Circean Civil War

Union forces combat enemy tanks in the Circean Civil War.

The Circean Civil War was a major conflict that occurred in the aftermath of the Terran-Kilrathi War. It took place across the Circe System, a major territory of the Union of Border Worlds, in the 2670s.

Overview

The Circean Civil War was one of many internal conflicts to erupt on the frontier following the Union's formation in the immediate aftermath of the thirty-five year Terran-Kilrathi War. A loosely-aligned faction with fewer resources and a poorly-armed militia compared to the Terran Confederation, the Union was unprepared for the initial consequences of its declaration of independence from Confed. Circe was one of the many systems to collapse into turmoil in the pursuit of unity and stability.

By 2673, Circe V and Circe VII, the two populated worlds of Circe, were caught in a bloody civil war instigated by rebellious factions opposed to the legitimate Union-backed government. These rebel forces were aided by an unknown faction operating within the Terran Confederation, later discovered to be the illegal Black Lance faction which sought to instigate war between Confed and the Union to promote remilitarization. The Black Lance were active participants in the campaign, providing the rebellion with weapons and mercenary soldiers. The ground war saw the use of tanks and chemical weapons, and soon spread into space. Through 2673, thousands of Circeans on both sides were being killed.

Vice Admiral Daniel Wilford described the conflict as "the bloodiest fighting he'd seen since Repleetah days".

During the Border Worlds Conflict of that same year, the BWS Intrepid, then under the command of legendary Terran hero Colonel Christopher Blair was paged by Vice Admiral Wilford to aid in silencing the Circean rebellion in an effort to stymie the civil war. In the campaign that followed, the Intrepid and her flight wing participated in the evacuation of civilians from the frontlines and assaults on the rebels instigating the conflict. Under Blair's command, the legitimate Union forces were successful in saving numerous civilian lives from chemical strikes across the system and eventually crippled the enemy's supply lines. On Circe V, an enemy installation that served as the rebellion's command center was destroyed in a ground assault led by Lieutenant Colonel John Dekker.

Conclusion

Although the Black Lance were exposed and forcefully disbanded soon after this campaign, the civil war did not end until 2675, when the Union and the Confederation forces soon diverted their energies on profiteering off of the ongoing civil wars raging across the remnants of the Kilrathi Empire. The Circe System has since undergone reconstruction and has enjoyed relative stability by 2701.