Battle for Archimedes

## First of Many

The Battle of Archimedes occurred in 300 PND, and ended after but a few days of fighting. The Dardarian Dominion attacked the Rimworld of Archimedes as a first strike against the human/Kodian empires. Dr. Henry Freeman, along with Gaige Locke and David Draconis, managed to plant a Planet Cracker Neutralite bomb on the surface. After intense fighting for a few hours, the bomb was activated at the sacrifice of Freeman. The Dardarian fleet was destroyed, and all important people were evacuated. The Governor of Archimedes, Tiberius Lucullus, was executed by The Great and Esteemed King Kodian Venclorus for treason and deserting shortly after news of the battle reached Terra.

## The Numbers:

### Kodian Empire:

1. Archimedes Spacedock- Barely operable CAST System, half of its weapons operable, and even less (although no number is known) with ammunition.
2. Archimedes Wormhole Generator- Fully operational, but was taken by surprise without anything manned.
3. Archimedes In-System Defence Fleet- Frigates and Fighters (no specific number, but estimations predict ~10 to 20 vessels) that were easily dispatched by the Dardarian forces.
4. KIND QRF- "Ravage Flotilla," was made up of 5 Radia-Class Carriers, 10 Dagger-Class Corvettes, and the 330 Arrow-Class Fighters that came with them.
5. Planetary Garrison Forces (PGF + KAD)- ~1 million spread across the entire planet
6. KGB soldiers- 20,000

### Westgaardian Empire:

1. 'Honor Fleet' reinforcements- 1 Titan-class Megacarrier, 5 Sparta-Class, 5 Xenon-Class, 400 Phoenix fighters (in total), 30 Phoenix Mk. V Gunships.
2. Iron Legion- 1000 deployed mechs.
3. WRA Forces- 10,000 deployed soldiers

### Dardarian Dominion:

1. 1st Scout Flotilla- 10 Unknown Frigates, 10 Unknown Corvettes, ~5,000 Fighters
2. 2nd Scout Flotilla- 10 Unknown Frigates, 8 Unknown Corvettes, ~5,000 Fighters, 1000 Gunships/Landing Ships
3. Infantry- ~10,000,000 soldiers, pilots, etc.

### Casualties:

#### Kodian Empire:

1. Archimedes Spacedock
2. Archimedes Wormhole Generator
3. Archimedes In-System Defence Fleet- ~10-20 vessels of Corvette/Fighters
4. KIND QRF- 3 Radia-Class Carriers, 7 Dagger-Class Corvettes, 300 Arrow-Class Fighters
5. Planetary Garrison Forces (PGF + KAD)- 854,291 dead or traitor
6. KGB- 18,300 soldiers
7. TOTAL: ~1,018,935 dead

#### Westgaardian Empire:

1. 'Honor Fleet' Reinforcements- 2 Sparta-Class, 3 Xenon-Class, 256 Phoenix Fighers, 20 Phoenix Mk. V Gunships.
2. Iron Legion- 1,000
3. WRA Forces- 8,539 dead
4. TOTAL: 10,375 dead

#### Dardarian Dominion:

1. 1st Scout Flotilla- 10 Unknown Frigates, 10 Unknown Corvettes, ~5,000 Fighters
2. 2nd Scout Flotilla- 10 Unknown Frigates, 8 Unkown Corvettes, ~5,000 Fighters
3. Infantry- ~10,000,000 soldiers, pilots, etc.
4. TOTAL: ~10,039,000 dead

