Although this article is based on official information, its name is not.
From left to right: Zoellik addresses his troops at the Balun Naval Review, the UX-01 dimensional submarine faces the Goer Fleet at the Battle with Desler in Subspace, The Destruction Liberation Army at the Battle on Planet Stravase, the arrest of Hydom Gimleh
This was all done to save Garmillas and bring peace to Iscandar. To save Garmillas’s future, command by a powerful dictatorial regime is the only option.
—Hydom Gimleh, to Supreme Leader Abelt Desler upon his re-emergence in 2203[1]
The Greater Garmillan Empire fell in a state of civil war between various factions and organizations inside and outside of its government and military between 2199 and 2203.[2][3]
It was the byproduct of the unstable political climate of the empire, brought on by Supreme Leader Abelt Desler's tyranny, his tollerance of the extreme usage of violence carried out by his Imperial Guard, and the presence of multiple opposing ideologies within every layer of Garmillan society. Despite the Leader's genuine interest in saving his planet and people, his inability to pacify the nation led many exponents of the military and the civil government to turn against him, with some more conservative and xenophobic fringes even longing to restore the old aristocracy.[2][4][5][6]
Despite most of the initial fighting being against Desler's regime, the collapse of his government in late 2199 did not help ease the tension but only divided the nation further, with some believing the new government to be too moderate, while others wished to return to the order brought on by the dictatorship.[6][7][8][1]
Prelude[]
In 2174, a small council of noblemen of the Garmillas Grand Duchy was summoned by Grand duke Erich Vam Desler, who revealed them that Planet Garmillas had reached the end of its life cicle and would collapse in less than a century. Following the death of Erich, a succession war broke out causing the collapse of the Grand Duchy.[9]
Baleras Tower was turned into a weapon
Following the reunification of Garmillas into the Greater Garmillan Empire in 2188, Supreme Leader Abelt Desler completely abolished the aristocracy of the defunct Grand Duchy. This caused high ranking military officers of noble descent, such as Imperial Marshall Herm Zoellik, Inspector General of the Central Army, to resent the Supreme Leader and to plot to reestablish the old nobility.[10] At the same time, the remaining aristocrats in the military and the government who knew about Garmillas's shortening lifespan, who had built Baleras Tower during the Grand Duchy period and wished to use it as a weapon to threaten Iscandar to recieve a Cosmo Reverse System, in order to save their dying planet. They were opposed by Abelt, who did not agree with the idea of blackmailing Garmillas's twin planet.[1]
The Imperial Guard deports supposed rebel fighters, presumably just civilian dissidents
Meanwhile, Desler's increasing tiranny during his eleven years reign made him many enemies, even within his own family.[1] The establishment of the Imperial Guard, a paramilitary organization created from the Desler family's personal bodyguards, and the extreme methods it used to fight back against dissidents and political enemies of the Supreme Leader, further divided the already frail empire between moderates and hardliners. Additionally, xenophobia ran rampant within the nation and caused aditional inimicity between the various factions within the armed forces and the government.[5][11]
Early War (2199)[]
Initial revolts[]
For this topic in more detail, see Alteria Suppression
Alteria is bombed by the Imperial Guard
In early 2199, the Earthling battleship Yamato managed to break through the Great Garmillas Empire's lines of defense. When the information leaked to the general public, the battleship was turned into a symbol and began to galvanise protests throughout the colonies. In April, planet Alteria of the Nord Greater District rose up against the Garmills occupation. They surrounded the colonial capital, forcing some Garmillas citizens to evacuate while leaving many more behind. When the planet's Consul, Liber Droppe, called the Imperial Guard for help, Director General Hydom Gimleh's response was to execute the governor and launch a devastating assault on Alteria from orbit, immediately reducing much of the surface to wasteland and wiping out most--if not all--of the population in minutes.[11]
Zoellik's attempted insurrection[]
For this topic in more detail, see Planet Balun Breakthrough Operation
The instability brought on by the Earthlings was used by Imperial Marshall Zoellik, who set in motion his plan to take over the empire by ordering an assassination of the Eternal Supreme Leader. The Inspector General was able to blame the assassination on his two main rivals within the military, Admiral Gul Ditz, Supreme Commander of the Astro Fleet, and General Admiral Elk Domel. With both his enemies in prison, Zoellik was left unopposed in his rise to power.[11]
