Sovereign

“Asanaian Army units join South Hebeian Imperial Forces! The Asanai Imperial government has announced sending a full intervention force to assist Empress Xue’s forces in South Hebei. The talks between Asanai and Hebei in South Hebei’s temporary capital of Heji have reportedly included agreements to create a unified command structure to fully integrate South Hebian and Asanian forces greatly. On the frontlines, the situation however remains dire, with South Hebiean forces retreating again from four cities in the Ginzhu Province with unknown but presumably heavy casualties.”

- Midori Imperial Herald

+++

West Orland

November Palace

Amelie looked down at the phone as she sat. In front of him were just three people—Jacqueline, Walter, and Pristina. Her office was now silent, as the trio in front of her awaited her to take the phone call. Amelie almost debated the possibility of just snubbing that Queen. After all, she had pissed Amelie many times already. But the look from Jacqueline and Pristina pushed her on anyway.

I get it. Amelie thought. I still have to talk. Still, it’s not like she’ll be in power long anyway. I don’t see the point of this.

Amelie pulled up the phone and placed it on her ear.

“Your Majesty,” the words from the other side were now bereft of that usual, stoic calmness. “Oh…thank goddess, you picked up. It’s a good thing that our friendship has been a thing for quite long. Gallia thanks Orland’s help. Always. So, please. I think you know what’s happening…”

“I do,” Amelie said, eyeing Walter a bit. Unlike Jacqueline and Pristina, who had been consumed by horror, shock, and anxiety, Walter held a very neutral expression. But Amelie could see in his eyes that predatory grin he was hiding. The man was relishing the idea of overthrowing the Gallian thing. If all the others in her government saw this as a potential threat, Walter saw it as a pure opportunity.

An opportunity to rid our alliance of cancer. I can see it in your eyes. You see her as a tumor. I do agree with that. Queen Clericia…you’ve been nothing but a saboteur of my plans. Of my strategy. Of my war efforts. You might as well be nothing but an agent of the enemy. At least individual agents from the CFN would never sabotage an entire nation’s ability to fight a war.

Amelie tried to hold herself from saying any harsh words yet.

But you…you old fossil…this would not have happened had you just never done what you did. The GAF could have been an effective fighting force. The GAF could have been loyal. Instead, all your actions designed to safeguard your throne—it just backfired on you, you old moron.

“I do know what is happening, yes,” Amelie calmly said. “I—”

“There are people, armed men, surrounding my palace with machine guns. Snipers. Everything. My guards can see them prepare squads of troopers in heavy Kevlar armor. There are tanks and other armored vehicles massing in front of my nation’s government. My friend, please…I need you to take action now. We need your help now.”

There was a little speaker in front of Amelie that was connected to the phone. The trio listened closely to the words of the besieged Gallian Queen, with Pristina visibly uncomfortable at what she was hearing. Amelie supposed she should be just as uncomfortable. A fellow monarch like her…was being surrounded by armed men ready to fire everything they had just to overthrow a Queen…

“I know you have troops in my capital,” Clericia said, that begging part of her voice now cracking through. “I know you’re a cautious one, but know, know that it’s best for you to act now. You must be swift, decisive, and thorough when it comes to dealing with traitors. You must help us contain this now. No more waiting. We can’t lose the war.”

“My…” Amelie paused, not really sure what to say yet. “We are…evaluating our position. I’d appreciate it if you could…hold on for a little more time. I’m afraid that my hands are not free at the moment.”

“Please…please don’t say that. You’re the Queen of Orland. You can do anything. You can send the Air Force. Or your marines. Anything. Your position is with us. I know it is. I believe it is. You just have to act on it.”

“...How is the situation for the civilians inside the besieged buildings?”

“It’s not going to be fine—”

“I asked what the situation is, right now. The projections do not matter, not yet.”

“Are you still evaluating your course of action?”

“I would prefer it if we can decide without civilians being caught in the crossfire,” Amelie said. “I want you…to order your people to let everyone innocent out of the buildings. Then we’ll talk about our next…plans. Is that satisfactory?”

“Crossfire? Safety? Please, are you out of your mind? Do not suggest to me that there will be gunfire or bombs going off here. I refuse. And…and everyone in these buildings, me, my friends, my peers, my government, everyone here is innocent, and you have to make sure that all of us will be safe. All of us. Not a single one must be touched. So act. Act. Act please!”

“Can you please…stay calm,” Amelie asked. “We are trying…to contact the leadership of the mutineers. It’d be best if you cooperate with our attempts to defuse the situation. And this is the best I can offer yet. I’ll contact them, and tell them to let the civilians out. Then we’ll continue, bit by bit, until a peaceful resolution—”

“Tell them you will be wrathful in the consequences if they don’t stand down and return to their post and obey me now! That’s how you disperse them. Stop negotiating. Tell them where the red line is. I know how to deal with men. You tell them a line they shall not cross, and back it up with force. The OAF is powerful. You are powerful. You have force. Just tell them to not do it, or else. Trust me. Trust me on this. It will work.”

Amelie was about to respond with a set of insults to rebuff her, but instead, she took a deep breath.

“...Can you give me a few minutes, please? If you will?”

“Believe me. Just believe in your elders. I know what to do. You just have to do it.”

“I just need a few minutes. Wait for me.”

Her voice was silenced, as Amelie hung up the phone. She looked back up at the trio, as the silence was broken with a slight chuckle from Walter.

