416: Battle begins

In Dam-Tuul-Sam, the capital of the Amarr Empire, within the Imperial Palace's council hall, the atmosphere was solemn and deadly.

The young Princess Canidis sat on the imperial throne that once belonged to her mother. Her face, behind the pearl curtain, still showed signs of youth, but her eyes burned with fire.

Below, the Empire's core ministers stood on either side, their expressions grave.

"Are the 'proofs' 'conclusive'?" The Princess's voice was cold, breaking the silence.

She deliberately emphasized the words "conclusive."

The Minister of Internal Affairs immediately bowed and stepped forward: "Your Highness, we have 'found' enough clues. All indirect evidence points to the Minmatar Republic."

"It is they, jealous of the Empire's prosperity, fearful of the Empire's strength, and seeking revenge for past grievances, who orchestrated this despicable attack!"

This so-called "evidence" was, of course, a product carefully fabricated by the Empire's intelligence agencies.

Pinning the blame for the attack on the Minmatar, who had long-standing tense relations with the Empire and were relatively weaker, was a strategy jointly presented by the Imperial Prime Minister and the Minister of Military Affairs.

This move would quickly identify a target for revenge, rally domestic morale, and minimize the risk of being prematurely encircled by multiple factions.

After all, settling accounts with traitors who attempted to betray and murder the Empress was, in the eyes of the entire Empire, a matter of course.

Princess Canidis nodded, her gaze sweeping over the "evidence" submitted by the minister.

She knew this was a political necessity, an excuse to start a war, but thinking of her mother lying in the medical bay, her life hanging in the balance, a real hatred still surged in her heart.

"Very good." She lifted her gaze from the imperial desk, her voice resolute, "Then, let it be as they wish."

"Issue the order: the Imperial Navy's First, Third, and Fifth Fleets are to assemble immediately. Target: the Seimatell Star Domain of the Minmatar Republic!"

"In the name of the Empire, eradicate the rebels, blood for blood!"

"For the Empress!" The ministers bowed, responding in unison, their Battle Intent soaring.

The Empire's war machine roared to life once more.

As the news spread, New Eden was shaken.

The Minmatar Republic naturally issued an immediate and strong denial, accusing the Amarr Empire of framing them and attempting to annex their territory.

Meanwhile, the high-ranking officials of the Earth Federation and the Human Union felt a chilling cold.

They were well aware of the truth behind the attack.

They had no regrets, only regret that they hadn't managed to kill Empress Cadiz.

Although all five major powers believed Empress Cadiz couldn't have survived, Canidis's decision not to ascend to the throne genuinely misled them.

In their view, the only reason Canidis hadn't been crowned was because Empress Cadiz was indeed still alive.

However, it was still highly probable that she was severely wounded and difficult to recover.

That being said, both the Earth Federation and the Human Union knew that the Amarr Empire's true target was by no means just the Minmatar.

The Minmatar were an important strategic buffer zone between the Earth Federation and the Amarr Empire.

Once the Minmatar fell, the Amarr Empire's military might would directly threaten the Earth Federation's borders.

"If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold!" The Earth Federation Chairman pounded the table during an emergency meeting. "We absolutely cannot stand by and do nothing!"

Despite the strained relations between the Earth Federation and the Human Union due to ideological differences, facing a common, powerful external threat, the instinct for survival overrode internal conflicts.

Although the Human Union was further from the Amarr Empire, it also served as a buffer zone between the Caldari, Minmatar, and the Amarr Empire.

In the event of an all-out war, it was hard to guarantee that the Caldari wouldn't sacrifice them when facing the Amarr Empire's threat.

After urgent consultations, the Earth Federation and the Human Union quickly reached an agreement and signed the "Seimatell Joint Defense Treaty" with the Minmatar Republic, pledging military assistance if the Minmatar were attacked by Emma.

Half a month later, in early Star Calendar Year 151, the war broke out in a way everyone had anticipated.

The Amarr Empire did not launch multi-front attacks as the Earth Federation had feared. Instead, it concentrated its superior forces, striking with overwhelming might simultaneously at the border star Systems adjacent to Minmatar and individual forward outposts of the Earth Federation.

Its main offensive direction was directly aimed at the Minmatar's lifeline, the Seimatell Star Domain!

The Amarr Empire Navy demonstrated its terrifying strength as the hegemon of New Eden.

A massive fleet, centered around two Apocalypse-class dreadnoughts, tore through the Minmatar's fragile border defenses like a torrent of steel.

The volley fire from the Apocalypse-class dreadnoughts' laser main cannons, powerful enough to rip apart asteroids, became the nightmare of the Minmatar defenders.

Devastating beams of energy streaked across the starry sky, easily vaporizing any ships and defense platforms in their path.