Desler returns from his apparent death
However, thanks to his intelligence services, Desler was made aware of Zoellik's plot and, survived the assasination attempt by replacing himself with a lookalike. The Supreme Leader then remained hidden and let Zoellik act undisturbed for some time. The Marshall gathered a fleet of about 10.000 ships at the Planet Balun under the guise of a naval review. There, he announced that Desler had been killed and that he was going to overthrow the current currupt government to avenge the dead head of state. His address to his troops was interrupted by the Yamato, which was however seemingly easily sunk by the overwelming garmillan forces. In reality the battleship purposefully faked its destruction and hid itself in the cloudy atmosphere of Balun.[2][11]
In his moment of absolute triumph Zoellik was once again interrupted, this time by a video message from Desler himself, who revealed the Imperial Marshall's trachery to all the troops present at Balun. Zoellik frantically tried to justify his actions, but he was immediately executed by Major General Gremdt Goer.[2]
Following this, Yamato reemerged from the Balun's atmosphere, shooting its wave-motion gun at the artificial planet's core and causing the destruction of the Large Magellanic Cloud's subspace gate, leaving the surviving vessels of the garmillan fleet stranded on the planet.[2]
Flurry of arrests[]
Lt. Colonel Kaulles Helder, staff officer of the 707th Air Corps loyal to Ditz, is arrested on false charges
In the aftermath of Zoellik's plot, General Domel was freed from all charges and released from captivity. On the other hand, Admiral Ditz, despite having been arrested under the same accusations, remained incarcerated on Leptapoda, one of the empire's prison planets. The Imperial Guard also began arresting, on false charges[16], officers loyal to the Supreme Commander, whose moderate political stance and overall influence within the Greater Garmillan Empire made him one of the Guard's last significant political enemies. Additionally, with Zoellik dead, the Imperial Guard took control of the Central Army's Homeland Defense Fleet, effectively making it the only military force within Garmillas. In a following meeting, Gimleh claimed to have also arrested all of Zoellik's co-conspirators.[17][13] However, he and Desler were well aware that many former nobles were still hidden within the highest levels of the military and government.[14]
This series of arrests caused other military officers loyal to Ditz, such as Lance Larkin and Orto Dolme as well as the admiral's daughter Merda Ditz, to start a plot to liberate the Supreme Commander and overthrow the tirannycal Desler.[17]
Uprising on Leptapoda[]
For this topic in more detail, see Uprising of Prison Camp 17
Ditz takes control of Leptapoda
Their plans came into fruition with the Uprising on Prison Camp 17, where the Ditz's supporters sneaked in the penal colony disguised as inspectors and freed the prisoners on the planet including Elisa Domel, wife of the defunct General who had been arrested for hiding criminals wanted by the Imperial Guard. Following the battle Ditz took command of the group of rebels which had freed him.[5]
The Ditz faction meets with Yamato's delegation
Coincidentally, Yamato also found itself near Leptapoda at the time of the riot, the ship's officers had a meeting with Ditz and his follower and, despite being unable to reach a full agreement, Ditz left his daughter Merda, who had already encountered the crew of the battleship on a different occasion, as a liaison officer between the rebels and the earthlings. After the meeting the rebels set out to liberate other prison planets.[18]
Desler's fall[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle of the Imperial Capital
The Baleras Tower coreship escapes from the capital
Following the liberation of Leptapoda, Yamato headed straight towards the Salezar System, in order to reach planet Iscandar, however Desler took the opportunity to attack the battleship with his new weapon, the Desler cannon.[7][18]
Yamato's air squadron and Merda Ditz fighti side by side in Garmillas's orbit
In the subsequent battle, as Yamato raided Garmillas's capital, Baleras, Desler detatched Baleras Tower's escape vessel, which also powered the super weapon hidden within the building, and fled to the orbital space station Baleras II. The dictator declared the station the new capital of his empire, and dropped one of the station's industrial districts on Baleras. Officially to signify the beginning of a new era of union between Garmillas and Iscandarian civilization, but in reality it was Desler's attempt to eliminate both Yamato and the noblemen still hiding within the Presidential Office in one fell swoop.[7][14]
