Kodiak Civil War

The Kodiak Civil War was the second period of conflict on the island of Kodiak. Forces of the Church of Yelloman fought a largely defensive war to hang onto their vast territory against the offensives by Only the Hated and the Kodiak Oblast. It raged from the dawn of the new year in 1996 until early spring 2007.
=== The Church of Yelloman's Scramble for Territory ===
From 1995 to the beginning of 1996 the Church of Yelloman sought to gain as much territory as they could in a short period of time, a plan devised by Chuck Temple who planned for these positions to be immediately reinforced by those who saw Yelloman's truth. His troops quickly occupied Kodiak Station, East Kodiak and Fort Abercrombie, Buskin and the Monaska Mountains. These positions stretched great distances with pitifully small garrisons, often encampments had no more than 20 men. While the territory of the Church of Yelloman at the start of the war looks impressive, it was completely untenable in the face of resistance. 
=== The Battle of Anton & The Fight for West Kodiak (1996) ===
The territory in West Kodiak was one of the primary battlefields in the early stages of the war. With Yelloman ambitions to keep their holdings in the Southwest alive, they were immediately in conflict with the Only the Hated forces based out of the Anton area. 
In January of 1996 Only the Hated began making moves to try and push Yelloman influence out of their area for good, and wanted to safeguard their functioning capital of Anton. Yelloman forces were camped out North of Anton, as well as to the East. Stephen Lukes quickly realized that Anton was certainly in the crosshairs of Chuck Temple and thus planned a trap for him. 
On January 3rd of 1996, a small force from Only the Hated lead by Johan Basel numbering around 30 men went from Anton to a Yelloman outpost to stage a small attack. After a brief shootout the Only the Hated troops retreated back towards Anton, and as they hoped the Yelloman troops pursued. Later in the day they once more turned to put up a fight but retreated once more after a 15 minute firefight. As the Yelloman troops pursued the small Only the Hated force, Stephen Lukes was gathering more troops inside Anton for the coming fight. 
By January 4th the Only the Hated troops had successfully lured the Yelloman troops to the outskirts of Anton and could now spring their trap. As the Yelloman force pursued the decoy OtH force further into Anton, their leader realized the mistake he had made and began to signal a withdraw. However the OtH troops has already descended upon the flanks of the Yelloman troops and inflicted heavy casualties. After a half hour of fighting, the Yelloman force had suffered 30% casualties and pulled back East to regroup. They were relentlessly pursued by OtH forces who sought to follow up on their victory and push them out of of West Kodiak. 
The two forces came to blows again near the bank of the Buskin River, an important Yelloman checkpoint as it was the only stronghold that linked Southwest Kodiak to the rest of their territory. In one of Chuck Temple's many blunders, he insisted that this remain the only checkpoint and that fortified positions not exist along the river, meaning that there was a gap from that checkpoint to the coast where the enemy could easily outflank the position. This is exactly what happened on January 10th as the main OtH force began moving towards Gibson cove before planning on swinging South and taking out the Yelloman garrison there. The 'Battle of the Buskin Stronghold' Temple had planned for ended up being no more than a skirmish between a tiny OtH patrol and a force of 50 Church fighters. The skirmish lasted an hour and by the end the majority of OtH troops were already beginning their march towards Kodiak Station. 
=== The Southwest Pocket Siege (1996) ===
The Southwest Pocket was the name given to an area of Yelloman territory around Kodiak Station that was completely cut off from the remainder of Yelloman territory by the Only the Hated militia and the forces of the Kodiak Oblast. 
Following the defeat at Anton, the defenders of Kodiak station begin entrenching amongst the logistical buildings that made up Kodiak Station, most likely staying away from the airport because they lacked the resources to defend it. On January 10th the first shots were fired in the siege, believed to have been shot by Yelloman forces who spotted scouts from the OtH force. The Church defenders were reassured by Chuck Temple via radio that help was on the way and they would not be left to die. The garrison of around 50 men was tasked with holding Kodiak station against the full force of OtH, speculated to be around 75 fighters. However the Church fighters believed the force to be larger than them and thus were cautious to make a counter attack. 
Because both sides lacked the manpower to make any significant moves they sat in a deadlock for two weeks. They exchanged fire at random intervals, mostly when sentries where changing their posts, at which point the side watching the other would open fire for a few minutes. No casualties were reported to have happened until the 24th, at which point the tide of the battle would change significantly. 
On January 24th a reconnaissance unit from the Kodiak Oblast found the OtH entrenchment outside Kodiak Station, and requested to meet with Stephen Lukes to discuss the situation. Lukes met with the Oblast officer and explained they were trying to flush out the Yelloman defenders, and that they had already beat them near Anton. This prompted the Oblast officer to defer Lukes to Anton Vardayn, the acting commander of the newly founded Kodiak Oblast. The meeting between Vardayn and Lukes would result in a pact of cooperation in their efforts to eliminate the Church of Yelloman, a loose but promising alliance. 
On the 25th of January the Kodiak Oblast brought up a company of men numbering around 80 men to reinforce the OtH fighters, who immediately realized their overwhelming superiority and planned an assault. However Chuck Temple had the arrival of Oblast troops reported to him and he immediately realized how dire the situation was. His solution to the siege was to finally allow the defenders to withdraw, which they would now have to do through a force that outnumbered them more than 3:1. Temple assured them that forces would assault the OtH troops from the rear to facilitate a withdrawal, a feat he hoped to accomplish with a force of 20 men, almost certainly the defenders of the entrenchment on the Buskin River. 
