... Out of the Frying Pan; the Fire Beckons
After the bedraggled and somewhat battered Codexian fleets withdrew from Raumen space in order to prepare for a more general conflict with the Hin'in, the war took on cataclysmic proportions for the insectoids. The Hin'in chose not to hold back any of the strength they had so carefully husbanded for a generation, and launched a general offensive as soon as the humans were momentarily out of the picture. Thousands of vessels swarmed over Raumen space. Vicious fighting shook the stars themselves, as the Raumeni, in turn, directed most of their strength against the humanoids. Though a few clans did begin probing Codexian defenses (even managing to raid Ossian III in March 267AU), they were generally rebuffed with little fuss. Human strength along the border was overpowering.
To say that the war effort was unpopular - even without the extensive mobilization that would soon follow - in Codexian space would be a monumental understatement. The Raumeni had been long-time friends and neighbors. Their plight was felt keenly, especially in the core worlds where most of their handcrafted wares ended up. The bilateral trade that had powered both economies for decades slackened, at first, and then fell away almost entirely. Tens of thousands lost their jobs in the first month or so; millions were to follow. In order to cope with the strain of the war effort, the government once again began spending heavily on efforts to soften the blows of the war, whilst at the same time making preparations for the institution of an outright war economy. A few very ugly scenes of rioting and other forms of public disorder made the headlines throughout April. There were deaths, mostly amongst the rioters.
By June, it had become obvious that the Raumen were well on the way to losing their struggle against the telepaths. Funeral dirges for entire clan fleets were sung, as they fought manfully against a superior foe. Of course, this was no mismatch of the Phyr-Turanei sort. The Hin'in were taking frightful losses, in slowly subjugating the Raumen. In a wartime first, human journalists were able to cover a great deal of the conflict as it happened, by attaching themselves to the formations of those few clans that were still friendly to Codexianity. This extensive coverage did not, unfortunately, help the public to overcome its unease with the conflict. If anything, consternation rose, as the Hin'in clawed their way into the Raumeni strongholds. October was to prove a pivotal month. Codexian strategists had ascertained that, if the Hin'in were not halted during October, the tenuous hold the Raumeni maintained over their most sensitive territories would be severed. That would leave the Hin'in with the vast majority of Raumeni space under their thumb, and humanity with the odious task of retaking it through a fight against a 'dug-in' foe.
Do you... unleash your fleets at their current readiness, in order to catch the Hin'in 'flatfooted'? Though not yet one hundred percent, the combat readiness of your forces is much higher than previously.
OR
Do you... hold off on launching the offensive, until you are absolutely certain you have a force superiority over the Hin'in?
. It's a shame that this excellent Barbarian's project is degraded by retards.
