Diab Theatre

Year 5: Operation Sledgehammer
Though the Empire of Diablos had depleted itself during Operation Stormbreaker and was in no position to deploy any major offensives anytime soon, the Pact still considered the Diabs to be a potentially significant obstacle in invading Norsus and took a proactive view towards them, aiming to cripple their efforts in the war before they could organize another attack. Additionally, many within the Pact sought revenge against the Diabs for the blood spilt in the previous months. To these ends, with the exception of Captain Omard, the officers selected to lead the Diab wing of Sledgehammer were those who were seen to be capable of fighting the Diabs on equal footing with little to no regard for collateral damage or civilian life. The officers planned to "bleed Diablos dry" by launching a multi-pronged offensive into Diab space and establishing a foothold from which future offensives could be deployed deeper into Diab territory. So long as the foothold remained, the Diabs would be forced to devote troops to contain it, diminishing the empire's offensive capabilities. After some reconnaissance, the officers decided to attack a region of Diab space that was contributing a large number of recruits and material to the Outer Fleet. Pact forces made contact with the Diabs around the urbanized colony of Sevethos, and soon after at Alvainos, Neheldos, Sakanos, and other outer-rim settlements. The Warlords obtained orbital superiority over much of Sevethos and Alvainos and landed troops before the bulk of the Diab's forces arrived. Sevethos was hardest hit by the first wave, with the Repzork employing an Ikatan Platform and the recently-developed ODV-3 Vasekar. Warlord forces made rapid gains across most fronts, but suffered an embarrassing setback at Alvainos, where the Diab's subterranean settlements gave them a distinct advantage against invaders despite being significantly outnumbered. Such events did little to slow the Pact advance, and most colonies hit by the first wave would fall in the weeks and months following the opening assault. As Pact forces advanced onward, reserve troops moved in to establish fortified positions.

The offensive converged upon the world of Baltreos, a highly developed colony considered to be a sort of capitol for the surrounding region. Having had time to prepare, Diab forces put up fierce resistance which was met with equal aggression by the Pact. Both sides poured a significant amount of troops into the engagement, which largely consisted of street-to-street and room-to-room fighting as Pact forces advanced through Baltreos' dense urban centers. In an attempt to divert Diab attention, the Pact attacked the nearby world of Falkeos, which acted as the nerve center for Diab military forces in the area. But while Falkeos experienced a prolonged crystal bombardment by the Margan, Diab forces successfully held unto the planet, though the diversion was sufficient for the Warlords to finally capture Baltreos in the process. The planet would become the Warlord's headquarters for their efforts in the sector.

The loss of Baltreos and the chaos at Falkeos severely weakened local Diab forces. But the Pact was nevertheless halted after suffering a major setback at Veos, where the Diabs crippled the Repzork's Ikatan Platform, forcing imperial forces to scuttle the vessel. With Diab resistance stiffening and the Rach's defenses crumbling, the Pact initiated a strategic withdrawal back to the foothold before they spread themselves thin, but not before bombarding Diab colonies with crystal and conventional munitions as they retreated. The Diabs chased the Warlords and attempted to repel them from the foothold, but were forced to withdraw after weeks of bloody and fruitless fighting.

Battle of Lichen
Though the Pact's foothold in Diab space, which would soon be known across the region as the 'Meat Grinder', would be the site of relentless fighting throughout the war, it was not the only region of Diab space attacked by Pact forces. Once General Gancarda's forces had been relocated to the Diab front, the general probed for vulnerable Diab colonies to invade. During their search, they came across the planet of Lichen, which was rich in crystals the Monarchy had been using in the development of new energy weapons. Spies were sent down to the planet's surface while Gancarda mobilized his forces for an offensive. Once a suitable landing zone had been located, Gancarda's forces made landfall and established an outpost. Soon after, they were engaged by Diab forces stationed in a nearby fort. While Zaretian forces defended the landing zone, a squad of Nightshades went behind Diab lines and disabled the fort's anti-air defenses. Moments later, ships under the command of Lord Atlas swept in and dropped troops into the fortress, overwhelming and driving away the defenders. Gancarda, who was unaware of Atlas' presence, questioned the lord as to why he had come, as it was not his operation. Atlas responded that Gancarda was holding back, and that he, despite being outranked by Gancarda, was taking over the invasion. Gancarda relented, but warned the general to watch his back.

Zaretian forces attacked multiple Diab positions across the planet before converging on the defender's command center, which was located in the Lichen's frozen tundras. A fierce battle broke out across the region, but while Atlas and Gancarda had devoted all of their available troops, Diab reinforcements from the mainland had begun to turn the tide in the Peacekeeper's favor as they gradually attained aerial superiority. The tide shifted back in the Monarchy's favor as troops successfully flanked the defenders and eliminated several of their anti-air cannons, allowing strikecraft and dropships to enter the battlefield. As his troops slowly advanced towards the command center, Atlas deployed a group of Nightshades to infiltrate the fortress through its sewer network to both gather intelligence and to disrupt its defenses. The Diabs had anticipated this maneuver, and captured the Nightshades as they reached the sewers.

Inside the prison, the Nightshades met one of the spies that had been sent to the planet prior to the invasion, who explained that he had been caught shortly after the invasion had started. With the use of reprogrammed spider droids, the Zaretians were able to escape the prison and made their way to the fortress' primary anti-orbital cannon. They disabled its generator, but as they escaped, were intercepted by the command center's commander. Before he could lead the operatives back to the prison, Atlas and Gancarda's forces, with support from their naval warships, successfully breached the fortress, killing the commander and his entourage in the process. Several hours of fighting followed before the Zaretians eliminated the fortress' garrison, prompting Lichen's remaining defenders to evacuate and cede the planet to the Monarchy.

