Southern Thrust Campaigns

Known to be a series of bloody and arduous efforts conducted by the Eternal Empire in the **Southwestern Galactic Core**, the many military Campaigns of the Southern Thrust have slowly but surely assured the political, economical and military dominance of the Eternal Empire in the region as a whole. Being sometimes an effort organised by the Lord Regents, Lord Admirals, Field Marshalls, and even Her Majesty herself when needed, these incursions proved, with time and sheer ferocity, the capacity of the Western Lion to expand and wage war regardless of the enemy it faced and the situation abroad in the Galaxy. These bloody affairs, though sometimes failing to achieve the set goals of initial invasion plans and operations, managed to nevertheless weaken the aliens affected to an extent where not even the most advanced of these xenos could contain Imperial advances with the passing of time; consolidating the Eternal Empire as a western superpower and a giant across hundreds of solar systems.

Lasting for almost a hundred years and involving hundreds if not thousands of crafts during said times, there have been six great Campaigns of the Southern Thrust, each one lasting several years and claiming millions of lives as a result of the many offensives it comprised with. Such efforts began after the discovery of FTL methods, in the 2200s, and finally came to an end in the next century, in 2307. By then, the Empire had mobilized hundreds of millions of soldiers, sailors and pilots for the campaigns, a move that not only trained the troops for other more crucial engagements elsewhere in the future, but also assured a continuous stream and expansion of habitable planets for the Empire’s fold, something that only increased the nation’s strength in the long run.

## **First Campaign (2213/2215)**

Known to be more of a colonization effort rather than a fully fletched military operation, the First Campaign proved itself crucial for the first steps of Imperial expansion into the South as a whole. It worked much into Lord Regent Thomas Ashbury’s favor, who had articulated the military to work together in the colonization missions and overseer the transport of colonies to habitable planets; it allowed for much resource exploitation, star-charting in core territory and biological exploration of local worlds for the Imperial economy and court present in the home systems. Though short (Only lasting two years and three months) and swift, it also managed to scout much of the territory that would later be occupied by Southern xeno powers, relaying very information to the aristocratic mass of Empire for future incursions formulated by the Admiralty and other governmental branches of the royalty.

Overall, roughly 90 million men employed by the Imperial Army partook in this Campaign, with further 20 to 30 armed vessels escorting, scouting or making way for imperial freight and colonial transports. Though costly and limiting for other fields of advancements like the North or East, it nevertheless proved vital as an initial stepping stone in for any advance for the future in the south; such origin would only become the beginning of efforts for the Eternal Empire in the region.

## **Second Campaign (2221/2224)**

Nearly after a decade of consolidation, expansion and political strengthening amongst the region, the Empire was ready to make another great play; the Second Campaign of the Southern Thrust. This incursion, however, was still one which deeply aimed to avoid any kind of confrontation against xeno societies nearby; a direct wish of Lord Regent Thomas Ashbury, who still thought the Royal Navy to be out of shape for fighting in a prolonged struggle so early into the space age. That didn’t stop Imperials from achieving quick land grabs and political coercion to gain more territories though, and soon enough the Imperial domains outside of New Sol grew and grew both in power and numbers. The three years of campaigning in the South used much more military power though, and although it was not aimed for direct conflict with alien species nearby, it certainly was kept close either for border patrols of the newly established colonies or as an intimidating force to keep the xenoist responses off from Imperial territory. By the end of the Second Campaign, more than 20 new systems were brought under control of the Eternal Empire, places riches of minerals and foods were now safely secured, all without a single drop of blood being spilled in interstellar conflict.

In total, more than double the number of forces used for the assurement of complete Imperial Sovereignty over the new borders. Alongside the mass recruitment conducted for the Imperial Army, over 50 warships now were responsible for composing the southern fleets, an enormous number, considering the age and time of such undertakings. Those maneuvers were also one of the first real tasks formulated and acted upon by the Admirals of the Royal Imperial Navy, functioning much as the first training these men and women would receive within the void, with many wars and escalations were barely avoided in the meantime.

Unfortunately, the Second Campaign would also be the last one without bloodshed, since newly established rules within the Imperial Court allowed nothing more than full extermination of these xeno threats looming close by.

## **Third Campaign (2239/2248)**

By the time of the next thrust in the south, much had changed within the Empire’s intricate government and military stance over the Galactic community. The assassination of Lord Regent Thomas Ashbury, two years beforehand, had destabilized the already tricky situation found nearby the colonial holdings of the Empire close to the borders, and steadily shifted the somewhat peaceful and isolationist politics of the nation into ones of complete isolation and total war against the xenos. Other regional powers such as the Aaeuah Realm, the Cirrulian Union and even the Rayxycodium Union, amongst other forgotten nations, would receive the full brunt of the Imperial wrath, fighting what initially was sought to be common wars to then hold on sporadically in their final stands in their remaining worlds. By 2239, these first memories of terror would be implemented into such cultures, as the full might of the strengthened fleets initiated their first incursions towards the south, with a completely different mindset than what was preserved before.