The city was however saved by the Earthlings, who managed to destroy the indsustrial sector before it hit, and by the efforts of Corporal Noran Oshetto and Lieutenant Yuki Mori of Yamato, who worked together to destroy Baleras II and the Desler cannon.[7]
After Desler's fall (2199-2203)[]
New beginnings[]
The garmillas provisional government
Desler managed to escape the station's destruction by emergency warping his flagship away from Salezar, but in light of his failures and his fall in popularity due to his attempted attack on his own people, he opted to hide away and rebuild his forces instead of returning to Garmillas.[19] In his stead, the Garmillas Provisional Government, headed by former Vice Leader Redof Hiss, took office.[20] For most of the Desler administration, Hiss had been little more than a mere figurehead. While skilled in the management of internal affairs, he never managed to play any significant role in the struggle for power between the empire's various factions.[21] However, after Desler's escape from Baleras, Hiss immediately stepped into the power vacuum and issued an emergency evacuation of the city.[7] After the dust settled, Hiss took control of the government and he soon signed an armistice with Yamato's crew, effectively ending the Great Garmillas War. He eventually declared himself Prime Minister and denounced the actions of the Eternal Supreme Leader, and, together with the moderates of the country, he began reconstructing Garmillas's political system, gradually shifting the empire towards a democracy.[6][20]
Ditz and his followers were also pardoned, and the Admiral retook his role of Supreme Commander of the Astro Fleet. Ditz then ordered all garmillan naval formations to return to the home planet. However, certain elements within the military and the Imperial Guard[14] refused to recognize the new government or Ditz's order and began wandering the cosmos aimlessly.[19]
Goer's arrest[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle with Desler in Subspace
the Goer fleet, Yamato and the UX 01 at the Battle with Desler in Subspace
Followig his escape from Baleras II, Desler contacted Major General Gremdt Goer, who had taken command of the ships which had survived the Planet Balun Breakthrough Operation. The Major General chose 30 of his best ships, and sent them to aid the fallen Supreme Leader in a plan to attack Yamato. While Goer menaged to fullfill his part of the plan by forcing the Earthling battleship into the milky way subspace gate, he was traced down by Commander Wolf Flakken of the dimensional submarine UX-01, which had been sent to arrest the General for disobeying Ditz's stand down order. Goer refused to surrender and was thus killed aboard his flagship, the Goergametsch.[19]
In the ensuing battle between Desler and Yamato, the fallen Leader's flagship was destroyed, and he was believed dead. Desler had actaully managed to once again survive, and was eventually rescued by the Gatlantis Empire.[19][22]
New factions emerge[]
Despite the fall of Desler's regime, infighting within the Garmillas Empire did not stop. The provisional government did not manage to maintain the stability brought on by the dictatorship, and multiple terror organizations began opposing its rule. One such faction was the Anti-Garmillas Rule Destruction Liberation Army. Inspired by Yamato's actions against Desler, the Destruction Liberation Army opposed the current government because it refused to free the colonies established under the previous regime. They claimed that the "hegemonic spirit of Desler" was still alive in Garmillas.[8] They also sought to reestablish the Garmillas Grand Duchy and its aristocratic society.[23] In the years between 2199 and 2202, the Destruction Liberation Army made frequent armed incursion into the territory of the Empire.[8]
Another organization opposing the democraticization of Garmillas was the Desler Regime Revivalists, headed by the presumed-dead Director General Hydom Gimleh of the Imperial Guard. This group infiltrated the armed forces[8] with the ultimate goal of launching a coup to install Abelt's nephew, Ranhardt Desler, as the new Eternal Supreme Leader.[24]
However, the young Desler was part of a plot by Loren Burrell of the Provisional Government's Security Intelligence Agency. Desler, who had joined the organization under the alias of Lt Klaus Keyman, was to act as a double agent for Burrell among the Revivalists' ranks to discover the identity of their secretive leader and arrest him.[24]
Yamato's journey and Stravase[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle on Planet Stravase
Yamato approaches planet Stravase
In December of 2202, Burrell aided Yamato's crew to gain the approval of the Earth Federation's government to launch a mission to the legendary planet Terezart. To convince the Revivalists of his loyalty, Keyman sneaked aboard the battleship to sabotage it.[8]
