Homeworld War

The Homeworld War (1 BHL-0 AHL) was a major galactic conflict fought by the Kushan, Taiidan Empire, and the Taiidan Rebellion. It was composed of two individual wars as well such as the Taiidan Civil War and the Exodus which were interdependent of one another. The war ended in 0 AHL after six months when a Kushan-Rebel alliance stood off the Taiidan Imperial Fleet at Hiigara and destroyed the Taiidan Emperor’s flagship, killing the Emperor and making the Taiidan Empire crumble.

Overview[]

Background[]

The circumstances of the war trace back millennia to the Hiigaran Empire's discovery of the Second Hyperspace Core. Using hyperspace technology, the Hiigarans devastated their rivals in the Taiidan Empire, razing their namesake capital world. However, this also drew the ire of the Galactic Council, who demanded that the Hiigarans surrender much of their fleet and the Core; the Hiigarans instead sacrificed their fleet in a desperate attack on the Bentusi in order to steal away the Core. Their foe now weakened, the Taiidan took revenge by conquering all of Hiigaran space, only sparing the Hiigarans from anhilation by compromising with the Council: their vanquished enemies would instead be exiled and forbidden from ever developing Hyperspace technology.

Although unaware that the Hiigarans, now the Kushan, had taken the Second Core with them, the Empire kept close watch on the exiles; when the Second Core, which became lost in the desert sands, reactivated, the Imperial carrier Taiidan arrived and deployed an orbital ion cannon satellite, presumably to bombard the Exiles under the assumption that they would break the ages-old treaty. However, the Core caused an anomaly which created a total systems failure aboard the carrier, sending it crashing from orbit into the Torin Crater; ironically, hundreds of years later, the Taiidan's wreckage and orbital weapon would be used by the Exiles during their search for the Primary Anomaly's source. Despite the carrier's disappearance, along with other Imperial vessels, the Empire either never learned of the circumstances of its loss or never followed up.

The Kharakian Genocide[]

Hundreds of years later, about four thousand years after their exile, the Kushan, who had utterly lost their history as Hiigarans, rediscovered the lost Second Core. They then constructed a mothership to incorporate it, aiming to leave Kharak and find their true home. The Taiidan Empire took the Core's activation as a violation of the treaty, launching a frontier fleet towards Kharak without so much as an official declaration of war. The plan was a two-fold blitzkrieg assault; the large Taiidan Imperial fleet, carrying planet-killer weapons, would jump straight to Kharak's orbit to burn the planet and any defenses, while an auxiliary force of Turanic Raiders would jump to the system's perimeter to destroy any space-bound Kushan they may find.

Without warning, a Turanic squadron led by an Attack Carrier arrived at the edge of the Kharak system. There, they intercepted and destroyed an unarmed Kushan sub-light science vessel, the Khar-Selim, in a matter of minutes. This attack marked the beginning of the Homeworld War. During the attack the Raiders intercepted a transmission from the Khar-Selim that the Mothership was due to arrive in the area, so they remained on standby, ready to ambush it.

Meanwhile, the Taiidan attack fleet began its assault on Kharak, unaware they had only just missed the Mothership and its onboard Core. Kharak's missile defense grid managed to inflict substantial damage on the attacking ships, but the Taiidan punched past, quickly destroying the orbiting Scaffold along with its small defense force of fighters. Under pressure from the unexpected resistance, the Taiidan quickly launched devastating L.O.A.D strikes against the planet. The resulting firestorm depleted the atmosphere and biosphere, melting the sands of the desert world into glass. In all, the planet's entire population of 300,000,000 Kushans were slaughtered in minutes. The majority of the Taiidan fleet then departed, leaving only a few frigates to vaporize the orbital Cryo Trays, the last remnants of the Exiles.

The Mothership and its escort fleet, arriving at the edge of the system, discovered and engaged the Turanic Raiders; surprised by the ferocity and skill of the Kushan, who had never fought any interstellar war, the carrier disengaged to regroup. For unknown reasons, when it did so, the Turanic Raiders failed to update the Taiidan that neither the Mothership or its escorts had been destroyed.

With the Raiders pushed back, the Mothership returned to Kharak to upgrade its defenses, only to discover the utter destruction visited by the Taiidan. Fortunately, they had returned in time to intercept and destroy the Taiidan ships attacking the Cryo Trays, even securing an enemy frigate. The captured crew was then interrogated: the Kushan learned of the treaty they had violated in ignorance. It is unclear if the captured Taiidani were summarily executed or simply perished during harsh questioning by the enraged Exiles; either way, they did not survive. With nothing left for them in the Kharak system, the Kushan withdrew to an asteroid belt to regroup and plan their revenge.

