2nd Zzenddi War

The 2nd Zzenddi War was a major conflict between the extra-quadratic Zzenddi Empire and the races of the quadrant.

Origins

The first contact with the Zzenddi occured in 2457 when four Zzenddi ships appeared near New Carthage. They clashed with a small, quickly assembled Imperial Navy task force and destroyed eighteen ships for the loss of just one of their ships. This was followed up with a landing on New Carthage by Zzenddi warforms who were driven off by Imperial Marines and local garrison forces.
The Zzenddi had apparently been drawn to the system by an unknown signal that had eminated from the planet, though this was not made public at the time.
Following the attack, there were widespread calls to set up an enquiry into what had happend and the Imperial Navy set up the "Red Squadron" to look into what had happened and to prepare for a future clash with the Zzenddi.

The Zzenddi Empire

As far as the Terrans knew, as of 2580, the Zzenddi are an extra-quadratic insectoid race who are experts in bio-organic technology. All of their technology is organic in some way and is very advanced. Their ability to manipulate DNA is far more advanced than any race in the quadrant.
According to studies, Chohan data and Jikari accounts, the Zzenddi may have control of an entire quadrant of the galaxy giving them a truly vast interstellar Empire.
Little is known of how the Zzenddi Empire is organized but they appear to be governed by an ever present psionic hive-mind, which is either generated or channeled through certain higher Zzenddi forms.
The Zzenddi have a unique FTL technology. They have been able to build "stargates" which give them instant travel betwen star systems that are hundreds of light years apart.

The 1st Zzenddi War

The greatly feared Zzenddi war came in 2475 when a huge fleet of Zzenddi warships appeared, invading near Fort Verekker and overrunning the local forces there. The Imperial Navy did not initially engage, instead linking up with CANDL allies.
The Zzenddi moved on to New Carthage, sweeping aside local defences and occupying the planet. They later occupied St Lawrence, Gaia and Nova Terra.
The Empire, paralyzed by infighting the "Disputed Regency", failed to respond and the Zzenddi overran Eden and Whitworth on their way to the Sol system.
In the end, the showdown battle of the war was fought at Mars as the Zzenddi fleet fought a joint Terran, CANDL and Gannid fleet. Whilst the Zzenddi fleet was forced away with heavy losses, the allied force lost 300 ships and over 100,000 lives.
After this battle, a new command structure was agreed within the Empire and the allied fleet destroyed another, smaller Zzenddi fleet near Eden, losing 200 ships and 60,000 men and women.
The final fleet action took place at Z10, where the surviving Zzenddi ships defender their stargate and were finally wiped out, in another bloody battle.

Operation Ocean Storm

The campaign to retake the occupied worlds took three years and cost the Imperial Marine corps 1.2 million dead and wounded. The campaign was brutal and saw intense fighting, especially in the jungles of St Lawrence.
Once the fighting was over, half of the Imperial fleet had been destroyed and a huge toll of damage had to be repaired within the Terran Empire.
With the collapse of the Empire during the 9th Karkouri War, there was no preparation for a future Zzenddi invasion and the Terrans were forced to endure "a dark age" that lasted nearly 40 years.

The Republic Waits

In the end, the Terran worlds reunified as the The Terran Republic. Preparation for a future Zzenddi war was fitful and often funds were diverted, projects started and then stopped and much of the research was done privately, with a lot of it done on Eden, Earth and Sanctuary by people like Alexander Ashpool, Beckett Solarin and Solomon Brahms.
At its peak, the Republic's Navy was only half the size of the Imperial navy and many military theorists believed that the Republic couldn't possibly compete with the Zzenddi in another invasion of the scale of the 2475 invasion.

The Hybrid War

During the early 2540's, there were a series of unsanctioned covert actions by the Republic's intelligence agencies against the The Antares Federation and the Hressan Republic. These were apparently undertaken after Republic Intelligence had been infiltrated by a so-called Zzenddi hybrid.
It was never proven but suspected that former Intelligence Secretary Patton Rosewood (GUR) had been a Zzenddi hybrid but he was found dead after the attacks were halted.
Further Zzenddi hybrids plagued the Republic for years, creating an atmosphere of mistrust and hatred. The "Blood Passport" plan, portable psionic scanners and other methods were put in place to render the hybrids less effective. The terrorist organisation Jericho was also infiltrated by the Zzenddi hybrids as was the Kherpi Cult on Gaia.
The final major action from Zzenddi hybrids appeared to happen in 2565 with a huge terrorist attack on Dhaka that was meant to decapitate the Republic's leadership. The Republic Marine corps was able to stop the attack before too much damage was caused.

The Zzenddi Return

In 2567, two huge Zzenddi fleets were detected by the Very Large Array System (VLAS) set up by House Solarin. Initially code-named as "HYDRA A" and "HYDRA B", they hit Gannid space first and quickly defeated the Gannid navy and began to push through Gannid space towards the Republic.
In 2569 a third Zzenddi fleet, code-named "GORGON" arrived in Bl'Hud space, apparently pursuing the Jikari migrant fleet.

The CCN

The CCN Allies had agreed to join the Terran Republic in a military effort to push back the Zzenddi and liberate Gannid space. The combined Rorn, Mor-Du & Bl'Hud fleets were bolstered by a squadron of Tranoan warships.
However, the arrival of GORGON meant that the CCN forces were instead deployed to attempt to stop the Zzenddi in Bl'Hud space.

Other Allies

The Tranoan Empire

The Terrans had a frosty relationship with the Tranoan Empire but they were able, in large part thanks to the efforts of Foreign Secretary Reiner Grumman, to get considerable aid from the Tranoan Empire.
This was almost blown apart when it was revealed that considerable Tranoan technology had been allegedly stolen by the Ashenmark from the Tranoans, resulting a diplomatic incident and a near embargo of the Republic. Foreign Secretary Pierce Moreland was eventually able to resolve the issue after the Ashenmark agreed to hand over all the technology to the Republic and then disband.

The Vatu Empire

The Vatu Empire, known for its warlike nature, agreed to aid the Terrans in large part thanks to the offer of finacial aid from the Tazzyn Empire. A huge Vatu fleet and ten million Vatu troops were deployed to aid the Terrans, with another 15 million Vatu serving during the war.

The Tazzyn Empire

The Tazzyn Empire was initially reluctant to get directly involved, preferring to fund Vatu, CCN and Terran military efforts. Huge sums were given to aid the Terrans and the huge Tazzyn debt was frozen during the war.
The Tazzyn Empire eventually agreed to intervene when it became clear that the Republic and the CCN allies could not turn back the Zzenddi alone.

The Straetek Empire

The engimatic Straetek, only recently emerged from their long isolation, agreed to join the war against "The Great Devourer" and commited nearly their entire fleet to the war effort.

The Hansa

The Hansa also agreed to freeze the interest of its loans to the Republic. The Hansa also agreed to hand over almost all of its armed ships and more of its unarmed ships were taken up for auxillary roles.
In addition to this, PMC corporations, with Black-Tyde the most prominent, took part in the war.

