Batarian Civil War enters dramatic new phase as slave forces march towards Kar'Shan

Citadel News Network

The civil war raging in the Batarian Hegemony has taken a dramatic turn today as former slaves forces, led by the charismatic leader Kharelek, once a slave working on mining projects at the far-flung colony of Arathot, have captured the capital city of Camala, the most important Batarian world after Kar'Shan. Local Governor Grothan Pazness has hailed the liberators as "True Batarians, fighting for their brothers and sisters" and proclaimed the capital city an "open city", meaning it would not fight against the advancing forces. Grothan Pazness is infamous for accepting quite publicly american support in the opening stages of the war. When asked if he was reconsidering the existence of slavery under his dominions once the hostilities were over, he said that "When, and if we win, we can discuss this… secondary matters, right now, I'm united with the free Batarian against the oppression of the Hegemon" Intelligence sources around Earth are not surprise with yet another allegiance shift by Mr. Prazness, having considered him one of the most unreliable warlords of all the Hegemony. Camala is perhaps best known for housing a significant amount of alien residents, when compared with other Batarian worlds. Sources from alien residents say that hostilities have been kept to a minimum, local garrison surrendering their weapons to the invading forces and civil servants working in tandem with members of the so called "Batarian's Liberation Army" or BLA. There have been no reports of major disruptions on daily live. An anonymous user posted a recording showing troops from the BLA marching trough the capital wielding what appears to be AK-47s of Chinese manufacture, once again giving credibility to those who say that the BLA is financed by China, who denies all accusations.

FROM: SPECIAL INTELIGENCE SERVICE (SIS)

TO: UNITED THESSIAN INTELIGENCE DIRECTOIRES (UTID)

*FOR YOUR EYES ONLY*

*BURN AFTER READING*

Colonel Aethyta

As per your request I'm forwarding the latest information we managed to gather regarding the Batarian situation. With the recent victory of the Chinese-backed BLA in Camala, the situation of the moderate rebels financed by the Americans has become unattainable. Situations like what happened involving Governor Prazness are less the norm and more an exception. What we are seeing on the ground is a consolidation of local rulers and middle classes around the Hegemon's forces, as a slaver revolt is the only fear capable of reining them together. We cannot predict with any sensible degree of certainty if American support will keep flowing to forces so closely related to the Hegemon.

The BLA and its sister organizations are also on the brink of overextension. They control most worlds outside the Kite's Nest and managed to secure a foothold inside the Batarian home system. Furthermore, their naval assets are for all intents and purposes non-existent. The Hegemony still controls large swats of their navy and could, theoretically, launch ground invasions at will, but we suspect that the Chinese will be arming the revolutionaries with ground-to-space weaponry to mitigate these risks.

The only other source of slave labor still in possession of the Hegemon is the far away planets with significant alien slave populations. As discussed previously, we believe that striking against these targets now would deal a massive, and perhaps fatal, blow to the Hegemony.

As of now, our forces cannot hope to strike at the three targets identified by all our security agencies. We can provide orbital supremacy at them all, but we lack special forces capable of completing the mission once in the planet. We have committed two squadrons of the Special Executive Office for the coming action. We need at least one more. I'd suggest that a combined team made of asari, humans and krogan could not only get the job done but pass a message to the galaxy at large about the strength of our alliances.

I'm waiting for your reply.

Director-General Oskar Havelmo

To: Urdnot Wrex, Clan Chief of Tuchanka

From: Colonel Aethyta, Asari Republics

Wrex,

I need a couple of krogan, we'll be fucking shit up, so they are going to enjoy. If you can spare three boys capable of following orders from asari and humans, you'd get the chance to call yourself "liberator of slaves" in the future.

Don't take your sweet fuckin time with the reply

-Thyta

To: Colonel Aethyta, Asari Republics

From: Urdnot Wrex, Clan Chief of Tuchanka

where do i send my boys

Brussels, March 2079

The Federal Command Center was the most important room in the maze of bunkers and tunnels that extended under the Belgian capital to protect the European government in case of disaster.

Not that retaliation was possible in this case but having the state-of-the-art equipment to follow the mission in real time was the real deal. The Chiefs of the General Staff were all there: Fleet Admiral Edward Lloyd Basil, Field Marshall Emilia von Moltke, and the ever-present Admiral Pedro Baltazar of the Military Intelligence. Koopmans and her inner cabinet were all there as well: Bianchi still lorded over the Internal Affairs Ministry; Suri was content in going back to the Finance Ministry. Priya Patel assumed the Defense Ministry and Maurice Leclerc was the new Foreign Ministry, once again whole after Koopmans got her favorite part of the deal before being elected prime minister. Several aides to the military and the civil government were also on stations.

