Saint of Letzenbourg

by Xanen

The 203rd is tasked with rescuing a young relative of the Emperor. Unfortunately for Tanya he's a maniac seems hell bent on getting himself killed! But she seems to be the only one that realises it, clearly being X has something to do with this.

19. Ch19: Op Monarch III: Calculated Risks

Chapter 19: Operation Monarch III: Calculated Risks

40 years after the Great War

Londinium

As the beautiful city of Arene lay in cinders, the small country of Letzenbourg descended into civil war. Popular accounts like to claim that the then Regent and his government, were so appalled by the events that he felt compelled to switch sides and declare war on the countries long-time ally.

As with most such accounts, the facts are very different. It is unlikely that news of the true extent of what had happened at Arene would have been known by the Regent at this time. Instead, most scholars believe the mood was motivated by the ever-increasing political pressure the Empire was placing on the small country, to overhaul its financial sector.

For many years many within the Empire had used the little country to avoid paying tax, as the Empire sought more and more money for the war effort this drain on the country's income became unbearable and the Empire threatened to remove the Regent and his government. Thus, the regent was forced to face the Giant Empire for self-preservation. – Andrew WTN Special correspondent

May 5th Unified Year 1925

203rd Temporary Command Centre 01:00

Wiess couldn't help feeling frustrated as he watched the battalion disappear into the night sky, it felt almost as though he was somehow letting his comrades down by not going with them. There was nothing for it though, he was injured and there was no way the major would let him go. She was right he knew, but it still rankled, staying behind made him feel like an overprotective mother waiting for the kids to come home.

He wouldn't be sleeping tonight that was for sure. He'd always been told it was a soldier's trick on campaign to catch some sleep at any spare moment, especially if you were injured. Wiess had never managed that little technique, at least not without a little alcohol to help but he wouldn't consider that while he was waiting for the battalion to return. He'd have to busy himself with something until they returned, fortunately, he'd been left some orders by the prince's maid Christina.

He was privately pleased about that, not only because the orders had given him something to keep his mind off things but because it had given him a reason to talk to Christina. One way or another Wiess had never been especially successful with women, apart from on a professional level. Since joining the army there hadn't been much in the way of female company around, aside from when they were allowed an evening's leave at one of the local towns.

In his role as the Major's deputy, he had been working closely with the Prince's staff for various reasons and had found himself developing something akin to a crush on the maid. At first, he thought it was perhaps because she was the only woman around not wearing a uniform but increasingly, he found herself attracted to her stern business-like personality. He'd found himself finding excuses to talk to her and had begun feeling like a schoolboy trying to impress the teacher he liked. He sighed to himself, she's another reason I wish I could have gone on the mission.

He snapped himself out of his daydream as he returned through the main doors of their borrowed headquarters. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a familiar-looking sealed envelope. It was the same sort they would normally receive their orders or summons from the General staff or local command groups but instead of the usual Imperial seal, it bore the Lion of Letzenbourg, Prince Wilhelm's personal seal. He peeled it open and pulled out the usual typed orders and a handwritten note from the young colonel.

203RD TEMPORARY HEADQUARTERS

SUBJECT: TEMPORARY EVACUATION

TO: FIRST LIEUTENANT MATHEUS JOHAN WIESS

YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO TEMPORARILY EVACUATE ALL PERSONNEL FROM THE 203RD TEMPORARY HEADQUARTERS AND RELOCATE THEM AT WESTERN COMMAND UNTIL SUCH A TIME AS THEIR SAFETY CAN BE REESTABLISHED. TRANSPORT WILL BE PROVIDED BY WESTERN HEADQUARTERS.

W.V. VON HOZENHOLLEN

COLONEL

Wiess stared at the orders in disbelief, the battalion had only just been deployed and suddenly the prince was ordering an evacuation. It didn't make sense, and what did he mean about safety? He opened the note hoping that it might shine some light on these bizarre orders.