The Gannid Front

The Gannid were totally unprepared for the scale of the Zzenddi attack and they initially attempted to hit and run against the huge Zzenddi fleet, with little effect.
Major fleet battles were on-sided affairs and by the time the Zzenddi reached Sovindar Dahl, the Gannid had lost 50% of their fleet.
The Zzenddi fleet defeated the Gannid fleet at the Battle of Sovindar Dahl and then began occupation of nine Gannid worlds but never committed to the Gannid front in the same scale as they did later in Terran space.
The Gannid fought a costly and bloody resitance effort against the Zzenddi and there was a huge loss of life on both sides.

The Bl'Hud Front

In Bl'Hud space, the Zzenddi swept aside all picket ships and then moved to Bl'Hud worlds. Unlike in Gannid and later Terran space, the Zzenddi launched orbital bombardments of huge scale on Bl'Hud worlds, devastating them.
During the Zzenddi fleet's move through Bl'Hud space, more than 1.3 billion Bl'Hud were killed and almost their enitre infrastructure was wiped out.

The Unity Cabinet

In 2569 President Harmony Meagher called for full elections to be held in 2570. However, a deal known as the Dhaka Agreement, was hammered out in secret and all the major party's of the Republic agreed to name Aston Groff as the new President fo the Republic and form a Unity Cabinet.

President Groff

General Groff was sworn in as President in 2570 and had to deal with the immediate threat of the Zzenddi as they crossed into Terran territory. During his time as President, he oversaw a massive mobilisation effort and military response, though the Republic Navy was not yet ready to engage with the main Zzenddi fleets.
President Groff had a surpsingly close relationship with his Vice President, despite their idealogical differences. He also leaned on Secretary of War Eleutheria Ashpool, who had come out of her semi-retirement on Celeste.
President Groff refused to be drawn into domestic politics as a rule and attempted to stay "above the fray".

• Vice President - Henderson Loke (Gurava )
• Secretary of War- Dr Eleutheria Ashpool (Valiant Party )
• Secretary of the Treasury- Lucinda Maizeland (Isolationist Party )
• Foreign Secretary - Pierce Mooreland (Republican Centrist Party)
• Attorney General - Ceavan Ballard (Librarius )
• Secretary of Civil Defence - Hayley Rush (Social Democratic Party )
• Secretary of Information - Rosby Crockett (Ravenheart )
• Secretary of Intelligence - Baize Watkins (Vishnu Elpis )

Serious health concerns came to light in 2573 and in 2575, President Groff passed away becoming the first President to die in office.

President Loke

Henderson Loke took over from President Groff in 2575 and kept the same cabinet in place, at first, though a small reshuffle followed. He faced some resistance from some of the right wing party's over the Ashenmark affair but he was determiend to return technology to the Tranoans.
President Loke leant heavily on Secretary of War Eleutheria Ashpool and often spoke of her skill and her achivements as War Secretary
President Loke also stayed away from domestic politics and proved to be far more hawkish than had been expected during his time as President. Despite huge personal popularity, he ruled out running for a full term in 2579.

• Vice President - Lucinda Maizeland (Isolationist)
• Secretary of War- Dr Eleutheria Ashpool (Valiant Party )
• Secretary of the Treasury- Pierce Moreland (Republican Centrist Party )
• Foreign Secretary - Crawford Navarro (Vishnu Elpis )
• Attorney General - Ceavan Ballard (Librarius )
• Secretary of Civil Defence - Hayley Rush (Social Democratic Party )
• Secretary of Information - Rosby Crockett (Ravenheart )
• Secretary of Intelligence - Beckett Solarin (Independent)

President Loke clashed with Ravenheart and he was never close with Secretary Crockett as Information Secretary. After the comments by Rep Jordi Klain (RHC), he removed Secretary Crockett from his cabinet role.
2nd Cabinet

• Vice President - Lucinda Maizeland (Isolationist)
• Secretary of War- Dr Eleutheria Ashpool (Valiant Party )
• Secretary of the Treasury- Pierce Moreland (Republican Centrist Party )
• Foreign Secretary - Crawford Navarro (Vishnu Elpis )
• Attorney General - Ceavan Ballard (Librarius )
• Secretary of Civil Defence - Hayley Rush (Social Democratic Party )
• Secretary of Information - Dr Anson Williams (Independent)
• Secretary of Intelligence - Beckett Solarin (Independent)

3rd Cabinet

• Vice President - Lucinda Maizeland (Isolationist)
• Secretary of War- Adm Raheem Amrani (Indepedent)
• Secretary of the Treasury- Pierce Moreland (Republican Centrist Party )
• Foreign Secretary - Crawford Navarro (Vishnu Elpis )
• Attorney General - Ceavan Ballard (Librarius )
• Secretary of Civil Defence - Hayley Rush (Social Democratic Party )
• Secretary of Information - Dr Anson Williams (Independent)
• Secretary of Intelligence - Beckett Solarin (Independent)

The Fabian Plan

The Pre-War plan, as laid out by Admiral Amrani, was the so called "Fabian Plan" of non-engagement with the Zzenddi until the Republic & Allied Fleet was large enough to take them on. The plan called for using the Terran worlds as "garrisons and buffers" to slow the Zzenddi advance.

The Eleutheria Plan

Once Secretary Eleutheria Ashpool took over the Dept of Defence, she began a major upscaling of the Republic military, including bringing in Hana ships from the private sector.
She also changed the combat strategy to one of direct engagement, first going around Zzenddi lines and attacking behnd their lines and then aggressively going after the smallest and weakest Zzenddi fleet first.
In post-war analysis, nearly all military historians and pundits consider her to have done an excellent job as War Secretary.

The Battle of Ecaraz 191

30th January 2570 A small covert task force, comprised of ships "seconded" from the Ashenmark, made a successful raid using unknown technology at the Zzenddi stargate in the Ecaraz 191 system. The Zzenddi were able to destroy all but one of the ships but the Zzenddi stargate was destroyed, leaving them with just one stargate in the Heretae system.

The Battle of Savindar Dahl

16th October 2572 The Republic's "Task Force Liberator", under the command of Admiral Ayako Suramaya, managed to work its way around the Zzenddi lines, then stopped at Al Ahily and Avalon, to strike deep into Gannid territory.
They destroyed Zzenddi picket ships here and there before reaching the Gannid home-world of Sovindar Dahl. They destroyed the few Zzenddi ships in orbit and then landed a marine expeditionary force to liberate the planet and link up with the Gannid resistance.

The Battle of Heretae

30th December 2572 Task Force Liberator then pushed through Gannid space to Heretae, the life-less star system where the Zzenddi had left their other stargate. A small force of Zzenddi ships was guarding it but they were easily defeated by Task Force Liberator and the Stargate was destroyed, cutting the Zzenddi off from their home-systems.

