The UNSC Survey Cruisers McCaffrey and Niven fail to return from an Outworld survey (near Lagos IV) on the fringe of PAU space; a follow-up mission finds identifiable debris from the Niven, exhibiting obvious signs of battle, but no trace of either the McCaffrey or any hostiles.

The PAU Battlecruiser Kinshasa is engaged and destroyed by an unidentified hostile in the New Lusaka system.

The Third Solar War had all but run it course when the PAU went before the UN general assembly. The PAU requested a survey ship be sent to the outer rim of PAU space to explore some strange readings PAU ships were reporting. McCaffrey and Niven took up station near the Lagos VI system, sweeping distance stars with their long range scanning equipment. When both ships failed to return after a survey mission, in an unsurveyed system, the PAU sent one of its battle groups to investigate. Nearly three months passed before a lone badly damage destroyer, the Burning Lake, limped into Good Hope II spaceport. Its captain reported the lost of the Niven, the Battleship Kinshasa, the destroyer Thundering Waters and the disappearance of the McCaffrey.

IC mercenary units working for the ESU capture NSL possessions on Salzburg. With the aid of the SK troops the ESU finally takes Tsitsihar from the RH.

The long drawn out border war with the with odd forays in to NAC space and periods of peace when one side or another brokers a cease fire. The PRM government endeavouring to increase PRM influence and territory at the expense of the NAC and FSE without appearing as too large a threat and getting swatted. For their part neither the NAC or FSE can really afford an aggressively hostile PRM on their borders due to the huge losses of the 3rd Solar War.

Unexplained attacks and incidents increase in frequency, affecting not only PAU space but other nations as well; with the ongoing state of war between the NAC and ESU, much blame is placed by each power on the other. Both blocs, however, begin to realise that something far more important is happening.
 
Late in the year, NAC Fleet Intelligence recovers the first identifiable alien debris following an encounter near Angel II in which a NAC squadron managed to destroy two ships from an attacking alien group. For the first time, Humanity has positive proof that the attackers are another sentient life-form.

2184.01.26, a convoy raid by IF ships outside Naveh system employs a full cruiser/destroyer group. The engagement initiates a review of deep space patrol, convoy, and hunter doctrine. Fear of increased IF aggression blends with escalation of the Kra'Vak hostilities to spike NI Naval production.

The first co-operative action between the ESU and NAC against the Kra’Vak (KV) occurs at the Battle of Sulaxar; although tensions still run high (especially in diplomatic circles), the Militaries of both main powers (several smaller nations) are coming inexorably together in the face of a much greater threat.
 
2085.07.28, the UN Assembly declares that a state of war now officially exists between all the nations of Humanity and the race known as the Kra'Vak (KV); the First InterSentient War has truly begun.

ITTT immediatly cedes the Mimas base and shipyard to the UNSC for production of warships against the Kra'Vak. Later in the year, rumors start to surface that the Mirkieim ship yard has jumped to round-the-clock production and of a new shipyard named Adzel.

A strong peace movement gains strength in the FSU and the governemnt makes overtures to the FSE for an end to hostilities.

Early in the year, the advances towards joint ESU/NAC response to the Kra'Vak (KV) aggression falter when a ESU naval unit fails to assist an NAC squadron under attack by alien forces off Caleb. Finally escaping with barely 25% of his force, Commodore Farris accuses the ESU of standing off from the action in order to gain control of the Caleb system. The diplomatic repercussions gradually settle, but illustrate the deep distrust that still exists between the major powers.
 
The KV offensive gathers momentum and very late in the year reports begin to come in of the first surface assaults by the KV.

After replenishing most defense fleets from the losses of the Homeland war, NI leases some of its ship construction capabilities to the powers gearing up to fight the KV incursion.

The ground war with the Kra'vak started in the Lagos VI system (CD 45 7228), when a PAU mining colony was attacked.

The first major success against KraVak (KV) ground forces is reported on the NSL outworld of Rheinhold, where a combined force of NSL and NAC marines supporting local Militia units manage to beat off an attempted planetary landing by the alien invaders. Rheinhold then survives five months of protracted siege and repeated landing attempts before the Kra’Vak are driven out of the system by the arrival of a large joint task force of NAC, NSL, RDC and FCT ships.
 
Elsewhere humanity does not fare so well, andthe aliens continue tomake inroads toward the core systems. Virtually no information is released to the public concerning what is happening on the worlds taken by the KV, which causes widespread panic as rumours of massacre and genocide spread. Public opinion on Earth, Centaurus and Bernard swings in favour of pulling all forces back from the outworlds to defend the core. Such a defensive concept does not find favour with the Military, nor (naturally) with the colonial population.

A skirmish between a small NI and IF group is interrupted by the Kra'Vak. Israeli and Islamic ships belatedly fight side by side for the first time, but are destroyed. Logs found in the debris record the mutual respect of the NI and IF commanders. After replenishing most defense fleets from the losses of the Homeland war, NI leases some of its ship construction capabilities to the powers gearing up to fight the Kra’vak incursion.

