Author's note: The second chapter of The Logistician is mainly some experimental world-building. It also has the intention of exploring Circe's life as a logistician more in depth. If anyone is itching to see some combat in this story then fret not as there will be some in the next chapter. Personally speaking, I am not that adept in writing battle scenes so if anyone can point me to some useful resources or examples, that would be much appreciated.

Some of you have asked me what type of unit Circe commands on the field. Others have also pointed out that units in the San Magnolian military usually don't go over the size of a Squadron in order to prevent potential uprisings.

To answers these pointers I've thought about it for a while and come up with the following unit organization of Circe's battalion assuming it is a 1000-man sized unit.

Direct combat elements:

1. Schwarzes-Squadron

2. Zerberus-Squadron

3. Voschod-Squadron

4. Begleit-Squadron

5. Sharpe-Squadron *New and temporary addition

6. Fliegerfaust-Squadron *Currently undergoing refit.

*All squadrons are 50 man-strong units. This includes the processors themselves as well as the various support staff, mechanics, and engineers charged with the functioning of their respective squadrons.

Combat fire-support elements:

1. Rhineland Artillery Battery

-120 man strong unit operating trucks and various other support vehicles permitting the operation of 16 ARCHER Artillery Systems.

2. Hurtgen Artillery Battery

-See above.

Other units:

1. 22nd Special mission Squadron.

-A 360 strong unit operating the aircrafts the allocated to the battalion. This includes:

a) No. 777 'Lemmings' attack flight

-Operates 6 GR9 Harrier IIs

b) No. 141 'Pixies' ECR flight

-Operates 6 GR9 Harrier IIs modified for SEAD mission profiles but can also fulfill attack duties.

c) No. 22 lift flight

-Operates 4 A400M strategic lift aircraft

d)No. 23 lift flight

-Operates 4 A400M strategic lift aircraft

f) 10th rotary flight

-Operates 6 MH-47E Chinooks

e) No. 404 flight

-Operates 3 F111F Aardvarks

2. Special Engineering company

-80 man strong unit of highly skilled and trained engineers Circe can deploy on the field.

3. Generalstab

-The 20 man command staff which includes Circe herself stationed at Blancneige Palace.

I hope this unit organization makes sense and I'm open for input if anyone has some.

Well, lets get started with chapter 2.

Blanc Neige Palace Library

I was told the denizens of the library used to congregate every night at 7:30pm. Here, they many would share with each other the stories of their day, made jokes and laughed, lie and make merry; a truly different time compared to what the library stood for today. As I swipe my key fob to access the library, the old librarian looks up from her book and smiled acknowledging my arrival. I nod in return, a silent hello to the mistress of this sacred place whose family had guarded it since its inception.

Looking for an empty desk was not hard; I almost always had the entire library to myself save for a few old souls who occasionally visited the place to wander and dwell on memories long since passed.

I take a seat at my usual spot, setting down my takeout before plugging my computer to the electric outlet and key in my credentials. I opened my inbox and began printing out the countless papers I would have to go through tonight. From combat reports to supply requests, the pages tonight totaled at 320 and I must get through each one by dawn tomorrow.

"Such is the life of a logistician." I thought to myself as I watched the antique printer do its work.

A notification appears on the device indicating the paper tray way empty. I grab a stack from the dust covered mound of papers and deposit it into the machine taking extra care not to disturb the ancient sticky note that was attached to the feed tray.

'Remember to give ol'Gertie a slap after inserting a new stack!'

The author, whose name was forgotten to time, wrote.

The printer moaned as I reset the feed tray.

"Shut up Gertie." I mumble to the machine as if it were a human. "And do your job."

A gently whip my hand at the old printer delivering a slap on the man-made curvature on the side of the machine which me and my predecessors had formed over the decades. It always worked; Gertie growled like a grumpy old man before resuming his task.

'Blooonnm Blingnm!'

An audible notification sounded, and I look to see Gertie informing me on the visual display he was running low on ink. Another notification followed, this one was not made by Gertie's manufacturer, rather, a customization one of my predecessors coded into the printer's system.

