Overview
Operation Market Cage was a high-profile military strike against elements of the Sagittaron insurgency carried out by the Colonial Marine Corps on 15 March 2036.
In 2028, the government of Sagittaron requested Colonial assistance when their Guard units proved incapable of suppressing the insurgency sweeping through the southern continent. The CMC imposed their will upon the rebel armies in a successful campaign culminating in the ceasefire of 2029. Several insurgent groups refused to recognize the legitimacy of the ceasefire and went underground, beginning the guerilla war that has continued ever since.
One of the most prominent such groups was the Southern Sagittaron Liberation Front (SSLF), commanded by a former Colonial officer calling himself Krotos. Day-to-day operations were carried out by nine splinter groups loosely affiliated with SSLF central command, each named after their leaders — who in turn were named after the nine Muses. Several of these groups developed reputations for brutality and extreme disregard for civilian life, particularly Erato and Kalliope.
On 3 March 2036, CMC forces received solid intelligence regarding the locations of those leaders. Planning for raids began immediately, and the raids themselves were executed on 15 March 2036. Erato and Kalliope were captured and their bases of operation destroyed; Krotos himself escaped.
Aftermath
Erato and Kalliope were tried for treason and, after their appeals for clemency were denied, were executed one year later.
Several months after the trial ended, the insurgent leaders Kleio and Thaleia went public with an offer to begin formal power-sharing negotiations with the Colonial government. The location of these talks was compromised by a mole inside CIS and the compound was destroyed in a daring suicide attack for which the SSLF claimed responsibility.
Analysts generally agree that Operation Market Cage was a short-term success insofar as it threw the SSLF into turmoil for more than a year. However, it certainly cannot be characterized as a decisive victory and may in fact have further radicalized the SSLF — to the detriment of all.
Affected PCs
- Then-PFC Garret J. Lysander: A member of the 2/12 Marines (Fighting Dozenth), he was deployed to Sagittaron during Operation Market Cage. He was one of many of CMC forces to commit raids and combat region insecurity against the Southern Sagittaron Liberation Front.
- LTJG Iris Stryer: Stryer, then a civilian employed by the Colonial Intelligence Service, was undercover in the Jharkand Basin.