Battle of Abregado-Rae

"It's easier to be terrified by an enemy you admire."- Marshal Leto Styke
The Battle of Abregado-Rae was a battle during the Clone Wars. Characterized by intense fighting, guerrilla warfare, and the attempted ethnic cleansing of the Stykes by Confederate Forces. The Battle of Abregado-Rae completely changed the established political order of Abregado-Rae by allowing the Stykes to regain military control of the planet and the destruction of the Treaty of Geidi.
== Prelude to the Battle ==
=== Styke Involvement in the Sith Wars ===
Since the colonization of Abregado-Rae, the Styke houses and bloodlines controlled the planet through military force. For generations the tensions between the Stykes and other groups of colonists not aligned with the clan. Following the Styke's involvement in the Sith Wars on the side of Sith Empire, the Galactic Republic forced the Stykes into signing the Treaty of Geidi which allowed the Stykes to maintain their military forces but surrendered all political powers and authority to the Civil Authority of Non-Stykes. The formal Defense Forces for Abregado-Rae would be under the control of the Civil Authority. 
=== Abregado-Rae in the Clone Wars ===
Being a Core World, most of the planet's populace assumed that Abregado-Rae would never be besieged or even attacked by Confederate Forces. There was no increase in defence spending for the Planetary Defense Forces, though some Styke regiments recruited more troops. Due to its isolated location in the Core Region, the GAR kept a minimum sized garrison in the capital. 
== The Battle of Abregado-Rae ==
=== The First Battle for the Core ===
As General Grievous planned his great offensive into the Core Region, Confederate Command chose to invade Abregado-Rae to base Operations Durge's Lance from. The Planet's Defense Fleet, comprised of a few Assualt vessels that were utterly slaughtered by the 3rd Confederate Fleet. Within hours the Confederacy began landing troops to target troops of the Civil Authority in an attempt to cause mass confusion and breakdowns in the Authority's command structure. 
=== Battle of Kaidan ===
Following success in the orbit and in several key, but isolated, regions the Confederate invasion force amassed to secure the civilian capital of the world, the sprawling spaceport of Kaidan. Kaidan would prove to be the first major challenge for the invaders, street to street combat forced Confederate droids to take time securing every building on their way to the capitol building. Unfortunately, the Planetary Defence Force simply didn't have enough men to keep up the fight for long without reinforcements and after the second full day of fighting withdrew from Kaidan. The Civilian Authority relocated as much of their infrastructure as possible but without Kaidan, their ability to govern was greatly diminished. However, despite the majority of Defense Forces withdrawing from Kaidan a dedicated but small resistance force continued the fight. This resistance would be crushed days later with the arrival of General Grievous during the Republic relief effort. 
=== The Republic's Arrival ===
Within hours of the Confederate invasion of Abregado-Rae, the Republic scrambled to put together a force to relieve the small garrison. These reinforcements took the form of the 7th Fleet primarily. On the fourth day of the invasion, the 7th Fleet arrived and engaged with the Confederate 3rd Fleet. Despite the apparent strength of the 7th Fleet, it was unable to break through their Confederate enemies. To help put more pressure on breaking the 3rd Fleet, the Republic Venator Phalanx under the command of an Abregado native, Captain Malatche Atreidean Styke, arrived in the system. The Phalanx threw itself at the weakest link in the Confederate line, bursting through four Munificent Star Frigates,"Well, I thought he was crazy before but now I'm positive he's insane. We can't take that many at once!" - Isabella Everbright.As soon as the Phalanx punched a hole through down to the planet, Republic support craft began entering the atmosphere to deploy troops. The 501st under the personal command of Malatche Styke began an effort to secure some of the locations the droids had taken on the first day of the invasion. Linking up with Captain Finn 'The Missile' Styke, the 501st Legion managed to disrupt large portions of the Confederate's plan, gaining needed ground for the Stykes and Civil Authority.
