Operation Shock and Awe

Dear Visha,

It's been so long since I've heard from you! I'm beginning to worry that you've forgotten about me, I'm starting to feel a little lonely.

Don't worry, I'm just kidding, I know you're busy with all those adventures that you go on with the Argent, I get to read all the reports of what you're up to. Still, it'd be nice to hear from you a little more often.

Have you heard? Corporal Wenzel from our class in the academy is getting married! Somehow, she managed to keep her relationship a secret from me all this time! If she's that good at keeping secrets she's wasted as an artillery spotter.

I hear that you're being sent on an important errand soon, there's no need to be worried though, I know you'll do great. If even half of what you've told me about Major Degurechaff is true, you'll be back safe and sound in no time.

I'd like to tell you I've been having adventures of my own, but it's mostly been reviewing files for Colonel Drach. There were a few juicy bits in them, but I'm not allowed to tell anyone about any of it, it's nice getting all the gossip but sometimes I wish I could spread it around a little bit.

I'm being transferred back to Berlun soon, we'll have to meet and catch up the next time you're in town.

Your loving friend

Erya

P.S I've heard a rumour that one of the big bosses has taken an interest in your Commander, it's probably not a bad thing but I thought I'd let you know.

– Personal correspondence of Lieutenant Viktoriya Ivanovna Serabryakov, Dated May 1925

May 24th Unified Year 1925

Odenwald Forest, 10KM outside Landsberg, approach to Imperial Army Secret V-1 Launch Base

When Visha first served on the Rhine front, she quickly learned that it was important to grab any and every opportunity for sleep and a hot meal whenever you could, even if artillery was raining down on you. That habit had never left her, despite now being part of a unit that usually got better rations and was rotated out of combat regularly. Maybe that was why she had found herself nodding off as the train swayed gently with a peaceful clicking and clacking that echoed rhythmically along the tracks.

As the gradual deceleration of woke her from her slumber, she found herself yawning and stretching from her impromptu nap, blinking the sleep from her eyes as she took in her surroundings. She was sitting in a passenger car on a military train headed to wherever their mysterious next deployment was supposed to be. The slight rocking of the car coupled with the rhythmic chuffing of the engine and clacking of the tracks underneath was almost hypnotic and made it far too easy to fall asleep. Since the Major was upfront with Lieutenant Colonel Rerugen and some engineers, she'd been given some free time and she had found herself dozing peacefully.

Most of the 203rd had been recruited from the southern and eastern armies and although the Major's unique training style had taught them a lot of things, no one else seemed to have learned the knack of sleeping anywhere quite like she had. It made her smile, in her own way, she was more of a veteran than any of them, except the Major of course.

Some of the others hadn't found it quite so easy to relax however and were chafing at not knowing where or what their next mission was going to be. They all knew better than to ask questions though, the Commander would brief them when she was good and ready until then they would have to wait.

Grantz seemed especially nervous, although he was doing his best not to show it. She knew he was still worried about being seen as the wide-eyed newbie, but she could see the familiar mixture of excitement and nerves in his face. She thought it was kinda cute, she liked the childlike enthusiasm that he'd shown when he first joined the 203rd. She'd been worried that the events in Arene might have drained away that part of him, but it seemed he'd finally started to feel like himself again. Still, he wasn't the only one feeling a little anxious, they could all tell this mission must be something important.

Although frustrating, it wasn't especially unusual for the battalion not to know exactly where it was going. The Major had once said, "it was the regrettable nature of being in a mobile response unit, sometimes you get stuck flying blind." They'd just have to deal with it, they'd no doubt find out soon enough.

They did know they weren't heading straight back to the front however, they'd all travelled up and down those familiar tracks often enough to recognise the scenery and the densely packed tree's whizzing past the windows were very different from the idyllic farmlands they usually stared out at. The forest outside the window looked like the sort that was described in children's stories, the sort where an evil witch would kidnap children and they'd be lost in the dark woods forever. She felt an involuntary shiver, before shaking the thoughts from her mind, it was silly to be scared of something like that after all she'd been through.

Another strange thing was that there were only eleven of them, with the major that meant twelve, that only made a company of mages. Stranger still, the commander had hand-picked everyone for this mission, all the company commanders were there, as well as Grantz and several platoon commanders. It was very unusual for them to be deployed like this, they were all the stronger and more skilled of their individual companies and would normally be deployed to offset the weaker members to make the battalion stronger.

