Commonwealth-Ix'Idar War

The Commonwealth-Ix'Idar War (also called the Bug war by many Colonial Marines) was a conflict fought between the Commonwealth of Man and the Ix'Idar Star Collective throughout the border regions of Ix'Idar space from 2268-2270 CE. The war was fought over three Ix'Idar colonies established near the Commonwealth border, which were desired by Commonwealth leadership for their natural resources. Commonwealth forces won several early victories, but were forced back by rapidly adapting Ix'Idar strategies. The war concluded with a peace treaty brokered by the United Nations of Earth and the Scyldari Confederacy, granting the Commonwealth their war goals in exchange for the Scyldari giving two border star systems to the Star Collective.

The Conflict

Prelude

The Commonwealth of Man and the Ix'Idar Star Collective first came into contact during the period of galactic communications trading shortly before the establishment of the Galactic Community in 2250 CE. Although their borders were somewhat close, being several jumps through unclaimed systems, both entities were rapidly expanding towards each other. The Ix'Idar were able to expand the fastest, claiming three colonies in the process, while the Commonwealth was only able to claim one. Even before the first direct border was established in 2256 CE, hardline militarists within the Commonwealth had already begun calling for the seizure of what they called "bug-infested worlds" from the Ix'Idar.

Relations between the Commonwealth and Ix'Idar were poor after first contact. Although the Star Collective was a full member of the Galactic Community, the Commonwealth of Man treated the hive mind as a less-intelligent species. No formal attempts at diplomacy were made by either side during the two decades between contact and the outbreak of hostilities. In addition, border clashes between the Commonwealth Colonial Navy and Ix'Idar ships were commonplace, as both sides probed the other's defences.

The discovery of significant subsurface mineral deposits on the Ix'Idar colony of Aruz III in 2265 CE led to renewed calls for war within the Commonwealth. Mineral extraction had become a major bottleneck for the rapid expansion of the Colonial Navy, and the seizure of claimed Ix'Idar space would create better defensive positions for the Commonwealth. Preparations for war commenced in 2266 CE by order of the Grand Marshal, with the target date of initial operations being early 2268 CE.

Deployment

The initial Commonwealth force was comprised of Strike Group Hydra and Strike Group Wyvern, comprising a total of 12 cruisers, 26 destroyers, 18 frigates, and 24 corvettes. Each strike group would independently clear the way to their assigned world (Nendi IV and Jarad II), capture it, and then move to the more heavily defended Aruz III together. Hydra was assigned the Colonial Marines Third Army Group, and Wyvern was assigned the Fourth Army Group.

Due to a lack of interest in foreign intelligence, the Ix'Idar did not have an accurate view of the Commonwealth warplan. In fact, it is believed that the Ix'Idar only became aware of the Commonwealth's intentions to conquer their colonies after diplomats from the Tzynn Empire offered the intelligence at a bar at the Galactic Community. Initial Ix'Idar defence forces included approximately three dozen corvettes and five destroyers, assigned to patrol the border to protect against limited incursions by the CCN, pirates, and Human "independent prospectors". As newly established colonies, Nendi IV and Jarad II were lightly defended by warrior drones. Aruz III, with a larger population, had a more substantial garrison.

The Engagement

Initial Assault

The two Commonwealth Strike Groups entered the Ix'Idar border system of Selnoc on the 15th of February, 2268 (D+0). The superior firepower of their cruisers quickly overwhelmed local Ix'Idar fleets, destroying fifteen corvettes and two destroyers at the cost of two corvettes. The remaining Ix'Idar ships made emergency subspace jumps, during which one corvette was destroyed in a reactor malfunction caused by battle damage. Transit from the hyperlane exit point to the Selnoc starbase took just under three weeks (D+20). Upon arrival, the station's still-under-construction defences were quickly destroyed and Colonial Marines successfully secured the station in less than twelve hours.

Following the victory at Selnoc, Commonwealth forces split up to independently pursue their objectives. Strike Force Hydra targeted the Nendi system, while Strike force Wyvern targeted the Jarad system. Strike force Wyvern was the first to arrive at their objective, entering orbit over Jarad II at D+89, having stopped to secure each outpost along the route to Jarad. Strike Force Hydra was intercepted by a squadron of Ix'Idar ships comprised of eight corvettes, three frigates, and one destroyer, but they were quickly forced to retreat. Hydra arrived in orbit of Nendi IV on D+102. Orbital bombardment of both planets commenced as soon as each fleet arrived.

A two-week orbital bombardment of each world resulted in the destruction of all major defensive installations on the ground. When Colonial Marine units were dropped planetside, they reported remarkably thin resistance. Many marines reported that the planetary assaults were more akin to "bug hunts" (anti-fauna sweeps on Commonwealth worlds) than an actual invasion. Ix'Idar hives were targeted with chemical weapons to eliminate surviving drones, and the planets were declared secured on D+110 (Jarad II) and D+131 (Nendi IV). Ahead of schedule, the two Strike Groups began their advance towards Aruz III. The Third and Fourth Army Groups remained planetside to root out any remaining drones, until they were relieved by detachments from the First Army Group.

