Thalos Wars

Thalos Wars
Date	455
Location	Unknown space, largely in the Lower-Centre of Tir'qa.
Outcome	Thalian Empire dismantled and reorganised.
Major Battles	Siege of Kelth Battle of Kovaxi'i Invasion of Thalos-5
Combatants
Combined Cooperatives of Tir'qa Member Cooperatives Thalian Empire
Commanders

The Thalos Wars (455-481) were a series of protracted interstellar conflicts between the Combined Cooperatives of Tir'qa and the Thalian Empire. Major areas of conflict included the Thalos, Kovaxi'i and Kelth systems, where the largest battles of the war took place. The war saw rapid development in CCT naval warfare technologies, most significantly the construction of the CCT's first dreadnought-class vessel, the CCN Ascendancy, and the mass deployment of the Cooperatives Integrated Systems Defence Network Platforms (CISDNPs). It is currently the deadliest conflict in the known history of the region, with an estimated over ten million total military casualties. The civilian casualty count remains heavily debated, though the most common estimate totals over 15 million, largely attributed to the scorched earth tactics of the Thalian Empire in the later phases of the war. Including the Siege of Kelth however, this spikes to well over 260 million, a figure that left a permanent scar on the planet. The majority of military casualties are estimated to have occurred during the naval battles over Eelyn and Thalos in the later stages of the war. Population distribution in South-Central Tir'qa was permanently disrupted by the war - many fled to the Northern Frontier, necessitating the Emergency Northern Resettlement Program.

Upon the surrender of the Thalian Empire in 481, the CCT would enforce the Kovaxi'i Peace Settlement. This treaty disarmed and dismantled the Thalian Empire, creating the Thalos Exclusion Territory and transferred the remaining Thalian Navy to the victorious Cooperatives. The purpose of the TET is disputed, though many scholars argue that avoiding direct annexation reduced tensions during the integration process of the three Thalian systems. A significant consequence of the dismantling of the Thalian Empire was the CAC's decision to search for extrasolar allies, having effectively removed their only close neighbour.

Background

Neither Tir'qa nor Thalos were aware of the other's presence for much of their initial expansion. By 437, Tir'qa had expanded to 15 systems, whilst Thalos had settled 3, with a claim to a fourth - Kovaxi'i. Although the latter was much smaller, the resources of its systems made the state technologically superior to their northern neighbour. First contact between the two nations is said by Tir'qan officials to have occurred in the early months of 438, after the establishment of colonies on Kovaxi'i by a combined Tir-Kobun expedition.

Relations between the two governments were strained from the beginning, with Thalos asserting claims to the Kovaxi'i system based on records of prior expeditions. Scholars often consider this to be a weak argument, as the expedition found no evidence of a significant, permanent Thalian presence beyond a small number of research stations. The system officially joined the CCT as a member cooperative in 455, following a popular vote from the planet's population. Two months after this, the Ambush at Harmon'i occurred, during which naval forces under the Thalian Empire would open fire on unarmed Tir'qan vessels. After rapid mobilisation by both sides and further border exercises conducted by Thalos, the Empire commenced an invasion of the Combined Cooperatives.

First Thalos War (455-457)

The first phase of the conflict, marked by a series of major Thalian naval and land victories, is commonly referred to by historians as the First Thalos War. During this two-year period, the Thalian Empire commenced a major series of naval offensives and land invasions into the systems of Kovaxi'i and Faqare. Specialist 'interceptor' vessels, capable of high speeds and equipped with armour-piercing weaponry, rapidly overran and disrupted the local infrastructure and military installations, allowing the much larger Thalian fleets to follow and commence land invasions upon the destruction of atmospheric defences. Civilian militias and local army units mounted desperate resistance efforts in the cities, but were eventually defeated and forced underground. These two campaigns were swift, with the Kovaxi'i offensive being completed before the news of the war's outbreak reached the capital. The scale and inexperience of the Combined Cooperatives severely limited early wartime coordination, while their much slower FTL technologies left the Forces of Ascendancy vulnerable to Thalian ambush.

Further confusion was caused by a successful Thalian deception operation after the fall of Kovaxi'i. In one of the most significant strategic defeats of the early war, staged fleet manoeuvres and false intelligence successfully tricked the CCT command into believing the next offensive would continue westward into Wa'ja, while the Thalian interceptors and a significant fleet detachment instead advanced into Faqare. Although the attack on Faqare was detected sooner due to its lesser distance from the capital than Kovaxi'i, the Tir'qan navy was stationed too far from the system to organise an effective defence. A small-scale central offensive towards Thalos was attempted, but was quickly repelled. Faqare fell in less than two months, almost as quickly as Kovaxi'i. Contemporary scholars widely consider this attack to be one of the most decisive defeats of the war.

