Desant

The desant (Russian for "descent") was an ancient Terran military term for a strike deep into enemy territory. It was adopted by Clan Jade Falcon to describe their military invasion of the Republic of the Sphere during the Dark Age era in 3134.

History[edit]

Jade Falcon Khan Jana Pryde launched the invasion following the events of the Blackout, assigning a force of three Galaxies to the operation. The galaxies passed through the Lyran Commonwealth on their way to the Republic of the Sphere, and the Lyrans chose to turn a blind eye to Falcon movements hoping to avoid a conflict with the Clan.[1]

The stated objective of the operation was the creation of a bridgehead in the Republic space centered on the planet Skye from which the full strength of the Clan would launch an assault against Terra itself.[2] However, Pryde had not intended on following through with the campaign, instead intending to use the operation to remove troublesome and undesirable elements of the Falcons while simultaneously weakening the Republic. [3]

The Falcon Galaxies dispatched were Gyrfalcon Galaxy, Alpha Galaxy, and Zeta Galaxy. The force had three leaders: Galaxy commanders Beckett Malthus, Aleksandr Hazen, and Malvina Hazen. Malthus had formerly been an ally of Pryde before falling out of favor with her, while the sibmates Aleksandr and Malvina were both charismatic and popular warriors. All three were potential threats in their own way to Pryde's authority over the clan.

The Republic of the Sphere was still reeling from the effects of the Blackout and the subsequent rise in threats from within and without the Republic. The Falcons' target within Republic space was Prefecture IX, which was particularly vulnerable as Jasek Kelswa-Steiner, the son of the governor, had led most of the Prefecture's troops into forming the Stormhammers, a pro-Lyran separatist group. During the expedition through Lyran space, the Falcons raided the planet Porrima to test the green Zeta Galaxy led by Aleksandr [4]

The first conquest of the Falcons was on the Lyran world of Chaffee in May 3134, despite being beyond the original scope of the operation. The invasion force easily conquered the planet and incorporated it to their planned bridgehead. [5]. In the aftermath of the conquest of the planet however, a terrorist attack destroyed a Jade Falcon dropship. In what would become an early example of Malvina Hazen's implementation of the Mongol Doctrine, the city of Hamilton and its 50,000 inhabitants were killed in the Hamilton Massacre. [6] [7]

The first wave of the operation into Republic space proper saw the three Galaxies striking separate targets simultaneously: Zeta Galaxy attacked Alkaid, Gyrfalcon attacked Ryde, and Alpha Galaxy, Glengarry.[8] The second wave saw Zeta attacking Summer, while Gyrfalcon split to take Zebebelgenubi and Kimball II. The three Galaxies converged on the Prefecture's capital, Skye, on August 3134. [9]

Their first attack on Skye in mid-August found only a weak militia opposing them and even the arrival of Countess Tara Campbell and Northwind Highlanders did not stop the Falcon advance. However, thanks to the unexpected assistance of Anastasia Kerensky and the Steel Wolves, the Falcons were rebuffed, with Aleksandr Hazen falling in battle and Malvina crippled. In November, the Falcons attacked Skye again, and despite the defenders being supported by the Stormhammers, the planet ultimately fell to the Falcons.[10]

Consequences[edit]

The fall of Skye created a new area of Falcon controlled space which would come to be known as Falcon's Reach with Skye acting as the capital. However, the main invasion of the Jade Falcons never took place: Khan Pryde sent barely any reinforcements, and those that were sent were all dezgra and solahma. [11] Realizing the Khan had sent them to die, Malvina Hazen returned to Sudeten to claim the Khanship from Jana Pryde. This led to the Jade Falcon Civil War which Malvina Hazen would win after killing Jana Pryde, allowing Malvina to reshape the clan in her image. The loss of many Falcons during the desant, the death of her sibmate Alexandr on Skye, and the Falcon Civil War would lead Malvina to become even more extreme and harsh. In particular this would influence her brutal implementation of the Mongol Doctrine once she led the Falcons on their campaign towards Terra.

The desant was a devastating loss for the Republic both in terms of manpower and morale, and it was the second Prefecture capital to fall in barely two months; the other was Liao of Prefecture IV. This would contribute to a further exacerbation of the Republic's internal divisions and be among the reasons for the Exarch Jonah Levin to enact the Fortress Republic.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Flight of the Falcon, p. 13
  2. ↑ Flight of the Falcon, p. 30
  3. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 16
  4. ↑ Flight of the Falcon, p. 36
  5. ↑ Flight of the Falcon, p. 92
  6. ↑ Flight of the Falcon, p. 103
  7. ↑ Dark Age: 3135 PDA Journals, p. 193: "09 June 3135"
  8. ↑ Flight of the Falcon, p. 113
  9. ↑ Flight of the Falcon, p. 114
  10. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 15
  11. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 16

Bibliography[edit]

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