{"data":{"id":18616,"title":"Siege of Tiber","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/18616-Siege-Of-Tiber","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/18616","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/18616","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"News Update","images":[{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"},{"id":27892,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/w3o9r4zgppm77\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":900916,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-09-06T14:48:40+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892\/similar"}],"images_count":8,"translations":{"en_EN":"This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 9.6.\nLasting from 2732 to 2736, the Siege of Tiber is remembered today for the UEE military\u2019s heroic struggle to keep Vanduul from overrunning the system, and as the longest unbroken combat engagement between the two forces up to that point. Though Tiber would eventually fall to the Vanduul invaders, the UEE military doesn\u2019t consider the campaign a complete loss. A lot of Humanity\u2019s collected knowledge of Vanduul military strategies and tactics were first learned during those four long, bloody years of battle.\n\nMany consider Humanity\u2019s first contact with the Vanduul to have occurred in 2681 when the settlement of Armitage in the Orion system was attacked, a prelude to the sporadic attacks that ensued over the following decades. The combined brevity and ferocity of these attacks often prevented the UEE from collecting definitive intelligence about the Vanduul but, in 2688, renowned anthropologist Dr. Arlow Gellis released a groundbreaking study about Vanduul social dynamics titled Clan Theory. Dr. Gellis posited that Vanduul forces weren\u2019t organized under a conventional government but consisted of clans of various sizes and strengths that could be identified by the markings on their ships. These clans usually operated independently of each other, but would occasionally join forces, like during the coordinated attack on Orion in 2712 that ultimately pushed Humanity from the system. After the defeat, UEE forces fell back to Tiber to prepare a secondary defensive line, but the Vanduul didn\u2019t follow. Instead, they stayed in Orion, harvesting the system for resources.\n\nThe UEE Navy strengthened forces in Tiber and anxiously watched the jump to Orion, certain that an attack was imminent. Some military historians have even claimed the Navy conducted several classified experiments that failed to collapse the Tiber-Orion jump. Then on February 4, 2726, a Vanduul light fighter (military-designation \u2018Blade\u2019) was spotted in the system. Navy forces scrambled to contain the fighter, but it ultimately disappeared. Soon after, Vanduul appeared in increasing numbers and, by the end of the year, small clan raids were happening with erratic frequency similar to the attacks on Orion. Often months passed without incident. This pattern of engagement lasted until April 19, 2732, when a large Vanduul clan entered Tiber and attacked UEE forces monitoring the immediate area around the jump. When smaller clans followed closely behind and joined the fight, UEE forces fled and ceded control of the Tiber-Orion jump point to the Vanduul. The Siege of Tiber had officially begun.\n\nFLEET IN BEING\nHigh-Command assigned Grand Admiral Tesca Halimeade the unenviable task of evicting the Vanduul from Tiber. While Halimeade knew as much, if not more, about the Vanduul than anyone else in the Navy thanks to his in-depth study of academic papers and after-action reports, he was still considered a controversial choice to lead the campaign. His extensive knowledge was widely respected, but critics characterized Grand Admiral Halimeade as a \u201cclassroom\u201d commander who hadn\u2019t gleaned any of this knowledge through combat experience.