Cronese Crisis

The Cronese Crisis (also called for the First Tion Cluster Crisis) was a political and military crisis from 901-903 ARR in the Tion Cluster that followed the False Tion Peace.

Background
The Cronese Crisis is now identified as begin with the inauguration of Queen Portman of Corn, thought at time her mental illness was not yet clear. Events began with the suspicious death of the High King of Desevro, the leader of the Livien League, a minor power and nominal vassal of the Tion Hegemony. The situation remains unclear, and both the Tion Hegemony and Kingdom of Cron were partial implicated in his death, though the Republic Supreme Court investigated, the guilt of neither party was ever established.

This was followed by a period of increased pirate activity in the region, the deterioration of Cronese domestic situation, and increasing erratic royal behavior. Queen Portman made an number of international announcement, first for a 'War on Crime', then blaming the Tionese government for the death of the High King of Desevro, all the while claiming the be legitimate successor to Ximt he Despot and espousing her own quasi-divinity. Spirax III, the Jaminere Marches and Candinth, all nominal vassal of the Kingdom of Cron broke away when Queen Portman announced her intention to leave the Galactic Republic.

The Crisis
Queen Portman unilaterally withdrew the Kingdom of Cron from Galactic Republic and then ordered her military to block a Republic military through the region.

Battle of Arcan IV
The 'Battle of Arcan IV' was a one sided engagement in which a small squadron of Cronese warships attempted to block the movement of a Republic Battle Group toward Lianna. The Republic deployment was requested by the Lianna Government, which was alarmed by the situation elsewhere in the Crisis. A Republic force of three star destroyers and eighteen cruisers was deployed to support the government of Lianna. At Arcan IV this force was opposed by a Cronese light cruiser and ten corvettes.

A stand-off lasted several hours with the republic force withdrawing to the edge of the system for negotiations. However, this effort came to nothing and the Republic force announced its intention to make passage through the system. The Cronese squadron, either under the impression that they were calling the Republic's bluff or another delusion, offered battle. The resulting engagement was one-sided and saw all eleven Cronese vessels destroyed with the Republic forces suffering no loses and progressing toward Lianna.

Tionese-Cronese War
Following the battle at Acran IV the situation stabilized for a brief period, with the neighboring Tion Hegemony and a loose coalition lead by Lianna jockeyed for political advantage in the region, attempting to pay off the Cronese reversal. This period contained posturing and propaganda by all sides, and the Tion Hegemony began opting a position of the necessary of 'reunifying'  the cluster, in a manner similar to the view exposed by the Kingdom of Cron. This lead to an armed conflict between the two powers.

The Tionese military launched an offensive toward to the Indrexu Spiral taking 45 Asteroid mining colonies, 7 moons and 3 minor barely hospitable planet, and broaching a period of renewed conflict. This offensive progressed with the Tionese forces taking the world of Algor and moving on toward the Nuswatta System. At this point, the Tionese offensive stalled due to a number of factors.

Fore-most was the decision of the Galactic Republic to enforce a cease-fire in the region. The Republic force which had to fight it way to Lianna was reinforced and moved to set up a DMZ along the border based out of the Derellium system. The deployment of the Republic Military effectively end Tionese operations again Cron, but it would be several more years before the conflict officially ended, as the Cronese rejected a Tionese terms offered prior to Republic intervention. Republic intervention was likely a deciding factor in the decision for the Tion Hegemony to leave the Republic.

The End of the Crisis
As the military front collapsed Queen Portman stopped making public appearances and issuing statements. Her regime's actions became interesting detached from reality and took no real role in actively countering the Tionese invasion. Rumors of a palace coup were confirmed in early 903 ARR and regency council assumed control of the Kingdom.

Following a period of Republic intervention, which saw general stabilization and minor security operations in the region, as well as a general reversion to the status quo ante bellum. However, the situation would remain uncertain until 905 ARR when a Republic sponsored peace summit, chaired by Supreme Chancellor Millardo Kuat, obtained a ceasefire and the Kingdom of Cron's re-admittance to the Republic. The ceasefire was struck between all parties in the Tion cluster save for the isolated Tion Hegemony. The details of the arrangment concluded that the Kingdom of Cron would forgo any claims to territories it lost from secession in the previous years. This included the system of Arcan which was a protectorate of Lianna. In exchange for the kingdom of Cron forgoing any claims on Arcan the system had to agree to a benfiital trade deal guarenteeing the right of transit of any cronese trade ship through the system without any tarriffs placed upon it as well as other trade concessions. This was necessary due to the importance of the Arcan System to trade going into the Kingdom of Cron.

The Tion Hegemony however wanted the right to send military vessels into Cronese space to pursue pirates that attacked their shipping lanes that had bases within the Kingdom of Cron. They withdrew from the summit when the Republic made clear it would not tolerate Tionese military incursions into Cronese territory to pursue pirates within their space. While they withdrew from negotiations officially the Supreme Chancellor knew the merit of their grievances. Piracy was becoming a all too common problem with the Kingdom of Cron's nieghbors and the Monarchy of Cron even talked about the possibility of their government being overthrown by the increasingly popular pirate lords on Corlass who brought wealth to the border worlds. Millardo Kuat then made it a priority of his administration's to combat piracy in the Kingdom of Cron to ensure a more lasting peace in the Tion Cluster.

Upon the orders of the then Kuati Chairman Preston Jerimiah Cole the commander of the Republic Defense Forces that Republic Task Groups were tasked to carry out Operation Civility.Operation Civiliy was an anti-pirate/slaving operation conducted against the planets of Panna and Corlass. Following pirate raids in the Republic's territory in Allied Tion Sector the Ministry of Security dispatched intelligence agents to find the source of the pirates leading raids in the Sector as well into Tion Hegemony Space. What they found were a large concentration of pirate activity in the Corlass system and a large slaving and stolen goods market on the planet of Panna. Republic Task Groups deployed themselves at the planets of Argai and Derelium for months choking off the pirate harboring worlds of access to the hyperlanes prior to deploying to the systems themselves in full force. While this may have given time for the pirates it prepare it left them befit of any opportunity to plunder for an extended period crippling their morale. RSDF commanders offered the pirates full pardons in exchange for their ships and service in the Republic military or to die as criminals. RSDF soldiers freed slaves and retrieved stolen merchandise from the world of Panna as most pirates surrendered to the RSDF.

With the strongholds of the Pirate Lords of Cron subdued all remaining reasoning for Tionse intervention into the Kingdom of Cron vanished leaving the Tion Hegemony in a state of defacto ceasefire ever since.

Legacy
The end of the crisis did not mean peace for the Tion Cluster. The Cronese Crisis lead to the development of competing power blocs lead by Lianna and the Tion Hegemony, resulting in the conditions which lead to the Second Tion Cluster Crisis. It also set the precedent for Republic intervention policies.