From: Sean Bayan Schoonmaker <schoon@a...>
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 12:12:00 -0800
Subject: [FT] Consolidated History
Hi All, Sorry this is so long, however... I've taken this from all the GZG books, omitted the duplications, and done a little tidying up. Sorry that I've changed spelling to the American versions (e.g. armor vice armour), but it drives my spellchecker less crazy that way. GZG HISTORY 1992 The creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States from the Soviet Union. 2014 Britain withdraws from the EC following the Spanish invasion of Gibraltar and EC refusal to take economic or military action. 2018 Nicholas III crowned Czar in St.Petersburg as the Romanovs return to Russia. o Australian/New Zealand forces liberate French occupied New Caledonia. The EC threaten military retaliation. Both Britain and the USA offer military support to their antipodean relatives. The EC backs off. 2023 The creation of the EC sponsored Economic Union of African Republics (EUAR) in Central and Southern Africa. Arab African countries remain outside of the Union. 2027 The destruction of the State of Israel by Islamic terrorist action. Saudi Arabia annexes Gulf States and launches an invasion of Yemen and Iraq. Egypt declares solidarity with the Saudis and attacks Libya. 2032 The Gilderstein Foundation purchases an island off the Philippines and, with technical and financial support from Japan, embarks on its research program into FTL travel. 2037 Sikh fundamentalists detonate a small nuclear device in Delhi, razing most of the city. The Indian government retaliates by destroying Amritsar and massacring the entire population. 2039 Indonesia invades and conquers Malaysia. 2042 The EUAR follows the example of the EC and becomes a federal super-state - the Pan-African Union (PAU). 2043 The house of Saud completes its suppression of its fellow Arab states and creates the Islamic Federation o Indonesian forces overrun Borneo. 2045 Heavy fighting on the Sino-Siberian border as the Beijing government presses long redundant border claims against a financially and politically bankrupt Russia. 2046 South Korea falls to a lightning strike by North Korea and China. 2047 A Beijing sponsored coup in Moscow results in the return of Communist government to Russia and several of the Commonwealth Republics. The Czar and a sizable military force flee to the Ukraine, who along with Byelorussia and the Baltic States remain free from the Communist shackle, as the EC intimates to Beijing that further Communist expansion west will not be tolerated, whatever the cost. The Communist states then create the Eurasian Union. The remaining Commonwealth States create the Romanov Hegemony, realizing that divided they will be picked off by the Eurasian Union in time. 2049 The US economy collapses, followed by the federal government as the President is assassinated in the bombing of the White House. General Parham declares the creation of a military government. Many states ignore the proclamation, violently opposing the armed forces' attempts to assume control. 2050 Parham requests UN military involvement to restore order in the US. The request is denied. The military government turns towards Britain and Canada for help. The "pacification" of the former USA begins. o The US inspired Organization of American States collapses and is replaced by the Brazilian / Argentinian dominated League of Latin American Republics. The LLAR intimates that it will use force to recover territories occupied by "colonial powers." Britain advises the LLAR that it will use any weapon in its arsenal to protect its subjects in the Falkland Islands. The LLAR backs down. o Philippines conquered by Indonesia and assimilated into the new Indonesian Commonwealth. Japanese naval units act to protect the Gilderstain Foundation's installation from Indonesian aggression. o In response to the growing Indonesian threat, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and a number of South Sea island states create the Oceanic Union. 2050-2057: The Second Secessionist War The collapse of the US economy and the assassination of President Amy Koslowski in 2049 precipitates a Second Civil War in the USA. After unsuccessful attempts to gain control, the provisional Military Government calls on British and Canadian support to quell the uprisings throughout the Union. This leads to the formation of the New Anglian Confederation. 2051 The Eurasian Union crosses the Himalayas and invades the Indian sub-continent. 2053 The Indonesian Commonwealth invades and conquers Burma and Thailand. 2054 The remainder of Indo-China falls to the forces of the Indonesian Commonwealth. 