Battle of Earth
The culmination of the The Fifth World War. A battle of tremendous size and scale between the ASTUN and the The Coalition of a thousand Free Worlds.
Admittedly, it was less a singular battle and more a large nearly half-year long series of engagements all over the Sol system, though mainly centered on Earth and its moon, and the space near them.
"You were not at the Battle of Earth. If you were, you wouldn't be talking about it like that. Though it was a victory as a whole, it was no glorious battle, no great and valiant stand against evil. It was hell, in the truest sense of the word. I watched New Kuopio destroyed by the Hoarfrost, I saw a chunk of the orbital ring blown into the Pacific. I was there when London burned, and the forests of southern Asia were vapourized. I had my eyes scalded by the blinding pale light of antimatter warheads. I liquefied a hulking cyborg with a plasma cannon, I killed a woman with my bare hands, tore apart her helmet plates, and bludgeoned her C-chain-reinforced skull with my fists. I was there, and I saw only a fraction of the whole war. Yet I saw enough. Five months of carnage, death, and all-out war. I am not religious by any means. But what I saw then, what I did... Was a true hell. I fear what another similar war could bring in the future, as should all of us."
The Conflict
Prelude
The The Coalition of a thousand Free Worlds had amassed a large fleet with invasion forces in the star system of Delta Pavonis, having conquered it a few years prior. They also had a lot more troops and ships on the way. The ASTUN, aware of a coming Coalition attack, had in turn fortified the system even more than it was already, and had also gathered a large amount of forces.
Deployment
The Coalition first entered the system between Earth and Mars, and headed straight to Earth, leaving a few detachments to assault other planets. They would have two more major waves arrive over the next few days, some of which went to reinforce the assault on Earth, others to other planets. Over the course of the nearly half a year the battle would last, there was a consistent trickle of Coalition forces.
The ASTUN also had reinforcements. While the nearby systems had largely been emptied of forces and fleets, there were plenty more systems elsewhere, where troops were drawn from.
In total, the initial fleets of the Coalition numbered roughly five fleets worth, around 230 000 ships. At the end of the battle, around 580 000 of their ships had fought in the Sol system. The ASTUN's ship count was roughly 190 000 and 640 000 respectively. Both sides had in total brought 7.2 billion professional soldiers to the system, and the STUN had to conscript around 12 billion people, many without any real weaponry at all, due to logistics issues.
Battlefield
The Sol system as a whole. Most of the fighting was concentrated on Earth and Luna, and the space near them, but especially Mars and the bigger of Jupiter's moons also experienced heavy fighting.
"Soldiers of the ASTUN, hear me! While many of you are from Earth, many more are not. Whether you hail from Mars, Corlaen, Proxima, an ex-Cellean state, or perhaps even further afield, we are all human. And so, your roots are here at Earth. And thus you have the right, the duty, the priviledge, and the necessity to defend humanity's homeworld. The Coalition is coming, and we will make them pay for every step they take."
The Engagement
The first engagements happened in Earth's orbit. Soon after, the Coalition sent ground forces to the planet's surface while the ASTUN fleets were busy with the orbital battle. That orbital battle soon became a disparate mess of combat, with no real cohesion as the area expanded over to a massive area. This style of combat and engagement then continued for almost half a year.
For a more prosaic description;
Generally, the combat extended over nearly every major city on the planet, and forces were drawn from any source. From citizens of cities, to orbital habitats. Humans, Sapient Synthetics, Modes, didn't matter, as long as you could hold a gun.
If you want another comparison of scale, take the bloodiest and longest battles in human history; Stalingrad, Leningrad, The Somme, Verdun, and put them in every major city, and multiply the scale by 15. That's a rough approximation of the scale of the battles.
"Every city street, every station hallway, every orbital platform was fought over fiercely. Every house, every meter of the orbital ring, every distance between a habitat and a satellite was paid for with blood and steel. The scale and ferocity of battle was immense, with countless ships lost and men killed for the smallest of places."
Generally, the combat extended over nearly every major city on the planet, and forces were drawn from any source. From citizens of cities, to orbital habitats. Humans, Sapient Synthetics, Modes, didn't matter, as long as you could hold a gun.
If you want another comparison of scale, take the bloodiest and longest battles in human history; Stalingrad, Leningrad, The Somme, Verdun, and put them in every major city, and multiply the scale by 15. That's a rough approximation of the scale of the battles.
Outcome
Heavy damage to Earth, orbital infrastructure and Luna. Very few cities or habitats remained unscathed, and chunks of the orbital ring were destroyed outright.
Total casualties were 32 billion people. Casualties as in people dead, not including the wounded or otherwise. Around 4.2 billion of the 7.2 billion professional, trained military personnel died, while the rest were civilians, conscripted and not.
Aftermath
The Coalition had dedicated approximately 12% of their remaining fleets and ships, while the ASTUN forces constituted only 6%. In the long term, this had a significant effect on both Coalition morale and their activities in the Core Worlds. The war would last for years more, but with no real hope of victory for the Coalition in the core.
Due to the defense grid of Earth being heavily damaged, several more attacks would be launched against it. None were succesfull, though the Core's defenses as a whole were severely weakened.
Historical Significance
Legacy
The Battle for Earth was the largest series of battles in human history. It would be remembered for millennia and ASTUN would celebrate it for a long time. The damage to the solar system would take significant effort to repair, but in the long term, things would return to normal.
Technological Advancement
The large-scale warfare that occurred on the planet was a prime opportunity to test new weapons. The Titanic Lance, the ASTUN 1st fleet flagship, notably had its first major deployment, and proved a major asset for the defenders. The ASTUN also tested the new Feljon-class destroyers, equipped with a spinal railgun usually reserved for cruisers. The Coalition also deployed new equipment, though more mundane, like higher-power lasers.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
Battle
Battlefield Type
Space
Start Date
12.9.2879
Ending Date
4.2.2880
Conflict Result
ASTUN victory.
Location
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