At 6:00 AM on the 26th of January the defenders gathered in the building furthest North and began preparations for their desperate assault. They scrounged together every piece of ammunition they had, giving it to their most experienced fighters. The garrison commander, believed to be a man named Andrew Balem, kept watch on the enemy line until 6:30, never giving the signal to assault. By 6:30 he made the decision to not make the assault, disobeying Temple's orders and instead redistributing his troops amongst the buildings. Balem's distrust in Temple was confirmed when the relieving attack failed to materialize and the defenders of the Buskin entrenchment were instead withdrawn to reinforce another position. 
On the 27th the company from the Kodiak Oblast began a cautious approach in the East, meeting stiff resistance. A firefight broke out around the office of the Kodiak Wildlife Refuge, a position held by 10 men at the start of the fighting. As the fighting progressed a further 10 men were sent to the building, flanking the Oblast troops from the Northern road. The fighting lasted around 2 hours, until fighting finally ceased as the Oblast troops returned to a safe position. 
On the night of the 27th Balem met with the most trusted men among the garrison to discuss what may come next. They all agreed the position was impossible to hold, and they debated over surrender or withdrawal. They made the decisions that they would withdraw down the coast South, hoping to eventually reach Women's Bay and withdraw from conflict. Beginning at 2:00 AM on the 28th the withdrawal began, with the entire force leaving Kodiak Station by 3:00 AM. 
At 7:30 AM on the 28th the Kodiak Oblast began an assault on Kodiak Station, however they were shocked to meet no resistance. After conducting a full sweep of the area, they found no trace of Church troops and thus peacefully occupied Kodiak Station. Balem and his men are speculated to have reached the docks on the Nyman Peninsula and commandeered a boat to escape. 
=== First and Second Battles of Borough & Fighting in East Kodiak (1996) ===
==== The First Battle of Borough ====
Borough, an area North of Kodiak City, was a point of contestation since the very beginning of the Kodiak Civil War, being necessary for the Church of Yelloman and the Kodiak Oblast for further expansion. In light of this, Chuck Temple placed great importance upon the area and personally oversaw the forces there. Anton Vardayn began creating plans for an attack on Borough, one that would hopefully push the Church North to the Monaska Bay, thus cutting off East Kodiak where the Church had further garrisons. Vardayn gathered two companies of men, totaling somewhere near 225 men in Kodiak City, and prepared to send them forward to take Borough.
Chuck Temple had anticipated an immediate attack and set up Borough to be a trap that the Oblast troops would fall right into. He placed minimal troops in the center of Borough, they would hold out and keep the Oblast troops in place. He strengthened the flanks of the line, which when the Oblast troops where advancing would swing down and encircle the troops. He is speculated to have brought around 140 men to the battle.
On the 1st of February Vardayn's troops gathered in Kodiak City and were debriefed of the mission, heading out of the city by noon. The Church troops waited in Borough for the Oblast troops to arrive, singling out valuable targets to be eliminated in the beginning moments of combat. As the Oblast troops grew closer, fighting exploded across the hills of Borough. The Oblast forces took immediate casualties, losing several officers to sharpshooters. They moved to defensive positions and returned fire.
The Church troops on the flank began cautiously moving downwards to complete the encirclement, finding the Oblast troops to be tied down. While most units remained in place in the tree line, waiting for the order to encircle the Oblast troops, a few units on either side instead advanced further and into the outskirts of Kodiak City. When these units were spotted by Oblast sentries, the Church plan was revealed, causing a retreat among the Oblast troops in order to avoid a complete encirclement. The Church units in place began aggressively moving forward to try and salvage the encirclement, moving too slow to cut off all the troops.
Three quarters of the Oblast troops made it out and rushed into Kodiak City to defend it, but the remaining quarter was trapped in the forest outside of Borough. They settled in and defended their position, fighting off the Church troops surrounding them. They would keep fighting until around 5:00 PM, at which point they ran out of ammunition. When their munitions were spent, they surrendered to Church forces and were marched North towards the Monaska Mountains. They would remain as forced laborers and prisoners until the end of hostilities in 2007.
The overreaching Church units were now met with stiff resistance by the retreating Oblast troops, as fierce urban fighting raged in the Northern outskirts of town. These units consolidated the areas they occupied and were able to control two blocks near Lake Bettinger. They fought off Oblast counter attacks until more Oblast troops arrived and finally drove them off. Despite this retreat, the Oblast could not exploit their advantage and settled into defensive positions in Kodiak City, causing the Battle of Borough to be one of the only Church of Yelloman's victories in the early stages of the Kodiak Civil War.
==== Fighting in East Kodiak ====
Following their defeat at the Battle of Borough, the Kodiak Oblast sought other areas they could use to push the Church of Yelloman from East Kodiak. The Oblast command settled on an offensive to the East of Borough and West of the Church's major holdings in East Kodiak, driving a wedge between the two territories. Preparations were made to attack North, stopping at a small coastal hotel that would be used as a base of operations for future offensives.
