Sovereign

“Internet blackout in Toldoi persists after yesterday’s tense standoff between Gallian student protestors and the Gallian Royal Guard. Already, four brigades of the Gallian Army have entered Toldoi, alongside the newly arrived 19th Mechanized Brigade ‘Enheit’. It is still unknown if the current developments are a part of the wider unrest caused by Queen Clericia’s general mobilization that finally involved women.”

- Geopol Press

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Kingdom of Gallia

Toldoi

19th Mechanized Brigade ‘Einheit’

June 12, 2025

Major Hauke Riehl had never expected this to be their sudden job when they transited through Toldoi to reach the frontlines. Somehow, out of nowhere, his brigade became a part of a political development that could change the fate of Gallia. Somehow. And Hauke had no idea on what to do, or which side to choose in this whole debacle.

“The Queen must go!” Shouted the Gallian officer right in front of him. Hauke certainly agreed with the man, but he knew better than to nod to a potential rebellious act happening in front of him and implicate his Queen into a compromising position. Right now, he was still sweatily trying to contact his superiors, who had not responded yet to his queries. “The Army is here. The people are here. And we have evidence that she is colluding with the enemy. She will betray us. She will betray Gallia, and Orland, and the entire alliance!”

“Yes, yes, I can hear you, General,” Hauke awkwardly said. “Just, we have to focus first on containing the public unrest. There might be unfortunate…fatalities after all, and we must proceed in a very cautious manner…”

He was really just trying to buy time to get a reply from Eutstadt. Outside, he knew that his stranded brigade had now been embroiled in controlling riots, talking down Gallian Army units, or conversing with the Gallian Royal Guard. They were, for all intents and purposes, supposed to be neutral in what seemed to be a brewing three-way civil war.

Toldoi and its citizenry, right now mostly women, had been viciously protesting to force the Queen off from mobilizing women to the frontlines. Two of Hauke’s battalions were now deployed in critical government sites to de-escalate the situation, trying to hold off thousands of young women from campuses trying to break through and take over government institutions.

Meanwhile, disloyal Army units saw an opportunity right now, and they were now acting like they represented the Gallian people (they did not, according to Hauke’s assessment) and were actively forming assault teams in front of the main buildings of the Gallian government.

And lastly, there was the trapped government of Gallia, and Queen Clericia herself. Far as Hauke knew, only the Royal Guard of Gallia and the Toldoi Police Department was holding off the protestors for them, as the Army units crept closer and closer to overthrow them. The only thing standing now was his brigade that was stretched thin, trying their best to appease each of the three factions not to do what they would clearly do soon.

And he imagined that it was why the shooting hadn’t started yet. All three factions were trying to figure out where Orland stood. Thus, Hauke and the 19th Mechanized Brigade were stuck in this truly awkward position. Caught in the crossfire, without proper preparations, without proper order.

His radio briefly buzzed.

“Wait, sir,” Hauke laughed nervously in front of the Gallian officer. “Would you please give me a minute or so?”

“Do it,” the Gallian said. “But we are getting impatient. Your men have to move away from your blocking positions now. We must act. And you must join us. Immediately.”

“Ehehe, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Hauke gave him a respectful nod before weaseling out of the room as best as he could. He checked his radio, and immediately, the voice of one of his captains blared out. A group of young women just incapacitated one of his platoon with magic.

Crap…

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West Orland

November Palace

What?

What?

What?!!!!

Amelie was visibly confused as General Albrecht talked on the phone to the OHC. She had been tapping her pen anxiously on her table for a while now, while Jacqueline paced in front of her window back and forth while deep in thought. On the other side of the room, Adelaide was conversing with William and Walter, and Amelie could almost see Walter’s predatory grin growing.

What the hell is happening? I thought she had this entire thing under control?! Goddess am I screwed? Are we screwed? Is it over? Please tell me it’s not!

“Your Majesty,” General Albrecht broke the silence in Amelie’s office, gaining everyone’s attention. “Report from the ground. Gallian Army officers are asking Major Riehl’s 19th Mechanized Brigade to join in on the plot. It seems that the worst is clear right now.”