\n\nGrand Admiral Halimeade first tripled the number of troops guarding the jumps to Virgil and Oberon. Then he docked his ship, UEES Aquilon, at the system\u2019s largest shipyard, INS Aniene, to defend the jump to Virgil. He kept capital ships docked at strategic space stations across Tiber while smaller fleets patrolled as loose guerilla units. These patrols were given specific instructions on when to engage and when to flee Vanduul forces. Rules of engagement varied greatly depending on force size and objective, but in practice, the policy usually only advised attacking if the Naval force had superior numbers. Ridiculed as a \u201crun, don\u2019t gun\u201d strategy, Grand Admiral Halimeade defended his position by claiming he saved pilots by pushing them toward engagements they could win.\n\nThis cautious engagement strategy allowed the Vanduul to slowly expand their foothold in the system. By mid-2733, Tiber II had become a fierce battleground with various clans vying to control space stations and established outposts. Yet, most UEE capital ships remained docked in well-defended space stations, drawing intense criticism from other generals who felt that the Vanduul were entrenching in the system. Only in private did Grand Admiral Halimeade disclose to his advisors the real reason why he wouldn\u2019t commit his full forces against the Vanduul: he maintained a hope that diplomacy was the way to end the war. \u201cWhat I need is intelligence and time to figure out how to reach them (Vanduul),\u201d he wrote a confidant. \u201cIf we fully commit to war, then total war is the only path forward.\u201d\n\nIn early 2734, the Vanduul began pushing more aggressively on Tiber II. Vids of Vanduul Harvesters chewing through Tiber II made it to spectrum and caused a stir across the empire. Sensing that their overall grasp of the system was slipping, Grand Admiral Halimeade responded by finally deploying UEES Aquilon and a large contingent of UEE forces near the planet. Vanduul clans, clamoring for a fight, eagerly launched to clash with the large fleet. This left Vanduul encampments lightly guarded and allowed UEE strike teams to carry out aerial bombardments that devastated most of them. Though this was a victory, it also turned out to be a provocation that would not go unanswered.\n\nThe clans that were devastated by the aerial bombardments fled the system, while others arrived to claim what was abandoned. Declassified Naval reports indicate that Vanduul numbers actually increased after the aerial bombardments of Tiber II. Grand Admiral Halimeade dispersed his capital ships to try and repeat the success. He would use ships as decoys to bait clans into chasing them around the system, while strike teams hit targets exposed by the distraction. Intelligence gathered and battle tactics first tested during this time greatly advanced the military\u2019s understanding of the Vanduul. The Navy even reclaimed several lost space stations, though it would prove to be too little, too late.\n\nIn November of 2735, Naval Intelligence received word of a large Vanduul clan amassing in an unexpected part of the system. Grand Admiral Halimeade gathered a small force around UEES Aquilon and went to assess the situation personally. He discovered the Vanduul pouring through a previously unknown jump point to the system designated Vector, right around the same area the initial Vanduul scout ship had disappeared years ago. Moments after arriving, the recon team was discovered and ambushed. Vanduul forces destroyed UEES Aquilon, killing all aboard including Halimeade. The few surviving ships limped back to INS Aniene.\n\nLOST CAUSE\nThe loss of Grand Admiral Halimeade sent the Navy scrambling and High-Command appointed Admiral Mira Triolo, a staunch critic of Halimeade\u2019s measured engagement strategy, as the new commander in Tiber. The new admiral consolidated her forces into a huge fleet meant to directly challenge the Vanduul. Her first major encounter resulted in the loss of thousands of starmen and three capital-class ships. Undeterred, Admiral Triolo continued to confront the Vanduul directly and, in a move that would later draw much scrutiny, ordered the redeployment of reinforcements from Virgil to bolster her offense.\n\nIn 2736, the war for Tiber would reach a fever pitch. Imperator Galor Messer IX personally ordered a massive campaign of aerial bombardment on Tiber II, convinced that controlling the planet would limit the Vanduul\u2019s ability to resupply their war machines. Instead, it turned the planet into a wasteland and earned it the epitaph \u2018Tomb.