Captain Wiess,

I hope those orders didn't worry you unnecessarily if they did, I apologise. I didn't have time to see you before we left so I quickly made this note for you. I prefer the more personal touch of a letter than the orders, but anything official must be typed up properly or Major Degurechaff will get cross with me again.

As you know, since the incident with the spy, there have been concerns about the security of the command centre. Since it was a Letzenbourger working for the regent that broke in, they now know the location of the battalion and myself. They shouldn't be expecting an attack on Letzenbourg city so soon, I am concerned that they may send a force here.

I know it is unlikely, but since so many of you are injured and non-coms I'm concerned for your safety. I couldn't live with myself if those left behind were attacked, so I have asked General von Hans to send some vehicles over. The injured and the other personnel can stay with him in safety until all this has blown over.

I can always rebuild my summer home, I can never replace any of you.

Thank you in advance.

I remain

HRH Prince Wilhelm Viktor von Hozollern, Col

So, the prince was worried about their safety? Wiess couldn't help but smile, that was typical of him. Since joining the 203rd the prince had made every effort to befriend everyone in the battalion and had always seemed to take an interest in their wellbeing on and off the battlefield. It wasn't unusual for him to visit someone who was injured or throw himself into the line of fire to protect a comrade. The young prince had declared on several occasions that he fought so that others didn't have to and seemed to take that vow seriously. Unlike many of them, he had the option to avoid all the fighting, as a royal nobody would expect him to, especially because of his age. As far as Wiess knew he was the only member of the Imperial royal family fighting at the front and the way he fought showed he seemed to worry more about others than himself.

Still, he thought the prince was maybe being a little paranoid, the support staff were all trained to use rifles and even with an injured shoulder Wiess was still a mage. They should be able to defend the place if they were attacked. Besides he didn't know how the Major would feel about them abandoning the command centre.

Thinking of the Major made Wiess think of the mention of her in the note, he could just imagine the Major chewing out the little colonel for not typing them out as proper orders. But that meant they were real orders, he couldn't exactly ignore them. If there was one thing the Major would hate more than not having the orders typed out, it would be not following them.

He re-read the orders and note again for clarification, both mentioned that western command was sending transports to pick them up. That meant that the General believed there to be a potential threat too. They must have some intel he wasn't privy too he decided. He considered the closing words on the Prince's note, 'I can always rebuild my summer home, I can never replace any of you.' He clearly expected some sort of threat, they'd be foolish to ignore it.

He stopped a nearby corporal from the signal corps and ordered him to gather everyone in the entrance hall immediately before striding out the front door. He could hear the rumbling of engines in the distance, getting louder as they approached up the extensive driveway. He had to say one thing for the prince, he worked fast.

May 5th Unified Year 1925

Northern Letzenbourg 01:30

They must have had a fight Thought Visha as she observed her superiors as they flew over the moonlit steel mills of northern Letzenbourg towards their target. There had been some speculation when the little prince had grasped the commander by the hand and dragged her into one of the planning rooms so they could be alone. Especially after Visha and Wiess had had their little conversation with her.

Neumann and Grantz had laughed when they heard about the exchange, while Koenig was lamenting losing a month's pay, it seemed they'd finally confirmed their suspicions. The consensus of the group was that the prince had decided to officially ask the Major out before the mission. It had seemed like a story out of a romance novel, the prince declaring his love for his beloved before they went off into battle, but it seemed they had been wrong.

The Major had worn a sour expression since she had returned from her private conversation with the prince. It was fortunate that they had a mission so she could vent some of her frustration, I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of the Major's wrath right now Thought Visha.

The Prince didn't look much better, but rather than anger, his eyes held a twinge of sadness although outwardly he was being as friendly and cheerful as always. He was joining in with the usual pre-mission banter with everyone and promising a big victory party when the mission was all over, but after observing him and the major for the past few months, Visha could tell something must be bothering him.

She worried that she and lieutenant Wiess had triggered this with their little talk with the major. They had felt awkward and wanted to get the conversation done as quickly as possible but now thinking about it she wondered if it were the right move. The Major was very direct, if they'd made her feel embarrassed or like she'd made a mistake, she would tackle it immediately. She was sure that would have caused a misunderstanding with the prince, who was already dealing with an awful lot for someone his age.

She couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy. Not only had he tried to free everyone for their guilt about Arene, now his own family had turned against him and he was forced to fight his own countrymen. He'd now been made the impromptu leader of his country and had all the worries and responsibilities of that to deal with. It was far too much of a burden even for an adult to bear let alone a small boy. If you added the Major being angry with him the stress must feel unbearable.

She didn't blame the Major though, it was just her way of dealing with things. It's part of what made her a good commander if she felt there was a problem, she dealt with it quickly and efficiently. Instead, she blamed herself, she knew the Major well enough that she should have expected she'd attack the issue head-on. They should have waited for another time, the prince didn't need any more worries and distractions right now. The boy probably hadn't known what hit him.

Somethings definitely bothering him She decided, despite him trying to hide it behind the joking and chatter with the other troops. She had caught him glancing over at the major with a worried look when he thought nobody was looking, it would have been sweet if the situation were different. The Major, however, had stayed quiet and wore an annoyed frown, when she did look over at the prince that frown became deeper. She hoped they would make-up, she'd gotten used to the idea of them being together and it seemed like it would make them both happy. She sighed, there was nothing she could do about it, hopefully, everything would work itself out.

She glanced around at her teammates, most were enjoying the relative calm before the storm that came before a battle, going through their own personal rituals and habits that soldiers tend to have before a mission. As always, she felt slightly nervous but compared when she'd first served on the Rhine as a corporal, she was practically a sea of tranquillity. She was quietly amazed at how far she'd come in such a short space of time, That's what serving with someone like Major Degurechaff does to you I guess She thought to herself.

While the others were indulging in their usual pre-battle banter and boasting, she noticed captain Hausmann was quietly reading a letter with a smile on his face. She hadn't had an awful lot of contact with the Letzenbourg captain other than at the Regents party, their duties seemed to keep them away from each other. He was a quiet and dutiful man in his late 30s, he was tall and powerfully built and looked like he would be scary if not for the friendly gentle expression he always wore. She knew he was a competent officer after seeing him lead the Letzenbourg mages, but since joining the 203rd he had mostly kept to himself. Something about the way he was smiling at his letter had her intrigued, however, and she couldn't help but ask about it.

"Good news I assume?" She inquired with a friendly grin, watching as he snapped himself out of his reverie and returned her smile.

"It's a letter from my son" He explained, "The prince arranged for him to attend a top school in Züriech, it seems like he's doing well."

"I didn't realise you had children," She said realising how little she knew about her ally.

"Just Reinhard, he's just turned eight, and my wife Frieda of course," he explained before his smile began to fade. "I'm glad they're both in the Waldstätte Confederacy, I wouldn't want them mixed up in all this. He shouldn't be either." He finished gesturing over at the prince with a voice full of sorrow.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Visha observed the captain's face had become pained as though he was remembering something unpleasant.

"When the prince made the Letzenbourg mages…." He began before trailing off as he searched for the right words. "Well let's say it wasn't a good time for me and my family, the prince helped turn my life around," he explained. "I thank god that I met that boy, I owe him, and he just keeps giving. Sometimes I think he believes we all only serve with him because he'll reward us, but some of us would follow him to the gates of Hell if he asked."

"I know what you mean" Visha replied looking over fondly at the major, she would do the same for her commander. After all, they served on the Rhine, they'd already been to Hell and back.

"Although I'm not quite so sure about all the volunteers" He stated so quietly she almost didn't hear it. He went quiet for a few moments and went back to reading his letter before stuffing it back into his pocket.

"It isn't right!" Hausmann growled and Visha snapped her attention back to the captain who was now staring at the prince with a frown. "The prince, your Major, even you! None of you should be fighting this war, you're all so young, it was my generation that made this mess and you all have to pay for it."

