Sovereign

“Accident in the Levantine Canal! Whether it’s a sabotage or an honest accident, the Levantine Reconstruction Authority is still investigating. During the clearing of one of the stuck ships in the canal, its fuel accidentally detonated. Observers hypothesize that an unknown terror group laced the ship with explosives.”

- Geopol Press

+++

Central Orland

Federal Republic of Orland

State of Eirhow

Fort Rulter

“Present!”

Nearly eighteen officers were lined up on the wall, still wearing their Orlish Army uniforms. Behind them, the firing squad readied their rifles. The cold night’s breeze passed through them, and some of the men shivered as they looked at their fellow brothers after the officer in charge’s loud orders.

“Take aim!” The officer ordered, and the troops complied by leveling their arms with pure hesitation at the groups of officers. None of them wanted this. Quite frankly, these Army soldiers hated the very idea of executing their officers under the orders of the Republican Guard.

“Fire!” No shots scattered in the air. The officer turned to a group of Army soldiers, who held themselves off from firing. The Army officers lined up on the well didn’t even show any reactions, merely standing with pure steel, defiant from whatever the Republican Guard accused them of. “I said fire!”

The officer pulled out his pistol in fired it at the air. “I said fire!”

“Cease this nonsense!” Heindhöff’s voice boomed, distracting the officer, the Army soldiers, and the Republican Guard troopers in the courtyard. Heindhöff was followed by four uniformed high-ranking generals and colonels of the Army, walking straight to the Republican Guard officer, who straightened himself as he saluted the Defense Minister.

“Good evening, Defense Minister,” the Republican Guard officer greeted after he lowered his salute, before handing out a document to Heindhöff. “These officers attempted a mutiny against the Federal Republic. We are merely disposing of potential threats to the revolution.”

“Hmm…who are you?”

“RG-Standard Leader Maxim Gunther, Defense Minister,” he said, fishing out the badge in his wallet. “Republican Guard. The President himself authorized—”

“Respectfully, RG-Standard Leader Gunther, but you must report instead to Mr. Rimpler that the Army will take care of its issues,” Heindhöff said. “These men aren’t going to be executed for ‘suspected counter-revolutionary’ activities. We will place them in a military tribunal, but make it clear to your superiors that they have no jurisdiction in the business of the Ministry of Defense.”

Heindhöff showed him the directions to the exit respectfully. “Please, gather your men and leave. Thank you very much, RG-Standard Leader Gunther, but your business here is unwelcome. Leave, now.”

The Republican Guard officer reacted as expected, looking up arrogantly at Heindhöff as he placed his gloved hands behind him. Before he spoke, however, Heindhöff immediately cut him off. “I said leave, RG-Standard Leader Gunther. Leave.”

The Republican Guard held an arrogant smirk, yet he turned around and ordered his men to gather up and leave. The Defense Minister was definitely not amused by the Republican Guard’s gesture, especially when before leaving, the officer gave him one last word.

“Glory to the Federal Republic, Defense Minister.” He said as if he was challenging his loyalty to the newly created Federation of the Revolution.

“...Glory to the Federal Republic, RG-Standard Leader Gunther.”

The officer saluted, before turning around and leaving with the rest of his men. Heindhöff tried to contain his utter fury from exploding before General Kluge gave his back a pat. “Defense Minister, calm yourself. You know how Rimpler is,” he chuckled darkly. “He’s a bit playful.”

The Defense Minister turned to the assembled men, all confused, including the officers still awaiting their share of bullets. “All of you! Send them back to their cells. None of this is getting out. Move! Move!”

With his orders booming in the courtyard, the troops scattered themselves back to their original posts, while the other officers rushed the condemned men off into the fort. Heindhöff shook his head, still positively fuming at the idea that the Republican Guard dared to execute those under him, but General Kluge’s words calmed him down.

“They’re trying us, Defense Minister.” General Kluge said. “But we are the Armed Forces. No one screws with the Armed Forces. Rimpler isn’t the revolution, we, Defense Minister, we — the Armed Forces, are the revolution.”

“You have no need to remind me of that, General Kluge. But still, these insults…these utter insults against my authority…”

“We should be prepared, yes, Defense Minister.” General Kluge said, looking at the two other officers who were with them, who both nodded in agreement. “We will be prepared. If Rimpler does any more of this stupid crap, we’ll remind him who exactly is the one running the show. I wouldn’t mind helping you manage a true junta without the NRF ideologues frothing around us.”

“General Kluge, we are not planning for a second putsch. Not now when the Royalists are gaining ground,” Heindhöff replied. “That would destabilize the entire movement. But we must find a way to keep that man…that…that ‘President’ of ours in leash.”

“Hmm…he has the popular support of the citizenry though,” General Kluge said. “But we have the Armed Forces.”

