Her Majesty's S.S.

Voco Veni

02

Tristain, 6660 A.F.

Tanya.

Tanya's eyes fluttered open and I began taking stock of my surroundings. Several things stood out and I sorted them by priority.

Tanya's surroundings were unfamiliar, but I didn't have the feeling that Tanya was in enemy territory.

It was dark and last I remembered, it had been late afternoon. Clearly, I was missing at least a three hour block of time.

There was a body under Tanya's own. Somewhat larger and from the dress, softness, and curves a female. A quietly humming female, stroking long fingers through Tanya's hair—which, from the feel, had been let down from where she kept it up beneath her hat, which was also missing.

Wait. Tanya frowned as everything came flooding back. The portal. Henrietta. The garden. Henrietta's kiss. My own impulsive, instinctual reaction to kiss back. Pain in every cell of Tanya's body. And then nothing.

Slowly pushing herself up, Tanya took in the princess and future queen beneath her. She found her hat, sitting off to the side of the taller woman, but left it where it was for the moment. "Are you alright now? You suddenly went rigid and collapsed when the familiar runes appeared."

Dropping onto her ass beside the princess, Tanya asked, "Familiar runes?"

Henrietta pointed to Tanya's left hand and Tanya frowned as she studied the Nordic-looking characters. "Every familiar gets the runes when the contract is formed. I'm sorry, if I had known it would hurt, I would have warned you—"

Waving the princess's worry off, Tanya shook her head. "I've had worse, just didn't have time to prepare." Like get a pain blocking formula, combat stimulants, or anything else running. Honestly, being shot down hurt worse. Deciding the runes weren't that big a deal for the moment, I turned my attention to Henrietta. Finding herself at a momentary loss, Tanya asked, "What now?"

Humming thoughtfully, Henrietta considered the question before eventually giving an answer. "We'll need to get you settled in. I'll need to speak to the staff and have a room prepared. The guest room beside my own has been unused since the last time my friend Louise Francois stayed over at the castle when we were children. We'll go with the Germanian mage story and claim you're a tutor I hired personally. You'll need to hide the familiar runes, though." She considered for a moment before quietly adding, "I should also probably inform my bodyguard, Agnes."

Tanya had gloves in her bag, so hiding the runes wouldn't be an issue. "What does your schedule look like? We'll need to arrange some time for me to demonstrate my abilities and I would like to see what happens when you cast magic for myself."

"Busy," the princess sighed quietly, a tinge of regret in her voice. "The evenings are the only free time I tend to have, and that is if I'm lucky. I could try to change some things around…"

On the one hand, having little time to work with was inconvenient. On the other hand, if her evenings were free that was good, as the cover of darkness would be perfect for secret training. "We'll stick to the evening schedule. I'd like to take some time tomorrow to look over maps and go over intelligence, if you wouldn't mind?"

Henrietta nodded her agreement. "Of course. For now though, let's get you settled in. Please stay here and I'll return shortly." She bit her lip, looking hesitant as she said, "Please don't wander off. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings…"

Tanya waved her off. "I'll stay put," I promised.

Smiling happily, Henrietta pushed herself to her feet, dusted off the bottom of her fancy dress, and left Tanya there while she made her way towards a concealed exit from the private garden. As soon as she departed, I heaved a quiet sigh. Tanya reached over and picked up her discarded cap, tucking her hair under it as she straightened it on her head. Then, she dug into her bag and pulled out a spare set of fingerless gloves before slipping them on. Then, she parked it on top of the bag containing her clothes.

As Tanya waited patiently, I had to force the smile that threatened to break out across my face down. Finally, after over five years of the hell of war, Tanya was free. I was free. No more missions handed down by uncaring superiors who didn't understand the plight of the soldiers on the front. No more life or death battles in the sky over enemy territory, only to see the ground we fought so hard to claim lost. No more two a.m. wakeup calls by enemy arty blasting away the trench next door and sending bits and pieces of soldiers raining down on us. No more trenches and having to sleep lightly, with a trench shovel in hand, just in case the guys across No Man's Land got cute. No more freezing my toes off in Federation territory. No more commies zerg rushing our positions and engaging in the most egregious waste of human resources in history. No more cold or stale meals. No more ersatz coffee. No more Being X.

No more. No more.

Tanya laughed quietly, hysterically. The back of Tanya's leather glove came away wet when I reached up to wipe her eyes. Ah, this must be what freedom truly feels like!

Screw going to the rear. Somehow, I had lucked into an upgrade. My duties from now on boiled down to entertaining a soon-to-be future queen and maybe some light bodyguard work. Vacation? Ha! I was looking at retirement. A long, peaceful, perfectly boring life awaited me and I couldn't wait for it to begin.