The Battle of Yolik

20th April 2573 Task Force Liberator linked up with the CCN Allied fleet in Rorn space and struck the Zzenddi fleet designated "GORGON" in the Yolik system.
A complex plan to ambush the Zzenddi fleet using the carrier battle-groups to strike at the Zzenddi fleet and do as much damage as possible, whilst the capital ships move into posisition to strike at Zzenddi ships and preventing their escape.
The initial carrier strike, executed by Admiral Archer Sondeheim and Admiral Sovitor, struck expertly, causing heavy damage to the Zzenddi fleet. Drone swarms attacked and caused huge damage to Zzenddi warships and destroying many of them.
The Zzenddi battle-line attempted to form up and close the distance, coming under raking fire from Terran, Rorn and Mor-Du cruisers and heavier ships, whilst swarms of frigates duelled and fought savage dogfights.
Quickly, the Allied fleet gained a critical advantage and committed its entire frigate screen to cover the retreat of the fleet. By the time the battle ended and the Zzenddi fleet had jumped away, they had lost over 70% of their fleet.
The allied fleet lost around 45 ships, with around 10,500 sailors and marines.

Tazzyn Intervention

After a direct appeal by President Aston Groff to the Tazzyn Emperor, the Tazzyn eventually agreed to commit a task force to aid the allied effort. However, there were significant issues around command and control and the Tazzyn refused to take orders from the Terrans or CCN allies, which did lead to some difficulties in making and executing plans.

The Siege of Al Ahily -Operation Crusader

15th March 2570 The expected first point of major contact in Terran space was Al Ahily. Operation Crusader was the brain child of Lt-General Lucius Corvvo and involved a force of nearly 10 million Terran troops, with the deployment of the newly created Colonial Infantry alongside Terran Marines, Vatu allies and local forces, as well as a huge number of battle-droids procuded by Sarissa Arms, AKI and Capek R&D.
The Zzenddi made landfall in May of 2570 and the first landings were extremely costly for the Zzenddi, who took withering fire on their landing. The Zzenddi gradually landed more and more war-forms on the planet, surrounding the defensive formations based around the major cities.
The siege of the cities went on for weeks until there was a major counter-attack, largely led by battle-droids. The Zzenddi were pushed back to their initial drop zones and another huge wave of Zzenddi were deployed to reinforce them.
After eighteen months of fierce fighting on Al Ahily, the defences finally collapsed in November of 2571. The planet then fell under Zzenddi occupation for the next five years but there was ceaseless restiance from local forces and surviving marine and Vatu formations.

The Siege of Fort Kurzon

30th May 2570 Little was expected of the defence of the small world of Fort Kurzon but a Marine garrison force there, aided by local militia and miners put up an incredibly spirited resistance. The defenders sealed up passage-ways and fought from caverns. They used rock-falls, improvised defences and fought deeper and deeper into the mines on Fort Kurzon.
Despite huge numbers of War-forms deployed the planet, they were unable to bring their numbers to bear and in the end, the Zzenddi fleet HYDRA moved on with the planet's defences still holding out.

The Siege of Avalon

20th April 2570 Avalon's preperations for the war were disrupted when Governor Tyrell Winnant called for "peace talks with the Zzenddi". He was arrested by Federal agents but this was followed by an attempted coup by Burning Path, apparently led by its leader Solasta Varley.
Local marine forces put down the coup fairly quickly but this was then followed by a massive Zzenddi invasion of the planet, with millions of war-forms being dropped onto the planet.
By December of 2570, Avalon's defences had collapsed and the planet suffered a long, bloody occupation.

The Siege of Nova Terra

5th January 2573 The Zzenddi forces arrived in orbit around Nova Terra on 5th of January and battered their way through the planet's excellent orbital screen, which had a combination of satelites and combat-stations. The Zzenddi forced the landing and began to slowly encircle the cities and the planet's downport.
A huge Marine corps deployment, supported by Vatu warriors, PMCs, battle-droids and local militia. The defence was well organized the marines fought bravely, putting up an intense defence which killed millions of Zzenddi warriors.
However, given enough time and reinforcement, the Zzenddi were able to land more and more war-forms and by 2575, the defences of Nova Terra were essentially broken.

The Siege of Vanheim

24th October 2574 The Zzenddi fleet swept aside the meagre orbital defences of Vanheim on 24th October 2574. The Zzenddi forced a landing, under heavy fire from dozens of ground batteries which struck the Zzenddi warships as they attempted to land.
The actual landings saw the Zzenddi battle against the Marine corps garrison, supported as ever by battle-droids, Colonial Infantry, Vatu Warriors and local militia.
The Zzenddi forces were pushed back to their initial landing zone and in several cases, overrun and wiped out. The Zzenddi were forced to attempt additional landing points, spreading out and forcing a wider and wider battle-area.
The marines and other professional forces were endlessly supported by the local militia forces, who offered scouting, sniper fire and logiistics to support their operations against the Zzenddi.
The fighting went on for months and the people of Vanheim were proud to say that their defences were never broken by the Zzenddi.

Operation Atremis

March 1st 2575 The combined CCN force, supported by a large Vatu and Tranoan contingent, hunted down and attacked the Zzenddi fleet designated "Gorgon" as a part of "Operation Atremis"
The allied fleet chased the Zzenddi fleet down, eventually cornering them in the Qashiki system. There was an intense but fairly one-sided battle as the CCN force, using the Tranoan cruisers and battleships for its main gun-line as its main weapon to break up the Zzenddi fleet.
Rorn, Mor-Du, Bl'Hud and Tranoan frigates also proved to be more than a match for the Zzenddi frigates. In less than four hours of fighting, the Zzneddi fleet had been all but wiped out.

Operation Dawn-Tyde

November 23rd, 2575
Republican Forces comprised of a mixture of battle-droids, Vatu allies, Republic Marines and Tyrian troops launched a daring assault to retake the "lost-worlds" of Fort Kurzon and Al Ahily. A PMC fleet, "Black-Tyde" moved transport ships to land large landing forces on both worlds on November 24 2575.
The initial landing on Fort Kurzon caught the Zzenddi forces there by surprise and despite ferocious resistance, they were wiped out in a two week campaign. Fort Kurzon was considered fully liberated by December 16 at the loss of just 6,250 troops.
The Al Ahily campaign saw much stronger resistance, with the initial landing sites coming under fierce attacks and large Zzenddi warforms shattering the initial landing forces. A brilliant counter-attack led by Vatu Warriors saved LZ Commercial and allowed the Marines and Tyrian troops to hold their bridgehead.
Meanwhile, an entirely Battle-Droid force made an audacious landing directly into Interval City. They suffered severe losses on forcing the landing, with 75% of the first wave wiped out in the first day of fighting. However, the Battle-Droids of XXIV and XXVII corps were able to secure a ldogement in the city and follow up forces, linking up with local resistance were able to liberate Interval City by 29 December 2575.
The campaign is expected to be a bloody one. Admiral Isabella Sondeheim, the overall commander, reported from her flagship, RES Harrington, that there had been no significant Zzenddi naval forces in the area and that her forces are hopeful that the liberation of Al Ahily will be completed in the early part of 2576.
The Republican forces on Al Ahily have concluded the bloody campaign to liberate Al Ahily, with the last Zzenddi enclave overrun on February 20, 2576.
Admiral Isabella Sondeheim, overall commander of Operation Dawn Tyde, reported that the ground forces had successfully surrounded and wiped the Zzenddi forces out, uniting with local forces and surviving marines and colonial infantry of the garrison there.
Governor Naveen Al Hawfi (VAL) is confirmed to be alive, albeit wounded and the Al Ahily planetary government has been able to reconvene.
According to an initial estimate, around 2 million civilains had been killed during the Zzenddi occupation, largely from disease and starvation, rather than direct Zzenddi attacks. However, there is a feeling that many more died as a result of the ongoing resitance on the planet.

