Great War

The Great War is an ongoing interstellar conflict between the Peacekeeper Alliance and the  Warlord Pact, as well as various  neutral powers that are fighting for their own causes or in favor of one side. It is the largest war in the history of the known galaxy, directly or indirectly involving over thirty sovereign nations, including many great powers, and sixty sapient races. It is also the galaxy's bloodiest war, responsible for the devastation of numerous colonies, most notably Norsus, the former homeworld of the Rach, the deaths of billions of soldiers and civilians on both sides, and the total collapse of entire nations.

The Rach founded the Peacekeeper Alliance in response to the numerous expansionist military powers across the region, most notably the Margan, who sought to exterminate all life in the galaxy. After losing their initial engagements with the Alliance, the Margan came to the Zaretian Monarchy and Repzork Empire to propose an alliance against the Peacekeepers. To prevent this, the Rach infiltrated the meeting, which was held on the Zartar, and attempted to assassinate the leaders of the three powers. They failed, however, and the three nations founded what would become the Warlord Pact and declared war against the Alliance.

The Peacekeepers suffered several defeats at the onset of the war, particularly the Rach, whose military was woefully unprepared for large-scale warfare. The Alliance was soon joined by the Karahotdoum Empire and achieved its first major victory when the Aeverian navy defeated the Zaretians at the Battle of Zetta Secundus, causing the Warlords to momentarily lose their momentum. The Acropolan also declared its allegiance to the Alliance, but was locked in conflict with the Conkirite, who joined the Pact in retaliation. The Warlords regained the initiative as it was joined by the heavily mechanized Necraal, though a small few would either defect to the Peacekeepers or join the recently-founded Virisus. Following the narrowly repelled Zaretian invasion of their homeworld, Aserai, the Dragoneterran Monarchy joined the Peacekeepers. The Empire of Diablos also joined the Peacekeepers and launched several offensives against Pact members, but while they dealt a serious blow, they were unable to entirely halt their advance into Peacekeeper space. The Luminarians, after being assisted by the Aeverians, also joined and began sending aid. However, this sparked a violent schism in Luminarian society, hampering their ability to fight in the war for several years. Despite their extremely small numbers and the great risks involved, the Kastalians also intervened for the Peacekeepers. Later, during an attack on a Warbot Industries facility, the Skrey were contacted by the Repzork and subsequently inducted into the Pact. The Asanian Syndicate were encountered by the Margan during an assault on a Diabloian colony and also became members of the Pact. In an effort to produce a new slave state and claim their resources, the Zaretians invaded the Betel homeworld of Betel; however, they were repelled, and the previously neutral Betel became a member of the Peacekeepers, though some of them instead defected to the Pact, forming the Decomp rebels. The Repzork then launched their own invasion, though while they were initially repelled, they quickly gained ground, and formed an alliance with the Xeverra in the process. While the war was raging, the Peacekeepers founded the Anti-Biomatter Task Force (ABTF) to combat the Biomatter Swarms following the fall of Rotunin.

Five years into the war, with the Rach on the brink of collapse, the Warlords initiated Operation Thunder Charge, a massive coordinated offensive which had the goal of weakening the major Peacekeeper powers and prevent them from being able to adequately respond to the planned invasion of Norsus. Over the next several months, while they did not achieve all of their objectives, the Warlords dealt a devastating blow to the Peacekeepers and left some of them crippled, albeit it came at a steep cost, leaving the Margan and Zaretians the only powers able to launch a large-scale invasion of the Rach homeworld. As the last stealth generator was deactivated and Norsus was revealed, the Warlords attacked, and quickly overran the defenders. In a desperate last-ditch effort to survive, the surviving Rach opened a portal into the Warp and fled into the alternate dimension, the Margan chasing after them in an attempt to finally put an end to them.

Still recuperating their losses from Thunder Charge and without the Margan to support them, the Warlords were left in a vulnerable position, allowing the Peacekeepers to strike back. This coincided with the intervention of the Empire of Galdera, who launched Operation Dark Angel a few weeks following the invasion of Norsus. For the next decade, Warlords forces would primarily be on the defensive, and would suffer a number of catastrophic defeats. Repzork forces were almost entirely repelled from Betel space, prompting the empire to initiate scorched earth tactics in the form of massed crystal bombardments. The Aeverians and Luminarians launched a combined offensive into Zaretian territory, and successfully captured Nu-Zartar. The Sauran reached a breakthrough and devised a way in which to slow down and gradually reverse the growth of Margan crystals, paving the way for the Solidarity to slowly reverse the severe environmental damage the dynasties had caused prior to their disappearance and curb the Repzork's continued use of crystal munitions.

Ten years after the invasion of Norsus, the Rach returned from the Warp and attempted to reclaim their homeworld, which was still under Zaretian control. They also warned the Peacekeepers that the Margan were still on their trail and would soon return. Several Peacekeepers and a few neutral powers sent troops to support the Rach. Peacekeepers forces were well on their way to recapturing Norsus until a few weeks later, when the Margan Empire returned from the Warp and immediately launched attacks against both the planet itself and the surrounding area. Peacekeeper and neutral forces were forced to retreat from the area, and Norsus was rendered nearly uninhabitable and was subsequently abandoned by most combatants.

With the Margan back on their side and many Warlords having long updated their technology and tactics to adapt to the changing battlefield, the Pact has experienced a resurgence in power, and has began reacquiring some of the territory it had lost in the interim period. Peacekeeper morale has hit an all-time low once more as hopes for an eventual victory have been dashed and the war continues to drag on with no clear victor.

Background
See also: History of the Milky Way Galaxy

Since the end of the Ancient Era, a myriad of new races have appeared throughout the galaxy. Some of these nations emphasize militarism, conquest, imperialism, fascism, and other violent ideologies.

