Operation Andromeda

Operation Andromeda is a 6-Day long offensive operation lasting from July 11th-July 17th to liberate Aesir Pass and parts of the Andromeda Sector. The objective was to retake all 4 planets by the end of the operation. This would have the strategic outcome of dividing Automaton territory in half, isolating their holdings in the Trigon Sector and the lower Ymir and Andromeda sectors.
== Prelude ==
There were two important events that preceded Operation Andromeda. The first was Operation Starslayer. Super Earth retook Meissa, giving it a pathway towards attacking Matar Bay. The strategic Aesir Pass System was also lost during this operation, making it a prime target of recapture. The successful defense of the Ymir sector in early July ensured that it could be linked up with the rest of democratic space. The operation also strengthened Helldiver forces, providing new upgrades and weaponry from X-45's weapon cache.
Secondly was the Terminid Research Initiative. This was a xenocidal operation to kill 100,000,000 terminids for research purposes. This operation kept the Eastern Front under control during early July. 
== July 11th ==
July 11th was the first day of the Operation. Initial progress was slow, as Helldiver forces had to rotate from the Eastern Front. The day one fighting occurred on Aesir Pass and Matar bay. Helldiver forces were split between these two systems. Despite Matar Bay being the sole Automaton supply line to their outer holdings, Aesir Pass received the most early support. By the end of July 11th, only minimal progress had been made.
== July 12th ==
By the second day of the operation, greater progress had been made. The force attacking Aesir Pass had swelled to ~25,000 by midday. Halfway liberation progress was reached a few hours later. The offensive on Matar Bay was still going poorly. A force of ~7,000 had failed to liberate more than 0.6% of the planet by midday. By the end of the night, ~80% of Aesir Pass and ~5% of Matar Bay were captured. By the latter part of July 12th, 500 KG Bombs would be offered to help the offensive. Aesir Pass and Matar Bay are both foggy, gloomy worlds. Eagle pilots worked hard around the clock to bring the piercing light of liberty from their bomber ships. 
Many Helldivers were left sore and bruised, with ringing ears and bloodshot eyes. Still, about half of the attacking force on both planets remained overnight to continue the campaign. The fierce yet futile resistance offered by the automatons is most similar to the campaigns in the Severin sector in early April. With the strategic value of Aesir Pass and Matar Bay, the cancerous automatons know that this is a fight for their very survival; a fight that they will not win.
== July 13th ==
The remaining 20% liberation progress was completed by the early morning of July 13th, leaving Aesir Pass free. The capture of Aesir Pass also opened the way to Vernen Wells, although fighting here is minimal and not part of the major order.
Now the capture of Matar Bay was all the Helldivers needed to break the Automaton supply lines. The Helldiver force on Matar Bay grew by 6x, with ~19,000 fighters on the planet surface by the morning of the 13th. Progress had reached 15% by the morning.
With the capture of Aesir Pass, the third planet designated as an operation target was reached. ~8,000 Helldivers pushed on from Aesir Pass to the icy world of Marfark. No progress had been made by morning. A significant amount of Helldiver attention during this operation has been occupied by the Eastern Front. On the morning of July 13th, The Terminids made incursions into recently liberated Esker and Hellmire. Most Helldivers on the Eastern Front are not responding to this threat, focusing on the Draco Sector. The poor allocation of Super Earth manpower would luckily prove to not affect the operation. Steady progress continued on Matar Bay into the night, with over half of the planet liberated by the end of July 13th. ~15,000 Helldivers would continue to fight into the later hours. No significant progress had been made on Marfark still. The rapid conquest of Matar Bay is extremely dangerous to the Automaton's territorial integrity. 11 Automaton systems would be cut off from Cyberstan's supply, including the whole of the Trigon Sector.
== July 14th ==
Steady progress continued through the morning of July 14th. Matar was 95% captured by mid day, and expected to fall very soon afterward. No progress had been made on Marfark still. A little after the middle of the day, Matar Bay was captured. The capture of Matar Bay completed the maneuver to cut off the Automaton forces. According to S.E.A.F intelligence, this caused a decrease in automaton resistance due to them calculating the inevitable victory of Super Earth. 
The bulk of Helldiver forces rotated to Marfark, reaching >20,000. ~10,000 also began the assault on Martale today. Martale had been occupied for over 3 months by this point. The progress on retaking the planet began slow due to the primary focus on Marfark. Towards the end of the day, Marfark reached over 17% liberation with ~19,000 Helldivers on the planet. 
== July 15th ==
Progress continued slow and steady on Marfark through the morning. By mid day, over half of the planet was liberated. Still, no progress had been made on Martale. For some reason, the invasion force of Marfark did not recover to it's pre-night levels. At midday, it was barely ~21,000, falling to ~17,000 later that evening. Progress reached 66% later in the day of the 15th. The Helldiver's offensive momentum appeared to be slumping now, with reduced strength on other fronts too.
By the end of July 15th, the Helldiver force on Marfark had dropped to less than 10,000. Progress reached 91.5%.
== July 16th ==
The few remaining Helldivers managed to make the last push to liberate Marfark in the early morning of July 16th, leaving 32 hours and ~9,000 fighters to retake Martale. Casualties have been fairly low despite the ferocity of the combat. The capture of Marfark saw a beginning in uptick on the liberation progress for Martale. After the battles through the ice and ash, the campaign would come to a conclusion on Martale's beautiful fields.
Category:Major Operations
Category:Operation Andromeda