Second Asterian Civil War

Second Asterian Civil War
Date July 7 - September 9, 2034 Location Asteria and Ulunkheria Result Tierro-Waverly Coalition victory Winnecomac referendum voided Overthrow of Alvarez-led government Territorial changes none
Belligerents
Tierrador	Waverly Government Supported by: Alstin Faneria Urcea Arcerion Burgundie	Asteria Supported by: Faneria (prior) Daxia
Commanders and leaders
Mokhar III Angelina Šaphiana	Tawa Wanikiya	Fatima Alvarez
Units involved
Tierradorian Defense Forces	Local militia/Asterian Defense Forces Fanerian National Army Urcean Armed Forces	Asterian Home Guard/Asterian Defense Forces
Strength
Peak strength: 259,000	Waverly Coalition Peak strength: 250,000	Peak strength: 320,000
Casualties and losses
46,202	XXX	163,443

The Second Asterian Civil War was an armed conflict that began on July 7, 2034 with a rebellious organization based in Waverly, Asteria, launching a coup d'etat against the country's elected government, led by President Fatima Alvarez. The sudden launch of the coup occurred following the mobilization of thousands of Asterian troops into the city of Winnecomac one year prior, in 2033, following a failed referendum calling for Tierrador to cede the city back to Asteria. Having been a point of contest between the two countries for nearly four-hundred years, Winnecomac was the main target for the Asterian Defense Forces in their initial military operation, despite the city being unanimously-recognized by the League of Nations as sovereign Tierradorian territory. In response to the Asterian aggressions, Tierrador, supported by many global powers including Alstin, Kuronia, Urcea, Kiravia, Caphiria, Castadilla, the Cape, and Paulastra, would mobilize troops into Asteria.

Following the 2033 escalations, a second referendum would be held exactly one year later, in 2034. The results would stay the same, with a narrow majority voting in favor of remaining within the Woqalate's jurisdiction. Despite the results, Asterian state media would falsely report the results going in their favor, which prompted Alvarez to mobilize most of the country's reserve forces for an attack on Winnecomac. The resulting opposition within Asteria was met with purges from Alvarez and the Asterian Home Guard, which in-turn caused the Assembly of Waverly to vote in favor of Alvarez's impeachment. Alvarez was heavily against the expansion of Tierrador's sphere of influence, which completely surrounded Asteria via Tierrador and Porlos. The ADF would attempt to purge the Waverly Government along with mobilizing to take Winnecomac on July 6. The movements into Winnecomac were condemned by the League of Nations, whom responded by passing LoN Security Council Resolution 650, which officially condemned Alvarez, and LoN Security Council Resolution 651, which allowed for a Coalition of LoN powers to mobilize troops in support of both Tierrador and the Waverly Government.

Asteria would make the first move on July 6, and would be immediately ambushed outside of the Winnecomac city limits. The TDF had kept most of the ADF's forces at bay outside the city, which allowed for Kuronian forces to flank the ADF in Ahearn. After the ADF was flanked, they were completely surrounded, allowing the Coalition to move troops into Asteria on all sides. Tierrador would take the cities of Corinth, Fort Godwin, and would ambush ADF strongholds outside of Concordia, while the rest of the Coalition met with the Waverly forces and collectively conquered the cities of Milsboro, Yarmouth, Fort Lauren, and Kentyre. Many cities in Asteria were hit with airstrikes by Task Force _____, made up of many different nations' air forces. As the Coalition moved further inland towards Concordia, Waverly victory was in sight. Many ADF strongholds and infrastructure points were destroyed in the march to Concordia, and the Waverly forces had outnumbered the Alvarez government. On August 11, the Waverly Coalition had entered into Concordia, and would launch a coup d'etat against the incumbent government.

The Battle of Concordia was the final battle of the war, with Coalition, Waverly, and Tierradorian forces fighting a six-way battle against Asterian loyalist forces. This battle would end in a victory for the Coalition, with Fatima Alvarez subsequently fleeing the country, allowing for the Waverly Government to take charge of Asteria.

