Battle of Diomikato (3200)

Last image of the AQN Pride of Diomikato before its disapearance

## Belligerents

**Empire*** House Aquila
* House Pyxis
* House Eridanus
* Broken Eagle

**Sector Trade Organization**

* A.C.R.E.

## Commanders and Leaders

**Empire*** Primus Legate Navalis Aelius Kassius
* Legate Aquila Aurelius Thephila
* Legate Aquila Corax Lucius Romulus II
* Ranger Jekyill Emma

**Sector Trade Organization**

* Director A. Barry
* Director Guisman
* Director T. Kain

## Units Involved

**Imperial Legions*** Legio CXI
* Legio IV
* Legio CCCXIV
* Legio XIX
* Legio XXVIII
* Legio XIII
* UMBRA
* Praetorians

**Pyxis Ranger Coalition**

* HPS-216 Starfiend

**A.C.R.E.**

* C.O.R.E
* R.A.K.E

The **Battle of Diomikato** was a major A.C.R.E military campaign in the Aliya System and on the surface of Diomikato. It was the first and primary campaign launched in the Conflict of 3200  between the Empire and the Sector Trade Organization.

## Background

In March, negotiations between theAstral Synedrium, the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox, and the A.C.R.E. Corporation broke down. The talks centered around A.C.R.E.’s latest research program into advanced transportation technologies, but quickly devolved as both sides were unable to find common ground and tensions were rising between the Sector Trade Organization and the rest of the Empire.

## Occupation of Rahe 1

On April 11th, 3200 Aquilan deep-space scanners detected a high concentration of unknown and unregistered spike translations on the edge of the Aliyan system. A task-group of Aquilan naval vessels assembled and began to converge on the translation point. While en route, a distress call was received originating from the Rahe 1 refueling station; in response, the task-group command ordered an alter course to begin mobilizing additional vessels in and around Diomikato.

When the task-group arrived at the refueling station, they discovered an armada belonging to the A.C.R.E. Corporation blocking access to the station. The armada, a contingent of A.C.R.E. C.O.R.E. forces, was allegedly responding to recent provocative actions performed by the notorious pirates of “House” Vagrant, and occupied the Rahe 1 station in order to verify the integrity of A.C.R.E. assets on the station and to establish a staging post for future military actions against “House” Vagrant elements within the Core worlds. The Aquilan response was short and concise, the actions of the A.C.R.E. Corporation were in clear violation of Imperial Law and constituted a direct hostile action against House Aquila and by extension the Empire.

Both sides refused to yield to the other, and the Convocation soon ordered that a blockade be established to contain the A.C.R.E. fleet to prevent any attempts to move further into the Aliya system. During the establishment of the blockade, transmissions from the Rahe 1 station security staff were received by the Aquilan vessels indicating that they had sealed and fortified one of the cargo modules.

One week after A.C.R.E. forces first entered the Aliya system, the Convocation confirmed an elevated alert status, and declared martial law throughout the Aliya system. Civilian void travel within the system was suspended and any and all A.C.R.E. personnel were ordered to surrender themselves to Legion forces. In addition, civilian defense shelters and bunkers were activated in the event of hostilities breaking out.

Over the course of the following month, A.C.R.E. vessels that began to move between outer jump points and the Rahe 1 station would be subjected to search and seizure actions, constant observation, and escort by Aquilan naval vessels.

On April 20th, a message was transmitted to all channels from a newly arrived A.C.R.E. transport. The message appeared to be additional details supporting the initial communications from the A.C.R.E. Corporation, justifying the actions of the C.O.R.E. forces, and adding that a forewarning of the troop movement was prevented due to an error in the inter-system communications systems. Subsequent messages would be received later which seemingly corroborated the A.C.R.E. justifications, however, these messages were received far too late to deescalate the situation.

Further attempts by either side to reach a negotiated settlement or peaceful resolution to the standoff in the Aliya system failed. The month of April ended with the both sides moving closer and closer to open conflict with no end in sight.