On the 5th of February Oblast troops thundered forwards, meeting Yelloman resistance near Beaver Lake but easily pushing them back. The offensive continued for many hours, with each attempt by Yelloman troops to stop the offensive failing. All Church fighers fell back to a defensive ring around the coastal hotel, preparing to mount a spirited defense of the area. They fiercely resisted the Oblast troops, fighting them off at around 6:00 PM. Sustained fighting lasted nearly 2 hours, at the end of which the Yelloman troops were nearly out of ammunition. The Yelloman troops made the decision to flee to the East, joining the defenders of East Kodiak. The Oblast seized the hotel and set it up as an operation center for the planned offensives on Borough and East Kodiak. 
==== Second Battle of Borough ====
The Second Battle of Borough began on February 15th of 1996, with the Kodiak Oblast taking great pains to organize and reinforce the position to ensure a victory. They deployed two former Soviet APCs to the field as well as several mortars.
At 8:00 AM the Oblast troops bombarded the Borough with mortar shells as their infantry and APCs began moving West to encircle the Borough. They met resistance from Church fighters on the outskirts, but succeeded in pushing them back towards Borough and keeping them there. By noon Borough was entirely surrounded and still being intermittently pounded by mortar shells. The Yelloman defenders in Borough realized their situation and contacted Chuck Temple by radio to request assistance. Temple ordered them to stage a breakout attack to the East, where they would join the defenders of East Kodiak and defend the peninsula. This decision was accepted and preparations for the assault began.
Oblast troops had intercepted the radio transmissions and were clued into the plan for a breakout. Oblast command decided it would be beneficial in the long run to allow the Yelloman troops to escape to East Kodiak, which would soon find itself under siege in 1997. At 2:00 PM the Church's breakout attack began and was half heartedly resisted by the Oblast troops. The troops strategically withdrew into areas that would allow the Yelloman troops to slip into East Kodiak easily, but be easily shut in afterwards. By 5:00 PM the Church troops had reached East Kodiak, at which point the Oblast troops reappeared and sealed them into East Kodiak. Borough was now in the hands of the Kodiak Oblast after a relatively bloodless battle.
==== The Siege of East Kodiak Begins ====
Immediately after the defenders of Borough were driven to East Kodiak, Oblast troops turned the strip of land connecting the East Kodiak Peninsula to the rest of the island into an impassable obstacle. Trench lines ran from coast to coast, trapping the Yelloman troops on the peninsula. The portion of East Kodiak City that lay within the Yelloman side of the barrier were told that they would be saved in time, but conditions would become very harsh,
The Yelloman defenders followed the example of the Oblast troops, digging an extensive trench line directly across from that of the Oblast. They settled into these defensive works and prepared for a siege, keeping in touch with the remainder of the Church defenders. This defensive line would lock the sizeable Yelloman force in East Kodiak and unable to assist in combat anywhere else in Kodiak, denying Temple a large number of troops. The defenders of East Kodiak would anxiously watch the complete collapse of Church territory as well as the beginning of the Monaska Expedition. 
=== The Collapse of Yelloman Territory (1997) ===
After the Battles of Borough concluded there was little further large scale engagements across Kodiak. With the Church of Yelloman losing direct access to their army currently besieged on the East Kodiak Peninsula they were cautious to attempt any further offensives. Temple began quietly withdrawing troops back to the Monaska Mountains in order to prepare for a defensive campaign of the area, keeping only a skeleton force defending what remained of the Church's holdings.
Throughout the remainder of 1996 each side gathered themselves and recovered the best they could from the terrible losses during the earlier stages of combat. Only the Hated began better organizing their armed forces in preparation of further offensives against the Church of Yelloman, as well as communicating with their "ally" the Kodiak Oblast. Smaller skirmishes occurred every now and then, but largely the territories were stagnant. Both Only the Hated and the Kodiak Oblast had regained all the territory they felt was essential to them, with the exception of East Kodiak, and were more focused on defending their current holdings. This was largely fueled by a belief that the Church of Yelloman may thunder onto the scene again with a surprise offensive, however the Church of Yelloman was far too weak at the time to stage any such attack.
Chuck Temple began forcing all of his followers to take up arms and join the armed forces of the Church of Yelloman, as well as forcing citizens from their homes to go live in the Monaska Mountains. These measures slightly offset the losses of the previous battles and losses of territory, but the Church was still in crisis. Their largest army of about 100 men was stuck on the East Kodiak Peninsula, with their main standing army of about 70 being tasked with holding the Monaska Mountains, as well as their remaining holdings along Pillar Creek. 
The period of the Collapse of Yelloman Territory would begin with the start of the East Kodiak Disaster in January of 1997. Other than the East Kodiak Disaster, the Church would be further pushed back after a skirmish near Bear Creek that signaled a full retreat North to the Monaska Mountains. 
==== The Skirmish at Bear Creek ====
On February 14th 1997 a Yelloman patrol would spot an Only the Hated squad surveying land along Bear Creek, kicking off a firefight between the two forces. As the skirmish prolonged, further Yelloman and OtH forces would arrive, escalating the conflict. Fearing being outflanked the Yelloman troops began withdrawing North, waiting for another patrol to join them. As they linked with the newly arrived patrol they saw that the OtH force pursuing them was more than double their size, causing panic amongst them. Staging a fighting retreat Northwards, the Yelloman force suffered a few casualties while inflicting only 2 upon the OtH force. As the Yelloman force retreated they were joined by more and more Yelloman troops, until nearly all of Yelloman troops in the area were present at the skirmish. The skirmish that begun at 11:00 AM had now dragged to 5:00 PM and escalated severely. It was only when the Yelloman troops began retreating up the Monaska Mountain that the OtH troops gave up their pursuit and returned to friendly territory.
