Earth-Tzynn First Contact War

The Earth-Tzynn First Contact War was a conflict fought between the United Nations of Earth and the Tzynn Empire from 2221-2222 CE. The war began as a series of escalations during their first contact scenario, ultimately resulting in a full-scale first contact war between the two star nations. The war concluded when the Tzynn were invaded by the Kel-Azaan Republic in a separate first contact war, forcing them to sign a white peace with the UNE in order to withdraw and redeploy their forces. The war contributed to the lasting enmity between the two star nations, laying the foundations for the current galactic ideological struggle.

The Conflict

Prelude

The dawn of the interstellar age at the beginning of the 23rd century CE has been described by many historians as "chaotic". Species ventured into deep space for the first time, unaware of what they would find in the void, and in many cases, without proper first contact protocols. The United Nations of Earth would be lucky with the first xeno civilisation they encountered, the Scyldari Confederacy, and adopted a stance that many would come to call naive towards first contact. The Tzynn Empire had not encountered any xeno species by the early 2220s CE, but claimed large swathes of space near their core worlds.

In 2221 CE, the deep-space science ship UNS Sojourner entered the Barban System as part of a five-year mission to chart the galaxy. Unbeknownst to the UNE, the Barban System was within the edge of the claimed space of the Tzynn Empire. No permanent infrastructure had been established, but the corvette TIS Pob'Sumath had been stationed in the system to enforce the claim. When the Sojourner detected the presence of an unknown ship in the system, it sent out a standard greeting, translation, and encyclopedic package. The Pob'Sumath, in return, demanded the unknown vessel immediately vacate the system or be fired upon. As the Sojourner could not translate the Pob'Sumath's warning, the science vessel ignored it and continued surveying the system.

The two ships drew closer over the following days, until the Pob'Sumath's came into weapons range of the Sojourner. After one final warning, it opened fire on the science ship. The Sojourner took heavy damage from the first barrage, and the crew made an emergency jump into subspace after transmitting their last coordinates and a description of their attacker. This set the stage for the beginning of the Earth-Tzynn First Contact War.

Deployment

By the 2220s CE, the United Nations Naval Forces had a modest fleet consisting of several dozen corvettes and seven destroyers. By contrast, the Imperial Tzynn Starfleet fielded well over fifty corvettes, but only a single pair of destoyers. Additionally, the UNNF had two prototype frigates, but they did not see combat during the course of the conflict.

The Engagement

The Battle of Barban IV

Upon receiving the distress signal from the UNS Sojourner, the President of the United Nations of Earth immediately approved a rapid response task force (designated Task Force 15) to dissuade any further aggression by the unknown xenos, which had by then been codenamed "Wraiths". The incident was to remain top-secret for the time being, and the crews of the ships were given little information as to the goal of their long-range expedition. The task force, consisting of the destroyers UNS New York and Beijing, as well as eight corvettes, departed the Sol System a mere seventy-two hours after the Sojourner's transmission was received.

By contrast, the Tzynn government was not expecting any further trouble from the ship they had scared off. The Pob'Sumath's weapons had easily depleted the ship's shields, and it had run without so much as a fight. Some elements within the Starfleet saw cause for concern with the transmission the unknown ship had sent off, but most of the military was confident that they wouldn't see the ship again.

When the UNNF Task Force 15 arrived in the Barban System two months later, the Pob'Sumath had been replaced with two new corvettes. Task Force 15 had not been given strict instructions on how to proceed, merely to dissuade any further attacks on UNE ships or personnel. As such, Admiral Dan Zhao, commander of the Task Force, broadcasted instructions for the xeno fleet to vacate the system or be fired upon. Task Force 15 took several days to move into position near the Tzynn ships in orbit over Barban IV, which gave the Tzynn ample time to notice their presence. The Tzynn believed, somewhat accurately, that the UN warships were moving into an attack position. The two corvettes were ordered by the Emperor in a personal message to hold at all costs, forbidding retreat, and thanking them for their sacrifice.