### Rahe 1 Incident

On May 7th, A.C.R.E. C.O.R.E. forces discovered the body of Human Resources Director A. Barry in his office. He had a single gunshot wound to the head, however no weapon was found at the scene. There is enormous uncertainty surrounding the death of Director Barry, and there has been little to no hard evidence to shed light on the details of his death. As a result a number of conspiracy theories have emerged attempting to link the Director’s death to the conflict with the Sector Trade Organization, or some other hidden agenda.

What is known is that the C.O.R.E. forces quickly began reprisals against the Aquilan occupants of the station. With the remaining Aquilan security teams being quickly dispatched by the overwhelmingly numerically superior C.O.R.E. forces.

The next day, on May 8th, the AQN *Into the Valley* detected an explosion along the outer hull of the Rahe 1 station, and multiple Aquilan vessels nearest to the station observed the A.C.R.E. armada powering up weapon systems. Sporadic exchanges of weapons fire was reported along the blockade lines, with AQN *Veni Vidi Vici* becoming directly engaged by multiple A.C.R.E. vessels and was destroyed minutes after the initial energy detections were reported. The flagship of the Legio CXI, AQN *Pride of Diomikato*, immediately ordered the forward blockading task-groups - coded Alpha and Bravo - to pull back and regroup with the reserve vessels at Waypoint 032.

The legion's primary objective was to engage the A.C.R.E. armada and prevent the C.O.R.E. troop transports from reaching Diomikato. Taskforce Bravo and Charlie moved to engage at close range, hoping reduce the effectiveness of A.C.R.E.’s numerical superiority, while Taskforce Alpha acted as the anvil, meeting the A.C.R.E. armada head on.

The incident concluded after hours of heavy fighting with the majority of the Aquila fleet destroyed, including the HPS-216 Starfiend which was participating in the Ranger-Legion exchange program at the time of the incident. Unable to halt A.C.R.E.‘s advance, the remaining ships of the Aquilan fleet were ordered to regroup and engage at Point N028-594.

## Battle of Point N028-594

AQN *Pride of Diomikato* rallied the surviving fleet and ordered a pursuit the A.C.R.E. armada; Aquilan forces were to re-engage at Point N028-594. However, the main A.C.R.E. formation frequently shifted and altered course, denying a full engagement at every possible chance, while the armada's rearguard contained numerous marine and boarding assets which proved devastating to the leading Aquilan vessels. AQN *Silver Sword* and AQN *No Man’s Land* were the first ships to be boarded by the A.C.R.E. marines, and soon after the *Pride of Diomikato* was also boarded by the A.C.R.E rearguard.

May 10th, two days after the Rahe 1 Incident, at 16:27 local time, Primus Legate Navalis Aelius Kassius initiated the Knightfall Protocol and all hands are ordered to abandon ship; at 16:53 the last escape pods were reported to have been jettisoned and the *Pride* broke formation. Legate Kassius, who was still aboard the flagship, sent one final broadcast proclaiming his intent to deny A.C.R.E. the venerated warship. The details of the event are still unknown, as all nearby sensors were jammed by an enormous burst of EM radiation believed to be caused by the vessel's spike drive. After the emissions subside, the *Pride of Diomikato* and the four A.C.R.E. vessels surrounding it had completely disappeared from the system. Neither the Aquila flagship nor the four A.C.R.E ships would be located until after the war.

The Aquilan fleet continued to desperately pursue the A.C.R.E. armada as it made its way to high orbit over Diomikato, but by this point it was clear to many that the battle in space had been lost. Acting Legate Aquila Aurelius Thephila, commander of Meridian Anchorage, broadcasted the authorization codes for the Phoenix Protocol on all AQN military frequencies. All remaining Aquilan naval forces were ordered to break off and translate out of Aliya and rendezvous in the Tsatsos system, home of House Serpens. Of the entirety of the Aliya System Defense Force, only 1,356 service men and women survived and succeeded in reaching the Tsatsos system.

