The Battle of Hephaistos was the opening battle in The Fall of the Systems Commonwealth against the Systems Commonwealth. This battle saw the Andromeda Ascendant trapped on the edge of the Event Horizon of a black hole for over 300 years, as well as the beginning of the Nietzschean crusade to topple the Commonwealth. This battle occurred in the year 9784 CY (4858 CE; sometimes referred to as 0 AFC).