Alright, get yourself together. Tanya took several deep breaths and the laughter faded. Taking out a handkerchief and her canteen, I carefully wet the cloth and wiped Tanya's face and eyes. I removed her signaling mirror, checked her appearance briefly, and put it away.

Eventually, the princess returned, and with her came a very serious looking woman with light brown hair. Strapped to one hip was a sword, while on the opposite side was a pistol. Flintlock pistol? So they have gunpowder. That's good. That means that it may not be too difficult to source ammunition, if I can get them up to speed on making it. I'm not familiar with the process, but perhaps they could reverse engineer it.

Tanya blinked as I went back over that thought. I had just declared Tanya retired and here I was, looking to resupply my limited store of ammunition. I kept the frown off Tanya's face as I considered. Well, I imagine I'll go through some just keeping up training. Plus any used during demonstrations. On top of a stock for use in my duties to the—to Henrietta.

Standing, Tanya came to parade rest as the pair approached and the newcomer sized her up—dark blue eyes settling on Tanya's combat knife and sidearm, before shifting to her rifle propped against her backpack and the SMG and trench shotgun strapped to the outside. Hard eyes settled onto Tanya's and for a moment, neither of us blinked. Then, the princess spoke, drawing our attention. "Agnes, this is the girl I told you about."

"Your… familiar," the woman murmured, and Henrietta nodded.

Deciding to take the high road, Tanya held out her hand and introduced herself. "Magic Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff, Imperial army."

The brunette studied Tanya's hand for a moment, her lip curling briefly at the word 'magic.' So, a non-mage who dislikes mages. Strange. Those were rare in the other world. After all, mages were highly valued by every fighting force that had them. Except the commies. Sending aerial mages to the gulag for supporting the previous administration—such a waste of human resources. For that reason alone the Russy Federation's Communist Party should have been put against the wall to the last man. Ah, if we had won, I'd have gladly volunteered to do it myself. It's not that I enjoy war, or the taking of human lives, but in that particular case, I'd have to side with Rafal Ganowicz.

What is it like to take a human life? I wouldn't know, I've only ever killed communists.

"Agnes Chevalier de Milan. Captain of Her Majesty's Royal Musketeers," the woman finally introduced herself, grudgingly shaking Tanya's hand. I noticed her grip was a little tighter than it should be, but a low powered reinforcement formula kept it from being painful and Tanya simply smiled in response. Agnes looked mildly disgruntled when she released Tanya's hand but said nothing about it. Nodding down to Tanya's side, she asked, "Is that a musket pistol?"

"Something like that," Tanya answered evasively. Deciding to make some inroads with the princess' staff, Tanya suggested, "I was going to demonstrate them for the princess—"

"Henrietta," the girl corrected insistently.

"Henrietta tomorrow. If you'd like to try one?" Tanya offered.

"Very well," Agnes nodded. "The maids should have your room ready by now," she said, and turned to walk towards the exit to the garden, expecting them to follow her. "The princess—"

"Henrietta, Agnes," the princess corrected, only to be ignored as Agnes bulled ahead.

"—informed me of the background you'll be using. Disgraced Germanian noble. That uniform is going to stand out. We'll need to get you some clothes made." Casting a backwards glance over her shoulder, she assessed Tanya for a moment as they made their way into some sort of hidden passageway. "I take it you're not fond of dresses?"

"Absolutely not," Tanya denied.

"What? But you would look so good in a dress!" Henrietta protested.

Tanya sent her a flat look. "I would rather die than wear another dress."

Henrietta pouted. Ahead of them, Tanya's formula enhanced senses picked up a quiet chuckle from Agnes. "Very well. I'll see to it myself, then. Will you be joining the princess's musketeers?"

"Hen. Ri. Et. Ta."

Tanya ignored the princess as she shook her head. "No. I imagine I'll be filling a different role. We can discuss it and work out the details tomorrow, after my demonstration."

Agnes nodded. She led them through the tunnel, stopping at the end of it to peer out an exit before leading them out into a sitting room. A hidden door closed behind them and a wall sconce shifted back up into place, leaving the entrance invisible to the naked eye. Tanya followed along as they were led through the halls, past a couple of female guards wearing an outfit similar to what Agnes wore and carrying multiple muskets and a sword each on their person, before stopping before a door near the end of the hall. "The princess's room is at the end of the hall. This will be yours."

Tanya followed the pair inside and looked around, a smile playing across her face at what she found. The room was tastefully, but very comfortably, appointed—with a full length mirror, dresser, a chest at the foot of the bed, closet, writing desk and chair, and a massive canopy bed.

"Well? What do you think?" Henrietta asked, her tone eager but nervous. She sounded to Tanya's ears much the way Visha did when she made a new blend of coffee and wanted Tanya to try it—eager to please and hopeful not to disappoint.

"It's," better than a foxhole, "very nice. Thank you."

"Mm," Agnes hummed. "It's late, princess. You have much to do tomorrow. You should go to bed."

