The Battle for Rebel base

//:Open Data-stream....
working, please wait.....
:Begin_File: Decrypting file#327.3-

[Historical Text – Confederate/Minbari War; Battle over Rebel Base]:

Prelude: Alas, mere months after the largest conflict the Alpha galaxies has ever seen the fragile veil of peace had been shattered for the Minbari Federation. War was once again thrust upon them by none other than their former allies The Confederation of the Red Moon.

The Confederation! Never before had a single guild held such power exclusively amidst their ranks. Their fleets numbered in the billions and as the war raged on it became clear that the Minbari would need to call in the support of their longtime ally, The New Planetary Order, in order to survive. Nevertheless, even with the inclusion of the Order’s vast battle fleets the conflict was still very much in more experienced Confederations’ favor as Confederation forces gained control of more and more swathes of contested space.

Fierce battles raged on all throughout the Universe as untold numbers of fleets were destroyed in the struggle and hundreds of planets burned, lighting the void of space with the flames of war. In the upper galaxies the Minbari fought against the Confederate forces while the Order took theRed Moon battle to the enemy in the lower regions in an effort to divide their mutual enemy’s forces into more manageable targets. Nonetheless, the coalition’s strategy was not nearly as effective as they’d hoped and the persistence of the Confederacy’s’ forces was not lessening as the war continued. With a sizeable amount of fleet numbering over one billion in A27 amassing near the Orders’ base of operations, the coalition’s leadership decided that the time had come to change their plans.

Then, before the tactical and strategic changes were to be implemented a small Confederate task force moved in to establish a foothold in the nearby galaxy of A19, just one away from the Orders’ base of operations in A18. Due to the quick thinking of several senior Order members the attack was repelled with little difficulty, with the Order’s fleets securing the Confederation landing zone before they could land and began picking them apart as they landed. In the end many of the fleets in that engagement were either damaged to some extent, destroyed outright, or forced to retreat and the Order had retained control of A19 in the battle that became known as ‘The Lesser Confederate Incursion.’

Through the lack of superior numbers the need for increased coordination and effectiveness became readily apparent. The force that the Order had managed to repel was but a fraction of the Confederation’s combined might and there would be no way that either force in the coalition could, divided, withstand an engagement with the bulk of the Confederation’s navy. While the divisive war had proven to be somewhat effective it was not a vehicle the coalition could rely on to win a war; not against so powerful a foe as the Confederacy. Thus, a plan to unite a majority of NPO and Minbari forces was put into action and it was for this reason that The Battle at Rebel Base took place; ultimately bringing the Confederate/Minbari War came to such an abrupt end…

Several days after The Lesser Confederate Incursion into A19 another Confederate force was spotted moving into A19, their destination a well established Jumpgate hub called Rebel Base – XX. It is estimated that well over half of the Confederation’s offensive fleet was headed to Rebel Base at the time of the battle, supposedly to engage the Order’s forces which had been relocated to that same galaxy. Against such a sizeable armada, numbering over one billion in fleet the Coalition had to decide if they would retreat and attempt a prolonged campaign throughout the Alpha Galaxies or if they would try to engage the Confederate flotilla as it landed. Against such a force, they decided, it would be foolish to continue to run when they have the advantage of being defenders and were on similar numerical terms for the first time in the war. They would make a stand and fight.


The Battle: No more than a week after the failed attempt to gain a foothold in A19 the Order’s fleets once again found themselves arrayed on the Confederation’s landing zone, this time joined by their Minbari comrades. The Coalition fleets’ communication networks were buzzing with orders from the Coalition’s admirals conveying their meticulously planned battle plans to their respective fleet commanders as the Confederation’s warships approached. As the anticipation built around the fleet, many wondered if they would be able to hold.

As the first Confederate fleets emerged from space they were easily destroyed by the amassed NPO and Minbari fleets but as the battle continued the sheer number of Confederate fleets combined with the extremely short recuperation times began to wear away at the harried defenders. More and more targets were landing and many of the arrayed fleets began taking heavy losses as they threw everything they had at the incoming Confederates.

It is to be noted at this time, that while some Confederate commanders did recall, the vast majority of them did not, instead choosing to land and attempt to inflict as much damage upon the Coalition forces. An exceptional few were even able to inflict severe damage and then utilize the unconquered planet’s jumpgate to escape with some of their forces. The sheer determination and valor displayed by said commanders is completely unheard of with exception of the previous battle at Hall of Chosen.

Several hours into the battle, the Coalition’s forces still faced well over half of the Confederate’s armada, including two fleets numbering in the fifty million size-class. At this point there was a sizeable debris pile that continued to grow as the battle continued and while NPO and Minbari recycler fleets flitted back and forth attempting to collect as much of the strewn resources as they could before more enemies arrived. Nonetheless, it was readily apparent that there would be no way they would be able to collect it all without completely defeating the Confederate forces. With the two incoming behemoths alongside the innumerable other fleets, outright victory was becoming less and less of a possibility.

It was at that time that a general retreat was sounded and all coalition fleets were ordered to fall back to the Order’s base of operations at Greenwell. However, this order was ignored by the majority of the coalition commanders and the flotilla remained, its spent fleets being replaced by new arrivals to the battlefield. If not for the seemingly continuous stream of newly arrived reinforcements from Minbari battlegroups that had been stationed at Greenwell; including a Death Star under the command of Admiral Werefrog, the coalition would have undoubtedly faltered, allowing the remnants of the Confederation’s forces to gain control of the debris pile.

The battle raged on. On the Coalition's side of the battle, Admiral Ress Gonzol, with his twenty two leviathans was able to destroy countless smaller Confederate fleets as they landed with virtually no losses and arguably held the line during much of the waning hours of the fighting. Confederate forces landing their fleets and attempting to inflict as much damage as possible on the arrayed coalition fleets. Each time the coalition’s situation looked bleak another fleet would appear to reinforce their defensive line and even more Confederates appeared to challenge them. It was then that Sargon, an elite Confederate admiral commanding one over fifty million vessels landed and engaged the battle weary coalition. The opening salvoes against Sargon struck several blows but were not enough to cripple him outright and he was then able to jump to the nearby staging point and destroyed several coalition fleets before finally being brought down. It was this final act of defiance that all but crippled the Coalition’s hold on the Confederate base. In spite of this, the coalition forces rallied and continued to hold out in hopes that reinforcements would come to their aide.

The Conclusion: It was only after more than half of the assembled forces were outright destroyed that a peace was brokered by the leadership of the Thirteenth Wolf Guards. Both sides, having been bloodied to an unprecedented extent, realized that to continue would not yield anything but mutual destruction so an accord was reached; an end of hostilities.

The Battle for Rebel Base was the largest single battle in the history of the Universe and to this day there are those who speak of it with a reverence often reserved for gods. For a coalition to take a stand against the most powerful and well-equipped force in the Universe and hold against them under such circumstances is that of legend. Likewise, those of the Confederation who committed all they had to the engagement are to be commended and eternally remembered for their achievements in service to their banner.

All gave some, some gave all. -Imperial Decree :End_File:

Ending
Data Transfer process...
Done://