In Metropolis, Kara held a meeting with Brainiac 5 on their economic plan for the continent. "You should consider the obstacles we face, the one-third plus one minority required to avoid an override."
"Don't worry about it. We have barely thirty percent already," Kara said unconcernedly.
"Twenty-six percent to be exact," Brainiac 5 corrected her. "You need republican support."
"Wait...wait...wait, the republicans are now somehow the saviors of this story? Fuck that," Kara rejected. "I'll call a new election. Those republicans will either vote with me or find themselves looking for work outside my generous system."
"We can't bribe them," Brainiac 5 told her.
"I said nothing of bribing them, more like threatening their livelihood should they vote the wrong way. It's totally different," Kara said stubbornly.
"You have a meeting with random citizens now," Brainiac 5 reminded her.
"Let them in. I always enjoy talking to random citizens," Kara smiled.
"May I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Jolly. They're ranchers from Missouri," Brainiac 5 introduced them as they came in.
"Mr. and Mrs. Jolly, ranchers from Missouri, I am... the Empress of Earth. This, here, is my loyal robot companion, B-Five," Kara introduced. "Missouri, huh? There were once two football teams from St. Louis, Missouri. One was the Cardinals and the other one was the Rams but they both moved west. Fucked up if you ask me," Kara mused.
"Cardinals? Rams?" the couple asked confused.
"Never mind," Kara said awkwardly. "What can I do for you?"
"Our lawyer shot our bird," Mr. Jolly said pissed off.
"Why did he do a thing like that?" Kara asked shocked and appalled.
"We presume he wanted peace and quiet," Mrs. Jolly shrugged.
"This cannot stand. I will...," Kara declared.
"Are you aware of the ratification of the 13th amendment to the constitution?" Brainiac 5 interjected.
"Yes, sir, everyone knows of it," Mrs. Jolly said obviously. "The empress favors it.
"But do you?" Brainiac 5 quizzed.
"We do," Mrs. Jolly replied.
"You know that it abolishes capitalism, voluntary employment?" Brainiac 5 continued.
"Yes, sir, I know it," Mrs. Jolly replied.
"Why do you favor it?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"What I favor is ending the war. Once we do away with capitalism, the South will quit fighting," she said naively. "Since that's what they're fighting for. You always say so, ma'am. With the amendment, they'll give up."
"What if the war ends before capitalism is finished?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"The empress says the war won't stop unless we finish capitalism," Mrs. Jolly objected.
"But...if they did?" Brainiac 5 asked softly.
"Then, I reckon we wouldn't," Mrs. Jolly said boldly. "The system you have created for the working class. It's too good for those Southerners. Fuck'em."
Kara sighed and then stood up facing them both. "Ask your representative to pass my amendment...as a military necessity," Kara told them. "In return, I'll seek what the law has to say about your bird."
"Thank you," they both said together and were then escorted out of the room where clamoring citizens waited for their turn. Brainiac 5 locked the doors and came back to Kara.
"Barney...what the fuck was that?" she demanded.
"Replacing capitalism with a meritocracy will take time for these humans to adjust," Brainiac 5 said.
Kara looked out the window deep in thought. "I was raised to love life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I was taught the horrors of communism. What the fuck am I doing?" she asked uncertainly.
"Human communism failed because human beings cannot process the variables of a global economy. Supply and demand are constantly in flux, changing within fractions of a second among millions of people making sudden often irrational financial transactions. No human or committee of humans is competent to process that amount of information with any level of speed. Additionally, humans become naturally corrupt when given power over a global economy," Brainiac 5 pointed out.
"And you are neither incompetent nor corrupt?" Kara questioned.
"Of course," Brainiac 5 replied.
"I want this war to end with or without capitalism," Kara said finally.
Virginia
Gen. Dee, Long, Sackson, and the rest of the officer corp. of the Army of Northern Virginia gathered around for a briefing. "We have the momentum. I say we move north into Maryland. We'll live off the land's harvest. Besides, Maryland is being held by force. When we liberate them from this tyrannical alien queen, we may receive some hospitality and get some more volunteers for our army," Gen. Dee said optimistically.
"Won't this be seen as an invasion?" Gen. Long wondered.
