Siege of Tiber
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This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 9.6.
Lasting from 2732 to 2736, the Siege of Tiber is remembered today for the UEE military’s 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’t consider the campaign a complete loss. A lot of Humanity’s collected knowledge of Vanduul military strategies and tactics were first learned during those four long, bloody years of battle.
Many consider Humanity’s 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’t 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’t follow. Instead, they stayed in Orion, harvesting the system for resources.
The 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 ‘Blade’) 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.
FLEET IN BEING
High-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 “classroom” commander who hadn’t gleaned any of this knowledge through combat experience.
Grand 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’s 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 “run, don’t gun” strategy, Grand Admiral Halimeade defended his position by claiming he saved pilots by pushing them toward engagements they could win.
This 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’t commit his full forces against the Vanduul: he maintained a hope that diplomacy was the way to end the war. “What I need is intelligence and time to figure out how to reach them (Vanduul),” he wrote a confidant. “If we fully commit to war, then total war is the only path forward.”
In 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.
The 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’s understanding of the Vanduul. The Navy even reclaimed several lost space stations, though it would prove to be too little, too late.
In 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.
LOST CAUSE
The loss of Grand Admiral Halimeade sent the Navy scrambling and High-Command appointed Admiral Mira Triolo, a staunch critic of Halimeade’s 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.
In 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’s ability to resupply their war machines. Instead, it turned the planet into a wasteland and earned it the epitaph ‘Tomb.’ Then, on December 29, 2736, a Vanduul capital-class ‘Kingship’ 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.
The 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.
Lasting from 2732 to 2736, the Siege of Tiber is remembered today for the UEE military’s 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’t consider the campaign a complete loss. A lot of Humanity’s collected knowledge of Vanduul military strategies and tactics were first learned during those four long, bloody years of battle.
Many consider Humanity’s 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’t 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’t follow. Instead, they stayed in Orion, harvesting the system for resources.
The 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 ‘Blade’) 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.
FLEET IN BEING
High-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 “classroom” commander who hadn’t gleaned any of this knowledge through combat experience.
Grand 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’s 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 “run, don’t gun” strategy, Grand Admiral Halimeade defended his position by claiming he saved pilots by pushing them toward engagements they could win.
This 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’t commit his full forces against the Vanduul: he maintained a hope that diplomacy was the way to end the war. “What I need is intelligence and time to figure out how to reach them (Vanduul),” he wrote a confidant. “If we fully commit to war, then total war is the only path forward.”
In 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.
The 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’s understanding of the Vanduul. The Navy even reclaimed several lost space stations, though it would prove to be too little, too late.
In 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.
LOST CAUSE
The loss of Grand Admiral Halimeade sent the Navy scrambling and High-Command appointed Admiral Mira Triolo, a staunch critic of Halimeade’s 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.
In 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’s ability to resupply their war machines. Instead, it turned the planet into a wasteland and earned it the epitaph ‘Tomb.’ Then, on December 29, 2736, a Vanduul capital-class ‘Kingship’ 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.
The 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.
German
Dieses Portfolio erschien ursprünglich in Jump Point 9.6.
Die Belagerung von Tiber, die von 2732 bis 2736 andauerte, wird heute als heldenhafter Kampf des UEE-Militärs gegen die Übermacht der Vanduul und als die längste ununterbrochene Kampfhandlung zwischen den beiden Mächten bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt in Erinnerung behalten. Obwohl Tiber schließlich den Vanduul-Invasoren zum Opfer fiel, betrachtet das UEE-Militär den Feldzug nicht als vollständigen Verlust. Ein Großteil des Wissens, das die Menschheit über die militärischen Strategien und Taktiken der Vanduul gesammelt hat, wurde in diesen vier langen, blutigen Jahren der Schlacht erworben.
Viele 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 Kürze und Grausamkeit dieser Angriffe hinderte die UEE oft daran, endgültige Informationen über die Vanduul zu sammeln, aber im Jahr 2688 veröffentlichte der renommierte Anthropologe Dr. Arlow Gellis eine bahnbrechende Studie über die soziale Dynamik der Vanduul mit dem Titel Clan Theory. Dr. Gellis stellte die These auf, dass die Streitkräfte der Vanduul nicht unter einer konventionellen Regierung organisiert waren, sondern aus Clans unterschiedlicher Größe und Stärke bestanden, die an den Markierungen auf ihren Schiffen zu erkennen waren. Diese Clans operierten in der Regel unabhängig voneinander, schlossen sich aber gelegentlich zusammen, wie bei dem koordinierten Angriff auf Orion im Jahr 2712, durch den die Menschheit schließlich aus dem System vertrieben wurde. Nach der Niederlage zogen sich die UEE-Truppen nach Tiber zurück, um eine zweite Verteidigungslinie vorzubereiten, aber die Vanduul folgten ihnen nicht. Stattdessen blieben sie in Orion und plünderten das System nach Ressourcen ab.