The Taiidan Rebellion[]

Unbeknownst to the Kushan, the Taiidan people also bore witness to the Genocide; in some ways, their reaction was as important as that of the Exiles. Riesstiu and his advisers in the Assembly of Lords, in a devastating failure at propaganda, almost immediately released records depicting the attack on Kharak. Intended to raise morale amongst a dissatisfied people and renew their faith in their immortal, all-seeing Emperor, it instead had the opposite effect. Protests immediately swept the capital, clamoring for Riesstiu's abdication. Taiidan military officers resigned their positions while outside governments severed relations with the Empire.

During recent centuries, the Empire had done similar things to other worlds, building resentment against them; however, the Exiles had long been pitied by many even within the Empire. Using specifically outlawed weaponry to punish them for violating a treaty they did not remember and had no history of became the tipping point: the Taiidan people now knew that their government had become decadent, corrupt, immoral and sadistic.

The Emperor ordered regional security forces to whip the mobs into order, fearing another rebellion; however, this only incited more resistance. The people, more angry than afraid, united into just what the Emperor had feared: a rebellion stronger than ever before.

The Exiles’ Retribution[]

While affairs boiled over within the Empire, no one in the galaxy realized that the Exiles still lived. The Kushan used this to their advantage, striking quickly and effectively. In addition, they covertly received the aid of the Bentusi who granted technology to the fugitives such as plasma bombs and ion cannons. Using this advantage, they engaged and wiped out any Turanic Raiders remaining in the Great Wastelands, followed quickly by the damaged remnants of the fleet that wiped out Kharak.

The news of the Exile's survival and success shocked the Emperor; now fearful that the Exiles might pose a greater threat as they moved closer to the Core Worlds and gathered support, he mobilized the Fleet. All border outposts were put on full alert and patrols were rigidly enforced, running on tight shifts in order to catch any Exile attempt to penetrate the Imperial defenses. Knowing that their enemy awaited them, the Kushan planned to sneak past the cordons via the Great Nebula: the Bentusi warned that no one had ever successfully traversed it. Regardless, the Exiles entered, encountering their cousins: the Kadeshi, a branch-off from the original Hiigarans. Unlike the other Exiles, they had settled in the safety of the Nebula and either destroyed or assimilated anyone that came through, petrified of history repeating itself after the war that led to the exile. However, the Kushan perservered and defeated the Kadeshi, escaping the Nebula intact and within the Empire's borders. Shortly after they hit a weak point shielding the outer regions from the precious Core Worlds. Once again, the message spread: the Exiles were on the move and they were coming with a vengeance.

Tenhauser Gate[]

The Emperor then made yet another mistake. Realizing that the Exiles could not have reached this far into the Empire without outside help, he and his advisers immediately suspected the Bentusi. He gave a secret order to his more trusted officers, commanding that they silence the Bentusi before they could report to the council. However, this message was discovered by the Exiles.

A giant Imperial fleet tracked down and engaged a Bentusi tradeship; although lacking the Bentusi's technological advantage, the weight of Taiidan numbers threatened to overwhelm the lone vessel. However, the Empire did not anticipate reinforcements: just as their assault began, the Mothership Fleet arrived and rescued the Bentusi, who returned the favor by agreeing to inform the Galactic Council of the Taiidan’s crimes and mandate an end to the war. The Emperor’s mistake was then realized in full: the Council was appalled by the arrogance of an attack on the Unbound, immediately pushing for the Taiidan to humbled, and even the Empire could not stand up to the united will of the Council. Still, there were disagreements and the Council could not arrive on a final decision immediately.

The Flight of the Kapella[]

The Taiidan rebellion, meanwhile was much less successful, having vastly underestimated the preparations of their paranoid Emperor. Riesstiu had riddled suspected rebel groups with spies and positioned Heavy Cruiser groups around suspected rebel worlds to bombard them. The rebellion fared better than its predecessors, in part due to leadership as top Imperial Fleet officers defected, bringing firepower and tactical acumen cunning to the rebel fleet, but early attempts at head-on fighting were disastrous. Indeed, by the time the Exiles had reached the Core Worlds the rebellion was almost defeated. At the Battle of Vorshan's Rift, much of the rebel fleet was lured out and destroyed in a well-executed ambush set amongst dangerous space-borne rocks. Only one rebel leader, the legendary Captain Elson, escaped aboard the Kapella. causing a wild goose chase as Imperial warships raced to find and catch him. Setting up gravity well traps, a small Imperial fleet waited for Elson to fall into their trap. The Imperial victory at the Rift was lauded in Imperial propaganda and the rebellion’s future looked grim.

Once again, the Empire had overestimated themselves. The rebels still had agents in place, rebellious cells working within the fabric of Imperial society, ready to heed the command of the rebel leadership. Rebel ships not present at Vorshan’s Rift scattered carefully to force the Imperial fleet to spread out in search of them while at the same time looking for the Exile fleet. Adding to the Empire's misfortune, it was not under-equipped rebels who entered their trap, but the battle-hardened Mothership fleet, who ravaged the under-prepared Imperials. Seeing his chance, Elson and the Kapella arrived with Imperial ships in hot pursuit. He broadcasted a plea for help to the Exiles, swearing allegiance. Although hesitant and cautious, the Exiles rescued the Kapella and then jumped away.

