Taking of Trasnat

> ***"The sight is not one to behold, but to grieve. The hardships experienced down on the soil are amongst one of the greatest to man. Where, not only is there an enemy to fight with the most savage of tools, but an environment in constant change to be avoided at all times, unless wanting to be swept away in shambles by it. As many old minds have depicted a plain, dull desert as the tactician's dream, I am obligated to describe Trasnat as the tactician's nightmare."***
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> **-Army General & Attaché Lady Penelope of Emala, upon the second day after her arrival at the Imperial Command-**
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## Battle for Trasnat

### Result

Pyrrhic Imperial victory, heavy losses sustained force the attackers to retreat and abandon their gains

## Forces

### Defending forces

Dyss Army & Refugee Militia: 4 Million soldiers, scientists and civilians. Inexperienced and unarmed, but ready to engage in a final stand no matter what

### Attacking forces

HM Imperial Army: 6 Million soldiers, pilots & armoured commands. 500 thousand of which are rendered ineffective due to their unusable equipment in surface

## Commanders

### Commander of invading forces

General Durwin BurkeGeneral Penelope of Emala

## Casualties

### Defender casualties

Complete losses. All 4 million of the defenders perished either by the environment or the Imperial onslaught chasing before them

### Invader casualties

Heavy casualties. 3,5 million killed in Trasnat by guerilla combat, lack of equipment or environmental shifts of the planet

### Civilian casualties

Refugees left behind in the orbital research station of Trasnat. 43 million deceased in space, at the hands of the Royal Navy making way for invasion

  The red planet, the bloody wasteland, the turning point. The first and only battle fought on the surface of the planet of **Trasnat** (Taken from an old Dyss namesake appropriated off an ancient warlord) was the furthest the Imperial Army ever came to reach the Dyss core systems during the Great Northern War. The results of such confrontation, however, left nothing but a burning wound that reverberated throughout the Imperial Armed Forces, whilst also sounding the horns of retribution once thought to be extinguished at the Dyss side of affairs. Where initial battles came cleanly and swiftly with Imperial victories during the Great Push of the Eternal Empire, Trasnat showed how battered, stretched and undersupplied the remnants of such elite forces, once thought to be unstoppable, now stood in a stalemate, and just how resilient the Dyss defenders, despite their desperation and lack of self-preservation, had become throughout the months. A tragedy which could have easily been avoided had commanders, impulsive decisions and uncaring concerns not interfered, Trasnat was referred afterwards as the planet of hell; the only place where the Eternal Empire and the Dyss Berserkers were both at mercy of the world itself.

  The battle was fought between August 7th. and December 1st. 2262, in a series of bloody firefights which claimed the lives of over 7 million soldiers, civilians turned into militias and other high-ranking officials caught amidst the conflict. Unfortunately for the soldiers involved on both sides, it was the environment which inflicted the most carnage, as Trasnat was a barren volcanic world in constant change ridden of tectonic shifts that could collapse entire continents in a moment's notice. It was there that the frontline warlord responsible for the war's defences so far, **Kir'Dat**, was forced to make his final stand, luring the human forces, initially under the command of **General Durwin Burke**, into a suicidal engagement meant to inflict as much destruction as possible. As December came, no refugee, scientist, soldier or militiaman was spared; Trasnat was the stage for some of the largest and most brutal mass charges of the Great War of the North, and as the new year dawned, no-one had the strength or time to cheer their victories, for the war was just escalating further and further into the interstellar scope for both species alike.

## **Prelude**

### **A Shattered Navy**

  Early days of August 2262. The Empire's Northwestern flank forming the vanguard arrives at the **Turgass system**, tailing several dozen civilian freighters, unarmed frigates and other support ships of the Dyss Hakone Hvitsärk. Commodore **Edward of Alcântara** leads the **18th. Cruiser Squadron**, spearheading and escorting the 28th. Royal Army of General Durwin Burke into what they thought would be an uneventful clean-up manoeuvre throughout the system, to then advance further into Dyss warlord territory.