Poor Vooran had been a little worried that he'd been included in the group, Grantz was the only rookie chosen and after Arene he was convinced that the Major only wanted him around to keep an eye on him. It'd taken quite a bit of convincing to persuade him otherwise, she'd heard the Major talk about him and knew she was impressed with how quickly he had caught up with the rest of the battalion. She did still think he was green and impulsive however, but she thought it best not to mention that part to him.

All these strange decisions made her think of the letter that her friend Erya had sent her, she had mentioned that they were being sent on an 'errand.' Erya worked in military intelligence putting her formidable talent for finding out things that she shouldn't, to good use, so it was hardly surprising that she'd have some idea what was happening. When they'd last met in the north, she had tipped her off that the Allied kingdom was interfering up there, so she knew that if she was passing any information along it was probably a good idea to listen to it. Unfortunately, she couldn't be specific in a letter, she'd get in trouble if she put any military secrets in there. She supposed she'd just have to be content with the little bit of advanced warning she had been given.

The Battalion had been ordered back to Berlun not long after the Major had left for her briefing with Lieutenant colonel Rerugen. They had barely stepped onto the platform when the Major appeared and plucked her chosen from the unit and ordered them out before leaving the rest of the battalion to take their things to headquarters and stand by. They were soon ushered onto a different train with a heavily guarded freight carriage towards the rear and they were soon on their way.

She did at least get a chance to see how the Major was before they left, she'd been a little worried about her, the commander hadn't seemed quite herself lately. She'd seemed slightly distant and lost in thought, Visha blamed herself, the Major had always trusted her to watch her back for her, she couldn't do that if Visha was making foolish mistakes like overloading her computation orb. She resolved not to make any more stupid mistakes, she'd have to show the commander she could count on her.

As soon as they'd boarded the train, she'd made sure to appropriate some coffee and a newspaper from a friendly station porter, knowing that her superior would appreciate it no matter how long the journey would be. As usual, there was a small kitchen in what would have been the rail conductor's cabin before the train had been requisitioned by the military, so she had easily been able to get some hot water. It was fortunate the commander didn't take milk or sugar though as the kitchen contained neither, it seemed like it was getting increasingly difficult to get a hold of such things these days. She was pleased to find the Major seeming more like her old self as she brought her the steaming beverage and the apparent reason why couldn't help but make Visha smile.

It seemed that the Major had run unto Prince Wilhelm during her short time in Berlun and was grumbling quietly to herself about "the trouble that idiot was getting himself into." From what she could gather, the boy had healed up surprisingly quickly but was having some trouble with the higher-ups. She didn't really understand all of it but was glad he was feeling better, he hadn't been in a good way after Letzenbourg and the Major had mentioned that he hadn't taken the loss of Captain Hausmann all that well either. She hoped he'd be ok.

Anyone who didn't know the Major might assume the two youngsters didn't get on judging by the way she was complaining about him, but Visha had been around her commander long enough to know she wouldn't complain this much about someone or something she didn't care about. The Major was an amazing person, but she wasn't great at expressing her feelings, sometimes Visha thought the girl didn't really know what she felt herself, so she didn't express herself in the ways that you would usually expect.

She was harsh on her troops because she cared about them, despite having some of the most dangerous missions, they had some of the lowest casualties in the army. Although their training was a big help, they all agreed the real reason was the Major. Hers was a kind of tough love, her orders may have seemed harsh and severe, but they were there to keep you safe. If you weren't willing to accept them or disobeyed them, the Major wouldn't waste her time on you, and you'd be sent away, just like Harald and Kurst.

This was why Visha knew the Major must care about the prince, although she may not want to admit it, she was probably harsher on him than anyone. She'd even gone to the trouble of keeping him close the whole time they were deployed together, especially after the incident with the intruder. Even now they were apart she was still complaining about him, the Major Degurechaff she knew wouldn't waste her time grumbling about him unless she held some concern for the boy.

She was also sure the two of them shared some sort of secret, she didn't know what it was but there was always a knowing look between them like they shared some unspoken connection. She knew it wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't help being a little curious as to what that secret might be. It seemed to Visha that half of their squabbling was a front for the communication they shared with the glances that crossed between them. So, despite the Major's harsh words about the boy she didn't believe she disliked him all that much, besides she was still wearing the silver hair clip the boy had given her.

