Bloody Vesta

"For all but the most studious of academics, the Battle of 4 Vesta is nothing but a bloody footnote amidst the carnage of the Interplanetary wars. A Frieden attack on an asteroid colony that was mercilessly destroyed by the troops of the UEG, and we move on. Nothing about the affirmation of Mielke's authority over the Frieden-affiliated militias and the limitations of that authority; nothing about the political consequences of the Frieden assault; and most certainly, nothing about Bloody Vesta's critical role in the development of the UNSC Marine Corps. Such is its fate."

― Adrianna Conrad, Days Without Mercy: Battle for the Belt

Bloody Vesta, also called the Battle of 4 Vesta, was an isolated but costly engagement early in the Interplanetary Conflict. Frieden forces launched an attack against the 4 Vesta asteroid colony resulting in sizable civilian casualties and occupied the majority of the Vesta dockyard complex; the UEG deployed troops to 4 Vesta and retook the colony by assault, eradicating the Frieden occupation.

Overview[]

The rapid growth of the Frieden movement in 2160 and 2161 had resulted in command and control difficulties for the Frieden leader Nadja Mielke; a group of Frieden-affiliated militias attempted to force her hand into declaring open war against the UEG by storming and occupying a prominent asteroid colony, 4 Vesta. Contrary to their expectations, however, Mielke disavowed the occupiers entirely and threatened anyone who attempted to assist them with excommunication from the movement. With 4 Vesta already encircled by UNSA ships and with UEG troops approaching, the occupiers chose to fight it out rather than surrender. Less than ten days after Mielke disavowed the occupation, all occupying forces had been exterminated or captured by UEG and UNSA forces.

Background[]

In the aftermath of the Jovian Moons Campaign, anti-communist and anti-UEG militias and movements flocked to the banner of Nadja Mielke's Frieden confederation. While Frieden-affiliated and Frieden-sympathetic militias were already present throughout UEG space, the Jovian Crisis of 2160 - widely viewed as a triumph of Mielke's movement - swelled Frieden ranks and resources at an unprecedented rate; not even the Koslovic movement of 2130s and 2140s had spread so quickly. Of issue, however, was the loyalty and submission of these new adherents to the authority of Nadja Mielke and Frieden Europa.

Conspiracy of Wolves[]

The White Wolves of Ceres militia was founded in 2149 and was received sporadic but significant corporate support throughout the 2150s. Described as vehemently anti-UEG by contemporaries, the White Wolves were infuriated when Mielke halted offensive operations entirely in Jovian Space and did not call for a greater uprising against Koslovics and government forces. Their leadership saw the halt as weakness and a missed opportunity for destabilizing the UEG and destroying the Koslovic movement; despite their pledge of loyalty to Mielke, made in the midst of the Jovian Crisis, the White Wolves were intent on escalating the conflict and spreading it across the system. White Wolves members began pushing for renewed offensive operations as early as December 2160.

In early February 2161, the White Wolves found strong allies in the Celestial Legionaries and the Dark Star Command militias, the latter of which was a wide-ranging association of ship captains and crews throughout the belt.

Bloody Vesta[]

Initial assault and occupation[]

On August 8, 2161, the White Wolves launched their attack on the surface structures and platforms of 4 Vesta.

UNSA encirclement[]

On August 16, the UNSA's reaction force arrived near 4 Vesta; after broadcasting a demand for surrender from the identified Frieden squadrons, the UNSA fleet moved to engage and successfully destroyed approximately seventy percent of the occupier's spacecraft. Most surviving Frieden ships were docked with Vesta platforms and thus spared destruction. The UNSA subsequently established perimeter patrol units and declared 4 Vesta interdicted against all incoming shipping.

The day after the announcement of the blockade, elements of the Dark Star Command began organizing for an attempted breakthrough of UNSA forces, with the date of August 30 floated as the most likely. By August 18, at least 47 DSC-affiliated spacecraft were underway towards 4 Vesta.

Mielke's denunciation[]

UEG assault[]

Timeline[]

July 25, 2161: Frieden conspirators affirm themselves to action and plan to launch their attack in early August.
August 2—8: Dark Star Command ships deliver members of the White Wolves and Celestial Legionaries to 4 Vesta as well as large quantities of ammunition.
August 8: Frieden forces launch their attack on the Vesta colony and occupy about half of Vesta's space yards.
August 11: Frieden forces occupy nearly all of Vesta's yards, surface structures, and most of the interior.
August 16: UNSA space forces engage pro-occupation spacecraft and initiate a full blockade of 4 Vesta.
August 19: Nadja Mielke publicly denounces the attack on 4 Vesta and calls for the occupiers to withdraw for humanitarian reasons. Within the Frieden movement, Mielke makes it known that any Frieden-affiliated militia that endeavors to reinforce or resupply the occupiers will be declared an enemy of the movement and eliminated appropriately.
August 21: UNSA forces destroy most remaining occupier spacecraft; UEG forces begin their assault.
August 29: UEG forces declare 4 Vesta secure and the battle over.