Eishtmo's Terran-Vasudan War timeline

Shortly after first contact, the Terran-Vasudan War, or the 14-Year War, broke out. Heavy and sustained casualties were suffered on both sides, but both species learned valuable lessons in adaptation and the development of new technologies. This timeline will span from the first Vasudan contact to the first contact with the Shivans in Ross 128.

Almost all dates and events below are taken from Eishtmo's FreeSpace fan fiction. This fanfic is being used by the Terran-Vasudan War Project team, although little of it is grounded in canon.

Canon events in silver and non-canon events are in gray. Events with canon dates are in white. Please note that, due to differing sources and interpretations of the war, some information may conflict.

2320:

March:

First official contact with the Vasudan Parliamentary Empire.

April:

First diplomatic meeting in Antares.

July:

The Pan-Galactic Treaty is agreed to by diplomats. Taken to respective governments. GTD Gaia completed.

December:

Pan-Galactic Treaty rejected by legislators on both sides.

2321:

January:

Prince Mihos killed during drug gang battle. Vasudan politicians blame the Galactic Terran Alliance outright.

February:

Diplomats Knum and Andrews meet. Meeting ends in bloodshed. War declared by both sides the next day.

April:

Vasudans launch raid on Sol system. Crushed by GTD Gaia and 1st Fleet.

May:

Vasudans begin construction on their own destroyer, the Thanatos class.

September:

First Thanatos, PVD Thanatos, completed.

2322:

November:

GTA officials determine the war will not be short. Authorizes the construction of the GTC Leviathan cruiser.

2323:

March:

First Battle of the Vasuda-Antares node. Marks the first time Terran warships enter the Vasuda system. Terrans only managed to hold the node for a week before being driven back.

2324:

June:

Battle of Vega III. In an attempt to get around the Terran hold on Antares, the PVN launches its first major assault on a Terran system at Vega. The battle was the bloodiest to date, with the loss of nearly 50,000 on both sides. The Terrans managed to drive the Vasudans back to Deneb, but didn't have the strength for a counterattack.

2326:

August:

The first Savior-class destroyer, PVD Savior, come off the lines. Over the next two years, the Vasudans would completely replace their Thanatos-class destroyers with these powerful ships.

October:

Second Battle of Antares-Vasuda node. To show off the new ship, Vasudan Prince Amon organizes an attack on Antares. The PVD Savior tears through Terran lines. The Vasudans gain a powerful foothold in Antares.

November:

Battle of Gulnara. As the Vasudans poured into the system, the Terrans launched a massive counterattack. Near the Antares IV moon, Gulnara, the Vasudan fleet is beaten back to the node. This defeat leads GTA command to believe that victory is on the horizon. Leviathan production is halted, and the GTA initiates a major offensive.

2327

January:

Realizing the end is coming, the Vasudan parliament unofficially moves to Alpha Centauri where it would stay until after the Great War. The Third Battle of the Vasuda-Antares node happens days later. Terrans establish a strong foothold in Vasuda.

February:

The last element of the Vasudan navy is forced out of Vasuda. The GTA begins building up forces for the invasion of Vasuda Prime.

March:

Battle of Talania. In an attempt to avenge the invasion of Vasuda, a group of Vasudan admirals, under the leadership of Prince Imhotep, launch an attack on Talania] destroying the Terran 6th Fleet and the supply base there. After the raid, PVN command realized that the attack had crippled GTA supply lines, and orders the group to capitalize on their initial success. By then, the GTA had reinforced Talania, and the fighting was much fiercer.

April:

With their defenses weakened, the Vasudans launch a renewed attack on the Terrans in Vasuda, finally driving them out by May. The GTA orders Leviathan production resumed with new weapons and technologies.

2328:

February:

First cease-fire established. After regaining lost territory, the Vasudans prepare for an assault on Terran systems when a rare Vasudan holiday comes up. Forced by religious leaders, the Vasudans offer the GTA a short cease-fire. The GTA eagerly accepts, and uses this time to establish new defensive lines. The cease-fire is ended before the treaty is half over with no progress toward a lasting peace.

March:

Battle of Ribos. Using information gotten via a spy amongst the Vasudans, the GTA counters an invasion of Ribos by easily destroying the pride of the PVN fleet, the PVD Savior.

2329:

January:

Second cease-fire established. Following a series of crushing defeats, the Vasudan parliament offers the GTA terms for a cease-fire during which a lasting peace treaty would be discussed. Negotiations lasted only an hour before breaking down, but the cease-fire held until the beginning of February, during which the Vasudans strengthen their own lines.

