Aramathi Liberation War

Known officially as the *Ortan-Zracon War*, the much more popularly known **Aramathi Liberation War** was the first galactic conflict fought between the Ortus Council of Nations - Later to be known as the Commonwealth - and the Zracon Union. The war had the overall objective of liberating all Aramathi peoples under Zracon slavery, and by extent, transferring the planets of New Sajar, in the Aramus System, and Tyntregal, in Fidhilam System, to the OCN's jurisdiction. It was the first interstellar war fought by the Ortus Council of Nations against another Interstellar foe.

The declaration of war was broadcasted live from the Ortus Spaceport on March 8th, 2233, included in Chancellor Drahoslav Tesar's own speech at the assembly of councillors. After general mobilisation of armies and a final parade conducted by Task Force Manticore, Human & Kithri forces partook in a myriad of battles both in space and on land to achieve victory over the Zracon Union. The most notable battles were the 1st. Battle of Aramus, the Battle of New Sajar and the 2nd. Battle of Aramus.

On October 9th, 2239, conflict was settled through a short yet decisive peace negotiation, where the Zracon Union accepted defeat at OCN pressure. The planets of New Sajar and Tyntregal were leased, and the Aramathi given full OCN citizenship. Hailed as a major victory, it sparked a sense of jingoism in the people of the OCN and also unified the different species, a factor that would later lead to the proclamation of the Commonwealth, in 2241. Being a first for many warfare-related topics for the Ortus Council of Nations, it nevertheless both shocked and taught the human-led armed forces over the principles of void and ground combat in the cluster, birthing new tactics, stratagems and technologies that would be utilised by the Commonwealth in future wars.

## **Prelude**

Although both species had discovered each other recently, the Aramathi Liberation War was not the first instance of conflict between humanity and the Zracon Union. Amidst the first contact event above the planet of New Sajar, on 2226, scientist and commander of *CSV Outlier*, Melanie Giroud, was forced to retreat from Aramus System once Zracon fighter-craft began harassing the vessel - A decision that would leave one crew member behind, stranded in space and at mercy of their Zracon captives. As both nations began probing one another for clues on their rivals, those cold relations would soon sower even further, as the news of Aramathi enslavement arrived in Ortus and spread throughout the Ortus Council of Nations like wildfire. The human leadership knew that such acts would not be restricted only for the Aramathi, and as contingency plans, such as the Phalanx Protocol, began being implemented, a myriad of ideas on how to tackle the Zracon Union in a war were also beginning to surface.

Spearheaded mainly by the General Staff of the recently established OCN Army, General Branicki and naval officers of Task Force Manticore, the council began hatching plans for war against the Zracon Union, a possibility that then became inevitable once contact with the Aramathi Resistance was established, and the scope of the Zracon atrocities were revealed. Overall, plans such as the Agema Doctrine, the Naval Budgetary Expansion Act and the Phalanx Protocol were all ideas which the OCN came to adopt, to a certain extent. In particular, human preparation focused on its own capacity to defend its frontier systems, and so the construction of the Merit-class Citadel became the core of OCN leverage in case its offensives did not work during the war.

Meanwhile, the Zracon had their attention shifted towards the conversion efforts of the Aramathi as servants to the Light. Having already exterminated the Uzema from the surfaces of New Sajar and Tyntregal, the high priests focused efforts on enslaving and dogmatizing the surviving Aramathi population, in a final effort before inevitably being forced to exterminate them also. This process lasted all throughout the span of a decade and a half, and was only somewhat curtailed by the OCN's declaration of war, in 2233, right as conversion breakthroughs were occurring above New Sajar.

## **Conflict**

*For further information on the battles, check the Battle of New Sajar, 1st. Battle of Aramus & 2nd. Battle of Aramus articles.*

In short, the Aramathi Liberation War was the stepping stone for the birth of the military prowess displayed by the Commonwealth of today, though a small and costly step on the long road ahead. After performing a parade on their way to the frontlines, Task Force Manticore, under leadership of Admiral Shu Lin, performed jumps from Obsholla System to Nijil System, then to Aramus. Since the power of sensors were extremely limited during the time period, the fleet relied on accurate scouting done by voluntary captains and their ships, the most notable of examples being the case of *CSV Vendetta* and her crew. As the Ortus Council of Nations shifted its economy to a war footing, the Radiant Host arrived at Aramus System and docked above New Sajar, awaiting the human aggressors. Forced to halt her advance to New Sajar, Admiral Lin shifted tactics and conducted a jump to Fidhilam System, resulting in the Skirmish of Fidhilam, in late 2233. After conducting a short and precise bombardment campaign against Zracon positions at Tyntregal, the Radiant Host was lured out of its defences above New Sajar; It was Task Force Manticore’s first ever use of its ‘*kiting*’ style of manoeuvre war.