'The librarian always maintains a stack of cartridges in the map rooms. If it's after 8pm, find a Colonel or someone higher to get you in there, else, good luck!'

I return to my desk to retrieve my key fob and make my way to the map rooms which were in the opposite side of the library.

As I approached the door that would take me to that section of the library, I hear a commotion.

"Anette! My key fob is not working!" A girl yelped, judging by the pitch of her voice I guessed she was still in her late teens if not already in early adulthood.

"That's impossible. Here, let me try!" Another girl answered.

Bbbbzzzzt.

"Ah jeez, you're right. Something is wrong with the door." The same girl continued. "Here, let me boot up my laptop, I'll try to hack the terminal."

People… shouldn't be here at this time of the evening. Not to mention… why were a duo trying to access the map room when we already have detailed, up to date, maps of all sorts readily available in the databases? Let alone, who even had any motivation to hack a door terminal?! I look around and noticed one of the windows to this part of the library was wide open… could they be intruders?! Suspicion was an understatement to what was going on in my mind at that moment.

Quietly, I unbuckled my shoes, slipped them off and drew my Glock 18C from its holster underneath my skirt. Like a predator, I slowly approach the suspicious duo while moving from cover to cover. Before rounding the isle to confront the two, examine their silhouettes casted by the light before the door to the map room before taking a deep breath and racked my pistol.

"Drop it." I bellowed, peaking the corner with my Glock, its fire selector switched to fully automatic. "Or else the next thing I do is Glock and Clock your time of death."

The two were caught completely off guard, a laptop slid from the girl with glasses while her accomplice's knees buckled.

"Hey.. chill, chill, CHILL!" The girl with glasses replied complying to my orders. "We're officers here too."

"We'll see about that." I sharply replied watching them remove their sidearms before placing them on the floor.

As they did this, I quietly closed the gap between me and the two suspected intruders and kicked their pistols away as soon as I had the chance. I kept my pistol trained on the head of the girl with glasses as I used my freehand to tie up her accomplice.

"Ow!" The other girl whimpered as I pushed her onto her face before pinning her head to the ground with my socked foot, digging deep into her temple with the nails on my toes.

I did the same to her accomplice before I tied the two of them together before securing them to a nearby bookshelf. As I take a step back to observe my handiwork, I prepared to re-holster my sidearm when the girl with the labcoat lets out a gasp.

"T..t..th…that's a Glock. Specifically, a model 18C with a 30-round magazine." She let out gesturing to my weapon with her face. "Considered a rare item even before the existence of the Legion, it was manufactured by a now defunct arms company which originally made high quality knives…. Only a couple hundred of such examples exist let alone only a handful of functional examples…. Let alone."

"Shut up." I ordered the girl, releasing the magazine before ejecting the chambered round which I later reinserted back into the mag.

"Only a handful of private citizens in the Republic own an example of this pistol… one of them being." The girl with the lab coat continued.

"Colonel Circe Rossweisse….." The other girl said my name. "Personal name: Cue or better known as… the Goddess of Logistics."

I sigh as I reinserted the magazine before depositing the pistol into its holster underneath my skirt.

"That'll be me, in the flesh." I replied walking up to the two ladies before rummaging through their jackets for identification.

I find their IDs, specifically, military IDs and began examining them with a fine-tooth comb.

"Major Valdilena Milize and Technical Lieutenant Henrietta Von Penrose." I read aloud holding up both their IDs to match their faces visually. "A pleasure. Well…. More like, what a coincidence."

Satisfied their IDs were not forgeries, I free the two teens and allow them to reacquire their firearms. The two were still visibly shaken when I came back to the locked door after retrieving my shoes. Anecdotally, I did want to thank the two for the opportunity to practice my disarm and capture techniques which I have rarely used since I became a Colonel.

"Did you really have to dig your toenails into my head?!" Milize cried as I offered her a comb to reorganize her crumpled hair.

"….."

"You made me drop my laptop and shattered the screen!" Penrose added. "Colonel, I hope you can find me a replacement by tomorrow or else I'm going to launch a formal complaint!"

"I'm sure…"

"I know superior officers can abuse lower ranking officers but never have I thought someone would take it to that far of an extent."