Following a catastrophic mass-extinction event that wiped out most species and opened the vast underground cave networks on their homeworld, Marga, the Margan, who were now one of the only remaining prey animals, were constantly harassed by numerous predatory creatures that relied on terror, lures, and constant harassment to catch their prey. This caused the once-timid Margan to become increasingly paranoid and xenophobic. Though many Margan either tried to hide from the predators of their homeworld or simply accepted their fate in some form or another, one Margan, now known only as the 'Angel' or 'Savior', initiated a purge that eventually wiped out all life on their homeworld, driving their species to space in what would eventually become the vast nomadic fleets they live in today. They traveled from system-to-system, strip-mining the planets they came across to fuel their ever-expanding flotilla. This was until they discovered other life in the galaxy, causing the Margan to despair, fearing that the horrors of Marga would repeat themselves. It was during this time that the current High Priestess, Massachiah, came to power and mandated the 'Holy Goal': the purging of all life in the galaxy. Ever since, the Margan have blazed a trail of death and destruction across the stars, leaving a trail of dead worlds in their wake.

For much of their history, the Necraal had been ruled by the shaman caste, who revered, protected, and in many cases worshiped nature, promoted an anti-materialist lifestyle, and were staunch pacifists. They deliberately held back the Necraal's technology in some regards so as to not 'corrupt' nature or themselves. But as time progressed, this created resentment among some in the other castes, as they felt that the shamans were preventing the Necraal from being able to reach their true potential. Initially, these groups were not considered a threat by the shamans, who still reigned supreme via the support of the king, so they were largely ignored. This changed when the Necraal began encountering alien races, some of whom took advantage of the shaman's pacifism and pillaged the fledgling nation's colonies, the Necraal's small military being too weak to stop them. Frustrated, a faction of imperialist and industrialist Necraal rose up from the outer colonies and challenged the rule of the shamans. To these Necraal, nature was something to overcome, rather than to revere, and if their race was to survive and thrive, they would need to massively build up their military and begin conquering the stars. In the years that followed, the imperialist would gain more and more influence until they gained the support of the royal family, stripping the shamans of the control they once held over the nation. Since then, the Necraal have industrialized massively and have quickly developed new technology, including that which was once banned by the shamans. The shamans themselves have fallen into the background and are slowly dying out, though a small few have taken matters into their own hands and have abandoned their pacifist ideals in order to fight against what they see as a sinful and materialistic society.

During the Arkevan Wars of Unification, which would see the founding of the Empire of Galdera, the Kalrian Empire, a fierce rival of Galdera's founders, the Nolsarians, were on the brink of defeat after having fought for over twenty years. In a desperate gambit to ensure their nation and culture's survival, the Kalrians assembled a fleet of 'exodus ships' at the edge of their borders with the intent of fleeing and rebuilding elsewhere. Those who stayed behind would provide a diversion to prevent the Nolsarians from catching them. The Nolsarians received reports of the fleet's existence, but the general in charge ignored them, certain the Kalrians would make a final stand instead of running. The fleet, along with what remained of the Kalrian government and high command, escaped, the Nolsarians realizing their error only after having fallen into the Kalrian's trap. After several years of blindly flying through space, the Kalrian fleet moved into a wormhole and found themselves in an unexplored region of the galaxy. They eventually settled on their current homeworld, Alrukai, and began to rebuild their civilization. Believing that they had made themselves weak, the Kalrians gradually threw away many of their old ideals and adopted a fascist ideology that emphasized absolute loyalty, military prowess, and racial purity. These beliefs were solidified when the empire was invaded by the Delrusar Imperium, a destructive conflict that would ultimately see the complete annihilation of the Delrusar race. In the five millennia since, the Kalrians, now known as the Repzork, have established themselves as a vast interstellar power, one that has exterminated or subjugated its adversaries as it seeks to become among the most powerful empires in the galaxy.

During the final days of the Xeverran War for Dominance, scientist secretely used a combination of Xeverran and Astatanian technology to create Galden, a highly advanced, sapient A.I capable of evolving and learning. Galden was given the goal of preserving the Xeverran race, their culture, and as much life on Xer as possible. Unfortunately, the nations of Xer initiated a nuclear war far earlier than the scientist had anticipated, forcing them to launch Galden into space to ensure its survival. Xer was rendered uninhabitable in the aftermath, and the few Xeverra that had managed to survive the initial bombardment either died or committed suicide, essentially rendering the species extinct. Gathering what information it could, Galden began to create the first Xeverran world ship and began storing samples of DNA gathered from Xeverra and Xer wildlife. From here, Galden would assemble the first Xeverran fleet and would eventually cultivate a new generation of Xeverra from the DNA it had collected. Galden would continue to lead the Xeverra from the shadows as it worked to secure the continued survival of the Xeverran species.

The Zaretian Monarchy under King Moscassin had been peacefully expanding its borders for many years and maintained peaceful relations with many interstellar powers, including the Wingle Union. Though it still fought in numerous conflicts, most were in self-defense or to assist the monarchy's allies. This changed when Breys, with the support of most of the Zaretian military, overthrew Moscassin and crowned himself king. Moscassin fled, and those who supported him either died or were imprisoned in the ensuing purge or fled to join various rebel movements. Once Breys had consolidated his power, he transformed the monarchy into a totalitarian regime where he alone held complete control over the nation. The king also reestablished slavery, which had been abolished by previous monarchs, and built up the military with the intent of conquering all that he could reach. As a result, many of the monarchy's allies cut off any and all relations with the Zaretians, including the Wingle.