Visha had never seen such a display of emotion from the Letzenbourger, she wondered if he was ok, he was about to fight for his home, maybe the stress was getting to him. He looked back at her and his expression softened a little as he saw her worried expression.

"Sorry, sometimes I imagine it was my son out here and it gets to me you know?"

She nodded, that made sense, she sometimes forgot that the Major and the Prince were so young. It was not especially usual for someone as young as her to be serving in most militaries, it probably only didn't seem odd to the rest of them because they were serving with officers even younger. It was kind of scary how easily everyone had adapted to the idea, it showed how desperate the Empire was for capable mages. To someone with a child, like Hausmann, it must have been upsetting to see officers serving so close to the age of their own son.

The steel mills soon gave way to open countryside as they followed the rail lines towards Letzenbourg city. The night sky had started to become overcast and the light from the moon became obscured by the clouds. She spared a small amount of mana to cast an optical night vision spell so that she could see through the gloom.

Far below she noted the trench lines that had been dug by the prince and the rookies during their training as it zig-zagged across the countryside. It had only been a month ago since Grantz and the others had joined them, and only 2 since the prince and his staff had arrived on the scene. Somehow it seemed like they'd been together much longer, everyone had melded together so well.

"Since when did we have these trenches so far behind the lines? We're not even the right side of the city." She heard the prince ask, genuinely confused.

"Since you dug them, colonel" The major answered curtly, and the prince looked over and blinked in surprise. These were the same trenches that the rookies had dug during their extra training. The prince had spent much of that time with them, posing as a private after losing a bet to the major.

"I hadn't realised they were so far back," He said to himself quietly "How strange" He finished furrowing his brow thoughtfully. He shrugged, accepting it as one of those things and turned to call back to lieutenant Grantz who was following further behind.

"Vooran! Are you as annoyed as I am that our hard work is going to waste?" He laughed.

"I doubt it," He called back "You were the one that dug most of it after upsetting the major, private Ansbach." He joked earning a chuckle from the surrounding troops and even a strange smirk from the major.

Still, it did seem strange now that they were flying over them, it seemed wasteful to make all those fortifications just for them to sit empty. It was unlike the brass to be so frivolous with supplies and equipment, they were usually so fastidious about that sort of thing. Her friend Erya had joked with her that the logistics division were so strict they'd made her write out a requisition form for a requisition form. Although that was a bit of an exaggeration, they were known to be strict. Maybe someone had made a mistake.

Thinking of Erya she wondered what she was up to, she hadn't seen her since they were deployed in the north. She had meant to write a letter to see how she had been, but she'd not seemed to find the time. Last she'd heard she was part of the military intelligence department, that meant she got to know about all the gossip, she would enjoy that, she would no doubt know why the trenches were empty.

The vacant trenches were soon behind them and the dark silhouette of Letzenbourg city loomed on the horizon. It was shrouded in darkness, being so close to the front lines the city had adopted a blackout policy to minimise the damage that enemy bombing could achieve. Although from what Visha had been told, the city had been spared the worst of the bomber attacks as the most of the little country's industry was in the north, the city itself was mostly a banking hub.

"Ok cut the chatter!" The major barked, "We're approaching the combat zone, "3rd and 4th companies form up, 2nd company hang back with the spare equipment until we've freed the Letzenbourg wing." The orders were unnecessary, they all knew their jobs, but it was comforting to hear the major say them anyway, it gave everyone a sense of focus.

"Thank you, everyone, I couldn't do this without you all," The prince said, and she was sure she wasn't the only one that felt moved by those simple words.

The battalion had now become quiet and professional as they sensed the approaching danger. In the distance, they could hear the two sides exchanging fire and the occasional explosion from cannons and grenades. The City was already tearing itself apart, now it was up to them to hold it together until help arrived.

May 5th Unified Year 1925

Northern Letzenbourg 02:00

Tanya cursed as the anti-air cannons opened up on her, someone had been improving Letzenbourg's air defence. When last she visited the city it had just a few AA guns which were mostly flak for taking down bombers. Now they'd adopted a layered defence, adding a mixture of 20 and 40mm guns better suited to taking down low-level aircraft and more worryingly mages. It was like the whole city had decided to adopt the advice she'd given to the Imperial navy.

