Sovereign

"Surprise attack on Northern Lorathia! Larissan Missiles and Aircraft attacked the naval base in Alfast in a blatant act of aggression. Three aircraft carriers, alongside nearly twenty-four other warships of the Orlish and Lorathian Navies, were sunk in the attack. Already, Queen Eliette has declared war on the Empire this morning. The response of the Ivory Palace and Queen Amelie is still being awaited on a live address at noon today, and it is expected that the Kingdom of Orland will declare war alongside all Ivory Alliance member states."

- Geopol Press

---

Amelie could not accept it. She could not even fathom to believe it all. Her eyes threatened to spill tears as she sat, as quite frankly, the young Queen was very much scared of it all.

War.

War.

Already, 11,000 sailors, airmen, and marines of VACCOM lay dead in Alfast, with the count growing each second. It had only been scarcely hours into the attack when she was roused awake by the news.

It's…it's my fault. I should have…I should have…

"See?! I told you all! Now how in the holy heavens are we going to defend Lorathia now!" Shouted Walter at Minister Adelaide and Prime Minister Jacqueline. He had been angry ever since he received the news, the utter travesty of his fellow men dying in cold blood triggering the man.

Already, the trio paid her a visit before the representatives from the Orlish High Command (OHC) arrived within the next few minutes. The shouting match that their meeting had devolved into further placed Amelie's spirits at the low bottom.

She almost wanted to puke at it all. 11,000 lives. 11,000 young men. Dead. All because she refused to acknowledge a possible conflict.

Dead.

Worse, Strike Force 7 was still not responding. For all intents and purposes, the ONS Rebenslof, alongside her brother, had vanished in the stormy Northern Sea, alongside the Larissan fleets, and thus, may not even be…

No…I can't make that conclusion yet. He is still alive. He has to be. Please…

Even so, she still wanted to believe in peace. While many men lay dead, she could not simply escalate it further. She needed an end to the conflict quickly - before more perished.

"Walter, we get it, we were mistaken." Amelie began with a shaky breath. With a disappointed stare, Walter shook his head. It was an absolute shit-kebab wrapped in piss. A mere mistake that resulted in nearly a third of the VACCOM fleet being involuntarily turned into submarines.

The losses were tremendous. So tremendous in fact that whatever survived might be unable to hold off the upcoming Larissan fleet. Never had Orland suffered such devastating naval losses.

Never.

"But we cannot just…just recklessly go to war." Amelie continued. Walter was thus flabbergasted at her insufferable naivete.

"Your Majesty? Are you still suggesting that we don't mobilize?"

"Orland cannot afford it, Walter. You know that. If we can somehow beat them without going into another total war, please…please…"

Walter was sorely disappointed in her. He wanted an immediate full-scale mobilization of all Ivory Alliance member states - Orland included, to be sent to Vaeyox to face the blasted Larissans.

"Your Majesty! Your brother is literally lost in the sea."

"Don't you dare use my brother as a way to force me into another senseless war!" She snapped. "I know he is still alive out there."

"But there is already war! Can you not understand that? It's war! You cannot sugarcoat this situation. There will be costs. There will be deaths. It is the reality!"

Jacqueline, appalled and outraged at how the rat began to truly tread the line, finally turned furious.

"Walter cut that out now. The Parliament itself has not yet decided on this matter. We may be at war but that does not mean we will escalate it."

Outnumbered and outgunned, Walter merely breathed out heavily as he seethed. There was no way for him to change the minds of the three ladies now in charge of Orland.

…

"No."

"Your Majesty?" Heindhöff's little speech about the OHC's plan was broken by her sudden interruption. For many minutes, the group of Generals, Admirals, and other military officers discussed in depth under the audience of the Queen their plans regarding the war.

"A general mobilization won't be permitted."

Heindhöff turned to her with a look of condescension.

"What?"

Her gaze was icy and cold at the traitor.

"No. Any further mobilization won't be permitted. The Orlish Armed Forces are only permitted to defend Lorathia and Gaul with minimal force, in order to prevent escalation."

"Your Maj-"

"Are my words clear, Minister Heindhöff? Or is it General?"

Heindhöff sank in his seat as he scowled. The other officers seemed confused at her declaration. Escalation? What a joke! The war had already escalated enough with the strike in Alfast.

The Admirals especially looked more confused. How could the Queen let such a slight go pass? 2 Orlish carriers were now metal wrecks in Alfast. What more of the thousands of sailors and men?

Halberd, who was present at the meeting, spoke up.

"Your Majesty…I believe that what you are trying to do is noble and…admirable, but I'm afraid we cannot afford not to unleash our full capabilities in this conflict."

"Admiral, to unleash everything would mean we would start another Great War." Her eyes darted at all the other officers. "I…I don't understand. You are all men who have seen the hell of war. Why the eagerness to return? Why had all of you suggested insane plans that would result in more deaths - but not a single one of you even mentioned the possibility of diplomacy?"

Amelie's mind was a confused, stormy mess, and she wanted nothing more than to retreat to her bed and cry. But she had to make her stand here. To prevent another Great War.

I can't…I can't let more people die under me.

