The Fastest War

The Fastest War was an extremely fast and violent conflict between the Halkoz Union and the Kingdom of Zirtan that ended in a catastrophic nuclear apocalypse. Most of the world was destroyed in a matter of minutes, and 90% of the surviving population on the surface of the planet died in the following weeks.
The attack caught the Kingdom of Zirtan completely off guard and within hours, the Halkoz Union had destroyed every Zirtani cities and military bases. The remaining Zirtani military forces were caught in disarray and were unable to mount an effective defense against the Halkoz Union's superior forces. 
Iryanka was left a desolate wasteland, with few survivors on the two main continents surfaces and even fewer resources. The Halkoz Union was forced to rebuild the surface infrastructure and villages, but they knew that it would take decades to fully recover from the destruction they had wrought.
It is believed that this war helped the Halkoz Union become, several decades later, the most important power in the Star System.
It is should be noted that most of the modern Halkozi population think The Fastest War was the biggest mistake humanity ever made.
 "The Halkoz Union had the upper hand, thanks to their advanced weapons and technology. They launched a devastating nuclear attack on the Kingdom of Zirtan, wiping out entire cities in a matter of seconds, but at what cost? They are now living on an entirely sterile radioactive world, what a blast! no pun intended." Pey-Lin.