## Timeline:

1. A Dardarian fleet was detected at the edge of the Archimedes System, baffling the small defence fleet and Spacedock workers orbitting Achimedes itself. The Wormhole generator at the edge of the Archimedes System was obliterated by the small Dardarian force, immediately limiting the type of reinforcements Archimedes could receive and cutting them off from almost all forms of supplies. Only larger Kodian and/or Westgaardian ships were able to produce a wormhole by themselves, meaning that the small defence fleet assigned to Archimedes would do little to stop or even retreat from the coming fight.
2. The Dardarian fleet neared the Spacedock and the small defence fleet, announcing themselves first in the OKR's lower-language (German for Earthlings), and then again in Kodian High-Tongue after receiving no response there either (Latin for Earthlings). Finding no contact, the Dardarians continued their approach, believing that they had encountered a stray Old Kodian Republic planet (with strange new ships, at that) that needed obliteration and assimilation. The Dardarian "1st and 2nd Scout Flotilla" came into range of the defence fleet and completely shredded them with their plasma-based weaponry, which tore through armor with ease. The Spacedock, with a barely-operational CAST System and few operable guns, was also easily dispatched by the Dardarian Dominion's scout teams. Tens to hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers were already dead, and the fight had only continued for approximately two days (not counting the travel time from edge-of-system).
3. The orbital battle already concluded, the Dardarian Dominion spared little to no time in assessing the situation and beginning the land invasion. First, the Dominion bombarded the planet's Neutralite fields, where massive mining operations had covered whole swathes of Archimedes. The bombs detonated the Neutralite veins and put huge caverns of white flame curving and weaving across the planet's surface. The flame turned the nearby sand to glass almost instantly, and threatened to superheat the nearby air and atmosphere. This also severely damaged the supplies and industry of Archimedes, meaning that a true siege would not happen anymore. By now, the planetary garrison had called for reinforcements from the rest of the sector, but communications were garbled by the heated planet and fleet above.
4. Now ~4 days into the battle, the Dardarian ground invasion began. Swarms of fighters and slightly smaller swarms of gunships and Dardarian landing craft descended from orbit and began the battle proper. The planetary garrison manned the few AA cannons they had access to, as most had been rendered inoperable due to either weather conditions and electrical malfunction, lack of ammunition, or explosions from the still-burning Neutralite Fields. The Dardarian forces were also being harmed by the burning fields of glass, however, and found that their navigational equipment and other gear was being damaged and/or overheated by the flames and superheated sections of atmosphere. The largest settlement on Archimedes, Bleakscar, was hit the hardest out of the civilian targets.
5. Bleakscar was home to a number of criminal elements, who all came out and worked together to fend off the Dardarian forces for as long as they could. Fighting in the streets was soon over, however, as Dardarian airpower ensured that any Kodian forces out in the open were handled. The planetary garrison was too busy fending off what Dardarian fighters they could, and were using up what few resources they had to clear out the military bases scattered across the planet. The fighting in the streets, especially in Bleakscar, would continue for several days.
6. As the Dardarians fought for control of the cities, they were also sieging the planetary capital in the volcanically-active nothern pole of the planet. The Dardarians, believing that it would not take much to turn the soldiers on their abusive, gluttonous, and traitorous governor, sent out a message in English (how they learned it so fast, nobody knows for sure) saying "We will give you equipment and a place in the leadership of this planet if you turn on your Governor."
7. The Governor and a very small contingent of loyal soldiers made their way to shuttles and left the planet under heavy fire, after receiving word that a Kodian Empire KIND QRF had arrived in-system and was heading towards Archimedes now. Human soldiers now fighting alongside the Dardarian ground forces, Bleakscar fell almost immediately.
8. The Kodian QRF arrived and restarted the space-based battle above Archimedes after over a week of intense fighting. They accepted the Governor's shuttle and immediately locked him in the brig, knowing that he was responsible for Archimedes's poor maintenance. The land battle still continuing, but barely, the sky lit up with explosions and plasma balls and railgun rounds. The Kodian QRF would not last long by themselves, even with the massive number of fighters and ships that came with them. The Dardarians still had over 4x the amount of fighter support than the hastily-put-together QRF, and had ships twice the size of even the Radia-Classes in this 'Scout Group.' The QRF soon called for reinforcements from anyone and everyone, meeting no response at first. It would take a few more days before Westgaardian naval vessels arrived in-system to aid the group.
9. The Westgaardian fleet proper, which included the newly-built Titan, relieved the Kodian QRF and gave them enough breathing room to begin repairs on the ships that had been damaged. In the four or so days of space combat, the Kodians had lost 2 Radia-Classes, and 5 Dagger-Classes (the number of fighters lost is unknown, but only 30 survived the battle by the end). The Dardarians had lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers, pilots, and miscellaneous troops, but still overwhelmed the defending forces with ease.
10. The space-battle still raging, the Westgaardians sent down a number of Iron Legion mechs down to the surface to aid in the defence, as well as normal soldiers, paratroopers, and KGB. The Governor's palace was finally taken by traitor forces, now 3 weeks into the fight.
11. Archimedes would send out a final message to any and all friendly units, expressing that a planet-cracker Neutralite explosive device was heading towards the core and would obliterate the planet in a few hours. Any remaining friendly soldiers or civilians were to flee on friendly shuttles as fast as possible. The planet exploded, taking the Dardarian scout force and millions of friendly units and civilians along with it.

