Cascadian Conflict

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"The people of Cascadia, do you know what you've taken from them?! Their homes! And for what, to secede from the world?! What, you think you can fight this war again in 50 years' time, do you really think history will see it your way?!"
― Crimson 1 ranting about the war[1]

The Cascadian Conflict was a major civil war in the After Calamity Era. The conflict began with Cascadia withdrawing its membership in the Pacific Federation, citing its continuing expansion. The Federation refused, and Cascadia collapsed into two major factions; those in favor of independence and those remaining loyal to the Federation.

With combatants from over 90 countries and involving a downsized rerun of the Calamity, the Cascadian Conflict eclipsed the Oceanian War's destruction threefold and resulted in a combined death toll of 1.5 million lives across both sides, over half from the disasters that destroyed its two remaining founding cities, along with much of the country being practically reduced to glass and no longer habitable. The war also bucked expectations that the Federation would prevail as history had proven time and again.[2]

The conflict was notably also the first time cordium-tipped weaponry was used, and saw mercenaries returning to their former glory after a decline caused by the aforementioned war.[3] It also saw the once-mighty Federation being heavily declawed by never-before-seen losses and losing newer member states afterwards because of its atrocities,[4] as well as turning the tide of a secret cold war between the Federation and other superpowers by greatly harming the Federation's image.[5]

The war is the main backdrop of the Campaign mode of Project Wingman.

Background and mass contract

"Don’t make Cascadia regret hiring you all."
― Captain J. Griffiths[6]

By AC 432, the Pacific Federation was the sole major supplier of cordium and geothermal resources to the world. Most of these resources came from the Ring of Fire, in which their North American client state of Cascadia had the largest deposits. The Federation used these reserves to expand their territory, an action that Cascadia heavily protested against. Notably, despite being a major member state, Cascadia was never properly taken over by the Federation, and was viewed more positively in the international eye compared to the rest of the alliance.[7]

Pre-war, both Cascadia and the Federation utilized their resources together to support lesser nations globally, though were indifferent to one another when it came to relations.[8] Taking Federation aggression negatively, the Cascadian people sought independence but were rejected; instead, the Federation announced a process of due federalization, which was quickly met with resistance.[6] In time, its military fragmented between two major factions; the Cascadian Independence Force, determined to take its independence by force, and forces aligned with the Federation ending up fighting its own countrymen.

A rogue Ambassador aligned with the Independence Force fled the country afterwards, sending out a mass contracts for mercenaries willing to fight for them for money and giving away need-to-know information, and J. Griffiths, part of the caste that propelled Cascadia into civil war, was made the liaison of these mercenaries.[9] The most prominent of these mercenaries would be Sicario, which had just finished its contract with the Creole Republic, a Periphery nation.

Outbreak and escalation

"HQ, we can’t get our coordinates over the secure channel! Where are we going?!"
"It’s the damn jamming! Just head north! We’ll organize as best we can when we’re out of here!"
― A rebel trooper and General Morgan Elizabeth[10]

The war started on January 9 as the Federation began the federalization process.[11] At Presidia, the flashpoint of the conflict and the Cascadian capital itself,[10] the Independence Force, organized by politicians and military leaders and comprised of militias and National Guard units who broke off from the Federation military to pursue independence while also maintaining a legitimate image,[12] swiftly took control of key strategic points in less than a month. Periphery states voiced their support for Cascadia, but chose to stay out of the conflict so as to not get dragged into the war and take the brunt of Federation power like the CIF.[7]

The Federation soon imposed a nationwide communications blackout, claiming only a few riots were happening and that any major military action was properly contained. On February 1, over three weeks into the conflict, all civilian traffic in and out of country was grounded or diverted away to preserve propaganda.[13] They also seized Prospero, the Chaohord Defense Region[14] and its adjacent Solana Communications Array in the Aitor Desert, among other bases, allowing them to jam rebel comms while improving their own and control the flow of information; as a result, rebel frontlines fell apart without proper communication and 30% of the IF-aligned National Guard was wiped out in action.

More than a week after the shutdowns, the Independence Force was facing one defeat after another, and was on the verge of collapsing into a guerilla movement, being in danger of losing its last few major units and officers and therefore, its command structure. Fortunately for them, mercenary forces recently hired, most prominently Sicario, successfully relieved Independence Force battalions all across the country, stabilizing their territory and preserving their conventional warfighting capabilities.[15] In response to the new arrivals, the Federation sent in reinforcements from out of country to ruthlessly crush the rebellion, most prominently Crimson Team and the 1st Naval Battlegroup, targeting Presidia itself on February 21.