Second Battle of Falkeos
The colony of Falkeos sat at the very edge of the Pact's foothold in Diab space and was viewed as a significant obstacle to Warlord efforts in the region. Though the Margan's previous attack during Operation Sledgehammer had inflicted considerable damage to the colony's infrastructure and resulted in the development of a worsening crystal infestation, the Diabs refused to cede the planet, and had deployed a large number of troops as they repaired and expanded the colony's fortifications. This led the Repzork to believe that Falkeos would soon be used as a springboard for offensives into the foothold. With Diab attention divided between the Battle of Lichen and the Rathakern's attack on Larvos, Repzork high command planned to attack and conquer Falkeos with all readily available forces. Elements of the 277th and 14th, alongside the 13th and 12th Magellan Battle Fleets and a large number of Skrey auxiliaries, were tasked with conquering the planet while the 355th protected logistical assets and provided reserve troops.

The first target of the invasion was Falkeos' expansive orbital construction and maintenance facilities, which were connected to space elevators that ferried troops and supplies to and fro the surface. Though some of the stations had been damaged or destroyed, the bulk of the network remained operational, and were protected by an array of point-defense cannons, gun platforms, and the Diab navy, which maintained a battlegroup around each station. The Repzork aimed to capture the stations and use them to send troops to the surface without having to establish a landing zone amid the crystalline fields that now covered some parts of the planet.

The battle commenced with the 277th, 14th, and Magello each launching attacks on separate fronts, forcing the Diabs to divide their forces. Several Diab ships were quickly crippled or outright destroyed by shock jumps, allowing the 14th to close in on two of the installations and deploy boarding pods full of Skrey. Though most of the Skrey died in the subsequent engagement, they cleared the way for Repzork troops to move in and secure the facilities. The 277th and 14th claimed a third station roughly an hour later, but failed in capturing a fourth, opting instead to destroy it so as to deny it to the defenders. As Pact troops descended the elevators, companies of shock troops were deployed around the elevator's ground-side hubs. Once the hubs were secured, Pact forces began landing en masse.

Though they had secured a safe landing zone, crystal growths still made traversing some regions difficult, prompting the Pact to utilize a liberal number of armored vehicles, artillery, and when able, aircraft. Tank columns navigating crystalline fields were often targets of Diab infantry, who would lie in wait and ambush vulnerable targets. Pact forces responded by deploying chemical weapons within crystal patches and using infantry to sweep through and flush out resistance. Diab reinforcements had also begun appearing in the sector and were contesting Pact naval forces for orbital control. Despite these difficulties, Repzork forces were able to slowly advance across the surface.

The heaviest fighting of the campaign took place near the orbital elevators that remained under Diab control. The Pact attempted to first capture each elevator; but if they were not able, they would instead use starships to destroy it. This was a risky maneuver, as destroying the elevator would rain debris weighing upwards to several thousand tons in a several-kilometer perimeter around the elevator. This forced the Pact to withdraw their ground forces whenever the order for destruction was given, which in turn gave Diab forces an opportunity to withdraw. The last elevator was eliminated four months into the campaign, marking the point in which Pact forces gained near-total orbital and aerial superiority over the planet.

Fighting would on the surface continue for another month before what remained of the defenders were cornered in Vigríar, a derelict fortress that had been bombarded with crystals during the previous invasion. The Pact attempted to bomb the facility, but were forced back when the Diabs reactivated some of the station's guns. The fortress was then bombarded with artillery for five straight days, but the Diabs inside survived by hiding in underground bunkers and continued to put up resistance. In a last-ditch attempt, biochemical munitions were launched into the fortress hours prior to an infantry assault. As Pact soldiers approached, the Diabs emerged from their positions and charged the attackers. Most were visibly wounded and had been coughing up blood from the chemical attack. Fearing that any one of the Diabs would frenzy, Pact soldiers panicked and routed, causing confusion amid their ranks that allowed the Diabs to close in. A fierce skirmish followed, during which the Diabs fought to the last, but not before killing a large number of Pact troops.

Bombardment of Larvos
Under orders from Warmaster Moratoryan as a continuation of their plans to establish themselves amidst the instability of the war, Rathakern Weapon scientists developed large-scale anti-civilian biological "Overlord Bombs" on remote outposts outside the main cluster and in former Minomit space. The intent was to use the bombs against Peacekeeper cities to even the playing field against more entrenched powers and destroy civilian resistance to invasion. The program was conducted in secret, but Diab scouting sweeps detected and tracked a heavily guarded supply convoy en route to one such base and logged it as suspicious to command.

A team of Diabloian Valkyries was deployed to follow one of the Rathakern's supply convoys to uncover information on the Warlord's plans. Unbeknownst to the spies, the Rathakern had already made their move, with General Wraithbane's fleet making its way towards the Diab colony of Larvos. By the time the Valkyries uncovered the Rathakern's plans, the attack on the colony had already begun; several of the strategic Overlord Bombs loaded with biological agents had been deployed at the colony, killing thousands as Rathakern forces stormed the colony. The Diabs evacuated surviving citizens, but were defeated after a pitched battle that reduced much of the colony to ruins. The Rathakern would initiate similar attacks on nearby colonies, successfully establishing a small foothold in Diab space in the process.