“Not now, please, not now…”

“No, no!” Walter suddenly stood up, a wide smirk on his face. “While you all see a mishap, I see an opportunity. A perfect…perfect opportunity for all of us. See, the thing is, Gallia is a funny country. Powerful, but weak. Why? Because of the Queen and her ilk. I say, if the GAF wants to do what it wants, why not let them do it, as long as they remain on our side.”

Jacqueline immediately gasped.

“Walter?! What the hell are you suggesting? Are you even hearing yourself? Helping a fellow allied nation be overthrown? Right during a war? That’s disgusting and unheard of.”

“Come on, Jackie,” Walter grinned. “We got the Princess out there. Just replace the old woman with a more impressionable puppet. General Albrecht, I mean, come on. I know you can see the merits of this. The GAF would be easier to work with than that old hag. If we let them have the country, we’ll have a more iron grip control on how Gallia prosecutes its war effort.”

“This will not go down well,” Adelaide warned. “Other countries will see. Other countries will react. We cannot set a precedent of Orland abandoning our allies for our benefit. Queen Clericia is our ally. Not the GAF. They’re just the Armed Forces commanded by the Queen we allied with.”

“The Gallian people want her and her conservative government gone,” Walter countered. “I mean, Amelie, can’t you see this thing? It’s a homegrown movement for political change. We can just tell our allies that the Gallian people decided to back the Army to remove a Queen with unpopular policies, that’ll do it easily.”

“Why can’t you understand that the average Gallian woman isn’t with the GAF? The GAF is clearly just using the chaos to have a power grab!” Jacqueline said. “Walter, for the love of the Goddess, if we do this, we’ll show to the Asanians, the Lorathians, the Hebeians, the Kusaris, no, everyone, that we’re willing to overthrow them if they step out of the line. We might lose our allies!”

“And what, they’ll fight the CFN alone?” Walter crossed his arms as his grin grew. “You all have to understand that everyone’s stuck with us until the CFN is dead. Why? Because the guys on the other side are screaming murder all women. Oh, they will make noise. They will whine. I say let them, so long as they don’t step too far. And if they wanna leave? Hey, guess who’s not getting Orland’s air coverage against the incoming terror bombing.”

Walter made a sarcastic laugh.

“Come on. You can all see a big win here. I know it. I can see it. I know Victor here can see it too. William, you’re in this too, aren’t you? Tell me. What? You can’t see it?”

William hesitantly shifted in his seat, as he looked at Amelie for her approval. It surprised Amelie a bit that William would refuse to even speak without asking her, but she gave him a subtle nod to let him speak.

“Um…I think you're proposing a…big and risky play, Mr. Deputy Prime Minister,” William said. “I think deciding what’s good is above my pay grade—”

“William, just speak. No one’s eating you if you speak. Amelie’s not going to cut your head. Tell us what you think,” Walter said.

“Why me?”

“Because you’re the closest man to Her Majesty,” Walter answered.

Um…

Amelie didn’t speak much.

Okay?

“Uh, for the record, I’m not a big fan of Queen Clericia,” William started. “So, I may be a bit biased here—”

“Stop beating around the bush, William,” Walter barked.

“Okay, fine! I’m on the side of the GAF. I’d like nothing more than to see that dumbass get herself couped so the GAF can finally operate decently. I wanna win the war in Gallia, and I find that hard to do with that moron in charge. But still. Adelyn and Jacqueline both have their good points. This…this is very risky. What if Gallia falls apart?”

“The OAF is ready to assist the GAF to keep order in Gallia,” General Albrecht suddenly said from the side. And with it, the last neutral person outside of Amelie in the room had shown where his stance was, leaving Adelaide and Jacqueline outnumbered two to three at the moment. General Albrecht looked at Amelie and gave a retired sigh. “If you order us to let their plot go through, we will keep order in Gallia until the situation stabilizes.”

