The Imperial Civil War had been going for roughly four or five months at this point. Though no seer could yet see its conclusion, it was clear that the Loyalists had the upper hand.
Empress Katharin sent Radbruch and Scarnhorst back to the Imperial Throneworld and summoned Viscount Holm and his Eleventh Fleet in their stead. It was a sizable force, 90,000 warships strong, but what should she have done with it?
The obvious answer was to besiege Fortress Thalassa and overthrow the military revolt once and for all–but it would also leave her vulnerable to a pincer attack, if the Tollerwald Alliance had any brains. She remained indecisive for some days, sending Thompson and Holm to hunt down Tollerwald stragglers.
What changed her mind was a personal interrogation of a defecting Tollerwald officer. "Admiral Dortmund and Duke Gerlach are still at a standstill regarding military strategy. Especially since Marquis Knittlingen's death, the duke has been trying to overrule the admiral."
"Hmm. Is that so?" was Katharin's noncommittal answer.
Admiral Dortmund once led the Eleventh Fleet, but was then shuffled to the decrepit Sixteenth Fleet after the reorganization. Marshal Marbach's opinion of him was insultingly low, and the Empress was inclined to agree after only a short review of his military career. All his victories were minor but bloated with flowery praise, while his defeats were concealed with trite excuses such as the weather, poor subordinates, or bad luck.
"What do you two think?" she asked her lieutenants, Thompson and Holm.
"If the enemy is bickering amongst themselves, we may as well bring the fight to them," Holm said. "Strike while they're unprepared."
Holm, 42 years old, held two titles: as a noble he held the rather low title of viscount, while as a military officer he was a vice admiral. He didn't have the reputation of a genius or a young prodigy or a legendary commander, but he was solid and dependable; the sort of man perfect to lead a subordinate fleet or to be chief of staff.
"But that might force them to set aside their differences to fight us," the Empress said. "Besides, the military revolt isn't finished yet."
The Empress decided to besiege Thalassa. It was not to be an easy task. By most estimates Duke Dahl still had some 45,000 warships at his disposal. Thalassa Fortress–and its dreaded EMP blast weapon the Devil's Breath–remained firmly under his control.
A frontal attack would make her go down in history as one of the most incompetent, foolish commanders. She couldn't simply wait out for the revolt to starve either; Thalassa had various production capabilities–food from hydroponic plants, water from purifying machines, and so on. Though it couldn't indefinitely sustain the revolt's soldiers, it would be long before serious issues arise.
Vice Admiral Drongull, a fleet commander in the Royal Fleet, offered this advice:
"There is no need for hurry. If Your Majesty simply waits for His Excellency Marshal Karl to arrive, our forces would be overwhelmingly numerous. Victory would be assured then."
The Empress smiled pleasantly and rejected it outright. She put her own plans, designed with inputs from Holm and Thompson, into action.
She took Thompson's Second Fleet under her own command and in return gave him a makeshift fleet of missile ships and the first generation of imperial fast battleships. It was an offensively formidable fleet, one that Radbruch would salivate over, but its defensive strength was quite weak.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
"I put my faith in you. The success or failure of our siege depends on your fleet and your abilities."
To this Thompson saluted, and replied, "I will give it my all."
"I expect nothing less from you, Vice Admiral."
Thompson led his fleet around Thalassa. This was not undetected by Duke Dahl's scout ships, but the Duke–in all fairness this was a sensible judgement–believed it was a fleet meant to smash the Tollerwalds, and made no moves against it. "Just a few more months," the Duke insisted to his followers. "Marshal Karl von Marbach will arrive to help us."
A week later, the Duke was rudely awoken by a fleet 70,000 strong, led by the Empress herself. He scrambled to defend his last stronghold.
Conventional military understanding of sieges was thus: the besiegers would surround the fortress as well as they could, and try to attack blind spots. The besieged must watch out for these attacks, and if possible sally out to break the siege.
So what on earth was this young empress doing, brazenly challenging this mighty fortress head-on. Duke Dahl wanted to chalk it up to naivety and ambition but couldn't quite feel safe. He deployed his forces on the left and right, leaving the Devil's Breath free to hold off attacks from the middle.
The Empress launched her first offensive at 1400, directed at the left and right wings of the enemy. "Engage them minimally, then withdraw and let the Devil's Breath do its work!" Duke Dahl commanded.
The Empress smirked. "Send in the starfighters. Execute the plan," she said casually.
Loyalist ships ramped up their speed, stunning their retreating counterparts. Soon loyalist and traitor ships mingled. The Empress had successfully turned the siege into a battle of attrition. And if the revolt tried to retreat, the Loyalists could follow them. The Devil's Breath was useless, unable to fire, as it would hit its own allies.
Duke Dahl's sweat broke in the cool atmosphere of his flagship. This crisis was unprecedented for him. "Enemy attack from the rear! They're trying to breach the fortress!" was the terrified communications from Thalassa.
Vice Admiral Thompson launched four separate decoy attacks, prompting the panicking revolt soldiers to try and aim the Devil's Breath, at which point he struck and blew apart their defenses with a massive assault in the center. Thalassa Fortress' multilayered super-steel broke.
Duke Dahl attempted a withdrawal to the fortress, but there simply wasn't an opening. Every time he retreated an inch, the Loyalists advanced an inch. "My goodness ...."
In the end, the Duke was strangled by one person and stabbed by another. Vice Admiral Thompson sent in large boarding parties, and within twelve hours many of the garrison had surrendered. The central command room had fallen, and now Fortress Thalassa, its EMP blast weapon, and its various turrets had been wrenched away from the revolt's hands.
Seeing no other option, the Duke opened communications to the Empress' flagship. The Empress was active; directing her forces, switching out exhausted units with fresh ones, and pouncing at any small error made by the enemy in their desperate efforts.
"Your Majesty, Empress Katharin."
"Duke Dahl. You have flown the flag of rebellion, and you still call me Empress?"
"Your Majesty. Please believe that I do not do this out of malice towards you, or your government. I rebelled simply because I thought I could have done better, for the Empire, and for imperial citizenry."
In the Empress' face was an expression of solemnness. "I have ordered my soldiers to step down. I only beg for leniency for them."
"I will grant that," the Empress said. "Duke, your honor as a vassal of the Crown is forever broken. But you honor as an Imperial remains unstained."
"Your Majesty, please be the Empress that the Empire needs. Hail to the Empire!" The Duke whipped a pistol from its holster, aimed it at his head, and committed suicide.
"Your Majesty, the revolt has surrendered," was the report from her lieutenants.
"Treat them fairly and properly," the Empress instructed. In her tone and expression was a mix of pity and regret. The egotistical nobility was one thing, but she didn't like this at all.
A week later, Marshal Karl and his forces arrived. He was pleasantly surprised to see the revolt beaten. After exchanging formalities with the Empress, he smiled at his second.
"It is quite surprising, isn't it, Marshal?" Admiral Valentina remarked.
"Hmm. Either the duke's well of luck had dried too early, or–"
"Or the Empress is more talented than I thought. Perhaps it's a new age after all ...," Karl added in his mind.
The Imperial Civil War had yet to end. Progress and reform still craved more blood. Quietly but bountifully, Loyalist commanders once more turned their sights to the Tollerwalds.