“OAF and LEF forces have now routed dozens of CFN divisions as the drive through northeastern Toldoi continues. Gallian forces in the center, who had been fighting for weeks against the CFN push to the Gallian capital have now also begun their own counteroffensive, joining in the rest of the MN forces. The skies are also now completely owned by the Orlish, Lorathian, and Gallian air forces, causing near-endless attacks on vulnerable CFN logistical lines outside Gallia. It would appear that the Larissan Confederation and the Pozneki Republic are being forced into two equally ugly choices—to either abandon the offensive against Gallia or lose their armies.”
- Geopol Press
+++
Empire of Larissa
Grand Duchy of Theresa
St. Theresa City
June 13, 2025
“I told you it would have been fine,” Amelie said with a smile as she finished preparing herself. The reopening of the Orlish Embassy in St. Theresa City meant that the Queen would be one of the first ones to use its pretty extensive facilities. To Amelie’s surprise, the staff and the building itself were quite lavish. Even their current room, which, to Amelie’s imagination, was abandoned for more than a year only needed a few hours of fixing since the Orlish diplomatic staff reoccupied it yesterday.
Almost as if they never left to begin with.
It seemed that the Larissans were at least courteous to maintain it to some degree.
“Well, it could have ended worse,” William insisted as Amelie turned around. Nia and William were both now compiling the necessary documents and crap that they’d bring to the next meeting with the Princess. This time—to meet their military leadership. “By the way, what else do we need?”
“The details about the equipment we’re giving them?” Amelie replied, and William checked the files on his briefcase before he nodded.
“It’s there. The laptops, the uhh…everything. The high-authorization files. The…yeah, we should be good to go. All that’s left is, how exactly are we talking to them?”
“Well, you’re my representative of the OAF,” Amelie said to William. “So you should probably have a few ideas on how to talk to those Larissan officers.”
“Oh, I have quite the ideas. We can start a shootout to settle which country produces the best soldiers at once,” William suggested with a sadistic grin. “One versus a dozen, I’m up with that. If I survive, then the honor of the OAF will be truly cemented.”
Nia gasped behind William.
“What kind of a bloodthirsty proposition even is that?”
“Hey, they’re the enemy,” William said. “Or at least, they’re the natural enemy of every Orlishman. They killed us by the millions.”
“And you boys killed them by the millions too,” Amelie said as she gave her face her final touch-ups with her makeup on the mirror. “Maybe it’s time to let bygones be bygones. If you think about it, all of you were the same victims of our war.”
“I was just joking,” William said. “Thought, I really wanna punch the fuckers once, just in the face. You know? Those bastards liked not to take prisoners. And I really just wanna mug one of their officers once, preferably with a knife. Maybe even a rusty one. Maybe that’ll teach him some brotherhood solidarity. Just that. Maybe a bullet to the noggin too.”
Amelie shook her head and chuckled.
“Why does it get worse and worse?”
“I’ll behave, I swear!” William said. “Just, don’t expect me to get buddy buddy with them. Sure, you say they’re our friends now, but for years, both of us saw each other’s inhumanity. I can’t help but view them the same way I viewed them when we were knee-deep in the trenches years ago.”
Amelie sighed.
“I know, I know. Just…look, from now on, you’re brothers with the Larissan Imperial Army, okay? They’re our allies from now on. During this war and after this war. Larissa, under Princess Anastasia, is our friend. They may be our mortal enemy for nearly a century, and maybe we’ve really pushed each other into the lowest…
“But that’s all over now. Let’s try to see each other in our best in these awful times, okay?”
William just nodded a bit.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
“Good.”
Nia, on the other hand, just frowned beside William as she finished compiling the documents assigned to her.
“Can’t believe this guy needs your sedation every time he’s angry at something,” Nia said, before turning to William. “Though I guess you do have quite a lot of anger in this world.”
“I feel touched by your words, Miss Nia,” William sarcastically replied. “It feels nice that a woman recognizes my inner turmoil for once.”
“Consider it a blessing.”
“Sure, Great Miss.”
+++
“My Generals are…quite the hot-headed ones,” Anastasia warned as the four walked through the hallways inside the headquarters of the Larissan Ministry of Defense. Unlike the OHC, which was staffed primarily by men (as there was still a severe shortage of women officers/RGO officers), the Empire seemed to be doing better in the matter.