A 40 mm round was especially dangerous to a mage, a strong magic user could hold an active barrier against one or two 40mm rounds, but they would soon fail under sustained fire. If she used the type 95, she knew she could theoretically withstand a hit from a 125mm round, but she'd never wanted to test it. Besides, even with all this incoming fire, she was hesitant to use that cursed object, she would only relinquish control of her mind if absolutely necessary.

The guns were also fitted with searchlights and devices to detect mana signatures so even the darkness was providing little in the way of help. She'd seen these guns before, they were the new anti-air countermeasures the republic had been adopting across the front. One thing that could be said for the escargots was that they were good at thinking up nasty ways to get the most out of air defence and it seemed like they'd been sharing them with their new friends for some time now, they must have been here before the war declaration.

The bratty colonel had been undeterred by these problems however, even when by his own admission, it would be all but impossible for him to sway any of those guarding his mages. He reasoned that the Regent would have entrusted only his most trusted soldiers to secure the mages, although this made sense, she failed to see how it was supposed to get through the porcupine-like air screen. She'd expected she would have to deal with it, his head seemed so sure of victory, he hadn't even bothered with a flight suit.

To her surprise and chagrin, after she had heard his plan, he had already come up with a counter. Since visibility was low the guns would follow the strongest mana signatures, which meant her. He wanted her and her unit to distract them by flying over them at the AA's extreme range with decoys while bleeding as much mana as possible, to confuse their targeting. Meanwhile, he and the others would position themselves above and dropped in to take out the crews.

She'd tried to object but he had pointed out that he'd seen her cope with much worse while using the type 95, before lamenting he wasn't powerful enough to do it himself. The annoying thing was that he was right, drawing enemy fire with her own mana signature was exactly what she had done on the raid with the rookies, the brat was just going to use it for offence. That said, just because she'd done worse before didn't mean she was particularly happy about being bait. Besides was she really didn't want to use that thing, it messed with her mind, the last thing anyone needed was both superior officers acting irrationally.

She was seriously wondering how much it might affect her career if the little colonel were to have an accident. She'd already discounted outing his true identity, now that he was de jure ruler of Letzenbourg he was more useful to the Empire than ever, even if only as a puppet. It was likely some very powerful people would prefer his secret stayed that way, not least the Imperial royal family itself. She could only imagine what lengths they'd go to prevent embarrassment.

Besides he could still cause her problems as he fell from grace and he was spiteful enough to do just that. If he had an accident or fell in battle though, it would get him out of her hair. She could still be blamed, however, even without Letzenbourg he was nominally 6th in line to the throne of the Empire, at least as far as anyone else knew. Even if she were completely blameless, it could be difficult to escape the stain on her career. Sometimes it almost seemed worth it.

No, it was better to be patient, after this mission, there was no reason for him to be with the 203rd. He'd have his mages, he'd no longer have the threat from his brother, he wouldn't need any of them, as long as it was a success that is. Suddenly she felt far more enthusiastic about making sure that it would be the case.

She looked up at the sky wondering how much longer she'd have to act as bait, Any time now would be nice she thought to herself as she awaited the drop. It was fortunate the Letzenbourg traitors were unfamiliar with their new toys, their aim was terrible and at this range, any injury would probably minimal. She wondered if it would have been easier to stay still, she almost felt like they were more likely to hit her by accident than on purpose.

Suddenly she caught the sound of flight gear humming to life, and the incoming fire began to slow down only to be replaced by panicked cries. To her surprise, the little colonel had suddenly appeared in the midst of the enemy and was dispatching them with sword and pistol fire. Soon after the rest of his platoon duplicated his manoeuvre and joined in the melee, while the 3rd and 4th companies fired into the rest as they descended, and the AA fire ceased completely.

