By: Hoaseng Thao

THE TABLES HAVE TURNED

Starting January 15, 1951, the Kirston army made their counter offensive against the Cazars and the newly arrived Kirston expeditionary forces. The attack was successful, not because of the reorganization of forces in the mountains, but the introduction of a new weapon, the aerial carrier, KIAF Spirit of Eve, the world’s first operational aerial carrier.

The KIAF Spirit of Eve, was a revolutionary weapon that turned the tide of the war, it launched jets from a runway on the top and fired cannons from the bottom, and it was able to do this with its powerful arcerium reactor.

The aircraft had been built in collaboration with the Kirston government and the defense manufacturer, Shinka Industries, the premier defense manufacturer from the Vaserian Federation.

With this new weapon it was able to seize control over the skies of Kirsto, allowing the army to advance without worrying of enemy close air support. The Terrans retreated back into Cazar or occupied Icana by the end of January, the Kirston army was able to take back their country, and in their success was the hope of turning the war in favor of a Coalition victory.

REVITALIZED WAR

With the Terrans defeated in Kirsto, many Eusonan nations joined the war, such as the Orbesjkan Empire and the Holstaid dynasty, with the latter taking the opportunity to invade Cazar on March 10. With the Terrans driven out of Kirsto, Coalition forces in Kyusia seized the moment to enact their greatest feat of the war up to that point.

Coalition forces began their advance to regain control of Sapan on the 12th of July, codenamed “Cherry Landing”. The operation was to airdrop troops behind enemy lines, sabotaging logistical lines and preventing enemy reinforcements from reaching the advancing Coalition forces.

The fiercest fighting of the war began on that fateful day, but it was very well needed as the Coalition began to sweep through the southern plains of Sapan and even reaching to the western coastline. Their successes had to end at one point, and it ended as soon as they reached the mountains of Sapan that blocked the southern plains from reaching the north.

Many attempts were made to breach the mountains, few were successful, but most ended in disaster. The operation would end in early October, and despite suffering more losses than the Terrans, the Coalition were successful in regaining control of southern Sapan.

AN EYE FOR AN EYE

Happening around the same time was the invasion of Cazar on September 3rd. While having a large army of over ten million strong, the Cazars would have the majority stationed too far from home, and combined with the Kirstons new aerial warship and the entry of Orbesjka and Holstaid, the home guard of Cazar could barely fight the fight on its own.

The Cazars surrendered to the Coalition in large numbers, ranging from a hundred to ten thousand surrendering troops. But those who pleaded for mercy from the arriving Kirstons found none. It was ruthless, it was bloody, but it was undoubtedly revenge in its extreme form.

Sana, the capital of the Cazar Empire that for centuries held up the foundations of the aging empire, was burnt down on January 22, 1952. Had the advancing Orbesjkans and Hostaidi’s been there a few days earlier, they would have spared the city from the revenge of the Kirstons.

In the fall of their capital, many regions within the vast empire declared their independence and were willing to fight to keep it. Soon the entire empire was engulfed in chaos, with the coalition unwilling to spend more resources to quell the rebelling states across the now destroyed empire. The Cazar Civil War has begun, leading to decades of conflict.

As the Cazars left the conflict for good, Coalition forces in Eusona eyed the Valkyrie Peninsula and the occupying Osteran forces stationed there. If they were successful in retaking the peninsula, they would be able to launch an invasion of Ostera through the Lapish Channel and force the Great Terra to relieve their forces in Sapan to avoid a Coalition steamroll in Ostera.

A complete reversal of Cazar’s invasion of the Valkyrie Peninsula began on the 10th of June, 1952, with Coalition forces pushing the Osterans out of the peninsula by the end of September. The newly formed People’s Republic of Kalavia, which was created by Great Terra in the Coalition surrender the year before, quickly aligned themselves with the Coalition and turned its back on its creators.

TREIJON HAS GONE ILL

With the Valkyrie Peninsula returning to the Coalition, the Jupitan Premier, Alek Treijon, and the mastermind of the whole war and leading figure of Great Terra, cracked from the weight of it all. He slowly grew paranoid with power, and feared that his own generals were after him or worse, losing control of the Great Terra he created.

To avoid the many scenarios he created in his head, Treijon would secretly purge military officers, politicians, or anyone with a resemblance of power within Great Terra to labor camps or execution. December 12, 1952, Treijon announces himself as eternal emperor of Great Terra, hoping to guide it long after his passing.

As the summer of 1953 came along, Emperor Treijon was informed by his generals that his new weapon was finished and operational, all that was needed was his approval for it to be used on the battlefield.