Battle of Earth (DYOS 10)

Battle of Earth
Part of the Avatar Wars
Loyalist forces exchanging fire with the New Avatar Order
Date 31 January – 10 March 2008 Location In orbit above Earth Result Allied victory; kulade routed Nar Kreeta raid
Belligerents
New Avatar Order	Coruscanti Loyalists CivFanatics Eastern Union Blood Gulch Casino	Taillenian Starfleet Stylesrj Avatar Army
Commanders and leaders
kulade Mara Jade (POW)	CivGeneral choxorn Rtas 'Vadum Symphony D. Taillesskangaru † Thorvald of Lym Stylesrj	Rocket (MIA) SEAL SEAL

The Battle of Earth (January–March 2008) was a pivotal engagement during the Avatar Wars. Comprising the forces of Coruscant, Taillenia, Stylesrj's avatars and choxorn's allies against the New Avatar Order, it was the largest single battle of the rebellion, witnessing CivFanatics gain the upper hand against the avatars. Losses incurred in the battle prompted the Avatar Supreme Commander to hire mercenary auxiliaries, beginning the Combine Insurgency later that year.

Pre-battle

CivGeneral and Co., having penetrated the Avatar Supreme Commander's headquarters in Antarctica, threatened his Earth-based control. In an attempt to divert CivGeneral's attention and facilitate his capture, Mara Jade lured him, Thorvald of Lym, and Taillesskangaru in their strike fighters into orbit and the awaiting clutches of kulade's capital ships. Unbeknown to kulade, the Coruscanti loyalists had reorganized, and their opposing fleet exited hyperspace just as Mara Jade was to bait the trap.

Battle

The Stylesrj Avatar Army had been locked in a vicious battle against the Avatar Supreme Commander's main fleet since December. choxorn, Rtas and their associates were en route to Earth, but with only the Shadow of Intent were hopelessly outgunned. Rtas called an unknown party for help, offering to destroy a gravity well constructed by the SAA on the dark side of the Moon to allow a sneak attack.

Symphony D. joined the battle in favour of the allies. As CivGeneral pursued Mara Jade and the capital ships battled each other, Rocket contacted Taillesskangaru, offering military assistance in exchange for vast territorial concessions and the death of Thunderfall. Loopholes were exploited, and GuitarHero acquired the Earth's core while Tailless faked the sysadmin's death.

The gravity well generator turned out to be a challenge to destroy. Near-instantaneous self-repair meant a boarding party would need to sabotage it from the inside. choxorn, Rtas and a squad of Elites infiltrated the satellite and disabled the engines to send it crashing to Earth. Upon completing the operation, however, they received word that the Shadow of Intent had come under fire from the SAA with reinforcements still seven minutes away. Receiving the distress signal, CivGeneral's party broke off their engagement, docking at the loyalist flagship Independence and reorganizing in an assault ship with a marine detachment.

Meanwhile, Stylesrj was freed from imprisonment in Chuck the Freaking Alien's Cuban base, and after sailing to Russia, stole an Ilyushin IL-2 and joined the fight raging outside the atmosphere.

CG's party successfully rescued choxorn and Co. Shortly thereafter, Rtas' reinforcements arrived. GuitarHero made rendez-vous with Tailless, who discovered the "core" was in fact the Monkey Statue of Spamuzel possessed by its namesake spirit; it then ate Tailless. At the same time, Bjørn contacted Thorvald; he had returned to the Eastern Union and was at that moment at the control terminal of the Mjolnir network. Realizing the ace up his sleeve, he suggested the loyalists lure the ASC starfleet directly over Russia, bringing them into range of the artillery. The Monkey Statue was subdued and delivered to Rocket before the Coruscantis put Thorvald's plan into action. The resulting surprise attack destroyed nearly all ASC capital ships, with the exception of kulade's flagship, Tyrant, and smaller supporting vessels, which quickly evacuated to hyperspace. Soon afterward, and explosion from Rocket's command ship suggested the Monkey Statue had killed him.

Post-battle

The Avatar Supreme Commander suffered a crippling blow from which he never fully recovered. With his starfleet neutralized and his ground forces all but destroyed, kulade was forced to employ mercenary forces to compensate for his losses, leading to his pact with the Combine Empire. Mara Jade was captured in the wreckage of the fleet, and hinted kulade's retreat to his last outpost at Nar Kreeta, prompting CivGeneral to swiftly pursue.