Andalusian Crisis

The Andalusian Crisis, or as the Andalusians termed it, the Great Pandemonium (هرج ومرج كبير) was a series of events and battles instigated by the Vandals of the Andalusian Empire against the OmniMundus and the whole of the Omniverse. The acts committed during this conflict gave rise to the Omniverse Crisis during the Interwar Years that followed.

Origins
Tannhäuser Space was a region of space regarded as anathema in the OmniVerse. It was said that whatever went in, did not come out - intact or otherwise. As such, it was a place of exile and oblivion, and was restricted to travel of any kind, be it public or military transportation.

General attitudes towards Tannhäuser Space would remain one of the only constants decades into the changing policies of the OmniMundus. Despite its being designated a Forbidden System, the space bordering the region was largely lacking in security force activity, making it a choice route and breeding ground for criminals, fugitives and pirates alike.

One such fugitive was Khargi Kh'Vanj, a former OmniMundus junior offficer indicted and on the run for war crimes committed during the First Throne War. For twenty years he had managed to evade arrest until a joint operation between the OmniMundus and associated skiptracers found him hiding out on the fringes of OmniMundus space. The OMS Asculum, commanded by Dustin Ayers, was dispatched to capture Khargi under orders not to pursue in the event he fled into Tannhäuser Space. Contrary to those orders, Dustin did exactly that when Khargi's ship crossed the border. Intent on seeing justice done to what his superiors deemed a "relative non-issue", Dustin ordered the Asculum into the Tannhäuser Nebula against the objections of the ship's navigator.

Arrival on Andalus
Upon coming out on the other side of the nebula, the Asculum lost track of Khargi's last known position, and instead discovered Andalus, the homeworld of the then-unknown Andalusian Empire. Concluding that Khargi must have fled there, Dustin ordered the Asculum into low orbit on the planet's far side, leading an undercover engagement team down to the surface to continue the pursuit. Once onworld, the engagement team would come into first contact with the Andalusian civilization; immediately upon entering the city of Al-Andalus, they were regarded with both curiosity and suspicion by the population. After trying to gain information on Khargi's whereabouts from the startled citizenry, the engagement team was apprehended and placed under arrest by the Andalusian Royal Guard.

Amir al-Andalus and the Andalusian Vandals
Having submit himself to the Royal Guard as the leader of the engagement team, Dustin Ayers was separated from the group and brought to the audience of Khalid Amir Al-Andalus, the planet's rather eccentric soverign. In this encounter, Dustin was enlightened as to the reason for his arrest, being that he and his team were suspected of association with the Vandals, a group of marauders infamous for pillaging Andalusian settlements around the planet.

[To be continued]

Catalyst
The incident on Andalus marked the beginning of the Andalusian Crisis with the return of the Asculum into OmniMundus territory several months later.