( LOGH: ' Invasion of the Imperial Territory') The military, which had submitted the invasion plan, was itself divided in opinions regarding the invasion and subsequently the invasion was launched on 22 August 796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE ) with inadequate planning and preparation. The capture of Iserlohn Fortress was met with widespread jubilation within the Alliance, and the ruling High Council decided to capitalise on popular sentiments and approved a large-scale invasion to the Empire to 'liberate' its citizens. Main article: Invasion of the Imperial Territory With its capture, the strategic tables were turned in favour of the Alliance, and the stalemate seemed ready to be broken. It thus served as a gateway to the Empire, and the Alliance had previously sent six costly and failed expeditions to capture it. The Iserlohn Fortress was constructed by the Empire to secure the Iserlohn Corridor, one of the two navigation corridors that linked the Alliance and the Empire. On 14 May 796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE ), the Alliance's 13th Fleet, commanded by Rear Admiral Yang Wen-li, succeeded in capturing the strategically-important Iserlohn Fortress. The war however continued unabated and both the Alliance and the Empire were locked in a strategic stalemate with the Empire remaining on the offensive and launching several major invasions that were each defeated or forced to turn back for other reasons. News of its existence and the Imperial defeat spread quickly throughout the Empire and sparked a massive outflow of refugees which allowed its population to grow exponentially such that by 798 UC (489 IC / 3598 CE ), the Alliance population numbered around 13 billion. ( LOGH: ' Julian's Journey, Mankind's Journey')Дuring the period of initial contact with the Empire, the Alliance population probably numbered no more than 150 million. The Alliance forces, led by supreme commander Lin Pao, managed to soundly defeat the larger Imperial expeditionary force in the Battle of Dagon, thus starting a period of war and conflict which would last for over 150 years. The Alliance was discovered by the Galactic Empire in 640 UC (331 IC / 3440 CE ), which sent a punitive expedition against it led by Grand Duke Herbert. ( LOGH: ' Julian's Journey, Mankind's Journey') This nascent force would grow along with the Alliance. Mindful of the threat of Imperial pursuit and attack, the Alliance quickly established what would be later known as the Free Planets Star Fleet. An era of prosperity thus begun for the Free Planets Alliance, which would last up to the time of first contact with the Galactic Empire. Government financial incentives spurred population growth and increase in agricultural productivity. They also revived the usage of the Universal Calendar. The refugees, which by that time only numbered around 160,000, landed and established the Free Planets Alliance. Finally in 527 UC (218 IC / 3327 CE ), after over 50 years of travelling, the refugees discovered a habitable planet to settle in the BaвЂalat Starzone, which they named Heinessen in memory of their departed leader. Along the journey however Heinessen lost his life in an accident and the role of leadership was taken over by his best friend Nguyen Kim Hua. Over time, they discovered what is later named as the Iserlohn Corridor and succeeded in crossing it to the Sagittarius Arm. The journey was perilous and took many years as new navigation routes had to be discovered in unknown space. Altogether, over 400,000 men and women managed to escape from Altair VII, and under the leadership of Heinessen, embarked on a journey which became known later as the '10,000 Light-years Long March'. The roots of the Free Planets Alliance can be traced back to 473 UC (164 IC / 3273 CE ), when Arle Heinessen, a young republican exiled to the frozen world of Altair VII as a serf, organised a massive escape with his fellow exiled republicans first by secretly constructing a ship, the Ion Fazekath, from the near-inexhaustible supply of dry ice found in Altair VII, then escaping to a secret location in space where they built a fleet of 80 long range starships, the Exodus Fleet.

Galactic federation of free alliances