"No, sir, the whole world knows who the aggressor is. We seek to free the South from occupation. If the royalists would stop the fighting and recall their armies, this war would be over but, in the meantime, we must show the enemy they cannot win. By pushing into Maryland, we take the fight to them. If we threaten northern cities, there will be great pressure on the queen and congress to end this war," Gen. Dee said passionately.
"What about supplies, communications?" Gen. Long questioned. "Our rear would be vulnerable."
"We did the same thing in Mexico, and it turned out well," Gen. Dee shrugged. "When we enter Maryland, we will show them that we are not there to conquer or subdue anyone. We have shown our superiority on the battlefield. That's all we need."
"Pleased we're taking this fight to the enemy. Let's fuck them up," Gen. Sackson said enthusiastically.
"Somehow...I feel my intent to win the hearts and minds of the northerners has been lost on you, sir," Gen. Dee said dismayed.
"We are so fucked," Gen. Long muttered.
Tennessee
Deep in enemy territory, Gen. Branigan nonchalantly exited his tent still in his underwear. A sergeant came up to give him a cup of coffee. "Felt you would be needing this," he said.
"Ah, thank you, sergeant," Gen. Branigan said appreciatively.
"You know, general, the boys and I, we've been watching you, Sir. That, we have," he said.
"Creepy as fuck," Gen. Branigan said concernedly.
"It's become a pleasure to serve under you, Sir," the sergeant clarified.
"And are you a veteran?" Gen. Branigan asked.
"I suppose you could say that. I was an illegal immigrant moving south into Mexico until they deported me back here. They called me a Yankee invader," he said bitterly.
"Well, you get your chance to invade the Deep South under my command. We'll have no shortage of enemies there," Gen. Branigan smiled. "Move out, men! We're going to Memphis!"
Metropolis
Kara summoned the royalist minority leader to ensure she had complete support from her party. "If you tell them to, no one will vote down the amendment," Kara said, eying Francis Bear.
"I decided to lead this royalist party as an anti-capitalist party in this country but not as a vehicle to conquer other countries," Francis objected. "You can't afford to engage with radicals and republicans. You have to shore up your base first. You need our help."
"I suppose I do," Kara said half-heartedly, secretly wondering if quasi-democracy was the right way to go.
"Then, what do we get?" Francis asked bluntly.
"Holy shit," Kara said stupefied by his audacity.
"How's Prince Mon-El?" Francis asked conversationally.
"I don't really keep track of him," Kara admitted.
"It's good you've kept him clean of this war," Francis said pleased. "Now, you know what I want for my support. You'll let me go down to Richmond and give me terms I can give to the confederacy to start negotiations for peace. We'll vote for this amendment only if every possible attempt at peace has been exhausted."
"Yeah, sure...fuck it," Kara shrugged and proceeded to give him outrageous terms to send to Richmond she knew they would never accept.
Maryland
Royalist and confederate forces clashed in Maryland near the border. Gen. Dee, Long, and Sackson were on the field of battle. "We must keep this ridge. We must do all we can to force the royalists back," Gen. Dee said to his officers.
Both sides entered tall cornfields and fired on each other at close range. Brainiac 5 exited his vehicle to talk to his human generals. "Gen. Handcock, you are aware that Gen. Dickinson has been wounded?"
"I am now," Gen. Handcock realized.
"You will be taking over his command," Brainiac 5 ordered.
"Yes, Sir. Of course, Sir. Fuck me, Sir," Gen. Handcock sighed.
"I am sure you will perform this duty with the skill you have shown already. You will drive the confederates to the river before sunset," Brainiac 5 ordered.
"And then...to Richmond?" Gen. Handcock wondered.
"No, we wait," Brainiac 5 ordered.
"Well...shit," Gen. Handcock muttered.
The battle ended with a tactical draw with the confederates withdrawing from Maryland back to Virginia. On the field were thousands of dead and tens of thousands wounded from both sides.
Metropolis
Brainiac 5 briefed Kara on the battle. "It was a draw," he reported.
"Sounds to me like it was a great royalist victory," Kara rebuffed. "It's time for some emancipation in conquered territories. What have we conquered so far?"
