In December 794 UC, to commemorate the thirtieth year of the reign of Kaiser Friedrich IV, the Galactic Empire announces a large scale military campaign against the Free Planets Alliance comprising of 35,400 ships. While news of the impending invasion quickly reaches the Alliance via Fezzan, the Alliance response almost causes a scandal when a merchant convoy bringing vital supplies to the front lines is almost destroyed by Imperial cruisers due to the majority of the Alliance escorting warships shirking their responsibilities and abandoning the merchant ships before they reach their destination.