It took her a moment to figure out what had happened, the little colonel must have cut off all his mana to his flight gear only to re-energise it just before hitting the ground. It had masked his mana signature completely, so none of the gun crews had detected him, it also allowed him to sow an extra level of discord so the rest of the troops could approach without any further AA fire. But it was beyond reckless, the timing needed to pull off that kind of manoeuvre was very precise and even the type 97s weren't immune to misfires and mechanical failures. Even on a good day, it could take a couple of tries to get the gear started properly, let alone able to slow a fall. He could easily have ended up a stain on the floor and she would no doubt have been blamed.

She felt her anger rise once again, as she landed softly nearby. It was bad enough he was constantly trying to involve her in his games, but his stupid showboating was putting her career at risk. He was such a hypocrite! Hadn't he lectured her men on heroics? She would never have accepted such behaviour from her own men, when she'd first been on the Rhine she'd sent men to be fired at in pillboxes for daring to be so reckless. Beating you and putting you in a sack until the mission is over is becoming more appealing all the time, She thought to herself.

"Neumann, would you mind clearing any stragglers, please? Koenig, could you arrange a perimeter? Hausmann, please show 2nd company to our friends I'm sure they'll want to join in the fun, Christina I'd like to speak with some friendly ground forces if you wouldn't mind." The little colonel began commanding, it was almost comical, he acted as though he was asking someone to pass the salt not ordering soldiers. He turned and saw her approach and she was gratified to see a twinge of discomfort hit his mask of confidence as he saw her approach.

"Well done major, were there any ca.." He began before she cut him off, not caring that Visha was staring at the two of them.

"Colonel, I want it noted I object to your reckless behaviour" She growled, and he stared back at her utterly confused. He really doesn't understand how stupidly dangerous his stunt was she realised. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted Visha's eyes widen in surprise, it was probably a shock to her seeing her superiors argue.

"I thought you'd be relatively safe at extreme range, your company is the strongest, after all, you should be able to shield…." He babbled trying to explain himself looking at her with worried and puzzled eyes.

"I meant your combat drop, sir," She interrupted again, "You shut your gear off and restarted before hitting the floor, didn't you? That's incredibly dangerous the fact that all four of you were able to pull it off at all is nothing short of miraculous," She lectured struggling to keep her voice level. You must be the only person on the planet that I would have to explain this to she thought.

He stared at her with a mixture of shock and confusion on his face for a moment before murmuring "Now you're concerned about my safety?"

I'm concerned that you being a red smear on the ground, will reflect badly on me, you cretin She thought while trying to remember the military procedures for relieving an officer of command.

Suddenly he burst out laughing and she instinctively felt her fists clench in irritation. She was sure after the event's in Arene, there was enough evidence to bring his mental state into question within a tribunal. She could also argue the emotional strain Letzenbourg's uprising was having an effect on him. This reckless attack and subsequent fit of hysterical laughter would make for decent pieces of evidence, she was sure she could spin it to something like 'Obviously the guilt of it all was too much and he was trying to atone with a suicidal charge.' Yes, that sounded pretty good, and she had her adjutant nearby to act as a witness. Before she could proceed however the little colonel began speaking wiping a tear from his eye.

"Sorry major, I wasn't laughing at you. I just didn't expect you to be so worried about my safety after our fight earlier." He said smiling once again, "You don't have much experience using anything other than imperial variants of flight gear, do you?" He questioned.

"We've not all had such a privileged upbringing sir," she replied dryly "but I don't see…"

"You see Imperial gear is designed for adaptability, the republic and the commonwealth like the seated gear as it helps with accuracy and allows extra room for supplies, but it loses out on manoeuvrability" He began explaining.

"The Letzenbourg gear is adapted from stunt gear, it's all about manoeuvrability!" He exclaimed "Did you never see a mage stunt show before the war? The big trick they do is shutting off the gear and plummet to the ground only to start up again at the last minute, it's impressive but it's all a bit of a cheat this gear is designed for quick restarts, that's why the range is so terrible." He finished with a smug grin on his face once again.