When the screening ships of Task Force 15 came in range of the Tzynn corvettes, the Tzynn ships immediately opened fire. The corvette UNS Barracuda was severely hit, and the crew would later abandon ship after damage control efforts failed. The Beijing took point, its larger guns destroying the engines of the Alam'Purim and causing the ship to fall from orbit. The other ship, heavily damaged by fire from the New York and the Mongoose, attempted an emergency jump into subspace. However, due to heavy damage sustained in the battle, the ship was torn apart as it made the dimensional transit. Several of the crew of the Alam'Purim had made it to the escape pods before the ship entered the planet's gravity well, and were captured by UN Marines of the New York.

Tzynn Retaliation

Just as the Tzynn had believed, the UN Joint Chiefs of Staff believed the xeno aggressors had been successfully deterred. Task Force 15 was recalled back to Sol, though a small detachment of ships, including the UNS Beijing, were stationed at the Concord colony to dissuade any retaliatory strikes.

The Tzynn high command, by comparison, was furious with what they considered a humiliation. Long-range patrol ships had detected the presence of UN spaceborne infrastructure, and the Imperial Starfleet called for a massive retaliatory strike. The Emperor agreed, and over half of the Starfleet, including both destroyers, was assigned to the mission. The fleet left Tzynn space in mid-2221 CE, arriving in UN space several weeks later.

Tzynn ships began a scorched-earth campaign against any UN ships they could find. The first system to be hit, the Collodor System, was patrolled by a lone corvette, the UNS Jaguar. The Jaguar was lost with all hands as it attempted to delay the Tzynn fleet, allowing a number of civilian ships to escape from the system. After a brief battle, Tzynn marines stormed the system's outpost, killing the small marine garrison and capturing what crew survived. During the war, Humans captured by the Tzynn were typically enslaved and sent to Tzynnia, though combatants were instead executed.

As panic began spreading across the UNE's outer systems, the UNNF responded by dispatching virtually all warships to defend the Concord colony, which was believed to be the primary target. However, as the UNNF was spread all across Human space, only a handful of warships, including the destroyers Beijing and Kyiv, would be able to arrive at Concord before the enemy was projected to reach the system.

The Siege of Concord

Tzynn scouts arrived in the Epsilon Eridani System at the end of 2221 CE, observing the fortified starbase that watched over the system. They were driven away by local planetary defence forces using armed civilian craft, but it was clear to all that Epsilon Eridani would be the site of the next major battle.

In early 2222 CE, the main Tzynn force arrived in-system. A small fleet of UNNF warships had been assembled near the starbase, including the destroyers Beijing and Kyiv. This put them on even footing with the Tzynn fleet in terms of destroyers, but they were heavily outnumbered in corvette count. The Tzynn fleet immediately targeted the starbase and its defending fleet, hoping to force them away before taking the nearby colony. The battle was prolonged, with both sides sustaining heavy casualties. The UNS Kyiv was crippled and boarded by Tzynn marines, but the attackers failed to secure the bridge or engineering before UNE reinforcements arrived to drive them off. By the end of the battle, the Beijing had been destroyed, the starbase's critical points had been seized, and the UNNF fleet was forced to retreat from the system.

With their flank secure, the Tzynn forces moved to assault the colony of Concord. Tzynn landers and dropships hit the atmosphere hard, attempting to seize the major population centres quickly. However, many of their landing craft were destroyed by heavy anti-aircraft fire and atmospheric fighter craft before landing. The initial assault dragged on for several weeks, but it soon became clear the planetary defence forces were going to overrun the few Tzynn landing zones that remained. Tzynn command authorised a retreat from the planetary surface, opting for a new strategy.

When the last Tzynn forces had retreated, the Imperial Starfleet began an orbital bombardment campaign against the planet. Nuclear missiles were used first, but many were intercepted by ground-based laser point defence systems. As such, bombardment relied on mass drivers and lasers to take out the air defence systems, allowing the nukes to get through and devastate military bases and cities. Civilian casualties were moderate, as larger cities had been evacuated to the countryside and had better point-defence systems.