Henrietta sighed. "Very well," she grumbled, sounding very much like she would rather do anything but.

"Before you go," Tanya asked, drawing the pair's attention, "where can I wash up? And get some food?"

"I'll—"

"I'll take care of it. You get to bed, your highness," Agnes cut the princess off, earning a dirty look.

"Henrietta."

When Agnes simply smiled, Henrietta sighed and turned to Tanya. Henrietta rushed over and pulled the surprised blonde into a hug. "Thank you for accepting. I'll see you in the morning," she promised, giving Tanya a squeeze that had her face almost entirely buried in the softness of Henrietta's bosom. I didn't raise any complaints. Though, I imagine if I were still male, I'd definitely be raising something.

…That bastard Being X! I can't even appreciate a woman properly in this form!

Then, Henrietta said her goodnights and left. I turned my attention to Agnes, who gestured for me to follow. As we walked, she filled Tanya in on where they were inside the palace, what various rooms were as they passed, introduced her to the guards on duty and told them to inform the next shift to expect Tanya's presence, and eventually showed me to both the kitchen and the bathing room.

"I take it you can find your way back to your room?" Agnes asked as she stepped into the bathroom after Tanya. There was already a tub full of hot water waiting, thankfully.

Tanya nodded. "I can," she confirmed, pulling off her gloves and working on removing her flight suit. I was so used to sharing bathing accommodations with Visha that I had stripped down and already entered the tub by the time I realized that Agnes hadn't left. Tanya's silver-blue eyes found Agnes's dark blue, the woman studying her intently.

"You really were a soldier at your age."

Ah. She saw my scars. Tanya nodded. "I am, yes."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Agnes leaned against the wall beside the door. "What was it like?"

I considered the answer for a moment. "Hell. No matter the time or the place, war is hell."

Agnes was silent for several moments as Tanya washed. Eventually, she asked, "How many?"

I didn't have to ask for clarification as to what she meant. "I stopped keeping track. I left that to the higher-ups and pencil pushers. But at a guess? Over a hundred and fifty, with at least half that again in assists. I had sixty-two confirmed kills by the time I entered the war college, and that was… three, four years ago?"

"And you're not from this world?"

Tanya shook her head. She took a minute to dip under the water and rinse the soap out of her hair. When she came back up, she said, "Unless you've heard of air planes, artillery, tanks, radio, television, computers, or the internet?"

"No, I haven't," Agnes denied. She thought for a moment before asking, "If I were an assassin and I drew my pistol to kill you right now, what would you do?"

"Deploy a shield, wait for you to waste your shot, then incapacitate you with an under-powered explosive formula," Tanya answered simply. "Then, I would employ enhanced interrogation techniques to determine who sent you, report the information to the princess, and determine where to go from there."

Agnes hummed. "And if you couldn't use magic?"

"Scream for the guards, roll out of the tub, use it for cover, and try to get to my sidearm or knife. After which, I would either shoot you or try to stab you. If you were still alive after, then I would secure and interrogate you." I wondered what the purpose of this was.

"If you had to choose between saving the princess or saving the queen, what would you choose?"

I hummed. "Try to find a way to save both. If that weren't possible, then I would have to choose the princess."

Frowning, Agnes said, "Explain your reasoning."

Tanya sent the woman an annoyed look. Standing up, she stepped out of the tub and grabbed one of the towels off the shelf, ignoring the way Agnes followed her with her eyes. "Simple. Firstly: I'm magically bound to the princess. Henrietta is my summoner and it is her to whom I am sworn. I have no loyalties in this world beyond her. Secondly: as a simple matter of practicality. Henrietta is the younger of the two. I don't know anything about the queen nor have I met her, but Henrietta is in her sexual prime while the queen would have to be in her late twenties to early thirties at the youngest—meaning that in terms of line continuation, it would be easier for Henrietta than her mother."

"Pragmatic and practical, then. All you see is numbers."

I snorted softly as Tanya rubbed herself dry. "Yes, because pragmatism and practicality are the only logical viewpoints to have. As to seeing only numbers, quite the contrary. I know the value of human life intimately and it can, in fact, have a number put to it—but people are more than numbers. A soldier is a useful tool to have on the battlefield. That soldier has a base value determined by his or her circumstances in growing up, whether or not they can use magic, their education prior to receiving training, their health, sex, age, and general physicality. That value is improved by training, education, and experience. A veteran soldier is worth infinitely more than a green recruit.

"But the friends you have fought and bled beside, overcome countless battles with, those are irreplaceable—the value of that number so high as to be near infinite. Soldiers are, by their very nature, meant to be mass produced cogs in the great machine of a nation's armed services, interchangeable and replaceable as needed… but the truth is far from that. Those replaceable cogs are shaped by their environment into precision machined tools that fit best in one setting, one role—and they reshape the other cogs around them to match. When one of those precious soldiers is lost, it leaves a gaping hole that can't easily be filled by any old replacement. They are irreplaceable. I should know. Through one circumstance or another, I've lost many such subordinates and friends—either to transfers if they were lucky, or to the enemy if not. They can never truly be replaced."