2057 Britain, Canada, and the United States unite under the Crown and create the Anglian Confederation. Admiral Dewsbury is appointed Lord Governor of the territory previously know as the United States of America. o The LLAR declares that the AC has no mandate to rule over the ex-Hispano-US peoples and decrees California, New Mexico, and Texas as LLAR territory under foreign occupation and launches an invasion of these areas. The fifteen-year War of the Americas starts. 2057-2072: The War of the Americas In the confusion of the end of the 2nd Civil War, the League of Latin American Republics attempts to take control of California, New Mexico, and Texas. A prolonged and difficult conflict between LLAR and Anglian forces results in defeat for the League and the loss of not only its foothold in the north, but also its possessions in Central America. 2059 The Gilderstein Foundation's L5 Lab disappears from orbit. 2062 The Foundation reveals the true nature of the disappearance of the L5 Lab. o The Islamic Federation and PAU clash in north-east Africa over water rights. The EC sponsor a peace initiative backed by the threat of force. 2063 The first trans-solar probe is launched to (and returns from) Barnard's Star. 2067 The Gilderstein Foundation sends the first manned FTL mission out of the Solar system. 2069 Both the Anglian Federation and the EC launch FTL craft and begin the colonization of space. 2070 Assisted by the EC, the Islamic Federation, the PAU, and the Romanov Hegemony all launch FTL craft. 2072 The LLAR sues for peace in the War of the Americas and cedes all territories in North and Central America to the Anglian Confederation. The LLAR looks to space as a means of expansion. o The Eurasian Union launches its first FTL ship and renames itself the Eurasian Solar Union. 2075 The LLAR launch their first FTL craft, as does the Indonesian Commonwealth. 2096 The founding of "New Israel" on garden world of Epsilon Indi system. 2098 Conflict again between the Anglian Confederation and the LLAR as border clashes escalate into all out war. Within two years the LLAR looses all possessions on Earth. Survivors of the League government and its supporters flee to the small Brazilian colony of Santa Rico. 2099 The first settlement of Albion by Anglian Confederation colonists. 2101 The struggling and unstable European Commonwealth finally disintegrates as Germany, Austria, and several east european states agree to the formation of the Neu Swabian League (NSL) in protest at continued French domination of the EC. In response, France and the remaining members of the EC (notably Italy and Spain) dissolve that organization and reform as the Federal Stats Europa (FSE). Very soon, border incidents between the NSL and FSE about territorial claims on Earth and the other settled worlds intensify into open warfare. Initially the war goes well for the FSE as they overrun the NSL inner colony settlements of Trelleborg and Flensberg, followed by the taking of the outworld colonies of Wittenberge, Kecel, and Lienz after brave resistance from their colonial militias. On Earth, Baden Wurttemburg, Bayern, and parts of the Rheinland swiftly fall to FSE armored thrusts. 2102 The Netherlands also leaves the FSE, but refuses NSL offers of union and reasserts its independence. o Further FSE advances into Germany falter as NSL forces under General Janos Matthias halt the FS armor at the battle of Breznice. An attempted counter-thrust by NSL units is a bit of a non-event, only succeding in regaining territory up to the Danube. o Late in the year, the Netherlands (which had been at best an unwilling "associate member" of the FSE since the EC's collapse) breaks all ties with the FSE. Refusing an offer of alliance from the NSL, the Dutch reassert their independence and eject all FSE influences from their homeland and colonial possessions. 2103 While the NSL/FSE war on Earth and the inner worlds stagnates, the battles in the outworlds intensify. The NSL launches commando raids and planetary assaults against a number of FSE colonies and bases, but with only limited success; while hit-and-run strikes caused significant damage to many FSE installations, the NSL's abilities to mount full-scale assaults proved sorely lacking. 2104 The Treaty of Saarbrucken brings a conclusion to the NSL/FSE war, confirming territorial boundaries on Earth and the inner colonies, and establishing spheres of influence in the outworlds. The peace accord in sponsored by the UN and NAC, and although neither of the protagonists is really happy with the outcome, they are both too economically weakened by the war to protest effectively. 