“"The orders you've been getting, do they represent the ideals of the Alliance or of a dictatorship? You've been ordered to open fire on civilian targets; is this what you signed on for?"
- – John Sheridan, after breaking the blockade
The Blockade of Proxima III was an event in 2261 in the Earth Alliance Civil War in which the Proxima III colony was blockaded by six Omega class destroyers in retaliation for the colony's declaration of independence.
First, a Starfury fleet had been sent to raid the colony, however, the fleet defected to the Earth Alliance Resistance instead, in support of the colony, but would later be destroyed by Clark-loyal forces.
The blockade was ordered by Earth Alliance President Morgan Clark. The blockading force consisted of EAS Heracles (commanded by Trevor Hall), EAS Pollux (commanded by Elizabeth Morgernstern), EAS Juno (commanded by James Mandala), EAS Furies (commanded by Stephanie Eckland), EAS Vesta (commanded by Edward MacDougan) and EAS Nemesis (commanded by Yoshi Kawagawa).
The Pollux firing on civilian refugee transports
During the blockade, Clark-loyal ships attacked the colony, resulting in thousands of deaths. The numerous survelliance satellites orbiting the planet, plus the blockading force's superior position in front of the local jumpgate made escape impossible, all the while cutting off all trade with the colony and creating an increasingly-horrible humanitarian crisis on the planet below. A number of commercial transports tried to leave the planet carrying thousands of refugees, including injured people, only to be destroyed under orders of Captain Hall, the leader of the task force. Meanwhile, heavy ground fighting took place between the local defenders and Marine GROPOS sent to quell the rebellion, leaving the colony in all-together dire straits.
The colony was close to surrendering as food, water and medical supplies were all running dry, and that Clark-loyal troops had been sent to the ground and fought the rebels on till near exhaustion of ammo and man-power.
The task force's actions were recorded and sent over to Babylon 5. After witnessing the events, John Sheridan decided to take a more proactive role in the resistance against Clark's dictatorial regime and engage his forces to prevent further war crimes and liberate Earth.[1][2] As such, the blockade proved to be a fatal mistake for the Clark regime, as the open hostilities led to the regime being overthrown less than four months later.[3]
Notes[]
The name of the Earth Force Omega class destroyer Furies caused confusion in the German dub of the series. "Furies" was misunderstood as the plural of the Earth Alliance fighters, the Starfuries, therefore it came to the impression that Captain Eckland has somewhat like the command over all Starfuries in the blockade.
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