Schiebfonda or War

“My fellow esteemed associates of the Congressional Assembly. Today, human history stands at a unparalleled, novel junction never before witnessed in the history of humanity in it’s entirely. Yesterday, it was the cries of an passive resistance to a injustice inflicted upon the colonial systems. That much was achieved without frightful disturbance. Rather, more significantly, a single shot being fired in retaliation; lest a soul lost.

"Today we toast on this monumental circumstance that has come to pass. But for how long? I ask you, representative subjects of the Confederation, is it genuinely feasible to live in bipartisan harmony forever? Will the Federation wage a destructive campaign to unify the Milky way once more under a new world order? Is this a toast to everlasting peace, or a toast before the coming storm?

"Tomorrow, I daresay, it is the woes of civil war. A gladiatorial extermination in the heavens. I ask you, the individuals before me, as an echo of our ancestors at Balaclava; could there truly be peace in [our] times? Must we clash our right and wrong ideologies to the bitter end, lest there is but one specimen left?

A few weeks ago saw the establishment of a national naval force from participating militia forces. We desire to secure peace, and intend to cultivate just that. However, would that simply lead [the opposition] to wage war with the objective to enforce peace? “ Excerpt of a speech delivered to the Chamber of Peers in the Congressional Assembly, by senator Russ Lemnich on 14th February 229 UC.

Russ’s virtue for a peaceful exit strategy of the separatist movement was resonated by politicians all throughout the Milky Way. Rather Federalist or Confederalist, the reverence for a peaceful future united opposing factions on common ground. Reality was a far harsher mistress than fabricated dreams, however.

Hawkish sentiments was not in the minority in neither sovereignties. In Vardini in particular, it was argued that war would greatly rejuvenate the economies and greatly benefit the nation as a whole. Anti-war opposition argued that without economical stimulus packages by Metropolitan Sol, the Ruthenian Confederacy would struggle in the forthcoming years. Intense debates over war would continue so on until the incident in April.

The anti-war factions faced other political challenges, too. Notably, the intergalactic incident that had unfolded over the month of January and seceding months; the XYZ affair[ Deprived from the name of the real life political scandal between the United States and France at the tailend of the 18th century.]. Confederate ambassadors were in a sense, “played like a fiddle”. Any diplomatic missions were met with ridiculous rescheduling, bribes prior to negotiations, and such fourth. When the dispatches were publicized, public support in most confederate capitol worlds had became awry. Likewise, there was similar dissent among Federation citizens against their government.

The month of March saw increased manifestation of public war support in both sovereign states. In the Federation, this was used as leverage to increase the size of the naval force. Whereas it numbered around 1,200 vessels in early 227, it had grown exponentially to around 5,200 ships of the line by the beginning of 229. With DeRyck’s influence, he urged the administration to implement a three year long draft and an mandated 6 year reservation as an extension.

Operation Manhunt was at it’s zenith in development. The Federation general staff had finalized their plans for the operation. While wearing confederate uniforms and using secretly obtained confederate warships, the first step of the operation relied on staging a attack on a unmanned Federal vessel, with a simultaneous assault on a Federation Cluster. After it was completed, the military hoped that this would be the pivotal push they needed for public support to fully swing in favor of a war with the Confederacy. The confidentiality of it was so tight-lipped that not even the parliament nor the regime was aware of it’s existence.

While Manhunt was underway, the Confederation was still fixated on in securing it’s national integrity. Hatillo aside, a number of forts in the heart of Ruthenia posed a grave threat to national security. One of which was the fortress in the Youdon starzone, the Schiebfonda. It was definitely a pressing strategic asset than Hatillo.

While Hatillo might possibly have the authority to authorize Toscana privateers to wreck havoc in the Confederate interior in the Rouen-Merica regions, Schiebfonda was capable of striking at Vardini from beyond. Barring a fith column assault on the capitol, what was also equally important was the garrison fleet was capable of harassing supply lines and even act conjunction with Hatillo.

It was grim, needless to say. If war broke out now, the Federation truly could dine in the summer Vardini months. The recently promoted admiral Dolz recommended ‘the most rational course of action’. He presented general staff with a rather ostensibly simple plan; demand the unconditional surrender of the fort. If they refused, they would initiate a “majestic bombardment” until they rectified their error. Dolz viewed the inhabitants of the fort—as well as related enclaves— as foreign forces illegally presiding in their territories.