Die UEE-Marine verstärkte ihre Streitkräfte in Tiber und beobachtete ängstlich den Sprung nach Orion, da sie sicher war, dass ein Angriff unmittelbar bevorstand. Einige Militärhistoriker haben sogar behauptet, die Marine habe mehrere geheime Experimente durchgeführt, die den Sprung von Tiber nach Orion nicht zum Einsturz brachten. Dann, am 4. Februar 2726, wurde ein leichter Vanduul-Jäger (Militärbezeichnung 'Blade') im System gesichtet. Die Navy-Truppen versuchten, den Jäger in Schach zu halten, aber er verschwand schließlich. Bald darauf tauchten die Vanduul in immer größerer Zahl auf, und gegen Ende des Jahres kam es in unregelmäßigen Abständen zu kleinen Clanangriffen, ähnlich wie bei den Angriffen auf Orion. Oft vergingen Monate ohne Zwischenfälle. Dieses Verhaltensmuster hielt bis zum 19. April 2732 an, als ein großer Vanduul-Klan in Tiber eindrang und die UEE-Truppen angriff, die die unmittelbare Umgebung des Sprungs überwachten. Als kleinere Clans dicht auf den Fersen waren und sich dem Kampf anschlossen, flohen die UEE-Truppen und überließen den Vanduul die Kontrolle über den Sprungpunkt Tiber-Orion. Die Belagerung von Tiber hatte offiziell begonnen.
FLOTTE IM EINSATZ
Das Oberkommando übertrug Großadmiral 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, über die Vanduul wusste als jeder andere in der Marine, galt er dennoch als umstrittene Wahl für die Leitung der Kampagne. Sein umfangreiches Wissen wurde weithin respektiert, aber Kritiker bezeichneten Großadmiral Halimeade als einen "Klassenzimmer"-Kommandanten, der nichts von diesem Wissen durch Kampferfahrung erworben hatte.
Großadmiral Halimeade verdreifachte zunächst die Zahl der Truppen, die die Sprünge nach Virgil und Oberon bewachten. Dann dockte er sein Schiff, die UEES Aquilon, an die größte Schiffswerft des Systems, INS Aniene, an, um den Sprung nach Virgil zu verteidigen. Er ließ Großkampfschiffe an strategischen Raumstationen in ganz Tiber angedockt, während kleinere Flotten als lose Guerilla-Einheiten patrouillierten. Diese Patrouillen erhielten genaue Anweisungen, wann sie angreifen und wann sie vor den Vanduul-Kräften fliehen sollten. Die Einsatzregeln variierten je nach Größe der Streitkräfte und Zielsetzung stark, aber in der Praxis wurde in der Regel nur dann zum Angriff geraten, wenn die Flottenstreitkräfte zahlenmäßig überlegen waren. Großadmiral Halimeade verteidigte seine Position, indem er behauptete, er spare Piloten, indem er sie zu Gefechten dränge, die sie gewinnen könnten.
Diese vorsichtige Strategie ermöglichte 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 Außenposten wetteiferten. Dennoch blieben die meisten UEE-Kapitalschiffe in gut verteidigten Raumstationen angedockt, was die heftige Kritik anderer Generäle auf sich zog, die der Meinung waren, dass sich die Vanduul im System verschanzten. Nur unter vier Augen offenbarte Großadmiral Halimeade seinen Beratern den wahren Grund, warum er nicht seine gesamten Streitkräfte 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.
Anfang 2734 begannen die Vanduul, aggressiver auf Tiber II vorzudringen. Videos von vanduulischen Erntemaschinen, die sich durch Tiber II fraßen, gelangten ins Spektrum und sorgten im ganzen Imperium für Aufsehen. Großadmiral Halimeade spürte, dass seine Kontrolle über das System ins Wanken geriet, und reagierte schließlich mit der Entsendung der UEES Aquilon und eines großen Kontingents von UEE-Truppen in die Nähe des Planeten. Die Vanduul-Klans, die nach einem Kampf lechzten, machten sich eifrig auf den Weg, um sich mit der großen Flotte zu messen. Dadurch wurden die Lager der Vanduul nur schwach bewacht und die UEE-Kampftruppen konnten Luftbombardements durchführen, die die meisten Lager zerstörten. Dies war zwar ein Sieg, aber auch eine Provokation, die nicht unbeantwortet bleiben würde.
