Mida Border Conflict

The Mida Border Conflict was a short-lived skirmish between the countries of Mida and Alca in early 2035 on the Foreuvo continent, starting on February 10th with Alca's surprise invasion and ending on March 1st with a temporary ceasefire that later turned permanent. No peace treaty was signed.

## Invasion

On February 10th, Alca launched a surprise attack against Mida in disputed border territory. Because Mida was totally unaware, Alca captured nearly 1000 square miles of territory and began establishing the new border before the Midan government could even issue orders to counterattack. Alca committed almost none of their Faium pilots to the initial occupation, instead capturing Midan territory almost exclusively with ground troops; most Faium combat took place outside the captured territory in a technically defensive action, as Alca made no further offensive push.

## Counterattack

Mida committed as many forces as possible to retake the border in an effort to intimidate Alca; a third of their total Faium pilots were involved in the assault, which put them at the absolute limit of what was allowed under the Seculum Treaty. Scouting pilots arrived on February 12th and the main force engaged on the 14th. Lovely 1 initially led Midan ground forces to retake roughly half the disputed area by February 20th before unusual tactics employed by the commanding Field Marshall of the Alcan Faium pilots halted their advance. Alca deployed an elite Faium squadron, Golddigger, on the 21st which pushed all the way back to the originally conquered territory. After this development, Mida proposed a ceasefire that ended on March 1st, 8 AM, which Alca agreed to.

## Negotiations

The Alcan Field Marshall and the previous Midan ambassador to Alca met on a ship in international waters to begin deliberations. No official record of their conversations exists, however there seems to have been no progress made as late as February 28th. On that day, a news report was released in Mida that showed undercover footage in the disputed territory seemingly showing that the Alcan forces were treating the Midan people with dignity, housing refugees and keeping food supplies and emergency services running. Public opinion in Mida turned against a second military assault, and the government was forced to instruct the ambassador to not demand the conquered territory back.

## Conclusion and aftermath

Negotiations did not formally break down, but no decision was released by the deliberators until Noon on March 1st, well after the 8 AM deadline. Military forces on both sides showed great restraint in refusing to act until official orders arrived. At 1:12 PM, Midan forces received orders that the ceasefire had been extended indefinitely, which effectively ended the conflict. Faium pilots were demobilized on both sides and ground forces were minimized in Alcan territory; however, the troops in Mida began construction of the Razga Fortress to discourage Alca from any further advancement.

## Analysis

No reason for the invasion was ever declared or confirmed by Alca, however, tension over the area had existed since 1892 when the region was sold by Alca to Mida, who subsequently discovered large veins of gold, iron, and coal. Mida offered a revenue split of an unknown percentage, but the existing Alcan government never responded to the offer. It is possible that Alca simply thought the Aulesian Expansion War occurring on the other side of the continent was sufficient distraction for them to finally retake the area as a matter of pride.

It is unlikely that Mida will attempt to retake the land. By the time of the Alcan invasion, all but one of the gold mines had been decommissioned and the coal production had greatly diminished due to decreased global demand. Mida remains the nation with the largest wealth per capita on Foreuvo.