Background

Main article: Hemp Wars

Main article: Cowboy Crisis

Winnecomac

Winnecomac had been a contested zone between Tierrador and Asteria since the Kingdom of the Fhainn conquered the lands in the 1600s, during the Hemp Wars. Winnecomac was the last Qabóri fort standing after the war was over, and was recognized as a buffer city between the two empires, under control of the autonomous Winnecom Tribe. From that point on, the Abioic indigenous group residing in the city became more sympathetic towards the Milsboro Colony, allowing for the Midlands Company to set up trade outposts along the border, with no resistance allowed from Qabór. In 1889, the Winnecom Tribe experienced increased aggression from the reformed Woqalate, ignoring the treaties put forth by the two previous powers. The tribe would eventually vote to join Asteria, a move certified by the Winnecomac Act of 1891. After ninety years under Asterian control, Winnecomac's sovereignty would once again be challenged during the Cowboy Crisis, which lasted from 1981 to 1983, and resulted in a violent Asterian invasion of several cities in Tierrador. Eventually, the war would end in Tierrador's favor, with Winnecomac being annexed by the Woqalate as terms for Asteria's aggressions.

Build-up to the 2033 Referendum

Due to Winnecomac being under Tierradorian control for nearly five decades, far-right Fatima Alvarez had based most of her initial presidential campaigns on anti-Woqalate rhetoric, mainly defined by her referencing of the Abiophobic conspiracy theory of "Urceo-Woqalism" and emphasis on the "growing desires" of Winnecomac residents to reunite with Asteria. Meanwhile, Tierrador had taken significant steps in the rollback on its military spending in 2031 and 2032 under left-wing Premier Angelina Šaphiana following the Final War of the Deluge and the ______ War. This had increased the political divide between Šaphiana and Woqali Mokhar III, who argued against funding rollbacks due to Tierrador's role in politically contested areas. Alvarez took advantage of the political divide between the two leaders, and their surrounding bubble, by mobilizing all Asterian county militias, and declaring a popular referendum for re-annexing Winnecomac, enforced by a unanimous vote in the National Security Council. The Woqalate had viewed these statements made by Alvarez as an act of aggression, and responded with heightened security in the Tierro-Asterian border, along with air, rail, and maritime travel being restricted between both countries. Tierrador had managed to rally vocal support for its territorial sovereignty over Winnecomac from powers such as Urcea, Kiravia, the Cape, along with support for a peaceful and diplomatic resolution from Alstin and Paulastra. Initial snap polls for the 2033 referendum estimated 79% of Asterians would vote in favor of annexing Winnecomac, though thorough data was not available for the entire adult population of Winnecomac. Roads and railways leading into Tierrador were shut down from the Asterian side, while tens of thousands of militia members were mobilizing towards the direction of Winnecomac.

Winnecomac itself was well-known for the Winnecomac Reserve Base, which mainly stationed the TDF's 8th Brigade, consisting of about 8,000 total soldiers. Once the Asterian movements were known throughout Tierrador, the 9th Infantry Brigade had been mobilized from Sevier on June 23, while the 5th and 6th Corps' were placed on high-alert that same day. On June 25, Asterian media group Concordia Times Union reported massive protests in favor of the July 9 referendum taking place outside of the Tierradorian embassy in Asteria. The protests were not controlled, and local police did little to deter the protest from turning into a riot. Tierradorian symbols were burned outside of the embassy, while protesters shouted Abiophobic remarks towards Tierradorian soldiers and embassy officials. On the night of June 25, the protests would turn even more violent, as hundreds of protesters were able to barge through the fences separating the compound from the street. Some protesters managed to sneak weapons into the compound, firing shots at the armed embassy guards and at the windows of the building, while throwing firebombs through open windows, intending to smoke out the embassy personnel. The rioters would eventually make their way inside the main embassy building, taking nearly two dozen embassy workers hostage, demanding the return of Winnecomac to Asteria in exchange for hostage release. Premier Šaphiana responded to the situation by mocking the Asterian government for its foreign policy methods, while threatening retaliation in the event that a hostage is killed.