Die Clans, die von den Luftangriffen verwüstet wurden, flohen aus dem System, während andere ankamen, um das, was sie zurückgelassen hatten, für sich zu beanspruchen. Aus deklassierten Flottenberichten geht hervor, dass die Zahl der Vanduul nach den Luftangriffen auf Tiber II sogar gestiegen ist. Großadmiral Halimeade verteilte seine Großkampfschiffe, um zu versuchen, den Erfolg zu wiederholen. Er setzte Schiffe als Köder ein, um Clans dazu zu bringen, sie durch das System zu jagen, während Angriffsteams Ziele angriffen, die durch die Ablenkung gefährdet waren. Die in dieser Zeit gesammelten Informationen und die erstmals erprobten Kampftaktiken trugen erheblich zum Verständnis des Militärs über die Vanduul bei. Die Marine konnte sogar mehrere verlorene Raumstationen zurückerobern, obwohl sich dies als zu wenig und zu spät herausstellen sollte.
Im November 2735 erhielt der Geheimdienst der Marine die Nachricht, dass sich ein großer Vanduul-Clan in einem unerwarteten Teil des Systems versammelte. Großadmiral Halimeade versammelte eine kleine Truppe um die UEES Aquilon und machte sich persönlich ein Bild von der Lage. Er entdeckte, dass die Vanduul durch einen bisher unbekannten Sprungpunkt in das als Vector bezeichnete System strömten, und zwar genau in dem Gebiet, in dem das erste Vanduul-Aufklärungsschiff vor Jahren verschwunden war. Augenblicke nach seiner Ankunft wurde das Aufklärungs-Team entdeckt und in einen Hinterhalt gelockt. Vanduulische Kräfte zerstörten die UEES Aquilon und töteten alle an Bord, einschließlich Halimeade. Die wenigen überlebenden Schiffe humpelten zurück zur INS Aniene.
VERLORENE URSACHE
Der Verlust von Großadmiral Halimeade versetzte die Marine in Aufruhr und das Oberkommando ernannte Admiral Mira Triolo, eine entschiedene Kritikerin von Halimeades maßvoller Einsatzstrategie, zur neuen Kommandantin in Tiber. Die neue Admiralin konsolidierte ihre Kräfte zu einer riesigen Flotte, die die Vanduul direkt herausfordern sollte. Ihre erste große Begegnung führte 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 später viel Aufsehen erregen sollte, die Verlegung von Verstärkungen aus Virgil an, um ihre Offensive zu verstärken.
Im Jahr 2736 erreichte der Krieg um Tiber einen fieberhaften Höhepunkt. Imperator Galor Messer IX ordnete persönlich einen massiven Luftangriff auf Tiber II an, in der Überzeugung, dass die Kontrolle des Planeten die Möglichkeiten der Vanduul einschränken würde, ihre Kriegsmaschinen zu versorgen. Stattdessen verwandelte es den Planeten in ein Ödland 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 größten und ältesten Clans identifiziert, die vom Militär dokumentiert worden waren, und führte einen Angriff auf die INS Aniene an. Trotz eines tapferen Widerstands ging die Hälfte aller Navy-Kräfte im System während der Schlacht verloren. Nachdem die Linie der Marine durchbrochen und ihre Schiffe aufgerieben worden waren, befahl Admiral Triolo den Rückzug der Truppen nach Virgil. Admiral Triolo nahm an, dass die Vanduul in Tiber bleiben würden, um das System zu zerreißen, wie sie es in Orion getan hatten, aber die Vanduul folgten stattdessen. Sie übernahmen die Kontrolle über den Sprungpunkt Tiber-Virgil und schickten Aufklärer durch das System. Nur wenige Tage später, 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 Rückzug von über einer Million Flüchtlingen zu decken, aber Virgil fiel bald.
Die Belagerung von Tiber ist vielleicht am besten als gescheiterte militärische Kampagne zur Rettung des Systems in Erinnerung geblieben, doch viele halten sie für eine unschätzbare Zeit im Krieg gegen die Vanduul, dank der Lektionen, die während der Belagerung gelernt wurden und die noch heute angewendet werden.