Keros Offensive
The conquest of Falkeos had left nearby Diab colonies open to Pact invasions; this was compounded by Zaretian and Rathakern attacks elsewhere, which pulled a number of Diab troops away from the foothold. This prompted the Diabs to evacuate nearby colonies and dig in with their available forces. Emboldened, Imperial Command began planning for its next move mere days after the Falkeos campaign had concluded. The offensive, codenamed Keros, would have Warlord forces engage the Diabs along three prongs. The central prong would be manned chiefly by Magello and Skrey, and intended to tie down Diab manpower. The right prong, known as south, would be led by the 14th and 277th armadas while the left, known as north, was spearheaded by the 355th and Commandant Tor. North and south were to push along the central prong's flanks and gradually sweep around and cut off the defenders. As well as pushing the foothold deeper into Diab space, this would make the foothold less dependent on outside assistance in terms of resources, as they would have more land to exploit.

While preparations were still underway, the Aeverians initiated Operation Burning Lance, the sheer size of which caught many in Imperial Command off guard. It was proposed that the Repzork halt their current plans in order to support the Monarchy, but this was rejected by the Marshal's Council, who aimed to prevent the Diabs or Karahotdoum from supporting the Aeveria by keeping them on the defensive. The 843rd, which was already stationed in Aeverian territory alongside the Necraal, would focus their efforts on diverting Aeverian resources away from the offensive with limited-scale attacks. Imperial Command would continue to monitor the Aeveria's progress, but the Zaretian's rapid response and the subsequent halt of Peacekeeper forces restored some confidence that the Zaretians could hold their ground, at least for the moment.

The Pact's buildup did not go entirely unnoticed by Diab Valkyries, who had been sent into the foothold to act as scouts. Though the Peacekeepers did not know where the Warlords would attack, they believed that an offensive would be sooner rather than later, and used what time they had to prepare. With the colonies having been evacuated, the Diabs focused their efforts on major colonies, such as major population and industrial centers, while leaving smaller units stationed at low-priority systems to slow down the Pact's advance. A large number of reserves were withheld for when the offensive began; they were to be deployed wherever they were needed.

The Keros Offensive officially began with all three prongs simultaneously attacking. The Diab's outermost defenses were shattered, but had fought to the last man, buying precious time. Pact forces made substantial gains in the following months, but had underestimated the number and tenacity of the defenders, which robbed the south and central prongs of some of the momentum that Imperial Command had expected, the central front gradually slowing to a crawl. The north front was the exception, the 14th and 277th advancing deep into enemy territory through a mixture of strategy and unrelenting force. The Diabs were quick to respond, sending the bulk of their reserves to engage the north prong, though they would be unable to halt the north's advance.

Battle of Embaelos
The Diab colony of Embaelos had been one of Falkeos' suppliers of manpower and equipment. Since Falkeos' fall, Embaelos had been repurposed as a forward command center for the Diab's fight against the Northern prong throughout the Keros offensive. Imperial Command has made the capture of Embaelos a priority objective for the Keros Offensive, and the North prong had been steadily advancing towards the colony since the offensive had begun. Knowing the planet would be attacked, the Diabs planned to turn Embaelos into a trap. Allied command diverted troops initially intended for the central and southern fronts to a system near Embaelos. They were to maintain position until after the Repzork had begun the attack, and were to isolate and cripple either the 14th's or 277th's command fleet, eliminating the fleet's commanding officers in the process. Unbeknownst to the Diabs, the Repzork, knowing that Embaelos would be heavily fortified but unaware of the Diab's plans, devised a ruse. The 277th would launch a feint against the Diabs and would then, after a brief engagement, withdraw, intending to draw out the defenders. Elements of the 14th would then sweep in and attack the Diab's exposed flanks. To make the trap more convincing, the 277th's command fleet was to be included in the attack.

The Repzork began the attack with standard tactics, giving the impression that a full invasion force had come, but the Diabs quickly took notice of the unusually small size of the force. Some concluded that it had to be a trap, but with the 277th's command fleet taking part in the attack, others believed that the Repzork were either unaware of the planet's strategic significance or had simply underestimated the defenses. After a brief period of intense fighting, the 277th began to pull back, but before it could do so, the Diabs sprung the trap, and their reserves appeared behind the invaders. Now severely outnumbered, the 277th alerted the 14th to their situation. The 14th then arrived and caught some of the Diabs by surprise.

As the 14th fought their way towards the 277th, the 277th's flagship was temporarily disabled and boarded by several waves of Diab shock troopers tasked with either capturing or killing Star Marshal Vilotr and Field Marshal Likana. An intense battle broke out throughout the ship, during which Marshal Likana donned her personal battlesuit and fought alongside her troops. She killed many of the attackers before her battlesuit was rendered inoperable after repeated shots to the legs. The field marshal continued to fight, but was incapacitated soon after, and had to be dragged away by her personal entourage before the Diabs could apprehend her.

Before the Diabs could eliminate the flagship, additional Repzork troops began to surge into the system in vast numbers; the attack had drawn the attention of all available elements of the 14th and 277th, who had been ordered to the system by Star Marshal Kiryusa Luok. The Diabs were repelled, and the 277th's command fleet subsequently fled the system, returning to the foothold for repairs. The battle nevertheless continued, the Repzork intent on seeking vengeance and claiming the planet. After a bitter engagement, Embaelos fell to Repzork forces.

Though the Diabs had failed in their objectives, the battle had nonetheless checked the rapid advance of the northern prong, especially in regards to the 277th. Marshal Likana would be hospitalized for several months, during which command of the 277th's ground forces fell upon her second-in-command, General Ezanfi Dugoro. Portions of the 277th, most notably the command fleet, were recalled to the mainland, with Marshal Vilotr and General Ezanfi temporarily taking direct command of one of the 277th's attack fleets. The Keros Offensive would continue, but the northern prong would never regain the initiative it had prior to Embaelos.

