Sovereign

“The Federal Republic formalized the creation of the ‘Military Government of Lieplatz’ with remaining Lieplatzan military officers in Monpleitz. This emergency government, according to its new ‘State Administrator’, General Oswald Kluge of the Orlish Army, would lead Lieplatz temporarily through these ‘trying times.’ The General, now named to be the same one who led the entire operation of the Federal Republic against the Lieplatzan Junta, said that the goals of his new ‘emergency government’ would be the reconstruction, defense, and integration of East Lieplatz with the wider ‘revolutionary coalition’. He also stressed that efforts for the liberation of the northern and western territories are ‘soon underway’.”

- The Front

“The Kingdom of Constania and the Kingdom of Latia has now formally asked the crowns of Gallia, Lorathia, and Orland for military support against the overwhelming tide of the Confederacy. They have mentioned that the Order Pact was now a dead construct’ and that both Kingdoms are ready to sign any defense agreements with the Ivory Alliance instead.”

- Geopol Press

+++

Near Nordia

“Copy that, Foxtrot One-One, we’re tracking the hostile contacts.”

“They’re closing in!”

Three Orlish LF-20 Phantoms rose into the high skies, as they shadowed the obscured contacts just ahead of them. While they were dozens of kilometers away in the night sky, both groups could already momentarily spot each other in their powerful radars, even if their stealth obscured each other at times.

Indeed, the lead pilot of the Orlish Phantom squadron knew that he was fighting the same aircraft that he and his men piloted. At last, the Lieplatzan Air Force’s trump card appeared above the darkened clouds of Western Lieplatz. It had been long overdue, after all. Their air defense had long been almost silent due to Orlish SEAD (Suppression of Air Defense) operations, and their LF-12 squadrons barely dented the Orlish Air Force’s operations.

At least, until a few hours ago. Already, eighteen Orlish LF-12s, according to high command, were downed by distant contacts that they could barely detect in their radars. That alone completely halted Orland’s air sorties into Lieplatz in order to support the advancing ground forces.

Which meant that the Orlish Army also stopped dead in their tracks. Without air cover, advancing forward was a difficult task. Not to mention, the Lieplatzan air squadrons reappeared on the battlefield, with LF-12s bombing multiple columns of advancing Orlish armor, stopping them from completing the encirclement of Nordia.

Their task then was simple. Eliminate the Lieplatzan LF-20 squadrons. End their CAS (Close Air Support) attacks. And reestablish Orlish Air Supremacy. The Orlish officer knew that it sounded oh so simple, that even the Queen herself was apparently watching them closely, and was expecting immediate results from him and his brothers to complete their task with utmost efficiency.

But the squadron leader knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. Even when they had a faint idea of where the Lieplatzan’s stealth fighters were, he knew that they knew where they were too, all the same. And if he bit the fire button first and completely revealed his squadron’s positions, the risk was so great that he could potentially lose all of his mates and himself if it backfired.

“Orders are in, Captain.”

“Two-One, are you sure?”

“Affirm, One-One. We have to take the shot, as ordered.”

The Orlish pilot breathed out, as he turned his head into the silent, darkened skies. Just below them was Nordia itself, and he could still see the distant smoke rising from the massive city and those around it. The dirtied, broken, snow-filled lands of Lieplatz, the distant greyish towns and cities still on fire, all below them.

There, their brothers must be waiting for the news of their victory. If he and his men managed to knock down these Lieplatzan stealth aircraft, their push would resume, and they would suffer fewer casualties. But he looked at the HUD. The map. Those contacts disappeared again.

Almost as if they were just waiting for them to make the first bite. As if it was a bait. Nay, what if it was bait? Could the LF-12 squadron just behind them even fully support him and the eleven Phantoms under his command if things went wrong? Or would he go back to West Orland with half of his squadron?

“We got a secured transmission coming in.”

“A transmission?”

“Aye, sir.”

Is it the Chief Air Marshall? He pressed a button beside him, just as a new voice spoke through the headphones inside his extremely advanced helmet that allowed him an almost complete visual awareness of his plane’s surroundings.

“Hello, is this Captain Frank Hibber?”

That soft-spoken, almost innocent voice. Almost soothing to the ears. Somehow, her voice almost sent a strange feeling to the pilot’s spine, that were he in front of her, he’d instinctively straighten himself out of respect. There was no mistaking that voice.

The Queen herself. It’s her.

“Your Majesty, I…yes, this is me. My squadron is currently trailing a—”

“How are you doing today, Captain?”

“Pardon? I’m afraid that has nothing to do with our mission, respectfully, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, but I want to know how my soldiers feel.” The Queen said. “Are you confident up there?”

“Yes, Your Maj—”

“Are you really? Please, don’t act tough on me. I want to know whether or not you and your men are in danger should I relay my order or not. Captain, are you confident?”

He looked back at the map. And into the icons of his underlings. They were mostly just circling above the outskirts of Nordia at this point. Awaiting for a decision to engage. Their missiles were primed for the attack, but he and his men all hesitated due to the possible retaliation that might come.

But that didn’t mean he could simply retreat like a laughingstock from the skies when thousands of his brothers below were watching their flying knights duel like angels above Nordia. This was his job after all.

Their job.

“Yes, Your Majesty. We’re just waiting for an opportune moment.”

“Then I shall wait. Fight well, you’re a good man, Captain.”

