Diab Front

The Diab front is a major theatre of operations between the Warlord Pact and Peacekeepers in the Great War. Fighting within Diab space began in the fourth year of the war during Operation Stormbreaker, during which Margan and the newly-allied Asanian Syndicate attacked outlying Diab colonies, contributing to the failure of the Peacekeeper offensive. Fighting resumed in earnest a year later with Operation Downfall, when a vast Pact force comprised of Repzork, Margan, Magello, Necraal, Skrey, and Zaretian fleets invaded and established a sizeable foothold in Diab space. Later in year 7, the Warlords captured both Lichos and the fortress of Second Battle of Falkeos. Elsewhere, Rathakern forces attacked and conquered Larvos and began attacking nearby Diab settlements. Pact forces launched the Keros Offensive a few months later; Pact forces scored several early victories, but following a costly victory at Embaelos, fighting regressed into a stalemate.

The Diabs launched a counteroffensive into the so-called 'Keros salient' in year 9, but pressure elsewhere, particularly from the Rathakern, drew away resources, allowing the Pact to hold their ground. This was until Magello Captain Bulgara, in defiance of orders, established a cease-fire with the Diabs and defeated the Rathakern at Vedrthar, forcing them to withdraw from the war. With the Rathakern gone and Zaretian forces withdrawing to fight the Aeverians, the Diabs renewed their offensive the next year and broke into the salient, encircling millions of Pact troops. After over a year of continuous fighting, the Pact withdrew from the salient and the Diabs pushed into the foothold in an effort to capture Baltreos, though they were ultimately defeated. Staggering losses on both sides caused a relative lull in the fighting as the Repzork, in the face of public outcry over what was seen as a titanic waste of life, began mobilizing all civilian and military assets for the war against the Peacekeepers. Shortly afterward, the Necraal Schism broke out, causing infighting among Pact troops and leading many Necraal to return to their homeland to fight.

In year 13, the Diabs launched a second offensive, this time aimed at crippling the logistical elements of the salient and effectively cutting it off from the rest of the Pact. Pact reinforcements had bolstered the foothold's defenses, though a number of outlying colonies were recaptured by Diab forces and Sevethos, one of the Pact's primary supply bases, fell under siege until the Repzork began Operation Counterweight. The vast surge of Pact troops almost entirely repelled the Diabs, but the sudden intervention of the Empire of Galdera forced the Repzork to divert resources elsewhere; Diab forces would continue to hold ground until they were finally repelled following the Second Battle of Norsus.

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. The Magello's small but elite force would provide support wherever they were deemed necessary.

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.

Year 5: Operation Downfall
Main page: 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 & Rathakern War
Main page: Rathakern War, Battle of Lichen, Second Battle of Veos, Keros Offensive, Battle of Larvos

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.

Elsewhere, the Rathakern, seeking to exploit the chaos of the Great War, invaded and occupied former Minomit territory, beginning the Rathakern War. These attacks expanded as they gathered resources and materials for the construction of the Omnishia Battleship, a vast warship which was to serve as the crown jewel of the Rathakern navy.

Year 9-11: Operation Iron Gauntlet, Rathakern Retreat, & 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