Dragon's Tongue

The Dragon's Tongue (or Ryuu no Shita) was a region of space in the Draconis Combine's New Samarkand Military District. Stretching from New Avalon to around Greeley, these former Federated Suns worlds had been conquered by the Draconis Combine throughout the mid-3140s.

History[edit]

The Combine conquered the region in two stages. First, during their invasion of the Federated Suns in 3144 DCMS troops dealt a major defeat to the AFFS at Palmyra, with the AFFS command hub at Tsamma and neighboring worlds falling soon after, until reaching the planets Gambier and Mansfield.[1] This resulting salient, dubbed the "Palmyra Thumb", was then used as a staging area for the Combine's 3146 Battle of New Avalon (3146), which ended with the fall of the Federated Suns' capital and the subsequent annexation of the worlds in between. Pouring troops into the newly-conquered region, the DCMS dissuaded any swift attempts at dislodging them.[2]

The worlds of the Dragon's Tongue suffered heavily under the harsh Combine occupation, with brutal repression spurring an upsurge in resistance despite the penalties inflicted for even minor transgressions. Any monuments of the Davions were destroyed.[3]

While the AFFS was unable to reclaim its capital between 3147 and 3150, their constant raids during Operation PERCEVAL were successful in inflicting serious damage to the occupying forces and tying up Combine troops there.[4] In 3150, the Combine suffered a setback: their mistreatment of Wolf's Dragoons led the mercenary unit to terminate their contract, depriving the Kuritans of five elite regiments.[5] In part for that reason, the Combine was unable to expand the Tongue, and barely managed to hold it. During Operation Dawn, the Federated Suns managed to reclaim their capital New Avalon, and captured Combine Kanrei Matsuhari Toranaga.[6]

After retaking New Avalon, the Duke of Robinson, Erik Sandoval-Groell, led Operation Solar Flare: a counteroffensive against the rest of the Tongue's planets, one after another. Heavily reinforced by mercenary commands, Sandoval-Groell's limited forces were able to reclaim all their targets. Some planets were even abandoned by their Kuritan garrisons, such as Coloma.[7]

The Battle of Greeley marked the successful end of Operation Solar Flare. Surviving Kuritans retreated, and the exhausted AFFS ordered a cease-fire across the frontier. The war, at least temporarily, was over.[8]

Administration[edit]

The Dragon's Tongue, administratively, was called New Avalon Prefecture, but apparently it was never administered as a real Prefecture of the Combine: though led usually with a light hand, their planets were treated as de facto occupied worlds, ruled by martial law.[9][10]

Dragon's Tongue planets[edit]

In order of conquest, the planets were:

Notes[edit]

Named the Dragon's tongue because, at its maximum extension, terminated at two separated planets: New Avalon and Coloma; which gave it a distinctive form similar to a reptile's forked tongue.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Era Report: 3145, pp. 33–34
  2. ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 31
  3. ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 33
  4. ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 80
  5. ↑ Divided We Fall, p. 117
  6. ↑ The Damocles Sanction, p. 103
  7. ↑ The Damocles Sanction, p. 143
  8. ↑ The Damocles Sanction, p. 249
  9. ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 101
  10. ↑ Dominions Divided, pp. 117–121
  11. ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 103

Bibliography[edit]

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