Diab Front

The Diab front is a major theatre of operations between the Warlord Pact and Peacekeeper Alliance in the Great War. Fighting began in the fourth year of the war during Operation Stormbreaker when Margan forces, covering the withdrawal of their Pact allies, attacked outlying Diab colonies to draw their attention away from the front, ultimately contributing to the failure of Stormbreaker a few months later. Fighting resumed in earnest when the Pact launched a three-pronged invasion of Diab space as part of Operation Sledgehammer and established a sizeable foothold within Diab territory.

Two years later, Pact forces secured both Lichos and Veos, the latter of which had successfully resisted invasion during Sledgehammer. A few months later, the Pact then began Operation Thaelvak, another major offensive. Though initially successful, the operation regressed into a stalemate following the Battle of Embaelos, where the command fleet of the Repzork 277th armada suffered heavy casualties. The Diabs launched a counteroffensive into the 'Thaelvak Salient' in year 9, but this to bogged down due to persistent Pact counterattacks. But the chaos caused by the collapse of the Saracin Empire, combined with the Pact needing to spread its forces across a growing number of battlefronts, took its toll on Pact defenses. The Diabs breached the salient late into year 10 and encircled millions of Pact forces. After a year of bloody and disorganized fighting, the Pact withdrew from the salient. The Diab pursued and broke into the foothold in an attempt to capture Baltreos, the Pact's command center in the region, but were forced to withdraw as Asanian forces began attacking Diab territory elsewhere. Staggering losses on both sides caused a relative lull in the fighting, though sporadic skirmishes were commonplace. In response to the disaster, the Repzork replaced the commanding sector marshal, Yuluvar Eras, with Thalkae Xelnir, a Telkevan-class sapient artificial intelligence masquerading as a normal officer. Shortly afterward, the Necraal Schism broke out, causing Warlord infighting as Pact forces and Necraal rebels unsuccessfully attempted to apprehend Hor'or loyalists.

In year 13, the Diabs attacked Pact colonies supplying the foothold, particularly those of the Repzork. The unexpected attack caused a pause in supply shipments and for a time pulled Pact attention away from the foothold, allowing the Diabs to reclaim a few outlying colonies, though they were once again repelled when the Repzork began Operation Counterweight and deployed an immense surge of troops into the region in preparation for a new offensive. Before the operation was launched, the Margan returned from the Void and offered their support to the Pact, which readily accepted their aid despite the resentment of many officials. The Warlords then began a new offensive, during which time the Margan encountered the Asanians and swiftly inducted them into the Pact. The Necraal returned in force soon after following the deissipation of the Ion storms, firmly swinging the front back in the Pact's favor.

Background
Main page: Operation Stormbreaker

During the fourth year of the war, with the Rach on the verge of defeat, Peacekeeper diplomats reached out to the Empire of Diablos for help in relieving the Rach and subduing the Warlord Pact. The Diabs accepted, and several months later, the Peacekeepers began Operation Stormbreaker a vast combined offensive spearheaded by the Diab Outer Fleet. Warlord forces suffered tremendous casualties and retreated on all fronts with the exception of the Margan, who counterattacked to blunt the offensive and buy their allies time to reorganize. Orion Dynasty forces attacked outlying Diab colonies, where they encountered the Asanian Syndicate, who were enacting revenge against the Diabs for having helped the Sauran thwart a resource harvesting operation. The two established an alliance and continued to attack Diab settlements until Peacekeeper forces repelled them. By then, Stormbreaker had begun to lose momentum; combined with overextended supply lines and a change in Pact strategies, the Peacekeepers were forced to cancel the offensive and withdraw to defensive positions.

In the aftermath, as the Pact gathered to plan Operation Downfall, Warlord leaders were eager to enact revenge on the Diabs and prevent them from being able to launch another major offensive. Knowing that they were unlikely to succeed in swiftly defeating the Diabs, they instead planned for a prolonged war of attrition to 'bleed' the Diabs dry. The invasion would begin at the Baltreos sector, named so after its most prominent colony, which contained a number of valuable military and manufacturing facilities.

The Diab wing of the offensive comprised of the following:


 * The Margan 'Radiant Choir' fleet under Reaper's Fist Commander Apulon.


 * The Repzork 355th 'Purity's Test' and 277th 'Sword of Oltavar' armadas under overall command of Sector Marshal Yuluvar Eras.


 * The Zaretian 177th and 230th fleets under Lord Atlas.


 * The Magellan 13th battlegroup under Captain Omard.


 * The Necraal 31st shock fleet under Commandant Var.


 * The Skrey 20th Khonghan Auxiliary Fleet under Zimtuld, which would be headquartered in the 277th armada.

