Destruction of the 83rd Attack Group

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The Destruction of the 83rd Attack Group, or the Battle of Idantith, was a battle between the Federation Navy's Operation Sanctuary Task Force, and the 83rd Attack Group, a rogue unit of the Imperial Navy of Jerace.
By 4760, the 83rd Attack Group had been attacking Federation shipping and supply ships for nearly half a decade. Their attacks had been sparse and only on small convoys, and had therefore, elicited only a small response from the Federation Navy. Eventually though, the fleet began to eye bigger prey.
On the 16th of May, Senator Lando D.B Marshall's ship was attack by 5 warships from the 83rd Attack Group - among them the Edovan. Marshall was captured in the attack, as were most of the crew of his ship. Although their intention was for the attack to remain a secret, at least for the immediate future, the Attack Group failed to block a distress signal Marshall's ship sent. In response to the attack, some dozen Federation Navy vessels were sent to the area, including a battleship and three battlecruisers. This response forced the 5 Jeraci vessels to retreat, splitting into two groups to try and escape the Federation.
While they retreated from the area, the Edovan, Monyeafa and Daliae encountered a group of pirates. Pirates who were quickly identified as members of Blaze's Syndicate. Admiral Francesco - the leader of the 83rd Attack Group, had long intended to include "Blaze" in his battle against the Federation. Knowing of this plan, the leading captain of the three ships - Tybalt Evans, attacked the pirate fleet, even though he knew the Federation was close behind.

The Pirate Fleet was quickly eviscerated by the Jeraci warships, with only a few survivors. Among the survivors was Blaze himself, in his flagship. In an attempt to flee and garner assistance, the pirate ship hyperjumped close to the Anfieden Trans Galactical Highway, which a sizeable portion of the Federation Navy guarded. The Jeraci warships were quickly driven off by the Federation, although the Edovan was identified as belonging to the 83rd Attack Group before they could. The pirates were then captured by the Federation Navy.

This is Federation Navy vessel Bearon, immediately cease all hostile action, or you will be fired upon! 
This message will not be repeated! Unidentified vessels, cease all hostile action, or we have full authorisation to open fire.

When word arrived to President Alfred Mantle that Senator Marshall had been kidnapped, he authorised the creation of the Operation Sanctuary Task Force. The task force was made up of 8 Federation Fleets, including the over 400 ship strong 3rd Sector Fleet, with the other fleets making up another 350 vessels. The task force was the largest single grouping of Federation Navy vessels since the 2nd Galactical War.
The Operation Sanctuary Task Force would use Blaze's pirates to draw out the 83rd Attack Group. The Jeraci Fleet would take the bait, and a good third of the Attack Group were drawn from their hidden base in the Indepan Sector. Lieutenant Admiral Brian Layost and the 2nd Subsector Fleet would then engage and destroy the ships, boarding the flagship, where they found the coordinates for the rest of the Attack Group.
The 2nd Subsector Fleet, with the assistance of the 4th Subsector Fleet and the 10th Fleet - the two fleets closest to the area, would then ambush and completely annihilate the remainder of the 83rd Attack Group. Many of the Jeraci ships, including the flagship - the Enduring, and the Edovan, were captured by marine units. The FFI liaisons to the 2nd and 4th Subsector Fleets, Agent Elizabeth Pearce and Agent Acre respectively, would find important Jeraci intelligence documents, that had yet to be destroyed. The survivors of the 83rd Attack Group were taken prisoner, and subsequently tried by military court, Admiral Francesco died in the fighting.

Conflict Type

Battle

Battlefield Type

Space

Conflict Result

Decisive Federation Victory

• The 83rd Attack Group is either destroyed or captured.
• Lieutenant Admiral Brian Layost gains the moniker "Space Devil".
• Admiral Celso Franceso is killed during the fighting, but many other officers are taken prisoner, and subsequently questioned and tried by military courts.
• Senator Lando D.B Marshall is found injured but alive.
• The Operation Sanctuary Task Force is disbanded.
• The Edovan becomes a commissioned Federation Navy vessel. 
• "Blaze" is detained by the Federation Navy. Escaping before the arrival of Federation Federal Intelligence agents.

Photo by Drew Hays on Unsplash

Brian Layost would serve as the commanding officer of the Operation Sanctuary Force that would defeat the 83rd Attack Group. A  Lieutenant Admiral in the Federation Navy, Layost commands the 2nd Subsector Fleet, one of four parts of the 3rd Sector Fleets. The ships that would defeat the 83rd Attack Group were mainly part of the 2nd Subsector Fleet. As a result of his resounding victory over the Jeraci Fleet, he garnered the name 'Space Devil' among both his own crew, and his Jeraci opponents.