My dearest son,
I received your letter yesterday. From what I read in the senders' inscription you sent it five months ago. 5 months. So much has happened in five months, so much war. We continue fighting here, day and night, even with a rotation system implemented, the only rest we receive is the rest of death, and I must admit, if it wasn't for your letter, I think I would be longing for that rest.
I miss the lime skies of home, I miss the soft smell of the pasture, and the cradle of my bed and your mother's arms... It seems I've missed an important phase of your sister's growth. She was always an odd character even as an infant just a few months old. I wonder what she looks like now? Has her features inclined towards her mother? Any man would be blessed to be beside her if she took her mother's features, just the thought of taking her to her betrothed fills me with hope to go back home.
Few words can't describe how proud I am of you, for taking such responsibility, for abandoning so much and in such an unwavering manner. God knows how many men lack the courage for self-sacrifice, even I am lacking.
Dear son, I implore you to stand strong, avoid enlistment, and take care of your mother and sister. I can't make any promises under the red sky, but I will fight to my last drop of blood for all of you to see me again.
I'll come back,
Your father
This letter appears to have been sent in the 50 BSC, 100 years before the war would end. This was also the year where the war would turn its bloodiest as half a million more republican troops would arrive at the "front". Though history would not remember their names, it is recorded that this congressional act set the stage for the republican's defeat. It has been concluded that if those men had been sent to secure Ida, there would have been a chance for the republic to win the war. Instead, trying to gain a symbolic victory and raise the morale of the soldiers, the men were sent to the "front", weakening the first quadrant, allowing for House Eifel to move in and push out all republican forces from the quadrant.
This year, 50 BSC, also marked another important event in the Separatist War. Mass evacuations. A rise in separatist activity and the fear of revolts across the populace, convinced the congressional assembly that an order for evacuation must be sent out. Those who followed the order, they thought were loyal to the republic, those who didn't were the enemy.
They were wrong. The mass evacuation, which was heavily documented unlike the actual conflict, ended with the displacement of up to 40 billion people, revolts didn't decrease they just increased, and the refugee camps were riddled with separatists. All and all, the mass evacuations were an astounding failure. If the surge was the military nail, the mass evacuation was the hammer that secured the republican coffin. The Republicans would never again be able to easily deploy any more troops.