=== Republic Withdrawal ===
The effort was in vain. A Separatist Reserve Fleet arrived only hours later with Grievous at the helm. In only 2 days, the Civil Authority on Abregrado-Rae was scattered and beaten with most of its leaders captured, missing, or dead. The Republic withdrew from Abregado-Rae, pulling out its battlegroups back to the Deep Core to counteract Operation's Durge's Lance, Malatche Styke with them. The Styke Resistance, now facing grim odds, began to reform its units resulting in guerrilla warfare against Separatist Occupation.
=== Mission to Cartla Internment Camp ===
"It's either we slice or blow our way through, and I'm going with the latter." - Finn Styke
Four months afterward, the war on Abregado-Rae was still raging with the Styke Resistance and Confederacy at a stalemate. After gathering word of his mother being captured and detained in one of the many Confederate camps, Malatche Styke returned to Abregado-Rae assisted by Anakin Skywalker to meet up with the Captain Finn Styke's remnant, dubbed the "Missile Fragment" by Finn personally. Forcing their way through into the Cartla Death Camp, and facing fierce resistance, Styke and Skywalker began the revolt against the Separatist with Malatche losing his left eye in the process. Freeing the prisoners, they took arms against their captors inciting conflict throughout the entire camp. Malatche freed his mother, and safeguarded her to Coruscant with the rest of his family. 
=== Foundation of the Military Authority ===
"The failure of the Republic backed puppet regieme to properly defend our world has been proven in totality. Now it is time we Stykes retake control" - Piter StykeFollowing the Cartla Death Camp revolt, the remaining Styke Officers and familial officials met in the Atreidean Styke stronghold Arakeev. There the council formally declared the Treaty of Geidi null and void, citing the Civil Authority's total inability to defend or govern Abregado-Rae. With the Treaty no longer recognized the 
Abregado-Rae Military Authority was formally declared and established out of Arakeev. The Military Authority went to work conscripting as much of the population within and outside of Confederate Occupation into a far more organized and effective fighting force. While the Civil Authority had lost most of its power, it still existed and immediately denounced the Military Authority and called for the Republic to intervene once again to,"Save Abregado-Rae from the dual threat of Confederate Agression and Styke Militarism" - Shaddam Padisha, Prime Minister of the Civil Authority, 20 BBYWhile there a small faction in the Senate who pushed for Prime Minister Padisha's request, the vast majority of the Senate, including Chancellor Palpatine was fine with a competent government and military force taking over the fight for Abregado-Rae. In fact, behind closed doors, Palpatine cut formal diplomatic connections with the Civil Authority and planned on integrating the Military Authority once the war was over. 
=== The Collapse of the Civil Authority ===
After the crushing defeat at Kaidan and their withdrawal from the historical capital of the planet, the Civil Authority attempted to regroup and mount a considerable resistance to the Confederacy. However, at every turn, the Civil Authority and PDF were met with defeat and sister. At every engagement, PDF forces would be overwhelmed and flee in panic. By month six of the occupation, Prime Minister Padisha had himself been captured and the political chain of command was thrown into chaos. Compounding on the struggles of the political wing of the Civil Authority massive numbers of surviving troopers and officers defected to the Military Authority. Four days after the capture of the Prime Minister in the Tley-Lowlands the Civil Authority formally surrendered to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, claiming they were still the planetary government.
=== Operation Trailing Blaze ===
==== Battle of Ix ====
With the Civil Authority out of the picture and the withdrawal of some Confederate forces to reinforce planets gained in Durge's Lance, Autark Piter Fremen Styke launched a massive counter assault against the remaining droid garrisons. Focusing primarily on forcing Confederate Forces out of traditional Styke lands. The first engagements proved that the forces of the Military Authority could hold their own and defeat Confederate units in open battle as well as in guerrilla warfare. Launching from the semi-arid homelands of the Atreideans Marshal Leto Atreidean Styke defeated Confederate Forces at the Battle of Ix. Using a mixture of traditional mobile warfare and guerilla tactics Marshal Leto was able to convince droid commanders that his force was far larger than it was and that Ix was surrounded. In reality, Leto's force was only half of what the droids believed he had. For the Confederate Command Staff Ix was an embarrassment and massive blunder. What had been assumed to be a scattered barely organized force instead turned out to be a highly competent and well-equipped army. 