After the skirmish had ended the Yelloman command had realized the massive error they made when they received reports of Oblast patrols approaching a now largely undefended Pillar Creek. Chuck Temple in a panic ordered the troops to withdraw from Pillar Creek to a ridge North of it known as Pillar Point. In addition, all troops stationed near Bear Creek pulled back to the mountains themselves. This massive retreat caused by an error saw the dissolution of the rest of Church territory beyond the Monaska Mountains, as they were quickly occupied by Only the Hated and the Kodiak Oblast. This show of weakness would go on to motivate the Kodiak Oblast and Only the Hated to launch the Monaska Expedition, no longer satisfied with gaining back their immediate territory and instead wanting to destroy the Church of Yelloman.
=== The East Kodiak Disaster (1997-1998) ===
The siege of East Kodiak had begun as early as March 1996 but the event known as the East Kodiak Disaster did not occur until January of 1997. Beginning in January the Kodiak Oblast made serious moves to drive out the Yelloman defenders before finally beginning an assault. However prior to this the Oblast and Yelloman trenches were locked in an uneasy stalemate with a No Mans Land between them sitting dormant for nearly a year. The Yelloman defenders managed to just barely stay afloat with shipments of food and munitions arriving across the Monaska Bay, while the Oblast enjoyed steady supply lines and improving conditions. 
=== The Monaska Expedition (1998-2007) ===
Beginning in March of 1998 the Monaska Expedition was a joint operation by Only the Hated and the Kodiak Oblast to destroy the Church of Yelloman. After the string of crushing defeats and the final collapse of Church territory in 1998, Chuck Temple called for all forces to withdraw North to the Monaska mountains where he originally began his career as a militia leader. After the brief Battle of Bear Creek on March 3rd 1998 the Church forces were given nearly a weeks time to retreat and redeploy, time that would prove pivotal for the oncoming conflict. The timeline of the Monaska Expedition is charted by major engagements since much of the fighting was on a small and often unrecorded scale. 
==== Battle of Pillar Point ====
The Battle of Pillar Point was the first engagement of the Monaska Expedition, centered around a ridge above the Pillar Creek that separated the Monaska Mountains from the rest of Kodiak. In this battle, Chuck Temple gathered Church fighters atop the point in order to hold onto it as a vantage point for further offensives into Kodiak. However the arrival of a joint Oblast-OtH force threatened the point.
On the 9th of March the Oblast-OtH force arrived on the Southern bank of Pillar Creek and were spotted by the Church fighters. The ridge's defenders immediately fired upon the attackers, initially halting their advance. The long distance firefight went on for a few hours, until Oblast troops began working their way towards the ridge and threatening the entire Yelloman flank. This prompted Chuck Temple to signal a retreat, leaving behind a small force to delay the attackers. The Yelloman forces retreated largely intact, but had easily given up even more territory, severely damaging morale.
==== Battle of Eastern Reach ====
Eastern Reach was the name given to a small entrenchment located at the Easternmost peak of the Monaska Mountains. This position laid in the crosshairs of the Kodiak Oblast who made an offensive against the position on March 13th 2008. A company of Oblast troops advanced on Eastern Reach beginning at 7:00 AM, leading to a large scale firefight. The desperate Yelloman defenders held the entrenchment up until the point where Oblast troops were upon them and sweeping the trenches in close quarters combat. They pushed the Yelloman troops from the trenches by 9:00 AM. However instead of advancing further, they remained in the entrenchment as a defensive position against future Yelloman attacks. 
==== Skirmishes March 1998 - June 1998 ====
Between the conclusion of the Battle of Eastern Reach and the next large engagement, there were many smaller engagements across the Monaska Mountains. These were largely trivial engagements, not resulting in any territory gained or loss, but causing minimal casualties. Major engagements at the time were a Yelloman counter offensive on Eastern Reach that failed after casualties were suffered. Only the Hated would be active at this time, organizing their local forces for a coming offensive into the interior of the Monaska Mountains.
==== Battle of Fort Fides ====
Fort FIdes, or Fort Fidelity, is the name of a wooden fort at one of the primary entrances into the Monaska Mountain interior. It was constructed in the early stages of the Kodiak Uprising as a safe haven for rebels, but soon became an important position for the Church of Yelloman. Now it stood as one of the only obstacles in the way of Only the Hated in their offensive to reach the Monaska Mountain interior. The position was garrisoned by a force of around 70 Church fighters, notably many who would gain prominence after the ascension of Prophet Robert Collins.
Prophet Robert Collins was present at the battle, as well as future commander of the Army of the Sun Annette. At the time both Annette and Collins were junior combat leaders, in command of small squads of men in the area. Younger commanders such as them would prove to be pivotal in the battle around Fort Fides.
