Now that the exit was firmly in their control, the powerful logistics division of Germania could get to work in earnest. Supplies and men were trucked in and out hourly, while plans for a railroad were already in development with the gate being big enough for two rail lines to operate side by side. Engineering divisions went to work leveling the ground for foundations and defenses, construction equipment soon a regular sight everywhere you looked. The Salamander Kampfgruppe was soon relieved of defense by incoming troops, allowing them to push forwards to secure several miles around the gate while the 203rd became Recon, using their ability to fly and their computation jewels to build detailed maps of the surrounding areas.
Unfortunately for Tanya, until the base was completed and Rerugen could be assigned here, she was stuck dealing with the paperwork of all the incoming troops and supplies. Setup in a tent with the chatter of the radio operators at their stations, she lamented about her position while drinking a cup of coffee Visha had made for her. Savoring the taste, she finished her sip and stamped another paper. Glancing at a tack board against the wall she looked over the map they had made so far, a few settlements and villages marked off and terrain mapped in detail. It was both interesting and a headache to learn more about this world.
On one hand, it was rich in minerals and possible scientific discoveries, and with the confirmed existence of Demi-human species the Empire's scientists and biologists were chomping at the bit to be assigned here.
On the other hand, they had found that this continent was ruled by an utterly backwash empire that was stuck in medieval philosophy of 'might means right' and hadn't seen the need to advance in around two thousand years. The lack of proper education for its citizens was honestly embarrassing, and the rampant slavery and racism bred through so many generations was going to be very tough to stamp out. It was almost more trouble than it was worth to conquer this land but the potential resources could not be ignored. Rather than the doctrine of a blitzkrieg straight to the capital to wipe this country out, instead it would be a slow, measured takeover since it had become apparent we could very well steamroll them if we wished. Better to let the enemy deal with their own problems until the Fatherland was ready to pull the rug out from under them and replace them with something new.
Tanya glanced at a blue book on the right side of the table. Ever resourceful, the Empire's eggheads had interrogated prisoners from the first invasion, and with the assistance of some translation algorithms, created a handbook of 'Falmarteese' to Germanian for the soldiers being deployed here. That little book had come in handy more than a few times when some of the recon teams met with local villages, allowing them to build positive relations and gain insight into the world they found themselves in.
Through the locals, Weiss's unit had managed to find out that magic did exist in this world but by all accounts it was the raw uncultured form, the precursor to the modern mage's Mechanomagic. Raw magic required a lot of focus, will, training and practice to perform even the most basic spells correctly. Meanwhile Mechanomagic used formulas and mathematics to finely control and tune spells and their effect to much more efficient and complex results. Another benefit was that anyone who had magic potential and knew the formulas could perform it, making it much easier to train mages. Computation jewels acted as both a focus and calculators of a sort for mages except they enhanced the user's mental capacity to better control and tune their spells. The more cores, the better the enhancement was, which was why the dual core 97s her 203rd had made them more effective than standard mages, and why her 4 core type 95 made her so deadly- along with her massive mana reserves.
A huff, and Tanya returned to her paperwork. She had too much on her plate to spend time lost in her thoughts. She stamped another paper and shuffled the stack. Glancing to her left revealed the pile of paper almost as high as her head, still to be sorted and marked. The ever present ahoge of hair on her head twitched, and she let out a breath. She hoped things would get interesting soon.
Another week and a half passed, and construction was coming along nicely. A railway line had been finished through the tunnel as of yesterday and connected to one of the industrial lines in Berun, and now supplies and equipment were moving along at a speedy pace. Thankfully the gate was on a wide stretch of plains so there wasn't too much work needed aside from reinforcing the ground around them for a new rail yard. Concrete bunkers and pillboxes decorated the surrounding fields, and an airstrip was in development along with an eventual town. The Fatherland was here to stay, and they were going to make sure this side of the gate was defended.
As for the main base which had been officially named 'Lichterfelde', rows and rows of barracks and a mess hall were now completed and in service for the thousand plus soldiers that were stationed here, with more planned. The headquarters building was still getting the finishing touches but was largely complete for upper echelons to work and stay at, and thankfully Rerugen had arrived on the first train in the day before to take over. Tanya had greeted the fellow Brigadier General at the train and given him a tour of the grounds, showing off the progress that had been made before briefing him on current operations and the intelligence they had gathered so far. After some small talk and a cup of tea, Tanya was finally relieved of the burden of paperwork and happily spent the rest of the day directing her recon teams and handling smaller matters. She knew she was leaving the base in capable hands. Between Rerugen on this side and Zettour in Berun, logistics would assuredly be well handled.
