Thoughts on Axis-5

[Braden Campbell]

The war for liberation has been raging here for 75 years, as the Free Worlds Council tries to free the planet from Kreeghor control.

But why so long, really?

Why don't the Kreeghor just nuke the planet and call it a day, make the environment so toxic (radioactive, neutron seeding, viral, whatever) so that the rebels either all die, or go somewhere else?

I ask because I'm thinking about writing up something maybe called "Battlezones of the Three Galaxies", and Axis-5 would talk a lot about urban warfare in a space opera setting.

[Marrowlight]

The war for liberation has been raging here for 75 years, as the Free Worlds Council tries to free the planet from Kreeghor control.

But why so long, really?

Why don't the Kreeghor just nuke the planet and call it a day, make the environment so toxic (radioactive, neutron seeding, viral, whatever) so that the rebels either all die, or go somewhere else?

I ask because I'm thinking about writing up something maybe called "Battlezones of the Three Galaxies", and Axis-5 would talk a lot about urban warfare in a space opera setting.

Convenient training ground for the troops? Or a convenient death assignment for those too important to outright murder, but too useless to leave alive?

[Carl Gleba]

Could be something on the planet that they need and maybe the rebels don't know about? Or maybe it is the will of the dweller beneath?

Carl

[Braden Campbell]

And the Battlezones idea?

- Rules for fighting in different environments: urban, jungle, desert, ice and snow.

- Examples of each in the Three Galaxies with complete backgrounds.

- Fully compatable with Fleets of the Three Galaxies, the Minion War, and the entire Palladium MegaVerse!

Think it might have legs?

[Marrowlight]

And the Battlezones idea?

- Rules for fighting in different environments: urban, jungle, desert, ice and snow.

- Examples of each in the Three Galaxies with complete backgrounds.

- Fully compatable with Fleets of the Three Galaxies, the Minion War, and the entire Palladium MegaVerse!

Think it might have legs?

Depends on the quality of the Minion War. Gleba seems distracted by message boards again after all.

[Carl Gleba]

And the Battlezones idea?

- Rules for fighting in different environments: urban, jungle, desert, ice and snow.

- Examples of each in the Three Galaxies with complete backgrounds.

- Fully compatable with Fleets of the Three Galaxies, the Minion War, and the entire Palladium MegaVerse!

Think it might have legs?

Depends on the quality of the Minion War. Gleba seems distracted by message boards again after all.

Hey its called crowd control for recent events. Besides these are my little breaks usually before I start writing and when I call it a night. But yeah, I have been in way too many thread lately. You'd miss me Marrowlight if I went away for a few days You know, you're lucky you're not going to the open house becuase I would have to give you an atomic noogie on the forehead if I ever met you in person

Sounds like a good idea Braden. I'm all for more Three Galaxies fun stuff. Don't forget fighting in vacuum and zero-g. We need a good set of rules for that.

Carl

[Marrowlight]

And the Battlezones idea?

- Rules for fighting in different environments: urban, jungle, desert, ice and snow.

- Examples of each in the Three Galaxies with complete backgrounds.

- Fully compatable with Fleets of the Three Galaxies, the Minion War, and the entire Palladium MegaVerse!

Think it might have legs?

Depends on the quality of the Minion War. Gleba seems distracted by message boards again after all.

Hey its called crowd control for recent events. Besides these are my little breaks usually before I start writing and when I call it a night. But yeah, I have been in way too many thread lately. You'd miss me Marrowlight if I went away for a few days You know, you're lucky you're not going to the open house becuase I would have to give you an atomic noogie on the forehead if I ever met you in person

Sounds like a good idea Braden. I'm all for more Three Galaxies fun stuff. Don't forget fighting in vacuum and zero-g. We need a good set of rules for that.

Carl

Bah sorry man - thought I wrote a real comment along with my jab at Carl.

Environment combat is good, but mixing environment combat with MDC has always been a headache imo. Deeper details on combat worlds, however, is an idea I'm all for.

[Esckey]

I'm looking forward to anything on vacuum and Zero-G combat. The others I can make up on my own, but I'll still buy it


As for the OP, in the first source book it says the Emperor won't send a big fleet cause he's afraid the command of the fleet might over through him, and that the TGE sees it as a the perfect planet to stage and invasion of FWC from and the FWC just wants to prevent that.

Not exactly well thought out, unless FTL travel is more dangerous then we think. Guess you can't just mass a fleet at HQ and fly it all to where ever your going and expect everything to go perfectly.


Could always make something up like the planet is incredibly rich in an incredibly valuble,and incredible rare, type of ore/gem other resouces. Would probably explain why NE is so involved with FWC, they know TGE ain't going to give them squat if they finnaly keep Axis-5. But with the FWC NE proped them up so well, and for so long, that FWC may be forced to give NE exclusive mining rights inwhich they don't have to pay FWC a single penny for.

