ISD 17041 - Battle of Carteia

A catastrophic Imperial loss following the Cielcin assault on the planet Carteia's major population centers, including the former capital city of Rothsmoor. Estimates predict the deaths or abductions of up to 90% of the planet's inhabitants. The invasion left the world cratered, burned, and depopulated, with ruins visible from orbit and entire cities reducted to ash. Though the Cielcin eventually withdrew, the aftermath prompted a massive Imperial reconstruction campaign, led personally by Emperor William XXIII and his flagship, the ISV Radiant Dawn, who established a mobile court on the planet’s surface.

The Ascalon’s rear fin appeared over the low body of a cargo freighter ahead. We hadn’t far to go. As we reached the near corner of the freighter’s lot, following a knot of junior naval officers, Lin changed the subject. “The Cielcin have been quiet now for decades. Carteia was one of the last planets they hit.”

“They were forced to draw off. Dorayaica summoned them all together . . .” I replied, trailing off. In silence, I tried to figure the timing of the attack on Carteia relative to the Aetavanni. Nearly seventy standard years had passed since that fateful day on Eue. Carteia had been attacked some twenty years before that. Twenty years had proved sufficient time for the Pale to cross the vast distances between the Centaurine provinces and the unmapped regions of the galactic north. The great Cielcin worldships were many times faster than our vessels. The mighty engines that drove them across the light-years took far longer to spin up to warp speeds due to their tremendous size, but that same huge volume allowed them to fold space much faster once the engines started to burn.

Ashes of Man, Chapter 14: Sunlight and Ashes