Tecian-Azlan War
| Tecian-Azlan War | |||||||
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| Part of Universal Azlan Crusade | |||||||
 The ruins of the Imperial Military Headquarters after Operation Windstorm | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Unified Tecian Coalition |
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The Tecian-Azlan War or the Great Azlan War (3 July 2213 - 16 June 2333) was an intergalactic conflict between two sides: the Unified Tecian Coalition, and the Azlan Empire. All of the world's countries participated, with most investing all available economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities in pursuit of total war, blurring the distinction between military and civilian resources. Cybernetic augmentation and spacecraft played major roles, with the latter enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and delivery of tens of thousands of nuclear weapons across the Azlan territories. The Azlan War was the deadliest conflict in human history, resulting in 450 to 1080 million fatalities, more than three quarters of which were civilians, and excluding extraterrestrial casualties. Tens of millions died in genocides, including the Extermination of Brotothians, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. Following the UTC powers' victory, the Azlan Empire and their puppet states were occupied, and war crimes tribunals were conducted against their high command in the Tlajoyotl Trials. The war is viewed as a turning point in Carinansian history, responsible for its rise to intergalactic dominance.
History
Background
The Holy Azlan Empire was an ultramilitaristic theocratic totalitarian monarchy, with a highly-stratified caste system and collectivistic ideology. Most modern historians agree that the polity was first formed in late 1571, after Zharakhos unified the Prath-Zhan clans of Azla during a series of offensive military campaigns over two decades. Upon becoming the recognised leader of his people, he proclaimed himself as the "Sovar Khar", meaning "Eternal Ruler" in the Azlan tongue. This title was chosen to signify both his supreme authority and the divine nature of his rule. Zharakhos claimed that the gods had chosen him to lead the Prath-Zhan to their rightful place as rulers of the stars, a narrative that became central to the development of Zharanism. These divine revelations were exposed to the Tribal Assembly in 1572.
Zharakhos then established the Zharak, the divine hierarchy that would define the empire’s social and political structure. He decreed that the Prath-Zhan were destined to rule over all other species, with the empire’s expansion viewed as a sacred mission to impose cosmic order on a chaotic universe; he gave the example of the Nuens star, which had recently gone supernova several lightyears from their planet, as clear indication of the disorder inherent in the universe without manual guidance.
Under Zharakhos’ leadership, the Azlan Empire embarked on its first wave of interstellar conquests. Using advanced technology and the disciplined military forces he had forged during the unification wars, Zharakhos led the Prath-Zhan in a series of campaigns that brought neighboring star systems under their control. These early conquests were marked by their ruthlessness and efficiency, setting the tone for the empire’s future expansionist policies. Census records demonstrate that by 1600, the Azlan Empire had firm control over tens of billions of peoples belonging to a variety of races.
According to legend, Zharakhos did not die in the conventional sense. Instead, it is believed that he ascended to join the Zharan Pantheon as a god, becoming Zharadun, the Overlord—the supreme deity of the pantheon who represents absolute power and the eternal right to rule. This belief in his divine ascension further solidified his legacy and ensured that his successors would continue to rule with the same iron grip, and has resulted in the evolution of the Azlan pantheon to become more representative of an Imperial cult.
Over the next few centuries, the Azlan Empire grew at an exponential rate, before ultimately becoming the most powerful and influential state in the entire region of the universe. In 2162, they discovered the Tecian star system, and began a decades-long observation of the system to determine its validity for conquest. In 2178, the 3rd Galactic Defense Squadron of the Serene Space Force, led by Ricardo Padilla, accidentally made first contact with these Azlan observers.
Over the next three decades, highly-classified communications between the Serenacy of Carinansia and the Azlan Empire took place, with relations becoming increasingly pleasant, as mild commercial ties were forged. Throughout this time, the Empire was preoccupied with the Azlan-Hemithean War, and thus they established a facade of tranqulity and antifascism when dealing with humans. By July 2209, news of the first contact with extraterrestrials was exposed, as formal diplomatic relations between the two countries were established for the first time. For the next four years, discussions regarding galactic sovereignty and forming stronger commercial relations were undertaken.
Cessation of discussions
On June 13 2213, after years of a continuous line between the two entities, communications went silent for the first time. Over the next two weeks, the Imperial Azlan Fleet discretely moved the 1st Galactic Flotilla away from the occupied Hemithean territories towards Tecia. At 11:53:41pm July 2nd 2213, the final message from the Azlan ambassador was received, simply stating the following:
The dust of forgotten suns has settled upon the leaves, and the light they once reflected dims. The cosmic tides grow restless, no longer heeding the guidance of those who once held sway over their course. The Tiberian Anemones, which once danced in the currents of order, now thrash in the torrents of disorder, their petals wilting under the weight of this neglected garden.
It is with heavy realization that we gaze upon the withered grove you have tended. The guardianship you were entrusted with, the equilibrium you were to uphold—these have faltered. The scales tip, and the abyss hungers. The Vhorlan Serpent coils tighter once more, but this time, it does so under new hands, for the dance must continue, the order must be restored.
May your dreams tonight be peaceful, for the dawn will be heavy with the weight of unfulfilled promises.
Course of the war
Initial Azlan Invasion (2213 - 2223)
On July 3rd, 2213, at 5:02:41am, the 1st Galactic Flotilla began a strategic bombing campaign of Tecia, eight different Willbreaker antimatter bombs were launched across Tecia, at the following locations: the Vatou Islands, Islonia; Magfait Isles, Spereid; Yarholm, Luderania; the Polar Isles, Seridey; Kilkenny, Aldercy; Drobeta, Uatederstali; Moinstead, Aexodius; Plaimo, Carinansia. These bombs would prove devastating for the first seven sites, with each one believed to have had a 3 gigaton yield. In the first day of the attack, over ten million people are estimated to have died. The final bomb in Carinansia failed to detonate due to technical difficulties with its launch. For this reason, the Serene Space Force would be able to successfully repel the Azlan fleets from making any successful landings in Oikoia, though extensive progress was quickly made across the planet.
On the evening of July 3rd, Ashley Hurtado managed to successfully secure the creation of the United Anti-Azlan Coalition, composed of all member states of the International Union, though it suffered heavy military failures outside of Oikoia.
These initial Azlan military failures across the continent provided the Oikoian states with an abundant supply of alien military technology, and the subsequent years would be dedicated to reverse engineering as much as possible; ultimately culminating in the creation of human teleportation technology, and the Nova bomb.