SECOND BATTLE OVER MARCHAND
The Second Battle over Marchand was fought during the Sarnath Campaign. Although it was an allied victory, it came at a heavy cost and degraded the allied presence in the area to near breaking point.
BACKGROUND
Forces from the Jade Empire, the Gauss Dominion, the Nalydian Empire and the Union of Worlds had defeated the Great Marchander Guild of Commerce fleet in the First Battle over Marchand the day prior and had begun planetary landings across southern Marchand.
However, elements of the GMGC fleet remained undefeated and, in conjunction with reserves from the Merger that had not engaged in the previous battle, launched a surprise attack on the allied fleets whilst they were in position to support the planetary invasion of Marchand. ORDER OF BATTLEAs a result of losses sustained during the previous battle, the allies had only 438 capital vessels in-system. The Jade contingent consisted of 165 capital ships, including battlecruisers, artilleryships, frigates, carriers, destroyers, utility ships and Prescott's flagship the IJN Mako, a Kaisigi-class kantaimaru. The Union and FRK massed 216 ships, the Nalydians had 43 capital vessels and the Gauss Dominion had only 14 ships remaining in-system, the rest withdrawn in response to the onset of the Gauss-Furrelian War.
The Merger provided the bulk of the opposition forces, in the form of just under five hundred Oblivion class destroyers. These ships were rough analogues for the Takeichi-class sekibune despite being much smaller, and they were most powerful in close quarters, with highly effective boarding abilities. INITIAL MOVEMENTSThe Merger emerged from the shadow of Nenglan, one of the gas giants of the Sarnath System, where they had been hiding since the arrival of the allied fleets. Advancing rapidly, they caught the allied fleets off-guard. Many of the allied ships were still in staging position to support the planetary invasion below, whilst others were busy refitting following the previous day's battle.
FRK COUNTER-ATTACKAlong with the light elements of the Jade and Pordish fleets, the FRK moved into position to stall the Merger attack, allowing for the heavier warships to form up around the IJN Mako. Although successful, this delaying tactic was costly and saw dozens of ships boarded or sunk in close quarters combat.
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ROUT OF THE MERGER FLEET
Allied artillery and heavy weapons caught the Merger in enfilade as they engaged the forward elements of the allied fleets. Multiple Merger vessels were destroyed in short order and the remainder were forced to withdraw, allowing the allies to launch rescue parties to assist ships that had been boarded. The Jade 711th Regiment was deployed to assist allied vessels, focusing on the FRK whose position at the vanguard had led them to suffer disproportionate casualties. The remaining Merger vessels retreated towards the system rim where they entered FTL and departed the system, leaving the allies in control of Sarnath.
AFTERMATH
The battle led almost immediately to the Bombardment of Hornqvist. Elements of the Imperial Jade Navy, acting at the direct command of Crown Prince Mitsuyoshi Kuriyabashi who relieved Admiral Josef Prescott of duty and assumed personal control of the theater, bombarded the city of Hornqvist from orbit to force a general surrender. This caused significant civilian casualties and severely strained relations between the Jade Empire and the Union of Worlds.