[Official Event] Operation Pesticide

27th May, 830 A.S

Take a seat, ladies and gentlemen.

I am LSF Supervisor Speckfield. Vice Admiral Hamish has allowed me to brief you all on the upcoming operation in Pennsylvania.

As you are all aware, the Security Force found clear evidence that the government of Erie is allowing Insurgent “deserters” to take “refuge” on the planet. In response to this, the LSF deployed a Spybird satellite in high orbit to observe activity on the ground and space traffic. Predictably, we promptly received a complaint from Erie about an alleged violation of their sovereignty - a claim I will not comment on at this time. Their request to remove the Spybird was, of course, denied.

Two days ago, at circa 0500 hours Sirian Mean Time, our satellite was destroyed by a surface-launched Starshield anti-ship missile. Erie has denied any involvement and our analysis of the attack can’t pinpoint precisely where the missile was launched from, nor who is indeed responsible. However, it is clear that there are elements on Erie that are prepared to engage in acts of aggression against Liberty, and it is likely these elements, if not the local government itself, that are supporting the Insurgents on the planet.

In response to this, Congress has ordered a direct military intervention to seize Planet Erie, take control of local authorities, and root out the Insurgents and their sympathizers.

This is where you all come into play. Operation PESTICIDE will be a two-parter. First, a joint Navy and LSF task force will move on Erie and secure its orbit and access to the planet. Then the Marine Corps will commence a planetary landing to occupy the capital and secure vital infrastructure before moving on any present resistance and Insurgent forces.

The naval operation will be led by Vice Admiral Hamish aboard his flagship, Battleship Alma, and her escorts. We expect the Erienites to see us coming and scramble whatever halfway combatworthy ships they have. We also predict that they may reach out to other Zoner communities near Liberty for aid. Therefore it is not unlikely that they will be able to deploy capital assets - maybe even one of the Zoners’ Aquilon-class carriers. Regardless, we do not expect their resistance in space to hold against the Alma’s task force for long. Once the defenders in orbit have been routed, marine transports will commence their landing operation on the planet.

I need you all to understand how important it is for Operation PESTICIDE to succeed. Liberty cannot allow its subjects to commit acts of open rebellion against it. Acting swiftly and decisively will stomp out any similar ideas of unrest festering elsewhere in the Republic.

Prepare your ships and crews for immediate deployment.

Dismissed.

Date:

May 27th (Saturday) - 18:00 UTC.

Event Type:

Story Event - this event will feature combat between the clashing forces, namely the Liberty Taskforce and the hastily assembled Zoner militia. Players will serve as escorts for the flagship of the respective side they are on. Please keep in mind the flagships are formidable vessels in their own right, and heroic assaults against them in smaller craft will yield little success. Your objectives as a member of either side are as follows:

As a member of the Taskforce:
Your objective is to eliminate Zoner escorts, and to also ensure that any ships carrying supplies which may aid in resisting Liberty's operation do not manage to escape. This will occur intermittently, and the ship attempting to break through combat and escape into the Driftwood field may either be a freighter or transport. Regardless of ship type, these vessels will launch from Erie and attempt to escape into the Driftwood field, and will be carrying a commodity known as combat supplies. If the ship is destroyed before reaching the field, then it is a point in favor of the Taskforce.

As a member of the Zoner Militia:
Your objective is to eliminate Taskforce escorts, and to protect your fleeing freighters and transports carrying combat supplies. If the said vessel manages to reach the Driftwood field intact, then it is a point in the favor of the Militia.

Considerations:
Successful destruction, or successful escapes of the vessels carrying combat supplies will be tallied. The side which secures more points in this objective will have won, and future storytelling will be affected accordingly.

Respawns:
Whether or not respawns will be allowed during the time of the event will be a subject of consideration. If one side is outnumbered then it will receive the benefit of respawns, whereas if the odds appear more or less even then respawns may or may not be permitted. On-screen notifications will inform you of the respawn availability if applicable.

Allowed IDs (Official and Independent):

Liberty Navy
Liberty Security Force
Zoners

Rule Changes:

Players may not attend the event in anything larger than cruisers, battlecruisers are also not permitted. For the duration of the event, the Navy/LSF and Zoners may freely engage each other in line with their objectives.

THE FALLOUT:
With the delicate balance of peace in Pennsylvania tipping into outright conflict, the Pinnacle and Alma confronted one another. The Taskforce proved unable to prevent many of the transports carrying vital supplies for the as of yet still determined Zoner resistance from escaping. But this victory for the Zoners in securing the means to continue fighting has come at the loss of the Pinnacle.

In the wake of the destruction, the Marine landing occurred virtually unopposed and has in the hours since asserted Liberty's control over the planet. Despite these grim tidings of planetary occupation, the Zoner resistance hopes to foster the flickering flame of independence as best they can - vowing to liberate their world from Liberty's grasp.

Write-up by @Toaster
Picture by @Kauket

Hello. While I understand the limited list of factions may make the event feel narrow at the outset, this is a swift operation by the Navy and LSF that nobody saw coming. So even as opportunistic, and ambitious as those two criminal factions might be, they weren't prepared to do anything so audacious on short notice. It would also be somewhat counterintuitive to split the focus of the event between the operation in orbit of Erie, and activity elsewhere in the system. It's reasonable to assume that the Rogues or Xenos are operating as usual, it's just that during the timeframe of this event, nothing they would be doing is consequential enough to be featured in it. I'm also unsure what you mean by undefended military convoys, as the operation in question details the movements of a taskforce, something a hasty assault by the Rogues/Xenos would be ill-suited to handle.