The Capellan Chancellor, Sun-Tzu Liao declined to attend, instead sending a video message in which he declared his nation's withdrawal from the League. The Capellans' ally, the Magistracy of Canopus also were also absent. Sun-Tzu's comments, in which he condemned the League as a sham, reconvened only to put down the Clan threat, sparked much heated debate among the other members and led to a vote, as to whether the League should remain in existence.

Despite the hurried addition of the Taurian Concordat and Word of Blake as provisional members, the vote failed to produce the two-thirds majority required to keep the League together. While most were shocked and saddened by the result, the Word of Blake were stirred into a righteous fury. Unknown to anyone, they had stationed a warship, the long-lost LCS Invincible, ready to jump into the Tharkad system at a moment's notice. Following the vote, they ordered the ship into orbit around the Lyran capital and demanded the Star League be reinstated at once. When their demands were ignored, the Invincible opened fire on Tharkad, the orbital bombardment levelling much of the capital and destroying a nuclear power station in the process, which added radioactive fallout to the devastation. It also led to accusations that the WoB had resorted to using WMDs.

While most of the delegates survived this atrocity and escaped the Blakists' initial wrath, Hohiro Kurita was injured and Yvonne Steiner was forced to make a circuitous route back to the Federated Suns to avoid capture. It was only a short reprieve in any case, as the Blakists then launched attacks on Outreach, home of Wolfs Dragoons mercenary unit and New Avalon, as well as several worlds in the Draconis Combine. On top of this, they instigated a communications blackout across the HPG network, sowing further confusion and disruption across the Inner Sphere.