The Third Campaign saw much destruction and bloodbaths across its span of nine years. Whenever a fleet of the Eternal Empire reached a region controlled by the local inhabitants, if there were no forces to stop them, they would plunder, pillage and exterminate everything found within a world’s surface, opening way for the much extreme army forces to land and claim whatever they found fit for Imperial colonization in the future. If forces showed themselves to stop or at least delay the human steamroll coming from the North, they would face nothing less than a complete naval battle within their hands, ones that they sometimes could contain, but otherwise lost with incredible losses in the aftermath. By fighting for several years to control the bordering regions, many fleets were lost, rebuilt and lost again as time progressed, oftentimes suffering much similar fates as their comrades in the ground received once captured or beaten back into surrender. In the course of 2239 to 2248, it is estimated more than 50 billion alien losses in the efforts conducted by the Armed Forces of the Empire, though more than double of said numbers are also speculated.

In the aftermath, the Empire did manage to achieve its goals, though at a higher cost than what they had come to expect in the beginning of the campaign. Of roughly the total 100 vessels that fell in direct control of the Southern Naval Command and the Lord Admiral in question, 40 to 50 of those met a fate of decommission or early retirement in combat situations, taking with them thousands of sailors, dozens of captains and two high-ranking naval admirals of her majesty’s royal navy. Though high, these numbers falter in comparison with the Imperial ground forces that engaged against their enemies, having suffered roughly 20 to 45% losses at every landing of their original troop compositions. In total, 40 million of these soldiers would never return, but their deeds assured that the Empire expanded and maintained much of its taken possessions after the end of the campaign.

## **Fourth Campaign (2256/2261)**

What could be said about Imperial forces in the last great campaign, however, would not concretize itself in 2256. Though holding great plans and promising to put an end to the offensives in the South at last, these hopes were much affected by the upcoming plans formulated by Field Marshall Lionel Firefly, which orchestrated the battleplans for the northern offensives of 2260-61, otherwise known as the ‘*Bloody Push*’, by the people and troops partaking in the devastating Great Northern War. The Fourth Campaign, although planned to last more than ten years and utilize most of the available arsenal of the Empire as the Galactic Entente and Celestial Alliance increased tensions for its own benefit, the incursion had to be scrapped mid way through its undertaking for the greater goals at the North. By 2261, a great portion of the southern fleets, spearheaded by Admirals like **Seth Richardson** ‘*Rosehip*’ and **Tiana Campbell** ‘*Darjeeling*’, were abandoning their posts in enemy southern battlegrounds to join their comrades north, in one of the bloodiest affairs the Galaxy would come to see in the 23rd. Century.

To say that the Imperial presence in the first five years of campaigning in the south were useless, however, would be a grave mistake performed only by the most naive of thinkers. Most forces of the Empire there, which now composed roughly 60 vessels, as greater efforts were being allocated to the north, brought chaos and havoc to the already weakened xenos who’d struggled to rebuild after the last campaign, isolated and in crisis, they stood little chances as their fellow counterparts already posed worse standards than in the last incursion provided by the Empire. The two grand Admirals, merciless and bloodied by their own natures, also never held back from a task too risky, something that gained them much prestige, renown and - Most importantly - experience in battle for future tasks regarding the safeguard of the Empire as a whole.

The ground army of the Imperial Domains also made considerable gains during said thrust, before ultimately being brought back to the homeland for the northern campaign. Of the 70 Million soldiers embarking in the offensive, less than 5 Million were considered as dead; a new sign that the capabilities of the Southern nations to defend themselves was beginning to falter like never before. For the time, as it seemed, the species of the South were saved from complete doom, but they still were slaves from one single merciless concept; time, something they would find themselves lacking, even when it was needed the most to protect the last of their memories...

## **Fifth Campaign (2288/2290)**

After decades of quiet activities over the border, a new opportunity was beginning to appear over the horizon. A new age had been born after the bloody affairs that comprised the Great Northern War; the Eternal Empire had at last waken from its isolationist zeals that kept it from driving against all those around it. The end of the century had brought a new opportunity to western humanity, and under newer managements, it had along with it everything to achieve the final way for Utopia…

For now, however, it aimed for another region to strike. The attacks of 2288 to 2290, which then became known as the Fifth Campaign, was all but a distraction, a hoax to divert the attention of peoples from the Southeast to a greater, larger strike on the main threat of the Empire at the time; the Celestial Alliance and the elf-like Thadrakos peoples as a whole. The thrust of the South involved a smaller amount of warships and leadership as a whole, using second-rate troops, reserve vessels and officers still in training from the force, a new generation to be someday brought to the spotlight when needed in the frontlines. Little more than ten million men and women of the army were actively utilized, mostly inducing quick invasions in the smallest of the planets and probing attacks in the nearby frontiers of the Celestial Alliance. Then, the active training of combat wings were also amply used for training, especially the ones capable of fighting in the void, for fleet support and system scouting. One Leena von Mannerheim, then a Air Officer at the Support Corps, would achieve much of her early victories in her career, becoming one of the top aces in the nation after the much needed baptism by fire in the Fifth Campaign of the Eternal Empire. Without many foes and losses taken during the offensive, many other opportunities appeared for the scholars and strategists, rather than the soldiers themselves.

