southern Crepusculum with the aim of scattering and withering the Allied defence. Of this campaign line, the Civilisation's forces made up the central and left line while the DCP supported the right flank and the rear. In order to instill confidence, Wormulus had opted to lead the march northward towards the inner regions of Andromeda. They were not alone in the battery fire, as the Allied Forces fired their own counter-volleys of hyperspatial ammunition.

Over the course of two months, Segmentum Crepusculum was set ablaze with the devestation of hyperspatial fire. Thousands of populated worlds became victim to firestorms caused by volleys fired from batteries arranged and installed light-years away. The DCP-Civilisation Alliance's messages of order and union were challenged with the consequences of enemy hellfire. After the first month the casualty toll for Wormulus' campaign climbed to four billion. Two weeks later, it had more than tripled to thirteen billion on both sides thoughout Segmentum Crepusculum. Entire Solar Systems were left covered in ruins and abandoned as their inhabitants fled for any sort of safety from the barrages.

After two months of bombardment, with a record eighteen billion both military and civillian beings either injured or dead, the Civilisation's leaders convened privately in order to discuss the situation. Over the course of the campaign, the Civilisation had lost immense numbers to Allied counterbattery fire. An evening of discussion in a secret gathering place at the beginning of the third month of bombardment that was held between Civilisation leaders. The talks that night revealed an air of contempt for Emperor Wormulus II, who under the renewed campaign had only managed to inflict heavy losses in his allies' lines. The conclusion of the discussion was an ultimatum that was dispatched to Wormulus' forward command vessel that demanded for a change in the chain of command. The Civilisation's leaders demanded a new commander-in-chief for the campaign, while Wormulus was requested to step down in favour of the new commander that the Civilisation's leaders had convened in secret to decide on. Wormulus was given a promise he would retain s level of command within the coalition forces that had gathered in campaign in Andromeda.

In Segmentum Draco, Leondias' efforts were privately applauded by a number of patriotic praetors. Praetors and dignitaries from Crepusculum however, who were more drastically affected by the war, began to question the efficacy of Leondias' current plan of saturating the Civilisation lines at the cost of allied planets. Allied generals also grew concerned with the devastation, most of them only being eased slightly by assurances from the Praetors' Council of war repairations that were promised by the Draconid Imperium's elite. Several allied generals however, remained unconvinced. The effect Leondias' strategy had on Civilisation numbers and reminders of Larnus Vontarion's contributions had kept Allied spirits high on the frontlines.

Shift of Command[]

The Civiilisation's leadership had elected Yutgap Fendo, one of the Grimbolsaurian Heralds of Mosivam to lead the combined forces into battle. While he had been chosen to spite Emperor Wormulus, neither the Emperor or the Civilisation leadership were aware their new commander-in-chief was the former warlord Mauloron. Unhindered by Wormulus' desire to conduct a respectful war against the Draconid Imperium, Yutgap quickly asserted his method of command by seeking to break the two-month stalemate between both sides. With the saturation artillery fire continuing, Yutgap decided the only way to break the stalemate was to break the Allied line with something stronger. The only apparent method, he concluded, was the use of superweapons. Using his authority, Yutgap requisitioned a store of superweapons being kept for emergencies.

The first phase of his strategy was to move the battle lines. Once vessels loaded with warheads were on their way to the hot-zones, he ordered for the Civilisation to make an all-out advance on Allied positions. The fire from both sides intensified as the gaps were closed, but on the border to Coalition territory Yutgap made his move. He ordered the line of Civilisation ships positioned in outer Coalition space to load up and fire five superradiant black hole bombs indirectly at Allied lines. When they were deployed, the bombs released vast amounts of Gamma-wave Cherenkov Radiation in a broad disk-like blast wave, followed by hyper-relativistic blast waves of plasma that threatened the Allied lines 30 light-years from the deployed Civilisation fleets. Surprised by the sudden use of these weapons, Allied admirals battled to keep their armadas steadfast. Another volley of such bombs followed, this time causing a section of the Draconid Imperium's 157th battlefleet to re-position slightly further back.