After another stretch, she glanced around the cabin to see what everyone else was up to. Towards the back of the carriage, there were some soldiers helping themselves to rations, a little closer Corporal Katz from the second company and a few others were playing cards. She frowned a little as she saw them hastily hide them away once they saw she was awake, Katz was obviously still sore that he'd lost half a month's pay the last time they'd played together but there was no need for him to be rude about it.

Closer to her, the company commanders and Grantz were crowded around a slightly harassed looking Lieutenant Wiess. She made her way towards them, worried for a moment that something bad might have happened but as she approached, she felt herself calm. They were talking about the last letter Wiess had sent to Christina and the other officers had obviously taken it on themselves to 'help' him with his latest attempt to woo the prince's maid.

"I'm telling you, you should have put in the line about her being the most beautiful in the world. It works every time!" chimed in Neumann confidently as she approached, and she wondered exactly how often he'd tried that line and with what success.

The whole group seemed engrossed in their mission to help Wiess and didn't seem to notice her. They didn't exactly evoke the image of the love-struck poets, they looked more like Generals planning an offensive and by the look on Wiess's face, Visha was willing to bet it wasn't going well.

"Maybe you should say how much you miss her next time," Grantz added trying to sound like an expert.

"No no no!" Argued Koenig. "That makes you sound too desperate, you need to get her to show she's interested in you, she should be confessing to you!"

Visha cleared her throat to let them know she was there. She felt she needed to do something to help before the three would-be Casanova's managed to sabotage any hope of Wiess and Christina getting together. Aside from a few official interactions, Wiess had struggled to even speak to the maid when they were all stationed together all this would be too much. Hearing her cough Wiess looked up and he seemed to cheer a little as he saw her.

"Second Lieutenant!" Wiess called with evident relief, it seemed he wasn't entirely confident with the conflicting advice he was receiving either. "I'm sorry if we woke you."

"You didn't" she replied with a reassuring smile before sitting and joining them, "What's going on?"

"This old dog here has finally plucked up the courage to ask out his sweetheart," Grantz explained with a grin. "He managed to get a letter out before we changed train, although now it looks like he's running scared."

"I'm an Imperial officer" huffed Wiess indignantly, "I've faced down the enemy numerous times, not to mention survived the commander's training. I am not running scared" He finished with a scowl as the others chucked.

"You just need to be more confident" Neumann advised with a cheerful smile slapping Wiess on the back, but it didn't seem to improve the love-struck man's mood all that much.

"Confidence isn't the problem" Wiess grumbled in reply, but before he could elaborate the train whistled and the dense forest around the carriage opened up into a wide clearing. It felt like they'd exited a tunnel as the light that had been previously been blocked by the dense treeline now poured through the windows. It seemed that they had reached their destination and Wiess's love life was temporarily forgotten as they peered out the window in an attempt to figure out where they were.

The train had entered into a huge clearing in the forest, it must have been man-made she realised, the foliage had been too thick for it to naturally disappear so suddenly. It almost seemed like a portion of the woodland had simply been lifted from the land and flattened out, leaving an unnatural wasteland that felt uncomfortably like the Rhine front but without the mud and smoke.

Within the clearing was a tall barbed-wire perimeter fence being patrolled by guards with dogs. As the train approached it, a guard quickly raised a barrier to allow the train into the compound, although he peered back through the windows at them with interest, they were not stopped, and the train continued towards its eventual destination.

It was obvious that this was a military facility, but it didn't look anything like any of the airfields, bases or supply depots Visha had been to before. The train seemed to be heading towards a platform with what looked like a large aircraft hangar attached. Instead of connecting to a long runway as she would have expected, however, there was a narrow road that led to several long channels with walls along either side. Within these channels were sets of rails that gradually increased in gradient as they got further away, eventually pointing up into the sky. These were much smaller rails than those used for a normal train and reminded Visha of a ride she'd once seen at a funfair in Dünzig before the war.

She wondered what these tracks were for, she could only assume that whatever was supposed to be placed on the tracks was stored in the warehouse, but she couldn't figure out what they might be. Anything that reached the end would simply fall off the end wouldn't it?