Ix'Idar Reaction

The Ix'Idar were caught completely off-guard by the Commonwealth attack. While they knew an attack was coming, the hive was completely unprepared for the surprise and aggression of the attack. Based on interviews conducted by United Nations diplomats, the hive mind spent several weeks analysing the scans of Commonwealth ships and the tactics they employed to devise counters. The outlying colonies of Jarad II and Nendi IV were unable to be reinforced due to the Commonwealth control of the system, so the Ix'Idar used many of its drones to test Colonial Marine ground tactics.

By the time Commonwealth forces arrived in the Aruz System on D+230, the Ix'Idar had adapted to Commonwealth tactics. Critical defensive installations were buried much deeper underground, sacrificial dummy installations were created, and warrior drones were armed with more powerful weapons. The semi-autonomous drone designated "Motile Unit Prosecutor", a commander-pattern drone, was given local command of Ix'Idar forces to reduce latency from the central hive. During the fourteen-day bombardment phase, the majority of Ix'Idar drones hid themselves underground, protected from the surface bombardment.

As soon as the Colonial Marines were committed to a ground assault, the Ix'Idar began moving its main space force to the Aruz system. This force, comprised of over one hundred warships, significantly outnumbered the two Strike Groups in the Aruz system. The Colonial Marines deployed additional units to complete what they thought was a simple planetary sweep, falling right into the Ix'Idar trap.

Ix'Idar Counterattack

On D+252, Colonial Marine units across the alpine world of Aruz III reported coming under heavy fire by Ix'Idar forces. Their reports were initially dismissed by Field Marshal Yong Zhao, overall commander of the Colonial Marine forces. However, it quickly became clear that the Ix'Idar were mounting a planet-wide counterattack with unexpected ferocity. Colonial Marine units quickly became cut off from one another, as the Ix'Idar drones used hidden tunnels and warrens to move unseen between the planet's alpine peaks. Many areas had interlinked subterranean transportation systems, allowing for rapid transit over hundreds of kilometres. All of this was coordinated by Motile Unit Prosecutor from a command bunker under the ruins of the bombarded hive core.

Over the following days, Colonial Marine units were pushed back to landing zones or even wiped out entirely, as the Ix'Idar did not take prisoners. Casualties numbered over one hundred thousand in less than a week, with more than thirty thousand dead. Frontlines were stabilised by D+268, but many Commonwealth landing zones were within range of Ix'Idar heavy artillery. On D+271, the Grand Marshal summoned a meeting of the Admiralty on Unity to discuss the unfolding disaster. Field Marshal Zhao was removed from operational command, and Fleet Admiral Jazmin al-Mubarak was given total control of the situation. Her first order was, with the permission of the Admiralty, ordering a general retreat from Aruz III before the larger Ix'Idar fleet could arrive.

Without access to starports, and under fire, the Colonial Navy undertook a five-day evacuation of forces on the ground. In total, the failed invasion of the planet had resulted in 50,000 KIA, 130,000 WIA, and 12,000 MIA (presumed dead). While a success, the evacuation was later criticised after it was discovered that the 52nd Assault Division was still alive on the planet's surface after the fleet left orbit.

Commonwealth Retreat and Reengagement

Outnumbered and damaged by planetary defences, the Colonial Navy retreated back to the captured starbase in the Nendi System, arriving on D+368. There, the two fleets were reinforced by the arrival of Strike Groups Behemoth and Dragon, which had been redeployed as soon as long-range sensors detected the Ix'Idar fleet's movement on D+254. The Third and Fourth Army Groups were reinforced with fresh troops from Commonwealth space, and much of their lost heavy equipment was replaced. Once repair and replenishment was concluded on D+390, the combined fleet set out again for Aruz III.

Almost immediately, Strike Group Behemoth was split off from the main task force, as a detachment of Ix'Idar ships had been detected en route to the Jarad System. Behemoth intercepted the Ix'Idar ships shortly after they entered the system on D+445. The Second Battle of Jarad resulted in another Commonwealth victory, but Strike Group Behemoth was badly damaged by the engagement. Rather than attempting to catch up with the main task force, it returned to Commonwealth space for repairs.

Second Battle of Aruz

The Colonial Navy re-entered the Aruz system on D+477, and engaged the Ix'Idar fleet above Aruz III on D+498. Although the Ix'Idar had a much larger fleet than the previous engagements, the addition of Strike Force Dragon tipped the scales for the Colonial Navy. The battle, which lasted for eight hours, resulted in the destruction of half the Ix'Idar fleet and a quarter of the ships of the Commonwealth task force. However, the Colonial Navy was once again left in control of the space above Aruz III.

Orbital bombardment was once again carried out, starting on D+499. Colonial Navy engineers rigged fusion missiles, which were previously made for airburst to maximise ground damage, to instead penetrate deep into the crust and cause caves to collapse. While effective at destroying large identified positions, they were ineffective at clearing the many smaller warrens dotted around the planet.