On June 1st a large force from Only the Hated, numbering about 100, advanced up the Salvation Trail towards Fort Fides. Their goals were to capture the fort, as well as to place their flag atop Mount Temple, the highest peak in Kodiak and a source of pride for the Church of Yelloman. They were first spotted by Church scouts at 9:00 AM, alerting the garrison to their presence. Rather than waiting for the OtH troops to come to them, numerous Church squads moved from the fort to ambush positions to catch the OtH troops off guard. At 9:40 AM fighting kicked off when a squad on a cliff began pouring fire down onto the OtH troops, signaling further Church troops to fire upon the OtH troops. They were caught moving uphill against largely concealed Church fighters and thus they made the decision to rush up the mountain and towards the fort itself. 
The OtH troops were allowed to enter an empty Fort Fides, at which point fire began pouring down from Mount Temple, cutting down many OtH fighters who were now trapped within the fort's walls. It was at this point that numerous confident squads conducted a large scale bayonet charge against the trapped OtH troops. Among these was the squad led by Robert Collins, who orchestrated a near massacre of trapped OtH fighters. Fueled by this success, the fierce Yelloman attack swept forward, pushing the OtH troops down the mountain, and on rougher terrain, causing several OtH troops to fall to their deaths. Any fighters left behind in the Yelloman attack were taken prisoner and forced to jump from Judgement Point on Mount Temple as punishment. 
==== Temple's Downfall / Church Attrition June 1998 - March 1999 ====
The success of the attack at the Battle of Fort Fides was not exploited by Chuck Temple, much to the ire of several combat leaders who saw his continuing failures. Temple insisted that the Church continue to consolidate their holdings and reclaim their 'natural boundaries' which he believed to be the mountains and nothing else. This further angered more radical Church members, who now began to see Temple as weak and unable to save the Church.
During this time Robert Collins began to capitalize on his success at the Battle of Fort Fides, telling Church followers that Yelloman had spoken to him personally to carry out the daring attack, an action that won the Church the battle. This would lead to Collins gaining a small but loyal following throughout the Church, a faction that saw him as a better leader than Chuck Temple. Collins' gamble to claim that Yelloman gave him orders inspired confidence amongst Church members who felt that Temple was failing and could now point to the fact that he was not listening to Yelloman. The growing influence of Collins worried Temple severely, and thus Temple began debating whether or not to have Collins killed. He ordered that Collins lead a squad on a raid of the Eastern Reach entrenchment, a near suicidal operation. Collins accepted, promising that he would bring back several Oblast trophies to prove his success.
When Collins returned with an Oblast radio as well as an engraved Makarov pistol, followers were amazed at his success and praised him as the most capable leader within the Church. Collins once more insisted that Yelloman had guided him and his troops, causing the raid to be a success. Whether or not Collins received orders from Yelloman himself, his raid was incredibly well executed. Him and his troops cautiously and meticulously approached Eastern Reach in the earliest hours of the morning, beginning their approach at 1:00 AM and finishing at 3:00 AM. They relied on knives and bayonets to silently dispatch Oblast soldiers. Collins ordered his troops to take valuable trophies such as the radio and the officer's pistol, before he placed an improvised explosive in a dugout to be triggered when sentries were changed. As Collins and his men slipped away, the device detonated and caused chaos at Eastern Reach.
Collins fame was a small beacon of hope at the time when the Church was suffering heavy casualties from poorly though out offensives and pointless gambles. At this time the 19 year old Robert Collins began entertaining the idea of kicking out Temple and taking control of the Church for himself, along with the assistance of his close friends and allies. On the last night of March Collins is said to have climbed Mount Temple alone and sat at the top. When he returned the next morning at 6:00 AM on April 1st, he declared his intentions to take over the Church.
==== The April Coup 1999 ====
On April 1st 1999, Robert Collins declared himself to be the prophet of the Church of Yelloman, telling his followers that Yelloman had spoken to him the night prior and urged him to take action now and save the Church from destruction. Chuck Temple had rejected the ways of Yelloman and because of this the Church was being punished, but now Yelloman saw a suitable replacement in Robert Collins and thus would allow the Church to continue existing. Collins force of about 30 loyal followers included his friends Annette, Leon Mariana, Samuel Murdoch, Jacob Lee and Michael Reed. They set out from Fort Fides towards the acting Church capital, Citadel Solis.
Along the road to Citadel Solis, Collins recruited more followers to his cause, telling them that Yelloman had decreed Temple must be removed and that he would take his place. By the time he reached Citadel Solis, he had more than 70 followers. On the hills outside Citadel Solis Collins and his followers camped out. Collins delivered the message to the Citadel's defenders that on the morning of April 3rd Yelloman would send a heavy fog to conceal the movement of Collins and his followers, allowing them to take the CItadel. When heavy fog rolled in on the morning of the 3rd, a majority of the Citadel's defenders defected and joined Collins.
Collins and his large following rushed Citadel Solis, overwhelming its defenders capturing Chuck Temple and his close allies. In the main chamber of Citadel Solis, Collins and his inner circle held a trial for Chuck Temple, eventually finding him guilty of betraying Yelloman and causing unnecessary destruction to the Church of Yelloman. The punishment for his 'crimes' was death, an action rumored to have been carried out by Robert Collins with his bare hands. 
After Collins took power, he and his inner circle began a complete reorganization of the Church, including the armed forces, the agriculture, the construction and the religious services offered. The Church's armed forces became the Army of the Sun and were organized into sectors to operate more efficiently. Collins' biggest decision was the choice to conduct the rest of the fighting as guerrilla warfare, largely denying the Kodiak Oblast and Only the Hated the large battles that they were likely to win.