At the far end of the compound, she could see another more fortified building with a radio mast and an observation tower jutting out of the top. It was probably the command centre she realised, Lieutenant colonel Rerugen and the engineers that accompanied the Major would probably be headed there. She felt an involuntary stab of nerves as she noted how far away the building was, clearly whatever went on at this side of the base was dangerous enough that the officers wanted to stay as far away from it as possible.

She swallowed her feeling of disquiet and shook her head as the train finally came to a halt. What am I thinking She chastised herself, the Major would never ask us to do anything she didn't think we couldn't do, there's nothing to worry about.

They were soon led from the train and after a short walk, were ushered into a large hall for their briefing. Initially, she didn't think it was any different from any of the other briefing halls she'd been in during her service. It was tall and decorated with the huge red imperial banners that the Major had said were supposed to help fill them all with a sense of national pride. At the far end was a raised platform with a map and a podium for the commander to speak from. She made a mental note to see if she could find something for the Major to stand on, she knew her height was a common source of her superior's frustration and it was always better to address the issue before I caused her any embarrassment.

The only strange thing about the briefing room was a large cylindrical object at one side of the platform. It wasn't like anything she'd seen before, it looked almost like someone had put wings on a cigar and sharpened one end to a point. Is that thing the reason we're here? She wondered.

Fortunately, someone had left a wooden crate in a corner, so she surreptitiously placed it by the podium and quickly fell in with the others. It felt a little strange to be stood with the rest of the company, as the Major's adjutant she would usually be stood up by the commander along with Lieutenant Wiess. Normally, they would have both been briefed along with the Major but that hadn't happened this time, so they were both in with the rank and file and as clueless as everyone else.

Eventually, the Major appeared and strode confidently towards the podium and stepped up onto the crate without even registering that it was there. She wore a serious expression, even more so than usual and Visha found herself swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Troops, we've been given an important job. One that you were specially chosen for," the Major began as tension filled the room. It was like they'd thought, they'd been picked specifically, obviously whatever they were being asked to do wouldn't be easy.

"Our new mission is to pilot these rockets into republican territory and destroy the enemy's HQ," she explained pointing to the cylinder, inducing a murmur from the gathered soldiers.

This is a rocket? Thought Visha with trepidation. The only rockets she'd ever seen were fireworks at the Reichsgründungstag festival, how were they supposed to fly fireworks? Moreover, they were going to fly straight at the enemy HQ! How could they do that without getting shot down?

Calm down and listen, She chastised herself. You know the Major wouldn't allow this if it wasn't possible.

The Major began her explanation, they were to suit up and be launched in these rockets higher and much faster than any mage or fighter plane could manage. This meant they could penetrate deep into the enemy lines without worrying about being shot down. Her worries about the rockets themselves were quickly dispelled as it seemed they were more akin to an aeroplane than the fireworks she'd seen.

That explains the wings She thought to herself with a grin, feeling silly for being worried about it in the first place. Before hardening her expression and concentrating on the task at hand, I have to be strong for the Major, she's counting on me.

She was further relieved to find out that they didn't even have to worry about steering the rockets, apparently one of the engineers had figured it all out and they would simply parachute out when they were approaching the targets. They'd pull the levers in the cockpit and deliver what they were calling doorknockers at the enemy as a distraction as they parachuted out. These doorknockers were in the tip of the rockets, a mixture of something called hydrazine and boron was stuffed inside. She didn't understand all the scientific stuff but from what she understood it would cause quite a problem for the enemy when it hit.

"Out of the eleven of you, I'm sure there are some that aren't too excited about being shot into the clouds, but we have to do this." The Major continued seriously staring out at them all. Visha felt her resolve harden as the girl's gaze fell on her, we can do this Major, I promise I won't let you down again.

"And if we have to do it, then for the honour of the Empire we'll make damn sure we're successful!" The Major declared and an impromptu cheer went up from the gathered troops, it seemed she wasn't the only one that was beginning to feel motivated to support the Major although she was hardly surprised. If the Major said jump, they would all ask how high, she may ask a lot of them but she had always proved that what she asked was possible, this was no different, they would succeed.

"Intelligence has given us three targets to annihilate. One of them is the Rhine theatre command centre. Once destroyed the enemy will be left leaderless and will be easily destroyed by our forces." The Commander continued once more and Visha couldn't help but feel her confidence grow at the confidence the Major had in them, she hadn't even entertained the possibility that they couldn't pull this off.

