Paradom III

Paradom III is a small planet located in Galaxy 2, Universe 12, and is one of the uncommon planets containing evidence of preflight races, that is, races that achieved spaceflight before Earth, Galaxy 1, Universe 1. a small Heroes United archeological detachment was sent to the site in order to uncover any artifacts or data regarding the race, their developmental level, and whether or not representatives of the species still lived. the planet was deemed of minor importance, enough to send men to but not enough to really send a large group or force, a mistake that HU command regretted for years afterward.

History
Paradom III was discovered by a HU starcharting team searching out inhabited planets, as well as planets that were right for terraforming and/or colonization by HU. After an initial subterranean scan, the team discovered multiple underground pockets of empty space that were not natural, and called in an archeological team to investigate. when the ruins were unearthed, they were discovered to be connected to a preflight race who's name is unknown at this point in time, due to the decay of the known artifacts and data banks that have been discovered in the ruins thus far, but the age of the structures dates them at around 5,500-6,000 BOCY (Before Osrisis Creation Year), making them some of the newest structures discovered to date. three months into the dig, the dig base camp was attacked by a detachment of fighters from an unknown source, and any survivors in the camp were captured. This detachment is now known to be the INFIN. 3rd space battalion. luckily it was the middle of the day, and most of the archeologists were underground excavating, so only five were actually captured, and those who had been underground sent distress calls to HU soon after, to which a battalion of fighters who had been preforming combat maneuvers in the same universe responded, a force commanded by two Duohumans. seeing that the HU force had the clear advantage in space combat, the INFINYTUM fighters retreated to the surface of the planet in order to stage a land battle, in which they were sure that they had the tactical high ground with their force of Dark Duohumans.

the HU force followed and engaged the INFINYTUM force on land, dispatching as many as five type III ADOMS and ten soldiers, who quickly realized that they were fighting against a force of Dark Duohumans and soul magicians, and called for Duohuman help in suppressing the threat. a small force of Duohumans dispatched from Osrisis arrived within minutes, which forced the INFINYTUM forces to call for backup and retreat. INFIN back up arrived in the form of a large group of fighters and Dark Duohumans led by Tranz himself, who forced the HU troops to retreat all the way back to the dig camp, from which they called for further reinforcements and at least one of the three commanders. the battle escalated over the next three weeks into full-scale combat all over the continent, with HU holding the western half of the main continent and INFINYTUM holding the eastern half. both sides were entrenched to the point that besides movement of a few feet, they weren't going anywhere, so both forces resorted to more desperate and dangerous measures: orbital strikes, orbital troop drops behind enemy lines, and feirce and quick space combat. after another month of this type of combat, both sides were battered, bruised and searching for a way to end the combat as quickly as possible, before their troops gave out under the strain and either one or the other was forced into retreat.

then, during an incursion behind INFINYTUM lines by a strike force led by Elexion, a skirmish broke out between the strike force and a defending INFIN force led by Tranz. while the soldiers fought in firefights and the blaze of concentrated artillery fire (both from HU ADOMS type IIs and INFINYTUM model III LRSUs (Long-Ranged Strike Units)), Tranz and Elexion fought for dominance one-on-one. the skirmish was evenly matched, each matching the other blow for blow, until Tranz, exhausted and drained, slipped on a loose stone and went off balance for just a moment, long enough for Elexion to pin Tranz's single two-handed broadsword and stab him through the side with Honor, Elexion's hand-and-a-half longsword. greviously wounded and realizing that INFINYTUM would be outmatched with him wounded and the three commanders of HU now free to attack when they wanted without him to match them, Tranz took his forces and retreated from the Paradom star system, with a squad of HU fighters hot on his tail, making sure that he left the star system.

Post Battle of Paradom III
after the battle ended with INFINYTUM's retreat, HU assessed the damage to the planet; the results were not positive. much of the planet's resources had been stripped to support the two armies, and approximately 82% of the main continent was now infertile wasteland filled with craters, rusted and abbandoned equipment, and unexploded ordinance. because the planet contained no higher animal life, it was deemed unworthwhile to reapair, so a small outpost was built on the second, smaller continent, any artifacts in the ruins were recovered, and the planet was not really known for anything other than the battle that occured on its surface. monuments were erected in the middle of both the INFINYTUM and HU camps, a testimate to the soldiers that had fought and died to drive off the threat of the new enemy, and the sites were common visiting sites for cadets and archeology and history students.

many intact devices and weapons from both sides lie in and on the soil, and entire skirmishes between groups of cadets have been staged using only weapons pulled out of the dirt just prior to the training excersice. it is very rare, but occasionally someone will acidentally set off an unexploded artillery round or land mine.