Agnes made a quiet 'hmph,' then turned and left the room, leaving Tanya alone. Tanya quickly finished drying off, using magic to finish the job with her hair, then dressed and made her way to the kitchen. I had a light meal, then hurried off to bed, stopping only once to ask directions when Tanya got turned around. Piling into the huge bed, with its soft mattress and warm, fluffy sheets and blankets, Tanya was out like a light soon after.

Tanya came awake slowly, her mind filled with a haze of soft, warm cotton. She felt like she had been asleep too long, but also that she didn't want to get up at all. The bed was soft and warm, and she just wanted to lie here.

In her half-asleep state, she wondered where her adjutant was. I don't smell coffee. Nor do I hear the sounds of the 203rd or Salamander Kampfgruppe up and about. Why hasn't Visha come to wake me?

The answer, to her sleepy mind, was simple. For the bed to be this soft, they must be on leave. Which meant that her adjutant was slacking. Likely drank the night before and was now still sleeping it off. That was out of character for Visha most days, but not when they were on leave and Tanya had dismissed her, giving her time off from her duties. Still…

Lazy. I'm going to have to discipline her for this.

I could think of a few ways I'd like to discipline Visha. Bending her over Tanya's knee and taking a hair brush to her round little ass until she cried and begged for mercy, for one. Her face makes me want to bully her…

A smile pulled at Tanya's lips as she lay in bed and indulged in the fantasy of taking her misbehaving First Lieutenant over her knee and administering corporal punishment. Slowly, a hand trailed down her small body, seeking out the sensitive bits between her legs. Tanya hadn't really explored herself all that much since I had been sent here by Being X, but… If this is to be my life, perhaps I should make the most of it.

Small, slender fingers found my—Tanya's—slit and began to explore. Tanya's mound had a fine, nearly trimmed bush of golden curls, but her lips were covered in a layer of peach fuzz—something I was thankful required little maintenance so far, aside from the monthly sort. Let me just say that being in the equivalent of the 1930s and on the front lines of combat as a young girl sucked for multiple reasons. Having to discretely beg ask Visha to explain things at Tanya's age was humiliating—especially so, given it highlighted a lack of knowledge on my part given my previous life in a modern day Japan as a man.

Pushing silly thoughts from my mind, I focused on exploring Tanya's folds, my mind turning back to images of Viktoriya in the bath we had occasionally shared. My Tanya's body shuddered as I imagined Visha between Tanya's legs as Tanya's thighs squeezed either side of her head tight, my hands buried in Visha's hair, her face buried in Tanya's crotch and her tongue rolling over Tanya's clit, occasionally dipping into her slit. My fingers mimicked the motions Visha's tongue would make and a whine escaped from Tanya's throat as I felt something building.

My first orgasm in this body.

Something about that felt… big. Important. As though once I crossed this threshold, there would be no turning back. I would have to acknowledge the truth of my situation, that there was no going back, no getting my real body or even just my masculinity back and this was a huge step along that path.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed the thoughts to the side and focused. Visha. Getting spanked. With a hair brush. Diddling her cunt and making her squeal while she eats me out. Her hairy little pussy squirting as she comes and begs me for more.

Tanya came, her little body seizing up, and I saw stars. It was… amazing. Tanya's body went limp and I lay there, panting softly in a fuzzy haze of bliss.

Something clicked nearby and Tanya froze, adrenaline flooding her as she spun up a detection formula using the Type 97 orb she slept with. One magical presence in the room aside from myself, to Tanya's 3 o'clock. Tanya risked cracking one eye open and found… the curvy form of the princess crossing the room in a nightgown, before slipping into the bed. Tanya had a moment to wonder what she was doing, before she was stunned by the taller girl pulling her into a hug against her bosom.

Leaning down as she squeezed Tanya's smaller body, Henrietta said, "Good morning, Tanya."

"Good morning?" Tanya returned, somewhat muffled by the breasts in her face. Amazingly soft, yet firm and warm breasts. Breasts that were separated from her face by about a millimeter of lace, which smelled heavenly, with hard little pink nipples sticking up visibly through the material. I want to taste them.

"Did you sleep well?" Henrietta asked, and Tanya could hear the smile in her voice.

Still confused, Tanya nodded. "I did. …Why are you in my bed, princess?"

"Hen. Ri. Et. Ta."

"Henrietta."

Tanya felt the taller girl nod. "I thought this would be a nicer way to wake up than having one of the servants come shake you awake. And, well… Louise and I used to sleep together all the time. I've missed having a cuddly bed partner. I wanted to give it a try again. You don't mind, do you?"