## Invasion of Diomikato

### Sacking of Infernum

With the Aquilan fleet destroyed and in withdrawal, the A.C.R.E. armada entered into high orbit of Diomikato and began invasion preparations. Their primary target was the capital city of Infernum, with a four hour preliminary bombardment aimed at the Ash Fortress and other military installations surrounding the capital city. Despite the devastating volume of orbital ordnance, the legion personnel occupying the Ash Fortress remained relatively unscathed - a testament to its construction, however; the fortress's anti-air defense array was heavily damaged in the bombardment, and could not intercept the drop pods following in the bombardment's wake. Heavy, close-quarters fighting erupted across the scarred surface and the twisting underground passages of the military base's defenses. The genetically engineered warbeasts of A.C.R.E. proved extremely effective against both infantry and Lorica. Despite the valiant efforts of the Imperial Legion, the battle of attrition was not in their favor as increasingly more C.O.R.E. troops landed on the planet's surface. The remaining legion forces were forced to engage in a fighting withdrawal as they retreated into the wilds of the Diomikato.

A simultaneous assault on the Legio Summo Imperio, also known as “The Nest” and the central communication and coordination center for legion operations, was also underway. The preliminary bombardment appeared to be far more effective here, with the main structure left in almost total desolation. But the first wave of A.C.R.E. forces very quickly discovered that the “The Nest” was far more than it appeared, as legion troops ambushed the first wave on all sides, emerging from hidden access points scattered throughout the grounds. As with the Ash Fortress, fierce close-quarters fighting filled the “The Nest’s” grounds, although for a time the legion soldiers managed to not only hold ground, but push back and encircle many of the C.O.R.E. forces. It appeared that the C.O.R.E. forces would be entirely wiped out were it not for reinforcements diverted from the Ash Fortress using the captured underground tram system; the newly arrived C.O.R.E. troops used House Aquila’s own underground network to their advantage and threw the legion's forces into disarray.

Once the strategic points around the capital were occupied, C.O.R.E. forces began moving into the city en mass. The fighting within Infernum was conducted block by block, as the Legion LUX fought with a fury not seen since the second civil war. Having secured larger landing zones at Port Bastion, C.O.R.E. forces were able to deploy heavy equipment and which proved invaluable in breaking through LUXs fortified defenses positions. Despite their heavy losses, LUX was able to hold the line long enough allow many of the civilian shelters within the city to be evacuated to Diomikato's dark side.

### Fall of the Convocation

Once it was clear that the battle in space was lost, many of the Praetors within the Convocation began to make preparations for the capital's defense, as well as the future of the house. On strict instructions from the Convocation Speaker, only a small group of Praetors were permitted to remain within the city and lead the defense, the rest were to evacuate the city by whatever means necessary and get off world to regroup with the remaining Legions outside of the Aliya system. As A.C.R.E. forces moved closer to the halls of the Convocation, the Speaker rallied the 1st Centuria of the Praetorian Guard; the battle for the Grand Forum lasted hours, and although unconfirmed, there are numerous reports of the Speaker of the Convocation personally leading a charge of Praetorians into A.C.R.E.'s ranks. What is known is that every single Aquilan legionary that was charged with defending the Convocation and the Grand Forum died in the attempt. Still, the intensity of the fighting took its toll on the surviving A.C.R.E. forces, as later evidence points to wanton acts of violence and destruction throughout the remains of the Convocation.

By the 17th of May, with the fall of the Grand Forum, all the major districts of Infernum were under the control of A.C.R.E. security forces, although they had paid a heavy price to take the city. Resistance to their occupation took many forms, both military and civil. A.C.R.E. C.O.R.E. forces attempted to maintain a strong public display of force, but were routinely divided between crackdowns on civil unrest, public protests, and engaging the scattered remaining LUX units within the city.

## Resistance Operations

After the loss of both the Legio Summo Imperio and the Ash Fortress, legion forces were forced to pull back from Infernum and regroup in the wilds and less populous regions of Diomikato. With the removal of the central command structure and the activation of the Phoenix Protocol, these surviving forces were on their own, forced to operate independently and without support. Many of these survivors took defensive positions in and around key infrastructure in territory surrounding the capital, seeking to contain A.C.R.E. to the metropolitan area of Infernum; others attempted to keep the evacuation routes open, trying to ensure that as many refugees could make it to the safety of the dark side of Diomikato.