=== The Battle of Virginia Creek ===
The Battle of Virginia Creek was a short engagement on May 2nd 2002 between the Church of Yelloman and the Kodiak Oblast near Virginia Creek, Northeast of the Monaska Mountains. Anton Vardayn greenlit a new operation that he believed would give the Kodiak Oblast a direct route into the Monaska interior via the flat marshes of Virginia Creek, where he believed there to be no resistance. 
This belief was facilitated by Leon Mariana and Yelloman's Missionaries dropping fake dispatches and orders that appeared to signal a complete withdrawal from the area. They placed these on the bodies of OtH fighters that they relocated to Oblast territory, dressing them up to look like church fighters. However, this was a trap set by Annette, the overall commander of the Church of Yelloman's armed forces. Her plan was to have a small force occupy Virginia Creek at various ambush points with explosives and anti-armor weaponry. Her skeleton force of around 30 men camped out in Virginia Creek since at least March 2002 waiting for the day the Oblast made their attempted advance. 
On May 1st Anton Vardayn sent the convoy out from East Kodiak and up along the coast towards Virginia Creek. Among this convoy was Vardayn's last remaining armored forces, including 2 APCs, a missile launcher and even a refitted tank. They were accompanied by around a company of infantry and would march alongside the water in Virginia Creek up towards the Monaska Mountains. Vardayn informed the troops embarking that they would reach the interior of the Monaska Mountains and likely be the ones to take Citadel Solis.
On May 2nd the convoy was spotted in Virginia Creek, at which point word was passed along the Yelloman fighters for the fighting to begin. They readied their molotov cocktails, as well as a few rocket launchers they had looted from dead Oblast troops. The convoy began their advance into Virginia Creek at 9:00 AM and were immediately received by church troops.
At 9:03 the lead APC struck a buried improvised landmine and detonated, killing the crew instantly. This caused panic among the convoy, who began departing from the dirt road and looking for alternate routes. The infantry riding in the rear APC dismounted and scanned the horizon, at which point most were shot by sharpshooters. Immediately after, the Oblast's tank was struck by a rocket and immobilized, however it began firing its machinegun wildly, attempting to suppress the ambush. The mobile missile launcher drove off to the right of the road, stumbling into another ambush point, at which point the driver was pulled from the vehicle and executed. The company of infantry began rushing ahead, attempting to put an end to the ambush. However they noticed they missile launcher was being commandeered by church troops, who fired two missiles in the direction of the infantry, killing 3 and injuring many others. The infantry retreated but poured down fire, attempting to allow the APC and tank to withdraw. However the commandeered missile launcher turned to the tank and fired the remaining loaded rockets at the tank, causing it to burst into flames. As the crew exited the vehicle, they were quickly gunned down by church fighters. The APC began rapidly driving out of Virginia Creek along with the remainder of the infantry. The combat had lasted under 10 minutes but completely ruined the Oblast's small armored force.
=== End of the War ===
The end of the Kodiak Civil War can be attributed to many factors, the combination of which resulted in the Kodiak Oblast and Only the Hated withdrawing from the Monaska Expedition. Chief among these factors was the arrival of the United Commonwealth, a foreign faction drawn to Kodiak in hopes for expansion. Other factors include mounting casualties, war fatigue, breakdown in relations between the Oblast and Only the Hated and the worsening mental state of Stephen Lukes.
==== Assassination Attempts ====
In late 2006 a plan was devised by Only the Hated to try and remove Robert Collins from the war through assassination. The plan saw a squad of Only the Hated troops ascend many difficult mountains paths until they reached Citadel Solis. The perilous paths taken resulted in 3 of the 6 men sent dying before reaching Citadel Solis. The harsh cold of December in the mountains would result in another man dying before Citadel Solis was reached. They succeeded in reaching Citadel Solins on December 11th 2006 and camped outside of the fort where they would attempt to assassinate Robert Collins. The next morning on the 12th of December, the two surviving men approached Citadel Solis with their weapons, a pistol and submachine gun. Robert Collins who was giving a speech outside of the citadel's walls did not notice the arrival of the two men in the crowd of listeners. The men then attempted to open fire on Collins, however the submachinegun had been damaged by the cold and failed to fire, while the pistol jammed after only one round was fired. The round struck Collins in the shoulder but did not cause significant damage. The assassins were seized by the crowd and brought before Collins, who promptly beat them to death with the butt of his revolver. 
In retaliation for the attempted assassination of Robert Collins, Yelloman's Missionaries were dispatched by Collins to kill Jonathan F Lukes, the son of Stephen Lukes. The chosen men from the Missionaries began the perilous journey down the Monaska Mountains on January 2nd 2007, reaching a wooded position outside of Anton on January 5th 2007. The Missionaries would remained camped out until January 10th when they would covertly enter Anton in search of Jonathan F Lukes. The Missionaries found him and urged him to join them outside Anton's walls where they claimed to have found a Yelloman defector, urging Jonathan F Lukes to maintain secrecy so they could question the defector. When Jonathan F Lukes was lured outside of the walls, the Missionaries turned on him, stabbing him many times and leaving him for dead in the wilderness. His body was discovered later that night and reported to Stephen Lukes. This attack would leave Stephen Lukes distraught, and contribute to his worsening mental state as the war continued.