Tanya almost answered that yes, of course she minded. It was bad for my heart, having this sort of rise in blood pressure first thing in the morning. I squashed that impulse, however. Quietly, Tanya murmured, "I don't mind."

After all, the princess was a beautiful young woman. She crawled into Tanya's bed of her own volition. Was it somehow wrong of her to enjoy the other girl's company?

Wrong beyond the 'homosexuality' dilemma, that is. I've said it before, but that was before puberty fully set in. Being forced to make the choice between being a homosexual mentally or physically, or being celibate is ridiculous. Damn that Being X!

As for the princess… Am I really taking advantage of her? I'm the younger party here, physically. If anything, is she trying to take advantage of me? Did she forget that I'm a man and older than her? Or is she simply one of those very physical people? Viktoriya occasionally got cuddly, but it was in the middle of a war and I don't begrudge her seeking physical comfort from the person she had served with since the hell that was the Rhine front. Neither of us was ever going to speak of those nights and the tears shed. Henrietta doesn't have that excuse—

I was pulled from my thoughts by Henrietta combing her hands through Tanya's hair. "We should get up and start the day."

With that, Henrietta tilted Tanya's head up and kissed her lips, before giggling and hopping energetically out of bed, pulling me with her. She laughed outright at the look that must have crossed my face. "Ah, you look so shocked! Do they not do that in your Germania?"

"No. They don't." The words came out subdued from Tanya's lips and Henrietta giggled all the harder.

Tanya's eyes narrowed into a glare and the taller girl grinned. "Louise used to look at me the same way! Usually right before trying to smack me with a pillow, or trying to push me down and tickle me. I was always bigger, so that didn't really work out too well for her." Henrietta made a visible show of looking down on me, reminding me of the difference in our heights.

My eye twitched. Well… she wants to be treated like a person, not royalty. And she really is trying very hard to rile me up and get a reaction. Fine! Let's give her a reaction, then.

With a growl, Tanya launched herself at the taller girl, slipped a leg behind her knee, and threw her to the ground. Tanya's fingers curled into claws and I dug them into Henrietta's ribs mercilessly, drawing shrieks from the taller girl. "If that's the way you want to play!"

"Ahh! Hahaha! Eek! Not there!"

And that was how Agnes found us. Henrietta, pinned to the floor in a submission hold with Tanya on top of her, tickling the taller girl's feet. The older woman looked at the two of us. Mostly Tanya. "Really? I would expect this from her. The princess has her frivolous moods from time to time. But you're supposed to be a soldier."

"She provoked me," Tanya defended herself lamely, standing up and offering Henrietta a hand up off the floor.

Henrietta laughed as she accepted the hand up, then pulled Tanya into a hug. "Yes I did, Agnes! And Tanya reacted splendidly! It was almost like being back with Louise…" she sighed quietly as she straightened her dress. "Unlike someone I could name, she at least knows when to let her hair down."

That was not entirely untrue. I could 'let my hair down,' and had in fact occasionally enjoyed going out to social gatherings in my past life. The compulsory drinking parties of Japan's business world were not always fun, but with the right company they could be. Especially if company came home with you.

But the fact of the matter was that Tanya's position and reputation had demanded a much higher standard of behavior. The best Tanya could get away with at her age would be joking around with her troops when the situation called for it. Due to age restrictions, she could not even join her subordinates and, dare she say it, friends in drinking and smoking at a bierhaus or officers' lounge. Not that she wanted to smoke or drink, but being legally denied those freedoms granted by the military and her position because of civilian government had been infuriating.

Otherwise, given her inability to join them in blowing off steam with alcohol and tobacco, she was to be the stern but fair superior they could look up to. The model of an officer of the Empire. For Tanya especially, she had to exemplify the Germanian ideal of an officer. But without the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion or the Salamander Kampfgruppe to maintain her image for, she could afford to relax a bit. Especially if that got her further into the princess's—Henrietta's—good graces.

Just as long as she didn't relax too much. Wouldn't want to lose my edge.

"Be that as it may, princess," Agnes's words brought Tanya's wandering thoughts back into focus, "you should go down to breakfast. I have one of the staff waiting for Tanya to take her measurements outside the room. Once that's done, she can join you. Then you must attend to your duties. In the meantime, I will see to Ms. Degurechaff's—"

"Colonel."

"Pardon?" Agnes asked, raising an eyebrow.

I had spoken without thought, reflexively correcting her as though I might a fresh recruit who slipped up in their address. Is this the hill I want to die on though?

Tanya had fought and bled for her rank. Flown over enemy territory and been shot down. Killed or ordered the deaths of more men than the cared to count. Crawled through mud, and blood, and shit on that hell that was the Rhine front. Nearly burned up in the south and nearly frozen to death in the east. She had defied a being that claimed to be not just a god, but the head god. And for all that, she had come out on top time, and time, and time again—frantically clawing and scraping at any hope she could find of escaping the trap Being X had set just to prove a point.