The Repzork, Necraal, and Zaretians would spearhead the invasion. Reaper's Fist, which specializes in siege warfare, would focus on heavily fortified positions alongside the Skrey.

Prior to the invasion, Pact special operatives were deployed in and around the Baltreos sector to scout and and when possible sabotage Diab defenses. These operations were partly successful, though some agents would be eliminated by Diab Valkyries.

Years 4-5: Operations Stormbreaker & Downfall
Main pages: Operation Stormbreaker, Operation Sledgehammer

The first phase of Operation Downfall, Operation Sledgehammer, began as Pact forces poured into Diab space. The Diabs had been anticipating a Warlord attack but were unprepared for the scope of the invasion, leaving the Baltreos sector unprepared. Pact forces first made contact at Sevethos, which had been deemed a high-priority target for its manufacturing and mining facilities. Within hours several more colonies, including Alvainos, Urdos, Neheldos, Sakanos, and Glasos, fell under siege. The vastly outnumbered Diab defenders stood their ground and held out for reinforcements from the Outer Fleet. Though elements from the Outer Fleet soon arrived in force, most were still recovering from Stormbreaker and were unable to blunt the Pact's advance. Sevethos became the first colony to fall, the Repzork having employed an Ikatan-class fire support star base and the newly-developed Vasekar MKI. The other colonies soon followed, though Alvainos, which was made up largely of underground settlements, held out far longer than either side had anticipated as the Pact was forced to fight the Diabs in close-quarters.

Once the Pact had established a beachhead, they pushed ahead and converged at Baltreos. The Diabs, having had time to prepare their defenses, put up a fierce resistance which was met with equal aggression by the Pact. Despite still being outnumbered, Diab fleets held the Pact at bay for hours until Apulon and Var's forces broke through with a mixture of attrition and precious shock strikes. The Pact moved quickly to exploit the breach and began landing troops on the planet's surface. Bloody urban battles ensued as the Diabs contested every street and building across the planet, especially at the capital. In an effort to split the Diab's forces, the Margan and 355th launched a surprise attack against the nearby colony of Falkeos, a nerve-center for Diab and Alliance forces in the area. The planet was bombarded with biological and marganite munitions and suffered substantial damage to its infrastructure and biosphere, but Diab forces repelled the attackers. However, the attack had prevented critical reinforcements from reaching Baltreos, helping to secure a Pact victory over the planet.

The Pact split their forces and pushed ahead following their victory at Baltreos. A second, successful attack was launched against a weakened Falkeos. But as the Pact pushed deeper into Diab space, resistance continued to stiffen, and the offensive began to lose momentum. The Pact suffered a major setback at Veos, where Diab naval forces prevented a landing and critically damaged the Ikatan platform, prompting the Repzork to scuttle the vessel to prevent its capture. With news of the second phase of Downfall soon to begin, Pact leaders halted the Diab offensive and withdrew to the captured colonies, which they began to fortify. The Diabs made an attempt to push them out, but were unsuccessful after weeks of fruitless fighting.

As the invasion of Norsus began, Captain Omard, who had been secretly assisting the Rach alongside Emperor Zinmar, allowed Diab forces to bypass his ships in order to reach Norsus. He claimed that he had failed to notice the Diab fleets, but he and Zinmar had already been exposed by Pact loyalists. Omard and Zinmar were both quietly captured by Pact agents; Omard's crimes were revealed to the public, destroying his reputation in the process. He would be executed a few days later by a firing squad as the 13th battlegroup was purged of any potential defectors. Zinmar was confined to his palace and made into a public of the Repzork Marshal's Council. Command of the 13th battlegroup was given to Captain Sethvo, one of Omard's former subordinates.

Years 6-8: Renewed Pact Offensives
Main page: Battle of Lichos, Second Battle of Veos, Keros Offensive, 

The Pact had planned to renew the offensive in year 6 once Norsus had been conquered, but with the disappearance of the Margan, these plans had to be discarded. Pact commanders instead focused on further consolidating and fortifying their positions as they planned their next most. Baltreos was made into the Pact's command center in the foothold while Sevethos became a logistics hub. The Repzork 14th 'Helia's Thunder armada, which had participated in the Battle of the Aeverian Border Blockade the previous year, as well as Zaretian general Gancarda, fresh from his victory over the Rach, were both sent to the Diab front to further bolster Pact forces. The Diabs likewise focused on improving their defenses and refrained from large-scale attacks, though sporadic skirmishes took place at the border of the foothold.

Year 9-11: Operation Iron Gauntlet & Battle of Helia
Main page: Battle of Vedrthar, Battle of Helia

Year 12-14: Outer-World Assaults & Operation Counterweight
Main page: Outer World Assaults

Year 15-present: Margan Return
Main page: Battle of Mardos