“If those forces don't go, I bomb.”
The Thule Crisis was a major diplomatic and military confrontation which took place in September and October of 2812 primarily between the Covenant of Mirus and the Mendel Pact over a massive buildup of Mendel army and naval forces in Thule along the French border. The move was widely seen as an act of aggression and a prelude to an attack on France and was immediately condemned through international channels, resulting in the banishment of the Mendel Pact from the Covenant of Mirus and the siding of the galaxy's major powers with the French demand that the Mendel withdraw. Simultaneously, the United Persan Descendants initiated its own conflict with the Pact.
While France had substantial naval, air, and army units stationed in Mirus at the start of the crisis, its military presence and readiness had been purposefully minimized in order to make it as clear as possible that it had no aggressive intent on the galaxy's natives. As such, the Mendel mobilization to Thule was detected by Waptorian intelligence on September 5, France initiated its own mobilization in full knowledge that it would not have the forces to adequately defend itself until well into the crisis. On the Mendel side, the race was to get enough forces to Thule that French Godrine's fortifications could be stormed before France could deploy its troops.
Uncertainty reigned over who had the mobilization advantage, causing the Hand of Retribution to put off giving the order to attack. This gave the French time to deploy and entrench two army corps at the border, to secure international support, and to deploy naval and air forces to the Nihilus and Mionnay naval bases flanking the Mendel territory. On September 11, France seized the initiative and took an enormous risk: using the naval forces at Nihilus and Mionnay, it enacted a blockade of Mendel Thule and, in so doing, sought to interrupt the Mendel deployment.
The blockade was immediately sanctioned by the Covenant of Mirus and associated powers on September 12, warning that if the Mendel challenged it, it would mean war between the Mendel Pact and the Covenant. Despite the fact that the blockade and the border would soon be reinforced by assets belonging to the Draconid Imperium, the Tybusen Intergalactic Allied Federation, the Eldarisian Empire, and the Waptoria Alliance of Species, it was clear that the blockade was a diplomatic move. As a military measure, it was paper: the Covenant would not possess the forces to adequately defend it against a Mendel military challenge until September 19, and yet the Pact hesitated. By the time the blockade was fully enforceable on the 19th, the diplomatic threat had been enough: The Mendel Pact would not challenge the blockade and now found that half of its army and naval forces were stranded in Thule.
Emboldened by the success of the blockade, French Emperor Alexandre I issued a stunning proclamation on September 20. He demanded that the Pact completely reverse their mobilization to Thule and withdraw their forces by the 23rd, or else he would bomb. There was no movement from the Mendel Pact come the 23rd, forcing the Emperor to follow up on that threat, though he would not have enough aerial assets in the galaxy to carry out an effective bombing campaign until the arrival of the Maxime Supercarrier Battle Group on the 29th, giving the Hand of Retribution plenty of time to back down before his forces were flattened. To the bafflement of everyone, he refused to withdraw.
In order to follow through with Alexandre's threat, the Covenant had to do with what it had on hand, carrying out fighter sweep, reconnaissance, and precision strike sorties with French, Draconis, TIAF, and Waptorian airpower. By the time French heavy strategic bombers began striking Mendel forces directly on the 29th, air superiority had been won, leading to the gradual destruction or surrender of Mendel armies and fleets in the region. On October 1, the territory fell before Covenant armies and was turned over on October 5 to the rebel forces of Kirta Clett.
Quotes[]
“If those forces don't go, I bomb.”
“How eloquently spoken.”
- - Domivere
Trivia[]
- The Thule Crisis is a part of Zillafire101's The Mendel Schism storyline.