Vega-Nova War (2025)
| Vega-Nova War (2025) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 _Longy's Destroyer opens fire with Laser Cannons on AssassinXX's Light Gunship during the Laser Cannon Incident | |||||
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| Participants | |||||
 Separatist Alliance |
 United Luxit States | ||||
The Vega-Nova War is an ongoing major military conflict on Horizon's End between the Novan-Separatist Alliance and the combined forces of Vega, Oblivion, United Luxit States, and Vask Authority. It is the largest conflict on Horizon's End since the end of the Ilios Alliance-Vask Authority War 7 months prior, the first conflict since the introduction of Interceptors, and has seen some of the largest battles in server history.
History
Prelude
Vegan Neutrality
Following the end of the Horizon Federation-RentDueYesterday War in January 2024 - a conflict which saw Vega in conflict with the majority of the server's players in its first two months - then-Emperor Vandrayk of Vega announced the "Vega Neutrality Act", which promised that "for the foreseeable future Vega would like to extend a cease of hostilities and neutrality to all nations". While the declaration was initially met with skepticism on account of Vega's past history of militarism and conflict with other nations, following this declaration Vega would refrain from initiating conflicts with other nations; indeed, Vega's only hostile military actions towards other major nations on the server whatsoever in the following year were the Battle of Asteri (a one-off occasion) in June 2024, and the Vega-Ekatera War in January 2025. Emperor MaidPierce of Vega was quoted on 20 February 2025 as saying, "fighting the entire server just does not sound fun anymore" - a change in posture that would substantially reshape politics on the server.
Novan-Vegan Relations
The nations of Imperial Nova and Vega have held some degree of hostile relations for much of their period of coexistence, on both Horizon's End and its predecessor StarLegacy. The nations fought directly in the Cheth Wars, the Vega-Nova War (2023), the Alliance of Regulus-Vega War, and the Horizon Federation-RentDueYesterday War, as well as indirectly by proxy in the Ilios Alliance-Vask Authority War.
While Vega became inactive for several months following the conclusion of the Ilios Alliance-Vask Authority War and the release of the Vask Authority Leak (which saw a then-member of their leadership permanently banned from the server), following their return to activity in December 2024, Imperial Nova attempted to siege a Vegan-owned Siege Station due to a custody dispute, resulting in a battle between the nations referred to as the 30 December Incident. In the months following this incident, Imperial Nova and Vega existed in a state of politically-ambiguous military hostility, punctuated by occasional minor combat engagements and Siege Station battles. No formal conflict was declared or pursued by either party in this time, due among other factors to Imperial Nova themselves becoming inactive in January and February 2025.
It reads, "Me when I have to siege Vega because I'm bored", and depicts a man pointing a gun while crying.
7 March Vega-Nova Siege
On 25 February 2025, Imperial Nova publicly announced in a post: "[we're] officially un-killing the nation," soliciting recruitment of new members and cooperation with prospective allied groups, and claiming to offer "political influence, ships, materials, infrastructure, combat training, military protection, [and] action". On 6 March, the new, combat-oriented nation of Separatist Alliance took up the offer, striking a formal alliance with Imperial Nova at 3:06PM EST.
The following day, on 7 March, a Novan Frigate and Gunship, assisted for the first time by a fleet of 4 Separatist Starfighters, sieged a Vegan-owned Siege Station in northwestern Sirius. While this was not the first siege battle between Vegan and Novan forces since the 30 December Incident, the larger Novan-Separatist fleet was met with a proportionally larger Vegan-allied fleet, consisting of 13 ships from Vega and her allies of Oblivion, Vask Authority, and United Luxit States (with Vega and Oblivion constituting the bulk of the fleet). The battle was a decisive loss for the Novan-Separatist Alliance, with all six ships being destroyed.
The following day, citing "the open association with The Seperatist Alliance and known pirate organization 'SettlerGod'", Emperor MaidPierce of Vega announced "a Special Military Operation to prevent any further attacks by Imperial Nova or Novan associates". Emperor _Longy of Imperial Nova responded 13 seconds later with a jocular announcement declaring that "Imperial Noba declares WHAR" [sic].