Norsus

Overview
Planet Norsus was once the heart of The Rach Empire, which acted as the heart of the Peacekeeper Alliance during the early days of the war. It was most known for it's sprawling planet-wide city of unique architecture, great wealth, and native Grasses that grow a vivid shade of blue, and eventually as the site of The Battle of Norsus.

Early War
Early in the war Norsus acted as the center of the Peacekeeper Alliance, under the guidance of the then well-established Rach Empire. Under the cloak of their Planetary Stealth Generators, Norsus was believed safe from Warlord Attacks. Norsus was famed for it's sprawling global city and 'unique' architecture, some of which is rumored to have been stolen from other empires entirely. Norsus also boasted great wealth and a prolific economy. However Norsus's prosperity would come to an abrupt end. Ex-Emperor Coradine exposed the location of the Norsus Stealth Generators to the Zaretian Monarchy in the name of his own greed, believing that his betrayal would be rewarded by Zaretian King Breys.

Invasion of Norsus
Following Emperor Coradine's betrayal, the Zaretian Monarchy prepared an invasion force, and with the aid of The Margan Empire, destroyed all of Norsus' Stealth Generators, disabling the stealth field that kept Norsus hidden. Although Peacekeeper Allies attempted to replace the Stealth Generators initially, the effort was not completed in time, as Zaretian Forces charted course for Norsus. As Norsus stealth field dropped, Zaretian and Margan forces began a swift and brutal invasion of the planet, with the full intention to purge all Peacekeeper presence from the planet. The Rach now under Martial Law enacted by General Gorach in lieu of Coradine's treason and facing all but certain enslavement, or worse extermination, by the Zaretians and Margan, enacted an emergency plan to escape the invasion. The vast majority of Rach population boarded emergency "Exodus Ships" designed to escape a potential planetary invasion, and used an unstable experimental technology to flee through a warp. The Margan pursued the ships into the short lived Warp rift, with both Empires seemingly vanishing following the battle. With the Rach having abandoned their Empire, the Zaretian Invasion continued, facing almost no active resistance. Before long Norsus had been reduced to a ruin. The Zaretian Monarchy would use Norsus as a scrapyard and intelligence center in the Rach's absence. The fate of the treasonous Coradine remains unknown, though it is believed the Zaretian Monarchy may be harboring him.



Return of the Rach
When the Rach resurfaced from their sanctuary in The Warp (With the Margan following shortly behind) they descended on the now nearly deserted Norsus, which housed a small Zaretian garrison, and sent a distress call to all Peacekeeper aligned forces requesting aid in retaking Planet Norsus.

The Battle of Norsus
The Rach distress call managed draw the attention of the Peacekeeper Alliance and received extensive support, however also managed to capture the attention of Warlord Forces, who promptly moved to oppose Peacekeeper Forces in an attempt to break morale among the Peacekeepers. What was intended to be an allied reclamation of Norsus by a modest Peacekeeper force quickly escalated into a massive battle of varying motives among the present forces. Ultimately the ill-prepared Peacekeeper Forces were driven back. Despite the Warlord victory, the Battle caused even further damage to the Planet, enough so that even the Zaretian Monarchy has largely abandoned operations on the planet, only rarely sending scavenging teams to collect potentially valuable debris. Any remaining Zaretian forces garrisoned on Norsus have been withdrawn, and the scavenger ships are the only Zaretian ships that go near the planet. The Rach have seemingly lost interest in reclaiming the now scarred planet.

Following the Battle
With Norsus being left an even bigger wreck than it had been when the Rach first fled the planet on their exodus ships, even the Zaretians felt it was no longer of value and withdrew their garrison and orbital presence from the system. While on rare occasions Zaretian scavenger ships still visit the planet in search of valuable debris, the Zaretian Monarchy has essentially abandoned the region. Following the battle some discussion of what would become of the planet was held by the Peacekeepers, though it did not amount to any conclusion. Some Peacekeepers believe the Sauran Solidarity may have the experience and advanced technology to restore the planet to a healthy state. At the same time, it is also possible that the Betel Recyclers may take the planet as their own, as the ruined state of the planet is actually conducive to their lifestyle.