Defense of Tartarus

The defense of Tartarus was a major battle and one of the first military engagements in the Imperial Invasion where Tartarus military forces defended the spire against the entire Agency - the paramilitary force of the Syndicate. The battle is known for it's unparalleled brutality and intense fighting across a massive front, and the desperate measures taken by Tartarus forces to avoid defeat, including suicide bombing and a literal scorched earth tactic. The battle resulted in a Syndicate defeat when Tartarus Militia forces managed to set Island 96's petroleum stores on fire, cutting off the Agency's troops and forcing a halt to their advance. Just under half of Tartarus's military strength was lost in this single battle. The aftermath led to the collapse of the Syndicate and the rapid militarization of Tartarus in anticipation for a prolonged war against heaven.

Before the battle, the Syndicate had increased its military presence on the border of Tartarus under orders from the Everempire. This act did not go unnoticed by Tartarus, which increased its military preparations and hastened its military reforms. However, the prospect of a full-scale war was an uncomfortable topic among most officials in Tartarus, who were seeking to phase out the more traditional military organization of the Militia with the decentralized, defensive-centered Guard. Most preparations fell short and Tartarus was largely unprepared for an invasion. The Tartarian Militia ended up making its own preparations, with increased joint-operations and drills, while the Infantry fortified their positions and increased strikes to quickly wipe out any bandit or pirate threats.

The battle began shortly before 1400 as Raider Section was being evacuated from a failed joint operation against bordering bandit camps. The Everempire broadcast its declaration of war at the same time the Revolution broadcast its declaration of independence. Several thousand Agency airships crossed into the outskirts of Island 96 and began deploying armour and infantry units into the tunnels leading into Tartarus itself. The border was immediately overrun, and the I96 Defense forces enacted a desperate defense to allow the city to be evacuated. When the city was evacuated, the remaining I96 defense troops manually set their border petroleum reserves on fire, killing themselves in the process and halting the Agency's advance.

The first Agency troops to engage Tartarus consisted of special "castle" and "angel" units supplied by the Everempire. They were halted just outside of Stsetsvenkina by a mixture of Militia troops and Rail Union troops. The Agency troops eventually broke through with the use of heavy armour. At 1800, the Island 96 border fire was extinguished entirely and the main invasion force proceeded unhindered. Airships landed in several areas inside Tartarus, but were spread thin due to having gotten lost and separated while navigating the twisting tunnels above Tartarus. A large number of them followed bandit or pirate groups, mistaking them for Tartarian troops, and ended up just outside of the Infantry-held border stations. This stroke of luck for the Infantry caused massive casualties among Agency forces. Two of their three capital ships were downed immediately, and the Infantry line held. The remaining airships spread out and attempted to locate the Capital Stations of Tartarus, believing that taking control of major intersections in the transportation system would cut off Tartarus forces and essentially force them to surrender or starve. While this likely would have worked, the Agency's lack of knowledge of the stations led to them attacking the wrong locations, allowing supplies and reinforcements to flow virtually unhindered for the Tartarian forces. This also lead to Tartarus forces being stretched thin and deployed to hundreds of different stations.

Tartarus Military forces had taken so many casualties that entire battalions ceased to exist. Stsetsvenkina was defended by a mixture of Tartarian Militia, Fleet personnel, Guardsmen, Rail Union soldiers, and some Infantry. Several tunnels were blocked off due to the sheer number of corpses present. Anti-air batteries fired at the incoming airship fleet until most had run out of ammunition. Several Tartarus armoured vehicles and trains had to be repurposed into makeshift anti-air guns to avoid being overrun. Almost every train, military or otherwise, was deployed to keep the frontline stable. Fighting continued into the night. Around 2200, a small force of Tartarus Recoverat Soldiers reached the main control room of Island 96 and set part of the petroleum supply on fire, although it was retaken in an hour by Imperial special forces.

The tide began to turn when a Guardsman batter scored a critical hit on the Agency capital ship using a cluster munition rocket designed to bypass drone defense systems used by Agency and Imperial Army vehicles. The capital ship was lost with all hands on board, stopping Stsetsvenkina from being lost.

At 1200, a second Tartarian Recoverat Raider unit reached the Island 96 control room, this time attempting to set the petroleum factories on fire instead. Agency forces responded by cutting off the petroleum pipes. The Raider unit managed to broadcast the location of the control room to the wider Tartarus forces however, and Infantry, Militia, and Rail Union forces began converging on Island 96 via the train systems, which could now safety cross.

At 1200, the petroleum supply was restored for the final time and Island 96 was burned to the ground. The battle ended at 1500 as the remaining Agency forces, now trapped, either were killed or surrendered.

This battle was the initial wake-up call to Tartarus, and cause lasting effects for the city-state. The Militia became the primary fighting force of Tartarus. Stsetsvenkina began allying more closely with Tartarus, eventually becoming almost like another branch of the Guard. Tartarus would go on to ally with the Unity to defend itself, and a massive military campaign was launched against any remaining bandit or pirate groups still remaining. The following months would see the Tartarian Militia, Fleet, and Guard becoming more prominent, mobilizing and sending troops into combat outside of Tartarus.