“I wouldn’t discount the possibility that he has some support in the Armed Forces,” Heindhöff said. “It’s not in the realm of impossibility, mind you. Many in the Army are already singing praises to him. It’s worrying. It’s incredibly worrying.”

“Heh…radicals. If the frontline situation deteriorates, the more they’re going to be listening to Rimpler’s insane ramblings. I still can’t believe we used chemical weapons under his orders back in the Grand Duchy campaigns. It’s hard to explain that sudden shift of policy to my subordinates.”

“But we cannot forcefully remove him from power as well…not if we want the revolution to survive.” Infighting would, ultimately, do nothing but dissolve the united front of men should it intensify. Heindhöff didn’t want that. But he certainly could see that he and President Rimpler didn’t fully share a united view.

“He’s just a power-hungry maniac,” General Kluge said. “Or he really is just insane.”

“We all are insane in our own ways though, General Kluge,” Heindhöff said. “Which makes a conflict between us…I imagine, even more worrying.”

+++

West Orland

County of Wittfield

City of Eutstadt

November Palace

“Hah…what a long day…” Amelie sagged once more at her table after their final session at hammering out the report documents from the Ministries below her. And since she had to do a meeting with the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister early morning, then work at the Palace till at dead 1:00 AM today, she was completely down.

Nia sipped her tea calmly. “Well, at least we’re done with that for now. I still can’t see how we’re going to pass that law though.”

“The UOP is opposing it too much…” Amelie complained. “I mean, I understand why they don’t want to conscript women, but this is quite possibly the most unequal policy my government is using. And we need more people manning the frontlines. We practically already killed off many of the young men in this country in the Great War.”

“Someone’s going to have to replace them, indeed,” Nia said. “Though, don’t you think they would just propose that we conscript older men? I can tell that’s what they’re going to say if the joint RGO-OAF’s comprehensive assessment comes out and we actually do need more people in the Armed Forces or the Royal Guard.”

“We can’t…we can’t just send out our skilled workforce manning our most advanced industries to the meatgrinder. That would be stupid.” Amelie said. “No, it’s not even an option. Training these people takes years, no, decades. It’s why we only send what essentially are high school or college boys…they have nothing else to offer for the Kingdom.”

“...To be honest, the way you said that, it almost sounds disgusting,” Nia said. “I guess when you say things out clearly, things become too uncomfortably clear.”

“On the other hand, young women are practically also a drain to our Kingdom, at least, until they master magic by their mid-twenties and find proper jobs,” Amelie said, also sorely reminding herself that she and Nia were in that same cohort. “But most of us are just staying back, watching as all of this nonsense happens, only participating with some meager contributions. But…you can hold an Arcano-Rifle, and so can I. In that case, why can’t we extend the conscription to young women?”

“Again, half of the UOP can’t swallow it, Amelie.” Nia chuckled. “Democracy. You may be the Queen, but they also have a say on how things would be going. And people voted for them. And those that the people voted decided that the policy of conscription shall remain unequal.”

Amelie raised her head and began scrolling on her tablet. On it, she looked at the list of the UOP MPs who voted against the equalization of Orland’s conscription policies. There were so many of them, mostly the same “liberals” that she remembered who supported her policies of equality…until the question of conscription and war came up.

And most of them were young noblewomen, many even represented their occupied constituents in exile, as probably half of them represented the land already under the Federal Republic. Which made it even weirder for Amelie that they refused to pass a law that would raise a bigger army for the Kingdom — to help liberate the people who voted them in office in the first place!

“Gah…it’s just…” Amelie was definitely positively irritated. “These people, hypocrites and… their own voters are literally under occupation by the Federal Republic. And they don’t want to amend this policy when we need more soldiers to liberate their own voters?”

Nia calmly sipped her tea. “It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. Perhaps they think the male-majority OAF is still capable of pushing forward through the meatgrinder. It’s amazing how much delusions can cloud your reason.”

“They’re delusional, beyond delusional. But what I’m also worried about is that they are all way too overconfident. They think that even if the OAF runs out of men and collapses, the Royal Guard and us women with our magic and everything can hold the tide alone. Have they not seen what’s happening in West Vaeyox? The Confederates are practically steamrolling everyone.”

Amelie downed her last cup of tea, almost angrily. Nia sighed, standing up to pick up the kettle to pour more into the Queen’s teacup, but Amelie stopped her. “No…look, I think I’m just going to sleep.”

“Well, I share the same idea. I need a lengthy sleep as well…I think I’m starting to look worse when we do this overnight work.” Nia said. “If Mother sees me like this, she’ll chastise me again…”

“To be fair, you could have slept half of the day today when I was meeting the Prime Minister, Nia.”

She stiffened, crossing her arms defensively. “Eh, but I had more important stuff to do.”

“Well, sure you do, buddy…” Amelie stood up, chuckling a bit to herself. “Have a good evening, Nia.”

“You too, Amelie.”