The Battle of Vanheim

20th November 2575
The Republic’s primary naval force, Task Force Liberator, moved from their bases in the Sol system. The 500 ships of Task Force Liberator, joined by the 300 ships of the Tazzyn allied contingent, reached their jumping off point, near Jupiter.
The fleet, under the command of Vice Admiral Hamish Adams, went into jump space and arrived in the Vanheim star-system on 26th November 2575. The fleet arrived at the edge of the system, using the radiation of the gas giant “Freya” to shield their signature from the Zzenddi fleet.
A huge Zzenddi fleet of around 600 ships, including two huge world-ships, remained in its concentric rings around Vanheim where fierce fighting had raged on for the last two years.
Task Force Liberator’s carriers began to move to the striking position and once there, it launched a huge cloud of combat drones to strike the Zzenddi fleet, much as they had when they fell unobserved on the Zzenddi fleet known as “Gorgon”.
This fleet, known as “Hydra”, was larger and with a different fleet composition. The Zzenddi had failed to spot the Republic and Allied Fleets as they arrived but the huge drone attack failed to do the damage that had been expected, with Zzenddi bio-drones and excellent flak cover minimizing the damage done to their capital ships.
Admiral Adams gave the orders to attack and a cruiser element, supported by the Battleships “Andraste” and “Horizon” struck at the Zzenddi line, hitting several larger ships including a dreadnought as they moved away from their blocking positions. The Zzenddi response was quick and direct though, with powerful directed energy blasts from their dreadnoughts and battleships as well as swarming attacks by frigates.
The cruiser element, led by RES Dhaka, was pushed back and forced to fight a desperate holding action. Meanwhile the Horizontook a bad ship amidships and its engines failed, making it a sitting duck for more fire. Two carriers moved up to cover the Horizon as it listed. The Zzenddi attempted to roll up the Allied flank but they came under withering fire from a squadron of frigates equipped with Nightjar technology. The effect of the focused, fast-firing las-guns and plasma weapons shredded Zzenddi shields very quickly and in less than five minutes, more than 30 Zzenddi frigates had been destroyed.
Admiral Adams gave the signal that the attacking elements needed to fall back, under covering fire from the main striking force and its battleships and cruisers. Another carrier borne drone element remained back to provide crucial interception and combat air patrol around the carrier force. However, directed energy weapons fire hit the carrier Halsey with such force that the escort carrier broke up in space in a huge explosion.
The Zzenddi continued to close in on the Allied force, now fully pulled away from their defensive positions around Vanheim. After around 50 minutes of fighting, at least 30 allied ships had been destroyed for the loss of more than 90 Zzenddi ships but the fight was at far closer range than had been planned.
Aboard his flagship on RES Constitution, Admiral Adams gave the order to slowly cede ground to the Zzenddi, whilst his reserve elements took up positions to provide covering fire. The RES Horizon, unable to fire up its primary engines, evacuated most of its crew and then, in a huge blaze of light, self-destructed as a Zzenddi battleship moved in for the kill, both ships being lost in the explosion.
The first, deadly stage of the battle was at an end but the Zzenddi pursuit continued as it appeared they sensed a chance to wipe the Allied fleet out in one engagement.
Task Force Liberator had withdrawn to the gravity well of the gas giant Heimdall, to mask their sensor signature. The Zzenddi fleet, following in close, aggressive pursuit, were still firing blazing volleys of energy fire, with the odd hit either being deflected by shields or clipping the edge of a ship.
Admiral Adams gave orders for the fleet to form up in a defensive position, with the carriers forming two tight lines, with overlapping fields of fire. The cruiser squadrons were to push out and put firepower down range whilst the heaviest ships, the battleships, would stand in the centre and counter Zzenddi fire. The frigates would stand out at the edge, on picket duty.
The battle began in earnest as the Zzenddi frigates, still in swarming numbers, struck at their Terran equivalents. A ferocious firefight broke out but Terran frigates appeared to be able to match their Zzenddi opponents. This pushed the Zzenddi out of their formation and the initial exchanges of fire between the lines saw the Zzenddi fleet take heavy losses, with a dreadnought hit in what appeared to be the equivalent of its bridge, leaving it crippled.
Another wave of Terran drones attacked but once again, they failed to achieve much as Zzenddi bio-drones outfought them. The raking point defence fire from the Terran carriers was able to help tip the odds with the frigate clash and even cause some shield damage to the line ships but carriers were not built to fight at close range. Three escort carriers were destroyed in the exchange of gunfire and the carriers were forced to pull back, with the super-carrier “Unity” covering the retreat and taking several hits to the bridge.
The battle-line, lead by Rear Admiral Sovitor, launched a counter-attack at the Zzenddi battle-line, a bold and somewhat unorthodox approach. The fight drew the attack away from the retreating carrier force. The cruisers Bellepheron and Vigilant were both destroyed during the initial exchange and the battleship Terra was hit several times, with Admiral Sovitorforced to move to the ships secondary bridge.
The Zzenddi fleet attempted to regroup to concentrate fire and Admiral Adams was pushed by several of his division commanders to withdraw. But Admiral Adams kept his cool, and for good reason.
The Tazzyn task force, led by Duke Havitaur van Pall struck from the Zzenddi flank, offering raking fire from two directions at once. Tazzyn battleships concentrated fire on the Zzenddi worldship which was crippled and then crashed into the gas giant Heimdall and was destroyed.
The Tazzyn cruiser squadrons then dived into action, drawing fire and losing more than fifteen ships under ferocious fire but they were able to destroy far more Zzenddi ships. As the Zzenddi formation collapsed, their larger ships at the rear of the formation moved away and then retreated into jump space.
The battle was over and the Zzenddi had suffered massive losses, with over 350 ships destroyed including a world-ship. But the cost had been high, with nearly 95 Terran ships and 40 Tazzyn ships lost.
In addition to this material cost, 20,500 Terrans and 7,250 Tazzyn had died during the fighting in a costly victory.
The Zzenddi fleet had jumped away in hurry and early warning came that it had arrived in the Stark system. The war would continue but the battle of Vanheim had been won.