Amelie took her handkerchief and wiped the bead of sweat that appeared on her forehead. She took a very deep breath in an attempt to calm herself because she really had no idea which side to choose. Obviously, she wouldn’t pick the protesters. It was Amelie who egged Queen Cecilia to mobilize everything. But at the same time, going against the GAF to protect the already vomit-inducing Queen of Gallia…

I’m going to look so ugly regardless of which side I’ll take.

“I…I need risk assessments,” Amelie said. “What’s…the position that’ll collapse our war effort? I can’t…I want her gone too, don’t get me wrong, but, I feel…”

“Scared?” Walter asked. “No, stop being scared. We have the GAF with us. The GAF are the ones doing the fighting. They’ll fight with us, with the Ivory Alliance, as long as we give them the right to be in charge of Gallia. It’s a simple deal.”

“It’s not so simple Walter,” Jacqueline warned. “Amelie, if you do this, you will be setting a precedent that you do not want.”

Amelie’s eyes widened, understanding Jacqueline’s warnings. She slowly looked back at General Albrecht and gulped. If she supported a coup against the Queen of Gallia because she was incompetent and a net drain to the war effort, what if…

What if the OAF gains the same idea?

Suddenly, that feeling of drowning fear consumed her again. She had felt secure. So secure that the Royalist OAF would be by her side no matter what. But…but what if…

What if they really had plans to plot and overthrow her to rule themselves? She had given them so much control and power at this point that the OAF was the de facto ruler of Orland. Being ruled by women was something only on paper at this point. Real power, the power to enact violence and change policy by force, was in the hands of the OAF. And Walter, and William, and especially General Albrecht, the three men in her room pushing her for this idea…

They all represented that block.

Still…

William…had always been loyal to her.

Walter had only been acting for the benefit of the Kingdom. Not against it. Never had he suggested a solution that would destroy her nation. He was bloodthirsty and direct, and he always had one response to things—violence, but it wasn’t something aimed at her.

And General Albrecht…well, he was her General. He was the one in charge of her war. He was the one she had entrusted to lead the OAF in the fight.

Distrusting them now will be stupid. I chose to work with them. I chose to listen to them. I chose…

She took a deep breath.

To believe them.

“Gentlemen,” Amelie spoke, looking at Jacqueline. “If I say that the 19th Mechanized Brigade will stand down and let the coup go on, can you contain the situation? Can you make sure that Gallia will not collapse? Can you ensure that the consequences of this action will be minimized?”

“Yes,” General Albrecht said. “I will do everything to ensure that the GAF cooperates fully with Orland’s interests. I will ensure that whatever government is established after this will be stable, as best as we can. We’re going to arrange for the Princess of Gallia to succeed her mother. But only in a limited capacity. We’re also sacking the current head of the GAF with a more competent individual. He’ll do the leading of a new Gallia.”

Amelie nodded.

“Prime Minister Heiss, I want you to move quickly with Adelaide and all relevant Ministries to contain the PR and diplomatic fallout of this coup. Reassure our allies, tell them that we’re trying to fix the situation, and give them a reasonable explanation. Everything. General Albrecht, please tell the 19th Mechanized Brigade to stand down and to only contain civilian unrest. Let the GAF finish their plans. However, I want you to mobilize all of the OEF to restore order immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” General Albrecht bowed, as Walter smirked, while William sighed, shaking her head.

Amelie looked back, and she could only see horror in Jacqueline’s eyes. Amelie frowned.

“Are you going to move, Jacqueline?”

“Amelie…” Jacqueline muttered. “How could you?”

“We have to accept that this is the best course of action,” Amelie said. “Please, just…do what I said. I think you can also understand clearly that the GAF matters more to our war right now than Queen Clericia keeping her throne. We have to decide with that information at hand, and it’d be foolish to support a Queen who lost the support of her people and Army.”

Jacqueline shook her head.

“I’ll do my best, but know…know that you’re setting something you might regret later here, Amelie. You know what I’m talking about.”

“I do,” Amelie coldly said. “And I’ll make sure that never happens. Move. Now.”

Jacqueline nodded.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”