The Skrey of Barrakru Kaat have never properly unified. Though various powers throughout their history have attempted it, they have all failed, their nations collapsing into infighting after a short period of time. Instead, the Skrey have been divided into a large multitude of clans, with the largest and most powerful clan acting as the de facto 'ruler' of the Skrey people; as a result, any clan could become new ruler by overthrowing the reigning clan, though this generally resulted in a long series of wars that would ultimately determine the new ruling clan. While most Skrey ruled through fear and brute force, a small few, the most successful of the Skrey's rulers, understood that better and more efficient methods existed. These rulers would work to either push their own agendas or try to advance the Skrey nation as a whole, knowing that there were other, likely more dangerous nations out there in the galaxy. It was one of these rulers who united the Skrey against the neighboring Greera, a native of the Barrakru Kaat system that attempted to wipe out the Skrey before they could become an issue.

After having exterminated their progenitors, the Ge'Va, the Asanians spent many years warring among themselves. That was until the Mixed, powerful Asanians who had bonded their bodies to Ge'Va technology, rose up and brought the Asanians under their fold. An era of rapid technological progress took place, turning their homeworld of Tornash from a collection of ruined cities to a hyper-industrialized metropolis in only a few short years. However, this urbanization destroyed the ecosystem of their homeworld, forcing the Asanians to begin colonizing other worlds in order to survive. The Asanians have since established a large interstellar empire in an extremely short time period, and have adapted to and exterminated anything in their way, salvaging what is useful and discarding what it worthless in the process, the Asanians believing themselves to be perfection incarnate.

As the number and influence of military powers expanded, other nations took up arms in efforts to repel and eliminate them.

Despite their frightening appearance and honor-bound warrior culture, the Diabloians of the Empire of Diablos were one of the less imperialist powers in the known galaxy. In fact, the Diabloians pitied smaller, weaker nations, believing that fighting them was dishonorable and not worth the resources. Instead, they traded with many of these nations, seeing it as mutually beneficial to both parties. The Empire instead fought those that would take advantage of smaller powers, seeing their powerful armies as a more worthwhile challenge and condemning them for their dishonorable acts such as slavery and the slaughter of civilians.

While the Repzork sought to dominate the stars, the Galderans instead worked towards uniting them. Faithful followers of the goddess, Syleris, the Galderans spent the five millennia since their founding inducting several races as either member states or enclaves, believing that if they manage to unite the galaxy under the goddess' banner, then it will be one of the first major steps towards mending what is seen as a broken and dying galaxy and ultimately ushering in a new golden age, returning the galaxy to its state prior to sin. Having absorbed the personnel, technology, and doctrines of those it has inducted, the Galderans have grown into a powerful and technologically sophisticated force. The Galderans spent many years searching for the Kalrian exodus ships that founded the Repzork Empire, but they never located them, and the effort was abandoned, with most concluding that the fleet was destroyed or that the reconstruction effort was in some way a failure.

In the two centuries since the end of the Long War, the Ogvyr of the Confederation of Derahs began to take a more active role in interstellar affairs. Angered at what they saw as the 'status quo' of the galaxy, the Confederation sought to establish order and peace across the stars; however, they could not agree on how, with some believing that fear, military might, and subterfuge was necessary while others supported a far more diplomatic course of action, hoping to avoid military conflict whenever possible. Though these disagreements sparked tensions, the Confederation still remained united in the face of mutual threats. During this period, the Alknans began to construct the Automatons, its vast army of robotic constructs, as well as its commanders; CAI Drone Command, which was housed in an almost moon-sized installation that granted it its vast processing power; and CAI Drone Master, a sentient A.I that would devise strategies and tactics for CAI Drone Command.

The Minomit, founders of Warbot Industries, also constructed vast armies of robotic units, though this was largely due to the fact that the minomits themselves are unfit for fighting on their own. Additionally, Warbot constructs, despite the name, could also be built for various utilitarian roles, such as medicine, construction and agriculture. Warbots Industries provided these constructs to several neighboring nations, especially those who were besieged by hostile powers. WBI combat constructs are usually produced without any traceable serial codes or icons, allowing the industry to continue selling and deploying its robots without the fear of having them traced back to them. WBI refused to sell its products to aggressive empires, though small breakaway factions have done so for the sake of profit, forcing WBI to hunt down and exterminate these rogue factions.

The factions of the Sauran Solidarity, most notably the Forces of Freedom and Protectors of Nature, played a very active role in the region. The Forces of Freedom fought against various tyrants and slave states in their efforts to bring about democratic reform and liberation, while the Protectors of Nature aimed at safeguarding the natural order from those who would destroy it for the sake of industry and profit. The Observers of Science and the Ascended, were also active forces, but for different reasons, the Observers focusing chiefly on relics and technology while the Ascended fought in the name of their gods.

For countless years the Rach explored the stars doing what they do best: thievery. Stealing from nations with whom they either had no relations with or considered enemies, the Rach would take these goods and sell them in the Undermarket, encouraging a large number of Rach to explore the galaxy in the hopes of making a fortune. As a result, the Rach came in direct or indirect contact with a large number of civilizations, including those that posed a very real threat both to the Rach as well as their neighbors. More and more Rach sought to assist those who were besieged by imperialist and xenocidal powers; initially, the Rach acted with subtlety, working from the shadows to provide assistance and sabotage the enemy. This quickly proved to be insufficient, leading to some wanting to take more drastic measures. However, many Rach, General Gorach, knew that the Rach military did not have the ability to fight in an interstellar conflict; they had neither the weapons nor the mindset for it. Coradine, the emperor at the time, also understood this, and believed that if the Rach were to survive, they would have to start taking bigger risks.