Die Belagerung von Tiber, die von 2732 bis 2736 andauerte, wird heute als heldenhafter Kampf des UEE-Militärs gegen die Übermacht der Vanduul und als die längste ununterbrochene Kampfhandlung zwischen den beiden Mächten bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt in Erinnerung behalten. Obwohl Tiber schließlich den Vanduul-Invasoren zum Opfer fiel, betrachtet das UEE-Militär den Feldzug nicht als vollständigen Verlust. Ein Großteil des Wissens, das die Menschheit über die militärischen Strategien und Taktiken der Vanduul gesammelt hat, wurde in diesen vier langen, blutigen Jahren der Schlacht erworben.
Viele 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 Kürze und Grausamkeit dieser Angriffe hinderte die UEE oft daran, endgültige Informationen über die Vanduul zu sammeln, aber im Jahr 2688 veröffentlichte der renommierte Anthropologe Dr. Arlow Gellis eine bahnbrechende Studie über die soziale Dynamik der Vanduul mit dem Titel Clan Theory. Dr. Gellis stellte die These auf, dass die Streitkräfte der Vanduul nicht unter einer konventionellen Regierung organisiert waren, sondern aus Clans unterschiedlicher Größe und Stärke bestanden, die an den Markierungen auf ihren Schiffen zu erkennen waren. Diese Clans operierten in der Regel unabhängig voneinander, schlossen sich aber gelegentlich zusammen, wie bei dem koordinierten Angriff auf Orion im Jahr 2712, durch den die Menschheit schließlich aus dem System vertrieben wurde. Nach der Niederlage zogen sich die UEE-Truppen nach Tiber zurück, um eine zweite Verteidigungslinie vorzubereiten, aber die Vanduul folgten ihnen nicht. Stattdessen blieben sie in Orion und plünderten das System nach Ressourcen ab.
Die UEE-Marine verstärkte ihre Streitkräfte in Tiber und beobachtete ängstlich den Sprung nach Orion, da sie sicher war, dass ein Angriff unmittelbar bevorstand. Einige Militärhistoriker haben sogar behauptet, die Marine habe mehrere geheime Experimente durchgeführt, die den Sprung von Tiber nach Orion nicht zum Einsturz brachten. Dann, am 4. Februar 2726, wurde ein leichter Vanduul-Jäger (Militärbezeichnung 'Blade') im System gesichtet. Die Navy-Truppen versuchten, den Jäger in Schach zu halten, aber er verschwand schließlich. Bald darauf tauchten die Vanduul in immer größerer Zahl auf, und gegen Ende des Jahres kam es in unregelmäßigen Abständen zu kleinen Clanangriffen, ähnlich wie bei den Angriffen auf Orion. Oft vergingen Monate ohne Zwischenfälle. Dieses Verhaltensmuster hielt bis zum 19. April 2732 an, als ein großer Vanduul-Klan in Tiber eindrang und die UEE-Truppen angriff, die die unmittelbare Umgebung des Sprungs überwachten. Als kleinere Clans dicht auf den Fersen waren und sich dem Kampf anschlossen, flohen die UEE-Truppen und überließen den Vanduul die Kontrolle über den Sprungpunkt Tiber-Orion. Die Belagerung von Tiber hatte offiziell begonnen.
FLOTTE IM EINSATZ
Das Oberkommando übertrug Großadmiral 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, über die Vanduul wusste als jeder andere in der Marine, galt er dennoch als umstrittene Wahl für die Leitung der Kampagne. Sein umfangreiches Wissen wurde weithin respektiert, aber Kritiker bezeichneten Großadmiral Halimeade als einen "Klassenzimmer"-Kommandanten, der nichts von diesem Wissen durch Kampferfahrung erworben hatte.
Großadmiral Halimeade verdreifachte zunächst die Zahl der Truppen, die die Sprünge nach Virgil und Oberon bewachten. Dann dockte er sein Schiff, die UEES Aquilon, an die größte Schiffswerft des Systems, INS Aniene, an, um den Sprung nach Virgil zu verteidigen. Er ließ Großkampfschiffe an strategischen Raumstationen in ganz Tiber angedockt, während kleinere Flotten als lose Guerilla-Einheiten patrouillierten. Diese Patrouillen erhielten genaue Anweisungen, wann sie angreifen und wann sie vor den Vanduul-Kräften fliehen sollten. Die Einsatzregeln variierten je nach Größe der Streitkräfte und Zielsetzung stark, aber in der Praxis wurde in der Regel nur dann zum Angriff geraten, wenn die Flottenstreitkräfte zahlenmäßig überlegen waren. Großadmiral Halimeade verteidigte seine Position, indem er behauptete, er spare Piloten, indem er sie zu Gefechten dränge, die sie gewinnen könnten.