The next day, Tanya was finally able to lead a recon team, getting some much needed fresh air and adventure. It had honestly been a pleasant affair, flying around in nice weather for a few hours recording data, making small talk with Visha about the scenery and future plans, stopping by to talk with a small village, then somewhat angrily leaving said village since Viktoria had to ask the questions because they didn't take her seriously. Aside from that it was otherwise a pleasant way to stretch her legs.
Their current mission had them flying east from the gate towards a more mountainous region, looking for where a previous team had spotted a large group of enemy troops on the march, about as large as the first group they had encountered when exiting the gate. Scouts had noticed different flags present in these troops however so they had concluded they were either vassal states to the empire, or a different nation. Wanting to gauge these troops with her own eye and find out their target, Tanya was set on a route to intercept them, where she would study them from above before ascertaining their intended direction, and then fly ahead to see whether it warranted interference or not.
Wind whipped by as they flew through the air, the hours spent scouting and talking with the occasional village pushing their time schedule towards the late afternoon. The chill of high altitude bit, only to be ignored by their flight gear and reinforcement spells keeping them from having to wear goggles or breathing apparatus. The sun was still in the sky but it was slowly descending towards the horizon, in another hour or two they would need to head back unless they found something interesting. Tanya fiddled with a holographic 2D map being projected from her Type 95 while Visha used a pair of binoculars to search the ground for the army.
"We're approaching the estimated intercept point, keep your eyes peeled." She announced over the wind to her wingman- or is it wingwoman? She thought, before mentally shrugging. It didn't matter. Taking out her own set of binoculars, she joined her partner in searching as they reached their destination, flying some patrol routes around the area.
"I see them!" Shouted Visha. Tanya slowed to a stop and looked in the direction she was pointing. After a few seconds of searching, the army came in view of her binoculars, metal armor reflecting in the setting sun showing an army about 140,000 in number marching across the land. Various banners and flags flew in different divisions, none of which showcased any known crests they had encountered so far. Taking stack of their formations she didn't find anything that would feasibly pose a threat, not even siege weaponry like catapults. She noticed some dragon riders but they were several thousand feet beneath them, too far for them to notice the two flying specs in the sky.
Removing a hand from her binoculars she reached to her Jewel and started broadcasting back to Lichterfelde. "This is Pixie One, Confirmed sighting of unknown enemy foot mobiles at the target zone, approximately 140,000 strong. How copy?" She asked.
"This is LF Actual, solid copy, Pixie One. You are clear to continue your mission." The radio crackled. Tanya let go of the 95 and started mumbling under her breath about how "of course I'm clear to continue," and that, "if someone had the audacity to try and order a Brigadier General around they damn well better outrank me or have a good reason or their ass is grass." Visha held back a laugh at overhearing those remarks while she waited for orders.
Tanya took stock of their direction and heading, looking at her map before settling on a likely location. "Visha, let's go see where these troops are heading."
"Hai!"
A few minutes of casually cruising at 200mph passed by, largely filled with nothing of note. The ground beneath them was hilly and plain, nothing but grass and some rocks, no structures or trails to denote signs of civilization anywhere they could see. It was only when they got closer to the mountainside that they noticed anything of value. From their height, it looked like nothing more than a religious temple at first… but then they took a closer look, descending to only a thousand feet… and stared at what they saw.
There was a second Gate. Despite being smaller in size than theirs it posed no less of a significance to them than the first. This new gate, the approaching army… it didn't paint a pretty picture for Tanya.
"The only reason that the army we saw would be marching here is either to conquer or defend." Declared Tanya. She looked around the area more closely, noting old remains of fires and possible campgrounds. "And given the faint signs of occupation I see around this gate I'm inclined to believe they already tried the conquer option- and failed horribly like when they invaded us." She frowned, while Visha looked worried at the implications.
"So that means… whatever is on the other side of that gate is at least as powerful as us?" Her partner asked. Tanya rubbed her chin.
"Maybe not as powerful as us, but they have to either possess a military like us or have very strong combatants. After all there isn't even a guarantee this gate leads to human territory, there could be a non human country on the other side for all we know." Her frown deepened. "The marching army should get here by nightfall, so we'll need to observe whatever forces that emerge from that gate, and how they fight. Go ahead and Radio Lichterfelde, make sure this gets to Rerugen. He needs to let High Command know about this."
"If whoever is on the other side decides to push through, it's going to make things interesting around here now that our enemy has two fronts to fight. However, given that this new force seems to be content to gather their men before pushing in it shows a measure of caution and order…. Perhaps they will be open to talks. We'll need to observe them carefully." Visha nodded wordlessly and called it in.