Stephen Lukes worsening mental state caused him to greenlight many unsuccessful attacks, causing unnecessary casualties among Only the Hated and the Kodiak Oblast, leading to the Oblast wanting to distance themselves from Only the Hated. Lukes' mental state was further worsened by the controversy around the South Kodiak Incident that was attributed to Only the Hated, causing further disapproval from the Kodiak Oblast, as well as the introduction of a new foe that threatened Lukes and Only the Hated.
==== Arrival of the United Commonwealth ====
Part of the United Commonwealth's Expansion into Kodiak
The arrival of the United Commonwealth and the subsequent White Sands Beach Agreement saw an alliance between the Church of Yelloman and the United Commonwealth as well as the Church of Yelloman acquiring much needed material support to continue the war. The interventions by the Commonwealth against the Kodiak Oblast in the fighting around Near Island and against Only the Hated in the Battle of Gibson Cove caused the biggest breakdown in relations. The Kodiak Oblast, seeing the arrival of a new faction that sought to acquire their territory viewed the continued war as unnecessary, as their primary concern was now maintaining their territory against the new threat. 
===== The Battle of Near Island =====
The 6th of January saw the first assault by the United Commonwealth on Kodiak, first coming at Near Island. Early in the morning at 8 AM, Commonwealth rangers landed on the rocky beaches of Near Island, at that time held by the Kodiak Oblast. Oblast sentries fired upon the rangers immediately as they hit the beach, forcing them to rush the beach in order to create a safer landing zone. They pushed into the tree line of Near Island, forcing the Oblast troops present to fall back to the buildings in the interior of the island. 
The Commonwealth assault continued, the small force of 30 men that landed on Near Island reaching 50 by 9:00 AM through further beach landings. The assault swept through the former fish and game office and the docks on the island, both being easily seized by the Commonwealth. As Oblast reinforcements finally arrived the fighting reached a standstill, with Oblast troops holding the line of buildings on the very North of the island. Commonwealth troops poured fire into these buildings in an attempt to drive off their defenders, however the Oblast troops held firm. However as the fighting progressed into 10 AM further Commonwealth troops reached the island, this time including troops with specialty equipment such as grenade launchers. These were used to flush the Oblast defenders from the building. 
By 10:30 the Oblast troops were forced to entirely abandon Near Island, fleeing across the Alimaq Bridge into Kodiak City. The Commonwealth troops attempted to pursue them into Kodiak City, but were severely bottlenecked at the bridge and thus advanced no further than Near Island. They would begin converting Near Island into their base of operations in Kodiak in the coming days after the battle. 
===== Battle of Gibson Cove and Skirmish at Pillar Creek =====
The Battle at Gibson Cove began on January 6th at 11:00 AM when United Commonwealth troops deployed to Gibson Cove via small dinghies, landing on the coast near the Gibson Cove road as well as South on the small peninsula. The two teams, numbering 24 laid down fire onto the Only the Hated troops garrisoning the docks and the surrounding buildings, clearing the way for their landing. Upon hitting the beach they rushed for the buildings, engaging the troops in close quarters combat. 
Commonwealth troops successfully cleared the dock buildings by 1:00 PM and prepared themselves for an oncoming OtH counter attack. The OtH troops moved in from the slopes of the mountain and took positions in the buildings across Gibson Cove and Rezanof roads. The OtH force numbered around 30, however they were unprepared for the better equipment of the Commonwealth troops. Notably the M60 machine guns of the Commonwealth troops was brutally effective, driving off two offensives towards the buildings. By 3:15 PM the fighting had stopped and the OtH forces pulled back. The Commonwealth troops began destroying the supplies the OtH troops were guarding within the buildings, before signaling further Commonwealth troops to land and cover their retreat. A civilian boat acquisitioned by the United Commonwealth was fitted with a mounted M60 machine gun that laid down suppressive fire onto the OtH positions, allowing the Commonwealth troops to pull back safely. 
Fueled by these anxieties, Anton Vardayn requested a meeting with Robert Collins on February 8th 2007, seeking to end the hostilities between the Church of Yelloman and the Kodiak Oblast. Collins accepted the requests for a meeting, telling Vardayn to meet him in Fort Fides so they could discuss an agreement ending hostilities. Vardayn declined the offer, fearing capture by entering Yelloman territory, instead urging Collins to meet him within Kodiak City where Vardayn could be confident of security. Collins refused and eventually it was decided to meet near Borough, the site of a large battle between the Kodiak Oblast and the Church of Yelloman. Collins, accompanied by members of his inner council met with Vardayn and various officials of the Kodiak Oblast in a tent, staying for a few days in negotiations over the agreement that would be reached. On February 15th the agreement would successfully be reached, creating a ceasefire between the Church of Yelloman and the Kodiak Oblast that would allow the Oblast to retreat properly to their own territory, organizing the safe return of the previously isolated Sazanov Company to the Oblast, and material reparations to be made to the Church of Yelloman. The agreement, known as the Collins-Vardayn Pact, came into effect on the 16th of February, where Oblast forces rejoined by the Sazanov Company marched back towards Kodiak City.
