The bombs fell and burned those in its path.
The shots cracked and downed all those fated to demise.
The sounds of artillery boomed, and the ground wavered.
The ships screeched, as they burned and sank.
The flames of what were once flying knights, fell from the skies like fallen angels - their pilots dead in the inferno.
And in the new trench lines - in the new frontlines - men readied themselves. Once more, the loud pitch of the whistle sounded, and into the fire, they charged. Charged as the familiar fires of war once more greeted them.
Many banners were held by them.
The banner of the Queen of Orland.
The banner of Heindhöff's Putschists.
Or the vagrant ships of Larissa, that held the Imperial Standard.
And all of them fought, once more, on many sides, all with differing goals and purposes. Yet all were united as one - all united in misery from the fires of war.
Queen Amelie Ludendorf, the young besieged Queen of Orland, watched from an underground bunker turned into a Command Center by the Armed Forces. Screens and staff filled the room, as the dark hue of the room contrasted with the blue lights of the screens and the faint auxiliary lighting above.
From here, she was now commanding her nation - her battered and beleaguered defenders, as her nation collapsed into ruins. From two sides, from two directions, stuck just a few kilometers from the frontlines, she would have to command Orland in a two-pronged attack. One from the Putchists, one from the blasted Imperials.
Rarely had it ever occurred, for one inexperienced young monarch to face such a daunting task. If she hadn’t done well in the months of peacetime, she could scarcely imagine how much worse she would end up in such a drastic predicament, a hundredfold worse than before.
Can I even stop them? Stop them at the gates?
The Putschists were now at Halia’s gate, as the Royal Capital burned - burned from Heindhŏff’s extensive terror bombing campaign. His strikes never relented, never wavered. Even when Loyalist air squadrons mobilized to fight gory duels atop Halia, his aircraft and missiles kept coming in - striking upon civilians and soldiers alike. Death and destruction dominated the once lively city, as both noble estates, apartments, suburbs, and the massive business districts filled with skyscrapers burned.
Even the Halian Stock Exchange Building, which was the tallest in Halia, collapsed on another building, which left her iconic skyline - already a burning mess, completely ruined.
With streets filled with the dead, debris, and broken rubble, one could no more call Halia the illustrious capital of Orland - and the world even, now that such gruesome fate befall it.
But the Queen never merely hunkered in her bunker. Throughout the first 24 hours of the war, she and William had toured the city as they organized the defense and evacuation of the city.
Truthfully, that never materialized. Much of what they could do was mere intelligence gathering. With a severe lack of manpower and organization, the Queen's hands were temporarily tied, and she had to watch the city fall to chaos, with only minimal aid from her government.
But she didn't falter. No, she was the Queen of her people. To falter would mean their demise. And so she carried on.
"We will do everything!" She declared in a broken hospital. Thousands of staff - doctors, nurses, mostly women, watched her. Behind them, stretcher after stretcher was being rushed. All as they were utterly overwhelmed by the masses of innocent souls they had to aid.
The healthcare infrastructure of the city was hard hit, as bombs fell even on hospitals, clinics, and the like. The barbarity of the Putschists' Air Force was in full display upon them. Almost as if they wanted to purge the inhabitants of the city - mostly women.
And while she had cursed the skies that dropped untold misery at her subjects, she could not do much more than to inspire.
Inspire to hold on.
Inspire to carry on.
Inspire to stand tall.
Inspire to persevere.
For if they didn't - Halia would fall.
"We will fight them, in every street of the city!" She declared loudly at the Parliament's MPs. All of them were gathered in the halls of an untouched hotel, as the Parliament itself - the symbol of Orland's Democracy, was already bombed by Heindhöff.
And they roared in agreement. Even those that had once opposed her - Duchess Flandere, and her Arcanist MPs hollered in agreement. The new men of the ORP seemed less enthusiastic, yet they agreed as well.
"And I remind all those that survived the bombings, those in this room today." Prime Minister Jacqueline Heiss, spoke beside her with much flowing emotions from her words. Like Amelie, she had been shocked, devastated, and crippled by the sudden turn of events.
But she would carry on, as the second leader of the Kingdom.
"That we will stand as one - and never falter at all. Against the darkness of these radicals, the Bastion of Hope, and the light of Orlish Democracy will never fade. For the defense of all of Orland and our allies!"
The loud applause of agreement continued, all as Amelie punctuated Jacquline's speech.
"We shall never surrender!"
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The darkness of the Northern Sea was engulfing. The storms that raged upon it were endless. And so were the men that battled on its cold, uncaring waters.
A brutal game of hide and seek developed in it. Already, dozens after dozens of ships and submarines had met a watery grave in its vast expanse. Yet the men of the Orlish and Lorathian navies never gave up.
Many of them hadn't even learned of the Civil War in their homeland. All as they tended to their duties - their last directives.
Defend Lorathia at all costs.
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The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
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The two squadrons of LF-12 Zappers broke as the Larissan squadrons zoomed just a few dozen kilometers before them. Their speeds turned more insane as their afterburners opened up, the fateful battle in the skies between these flying knights commencing.
The Zappers zoomed in forward, as their target acquisition devices took rapid locks at the Larissan squadron.
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In one of the Zappers, the pilot screeched his craft to a Larissan aircraft flying south. Immediately, the lock appeared on his HUD.
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The missile screeched off rapidly from the plane's pylon, all as the pilot pulled up. More missiles darted in the stormy skies, as his missile swiveled rapidly toward the targeted Larissan plane.
