Xaridgar-Archas War

The Xaridgar-Archas War was a war that lasted from 2712 to 3140. The war was started by the Archas, who attempted to attack the Xaridgar and acquire their star system as a new home after their homeplanet became unsuitable for them. The Ycowth Nation and the Varkyon Hierocracy later joined the war on either side.

Preparations
The Archas began preparations for the attack as early as 2700.

In 2703, the Archas tested newly invented terraforming technology on Archas Minor. The tests failed, and all life on the planet was exterminated.

They sent an attack team to invade the small Xaridgar colony of Xaridge Da in 2704. This prompted the Xaridgar to close off the moon from all transport lanes. In 2705, unknown to the Xaridgar, the Archas brought reinforcements to the moon, creating a military base. They began minor terraforming efforts on the moon in order for long-term residence.

The Archas also constructed outposts on the planets Angertharke (then called Archas-2) and Archas-3 in 2710.

Attack on Xaridge D
Near the beginning of the year 2712, a research ship was sent from Xaridge IV to complete three consecutive orbits of Xaridge D in order to completely scan the planet. Halfway through the ship's scans, it was picked up by Archas radars on Xaridge Da. By then, a large army had been gathered on the moon, and the Archas commanders decided that it was time to begin the attack. A fleet of around 40 Archas ships jumped into orbit of Xaridge D, and opened fire on the research ship, obliterating it. Before it crashed into the planet below, it sent a distress call to Xaridge IV and alerted the government of war. The Xaridge Authority immediately sent for a military fleet of 50 ships, directing it to Xaridge D. When the Xaridgar fleet arrived, they were almost instantly attacked by the Archas, which gave the Archas a moment in which they could attack while the Xaridgar hesitated. The Xaridgar fleet lost multiple ships, but regained control of themselves shortly, and began to counter-attack the Archas. The fight lasted around a day, before the remaining Archas ships retreated to Xaridge Da. The Xaridgar were left with 15 ships from their original 50, and around 750 casualties.

Expedition to the Zethur system
Shortly after the Xaridgar fleet returned to Xaridge IV, the Xaridgar were contacted by a previously unknown species, the Ycowth. The Ycowth, who had genetically engineered the Archas, informed the Xaridge Authority that they had been keeping watch on the Archas, and heard of the recent battle. The Ycowth stated that they were willing to contribute to the war effort, helping the Xaridgar fight the Archas. They gave the Xaridgar coordinates to their system, asking them to send a fleet there to discuss an alliance.

The Xaridgar formed a fleet of 20 ships and followed the Ycowth's coordinates, arriving on Tharatov in the Zethur system, neutral ground for both governments. Discussions lasted multiple days, and by the end the Ycowth agreed to send minor help to the Xaridgar. Due to their peaceful nature, the majority of the entire 5.7 billion Ycowth wished to stay neutral, but an army of around 900,000 was sent to assist in the war.

Destruction of Archas Minor
At the same time as the Xaridgar and the Ycowth were forming their alliance, the Archas were testing new forms of orbital bombardment on the uninhabited planets in their system. They developed a weapon designated "Test #2332", informally known as the "Planet-Killer". Having created only one of these weapons successfully, using technology stolen from the Ycowth in the previous century, the Archas had never used such a weapon before. They decided to test the weapon on Archas Minor, which was still uninhabited after the accidental extermination of all life there in 2703. The already unstable planet was broken apart by the force of the weapon, causing it to be completely destroyed, forming an asteroid belt around Archas Major. With confirmation of the weapon's success, the Archas set out to recreate the stolen Ycowth technology in order to construct another copy of the weapon.

Battle for Tharatov
Shortly after the test of the Planet-Killer, the Archas heard rumours of the Xaridgar’s alliance with the Ycowth. In an attempt to stop further negotiations, the Archas sent one of their most advanced battleships to the Zethur system, armed with one of their less powerful weapons. It located the Xaridgar, in an independent colony on the neutral planet Tharatov. The ship unleashed its weaponry, bombing the colony from orbit. The Xaridgar and Ycowth armies each rushed to evacuate the colony of both citizens and the military. They managed to evacuate the majority of the military inside the colony before the ship reloaded its weapon and fired again. It did so around ten minutes later, firing a more destructive shot that destroyed most of the colony. The inhabitants of the colony were evacuated on Ycowth ships, while the Xaridgar fleet followed them to the safety of Ycowth territory. In total, there were 3000 casualties on Tharatov, most of them civilians, but around 100 Ycowth and 200 Xaridgar, including the then-current Xaridgar military leader, Aktha Kzau. The Archas ship, which had suffered damages when the Xaridgar returned fire, was forced to crash-land on Tharatov.

Fight above Hectos
After confirmation that it was safe to leave the Zethur system, the Xaridgar-Ycowth fleet returned to the Xaridge system, landing on the largest moon of Xaridge C. The temporary outpost was named Hectos after the replacement Xaridgar leader, Hectos Vutran. The fleet set up defences in case of a sudden Archas attack. Receiving word from a scanning station located on one of the planets orbiting Xaridge B that a large Archas fleet had been detected, the Xaridgar-Ycowth army took off from Hectos and lay in wait for the Archas. The Archas arrived around half an hour later, and were met by a full attack from the defending army.

The ensuing battle lasted merely hours, resulting in hundreds of casualties from both sides, leading the Archas to retreat from Hectos. A small Ycowth fleet followed them, and sent constant reports back to Hectos. The Ycowth fleet reported to the Hectos command ship shortly afterward, reporting that the Archas had retreated to Xaridge Da. Until then, the Xaridgar were unaware of any Archas base in the Xaridge system, and immediately forwarded these findings back to the military command centre on Xaridge IV.