==== Battle of Caralag ====
Following the victory at Ix, Marshal Leto chose to give no rest to the confused Confederates. Leto rallied his forces and struck out for the Confederate garrison town of Caralag at the edge of the Atreidean hinterland and desert. Caralag would be a far more bloody affair than the route at Ix. Rather than an exposed and underprepared force, the droids at Caralag were dug in and far more aware of Leto's forces and tactics. Rather than attempting the same maneuver twice, Leto chose to use what few advantages he had, his auxiliary and his soldier's fanaticism for freeing their world. 
In the early morning of the battle, the dozens of auxiliary troops that were more experienced with the terrain of the region were moved in to assassinate members of the Confederate Command Staff and to act as suicide bombers to give an avenue for which the infantry could punch through. Dozens of men and women blew themselves up to give the Military Authority the upper hand in the battle. This move proved completely unexpected and once again threw the droids into confusion, which would prove to give Leto the edge in winning the battle. 
However, despite these advantages, the battle still proved immensely bloody for the Military Authority. The droids had dug into multiple layers of defence meaning that Abregado forces would have to take sandbag line after sandbag line. Combined with mines, machine gun emplacements, bunkers, and trenches Caralag proved the end of many of Leto's men and women. Some of the first regiments into Caralag suffered up 40% casualties, manpower that the Military Authority could not replace. The Battle of Caralag would forever be a scar on the Styke psyche, a massacre wrapped up in a victory. Survivors of Caralag would go on to be some of the most mentally and emotionally damaged veterans of the war.
==== Conclusion of Blazing Trails ====
Victory at Caralag would end the initial objectives of Operation Blazing Trails. On paper, the operation was entirely a success with both Ix and Caralag firmly under the control of the Military Authority. However, the losses that Leto had suffered, especially at Caralag, meant that it would be sometime before the Military Authority could consider mounting any more offensive operations. As well the territory the Military Authority did hold was now under protected with a majority of their forces on the ever-growing frontier. 
=== Confederate Strike at Arakeev ===
Seeing the failure of the subordinate generals and officers he left in his wake, General Grievous chose to once again focus some of his attention to the troublesome resistance on Abregado-Rae. Amassing a strike force of several battalions worth of droids and support craft Grievous flew a wing of HMP Gunships into Arakeev and struck out for the Authority's headquarters. Luckily for the Styke general staff Arakeev was built atop an ancient labyrinth of natural caves, allowing for a majority of personnel and intelligence to be evacuated without much worry. The burning of Arakeev did prove to be a sting on the honour of the Stykes, primarily for the Atreideans.
=== Koivaten Uprising ===
With the surrender of the Civil Authority, most of the galaxy assumed that Abregado-Rae was finally pacified. the engagements from Operation Trailing Blazes and Grievous' strike at Arakeev proved that the Battle of Abregado-Rae was far from over. Operation Trailing Blazes had more consequences than just the military victories won at Caralag and Ix.
Most of the Confederate forces on Abregado-Rae had been redeployed from urban centres such as Koivaten. With Confederate garrisons at half of their normal fighting capability, thoughts of rebellion were to be expected. The first signs of rebellion came to Koivaten, a major urban centre near the Styke homeland when several members of the disarmed civil militia met to discuss revolt. The former militia commander, Vam Komeehidd summed up the thoughts of the group,' The armies of this great world are fighting for our freedom, we didn't lose the war those dogs in the Civil Authority lost this war in their cowardice. Now we must do our job and assist those fighting with our lives. ' - Commander Vam Komeehidd.
The night following their meeting Vam Komeehidd managed to assemble a few dozen men, arming them with basic slug rifles that the Confederates hadn't stripped them of. Only a handful of the men assembled were actually members of the former civil militia with most of the revolutionaries being untrained young men. 
