Catamite Wars

The Catamite Wars were a series of conflicts seeking lunar independence in the Jovian system, encompassing the uprisings and rebellions on Jupiter's moons triggered by the Io miners' strike, as well as the war between Ganymede separationists and Jupiter following a declaration of independence. The Catamite Wars culminated in a treaty that granted the right of self-governance to the moons, but ceded trade and foreign affairs to Jupiter.
The name of the war is derived from "Catamites", an archaic word for the Jovian moons. The name is deeply associated with the exploitation of the moons and the paternalistic Jovian attitude towards them. Prior to the Catamite Wars, Jupiter expected its moons to follow Jovian law, obey Jovian policy and most importantly pay Jovian tax. The regulation and oversight varied from moon to moon. More strategically important moons experienced far stricter enforcement of these policies and a heavier hand, while others got away with something more similar to self-rule even before the war.

Timeframe

16 Months, 220017-220018

Major Theatres

Ganymede

Result

Partial Lunar Independence, with Jupiter retaining control of foreign policy and trade

Included Conflicts

Resistance Brews

The Catamite system had been begrudgingly accepted for millennia. However, a series of tax raises caused discontent among the moons, while oversight was tightened following a wave of Jovian supremacy in the Senate. Tensions reached a boiling point when the Senate formally acknowledged Ceres as independent, sparking a miners' strike on Io that was brutally suppressed. Uprisings spread through the moons of Jupiter, ranging from peaceful protests to outright attacks against local Jovian governments.
The winds of independence came to Ganymede as well. The largest moon in the Solar System, Ganymede has been one of most valuable tributaries of Jupiter thanks to its dense population and developed industries. The Council of Nations, which oversaw matters concerning all of Ganymede, started discussing the plight of the other moons. Fearing these discussions turning into more serious conviction, Jupiter used its influence to force a premature vote on a referendum of independence in order to head off such a possibility.
Unfortunately for Jupiter, Mysia, a Ganymedean nation that held a veto in the Council as a founding member and was considered the leader of the most pro-Jupiter faction, misinterpreted Jupiter's intentions and exercised its veto to defeat the motion without a vote. Chaos erupted in the Council. The other nations' representatives quickly deemed Mysia's veto undue interference by Jupiter and ignored it. The motion was passed with a supermajority. Ganymede was officially in rebellion.

Miner Strike on Io

Brutally suppressed by Jupiter.

Uprisings

Moons across the Jovian system see protests and open rebellion.

Independence Vote

Council of Nations hold a vote on seccesion.

Veto Ignored

Mysia vetoes but is ignored. Council of Nations votes to secede.

Unrecognized

Jupiter declares vote illegitimate, immediately starts sanctions.

Jupiter Retaliates

We will not suffer treason. These terrorists are gambling with the lives of Jovian citizens. We must respond, and we cannot respond with half-measures.

— Senator Clemensius

Jupiter immediately denounced the illegal actions of Ganymede. Sanctions were declared, and a Jovian interim government was dispatched to restore order. This government was refused entry at many of the stations, Mysia being a notable exception.
As the interim government was being denied, the High Priestess of Jupiter summoned all Keystones to the Great Red Temple to lead them in group prayers to provide religious guidance through the pan-Jovian crisis.
Some time after this, Jupiter dispatched a peacekeeping force via shuttlecraft in order to punish what was seen as unlawful actions and forcibly return Ganymede to normalcy. Rebel forces activated the relatively antiquated ground-to-air defensive batteries and shot down many of the inbound craft, seeing it as an invasion force in all but name.

It is time to face our foes. The Jovians outnumber us. For each one of us there's a hundred of them. They are trained soldiers, talented soldiers. But this is our home. No-one knows Ganymede like we do, we know the depths and the dark heart of our Moon. From Dardanus to the Ghost Sea of Menefer, Ganymede will protect us.

— President of Etana

The armed resistance forced Jupiter to draw up invasion plans. Jupiter imposed a full blockade, shutting down transmission relays and capturing space-side portals. Troops and materiel were ferried to Ganymede via shuttle and through friendly portals. However, the initial Jovian advance was stymied. The difficulty in delivering and supplying mechanized vehicles forced a slow, unsupported advance into territory that was well known by Ganymedean locals.
The war was quickly bogged down in slow battles of attrition, but the writing was on the wall that Jupiter would eventually win, if at a steep price. Operation War Dove shifted the balance of power by expanding the war to a different field. The Ganymede rebels were able to temporarily capture Galileo Spaceport and exfiltrate a diplomatic team who revealed the true nature of the Catamite Wars to the solar system.

We wanted this war least of all. It is Ganymedean blood that is being shed. We tried to win our freedom in the fields of diplomacy. Backhanded Jovian tactics forced us to the battlefield.

— Anastasia Halcyon

On Jupiter, public opinion began to shift against the war and its extreme cost in human life. Previous reports had downplayed the brutality of the conflict and carefully controlled the narrative, but Ganymede's people now had a voice and the ability to challenge what was previously taken as fact.
Over the next few months, fierce Ganymedean resistance, slow advances, international condemnation, and public opinion all combined to force Jupiter's hand. A ceasefire was called, followed by negotiations to end the war.

Negotiations and Aftermath

The negotiation process between Jupiter and the Ganymede Council of Nations was a long and fraught process, so much so that diplomats involved sometimes refer to it as the "Second Catamite War". Even agreeing on a location was not simple, as some Ganymedeans rejected the idea of venturing into space entirely controlled by the Orbital Guard. The venue was ultimately decided to be the Great Red Temple on Jupiter for its religious neutrality.
Throughout the long negotiations, unintentional skirmishes continued on Ganymede. Bitter distrust of the Jovian occupiers, frayed nerves from the long war, and simple misfortune all combined to disastrous effect. One such conflict, the Battle of Serapis Crater, escalated into a full series of battles before the respective commanders were able to enforce a ceasefire again. Conflicts on other moons were also not covered by the ceasefire, and bloodshed continued even after the peace treaty was ultimately ratified.

Keeping Hostages or Peace?

Every single Keystone of the Jovian system attended the prayer led by the High Priestess, including the Keystone of Ganymede at a time when she was arguably most needed on her home planetoid.
Some wonder whether the prayer was genuinely motivated by compassion, or if it was a strategic removal of the Keystones from their moons, asset denial and hostage-taking in one fell swoop.

Jupiter's moons were given sovereignty for internal affairs, while Jupiter retained control over foreign policy and trade. Although this could be seen as a success for Ganymedean independence, Jupiter retained the ability to tax Ganymede but through tariffs instead. The peace treaty also contained provisions against Jupiter interfering in internal affairs, but whether they would be able to be enforced is an open question.
Although the Catamite Wars are officially over, many moons remain in unrest, and some Ganymedeans also believe that the terms were not sufficient. Meanwhile, conservative Jovians believe that Jupiter would have been able to achieve an unconditional victory and are looking for any opportunity to claw back the concessions made. Though the steep death toll paid by all sides may be sufficient to prevent another war, the fundamental conflict remains under the surface.

Lo and behold, this once great Senate now stoops to appeasing indignant moons. The people of Jupiter, and perhaps more importantly, the dignity of Jupiter cast to the wayside.

— Senator Clemensius

Included Conflicts

• Operation War Dove