First War of Sol

## Factions

Bandorian Protectorate

Asgardian Alliance

 vs

United Nations

## Timeframe

15 April 2129- 4 November 2134

Result: Bandorian-Asgardian coalition victory, UN defeat

## Background

Ever since colonies on other planets and moons had been formed, the debate had been waged fiercely over who was actually in control of them. The UN desperately tried to keep control of the colonies, despite most colonies having been started as the result of the efforts of corporations like SpaceX or individual countries' space programs. This issue, known as the colony control debate, raged on from the mid-21st century. Over time, more and more colonists joined primarily space-based organizations, mainly the Bandorian Protectorate and Asgardian Alliance, and even government officials in many colonies joined these factions. Soon the real control of the colonies lay in the hands of these two factions, rather than any country or Earth-based organization. In early 2129 riots against the UN broke out on Mars.

## Notable battles

### First Battle of Mars

The First War of Sol began on 15 April 2129 with the First Battle of Mars. The First Battle of Mars opened with a UN orbital bombardment of several Bandorian colonies on Mars, which compromised the X-7 dome habitat, killing over 10,000 civilians; the strikes were not limited to this location, and caused many civilian deaths, with estimates ranging from 12,000 to 25,000. The Bandorian forces on Mars responded by sending all available ships- and even some Mars atmospheric craft- into low orbit to attack the UN ships in orbit. Asgardian ground and space forces assisted with this operation, which was very successful, inflicting heavy losses on the UN fleet in orbit. The battle lasted until 23 April, when the UN task force retreated out of Mars orbit; both sides gained reinforcements, which allowed them to continue the fight, although the outcome had largely been predetermined by the heavy losses inflicted on the UN forces on the first day. Though the UN tried to suppress knowledge of the civilian deaths caused by its forces, videos and images of the UN ships bombarding Mars filtered through to Earth; the governments of the Eurasian Union and Greater Islamic Caliphate expelled all UN forces from their territories because of this, and massive protests against the UN forces began worldwide. Many of the protestors were deported by UN forces, as the UN, headed by the former USA, muscled down on the regions of Earth still under its control.

### Battle of Luna

The Battle of Luna took place between 20- 24 April 2129 between UN and Asgardian forces. Asgardian forces, in response to the UN strikes on Mars colonies that had killed many civilians, placed multiple fleets in orbit around Luna and initiated missile strikes on many UN military bases there; casualty estimates range from 35,000 to 50,000. The battle ended after the UN returned fire with anti-ship guns on Luna and moved its own fleets into orbit; the UN fleets retreated after coming under fire from the Asgardia Prime space station in orbit of Earth, and the Asgardian fleets mostly retired to an orbit near Asgardia Prime.

### First Battle of Asgardia Prime

The First Battle of Asgardia Prime technically started in late April 2129; the UN moved scoutships near the massive space station then, to monitor it after it drove UN ships away from Luna with long-range missiles at the conclusion of the Battle of Luna. The war at this point fell into an uneasy truce, with both sides waiting for the other to make the first move. On 4 July 2129, an incident between Asgardian supply ships and a UN scoutship that got too close provided the spark that began the conflict openly again, with UN ships attacking Asgardia Prime. The massive space station was not an easy target, as it had fearsome weapons arrays; in addition, it contained nearly 180,000 civilians, meaning the UN ships had to be more precise to at least give the appearance of trying to avoid civilian casualties. The engagement was very drawn out, resulted in relatively few casualties on the space station and heavy casualties on the attacking UN fleets, and technically lasted until the end of the war, as UN ships regularly traded shots with the station. However, the UN forces mostly withdrew from weapons range on 23 August 2133.

### Second Battle of Mars

On 12 July 2129 several dozen UN strikeships deployed to Mars to cover for a fleet of transport carriers, which released dropships packed with troops to try a takeover of the planet with ground forces; the assault lasted three days, but failed as none of the dropships were able to land. The colonists on Mars used spacecraft, aircraft, and countless anti-ship weapons to prevent all landings. On 15 July 2129 the few remaining UN ships retreated from Mars. The colonists had suffered approximately 8,000 casualties from orbital bombardments and destroyed aircraft/spacecraft, while the UN forces lost over 15,000 troops.

### Battle of Rotor Station

On 19 July 2129 UN ships reached Rotor Station, an Asgardian space station built between the asteroid belt and Jupiter, with over 30,000 inhabitants. The UN forces began trading fire with the station, which deployed its own defense forces to repel them and sent out a distress call requesting additional forces. In addition to Asgardian forces, ships from the LABS, which had rebelled alongside the Protectorate and Alliance, assisted in defense of the station and ambushes against UN supply convoys. The standoff at this station, like the situation with Asgardia Prime, technically lasted until the end of the war, although the UN forces mostly withdrew from weapons range after 21 December 2133. The engagement followed a similar pattern with the battle at Asgardia Prime; the UN ships would fire long range missiles, which would be intercepted by station ECM and missile defense weapons, then the station would return fire with energy weapons and interception missiles, causing severe damage to the ships and forcing them to retreat.