\u2019 Then, on December 29, 2736, a Vanduul capital-class \u2018Kingship\u2019 arrived from Orion. Identified as one of the largest and oldest clans that had been documented by the military, the kingship led an attack on the INS Aniene. Despite a valiant resistance, half of all Navy forces in-system were lost during the battle. With the Naval line broken and their ships routed, Admiral Triolo ordered forces to fall back to Virgil. Admiral Triolo assumed the Vanduul would remain in Tiber to rip apart the system, as they did in Orion, but the Vanduul followed instead. They took control of the Tiber-Virgil jump point and sent scouts across the system. Only a few days later on January 2, 2737, a vast Vanduul fleet pushed into Virgil. Admiral Triolo managed to slow its advance, buying precious time to cover the retreat of over one million refugees, but Virgil soon fell.\n\nThe Siege of Tiber may be best remembered as a failed military campaign to save the system, yet many consider it an invaluable time in the war against the Vanduul thanks to the lessons learned during the siege that are still being put to use today.","de_DE":"Dieses Portfolio erschien urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 9.6.\nDie Belagerung von Tiber, die von 2732 bis 2736 andauerte, wird heute als heldenhafter Kampf des UEE-Milit\u00e4rs gegen die \u00dcbermacht der Vanduul und als die l\u00e4ngste ununterbrochene Kampfhandlung zwischen den beiden M\u00e4chten bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt in Erinnerung behalten. Obwohl Tiber schlie\u00dflich den Vanduul-Invasoren zum Opfer fiel, betrachtet das UEE-Milit\u00e4r den Feldzug nicht als vollst\u00e4ndigen Verlust. Ein Gro\u00dfteil des Wissens, das die Menschheit \u00fcber die milit\u00e4rischen Strategien und Taktiken der Vanduul gesammelt hat, wurde in diesen vier langen, blutigen Jahren der Schlacht erworben.\n\nViele sind der Meinung, dass der erste Kontakt der Menschheit mit den Vanduul im Jahr 2681 stattfand, als die Siedlung Armitage im Orion-System angegriffen wurde, ein Vorspiel zu den sporadischen Angriffen, die in den folgenden Jahrzehnten folgten. Die kombinierte K\u00fcrze und Grausamkeit dieser Angriffe hinderte die UEE oft daran, endg\u00fcltige Informationen \u00fcber die Vanduul zu sammeln, aber im Jahr 2688 ver\u00f6ffentlichte der renommierte Anthropologe Dr. Arlow Gellis eine bahnbrechende Studie \u00fcber die soziale Dynamik der Vanduul mit dem Titel Clan Theory. Dr. Gellis stellte die These auf, dass die Streitkr\u00e4fte der Vanduul nicht unter einer konventionellen Regierung organisiert waren, sondern aus Clans unterschiedlicher Gr\u00f6\u00dfe und St\u00e4rke bestanden, die an den Markierungen auf ihren Schiffen zu erkennen waren. Diese Clans operierten in der Regel unabh\u00e4ngig voneinander, schlossen sich aber gelegentlich zusammen, wie bei dem koordinierten Angriff auf Orion im Jahr 2712, durch den die Menschheit schlie\u00dflich aus dem System vertrieben wurde. Nach der Niederlage zogen sich die UEE-Truppen nach Tiber zur\u00fcck, um eine zweite Verteidigungslinie vorzubereiten, aber die Vanduul folgten ihnen nicht. Stattdessen blieben sie in Orion und pl\u00fcnderten das System nach Ressourcen ab.\n\nDie UEE-Marine verst\u00e4rkte ihre Streitkr\u00e4fte in Tiber und beobachtete \u00e4ngstlich den Sprung nach Orion, da sie sicher war, dass ein Angriff unmittelbar bevorstand. Einige Milit\u00e4rhistoriker haben sogar behauptet, die Marine habe mehrere geheime Experimente durchgef\u00fchrt, die den Sprung von Tiber nach Orion nicht zum Einsturz brachten. Dann, am 4. Februar 2726, wurde ein leichter Vanduul-J\u00e4ger (Milit\u00e4rbezeichnung 'Blade') im System gesichtet. Die Navy-Truppen versuchten, den J\u00e4ger in Schach zu halten, aber er verschwand schlie\u00dflich. Bald darauf tauchten die Vanduul in immer gr\u00f6\u00dferer Zahl auf, und gegen Ende des Jahres kam es in unregelm\u00e4\u00dfigen Abst\u00e4nden zu kleinen Clanangriffen, \u00e4hnlich wie bei den Angriffen auf Orion. Oft vergingen Monate ohne Zwischenf\u00e4lle. Dieses Verhaltensmuster hielt bis zum 19. April 2732 an, als ein gro\u00dfer Vanduul-Klan in Tiber eindrang und die UEE-Truppen angriff, die die unmittelbare Umgebung des Sprungs \u00fcberwachten. Als kleinere Clans dicht auf den Fersen waren und sich dem Kampf anschlossen, flohen die UEE-Truppen und \u00fcberlie\u00dfen den Vanduul die Kontrolle \u00fcber den Sprungpunkt Tiber-Orion. Die Belagerung von Tiber hatte offiziell begonnen.