There were a lot of young women mingling with their male counterparts, officers, all of them. Staff, clerks, and other personnel too. Then again, Pristina’s Ministry wasn’t too far off. But only because the Royal Guard was there. From what Amelie could see from the armbands of these people—men and women, they were part of the Imperial Army.
I guess that makes sense. Amelie thought. Unlike us, Anastasia had to enact desperate measures months prior. That’s enough time to create an entirely new cadre of officers and noncommissioned officers.
She really disliked the fact that even with the accelerated promotions that she forced in place for the Army, Air Force, and Navy, women were having a hard time adapting to wartime conditions rapidly. Then again, Amelie couldn’t exactly just force the Army to admit inexperienced female officers to lead over the veterans running the show. She’d have to bide her time and wait until many of them learn and prove themselves before she could see any major changes to her Armed Forces.
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One day, it’ll represent what Orland ought to be. Amelie thought. An institution held by men and women, equally—in service to the Kingdom and our society.
She glanced at three Larissan officers, two men, and one woman, who were having quite a polite discussion on the side.
We’ll get there, one day.
Soon, the Princess’ personal guards both opened the door to the meeting room, and the four entered. Inside was quite the chaos, Amelie saw. Officers, men and women, of different branches, seemed to be angrily discussing the situation on the Larissan frontlines. Maps were strewn on the table, with laptops and tablets displaying spreadsheets of losses and supply needs.
It’s almost like a room of eggheads trying to win a war.
“Ehem,” Anastasia cleared her throat. “Ladies, gentlemen, I believe I forewarned you all that the Orlish Queen is set to arrive right now. Well, she’s here.”
“Um…hello?” Amelie awkwardly said, as the discussions died out, and the Larissan military personnel all turned their icy stares at her. “I’m here to…discuss with you how we shall prosecute this war, and how Orland can help.”
“Send us those planes,” one young woman said, arms crossed. She sported the bluish uniform worn by Larissan Air Force officers. When she looked at her rank, Amelie was sure that she must be a General of some sort, somewhere around the equivalent rank of ‘Air Marshall’ in her Air Force. “The enemy achieves local air supremacy too many times more than what’s sustainable. A fifth-generation aircraft can prevent that.”
Anastasia chuckled.
“Countess, my friend, you must at least be more respectful of Her Majesty—”
“Lieutenant General, Your Highness,” the young woman replied with audacity. “I don’t need that crappy title when my home county is under the occupation of those rebels. And you, Queen Amelie of Orland, profess yourself to be a friend of this nation. Then where is said aid?”
“That’s what we shall discuss today,” Amelie politely replied, before turning to Anastasia. “And no worries. I take no offense. I can see that she’s quite passionate about defending the Empire.”
“That she is,” Anastasia sighed, before turning back to Amelie and pointing her finger at the Air Force officer. “That right there is Lieutenant General Yuliana Koptseva. She…well, she commands the 1st Imperial Aviation Corps. They make up around a third of my remaining air force, as it stands.”
“How many is that?”
“Around…four hundred planes?” Anastasia smiled a bit, almost forcefully. “Well…you see, the Confederacy has the lion’s share of the Air Force’s numbers, so…we only really have around a thousand left…if you don’t count the ones in storage that we’re cannibalizing for spare parts.”
“That’s quite desperate,” Amelie pointed out.
“It is,” Yuliana said. “My pilots are struggling to keep things going. If Orland wants to keep the war going here, you better send us something.”
“Gee, she’s quite the demanding one, huh?” Nia said beside Amelie.
“I’m sure she’s probably a significant figure in their military,” Amelie said, sighing. “Ah…I remember now. I saw her once in the news.”
“Yep, she’s…a very good pilot,” Anastasia said. “That’s why she’s there. And her entire life goal now is to make sure the Empire survives, and she’s not afraid to blurt that out loud.”
“I can respect that,” Amelie said, before smiling at them. “Anyhow, now that I see that, may we please begin? I’d really appreciate it if you people could share with me what you need. No need to treat me as the Queen of Orland. Think of me as your friend. Someone you can easily tell what your needs are, okay?”
The officers all looked at each other, with some glaring at Yuliana for her audacious way of speaking to a foreign monarch, before they all relaxed. Amelie’s smile grew.