2110 Air attacks by Indonesian Commonwealth forces herald the start of their war with the Oceanic Union over Papau New Guinea. The low-intensity war runs the Indonesians' way for much of the first year, as they manage to inflict a crushing defeat on the Oceanic 6th Infantry Division at Aitape and go on to take the Long Islands, Admiralty Islands, and establish a beach-head on the New Islands. The Indonesian advance is finally stopped in Southern Papau, at the battle of the Mouths of the Fly River. 2110-2112: The Papau New Guinea War The Indonesian Commonwealth attacks Papau New Guinea, bringing it into conflict with Australia and New Zealand (Papau's major partners in the Oceanic Union). A generally low-intensity war, this is notable for the first widespread use of "Grav" propelled combat vehicles on Earth (mainly fast, light Indonesian "Gunskimmers" used for coastal and riverine actions). To-and-fro thrusts by both protagonists throughout the islands gradually grind to an indecisive halt, and the Sydney Accord finally ends the war with an Indonesian withdrawal. 2111 Oceanic forces seize the initiative and launch an assault on Indonesian territory with two armored and three infantry divisions. Quickly taking Traigan, Jamdena, and Timor, the Oceanic advance halts after the Battle of Ramang in the South Banda Sea, and the war enters another quiet phase and peace negotiations commence. Despite a rather half-hearted and ineffective attempt at a renewed offensive by the Indonesians late in the year, the war grinds to an indecisive close. 2112 The Sydney Accord officially ends the Papau New Guinea War. 2123 Islamic Federation and ESU forces clash on Earth as the ESU massacres many Muslims in an anti-Islamic pogrom on the Indian subcontinent. Most of the action is limited to cross-border raids and artillery duels; frantic UN diplomatic efforts prevent full-scale escalation. The Beijing government, appreciative of the fact that religious persecution has no place in the multi-cultural Union, deals harshly with the Hindu officials who sanctioned the pogrom. 2124 Expanding interests on the colony worlds and the difficulty of maintaining strong centralized control force some liberalization within the ESU; Poland, Czechnia, and Slovakia petition to join the ESU as "economic partners," considering themselves to have been poorly treated by the NSL. 2127 The balance of power within the ESU shifts away from Chinese domination as the Union government is moved from Earth to the mainly Russian-settled Nova Moskva. o One hundred years after the effective destruction of Israel by Arab terrorist groups, the Jewish government on the colony of New Israel renews the pledge of never-ending war against the anti-Zionists. To date this "war" has been largely the province of the New Israeli Intelligence and Special Forces. However, Rabbi Avraham Yoffe's public statement that the Jewish state would take each and every opportunity to avenge the destruction of their original homeland actually marked the start of Operation Jericho, during which New Israeli interface and airborne units assaulted and destroyed several Islamic bases on the Inner Colonies. 2128 LLAR mercenary forces hired by the Indonesian Commonwealth clash with Anglican forces on Earth against their employers' will. The Indonesians execute the entire force in a move designed to conciliate the AC. The LLAR protests at the outrage and attacks the Indonesian Commonwealth. The Mercenary War, as it becomes known, lasts four years with both sides employing large contingents of mercenary and volunteer forces to compliment their existing arsenal. o The Islamic Federation and PAU clash over spheres of influence in space. The FSE enforces a peaceful solution. o LLAR mercenary forces (the San Deseado Interface Brigade), hired by the Indonesian Commonwealth to protect their installations on the disputed Caroline Islands, clash with New Anglian forces against the will of their employers. In a desperate attempt to conciliate with the Anglians, who are threatening retribution, the Indonesians execute the entire LLAR Brigade. Understandably furious at this, the LLAR strikes at the Indonesian settlement on Easter, marking the start of what becomes known as the "Mercenary War" (as both sides employ large numbers of mercenary and foreign contingents to compliment their own limited forces). The next four years see a very scrappy and inconclusive war fought out, the only real winners being the bank balances of the various mercenary units. 