Caldari Prime, D-Day Plus 10
Caldari Prime -- Ten days after the lightning assault by Caldari forces on Caldari Prime, Caldari Navy marines and Provist paramilitary forces continue to fight sporadic battles against hold outs from the Federation garrison force and partisan forces, while at the same time enforcing a strict curfew and isolating the Gallente sectors of the major cities. While few reports are escaping from the planet -- which has been locked down tightly by the Caldari picket fleet in orbit -- news has trickled out from transmitters that have been hidden from Caldari sweeps or which are in locations still held by the few Federal forces remaining on the planet.
According to a handful of reporters from the Scope who managed to escape the chaos of the Caldari landings, most of the Gallente garrison forces previously on the planet either quickly surrendered or retreated into the rugged, mountainous areas of the planet's main continent shortly after the Caldari assault began. “The size of the Caldari force caught most of the planet's military forces off guard; many of them had previously been involved in peacekeeping activities following President Foirtain's declaration of martial law,” said one Scope reporter, whose identity is being kept a secret out of safety concerns. “With Caldari jamming cutting Federation troops off from high command, a number of senior officers issued immediate retreat orders, and began pulling back towards more defensible positions.”
The result of those orders was bloody fighting in many areas, especially near Vielle de Tempete, a Federation military stronghold in the Kaalakiota Mountains where the remnants of at least two Federation infantry regiments had dug in. However, on the second day of fighting there, Caldari forces called in a series of orbital artillery strikes on the military base, devastating the troops dug in there. How many Federation troops survived the bombardment is unclear, but Caldari forces have been watching escape routes from the mountain complex closely to pick up stragglers.
The few Federation forces that escaped the Caldari assault or the subsequent dragnet have taken to the wilderness or faded into the civilian population; most organized resistance has collapsed, though sporadic attacks on occupying forces continue in many of the planet's larger cities. With much of the Caldari marines assigned to securing strategic resources and transportation hubs, Provist troops have been placed in charge of enforcing the tight curfew and movement restrictions placed on the planet's majority Gallente population. According to Scope reports, there have been few challenges to the Provists' authority since the first or second day after the invasion. Provist troops have cracked down hard on anyone violating curfew or restrictions on the right to assemble.
“In this neighborhood alone, I've seen at least two to three hundred arrests in the last week,” said one Scope contact. “The military government has announced that trials will begin 'once the situation has been normalized,' and that anyone arrested will be held until that time to ensure the planetary security. Considering the brutality exhibited during some of these arrests, however, many here suspect that they have little hope of seeing their loved ones again.”
Reports from the planet also indicate that senior officials of the Federal planetary government and the planetary garrison have been missing since last Tuesday. While the governor's palace and other major government buildings in the planet's capital were some of the first targets of the invasion forces, rumors persist that some members of the government or garrison command staff managed to escape capture. The Scope has promised to continue updates so long as their contacts on the planet manage to send reports.
