Sovereign

“The Loviedo Conference ends with the signing of the Treaty of Loviedo. Eighteen ‘Vanguard Republics’, one in North Opellia, and seventeen in Vaeyox, led by the four members of the ‘CFN Security Council’, the Federal Republic of Orland, the Confederation of Larissa, the Republic of Asturia, and the Republic of Hebei, have finally joined forces to ‘defend the revolution from global reactionary forces’. All member states of the CFN have now announced mass mobilization for the past eight hours since the treaty was signed, fully heightening international tensions to uncontrollable levels for MN Member States.”

- Geopol News

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United Confederation of Pez

“Arkelia agrees to these terms,” Chancellor Lies Lozeman said without much hesitation. Another preliminary meeting between Orland, Lorathia, Gallia, and Arkelia was ongoing, with them being the four main powers in the Western Hemisphere left in the MN. The Arkelians were a new addition, but one that Amelie expected after her meeting with the Princess of Ruland last time.

It seemed that they were extremely eager to join the war now that things had fully heated up. It was lucky, as the Arkelian Expeditionary Forces (AEF) had already mobilized for the past few weeks. Should they join, Amelie expected a massive amount of troop deployments to aid her in Orland. That was good.

Extremely good.

“That’s…quite the good development, Chancellor Lozeman,” Amelie said. Chancellor Lies Lozeman was someone that Amelie had a growing fondness for. For some reason, the woman managed to fully wrestle control from the four queens of the United Crowns to not just fully mobilize their peacetime armed forces but to also approve her plans of joining the war on the side of the Mandate of Nations.

But not just that. Foreign Minister Adelaide already reported just hours earlier that they had just signed an economic treaty with the Arkelians that would allow Orland to build industrial bases straight in Arkelian lands. Fueled by Orland’s skilled workers, and Arkelia’s cheaper labor costs, Amelie was looking at a massive increase in industrial production within the next year or two.

That would be industrial production right next to Orland, connected to her growing industries in the west coast, and far enough away from the frontlines that the Federalists wouldn’t be able to touch it. But the most important part was the intact coastal cities on Arkelia. The loss of Orland’s east coast ports had been disastrous since only cities in southeastern Orland and west Orland were deemed safe enough for continued economic activity. As such, those Arkelian cities would be easing up the bottleneck of industrial-scale raw materials shipment in west Orland’s port cities by diverting some of the load in Arkelian port cities that were already connected by rail to Orland.

“Indeed. Orland’s and the Ivory Alliance’s security and economic interests are the interests of Arkelia. Goddess knows that just as my country needs unity instead of disunity, the international community needs the same. North Opellia must be united in the face of this crisis.”

Amelie nodded. “This will be a good message to our South Opellian sisters. I hope they’ll see reason and join the MN’s efforts.”

“South Opellia indeed will be a massive boon to our efforts,” the Queen of Gallia said. “Unlike Vaeyox, the Pieran Continent and South Opellia had been untouched by the revolution, except for mass unrest. Their countries also recognize the logical supremacy of women. There is no doubt they’ll join us.”

Amelie felt her mood souring at the words from her ally. The fact that the Gallian Queen openly subscribed to the idea of women’s supremacy was…indeed not a good one. However, Amelie would have to work with who she could work with. Indeed, while the Pieran Continent and the South Opellian Continent were filled in large part by poorer reactionary governments where magic truly reigned supreme, she needed their resources and manpower.

Especially South Opellian manpower. They had about the same population as all of Orland. Although they only produced a quarter of Orland’s GDP, every economic value that Amelie could squeeze must be squeezed for the war effort. With enough war investments, she could probably set up more cheap labor factories down there to do the more basic parts of Orland’s high-tech manufacturing.

Even if South Hebei was still a technically better factory for her, Arkelia and South Opellia seemed to be a better option long term. They were close to Orland, where the frontlines were. And unlike Hebei, they were untouched by the war. Amelie doubted that South Opellian governments would be that useful militarily though. Quite frankly, without the Royal Guard’s endless meddling in that continent, she doubted those unstable Queens would stay in power for too long.

Hegemonic politics is such a pain. Same with the Pieran Continent. The Royal Guard was just as active there for the same reason they were active in South Opellia. Keep pro-Orland regimes alive, in order to allow her to keep getting that sweet sweet Pieran black gold and raw resources. Their massive nearly enslaved populations toiling in Pieran plantations, mines, and refineries was something Amelie found extremely distasteful.