"In other words, this mission will end this war once and for all, the very fate of the Vaterland rests in our hands!"

Visha glanced around as the Major spoke those last words, everyone around her had hardened and determined expressions on their faces. She could understand why, they were being given the responsibility of finally ending this awful war. If they succeeded, they could all go back to their homes and families, it was a lot of responsibility, but the Major thought they could do it so they would do everything they could to make that happen.

Xxxxxx

May 25th Unified Year 1925

Imperial Army Secret V-1 Launch Base, Odenwald Forest, 10KM outside Landsberg

Tanya ground her teeth in nervous frustration as she lay uncomfortably in the rocket that would either blast her towards the enemy or leave her scattered over them in a thousand pieces. It felt cramped and claustrophobic even for her, although for once her smaller size meant she had much more room than the others. Even so, it felt like she was lying in a coffin and it conjured up the image of being buried alive, neither thought made her feel particularly comfortable.

Damn that Schugel She grumbled to herself. Her casket held all the trademarks of the mad doctor, and as usual, he hadn't spared a single thought for the comfort of the passenger. He probably only considered them another component of his machine or worse a hindrance to his designs. She wondered if that was why they weren't given any control over the navigation of the V-1s, they might do something sensible and shatter his delusions.

Inside what was generously called a cockpit, there was nothing in the way of cushioning or padding, instead, the occupant was expected to lay face down on a flat metal sheet that they were attached to by a harness. Tanya had been fidgeting since she'd been forced into the capsule and had yet to find a position that wasn't horribly uncomfortable. Worse still, the design of the rocket meant that its mage occupant had to be sealed away inside the incommodious vehicle while the secondary boosters were put in place and fuelled. This meant she had already been stuck inside the claustrophobic cylinder for quite some time, listening to the engineer's crash around outside while they filled it with highly flammable liquid hydrogen.

She'd even been in the rocket as a crane lifted the V-1 onto its launch track, although in her case it was because her size meant she would need help to clamber into the damned thing once it was mounted up there. She refused to make a fool of herself by having someone lift her into the cockpit like a child, so had opted to get in before they mounted it on its tracks.

It had been strange feeling the enclosed capsule swaying around as the engineers moved it around, since she couldn't see where they were manoeuvring it, she found herself feeling oddly disorientated. The worst was still to come, of course, they were going to be breaking the sound barrier and no doubt would have to endure some serious G forces. She was privately thankful she didn't suffer from any form of motion sickness, even so, she'd not eaten too much just in case.

Suddenly the front of the rocket dropped and struck the ground with a loud thud that sent vibrations through the capsule. Tanya felt her heart stop in terror for a moment, the doorknockers were already attached to the nosecones of the V-1s and she feared the sudden impact might accidentally set the thing off. This fear had turned out to be unfounded however, and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself as it became clear she wasn't in imminent danger. She heard some angry shouting from outside the capsule, obviously, someone had screwed up.

"What the Hell is going on?!" Tanya yelled down the radio, not bothering to hide her displeasure.

"Fear not Major, these miracles are far too robust to be bothered by a little drop like that." Dr Schugel replied confidently.

Easy for you to say, you're not lying inside it! Tanya thought with annoyance, grinding her teeth as she tried to calm her voice. Now wasn't the time to be picking a fight with the mad engineer.

"Even so, perhaps we should have the unit checked just in case" she called back trying to be as diplomatic as possible, she already had her reservations about the V-1s, she definitely didn't want to risk being in one that was potentially faulty.

"Nonsense! It barely scratched the paint! Continue the preparations!" The Doctor ordered in a tone that told Tanya that the debate was over.

The front of the Rocket was raised again, and she soon felt the cylinder click into place on the launch track. The incident did nothing to calm her anxiety about the launch and every unknown noise she heard while the engineers did their work outside made her subconsciously flinch, half expecting the thing to explode.

She'd tried petitioning for a test run before the mission, she remembered reading about the space race in her past life and distinctly recalled the early experiments had often left nothing but debris behind. This was this world's first real foray into liquid-fuelled rockets, and she had no intention of being made a martyr for the emergent technology. Besides, the thought of being sent back to a smug Being X in a ball of flames was repulsive. Unfortunately, she'd been overruled due to security concerns, the General staff had 'faith' in Dr Schugel's V1 designs and were willing to take the gamble. Faith huh? She thought, this is definitely your doing Being X!