Operation Iron Gauntlet
With the northern salient contained, the Diabs turned their attention towards the southern salient. Having been reinforced by troops from both the southern and central fronts, the Diabs initiated Operation Iron Gauntlet, which aimed to reclaim the salient, cripple the 14th and 355th armadas, and open a passage to Falkeos, and ultimately, to Baltreos. The Peacekeepers focused the bulk of their troops at the salient's base, intending to cut it off from the foothold. Though heavily fortified, the salient's defenses were shattered in the assault before the Pact could respond, and the salient was severed. As the Diabs advanced down the salient, smaller attacks were launched at other portions of the area, though these assaults made little progress. As the 14th armada moved to meet the main Diab force, reinforcements from the foothold arrived into the sector, though they were cut off by Peacekeeper fleets until a daring attack by the 57th Magellan fleet caused a break through, allowing the Warlords to stabilize the front. Repzork forces made heavy use of crystal munitions at this point in the battle, particularly during ground engagements, where crystal-infused artillery shells, bombs, and grenades made traditional Diab tactics risky or impossible. After several more weeks of fighting, the Diabs were finally repelled by the sudden arrival of the 277th, which had recently completed replenishment.

Though repelled from the salient, the Diabs continued to attack the sector in several locations, waging a battle of attrition costly to both sides. Systems changed hands often, sometimes several times in only the span of one or two months, but neither side made substantial gains against the the for next seven months.

Battle of Vedrthar
Once the Omnishia had been repaired, Warmaster Moratoryan's forces were back on the move. They linked up with General Wraithbane, who had been maintaining a defensive posture since the attack on the Omnishia, and renewed the Rathakern's offensive into Diab and Delani space with renewed vigor. Wraithbane concentrated on the Delani while Moratoryan and Commander Wreav pushed through Diab space. To blunt the assault, the Diabs were forced to divert troops from Iron Gauntlet. Even still, the Rathakern persevered, with the Omnishia pushing ahead into the Vedrthar Sector. Vedrthar sat right at the doorstep of the Pact's foothold, but with Iron Gauntlet underway elsewhere, was relatively quiet. The Rathakern were quick to take advantage of the situation, and began assaulting Peacekeeper positions as they inched towards the foothold.

But by this point in the offensive, the Rathakern had begun to encounter problems of their own. Their supply lines had been stretched thin and were vulnerable to harassment. Reinforcements came gradually, but were at times intercepted before they could link with the fleets. With the Warmaster and his commanders constantly on the move, there was little time to properly repair and maintain equipment. The Omnishia itself, though still a formidable vessel, was likewise beginning to sustain damage due to frequent engagements. Some of the engineers began to call for the ship to be returned to the Rathakern's WBI holdings for repairs, but Moratoryan refused, citing potential ambushes and the fact that the Rathakern needed to attack now while the enemy was preoccupied.

The Warmaster's advance soon caught the attention of the 17th Magellan Battle Fleet under the command of Captain Bulgara, which had been stationed in the area as a rapid response force. Fearing that an attack by the Rathakern could potentially shatter the foothold, Bulgara requested reinforcements and permission to engage the threat while it was still away from the foothold. Imperial Command, its attention focused on the battles in the salient, granted Bulgara a limited number of reinforcements but ordered her to maintain position until further notice. Bulgara, unwilling to wait for the Rathakern to make the first move, disobeyed Imperial Command's orders and breached protocol by contacting local Peacekeeper forces. She proposed a ceasefire so that the two could work together to repel the Rathakern. The Peacekeepers reluctantly agreed, and the two began planning how to best tackle the threat.

Commander Wreav and his men had been acting as a vanguard for Moratoryan's forces; the commander would launch preliminary attacks that softened the defenders before the main fleets arrived. Bulgara and the Peacekeepers planned to engage Wreav's command fleet and in doing so lure the Omnishia into a trap. Some protested the operation as being too risky, but officials on both sides understood that the Omnishia and its commander needed to be eliminated before the Rathakern could be broken.

While the bulk of Bulgara's forces maintained position and token forces contained ongoing Rathakern attacks, Magellan and Diab scouts scoured the region, searching for Commander Wreav. After a little over a week of observation, the movement of some of Wreav's forces were triangulated to a specific region of Vedrthar. A scout was sent ahead and confirmed the presence of a large concentration of Rathakern vessels. Believing it to be Wreav's command fleet, Bulgara moved in to engage. The allies had guessed correctly; Wreav, having not anticipated a large force nor having fought the Magello before, contacted the Warmaster for assistance. The Peacekeepers held back, waiting for the arrival of the Omnishia before revealing themselves. During the interlude, the Magello dealt a serious blow to Wreav, whose forces had been scattered across multiple planets, but the commander remained confident that the Omnishia would turn the tide.

When the Omnishia and its escort fleet finally arrived, the Magello shifted their attention towards the ship and pressed the attack, preventing the vessel from effectively maneuvering. The Rathakern had seemingly turned the battle back in their favor, but in truth, the Magello, though now being battered by the Warmaster's forces, were providing the Peacekeepers with targeting data. Soon, the Peacekeepers entered the fray and attacked the Omnishia with several alpha strikes, overloading the shield and piercing the ship's hull in several locations. This in turn led to a few of the Omnishia's ammunition stores exploding, causing further damage to the ship. But while the Omnishia had been seriously wounded and its crew shaken, the ship was still capable of fighting, and the Rathakern maintained numerical superiority. Moratoryan acted quickly, requesting for further reinforcements as he focused his attacks against the Magello in an effort to break out.