But again, the fact that they fuel North Opellia’s and West Vaeyox’s more advanced but resource-hungry economies was something she could not deny. It was the most lamentable part of her plan. She doubted she could change much for the men of the Pieran continent. If Orland was bad to its men, over there, Pieran men were practically under de facto economic slavery for richer Pieran women.

Regardless, I have to smile if I want them to join me. If Amelie had her way, she would have been staring daggers at the Gallian Queen for finding the fact that they were extremely reactionary as a great boon. Well, she was a reactionary, so…it was whatever, really. She hoped that if this old woman died, the next one would be someone at least half-decent. No wonder their Armed Forces had been so ineffective during the Great War.

Unlike the OAF which was freed from the whims of Royal Guard handlers, the GAF continued to be subordinate to Queen Clericia’s version of the RGO. It was probably why they were still stuck trying to bash their heads against the Republic of Asturia even when that country was fighting both Gallia and Lorathia alone.

These fools had Ivory Alliance technology, but they sure as hell didn’t have the same professionalized force structure that the Lieplatzan, Asturian, and Orlish Armed Forces boasted. Then again, it was probably why Lieplatz, Asturia, and Orland fell into a male-led revolution. A professionalized armed forces was free from the whims of out-of-touch aristocratic women handlers, which allowed them to dominate the battlefields against the Order Pact. Unfortunately, that also meant they were free from the whims of out-of-touch aristocratic women handlers. The same women who had the job of weeding out anyone with the wrong ideas about the current order.

Quite frankly, only the Asanaians had an organization similar to the OAF that didn’t suffer from a violent revolution. It was why Amelie wanted them on her side more than the Gallians and the Lorathians. By having them, she’d actually have a useful military ally that was good beyond the simple act of holding their enemies back, which was probably the only thing that the Gallian and Lorathian Armies would be good for once the CFN crossed the Gallia–Poznek border.

To hold out until MN reinforcements arrive.

“That’s…indeed good news, considering that the CFN is now fully realized,” Amelie’s words came out too reluctant. “Though, I do hope that we can come at a unified political str—”

“No,” the Gallian Queen said, completely shooting down Amelie’s bubbling reformist proposals before she could even utter a word. The air in the room seemed to have dropped to disproportionate levels. “Orland’s political policies need not be imposed in any MN nation-state.”

“But Queen Clericia,” Amelie tried. “Respectfully, we all have to recognize that everyone in this room and every MN member state has military forces composed mostly of men. Surely, it wouldn’t be beyond reason for us to collectively try…to be a little bit kinder to them?”

Queen Clericia Alois gave her a silent stare. “They are paying for their crimes. That’s all there is to it.”

“Crimes? What crimes do they need to pay for?”

“Do not play that way in this time of crisis, Queen of Orland. I do not have obligations to educate you on history,” the woman took a calm breath as she looked at the map of Vaeyox. “We will control them and make them fight. Whether they like it or not.”

“That’s…” Amelie looked at the Queen of Lorathia, but it seemed that Queen Eliette didn’t seem to be bothered in any way by the statements from Queen Clericia. Amelie then turned to the Chancellor of Arkelia, who…seemed to be giving her a sympathetic nod, but she didn’t speak any further. Amelie was…alone. “I see then. I apologize for bringing that up.”

Queen Clericia shook her head. “Naivety is something far too common in young women. Worry not, one day, you’ll grow old and learn of the realities of men.”

There were no comments from Amelie, except for a little nod. She felt like a child in front of the Gallian Queen. Well, compared to them, she was a child. But it boiled her blood. Grow old? These two seemed stuck in their hatred! To Amelie, the matronly way that she condescendingly shot her down was infuriating. She almost wanted to lash at her and remind her of Gallia’s place, but…

But no words came out. Amelie needed her allies in the Ivory Alliance. She didn’t want to make a scene. Just like she probably would hold herself off from lashing out if any representative from the more outwardly women-supremacist countries began speaking later in the Conference. In a way, being face-to-face with the leaders of the global matriarchy…

Amelie somehow understood why the CFN acted in the way that they did. Perhaps, Amelie would never side with their means. Their actions of extreme violence to achieve their political goals. But…working with old women who didn’t care for the bloodstains they created. These two same women who ruled their nations for a lifetime already…

She definitely was in agreement. Her side was no saints. They were no saints. The MN…would only really mirror the newly formed CFN.

The monsters that created them…the same monsters that Amelie wanted to fight.

Make a deal with the devil…to crush the devil. Her lips returned to their neutral thin line. The eternal position that we are in.