Unfortunately, she had no choice but to follow orders. If she had any hope of getting through this war and rub her success in that fake God's face, she had to find a way to make this mission successful.

She tried to push her misgivings about her transportation aside, for now, it wasn't as if there was anything she could do about it anyway. Soon she heard one of the engineers report their progress over the radio, they apparently had some way to go before they were ready for launch and she would be stuck here for a while longer. So she turned her thoughts onto the parts of the mission she did have control over.

She hadn't been exaggerating when she'd told her soldiers that the fate of the Empire was in their hands, a decisive blow now could end the war before it could deteriorate into the World war she feared. She'd done her best to impress the importance of this mission on her troops, but she found herself wondering if she'd maybe laid it on a bit too thick. True, it was important to make sure her subordinates were as committed to the success of the operation as she was but overburdening them with pressure might have the opposite effect. Even a bunch of war maniacs like them could start to crack after being told that the future was entirely in their hands.

They had all seemed to respond to her little speech well enough however, even Visha seemed to be reasonably enthusiastic. This had surprised Tanya a little bit, as a conscripted soldier she had expected her to feel about as eager as she did about the situation, but obviously, the war mania of the others was contagious. It was tough being surrounded by fanatics, even those that were loyal to you, they were all good soldiers however and she knew she could trust them with the task. In truth her little show of martial and national zeal was as much to calm her own nerves as anyone else's, sometimes repeating the importance of something out loud helped you focus on your job.

Ultimately though, she wasn't overly concerned about most of the mission, assuming the maiden flight of the V-1s was successful, she was confident that she and her troops could eliminate their targets. It was a surprise attack, after all, they had an advantage, the republicans weren't expecting an attack so far behind the lines and the doorknockers should put the enemy into a panic. As long as they achieved their objectives before anyone managed to get their act together, they had a good chance of success.

Then it would just be a case of getting to the extraction submarine, if she was lucky it might take longer than expected to sail around the coast and the war would be all but over by the time they got back. Then she could focus on persuading the General staff to give her a comfortable position in the rear. Maybe I should ask for a position in the academy or war college she thought, she now had experience training troops after all, and it might be nice to move back towards an HR role. She resolved to ask Lieutenant Colonel Rerugen about it at some point, he used to be in personnel so might have some useful tips or insights for her.

She shook the thoughts from her mind, slightly annoyed with her daydreaming. She was getting ahead of herself, they had to complete this mission first. If something went wrong, both her future plans and the Empire would be left in precarious positions. And there was a lot that could go wrong.

Aside from the potential airborne catastrophe, that she was doing her utmost to forget about. There was always the risk that their intelligence was no good, what if none of the three targets they'd been assigned was the command centre? The Empire's intelligence community hadn't exactly been stellar recently, they hadn't predicted the republican attack in the first place, it was quite possible that they would get it wrong again. Her company could perform their task flawlessly, but it wouldn't make any difference if their information about the targets was mistaken.

If they failed to bring down the command centre, the enemy would be able to mobilize and could counter the lock pick attack. True, they'd still take out a significant dent out of the Republic's Rhine forces with the hidden explosives, but the bulk of imperial troops were focussed in the southern breakthrough. The north would essentially fall to whoever could react first and the Empire had already ceded land to bait the trap, they would have to work hard just to retake their previous positions.

There was also the risk that either the Republican field commanders or their own high command might respond quicker than expected and the flanking force could find itself outflanked and surrounded. Republican officers were no slouches, she'd faced enough of them on the Rhine not to underestimate them, it was always possible one of them might be able to rally and reorganize their forces. Worse still, if the Republic managed to somehow turn it around on them, it could encourage other world powers to step in, so they too could profit from the Empire's fall. The operation to prevent a world war could make this escalate into one.

Again, she pushed these thoughts aside, there was nothing she could do about any of those possibilities either, especially while stuck in this tube. I should just focus on this mission, we can and will end this war! She thought defiantly, We all just have to do our jobs, we'll take out the command and then the lock pick attack will…..