First appearance of the Biomatter
Years before the onset of the war, the Biomatter Swarms made their first known appearance in the sector, a moderately-sized infected vessel crash-landing on a planet rich in biomass. The planet's inhabitants, unaware of the Biomatter or their nature, recovered samples from the crash for study. Shortly after, the Biomatter became active, and quickly overran the colonist. From here, the Biomatter of what would soon be known as Hive Fafnir quickly spread to other nearby planets. Attempts to contain the infestation were met with limited success at best. Overtime, other hives, most notably Apophis, Piru, Cronen, and Asag, would appear in other sectors, with some theorizing that they originated from Biomatter that wondered too far from Fafnir.

Though the Biomatter were generally not considered a threat by the great powers, they plagued minor nations, in very rare cases going as far as to overwhelm and collapse governments through sheer force of numbers. When they did strike the great powers, it was in the outskirts, where they posed little danger and could be easily contained, giving the impression that they were much less dangerous than they actually were. As a result, not many resources were committed to combating them, allowing them to spread far in a short span of time. This trend would continue until the infestation of Rotunin several years into the war.

Valdar Crisis
In the aftermath of the Galderan-Naelkvan War, the Empire of Galdera found itself engaged in a cold war with the Confederation of Derahs. The two powers vied for control over the territories the Naelkva once controlled, which included a number of former vassal states who gradually chose a side or became locked in bloody proxy wars. Trapped in the middle was the Valdar, the former dominant power in the region who had maintained isolationism as part of a peace agreement with the Naelkva. The Valdar had become increasingly destabilized as it was torn between isolationism and maintaining its one-party government system and interventionism and reform. Tensions came to a head when Kazadair III, the reigning empress of the Galderans, visited the Valdar ruling council and convinced many of them to join her side. Before anything could be done, Levani'desatha initiated a coup and took over the government as a last-ditch effort to maintain isolationism, sparking a short but violent schism that saw the Valdar divided into several factions. The Zhagavian Republic, under the leadership of Adras'nzania, joined the Galderans, while the loyalist and others ultimately sided with the Confederation despite ideological differences. Hoping to quickly eliminate the Zhagavians, the Confederation attempted to assassinate Adras and other Zhagavian leaders and launch a multi-pronged invasion of Galderan space; however, their efforts were thwarted by a double-agent, and in retaliation, the Galderans and Zhagavians declared war.

The biggest impact from these events has been on the Galderan's arsenal. The years during and following the war with the Naelkva saw the empire's arsenal almost entirely rebuilt, with both sophisticated new technology and whole new concepts introduced, such as dreadnought-class starships, super heavy walkers, and Orsaron supersoldiers. The introduction of new races, most notably the Zhagavians, have also contributed to the empire's modernization, with the Valdar giving the Galderans access to their reverse-engineered Ulkathi technology, allowing them to build warpgates, MIBS units, and more. With another major war, the empire's arsenal continues to be in a state of flux as it adapts to the rapid changes taking place and determines how to best use its new equipment.

Repzork-Nepharian Cold War
The Holy Nepharian Empire had spent the past several years spreading its influence through a sector of space inhabited by various small alien races which they were slowly converting into dependencies. They were also providing the natives with weapons and technology in exchange for relics and had established migration routes for Nepharian citizens. This was disrupted as the Repzork began to expand into the region. Seeking to claim the relics and territories for themselves, they gave counter-offers to the aliens, some of whom were quick to side with them due to disagreements with the Nepharians. The inhabitants soon began to fight each other, the conflict quickly becoming a proxy war between the Nepharians and Repzork as they vied for control. But while tensions ran high, the two have never directly engaged one another in battle, with only small skirmishes taking place between the two. In fact, the Repzork have sold the artifacts that were of no use to them back to the Nepharians, allowing the Nepharian government to give its citizens the impression that nothing is wrong, and providing the Repzork with necessary funds and allowing them to focus their efforts elsewhere.

Xeverran invasion of the Betel
In order to accelerate the construction of the Star Song, a dyson sphere designed to boost its own processing power and accelerate the reunification of the Xeverran nomad fleets, Galden deployed Xeverran troops into Betel space in order to claim the bountiful resources from their colonies. The Xeverra launched a number of small-scale raids on fringe Betel colonies to gauge their defenses before committing troops. These skirmishes prompted the reigning Betel High Chancellor, Nol Byervid, to create the Sky Spears, which quickly became the most advanced aspect of the Betel military. Nevertheless, the Xeverra continued to grow bolder as time passed, though they still remained a regional threat.

Kran Rebellion
A few months before the outbreak of the war, Nepharian general Phyla'kran, leader of the Kran, initiated a plot to take over the Nepharian government. She instigated a conflict between the Holy Nepharian Empire and the Wingle Union, eventually even dragging the IAE into the engagement. In response, the Wingle awoke Captain White, a war hero from the invasion of Athenousis, and assembled an elite team with the goal of crippling the Nepharian war effort. In the midst of fighting, the Kran faction, bolstered by an army of Ech0 walkers, rose up and launched offensives against Nepharian, Wingle, and IAE colonies. An attempt was also made to assassinate leading figures in the Nepharian government, but this failed. The Nepharians and Wingle put their differences aside to combat the Kran faction, culminating in the death of Phyla'kran and the suppression of her rebellion.

The consequences of the Kran rebellion had far-reaching affects, particularly on the Nepharians themselves. Kran remnants would continue to harass loyalist forces for months afterward as the government worked to purge any who still sympathized with Phyla. Relations with the Wingle have gradually improved, but remain somewhat tense, and the two have since ceased working together. The Repzork gained a substantial lead in the ongoing cold war as the Nepharians were forced to divert most of their resources, some of which was destroyed in the ensuing conflict, elsewhere.

Repzork begin raiding Khasii colonies
After becoming aware of the Khasii' bountiful wealth, the Repzork began to launch increasingly large raids into Khasii territory with the goal of acquiring their resources and technology. Though the Khasii boasted superior weapons and troops on many fronts, their army was far too small to take on imperial forces, forcing the Khasii to rely on large numbers of auxiliary troops to fight for them. Fighting rapidly bogged down as a result, though Repzork forces slowly regained the initiative as they intensified their efforts, leading to a number of successful attacks on Khasii settlements and the acquisition of many of the assets stored within.