The Battle of Stark

March 1st 2576 The Republic Navy engaged with the remnants of the Zzneddi fleet, codenamed "Hydra" on March 1st, 2576. The Republic Navy & the Tazzyn allied contingent moved into the system on the hunt for the damaged but still dangerous Zzenddi fleet, with the surviving world-ship the primary objective. The Zzenddi fleet, clustered around the world-ship near the uninhabited planet Von Trier's World. The Republic frigates once again got the jump on the Zzenddi frigates, much reduced in number and a pitched battle was joined.
Admiral Adams plan was to pin the Zzenddi down in place with the frigates and cruisers, then using the heavy firepower of the battleships and other heavy ships. The Tazzyn allied contingent had agreed to move from the other edge of the system to make it much harder for the Zzenddi to jump out.
The Zzenddi did not appear, however, to be interested in fleeing and a fierce battle broke out as Zzenddi battleships began battering the Republic and Tazzyn ships from range. The carrier "Fraternity" was destroyed from a single shot from a Zzenddi dreadnought, all hands lost.
The Republic/Allied firing lines, however, were much bolstered by the presence of the Gannid titan Hammer of Zar-Kesan, whose massive levels of firepower overwhelmed even the superior shielding of the Zzenddi dreadnought. Two volleys broke the Zzenddi ship's shields and then a third crippled the ship outright.
Meanwhile the Martian Dreadnought Nemesis was able to pour enfilading fire down on the Zzenddi cruisers, using the cover of the drone swarms, now purely used in defensive measures, to mask its approach.
The Tazzyn battleships concentrated their fire on the Zzenddi worldship, whose huge shield strength was not able to hold up under such an intense volley of laser fire. The world-ships shields collapsed and the ship took heavy damage.
The Republic cruiser divisions engaged with their Zzenddi counter-parts at close range and a deadly duel swirled around the larger ships. The Martian cruiser "Vanguard" scored three confirmed kills before it was rammed and destroyed by a crippled Zzenddi cruiser.
A brand-new Phoenix class cruiser "Hawk" was crippled by a broadside from a Zzenddi battleship and unable to escape the coup de grace from another Zzenddi battleship.
Meanwhile the crippled Zzenddi dreadnought broke apart under another volley from the Gannid Titan. The firepower of the Zzenddi fleet began to collapse and several smaller ships attempted to break away and go into jump-space. They were pursued and largely cut down by Tazzyn cruisers.
A desperate last-gasp Zzenddi counter-attack concentrated fire on the super-carrier "Republic", already damaged from the battle of Vanheim. The ship took several bad hits, including one that shattered its primary drive coupling. A heroic bid by the engineering team managed to save the ship from a reactor explosion but it listed in space, with limited power
The Zzenddi worldship attempted to pull away and move for jump-space. Another push by three Tazzyn battleships saw them engage at near point blank range with the world-ship shattering its hull. The world-ship then attempted to jump anyway and the resulting energy cascade destroyed the huge Zzenddi ship, though a Tazzyn battleship was destroyed in the blast wave.
By the morning of March 2nd, it was clear that the Zzenddi fleet had been all but wiped out, with only a handful of smaller ships escaping.
The Republic had won another costly victory, with 55 ships destroyed and another 90 crippled. Nearly 10,000 Republic sailors and marines had died and the Tazzyn reported heavy losses too. But the Zzenddi fleet "Hydra" was removed as a threat to the Republic and the quadrant.

The Invasion of the Sol System

March 4th 2576
The huge Zzenddi fleet, code-named Scylla arrived in the Sol system on March 2nd, just outside of Neptune. It began to move directly for the inner-worlds of Earth & Mars.
In the Jovian Belt, the defensive forces arrayed their held their breath but the Zzenddi forces did not stop to engage, aside from some skirmishing between militia ships and Zzenddi frigates.
At Fort De La Hoya, Vice Admiral August Cutbill, commander of the Sol defence forces, sent out a broadcast on all Republic Navy frequencies:

Sender: Solar Actual Recipient: All Fleet elements in Sol space Message: All units. Watchtower reports Zzendi fleet elements crossing Phase Line Alpha. We beat them at Stark; we beat them at Vanheim; and now we're going to kill them all here. Terra is behind us. Sink, burn, destroy; let nothing pass. To the Zzendi fleet; welcome to hell.

As the huge Zzenddi fleet pushed through the system, it began to broadcast a huge amount of signal traffic, essentially blocking most communications inside the Sol system. RepInt station "Kingsbury" was able to find a few channels to get communications out and the FTL "HARP systems were unaffected.
The Zzenddi fleet reached the first layer of defences, as it pushed through the asteroid belt, it was greeted by the SK102 "Sniper" Satelite systems, emplaced by the Republic military. These hunter-killer satelites launched guided missiles at the largest Zzenddi warships and then followed up with railgun fire until they were picked off.
The fire, only intended to be harassing, still picked off five Zzenddi cruisers and a dozen frigates.
The rest of the Zzenddi fleet then split up, with half of the fleet heading to Earth and the other half moving towards Mars.
The waiting was over.
On Earth, President Henderson Loke addressed the nation from a secure bunker, confirming he was not leaving the planet and would share the fate of the people there.
March 9th 2576 -Operation Kingfisher With both Earth and Mars now under siege, the Zzneddi fleet had taken up defensive positions around both planets. The Republic's government was essentially silenced, though the acting government based out of New Berlin promised that the fight would continue no matter what.
However, on a small secretary military outpost near Mercury, the heavily shielded "Solar-One" base had received the signals "Salvo Ahead" and "Remora Zero".
Vice Admiral August Cutbill gave the order to "Activate Operation Kingfisher".
The Zzenddi fleet had largely ignored civilian traffic, unless it had strayed too close or gotten into the fray and blocked lines of fire. It certainly had not paid a huge amount of attention to it as, over two days, around a hundred civilian freighters, many of which appeared to be barely running and may have appeared as little more than wrecks, took up their places around and amongst the Zzenddi fleets around Earth and Mars.
And then, almost at exactly the same time, these ships exploded. These "fire-ships" were loaded full of explosives and cluster munitions and detonated in the middle of the Zzenddi fleets. The Zzenddi were caught totally flat footed by the explosion which rained explosives and sharp fragments of metal throughout the Zzenddi fleet. Many Zzenddi ships were simply destroyed in the initial blast and many more were peppered with a hail of fragments and shrapnel.
Most crucially, an explosion close to a worldship caused significant damage to the ship, causing it to list badly. The Zzenddi fleet began to tow the damaged worldship back and the attack had clearly done significant damage, with ONIR estimates that more than 75 Zzenddi ships, mostly smaller ones, had been destroyed in the blast.
The Zzenddi fleet had now lost nearly 40% of its numbers.