"The border states of Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri have been cleared. Territories near Nashville and New Orleans have been conquered," Brainiac 5 said.
"Good enough for me," Kara said. "I'm also declaring the people of confederate territories emancipated as well."
"That will have near zero actual effect," Brainiac 5 reminded her.
"I don't give a shit. It informs the rest of the world of my intentions. Anyone that trades with the confederates is my enemy and an enemy of decency," Kara declared.
"Perhaps, we should make this proclamation after an actual victory and not a tactical draw," Brainiac 5 advised.
"Negative, what happened in Maryland was a great victory...a great victory," Kara told him.
"I, Kara Zor-El, Queen of the British Empire, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the empire in time of actual armed rebellion against authority and government of the empire, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do order States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion, against the empire, the following: all persons within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free to join my empire and persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the empire," Kare proclaimed.
"And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God," Kara concluded.
"The confederacy is an independent nation. They're not rebelling against you," Brainiac 5 reminded her.
"Nonsense, the whole world belongs to me. Anyone outside my empire is in rebellion," Kara clarified. "So, it has been said, so it shall be written."
The so-called "Emancipation Proclamation" was largely ignored in the confederacy as a sick joke. Many low-paying workers were actually compensated more than E-1 workers in Kara's empire. Gen. Sackson had a conversation with one of his cooks. "Where is your former employer than you come to me?" Gen. Sackson asked curiously.
"I was being paid $3000 an hour and could go wherever I pleased," the cook said mournfully.
"So, what happened?" Gen. Sackson asked curiously.
"The Yankees burned down our store and my employer is now in the confederate army...and so am I," he said.
"That's funny as fuck," Gen. Sackson laughed. He then turned to his officers hanging out near the fire.
"A present for you, Sir," a messenger said with a package in his arms. "It's from Gen. Stuwart."
"Forgive me, but I'm paranoid as fuck. Open that shit," Gen. Sackson ordered Cpt. Pendleton.
"Well, I'll be. It's a really dull gray uniform," Cpt. Pendleton said opening the package and handing it over to Gen. Sackson.
"You be sure to tell Gen. Stuwart that I'll take the best of care with this uniform and that no blood shall come to stain it," Gen. Sackson told the messenger. "Put this uniform in my tent."
"Sir, Gen. Stuwart was most insistent you wear the coat," the messenger objected.
"I don't wear cold-weather coats unless it's 30 below zero. I'm a badass like that," Gen. Sackson told him off.
"He was most...insistent, Sir," the messenger pressed.
"Fine, fuck it," Gen. Sackson allowed and put the coat on.
"That's one fine coat, general," the cook said as he gave everyone coffee.
The whole camp then erupted in the rebel yell upon seeing him wear his new coat. "That is the sweetest music I have ever heard," Gen. Sackson said greatly moved.
Northern Virginia
The royalists had advanced slightly into Virginia and were preparing an assault on Richmond. Gen. Handcock interrupted a meeting to speak with Brainiac 5 on the plan. "Sir, I have information that could prove useful," Gen. Handcock said boldly.
"Always a pleasure to see you, Handcock," Brainiac 5 allowed.
"There is an area of the river that's just a stream. We could cross it immediately," Gen. Handcock reported.
"I appreciate your initiative, but your plan was considered and rejected. We cannot send the men without the supply of vehicles and artillery. Those men could easily be cut off," Brainiac 5 said.
"There's no force opposing us on the other side, right now," Gen. Handcock argued. "We should take Frederick from behind now before Gen. Dee's army gets here. He knows of our intentions. If we could occupy Frederick, it would make our job a lot easier when the bridges arrive."
"We will wait until the entire army can cross together," Brainiac 5 replied.
"If we don't cross soon, Gen. Dee will stop us. If he reaches around Frederick, we are fucked. We should move now on Frederick while we still have the chance," Gen. Handcock pressed. "My division is capable enough to supply ourselves in Frederick. The artillery on the other side of the river should give us protection."
"We will cross this river when the bridges arrive and not before," Brainiac 5 ordered. "The queen has approved my strategy. Once the entire army is across the river, we will advance on Richmond. I will not allow Gen. Dee to attack us piecemeal as he has done in the past. You will hold this position until the bridges arrive."