She looked to her adjutant for confirmation, and to her dismay saw her nodding enthusiastically.

"I'm not sure about the stuff with the gear, but I saw a couple of air shows with my parents when I was younger and they always did that stunt, it couldn't be that risky, could it?" Visha chimed in looking slightly lost in nostalgia.

It could still be very risky, it was a stunt show after all, but his explanation had just blown a hole in her evidence. Still, she wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"How could you be certain your orbs wouldn't fail, the 97s are good but not infallible" She pressed.

"Very true but Christina has been tweaking them, besides as a test pilot you should already know it's best to carry a spare" He grinned pulling out his old Letzenbourg computation orb from his pocket.

She'd lost this round, reluctantly she had to admit that she had perhaps misjudged him on this occasion. She would still keep an eye on him, however, she still considered him a liability. The boy was now staring at her again with a strange look and she returned it with a hard stare.

"I appreciate you worrying about my wellbeing Major," He said eventually, and his expression seemed to mellow. She wasn't going to argue the point, as long as he didn't see it as another opportunity to drag her into something else, she would allow him to believe she was concerned.

"Bad news sir!" Hausmann reported as he ran back along the courtyard, flanked by two other Letzenbourg mages. "There are only 2 squadrons of Letzenbourg mages available."

"What happened?" Questioned the little colonel with concern as Tanya saw his grin melt away once more.

"I'm afraid since our last contact, the regent has bribed half the wing to switch sides or go home, the only people we have left are ex empire and the volunteers from the Akitsushima Dominion" The captain revealed with a guilty-looking grimace.

The little colonel scowled, this wasn't part of his plan and they were now left even more shorthanded. It was still far from hopeless though, he would just have to choose whether or not to divert more manpower from the force delaying the republicans.

She suddenly found herself smiling as she remembered something the boy had said months ago.

"No plan survives contact with the enemy, isn't that right colonel?"

Author's note

Hi all and thank you as always for reading. I spent a little time re-reading the whole story from beginning to here again to make sure everything is still making sense. Although it seems to be ok from story view I really need to go back and tidy some bits up, especially in the early chapters. I'm going to spend some time doing that once I'm finished with the attack on Letzenbourg. On the upside, though I think I've improved an awful lot since the beginning, so I feel pretty proud of myself.

Other notes:

Wiess and the battalion don't consider Visha 'Female company' because to quote Grantz on the submarine after operation shock and awe "she's more dangerous than the republicans". I made Wiess have a crush on Christina because I thought it might be nice, after all, it's only Tanya and the prince that don't really get on.

The evacuation will be explained either next chapter or the one after that it depends a little bit on where I find it best to slot it in. I feel like I have a lot of bases to cover at this point in the story.

Sorry, the rumour mill has stalled for the moment, don't worry it'll get going again soon enough, it's the most fun part after all. I do feel bad that Visha thinks she might be responsible though.

I finally got to give Hausmann some backstory, I kinda forgot about him for a while as the sisters were more interesting.

Already some holes appearing in Wilhelm's plan and I got to put a call back all the way back to chapter 6!

It's going to be hard work getting Tanya and the prince to get along, or at least trust each other. Step one is trying to get the prince not to want to murder Tanya, I'm going to start that with the power of misunderstandings! Also, some other stuff with Damian and maybe Wilhelm getting a good kicking.

I may have taken some liberties as to how the various mage gear works, they only really exist in the Anime and I think they look cool, which is why they are in. Hopefully what I've said about them makes sense, I tried to think about the logic behind the different designs and I'd already mentioned the prince's home has various types lying around the shed.

After re-reading from the 1st chapter, I realised that he has only ever disobeyed Tanya the once. Although he has given her several other reasons to mistrust him, from his point of view at least he hasn't done all that much to deserve her ire. He might need to realise he is wrong about that lol.

Finally, should I just give up and put it all in American English? I'm getting fed up with changing all the spelling back when Stenv proofreads it. I feel like this is a battle that I'm losing haha.

Thank you all for reading as always.

Xanen