Faced with a prolonged conflict hampering their plans of a swift war, the CIF was forced to retreat from the capital the following day, taking few casualties due to spot-on defensive support. At the same time, partisan forces disillusioned with the Independence Force's perceived failure to keep the war going took up arms and erased records of their existence for either side to use. Notably during the evacuation, although both sides tried to get as many civilians out of harm's way, the Federation recklessly bombarded urban areas, causing a number of Federation troops to defect.[16]

Wasting away the Federation

"The Federation’s interest in Cascadia has always been clear. It’s as clear today as it was when we went into an association with them over half a century ago: Power."
― J. Griffiths[17]

However, the Federation's war effort was fueled by cordium and supply lines as the CIF deduced, and they sent out fighters to launch a series of raids on both coastal emplacements[18] and major supply facilities and routes all across the country. Though the Federation still had absolute control over logistic routes and had untouchable industrial capacity along with information, even to the point of seizing cell phones, international backlash ensued over its endangerment of civilians and reduction of the war's scale. Concurrently, it was during this time where Monarch of Sicario's Hitman Team stared down Crimson Team and lived, which led to him and other mercenaries being constantly warned about by them.[17][19][20]

Despite the Federation war effort being hampered by these raids, partly from losing a major asset to them, the Solana Array still put Cascadian rebels at a losing end, and the only way for them to regain the initiative was to destroy the facility. The IF sent Monarch to neutralize the Chaohord Defense Region so as to provide a corridor for Sicario for their one-way trip.[21] Once that was dealt with, Sicario flew to the Aitor Desert and disabled the communications array, freeing up Cascadia's communication networks nationwide.[22]

The rebel counteroffensive

Regaining the initiative

With the loss of the array, the playing field became more even for both sides; in the aftermath of its destruction, the rebels scored their first conventional victories and took back most of the territory they had lost while dealing the Federation severe casualties and imposing their own EW countermeasures. The Federation, being pushed back by a consolidated rebellion, also began discharging Cascadian nationals from its armed forces, which inadvertently helped to bolster the Independence Force's numbers, while also pulling back underpowered units with experience out of Cascadia.

A massive air battle - seen as the largest in history - broke out over the Bering Strait on April 17 when the Cascadian Air Force intercepted the above transport aircraft, only to be engaged by "half the Federation Air Force", becoming pushed back until Sicario and other mercenaries came in and helped turn the tide against them. Crimson Team came in late with surviving units and reinforcements in a final effort to drive the rebels back, but they were forced to retreat as they were being hit with heavy casualties, with over half of Crimson's pilots shot down. With most of their air force in-theater destroyed, the Federation's remaining air power proved no factor.[23]

Following the decisive aerial victory, the rebels took the opportunity to launch an invasion of Magadan, possibly to lock down the Bering Strait to any Federation incursion. They were able to occupy territory for over an entire month before being pushed back by early June, leading to the Federation occupying large swaths of northwestern Cascadia.[14] Around the same time, the Federation's more unknown elements began to surge in activity, which Sicario was sent to investigate, resulting in the destruction of a floating industrial complex along with a next-generation fighter (both Icarus Armories property) in the Scarred Sea, though one other prototype was able to make it out.[24]

To continue their lightning momentum, the Independence Force also sent mercenaries to Sawaiiki, a recently inducted Federation vassal state to destroy the Federation Vertical Navy's dreaded Task Force 1 in port, the airship fleet being due to arrive in Cascadia. Despite the kingdom's status and similar importance to Cascadia, the kingdom complied to requests of neutrality, and its military stood by as the Federation lost numerous facilities and a lot of firepower.[25] This allowed the mercenaries to complete their mission and return home, later on participating in the main offensive lines and successfully recapturing almost all of the country's geothermal facilities and key regions, partly with Independence Force HQ's General Morgan Elizabeth directing proper fronts and partly to partisan interference.[26] It was during the month of May that the rebels were ruthless in taking no prisoners while simultaneously acquiring defectors and prisoners after another,[27] and the Federation did not consider the partisans as much of a threat, which they would later regret.[28]