No, Tanya wouldn't die on this hill. But she would dig her trenches, set mines, establish fields of fire, fortify her position, and make anyone approaching it think long and hard about their life choices before trying to surmount it.

"If you're going to address me formally, the proper title is colonel, not miss." Tanya eyed the older woman sternly for a moment, as though she weren't standing in a night gown, unarmed, and half this woman's age and size. Then, she continued, "As much as I bled for the title, I see no reason to keep things that formal between us, when we will be working closely from now on. Please, just call me Tanya."

"Agnes," the brunette nodded. "As I was saying, I can see to Tanya's request for maps and anything else while you're working."

Henriette sighed. "Very well. Tanya, would you like to have lunch with me?"

Tanya nodded, before moving towards the bag with her clothes. "I would," she agreed verbally, before beginning to pull out underwear.

Agnes sighed, seeing the contents of the bag. "You really shouldn't wear any of that."

Henrietta nodded in agreement. "It would draw attention. No one in Halkgenia has clothes quite like yours. The stitching is far too precise and regular for all but the most talented mage seamstresses, and the material is clearly of higher quality than a typical uniform." At Agnes' look, she rolled her eyes. "I'll see you at lunch."

With that, the princess departed through the hidden passage, the bookcase sealing up the passage behind her. Agnes made her way over to the door and opened it, letting in an older woman bearing a bag. Opening it, she took out a measuring tape, note pad, and pencil. "Good morning! I've been told you will need an entirely new wardrobe?"

"That's right," Tanya agreed.

The woman grinned wide, before gesturing towards Tanya's night clothes. "Strip."

Sighing, Tanya pulled the gown—one of the very few physical acknowledgments of Tanya's femininity outside of the necessities, and one she kept only because it was a gift from Visha—over her head and tossed it on the bed, leaving her nude aside from her Type-97 computation orb on a chain around her neck. After which, she pulled her hair up and tied it back to get it out of the way.

She followed the woman's instructions as she took various measurements, turning this way and that as Agnes watched dispassionately.

"And what sort of style were you interested in, dear? I have the material for several nice light dresses—"

"No dresses," Tanya shook her head.

The woman sighed in disappointment. "You didn't tell me you had a child, Agnes."

"I don't," the other woman grunted. "Just make her the same stuff you made for me." She paused for a moment, before adding, "And yes, you need dresses."

Tanya eyed her suspiciously. "Why?"

"In case the need to blend in arises. You're a mage. Unlike me, you can be sent on missions that may require you to look the part—or to look like a normal civilian. You can hide your hair and bind your breasts, but in another year or two you won't be able to hide your hips. Best to have at least one set of clothes to look the part of a commoner girl and another to look like a noble. If you're going to be appearing at high society functions, and you will, then you'll need to do so without bringing shame to the princess—because eventually, princess Henrietta will have to announce just what position it is you hold. You won't be able to stay anonymous for long, let alone forever. Which means wearing a dress and looking good in it. I don't like it either, but we do what we have to."

"Damn," Tanya cursed quietly, drawing a flinch from the seamstress. "Fine. Just nothing too…" she gestured vaguely and Agnes shook her head.

"Make sure her style and colors complement the princess," Agnes instructed.

Tanya grumbled quietly under her breath, but as much as she loathed the idea of being crammed into a dress again—and I really, truly did—she could admit that Agnes had a point. If she was going to be the friend and companion, and later publicly the familiar to the princess, she would have to look the part when the situation called for it.

"But I must say, where did all of these scars come from?"

"Hmm." Tanya's hands traced over her flesh, every scar a memento of her service, each with its own story. "This one is from a piece of shrapnel from an explosion I was too close to. That one is a bullet wound—my first, actually. You can't see it, but I broke several bones during that incident and was in traction for a while." Her finger traced a fine white line that indicated a slicing wound. "That is from an enemy bayonet…"

The more I talked, the more horrified the seamstress looked. In the end, Tanya kept talking, just to see if she could run the older woman off. Agnes was not amused.

"Ahh, finally!" Henrietta sighed, stretching her arms above her head in the fading light of twilight as they made their way out into a field the musketeers used for target practice.

Surveying the field, Tanya found a decent target and made sure they were alone before pointing it out. "Okay. You see that target? Cast a basic spell at it and show me what happens."

Pouting, Henrietta did as she was asked. She pointed her wand at the target and cast. "Float."

Tanya's sharp eyes picked up a very slight blur, moving faster than a bullet, before there was an explosion near the target strong enough to send the man-shaped target listing to the side. No real heat, but a good deal of force. Travels quickly, hard to see, hard to dodge. Fast cast time. Probably cheap, too.