The Mars Campaign

March 7th 2576 A huge Zzenddi fleet, of around 275 fighting ships, anchored around a worldship, made its way towards Mars.
Mars, the commercial and industrial heart of the Terran Republic, was also home to over five billion people and the most populous world. Heavily defended, the Martian "Axann" defensive system was considered one of the most advanced in the entire Republic.
As the Zzenddi crossed the phase-line, more than 200 satellites launched guided munitions and then opened fire with railguns at the Zzenddi fleet. The initial splash impact appeared to catch the Zzenddi by surprise with how powerful it was and a Zzenddi battleship broke up under the bombardment, along with around fifteen other smaller ships.
The Zzenddi battleships and dreadnoughts stopped and began to fire at maximum range, picking off the satelites one by one. The cruisers and frigates moved in closer, crossing the second phase line.
In orbit around Demios, the ER85 Satellites, larger but coated with stealth composites, opened fire with their meson cannons. The blaze of light from the first volley was apparently visible from the ground on Mars. Nine more Zzenddi cruisers were shattered by the impact and the rest forced to evade as they tried to locate the source of the fire.
The Zzenddi frigates eventually were able to find these satellites too and destroy them one by one. As they closed in, they came under ground to space attack from Demios's "Sutaro" missile batteries that launched a huge volley of missile fire up at them, knocking out at least twenty more frigates before their missiles were exhausted.
A Zzenddi dreadnought then hammered the surface of Demios with its spinal weapons. The impact shook the entire moon, killing hundreds of people on the planet's few installations.
The Zzenddi fleet began to close into the Martian far orbit, having lost more than 50 ships but with more than 200 remaining.
The Zzenddi fleet then took up positions over the planet, with the familiar "Petal" formation for landings. However, the Martian defences were not finished yet. The old battleship RES "Regina", until recently a museum ship, opened fire from its position on the far side of the planet as the first Zzenddi ships crossed the planet's orbit.
The first volley shattered a Zzenddi cruiser outright and crippled another one. Zzenddi ships began to circle the Reginaas she opened fire on anything that came into her line of sight. As the Zzenddi cruisers attempted to circle, they came under fire first from ground to space launched missiles, so many that windows shattered all over Cydonia city when they were first launched, and then the Typhon gun batteries opened fire too, firing huge linked railguns into space.
The Zzenddi cruisers took heavy losses even as they opened fire at the Regina. The Regina, an old, venerable warship that dated back to the time of the Terran Empire, exchanged fire even as its shields began to fail and the first hits skidded over its armour. One volley from a cruiser shattered a hull plate in the mid-ships section of the Regina but she was able to isolate the fires and her damage control team put them out.
The Zzenddi landing ships, which had been launched, made their way to the planets surface in truly huge numbers. Martian Marine Corps tracking stations registered at one point on March 7 over 2,000 landing craft launched.
The first wave of Zzenddi landing ships broke orbit and the sky was full of the green glow of descending Zzneddi landing craft. More than 100 ground to air sites designed to take on these landings, known as the "Haviland-Line" launched ground to air missiles and fired kinetic ground to air cannons up in a huge bombardment.
The Zzenddi landing coming in near Cydonia city was utterly wiped out, with more than 100 landing craft destroyed in just fifteen minutes.
But there were more to come
Zzenddi landing craft managed to touch down on Mars here and there, heading for key objectives like the planet's downports, military bases and the capital. Zzenddi warforms, ranging from the smaller "Hoppers" up to the hulking war-forms and anti-mech "Reaper" forms surged forward in huge numbers.
Near the Syrtis Mountains, a Martian Marine Division, lead by the Martian Mountain Assault Brigade, ambushed a huge collum of Zzenddi moving towards Chandharr City. The Marines, in established firing positions, poured rifle, machine-gun, guided munitions, energy weapons and railguns down on the Zzenddi. The so-called "Sytris Turkey Shoot" last just forty five minutes and over 85,000 Zzenddi were killed.
But there were more, always more. The Zzenddi began to attack defensive positions manned by Republic Marines, Valtinist Rangers, local militia, Martian Marines, battle-mechs, PMCs and Vatu warriors.
Countless acts of heroism, to be repeated over and over, took place as Terran soldiers fought side by side with their Vatu allies. The Vatu of the "Vankar" Brigade, proved to be the stuff of Vatu legend as they counter-charged a Zzenddi assault on the edge of Sancrist City and cut down thousands of Zzenddi in a close range fire fight and then more in hand to hand comabt. The last communication from General Tankar was "It is glorious, is it not?"
The night of March 7th and 8th were filled with gunfire, explosions and screams.
Meanwhile,, in high orbit, the Reginamade its final play. Limping forward, it drew the fire of a Zzenddi dreadnought, which quickly collapsed its shields. Rear Admiral Yoshimoto, commanding the Regina, broadcast the crpytic message "Salvo ahead" as the bridge collapsed and the Regina appeared to have been destroyed, its reactor shutting down.
The Zzneddi fleet now had uncontested orbital control.
March 10th-April 1st 2576 On Mars, the fighting was intense. Terran, Vatu and allied forces fought for every inch of ground against the Zzenddi, as more and more war-forms were deployed to the planets surface.
There were dark dark moments. The defences around Chandaharr City finally collpased on March 19th and the Zzenddi overran the city. In an apparent frenzy, the Zzenddi warforms attacked every living thing they saw and the death toll from the city was in the millions.
The Zzneddi assaults on Sancrist City were determined and vicous, with a huge array of war-forms deployed. Huge, hulking "Reaper" forms clove through armour and shields and pulled soldiers apart. Bizzare skeletal "Deacon" Zzenddi hynotized their prey before dragging them away. And hordes of hoppers and slashers poured into firing lines, heedless of losses.
The Marines defending Sancrist City fought on and on, day after day. There was, thankfully, a near endless supply of ammo thanks to truly peerless logistics and the Republic and Martian Marines fought alongside PMCs from "Takar-Lowler" whose motto had always been "Any enemy, for the right price."
The Zzneddi attack on Cydonia continued on for the whole month too, at one point there was a breakthrough at Halliday Street and Zzenddi warforms were seen all over mid-town. But a quick response from the Martian Mountain Assault Brigade, supported by Valtinist Rangers, stopped them cold before heavy losses.
Then the Zzenddi stopped. On April 1 they stopped and began to withdraw back and the firing died down. The Marines, unsure of what had happened, also paused and reorganized, moved their wounded and buried their dead.

The Landing on Earth

March 8th 2576 The other half of the Scylla fleet, around 260 Zzenddi ships, lead by a huge worldship, arrived near Earth on March 8th.
The permiter defences around Earth were very strong, with defensive sattelites launching a huge volley of fire. Skutar class sattelites had long been planned for replacement but were still able to pour down volleys of kinetic munitions. Specially designed pyrokinetic rounds exploded with huge blazes of light and chaff, which was hoped to sow confusion in the Zzneddi fleet.
Meanwhile, the more modern Hengist class sattelites opened fire with their brand-new Meson cannons. These cut down versions of the formidable Gannid designed weapon struck home and a Zzenddi battleship seemed to vapourize under the impact.
Once again, the Zzenddi pushed forwad, frigates picking off the satellites one by one as they attempted to encircle the Earth. The petal formation that had been seen on Al Ahily, Nova Terra, Vanehim, Fort Kurzon and Avalon was now being seen on Earth.
Earth's formidable Watch-Tower stations opened fire next, with their linked railguns. A Time on Target volley caught the zzenddi fleet as it prepared to launch landing ships and two battleships were shattered under the impact.
The Zzenddi launched volley after volley of energy weapon fire and, slowly, one by one, the Watchtowers were brought down, one exploding in high orbit, the other collapsing into low orbit and then splashing down in the Indian ocean.
Zzenddi landing craft, in huge numbers, began to descend from space towards the Earth and the next, decisive stage of the battle began
March 10th-March 29th 2576 On the surface of the Earth, a bloody battle to the death between the Terrans and the Zzneddi had been raging on for days.
Marines, Colonial Infantry, Battle-Droids and Vatu warriors fought against Zzenddi war-forms all across the planet. Most of the Zzenddi landings concentrated in Asia though, with their primary thrust appearing to go for Dhaka city, the capital of the Republic.
The Marine I and IV Corps defended Dhaka in an extremely bloody battle. They were supported by local militia and even civilains carrying ammo, messages and stretchers. The fighting reached its peak on March 20th as the Zzenddi broke through the line at Firebase Oxford and pushed into Dhaka itself. A fierce counter-attack led by the Marine 18th and 205th Regiments broke up the Zzenddi attack, with nearly 90% losses for the Marines who made the desperate attack.
A Vatu counter-attack near Dhaka broke the Zzenddi line again and then a huge push was made by 5 corps of Battle-Droids, including "Sweeper K1" battle-droids specially desighed for dealing with Zzenddi in close quarters. Their adaptive armour, module design and advanced short range energy weapons appeared to cut Zzenddi apart with ease and even the Vatu admitted that they had "never seen anything shred a Zzenddi like that before".