  Unbeknownst to them, they would be the furthest the Eternal Empire would reach in the Bloody Push campaign.

  The day before the 18th. Squadron begins their operations in Turgass came the news of the Imperial retreat from the system of Ryzia, after a bloody beating in the Battle of Lost Sun. Field Marshall Lionel Firefly, commander in chief of the push and most operations revolving around the Northern border of the Empire issues a direct order for the contingent; "*Eliminate enemy presence in Turgass and advance towards Adar System. Commence landing at the planet designated as 'Allerton' and await reinforcements*". Now with a timer on their heads, and knowing that their forces could be at risk of being intercepted at space and finished off, General Burke coordinates with the Commodore a quick engagement force to intercept stragglers and take out the research station above Trasnat, merging together a formation of both Royal Navy Cruisers, Destroyers, Corvettes and unnamed Army Royalty ships to spread potential enemy raiding and avoid ambushes. In a span of days, the system is cleared of any meaningful resistance, with the research station above Trasnat being the last bastion of Dyss presence, wrecked in the 6th. At the 7th, however, Commodore Alcântara received critical intel; What appeared to be High-ranking Dyss authorities left for the surface of the barren planet with a sizable contingent of civilian vessels. Knowing they could potentially eliminate a key enemy figure, the Commodore informs the General of the news shortly afterwards, the Empire would send a noticeable force to Trasnat shortly in sequence.

  The meat grinder was hours away from beginning...

### **The Opposing Forces**

  Across the void, refugees, scientists and routed soldiers have been caught with their hands tied up against a merciless opponent. The Dyss, who at that point had been forced to follow an arduous retreat, coupled with a scorched earth policy, have either been finally caught up by the pursuing Imperials or possessed no more means to escape the arriving enemy without leaving more of their own behind. One of such figures in retreat, Warlord Kir’Dat, the individual with most authority throughout the southern sector, was by now lost in his means to retreat any further, choosing instead, in a suicidal manner, to make a stand against the pursuers at last. His entourage, along with further 50 million civilians and soldiers alike were stuck, low on resources and lacking any kind of fighting equipment that would give them an edge against their foes in a direct confrontation. Not only that, but the system of Turgass lacks habitable planets, meaning they would either face a siege in the station or a chaotic battle in space unless another battleground could be found in time. For the Dyss, their lives had already ended, it was only a matter of finding a way to take down as many Imperials as they could with them.

  A few days before the battle could commence, the science teams inhabiting the station came with a gruesome, yet promising, solution for finding a more advantageous location of conflict, arguing that the very own planet they orbited, Trasnat, could be utilized for the occasion, all be it, at much harsher conditions than any station nearby could provide for the Dyss defenders. Kir’Dat, knowing he’d need the support of his fellow soldiers to accomplish his goal, relayed the same news to remainders of the population struggling alongside him, and in a stroke of bravery, devotion or fanaticism, the Dyss people found themselves willing to sacrifice their lives in the volcanic wasteland below them. They knew most would die due to intoxication, asphyxiation and numerous other conditions thrown by the environment as time drags on, yet the sacrificial effort carried on, in an attempt to at least slow down the impending enemy crashing through their nation’s backyard the best they could.

> *“Males and females were chosen, even mothers and some elderly, any abled body fit to carry a weapon or explosive and healthy enough to stand and live long enough. The rest of us are being left here, to retardate **them** further and make sure the Lapök (Dyss word for Lord) makes a safe journey with our brethren. We will make sure to fulfil our duties, with every limb, breath and will left in our souls, much like our ancestors from before.”*
> -Extract from a Dyss writing, just as Kir’Dat left for Trasnat. Unknown author.-
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  At the 5th, remains of unusable space crafts were cannibalised and fitted onto the abled ones. All available equipment and food was loaded and prepared for the landing and fight. The next day, 5 million chosen fighters are loaded in 129 transport vessels and sent to Trasnat. Of the 129, 95 ships land in safety, counting 4 million abled bodies ready to engage in a fight with Imperial resistance. As the research station in orbit above them is torn to shreds by the Royal Navy’s weaponry, Dyss heavy frequency transmissions - Known by the Imperials to be commonly used by high ranking authorities - begins broadcasting in an effort to lure the Empire to Trasnat’s surface. They are picked up with ease, despite the planet's attempts of interfering with communications. The High Command is eager with the news, and soon prepares a large landing party to scout the location, taking the bait. Imperial ships soon circle above what they thought to be a suitable landing spot and prepare their redcoats; the Battle for the red planet was about to commence.