Sauran liberate Zaretian slave colony
Sauran of the Forces of Freedom raided a sizeable Zaretian slave colony in an effort to free the prisoners. After a brief skirmish, they forced the defenders to retreat. But as they reached the slave holding area, they encountered the prisoners, who had managed to overthrow the guards and escape on their own, though it is unlikely that they would have been able to progress any further without the Solidarity's aid. The monarchy retaliated by declaring war on the Sauran and launching several probing attacks into Sauran space. The Repzork soon after also declared war, though they did not send troops to fight and instead provided the Zaretians with supplies and resources.

Appearance of the Margan
The first known appearance of the Margan in the local galactic sector occurred when troops of the Golden Blade Dynasty invaded a minor power that, though it put up stiff resistance, was quickly overwhelmed and wiped out by the vastly larger force. Soon after, the other dynasties began to appear elsewhere, strip-mining any planets and exterminating all life that they came across. The sheer, uncompromising brutality displayed by the Margan sent a ripple throughout the region as word began to spread through survivors and witnesses. Many nations began to form contingency plans in the event of a Margan invasion or were actively preparing to attack them, including some that would become Warlord powers in the months or years that followed. Some historians argue that it was at this point that the Great War became inevitable.

Founding of the Peacekeeper Alliance
When the Rach became aware of the Margan threat, they responded by sending aid to besieged nations and secretly hampering the Margan's efforts whenever possible, such as by sabotaging Margan supply lines and assassinating field officers. While these operations saw limited success, they were unable to seriously hamper the Margan, and were ultimately too small in scale to be considered anything more than an annoyance to the dynasties, who were at the time unable to identify the perpetrators. Their inability to slow the Margan's advance led some Rach to looking for other means with which to fight back. General Gorach, known best for his unorthodox strategies, used the opportunity to call for reform in the Rach military, though his requests went by largely ignored, as most Rach officers felt that their current doctrine was sufficient. Nevertheless, officials such as Emperor Coradine did agree with Gorach that a more direct approach would be necessary to defeat the Margan and safeguard the sovereignty of minor interstellar powers.

Emperor Coradine sent delegates to several neighboring powers: the Aeveria Confederation, Karahotdoum Magistrate, Minomit, Sauran Solidarity, and the Wingle Union, to propose the formation of a coalition with the goal of defeating the Margan and curbing the influence of imperialist powers such as the Zaretians and Repzork, who had been encroaching into the region for some time. The Aeveria, Minomit, and Sauran all soon pledged their support. The Karahotdoum also pledged their support, but this was more because of ongoing tensions with their most powerful rival, the Yami Trade Union; magistrate support was thus limited to economic and material aid. The Wingle were the only nation to turn the Rach down, instead declaring neutrality. The new alliance, formally referred to as the Peacekeeper Alliance in reference to its goals, began assembling troops in preparation for its first move.

The newly-assembled Peacekeeper fleets launched a surprise attack against Margan of the Red Rose dynasty as they were in the process of strip-mining a system. The attack proved to be a rousing success for the allies; caught completely off guard by the coalition, the Margan were quickly defeated and suffered heavy casualties as a result. The Peacekeepers quickly followed up with more attacks, most of which with similar results. The Peacekeeper's success prompted a number of minor powers to join them, either to benefit from mutual defense or to what offer what assistance they could.

The leaders of each Margan dynasty convened in Holy Thereia to discuss their options, quickly coming to the conclusion that if the alliance were to keep growing, the Margan would face certain defeat. After some deliberating, High Priestess Massachiah of the Holy Dynasty declared that the Margan's only chance at survival was for them to, in this one instance, put aside their hatred for alien life and to find allies of their own. Though some were uncomfortable with the idea or believed that no alien would even consider the idea of an alliance with them, they sided with the priestess regardless either out of loyalty or because it was their only option.

The Margan approached both the Zaretians and the Repzork, requesting an audience with the leaders of both empires to discuss the threat posed by the Peacekeepers. Both parties initially proved reluctant, wary of the Margan as they were already aware of their xenocidal beliefs. However, the Zaretian's ongoing conflict with the Sauran, which many in Zaretian high command believed would soon intensify with Peacekeeper intervention, and the Repzork's fear of the Nepharians joining the Alliance at some point in the future, pushed both nations to agree to talks on the Zaretian capital, Zartar.

Raid on Zartar
Zaretian rebels under the command of the exiled former king, Moscassin, intercepted Zaretian transmissions, uncovering the meeting and subsequently relaying it back to the Rach, who had been supporting Moscassin for some time beforehand. The Rach quickly devised a plot to infiltrate the meeting and assassinate High Priestess Massachiah, King Breys, and Emperor Zervath Nezekar V, knocking the three nations into disarray and preventing them from forming an alliance. Breys was of particular interest; with the stability of the monarchy resting squarely upon his shoulders, it was felt that killing him would initiate a civil war that would completely cripple the monarchy, paving way for the Peacekeepers to intervene and establish a new, Peacekeeper-aligned government. With Moscassin's aid, the Rach managed to move a unit of stealth operatives, including a stealth tank, into Zaretian space and to Zartar in time for the meeting.

The Zaretian capitol was under especially heavy guard on the day of the meeting; all three participants brought a detachment of their most elite troops to secure the area, and a larger-than-normal garrison of Zaretian army troops were stationed in the area surrounding the capitol. The three leaders retreated to Breys' throne room to hold the meeting in private. While no transcription of what transpired had been made public, it has been reported that the meeting went off to a rocky start, with both Breys and Xervath expressing concerns over whether they could actually trust the Margan and believing that they could handle the Peacekeepers on their own.