The two girls continued assaulting me with their waves of protests and complaints. Every time I tried to respond; I would be cut off by the other girl. They tried hard to keep my silent, to wedge me into a corner and in a defenseless posture.

I did not like that…

My hands flashed through the air and before the two could realize, I yanked them by their ears and pinned them to the wall.

"Hhhmm, good. It seems you two will shut up now and let me talk." I spat menacingly. "Sneaking into the library at night then attempting to access a door to a secured area of which you do not have permission to enter at this hour is… suspicious to say the least. Failing then proceeding to attempt to hack the door… Ms. Penrose…. I'm talking about you specifically, is sufficient grounds for me to have pumped the two of you full of holes."

"But then you would be in a whole heap of trouble once our bodies have been identified~" Penrose countered.

I laugh maniacally.

"Hoh hoh? You think the goddess of logistics can't turn two bodies into soup and clean up the scene, not leave a speck of evidence, in the duration of one night?" I asked. "Lady, I dare you to find me an excuse."

I sigh, let the two go once more before crossing my arms.

"But that's besides the point. Anyways, I'll apologize for my earlier conduct against the two of you. I'm sorry, I thought you two were intruders trying to break into the secured room of the library. If there is anything I can do to make recompense for whatever suffering you have endured, I will strive to meet such demands."

The three of us spend a few minutes reconciling before properly introducing ourselves to one another. Milize inquired why the door was locked to which I happily gave her my reply.

"The map rooms use to be an unofficial gentlemen's club after 8pm for senior officers. The reason why your key fobs did not permit you access to the room was because the terminal is coded to only allow officers of rank Colonel and higher to access the map room after 8pm."

"But why 8pm specifically? Penrose inquired further.

"According to historic statistics I've gathered, most female officers would have left the library by 8pm and won't return until the following morning. In the absence of women, the men were able to access the priceless collection of…."

"Collection of what?"

"It's best I showed you myself" I said swiping my key fob on the door which replied with a ding before slowly opening.

I took them into the room, past a few turns and into a corridor which, at its end, contained a supply closet. Fulfilling my original mission, I remove an ink cartridge from one of the shelves before beginning my search for 'the brick'.

"It's a storage closet?" Penrose smirked. "Colonel, here I was thinking you were letting us in on a huge secret but dare I say, I am now very disappointed."

"Oh? Is that so."

I find the hidden access terminal, a hollow brick within the wall, opened it before I scanned my key fob. A section of the closet then parts ways revealing a hidden room which smelled of liquor and other odors which brought delight to men.

"It's customary for all officers entering the premises to leave their sidearms at the door." I inform the two untying my holster before depositing it on one of the shelves closet to my person.

I lead the trio inwards and we found ourselves at the bar which was lined with some of the finest and now, rarest selections of liquor available in the Republic of San Magnolia. Before directing the two to take a seat at the counter, I deposit a quarter into the jukebox which randomly selected a tune. It appears it selected 'Bygone days' as our ambiance for this evening.

"Back in time, before the rise of the legion, this was a gathering place for senior career officers and lucky members of their staff. A place for sharing stories and fostering mentorships between young Colonels, their aides, and senior generals. The liquor you see on the shelves were employed as an excuse to get the gentlemen officers to start talking with one another. And once a conversation begins, a long-lasting mentorship is seeded between career officers. At least, that is what I hypothesize." I briefed the two. "But… after the rise of the Legion, a lot of the officers were done away with either through combat or through their senses and age. This place was left empty and soon was forgotten to time. The few remaining souls who once made patronage to this way either avoid this place out of fear of rekindling long lost memories and friendships or…"

"The place no longer serves a purpose in their life." Milize correctly inferred. "So how did you come to find this place Colonel Rossweisse?"

I giggled, pulling open a drawer under the table, producing a trio of glassware which I set one in front of the three of us.

"Me and my XO found this place entirely by chance." I replied opening a bottle of dealcoholized vodka-mudshakes. "Don't worry, this specific variety of liquor has been rendered free of any traces of alcohol."

