It has been a week since the deployment of the Battleship Concord in the so-called Siege of Bering. Liberty ordered the advance with the intention of putting the criminals and insurrectionists dwelling there to the sword. This operation saw the Liberty Navy commit to the fiercest and bloodiest pitched battles since the end of the Gallic War. The armada’s first objective was securing Freeport 2, a Zoner trade station that had been hijacked by pirates and outlaws following Liberty’s original withdrawal from the region. Fearing the station could be used to attack their rear lines and logistics vessels during the push on Marshall, orders were given to destroy the base. Rumours and accusations swirl that the occupants were not given the opportunity to evacuate or surrender, in a move closer to an execution than a pacification. Despite this, verified details are scarce due to the ongoing press blackout.

Marshall Station posed a significantly harder target, nestled deep inside the Tanner Asteroid Belt and Gate Debris Field. While initially blindsided by the speed at which Freeport 2 was eliminated, Separatist and Legion forces quickly launched a suicidal vanguard action to protect evacuating logistics ships. Further calls to the Commonwealth for reinforcement and resupply were abruptly denied, to the fury of Hellfire commanders. While the Concord’s forces were surprised by the tenacity and resolve with which the hopelessly outgunned insurgents fought, the formations of freshly equipped Overlord dreadnoughts ultimately wrought a grievous toll. As the plasma vapour cleared, it became evident that many of the Separatist and Legion’s most infamous vessels and officers had been annihilated to ensure the evacuation’s success.

As the combined insurgent fleet began a fighting retreat to escape the system, Marshall Station was torn asunder by the combined fire of several squadrons of Siege Cruisers - putting an end to the Seperatist’s legacy in the system. As the survivors set a heading for the Vespucci system, it was determined that it was of critical importance to launch a counter-attack while the combined fleet was still concentrated. This would hopefully distract Liberty sufficiently to prevent further pursuit, and simultaneously strike a blow in revenge for those who had fallen. It was decided that the fleet would travel via California, and strike at Willard Research Station. A final request was submitted to the Commonwealth demanding emergency reinforcement and resupply for the operation. The response was simple: the battlegroup were to be arrested as mutineers and forced to stand trial for the colossal loss of life the Hellfire Legion had suffered in Bering.

In return, the rogue fleet issued an unprecedented broadcast to all Separatist, Legion and Commonwealth assets: the Commonwealth government was to be dissolved for treason. The fleet's surviving officers agreed that their best odds lay in merging their command structures, and took on the moniker of the Liberty Insurgency for that purpose. Upon jumping into California, the fleet made best speed for Willard. In part due to the Navy’s regular forces rotations, Willard was comparatively under strength - particularly with many of the Navy's active duty pilots picking up assignments left vacant by the Bering deployment. In an overwhelming strike, the Willard asteroid was cracked open under withering firepower. Now on high alert, Liberty forces all across the system began to mobilize, while the Insurgency prepared to cause as much damage as possible before beating a retreat.

09:00 UTC, Tuesday 2nd June - Tuesday 9th June.