Space War

The Space War was an interplanetary conflict between Astra and the Solar System, sparked by an incident at the border between the Astrans' and Humanity's respective empires. (COMIC: Space Border Battle)

History
The Space War began when an Astran space fleet, (COMIC: Space Border Battle) part of the Astrans' Main Fleet, (PROSE: Battle in Space) passed by the Tenth Space Fleet as both were patrolling the same area of the border. A tense human pilot mistook an Astran warning shot for an outright attack, leading to an exchange of fire which devolved into a full-scale battle. Both sides suffered heavy losses. (COMIC: Space Border Battle)

Astro-Controller Clarke, at the head of the human fleet, was denied reinforcements by Commander Zero and told to instead retreat to Border Station 72, bringing an end to the first battle in the War. (COMIC: Ceasefire — But War Tension Mounts...)

Mere hours after the initial exchange of fire, Earth's World War Council ordered the general mobilisation of all male adults. The President's Press Secretary Norrie Kama issued a statement to the press. Elite crafts like the Stingray were readied for battle (PROSE: Battle in Space) and Space City began arming up, stocking up rockets.

However, the President of Earth, Nikita Bandranaik, and the Astran ambassador developed a plan to put an end to hostilities by sending Colonel Zodiac on a dangerous mission (COMIC: Ceasefire — But War Tension Mounts...) to bring a message to the Kaplan on Astra, offering peace. (COMIC: President Offers Peace...)

Over the following months, several other "space border battles" erupted, (COMIC: Assassination!) but Zodiac was able to bring his message to the 610th Kaplan in Kapland. The Kaplan agreed to visit Unity City on Earth to sign a peace treaty (COMIC: Colonel Zodiac Disappears) on 29 May 2065. (PROSE: Kaplan Assassinated!) However, after the Kaplan landed in Unity City, but before the treaty could be signed, he was gunned down by an assassin, (COMIC: Assassination!) Count Lugosti. (COMIC: Lady Penelope) The Kaplan Minus, who was mistrustful of "solarians", thus became the 611th Kaplan, (PROSE: Kaplan Assassinated!) and gave Earth an ultimatum: if they couldn't find the culprit within thirty-six hours, Astra would assume it had been the work of Earth's government itself, and fight them "to the last". (COMIC: Assassination!)