Northern Virginia
At the same time, Gen. Dee was already at Frederick with a recon squad. "Did you know that Gen. Wallace spent his boyhood around these parts? He crossed that river down there and cut down that cherry tree," Gen. Tate said.
"That sounds like bullshit," Gen. Dee doubted. "But this river has greater significance for me. It's where I met my wife and that's something these Yankees will never understand, can't understand."
"Heterosexual romance?" Gen. Tate wondered.
"Well, yes, but you see these rivers, valleys, streams, fields, and towns. They're just markings on a map to that eunuch drone commander but to us, these are the places we pissed on...to mark our territory. All that we are is here. All that we are," Gen. Dee said reflectively.
While the royalists stalled, the confederates occupied the town and set themselves up for urban warfare.
Metropolis
Kara was furious with Brainiac 5 as the confederates occupied Frederick. "What the fuck are you doing?" she demanded.
"The army is well-supplied and reasonably safe on this side of the river," Brainiac 5 said.
"I don't care if the army is safe. I want them to attack now!" Kara demanded. "Why haven't we sacked Richmond by now? Gen. Branigan has already torched Memphis and Jackson. Because of him, we now have control of the Mississippi River."
"Gen. Branigan has sacrificed tens of thousands of his men to accomplish this," Brainiac 5 reminded her. "I wouldn't call his strategy of sending wave after wave of men until the enemy runs out of ammunition brilliant strategy."
"He's getting the job done," Kara pointed out.
"If we truly wanted to, we could end the war within days with most of the South burned to ash. I have been trying to maintain the South's infrastructure for our use for when we win the war while lowering the casualties on both sides," Brainiac 5 said.
"To what end? We've been at war for two months," Kara said peeved.
"If we are too harsh to the South, they will not cooperate with us. They will not readily accept our system. They will legally or otherwise be a thorn in our side for the next hundred years," Brainiac 5 predicted.
"They'll be the same way regardless of whether we're nice or not," Kara pointed out. "The South has the most ingenious human military strategists in the world. They have the best generals and best fighting men in the world. When they are crushed, the whole world will bend the knee to me."
"Frederick will fall. When it does, we'll have a clear path to Richmond," Brainiac 5 assured her.
"I want that amendment passed," Kara demanded.
"It will likely face demise in the congress. You've done what you could with the emancipation proclamation," Brainiac 5 said.
"That proclamation has no power once the war is over. The courts will overturn it then," Kara said worriedly.
"I don't recall you being all that concerned with what the courts have to say about your proposed laws," Brainiac 5 pointed out. "The Constitution supposedly gives you war powers."
"I spent a lot of time on this, Barney. Are the confederates rebels or foreign nationals, am I interfering with state laws, am I trampling all over the rights of my citizens? I came to the conclusion, finally, that I didn't give a fuck what the law has to say on it. I am the law," Kara declared.
"So...?" Brainiac 5 wondered.
"I know I can do whatever I want if I chose to, but I want the people to be with me. It wasn't enough that I go on adventures and kick ass. I wanted Alex to be with me when I did it. And this planet is Alex to me," Kara explained. "And maybe, I'll get killed by some force of nature. I want the humans to follow in my footsteps."
"You're acting like a dictator, and it doesn't look good to congress. You want legitimacy without properly earning it," Brainiac 5 told her.
"I don't know. Maybe I was wrong about the Emancipation Proclamation. I gave the people two weeks to think about it and my anecdotal experiences with a few people indicate that they do," Kara said.
"I would hardly call that a scientific poll," Brainiac 5 doubted.
"The people are behind me. Congress needs to see that," Kara said confidently.
In Congress, the debate over the amendment heated up. "Two bloody months ago, Her Highness, Queen Kara I, our usurping Caesar, the violator of Habeas Corpus and the freedom of the press, abuser...," Congressman Wood of NY declared.
"If the queen were really a tyrant, she would have your head on a spike by now," a royalist congressman mocked. "And the country would be better for it!"
"Here, here!" some of the royalists shouted.
Wood laughed it off. "Royalist autocrats ruling through fear and martial law. Her Highness enforced the Emancipation Proclamation telling us it would hasten the end of the war, which wages on and on. Kara lied; kids died! She claims as tyrants do that the war gave her emergency powers..."