### Battle of Spire Station

On 21 July 2129 UN ships reached Spire Station, a large Asgardian space station orbiting Jupiter. This station was mainly inhabited by military personnel, so the UN forces were much freer with weapons than the other space stations, deploying torpedoes and kamikaze drones as well as energy weapons. As at Rotor Station, LABS ships assisted in the defense of the station here and in harassment actions against UN supply convoys going to and from the conflict zone. The station's defenders fought with great resolve, and used their own drones, as well as many kinetic weapons, to inflict severe damage on the UN ships and destroy incoming drones and missiles. The standoff at this station lasted even longer than at Rotor Station, with the UN forces finally withdrawing on 14 July 2134. Over 3,000 casualties were incurred by the station's defenders, but they caused an estimated 7,000 casualties on UN forces during the siege.

### Third Battle of Mars

In a much better-prepared invasion attempt, a UN fleet of capital ships, strikeships, transport carriers, and several fleet carriers with their squadrons of fighters, bombers, and interceptors arrived at Mars on 19 October 2129. This time they managed to land, although they were scarcely able to establish a foothold due to catastrophic casualties. Reinforcements were sent to keep a hold on several colonized areas of Mars, although many Bandorian troops resorted to extreme tactics such as suicide attacks in attempts to force them out. By December of 2129, however, the UN was able to maintain a foothold by establishing its own new bases on Mars, from which troops were sent out to attack and aircraft were deployed to counter the colonists' formidable forces of aircraft. The problem then became one of supply chains; while the Bandorian and Asgardian colonists were mostly self-sufficient, the UN forces required continuous resupplying to keep their bases operational and their soldiers fed and equipped. The colonists' forces were able to cut supply drops to a minimum by use of anti-ship weapons systems; while their air forces were largely suppressed at this point, a squad in a transport vehicle could quickly assemble and deploy an anti-ship weapon and leave a few troops behind to operate it, even inside territory nominally controlled by UN forces, as they patrolled less often in order to conserve oxygen supplies. Constant attacks on the UN ships in orbit eventually resulted in a UN withdrawal ending on 12 December 2130, though only a few hundred troops were successfully evacuated, as the colonists refused all ceasefire negotiations and tried their best to shoot down all UN dropships entering Mars' atmosphere during the troop retrieval operations. The remaining UN troops on Mars mostly surrendered after this, and about 200 who refused to surrender were taken prisoner and released back to the UN in exchange for anti-UN protestors from Earth, who were either deported or imprisoned by the UN. An estimated 74,000 UN ground troops were killed during this campaign; estimates of armed colonists killed range from 70,000 to 100,000, while at least 15,000 civilians were also killed in bombardments and "collateral damage" from UN operations on Mars.

### Battle of Earth

The Battle of Earth, like the Battle of Luna, was surprisingly the only time a major battle was fought at these locations in an interplanetary or interstellar war. The Battle of Earth was entirely fought in the space surrounding Earth, and lasted from 2 December 2130 to 4 November 2134. The battle was fought mainly to contain the UN forces in orbit of Earth, and many firefights took place between UN orbital shipyards and Asgardian or Bandorian ships, or Asgardia Prime and UN ships, as well as between the ships of the opposing forces. On 4 November 2134, specialized cruise missiles were fired from Asgardia Prime targeting the UN headquarters; the leader of the Asgardian Alliance contacted the UN and offered to deactivate the missiles, in exchange for a ceasefire and the immediate stand down of all UN forces in Sol. The UN accepted these terms, and this concluded the First War of Sol.

## Aftermath

The UN agreed to a ceasefire in the areas around Earth, and to instruct all forces to cease all hostile actions against Asgardian and Bandorian facilities in Sol, in exchange for the deactivation of the cruise missiles aimed at its headquarters. These conditions were the foundations for the peace treaty ending the war, which became known as the Soln Treaty, after the name of the missiles which had facilitated its creation. Both sides agreed to exchange all prisoners of war, and to return any remains of dead soldiers of either side which had remained in the other's territory. The Bandorian Protectorate was required to give up its claims to control of Mars, and the Asgardian Alliance was required to move Asgardia Prime out of the Sol system; both of these factions were also required to begin programs to move half of all their colonists out of the Sol system. The UN was required to release all anti-UN protestors who had been imprisoned, and to move all of its military installations to Earth and Luna; fixed military installations on other planets or moons would come under the control of the local colony's government. While the UN maintained its status as a strong military power, its officials were greatly troubled by the fact that this war had marked the start of a new, powerful coalition against it, and that outside of Earth and Luna, virtually the whole system of Sol was united against it. The terms of the treaty, harsh though they might have been towards the two main victorious powers, spurred them on to make great efforts in founding new colonies and expanding their existing interstellar colonies, which proved useful in later conflicts.