Great Khan War

"When the First Changes in Baanthurian society were observed by frontier outposts and reconnaissance satellites in 377, Confederate Intelligence failed to recognize its significance until it was too late. Through diplomacy and brutal cunning, a single warlord had emerged withing their decaying civilization and rallied the disparate gangs, tribes, and holdouts to his cause. His title was beyond translation; to Antares, he was simply known as "The Great Khan". Within days of his ascension, the once-isolationist Bannthurian race had exploded outwards from their enclave, seizing star systems from all those around them."

## Great Khan War

### Outcome

Confederate Victory, Founding of Commonwealth of Ventin Vi Ta, Founding of Commonwealth of Vi Talas

## Major Battles

Battle of Koloa, First Battle of Prithvi, Fall of Melaka, Second Battle of Prithvi

The Great Khan War was a conflict between the Confederate Republics of Antares and the Baanthurian Khanate.

The first major engagement between the Confederate Republics of Antares and the Khanate was the battle of Koloa. In the system was Naval Station (NAVSTA) Koloa. This spacebound fortress was built and intended to serve as a deterrent against minor Baanthurian raids from the various gangs and petty warlords in the frontier region. NAVSTA Koloa was destroyed and two Confederate fleets were crippled and forced to retreat before the Baanthurian advance.

Defense of the Prithvi system was left to General Lilliana Reyes, Melaka, and the system's trade station Dar al-Salam. Dar al-Salam was hastily retrofitted as a fortress, but eventually fell to the Baanthurians.

The planet of Melaka held out for over six months under the leadership of General Lilliana Reyes. Her tenacious defense and gurella tactics resulted in staggeringly disproportionate losses among Baanthurian invaders, earning General Reyes the nickname "The Butcher". The defenders were eventually killed almost to a soldier (Gen. Reyes herself being killed by an exploding liquid fuel tank) and the planet was captured. However, the courage of the defenders of Melaka and Prithvi is credited with re-igniting the martial spirit of the Antares Confederacy. Across Antares' worlds, enlistment exploded, shipyards worked around the clock, and the idea of surrender and Khanate satrapy was abandoned in the Confederate Parliament.

For nearly a decade, the Prithvi Front as it came to be called reached a stalemate. During this time, the republics of Antares built up the navy, fortified against future offensives, and sought assistance from the Confederacy's neighbors. Ultimately, only a fleet of eldritch ships crewed by pilgrims from the ancient Vran civilization answered the call. After the fall of Melaka, the Great Khan turned his attention to his other neighbors, even moving through a natual wormhole to another section of the galaxy. Word eventually reached Antares that the Great Khan had met defeat at the hands of a distant and unknown foe.

Once he recovered from this defeat in 390 AL, the Great Khan set about on a renewed offensive, his reputation bruised, but his authority not yet challenged. The first target of this second offensive was the Confederate Republics of Antares. Antares hastily gathered all her fleets on the Prithvi Front for a final battle spearheaded by the Vran Pilgrims.

The Second Battle of Prithvi was beyond the scope of anything else seen in human history. The Khan's ships exchanged fire with the cruisers of Antares, Vran Battlecruisers, and the fleets of a thousand nations. During the battle, the Great Khan was killed as he went down with his flagship.

Following the death of the Great Khan, the Baanthurian Khanate was thrown into chaos as various generals, civilian leaders, and others jockeyed for position in the new order. Antares continued its push into Khanate space, intending to liberate the Baanthurians and install a democratic government. The Baanthurian Khanate surrendered unconditionally in 395 AL. The Baanthurian nation-state was preserved, but a new, democratic government was installed by Antares. The war with the Khan had pushed Antares past its traditional limits on foreign intervention towards a new policy of heightened militarism and interventionism. As such, the Great Khan War is generally considered a formative event for Antares as it exists today.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfFA36qpfYk
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bScEhfpvt-g
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/sagallonews