FIRST BATTLE OVER MARCHAND
The First Battle over Marchand was the opening battle of the Sarnath Campaign, in which the Jade Empire of Ingen and her allies attempted to eliminate the Merger presence in the Sarnath System. The battle was a success for the allied forces, resulting in the destruction of the vast majority of naval assets belonging to the Great Marchander Guild of Commerce and exposing the planet itself to invasion.
BACKGROUND
Over the preceeding months, Merger activity in the system had been on the rise. The suspected murder of a JIAN agent, Gandr Volksfahr, convinced the Kokubusho of the need to act, and an assault force built around the IJN 7th Fleet was assembled under the command of Admiral Josef Prescott. Reinforcements arrived from the Gauss Dominion, the Nalydian Empire and the Union of Worlds, including ships from the Union member the Federal Republics of Karzan.
ORDER OF BATTLEThe Jade contingent consisted of 207 capital ships, including battlecruisers, artilleryships, frigates, carriers, destroyers, utility ships and Prescott's flagship the IJN Mako, a Kaisigi-class kantaimaru. The Union contribution included 238 ships of the Federal Republics Space Command and 65 ships from the Union proper. The Gauss Dominion committed 275 ships of the GDAN Second Fleet and the Nalydian Empire deployed Panuktaq's Skirmishers, a formation of 54 capital ships with assorted support vessels.
Against them, the Great Marchander Guild of Commerce mustered nearly three thousand capital-class ships. However, lacking a professional standing fleet, the vast majority of these ships were mercenary vessels, security contractors, and armed merchant volunteers. They were loosely organised and led by the trade barons Gulnak and Pardok, aboard their two flagships the Clink of Gold and the Honest Labour. The GMGC also controlled the Crossdock, a major orbital station over the moon of Ba-sten, and a series of anti-orbital weapon emplacements on the moon's surface. INITIAL MOVEMENTSThe IJN fleet was the first to arrive, assaulting the two key FTL lane nexus points at the edge of the system and cutting off travel to and from the area. They were soon joined by the other allied fleets and moved against a stealth picket line of 200 vessels thrown forwards by the GMGC. Thanks to advanced sensors aboard the Gauss Paragon superweapon system, the picket line was detected and destroyed with minimal losses to the allied advance, although they did delay the allies long enough for the rest of the GMGC forces to get into position.
ALLIED ADVANCEForming a strong defensive line which was anchored on its left flank by the Crossdock and Ba-sten, the GMGC waited in a crescent formation for the allied advance to reach them before opening fire.
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The Union and Nalydian contingents advanced on the enemy's right flank whilst the IJN attacked the enemy's left flank, leaving the Gauss Dominion to exchange long-range fire against the enemy's centre. Although making initial headway on the flanks, the allied forces came under sustained crossfire from the GMGC's centre and began to suffer losses, at which point the Gauss contingent launched an assault on the enemy centre.
LANDING ON BA-STEN
The Jade 77th Regiment, known as the 'Tanuki', were dispatched under frigate escort to force a landing on the moon of Ba-sten. Largely unopposed as the Ba-sten artillery was firing on the IJN 7th Fleet overhead, the Tanuki were able to effect a landing and assault the artillery positions on the ground. Despite heavier than expected resistance, with the artillery crew reinforced by additional soldiers including a unit of Zdenii infantry, the Tanuki were able to capture the weapons facilities. Using the guns, the Jade Marines forced the Crossdock to surrender, silencing its guns and ending the threat the station posed, weakening the GMGC's left flank.
GULNAK'S CHARGE
As the wings of his formation began to disintegrate, Gulnak of Raask launched a counter-attack against the Gauss centre. His flagship, the Clink of Gold, came up against the Gauss Paragon and, whilst able to inflict damage on the Dominion flagship, was ultimately destroyed. Union, Nalydian and Ingenious formations cut through the collapsing wings of the GMGC formation and caused significant losses amongst the retreating ships. Pardok of Tuuka formed a fallback position between Ba-sten and Marchand itself, gathering survivors and assuming overall command of the Guild fleets.
There was a brief respite as the allied forces regrouped. Pardok offered a ceasefire but the allied forces found his terms unacceptable and reiterated their demands for unconditional surrender. At this point Pardok had only 900 vessels to contend against the allied advance, less than a third of the GMGC's initial deployment.
There was a brief respite as the allied forces regrouped. Pardok offered a ceasefire but the allied forces found his terms unacceptable and reiterated their demands for unconditional surrender. At this point Pardok had only 900 vessels to contend against the allied advance, less than a third of the GMGC's initial deployment.
ASSAULT ON PARDOK'S LINE
Pardok rejected the allied demands and opened fire at long range. Whilst the heavy vessels of the allied forces exchanged fire with Pardok's formation, the lighter strike craft assembled into a flanking force and moved around the moon of Ba-sten, arriving in the rear of Pardok's left flank. Combined with a volley from the Crossdock and the moon-based artillery positions, the GMGC left flank came under intense attack and began to crumble. Attempts to reposition the line were mistaken for a retreat by units further away and the GMGC position swiftly collapsed into a general rout. Many ships were trapped and destroyed, whilst others attempted to retreat to the planet's surface, some landing in spaceports and others making emergency landings. Within forty minutes of the initial exchange of fire, Pardok's formation had been destroyed and the GMGC naval assets in-system had been routed or sunk by the allied advance.
AFTERMATH
Bereft of any true naval capability, the GMGC was unable to prevent the allied forces from taking position in high orbit and preparing for a full planetary invasion. The development of a Kessler ring of debris hampered travel to and from the planetary surface.
Approximately a fifth of the allied naval force had been sunk or rendered mission ineffective during the course of the battle, whilst more than four-fifths of the GMGC navy had been lost or forced to descend to the planet's surface, with the remaining ships retreating from the system. Gulnak of Raask was killed in action and his flagship, the Clink of Gold, lost with all hands. The other GMGC Baron, Pardok of Tuuka, survived and made it to the planet's surface, although his flagship the Honest Labour was destroyed. The casualty rate suffered by the GMGC was exacerbated by the allied unwillingness to take prisoners or prizes.
Approximately a fifth of the allied naval force had been sunk or rendered mission ineffective during the course of the battle, whilst more than four-fifths of the GMGC navy had been lost or forced to descend to the planet's surface, with the remaining ships retreating from the system. Gulnak of Raask was killed in action and his flagship, the Clink of Gold, lost with all hands. The other GMGC Baron, Pardok of Tuuka, survived and made it to the planet's surface, although his flagship the Honest Labour was destroyed. The casualty rate suffered by the GMGC was exacerbated by the allied unwillingness to take prisoners or prizes.