The Second Calamity

A major battle was planned before the retaking of Presidia: The liberation of Prospero, the Federation's main source of its remaining air power as well as Cascadia's primary economic hub. Independence Force artillery units headed by General Elizabeth had shelled the city to soften up the Federation's defenses in the days leading up to the operation; during the offensive campaign, the Federation evacuated most of its manpower there. Unfortunately and unbeknownst for almost all involved, some Federation officers had a scorched-earth policy in mind for Prospero. Before they realized it, they deployed a mobile artillery battalion[29] to launch a swarm of cordium-tipped cruise missiles to destroy the city. The plan succeeded, but in the process, they had destabilized the entire Ring of Fire, devastating the Pacific Rim in a mass tectonic event[14] and dealing heavy damage to both sides' militaries, especially on the Cascadian Air Force.[30]

With the Calamity's effects all over the Pacific, large swaths of territory were abandoned by both sides, especially the exclusion zones and the newer ones that opened up during the disaster's onset. Their forces, due to breakdowns in communications resulting from geothermal interference and losses of bases such as Rowsdower Air Force Base, scattered and sheltered in place while also relocating to new makeshift bases. The international community also began condemning the Federation, with nations such as the West African Concordat - at the time locked in a cold war with the Federation - pledging support to the Independence Force and warranting the seizure of Federation assets.[31][5] Sicario, in particular, took heavy losses, and Hitman Team's identities were leaked while they were intercepted by bounty hunters, leading to them striking a deal with the government to continue fighting in exchange for being granted sanctuary.[32]

Rebound, final push, and cataclysmic end

"I...I just need to lay down somewhere..."
"Hang in there, bud, not much longer, now, not much longer..."
― Peter Kennedy and Evelyn London[30]

Two months after the Prospero Disaster, the CIF and the Federation began reorganizing, with the latter being faster by collaborating with non-military assets such as partisan snipers and Cascadian Park Service rangers to scout out Federation bases. The rebels were able to strike first, catching the Federation off-guard by raiding one of the largest facilities they had, Brite Fortress in a raid, culminating with similar surprise attacks earning them back more territories lost before and after the destruction of Prospero.[28]

With the new Calamity's geothermal effects dying down and cordium reactivity levels becoming more stable nationwide, the IF went back to Prospero to finish what they started two months ago. Although the area was ravaged by volcanic activity, it was still partly livable valuable as an operating base for the assault on Presidia. The return would mark the final time Hitman and Crimson Team clashed, with the entirety of the latter ace squadron being shot down and killed except for Crimson 1 himself, who unbeknownst to them survived the fateful encounter.[30] Prospero's retaking allowed the rebels to continue their progress, with the last major obstacle being the 1st Battlegroup, which had stayed at Presidia on guard and was now blockading the Pacific Ocean.

By the war's final month, 65% of the Federation Air Force deployed to Cascadia had been destroyed, with the remainder either on retreat or staying back voluntarily at Presidia to reinforce defenses. The 1st Battlegroup moved out of port to respond to the rebel navy intercepting their supply shipments; retreat was rendered impossible due to Sawaiiki, having been made to rethink its vassalization since the raid,[33] cutting off the Federation from using their harbors anymore, and consequently, the battlegroup was sunk, partly with effort from Sicario Commander Arnold Frenken, who was tasked with hiring reinforcements from the Periphery as part of the Deal (which ended up including confidential proxy squadrons from Federation-opposed powers). With Presidia cut off, the Federation's last stronghold in Cascadia was the capital itself.[34]

Around the same time, higher-ups on both sides began secretly arranging a ceasefire meeting in neutral grounds, which ended up being the United Kerneuropa Alliance member state Albion. The IF's plan was to blockade Presidia for a month to burn out the defenders, but due to the impending ceasefire and a need to stop the Federation from being too dug in, the rebels decided to begin the invasion less than two weeks earlier on August 23. In a final, relentless push, they were able to take back almost every stretch of the city which the Federation attempted to secure for as long as possible for ceasefire clout, stopping short of the Port Authority Building when the ceasefire came into effect.