The Rach assassins, who waited a short distance away from the palace, launched their attack a few minutes after the meeting began. Most of their forces attempted to infiltrate the palace while the tank and a smaller detachment remained outside as a diversion. Though they managed to inflict casualties among the guards, the Rach very quickly found themselves outgunned. The diversion force was overwhelmed, the tank disabled by a barrage of rocket fire as Zaretian army elements closed in around it. Those who had attempted to sneak into the palace ran into royal guards, who subdued the assassins at little cost to themselves. All but a small few of the Rach were killed, the rest, including the leader, who according to official reports had his jaw broken in hand-to-hand combat before being incapacitated by being slammed into a wall repeatedly, were taken prisoner and never heard from again.

The assassination attempt had catastrophic consequences, ultimately serving as the spark that began the Great War. It had not only severely embarrassed Rach high command, but it also had the opposite affect than what was intended. Breys and Zervath were outraged by the Rach's intrusion, and now agreed with the Margan that the Peacekeepers posed a very real threat to their way of life. This in turn accelerated diplomatic proceedings; the two parties agreed to ally with the Margan, forming a Pact with the stated goal of safeguarding their cultures and beliefs from those who would attempt to police or curb them. They also declared war against the Peacekeeper Alliance and initiated immediate military mobilization.

Having learned that Moscassin's forces played a vital role through the testimony of Rach prisoners, Breys stepped up his efforts to eliminate dissidents from within the monarchy. In the months that followed, many rebel sympathizers, ranging from regular citizens to military and political figures, would be purged, with many being executed by agents from the House of Sovereign.

Peacekeeper media soon began to refer to the pact as the Warlord Pact. But rather than taking it as an insult, the three powers readily accepted it. To them, the term spoke of their ability to wage war, and the presence of strong, absolute figures at the helm that would not falter even when under intense stress, a sort of figure that weaker groups would rally around for guidance and protection. Thus, Warlord Pact became the official name of the alliance.

Spread of Conflict
The Warlord launched a combined offensive against the Peacekeepers, with heavy emphasis on the Rach, who even some in Peacekeeper command saw as the weakest link in the chain. Though the Rach were masters of stealth and subterfuge, their military was woefully unprepared for full-scale war, especially one of the magnitude they now found themselves in. Their soldiers were in most cases woefully under equipped, with most of their troops wielding little more than pistols, and their armored units largely insufficient at taking on that of the Warlords. The Rach immediately began to suffer grievous casualties as colonies began to fall. Other Peacekeepers attempted to relieve them, but most found themselves on the defensive. The Minomit were bogged down by Repzork forces while Zaretians offensives into Sauran space were expanded. This left the Aeveria as the only Peacekeeper able to push forward and assist the Rach to any meaningful capacity. But even with Aeverian support, the Rach defense was receding rapidly.

Karahotdoum Intervention
As the Great War was starting, the Yami Trade Union suffered a number of disasters that greatly hindered its ability to compete with the Karahotdoum. These included raids on its outer colonies and an infestation of Biomatter from hive Fafnir. This forced the Yami to sign a treaty with the Karahotdoum; in exchange for peace with them and the Peacekeepers, the Yami gave the magistrate several of its westernmost colonies. The Karahotdoum agreed, easing tensions between the two and allowing the Yami to redeploy troops that had been stationed in the Yami-Karahotdoum border sectors. In secret, the Magistrate was considering whether or not it should attack the exposed Yami, but news of the Warlord's relentless offensive against the Peacekeepers had sparked outrage in the general populace, who began to pressure the government into providing military support to the alliance. The magistrate agreed, and began to prepare for intervention into the war. Within a few months, so many volunteers had joined the armed forces and so many weapons and vehicles had been produced that the magistrate was starting to lose track of it all.

When the Magistrate felt that it was prepared, they deployed their troops en masse straight into Warlord lines, catching many Pact commanders off guard and giving beleaguered Peacekeeper forces time to reinforce their positions. However, this came at a heavy price to the karahotdoum, who suffered grievous casualties, particularly against the margan and the repzork. The Magistrate's use of attrition tactics and artillery caught the attention of the Reaper's Fist Margan dynasty, which deployed its fleets to the Karahotdoum mainland to engage them directly and to draw them away from the other fronts. The Repzork, who were already in the process of amassing and deploying their heaviest assets, such as the soon-to-be-infamous ST-47 Oltavar, sent the bulk of their heavy troops to areas where the Karahotdoum were most numerous, successfully grinding the Karahotdoum's advance to a halt.

Battle of Zetta Secundus
In addition to giving them time to reinforce their positions, the Karahotdoum's offensive also gave some members of the Alliance time to plan their first major counter-offensives. The Aeveria Confederation took initiative, focusing in a region of Rach space known as Zetta Secundus, which was being besieged by Zaretian forces and was on the brink of collapse. Rather than engaging the Monarchy directly, the Aeverians planned to flank them and strike their logistics with the goal of disorienting Pact forces and forcing them to retreat to fall back and defend. A modest force comprised of the 371st, 482nd and 16th fleets were assembled for the task; though some officers wanted to dedicate more ships, the rest were tied up with other fronts, and the Alliance could not risk redeploying them elsewhere.

At the onset of the operation, troops within Zetta Secundus were ordered to hold their ground as the Aeverians moved in. With the Monarchy distracted, the fleet successfully flanked the Zaretians and crippled their forward-bases, throwing their logistics into disarray. When word reached Monarchy officers within Zetta Secundus, they turned their ships around and launched a counteroffensive. Though the Monarchy outnumbered the Aeverians 4 to 1, they were completely disorganized, with many ships coming piecemeal into the Aeverian firing line. Combined with the Confederation's advanced subspace engines and long-range beam weapons, for which the Monarchy had no counter, the Zaretians were completely routed, suffering catastrophic losses while most Aeverian casualties were in damaged ships that could be repaired.