“Well, she certainly sounds like she’s about to piss her panties,” Walter joked. “It’s like she thinks she’s about to die. Heh, it’s kinda funny.”

“Nothing about this is funny, Walter,” Jacqueline said in a low voice. “Don’t make fun of a woman having her worst day. Have empathy, please. There are tanks in front of her. I think she has a right to feel scared.”

“I apologize, but empathizing with some old hag who had millions of my brothers screwed during the Great War is a pretty difficult thing for me to do. That and she’s genuinely one of our worst allies. The MN would benefit greatly from having her ass kicked off from her palace. It’s time for a Gallia under new management. A new, stronger, and more reliable Gallia.”

“And you plan to do that by turning them into a Junta?” Pristina mocked. “It’s vile. This entire thing is vile. We’re letting…armed groups…take over governments…like it’s nothing. We’re letting terrorists take over!”

“Calling the defenders of Gallia terrorists is quite the height of arrogance, I must say, Defense Minister,” Walter smirked. “Makes me wonder if you think of our own military that way…Defense Minister.”

“If the OAF dares besiege Her Majesty in her residence, I will call all of you terrorists, even if I have to die fighting!”

“The OAF will never do that,” Amelie said. “So stop bickering about made-up scenarios. Focus on this thing. What do you three recommend I do?”

“I recommend…that we immediately try to tell her to vacate and surrender,” Jacqueline said. “Get the 19th Mechanized to move in and assist her and her government in vacating the government buildings. Let the Junta in as planned. Then…at the very least, no bloodshed—”

“No! No! Jacqueline, have a brain, please! We can’t do that. We can’t just fold this easily,” Pristina said. “I say contact the mutineers right now and tell them we will be doing the negotiating. Make them disperse. Then…then we’ll figure out what to do with Queen Clericia and her government in a more serene manner. Maybe it’s unsalvageable to have her, but at least, we cannot just fold so weakly. We must show the GAF that we are in charge. And we must show the world that our government is fair and partial, and will not just abandon a monarch besieged to terror groups.”

“You two are naive,” Walter said, his cynicism bleeding in. “The GAF will not listen to us. We’ll just anger them if you tell them to stand down to ‘do the negotiating’. And Jackie, you know that madwoman is too prideful to get the heck out of her position. She’ll be dragged out of that palace kicking and screaming regardless of what we do. No, Amelie’s idea of letting the civilians at least evacuate is the best idea. Let them figure out the rest. We can always tell our allies that we tried our best to diffuse the situation. And we are. Show them how the 19th escorts civilians away. See? Orland the good—humanitarian concerns first.”

Amelie nodded.

“I can see the merits of your ideas,” Amelie said. It was quite surprising how even Jacqueline and Pristina folded to the idea of letting the GAF take charge. They just want…at the end of the day, to save Clericia from her potentially fatal situation. And Amelie certainly thought that they had a point. A bloody coup will not go down well for the MN alliance network. But making the GAF look bad by making them stand down and disperse?

That’d just increase the chances of them defecting to the CFN if they saw Orland as unreliable. And Amelie wouldn’t do that to an ally that she wanted in this fight. She had to show the GAF that her support for them was ironclad and show her other allies that she would not just simply abandon them in their time of need.

At the end of the day, every monarch of the MN is just fearing for their lives. Amelie thought. Just like me. And so, if I will abandon them to death for my benefit, I get it. I can’t just do that.

She picked up her phone again and dialed her last caller.

“...Your Majesty? Thank goddess. Have you made your decision? Do it now. They’re forming up more men on the streets, and—”

“I need you to listen to me and follow my orders,” Amelie said. “Do you understand? I don’t want any bloodshed on the streets of Toldoi right now, and I will not be able to guarantee it without your cooperation. Let the civilians out, now. I’ll move my troops in to try something. But I need you to be prepared to evacuate too.”

“Evacuate?! This is my throne. My government is here! My rule is here! I will not let my own throne be bastardized by a bunch of savages!”

“And you do that, those boys outside of your palace will open fire with their tanks and guns,” Amelie said. “Even if I send an airstrike there to dissuade them, do you really think I’ll be able to do that properly and willy-nilly with so many civilians in your city? They will break in, and murder you before I get in there.”

“That’s why you tell them to stand down or else!”

“And do you really think that will work?” Amelie laughed. “Don’t kid me. You’re not that foolish. You know these men hate you. And they will hate you more if you do not eat your pride and step out of there. Now you do what I say at least we can talk with them properly. Do you know where I’m getting at? I can negotiate your safety to allow us to talk with you, not in the line of fire. Or do you want me to talk to them right now and piss them off while they have guns pointed at you?”

“I…”

“Exactly,” Amelie breathed in deeply again. “Do what I said. Let the civilians out, and prepare for your evacuation. Order all of your guards to lower their weapons. I’m contacting my troops to escort you all out of there, safely. I will do everything in my power to secure a good settlement. But I need to make sure first that no massacre will happen in the heart of Gallia. I’ll be making more phone calls to those under me to figure this out. Decide now. I’ll call again in ten minutes.”

Amelie promptly hung up again on her and buried her head in her hands.

“You lied to her,” Walter pointed out. “Good settlement for her means keeping her throne. We already told the GAF that we’re letting them have what they want.”

“What am I supposed to do? To tell her that we abandoned her plans to remain in power? No. She’ll figure that out when she’s out of the picture. That I believe…is the best outcome.”