Kusari - Gallia Conflict

Kusari - Gallic Conflict
Part of the The War of the Taus
Date	818 A.S.
Location	Leeds Tau-31 Tau-29 Tau-23 Newcastle Tau Systems
Status	Concluded
Result	Kusari forces pushed out of the Tau Systems by Gallia
Belligerents
Kusari Gallia
Commanders
Shogun Hikaru Sulu
Strength
Exact number unknown, believed to have overwhelming numbers

In the beginning of 818 A.S. Kusari was building up to launch a full-scale assault on the Bretonian Derby and Leeds Planetary Fleets in an attempt to prepare the way for a ground invasion. The Emperor and Shogun traveled to Stokes Station to begin finalizing the plan in early 818 A.S. However, Bretonian raids against their supply convoys had slowed their force buildup, and when the rapid advance of Gallic fleets delayed their plans still further, the Kusari command, with the two most powerful men in Kusari trapped in Bretonia, put its offensive on hold, redirecting most of its forces towards Tau-31 where Gallia was thought to be heading.

Kusari underestimated the power of Gallic forces that would get to Tau-31. When Gallia demanded the full withdrawal of all Sirius military forces from Tau-31, Kusari decided to buy some time to bring in more reinforcements and possibly bargain a deal with Gallia to attack Bretonia in one joint strike. The diplomatic efforts of Kusari failed to achieve any success. Soon after, Kusari refused to submit to a second ultimatum from Gallia. The Kusari Shogun chose not to wait for Gallia to start a war, and, quite surprisingly, the first Sirius House to declare war on Gallia was Kusari. Some of the Naval Forces commanders considered this decision to be suicide, and they were proved to be right.

Kusari fought fearlessly, but they were outnumbered and outgunned by Gallic fleets that brought in newly equipped ships and well-trained crews. The delay caused by the Kusari attempt at negotiations was in fact very useful for the Royal Navy, since it allowed them to bring up additional forces from Gallia and establish reliable supply lines through Tau-23. Gallia suffered heavy casualties in some of the first battles that took place near the Tau-29 Jump Gate at the hands of the battle-hardened Kusari veterans, but casualties of Kusari were still higher than those of the enemy, and Kusari did not manage to win a single large-scale battle in this war. Throughout these months, four attempts were made to get the Emperor and Shogun back to Kusari, the last attempt using the Newcastle to Tau 31 jumphole, the Satsuma Imperial Yacht was forced to withdraw into the Newcastle Nebula, where it took position, hiding from the Gallic forces, awaiting the next chance to break out and make it back to Kusari.

During the promising war with Bretonia, the popularity of the Emperor and his militaristic government led by the Shogun had steadily increased among the Kusari general public. Now, however, as the tides of war turned against Kusari, the popularity of the House's leaders declined far below pre-war values. The Democratic Party of Kusari backed by Kishiro and led by Kato Takahashi and Shimura Yokitara used the situation and the absence of the Emperor and Shogun out fighting in Bretonia to seize power from the Emperor at the end of 818 A.S.

One of the first consequences of the coup was an attempt to establish contact with the Bretonian government and discuss the terms for an armistice. Bretonia agreed, and Kusari could now use their ships stationed in Leeds to counter the Gallic onslaught. Unfortunately, it was too late at this point, and the ships that came to Tau-31 could only hope to escape Gallic warships and make it through to Tau-29. Soon the gateway from Leeds to Tau-31 was blocked by a Gallic fleet so large that none of the remaining Kusari ships had a chance of getting through alive. Enraged by the deaths of thousands of Kusarians in Tau-31, they swore an oath to fight Gallia to the last drop of their blood. From this point onwards they would unite with their former foes of the Bretonian Armed Forces in building up defenses and asteroid field bases in Leeds and Newcastle.

Some of the Kusari Naval Forces who escaped to Tau-29 and Kyushu were anxious to take revenge on Gallia as well, and to rescue their brethren left behind in Bretonia. However, their new commanders had other plans. Since Gallia had announced Liberty and Bretonia to be its only rivals in Sirius, the new Kusari government chose to enter into secret negotiations with Gallia. The House would withdraw most of its ships back to Kyushu, and no major battles between Gallia and Kusari took place from this moment onwards. After some minor skirmishes in the Tau-29 system that hardly cost any lives from either side, Gallia gained control of a large part of Tau-29.

Kusari now reported that the overwhelming aggression of Gallia did not leave the House any other choice than to sue for peace. This was Kusari’s justification to Bretonia and the rest of Sirius for ending the war. (We cannot really blame Kusari since this justification would certainly prove a real one if Kusari were to bring its remaining exhausted forces to defend Tau-29). Kusari signed a peace treaty with Gallia in which Kusari would renounce any claims or plans of expansion in Tau sector, and acknowledge the Tau-29 system to be a buffer zone between the two Houses that would allow only minimal military and police presence to provide security for traders and civilians. Also, Kusari corporate traders were the first of all four "official" Houses who were allowed to purchase special passages and come to Gallic systems to trade with Gallic companies.

In the meantime, Kusari starts to re-establish its relations with Bretonia that were severely damaged by the war, and to develop closer ties to Rheinland and Liberty. Whilst relations with Gallia have now also improved, both parties remember the Tau-31 events, and there are no true guarantees that the war will not affect Kusari again. Also during this time, the former Emperor completes his consolidation of command of the KNF remnant forces stranded in Bretonia. These forces, who have begun to refer to themselves as the Ronin, are still loyal to the old Shogun and Emperor continue to fight alongside the Bretonians against the never ending Gallic advance.