Institute of Cellulose

The Imperium High Command came to the Council with an idea. A quick and easy campaign to seize the colony and roll over Gettysburg was rather pathetic. They noted that, while extremely strong and having Columbian-level training, they would be unlikely to be able to actually resist a military campaign for long, especially not against the superior forces of the Imperium. They pointed out the facts. The Imperium had 8.4 million men deployed on Ryuten. They'd only need 100,000 to seize Gettysburg and the Columbian Colony. The Imperium Council was certainly interested. But Kieran Morgan brought up a concern: how sure was the high command that Columbia wouldn't try to retake the colony? The High Command offered a counterargument. stating the objective fact that the strong Anti-Imperium War faction had only been bolstered with the re-attention of Columbia to the oranics. Congress would be paralyzed. hopefully for long enough for the campaign to be over. And the hope was that the Columbians wouldn't dare to strike back. Afterall. Why risk a dual front between the Cosmocracy and Imperium for what was seen to most Columbians as a lowly colony? Most Columbians didn't even know it existed. Little economic value was provided.

Although the High Command did admit that sympathies for the Gettysburgians would run high across Columbia, this would most certainly put a damper on their plans. Plus. The hegemony, especially if the equestrians decide to help their Gettysburgian allies, might also be an issue. The Council would review the data for the next few days before calling up the High Command. They had the go-ahead, however, with the stipulation that the council wanted the campaign over in a month. and potential IA responses subdued within the first 2 weeks of the invasion. The High Command was overjoyed. The Imperium would move seven carrier fleets from their Indian bases, sneakily going down south to Australia. then through the Tasmanian Sea until they reached the North Pafisc. The journey took them around a week as they were moving at full speed. These carrier fleets were also carrying 150,000 men and almost 3,000 aircraft. Meanwhile, 10 Imperium Venators would be moved to the Pacific region. This would be caught by the early warning radar system in Ebott. but it wouldn't matter at this rate. Meanwhile, five carrier fleets would arrive in the Caribbean through orbital deployment, carrying around 100,000 men for the Gettysburigan campaign.

It would be 1 a.m. when the order would be given. The Columbians, in a surprise attack by the Imperium, would have their two major bases in the Sunflower Colony bombed and then immediately captured by the Imperium Naval Fleets. The Colonial Governor was only able to give a frantic call to the Emperor before being killed in an Imperium orbital strike on the Colonial Captial. The Imperium had planned this attack on July 25th for one reason. It was the Emperor of Columbia's birthday. Meanwhile, Columbian Sattlites orbiting Ryuten would be destroyed through a systematic campaign of missle lunaches from India, while ambivous landings would take place at the Gettysburgian City of Harborview. The president had already evacuated the city with her cabinet and the Columbian ambassadors. Several other Gotesian cities would be bombed by Imperium aircraft throughout the remainder of the night. 

The Columbians only figured out something was happening when At around 3 a.m. EST, the Columbian Ambassador called the Emperor in a panic. Stating that the Imperium had in the night strikes and taken the Gettysburgian Captial. Nearly 30 minutes later, the Emperor caught a call from the Sunflower Colonial Defense Force. Stating that Columbian Ryuten Nicaragua was currently facing naval invasions from an unknown invader. and that the Columbian Naval Airbase and Naval Base in the colony facing the Pacific had been completely captured by these unknown invaders; at the same time, NASA reported that all of their Ryuten Civilian satellites had mysteriously gone offline. By 6 a.m., the Imperium invasion was in full swing, with Gettysburgian Haiti already being occupied by peacekeeping units and the local Colombian forces being swept aside. and it would be that the galaxy would wake up to. Frantic reports from nearly every outlet in Columbia would report a surprise invasion. Those in other nations would likely hear reports that the Columbian Colonial Garrison had been completely obliterated by the Imperium's opening attack, which it had for the most part been. Most of its men had surrendered or died due to being asleep. Most of the sunflower colony had fallen.

The Imperium, in almost real time, could be seen advancing to the coast of the Atlantic. On camera footage, Columbian vehicles were destroyed, and Columbian units were just surrederning without firing a shot. By noon, the Gettysburgians had managed to evacuate whatever they had left from Haiti; however, Cuba was still falling fast. The opening hours of the war had shown this footage to the Imperium High Command as well. who was extremely surprised. The Columbians were just rolling over, and they had captured thousands of intact Columbian Equpiments. The early destruction of the Columbian Satlite network had destroyed their rather rudimentary military defense network for ryuten, which the Columbians had just assumed they could rely entirely on the Ebottians for, making coordination impossible. They had even caught the Gettysburgians off guard and managed to take their capital. The only victory for Columbia that day would be the Indepedence's last stand over the Atlantic, where the Progentior Class and its fleet held off an almost 6-hour constant assault, destroying at least 10 Imperium Venators before it had to withdraw due to loosening all of its shields and taking over 90% of Critical Hall damage. 

Nova Wooloo was silent as the day came to a close. already had an emergency meeting of the cabinet, and the Imperial High Command had already been called. By the next day of the war, arguing had already broken out in Columbia's Congress. while warhawk senators demanded total war against the Imperium, even suggesting using this unwanted attack as a chance to call their IA allies into Congress. Anti-war Senators equally yelled, calling for the abandonment of the colony. while moderates proposed an operation to save the Gettysburgians but to abandon this colony. The Imperial High Command suggested much the same to the Emperor and Chancellor. while the Chancellor, being against the Imperium, suggested asking the Imperium for terms in an attempt to save Gettysburg diplomatically. The Emperor faithfully ordered a military response without delay. However, the anti-war senators had managed to gain a majority through bribes. and forbade the Emperor from declaring an outright war against the Imperium. while more staunch anti-war activists would have wanted more. There was nothing more that could be done.

The Forigen Secretariat would request Ebottian and Hegemonic military assistance in a campaign not to wipe the Imperium from the Galaxy like the warhawks in Congress had hoped. but to save the Gettysburgians and reclaim the Columbian Colony. While the Imperium would defend their actions under the context of a "Special Military Operation" to end the discrimination against Cryementheans in Gettysburg and to liberate their people from a xenophilic government, and would also announce the annexation of the Columbian Sunflower Colony. and the creation of the Kingdom of Gettysburg. a Crynementhean Kingdom that would replace the Gettysbrugian Government once the war was over. This collaboration government would be mostly made out of the wealthy Galarian Cryenemthean Class but was for all intensive purposes. would be an imperium puppet state through and through. Kanadia would watch silently until news of a battle occurring at Mabilores reached their shores. the major city on the island of Cuba before Gettysburg would be over. Kanadia had sworn itself to netruality.