\n\nFLOTTE IM EINSATZ\nDas Oberkommando \u00fcbertrug Gro\u00dfadmiral Tesca Halimeade die wenig beneidenswerte Aufgabe, die Vanduul aus Tiber zu vertreiben. Obwohl Halimeade dank seines eingehenden Studiums akademischer Abhandlungen und Nachkriegsberichte so viel, wenn nicht sogar mehr, \u00fcber die Vanduul wusste als jeder andere in der Marine, galt er dennoch als umstrittene Wahl f\u00fcr die Leitung der Kampagne. Sein umfangreiches Wissen wurde weithin respektiert, aber Kritiker bezeichneten Gro\u00dfadmiral Halimeade als einen \"Klassenzimmer\"-Kommandanten, der nichts von diesem Wissen durch Kampferfahrung erworben hatte.\n\nGro\u00dfadmiral Halimeade verdreifachte zun\u00e4chst die Zahl der Truppen, die die Spr\u00fcnge nach Virgil und Oberon bewachten. Dann dockte er sein Schiff, die UEES Aquilon, an die gr\u00f6\u00dfte Schiffswerft des Systems, INS Aniene, an, um den Sprung nach Virgil zu verteidigen. Er lie\u00df Gro\u00dfkampfschiffe an strategischen Raumstationen in ganz Tiber angedockt, w\u00e4hrend kleinere Flotten als lose Guerilla-Einheiten patrouillierten. Diese Patrouillen erhielten genaue Anweisungen, wann sie angreifen und wann sie vor den Vanduul-Kr\u00e4ften fliehen sollten. Die Einsatzregeln variierten je nach Gr\u00f6\u00dfe der Streitkr\u00e4fte und Zielsetzung stark, aber in der Praxis wurde in der Regel nur dann zum Angriff geraten, wenn die Flottenstreitkr\u00e4fte zahlenm\u00e4\u00dfig \u00fcberlegen waren. Gro\u00dfadmiral Halimeade verteidigte seine Position, indem er behauptete, er spare Piloten, indem er sie zu Gefechten dr\u00e4nge, die sie gewinnen k\u00f6nnten.\n\nDiese vorsichtige Strategie erm\u00f6glichte es den Vanduul, ihre Position im System langsam auszubauen. Mitte 2733 war Tiber II zu einem erbitterten Schlachtfeld geworden, auf dem verschiedene Clans um die Kontrolle von Raumstationen und Au\u00dfenposten wetteiferten. Dennoch blieben die meisten UEE-Kapitalschiffe in gut verteidigten Raumstationen angedockt, was die heftige Kritik anderer Gener\u00e4le auf sich zog, die der Meinung waren, dass sich die Vanduul im System verschanzten. Nur unter vier Augen offenbarte Gro\u00dfadmiral Halimeade seinen Beratern den wahren Grund, warum er nicht seine gesamten Streitkr\u00e4fte gegen die Vanduul einsetzen wollte: Er hoffte weiterhin, dass der Krieg auf diplomatischem Wege zu beenden sei. \"Was ich brauche, sind Informationen und Zeit, um herauszufinden, wie ich sie (die Vanduul) erreichen kann\", schrieb er einem Vertrauten. \"Wenn wir uns voll und ganz auf den Krieg einlassen, dann ist der totale Krieg der einzige Weg nach vorne.\n\nAnfang 2734 begannen die Vanduul, aggressiver auf Tiber II vorzudringen. Videos von vanduulischen Erntemaschinen, die sich durch Tiber II fra\u00dfen, gelangten ins Spektrum und sorgten im ganzen Imperium f\u00fcr Aufsehen. Gro\u00dfadmiral Halimeade sp\u00fcrte, dass seine Kontrolle \u00fcber das System ins Wanken geriet, und reagierte schlie\u00dflich mit der Entsendung der UEES Aquilon und eines gro\u00dfen Kontingents von UEE-Truppen in die N\u00e4he des Planeten. Die Vanduul-Klans, die nach einem Kampf lechzten, machten sich eifrig auf den Weg, um sich mit der gro\u00dfen Flotte zu messen. Dadurch wurden die Lager der Vanduul nur schwach bewacht und die UEE-Kampftruppen konnten Luftbombardements durchf\u00fchren, die die meisten Lager zerst\u00f6rten. Dies war zwar ein Sieg, aber auch eine Provokation, die nicht unbeantwortet bleiben w\u00fcrde.\n\nDie Clans, die von den Luftangriffen verw\u00fcstet wurden, flohen aus dem System, w\u00e4hrend andere ankamen, um das, was sie zur\u00fcckgelassen hatten, f\u00fcr sich zu beanspruchen. Aus deklassierten Flottenberichten geht hervor, dass die Zahl der Vanduul nach den Luftangriffen auf Tiber II sogar gestiegen ist. Gro\u00dfadmiral Halimeade verteilte seine Gro\u00dfkampfschiffe, um zu versuchen, den Erfolg zu wiederholen. Er setzte Schiffe als K\u00f6der ein, um Clans dazu zu bringen, sie durch das System zu jagen, w\u00e4hrend Angriffsteams Ziele angriffen, die durch die Ablenkung gef\u00e4hrdet waren. Die in dieser Zeit gesammelten Informationen und die erstmals erprobten Kampftaktiken trugen erheblich zum Verst\u00e4ndnis des Milit\u00e4rs \u00fcber die Vanduul bei. Die Marine konnte sogar mehrere verlorene Raumstationen zur\u00fcckerobern, obwohl sich dies als zu wenig und zu sp\u00e4t herausstellen sollte.