The vassal army arrived just before night time, creating tents and camps in the fields beneath the hill of the second gate, torches dotting the landscape as men went to sleep. Meanwhile, Tanya and Visha were doing something bold, hiding atop the second gate's roof to watch from behind for whenever this second army was to appear. A few thousand feet up, three mages from first company had arrived with long range aerial surveillance equipment, and would take videos and pictures of the invading force when it appeared.
It didn't take long. Not even two hours into the night, a distant rumbling was heard from within the gate they were atop. Tanya sent word to the scouts above to get ready, and she began her own recording as she and Visha waited. The rumbling got louder, and within minutes the recognizable sound of tank treads were heard before they poured forth from the gate, followed by a convoy of light armored vehicles. Tanya's breath hitched as she saw these soldiers, these vehicles. She recognized these, especially the language getting shouted between troops- one she hadn't used in 14 years...These were Japanese soldiers! Part of her tensed while another relaxed. On one hand, if it truly was the same, she could go back! She could revisit her homeland! But… they could not be the same... or prove hostile. Most humans feared what they didn't understand, and if they didn't understand mages and magic they could prove hostile to her and her nation.
Plus, they may make the mistake of comparing Germania to Nazis- which they were not-, and there was no telling how they would react to a 'child soldier' like her. She didn't fancy her empire's chances against a modern nation. She knew of what defenses the modern nations fielded and would not want to go up against smart missiles or CRAM even if she could avoid them. At least they don't have mages… She thought. While mages might even the odds in a ground war between the Germanian empire and a modern nation, they had better tech, better tanks, better guns, better airplanes… and more allies. It wouldn't be a pretty fight and she'd rather avoid it if she could.
Shaking herself from her thoughts, she watched as tanks set up in a forward position, infantry launching illumination flares into the air, startling and rousing the vassal army. Defenses were set up, machine gun nests configured, and mortars laid down, all the while oblivious to the duo recording them from behind. The aerial scouts were probably getting a good amount of footage from above of their tactics and placement. A Japanese tank fired, and a crowd of men exploded in the enemy horde, sending them into a frenzy. For the next thirty minutes, they sat and watched as tracers zipped across the sky, felling scores of men while tanks and artillery caused great explosions in the swarm of enemies. What few Wyverns that were brought to bear were easily swatted out of the sky by either stinger missiles or anti air emplacements, giving Tanya the proof she wanted of advanced anti air capabilities to show the higher ups- It would serve as good justification for her proposed special forces doctrine for mages. After almost an hour of gunfire, the fighting died down as what forces remained fled, and the soldiers moved in to properly occupy the area.
Having seen enough, Tanya nodded to Visha and stopped recording. Casting an optical illusion over them, they appeared as a pair of birds flying away, to where they linked with the scouts before heading back to base. High command would want to see these recordings, and she needed to plan how to approach the Japanese. Tanya wasn't suicidal or bloodthirsty, war with them would not be favorable for either country.
The next day, Tanya was recalled to the capital to give her report of the region and its inhabitants, and her findings on this new army. After a quick train ride, she found herself once again in the world she fought for, taking in the sights. The area around the gate had been built up a lot, with plenty of defenses and a few layers of walls and security. The train tracks wove their way in the direction of the industrial district, providing supplies, vehicles, and parts for the steadily expanding base that was Lichterfelde.
She was greeted by a car with a driver at the last checkpoint, some young looking MP with brown hair and olive eyes. He gave her a salute before taking her luggage and opening the door for her. Tanya could practically see the stars in his eyes and resigned herself to some questions as she entered the vehicle. It didn't take long as they started driving.
"So…. what's it like on the other side?" The driver asked. "I keep hearing these rumors of fantasy creatures and elves! Are there cat girls? That would be so cool!" Tanya turned her attention away from the recovering streets to the driver, contemplating how much she could say.
"Hmm… well it's mostly untouched wilderness out there. Lots of nature that hasn't been tamed, and yes, there are elves and probably cat girls. We haven't met too many Demi-Humans since the empire we're fighting treats them as slaves and second rate people. From what we've heard they might've even been carrying out… crusades… against them." She answered. It was relatively harmless to admit that. If this MP was to leak that information all it would do is affirm many's choice to go to war against this primitive empire. Germania does not tolerate discrimination. If you could do your job you would be hired, no ifs ands or buts, and if you were capable, you advanced. Tanya could see the MP's eyes harden a little in anger through the mirror.
"That's sickening! Genocide? We're kicking their ass for that, aren't we?"
