Authors Note: I just finished 86 and it has become one my favorite anime to come out this season. This is my take on the story and something I just wrote up. I have a vague idea of how I want the story to go but I'll put out a disclaimer that I haven't read the light novel yet so if there is something I messed up, please let me know.
Thanks for the read! Leave a review or not XD.
I watched in silence as the daily news spoke about the previous night's battle. I stood rooted there on the sidewalk as the news reporter once again, claimed zero casualties on our side.
How stupid.
The whole situation was stupid.
And this country was even more stupid for just going along with it.
Letting out a sigh I adjusted my cover before crossing the street and towards headquarters. The scene was the same when I arrived, drunks everywhere and those slightly more responsible were just hungover.
"Ahhh morning Lieutenant Colonel! You finally removed that stick up your rear!"
I ignored the rabble and made my way to my office. Along the way there I saw the rather infamous Major Vladilena Milize and another younger girl talking to each other.
I couldn't resist the urge to smirk at the furious expression the major had.
A major at 16 years old, barely into her teens. An impressive achievement and no doubt she was a genius and a hard worker. And here I thought being a major at 18 was impressive enough and someone had to beat my record not even a year later.
In fact if she hadn't been as vocal about her views on the 86s, she might've even been the same rank as me by now but that was neither here nor there.
I had my own job to do, without letting the whole country know where he really stood.
I silently made my way into my office. Closing the door behind me, I walked over to my desk and sat down with a tired sigh.
Forgot my damn coffee.
With an annoyed click of my tongue I pushed through the fog and got to work analyzing the data in front of me. The M4A1 Juggernaut created by my own father. The fact that the very first iteration of the very first prototype model was put into full scale production without any form of trials or testing baffled me to no end.
I completely understood where the Republic stood at the time of its creation and could understand to an extent why things were done the way they were done. However, it didn't excuse the lack of innovation over the last few years. They wouldn't even allow me any government funding for research into potential upgrades or even full on replacement models. So far whatever meager progress I made was from my own money.
Maybe if I was smarter like my father but he was just like the others nowadays, a drunkard.
I shook the thoughts from my mind and focused on my work. My main issue was finding something was reasonable enough and cheap enough to justify even replacing the outgoing Juggernaut. Everything I had come up with so far was just too costly for the Republic to consider.
Not a chance in hell in this country.
I blinked my eyes several times as the computer screen and its contents blurred together.
Damn, barely a few minutes in and I'm already losing it.
Maybe...I really do need that coffee or tea if they didn't have that.
Or better yet go have some fun with his toys.
Whatever the case was, I pushed myself away from my messy desk and took off in a brisk walk to the mess hall. On my way there, I passed the annoying familiar sights of lazy officers and military personnel. Some tried to make small talk, some called me names and others just straight up pretended I didn't exist.
When I arrived at the mess hall I found a familiar woman waiting in line for her tea.
"Good morning Major Milize, congrats on your promotion." I greeted her as I approached from behind her.
I watched her shoulders jump slightly before she turned around. "A-Ah good morning Lieutenant Colonel…." She trailed off as she looked at my uniform.
I followed her gaze towards my right breast pocket. More closely the blank area above it where my name tag would be. Ah so that's why "the stick up my rear was removed."
"Johan Richter, I apologize if I interrupted something."
The younger woman almost frantically waved her hands in front of her. "No No! I was just getting my tea Lieutenant Colonel. And thank you for the compliment sir."
I stared down at the smaller woman with an impassive gaze before cracking a small smile. "Of course, the Republic is lucky to have such a studious soldier such as you Major. You'll go far I'm sure."
She looked embarrassed as her face turned slightly red. "Y-Your words are too kind…..I just…." her expression softened as she trailed off while looking down at the ground.
"Yes, Major?"
I watched as her silver eyes hardened as she practically glared at me. The not so little Major had teeth, that's for damn sure.
"I just want the 86s to not be treated like subhumans. What we are doing is wrong, they are-!"
"Oh look, the saint is at it again!"
"And this time, it's to Ice Cold Richter of all people, imagine that!"
I glanced over at the laughing officers and gave them a hard glare. The laughing quickly stopped as they turned pale. They and the others who weren't as vocal practically ran out the mess hall, leaving me, the major and those working at the mess hall.
"Major…" I started off, grabbing her attention again. I struggled to find my words for whatever odd reason. For a moment I was left a blank before a thought occurred to me. "Sometimes, an officer should exercise a bit of caution before they speak."
"I-!"
I held up a hand to cut her off. "I understand that this is something you are passionate about, a belief or ideal that you're unwilling to drop or budge on." I gestured over to the tea and coffee. "Let's grab our drinks and head back to my office, I believe I need to scold you and others about some proper etiquette." I kept an impassive expression as I all but ordered the younger officer for a quick chat.