The galactical map in front of them came to life. Each red dot representing a target planet, and each blue triangle an allied force. The plan for the attack was simple: since the Civil War started, most Batarian assets were pulled from these far away colony worlds, defense largely relegated to pirates and Terminus mercenaries. But achieving total orbital and aerial superiority would be paramount, nonetheless. For that, the entire Force Exodus was pulled from their defensive positions over Terra Nova and Eden Prime, as they formed the perfect flotilla for the upcoming action: three task forces, each led by a battleship or a battlecruiser and escorted by four cruisers and ten destroyers.

There was no kill like overkill.

The European High Command did not expect much in the way of a space fight, but even if the pirates and mercs had overwhelming numbers, their better equipped fleets would make short work of them.

And in each naval task force, lay the most important part of the operation: the special forces who would wreak havoc at the colonies' infrastructure and clear a way to the transport ships land. Commander David Anderson and Lieutenant Amelie Shepard were members of the 30-soldier strong B Squadron from the SOE, attached to them was the asari Specter, Tela Vasir. They'd be riding on Task Force Gibraltar's flagship, the battlecruiser Stalingrad. Squadron A, the only squadron composed solely by humans were to ride with the Exodus Force lead force, the battleship Garibaldi. Finally, a motley crew of asari commandoes and krogan soldiers were to hit the third target from the Task Force Heligoland Blight's flagship, battlecruiser Verdun.

All the task forces were already in their designated systems, waiting just outside the local heliosphere to commence operations. Admiral Basil gave his consent to the go ahead, and looked and Koopmans, who nodded. A military aide then turned an intercom on and said "All Task Forces, Operation Railway is a go, I repeat, Operation Railway is a go, Godspeed gentlemen.

Koopmans held her breath as the ships started to move. She could only pray that everything went according to plan.

Shepard found herself a nice spot to see the ship exiting the relay. Even after spending most of her childhood in ships, she, a newly minted lieutenant at 22 years old, couldn't get enough of that sensation, being flung thousands of light years trough the Galaxy. Also, her spot would let her see the fleet action in all of its glory, however quick it probably was going to be. No way a couple of pirate ships could withstand the guns of a battlecruiser, let alone one escorted.

She pressed her face to the fake windows facing the relay. The familiar sensation sending shrivels down her body. She was ready for it.

State of the Galaxy: 2078 edition

Economics and Demographics

European Federation:

Population: 588 million (including colonies and space stations)

GDP: 145 trillion dollars

GDP per capita: 256.600 dollars per capita

GDP per capita growth (real terms, 10 years average): 7.8%

United States of America

Population: 544 million (including colonies and space stations)

GDP: 132 trillion Dollars

GDP per capita: 241.523 dollars per capita

GDP per capita growth (real terms, 10 years average): 7.4%

Republic of China

Population: 1.8 billion (incl. colonies and space stations)

GDP: 213 trillion dollars

GDP per capita: 118.777 dollars per capita

GDP per capita growth (real terms, 10 years average): 9.2%

Humanity

Population: 11 billion

GDP: 1 quadrillion

GDP per capita: 90.909 per capita

GDP per capita growth (real terms, 10 years average): 9.7%

Asari Republics

Population: 13 billion (incl. colonies and space stations) *only populations living inside official Council Borders

GDP: 8 quadrillion dollars

GDP per capita: 615.384 per capita

GDP per capita growth (real terms, 10 years average): 3%

Salarian Union

Population: 17 billion

GDP: 5.5 quadrillion dollars

GDP per capita: 323.529 per capital

GDP per capita growth (real terms, 10 years average): 2.5%

Turian Hierarchy

Population: 11 billion

GDP: 4 quadrillion dollars

GDP per capita: 363.636 per capita

GDP per capita growth (real terms, 10 years average): 1.2%

Vol Protectorate

Population 9 billion

GDP: 3.5 quadrillion dollars

GDP per capita: 388.888 per capita

GDP per capita growth (real terms, 10 years average): 4%

Batarian Hegemony*

Population: 12 billion (includ. Batarian Slaves, exclud. Alien slaves)

GDP: 1.8 quadrillion dollars

GDP per capita: 150.000 per capita

GDP per capita growth (real terms, 10 years average): 0.5%

*Data for Batarian Hegemony estimated from Citadel Financial Bureau since government data inaccurate most of the time

A/N: Just a quick chapter today, also, I'm aware there were numbers for population and GDP size for the great powers back in chapter 1, no, I didn't check if the growth rates are compatible, just go with the flow.