"No losses in any combat engagements on our part and over a hundred thousand dead on their side… I'd say so." Tanya let a little smirk come to her face. "Frankly my 203rd alone could steamroll their capital and be done with it but that would ruin large parts of our operations that are looking for our taken citizens, so we're taking it slower until we're ready to yank the rug out from under them. You need something to put into place to prop up a government after a takeover or you'll end up with a thousand more headaches and problems." The MP nodded in understanding, he had heard of some of the issues Germania had when integrating its conquered countries, and saving the taken citizens was the highest priority for everyone.
Tanya looked out over the streets. Further away from the gate the more activity there was, marketplace stalls once again open as summer rolled in, people walking the streets and enjoying life. A nearby bar had a band playing for its patrons and the faint scent of good food wafted by her.-(Honestly she would kill for some good bratwurst before she had to return)-Life continued on in the empire almost as if the gate never happened, but Tanya new better. The words on everyone's lips involved the gate, and every once and a while you would notice foreigners to the empire that had come here to try and catch a glimpse of this new mystical gateway.
Soon enough, they pulled to a stop at the Empire's Strategic Headquarters. Red and black banners floated in the wind as a few people moved about outside the great marble building. The driver opened her door and she left him a tip before ascending the staircase. She could see a few officers speaking with Zettour at the top of the staircase, and once he noticed her he quietly finished his conversations before moving to greeting her.
"Tanya, good to see you. How is life on the other side?" He greeted conversationally.
"Not bad, sir. Aside from our mission and the assignments, it isn't much different from a regular guard posting. The enemy is so primitive we barely have to worry, constant mage patrols and the enemy's rather underwhelming ability mean anything attempted is spotted rather easily. Most days our main focus is recon and building." She answered.
"Good, good, but as simple as things seem right now I have a feeling that with these… new developments, things won't stay that way." Zettour put a hand to his chin in thought.
Tanya nodded. "I'm sure you're right sir, but we'll rise to meet any challenge thrown at us, we always do." She said resolutely.
Zettour smiled. "I appreciate the good faith, but the others are ready and waiting. Shall we?" He gestured, holding open the door for her. She nodded and entered, and the two of them walked up the stairs and to the right to one of the main meeting rooms. Entering the large space, what had once been a map of the Empire had been replaced by one of the best maps made of the new region. Various strategists and generals sat at the table, some smoking cigars (much to her displeasure) and drinking wine or whiskey while they read over reports. Rudersdorf sat next to and across from an empty seat, Zettour taking the one across while Tanya sat in the one next to him.
A man near the map cleared his throat, catching the room's attention. "Now that we're all here, we can begin the briefing on the Special Region. If you would please." he gestured to a board with a few pictures tacked on, several of the gate and a few of the other side including Demi-humans and ogres. Another man stood up and moved to the board to give his piece.
"As you are all aware, at 15:23, on May 16th, a massive magical disturbance unlike any we have ever seen was reported by our listening posts. Due to its unknown nature and the fact that we had nothing we could compare this to, information on what it was or how to deal with it came rather slow. If it wasn't for General Deugrechaff's timely intervention at ground zero it is likely a lot more lives may have been lost, and the enemy would've been able to push much further than they had." He gave a respectful nod to her, which she returned.
"The gate itself is something of a mystery. Our best minds have looked it over and the magic it uses is entirely unlike anything we have seen before outside of a few small occasions. The structure around it seems only to be designed to stabilize the gateway, and to widen it. The actual magic that creates the gateway is a complete unknown, and the lack of data means our scientists are going to have to spend a lot more time understanding it before they can work on potentially manipulating it. Now, for the other side of the gate, Miss Deugrechaff can present her findings." He said, gesturing to her before sitting back down.
Tanya stood up and walked to the board, taking a teaching stick from the shelf beneath it. "As you've no doubt been informed, the Special Region beyond the gate is lush land largely untouched by civilization." She started, pointing out a few pictures. "Different flora, different fauna, even different species. Non humans like Elves, Ogres, Goblins, Dragons, even half human species and Beastfolk. They seem to possess human sentience coupled with traits from whatever animal they are mixed with- sensitive hearing, agility, and quick reflexes for rabbit Demi humans, increased strength and smell for wolf hybrids, the list goes on. This region is also rich in minerals, largely untapped due to the lack of industrial mining capabilities from its denizens.