She bit her lips in frustration. "Yes sir."
I watched in concealed amusement as the Major silently glared at whatever was in front of her. She wore everything on her face and people took advantage of it.
The rest of my little trip was done in silence, only the clicks of our shoes echoed in the empty halls. People were actually trying to do their jobs now, trying anyway. And barely at that.
I walked into my rather dark office and flipped on the switch, illuminating the mess that was concealed in the darkness. "You'll have to excuse the mess Major."
"Of course Lieutenant Colonel."
I walked behind my desk, which was still covered in paperwork, and sat down in my chair. "Please sit, make yourself comfortable." I offered while I took off my cover and placed it on my desk. I leaned back in my chair and held my coffee in my lap. "Please continue what you were saying earlier."
A sense of satisfaction welled up in me as a confused expression replaced the frustrated glare she had. "Sir?"
"I heard a lot about you already, none good but I wish to know directly from the source." I softened my expression and welcomed her to the conversation. "My office is a rare location in this country, Miss Milize, you won't be ridiculed here. I swear on my family's name."
Now she looked lost. This was certainly not the reception she was expecting. "I...am I given permission to speak...about how I truly feel about this country and what we are doing?"
"No, I never gave you permission. I offered you to merely speak whatever is on your mind, you have the full authority and choice to simply leave. I am just genuinely curious as to what makes you tick Miss Milize."
"I see, well….." She took a deep breath. "What we are doing to the 86s is absolutely inexcusable. No human should be lowered to be treated less than dogs just for the color of their skin or hair or whatever the case may be. We aren't better just because we are an Alba. They're out there fighting day and night for us and we can't even recognize them as human beings, much less as the heroes they are! Everything is so messed up in this country! Where did we go wrong? What happened to the ideals of Saint Magnolia that the Republic was founded on?!"
Ah now I had a better grasp on just who Vladilena Milize was.
A true patriot.
And a better human being.
I gave her a smile, a genuine smile. "For someone so young you seem to have a strong grasp on where the country sits but then again, you did manage to leave your peers behind to reach the rank of Major at only 16 years old." I chuckled at the firm glare she was giving me. "You are absolutely right on all accounts Miss Milize. My only question is if you truly wish to bring about change, how do you plan on doing so? No matter how right you may be, shouting will only get you so far."
She looked away. "I….I'm not sure, I suppose I haven't truly thought that far ahead."
"That's quite alright but if I could make a suggestion, if you have something in mind, do it quickly. We don't have much time left."
"What makes you say that sir?"
"Well, everything I say from here on out is merely a hypothesis. Would you like to hear it, Major?"
She nodded back at me.
"We always believed that the Legion would one day just disappear and shut down based on their operational hours from when they were created by the Giadian Empire. This fact is not untrue, we know this but what if that isn't the case?"
I saw her eyes widen as the implications began to set in. "What's to say the Legion aren't smart enough to evolve on their own?"
"But-but how?"
I leaned forward and placed my cup to the side. I planted both elbows on my desk and laced both hands under my chin and gave her a tense stare. "You never found it strange the Legion stopped being the overwhelming, never stopping force that crushed our military all those years ago? Back then we couldn't catch a single break for a single day for a single hour for a single second. And when pushed to the brink of absolute destruction we eventually end up where we are now as a country, alive but just a shadow of what we were. While we stood still in time, the Legion evolved, learned how to learn if that makes any sense."
I took a deep breath. "When I look at these small attacks we are dealing with, all I see is a superior foe poking the enemy for more information. How fast are we at responding to threats? How do we deploy our troops? What kind of equipment do we use?" I sighed, it was tiring to hear myself speak. "Then after they truly realize how defenseless we really are, they strike the final blow."
She looked shocked and at a loss for words and for a while the two of us fell into silence before I broke it again. I swiveled my monitor so that she could look at its contents. "This is just the next iteration of my prototype design to hopefully replace the decrepit Juggernauts."
She leaned in to analyze the contents. After a moment she shook her head. "I'm sorry Lieutenant Colonel but this….is hardly much of an upgrade."
"And it got denied." I let a bit of my frustration show as I tapped the screen with the back of my hand. "The military can afford to replace every Juggernaut in service with these at least two times over with relative ease. I did the math, even built several with my own money."
"But then…"
"This is what we are dealing with, Miss Milize."
For the first time since I met her, I saw a hopeful glint in her silver eyes. "We?"
I crossed my arms. "It should be obvious, we're both looking out for the 86s in our own way…..or trying to at least."