Although the Minmatar guerrilla fleet was valiant, launching countless tragic suicide charges with their high-speed assault frigates, attempting to get close to the Apocalypse-class to fire anti-ship autocannons.

However, in the face of an absolute disparity in firepower and a tight escort fleet, they were often shattered into pieces by dense anti-aircraft fire before they could even get close.

The Emma fleet advanced irresistibly, rapidly pushing deep into the Star Domain, their spearhead aimed directly at the Hume System, the center of the Seimatell Star Domain. There lay Minmatar's largest spaceport and most important industrial planet.

After paying a heavy price, the main fleet of the Earth Federation-Minmatar Allied Forces finally converged before the Amarr Empire fleet could complete its encirclement, and garrisoned the Ival System, establishing a final defensive line relying on the port's defensive facilities and surrounding asteroid belts.

They understood that once Ival fell, Hume would be defenseless. Losing the Seimatell Star Domain would severely cripple Minmatar's war potential, and the Earth Federation's gateway would be exposed. This would be the battlefield for the decisive battle.

The Amarr Empire fleet soon arrived, its colossal formation covering the sky, completely encircling the Seimatell star cluster.

In the Early Stage of the campaign, the Allied Forces attempted to use the Earth Federation's "wolfpack" tactics, forming attack clusters with a large number of small, high-speed frigates and destroyers, in coordination with the Minmatar guerrilla fleet, to constantly harass and cut through the Emma fleet's formation, attempting to create local advantages and encircle isolated Apocalypse-class dreadnoughts.

However, the Amarr Empire's fleet commander was experienced and shrewd, and their fleet composition was complete, with extremely strong anti-aircraft and anti-missile capabilities.

The massive Apocalypse-class dreadnoughts were not isolated; they were surrounded by organized formations of cruisers, destroyers, and frigates, forming an impenetrable protective net.

The Allied Forces' "wolfpacks" often suffered heavy losses before they could even get close.

The battle quickly devolved into a brutal war of attrition.

Both sides continuously dispatched reinforcements from the rear, feeding them into this colossal interstellar meat grinder.

The starry sky of the Seimatell System was illuminated by countless energy beams, missile trails, and explosions, with the wreckage of warships scattered like dust, forming a vast cloud of debris.

This confrontation offered no clever tricks, only the most bloody, head-on clash. Even a medium-scale engagement could last for dozens of hours.

On the Allied side, the Earth Federation's fleet was under immense pressure.

Their ships had relatively weak defenses, often turning into fireworks under the long-range bombardment of the Apocalypse-class. But the Earth Federation's officers and soldiers displayed astonishing courage and resilience, piloting their warships like moths to a flame, repeatedly charging into Emma's lines to create attack opportunities for the Minmatar guerrilla fleet.

Minmatar pilots, moreover, pushed their fearless spirit to the extreme.

It's important to know that while the Eggman System wouldn't let pilots truly die, the pain of death was not diminished in the slightest.

Their assault frigates, with their bizarre maneuverability, weaved through a hail of gunfire, launching deadly torpedoes and bombs at the most vulnerable points of Emma ships.

Many Minmatar pilots, in the final moments before their warships were destroyed, chose not to eject into escape pods, but instead piloted their burning vessels to ram the nearest enemy ship.

On the Amarr Empire side, despite being well-equipped and highly trained, they also paid a heavy price.

The Allied Forces' frantic counterattacks, especially the elusive Minmatar assault frigates, often managed to break through defenses, causing fatal damage to Emma's cruisers and even battleships.

One Apocalypse-class dreadnought, while besieging a port, was approached by a squadron of Minmatar suicide assault frigates, which detonated their onboard antimatter bombs.

The massive explosion tore a huge gash in the behemoth, completely disabling its armor repair System.

Although it didn't sink, it completely lost its combat capability and was forced to withdraw from the battlefield for repairs.

In the starry sky, communication channels were filled with various sounds.

"Second Quadrant A-5 defense line needs support! Repeat, needs support! We're about to be overrun!"

"Third Guerrilla Squadron annihilated! They rammed and sank an Emma 'Abaddon-class' battlecruiser!"

"Attention! Enemy 'Apocalypse-class' main cannon charging! Evade! Evade quickly!"

"Quickly notify pilots whose clones have died to log in with new bodies and come to support!"

Warship explosions erupted one after another, and escape pods darted through the debris like fireflies, only to be extinguished shortly after by stray bullets or explosion waves.

The entire Seimatell System seemed to have become a massive graveyard, devouring countless lives and riches.

The battle was deadlocked. The Amarr Empire could not quickly capture the heavily defended starport of the Allied Forces, and the Allied Forces were powerless to drive the Emma fleet out of the Seimatell System. Both sides were struggling, waiting to see who would exhaust their last drop of blood first.

Later, a battle known as the "Nimbahar Meat Grinder" ended this war and marked the beginning of the first epic battle in New Eden's war history.