For all intents and purposes, they were a hostile invading force, and should be dealt with as such. He wrote in his memoirs,

“If it was up to me, I would have authorized the use of thermonuclear payloads upon Schiebfonda. Hark! Those civilian fools have no sense of military strategy. The end result would be identical regardless—the fort gives the Confederation no redeeming strategic feature that parallels that of the Feds’.”

Following a overly lengthly decision making in Sakurai’s cabinet, Sakurai gave his approval for the military action against Shiebfonda—Sakurai hoped that Shiebfonda would be spoked by the military action and captituate without bloodsheed. Simultaneously, the navy was tasked with capturing similar targets in the Confederacy which would be handled by allied commanders. Tory’s fleet, initially comprising over 600 ships, entered the Youdon starzone on the 1st of April 229. After the whole fleet was present and accounted for he executed a encirclement command that was fully accomplished over the next day and a half.

The commander of the Schiebfonda, Deon Rubenfield, had received written instructions from the war ministry some days prior to hold onto the fortress “at any means necessary, down to the last man, and may God have mercy on your soul.” Deon looked at the cards he was dealt with, and had contemplated abandoning the fort altogether.

Originally, he had intended to fled to either the Kongriega corridor to friendly territory. Alternatively, to Hatillo for a peaceful passage through the Toscani region. The arrival of Dolz’s armada dashed any hope of escape.

On April 3rd, 229: a ambassador part of Tory’s host secured safe passage into the fortress for a formal meeting with Rubenfield. It was a meeting conducted in haste partly due to Tory growing increasingly impatient. Rubenfield was implored by his guest to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, and more importantly, avoid undesired consequences in the grand scheme of matters between the two Sols’.

The exchange lasted for hardly a hour. Rubenfield declined his offers, and ordered him to be released back to the Dolz host. Subsequent requests of unconditional surrender were made by various military officers (none of them Dolz). The last ambassador, a civilian representative from Vardini acting on Sakurai’s behalf met with Rubenfield for one last plea to stand down and avoid bloodshed. Once again, the Schiebfonda commander thanked him for coming out, apologized for the inconvenience his subordinates might have given him, and released him back into Tory’s custody empty handed.

Rubenfield stood steadfast in his orders of defending the fortress. Until he received written or oral demands from his superiors, he would defend Schiebfonda to the last. It was sentimentally felt by his subordinates, who mocked their Confederation counterparts by sometimes leaving port to do laps around the fortress.

But what if the Confederates did attack?

Rubenfield was in a perilous situation. Schiebfonda was by no means a superimposing institution—construction of it was not completed until 220 and it never received adequate maintenance, nor was it particularly well manned. Optimally, it would need about 400,000 personnel to be fully effective at being a nuisance in the Confederation interior. When Rubenfield took command in the winter of 228 UC he had only hardly a quarter of that.

With inadequately staffed guns and subpar ones to boot; one could only wonder why Rubenfield continued to resist given the circumstances. Was it perhaps as a form of patriotic duty?

To a varying degree, the crisis was warmed once word of an ongoing summit was unfolding in the Triegs system located in the Caldonia Corridor. Dolz’s superiors ordered him to continue the blockage, but did not authorize force unless fired upon first.

In Triegs, the desperation of preventing an all out galactic war had reached it’s climax. Every nook and cranny of compromises were reached, but not necessary agreed upon. Most of the debates revolved around lax tariff reforms or greater representation in parliament. However, much of these proved to be fruitless; unlike their Confederate counterparts much of the Metropolian Sol delegates were ‘Old Guard Conservatives’, giving name to The Triegs convention as the “Old Gentleman’s Convention”. Lasting for a mere two weeks, the Convention dissolved and all parties returned home in surprisingly high spirits. Basking in the false belief that they have achieved everlasting peace.

Peace that existed only in their delusions. The Convention was a catastrophic failure that achieved absolutely nothing of value other than pad out the inevitable.

Peace was naught but a fantasy in the Milky Way.