Battle of Heaven's Gate

Battle of Heaven's Gate
Part of the Nomad War
Date	Late 800 A.S.
Location	Heaven's Gate, Tohoku Kusari
Status	Resolved
Result	Decisive Blood Dragon victory and recovery of the Proteus Tome, but with severe losses
Belligerents
Blood Dragons The Order Kusari Naval Forces Nomad-controlled Rheinland Military
Commanders
Ozu Edison Trent Governor Tekagi
Strength
Edison Trent Ozu 2 wings of elite fighters Relief force: Lord Hakkera Jun'ko Zane 2 wings of elite fighters 1 Kusari Battleship Multiple Kusari Destroyers Multiple Kusari Gunboats Multiple wings of Drake fighters Reinforcements: 1 Rheinland Gunboat 1 wing of Drake fighters

Prelude

During the Nomad War, Edison Trent and Jun'ko Zane traveled to Kusari in search of the Proteus Tome, and artifact needed in Roland Quintaine and Kendra Sinclair's research on the Hypergate Key. The Order agent Lord Hakkera discovered that Governor Tekagi had personally taken custody of the Proteus Tome, and was planning to take it to Rheinland. Working with Ozu and the Blood Dragons, Trent attacked Yukawa Shipyard and captured a transport believed to carry the Tome. However, Tekagi had moved the artifact to his private fortress in Tohoku, the Tohoku Planetary Arch, also known as "Heaven's Gate".

Approach

Ozu and Trent entered Tohoku and met up with an elite Blood Dragon fighter wing at Ryuku Base. With only this small force, they set out for the Tohoku Planetary Arch, using the Nampo Cloud as cover. However, while still in the cloud, they encountered a Kusari Naval Forces patrol. Though the strike force was victorious, the patrol was able to inflict several casualties upon the Blood Dragons. Shortly after defeating the patrol, the strike force left the cloud cover to make the final approach on the Arch.

Main Battle

A substantial force of Kusari Naval Forces guarded the Arch, including a Kusari Battleship holding position near the docking port. In addition, the docking port was surrounded by a powerful shield, preventing access so long as it was operational. Ozu and Trent broke off from the main group and traveled through the bottom of the Arch to avoid drawing the attention of the KNF, and began destroying the shield generators in an effort to clear a path inside. Meanwhile, the main body of the Blood Dragon strike force engaged the KNF, but in light of Destroyer and Gunboat reinforcements began to lose numbers quickly. A second wing of Blood Dragons moved in to support them as Ozu and Trent took down the shield, and landed on the Arch.

Inside the Arch

Having landed inside the Arch, Ozu and Trent began their search for the Proteus Tome. Taking the brute force approach of "just shoot everything," as Trent called it, they quickly arrived at the center of the Arch, and found the Tome. However, Tekagi had laid a trap for them, and they were captured by his guards. Tekagi revealed himself to be a thrall to the Nomads, and fatally wounded Ozu. Lord Hakkera arrived and rescued Trent, while Ozu detonated an explosive, killing both himself and Tekagi.

Secondary Battle

While Trent was on the Arch, Blood Dragon forces had defeated the KNF defense fleet. However, Jun'ko Zane and another wing of Blood Dragon fighters were engaged with a Rheinland Gunboat and a wing of KNF fighters. Trent, Hakkera, and the few remaining Blood Dragons moved to assist, near the edge of the Nampo Cloud. This battle was far less punishing than the main battle had been, and the Blood Dragons won with few casualties.

Aftermath

Lord Hakkera and Jun'ko Zane took the Proteus Tome to rendezvous with the rest of the Order, sending Trent to recover an agent deep in Rheinland. Though the Blood Dragons had lost Ozu and a substantial portion of their best pilots, they survived and would recover. The Nomad-controlled forces in Kusari were almost completely destroyed, breaking the Nomads' hold on Kusari. However, in their haste, the depths of Heaven's Gate were not scoured for survivors, and the remaining Nomad-controlled forces would rebuild over the next two decades and form Aoi Iseijin. The Blood Dragons have maintained Ryuku Base to hold watch against any further Nomad incursions, either from the nearby Omicron-92 or Heaven's Gate itself.