August:

Battle of Deneb-Sirius node. After surprising Vasudan forces in Deneb, the GTA attempts to take the Deneb-Sirius node. The defeat at this battle begins a chain of defeats for Terran forces that would eventually force them into Beta Aquilae.

December:

Third cease-fire established. In an attempt to stave off certain defeat, the GTA asks for a cease-fire during the holiday season. It is agreed to, and lasts the five days after Christmas. The GTA uses this time to reinforce its lines and prepare a counter attack it launches on New Years' Eve day.

2330:

June:

Betelgeuse Siege. After a dramatic counter-offensive, the Vasudans had managed to capture and hold Antares and Beta Cygni. It is decided by Prince Imhotep to lay siege to Betelgeuse and force the system to surrender. The siege lasts nearly six months, costing the Vasudans dearly. While they busied themselves trying to starve out Betelgeuse, the rest of the GTA attacked multiple supply bases in Antares, crippling PVN supply lines. By December, the Vasudans are forced to withdraw from Beta Cygni.

2331:

January:

The collapse of the Talania nodes. Though known for their instability, the nodes to the Talania system had been stable enough for the GTA to use the system as a major supply dump. In late December 2330, however, the system was contested when a PVN fleet entered via the Vega system forcing the GTA to withdraw key equipment and personnel. By January, Vasudan and Terran scientists had independently determined that both nodes into the system were due to collapse to an unusable state within only a few weeks. The commanding officers of both the GTA and PVN fleet called a cease-fire and jointly organized an evacuation of the system. By late February, the nodes were no longer stable for anything to travel through. For years it was hoped that the nodes would restabilize, but hopes would be dashed after the destruction of the Sol-Delta Serpentis node and the system was finally removed from maps.

March:

Fourth cease-fire established. Considered the last serious attempt at peace, Vasudan and Terran officials meet for the bulk of the one-month cease-fire. Serious talks of an end to the war come up, but are dashed when no agreement is made.

November:

Fifth cease-fire established. By odd coincidence, Terran and Vasudan election dates overlapped during 2331, encouraging the ruling groups to ask each other for a cease-fire so they could remain in power. The cease-fire lasts two days, and the ruling parties were both soundly defeated. There would be no further cease-fires until the arrival of the Shivans.

2332:

January:

After being sworn in, Senator Williams makes a speech proclaiming that the Vasudans should be "bled white" as the only way to win the war. Similar statements by Vasudan legislators trigger a stalemate in the war that lasts for the next three years.

March:

Designs for the new Vasudan destroyer, the PVD Typhon, are approved and construction begins in Altair. Any Saviors currently in production are scrapped and used to build the new warship.

2333:

March:

Nearly one year to the day, the first Typhon, PVD Typhon, leaves the Altair shipyards. Its first assignment is to take Vega.

April:

Operation Thunderbolt; the GTA succesfully forces the last Vasudan forces out of the Beta Aquilae system, in preparation for an attack upon Antares. (Continuity with the defunct 20k campaign)

The Vega Engagement. The GTA's first encounter with the Typhon-class destroyer ends with the destruction of the GTD Eisenhower and the 4th Fleet. The GTA launches a counterattack on Vega, forcing the Typhon to retreat but taking horrendous losses in the process.

June:

(12-19th June) Operation Mako; the GTA launches an invasion of the Vasudan-held Antares system from Beta Aquilae, in order to relieve the 5th fleet (trapped in the Ribos system). Despite the destruction of the PVD Typhon and significant Vasudan losses, the GTA only makes minimal gains at a heavy cost, resulting in stalemate. (Continuity with the now-defunct 20k campaign)

2334:

June:

Battle of Vega-Deneb Node. The last major battle of the 14-Year War sees the Terrans take the Vega side of the node. The first Typhon destroyed in combat occurs during the battle.

September:

In an attack that surprised both sides, a second Typhon is destroyed in Antares.

2335:

January 8th:

GTA launches Operation Thresher, also known as the Fifth Battle of the Vasuda-Antares Node. Initial losses cause Thresher to be declared a failure only two days after it started. GTA command estimates 504 pilots dead, fourteen missing (and presumed dead).

January 15th:

The Shivans attack Vasudan and Terran forces near the Antares-Ribos node. The loss of the PVC Taurus and GTSC Plato leads toward a cease-fire proposal on the 18th by the Vasudans.

January 25th:

GTA and PVE sign a cease-fire and non-aggression pact based on the Pan-Galactic Treaty. The 14-Year War officially comes to an end.