## **The Battle**

### **Bloody August**

  Looking through the windows and staring at the red planet didn’t sway both parties of the dangers to turn tails and make for a retreat from their landings, but it did instead encourage sloppy planning, rushed actions and overly looked issues that costed lives of several thousand soldiers from both sides. The initial hours for Dyss defenders were chaotic and bloody; those without headgear, breathing equipment or any kind of protection were subjected to harsh conditions and temperatures, coupled together with a constant risk of falling debris damaging equipment or outright killing any bystander left clueless in the spot. Regardless, the scattered survivors began digging, hoping to find refuge in caves, storing their supplies in safe locations and preparing ambushes at every suitable mountain or valley that wasn’t filled with magma or toxic gasses. Kir’Dat makes part of the underground resistance on the planet, and although some groups split and follow more isolated strategies to survive, most are willing to follow the Lapök’s orders to the letter. Overall, the Dyss resistance lands on the rocky mountain range later known as “Ash Wall”, losing around 30,000 defenders alone to the elements of Trasnat every day.

  At the other side of the spectrum, Imperial High Command scrambled to assemble a force to be sent to the planet. The veterans from previous ground engagements against the Dyss were still under strengthened, awaiting reinforcements and more equipment, so the reserves were recalled to take part in the initial landings of the operation. General Burke had little intel over the ground situation, not knowing about the tectonic instability, changing winds and frequent shift in off-world communications. On the 7th. of August, 50,000 of the Empire’s rearguard detachments landed 30 miles off the Ash Wall, not expecting the struggles found down in the ground to such an extent. Soon, they too would encounter the hardships of the bloody planet through blood and carnage.

  For some, Durwin Burke was a shadow of giants; flying under the radar of fame and recognition, yet making sure to withhold the discipline and respect under his troops. The battle of Trasnat, however, would show to his men - Along with so many others - how much himself and the detached general staff were willing to sacrifice to achieve petty victories at the cost of thousands every day. As Imperials from orbit watched and accessed the situation, around 15,000 soldiers were succumbing to extreme weather, unexpected tectonic shifts and merciless temperatures alike; the meat grinder for Trasnat was just commencing.

  It took 8 days for the human force to properly situate themselves and reshuffle their standing units into fighting shape at the surface. Command had already accounted for 128,372 ground casualties, and although the Dyss were sustaining heavier losses, none of the forces had actively fought each other by that point - the Empress's men soon realised they'd be forced to search and destroy the elusive enemy hiding under volcanoes, with a timer and a planet to combat them in the meanwhile.

  The steady advance had initially proven to be less eventful than planned, but on the morning of the 17th. (In Trasnat's local time), a small platoon, led by 1st. Lieutenant *Ursula Camelton*, came under fire by a smaller dug in Dyss militia force on the entrance of Ash Wall. Taking dozens of losses on the surprise attack, the Imperials could have overlooked the skirmish and those defenders as mere stragglers, instead, they correctly deduced General Burke's biggest fears for the campaign; the Dyss were digging underground, inside the mountain range and preparing to lure the Empire in for a bloody brawl.

  Both armies fought little apart from skirmishes at the mountain's ends at the end of August, choosing to prepare themselves for either a massed defense or an organised infiltration, all the while dealing with horrendous losses of their own against the environment. Finally, by September, the volcanoes of Ash Wall would have enough incentive to awaken and roar against the foreign combatants, as the attacks began, and the blood began being spilled in mass.