2128-2132: The Mercenary War Both scrappy and inconclusive, the war was named both for the large numbers of hired foreign troops used by both sides and for the action that started the conflict. An LLAR mercenary unit working for the Indonesians clashes with Anglian forces against the orders of its employers, and in a move to placate the NAC the Indonesians massacre the entire LLAR unit. In retribution, League forces strike at Indonesian targets in the Colonies, and a four-year struggle between the two powers ensues. The Mercenary War ends with large reparations being paid to the LLAR, and brings about the signing of the Mercenary Charter by most major powers - formalizing the existence, hiring, and use of mercenary forces. 2129 Dutch mercenaries of the Van Koost Armored Legion, working for the Indonesians, recapture the Commonwealth's settlement on Easter, defeating LLAR regular forces and a Turkish mercenary unit in the process. A Swiss strike force employed by the LLAR in turn raids a major Indonesian logistics center in Manila on Earth, but is repelled by local forces and a contingent of Japanese mercenary troops. The Swiss make use of nerve agents to cover their withdrawal, causing heavy casualties to the Japanese and bringing severe protests in the UN assembly. 2130 Shi'ite fundamentalists declare independence from the Islamic Federation on their outworld settlements of Abu Haman and Sad Al Bari. Saudi attempts to regain control of these colonies fail as tropps of the 2nd Islamic Legion sent to suppress the rebellion switch sides after landfall and join the fundamentalists under the banner Mullah Saeed ibn Aamir. The two colonies declare the formation of the Saeed Khalifate, and in efforts to raise much needed hard currency, soon begin to utilize their armed forces as mercenary units for hire. Over the next few years, the Khalifate's mercenaries are to earn themselves a reputation of being among the toughest units in human space. 2131 Israeli and Islamic mercenaries clash with each other on Easter, despite both being hired by the Indonesians; both forces' contracts are promptly revoked, and several Commonwealth Defence Ministry staff responsible for the hirings are severely punished for their lack of foresight. 2132 ESU and Anglian forces skirmish on Chi Draconis VII as both powers continue to expand their colonial settlement programs. Over the next five years such "border skirmishes" become more frequent, especially in the minor colonies and Outworlds. o The Mercenary War is finally brought to an end with the signing of the Mercenary Charter on the Dutch-settled world of Freisland. The Charter, as well as finalizing the LLAR/IC dispute with heavy reparations being paid by the Indonesians over the San Deseado Brigade incident, lays out a code to which all mercenary units and their employers are expected to adhere. All signatories to the Charter, which include most nations and blocs that either supply or employ foreign mercenary troops, agree not to hire any unit that does not comply with the terms of the code. 2133 Radical French separatists on the Outworld colonies of Bretonneux, Doullens, and Compville declare unilateral independence from the Federal Stats Europa. The FSE send elements of the Colonial Legion, namely the 1e REP, 5th and 13 DBLC, to quell the insurrection. Resistance from the separatists proves stronger than anticipated and the Legion units find themselves penned into the capital cities and spaceports where they landed, besieged by separatist planetary militia units. However, with the assistance of offworld fire support from FSE naval starships, the Legionnaires finally succeed in breaking out and smashing much of the separatists' "regular" forces before being drawn into a vicious and long-running guerrilla war with parts of the indigenous population. 2135 The Anglian Confederation moves its parliament to Albion, which now has a population almost as large as England thanks to massive immigration and engineered population growth programs. The reigning monarch, King Charles V, divides his time between palaces in England, Vermont, Ottawa, and Albion. 2136 The Anglian Confederation renames itself the New Anglian Confederation and revises its constitution to include all related colonies as independent members. 2137 The Eurasian Solar Union declares war on the New Anglian Confederation due to "the hostile actions and intents of the Imperialists." The following five years of intense space and land warfare, known as the First Solar War, rages through the Inner Colonies and Outworlds. o ESU forces invade NAC settlements on Salzburg, but are repelled with heavy losses after fierce fighting. The important NAC Outworld base on Lancelot is taken by an ESU Naval Infantry Assault Division, and an inconclusive skirmish between NAC and ESU space units off Grendel signals the start of major naval offensives by both sides. 