### Operation Bulwark

A re-consolidated force commanded by the second prefecture of the Legio 314: Experimentalum took up a position in and around the INN-002 causeway, one of the major shipping routes between Infernum and the rest of the Greenbelt. The main focus of the operation was to ensure that the causeway was not captured or destroyed by A.C.R.E. military, as the route would prove vital in any future offensive to retake the city.

The battlegroup was divided along three battle lines, designated ‘TANGEN’, ‘OPTO’, and ‘DEMO’. Much of the early fighting took place in the open terrain to the north of the TANGEN line, with scattered A.C.R.E. patrols and forward elements engaged by the various mechanized and reconnaissance elements of the legion taskforce. Most of these early skirmishes ended in Imperial victory, as the bulk of A.C.R.E.’s forces were still securing Infernum. As the month of May continued, more organized pushes from A.C.R.E. moved into the taskforce's area of operation which resulted in larger and larger engagements.

On May 25th, the largest single deployment of Lorica and Equities assets since the opening days of the conflict took place. The engagement began as A.C.R.E. armored forces attempted to breakthrough the battlegroup's operational lines; the offensive momentum was stopped after only a few hours, but more  A.C.R.E. reinforcements were diverted to the engagement, which forced the 314 commanders to respond in kind. Even with the additional deployments from the occupied capital, C.O.R.E military units seemed incapable of making any headway as the pre-planning and advanced equipment and coordination provided by the Experimentalum enabled legion forces to have an unrivaled level of inter-unit coordination. Seemingly desperate, A.C.R.E. unleashed hordes of their genetically modified beasts upon the battlefield; their savagery proved devastating, but were indiscriminate in their targeting and inflicted as much damage onto C.O.R.E forces as they did to Aquila. Regardless these creatures proved quite effective and legion forces were left no choice but to pull back.

Over the next several weeks, A.C.R.E. attempted to push all along the OPTO line, however each assault was successfully pushed back. The combination of high ground, dug-in fortifications and use of the Exspiravit warbots from the 314 proved too much to overcome, even for the remaining warbeasts.

### Sanctuary Protocol

The Sanctuary Protocol is a contingency plan developed by Legio LUX in case of a rapid invasion of the planet by an outside, hostile force. The plan entails a retreat of LUX forces to a hidden mountain fort deep within the hinterlands of the White Trine. The code phrase “Today we are hunting Tarandus for supper” would signify to the populace of Diomikato to start searching for LUX legionaries to help guide them to safety. On top of gathering the civilians, LUX would begin fortifying the mountain for a potential last stand. With LUX dealing with the care of civilians, the other legions - such as Legion CCCXIV - were left with the freedom to do whatever damage they needed in order to turn the tide of battle across the planet.

### Broken Eagle and other Rebel Forces

The highly militarized population of Diomikato allowed for a large rebel force to spring up on the planet almost as soon as A.C.R.E forces landed. Retired legionnaires led rebel groups across the planet, ambushing C.O.R.E patrols, sabotaging supply bases and providing intelligence to legion forces.

One of the largest and most organised cell was known as Broken Eagle, a group that had long been worried about House Aquila's vulnerability to attack. They had been preparing for an assault like this for the last few years, funded in part by certain elements of the Convocation. Many ex-legionnaires were counted amongst their ranks. Broken Eagle had already placed supply caches throughout Infernum and the major settlements of Diomikato, allowing for the easy equipping of civilians who volunteered for the resistance's cause. The chaos caused by their guerrilla operations is thought to be a major factor in the decision by A.C.R.E  management to draw up plans for reprisals on the planet's civilian population.

### Deathless Conflict Solutions

During the opening stages of the conflict, Deathless Conflict Solutions announced a new recruitment drive based out of their newly acquired commercial centers located across Diomikato. As the intensity of the conflict increased many Diomikatans, both noble and serf alike, flocked to the DCS recruitment offices, eager to seek a way out of the conflict zone.