With the withdrawal of the Kodiak Oblast from the war and the threat posed by the United Commonwealth in the South, Only the Hated was in a dangerous situation. Many inside Only the Hated recognized the futility of the situation and urged Stephen Lukes to sign a peace agreement with the Church of Yelloman, mediated by the Kodiak Oblast or the United Commonwealth. Stephen Lukes refused, still adamant that the Church must be destroyed and Robert Collins be brought to his knees. With the absolute refusal of Lukes to even consider peace, his right hand man Johan Basel was forced to act behind Lukes' back and organize a delegation to the Church of Yelloman to create peace. Arrangements were made between Basel's delegation and Collins with his inner council to agree to peace talks mediated by representatives of the Kodiak Oblast and the United Commonwealth. A brief ceasefire was called across the frontline to allow the travel of delegates to the location of the talks, Fort Fides in the Monaska Mountains. All of the delegates had arrived by the 8th of March, at which point the talks began.
At first the talks began poorly, with the hostility between the United Commonwealth and Kodiak Oblast impeding any decisions, as well as Collins initial refusal to allow peace given his advantageous standpoint. Basel and his delegates first proposed that all troops withdraw a mile from the current frontlines, at which point territories could be decided. Collins and his council agreed for the peaceful withdrawal of Only the Hated troops from the Monaska Mountains, at which point discussions of territory began. Collins requested that not just the Monaska Mountains be recognized, but all territory spanning South to the coast, with the Western being marked by Buskin River, and the East by the upper reservoir of Pillar Creek. These requests were denied by all except the United Commonwealth. Collins continued to negotiate over the extent of the Church of Yelloman, telling the other delegates that confining the Church of Yelloman to the Monaska Mountains would isolate them and diminish their role in Kodiak. However Only the Hated and the Kodiak Oblast completely refused to allow the Church of Yelloman to extend so close to their territory, insisting that they remain in the Monaska Mountains to help prevent further conflict. Backed up by the United Commonwealth, Collins proposed that Church territory extend South to Pillar Creek, West to Bear Creek and East to Monaska Bay. This request was initially refused, but the backing by the United Commonwealth and the promise that if these demands were not met, the Church and Commonwealth were likely to take this territory by force, convinced Only the Hated and the Kodiak Oblast to consider these requests. Only the Hated still refused to the Church existing as close as Bear Creek, eventually agreeing on the Church extending to the base of the Monaska Mountains in the West. Additional requests were made by Basel's delegation that Only the Hated prisoners be returned to their territory, to which Collins and his council had to inform the delegation that there were no Only the Hated captives, they had all been killed. Despite this source of controversy, the talks successfully wrapped up and established the territory of Only the Hated and the Church of Yelloman, as well as reaffirming the Kodiak Oblast's control over their current territory. The agreement would also make sure to establish a period of non aggression between the Church of Yelloman-United Commonwealth alliance and Only the Hated, at which further talks would decide what came next. The period of peace was set to expire in 2012, at which point the parties would reconvene to discuss further arrangements. The Fort Fides Agreement, signed by Robert Collins, Johan Basel and the delegates from the United Commonwealth and Kodiak Oblast was set to come into effect on March 13th 2007. 
On March 13th 2007, fighting ceased on the Monaska Mountains. Only the Hated troops retreated back down the mountains towards Anton, fearing the response by Stephen Lukes. Upon the arrival of the Only the Hated troops, Johan Basel informed Stephen Lukes that he had signed a peace agreement on behalf of Only the Hated, ending the fighting with the Church of Yelloman. Stephen Lukes was initially furious but soon grew dejected, eventually being able to admit that the fighting did need to end. 
== Aftermath ==
The Kodiak Civil War had claimed the lives of approximately 640 men, with countless others being wounded. Kodiak itself was deeply scarred by the years of conflict, with much infrastructure needing to be rebuilt. Between the Uprising and the now concluded Civil War, the population had suffered catastrophic loss, nearly a fifth of their population having been killed. Kodiak was now divided among several factions each eager to stamp the other out and cement themselves as the primary faction. Conflict would not end in Kodiak, continuing for the years after the signing of the Fort Fides Agreement.
=== Only the Hated ===
After the war, Stephen Lukes emphasized that Only the Hated must build their forces back up for the coming conflict, and affirmed that Only the Hated was 'surrounded by enemies', confirming that Only the Hated now viewed the Kodiak Oblast as their enemy for abandoning them in the war. He viewed the coming years as being the next battle that would face Only the Hated, and now he saw conflict against the Kodiak Oblast as the greatest possibility for expansion of the faction.
=== Kodiak Oblast ===
After the war the Kodiak Oblast was in a similar position territorially as they had been before, but now with an unacceptable amount of their forces being gone. Discontent among their forces towards the end of the war resulted in many leaving the army and hiding among the civilian population. In addition, the Kodiak Oblast had suffered the greatest casualties during the war, largely thanks to events like the Battle of Van Dyke Pass. The Kodiak Oblast was now embroiled in a conflict against the United Commonwealth, one that was very dangerous given their exhaustion by the years of war against the Church of Yelloman. 
=== United Commonwealth ===
The United Commonwealth would benefit heavily as a result of the Kodiak Civil War, gaining a foothold within Kodiak that they could use for further territorial expansion in the future. Their alliance with the Church of Yelloman gave them a strong position against the Kodiak Oblast but especially against the reduced Only the Hated, who could do little to resist their attempts. 
Category:Event