(Event) The Trinary Corporate War

The VFCZ Trinary Corporate War, also known as the Trinary Corporate War, the Four Hour War, and the Pentastar Usurpation was a 5 ABY military conflict on Entralla between the three largest corporations of the Velcar Free Commerce Zone—Dynamic Automata, Seraphan Photonics, and Galentro Heavyworks—and the Remnant Imperial forces led by Grand Moff Ardus Kaine. 

Following the collapse of the Empire, Entralla's turbulent corporate power vacuum became even more precarious, as the Big Three corporations tightened their grip on their assets and frequently sought to undermine their competitors, barely kept in check by the Commerce Zone officials and Entralla's planetary government, which were vastly overshadowed in both scale and influence by the companies themselves. The situation on Entralla, already tantamount to corporate slavery for most citizens, became even more authoritarian as fear rose on all sides.

The powder keg was exacerbated, and finally lit, by the hostile actions of disgruntled former Galentro subsidiary MotArenX Transport Solutions, whose ambitious plays for power escalated from boardroom maneuvers to corporate espionage to, eventually, outright terrorism. Seraphan and DynaMata held Galentro responsible for MotArenX's bomb plots, while Galentro disowned their actions but also defended their leadership from the boldest allegations. 

Eventually, the situation passed the point of no return. During Entralla's largest cultural festival, the Parade of Ghosts, MotArenX-sponsored militants carried out a plot to attack the parade with a sonic explosive, with the aim of causing massive loss of life. As security was sponsored that year by Seraphan Photonics, the intent was to ridicule Seraphan's capabilities and lower their stock among shareholders, as well as cause general panic. 

A small team of former Imperial Intelligence operatives attempted to stop the plot, but was betrayed from within and ultimately failed. The explosives detonated a block away from the ongoing parade, killing approximately two thousand beings.

In the wake of the devastation, all corporate entities went on high alert. Tens of thousands of corporate citizens were given mandatory service transfers to "Direct Solutions" teams—meaning scores of unwilling civilians were drafted into corporate militias, in preparation for imminent corporate war. When the fighting began, projected casualty estimates were in the millions, all to protect corporate assets from hostile acquisition.

Some would say Grand Moff Ardus Kaine arrived in the nick of time. Some would say his timing was suspiciously convenient. His flagship, the Reaper, arrived in Entralla orbit within 12 hours of the Parade Bombing, and immediately opened channels to all three corporations warning that they must stand down.

Instead, the war began. All three corporations launched assaults on their competition's strategic assets. Martial law was declared in most city sectors. Firefights filled the streets of the overhang, troop transports littered the skies, and unregistered civilians were detained for processing and involuntary reassignment, if not shot on sight by inexperienced or ruthless corporate operatives.

Within an hour of first shots, the Reaper descended into low orbit, looming over the city. Kaine did not hesitate; his forces joined the fray with immediate and overwhelming force. Remnant drop ships delivered strike teams and ground platoons to key locations to capture and hold them against the corpos. Special Forces took prominent corporate personnel hostage, and cruiser barrages disabled key corporate infrastructure. All three corporations, even if they stood together, stood no chance of resisting Kaine's show of force. They were annihilated.

The fighting lasted four hours. It rose to a climax when Galentro deployed several reserve battlecruisers to engage the Reaper above the city. The cruisers were destroyed, and crashed back down into the Galentro Heavyworks industrial sector, fiery wrecks against the setting sun.

Kaine sent new missives to each corporation, summoning representatives from each to his flagship for an offer of terms. Gathered in a conference room, Kaine extended the chance to all present to be founding members of something new—the Pentastar Alignment. Under Kaine's leadership, but with representative voices from each Corporation, the new government would flourish and prosper through shared vision and united strength.

It was clear to all present that the offer was undersigned by the show of force that proceeded it. The Pentastar Talks were a unanimous success. All hostilities ceased, and the Pentastar military began to restore order to the city, while Kaine's cabinet initiated the complex work of building a new order.