Following the fall of Faqare, the Thalian Empire began preparations for a major offensive on the capital of Kelth, now exposed after the fall of the South-Centre. In on of their first major strategic victories of the conflict, the CCT correctly predicted Kelth to be the next target and stationed the remnants of their navy alongside a rapidly converted civilian force in a ring formation around the planet. At the same time, the government relocated much of its administration to the Northern Frontier, and oversaw both the Emergency Northern Resettlement Program and a rapid industrialisation effort.

On the eve of the New Year in 457, the Thalian fleet commenced the Kelth Offensive.

Siege of Kelth (457-477)

The Thalian fleet arrived in the Kelth system in the early morning of the Fifth Rotation, and had surrounded the planet by late evening. This time gap allowed for much of Kelth's military industries to be evacuated before the planet was surrounded, often considered a critical Thalian mistake by historians. Shortly before midnight, the first Thalian offensive would begin. Military officials were given a one word order: stall. Converted civilian vessels, considered expendable, were placed in front of the formations, whilst the remaining standardised military vessels were placed behind, allowing the bombardment of interceptors from range. The initial battles lasted roughly five hours and were noteworthy for being the first recorded instance of Thalian ships being destroyed by CCT forces. Most of these engagements would result in stalemates, leading to neither the blockade or Cooperative line being broken. These stalemates gave the CCT critical time to deploy its experimental military technology referred to as the Cooperative Integrated Systems Defence Network Platforms (CISDNPs). Equipped with large 'Mass Acceleration Guns', numerous turrets, and a control tower capable of controlling up to 2500 drones, these platforms would play a vital role in maintaining the siege. Drone warfare was deemed especially advantageous by Tir'qan military staff, as drones were deemed far easier to replace than military personnel. Although CISDNPs are not very mobile and remain in geosynchronous orbit around the planets they protect, they are incredibly durable and possess advanced shielding technologies. The deployment of these CISDNPs is typically regarded as beginning the Siege of Kelth.

Conditions on the planet were brutal during the siege that would last for just over 20 years. Severe rationing was put in place in the planet's largest settlements, with many farmers having their produce taken by the planetary government to supply the population - though they were compensated after the war. Blockade runners, staffed by veteran pilots of the Emergency Northern Resettlement Program, airdropped essential supplies and resources onto Kelth's surface. These were often considered suicide missions due to the difficulty of bypassing the Thalian blockade of over 400 ships. Despite this, over eighty percent of drops were delivered successfully. Critical resources such as medicine suffered constant shortages, leading to disasters such as the Great Plague of 468, and the loss of almost 5% of the planet's population (just under 250,000,000 civilian deaths). To prevent further spread, bodies were burnt, leading to many cities being enveloped in smoke for the duration of the plaque. Post-war recounts described the planet as 'apocalyptic' by the end of the plague in 470. Despite all of this, the planet survived and the defence was never broken. Some land battles occurred in the final years of the siege, as Thalian interceptors were repurposed into troop carriers that were fast enough to bypass some defensive platforms. Unlike the navy, the Forces of Ascendancy severely outmatched the Thalians in ground warfare technologies, and all attacks were repelled.

During the siege, critical breakthroughs were made by the High Ministry of Coordinated Defence. Skilled decoders, stationed on the CISDNPs near the frontlines, were able to break the cipher of Thalian transmission in 464, allowing them to track naval movements and predict attacks. Moreover, the CCT navy was reorganised into standardised 'Naval Units', with vessel classification and centralised fleet composition. This would include the production of the CCT's first dreadnought class vessel, the CCN Ascendancy, as well as the mass production of other naval vessels across the Northern Frontier. These naval reforms showed clear success, with the Tir'qan navy preventing further western offensives after the beginning of the Siege of Kelth. The Battle of Pio, in the Wa'ja system, was the first CCT victory in a 'traditional' naval battle. Upon the decoding of the Thalian cipher, Tir'qa would begin sending stealth ships into Faqare and Kovaxi'i during periods of weaker garrisoning to fund insurgent groups on the surface, disrupting logistics and diverting vessels otherwise intended to reinforce the siege line.

In 477, the newly standardised and reformed CCT Naval Units would use the Thalian's deception tactics against them. A small force feigned an attack into Kovaxi'i, whilst a much larger force made an FTL jump into the Kelth system. This surprise attack caught the Thalian siege line off guard and, with coordinated offensives between the planet-side vessels and the Navy, the Siege of Kelth was broken. Thalian forces would retreat into Kovaxi'i to regroup and end the feigned attack. Both sides would later agree to a 1-month ceasefire to recover their wounded, with the DCA undertaking an enormous recovery and resupply campaign across Kelth. Controversially, Tir'qa would continue supplying insurgent groups during the ceasefire, however no direct engagements between the two sides occurred.