[Braden Campbell]

Don't forget fighting in vacuum and zero-g. We need a good set of rules for that.

Carl

What's so bad about the ones we have now, the ones in the Phase World main book? If you have Combat 0-G you can fight... if you don't have the skill (and are therefore not trained for it) you can't do anything.

I was mostly thinking about a little thing that had, collected or invented, all the environmental modifiers in one place.

[Greyaxe]

I pondered at a possibilty that the TGE hasn't pulled out of Axis-5, not because they don't want to, but because they can't for some reason. Otherwise, you could call that world cored, peeled and sliced. Staging ground? Sounds like an official reason, but kind of flimsy. While the FWC will fight to the last man for every world they have, the TGE can grab up another one, or just deal with the logistical pain in the ass.

Now, the more solid reason would be that there's some kind of resource or commodity that they refuse to give up, but can't really say anything about. Another would be something, a secret of some kind, the revelation of which would deal massive PR damage to the TGE. Seeing as it's not exactly a humanitarian organization, the only words I can use to adequately describe it would be "super bad". The third, probably too far out, would be something physically preventing them from leaving the world, other than the presence of the FWC. That's a stretch, even for me. Perhaps these magic pills will yield the answer . . .

All that is needed is one person in authority to feel they need the planet to make the call to keep it in the TGE at all costs for a war to rage for years.

[Braden Campbell]

Kind of like Chechneya...

[Braden Campbell]

Yeah. The TGE is very clearly the Soviet Union in space.

With monsters.

[Braden Campbell]

Now those are both good reasons.

Especially the one regarding the CK's.

[Jefffar]

There needs to be something on Axis-5 that boththe TGE and the FWC want intact and is important enough to throw away hundreds of thousands of lives for.

So what could it be? It has to be something they just can't produce or reproduce on their own.

Is it a natural material?

Is it a propaganda coup?

Is it the secret to finding the Cosmic Forge?

[Braden Campbell]

I used a random planet generator to come up with Axis-5.

Axis-5

I liked this one because the whole planet looks like a wasteland with one, lush, jungle-filled, low spot (about the size of South America). maybe there is some kind of machine or sleeping being that keeps the area habitable... and that is what everyone wants. The key to instant terraforming.

[Aramanthus]

I agree with Mattling! The TGE can't surrender a planet to terrorist/ freedom fighters. It would diffently make them look weak to the rest of the empire. Which could and probably would spark more rebellions elsewhere in it's expanses.

[Jefffar]

Reminds me of Verdun

[Aramanthus]

That would be a great analogy!

[Aramanthus]

That's about it! That is one of the greatest truths!

[glitterboy2098]

using that map of Braden's, i can tell you why the fighting might still be going.

Guerilla Warfare.

it's stereotypical Afghanistan and Veitnam all rolled into one. Jungle and Mountain warfare.

the FWC supports and trains a large number of local resistance groups, through both arms deals and sending special forces 'advisors'.

these groups do 'hit and fade' campaigns where they attack TGE allied groups, doing enough damage to force them to leave an area.

then the TGE hits back by declaring area's under FWC influence 'freefire zones', and starts leveling the places. they hope to terrorize the locals into shunning the rebels out of fear of retailiation. instead, they drive more into the rebels camps. of course, in the TGE held area's the rebels raids do the same thing, their actions usually resulting in civilian casulties, thus driving others to the TGE.

but anytime the rebels start to gather large forces to push the TGE out for good, the TGE can land conventional troops to rout them and the rebels have to fade away again to rebuild and regroup. the rebels just can't hide the large enough forces from the TGe orbital networks, and the TGE intellegence networks.

for the TGE to fully control the planet, they'd have to Devote a large fleet to blockading the system to keep the smugglers from bringing in more weapons, and land a few dozen legions of troops to secure the major communities.

then they'd have to turn the jungles into a blackened crater from orbit, just to flush out the majr groups.

[Jefffar]

The impression I got from the Axis-5 description in DB3 was that the planet does change hands periodically - implying large scale, conventional warfare.

Post Count 10 000 - 90

[Esckey]

I highly doubt theres much left of an original population, especially after 75 years. They either joined up with FWC or got the heck off the planet.

There should also be plenty of ruins(only the biggest cities) and lots of sewer works to fight through.

[Braden Campbell]

Conventional battles...

which means the rebels must have a crapload of anti-orbital weapons installed on Axis-5. Otherwise, even a small Kreeghor star fleet could just blow the bejeebuz out of every one there (read: slag).

Again, there must be something of value on the surface. Otherwise, you don't bother with the expense of landing ground troops; you just slag everyone and be on your merry way.

[Aramanthus]

That would make sense to have a boat load of Anti Orbital weapons!

