26 MAR 3301
The strike against Federal civilians by the Federal Navy, coupled with the capture of Hartsfield Market a few hours later, caused mass confusion and disenchantment among Federal pilots operating in the area. Mercenaries who had previously fought for the Federation began defecting en masse, bolstering CSG forces to the point where they almost equalled the Federal forces in size.
As a result of having gained control of Lugh’s satellite defence system during the capture of Hartsfield Market, the Crimson State Group managed to force the retreat of the Federal battlecruiser from its position around Lugh 11. Then, with the help of thousands of mercenary defectors, the Crimson State was able to re-establish control over the majority of Lugh’s airspace.
For now the Federal Navy has retreated to fallback positions in Khaka and other local systems. Reports from Lugh suggest that the Lugh for Equality Party has established a ceasefire with the Crimson State Group, as both parties attempt to agree on what course of action would be best for the people of Lugh.
The system is still rife with unrest. The war has caused the local populace to resent both the Crimson State Group and the Federal Congress. Although the CSG has managed to establish their dominance over the system, whether they can keep it in the face of internal and external opposition still remains to be seen.
26 MAR 3301
The turning point in the war came during the Federation’s attack on Read Gateway.
Cormac Uí Laoghire led the defence of the outpost personally, and after several days of fierce fighting, the Crimson State Group finally managed to achieve their first victory by successfully defending Read Gateway.
However, the reality is that it was more a failure on President Halsey’s part than a victory on behalf of Crimson State. The defence only succeeded due to the Federation running dangerously low on weapons for their troops.
As soon as it became apparent that the Federation was having difficulty acquiring the weapons they needed to end the war, the Crimson State Group took advantage of the military intelligence obtained during Operation Dullahan to attack Hartsfield Market.
The battle for Hartsfield Market lasted for almost 5 days, during which time the Federation managed to establish complete dominance over the skies of Lugh. Unfortunately for President Halsey, air superiority alone was not enough to win the war, a fact she soon learned when the CSG tricked her into ordering a strike against Federal refugees attempting to flee the conflict.
26 MAR 3301
The past fortnight has seen a devastating war rage through the once peaceful nation of Lugh.
The Crimson State Group, led by Éamonn Uí Laoghire, has long sought to establish Lugh as an independent system. However, it wasn’t until Éamonn attempted to gain support from Alliance officials that things began to get violent.
Fearful that yet another rich, powerful system would soon leave the Federal fold, President Jasmina Halsey ordered the Federal Navy to suppress the populist uprising. Thousands of Federal pilots flocked to obey the President’s command, and in the early stages of the war, the Federation dominated the skies of Lugh. Countless Sons (and daughters) of Conn lost their lives in an attempt to stop the Federal Navy from simply crushing the rebel forces.
Their sacrifice bought time for the Crimson State Group to come up with a plan. As the Federation continued to rampage its way through the system, members of the Dukes of Mikunn, Emperor’s Grace and the East India Company engaged in guerrilla tactics to keep the Federation’s attention away from the work being carried out by the main CSG strike force.
Splitting their forces in two, the Crimson State Group focused on obtaining enemy intelligence and collecting weapons for their ground troops. All the while, they made sure to deliberately avoid engaging in open conflict with the vast Federal fleet.
Despite the valiant efforts of the CSG allied fleet, the Federation managed to tear through the Crimson State’s air defences, exposing the CSG-controlled outposts to a series of attacks by Federal marines. The Federation looked unstoppable as they stormed through Seega Port unchecked.