Though stationed in Delani space, General Wraithbane responded to the distress call by dispatching a portion of his forces to the engagement. They appeared behind one of the Peacekeeper fleets, forcing the ships to divert their attention away from the Omnishia. But before Moratoryan could exploit the distraction, Captain Bulgara's flagship, though having sustained heavy damage in doing so, carefully maneuvered itself behind the Omnishia and unloaded a salvo directly into the vessel's engines, causing a detonation that damaged the vessel's stern and rendering the ship completely immobile.

To the disbelief of both Bulgara and the Peacekeepers, the Omnishia continued to put up resistance, the crew making no attempt to scuttle the vessel. With their Warmaster in peril, all nearby Rathakern ships moved to form a perimeter around the Omnishia, though Wraithbane's forces were unable to advance due to the Peacekeepers. Bulgara and the rest of the Peacekeepers advanced towards the ship, fighting through the Rathakern fleet as strikecraft performed bombing runs on the Omnishia's remaining weapons systems, which soon began to fall silent under the onslaught. Commander Wreav was among the ships defending the Omnishia, but he was soon killed after his ship took multiple hits from the frontal cannons of a Diab cruiser, one of which had glanced the bridge, vaporizing Wreav and the crew. Once the Rathakern's defenses had thinned further and a path to the Omnishia had opened, Diab and Magellan soldiers were deployed into the vessel to secure the ship and eliminate Warmaster Moratoryan. The Warmaster, donning his Void Axe and a plasma hand cannon, fought the invaders alongside his men. Fighting in the ship would persist for almost two straight days due in part to the size of the ship and its vast crew even after much of it had been wounded or killed prior to the boarding operation. Outside, the allied force repelled the Rathakern from around the Omnishia, preventing any reinforcements from reaching the ship.

Near the end of the second day, Warmaster Moratoryan and what remained of his honor guard were surrounded by Diab and Magellan soldiers. The Rathakern dictator was ordered to surrender, but he instead charged headlong into the attackers, his guards following suit. Over the next five minutes, the guards were gunned down or killed in hand-to-hand combat, leaving the Warmaster on his own. He felled many of the attackers before a Diab Shock Trooper dodged a swipe of the Void Axe and plunged his bayonet into the Rathakern's arm before unleashing a point-blank burst of fire that severed Moratoryan's hand. The Warmaster raised his hand cannon, but the Diab was faster, and wrestled the gun out of his hand. The two grappled before a second soldier charged the Warmaster with his pauldron, knocking him to the ground. The Diab then grabbed Moratoryan's jaws and, after a momentary struggle, pulled them apart, shattering them and severing one of Moratoryan's carotid arteries, killing him almost instantly.

With both Warmaster Moratoryan and Commander Wreav dead, the Omnishia captured, and their forces having sustained irreplaceable losses, the remaining Rathakern routed, fleeing either towards their WBI foothold, General Wraithbane, or in any other direction away from Vedrthar. Thousands of Rathakern would be taken prisoner, including what remained of the Omnishia's crew, though a small few would continue to hold out before being eliminated in subsequent sweeps through the ship. An uneasy calm then fell between the Peacekeepers and Bulgara as troops on both sides began pondering their next move now that their objective had been completed. A few of Bulgara's officers pushed for an attack, but Bulgara refused; the commander had no intention of turning on an ally, even a temporary one, so quickly, and wanted to give both sides an opportunity to rest and recuperate. More importantly, the Magello had taken the brunt of the assault, and Peacekeeper troops outnumbered them by a substantial margin. Within the Omnishia, some of the Diabs and Magello had slowly begun to fraternize as they divided the spoils of the battle, tended to the wounded, and recovered bodies for burial. Rumors continue to circulate that a tiny handful of Magello soldiers used the opportunity to defect to the Peacekeepers, and that Bulgara may have been in some way complicit, but such reports remain in the realm of conspiracy. In a show of goodwill, and to prevent a possible confrontation, Bulgara allowed the Peacekeepers to claim the wreckage of the Omnishia and Warmaster Moratoryan's equipment, both of which would be brought back to Diab space for study and as trophies. Bulgara's forces, after having taken what they needed, returned to the foothold while the Peacekeepers moved to join their allies in engaging Wraithbane.

Wraithbane was notified of Moratoryan's death as Rathakern fores had begun to fall back. As well as a complete loss of the Rathakern's morale, the destruction of the Omnishia had left Wraithbane's flank completely exposed. The general ordered an immediate evacuation and for all Rathakern forces to fall back to the WBI foothold. But as Wraithbane's forces began to fall back, emboldened Delani surged across the front, scattering the Rathakern and inflicting terrible losses on the invaders. Worse yet, Peacekeeper ships from Vedrthar soon began streaming into the region. To avoid being surrounded, Wraithbane ordered his ships to depart, abandoning any troops that were still on the surface, all of whom would either die or be taken prisoner; this did little to help the general, however, as the Peacekeepers followed Wraithbane back to the WBI foothold. Both forces arrived in the area mere minutes apart, and a fight promptly broke out For several hours, Wraithbane attempted to hold his ground, but he was then contacted by General Parthen, who had been overseeing the Homeland Defense Fleet and had now been appointed as the new Warmaster in place of Moratoryan. Parthen ordered Wraithbane and his men to abandon the foothold and return to the mainland in the event of a Peacekeeper attack. The general complied, and his men made a fighting retreat away from the region.