The Zaretian defeat at Zetta Secundus was the first major setback for the Warlord Pact. Due to the number of ships lost, the Zaretian front crumbled, forming a breach that forced both the Repzork and the Margan to fall back in an effort to close it, giving up captured territories in the process. The Zaretian admiralty board, having learned a hard lesson about the flaws in their doctrine, began the process of completely overhauling their navy. The Repzork aided them in their effort, providing them with resources and engineers, and when possible, spare vessels to act as a stopgap until the monarchy could replenish its numbers. For the Peacekeepers, it was a much needed boost in their morale, particularly for the Rach, and became immortalized in Peacekeeper media as the 'Miracle in Secundus'.

Acropolan and Conkirite
News of the Alliance's victory at Zetta Secundus stretched well beyond the boundaries of the war, catching the attention of many nations, most notably the Acropolan Republic and the Conkirite Empire. Once close allies, the two had been engaged in a fierce war following a coup that resulted in a tyrant taking control of Conkirite society. Both sides were evenly matched, and were seeking out ways to turn the tide. Following Zetta Secundus, the Acropolan reached out to the Peacekeepers, offering them economic and material support in exchange for help against the Conkirite. The Alliance promptly accepted their offer; unfortunately, Conkirite spies uncovered the negotiations as they were underway and relayed them back to the mainland. In retaliation, the Conkirite reached out to the Warlords, offering the Pact what was at the time much needed resources in exchange for support. Like the Peacekeepers, the Pact agreed, and the Acropolan-Conkirite War became a front of the Great War. But even with the support of the two greater powers, neither the Acropolan nor the Conkirite were able to attain a clear advantage over the other, and the war remained a stalemate.

Necraal
Though the Zaretians were primarily focused on the war, they were still expanding their reach elsewhere, albeit slowly, in an attempt to claim more resources to meet the growing demands of their military. During one of their many expeditions, the Monarchy was intercepted and promptly contacted by a Necraal fleet, who demanded to know why the Monarchy had entered their territory. Though some in the Zaretian fleet wanted to attack what they viewed as arrogant interlopers, the commanding officer ordered them to stand down and opted for diplomacy, not wanting to start what could have potentially been a new war front. The officer assured the Necraal that they were unaware that they had intruded and that they neither had the intentions nor the manpower for an invasion. The Necraal reluctantly believed the officer, and the Monarchy shortly thereafter established formal diplomatic channels with the Sovereignty.

In the ensuing weeks, the Monarchy would work to convince the Necraal to join the Warlord Pact. King Breys invited King Hor'or to Zartar to discuss the arrangement, and spoke of the threat the Peacekeepers posed to Hor'or's imperialist ambitions and those of his Modernists allies. Breys also convinced the king that, were the Peacekeepers to win, the Shamans that once controlled Necraal society could very likely come back to power and establish a pacifist government, one that would bend to the demands of those such as the Aeveria Confederation. Not wanting to see the Necraal once more at the mercy of outsiders, Hor'or offered his full support to the Pact and formally declared war against the Peacekeepers.

Most Necraal troops were deployed in territories the Zaretians had lost following Zetta Secundus. With advanced Titans and other powerful war machines leading the charge, the Warlords regained the initiative lost in the previous battles and were now back on the offensive. However, there was a distinct cultural clash between the Pact and the Necraal, as some troops were troubled by some of the more disturbing aspect of their allies, such as the Monarchy's acceptance of slavery and the Repzork's practice of ritual sacrifice. Even as they were fighting for what they saw as the security of their empire, such practices sowed doubt as to whether they were truly on the right side, which would lead to some troops to defect to the Peacekeeper Alliance. A few of the defects would go on to reveal valuable technical and tactical information to the Alliance.

Elsewhere, some of the old Shamans, outraged by the Necraal's entrance into the war, tossed aside their pacifist ideals and became vigilantes, dubbing themselves the Virisus. Viewing themselves as nature's judgment for the Necraal's sins, they operate terrorist cells throughout the Sovereignty, bombing both military and civilian targets alike in their crusade to break down the Modernists and usher in a new Shaman age. Though some believe that the Virisus support the Peacekeepers, this is in fact not the case, as they have themselves declared that they support no side but their own.

Biomatter
Though the Biomatter were becoming a mounting threat as new hives continued to be discovered and more planets slowly succumbed to their spread, the Great War resulted in most of the great powers giving them little to no thought as they did not post any serious threat.This began to change following an infestation on a WBI-held colony. The spore, which originated from an infested frigate, landed in a lush tropical forest, providing more than enough biomass for an infestation to develop. WBI evacuated nearby settlements and established a quarantine zone around the hive to hold the swarm off until reinforcements could arrive. WBI machines held off the swarm for the next several hours, but were on the verge of complete collapse by the time a relief fleet arrived and bombed the hive from orbit, successfully eliminating the infestation.

Though not the first time a Biomatter infestation took place on a planet held by a great power, this particular infestation gained attention as rumors speculating that the Warlords were responsible began to spread among Peacekeeper news sources. Though the Warlords denied such rumors, an investigation was launched, but found no evidence to support the claim, instead concluding that the spore originated from a nearby infested planet. Later on, spores would begin to appear on other worlds, but most were swiftly repelled, perpetuating the belief among the great powers that the Biomatter were not a big enough threat to devote a large amount of resources to, though some officials would begin to have a change in heart as time progressed.