## Evacuation of Diomikato

Throughout the month of May, untold numbers of civilians and legion personnel were able to find safe passage off world. Although the main spaceport in Infernum was seized by A.C.R.E. in the opening advance into the city, numerous other settlements were capable of facilitating freighters and transport vessels.

As news of the conflict spread throughout the sector, more and more vessels came from throughout the core. Daring to brave the A.C.R.E. armada and make their way onto the surface. The adventurous pilots and navigators of House Pyxis played a critical role in ensuring a steady stream of transports made their way out of the Aliya system.

Legion forces prioritized the evacuation of command staff, and highly sensitive information and  other resources. These transports attempted to reach the Tsatsos system to reunite with 11th Battlegroup and what remained of the Aliya System Defense Force. As a result, most of the civilian transports ended up on Hroa, where House Serpens welcomed the newly arrived refugees with open arms.

In addition to the various coalition transports and spacecraft participating in the evacuation, Deathless Conflict Solutions offered transportation services at all of their locations throughout Diomikato. Refugees were able to pay competitive prices for evacuation off world to any location in the sector, and the guarantee of security.

### Government in Exile and the Free Aquilan Forces

The loss of the Convocation during the sacking of Infernum left the Imperial Legions without a central command structure as of the roughly nine hundred members of the Convocation who resided on Diomikato, only a third managed to make it safely to Hroa and rendezvous with the 11th Battlegroup. Though the Phoenix Protocol was in effect, the surviving legates and praetors knew that a new command body would be required for planning and preparing the inevitable retaking of the Aliya system.

As the evacuated praetors arrived, they quickly came to the conclusion that simply continuing on as the Convocation would not be appropriate, a new name was needed reflect the current status of the house but still demonstrate Aquila’s resolve and dedication to retaking their homeworld and securing the Empire against the newly emerging enemy. “The Grand Convocation in Exile and Commanders of the Free Aquilan Forces” was proposed by Legate Olio Bruto of the Legio LIX, and quickly gained popularity.

The first act of this new Convocation would be to give thanks to those fellow nobles who were instrumental in its founding. To the noble houses of Pyxis and Serpens, a formal letter of thanks alongside medals of honor were rewarded in recognition of their continued support to House Aquila and the Diomikatan people. Once the pleasantries were dealth with, the provisional government began with deliberations on how best to retake the Aliya system and push back against the A.C.R.E. Corporation, as well as coordinating the Empire’s response to this wanton act of aggression.

## Imperial Counterattack

### Talons of the Empire

On July 1st, Legio CXI was ordered to return to the Aliya system and take command on the Talons of the Empire, the new strike fleet currently on station near the Deathless Conflict Solutions force multiplying staging area DCS *Mystical Floating Isle of Buyan*. The strike fleet, previously under the control of the Deathless through a diplomatic arrangement made many months prior to the war, had been purchased with the assistance of the Astral Synendrium.

When the legion arrived in the Aliya system, it quickly discovered that the fleet was no longer staffed by DCS personnel as unbeknownst to those outside the Synedrium, the Deathless had been locating and extracting members of the Aquilan Navy - who had been forced to abandon their vessels or could otherwise not evacuate to Hroa - and stationing them on the various warships of the strike fleet. These men and women had volunteered to man fleet as a skeleton crew for days until the forces from Hora arrived. When communication between the CXI and the strike fleet was established it took some time for both sides to get a full grasp of the situation. Over the next few hours, great care was taken to rendezvous and transfer what remaining crews were needed without alerting the A.C.R.E. armada to their presence.

### Battle of the Meridian Anchorage

By July 5th, the Talons of the Empire, now under the command of the Legio CXI, moved to retake orbital control of Diomikato. Their first objective was to secure the Meridian Anchorage, the former central command center of the Aquilan Navy, which they would use as a staging ground and fall back point in the subsequent planned offensives.