Colonial Marines once again made planetfall on D+521. Heavier mechanised and armoured units were the first to drop, clearing landing zones of Ix'Idar units. Like how the Ix'Idar had adapted to Commonwealth tactics at the beginning of the war, Commonwealth units had adapted to the Ix'Idar. As the Ix'Idar had adapted to poison gas (by wearing gas masks), seismic mining charges were instead used to collapse tunnels wherever they were found. After the war, many Colonial Marines reported that the planet 'always felt like it was about to shatter', owing to the constant vibrations from the charges.

Furthermore, Commonwealth intelligence had managed to capture a deviant synapse drone. After detailed examination, they were able to partially intercept hive communications between Aruz III and Ix'Athrak. From these, they discovered the existence of Motile Unit Prosecutor commanding the overall defence of Aruz III. A special forces unit was assembled and deployed behind Ix'Idar lines, as the Colonial Marines assaulted the ruined primary hive node.

After two days of hunting the Ix'Idar commander through various warrens, and taking over eighty percent casualties, the special forces group was able to eliminate the semi-autonomous drone. The effects were felt almost immediately: Ix'Idar drones became less organised planetwide, and Colonial Marine forces were able to gain the upper hand. However, the planetwide battle continued to grind on for several more months, until the final major warren was destroyed in January of 2270 CE. With the effective capture of Aruz III, named Stonehead by its captors, the Commonwealth of Man was in control of all of their major war objectives. This created a fait accompli, as in-system forces were too diminished for any further incursions into Ix'Idar space.

Outcome

Initially, the Ix'Idar refused to accept any sort of peace arrangement with the Commonwealth. A retaliatory force was assembled to retake the system, and the mind began making diplomatic overtures to the Tzynn Empire to expand the war on their front. Via spies in the Tzynn Empire, the Commonwealth was able to intercept these communications, and leaked them to the Interstellar Concord via the Scyldari Confederacy. Unwilling to let the Tzynn expand their influence to the Ix'Idar, the Interstellar Concord attempted to mediate a solution to the conflict.

After it was initially rebuffed, the UNE was able to convince the Scyldari Confederacy to join its movement for peace. Five months after the end of major combat operations in the Aruz system, the Ix'Idar agreed to an initial mediation conference. Although they began poorly, the negotiaions eventually resulted in an agreement: the Ix'Idar would permit the annexation of the claimed space occupied by the Commonwealth. In exchange, the Scyldari would cede two star systems they had recently occupied to the Ix'Idar. These systems were of minor importance to the Scyldari, but they blocked a potential avenue of expansion into unclaimed space for the Ix'Idar. After a month of negotiation, a formal peace treaty was signed between the Commonwealth and Ix'Idar.

Despite this, surviving Ix'Idar drones on captured colonies and starbases continued to harass Commonwealth forces. These persisted for about a decade after the peace treaty ended, as the Ix'Idar hive claimed that it could no longer control drones outside its influence. Commonwealth intelligence believed that these were no ordinary drones, but instead specialised 'stay-behind' drones designed to conduct sustained guerilla warfare against the occupiers.

Aftermath

Even before the peace treaty was signed, Human settlers began moving to the conquered colonies. Aruz III - renamed Stonehead - became a major mining colony to fuel the expanding Commonwealth war machine, and the Ix'Idar starbase was replaced with a Colonial Navy bastion station to defend against future Ix'Idar incursions.

The negotiations between the Ix'Idar and United Nations of Earth proved fruitful, as the hive mind came to trust the "blue Humans", as it called UNE representatives (as opposed to "red Humans" from the Commonwealth). This relationship has since expanded, and the Ix'Idar are considered a major non-Concord ally of the UNE.

The actions of the Commonwealth military during combat operations have been heavily criticised, primarily for initially treating the operation similarly to anti-fauna sweeps. Many Colonial Marine veterans have harshly criticised Field Marshal Zhao especially, as while he was removed from overall command of the operation, he faced no charges or demotions. One of the seminal works on the conflict is the holo-book Solutions Against Swarm Warfare by former Colonial Marines Colonel Cayden Niemi, who discusses the operation, tactics, and some politics of the campaign. While controversial, a highly edited version of the text (with all criticisms of the Admiralty removed) is recommended reading at the Bastion Military Academy.

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Planetary

Start Date

2268 CE

Ending Date

2270 CE

Conflict Result

Narrow Commonwealth Victory

Belligerents

Commonwealth of Man

Ix'Idar Star Collective

Strength

Strike Force Hydra
Strike Force Wyvern
Strike Force Behemoth
Strike Force Dragon
Colonial Marines First Army Group
Colonial Marines Third Army Group
Colonial Marines Fourth Army Group

86 Corvettes
39 Frigates
23 Destroyers
5 Cruisers
10 million+ warrior drones
2 million+ hunter-seeker drones

Casualties

22 corvettes
7 frigates
12 destroyers
5 cruisers
120,000 non-clones killed
90,000 military clones killed
390,000 wounded
28,000 missing (presumed dead)

49 corvettes
14 frigates
15 destroyers
2 cruisers
7 outposts
2 starbases
Drone populations on three colonies

Objectives

Seize control of Ix'Idar border colonies

Defend territory from Commonwealth incursion