The transmission ended. Just then, the sounds of their familiar AWACS officer returned. He took a deep breath, assessing the situation further. It seemed that the enemy contacts were doing the same as them. Hesitating, and attempting to avoid detection.

All that, instead of engaging.

“All units, prepare your anti-aircraft missiles, turn, and take your targets,” he ordered. “Even if they’re ghosts, decoys, or whatever. The Queen needs us. Our brothers below need us. We’ll do what we can do.”

His HUD found a lock somewhere. It was a faint radar contact that could disappear at a moment's notice. But his missile could reestablish contact later anyway once it detected the enemy aircraft better at closer ranges. What really only mattered was if he was aiming at the correct general direction.

Fire and forget. That was all he could do now.

“Copy that, One-One. Fox-Two!”

He nodded and pulled the launch trigger.

“Fox-Two! Fox-Two!”

+++

West Orland

Amelie breathed a sigh of relief when the situation room erupted in applause and cheers. The staff and people inside, both men and women, all congratulated each other, as the footage of their LF-20 squadron returned victoriously from the fight.

More footage appeared, with enemy aircraft falling down from the skies, recorded by OAF ground forces. It was great news for all of them, as the sudden presence of Lieplatzan stealth aircraft over the vicinity of Nordia hampered them. Her forces were already almost stopped by the Lieplatzan Air Force, which would have delayed their advance further, but it seemed that such a disaster was now long past.

The Defense Minister, Archduchess Pristina Dubois, held a victorious smirk as she looked at the same footage from her seat, close by to Amelie. “Seems like these men really do have what it takes.”

Amelie rolled her eyes, as she took a sip from her cup of tea.

“Quite frankly, I’m surprised you even have it in you to complement them.”

Pristina’s smile remained as she kept silent for a while, watching the celebrating OAF officers around the room. Many RGO officers were also joining in, as it meant that now, most, if not all remaining Lieplatzan organized resistance in the West was gone.

Which meant the OAF could march faster north to rescue the detained noblewomen of Lieplatz.

“I am harsh, Your Majesty. But I suppose some of them are good.” She said. “They…they indeed are trying to save women, after all. Even after all that.”

Amelie kept holding her teacup, her eyes glazed at the feeds of advancing Orlish tanks and vehicles, as the offensive finally resumed. Her head hung low, as she gave a silent laugh.

“They fight for us with such determination…”

“That they do. They fight against us too with such determination as well, you’d do well to remember that.”

“I do. But, Archduchess, haven’t you thought that all this charade, of us against them, is ridiculous at this point? You’ve sent six KDUs to Lieplatz this morning.”

“And they are soon to fight with the OAF on the fields, yes,” Pristina said. “I know our girls would do well. We trained them well. We even have liaisons with the OAF and the OAF has liaisons with us. Those KDUs would perform well.”

Amelie took another sip of her tea. Those Knights Detachment Units, basically independent Royal Guard brigades designed for conventional warfare, was the first time that Orlishwomen would truly formally fight in the front. Armed with modern magical and conventional weaponry, the entire I Royal Guard Corps had around three hundred tanks, and all of them traveled to the front with modern OAF mechanized units.

Tanks, APCs, HMLVs, IFVs, there were even LSS formations with them. All were driven, operated, and manned by young women who enthusiastically volunteered for the war effort. Many decried the idea that such promising young women would throw themselves into the dirtiest job possible, of manning dirty war machines and murdering people.

But, it seemed that both Amelie and Pristina shared the same opinion. Those views from their more conservative peers were nonsense. They claimed that women were so superior that they could fight everything with magic, yet decry the idea of women doing it. It was hypocritical, two-faced, contradictory, and delusional.

Especially when many young women themselves were joining the Royal Guard to support their brothers in the war effort. It would be a great crime to dissuade them from doing their newly emerging national duty. They wanted to help, and Pristina just organized a way for volunteering women to fight in the front. Effectively, organized, and militarily structured.

In a way, Amelie found that nice. That Pristina, for once, worked properly as her Defense Minister, and head of the Royal Guard. And now, she was looking at men with a more respectful gaze? Amelie almost laughed at that. So people do change.

Perhaps slowly.

In fact, was she even far from that? Even now, she still looked down on men. She just suppressed it better than before she was crowned. Better before she slowly matured and saw the world for what it was.

“Well, I hope no complications happen then,” Amelie said. “They’d be participating in the attack for Nordia, no?”

The Archduchess nodded. “They will.” Her voice turned somber for a while though. “And, perhaps, it would be a baptism of fire for us. Perhaps, once all of this is over, many young, innocent girls will return to Orland in coffins.”

“Much like how young boys had always been,” Amelie said, and Pristina’s smile turned even more bitter, in contrast to the upbeat atmosphere of the room, as she looked down at the files in front of her.

“I find that hard to deny.” She muttered. “Kleist, he…” She shook her head and turned to Amelie. “Look, it still doesn’t mean young women should find the same fate. I want them to fight for Orland if they want to. But they’ll fight for a worthy cause. And suffer no needless deaths.”

Amelie nodded. “I have no objections to that.”

She looked up at the casualty counters on one of the screens. It showed the total recorded MIAs, WIAs, and KIAs in OAF forces that participated in the battlefield.

“I just hope it’s the same for them…one day.”

Amelie however shook her head first and stood up.

“For now though, their fight continues on.”