Taurian-Federated Suns War (32nd c.)

This article is about the war between the Taurian Concordat and Federated Suns in the 3150s. For the earlier war over the Pleiades Cluster, see Pleiades Crusade.

Taurian-Federated Suns War (32nd c.)
Conflict details
Start Date	20 June 3151
End Date	March 3152
Attacking Forces
Affiliation	Federated Suns
Commanding Officer(s)	Alexander Hasek
Defending Forces
Affiliation	Taurian Concordat
Commanding Officer(s)	Kaff Doru
Other Forces

In 3151, forces of the Federated Suns attacked the Taurian Concordat without the permission of the First Prince. The two nations fought an undeclared border war until negotiations brought the fighting to a close in mid-3152.

Overview

In March 3151, Duke Alexander Hasek returned to New Syrtis after having vanished from the public eye for six years and attempted to assert his rights as ruler of the Capellan March. Though ceding control of New Syrtis itself, Field Marshal Paxton Fenlon refused to transfer command of the March and its military to Duke Hasek on the grounds that only First Prince Julian Davion had the authority to relieve him of his post. In lieu of his March's forces Hasek instead invested in creating a private unit, the Syrtis Scourge, that could operate outside of Fenlon's chain of command.

Hasek escaped an assassination attempt on 8 June 3151, but his long time consort was killed before the assassin affected their escape. Initially certain of Capellan involvement, when analysis confirmed the assassin had used a gas grenade of Taurian manufacture Hasek became convinced that the Taurian government had attempted to kill him due to his public calls for reconquest of the Pleiades Cluster. Hasek decided that, beyond his desire for revenge, a brief victorious war with the Taurians would serve to blood his new forces. Without waiting for or seeking permission from Fenlon the Scourge and the Sixth Syrtis Fusiliers departed on 20 June 3151. As Hasek's departure left New Syrtis woefully underdefended, Fenlon could not spare the forces to pursue him, even if he'd known the destination of Hasek's task force. Considering Hasek's unsanctioned operation an act of war, in response Protector Kaff Doru authorized punitive strikes against the Federated Suns.

Timeline

Hasek's Offensive

Electra

Hasek's first target, Electra was defended by local militia who put up a valiant defense but were quickly overrun. Hasek left the Sixth Syrtis Fusiliers to garrison the world and moved on to his next target, Merope.

Merope

At Merope, Hasek's naval forces pretended to be civilian merchants using spoofed IFF codes in order to board and surprise the local recharge station. Hasek then dispatched elements of the Scourge to Merope proper, where they dropped on top of a company of the Pleiades Hussars and eliminated them. The locals welcomed Hasek's troops as liberators, and the Scourge withdrew leaving the world in the hands of local resistance leaders.

Maia

The Scourge then proceeded to Maia. Hasek repreated his earlier strategy of falsifying IFF codes in order to gain the element of surprise, forcing the Pleiades Hussars to request reinforcement and flee into the wilderness where they began a guerilla campaign. The Scourge's attempted pursuit backfired several weeks later when the Hussars counter attacked, forcing Hasek's forces to set local woods on first to create a stalemate. Hasek requested reinforcements from the Sixth, but when news arrived that the Third Taurian Lancers were inbound from Lindsay, the Duke was goaded into making an easily repulsed night attack. Caught between two Taurian regiments, the Scourge was destroyed and the Duke was captured.

Taurian Counteroffensive

Second Battle of Electra

On 21 August, the First Taurian Lancers assaulted Electra. The Sixth Syrtis Fusiliers, already outnumbered due to having donated a battalion during the formation of the Scourge, lost morale when it was confirmed that Duke Hasek had been taken prisoner. Taurian forces allowed the Sixth to retreat from Electra intact.

Keuterville

On 1 November, the Pleiades Hussars struck Keuterville, whose militia put up a modest fight before capitulating.

Wrentham

Also on 1 November, the Third Taurian Lancers assaulted Wrentham with a captive Duke Hasek in tow. Half of the local militia surrendered when ordered, while the other half elected to fight and was destroyed.

Shaunavon and Ashley

The next two targets of the Third Taurian Lancers were Shaunavon and Ashley. Shaunavon surrendered without a fight, but on Ashley the Rex's Red Rangers mercenary company offered fierce resistance before succumbing.

Die Moot and Drienfontein

The Pleiades Hussars next raided Die Moot and Drienfontein. The Hussars acted to damage FedSuns morale rather that inflict damage on the defenders.

Firgrove

The Pleiades Hussars assault against the Sixth Periphery Guard on Firgrove was the most destructive engagement of the Taurian offensive. After engaging in orbit and on the surface both units took severe casualties and the Hussars retreated.

Aucara

The Third Taurian Lancers next struck Aucara, where they encountered the Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers. The elite Light Combat Team inflicted 30% casualties on the Lancers before their retreat, forcing them to drop out of the war altogether.

Peace Negotiations

In mid-February 3152, the Pleiades Hussars paused in the Brusett system and, through Clan Sea Fox intermediaries, transmitted a peace offer to New Avalon. Although not yet halting or slowing the offensive, Protector Doru offered to cease operations, return captured territory and release Duke Hasek in return for enough resources to stand up a new mech regiment and for the Federated Suns to return any remaining territory in the Pleiades Cluster. When the message reached Julian Davion in mid March, the Federated Sun's central government became aware of the existence of hostilities with the Concordat for the first time.

Aftermath

Kaff Doru declared victory in the war as part of a propaganda campaign intended to reduce Taurian feelings of xenophobia towards the Federated Suns. The strong performance of the Taurian Defense Forces also brought many of the long running insurgencies in the Pleiades against the Concordat to a close, as rebel forces were destroyed or came to the table in the aftermath of the failed Davion offensive. However, despite both sides agreeing that the Pleiades would return to Taurian sovereignty after the war, the locals reportedly had no strong attachment to either side, with some advocating the cluster declare itself neutral territory. Maps of the Sphere in 3152 depicted the Pleiades Cluster as independent of FedSuns or Taurian control in the aftermath of the war.

It was eventually discovered that the assassination of Hasek's consort was carried out by an operative of the Duchy of Andurien, who intended for Hasek's anti-Capellan paranoia to cause the Capellan March to attack the Capellan Confederation in response to death of a loved one. The use of Taurian equipment in the attempt was merely a coincidence.

The Capellan March's aggression against their fellow Taurians caused considerable strain between the Federated Suns and the historically friendly Calderon Protectorate.

Notes

• Most engagements in the war were presented in sequential order, allowing for the creation of this article's timeline, but lack precise dates. In addition to the engagements detailed in the above timeline, the Concordat Commandos and Gordon's Armored Cavalry raided Federated Suns worlds during the Taurian offensive. Which worlds were struck and when has yet to be detailed in a canon source.

• At the time of this article's creation (June 2025), no in-universe name for the conflict has appeared in canon.

Bibliography

• Damocles Sanction
• Dominions Divided
• ilKhan's Eyes Only