\n\nIm November 2735 erhielt der Geheimdienst der Marine die Nachricht, dass sich ein gro\u00dfer Vanduul-Clan in einem unerwarteten Teil des Systems versammelte. Gro\u00dfadmiral Halimeade versammelte eine kleine Truppe um die UEES Aquilon und machte sich pers\u00f6nlich ein Bild von der Lage. Er entdeckte, dass die Vanduul durch einen bisher unbekannten Sprungpunkt in das als Vector bezeichnete System str\u00f6mten, und zwar genau in dem Gebiet, in dem das erste Vanduul-Aufkl\u00e4rungsschiff vor Jahren verschwunden war. Augenblicke nach seiner Ankunft wurde das Aufkl\u00e4rungs-Team entdeckt und in einen Hinterhalt gelockt. Vanduulische Kr\u00e4fte zerst\u00f6rten die UEES Aquilon und t\u00f6teten alle an Bord, einschlie\u00dflich Halimeade. Die wenigen \u00fcberlebenden Schiffe humpelten zur\u00fcck zur INS Aniene.\n\nVERLORENE URSACHE\nDer Verlust von Gro\u00dfadmiral Halimeade versetzte die Marine in Aufruhr und das Oberkommando ernannte Admiral Mira Triolo, eine entschiedene Kritikerin von Halimeades ma\u00dfvoller Einsatzstrategie, zur neuen Kommandantin in Tiber. Die neue Admiralin konsolidierte ihre Kr\u00e4fte zu einer riesigen Flotte, die die Vanduul direkt herausfordern sollte. Ihre erste gro\u00dfe Begegnung f\u00fchrte zum Verlust von Tausenden von Sternenmenschen und drei Schiffen der Kapitalklasse. Unbeirrt setzte Admiral Triolo die direkte Konfrontation mit den Vanduul fort und ordnete in einer Aktion, die sp\u00e4ter viel Aufsehen erregen sollte, die Verlegung von Verst\u00e4rkungen aus Virgil an, um ihre Offensive zu verst\u00e4rken.\n\nIm Jahr 2736 erreichte der Krieg um Tiber einen fieberhaften H\u00f6hepunkt. Imperator Galor Messer IX ordnete pers\u00f6nlich einen massiven Luftangriff auf Tiber II an, in der \u00dcberzeugung, dass die Kontrolle des Planeten die M\u00f6glichkeiten der Vanduul einschr\u00e4nken w\u00fcrde, ihre Kriegsmaschinen zu versorgen. Stattdessen verwandelte es den Planeten in ein \u00d6dland und brachte ihm den Beinamen 'Grabmal' ein. Dann, am 29. Dezember 2736, traf ein Vanduul-Kapitalschiff der 'Kingship'-Klasse von Orion ein. Es wurde als einer der gr\u00f6\u00dften und \u00e4ltesten Clans identifiziert, die vom Milit\u00e4r dokumentiert worden waren, und f\u00fchrte einen Angriff auf die INS Aniene an. Trotz eines tapferen Widerstands ging die H\u00e4lfte aller Navy-Kr\u00e4fte im System w\u00e4hrend der Schlacht verloren. Nachdem die Linie der Marine durchbrochen und ihre Schiffe aufgerieben worden waren, befahl Admiral Triolo den R\u00fcckzug der Truppen nach Virgil. Admiral Triolo nahm an, dass die Vanduul in Tiber bleiben w\u00fcrden, um das System zu zerrei\u00dfen, wie sie es in Orion getan hatten, aber die Vanduul folgten stattdessen. Sie \u00fcbernahmen die Kontrolle \u00fcber den Sprungpunkt Tiber-Virgil und schickten Aufkl\u00e4rer durch das System. Nur wenige Tage sp\u00e4ter, am 2. Januar 2737, drang eine riesige Vanduul-Flotte in Virgil ein. Admiral Triolo gelang es, den Vormarsch zu verlangsamen und kostbare Zeit zu gewinnen, um den R\u00fcckzug von \u00fcber einer Million Fl\u00fcchtlingen zu decken, aber Virgil fiel bald.\n\nDie Belagerung von Tiber ist vielleicht am besten als gescheiterte milit\u00e4rische Kampagne zur Rettung des Systems in Erinnerung geblieben, doch viele halten sie f\u00fcr eine unsch\u00e4tzbare Zeit im Krieg gegen die Vanduul, dank der Lektionen, die w\u00e4hrend der Belagerung gelernt wurden und die noch heute angewendet werden.","zh_CN":"This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 9.6.\nLasting from 2732 to 2736, the Siege of Tiber is remembered today for the UEE military\u2019s heroic struggle to keep Vanduul from overrunning the system, and as the longest unbroken combat engagement between the two forces up to that point. Though Tiber would eventually fall to the Vanduul invaders, the UEE military doesn\u2019t consider the campaign a complete loss. A lot of Humanity\u2019s collected knowledge of Vanduul military strategies and tactics were first learned during those four long, bloody years of battle.