However, Crimson 1, who had gone insane from losing his entire squadron and the war after arriving late, unwittingly disrupted the truce proceedings.[35] Piloting the Project Wingman (PW-Mk.I) fighter, the aircraft from Harkema, he indiscriminately shot down every unit in the airspace except Monarch, sank the rebel fleet stationed in the harbor, and bombed Presidia with cordium warheads - the same kind used on Prospero - with help from a number of accomplices, resulting in millions of casualties and the near-total annihilation of active continental forces on both sides.[29][36] Seeking to settle the score with the Crowned Mercenary, he provoked him to a duel, with the few survivors being left to watch. Eventually, the severely outclassed mercenary bested the renegade Peacekeeper, ending the war proper. Despite Presidia being heavily damaged, the CIF secured the city, liberating it from Federation control.[1][37]

Aftermath

The conflict ended with a pyrrhic rebel victory. The war had brought death and devastation on a scale never seen before in history, with millions having perished as a result of the decisions of a few and both countries being left in ruins in some way. In particular, its cost to Cascadia was astronomical, with its economy, land, and infrastructure in shambles. Large economic and population centers were heavily damaged or outright destroyed by cordium missile strikes, including its capital. Though reconstruction immediately began post-war, it would take a long time for the Cascadians to rebuild their country to even a fraction of its pre-war state.

For the Federation, the war had greatly weakened them as a world power on the global stage. The severe losses its military had suffered had put their Core States at their weakest point since their founding. From a political standpoint, Cascadia's secession had become a catalyst for several secessionist movements from the Federation in the form of various corporations and countries that once planned to join/work with the Federation withdrawing their applications.[4][38] The international fallout from the use of cordium WMDs also spilled into the Federation's cold war and further trashed their reputation, though the West African Concordat was now looking to repurpose them for its own use, potentially leading to more man-made geothermal disasters in the future.[31] In addition, Cascadia now held extreme prejudice against them[37] due to the ceasefire's breaking by Crimson 1, the nature of his final actions remaining publicly unclear.

Owing their independence mostly to mercenaries, Cascadia allowed them to influence its new path, becoming a haven for their kind its country and even forming foreign legions, although Sicario's Hitman Team became wanted by authorities for exact reasons not yet ascertained.[4][39][32] The country, perhaps seeking vengeance for its grievous wounds, began backing Periphery states fighting the Federation.[4] Lastly, the geopolitical impact of the war might see Cascadia rising into another superpower thanks to its huge economic might, though stalled by the huge damage it suffered.[40]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 21: Kings (Transcript).
  2. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: The Cascadian Conflict.
  3. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → Factions: Mercenaries.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Post-Cascadian Conflict.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → Factions: The Federation III.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 03: Homestead (Transcript).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → Factions: United Cascadia II.
  8. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → Factions: United Cascadia I.
  9. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → Pilot Entries: Stardust | J. Griffiths.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 05: Sirens of Defeat (Transcript).
  11. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 01: Black Flag (Transcript).
  12. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → Factions: Cascadian Independence Force.
  13. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 02: Frontiers (Transcript).
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 15: Consequence of Power (Transcript).
  15. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 04: Uphill, Every Way (Transcript).
  16. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 05: Sirens of Defeat (Transcript).
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 06: Machine of the Mantle (Transcript).
  18. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → Pilot Entries: Eminent Domain.
  19. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 07: Eminent Domain (Transcript).
  20. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 08: Clear Skies (Transcript).
  21. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 09: Stepping Stone (Transcript).
  22. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 10: Pillars of Communications (Transcript).
  23. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 11: Cold War (Transcript).
  24. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 12: Midnight Light (Transcript).
  25. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 13: Valkyrie's Call (Transcript).
  26. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Final Independence Force Offensive.
  27. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 14: Open Season (Transcript).
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 17: No Respite (Transcript).
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Cascadian Calamity Event (AC 432).
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 18: Return (Transcript).
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Prospero Disaster International Fallout.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 16: Wayback (Transcript).
  33. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Federalization of Sawaiiki.
  34. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 19: Red Sea (Transcript).
  35. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Cascadian Conflict Ceasefire.
  36. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 20: Presidia (Transcript).
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Presidian Disaster.
  38. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 12: Midnight Light (Transcript).
  39. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: "The Deal."
  40. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → Factions: United Cascadia III.
Battles and events of the Cascadian Conflict
Relevant topics
January
-
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
Wars, conflicts, and other events before and during the After Calamity Era timeline
AC -150-0
AC 332
Formation of the Pacific Federation
AC 392
Solstitium Disaster
AC 417
Oceanian War
AC 422-432
AC 429
'29 tax scandal
AC pre-432
AC 432
Bolded indicates wars or disputes
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