By then, the Empire had shifted much strategies in the South to better accommodate its needs for future warfare. Southern species showed lesser threats than in last pushes, and instead of keeping the pressure in a steamrolling assault, the Imperial Armed Forces had rather utilized the opportunity to learn, adapt and devise newer tactics, in hopes of training greener troops and discovering better ideas for other larger scale galaxy-wide assaults. The use of conventional nautical warships, to steady the advance of soldiers in the battlegrounds of disputed worlds, introduction of roles in armoured vehicles, to better the hopes of specializing the order of engagements, and the commissioning of the experimental troop flagship, HMS Overlord, were all new additions that brought steady advances in the technological fields of the Empire. With the testings of 2288-2290 over, much of the lessons learnt in the South would prove useful against the fight with the Thadrakos, Fth’grans and even the Commonwealth, decades later in history.

## **Sixth Campaign (2300/2307)**

Though being the last, the Sixth Campaign of the Southern Thrusts may be the most well known of them in modern history. The most recent in memory of Eastern people, it was curiously also one of the most recorded of the Southern offensives, with many diaries and war journals written by common warring soldiers and exotic personalities alike. Two of said records, *The Last Journey* and *Infinite March*, have stood out as one of the most well known references for historical knowledge in the East, despite them being from the works of Imperial troops themselves. Nevertheless, the Sixth Campaign has managed to keep itself the most detailed and bloodied of the attacks until then; setting once in for all the heated disputes found within the South of the Eternal Empire and Galaxy as a whole.

The focus of the Empire had once more finally landed its sights on the weakened xenos; it was time to finish a brawl started almost a century before with old neighbours. The now grand Sovereign Armada of the Empress had been established, and was headed to cut the head of the southern-most snakes that still could at least fight back against the arriving Imperial menaces. Many old faces and new portraits were in sights to take part in the attacks. Men like the battle-hardened **Admiral Earl Grey**, Enos Mackleburry, or the promising cadet of the Royal Navy, Darius Ney, spearheaded the most daring tasks, and, likewise with the old admirals of the Fourth Campaign, were keen on achieving the complete victory at last, despite never facing such odds like the ones found previously in the pushes of the 23rd. Century. Battles like the ones in Dania System, or the one on Saoruta System, led to many ground battles responsible for one of the worst atrocities of history, Cisacury in specific being the worst ever documented in the Campaign. **Eidolon Fleet**, a combined effort put up by the xenos under attack by humanity, was crushed after a series of encounters and retreats that took entire two years to be finally put down. After a series of arduous years, each and every one of them comprising of events and events of extermination and mass-killings, the final victory in the South was at last achieved by the Eternal Empire. Being one of the largest efforts put up in the Galactic Core, the final tides had at last being broken by armed hands; religious zealots, militarized nations or pacifistic unions were all commonly attributed by one thing, they were all alien regimes that could never hope of defeating the Imperial onslaught coming from the North. They held for as long as fate allowed them to, but even that appeared too little to detain such xenophobic wrath contained through one royal individual; the Empress of all humans.

120 Billion lives were inevitably lost as a result of the Sixth Campaign...

As for Imperial losses, almost all were military instead of civilian, and even then, a low number was brought for the greater magnitude of the slaughter they accomplished. The strengthened Armada, containing powerful vessels and deadly warships, like the Imperial pride, HMS Hood, counted no more than 20 vessels destroyed in a span of seven years of light fighting and escorting of troop convoys, a cautious measure taken much more seriously after the convoy raiding tactics of the Dyss, during the Bloody Push. For the Army and adjacent Air Force, on the other hand, around 12 Million enlisted personnel were retaken as casualties of the undeclared war, perhaps one of the best outcomes for the Campaigns in the South in the recent years of warring against their understrenghenned foes. In the aftermath, only a handful of civilizations still roamed the South without facing complete annihilation by the Imperial watch. Though these cultures would be enslaved, wiped and finally forgotten, decades later, the breach made up by the new emperor Daniel Lavoie was enough for said individuals to catch a glimpse of the future of the galaxy; one last time before being likewise brought into the darkness with so many others.