Thursday 10 September 2015

The 5th Outrim War: Eve of Conflict


Having prepped sufficient figures for the ground side of my proposed Outrim War campaign, I started work on what forces would be committed by both sides to the conflict.

The Outrim War campaign represents the confluence of a series of political streams that have been in play for the twenty-four years since the end of the 4th Outrim War in 1085.

The Geithurian Republic Secessionist Movement, engineered by the Imperial Intelligence Agency in the decade prior to the 4th Outrim War, successfully weakened the Republic to the point where it was forced to launch a premature war against an external foe - in this case the Imperium - to shore up internal support. Falling into the trap set by IIA, the Republic and the broader Outrim Alliance were soundly defeated and the Edlchtel Clan - Konzevrs of Appaer/Lymethius and Presidents of the Geithurian Republic, lost power and prestige.

It took nearly a decade for the Edlchtels to regain their dominance of Appaeran politics, and then a second decade to reassert Appaer's dominance over the rest of the Geithurian Republic. During this period, the wider Outrim Alliance became increasingly moribund under the leadership of the elderly Hleahayaouko, Tlehiui V, of Huiha Esoyatre.

The Kalar-Wi War ended in defeat for the Kalar-Wi in 1105. Within months of the surrender, Duke Adryos Urzov IV of Gamelea, whose incompetence and corruption had very nearly cost the Imperium its victory, was dead. On Appaer/Lymethius, Ashtebr Edlchtel became Konzevr and, within six months, President of the Geithurian Republic.

The colonization of Auru/Lymethius in the Tallu Cluster by the Imperium in 1007 was widely seen as the spark that eventually ignited the 3rd Outrim War in 1025. While Auru was essentially abandoned by the Imperium after the war, a residual colony remained in the southern hemisphere, south of the Joolian Mountains, along with a residual Imperial claim to the system.

Konzevr Ashtebr Edlchtel's first move was to establish a small Republican colony on Auru's sole landmass in the northern hemisphere, while simultaneously using diplomatic channels to revive the Outrim Alliance. Agents of Iqro'Zhdable - IZd, the Republic's main intelligence service - also actively courted and supported the notorious Stranman Society as it moved to ferment revolt against the Subsector Dukes of Gamelea and Miazan Subsectors. Finally, a division sized detachment of the Murkhida Kargesu - the Geithurian "Stranger Force", or "Alien Legion" - was landed on Auru, disguised as a mercenary force, to "protect" the new colony. At least two divisions of Ingeki Kargesu - Geithurian Republican Regulars - as well as a brigade of Republican Marines, were put on standby at Coroson/Lymethius in case the Imperium attempted to resist on Auru.

In mid 1109, an Imperial Scout Ship visiting the southern colony detected unusual activity in near orbit around Auru, and then spotted the Gethurian settlement at Leena Bay. In the subsequent weeks, the Murkhida Kargesu moved quickly to seize the sub-Joolian settlements. What the Geithurians had not considered was the speed of the Imperial response.


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