Fourth Battle of York
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This is a historical article, describing a past event or events that occurred on Shartak. |
Contents
Hostilities Begin
The Fourth Battle of York started in early-to-mid-February 2007 when Keiichi hired the Mercenary's Guild to besiege York. Upon being tipped off that the Mercenary's Guild was planning something in York, several Colonial Police officers surrounded a hut in which mercenary leader The Malice was sleeping. Upon discovering he was surrounded, he tried to escape but was shot dead by Colonial Officers. Swearing revenge, the Guild decided an invasion was needed. Saying they would only attack the Colonial Police and the Shartak Protestant League, the Guild rushed into York, killing several officers and citizens who had voiced their dislike of the Guild.
York's Defenders
Though the CP and the Mercenary's Guild were the most prominent combatants in the Fourth Battle of York, neither side was without allies. The Colonial Police received substantial assistance from the Order of Patriots, the 1st Colonial Militia, Colonial Counter-Terrorist Unit and the Derby Hospitallers. The 1st Derby Privateers, annoyed with what they considered the unacceptable behavior of the Colonial Police, renounced their alliance with the CP at the invasion's outset. The 1DP sat out the remainder of the battle.
The Invaders
Like the CP, the mercenaries were not alone in their war against York. The Jolly Roger Gang, having long declared its hostility to York, chose this opportunity to put its words into action and joined the MG's assault. Also joining the assault was the 1st Imperial Privateers Regiment. 1IPR announced its intention to withdraw from its raid on the native town of Wiksik to help the mercenaries in their invasion.
The Battle
Although weakened, the Colonial Police did not stop fighting. They soon launched a powerful counter-attack that killed nine mercenaries, among them 'The Butcher of York' himself- Tom Failur. The Order of Patriots, in addition to inflicting casualties on the invaders, hunted down and killed the nearest roaming shaman, forcing the invaders to revive much farther away. York's defenders coordinated their efforts, putting together patrols to sniff out and eliminate hostiles. The Guild, out of arms and men, vowed to return with more soldiers.
A few days later, the Mercenary's Guild returned, and averaging "five kills a day," according to the Guild's spokesman. The war moved from downtown York to the surrounding jungle, as the two sides pursued a two-sided guerrilla warfare campaign against one another. According to the Yorkman newspaper, the Fourth Battle resulted in just over 200 deaths. The vast majority of these casualties were borne by the Mercenary's Guild, the Colonial Police, and the 1st Imperial Privateers. It should be noted that these are only kills logged in the Shartak Underworld, so these figures are probably a tad low.
The Effects
The Fourth Invasion had little effect on the long-standing grudge between the Mercenary's Guild and the Colonial Police. If anything, the positions were only hardened. However, the particularly poor performance of the Imperial Privateers (suffering a 2:1 casualty to kill ratio) resulted in a distinct loss of prestige for that clan. The Imperials' version of events is detailed here. The 1st Imperial Bank left York, headed for the shipwreck, but CP leader Kjendlie publicly requested its return, apparently trusting the Bank's claims of neutrality.
On the York side, frictions developed between several of the defenders in the wake of the battle. First the Colonial Militia withdrew from the Alliance of York, and the Derby Hospitallers soon followed. This is ironic, given that the two clans agreed on virtually nothing. Long-time Colonial Policeman Nighter also departed the CP. Meanwhile, politically-motivated hostilities between CM member Arminius and CP officer Che threatened to drive the CM and CP further apart.
The primary effect of the Fourth Invasion seems to be a hardening of the stances of the two major combatants. A fifth invasion was universally expected. However, with inactivity causing the demises of the Colonial Police, Mercenary's Guild, Order of Patriots, Jolly Roger Gang, Scurvy Crew, and the 1st Imperial Privateers Regiment, coupled with the disbanding of the Colonial Counter-Terrorist Unit, this now seems unlikely. The successors to these groups have all moved on to other issues. Only the 1st Colonial Militia and the two Derbian groups remain.
Also See
First Battle of York
Second Battle of York
Third Battle of York