The Aquilan fleet encountered light resistance on their approach to the station, as A.C.R.E. had stationed only a small screening force, which quickly retreated in the face of the overwhelmingly superior Aquilan formation. What little remained of the stations external defense systems were quickly disabled, however; securing the station proved far more difficult, as C.O.R.E. forces had dedicated significant time to reinforcing the corridors and access-ways with choke points and kill zones. Hours of mariner action followed with heavy casualties on both sides, but reports taken from the C.O.R.E. units showed that they knew this was a battle they could not win. With no hope of relief the final pockets of resistance surrendered in the early morning of July 6th.

Soon after the recapturing of the anchorage, the main bulk of the A.C.R.E. armada pulled back from high orbit around the planet and scattered deep into the Aliya system in order to protect their troop transports. Additionally, small groups of individual warships from the various Houses Minor trickled in, ready to join the fight against A.C.R.E.

### Operation Absolution

On July 30th, UMBRA intelligence agents were contacted by individuals representing Broken Eagle; allegedly they had captured a high value A.C.R.E. employee during an operation in Infernum. After a quick extraction, UMBRA forces identified the ACRE employee as CISO-0506/003-OT Benedike, a technician working at substation facility Sigma Centra Station 7515A3-93. During an interrogation by Quaestionarius personnel, Benedike revealed that the substation was a relay for the augmented reality (AR) systems used by A.C.R.E. C.O.R.E. forces, as well as the details of the system itself.

An operation was quickly planned by UMBRA to disable and destroy the relay station, however, during the planning stages new information was brought to the attention of Aquilan Intelligence by the Marginal Aquilan Resource Growth Investigation Network (MARGIN), a House Eridanus program. The information showed trends in shipping records, signal intercepts, and documents outlining and detailing preparations for wide-scale attacks on civilian centers by A.C.R.E. C.O.R.E.. The most damning of these was an order for Operation MESS, which explicitly outlined the most efficient procedures for “liquidating” the population of Diomikato.

Using this new information, the goal of the operation was altered - Legio XIX and CCCXIV forces would engage along the outskirts of Infernum and draw out A.C.R.E. forces, leaving the relay station vulnerable and just before its destruction, UMBRA and MARGIN agents would access the network and transmit a summary of the gathered information, as well as an offer of amnesty to any and all forces that would defect back to the Empire. The infiltration mission succeeded with minimal UMBRA casualties, however the message was only distributed to roughly half of A.C.R.E. forces before the network was disrupted.

Even still, in the days that followed, scores of A.C.R.E. C.O.R.E. units abandoned their positions and surrendered to Aquilan forces. All told roughly half of A.C.R.E.’s troops on Diomikato had surrendered and pledged their loyalty and support to the Empire. These new forces were quickly dispersed among the Imperial Legions and closely monitored by Quaestionarius operatives. The remaining C.O.R.E. forces, unable to maintain their current positions, pulled back to Infernum and reinforced their control of the city.

### Symposium Protests

Now that half of the invading A.C.R.E. soldiers had defected to the Empire, civilians still in Infernum found more freedom to stage protests and public demonstrations of increased size and intensity. These incidents were being organised by advocates and agitators belonging to pacifist attendants of the Symposium for the Advancement of Non-Human Rights loyal to the Empire. They had received word of the conflict from noble sympathisers and managed to transport their agents onto the planet on the various shuttles and voidcraft used during the evacuation. Their main goal was to disrupt A.C.R.E.’s operations and end hostilities, hopefully bringing about a ceasefire or peace negotiations, as well as foment a more unified non-human rights movement on the planet.

Despite the generally negative or hostile attitude that most citizens of Diomikato have for the goals of the Symposium, the occupation of the city by A.C.R.E. and the recent news of Operation Absolution pushed many on planet into a frenzy. Operatives directed the throngs of angry Diomikatans to major thoroughfares, checkpoints, and other concentrations of C.O.R.E. forces. As the protests grew, it became apparent to C.O.R.E. commanders that something had to be done, before word spread and legion forces moved in to aid. Orders were quickly drawn up to disperse the crowds by any means necessary. MARGIN and UMBRA agents still left within the city attempted to intercept or disrupt the orders, but A.C.R.E. command had identified what flaws the Imperials had used to infiltrate their communications and were able to thwart any further attempts.

