Probing the Confederation

A year or so after the Shuvanaljis Revolt, the Hegemony began to probe and test Confederate military readiness with ever bigger incursions.

One of these was to lay the reputation of the Confederate forces (and more notably the Black Fleet) and set the stage for future conflicts for decades to come.

Hegemonic forces were led by Admiral Mutabi. Mutabi's forces consisted of an entire Task Force with a carrier at its core.

The Confederate defense was commanded by Admiral Francois Aloisande. Aloisande's forces were meager in comparison (two incomplete arms of a task force), but were well drilled and had been veterans of previous incursions.

Mutabi bum-rushed the boarder colony of Cascadia, using two complete arms and the carrier, while utilizing the smaller elements of the two other arms in neighboring systems. Hegemonic forces quickly overwhelmed Cascadia's native defenses, and fighting in neighboring systems continued.

The response from Confederate forces was swift and intense. Aloisande sent the bulk of his forces to the neighboring systems and quickly routed the smaller elements of Mutabi. When Mutabi responded with the remaining reserve elements of his two other arms, Aloisande was ready. In a hit-and-run style battle, the destroyers and heavy cruisers of the Hegemony were all heavily damaged and forced to surrender or run home.

Upon hearing of this route, Mutabi grew increasingly impatient and short tempered, and made plans to secure the neighboring systems for the Hegemony. But when Mutabi's carrier and heavy cruisers arrived, Aloisande was ready, with several Black Fleet elements that had been holding in reserve. The heavy cruisers were destroyed, with all hands aboard lost, and the Cruiser was damaged beyond repair,and Mutabi was forced to surrender. A courier was allowed to be dispatched back, and when the remainder of the Hegemonic forces were told of the defeat, quickly ran. No ground combat on Cascadia took place, and the retreat was quickly made.

In the battle, several Grey Fleet ships were destroyed, and none would surrender or retreat, keeping in the fight even after their hulls had been badly compromised.

Black fleet forces were almost all destroyed. Mutabi had targeted them early, believing them to be the key to breaking Confederate morale. But the Black Forces (consisting of the Heavy Cruiser Constantinople and three Destroyers) held firm and were instrumental in the crippling of the Hegemonic carrier Egypt.

The account of this battle spread throughout the Hegemony like a lightning bolt, and the reputation of the Black Fleet as a premier fighting force was secured. Even now, as Hegemonic forces vastly outnumber the Confederate, it is widely feared that the Black Fleet will make any fight, far bloodier than any adversary is willing to suffer.