\n\nMany consider Humanity\u2019s first contact with the Vanduul to have occurred in 2681 when the settlement of Armitage in the Orion system was attacked, a prelude to the sporadic attacks that ensued over the following decades. The combined brevity and ferocity of these attacks often prevented the UEE from collecting definitive intelligence about the Vanduul but, in 2688, renowned anthropologist Dr. Arlow Gellis released a groundbreaking study about Vanduul social dynamics titled Clan Theory. Dr. Gellis posited that Vanduul forces weren\u2019t organized under a conventional government but consisted of clans of various sizes and strengths that could be identified by the markings on their ships. These clans usually operated independently of each other, but would occasionally join forces, like during the coordinated attack on Orion in 2712 that ultimately pushed Humanity from the system. After the defeat, UEE forces fell back to Tiber to prepare a secondary defensive line, but the Vanduul didn\u2019t follow. Instead, they stayed in Orion, harvesting the system for resources.\n\nThe UEE Navy strengthened forces in Tiber and anxiously watched the jump to Orion, certain that an attack was imminent. Some military historians have even claimed the Navy conducted several classified experiments that failed to collapse the Tiber-Orion jump. Then on February 4, 2726, a Vanduul light fighter (military-designation \u2018Blade\u2019) was spotted in the system. Navy forces scrambled to contain the fighter, but it ultimately disappeared. Soon after, Vanduul appeared in increasing numbers and, by the end of the year, small clan raids were happening with erratic frequency similar to the attacks on Orion. Often months passed without incident. This pattern of engagement lasted until April 19, 2732, when a large Vanduul clan entered Tiber and attacked UEE forces monitoring the immediate area around the jump. When smaller clans followed closely behind and joined the fight, UEE forces fled and ceded control of the Tiber-Orion jump point to the Vanduul. The Siege of Tiber had officially begun.\n\nFLEET IN BEING\nHigh-Command assigned Grand Admiral Tesca Halimeade the unenviable task of evicting the Vanduul from Tiber. While Halimeade knew as much, if not more, about the Vanduul than anyone else in the Navy thanks to his in-depth study of academic papers and after-action reports, he was still considered a controversial choice to lead the campaign. His extensive knowledge was widely respected, but critics characterized Grand Admiral Halimeade as a \u201cclassroom\u201d commander who hadn\u2019t gleaned any of this knowledge through combat experience.\n\nGrand Admiral Halimeade first tripled the number of troops guarding the jumps to Virgil and Oberon. Then he docked his ship, UEES Aquilon, at the system\u2019s largest shipyard, INS Aniene, to defend the jump to Virgil. He kept capital ships docked at strategic space stations across Tiber while smaller fleets patrolled as loose guerilla units. These patrols were given specific instructions on when to engage and when to flee Vanduul forces. Rules of engagement varied greatly depending on force size and objective, but in practice, the policy usually only advised attacking if the Naval force had superior numbers. Ridiculed as a \u201crun, don\u2019t gun\u201d strategy, Grand Admiral Halimeade defended his position by claiming he saved pilots by pushing them toward engagements they could win.\n\nThis cautious engagement strategy allowed the Vanduul to slowly expand their foothold in the system. By mid-2733, Tiber II had become a fierce battleground with various clans vying to control space stations and established outposts. Yet, most UEE capital ships remained docked in well-defended space stations, drawing intense criticism from other generals who felt that the Vanduul were entrenching in the system. Only in private did Grand Admiral Halimeade disclose to his advisors the real reason why he wouldn\u2019t commit his full forces against the Vanduul: he maintained a hope that diplomacy was the way to end the war. \u201cWhat I need is intelligence and time to figure out how to reach them (Vanduul),\u201d he wrote a confidant. \u201cIf we fully commit to war, then total war is the only path forward.