The Miracle of Basila Bridge

But the biggest moment came on March 29th with the so-called "Miracle of the Basila Bridge". A huge Zzenddi force of 150,000 was pushing towards Dhaka, having broken the defences at Firebase "Foxworth". Marine units were redeploying to try and put up a defence when a new weapon was deployed.
Some sort of unknown "sonic ray" was deployed against the Zzneddi and, almost at once, nearly the entire Zzenddi force first stopped moving and then simply curled up, and died.
The attack on Dhaka had been stopped and momentum had shifted for good on Earth.

Zzenddi Withdrawal to Nova Terra

April 2nd 2576 On April 2nd 2576, the Zzenddi fleet, code-named "Scylla" began to withdraw from the Sol system. The Zzenddi had suffered nearly 45% losses and with the destruction of Hydra, appeared to be falling back. Their fleet moved quickly and once it moved past Saturn, they went into jump-space
On Earth, Governor Safin ordered a day of celebration and reflection. He gave thanks to the military of the Republic and to the Vatu allies for the incredible heroism that had won the day on Earth.
On Mars, Lt-Governor Takahara also gave thanks. The media did not comment on it but her hair, greying before the Martian landings, was now totally grey. She called the victory "a delivarance" and gave thanks to the military, the fleet and the allies for all they had done. She also praised the people of Mars for their toughness and called for reflection and a remembrance for the dead.
President Henderson Loke, speaking from a Marine Firebase near Dhaka City, gave a short speech calling the moment "A miracle. We have won, against the odds and our way of life continues. Today we must reflect on what we have won with this victory and the price we have paid for it. The war is not over, there are still Zzenddi warships out there and we must find them and finish them off. But the darkest night is over."
Early reports from Civil Defence are that over a million military casualties were suffered and that nearly 3 million civilains had been killed during the fighting, far less than first estimated.
They also reported that the Earth and Mars sattelite systems are in ruins and that with the sheer amount of space junk in orbit, traffic to and from the planets will have to be limited and this will have a profound affect on trade.
But the battle for Sol has been won. The war is not yet over but the tide has turned

Regrouping

April 9th 2576-September 1st 2576 The Zzenddi fleet Scylla returned to Nova Terra and has taken up its "petal" formation around the planet again.
Nova Terra's plentary defences were long gone and the Zzenddi were able to land more War-forms to the planet and reassert control on the planet. What little organized resitance exists on the planet was forced to go to ground.
This new wave of Zzenddi occupation saw them far harsher and far more violent, attacking anything that they saw outside of the "resettlement" zones where people had been forced to stay.
Scattered reports from RepInt and ONIR were that in five months, nearly 2 million people had been killed by direct Zzenddi action, adding to the around 5,000 per week that were dying from disease and privation.

The Battle of Nova Terra

2nd September 2576 The combined fleets of the Republic Navy, the Tazzyn Allied Contingent and the CCN Allies jumped into the Nova Terra star-system with its objective of hunting down and destroying the last major Zzenddi fleet, code-named Syclla.
The Zzenddi had formed a defensive permiter around Nova Terra as their ground forces ravaged the planet. The Terran and Allied fleets did not have to work hard to find them.
There had been significant complications during the plannng phase of "Operation Light-Serpent". The Tazzyn allied element refused to take direct orders and work under a Terran or allied commander. Therefore their fleet worked "alongside" the other allied elements.
The CCN forces were more cooperative but a combined command and control structure was difficult with so many different races and different types of ship. Admiral Suramaya, the Chief of Staff of the Republic military, was present aboard the Terran Strength, to coordinate the various different races and fleets.
Admiral Adams intent was to get as close to the Zzenddi fleet as was practical to prevent their escape. The CCN & Terran elements were to form a permiter with the first strike made by the Tazzyn fleet element.
Even with significant losses, the Tazzyn fleet still possessed huge firepower and closed in quickly on the Zzenddi forces. As ever, the battle between the frigates saw the Terrans and Tazzyn quickly gain the advantage with superior ships and better helmsmanship.
With the peremiter secured, the Tazzyn fleet struck, its battleships and dreadnought pouring fire down into the Zzenddi line.
The Terran line, with its Gannid allies, also poured down long range fire from the two Titan's present. The Zzenddi fleet took a battering during the opening exchange and their battleships returned fire in a blistering exchange of firepower, with losses stacking up on both sides.
The Tazzyn fleet took lossesin the teeth of the Zzenddi fire and a swarm of frigates and cruisers of Terran, Tranoan, Vatu, Gannid, Rorn and Bl'Hud design struck at the Zzenddi, attempting to exploit a flanking move. The Zzenddi fleet was struck hard and began to fall back away from Nova Terra.
The hope had been that the Zzenddi would be caught in a cross fire, with nowhere to retreat to. However, the Zzenddi made an unexpected strike at the middle of the Terran/Allied gun-line to try and force their way out. With most of the cruisers and frigates now out of position, the carriers and battleships were left somewhat exposed for a short while and the carrier Pioneer was destroyed. The Titan "Terran Strength", with incomplete armour, took a hail of fire and fires broke out in several sections of the ship.
A squadron of Bl'Hud frigates swung desperately into the path of the Zzenddi fleet, blocking their fire for a few minutes before being wiped out. But this gave the Terran and Allied gun-line a chance to move and find a better firing arc. The "Terran Strength" put out its fires and continued to fire and the Martian dreadnought "Nemesis" joined it, putting down fearful fire onto the last remaining Zzenddi worldship.
The Zzenddi continued to try and push through the gap in the Allied line. Strafing attacks by Straetek ships that had been cloaked broke up their line and a Zzenddi battleship was destroyed with a single hit of a graviton hellbore. The Zzenddi, heedless of losses, kept driving forward and despite fearful damage, they broke through the allied line.
But the worldship was not so lucky. More and more fire from the Terran Strength and then the Gannid Titan "Hammer of Zar-Kesan" saw meson fire, laser cannons, missiles, railgun and kinetic solid shot connect with the worldship. A final volley from a Tranoan battleship shattered the central "ribcage" of the worldship and it broke apart.
Around 160 Zzenddi ships had successfully broken away and moved into jump-space. Tranoan navigators plotted their move, which appeared to be taking them to Avalon.
Whilst nearly half of the remaining Zzenddi fleet had been destroyed, it had been another bloody fight with around 150 allied ships lost during the fighting. Around 9,000 Terran sailors and marines had been killed, with the shock news that Admiral Suramaya had been killed when the "Terran Strength" had caught fire.
Admiral Adams gave the sad news to the remnants of Task Force Liberator and then the Allied fleet regrouped to follow the Zzneddi on to Avalon, with the hope they could deliver the coup-de-grace and end the war.