The following campaign dragged on, with several attempts at baiting the Zracon fleet whilst Task Force Manticore strengthened itself with reinforcements from its territories. Once an opportunity was presented, the human fleet re-entered Aramus System and engaged orbiting defences above New Sajar, resulting in the 1st. Battle of Aramus, in 2235. However, as preparations were being finalised and the OCN Army neared the orbit for a landing in the planet, the Radiant Host reappeared, scrambling all offensive efforts and resetting the campaign back to its manoeuvre-styled warfare. During June of 2238, Task Force Manticore and the ground coalition of Humans and Kithris had returned, landing on the planet and initiating the Battle of New Sajar at last. After almost two months of heavy fighting on the surface of the Aramathi homeworld, the planet was under control of OCN forces, though at a severe cost.

Months after the occupation of the planet, preparations for the upcoming invasion of Tyntregal were cut short, once the Radiant Host once again returned to Aramus System in a direct course against OCN forces on New Sajar. Task Force Manticore, cut off-guard by the kiting strategy now utilised by the Zracons, scrambled to return to Aramus as the Radiant Host sailed to its objective. As the first bombs began to fall once more on New Sajar, the OCN fleet closed in for the kill, the events leading up to that point culminating in the 2nd. Battle of Aramus - Also known as the Fleet Combat of Aramus -, on the 23rd. of September 2239. With its fleet defeated and little-to-no capacity to withstand the incoming wave of offensives, the Zracon leadership decided to settle for the peace terms negotiated by the OCN, granting them a total victory without a single army landing on Tyntregal. The war, in almost the blink of an eye, was over.

## **Conclusion**

As the conflict came to an end, the Aramathi planets were abandoned by remaining Zracon forces, and were transferred to OCN jurisdiction. Under orders of the Aramathi First Speaker, all installations built by the Zracon with direct connection to their conversion attempts were to be demolished and scrapped from the planets, a policy followed by the human leadership seeking to improve living standards of New Sajar and Tyntregal. As liberation and citizenship was granted to all Aramathi, however, some individuals most affected by the alien invasions saw the takeover with distrust, and in response they formed the Defense First Center in October of 2239, a political party with isolationist tendencies headed by the scientist Nestor Lachinov. Despite the small opposition, the liberation was received with an uproar of celebrations and festivities, primarily in the newly liberated Aramathi worlds. As the conflict died down, so did the atrocities committed by the Zracon upon the Aramathi at last.

Across the border, however, the Zracon Union underwent a series of changes that would attempt to prevent a conflict from ever resulting in a defeat ever again. With their attention shifted towards militarism and spiritual conversion, the Zracon initiated a series of projects aimed at disrupting OCN operations by any means possible, often resulting in conversions or assassinations. Another notable initiative was the construction of several ‘preaching outposts’ along the border of both nations, a structure created for broadcasting of their religious ways, the Everlasting Light. With the end of the conflict and the slow realisation that changes would have to be made to its military, the Zracon Union began to also look outwards, in search of allies it hadn't previously hailed in a cordial manner. The resulting actions would later lead to the creation of the Triple Alliance, an organisation solely aimed at curtailing the sovereignty of the Commonwealth.

Overall, the Aramathi Liberation War proved to be a first to many actions perpetrated by the OCN. The war exposed the glaring inexperience the nation suffered from in its navy and ground forces, and the losses reflected in space and New Sajar were the reflection of such issues. The war also left a sense of pride across the OCN that fuelled jingoistic tendencies, which would later be the first sparks to the Kartheman Liberation War, years later. As it stood, however, the Ortus Council of Nations remained more unified than ever, and with the new acquisitions of planets, species and a myriad of cultures intermerging across its planets, the human leadership decided to alter its identity, leading to the proclamation of the Commonwealth, on the 2nd. of January, 2241. The Aramathi Liberation War left a deep mark on humanity - A mixture of positive and negative marks -, but it nevertheless proved that, with unity and the pursuit of liberty, any species could be freed and allowed to prosper among the stars.