Thalos Wars
| Thalos Wars | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 455 | ||
| Location | Unknown space, largely in the Lower-Centre of Tir'qa. | ||
| Outcome | Thalian Empire dismantled and reorganised. | ||
| Major Battles |
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| Combatants | |||
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| 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. 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.
