Solomani Rim War

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(990-1002): Solomani Rim War

Description (Specifications)

Hoping to profit from Imperial preoccupation with the Third Frontier War and the disorganization which followed upon the abdication of Styryx in 989, the Solomani reasserted their control over the complete Solomani Sphere, including those portions reabsorbed into the Imperium (see Solomani Autonomous Region).

Rim War Locations

The Rim War primarily affected the following sectors:

  1. Aldebaran Sector
  2. Alpha Crucis Sector
  3. Canopus Sector
  4. Daibei Sector
  5. Dark Nebula Sector
  6. Diaspora Sector
  7. Langere Sector
  8. Magyar Sector
  9. Neworld Sector
  10. Old Expanses Sector
  11. Reaver's Deep Sector
  12. Solomani Rim Sector
  13. Spica Sector
  14. Ustral Quadrant Sector

History & Background (Dossier)

Early Solomani Gains

The initial phase of the war went very well for the Solomani.

  • Although the Imperium maintained sizable fleets along the border, they were inferior in strength to the massed naval elements of the Solomani Confederation. In most areas, the Solomani regained the border worlds lost to the Imperium in the last half century and even occupied a number of worlds that had never been part of the Solomani Sphere.
  • However, Solomani fortunes were checked in 993 when a large invasion force attempted to regain the worlds in the Old Expanses Sector; it encountered near-fanatical resistance and was repulsed with heavy losses.

Rim War Stalemate

The period from 993 to 998 was one of stalemate. The Solomani abandoned their plans of further expansion in order to rebuild their forces. However, their policy of inflexibly defending every border world was a constant drain on their resources, and the Solomani were not able to regain the initiative.

  • By 998, the Imperial Navy had achieved strategic dominance, as the greater industrial base of the Imperium made its power felt.

Rim War End Phase

The last phase of the war, 998 to 1002, consisted of a near-continual advance by Imperial forces into the heart of the Solomani Sphere.

  • The basic Imperial strategy was to attack along two parallel axes of advance, with lesser task forces spreading out to create a huge pocket of Solomani Territory. Although the Solomani occasionally achieved a tactical success against a task force (such as the Battle of Kagukhasaggan in early 1002), they were unable to halt the main advances. With the liberation of the Vegan district in 1001, the Imperium gained the secure base envisioned in the reign of Styryx.
  • The loss of the Vegan district prompted the Solomani to embark on a desperate gamble. Recalling the time when the outnumbered Terran Confederation was able to defeat the Vilani Imperium, the Solomani consolidated their remaining naval forces into a single fleet and struck at the Imperial fleet advancing out of the Vegan district.
  • At the Battle of Dingir, in early 1002, the Solomani Grand Fleet was scattered and substantially destroyed. The remnants of the Solomani fleet fell back deeper into the Sphere, with the Imperial forces firmly establishing themselves in Terra's own subsector.

Invasion of Terra

The Imperial high command decided that Terra would have to be invaded, in order to end forever all claims of Solomani superiority and thus the use of Terra as a rallying standard elsewhere in the Sphere.

  • In order to invade Terra, a sizable fraction of the Imperial forces in the Solomani Sphere were assembled into an assault force, effectively ending the pursuit of the defeated Solomani fleet. The invasion began in the second quarter of 1002, and the hard fought campaign lasted until nearly the end of the year.
  • In the end, the Imperium conquered the planet.
  • However, the battle for Terra had consumed so much of the Imperial military's resources that the Imperial high command felt they lacked sufficient strength to resume their advance into the rest of the Solomani Sphere. Accordingly, they negotiated a temporary armistice with the Solomani military commanders, who were glad to gain a respite to regroup their remaining forces.
  • The war ended on this basis as both the Imperial and Solomani civilian governments, concerned with the strain placed on their economies by the protracted war, informally agreed to extend the armistice indefinitely.

Aftermath

Although scholars continue to debate the wisdom of invading Terra, some claiming that the battle was a marginal if not pyrrhic victory for the Imperium, the general consensus is that the war as a whole was a major victory for the Imperium.

Major Historical Events Timeline: 990 to 1003

This is some of the more important history associated with this event:

References & Contributors (Sources)

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