After a several month siege and bombardment campaign, Tzynn troops, reinforced with fresh units from Tzynnia, began a second, more methodical invasion of the planet. Shortly after their landing in mid-2222 CE, a much larger UNNF relief force, consisting of most of the UN's navy, arrived in the system. Spearheaded by the New York, the Nairobi, and the repaired Kyiv, the fleet launched an immediate assault against the Tzynn fleet blockading Concord. However, the Tzynn fleet was able to fight the relief force off with heavy casualties, as first officers aboard Tzynn ships were ordered to execute their captains and take command should their commanding officer order a retreat.

However, as the Tzynn fleet was surrounding Concord, the UNNF force was able to assault the occupied starbase. With the help of a number of marines who had survived the initial attack and engaged in guerilla warfare aboard the station, the UNNF fleet was able to seize the station with few casualties and little damage to ships. The two fleets eyed each other from across the system, as both attempted to figure out the optimal move.

End of the War

More than a year after first contact, UNE linguists finally decoded Tzynn transmissions and deciphered their language. The Tzynn initially rebuffed peace treaties, as they clearly had the upper hand in the conflict. Shortly after the UNNF relief force was beaten back for the second time, a Tzynn corvette was destroyed by an unknown alien force on the other side of the Empire. Unbeknownst to the Tzynn, the ship had strayed into Kel-Azaan space and violated warnings, and the Kel-Azaan were preparing to escalate their conflict. Faced with the UNE offering peace and an unknown but powerful alien force appearing to declare war, the Tzynn eventually accepted requests for negotiation in July of 2222 CE.

The negotiations, conducted via viewscreen, dragged on for over two weeks. UN negotiators were adamant on a return to pre-war borders, while the Tzynn wished to keep the systems they had seized. When the Kel-Azaan launched a full-scale attack on the Tzynn, Imperial negotiators agreed to the terms under the condition that their fleet would be repaired by the UNNF at the Epsilon Eridani Station before withdrawing. With their goals met, the UN negotiators agreed to this demand, and the war was over. Hostilities officially ceased on the 19th of July.

Outcome

Following the end of hostilities, Tzynn forces were permitted to withdraw from Concord. The ceasefire nearly broke down when a UNLF unit discovered several civilians being taken captive by a Tzynn unit, opening fire and killing several Tzynn troops. However, Tzynn high command issued a directive to immediately release all slaves being held on the planet's surface, in order to avoid further incidents.

There were also a number of incidents at the Epsilon Eridani starbase, where UNNF and Imperial Starfleet crews repeatedly got into scuffles, brawls, and on one occasion, a gunfight that resulted in three deaths. Most of the Tzynn ships were able to leave within a week of the conflict ending, but a number had been heavily damageed and required extended repairs. The last Tzynn ships left UNE space in early 2223 CE.

Against the Kel-Azaan, the Tzynn fared poorly. Completely out of position and facing a determined, powerful enemy, multiple Tzynn systems fell before the Imperial Starfleet could halt the Kel-Azaan advance. Many in the Tzynn government blamde the UNE for starting the war against the Kel-Azaan, and the belief continues to be stated by some military officers even into the mid-24th century CE.

Aftermath

The conflict between Earth and Tzynnia was the start of a pattern that would last until the present day. Neither side forgave the other for what they viewed as infringements on their sovereignty, and the Tzynn in particular would hold a grudge against the UNE for decades. The commencement of the Commonwealth-Tzynn First Contact War in 2237 CE can be attributed to this need for revenge, as the Tzynn believed they would be able to easily raid undefended UNE colonies (which were, in actuality, colonies of the Commonwealth of Man).

The UNE would go on to overhaul its first contact protocols, as the conflict had started due to a miscommunication. UNE science ship were required to move to back off from any unknown vessels, instead of transmitting a communications package and continuing on their mission. The development of cloaking technology would later cause another revising of first contact protocols, but the aftershocks of the Tzynn first contact war were never forgotten.
Conflict Type
War
Battlefield Type
Space
Start Date
2221 CE
Ending Date
2222 CE
Conflict Result
White peace, formal relations established

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!