Escalation[]

Realising that this only shook the Allied resolve, Yutgap decided to escalate the threat of the bombs. With three hours of browsing viable targets he came across one that he felt confident would send a message. The Netorah star system was an important manufacturing zone for the Eisenar Republic, a province of the Draconid Imperium. With his target selected - the three planets of Netorah, Isleh and Shatar - he approached Wormulus II. Yutgap provided a DCP fleet with a three superradiance bombs and ordered Wormulus to fire one of each at the three key planets within the star system. Wormulus expressed his concern over the order during the briefing but Yutgap simply demanded that he do it, or risk his position as Yutgap's second in command. Begrudgingly Wormulus II agreed to the orders and took a small fleet to the system's outskirts under Ghost Phase.

It took just an hour to prepare the bombs, thirty, forty and ninety seconds for the bombs to reach each of the three targets of Isleh, Netorah and Shatar respectfully, but it took only three seconds for each planet to be rendered barren by the power of the bombs. Upon erupting at the edge of each planet's sphere of influence, the bombs unleashed their plasma waves that sliced each planet in half, melting bands of rock into red slurry a thousand kilometers across that bisected each planet and igniting the atmospheres into firestorms that swept across the two halves. As the gamma wave blast waves cut at the planets like a circular saw of light and plasma, the planets themselves melted. The temperatures produced by the tidal forces and the extreme heat weakened the two halves of each planet. It is hard to say if it was fortunate or unfortunate that the populations of each were wiped out in seconds; fortunate because their death was quick and brief to register to leave nothing behind, unfortunate as they could do nothing but stand and face their incendiary oblivion.

Molten from the energy they were exposed to, the planets were drawn to the singularities that had cut them in half, molten rock spiraling around to form accretion disks of liquid rock that spiraled into the indescribable blackness that sat at the centre of each. Wormulus finished his mission by leaving behind a container as response ships approached the outer edges of the star system and fled back into interstellar space. For the devastation they wrought, the superradiance bombs were nicknamed "Yutgap Buzzsaws" by ALlied forces.

When word reached Allied High Command of the destruction and who was found to have fired the payloads, there was outrage aboard the Xonexi's resolve over the act. Understanding the gravity of the attack and what was used, Leondias retaliated by ordering for the deployment of neutron-effusion warheads to be fired from discrete early interception stations at several DCP- and Civilisation-occupied industrial complexes. Yutgap discovered the brutality that the Allied forces were willing to commit when he witnessed the complete and silent annihilation of four deep-well manufacturing zones and a dozen industrial planets despite he himself attacking only one star system Each target the Allies firing at disintegrating into clouds of decohered particles and neutrons. He retaliated by ordering for the DCP to respond in kind with another volley of superradiance bombs on several targets in Crepusculum, laying waste to several star systems while his fleets pressed forward towards Segmentum Draco.

The war in Mirus creates new divisions[]

Further reading: First War of Mirusian Coalition

During the short honeymoon period between the newly-established French Colonial Empire and the rest of the Xonexi Command, the Orion League remnant fleet in Andromeda––which still represented a significant force––were passed under French command, a gesture of welcome and acceptance by Allied High Command towards the new French state. Lucian Chartier, acting Generalissimo of the Orion League, resumed his station as Marshal of the Empire and continued to operate in Andromeda under Lord-Admiral Leondias. However, despite repeated attempts and appeals by the French Emperor, the Draconid Imperium gave them very little else in terms of recognition. They were barred from the Board of Seven and were denied France's old seats within the command structure. Furthermore, they were expected to follow unilateral directives issued by Draconis military command, which in many cases dangerously infringed on French Colonial sovereignty.