2137-2142: The First Solar War the Eurasian Solar Union declares war on the New Anglians due to "the hostile actions and intents of the Imperialists in space." Five years of intense warfare spans the settled worlds as the two Superpowers battle each other on planet and in space, ending in 2142 with the Anglians claiming a victory and the ESU retiring to lick its wounds and consider its next move. 2138 The NAC launch Operation Jester, a counter-thrust against the Eurasians; ESU possessions on Mariana and Trelleborg fall rapidly, but an attempt to take the major colony of Chiang is beaten back. An attempt to retake Lancelot also fails with heavy losses to the Anglian 2nd Drop Cavalry. 2139 ESU forces comprising the 15th Guards "Zhokov" Division and the 135th "Tyulenev" Division land on Flensberg and invest the Anglian settlement of Faith. The colony, defended only by Local Volunteer Reserve troops and the 3rd Infantry Brigade of the reformed Gurkha Rifles, manages to hold out for nearly nine months until relief forces under General Pauline Chappell arrive and repel the Eurasians. 2140 Operation Season's End results in the NAC seizing the ESU outposts of Mikhailovka and Showyang, both against heavy resistance. 2142 The Accord of Freisland brings the First Solar War to an end, with the Anglians hailing it as a major victory while the ESU licks its wounds and considers its next move. Human space enjoys an all-too-brief period of relative peace. 2143 The United Nations Space Command (UNSC) is formed to forbid space conflict in the Core systems, and provide a peacekeeping force where required in the inner colonies. Pressure by several major powers result in the UNSC having no mandate to operate in the Outworlds, except in a scientific or research capacity. 2145 A suprise strike against the Romanov Hegemony by ESU units heralds the outbreak of the Second Solar War. This time more major powers are quickly dragged into the conflict, with the NAC and NSL supporting the RH against the "communist aggression," while the FSE and PAU enter the war on the Eurasian side. UNSC presence prevents the war intruding on the Core systems, though combat occurs on several inner colonies. 2145-2157: The Second Solar War ESU attempts to regain its possessions lost at the end of the First Solar War quickly escalate into another widespread conflict, this time drawing in other major powers, such as the FSE, the NSL, and the PAU. The war rages throughout the Inner Colonies and the Outworlds, ending this time with a compromise Treaty that leaves neither side happy. 2146 The war escalates as the ESU launch a major campaign dedicated to regaining the possessions lost during the First Solar War. Their occupied colonies on Trelleborg and Showyang are retaken after short but bloody campaigns. On Dnestr, Romanov defenders manage to beat back a joint FFSE/PAU invasion force and hold their major towns, but the invaders merely fall back to regroup in the vast outback of this sparsely settled world. 2147 The ESU finally retake Mikhailovka, and make strike raids against the Anglian settlements of Bifrost and Valhalla. 2148 NAC forces under Admiral Sir Andrew Le Throux instigate Operation Dryland, a suprise attack on the Pan African settled world of Grand Lahou. Despite strong resistance from PAU and FSE naval units, the Anglian force makes a successful assault and takes the major townships of Bouna and Markounda. 2149 Bouyed by the success of Dryland, the NAC and NSL militaries launch Operation Galahad: a joint strike to regain Lancelot. The ESU defenders, led by General Lech Pawodowski with the 57th Combined Division, beat back attack after attack as the NAC and NSL troops are poured into the battle. After seventy days of spirited resistance Pawodowski surrenders with full military honors, leading the remaining one hundred and forty survivors of his Division into captivity. 2150 Neu Swabian forces attempt to take the FSE settlement of Di Persano, but are repulsed by System Defense forces before they can approach orbit. A PAU strike force fails to recapture Grand Lahou. 2151 Romanov assault forces land on the ESU colony of Nizhneudinsk and begin a prolonged campaign to capture the major townships. NAC political agents attempt to persuade the Manchu government on Chiang to rise against the ESU, but without success. 2152 Boer Voortrekkers claim a large area of subtropical land on Iylichograd, naming it Neu Transvaal. Operation White Feather is launched in the Chi Draconis system as Anglian forces attempt to remove the Eurasians from the system. Fierce fighting in space and on planet ends in an Anglian defeat from the sheer weight of the defending forces. 