Folas-Human War

The **Folas-Human War** was a relatively short conflict fought between the Folas Imperium and the United Systems early in latter's spacefaring history. Several human pirate and rebel cells allied with the Imperium, hoping to gain full independence from the human governance. However, the Imperium and assorted allies lost the war and were eventually turned into a vassal state after their slavery system had been abolished.

## Background

Humanity had been making good progress in expanding their territory, even coming across several minor alien species and forging treaties or alliances with them. Their expansion, however, came at the cost of those groups who stood opposed to such measures to integrate them into human society so willingly. In the years proceeding the war, they began to form pirate bands or rebel cells to show themselves as members of their own community, rather than that of the government that governed their species.

Eventually, Imperium scouting parties came across human dissidents, later putting them into processing for eventual enslavement. During this interim, the dissident leader managed to strike a deal: in exchange for their freedom, the captives would give the slavers all the information they had on potential human targets, both of which believing they were weaker than they truly were.

## The conflict

On September 19, the Folas Imperium began to launch blitz attacks on United Systems holdings, dedicating a large percentage of their existing forces, easily defeating colonial defence fleets stationed over the outer regions. Their strategy was largely based off the intelligence they had gained by human dissidents and limited reconnaissance that confirmed what information they had. Despite their best efforts, however, several United Systems war fleets engaged the forces of the Imperium. Now engaged on dozens of fronts, the Folas Imperium mobilized their vast majority of their military and dedicated it to their new war, after executing the dissidents they had captured, believing they had been fooled.

In the time before their attack, humanity had largely been opposed to full militarization, preferring the use of multi-purpose craft instead. Following the attack and a formal declaration of war, the United Systems began to deploy warship designs, both new and old, into battle and fighting back their now enemies. This would mark the first time humanity utilized artificial intelligence to develop effective countermeasures to ground and space combat designs and strategies.

### Battle of Gladstone

On March 21, the Folas Imperium was attacked during slave harvesting on the human colony of Gladstone by United Systems 9th Fleet. Quickly destroying the orbiting Imperium starships, human forces directly engaged Imperium ground forces who barricaded themselves within Araithus, the colony's capital city.

Despite their defences and fortifications, the Imperium were quickly loosing ground. Desperate, they dispatched a detachment of their bipedal walker units to charge the human lines, hoping them to break first. Having encountered these machines before, the United Systems utilized their gravity manipulation technology to increase the density of the walkers, forcing them to collapse upon themselves, depriving the Imperium of heavy fire support.

With the arrival of additional reinforcements, the United Systems quickly overran Imperium lines after a sustained bombing run against artillery positions and gun emplacements. All surviving folas officials were taken into custody.

## Aftermath

The course of the war and its arrival upon their own "garden worlds" had led to mass riots against the standing government within the Imperium that threatened to stretch their military and their flow of supplies. After several days of sustained blockades by the Systems Navy in orbit of Noden, civilian mobs would manage to fight and defeat loyalist forces, eventually overthrowing the government itself after most of those who stayed resolute were killed. On November 21, the new leadership installed by the rebels official surrendered to the United Systems, officially ending the Folas-Human War. However, those who refused to surrender attempted to flee to unknown space, only to be hunted down by those they once enslaved or by the Systems Intelligence Service.

Two more years proceeded the downfall of the Imperium: the Folas Protectorate was formed by the folas rebels with assistance, their economy was stabilized with new trade partners, and those who had committed war crimes against other sapient species were brought to trial and punished. As per their treaty, the Folas Protectorate was allowed to raise a purely defensive military and prohibited from conducting offensive operations without oversight.