While the French Colonial public eagerly supported the war, the officials within the Emergency Colonial Congress began to fear that the French colonies were being made protectorates of the Draconid Imperium, and that Emperor Alexander I was weakly failing to stand up to them. This put the French Emperor in an impossible position, contending with contradictory constituencies abroad and at home with what little constitutional powers he possessed. French reinforcements to the front in Andromeda were welcome, but no nation took the fledgeling Grand Navy of the Empire seriously, as it was plagued with organizational problems and bad leadership.

The final test of Alexandre's faith in Allied High Command came when a crisis with the Sovereign Mirusian Coalition escalated into all-out war. On April 16, 2803, forces from four Mirusian nations launched a lightning attack on Allied territories in Mirus, quickly overwhelming Draconis and TIAF colonial defenses. By April 20, significant SMC fleets were rushing unopposed down the Trans-Territorial Hyperlane. Despite an energetic counterattack launched by the Hegemony, there seemed to be little keeping the Allied territories from completely falling without pulling significant resources away from Andromeda. That day, a surprisingly calm discussion took place between the Board of Seven as to how to end the First War of Mirusian Coalition as quickly as possible, mitigating damage to the Allied war machine. Having maneuvered cleverly beforehand, the Draconis partly appeased, partly overrode the concerns of the Hegemony and Eldarisian Empire, causing the chamber to rapidly reach a consensus: the Allied territories in Mirus were going to be completely surrendered to the Sovereign Mirusian Coalition. The French, who would have raised effective opposition to the deal in order to maintain control over French Mirus, had not been included in the discussion.

Despite ferocious outrage and resistance from French Foreign Minister Ballatay, the French Emergency Colonial Congress, and Emperor Alexander himself, the agreement was signed on April 29 at Manticore. In protest, the French withdrew the beleaguered Orion League remnant and the Grand Navy of the Empire from Andromeda, instead reinforcing French Mirus. On May 3, the Emperor issued the Second Richelieu Declaration. This time, from the balcony of the Congress Building, he denounced the Treaty of Manticore as a betrayal, ceding France's territory without its permission or consent. He disavowed any participation in the agreement, and fully accepted the fact that that meant that France was still at war with the Sovereign Mirusian Coalition, a war he pledged he would conduct to its end.

An intense backlash followed as Alexander's government was exiled from positions within Allied command. Non-French Allied governments and news agencies portrayed the French government as insubordinate and belligerent. In effect, the French Colonial Empire was officially left isolated. However, they were quickly joined by the Eldarisian Empire, who saw the Allies' withdrawal as cowardly and were eager to take a stand in Mirus. The French also enjoyed an undercurrent of covert support among the allies, especially from the Tybusen Intergalactic Allied Federation.

Trivia[]

  • Not much has been determined as to how this war is going to play out, which means plenty of opportunities for plot. If you want to join, simply add your fictions to the infobox and find Monet, Angrybirds, or Wormy on IRC to discuss your involvement!
  • Following the format of most Gigaquadrantic Conflict stories, the main page of the Schism will be used to summarize events and provide an overview of the conflict. Most of the action will happen on subpages.
  • To discuss ideas and get a general overview of events, see the Schism's official blog.
  • The Great Xonexian Schism is a conflict primarily between Xonexi powers, though not every power in the Xonexi Cluster has gotten involved. In fact, a good number have chosen to remain neutral through the Mou'Cyran Accords.


Rules

  • Communication is the si ne qua non of collaboration. Please communicate with your partners extensively about what your fiction is going to do and how it is going to affect them. If they disagree, work out a compromise.
  • Just because our fictions are at war does not mean we are at war with the users writing for them.
  • This has been stated before, but please avoid belittling. There is a difference between the frank acknowledgement of relative power and having one side be needlessly overpowered.
  • At the same time, please remember that this is a war. Both sides are going to take casualties, lose territory, and make sacrifices. Nobody is going to force anyone to castrate their fiction, but if you accept to lose, you will find that others will be more inclined to lose to you in the future.

Further Reading[]

Xonexi Allies Great Xonexian Schism AltDCPInsignia
The future is uncertain.
Peace will be enjoyed by the victors; oblivion by those who falter.
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