Chapter One
Mary Annabell Sioux was not having the best of days today. In fact, it's been a rough morning so far and seemed like it was getting worse every waking minute. She woke up late this Saturday morning and nearly missed breakfast with her mother and grandmother. Part of her wished she had though, because when she decided to inform her mother of her desire to try and join the military, she had a fit and the two broke out in a large argument in front of her grandmother of all people. It got so heated that she ended up taking her toast to go and stormed out of the house with her mother shouting at her to come back. Then because of the argument with her mother took a while, she missed her chance to hitch a ride to town with the neighbor which meant she had to walk all the way to the town in the morning sun. So by the time she reached town, it was almost nearly noon and she was hot and tired. She was lucky to have brought a hat with her otherwise she might be sunburned on her neck and face.
Mary considered going to the recruiters office first but her stomach rumbled and she felt parched as well. Deciding it could wait, she decided to grab a quick bite to eat and drink at the nearest diner. While she did so, she looked out the window and noticed trucks moving along carrying healthy men and women down the road. They looked like Army trucks but she couldn't tell because of the people in front of the window. After lunch, she went down to the recruiters office and stepped inside to see if she could enlist. The officer wore a high collared US Army uniform in olive drab as he sat behind a desk. He looked a bit curious at seeing the young fifteen year old girl in front of him with a look of determination. She was a fair skinned girl with long light brown hair and green eyes that had a determined look to them. She wore a blouse and long skirt that went all the way down to her feet though judging by the dirt on the bottom, it was clear she walked here along dirt roads. Still, he decided to be polite as this young girl sat in the chair across from him. "Hello there, young lady. How can I help you today?"
"I would like to volunteer for the Army Mage Corps. I feel like it's my duty to help serve my country and fight for it." She replied calmly as she looked back at the young officer. She felt determined that her answer would be enough as he seemed to examine her for a few moments. The officer admitted to himself that he was surprised by how this young girl wanted to fight and serve her country despite looking like she still had school to attend. Under normal circumstances given that the Unified States was allowed to accept women into the military, he would accept her. However this wasn't a normal circumstance and he had to break it to her.
"I'm sorry, miss, but you should have been here an hour or so ago. We recruited all we could get for the Army and those interested in volunteering with the Commonwealth overseas before we shipped them off. You just missed it by an hour." He replied back, watching as her look of determination turned into shock and horror by the news. Mary's hopes were dashed upon jagged rocks after she heard this news, feeling like she was kicked to the ground more by her current day of bad luck. She looked at her feet for a moment before speaking up.
"Is there any chance I could enlist sooner or later or join the Army Mage Corps?" She asked, hoping it wouldn't be too long. However the shaking and solemn look on the man's face revealed the answer to be no.
"Sorry, miss. We aren't taking any more applicants or volunteers for the mage corps. However we can accept people for specialized roles and medical roles if you are interested." He offered to which Mary shook her head negatively. She looked extremely disappointed as she slowly stood up.
"No thanks...I will just wait then for the next chance to join. Thank you for your time, sir, and have a wonderful day." She replied to him politely before she turned to leave the office. She stepped outside and slowly moved over to a bench nearby. She sat down and placed her head in her hands to try not to cry in frustration and anger. She was so close to being able to enlist as a mage like her father only to have it snatched away by bad luck. She felt like hitting something or running as she just sat on the bench trying to fight off her emotions. She wanted her father to be proud of her while he was up in heaven as well as proving herself a patriot to her country like he did with their homeland of Legadonia before his death at Osfjord. She didn't want his death to be in vain or for Legadonia to remain under enemy occupation.
She was so deep in her thoughts that she failed to notice the doors to the office next door open and two men stepped outside from it. The men in question were NCOs from the Unified States Marine Corps who were dressed in similar uniforms to the US Army except they were a darker shade of olive drab with the USMC emblem on their buttons and collars and the campaign hats with the USMC emblem on their centers. The first NCO sounded pissed as he spoke up.
"I swear to Christ I will go next door and strangle that goddamn sonuvabitch of an Army officer for stealing all the recruits in the area. We could have gotten decent guys for the Corps but that bastard stole them all. He even took all the mage candidates too! Fucking hell we needed some too!" The NCO complained, causing Mary to perk her head up and look over to see what was going on. She got a good view of the two marines in uniform taking down their recruiting posters off the wall outside. One of which happened to be one for a Mage unit. She instantly got up from the bench and walked over to see the poster. It was a recruitment poster for the US Marine Corps Mages and it looked like they needed recruits today. Seeing her chance, she turned to the NCOs and spoke up to get their attention.
"Excuse me, sir. I know it's a bit rude to be listening in on your conversation but did you happen to say you were in need of some mages?" She asked politely, looking up at them. The two marines turned around to see who was asking and looked to see the young teenage girl behind them. They looked at each other for a moment after they looked at her. After all, they were not expecting some young lady to approach them of all things asking about the mage unit. The first man shrugged before turning to Mary.
"Yes, ma'am. We are looking for all available and eligible people to enlist with the Corps' Mage unit. The Army might be done with their recruiting but the Marine Corps is always looking for new blood to join. If you know anyone interested, tell them to come down here and sign up." He replied to her politely, unaware that she was planning on trying to enlist with them. She looked at them and spoke up calmly.
"I would be interested in enlisting. I just turned fifteen a month or so ago and I wish to serve my country." She replied back to them, making both marines look at each other in surprise. After all, they were expecting her to know someone that was interested, not offer herself to go. They thought this was a joke for a moment but then they both recalled how one eleven or twelve year old girl in the Empire was raising hell over in Europe during the war. Still, they were skeptical as the second marine spoke up.
