by Max Barry

Latest Forum Topics

Advertisement

Post

Region: Empire of Andrew

Also, with recent changes to the canon, my original plan for how the Third Civil War starts in 2023 (written well over a year ago) no longer works, so I've come up with a different explanation involving Javand and the Conservative Party.

By mid-2023, the situation surrounding the war becomes critical. Casualty counts have surpassed 15,000,000, and no end to the war is in sight. Marshal Bran Jaina fails to bring the Malian theater to a close despite desperately hammering at the Malian lines with attack-after-attack, and the stalemate in western Africa continues. In Mamara, the Empire has reached the city of Constantinople and engages in a brutal siege, while the attack on the Suez Canal fails. On the home front, opposition to the war has become so widespread that there are regular protests in all major cities, involving millions of peoples. Workers at factories go on strike in protest of horrendous conditions and low pay, bring production to a grinding halt and leading to a shortage of supplies on the frontlines. So many conscripts refuse to show up for training that local police forces have stopped prosecuting them, and their is a massive shortage of reinforcements. Veterans returning home on leave also go AWOL and, alongside disgruntled factory workers and angry civilians, join militias apart the Unified Front (organized ostensibly to protect Orson from invasion, especially after the Mamaran attack on Australia).

Prime Minister Javand is now in a terrible position. His approval rating is dismally low, and the Conservative Party is expected to face a reckoning in the upcoming 2025 elections. After the UF and Social Democrats announce they are planning a nationwide strike that will shut down the production of 70% of all factories in Orson, Javand is forced to accept their terms and try to end the war. He meets with High Command, stating that he will seek peace terms with the Allied powers and demands that they cease all ongoing offensives. High Command refuses the order, as they are ideologically dedicated to carrying out Turner's Grand Plan at all costs, and most officers would rather die than to accept defeat. They also argue this is in violation of their agreement with the civilian government, where they accepted the return of democracy in exchange for having full control over the war effort. In retaliation, Javand cuts the budget of the military severely, leaving them without enough funds to fight the war properly.

This finally forces the military's hand, and they initiate a coup against Javand. Imperial soldiers storm Ravenwood, arrest Javand and all members of the Imperial Council, while High Command takes full control over Orson via a military junta. High Command repeals the Devolution Acts and institutes martial law, and thousands of soldiers are deployed throughout major cities to ensure order. Massive riots breakout across Orson, which rapidly evolve into skirmishes between soldiers. The Unified Front then proclaims itself to be in open rebellion against the Empire, and orders its militias to engage Imperial forces. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers also defect to the UF and territorial governments announce plans to secede from Orson. At this point, the civil war begins.

Let me know what thought y'all have about his, if any.

ContextReport