The End of Qusec

Kopitak Admiral Ven's Flagship, Heavy Cruiser KSS Brem Ta 

Plea For Help

Qusec Capital, Gassong City at Nichyun-6

   Even after the loss of Breeshong, Qusec's Davra Allies (H'fatta Tribes, the Samites, and the Messatik empires) continued to believe that the Gassong regime was not failing. The Qusec representative for the Davra alliance went to Davra to request a supplemental military aid package for Qusec plus economic and refugee aid. The allies were not impressed. There would be no more funds in 3418 for Gassong.

The Defense

   The Qusec 45th Fleet Group commander, Admiral Toan, had organized centers of resistance for the defense of the starsystem. These fronts were so connected as to form an arc enveloping the entire system. The Da Dei front, to the northwest, was defended by the 125th Fleet Division; the Con Fal front, to the north, was the responsibility of the 35th Fleet Division; the Jep Xio-6 moon base front, to the northeast, was defended by the 19th Fleet Division; the Wan Goh at Nichyun-12 and Trade Route front, to the southeast, was held by the 91st Fleet division and one cruiser squadron of the 3rd Fleet Division; and the Nung En front, for which the Capital Military District Command was responsible, was defended by elements of the re-formed 22nd Fleet Division. Qusec opposing forces around Nichyun starsystem totaled approximately sixty million troops. However, the refugees that made it into Nichyun starsystem, along with many Qusec soldiers, made the "men under arms" in the city more than two-hundred-fifty million. Unfortunately, these units were mostly battered and leaderless, which threw the defenses into further disarray.

Resignation

Transport QSS Greva Vo used to
evacuate ex-president Liseut 

   Liseut, under intense political pressure, resigned as president. In his farewell speech, Liseut admitted to having ordered the evacuation of the central districts and the east that had led to the debacle. He then stated that it had been the appropriate course of action given the situation – but he blamed the generals and admirals for the failure. He then went on to excoriate the Samites, "Our allies the Samites have not honored their treaty obligations," he declared. Immediately following the speech, the presidency was handed over to Vice President Nav Iran.

Plan of Attack

   At his new forward command post at Tab Tan starsystem, Clan Admiral Tuggla prepared plans for the final battle. He had invaded Nichyun starsystem starsystem with four Kopitak task forces and the hastily assembled 5672nd Tactical Force, a total of 19 army groups plus supporting artillery and armored units, approximately 13 million combatants. He planned to avoid intensive fighting on the capital world, Nichyun-6, by first tying down outlying Qusec forces in their defensive positions and then launching three spearheads through them onto the capital world, each of which had a specific target. The attacks on the world began in November of 3418, and the main attack on the capital city started the following month.

   After Liseut's resignation, the Qusec military situation quickly declined. On the 26th, the Kopitak launched an all-out attack to take Jep Xio-6 and the sprawling logistical complex at Nun Copf from the south and southeast. Three days later, the starport city of Wan Goh at Nichyun-12 was under assault, and the pressure against the Da Dei front was intense.

Qusec-Kopitak Region

   The same disorganization, loss of control, and anarchy that had befallen the military across Qusec now took place in Gassong City, where martial law was imposed. The repeat of an "Aya Massacre" had been promoted by the government as a propaganda ploy to unify the population, but it created a frightened paralysis in defenders of the city.

   As the main attack on the capital world developed, the Qusec Admiral Assembly handed over the presidency to General Tihn Vaund, who was sworn in the following day. It was hoped that Vaund, who had no history of aggressive action against the Kopitak, would be able to establish a cease-fire and re-open negotiations. This was unrealistic. The Kopitak held the upper hand, and final victory was sure. 

   The inauguration of Vaund had served as a signal to Qusec officers who were responsible for the torture and imprisonment of many Kopitak agents and sympathizers. They began to try to find a way out. The evacuation of Samite military personnel and civilians had been proceeding since June of. Operation Rip Jump, the Samite evacuation of military and embassy personnel, Samite civilians, and Qusec citizens thought to be at risk of Kopitak reprisal was initiated as the capital world dissolved into panic.

   In November, 3418, Kopitak forces fought their way into the outskirts of the capital city. At the Toppa Bridge, about 4 km from the city center, Qusec soldiers battled with Kopitak troops attempting to control the span, cutting the city's last overland connection to the starport and gaining access to downtown Gassong City. Later that afternoon, as President Vaund finished his acceptance speech, a squadron of five Kopital strike ships bombed the main starport. As the fight for the last bridge continued, General Soin Vat fled to Gassong City, informing the government that the Qusec military leadership had admitted defeat and surrendered.

   Despite the surprisingly quick disintegration of the Qusec, the Kopitak units attacking the bridges into the city faced heavy resistance, even counterattack attempts to push them out. The outskirts and downtown became battlefields, in which the Kopitak fought against rag-tag formations of Qusec soldiers who had made their way into Gassong City. At the end, these troops, betrayed by their commanders, either stripped out of their uniforms and hid, or made suicidal assaults at the enemy, hoping for a quick death. Those Kopitak units tasked with capturing key structures found themselves at the receiving end of a more disciplined force commanded by officers who refused evacuation. These troops took advantage of the equipment left over by their escaped comrades and set a perimeter around the city center. But they were just a hopeless crowd of troops who couldn't or wouldn't flee. By the end of November, they had been wiped out as the Kopitak made their way into central Gassong City.

Abandoned

Samit Destroyer SIS Vale used to rescue ambassador Mazli

   As the Kopitak secured the center of the city, Samite ambassador Mazli boarded a military transport and departed from the Samite Embassy. Later that day, President Vaund ordered all Qusec forces to cease fighting but there was little need to announce it because the Qusec military had ceased to exist. Later that day, Vaund would be escorted to a communications station, where he declared the unconditional surrender of the Qusec empire. That evening, a Kopitak fusion tank crashed through the gates of the Imperial Palace.

Finale

   In the Niluda Nebula, where Qusec military forces were still intact. Qusec admiral Magol planned to form a resistance. However, Qusec civilians, sick of the war, arose and began to battle the Qusec soldiers. They had success in isolating the 14th Corps which put an end to the plan. The 4th Corps was dissolved shortly after the murder of Admiral Magol.

Next...Life in the Great Desert Rift

END TRANSMISSION

Artwork by Dmitri Borodin, Julian Schlottman

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