The rest of the NY delegation looked at each other clearly not giving a shit about Wood's outrage. "We are now being asked, commanded to pass a new amendment that would eliminate all free enterprise, capitalism, commerce, and trade in America in favor of Her Highness' untested system. It shall not pass!" "It is an insult to natural law, to the scientific understanding of economics, and to man's nature. Congress must not give Her Highness total control over our economy, our lives, our freedom."
At this point, the republicans dominated the Congress with 70% above the necessary threshold to override Kara's vetoes. Only in Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey did the royalists have a majority.
Northern Virginia
Brainiac 5 stalled out as long as he could until Francis Bear arrived in Frederick for peace negotiations. "Yeah...fuck that," Gen. Dee refused. And that was that. Brainiac 5 tested the confederate resolve by sending a few boats onto the river. The confederates immediately shot the fuck out of those boats. Brainiac 5 then fired artillery at the town scattering the confederates taking shelter. After softening up confederate positions for a while, more royalist boats came over. A few managed to get ashore before being shot up by confederate defenders. The royalists eventually took the shore and started entering the town in mass as combat engineers successfully built floating bridges across the river. Royalists and confederates fought in urban warfare, street by street for fifteen hours. In several alleys, royalists were ambushed by confederate sharpshooters.
Brainiac 5 called in his officers including Gen. Handcock. "What is your recon of the area?" Brainiac 5 asked him.
"It's pretty shitty, Sir. The confederates have the high ground, their lines are strong, they have numerous roads to rapidly transport troops around, and we can't hope to outflank them," he said flatly.
"And will the confederates likely attack our position to retake the town?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"Nope," Gen. Handcock said bluntly.
"I concur," Brainiac 5 said. "Let this be a teachable moment for all of you," he said to his generals. "Burn the town, destroy everything, and cross back over the river. We will find another way to Richmond on more favorable ground."
Metropolis
Kara hosted a ball where she attempted to woo some of her opposition in congress. Mon unexpectedly showed up in his ceremonial Insane armor. Kara immediately took him aside to talk in the basement under the pretense that all the alcohol was stored there. "I need you to not show your face around here. It could frighten the representatives I'm trying to persuade," Kara scolded.
"Persuading by bribing underserving republicans?" Mon asked disgustedly. "What you should be doing is land confiscation, tribunals, punitive measures," he listed off.
"When the war ends, I intend to push for full equality of every man under me," Kara told him off.
"You should seize rebel land and their property. All that confiscated wealth will go to the crown and then send soldiers down to the South to occupy. The world needs to know you have such plans," Mon advised as he got himself a drink.
"That's not exactly what I intend. Now, we shall oppose each other when appropriate but now, we must work together. These things take time. The people must be ready," Kara told him.
"I shit on the people! I don't give a damn about the people and what they want! This is the face of a man who does not give two fucks about the people. Instead, I lead. You should try it," Mon lectured.
"I admire your zeal and I've tried to profit off it. But if I had listened to you, I would have burned the South down the moment they fired on my forts and everyone living there would be dead. Instead of abolishing capitalism, there would be no one left alive," Kara said dramatically.
"Or...or...or...you sack the rebel capital like I have in Mexico. Are you aware that I successfully led French troops into Mexico, kicked ass, and sacked the place within a week?" Mon asked her.
"Congratulations, Mon. You conquered a shithole," Kara said disrespectfully. "They'll kick your French soldiers out the moment you leave."
"You claim to be someone of the people, but you know how they are. They have no moral compass, these people cannot bear the thought of sharing resources with each other, rich and poor, north and south. My moral compass always points true north," Mon said.
"You may have a moral compass that always points you in the Insane direction, but that same compass doesn't show you the swamps or the mountainous chasms along the way. Leadership is being able to use a compass and a map," Kara said obviously.
"While you play president and general prolonging this war endlessly, I'm going to go conquer the rest of this American continent. Apparently, Paraguay has pissed off every single one of its neighbors. That's a boldness I cannot ignore," Mon said getting up.
Kara stood up as he was about to leave. "I expect you to be back here when I win this war."
Mon smirked at her. "When and if."