2154 The FSE concludes a peace treaty with the NAC/NSL/RH alliance and withdraws from the Second Solar War. The PAU makes a last abortive attempt to retake Grand Lahou before joining the peace negotiations. 2155 In a last ditch effort to change the tide of the war, the ESU assaults the Winchester system with a massive task force. Large troop landings are made on the NAC-held colony, but the Planetary Defense troops hold on stubbornly through Winchester's long and bitter winter. 2156 Anglian Naval units under Rear Admiral Dame Jayne Oppenburger jum,p into the Winchester system and soundly defeat the ESU fleet; teh Eurasian troops on the planet surrender unconditionally following their fleet's virtual destruction. 2157 Following long negotiations, the Second Solar War is finally ended with the Treaty of Khorramshahr. 2159 California and Texas declare themselves independent from the NAC, and claim all rights to the small colonies of Austin and Fenris, which they rename New Pasadena. After much diplomatic protest and saber rattling, plus a few token military strikes, the NAC accepts the declaration and the Free Cal-Tex (FCT) is formed. 2163 Islamic fundamentalists seize power in New Riyadh, murdering the remaining members of the Saudi royal family. Loyalist elements attempt to regain power in a civil war lasting two years, but eventually fail. The Islamic Federation becomes increasingly hostile to both the NAC and ESU. 2164 ESU forces on Iylichograd move on the Neu Transvaal colony and claim its mineral resources; the Boer settlers withdraw to the jungle areas and embark on a guerilla war against the occupying Eurasians. 2165 The Third Solar War breaks out as NAC forces launch a "blitzkrieg" attack to regain worlds lost to the ESU following the Treaty of Khorramshahr. Initial success falters as the FSE joins the USE, providing men and materials, as well as money to hire mercenary contingents from the Indonesian Commonwealth and the LLAR. 2165 The Third Solar War is heralded by a massive operation by the NAC to regain worlds left under Eurasian control following the Treaty of Khorramshahr. Early successes falter as the FSE once again allies with the ESU, providing men and material as well as funding to hire mercenary contingents from the LLAR and Indonesians. o As the Third Solar War breaks out, Confederation intelligence agencies supply covert aid to the French separatists via the sympathetic Dutch government. 2166 The Third Solar War escalates further as the NSL attacks the bordering FSE frontier. Mercenary forces from New Israel are hired by the NAC. The Romonov Hegemony attacks the ESU and refuses safe passage for Indonesian or LLAR mercenary units through its space. 2168 ESU Naval forces enter the Treralis system and attempt to take the Romanov-held settlement of Tsitsihar. The Eurasian fleet under Admiral Jia Dehuai manages to defeat the system defense forces, but at high cost, leaving the Eurasian assault forces too weak to create a beachhead in the face of fierce resistance from the Planetary defenses. 2169 Sponsored by NAC agents, the French separatists in Bretonneux and Doullens overthrow the Federal forces and proclaim the New French Republic. A similar insurrection attempt on Compville fails; however, the guerrilla war there continues. o The French Republic on Bretonneux and Doullens was only to last four years before the FSE forcibly took the colonies back under their wing. During this brief period, however, the Republicans proved a very painful thorn in the side of the FSE, especially their small and rather makeshift naval force, which scored many notable successes against FSE convoys. 2170 Scandinavian mercenaries employed by the NAC overrun Compville and install the separatists in government; Compville joins the New French Republic, which is still denied any kind of diplomatic recognition by the UN due to FSE pressure. 2171 The Thrid Solar War enters a relatively quiet phase, with most protagonists involved in little but minor skirmishing and diplomatic posturing. The major powers use the next few years to consolidate and rebuild their depleted forces, and an uneasy state of "peace within war" ensues. 2173 The Sumani IV incident. ESU and NAC peace negotiators are assassinated by an Islamic Federation terrorist attack. Years of distrust between the two powers lead them to blaming each other, and a failure to identify the real culprit. The Third Solar War intensifies. 2176 Archeologists discover the remains of a non-human civilization on a rim world planet in Indonesian space. 