The Meridian War (2643-2645)

**The Meridian War** (also known as the Second Andresian-Jovian War) was a conflict between the Andresian Federation and Jovian Imperial Union between 2643 and 2645. The war began on 23 October 2643 when Jovian sleeper agents disguised as Andresian fighter pilots opened fire on the FNS Prometheus during the 2643 Andresian Independence Day airshow. This preceded a full Jovian naval invasion along their border with Andresia. The fighting ended with a Jovian surrender on 6 August 2645.

## Names

Officially, the conflict is referred to as the Second Andresian-Jovian War.

Colloquially, the conflict has been referred to as the Meridian War. This stems from the fact that the frontline rarely strayed from the nation's initial borders, which approximately follow the Galactic Meridian.

Jovian government officials have referred to the war as the Exclave War, in line with the JIU's casus belli which accused the Federation of violating their lease of the Jovian Corridor, which connects the exclaved state of Estion with mainland Andresia.

## Background

### Helion Palace evacuation

Six hours before the opening shots of the war, images and videos began to circulate that supposedly showed unmarked military transports landing at the Helion Palace on Midwing 4. Analysis of the footage reveals the transports to be modified D303 Percherons, which are commonly used by the Jovian Royal Armed Forces. The spread of this information was heavily censored, presumably by the Jovian government, both before and after the outbreak of war.

## Course of the war

### Second Battle of Aneribus

The battle began as part of the Federation's counter-offensive into the state of Nova Cambria. The 91st, 107th, 143rd and 289th collectively entered the system at 1218 AST. The 91st moved to secure Aneribus 5, successfully forcing the Jovian 101st Naval Brigade to fall back to Aneribus 3.

Upon breaking from superluminal, the FNS Prometheus began to decelerate, targeting a stable orbit around Aneribus 3. During its descent, Jovian reinforcements broke from superluminal behind it, and began to open fire. The Prometheus defended against torpedo volleys for 15 minutes before receiving its first impact. The JRNV Albion Vindicta was the first to enter effective railgun range and open fire, scoring a hit through the Prometheus' fighter hangar.

After sustaining critical damage to two of its four reactors, and with its aft engines operating at 22% of maximum thrust, the *Prometheus* was unable to reach a stable orbit and fell into the atmosphere of Aneribus 3, where it burned up over Andova. Much of its support fleet befell a similar fate, although some were able to escape. This left Aneribus and the Andresian capital firmly in Jovian control.

### Phantom of Andova and civil unrest

Hours after the destruction of the FNS Prometheus, the citizens of Jovian-occupied Andova witnessed an unidentified aircraft fly over the city, blazing blue and red smoke, before accelerating upwards towards space. Recovered Jovian radar logs reveal the aircraft to be an FA-72A Sparrow, which was shot down by air-defence missiles before it reached a stable orbit. This event sparked mass riots across the city, with the mysterious pilot being dubbed the *Phantom of Andova* and becoming a martyr in the eyes of the Andresian people. The pilot's true identity has never been ascertained, nor how they managed to find a functional FA-72A, a class of fighter that was decommissioned nearly 60 years before the outbreak of the war.