"Now give me something bigger, please. Biggest spell you've got."

"Okay," Henrietta murmured, before beginning to quietly mouth words to herself. It was almost a full twenty seconds before she called, "Fireball!"

A much larger distortion flew from her wand, just as quickly. The target and the earthen berm behind it were entirely obliterated, tossing up dirt and rock into the air, but generally away from their position so there was no need to shield against it. Tanya whistled quietly as she took in the damage. Twenty second cast time is fucking abysmal… but that's equivalent to an artillery strike, easily. And she thinks she's a failure as a mage. Ha!

"Let's move down a bit to a new target." Henrietta and Agnes followed as they walked a few paces down the line and Tanya stopped, pointing downrange. "I want you to cast at that target as quickly as you can, as many times as you can, until you can't any more. Begin when you're ready."

Henrietta nodded, held out her wand, and began to cast. Tanya used the Type 97 to keep time while she kept careful count. She's getting faster, she realized as Henrietta fell into a rhythm. Chant, cast, explosion. Chant, cast, explosion. Shorter chant, cast, explosion. Until eventually, well past the five mark, Henrietta had stopped chanting entirely and was now just jabbing her wand at the target and casting the same explosion again and again. By now, the target was well and truly destroyed and she was simply making divots in the berm behind it. At the eight minute mark, she began to flag and Tanya called it to a halt.

By the end there, she was casting continuously once per second. I'd like to see if she can repeat it later. If so, she's basically firing at about the same rate as a semi-auto rifle when someone's not panic firing. With a force that looks to be equivalent to your average Imperial soldier's basic formula bullet—though not any of the bigger stuff. I need to find out how normal mages here stack up. By my standards, she's passable, but average. Every single member of the 203rd can do better on their worst day. …But that is what training's for. Maybe she'll get better.

Tanya let Henrietta sit down on the ground while she moved the weapons she had brought with them into position a bit down the line, to a new target. Agnes followed with a look of interest as Henrietta tiredly watched on. Surveying the field, Tanya nodded and unholstered her sidearm—and a tingle ran up her arm from the area of the runes, hiding under her glove. Curious, she pulled back the glove to find the runes shining. "Huh."

"Your familiar runes," Agnes murmured, and Tanya nodded. "This is the first time it's happened?"

"So far."

"We should investigate."

Tanya agreed, but decided the demonstration came first. Holding the pistol up for Agnes to see, she ejected the magazine. "Pistole Parabellum, 9mm Luger P08 sidearm. Standard issue for all soldiers in the Reich. It fires a 9x19 millimeter full metal jacket round. Each magazine holds eight rounds, giving the pistol a capacity of eight plus one—for soldiers smart enough to keep a round chambered."

Pushing one of the rounds out of the magazine, she handed it to Agnes to inspect. The musketeer hummed, turning the little metal pill over in her hands. "This is… self-contained?"

"Everything needed to fire a bullet is contained within that cartridge, yes. A brass casing, a primer for the pin to strike used to set off the powder, a standardized load of powder, and a bullet. Self-contained, mass produced, they take up less space than musket ammunition, immediately ready to use upon loading. They require no special maintenance or preparation to use, other than standard care and maintenance for your weapon. Water resistant, so no need to worry about rain or humidity—and, in fact, these are frequently carried underwater and used immediately after being submerged," Tanya explained.

Taking the cartridge back, she loaded it into her magazine, then slotted the magazine home in the pistol. Taking aim, even as something very subtly corrected her stance and aim—a sort of instinct for how she should hold herself, she popped off a single round before holstering the pistol. Agnes followed as she moved to check the dummy. The taller blonde whistled quietly at the neat little hole center mass. "Very accurate."

"Extremely," Tanya agreed, before leading Agnes back to the firing line. Taking up a shooter's stance, Tanya jerked the pistol from her hip and opened fire, aiming by feel—again, with that almost instinct at the back of her mind, guiding her. Eight shots later, she holstered her pistol again and they once more moved to check the dummy. Every single shot was center mass—either an immediate kill shot, a shot that would bring a lingering death within minutes, or a shot that would at the very least put someone out of action until they could receive treatment.

"Amazing," Agnes murmured, fingering the holes on the straw-filled dummy.

I think I know what the runes are doing, but I need more testing, I mused, studying the feeling impressing things upon Tanya's mind.

Swapping the spent magazine for a fresh one, Tanya held out the pistol for Agnes. Before the chevalier could take it, she pulled it back slightly, causing the other woman to pause. "Just as I'm sure there are rules to handling muskets, there are rules to handling these firearms. Every weapon is always loaded, unless you've unloaded it yourself. Do not point it at anything you do not wish to kill and always be sure of what's behind your target. Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire."