2177 A sudden ESU fleet attack on the Anglian Nagisa system signals the start of the next "hot phase" of the Third Solar War; the Nagisa colony falls quickly following a warning orbital bombardment from ESU warships. Meanwhile, NSL regulars and Swiss mercenary units strike at FSE settlements on the inner colony of Flensberg. 2179 The colony of Bradley on Fliescher II falls to FSE units under General Henri de Pascalle, despite heavy resistance from the 136th Gloucestershire Regiment that held on for nearly six months. The FSE pours massive reinforcements of armor into Bradley to forstall NAC attempts to regain it. 2181 On Kayleigh, by LLAR mercenary units defeat a combined NSL and NAC armored force. General Heinrich Vortsheimer, leading the allied troops, is relieved of his command following this ignominious reverse. 2182 The ESU lands Khalifate mercenaries on Tsitsihar to reinforce their offensive against Romanov units in the colony. 2183 Indonesian mercenary units working for the ESU capture NSL possessions on Salzburg. With the aid of Khalifate troops the ESU finally takes Tsitsihar from the Romanovs. o The UNSC Survey Cruisers Niven and McCaffrey are lost while on a mission off Lagos IV in the Pan African rim. The UNSC dispatches the PeaceForce Cruiser Heitman to investigate, and it locates identifiable debris from the Niven, showing signs of combat. There is no trace of the McCaffrey or any hostile forces; all space-going nations deny any involvement in the incident, and public speculation grows that the UN is suppressing information about the unknown aggressors. o Late in the year, the PAU Battlecruiser Kinshasa is engaged and destroyed by an unidentified hostile in the New Lusaka system. 2184 Unexplained attacks and incidents increase in frequency, affecting not only PAU space, but other nations as well; with the ongoing state of war between the NAC and ESU, much of the blame is placed by each power on the other. Both blocks, however, begin to realise that something far more important is happening. o Late in the year, NAC fleet intelligence recovers the first identifiable alien debris following an encounter near Angel II in which a Confederation squadron managed to destroy two ships from an attacking alien group. For the first time, humanity has positive proof that the attackers are another sentient life form. 2185 The first cooperative action between the ESU and NAC against the Kra'Vak occurs at the battle of Sulaxar; although tensions still run high, especially in diplomatic circles, the militaries of both main powers, and several smaller nations, are coming inexorably together in the face of a much greater threat. On 27.07.85, the UN Assembly declares that a state of war now exists between all the nations of humanity and the race known as the Kra'Vak; the First Inter-Sentient War has truly begun. 2186 Early in the year, the advances towards joint ESU/NAC response falter when a Eurasian naval unit fails to assist a Confederation squadron under attack by alien forces off Caleb. Finally escaping with barely 25% of his force and men, Commodore Farris accuses the ESU of standing off from the action in order to gain control of the Caleb system. The diplomatic repercussions gradually settle, but illustrate the deep distrust that still exists between the major powers. 2186 The Kra'Vak offensive gathers momentum, and very late in the year reports begin to come in of the first surface assaults by Kra'Vak forces. 2187 The first major success against Kra'Vak ground forces is reported on the NSL outworld colony of Rheinhold, where a combined force of NSL and NAC Marines, supporting local militia units, manage to beat off an attempted planetary landing by the alien invaders. Rheinhold then survives five months of protracted siege and repeated landing attempts before the Kra'Vak are driven out-system by the arrival of a large joint task force of NAC, NSL, Dutch, and Free Cal-Tex ships. o Elsewhere, humanity does not fare so well, and aliens continue to make inroads toward the Core Systems. Virtually no information is released to the public concerning what is happening on worlds taken by the Kra'Vak, which threatens to cause panic in some colonies as rumors of massacre and genocide spread. Public opinion on Earth, Centaurus, and Barnard begins to swing in favor of pulling all forces back from the Outworlds to defend the Core. Such a defensive concept does not find favor with the military, nor, naturally, with the colonial population. 2188 Contact is made with a second xeno-sentient species, the Sa'Vaksu. Mankind waits to see if the will find friends, or new enemies.