I proceed to tell them the story of what happened one night a few years ago. Back then, I was only a recently promoted Colonel, the two of us were pulling an all nighter together when Ol'Gertie the printer ran out of ink. We found the notices and spent an hour tracking down the map room before we found ourselves at the closet entrance. Waldheim, in never-ending curiosity, found the hidden access terminal and next thing I knew, I was carrying her unconscious body out of the entrance and yelling for a medic. Waldheim always touted she had an alcohol tolerance second to none and before we discovered this concoction known as Moutai, I honestly believed that. She fell on the floor, sprawled flat like a road-killed animal after imbibing only a few gulps of the strong, clear liquor.

"Wow… that is truly unfortunate." Milize said after I finished my spiel.

"Tell me about it. Having Waldheim's regurgitations splattered all over your brand-new uniform is a sight to tremble before."

(At this exact point in time, in a bar a couple of miles away, Lt. Colonel Ursula Waldheim would choke on her glass of cognac. A gut intuition would make her realize someone must have made a negative comment about her alcohol tolerance. She will leave the establishment in the next few minutes and remain visibly distraught for the rest of the evening.)

"Hey, what's behind the door located behind the bar?" Milize asked.

I stare at it for a moment before replying.

"A museum of male paraphernalia. Trust me, you will no longer be a lady if you venture pass that door." I replied.

After finishing our drinks, we banter on for a little bit more before I inquire into why the two wanted to visit the map room at 8pm. Milize explained to me she wanted some accurate geography maps of the sector she was assigned to. I take the two to the room where they would find such a resource before supervising the two as they rummaged through the documents. When they found what they needed, I saw to it they left the map room without causing too much of a disturbance.

After this hour-long detour, I found myself back at my workstation in the library. Taking a breath, I began going through the first pages of the reports I had to get through tonight.

The next Day, General Karlstahl's office.

"She cheated!" A stack of pens was thrown at my face. "She cheated me out of the kill!"

Not a muscle on my cheeks moved as the projectiles land on my face, a red pen falls into my tea.

"By that time, I had the entire situation under control, and I passively indicated the fact to her! And with no reason nor consultation from me, she ordered a bombardment to obliterate the Shepherd just as I set my crosshairs on it." He continued. "General, as you can see this is an egregious act of stealing glory. I demand Colonel Rossweisse to rescind her original report and make the appropriate adjustments to credit me with the kill of that Shepherd."

From the corner of my eye, I saw General Karlstahl's left brow twitch as the upstart Major delivered his demands. He sighed, picking up my report and compared it to the pile of trash the major had provided as his own report of what went down during the engagement.

"Colonel Rossweisse, do you need the tally mark on your file?" He finally spoke.

The major scoffed at the question which was not even directed to him.

"I'm just doing my job properly general." I replied nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulders. "The opportunity presented itself and I had the assets available to score the kill with a high degree of success whilst minimal risks."

"Minimal risks?! No shit. My processors were out there fighting protecting your spotters as they dialed in the strike." The major interrupted me.

"My processors were fighting side by side with yours, Major Simmerson." I continued unfazed by his aggression. "If we recall, wasn't it the timely arrival of my processors responsible for rallying your faltering defensive line and led the charge to re-establish the main line of resistance?"

"Ttcch. That's true but I still loss more processors"

"You lost more because of your incompetence and reckless frontal assaults." I sharply interjected. "I ordered you to advance slowly and cautiously behind the rolling barrage. Not only did you break formation exposing my troops' flanks, but you ordered your men directly into the barrage!"

"I told you to cease fire on my sector of advance before I gave the order!" He protested. "And I was going to replace that artillery with my own interception cannons."

"You can't magically detonate shells that are already flying through the air!" I snapped. "Interception cannons? That's a lie. If you had those assets available, why did you sound the horn for QRF and made the specific request for me to airlift a battery of self-propelled guns to your area of operations?"

"Because I.."

"No!" I slap the table with my left palm. "NO. NO. NO. NO! Let the truth stand before the three of us."

I reach into my blazer to produce a fold document and proceed to open it.