Though the Rathakern had been repelled, it had come at a considerable price for the Peacekeepers. The short but intense campaign had been fought primarily with troops desperately needed on other fronts; this was most notable in the Diab foothold, where the withdrawal of troops from Iron Gauntlet contributed to the Repzork repelling the Diabs from the southern salient. Those who had not been killed or crippled were exhausted and needed time to rest and tend to their equipment, granting the Pact a temporary advantage in manpower in some regions. A few officials pushed for a front against the Rathakern, but this was unanimously rejected. Nevertheless, observers continue to monitor the outskirts of Rathakern space for signs of buildup, though they have yet to detect anything of note. Little is known of what transpired in the Rathakern mainland following their defeat, but most believe they have either given up or are building their forces back up and preparing for another opportunity to strike in the far future.

Imperial Command had learned of Bulgara's rogue actions as the Battle of Vedrthar was already underway, and decided to allow the conflict to run its course before taking action. What exactly they should do with the Captain became a matter of lenghty debate. Though she had disobeyed orders, she had eliminated what could have been a serious threat to the foothold; at the same time, a story of Warlord and Peacekeeper forces working together could potentially harm the public's perception of the war. There were also fears that some of the Magello could defect as Zinmar and Omard had. In the end, it was decided that Bulgara and her men would not be directly punished, but would be kept where the Pact could keep an eye on them. Bulgara and her men were commemorated in a public ceremony celebrating their heroic actions against the Rathakern while propaganda minimized the role of the Peacekeepers and exaggerated the threat posed by the Rathakern, implying that the two forces had no other option than to work together and that there was no fraternization. The 17th fleet was then subsequently moved from the foothold to a fortress world near Sculpterra, where they would slowly build themselves back up with diehard Warlord supporters.

Battle of Helia & Third Battle of Falkeos
With the Rathakern threat abolished, Diab command prepared for another major push into the southern salient. Months of preparation would see the formation of the largest Diab fleet thus far in the Repzork theater. This buildup did not go entirely unnoticed by the Pact, but a successful deception campaign misled the Pact on the fleet's size, where it was attacking, and when. Though the bulk of the 355th and 14th armadas would remain in the salient, elements of the two fleets, as well as the 277th armada and many Magellan, Skrey, and Zaretian units, were relocated to the supposed target.

Diab forces attacked the salient a full week earlier than the Pact had anticipated. The unprepared defenders, though they put up heavy resistance, did not have the manpower to repel the Peacekeepers; the salient was breached on three different fronts, and Diab forces spilled into the region, dividing the salient into several distinct pockets and throwing the defenders into disarray. The foothold sent all available forces to the salient, though it would be several hours before the bulk of their forces arrived. A relief fleet spearheaded by the 277th charged into the thick of the fighting, bisecting Diab lines as they raced to rescue encircled troops. As elements of both armadas were retrieved, casualties were withdrawn while the rest stayed behind to continue fighting. As more troops entered the salient, the entire battle would be thrown into disarray as both sides were forced to fight on multiple unpredictable fronts.

As the battle in the salient raged, Diab forces attacked Falkeos to disrupt Pact logistics and repair stations. Though most of Falkeos' garrison had been sent to the salient, a sizeable force remained on the planet, though they were stationed around the orbital elevators, leaving portions of their defense vulnerable. The Diabs used these weak-points to breach Falkeos' orbital defenses and deploy shock troops to the surface. A landing zone was established, and Diab forces pushed swiftly across the planet, with Valkyries moving ahead of the main force to disrupt defenses and supply stations. Peacekeeper forces made substantial gains in the first months of the battle, having captured several fortresses, the old capitol, and destroying one of the planet's orbital elevators. But they were eventually driven off the world by Magello troops and elements of the 355th and 14th that had escaped the salient.

Vicious fighting would continue in and around the salient for a little over a year in some of the bloodiest battles since Operation Sledgehammer. The Pact ultimately failed to repel the invaders, and suffered severe losses during the battle. Combined with outside pressures such as the dissolution of the Saracin Empire, which necessitated that troops be sent to reinforce the Karahotdoum front; the invasion of Batel space, and the continued withdrawal of Zaretian forces from Diab space, the Pact was forced to cede the salient to the Peacekeepers and retreat. Though they had dealt a decisive blow to the Warlords, the Diabs' victory had cost them in almost equal measure.

Second Battle of Baltreos
The Warlord's retreat from the salient had been disorganized, creating gaps from which the Diabs plunged headlong into the foothold and attacked Baltreos, believing that this could be their only opportunity to shatter the foothold in the foreseeable future. This surprised some Warlord officers who had believed that Falkeos would be their next target. Though battered and bloodied, Pact forces who had fought in the salient assisted in defending the planet, with Admiral Kiryusa Luok and the remains of the 14th armada notably leading Pact naval forces in and around the system. During the Battle of Helia, the garrison at Baltreos had been granted access to much of the Repzork's next-generation equipment, which included the first two Helia-class battlecruisers, the HLBC Hruthvar and Hruthvair, which were equipped with new Planet-Cracker Superheavy Railcannons; a third Planet Cracker that had been built on the surface of Baltreos as an anti-orbital gun, ships equipped with gravity wells, mobile shield generators both on the ground and in space, RS18 Firestorm missiles, and a slew of updated vehicles and weapons. Imperial command had initially aimed to deploy their new assets during the battle in the salient or at Falkeos, but the chaotic nature of the conflict and the fact that their new equipment was still few in number led to command retaining them at Baltreos for the exact circumstance they now found themselves in. The planet cracker on Baltreos was located in the planet's capital city, which had been converted into a vast, fortified complex that stretched deep underground.