## The Survivors:

Those unlucky few to have survived contact with the Dardarian Dominion forces were often driven insane by the mangled monsters and unending seas of Dardarian Droves. However, a surprising amount of the surviving Kodian forces had their grief and fear turn to pure hatred, the likes of which surprised even The Great and Esteemed King Kodian Venclorus. These surviving Kodian forces, comprised of the 2 remaining Radia-Class Carriers, approximately 1,500 of the surviving KGB, and ~58,290 KAD soldiers (although their numbers are **far** larger now), would unite in their raw disgust and intense fury. They would come to call themselves Kodian's Fists, or more formally, The Fists of Archimedes. These men and women, according to some, suffer from the same insanity to befall their comrades in survival, their insanity twisted and contorted into something more constructive than the ramblings and visions of elder veterans. Their fervor and suicidal rage oozes from every orifice of every member of these people, driven entirely on the mantra that they will slaughter every Dardarian and live on in the name of their fallen comrades. The Fists of Archimedes are brutal, swift, and gleeful to battle the Dominion wherever they appear. They are merciless and unperturbed by fear; they wish to avenge their fallen allies and fallen citizens, one slain Dardarian at a time. These soldiers break almost all standards set by the Kodian Empire, and any attempt at correcting them has ended with officers run-through on spikes, displayed as fear-mongering war banners, or annually sent back to their homeworld piece by gory piece. The Fists of Archimedes operate under Kodian orders, but only when ordered to continue in their unending crusade to purge the Universe of Dardarian life. The Fists of Archimedes frequently use any and all means at their disposal, including biological warfare, nuclear explosives, unmitigated orbital bombardment, and worse to achieve their goal, often resulting in the deaths of civilians and the loss of once-viable planets or equipment. The Fists will also kill any allied Kodian or Westgaardian, regardless of rank, influence, position, or importance, if they dare stand in-between them and their eternal foes. Anyone even suspected of being a traitor is immediately killed, burned at the stake like a witch of old, or worse, without any trial or hesitation. It was once rumored that a massive trail of dead bodies follows the Radia-Class Carriers of the Fists, showing the sheer number of people they ritually executed and eject from the airlocks of vessels.

The Fists of Archimedes seem to take this eternal crusade upon themselves as some holy action, acting and fighting with abilities and skills once believed impossible by normal humans or even Kodians. Their patriotisim is unmatched, but delusional and blinded with rage. Although their fighting abilities and prowess is unmatched by human armies elsewhere, they suffer from somewhat-intentional high mortality rates, having to continually recruit from veterans of other battles involving the Dominion. They often charge directly into the enemy forces, caring not for their own lives or the plans of their commanders, who usually receive simple grunts when issuing orders.

The Fists notoriously fail to respect or follow the chain of command, purposely failing to do certain objectives if it doesn't involve fighting Dardarians. Their disobediance and breaking of standardization or rules is unmatched, and would normally be fixed by decimation or a full dismantling of the unofficial Division. However, the Esteemed and his cabinet know that doing so would most likely force the unbridled and uncontrollable rabid anger of the Fists to aim for the Kodians as well as the Dardarians, so no action has been taken to harm the group. The Fists also paint their vehicles differently to those standard-abiding KAD Divisions, preferring personalization and an unnecessary amount of spikes and weapons over camouflage or safety. While this gives them a slight edge over most other KAD Divisions, it does make them incredibly noticeable and distinct on a battlefield. Soldiers identified as being members of The Fists of Archimedes are targeted specifically, preferably before they can reach melee range.

Kodian's Fists exhibit superhuman levels of strength, fueled by their lack of self-preserving instincts and adrenaline-backed battle-rage. They prefer melee over anything else, enjoying their time being able to closely watch Dardarians die, whilst simultaneously being disgusted by the creatures and monstrocities they are. The Fists wear little armor, although the Fists that once belonged to the KGB do still wear their power armor. The Fists do not seem to believe in stealth tactics, believing that stealth does not provide the same joy-giving feeling of brutal melee or prolonged ranged engagements.

One of the most famous deeds of Kodian's Fists would be the establishment of the so-called "Cult of Archimedes," which claims legitimacy through worship of the Esteemed and his Cabinet as living deities, come to cleanse the Universe of the Dardarian Dominion and its associates. The Cult sees death by combat as one of the holiest things one can do, and values its members by the number of Dardarians killed. The Cult supposedly has no set leader, yet. The Esteemed and KBI actively attempt to supress the cult, not wanting it to spread beyond the Fists, but there is evidence to suggest that the Cult has taken over an estimated 65% of the RPF and 90% of the Scribe Program as a whole.

Despite their problems, The Fists of Archimedes are the closest things to combat experts when it comes to the Dardarian Dominion, and often act as the main source of information about the various species utilized by the Dardarian Dominion. The Fists are often the most common survivors of Dardarian engagements, and as such provide the most reports on how the Dominion operates. The Fists are also known to be widely feared by the Dominion, many commanders witnessing themselves entire Dardarian armies and fleets fleeing at the sight of Fist members. The few Dardarian traitors that do exist have explained that the Dominion universally fears and actively avoids the Fists, preferring to leave and fight another day than suffer the extreme amount of casualties wrought by the enraged crusaders.