Following the Battle of the eleventh planet, he lead the battleship towards planet Stravase, where the civilians rescued from the planet could be brought back to Earth by a garmillan patrol fleet. Unbeknownst to Yamato's crew, Keyman had arranged a meeting with Lutz Kazette, an officer loyal to the Revivalists, to recieve the Anti Wave-motion Lattice, a weapon capable of deactivating Yamato's wave-motion engine.[8]
The Destruction Liberation Army bombs Stravase
In order to give Keyman the occasion to activate the lattice, the Revivalists lured the Destruction Liberation Army's fleet to Stravase, however they failed to realise the actual stregth of the terrorist organisation. The Liberation Army had came into possession of various interplanetary ballistic missiles, which they used to threaten the planet.[8]
The situation worsened significantly when the Gatlantis Empire entered the frame, with Emperor Zworder revealing to Yamato's interim commander, Susumu Kodai, that he had put in each of the Garmillan ships carrying the civilians a Gatlantis-controlled Zombie, which he could detonate at any given moment. Zworder gave Kodai the possibility to choose which of the three ships to save, but the man refused to abide, and thanks to his and Yamato's effort, all three civilian ships were saved. During the battle the entire Liberation Army fleet was destroyed together with their commander.[8]
Fall of the Revivalists[]
For this topic in more detail, see Blockade of Terezart and Arrest of Hydom Gimleh
The Desler Fleet took imposed a bloackade over Terezart
In March 2203,[25] Yamato completed its voyage to Terezart and freed the planet from the Gatlantean occupation. However, as Yamato's officers entered the Terezarium to speak with the goddess Teresa, they were approached by Supreme Leader Abelt Desler.[26]
Before Yamato's arrival to Terezart, Desler, with the help of other collaborators inside of the Greater Garmillan Empire, had assembled a fleet of warships with which he intended to occupy Terezart, to use the planet as a bargaining chip to receive Gatlantis's help to save the dying Garmillas.[9]
As the Desler fleet battled against Yamato, Lieutenant Keyman entered the Terezarium, activated the Anti Wave-motion Lattice, and revealed his real identity of Ranhardt Desler. He then joined his uncle and boarded his flagship, the Neu Deusura. The Desler Regime Revivalists were immediately informed that the Supreme Leader was still alive. Hydom Gimleh himself came out and contacted Supreme Leader Desler to announce that all was ready for an uprising on Garmillas to restore his regime.[1]
Gimleh's arrested by the Garmillan military police
However, after a brief conversation with Teresa, Ranhardt set out to complete his mission as a double agent. he revealed the identity of the Revivalists's leader to Ambassador Burrell, and the Garmillas National Security Police stormed Gimleh's Headquarters and arrested the leaders of the faction. The young Desler freed Yamato's officers, who were held captive aboard the Neu Deusura, and deactivated the Anti Wave-motion Lattice, which had rendered Yamato armless. Following the battleship's daring escape, Terezart itself disappeared and became invisible, and Yamato set course back to Earth.[1][27]
Desler's Last Battle[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle against Neu Deusura
Yamato and Neu Deusura during the battle
Following his failed attempt to capture Terezart, Desler and his fleet continued to serve Gatlantis under the promise that the empire would grant the Garmillas people a new homeworld.[27][28]
After its rescue at the Decisive Battle off Mars, the Desler fleet engaged in a battle against a repaired Yamato, during which a boarding party headed by Lieutenant Kodai entered Desler's flagship. Amid the fighting, Keyman reached the bridge of the Neu Deusura and confronted his uncle, but they were interrupted by the Gatlantean agent Mil, who shot Abelt. He offered the young Desler a choice: If he dealt the finishing blow on his uncle, the Earth, and Garmillas would both be spared from Gatlantis's plan of annihilating all human life for the next 10,000 years, and the empire would secure a new homeworld for the Garmillans.[28]
The confrontation on the Neu Deusler's bridge
Before the young Desler could choose, Kodai stormed the bridge and stopped him. He stated that Keyman was being challenged by Gatlantis as he himself had been on Stravase, and that the only correct choice was to not choose at all. Mil tried to shoot the Earthling officer, but Kodai was protected by his fiancé, despite the fact that the woman was suffering from amnesia and had forgotten Kodai completely. This made Mil have an epiphany about human feelings and accept that he too, as well as all Gatlanteans, was in fact, human. He thus begged the gatlantean Emperor, Zworder, to stop the bloodshed, but his plea was abruptly stopped as a Garmillan rescue team stormed the bridge and shot him in the chest, killing him.[3][28]