Diese vorsichtige Strategie ermöglichte 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 Außenposten wetteiferten. Dennoch blieben die meisten UEE-Kapitalschiffe in gut verteidigten Raumstationen angedockt, was die heftige Kritik anderer Generäle auf sich zog, die der Meinung waren, dass sich die Vanduul im System verschanzten. Nur unter vier Augen offenbarte Großadmiral Halimeade seinen Beratern den wahren Grund, warum er nicht seine gesamten Streitkräfte 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.
Anfang 2734 begannen die Vanduul, aggressiver auf Tiber II vorzudringen. Videos von vanduulischen Erntemaschinen, die sich durch Tiber II fraßen, gelangten ins Spektrum und sorgten im ganzen Imperium für Aufsehen. Großadmiral Halimeade spürte, dass seine Kontrolle über das System ins Wanken geriet, und reagierte schließlich mit der Entsendung der UEES Aquilon und eines großen Kontingents von UEE-Truppen in die Nähe des Planeten. Die Vanduul-Klans, die nach einem Kampf lechzten, machten sich eifrig auf den Weg, um sich mit der großen Flotte zu messen. Dadurch wurden die Lager der Vanduul nur schwach bewacht und die UEE-Kampftruppen konnten Luftbombardements durchführen, die die meisten Lager zerstörten. Dies war zwar ein Sieg, aber auch eine Provokation, die nicht unbeantwortet bleiben würde.
Die Clans, die von den Luftangriffen verwüstet wurden, flohen aus dem System, während andere ankamen, um das, was sie zurückgelassen hatten, für sich zu beanspruchen. Aus deklassierten Flottenberichten geht hervor, dass die Zahl der Vanduul nach den Luftangriffen auf Tiber II sogar gestiegen ist. Großadmiral Halimeade verteilte seine Großkampfschiffe, um zu versuchen, den Erfolg zu wiederholen. Er setzte Schiffe als Köder ein, um Clans dazu zu bringen, sie durch das System zu jagen, während Angriffsteams Ziele angriffen, die durch die Ablenkung gefährdet waren. Die in dieser Zeit gesammelten Informationen und die erstmals erprobten Kampftaktiken trugen erheblich zum Verständnis des Militärs über die Vanduul bei. Die Marine konnte sogar mehrere verlorene Raumstationen zurückerobern, obwohl sich dies als zu wenig und zu spät herausstellen sollte.
Im November 2735 erhielt der Geheimdienst der Marine die Nachricht, dass sich ein großer Vanduul-Clan in einem unerwarteten Teil des Systems versammelte. Großadmiral Halimeade versammelte eine kleine Truppe um die UEES Aquilon und machte sich persönlich ein Bild von der Lage. Er entdeckte, dass die Vanduul durch einen bisher unbekannten Sprungpunkt in das als Vector bezeichnete System strömten, und zwar genau in dem Gebiet, in dem das erste Vanduul-Aufklärungsschiff vor Jahren verschwunden war. Augenblicke nach seiner Ankunft wurde das Aufklärungs-Team entdeckt und in einen Hinterhalt gelockt. Vanduulische Kräfte zerstörten die UEES Aquilon und töteten alle an Bord, einschließlich Halimeade. Die wenigen überlebenden Schiffe humpelten zurück zur INS Aniene.
VERLORENE URSACHE
Der Verlust von Großadmiral Halimeade versetzte die Marine in Aufruhr und das Oberkommando ernannte Admiral Mira Triolo, eine entschiedene Kritikerin von Halimeades maßvoller Einsatzstrategie, zur neuen Kommandantin in Tiber. Die neue Admiralin konsolidierte ihre Kräfte zu einer riesigen Flotte, die die Vanduul direkt herausfordern sollte. Ihre erste große Begegnung führte 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 später viel Aufsehen erregen sollte, die Verlegung von Verstärkungen aus Virgil an, um ihre Offensive zu verstärken.