The crackdown against the protesters was swift and brutal, C.O.R.E. forces specialising in crowd control and dispersal wasted no time in demonstrating that aptitude on the citizens of Infernum. Tens of thousands were arrested, casualty reports have still not been completely confirmed, conservative estimates put the death toll near one hundred, and the injured or wounded in the thousands. Most notably, many of the Symposium members were identified and rounded up by A.C.R.E. security forces.

## Final Months

After the large scale defections, A.C.R.E. troops retreated to the vicinity of Infernum, fortifying the city and preparing for a long protracted siege. Aquilan forces that had been on the back foot had a chance to reorganise, buoyed by the influx of former C.O.R.E troops that were dispersed into Aquilan units. Imperial Forces harried the retreating A.C.R.E troops but were restrained to ensure they did not become overextended.

It was during this period of time that the AQN *Pride of Diomikato* re-entered into physical space, though it had become irreparably damaged. One half of the ship was discovered over Hiera while the other half returned to where it had originally disappeared over Diomiakto. Its return though was seen by some as a sign from God, an omen both good and bad on the likeliness of victory.

A strict blockade was enforced on the system, further reducing A.C.R.E troops ability to project their strength out of Infernum. Guerrilla strikes increased in frequency, despite the threat of reprisals from A.C.R.E, as irregular and light infantry units began to infiltrate deeper into the city. As the conflict heated up throughout the sector, Diomikato remained fairly quiet for the following months. Both sides wary of over-commitment and being vulnerable to counter attack. Several attempts were made to assault the city but all of them were called off during the initial attack, Aquilan commanders feared causing even more damage to civilians and casualties to the already depleted legions.

This state of affairs continued until the 18th of August, when C.O.R.E. commanders received an encrypted signal. The entirety of A.C.R.E. forces were to cease offensive operations and surrender to Aquilan forces on Diomikato. Within the day of receiving the communique, representatives from both sides had met and agreed upon a ceasefire. House Eridanus's acquisition of A.C.R.E had opened the way for peace in the Empire. Removing the largest member of the STO led to its swift collapse as an organisation.

The city of Infernum was liberated, C.O.R.E. troops surrendered their weapons and were held under legion guard in the Campus Martius while their fate was decided. Peace negotiations would continue for some time but representatives from A.C.R.E met with members of the Aquilan Convocation to sign the formal surrender of STO aligned combatants. The ceremony was held in the ruins of the Grand Forum on the 28th of August with witnesses from the High Church and the Noble Houses, the document saw the war declared officially over.

Celebrations in Infernum and across Diomikato carried on for several days. However soon the scale of destruction became clear. Months of work would be required just to clear the rubble and ensure no more survivors could be found. Legionnaires that had been so recently fighting were tasked with rescue efforts and rebuilding.

The Convocation was recalled to Diomikato and sat in their rightful place of residence for the first time in months. The war had ended in Imperial victory but the cost had been enormous, not just on Diomikato but on Orpheus,Haqani, and even Imperial Prime. The ramifications of this conflict would be felt throughout the Empire for years to come.

## Media Coverage

Media coverage of the conflict was intermittent and difficult due to both the intensity of the conflict and limited void traffic to and from the Aliya system during it. However, the Aquilan News Network Establishment (ANNE) created and distributed a number of stories during and after the conflict. Additionally a number of broadcasts were made by the A.C.R.E. Corporation on Demnoph to the general workforce population.

### Letters from Dio

Archive of the *Letters from Dio*

Despite the devastation and intensity of the conflict, many local communication networks remained operational. The following are transmissions archived, stored or intercepted during the conflict on Diomikato that offer an unparalleled glimpse into the struggles of those caught up in the violence.

## References

To view related content about the war between the Empire and the STO, see *Stories of Acheron Rho*