Invasion of Aserai
In the year following their humiliation at Zetta Secundus, the Zaretian admiralty had reconstructed much of their navy with brand new warships, tactical doctrines, and technology. Among the long list of improvements was a new FTL drive known as the Sprint Drive, a multi-core subspace engine that was capable of rapid maneuvers through subspace. The Sprint Drive was a result of the admiralty's efforts to counter the Aeveria's powerful beam weapons, which had proved to be the Monarchy's bane during and after Zetta Secundus. Combined with improved navigation, Zaretian warships were now capable of appearing out of subspace in front of an enemy vessel, unloading a volley from their guns, and then retreating before the enemy could retaliate. Some outsiders even speculated that the improvements allowed Zaretian vessels to tenuously plot multiple subsequent jumps through subspace, though whether this is true remains unclear.

Though many in the admiralty board were eager to get revenge on the Aeverians, the Monarchy decided that rather than risking a direct assault on the border blockade, they would instead attack the Dragoneterran Monarchy, a relatively small interstellar nation that was near Aeverian space that had recently pledged material and monetary aid to the Peacekeepers. The Monarchy believed that this would elicit an Aeverian response and allow the admiralty board to observe the resulting confrontation. The 3rd, 15th and 20th fleets, which had recently completed the refit, were sent to Dragoneterran space. The 15th and 20th stayed in reserve while the 3rd engaged the orbital defenses around Aserai. Part of the fleet jumped right into the Dragoneterran's rear flank, forcing ships from the front to turn around, opening the forward flank to the rest of the 3rd fleet, which swiftly swept through the defenders. Having attained orbital superiority over most of the planet and having no intention of holding it, the 3rd fleet began indiscriminately bombing cities and industrial centers on the surface.

The Dragoneterrans sent out a distress signal, which as anticipated, caught the attention of the Aeverians, who sent the 27th fleet to assist. However, the 27th was intercepted by the Zaretian 15th and 20th fleets. After a brief but fierce engagement, the Aeverians were routed, and the 27th fleet retreated back to the border blockade. Shortly thereafter, a combined force of Rach and Aeverian ships were sent, and after several hours, finally repelled the monarchy from Aserai. Though arguably a Peacekeeper victory, the Monarchy saw it as a success as it showed the merit of their new doctrine. Additionally, the assault on Aserai crippled the Dragoneterrans economically and militarily. Much of their army and navy now laid in ruins, and it would take years to rebuild the damage dealt to Aserai's population centers. Regardless, the Dragoneterrans remained defiant, and officially began committing troops to the war effort following Aserai, though due to their small numbers, they played only a minor role in the Zaretian front, with no action elsewhere.

Diabloian Intervention
With more and more of their colonies falling under Warlord control, the Rach started to become desperate to find a way to turn the tide. Though officials such as Gorach continued to call for an overhaul of the military, the empire instead focused on finding more nations that would rally behind the Peacekeeper cause. During this search, a number of minor powers were found and recruited, but none had the manpower to hold back Pact forces. Following the disaster at Aserai and subsequent Zaretian incursions, the Rach expanded their search further, and it was during this time that explorers discovered the Empire of Diablos and began studying them. Many within the Alliance were skeptical of the Diabloians; though the empire boasted a powerful military, many found their culture and demeanor off-putting, and were concerned about possible betrayal or the impact on the Peacekeeper's public image. Ultimately, it was Gorach, with the full support of Aeverian high command, who broke the tie, declaring that the Diabloians might be the only chance the Alliance has at survival and that there was little time for debate. Those who disagreed begrudgingly fell in line shortly thereafter.

Warlord Invasion of Betel
Following the ascension of High Chancellor Visas Jorental, the Betel were in a process of total mobilization driven on his jingoist Military Proliferation Act. These measures were justified as necessary to combat the aggression of Xeverran encroachments on Betel worlds. While nowhere near a significant power, they had previously established strong economic ties with a multitude of Peacekeeper nations thanks to the activities of previous High Chancellor Corim Decutuk. Warlord Leadership was of the belief that should the Betel choose to take a side in the Great War, it would be alongside the Peacekeepers they already held ties to. Even should they remain neutral, the production of war materials was on the rise and surplus would inevitably find its way into the hands of the Peacekeepers they were invested in. As a preventative measure, the Pact resolved to intervene while the Recycler government had only just begun war efforts. Zaretian operatives were dispatched to sabotage Recycler sensors along a corridor leading to the home planet of Betel. This mission was a success, but some of the operatives were captured when they began work on disabling key installations on the homeworld. With the Recyclers becoming wise to the intentions of the Zaretians, the expeditionary fleet began storming towards their target with all haste. Arriving in time, the Zaretians caught the poorly-organized Recycler military unprepared and a land assault was launched on the planet. Drawing on the traditions of the previous invasion of Betel by the Doisu decades earlier, a fierce resistance was put up, and the need for speed had left Monarchy forces less cohesive than intended. After a handful of vicious skirmishes, the Zaretians were pushed back. Sky Spear forces had arrived and succeeded in disrupting Zaretian transport operations, and the Monarchy pulled out, escaping relatively unmolested thereafter.

Fearing reprisal, the Recycler government sought to negotiate with the enemies of the Pact, the Peacekeeper Alliance. A meeting was brokered by the Luminarian Rebels, but word on the meeting was leaked to Warlord intelligence by the Wolnch Authority, who were threatened by the Recycler militarization after they had supported the Doisu against the Betel during the war. They feared that if they had the backing of the Peacekeeper juggernaut, the Recyclers would be more bold in their aggression. Syndicate assassins were contracted out to disrupt the meeting, and were able to wipe out the Luminarian delegation. The Betel delegation had not yet arrived and so escaped harm, and were able to use this attack to justify their entry into the Peacekeeper Alliance in addition to their existing economic influence. The Wolnch Authority would ultimately successfully seek membership with the Warlord Pact, disillusioned with the Peacekeepers hypocrisy and threatened by looming Betel aggression.