The Battle of Avalon

15th September 2576 Despite the fatigue and losses of the recent battles, the Republic Fleet of Task Force Liberator and its allied contingents made for Avalon with all possible speed. The Allied force, now numbering around 850 fighting ships hoped to corner and finish off the Zzenddi fleet, now thought to number less than 200 ships. Admiral Adams organized the strike plan, once again with the Tazzyn playing the primary role of the striking force, with the CCN allies operating as the "catching force" to prevent the Zzenddi from escaping again.
When the Zzenddi fleet was sighted, it was clear there was no world-ship with them and now just 1 dreadnought and ten battleships in their battle-line. Most of their frigates were gone and the Zzenddi and the Zzenddi formed a defensive line and began to look for an escape vector.
Admiral Adams gave the go-code of Operation Resolute Flare and all elements struck. Admiral Kovikar led a cruiser squadron, commanding from his cruiser "Phoenix". The maverick Admiral used a series of high frequency EM comms to briefly blind the Zzenddi cruisers and battleships and then struck them with a beautifully executed passing attack, destroying two cruisers outright and crippling another, without taking any significant losses himself.
The Zzenddi main firing line exchanged fire with the Republic and Tazzyn groups and the exchange of fire was brutal, once again. The Titan "Terran Strength" was not rated for the jump and had to be left behind but the Tazzyn battleships were able to make up for the lost firepower, as was the Gannid Titan "Hammer of Zar-Kesan".
The Tazzyn cruiser squadrons struck again and again at the Zzenddi gun-line and broke it up only to see it reform and steadily move for the gap and look to make another escape. Vatu cruisers closed into poiint blank range to slow the escape, losing half of their number in the process and slowing the Zzenddi escape
The Zzenddi line continued to thin out as more and more ships were destroyed. A Tranoan battleship fired a "Bright-Lance" spinal mount and destroyed another battleship that had been weakened by a squadron of Mor-Du and Ekuneri frigates.
The Jikari frigates proved to be especially effective at near point blank range, getting in and out of the Zzenddi firing arcs and launching missiles, short range suicide drones and firing high energy blasts into the Zzenddi ships. Another battleship was destroyed with this effort.
The Zzenddi were now pushing hard for the escape and their return fire shattered a Tazzyn battleship, causing its reactor to explode and engulf two other ships near to it. Their fire also collapsed the shields of a Tranoan battleship which lost power and listed, ablaze.
The Zzenddi broke formation and drove top speed for the gap to allow them to move to jump space. As the pursuit picked up pace, with ships of all the allied races chasing, the Straetek battleships decloaked in their path and opened fire with their graviton hellbores. The Zzenddi ships, the last Zzenddi ships of the fleet known as Scylla, were caught from four sides as the allies poured fire down on them and one by one, their shields flickered and died, their hulls cracked and their ships broke apart.
At 0725 of 16th September, all scans revealed no "living" Zzenddi in the area. The battle was over and not a single Zzenddi ship had escaped. This time only 40 Allied ships had been lost but the Republic fleet was battered to the point of near ineffectiveness.
The war was not over though. Even as Admiral Adams spoke to his fellow commanders and drank a toast to the fallen, the Marines and Colonial Infantry prepared for the effort to secure Avalon and Nova Terra and clear the Zzenddi from the planets.

The Nova Terra Campaign - Operation

15th December 2576 Lt-General Amanda Lloyd, commander of Marine Expeditionary Force "Lancer" confirmed today that the campaign to liberate Nova Terra has been completed. A combined force of Marines, Colonial Infantry, Vatu Allies, Battle-Droids and "Aegis-Warriors" from Sanctuary took part in the three month campaign.
Lt-General Lloyd confirmed that nearly 600,000 Zzenddi war-forms were killed and their bodies have been interred. The Marine Corps has confirmed that 26,400 marine casualties. The Colonial Infantry confirmed 110,521 casualties, with another 150,000 losses split between other forces.
Lt-General Lloyd confirmed that the Aegis force, deployed from the world Sanctuary, had performed extremely well and she had been impressed with their fighting spirit, speed of movement and aggression.
The Avalon Campaign - Operation Autumn Crocodile 20th February 2577 Lt-General Severus Oak, commander of the Marine Expeditionary Force "Castellan" confirmed that all combat operations on Avalon have now ceased, after the destruction of the last known Zzenddi nest near the Daskand hills. Lt-General Oak confirmed that the fighting had been very intense and that the force template used on Nova Terra had to be reinforced with an additional two million battle-droids and one million colonial infantry.
Dept of Defence sources confirmed that casualties for the combined allied force exceeded one million during the campaign and that over ten million Zzenddi war-forms had been destroyed.
Avalon, the first world to fall to the Zzenddi, suffered extensive damage and nearly twelve million civilains have been killed, with another nine million missing. The planet's infrastructure has also suffered significant damage.
A Marine engineering force, supported by Civil Defence, has begun to set up new camps for the survivors and the rebuilding effort, focusing on critical infrastructure, has begun.
With this victory, the last known locations of Zzenddi occupation have been liberated.

Sweeping Up

Combat operations continued for over eighteen months, with Marine and Colonial Infantry units deployed, alongside PMCs and other allied units. The Navy also kept several task forces in operation during the campaign.
Operation "Wildcat" concluded in December of 2578 and Lt-General Oak confirmed that combat operations were over. Isoalted Zzenddi forces and ships had been destroyed.

Counting the Cost

After the war, there was a huge level of destruction wrought on many Terran worlds, with the infrastructure of Avalon, Nova Terra and Al Ahily were all in ruins. Mars & Earth had both suffered a huge level of damage too, with the starports and orbitals shattered and inoperative.
Princess Kallisto Valane ordered a clean up operation around Mars, which was concluded by early 2580.
The material cost to repair the Terran worlds was expected to cost somewhere between 60-80 billion adjusted dollars. The Republic fleet had also suffered extensive damage, with around 40% of its ships destroyed.
There was also a huge level of loss to the Hansa's commercial fleet which had been brought into service for the war. There was also a huge loss of life.
All economists predicted a massive collapse to the Terran economy and more than 144 billion adjusted dollars were wiped out during the 2580 economic collapse.

Casualties

During the 2nd Zzenddi War, there was a huge loss of life and casualties suffered by the combatants:

• Terran Military casualties: 24,250,000 dead and 20,750,000 wounded.
• Terran Civilain casualties: 38,500,000 dead and 45,150,000 wounded.
• CCN Military casualties: 1,750,000 dead and 4,500,000 wounded.
• Bl'Hud Civilain casualties: 1,100,000,000+ dead.
• Vatu Military casualties: 9,250,000 dead and 7,000,000 wounded.
• Tranoan Military casualties: 125,000 dead and 250,000 wounded
• Tazzyn Military casualties: 245,000 dead and 250,000 wounded
• Total Terran casualties: 62,750,000 dead and 65,900,000 wounded
• Total casualties: 1,174,120,000 dead & 77,900,000 wounded

Estimates are that at least 300 million Zzenddi warforms were killed during the war but it is impossible to properly determine their losses.