"Well to be a mage, we have to see if you are adept to magic or at least have mana levels for combat. After all, magic is important to be a mage." He replied as he opened the door for his buddy and Mary. "We have a device that can test you to see how you are but to enlist, you will need parent consent given your age."
Mary frowned at this as she recalled the argument she had with her mother this morning. She knew that there was no way she would let her sign up with the military unless she convinced her she would be perfectly safe and not get into any trouble. She would handle her mother later when she returned home but for now, she spoke up while stepping inside. "I will ask my mother about it once it's proven I'm eligible to join the Marine Corps Mage group."
"Well we will have to run a test to see how well you qualify." The marine replied as he opened the door to a side room which contained a modest medical examiner's room with a magic aptitude measuring device. They offered her a seat which Mary sat down into before the helmet was carefully strapped to her head. She never had been in one before as she was too young to be considered for the Legadonian military before the war so this was her first time in one. She remained still as they activated the machine and began to get the readings and measurements. She thought everything was normal with the rapid etchings of the charts and the machine shaking slightly but the two marines' expressions turned from neutral to surprise. One held a reading in careful examination while the other looked at the machine itself. He turned back to Mary and spoke up. "Excuse us for a moment. We're gonna double check something on the machine and redo the test. Just be sure that the readings are right."
"Not a problem, sir." She replied as she waited patiently. The machine was shut off and the two examined it to make sure nothing was contaminating the results as well as making sure the machine had been set properly but so far nothing suggested any tampering or out of tune equipment. So the marines turned it back on and once more, got the same results as the last test. The marines looked at each other before looking back at Mary.
"Excuse me for asking but are your parents both mages by chance?" One asked which Mary shook her head negatively.
"No. My father was a mage for Legadonia but my mother isn't." She replied, confused by the question. She didn't quite understand why they would ask this until the second marine spoke up.
"Well according to our test results, you by far have the highest aptitude records I have ever seen. Even more so than anyone overseas I dare say." He replied as he showed her the results. While she looked at the charts in surprise, the other marine carefully removed the helmet device from her head and offered her a hand up. She got up from the chair and followed the marines to the desk which she sat down across from them. "Miss. You are clearly blessed with magic. You are definitely eligible to enlist with the Unified States Marine Corps as a mage. We just need to get some paperwork together, prepare for medical and physical examinations and finally get your parent's consent to enlist."
"Wait. Do you really mean it?" She asked in surprise, taken back by the news. A nod of their heads confirmed it and soon Mary had the biggest smile on her face. She looked extremely happy now, feeling like her day was turning around. The marine at the desk got together some paperwork and handed it over to Mary in an envelope.
"Yes, ma'am. Though do be warned, the Marine Corps is different from the Army. It's very rigorous and will demand a lot from you. You will be pushed on a lot and disciplined to become a Unified States Marine. No matter if you are a man or woman, the Corps will expect you to be a Marine first always and to be committed to it. Just let that sink in for a while when you consider showing these to your parents to get them to sign." He replied to her, giving her a fair and honest warning about what she should expect when enlisting. She listened to this carefully and nodded her head at this.
"I understand, sir. I will give it some thought." She replied as she got to her feet. She smiled and gave him a firm handshake in return. "Thank you for your time, sir. I will try and get my papers back as soon as possible."
"One more thing before you leave. Mind telling us your name and address? That way we can possibly come by and visit to see if you need help convincing your family to allow you to join or to pick you up for tests and possible ship out dates." He asked as he looked down at her. She nodded her head and gave him her name and the address of her home which was out of town.
"Very well and good luck, Miss Sioux." He replied watching her turn and leave the recruiters office. He looked at his buddy and spoke up once she was gone. "Holy shit. Did you see her test results?"
"I very well did see them! How the hell does she have such a high aptitude? Not even the best mages I've heard of have results that high." He replied as he picked up her test results and examined them. It was the damndest thing the two recruiters have ever seen their entire time in Arkansas asides from the few remaining White Knights of the South that often came into town and tried to recruit people for their 'Lost Cause' as well as harass the black community nearby. Still, if she could get her parents to sign the paperwork, the Corps might have gained their very own version of a powerful mage. This was something that they just couldn't pass up on.
"Either way, we need to get her to join up. The Corps needs her." He replied as he made it clear what their focus was on. Forget the random drunks and people who wanted adventure. This girl was definitely a possible gift from God to the Corps that they couldn't pass up on.
Meanwhile outside the office, Mary examined the envelope she had in her hands with care. It seemed like a small thing but it weighed on her heavily in a different way. She now had to return home and convince her mother to sign these papers that would allow her to join the Marine Corps. The argument was still fresh on her mind as she placed her hat on her head again. She knew another confrontation was inevitable now and only hoped she could be able to persuade her mother that she had to do this. This wasn't to get revenge on her father or to join the war to free her homeland. She felt like it was her job to contribute to her nation's defense in some way or form. And being a mage was the best way to do it. With a look of determination, she began the walk back home with a goal in her head and brainstorming ideas of how to convince her mother to agree to sign the paperwork.
Didn't like the way I wrote the Leatherneck Angel (or title) so I'm rewriting it with some ideas I had originally in mind along with doing research into the USMC and styles in the 1920s. I wrote the first one while drinking but this one I wrote without any alcohol and being less goofy in the writing. I originally planned for conflict between Mary and her mother over her desire to serve before I decided to cut it in Leatherneck Angel. Here I decided to try and explore that conflict and see how I can flesh out both characters here. So expect to see that in the next chapter if I ever get around to it.