As Diab forces entered the system, they were almost immediately attacked by the Hruthvar and Hruthvair, whose guns outranged most of the Diab fleet. The Diabs attempted to deploy hunter-killers, but their ships could not get accurate coordinates due to the Repzork's gravity generators, forcing the Diabs to close in and fight conventionally. The Pact fleet maintained position, firing potshots at the approaching Peacekeepers as they drew nearer to Baltreos' Planet Cracker. A Diab destroyer was among the first ships to step into range, and in moments had its entire front-half vaporized by the cannon. Realizing the trap, the Peacekeepers attempted to retreat, but it was then that the Pact fleet closed in and engaged, preventing the Diabs from escaping.

Left with no other option, the Peacekeepers focused their efforts on eliminating the Hruthvar and Hruthvair, which were protected with a mobile shield array and both Admiral Luok's and Falser's flagships. The shield eventually gave way to concentrated fire, giving the Diabs a small window of opportunity to attack the vessels directly. The two vessels proved resilient to the barrage, but the battle took a sudden turn when a badly-damaged Cruiser accelerated its engines and made a beeline towards the Hruthvar. Rather than moving, the Hruthvar's commanding officer turned his ship towards the cruiser and prepared to fire; however, the commander had underestimated the charge time for the cannon, and the gun fired just as the Diab cruiser impacted. The result was a catastrophic detonation that destroyed the cruiser but severely damaged the Hruthvar's bow, crippling its main gun, killing or wounding hundreds of crew members, and disabling many of its weapons systems. Repzork ships moved to defend the crippled ship, with the Hruthvair placing itself between the Hruthvar and the Diabs, preventing them from landing any more hits on it. The mobile shields reactivated several minutes later, giving the Hruthvar sufficient time to escape the battle and return to the homeland for repairs. For his blunder, the Hruthvar's commanding officer would be stripped of his command and replaced.

Diab forces used the opportunity to push through a thinned section of the Pact's defenses and relocate their forces to a region outside of the range of Baltreos' Planet Cracker. Knowing that they may only have a few hours until they were back in the cannon's range, the Peacekeepers deployed all of their available ground forces in a bid to overwhelm the cannon. As the battle resumed in orbit, Peacekeeper forces on the ground established a landing zone and attacked nearby Warlord positions. The defenders were swiftly overwhelmed, but constant aerial harassment and Warlord orbital drops disrupted the Alliance's advance. Alliance ground forces set their sights on the port city of Avgorod, whose capture could allow for an amphibious assault on the Pact's command center. Like most settlements on the planet, the city had been extensively fortified with bunkers, hidden machine-gun nests, and entrenched anti-tank guns, but it lacked a large shield generator, allowing for artillery and air strikes. A blitzkrieg led by Monolith and Ironhead tanks shattered the defenses as troops stormed the city. After hours of intense street-by-street fighting, during which Diab fleets narrowly managed to elude the Planet Cracker's effective range, Avgorod was captured. But before an attack could be mounted on the Planet Cracker, General Likana, upon hearing of Avgorod's capture, authorized the use of one of the Repzork's RS-18s on the city. General Gusavig Wazari of the 355th, still wary of crystal weapons, was initially reluctant to use the device, but when it became clear that the Planet Cracker could very well be destroyed, gave his authorization. Diab ships attempted to shoot the missile down as it reached its peak altitude, but it broke into several warheads before they could do so. The Firestorm warheads sparked instantaneous and explosive crystal growth throughout the city upon detonation, creating what is known today as "The Demon's Scar". Almost all of the Diabs in Avgorod were killed save for those who had been extracted or a small few who had hidden themselves in shelters that had not been breached by crystals.

With their ground forces in shambles and the navy unable to make any further progress, the Peacekeepers retreated from Baltreos and returned to Diab space, signalling the end of Operation Iron Gauntlet. Warlord forces did not pursue, staying within the Foothold to rebuild. Both the 14th and 355th armada returned to the mainland for replenishment, their positions taken over by the 980th and 537th armadas respectively. Both the 355th and 14th would require years to replenish their numbers, with the 14th being out of commission for the next four years. With both sides exhausted from the past four years of fighting, no offensive operations would be undertaken in Diab space for the next two years, with only sporadic skirmishes occurring at the border of the foothold.

Though Repzork propaganda emphasized the Pact's victory at Baltreos and on other theaters, it proved impossible to minimize their catastrophic losses, particularly during the Battle of Helia, which had dramatic ramifications for the empire's involvement in the war. The previous four years remain the bloodiest and most destructive in Repzork history, with well over a billion casualties, of which tens of millions had died and countless more were disabled. Millions of armored vehicles and thousands of starships had also been damaged or destroyed. Of note was the namesake of the Battle of Helia, the 14th armada, which had been reduced to less than half of its original size; likewise, the 355th had lost roughly 45% of its fighting force. Proportionally, the Magellan military suffered similar losses, with their effective fighting force unfit for an anything more than defensive operations. Worse yet in the eyes of many in Imperial Command was that these losses had been for nothing; with the failure of the Keros Offensive, all of the Pact's territorial acquisitions had been erased save for Falkeos.

