Cadrel Expanse
 |
An Outer Rim sector in the galactic-south quadrant of the galaxy near the Binaural Sector and close to the Unknown Regions. It consists of 10 systems, 9 of which are held by the New Republic (the Elornia system is held by an Imperial faction), and approximately 28 planets.
History
The Cadrel Expanse is a sector of systems on the fringes of the Outer Rim close to the Unknown Regions of space. The Old Republic had discovered the region and set up an expeditionary outpost in one of the more habitable systems to listen for extra-galactical beings outside the known galaxy, and marked the Cadrel Expanse as very suitable for the exploitation of natural resources. But the Old Republic never formally expanded into the area because its extremely far location from the rest of the known galaxy caused the price of transportation of importing essential supplies and the cost of transportation of exporting the raw minerals to customers to be an unprofitable undertaking by any mining conglomerate. The direct result of this was little interest was taken in the Cadrel Expanse and it was not thoroughly explored because of its low priority.
Not until after the fall of the Empire and the rise of the New Republic did the system begin to ascend in its importance. With many Imperial factions and other self-proclaimed warlords being forced back into the Outer Rim and into the areas of the Unknown Regions by the forces of the New Republic, the Cadrel Expanse became the border zone of the conflict between these galactic fleets. Five years after the Battle of Endor, this sector of space now has significant strategic importance.
Imperial Intelligence units have created estimates that the Cadrel Expanse must be taken by Imperial forces because the raw minerals in the sector are essential to the continued life of the Imperial war machine. The excellent location also gives Imperial commanders potential bases to launch attacks into the heart of New Republic space. Their counterparts at New Republic Intelligence have come to the same conclusions and New Republic leaders have sent fleets to safeguard any colonists and put a stop to what may give the Imperials an upper hand in this conflict.
The ensuing war has come to be known as the Cadrel Expanse Conflict or the Outer Rim War. The original Imperial factions involved in the conflict included the Star Vipers (SV), Vast Empire (VE), and Last Starfighter League (LSF). However, not only did these factions fight against the New Republic fleets spearheaded by the Rebel Squadrons (RS), but also amongst themselves, making it a chaotic free for all conflict. This gave the forces of the New Republic the edge they needed in the first significant engagements that took place in the Titania system. Following the Titania system's liberation, the commanders of the LSF pulled their forces back to their own borders, knocking them out of the war. In their place rose the powerful battle fleets of the Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet (EH) during the battles for the planets of the Dia Pas system. The Emperor's Hammer were able to cause significant damage to the New Republic fleets through swift hit and fade tactics and caused the RS' bunkering of the Dia Pas system to be very sparse and unorganized, but still successful. In response to the EH's and RS' larger battle fleets and manpower, the smaller factions united to form the Cadrel Coalition. This new alliance included the Star Vipers, Vast Empire, and a small pro-New Republic faction looking for a way to tap into the mineral riches that the Cadrel Expanse offered. However, the Coalition still did not compare to the firepower of the EH and RS fleets.
After their initial successes in the liberation of the Titania and Dia Pas systems, RS scout vessels discovered that the EH had moved swiftly to establish a presence in the nearby Elornia system - construction of an Imperial outpost had already begun on the lucrative planet of Elakia. Unwilling to let the Emperor's Hammer gain such an important foothold in the Cadrel Expanse, RS command ordered a significant portion of their fleet to the Elornia system in response. What resulted was three weeks of substantial battling, but the Rebel Squadrons battle group was unable to successfully remove the already entrenched Imperials and the outpost still remains. The defeated New Republic forces withdrew, leaving both sides a short while to lick their wounds before the race to the next system…which would prove to be the turning point in the war.
After receiving such a punishing blow from the forces of the Emperor's Hammer in the Elornia system battles, Rebel Squadron soldiers and pilots alike were eager to return the compliments as RS High Command authorized the inevitable strike against the recently arrived entrenched EH forces in the Vectain system. The Battle for the Vectain system would prove to be the largest and bloodiest engagement of the entire Cadrel Conflict. New intensity was added to the Cadrel Conflict when two new factions, the Imperial Order (IO) and New Republic 5th Fleet (5F), joined in the fray, but met with moderate success at best in their campaigns. But the Rebel Squadrons were able to strike back at the EH despite the new arrivals. The RS delivered swift retribution against the Emperor's Hammer forces by destroying a starfighter staging base and defeating large contingents of Stormtroopers on the humid world of Mercurius. Losses for both sides were high, but RS commando units were able to destroy an Imperial communications facility on Mercurius that caused enough of a disruption for the main elements of the RS' fleet to launch its primary assault on the Vectain system through a hazardous 'back door' route lightly guarded by EH cruisers. The surprise assault gave the ships of the Rebel Squadrons the edge they needed to carry the day. From then on, the Rebel Squadrons gained enough momentum to take system by system in the Cadrel Expanse and the Imperial remnants were never able to catch up.
After the combat-intensive ordeal of the Battle of the Vectain system, the RS never lost its momentum. The RS, EH, and Cadrel Coalition continued to tentatively lock weapons, but the fleets of the Rebel Squadrons won engagement after engagement. With new blitzing strike tactics, the New Republic's frontline force swept through the Cadrel Expanse with the Elenian system, Anshife system, Genji system, Malkoria system, Yuen Lon system, and Oberon system all being secured. However, the Imperial outpost in the Elornia system still remains under the care of the left behind troops of the Emperor's Hammer.
The soldiers, fighters, and capital ships of the Rebel Squadrons now continually patrol the space of this sector and the Cadrel Expanse is now recognized by the New Republic Senate as part of New Republic space. Once again the border between Imperial remnant factions and the New Republic has shifted. Under the vigilant watch of the men and women of the Rebel Squadrons, peace now reigns in the region and development of the mineral-rich planets of the Expanse has begun.