She wanted to simply beat the Larissans, and immediately sign a ceasefire. Anything! Anything to stop another meat grinder. She won't send the last of the generation of young men back to another war.

I absolutely cannot accept that.

Admiral Halberd sighed, and he stared at Heindhöff, whose gaze darkened further. Unbeknownst to Amelie, her actions had already fully divided the Orlish High Command, and her actions today were driving them deeper into division.

"Your Majesty…we will see what we can do. If we cannot mobilize, then I'm afraid we will indeed have to force them to an early ceasefire. How we could do that, I do not know."

"Please, do find a way to do that. I will not permit another war that will see more millions dead."

Many of them did not seem to be convinced, but the OHC followed the Queen's orders. With a collective nod, they soon vacated the conference room. Amelie was left drained.

…

"William, I need your help."

Major William stood before her in her office. She had called him after the meeting and her televised declaration of war to the Empire.

Once more, she needed advice.

"You made a mistake, Amelie."

His blunt response stopped her in her tracks. She looked up at him from her seat with a wide eye. What did he mean by that? It could not be a mistake. She merely sought peace.

"Look, William, why? Can you please explain to me why?"

"Because they have started a war. I do not understand where you and all of you 'reformist' women received the idea that you can somehow stop this."

Indeed, at this point, she was simply tired of everyone calling her goals a mistake. It was almost as if she was now surrounded by bloodthirsty warmongers.

The Empire hadn't even mobilized yet. Why? Why? Why do they want to escalate it further?

"...Why can't you all help me see this through instead? Please, just…let me seek a way out of this mess."

"Because you are being delusional. You are in denial."

Her eyes began to moisten.

"I don't want war."

"Doesn't mean it won't happen."

"I'm the Queen, I can-"

"You can't. This is out of your control. Regardless of what you do. Your delusions that you can somehow convince her to stop however is under your control. End it."

She glared at him, but he didn't flinch at all. William stood firm with his words, which all stung to Amelie's heart. To be called delusional, naive, foolish…she merely wanted peace.

And so, her glare wavered, until small tears appeared on her cheeks. She could not stop it anymore. She could not.

She wiped it off.

"I'm…what do I do, William? Just let this war blaze until it consumes all of us? I…I can't."

"You cannot stop the fires anymore, Amelie. But you can prepare to face it, instead of wallowing in your delusions."

Her expression fell, and she could not look up at him anymore. She made a blunder. Blunder after blunder. All because she denied reality.

The truth, the truth that war was on her doorstep.

"William, I-"

"No need to apologize, Amelie. What you need to do now is act. Your brother is still on the high seas."

Her eyes widened.

Albert…

…

The storm intensified over the hours. Two distant silhouettes slipped through the waves, the sound of their movements masked by the storm.

It was two Orlish destroyers, and they braved through the storm with much determination.

"Captain, we lost contact with the signatures." The XO of one of the ships, the ONS Fogger reported to his CO. He nodded in response.

"Continue the search. We can't let them slip away."

The two ships turned and steamed north, their radars on full alert. It scanned wide upon the Northern Sea as it searched for its blasted foes. Unfortunately, being on the surface, the curvature of the world made it difficult for the radar to spot effectively.

Already, the contacts they had detected had slipped into the radar's shadow.

Worse was the severe clutter that the rains continuously created. And the fact that the enemy seemed disinterested in utilizing their radar systems - which further hid them.

Nevertheless, they continued their search and scan, as AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System) was completely unavailable at the moment.

This was how modern naval warfare happened. A game of hide and seek, and he who sees and fires first would be the winner. Every action had a trade-off.

Searching by radar meant that their signals would be detected. But to turn it off meant they would be blind. It was almost as if there were two teams at night, armed with but a pistol and a flashlight - all trying to search for each other.

And then, at last, their flashlight, or their radar returned a signature. Or more accurately - a signal. The enemy was searching for them too, and they found them as a consequence.

"Captain! CIC reports that contacts detected 32 kilometers off the starboard bow."

"Give me the bearing."

"Aye sir, contacts bearing 0-4-5, speed 24 knots."

He turned to the intercom.

"CIC, designate contacts as Alpha One and Two and get firing solutions on the two. Fire six cruise missiles!"

The destroyer swerved to the further north, as its VLS cells opened up. Both ships immediately fired missile after missile, as smoke rose in the rainy skies.

It was the classic tactic of modern naval warfare - missile saturation. Upon contact with hostile signatures, naval vessels usually launched multiple cruise missiles to sink hostile targets.

Such devastating tactics allowed ships to overwhelm anti-missile defense systems. However, war wasn't a one-sided affair.

The XO turned to the Captain once more.

"Sir! CIC reports launches from Alpha One and Two. 5 missiles incoming!"

"Get air defense running. I want those missiles off our tracks."

The missiles burned quickly through the skies, passing dozens of kilometers in mere minutes. By the time both of their missiles reached each other, both Orlish and Larissan air defenses opened up.

A barrage of SAM (Surface-to-air) defense missiles blasted off from the two Orlish destroyers, as detonations peppered the skies ahead, and then the angry buzz of the RPDM opened up, which eliminated the last missiles.

That was when the contacts disappeared from the radars.

"CIC reports confirmed hits! Sir! We got 'em!"