Though Repzork propaganda emphasized the Pact's victory at Baltreos and on other theaters, it proved impossible to minimize their catastrophic losses, particularly during the Battle of Helia, which had dramatic ramifications for the empire's involvement in the war. The previous four years remain the bloodiest and most destructive in Repzork history, with well over a billion casualties, of which tens of millions had died and countless more were disabled. Millions of armored vehicles and thousands of starships had also been damaged or destroyed. Of note was the namesake of the Battle of Helia, the 14th armada, which had been reduced to less than half of its original size; likewise, the 355th had lost roughly 45% of its fighting force. Proportionally, the Magellan military suffered similar losses, with their effective fighting force unfit for an anything more than defensive operations. Worse yet in the eyes of many in Imperial Command was that these losses had been for nothing; with the failure of the Keros Offensive, all of the Pact's territorial acquisitions had been erased save for Falkeos.

News of these disasters sparked outrage within the homeland. The general public, which was normally in favor of war, held demonstrations across the empire demanding that those who were responsible be held accountable and that the empire do more to protect its men; amid these protestors were also groups that opposed the war altogether and demanded that the Repzork abandon the conflict. Military and government officials also joined in on the protest. Officials operating in the foothold were quick to pin the blame on various factors, such as the Margan's disappearance, the Zaretian's withdrawal, the Magello, and each other. Emperor Zervath, speaking on behalf of the Marshal's Council, spoke on the matter in a speech a week after the Second Battle of Baltreos. He admitted that the Peacekeepers had put up more resistance than Imperial Command had initially anticipated, but that there was no one figure to blame for the disaster. The emperor also announced that all available civilian and military assets would be dedicated to the war, and that instead of pointing fingers, the public should instead focus on avenging the fallen by uniting against the 'Peacekeeper hordes'.

The controversy subsided soon after as the military worked to rebuild and mobilize its assets. Propagandists made use of both Zervath's words and the Diab campaign as a whole to drum up support for the war with slogans such as 'Vengeance for the 14th!".

Outer-Worlds Assaults & Second Battle of Sevethos
With news of the Monarchy's withdrawal, the Diabs, three years after the Second Battle of Baltreos, mustered troops for another major push into the Pact foothold. With large-scale frontal assaults having proven too costly, the Diabs planned to attack the Foothold's "northern" flank, which was comprised of what had been several outlying colonies prior to the invasion. Once these colonies were retaken, the Diabs would then strike at the Pact's fortified logistics facilities, which were principally located at Sevethos and other nearby colonies. If successful, the operation would cut the foothold off from much-needed supplies while also drawing forces away from the front line, at which time the Diabs could open a second front.

Diab forces first attacked the gas giant of Glasos, which the Pact had been using as a local source of fuel for their energy weapons, and its many moons. Alliance forces quickly overwhelmed the planet's orbital defenses and simultaneously landed on a number of the inhabited moons. Pact forces initially resisted, but after days of fighting, it became clear that they would not be able to hold their ground, and withdrew to Glasos itself. Another round of fighting would see the Diabs victorious, but much of the planet's infrastructure would be destroyed, as the Repzork had rigged many of the gas-harvesting stations to self-destruct and plummet into the gas giant.

From Glasos they advanced towards Alavinos, which had by then been reinforced from troops from within the foothold and Glasos' garrison; however, reinforcements were not as plentiful as they could have been, as Imperial Command correctly predicted that the Diabs would open a second front, but did not know when, and as a result withheld troops for an attack that would not yet materialize. Diab forces successfully achieved orbital and aerial superiority over the planet, trapping Pact forces in their underground fortifications just as the Pact had done to the Diabs during Operation Sledgehammer. Fighting erupted through the underground tunnels as Repzork ships attempted to break the siege. Stiff resistance would delay the Diabs longer than planned, but after five months of fighting, Alvainos was liberated.

The last obstacle to Sevethos was Urdos, a planet which had suffered a particularly severe crystal infestation that rendered large swathes of the planet almost completely uninhabitable. Travel between the Repzork's scattered fortresses was possible only through narrow passages through fields of crystal or an underground railway, as imperial forces had built the bulk of their facilities at least partially underground so as to both avoid the crystals and to harvest ore. The Peacekeepers attempted to subdue the planet through aerial bombardment, but were repelled by constant anti-air fire, forcing them to commit to a ground assault through the crystalline labyrinth. Concentrated artillery fire combined with constant harassment from Pact troops trained to navigate the terrain frustrated the Diabs' effort. As the battle stalled, the Peacekeepers opened their second, larger front near Falkeos, forcing the Pact to divert troops to contain the threat. This did little to shift the Urdos campaign, which would remain at a stalemate until Diab forces were able to eliminate enough of the Pact's anti-air defenses to allow for bombardment. Not risking a repeat of Alvainos, Pact forces retreated, but not before the Peacekeepers captured thousands of demoralized prisoners.

With the path now open, Diab forces moved towards Sevethos, which alongside a sizeable garrison, was also guarded by several depleted Repzork and Magellan formations that were in the process of replenishment. Fierce fighting broke out throughout the system, but it would prove short-lived. Though Operation Counterweight had started three weeks prior to the battle, Marshals Ilivaris Kindasi and Veto Korvack pressured the rest of the Marahal's Council, who were focused squarely on repelling the Karahotdoum threat, to relieve the foothold with what were seen as troops desperately needed for Counterweight. High Marshal Tarsovis Visaria believed that Pact forces could hold their ground, but upon hearing of conflict at Sevethos, authorized a task-force to accompany a fleet of Necraal and Magellan ships entering the region. This task force included the Helia-Class Battlecruiser, the HLBC Nygalara. The relief force caught the Diabs by surprise and successfully repelled them from the system after nine hours of fighting. With the attack at Sevethos a failure, the second front was called off. Urdos, Alvainos, and Glasos were all abandoned by the Peacekeepers and fell back into Warlord hands.