Agnes nodded and Tanya handed her the pistol, then the magazine. Studying the two for a moment, Agnes slotted the magazine in as Tanya had. "Grasp the lever in the back. Pull it all the way back, then let go." Agnes did as instructed and it slid back into place with a satisfying click. "The weapon is loaded and ready to fire."

"Alright." Agnes moved up to the firing line. Holding the gun as Tanya had, she looked down the iron sights and took aim—this at least she was familiar with. Holding the weapon with both hands, she steadied herself, breathed in, and then squeezed the trigger. She was expecting recoil similar to her own musket pistol, but instead, the recoil from the pistol in her hands was surprisingly light by comparison.

Squinting at the target, she could see where her shot had veered left and high, hitting in the shoulder area. Over the next four shots, she slowly adjusted, before putting the last three shots in the target's head area. "This truly is amazing."

Looking down, she eyed the brass on the ground. "What do we do with those?"

"We'll gather them up when we're finished. They can be reloaded," Tanya explained. Taking her pistol back, she gestured for the princess to come over.

Henrietta pushed her tired self to her feet and made her way over to her bodyguard and familiar. "Already, I can see where this weapon would be an immense improvement over our current musket pistols," she commented.

"You have no idea, princess," Agnes shook her head. "The difference is night and day. The time saved on reloading between shots alone… I want to equip an entire company with them."

"We just might," Henrietta smiled. She blinked as she suddenly found something thrust into her face. "What?"

"Your turn, princess," Tanya explained.

"But I'm—"

Tanya cut her off. "Always armed and capable of defending yourself, with or without magic."

Henrietta looked like she wanted to protest for a moment, but wilted under the glares of both her familiar and bodyguard. "Very well. I am in your care. Please show me how to handle it."

Tanya nodded and walked Henrietta through holding the pistol, aiming, and finally firing. "Oh!" the princess yelped as the gun kicked in her hand. "That… that was not nearly so bad as I had feared."

"Good. Keep firing," Agnes demanded. And so, Henrietta obeyed her instructors and fired off the entire magazine. At the end of it, Agnes asked, "Do you feel comfortable carrying such a weapon in the future?"

"I would prefer not to, but… yes. I can see the usefulness," the princess nodded, smiling at her friends. "I'll take one the moment we can have some made."

"Great," Tanya nodded. Then she shooed the pair away and took up her rifle and slung her SMG over her chest. "Now, allow me to demonstrate what a true magical soldier is capable of."

Taking to the air, she ascended to one hundred feet. Spinning up a sniping formula, she aimed for the tree line, several hundred yards (809 yards, according to the built in range finding in her formula) away and charged up a formula bullet with a standard explosive formula. Except… Something clicked in her head, her whole body, and I felt like I suddenly understood that the Type-97 Computation Orb was not a tool but a weapon—which was funny, because I had already known that. Tanya was intimately familiar with the computation orb's functions and uses. And yet, the realization felt new.

The runes on her hand tingled and Tanya felt filled with magic—like when she used the Type-95. She felt like she didn't need the sniping formula as she took aim and opened fire. The trees for a hundred yards around her target simply ceased to be—again, like she were using the Type-95.

A wicked grin pulled at Tanya's lips and I took off into a hard climb, beginning aerial maneuvers in the fading light as I began firing at Tanya's fastest rate, laying absolute waste to the surrounding area. When the rifle ran dry, I slung it over Tanya's shoulder and took up the SMG. Tanya dove into an attack run, pushing up to nearly her full speed, more formula bullets streaked out—not explosive this time, but that didn't seem to matter much, as they absolutely destroyed everything Tanya pointed them at.

When the SMG ran out, Tanya descended and turned an amused look on an absolutely awestruck Henrietta and Agnes. "And that was simple target practice."

Henrietta and Agnes exchanged a look. "We need more bullets," Agnes said.

"More weapons and more bullets," Henrietta agreed. "This, this could change everything."

"I hate to say it, given my feelings on mages, but… I'd like an entire company just like her," Agnes muttered, and Henrietta nodded vehemently.

"We have to get an earth mage in to look at those weapons and their ammunition and see if they can be replicated, as soon as possible."

Agnes nodded. "Yes, but… think what we could do if they could be scaled up. We could replace ship-board cannons with cannon sized rifles."

Henrietta's eyes went wide at that. "Our air forces would be invincible…"

"I wouldn't say invincible, but they would have a major advantage," Tanya cut in. "That's just scratching the surface, though. I don't have one, or I'd show you what mortars can do. Well, I know generally how they're supposed to work, so if you can make more ammunition and develop new weapons, we could probably make some. Artillery is always nice…"

"Right. Come! Let's get back to the castle. I need to draft several letters. Much to do," Henrietta murmured, and hurried back towards the castle, Agnes on her heels. Tanya followed, only after cleaning up her brass.

It hasn't been a full day and I've already made myself invaluable. Ahh, it's nice to finally be appreciated.