In moments, after desperate maneuvers of the enemy alongside a massive amount of chaff deployed, the missile detonated above the plane, which peppered it into a burning mess - all as another Zapper flew above it.
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The brilliant detonation was punctuated by more planes passing through it, the battle still ongoing. A Larissan fighter even managed to sneak rapidly behind a Zapper, its guns blazing hot, before a missile zoomed away from its wings.
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<<2-3 is down!>>
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The knife-fighting dogfight in the skies continued on, as balls of fallen planes on fire dropped one after another.
Clearly, Albert's battle wasn't over. Below the skies, kilometers away, Strike Force 7 shadowed the air engagement. The two squadrons of Zappers were deployed earlier when their AWACS patrol detected unidentified contacts nearby.
I need to find them first.
For weeks already, his long hunt against the Larissan carriers had left him stranded alone on the high seas. Extremely dedicated to his mission, he had refrained from breaking radio silence and contacting high command.
Still, he had received disturbing reports by listening to the radio waves. Something had happened in the Kingdom. Something may have harmed her little sister's reign.
But he was in a fight. Whatever it was, he knew she could handle it. At least for a little while. For now, his focus was to hunt the illusive fleet of the Empress.
And he swore that he will. He had learned that the Empress herself could be commanding the Imperial Navy herself. If such was true, then he shall find her and incur to her his wrath.
She had dared attack the Ivory Alliance once more. She had insulted his little sister. And most of all - Albert believed the brat was behind his mother's death.
In a sense, Albert now was driven both with the practical reason of defending Orland (and his little sister) from an attack from the Empire, and the drive to retributive justice. His mother wasn't the best - but he was her son.
And it was his duty to find justice for her. To Albert - this was personal.
For all her crimes, he would make the deranged Empress pay.
A smirk appeared on his face as he heard the reports from the staff on the bridge. All bandits were eliminated.
Just you wait. I'll find you, and I will teach you a lesson you will never forget.
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Characters
Kingdom of Orland (Loyalists)
The Royal Family
Queen Amelie Ludendorf
- Protagonist. The naive and idealistic Queen of Orland. A 19-year-old college woman who ascended to the Orlish throne after her mother died. With her Kingdom collapsing before her, her reign would be a struggle.
Albert Ludendorf
- The de facto Prince of Orland. An experienced veteran of the Great War, he commands the venerable ONS Rebenslof and Strike Force 7.
Princess Alice Ludendorf
- The spoiled, bratty Princess of Orland. She shows much potential in magic and clings a bit too much to his older brother.
The Orlish Cabinet
Prime Minister Jacqueline Heiss
- The current sitting Prime Minister of Orland. Much like Amelie, she believes in idealistic reforms and pacifism. She detests war and inequality.
Deputy Prime Minister Walter Plock
- The apathetic second in command of the Heiss Government. He believes in reforms, but the waves of reality have long cracked his beliefs of a better future. Still, he hopes that the Queen and Prime Minister can deliver their visions of a better Orland.
Minister Adelaide Wallenstein
- A calm, serene, and usually collected woman. Skilled in diplomacy, she guided Orland's foreign policy before Amelie was crowned.
The Orlish High Command (OHC) or the Orlish Armed Forces (OAF)
General Victor Albrecht
- A brutal General that saw the Great War. He is loyal to the Queen, but he won't shy from using extreme methods in warfare for victory.
Admiral George Halberd
- The wise old superior of Albert, Admiral Halberd commands the 2nd Fleet and holds much influence in the Admiralty.
The Royal Guard
Archduchess Pristina Dubois
- A conservative aristocrat. She does not have a high opinion of men and the Queen's reforms for them. She is the current Director of the Royal Guard.
Baroness Theresa Lubaine (or Lady Lubaine)
- Skilled in magic, she commands the Palace Security Detail and its Knights for Amelie's security.
Major William Porter
- A cynical veteran of the Great War. He was hired by Amelie to serve as her personal guard. He and the 16th Armored Battalion have since been stationed in the Palace with the Royal Guard.
The Meintz Crisis Group
Michael Rudolph
- The speaker of the Rebenslof Group and the CEO of Rebenslof Steel. His bankruptcy is near.
Well Porter
- The CEO of Porter Heavy Industries. He was contracted to build the Halian Shipyards.
Marie Wittfield
- A close childhood friend of Amelie. Her magical capabilities are extreme, being a prodigy in many of its fields. She leads the Royal Investigations Unit.
The Provisional Government (Putschists)
Minister of Defense Geoffrey Heindhoff
- A man with a dark past, now turned into a potential monster. He believes that women must be toppled for men to achieve their rights.
Director of the Orlish Intelligence Agency Alfonso Bluch
- Heindhöff's shadowy right-hand man. He leads the OIA.
Provisional President Sullivan Rimpler
- A "raving lunatic" that leads the NRF.
The Kingdom of Lorathia
Queen Eliette Alcaster
- The old Queen of Lorathia.
The Kingdom of Gaul
Queen Clericia Alois
- The current Queen of Gaul.
The Empire of Hebei
Crown Princess Xue
- She is currently leading an insurrection to restore Imperial rule in Hebei after a men's coup d'etat deposed her mother.
The Empire of Larissa
Empress Katerina Illyenov
- The childish and enigmatic Empress of Larissa. Her bloodthirst has led to the Great War and its current continuation.