"According to your own subordinate. You have no operable interception cannons within your sector, and this has been the case for 3 full months. It also says here you have yet to file an emergency repair request for these vital assets. My department has also not received a single supply request from you since October of last year and captain Hogan confirms this citing, she has repeatedly reminded you but you've repeatedly held it back." I lick my teeth. "Captain Hogan leaves the worse to the last…. She says you have been away without leave on several occasions vacationing to a resort in district 12 together with a whore in the past 4 months."

"What squabble is this? Captain Hogan is merely an engineer working in the strategic airlift wing of the eastern logistics detachment. Surely her word has no value compared to..."

"Captain Hogan's coat buttons up over a number of other duties, Major." Karlstahl spoke. "You will not refer to her is such a belittling manner ever more in the future, are we clear?"

"Aaahhehem." He cleared his throat, visibly distraught by how much I've uncovered of his nefarious actions. "Regardless, the matter of the supplies and repairs, the fault was not mine Colonel. Captain Bridger must answer."

"CAPTAIN BRIDGER ANSWERED WITH HIS OWN LIFE!" I failed to restrain my anger, slamming my fist onto the table, before I threw a picture of his deceased executive officer who'd died via a self-inflicted gunshot. "AS YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IF YOU HAD ANY SENSE OF HONOR!"

Behind me, my aide pulls a hankerchief out from her pocket using it to wipe the sweat of anger off my forehead.

"You let your defense sector deteriorate to a state of imminent collapse." I continued. "You disgraced us sir! You shamed us sir! YOU will answer!"

I leaned back into my chair clasping my palms together.

"General Karlstahl. If I may recommend."

The general held up a hand indicating he understood what I was about to say and nodded in agreement.

"The Palalaigos squadron has stood down in name." He says settling both our reports onto the table. "If I can wipe the name, I could wipe the shame. Major, I am reassigning you to the western theatre's logistic detachment; you will fetch and carry."

"Sir." The major breathed uncomfortably realizing his fate had been sealed and he would no longer be a handler, one of the few remaining glory-mining positions available in the military.

"Your lieutenant did satisfactorily assume command over your squadron during your periods absence and was commended personally by Colonel Rossweisse for establishing critical redoubts which lasted until the arrival of Schwarzes squadron. Additionally, the support detachment of your squadron put up a valiant fight in the push back to the MLR so I will let it stand and be reinforced under the command of a new captain."

Silence envelops the room as the general picked up his pen to put his orders in writing. The major looks at me in search of pity, but I return him with a scowl. By now he should have realized that, long before he stepped into this room, I was tying the noose around the neck of his career.

"T..t..to be commanded by the newly gazetted Captain Simmerson?" He inquired in a last plea to save his family's honor by having his brother fill the promotion.

"To be commanded by the newly gazetted Captain Sharpe, SIR." The general replied sharply with strong conviction.

Surprisingly, Major Simmerson did not buckle right there at the news of the general's decision. Judging from the ways his eyes glared at the general, I understood he may have one more card to play. I held my breath in both excitement and genuine interest.

Slowly, the major stood up from his chair and walked over to the general to a distance within a whisper.

"My cousin is a dean at the academy." He threatened. "And I have friends in the ministry."

General Karlstahl stops writing mid-sentence and looks up at the man with his own glare.

"A man who openly and willingly neglects the defense of his people loses the people's friendship, Sir." The general sets his pen down. "You have two choices. To hide at your family's mansion in district 1 or be a hero on the western theatre. I shall help you to be a hero."

Karlstahl turns to me.

"See to the matter Major Simmerson has the necessary skills and assistants to carry out his duties effectively at his new vocation, Colonel. Additionally, Captain Sharpe's new squadron will be incorporated into your command until she has fully proven her command capabilities. Moreover, personally see to the necessary repairs to her sector."

"Does that entail a trip beyond the wall?" I inquired as I was handed my orders.

"I leave that at your discretion."

"You're just going to let him walk?" Waldheim tugged my sleeve as we left the general's office. "It's not like you to let someone like him leave unscathed after what he has done."

"Have you found Sharpe like I have instructed you beforehand?" I asked choosing not to answer Waldheim's question.