All right, now we can get things started.
+++
It took hours, but the meeting soon ended.
Amelie sighed as she left with the Princess, Nia, and William. The four immediately headed for another room to look at the conclusions that they had. So far, Amelie has seen a lot of problems that the Imperial Army faced. Unfortunately, the Grand Duchy was simply too small to really challenge the rest of the Larissan nation, which fell to the revolution.
And so, it was, as it stood—an Army on its last legs, forced to utilize every scrap they had just to keep fighting. Perhaps it was why almost all of Anastasia’s officers were there by merit or skill and were mostly pragmatists who didn’t care much about the frivolities of a Royalist Army.
Both men and women of the Imperial Army seemed to be a team. After all, what choice did they have left? Every man who sided with the Princess was now a traitor to the Confederacy. Every man that was in that room was a man who would be shot the moment the Empire surrendered. And women like Yuliana or Anastasia—well, their fates wouldn’t be pretty as well if they lost.
They’re all fighting desperately for their lives. Amelie knew. Unlike in Orland where we Royalists hold some sort of economic, industrial, population, and military advantage, out here…it’s more like a little rabbit trying to challenge a wolf.
“As you can see, my forces are quite badly outmatched for this conflict,” Anastasia said as she calmly sipped her vodka. Amelie and Nia preferred to be served tea, but the Princess in front of her was quite literally taking in hard alcohol like it was nothing. Of course, looking at the side, Amelie could see that William had no problems about greedily getting some alcohol himself from the young woman.
“I can see that,” Amelie said. “Though looking at it, it seems that your military is led by quite talented and passionate individuals. Perhaps there is a chance.”
“Leadership is just one thing. Numbers are another. I cannot win a war of attrition. Not now. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. The only reason we’re still standing is those men and women continuously create miracles in the frontlines.”
William laughed on the side.
“It’s quite ironic how you’ve all somehow managed to outmatch the Confederacy in quality,” William said. “In Orland, so far, our Federalist counterparts are exceptionally competent. It’s why we can’t break them, even with equal numbers.”
“That’s because the Confederacy is mandating too much politicking in their ranks,” Anastasia said. “They’ve inherited the worst part of the Larissan military system from my mother and sister. Each of their units is watched closely by the KVD—the Commissariat for Internal Affairs. Radicals who’ll execute anyone who dares not fulfill their duty to the Revolution.”
“I’ve heard of that,” William said. “Our intel reports said that a section of the Confederacy High Command vehemently rejected placing political commissars to their forces in the west. I guess here in the east, they’re keeping them.”
“I don’t understand it either,” Anastasia said. “It’s clearly stifling the autonomy and tactical flexibility of their Army. From top to bottom. It’s how my military kept hold of the front. We move faster than them. React faster than them. Fight faster than them. They just overwhelm us with numbers.”
“It’s quite impressive, still,” Amelie said. “Facing a military twice your size, all while fighting with not even six hundred thousand troops…it’s something. Though, I’m not sure if I can meet the demands you guys gave me. Equipping that much, it’s impossible. At most, the lend-lease we can give can just cover around ten to thirty billion blancs. That’s in fact, quite the massive sum already that we cannot realistically support at the moment.”
“I know,” Anastasia said. “But you’ve given Hebei a lot. Nearly one hundred billion worth of equipment already. That’s insane. It’s almost like, you’ve built up their military yourself. Surely, you can do the same for us?”
“Not this year, I’m afraid,” Amelie smiled apologetically. “Though, again, if I can get Jacqueline to sign a thirty-billion blancs worth of military aid, that…that might be enough to send a few squadrons of LF-12s, a few battalions worth of tanks and other armored vehicles, and yeah…munitions.”
The Princess sighed.
“We were hoping we’d get something that can turn the tide, but I guess this is just the reality of things. We really can’t get all of the nice stuff, huh?”
“I’ll try to get you something once our manufacturing expands further. The Orlish War Industry will be awake soon enough. Just…just hold on, okay?”
“I see then,” Anastasia raised her head and extended her hand in Amelie’s direction. “Regardless, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I can’t believe that Orland can become Larissa’s friend, but…I think I see that their new Queen cares more about the good of the world than old rivalries. Thank you so much.”
Amelie took her hand and shook it.
“Well, you’re welcome, I guess.”