Outer Reaches Rebellion
Sarna News
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The Outer Reaches Rebellion was an interstellar war fought by the Terran Alliance between 2236 and 2237. The rebellion started on the world Freedom, as a protest against taxation and directed at the corrupt Alliance government that controlled the planet. The rebellion spread quickly; by the time the Alliance responded to the revolt, four more planets had revolted and many sympathetic systems refused to support the Terran military.
The war was especially brutal and irregular. The Alliance lost roughly 10 percent of their Marines as armed merchant ships harassed troop convoys at jump points. During the battle for Izar, Alliance soldiers were attacked by partisans, and even murdered by prostitutes. The battle for Summit ended in the massacre of over 10,000 civilians, including women and children, ordered by Alliance General Seth Van Dorne.
As the flashpoint for the rebellion, Jefferson City, Freedom was the site of a two-month-long siege. Freedom President Tudella Dupont maintained the defense of Freedom from General Demond between 15 June and 25 August, and vowed to either defend the city, or watch it burn. The siege was broken when General Van Dorne arrived in system and used orbital laser batteries to destroy three quarters of Jefferson City.
Despite the military victories against poorly-armed adversaries, the Alliance faced an uphill battle. David Ryan, son of Rudolph Ryan, and head of the Iceship cartel, was able to supply rebels with weapons and transport communications and officers between worlds in rebellion. Ultimately, a combination of lack of supply, poor morale, increasing numbers of rebellions, and antipathy at home ended the rebellion in autumn of 2237. More than 50 planets had successfully fought the Terran Alliance to a stalemate.