[Jefffar]

Apparently fleets from both sides regularly fight in orbit as well.

There must be something that needs boots on the ground though.

Or someone.

[Braden Campbell]

Rachel Klass, perhaps? Leading the Revolution from the front lines?

[Aramanthus]

Very well could be that she is right there!

[Esckey]

Even if she was there, would the TGE waste years and thousands of troops and equipment to capture her? She's not John Connor.
I also don't think theres anything to do with the Cosmic Forge being there. If it was there then there would be more involvment of Comso Knights. I'm not sure if any are even mentioned.

[Jefffar]

We've been told a number of Cosmo-knights have joined with the FWC - so it wouldn't be unusual for most of them to be on the front lines of the FWC's greatest ongoing battle.

Post Count 10 000 - 77

[Braden Campbell]

She's not John Connor...

Maybe she is.

Maybe the Dweller Beneath knows something the rest of the Empire doesn't...

[Jefffar]

Perhaps Axis-5 is a sacred site for the Dweller, perhaps it needs that planet for its own purposes and is just having the Emipire throw thousands of lives into it daily for a reason only it knows.

Or perhaps Axis-5 is a massive sacrificial altar, that the Dweller uses to consume PPE by the millions daily for it's own fiendish purposes? It doesn't care who holds it as long as the death is constant.

Meanwhile, for the FWC, morale is an isue. They are unfaced with what appears to be an unstoppable juggernaut. If that juggernaut does beak through and take and hold Axis-5, perhaps there will be a crisis within the FWC ranks which may shatter the FWC and bring about its demise. The FWC needs to hold Axis-5 because if they loose 1 planet, they loose everything.

Post Count 10 000 - 73

[abtex]

And the Battlezones idea?

- Rules for fighting in different environments: urban, jungle, desert, ice and snow.

- Examples of each in the Three Galaxies with complete backgrounds.

- Fully compatable with Fleets of the Three Galaxies, the Minion War, and the entire Palladium MegaVerse!

Think it might have legs?

Says like it could dance to me. Go for it.
It will have equipment, not weapons and dirty tricks/traps it right?

[Jefffar]

I don't think so. I get the idea a new fleet moves in and takes over every few weeks or months - not much time to establish system wide fortified positions. What fortified positions exist ae probably the ones created during the initial few cycles of fighting, just continually repaired and upgraded under fire and in the brief breaks between counter offensives.


Post Count 10 000 - 67

[Jefffar]

Oh they are probably attemtping to set up forward bases throughout the system - and they are trying just as hard to eliminate the opposition forward bases before they can be established.

I get the idea that the only constant in the Axis system is that positions are neutralized or change ahnds very regularly.

Post Count 10 000 - 60

[Braden Campbell]

Another thought, re: why the TGE doesn't just nuke the rebels from orbit -
Media.

It's like Tienamen Square: as long as the FWC can keep "foreign" cameras rolling, showing the CCW (read: the West) what's going on, then the Empire won't dare blast them with WMD, or crush them with hovertanks. To do so would turn galactic public opinion against them big-time... maybe even enough for the other power blocs to openly support the FWC.

Which drags us into a Vietnam "proxy war", or even a total war scenario, something everyone wants to avoid for now.

I would really love to have a picture drawn of a FWC tank man: standing in from of a column of Dark Slayers... hovertank man?

I might pay one of the Palladium artists to do one at the Open House.

[Jefffar]

My only problem with that anology is that the TGE doesn't seem to really care what others think as long as they are frightened enough.

On the other hand, there may be a stipulation in place as a part of the treaty between the TGE and CCW forbidding the use of WMD within an atmosphere. Abrogating that treaty could renew the hot war between the two super powers - and the TGE may feel it just can't win that one, especially since it;s likely that the UWW would probably dog pile the TGE if they got a chance.

Post Count 10 000 - 9

[Braden Campbell]

could renew the hot war between the two super powers - and the TGE may feel it just can't win that one, especially since it;s likely that the UWW would probably dog pile the TGE if they got a chance.

That is exactly how the TGE feels... hence why they are so desperate to find the Cosmic Forge.

Right now deterrence is keeping the peace in the Three Galaxies. Both the CCW and the TGE are fully aware that in a total war scenario, both sides would be utterly destroyed.

[Jefffar]

Seeing as member planets of the TGE generally don't get to leave by choice (actually they never do, they have to win their way out in a fight with the odds heavily agaisnt them) I doubt theya re worried about that possibility.

Seeing as the TGE Internal Security Division controls all media int he TGE, I rather doubt they are worrying about the "wrong story" getting around.

Seeing as the TGE has allready labelled the FWC as a band of thugs and terrorists I doubt they have to reach very far to come up with a cover story for domestic consumption.

But bringing the CCW and maybe the UWW into the war does scare them spitless.

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