With the Confederate garrison half the size it normally was, the Confederate government chose to make the presence of the droids more intimidating by having the droids march parades more often. Vam Komeehidd chose to use these parades as a perfect ambush situation. Two dozen men, armed with slug throwers and grenades, set up on the roofs around the parade. When half of the parade had passed the majority of the riflemen the militia opened up on the unsuspecting droids. In the opening minutes of the engagement, the B1s were unable to mount a proper defence in their confusion. The first problem for the ambushers came when their armour piercing rounds started running out, forcing some of the riflemen to use standard rounds that couldn't take droids out with a single round. Following their successful ambush, the first droid responders arrived on the scene with armoured support. Vam Komeehidd's forces had few AT weapons available and began withdrawing from the scene, some of the more elite militia units covering the withdrawal. 
Once the smoke had cleared and the last of the militiamen had escaped from the droid garrison four of the militiamen laid dead, roughly two dozen B1s were destroyed and two AATs disabled. While certainly a victory for Komeehidd's ragtag force, their timing for the uprising couldn't have been worse. News of the Confederate strike at Arakeev had only happened a few days ago and news spread slowly of what had happened to the capital of Styke resistance. Now General Grievous turned his attention to the troublesome city of Koivatan. Rather than fighting a long term urban battle, Grievous chose to firebomb the city and wipe the rebellion from the planet. Before Grievous could assemble his bomber squadrons Vam Komeehidd organized a force to seize the mayoral palace in the centre of the city. At noon on the third day of the revolt 250 men stormed the palace complex. Unbeknownst to the rebels most of the droids had been evacuated from the city ahead of Grievous' firebombing campaign. With nominal control of the city, Vam Komeehidd declared Koivatan's independence from the Separatist puppet government and their allegiance to the Military Authority. 
Vam Komeehidd's would not last, however, as the following morning Hynea-Class bombers took off from airbases all across the region to fulfil Grievous' murderous plot. The first salvo of napalm bombs fell on the city centre, catching dozens of buildings ablaze in an inferno of human suffering. Throughout the day thousands of tons of ordnance would rain down upon the city, killing millions. 
=== Foundation of the Confederate Occupation Council ===
' The war for this dreg of a world clearly isn't done, you have failed me. From now on Neldroc Noc will run things here, and do what you cannot ' - General Grievous talking with the Command Staff of Confederate Forces on Abregado-Rae
The uprising at Koivatan proved one thing to General Grievous, that Abregado-Rae was still an active battlefront. Since he had more important issues to attend to, Confederate Brigadier Neldroc Noc, an Arkanian Offshoot, was placed in command as Governor of the Confederate Occupation Council. Neldroc Noc was a brutal man, not concerned with how he was viewed by the populace he vowed to General Grievous that Abregado-Rae would be reclaimed and pacified within the month. 
=== Battle of Ariero ===
In order to fulfil his promise to General Grievous, Neldroc Noc organised two battalions of droids to take the town of Ariero from the Abregado-Rae Military Authority. Ariero had become the functioning headquarters of Marshal Leto Styke and defeating him could route the entire Military Authority from the region and turn back all the gains of Operation Trailing Blazes. 
Taking Ariero from the Authority was not an easy task in any sense of the word. The 33rd Atreidean Light Infantry, who'd been instrumental in the victory at Ix had dug in and had support from the elite auxiliary units of the Authority. For Neldroc Noc to be victorious he would have to defeat the most veteran unit in the Authority. 
The day of the battle would be christened by the sound of AA batteries and HMPs at the break of dawn. While Leto had been expecting the Confederates to attack the frontline at some point, the idea that Ariero would be the first major assault was certainly unexpected. The first wave of droids charged from MTTs fifty metres from the first line of defence. The assault was dispatched with relative ease but each successive charge the 33rd came closer and closer to breaking. Finally, at 20:00 hours, the final droid wave assault occurred, the 33rd at 30% combat effectiveness was relying on the auxiliary units to hold the line. B2s entered the trench line and a desperate melee began, with the Stykes being pushed further back. At the moment when all would seem lost, Marshal Leto and his personal company charged into the trench overwhelming the droid forces. Seeing this, Gunnery Sergeant Irek of the 33rd rallied his forces into a final charge alongside the troops of Leto. 
Neldroc Noc's grand ideas for victory was utterly decimated by Leto himself, handing the new governor his first defeat. Ariero also proved the metal of the 33rd Light Infantry against overwhelming odds.