As the hostage situation continued on, several unknown Asterian task forces would appear off the southwestern coast of Tierrador, conducting exercises including naval landing, bombardment of coastal installations, along with target practice for submarines. The close proximity to the maritime border between the two nations meant that many Tierradorian residents in Prisamarina and surrounding areas had seen the exercises, which caused great concern amongst the Tierradorian public.

Civil War

June 30 Embassy Siege

On June 26th, Asteria's Secretary of State, Yona Stark, was placed under arrest at Vayres International Airport by ADF personnel on the orders of the Alvarez government. Alvarez accused Stark of treason, corruption and nepotism, and plotting a coup against the Asterian government. Mrs. Stark was traditionally a close supporter of Alvarez, but broke ranks with the government's position on Winnecomac during the escalation of the crisis by requesting international mediation as an alternative to open warfare. During the flight to Concordia, Secretary Stark and her staff reportedly attempted to hijack the plane, ultimately leading to ADF air defenses shooting the flight down. The killing of Yona Stark precipitated a comprehensive but seemingly unplanned attack on her close associates in the government as well as her family members, including the arrests of Stark's two sons and daughter living in Asteria and the arrest and murder of her husband Patrick Stark, Asteria's Secretary of Commerce.

Yona Stark's eldest daughter, Katja Stark, was living in Faneria due to her position as Asteria's ambassador in the capital. Ambassador Stark, who was in close communication with Fanerian officials due to Faneria's material and political support for Asteria in the conflict for Winnecomac and the escalating nature of the crisis, was arrested on the 29th by the Asterian Embassy's guards while returning briefly to secure classified documents. Critically, the arrest was made outside the building, in view of the Fanerian State Security detail assigned to her at the time. A brief physical altercation occurred before Stark was pulled inside the Embassy. Following the incident, State Security and elements of the Assembly Guard and National Police surrounded the site and prevented the Embassy's guards from extraditing Stark to Asteria.

Following an eight-hour overnight standoff, the embassy guards permitted a dual citizen unrelated to the siege to leave the building. This person passed on a request by Ambassador Stark for asylum. A Government Ethics Regulatory Bureau team then forced entry to the embassy and was engaged by its security in a firefight; six of the eight security personnel were killed during the resulting engagement, and one guard and embassy worker were injured nonlethally. Ambassador Stark and the other Embassy staff were not significantly harmed beyond suffering from tear gas exposure; Stark herself was the only arrestee and the other staff reported being advised by embassy security to remain in the building for their own safety.

The lapse in communication channels between Asteria and Faneria, as well as the violent resolution to the embassy incident, meant cooperation between the Alvarez government and Faneria was no longer a practical course. The Fanerian government, previously deadlocked between the National Assembly and Directorate over the crisis' endangerment of Fanerian-Capetian relations, cut ties completely with the Asterian regime. Director Brennan Walaerin retired from the matter entirely on July 1 due to ongoing public pressure and lampooning in the media, allowing the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to dictate Fanerian policy on Asteria. As a direct result, Faneria's government radically switched its position to align against Alvarez in the week prior to the declaration of the Waverly government, including arranging military operations under the auspices of LoNSC 651.

Coalition Operations

Coalition forces began combat operations against Asterian forces in two stages, primarily involving an air and naval phase followed by amphibious and ground invasions from multiple angles. Broadly, the TDF launched continuous offensive operations along the eastern border, while Faneria disconnected the Asterian military and civil sectors from its COSGESS satellite geolocation services. Fanerian, Urcean, Alstinian, and Burgoinesc naval forces suppressed and destroyed a significant part of Asterian air capabilities and air defense systems with sustained SEAD/DEAD strikes.

During the second phase, IFN air assets and ground forces were allocated to handle operations on the east bank of the Yare River, severing lines of supply and preventing retreat to or reinforcement of Concordia. The R&IA and supporting Burgoinesc forces landed west of the Yare and similarly advanced north, rolling up Asterian air support capabilities and entering the weaker western portions of Concordia's layers of air defense and physical fortifications.