The Core Worlds Invasion[]

The final days of the war drawing near, Elson informed the Exiles of the scope of the rebellion and how it could aid their war against the Empire: if he could find a long-range hyperspace transceiver he could inform the rebellion of their new alliance and negotiate an arrangement. Indicating that he knew of one in the Karos Graveyard, Elson directed the Mothership Fleet to its location. Arriving at the Graveyard shortly after, the Exiles were engaged by powerful unmanned defenses, but managed to disable them and access the transceiver, allowing Elson to arrange a coordinated strike at Hiigara.

As the Exiles drew closer to their goal they encountered heavy Imperial defenses. One such bulwark was the Bridge of Sighs, a defense network around the original throne world of Hiigara that blocked hyperspace travel. This area was the weakest link in the inhibitor network and, with Elson's intel, the Exiles managed to breach the bridge. Destroying the inhibitor, the fleet were now able to jump straight to the Hiigara System.

Desperate, the Emperor grew increasingly frustrated and paranoid, trying more and more unorthodox tactics to slow the Exiles down or destroy them. Using another inhibitor, the Taiidan pulled the Mothership Fleet out of hyperspace in the outer limits of the Hiigara System. Lying in ambush was a fleet escorting a large asteroid equipped with drives to accelerate it towards the Mothership in order to ram and destroy it. Concentrating fire on the mass and destroying it, the Exiles overcame this threat as well.

With the Exiles right on top of Hiigara, the Emperor had one last ace in the hole. Knowing the Exiles were coordinated by the Unbound neuroscientist Karan S'jet, Riesstiu, through unknown means, managed to psychically lash out at Karan, taking her out of commission moments before battle was joined. Their leader unresponsive, the fleet was left open to attack and were nearly overwhelmed by the immense fleet coordinated by the Emperor's own leviathan flagship. Fortunately, Elson and the rebels punched through the defenses just in the nick of time, combining with the Mothership fleet to rush the Imperial Flagship. Before the rest of the Imperial fleet could come to the rescue, the vessel was destroyed with the Emperor onboard. With Riesstiu dead, Karan recovered and came back online.

Although it is likely that the Imperial Guard could still have wiped out the remaining coalition fleet, within moments of the Emperor's death the Galactic Council arrived. Too powerful for a shattered and leaderless Imperial Fleet to resist, the Empire’s remaining leaders surrendered, allowing the Galactic Council to mandate a peace settlement.

Resolution[]

The emblem of the Taiidan Empire burns on Hiigara.

The Galactic Council ruled that the Taiidan Empire would surrender Hiigara to the Exiles and leave to govern from other worlds. In addition the Council required Imperial forces to stand down to the Mothership Fleet and depart the area for the next five lightyears. Anything left in that area within a set timeline would transfer to the control of the new Hiigaran government.

Although the Galactic Council did not mandate the end of the Empire the rebels quickly took advantage of the treaty. Following a signal from above the rebel cells on Hiigara leapt into action and assaulted the Imperial Gene Bank, destroying Riesstiu’s clones before the Empire could react and destroying a clear line of succession. Although pretenders to the Imperial throne would arise in following years the Emperor’s leadership was broken and it would not be until the rise of Makaan that the Imperials would again be reunited.

In the chaos, most systems within the once-great Empire now vied for independence, turning on one another. Out of these two key factions emerged: those hoping to establish a new Taiidan Republic and those still loyal to the old Empire. Eventually these two factions would emerge as separate different factions: the Taiidan Republic and the Taiidan Imperialists.

The Exiles reestablished their rule over Hiigara and through great struggle managed to become a key power in the galaxy despite being so vastly outnumbered. Eventually this power would grow until they became a ruling force in and of themselves.

Behind the scenes[]

The Homeworld War is the focus of the game Homeworld and is several times mentioned in the backstories of its sequels Homeworld: Cataclysm and Homeworld 2. Interestingly enough the actual name "Homeworld War" is never used in any canonical source but it is generally assumed by fans to be the name based on the idea that the world focused on the homeward journey of the Kushan Exiles.

The Homeworld War shows many influences. For one thing the story of Homeworld is supposed to be based partially on that of Battlestar Galactica, where a fugitive people seek out a mythical world while being chased by an evil empire. This certainly follows the Kushan perspective in the Homeworld War.

Similarly the Taiidan side of the story may be based on Star Wars. It is worth mentioning that the story of the Taiidan Empire’s fall shares many similarities with the fall of the Empire in Star Wars. A rebellion rises up to destroy an oppressive regime, the rebellion is nearly destroyed but then triumphs as the result of one critical battle in which the Emperor is killed. In the aftermath the rebels form a new republican government while the loyalists of the old Empire form a remnant faction.

Sources[]

Homeworld
Homeworld: Cataclysm
Backstory for Homeworld Cataclysm
Homeworld 2 Strategy Guide Appendix C - History of Hiigara