Contact is mad with a second Xenosentient species; the Sa'Vasku (SV) send a message to humanity by returning a survivor of the crew of the UNS McCaffrey, arranging a rendezvous that is attended by a joint NAC/ESU task force accompanied by a UN ambassador and xenospecialist team. After a very strange and inconclusive (to the humans) meeting between the UN delegation and the SV contact constructs, mankind is still not sure if it has found new friends or new enemies.
 
Over the following years of the war, SV ships and fleets turn up apparently at random throughout human space, sometimes hostile, sometimes friendly, and sometimes just observing; contact with them proves impossible unless they wish to initiate it, and mankind is still no nearer understanding their motives or agenda.

The Battleship Dayan and a small contingent from the Deep Range Escort Fleet join the multinational force for expected first contact rendezvous with the "Sa'Vasku."

The Kra'Vak (KV) push toward the core continues unabated, with mankind scoring only minor successes in space and planetside against the onslaught. Late in the year, a rapid thrust by KV forces deep into Human space is only narrowly defeated when they attack Centaurus, a battle which causes heavy losses to the allied human fleets and great damage to the orbital colonies of the Centaurus system. The appearance of susch a large enemy fleet deep within the core puches all the human nations into closer co-operation in the fight to defeat the KV.

A minor NI-IF skirmish is jumped by Kra'Vak raiders, who attack both sides indiscriminantly. The KV destroy half of both human forces and are pursuing the remnants when the Phalons PC arrive and attack the KV. The Phalons gain the upper hand and start to barter/ransom the initial combatants for which side they will join in the original conflict. Before negotiations are complete, a Sa'Vasku SV force shows up and destroys all fleets in the vicinity. [NI, Official]

A brief lull occurs in thefighting while the Kra'Vak (KV), presumably hurting from the defeat at Centaurus, consolidate their gains in human space and regroup for their next push.
 
Late in the year, the offensive resumes, but with a steadier and more co-ordinated strategy than the piecemeal strikes of the earlier years. The human forces give ground slowly as the KV waves strike at system after system.

First contact between Humanity and the Phalon Conglomerate (PC) and race is made when PC ship is fired on and destroyed by an FSE force in the Rhone system. Other encounters with the PC follow, including several retaliatory attacks, until proper communication is finally established and the two races begin to understand something of the other. In the event, diplomatic relations with the PC appear almost as unpredictable as with the Sa'Vasku, with different factions within the PC siding with either Humanity or the Kra'Vak seemingly at whim.

KV expeditionary forces are turned back at NI's Sabra (barely, with both the aid of Japanese forces, and the surprise and timely arrival of a small SV force) and Gan (decisively). Casualties of the Sabra conflict include some of the last foreign constructed capital ships in the fleet; the CVL Diaspora (NAC Inflexible conversion) is destroyed and the BB Meir (NSL Maria Von Borgund) is severely damaged and scrapped.

The KV continue their pressure on the Hu'man. In July, a small KV deep penetration force actually slips through Sol's system defences and reaches as far as Mars orbit, hitting several orbital facilities before the defending fleets can intercept and destroy the invaders. Civilian panic on Earth rises.

In a briliant, heroic effort, half completed ships from the UNSC Mimas Shipyard join with with fleets from racing from Earth orbit to chase off the KV raid. While successful, it was all due to luck. The UNSC forces were stationed 8° off from where the KV entered from Jump Space. This distance proved great enough that the KV were able to boost out of range of the UNSC weapon range and keep that distance until they reached Mars. At that point faced with chasing UNSC capital ships and a larger waiting force, the KV had to divert course from Earth. However, thier new course provides them passing shots at Mars and its orbital facilities, protected only by a group of cruisers and destoryers. A number of orbital ore processing facilities were destoryed as well as the city of Bradbury that succumbed to kinetic stirkes from orbit. An estimated 1.3 million died in the attacks. The protecting ships took heavy damage, but could have taken far worse if the KV had decided to fight it out. The ships from the Mimas shipyard were operating only on half power and only the Point Defense and Class-1 beam weapons were hooked up. Additionally, the valiant crews were all suited, as the life support systems were yet to be installed.

It becomes obvious that a major KV push into the core, and probably to Sol itself, is very near. In desperation, the UNSC (co-ordinatingthe defence of the core systems) orders all human forces to withdraw their ships from the colonies to interdict the core worlds. While many units comply, others refuse to abandon their colonial home-systems which are still under attack from KV forces. As the New Year approaches, the remnants of the UNSC/allied fleets begin to gather for a last-ditch defence of the core.

NI, with Gan (E-Indi) located closer to the Core Worlds than many of the Inner Colonies, agrees to coordinate a significant portion of its deep-space and assault forces with the UNSC to join defense of the Core.

While other battles still rage in many of the colonial systems, the KV main force arrives at the core. Barnard and the already badly hurt Centaurus are attacked repeatedly by powerful KV fleets.
 
2194.05 The first of the KV attacks on Earth's outer defences begin. The Siege of Sol has started...

edited by Jerry Han