Afterward, the Desler fleet ended all hostilities toward Yamato and renounced its alliance with Gatlantis. Desler later aided the battleship in its final battle against the Comet Empire. He set aside his fight against the Garmillas Provisional Government to work with the new regime and find a new planet hospitable for their people.[3][29][30]
Aftermath[]
The Desler Fleet in December of 2203
Following the end of the Gatlantis Campaign, Desler contacted the Provisional Government, which eventually left office in favor of the first garmillan elected government, and revealed to them the approaching end of planet Garmillas. The two factions ended the civil war, and began cooperating on the Garmillas Migration Plan, which they officially announced in January 2204.[31]
The Garmillas Democratic Government
Some of the former exponents of the Desler Regime Revivalists joined the Desler Fleet by late 2203, others, sided with the Provisional Government instead.[30]
In 2205, 2 years after the war, Queen Stasha of Iscandar secretly leaked information regarding the existance of Garmann, the forgotten original planet from which the Garmillas people had emigrated.[32] The world was the only candidate for Garmillan migration, but it was under the military occupation of an interstellar nation known as the Bolar Federation; Desler and the Democratic Government liberated the planet from Bolar's oppression and started to emigrate Garmillas's population.[33]
Major Battles and Events[]
- Alteria Suppression
- Desler assassination
- Planet Balun Breakthrough Operation
- Uprising on Prison Camp 17
- Battle with Desler in Subspace
- Battle on Planet Stravase
- Blockade of Terezart
- Arrest of Hydom Gimleh
- Battle against Neu Deusura
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 "Farewell, Teresa! Flowers for Two Deslers"
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 "Over the Black Light"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Warriors of Love"
- ↑ "What Lies Beyond"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Prison Planet 17"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Space Battleship Yamato 2199 secret file 02: Battle of the Imperial capital – Yamato saves the Garmillas race
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 "One Man's War"
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 "The Trap at Planet Stravase!"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 "O Teresa, Cry for Desler!"
- ↑ Herm Zoellik character data for Yamato 2199
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 "Point of No Return"
- ↑ Yamato 2199 Chapter 7 Blu Ray booklet p.4
- ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 "Prison Planet 17"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "Farewell, Teresa! Flowers for Two Deslers"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Model Sheet Design Collection GARMILLAS p.198
- ↑ Garmillas Mecha Book p.177
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "They're Coming!"
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "The Planet That We Head For"
- ↑ 19.00 19.01 19.02 19.03 19.04 19.05 19.06 19.07 19.08 19.09 19.10 19.11 19.12 19.13 19.14 19.15 19.16 19.17 19.18 19.19 19.20 19.21 19.22 19.23 19.24 19.25 19.26 19.27 19.28 19.29 19.30 19.31 19.32 19.33 19.34 19.35 19.36 "The Forever War"
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Space Battleship Yamato 2199 secret file 03: The steep but bright future of the Garmillas provisional government ======
- ↑ Yamato 2199 Character Data for Redof Hiss
- ↑ "Bewitching - The Space Fireflies Beckon a Crisis"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Chapter 3 Theater Pamphlet
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Farewell, Teresa! Flowers for the Two Deslers"
- ↑ "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202"
- ↑ "Zurvival's Fierce Assault - Find Teresa"
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Battle off the Coast of Saturn - Gather the Wave Motion Gun Fleet!"
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 "The Fated Showdown!"
- ↑ "Yamato, Attack the Comet Empire!"
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Earth, Yamato is..."
- ↑ Yamato 2205 complete works literary materials pp 138-139
- ↑ "Iscandar, the Dying Planet of Sorrow"
- ↑ Galactic War is About to Begin! Assemble the Yamato Fleet!!
| Battles of the Garmillas Civil War | ||||||||
Alteria Suppression · Dessler assassination · Planet Balun Breakthrough Operation · Uprising on Prison Camp 17 · Battle of the Imperial Capital · Battle with Desler in Subspace · Battle on Planet Stravase · Blockade of Terezart · Battle against Neu Deusura
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