\u201d\n\nIn early 2734, the Vanduul began pushing more aggressively on Tiber II. Vids of Vanduul Harvesters chewing through Tiber II made it to spectrum and caused a stir across the empire. Sensing that their overall grasp of the system was slipping, Grand Admiral Halimeade responded by finally deploying UEES Aquilon and a large contingent of UEE forces near the planet. Vanduul clans, clamoring for a fight, eagerly launched to clash with the large fleet. This left Vanduul encampments lightly guarded and allowed UEE strike teams to carry out aerial bombardments that devastated most of them. Though this was a victory, it also turned out to be a provocation that would not go unanswered.\n\nThe clans that were devastated by the aerial bombardments fled the system, while others arrived to claim what was abandoned. Declassified Naval reports indicate that Vanduul numbers actually increased after the aerial bombardments of Tiber II. Grand Admiral Halimeade dispersed his capital ships to try and repeat the success. He would use ships as decoys to bait clans into chasing them around the system, while strike teams hit targets exposed by the distraction. Intelligence gathered and battle tactics first tested during this time greatly advanced the military\u2019s understanding of the Vanduul. The Navy even reclaimed several lost space stations, though it would prove to be too little, too late.\n\nIn November of 2735, Naval Intelligence received word of a large Vanduul clan amassing in an unexpected part of the system. Grand Admiral Halimeade gathered a small force around UEES Aquilon and went to assess the situation personally. He discovered the Vanduul pouring through a previously unknown jump point to the system designated Vector, right around the same area the initial Vanduul scout ship had disappeared years ago. Moments after arriving, the recon team was discovered and ambushed. Vanduul forces destroyed UEES Aquilon, killing all aboard including Halimeade. The few surviving ships limped back to INS Aniene.\n\nLOST CAUSE\nThe loss of Grand Admiral Halimeade sent the Navy scrambling and High-Command appointed Admiral Mira Triolo, a staunch critic of Halimeade\u2019s measured engagement strategy, as the new commander in Tiber. The new admiral consolidated her forces into a huge fleet meant to directly challenge the Vanduul. Her first major encounter resulted in the loss of thousands of starmen and three capital-class ships. Undeterred, Admiral Triolo continued to confront the Vanduul directly and, in a move that would later draw much scrutiny, ordered the redeployment of reinforcements from Virgil to bolster her offense.\n\nIn 2736, the war for Tiber would reach a fever pitch. Imperator Galor Messer IX personally ordered a massive campaign of aerial bombardment on Tiber II, convinced that controlling the planet would limit the Vanduul\u2019s ability to resupply their war machines. Instead, it turned the planet into a wasteland and earned it the epitaph \u2018Tomb.\u2019 Then, on December 29, 2736, a Vanduul capital-class \u2018Kingship\u2019 arrived from Orion. Identified as one of the largest and oldest clans that had been documented by the military, the kingship led an attack on the INS Aniene. Despite a valiant resistance, half of all Navy forces in-system were lost during the battle. With the Naval line broken and their ships routed, Admiral Triolo ordered forces to fall back to Virgil. Admiral Triolo assumed the Vanduul would remain in Tiber to rip apart the system, as they did in Orion, but the Vanduul followed instead. They took control of the Tiber-Virgil jump point and sent scouts across the system. Only a few days later on January 2, 2737, a vast Vanduul fleet pushed into Virgil. Admiral Triolo managed to slow its advance, buying precious time to cover the retreat of over one million refugees, but Virgil soon fell.\n\nThe Siege of Tiber may be best remembered as a failed military campaign to save the system, yet many consider it an invaluable time in the war against the Vanduul thanks to the lessons learned during the siege that are still being put to use today."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":22,"created_at":"2022-04-06T02:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"4 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-04-28 14:37:17","valid_relations":["images","links","translations"],"prev_id":18615,"next_id":18617}}