Im Jahr 2736 erreichte der Krieg um Tiber einen fieberhaften Höhepunkt. Imperator Galor Messer IX ordnete persönlich einen massiven Luftangriff auf Tiber II an, in der Überzeugung, dass die Kontrolle des Planeten die Möglichkeiten der Vanduul einschränken würde, ihre Kriegsmaschinen zu versorgen. Stattdessen verwandelte es den Planeten in ein Ödland 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 größten und ältesten Clans identifiziert, die vom Militär dokumentiert worden waren, und führte einen Angriff auf die INS Aniene an. Trotz eines tapferen Widerstands ging die Hälfte aller Navy-Kräfte im System während der Schlacht verloren. Nachdem die Linie der Marine durchbrochen und ihre Schiffe aufgerieben worden waren, befahl Admiral Triolo den Rückzug der Truppen nach Virgil. Admiral Triolo nahm an, dass die Vanduul in Tiber bleiben würden, um das System zu zerreißen, wie sie es in Orion getan hatten, aber die Vanduul folgten stattdessen. Sie übernahmen die Kontrolle über den Sprungpunkt Tiber-Virgil und schickten Aufklärer durch das System. Nur wenige Tage später, 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 Rückzug von über einer Million Flüchtlingen zu decken, aber Virgil fiel bald.
Die Belagerung von Tiber ist vielleicht am besten als gescheiterte militärische Kampagne zur Rettung des Systems in Erinnerung geblieben, doch viele halten sie für eine unschätzbare Zeit im Krieg gegen die Vanduul, dank der Lektionen, die während der Belagerung gelernt wurden und die noch heute angewendet werden.
Chinese
This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 9.6.
Lasting from 2732 to 2736, the Siege of Tiber is remembered today for the UEE military’s 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’t consider the campaign a complete loss. A lot of Humanity’s collected knowledge of Vanduul military strategies and tactics were first learned during those four long, bloody years of battle.
Many consider Humanity’s 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’t 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’t follow. Instead, they stayed in Orion, harvesting the system for resources.
The 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 ‘Blade’) 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.
FLEET IN BEING
High-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 “classroom” commander who hadn’t gleaned any of this knowledge through combat experience.
Grand 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’s 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 “run, don’t gun” strategy, Grand Admiral Halimeade defended his position by claiming he saved pilots by pushing them toward engagements they could win.
This 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’t commit his full forces against the Vanduul: he maintained a hope that diplomacy was the way to end the war. “What I need is intelligence and time to figure out how to reach them (Vanduul),” he wrote a confidant. “If we fully commit to war, then total war is the only path forward.”
In 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.
The 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’s understanding of the Vanduul. The Navy even reclaimed several lost space stations, though it would prove to be too little, too late.
In 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.
LOST CAUSE
The loss of Grand Admiral Halimeade sent the Navy scrambling and High-Command appointed Admiral Mira Triolo, a staunch critic of Halimeade’s 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.
In 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’s ability to resupply their war machines. Instead, it turned the planet into a wasteland and earned it the epitaph ‘Tomb.’ Then, on December 29, 2736, a Vanduul capital-class ‘Kingship’ 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.
The 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.
Lasting from 2732 to 2736, the Siege of Tiber is remembered today for the UEE military’s 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’t consider the campaign a complete loss. A lot of Humanity’s collected knowledge of Vanduul military strategies and tactics were first learned during those four long, bloody years of battle.
Many consider Humanity’s 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’t 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’t follow. Instead, they stayed in Orion, harvesting the system for resources.
The 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 ‘Blade’) 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.
FLEET IN BEING
High-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 “classroom” commander who hadn’t gleaned any of this knowledge through combat experience.
Grand 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’s 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 “run, don’t gun” strategy, Grand Admiral Halimeade defended his position by claiming he saved pilots by pushing them toward engagements they could win.
This 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’t commit his full forces against the Vanduul: he maintained a hope that diplomacy was the way to end the war. “What I need is intelligence and time to figure out how to reach them (Vanduul),” he wrote a confidant. “If we fully commit to war, then total war is the only path forward.”
In 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.
The 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’s understanding of the Vanduul. The Navy even reclaimed several lost space stations, though it would prove to be too little, too late.
In 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.
LOST CAUSE
The loss of Grand Admiral Halimeade sent the Navy scrambling and High-Command appointed Admiral Mira Triolo, a staunch critic of Halimeade’s 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.
In 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’s ability to resupply their war machines. Instead, it turned the planet into a wasteland and earned it the epitaph ‘Tomb.’ Then, on December 29, 2736, a Vanduul capital-class ‘Kingship’ 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.
The 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.
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- 4 years ago (2022-04-06T02:00:00+00:00)