"You talked to Ice Cold Richter of all people? And somehow didn't get demoted for half the stuff you say?"
Lena waved her friends worry off as she ate her pudding. "He's not as bad as people make him out to be! He's just serious about his job."
Annette scoffed at her. "And so are you, making you two the weirdos in this country." She leaned forward over her own pudding. "You know he threatened a Major with execution the other week for insubordination?"
"What?"
"Yeah, apparently Richter ordered the other Major to do something and when denied, told him that a firing squad would be waiting for him if he didn't comply."
Lena blanched at the story. "Well….I'd have to ask him directly next time I see him."
"Next time?! My god Lena, that's the last person you want to be associated with. He's probably the only one in the country that has the desire and the means to demote you or have you thrown in the brig or worse!"
"It's really not that bad Annette, you'll see when you meet him."
"Hopefully I won't have to."
"Hey boy, you still working this late?"
I looked up from my piles of notes towards the voice over by my door. His old man had recently cut his hair in a short crew cut, showing off a fair amount of his wrinkles and his eyes shone with a dull grayness to them. "Yes I am."
He took a swig from his bottle of alcohol. "You work too damn hard boy. Those machines will be gone soon, no need to stress about shit. Go find yourself a suitable wife and have some fun."
"Noted." I replied as I turned back to my research.
"Hmmm…. Stupid kid." With a grumble he finally left.
I eyed the open door with a sigh. I pushed away from my work and walked over to close the door. Suddenly I felt my smartwatch vibrate from an incoming call.
Walking back to my desk I grabbed my earbuds and linked the two devices before answering the call.
"Yeah?"
A chipper voice sounded through my ear. "Yo! Major Stillen reporting for duty!"
I rolled my eyes. "Yes yes Major Stillen, please report on your daily findings."
"Well today I found a couple girls you may like! All from noble families annnnnd they're cute."
"Anything else Major?" I laughed softly at my friend's antics.
"Nope!"
"Well if that's all from you, I'll go ahead and let you know I found an interesting girl today."
"Oh? Lieutenant Colonel Richter finally found a girl he's interested in? Do tell."
I grunted as I propped my feet up on my desk. "Do you know of Major Milize?"
"Who doesn't? She's kind of a celebrity in her own way."
"True, very true. Well I had the chance to talk to her today in my office. She's a smart girl."
There was a short pause. "...You sure getting involved with her is smart? You'll draw a lot of attention." He asked.
I shrugged. "I'll be able to handle it, no big deal really." I stretched my arms over my head. "Anyway, I hate to cut our call short but I'll be up all night if I let you continue with this conversation. We can talk more over some tea tomorrow."
"Sounds good! Before or after our spar?"
I looked over at my practice sword. "After. By the way, I think the score was 50-49 in my favor right?"
"Yeah and it'll be 50-50 tomorrow, you just got lucky last time!" Stillen laughed over the call.
A small smile made its way on my face. "Luck is a part of battle you know?"
"And you're a damn lucky one for sure!"
I chuckled. "We'll see if my luck holds tomorrow, Major Stillen. Good night."
"Night brother."
And with that the connection was terminated and I was left to my own thoughts.
I gazed down at my notes. There was a very real chance the threat of the Legion would not end in two years and if such a thing were to happen, the Republic would no doubt be destroyed. The 86s would be gone and there would be no one left to protect the country. On the other hand, maybe the threat really would end in just two years and he was just overthinking things. Certainly wasn't the first time I'd done it but this was something I felt in the deepest pit of my stomach.
I couldn't let this go on. I refused to live in a country filled with bigots and racists but was I the person needed to bring about the change?
I quickly threw the negative thought away. I had no room to second guess myself. Reaching over, I dug through a small pile of paperwork before pulling out a list of trusted individuals I could count on….and their military prowess.
Even now there were some competent units he could count on. One of them was the 1st Infantry Division, of which Major Stillen was one of the commanders alongside General Stillen. Like father, like son.
The oldest and most distinguished unit in the army, given the nickname The Bloody First and Big Red One, they were his ace in the hole. Other than that, I had a few more I could put together, mainly the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division and the 33rd Engineer Corps. Others would not be as reliable for when the time came.
And that was it. All the other units weren't even worth mentioning, if anything they were just a minor obstacle.
Then there was the wildcard, the 86s. The most experienced group of individuals this Republic had to offer….and most of them were still in their teens.
I still had no idea on how to fix that whole mess and I could feel a headache just by the thought. With a tired sigh I decided to retire for the night. After changing into my sleepwear I fell face first into my bed. Turning around in my bed I stared up at the ceiling.
A large grin slowly formed on my face.
This country was mine.