"Our enemy itself has been found to be called the Saderan Empire, an ancient, and by their views, 'mighty' government that rules the entire continent of Falmart. Their ruler is Molt Sol Augustus, a ruthless and uncaring man that seems to view little of the people he rules over. The Saderan empire has also been observed to practice slavery and genocidal campaigns, most frequently against Demi-human nations and tribes. They have not made many allies in their time ruling- all their vassals were forced to bend the knee or be eliminated, and since their emperor sent them to die by attacking the second gate they won't have the ability to rise up or defend themselves. I would suggest attempting to ally with them to get them to break away, and offering Demi humans refuge should they come to Lichterfelde. Given their enhanced capabilities, I believe if they were given an environment without the discrimination they are so used to they would possibly come to thrive and develop loyalty to us." Turning to another part of the board, she pointed out a few more pictures.
"As for the second gate, they are a brand new and largely unknown faction. They too were most likely attacked like us, but it is unclear if they will want to conquer the empire as well. Recon conducted by the 203rd as well as myself revealed that this enemy is technologically advanced, likely about 50 years or more ahead of our time, but they lack any and all magical equipment. No magical presences were detected in their ranks, and they seemed unable to detect the usage of magic."
One of the strategists raised a hand. "What makes you say that they are at least 50 years ahead of our time?"
Tanya nodded. "A fair question. As for how I can say that… While conducting recon on their initial push through the gate, I noticed that they possessed handheld radio capability on a massive scale, and on some of their equipment featured… screens.. of some kind, similar to viewing a function on a Jewel except none of their equipment was magical in nature. In addition, they had portable rocket launchers that were able to track airborne targets and hone in on them. Guided missiles, if you will. Technology like that is still a far way away from us, and it paints a rather effective picture of their anti air capability." She answered. Some people took notes as a few furrowed their brows in contemplation.
"Recon on their actions and movements are still ongoing, but if possible I would recommend we make contact with them- if for nothing else than to establish who they are and what their goals in the special region amount to. I have noticed their language seems to resemble Akinese, which I happen to be fluent in, so translation may not be as big of an issue as we expect." She finished. Tanya quietly returned to her seat and took a glass of water to sip on while the room broke out into discussion on what to do about this new nation. Tanya listened in while trying to ignore Rudersdorf's cigar smoke, counting about half of the room in favor of opening talks, a third in favor of attacking, and the remainder undecided. The main issues they revolved around seemed to be about not trusting this new faction and not being able to fully gauge their ability.
Zettour and Rudersdorf shared a look which seemed to hold an entire conversation, and the former quietly tapped on a glass to get everyone's attention before true arguments broke out. Rudersdorf took one last puff of his cigar before putting it into a tray. "Given the circumstances, I believe we already have the perfect solution." He announced. "If we are to open talks with them, we would need someone skilled, someone with experience in diplomatic matters as well as military, and preferably someone who can throw them off guard." Tanya mentally sighed as she figured out where this was going. As always, things just had to feature her. Zettour and Rudersdorf looked to her and she resigned herself to her fate.
"Miss Deugrechaff," Zettour spoke up. "You're in quite the prime position for such an assignment. Experience talking with dignitaries, many years of experience in service, and your familiarity with their language could prove fruitful if you were to meet with them to open dialogue."
Tanya set down her glass. "I'd be glad to, however I do hold concerns over being both an ambassador and the commander of the Salamander Kampfgruppe. While I'm more than confident my men can handle duties in my absence, it begs the question of long term complications."
"You don't have to worry about that," Rudersdorf stated. "This will just be a temporary position until we can get a proper ambassador set up. If things go south, you are in a much better position to fight back or escape should it come to that." Tanya inwardly frowned. So if they are hostile I'm just bait. Bait that can fight back, but bait nonetheless.
"That will work." She said, not an ounce of emotion given away. "In that case, what will be the extent of my power in negotiations, and are there any specific goals you wish of me to secure if we are to succeed in opening talks?" She asked. The room once again descended into conversation as the strategists hammered out potential agreements. Tanya sat back into her chair with a mental sigh. This would take a while.
A/N: Well wow, I didn't even expect to get this out as fast as I did, but here we are. Mostly a 'world building' chapter, but important nonetheless. I will say though that during the weekdays I won't be able to put as much into writing this as I can on weekends, so future updates will undoubtedly never be as quick as this. I'm happy to see that people are enjoying this story however, and with that in mind I'll try to keep a pace on this.
As always, leave a review if you want, and if you have suggestions for snippets or scenes to include I will be keeping an ear open. Right now I have things planned as far as the trip to Japan's side of the gate but some of the in-between from this chapter to there is fuzzy and I'll be figuring it out as I go, so it's not too late for some scenes to be included.
On a side note if any of you have extensive knowledge of politics I might want to pick your brain for some of the upcoming chapters.