"Not yet but I have found word her major had ordered her on an errand before he departed for the meeting with general Karlstahl. I've tasked Steinhoff and Gretel to search for her on their breaks."

"Good. Good…."

As the two of us approach the door to the CIC, I heard someone call out my name from behind. We both turn to look and see a teen running after us.

"Colonel Rossweisse!" She called out again.

"She has been looking for you all day." Waldheim smiled swiping her key fob. "I'll head in first, its best you talk to her now since you still have some free time on your hands."

As Waldheim disappeared behind the automated door, I leaned against the wall of the corridor and folded my arms as the teen covered the final few meters.

"Colonel Rossweisse!" She pants.

"Your office is on the other side of the palace Major Milize." I replied before sighing. "If you ran all the way here then something important must be on your mind. Well, spit it out Major."

"General Karlstahl told me to come to you about any further requests to supply Spearhead squadron. I noticed on the finalized manifest you signed off contained unnecessary materials which can be replaced with more helpful supplies. I was wondering if you can hear me out and make those adjustments."

"Dammit Karlstahl, now you made her my problem?" I swore in my thoughts.

"Major Milizes, may I remind you the supply situation in the eastern theatre is a settled matter? Any changes to't necessitate significant authority as well as preplanning."

"Which is all the why we must stick to the list I had originally requested." Milize interrupted me, I could feel an aneurism being seeded in my head. "General Karlstahl has informed me you have such authority as well as the necessary foresight and flexibility to make last minute adjustments to supply shipments. Therefore."

She opened the leather dossier she had been carrying her and offered me a document and pen she had prepared.

"Please, signoff on this new supply manifest. My squadron is counting on you!"

I take a glance at the list to notice it was almost an exact copy of what General Karlstahl initially presented to me earlier in the day however it now had some additions to it which likely were inspired by the annotations I had made in the revised draft.

Automatically, the numbers start flowing in my brain as I evaluated the feasibility of delivering what Milize was requesting.

"No." I replied bluntly. "I can only deliver what I promised in the previously revised edition of your supply request. My planes are already overburdened with the…"

"Please at least get the spare parts delivered!" She interrupted me for a second time. "The new juggernauts can be delivered at a different time."

I sigh, gently loosen the tie over my neck and the top two buttons of my dress shirt. This was getting annoying, and it was just the beginning, I thought, better set things straight by slapping the reality to her sooner than later.

"No." I curtly replied. "Major Milize, you need to distinguish what is my problem and your problem. You can't get your supplies to your troops, that's your problem, and it has no affiliation with me. You can counter argue by stating my role as the quartermaster for the entire eastern theatre of operations, it is my duty to adjust the scheduling of supply deliveries to accommodate your functions. No, that is wrong. My duty is to overseer the supply situation is functioning in accordance to how resources are divided amongst the various defense sectors. I can make small adjustments here and there but at the end of the day, I'm not the adjustor, I am the person who makes sure the system is functioning to how it was designed and implemented."

I take the supply list she had given me early out of the dossier and toss it into a nearby trashcan.

"You can keep asking around for help but at the end of the day, in the macroscale of things, you are just pushing your problems onto others to handle. Once someone says no, it is good manners and sound judgement for the future of your career to immediately start looking elsewhere. Exhaust all avenues you have at your disposal, be ruthless if you must, and if at the end of the day no one is willing to lend you their aid, find a way to solve the problem with your own hands. Lie, cheat, blackmail, those are but the most basic and cruel of tools in one's toolbox to get their way in this military. If one is to truly succeed in this military which has grown complacent, fat, and inefficient, they must master the various hidden avenues of persuasion, trickery, and have friends in power. All of which you currently lack, by a significant margin. Take my ten cents, recognize your position and build your base of supporters before you start going around asking for favors again."

I scan my keyfob on the terminal to enter my office.

"I apologize for ruining your day. I know I may seem like a non-supporter for whatever movement you're trying to build right now but that is not my intention." I turn to enter my office before stopping once more. "Your uncle asked me to give you some lessons, so, if you ever need my help for other matters in the future, you know where to find me."