She found her thoughts drifting off as a knot of anxiety filled her stomach again, the spearhead of operation lock pick was being commanded by Him, and she was almost certain he was up to something again.

"It's a good thing we're being deployed separately, it would be bad for you to be close to me for the moment," She remembered the boy saying.

He'd been evasive when she'd asked him what he meant and even tried to change the subject. At first, she thought he might still be wary after their previous altercation, but he soon turned back to his irritating self after he saw her wearing the peace offering, he'd sent.

Eventually, she did manage to get something out of him before they parted ways at the Elenium Arms laboratory. Apparently, him leading the spearhead was the general staff's way of helping him redeem himself for the mess in Letzenbourg but not everyone was happy about it. He'd told her that it was better not to be associated with him for the moment because of that, it seemed he really was trying to shield her from blame. She'd usually be pleased about both him taking the rap and staying away from her, but she could tell he was hiding something, and she hated not knowing what it was. She hadn't been able to question him any further at the time, especially not in front of the mad scientist and lieutenant colonel Rerugen, so now she was stuck wondering about his true motives.

She'd wracked her brains trying to figure out what he might be up to. Her initial reaction was that he would do something to disrupt the operation, but what would he have to gain? True he always had his goal to keep fighting but he had already told her this was his chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the higher-ups, if he failed, he'd be done for and would never be allowed near a battlefield again. In fact, this operation was probably his best chance as far as holding up whatever bargain he'd made with Being X or whatever unworldly equivalent he'd made his pact with.

She then wondered if his words had been some veiled threat against her but again this didn't make sense. Although she'd half expected him to take some sort of retribution for their rooftop altercation, he'd been falling over himself trying to get back onto friendly terms with her instead. With all the gifts and letters, he was practically grovelling in order to get back on her good side, it didn't make sense for him to change his tack now. Besides he couldn't exactly do anything to her while she was behind enemy lines.

The only other explanation was that he was telling the truth, he was in hot water with the Supreme High Command and proximity to him would be toxic to her career. If that were the case, she shouldn't have anything to worry about. All those problems he was having with the high command and General staff were entirely his, it had nothing to do with her. But if that was really the case why couldn't she shake this uneasy feeling?

You've been nothing but trouble from day one Wilhelm She grumbled to herself internally as she remembered the tired look in his eyes when they'd last met.

She felt another stab of annoyance at the memory, the idiot wasn't looking after himself again, how many times had she told him that a soldier needs to rest? He didn't have to worry about his brother trying to bump him off anymore so he couldn't blame his paranoia anymore. She also doubted he was fully recovered from his wounds, although he doubtless had access to the best magical and non-magical medical treatments, she knew from experience it took more than two weeks to fully recover from wounds as serious as his. Was he that desperate to get back to the front? The way he was pushing himself, he'd put himself in an early grave.

What is wrong with me? Tanya questioned herself feeling irritated by her thoughts, why am I worrying about that cretin again? The type 95 must have scrambled my brain more than I realised.

She took a breath and tried to calm her thoughts, it was for the mission if that idiot wasn't in a good enough condition to do his job, he risked the whole operation. That was obviously the reason she couldn't shake him from her mind. Still, she'd seen him carry on fighting through fatigue and injuries that would stop others. Even she had to admit his stubborn endurance was impressive when he was riled up, so maybe she was worrying too much about it.

"Hydrogen fuel containers checked and full, all V-1s in position" one of the engineers reported over the radio snapping her from her thoughts once more. "Performing final checks."

How did I end up like this? She questioned herself doing her best to quell the feeling of nervous panic that was growing inside her now the launch was approaching. I was supposed to have a comfortable post in the rear, I was supposed to have a nice corner office.

"Firing angle and coordinates confirmed, all equipment functioning normally" another technician soon reported. "Releasing safety clamps."

Outside she heard the clunk of the clamps being released, the rocket would now run freely on the rails. Once the rockets fired, they would traverse the tracks and be launched off the end of the ramp. She'd heard it described as functioning like a ballista from ancient times but to her, it seemed more reminiscent of one of those daredevils that ride motorbikes over busses. She'd kept that observation to herself, she didn't like the idea of being thought of as a daredevil, it was irrational to seek out danger like that. Besides she didn't know if they had them in this world yet.

"Checklist complete, clearing launch area" the first engineer called. Lucky bastards Tanya grumbled to herself, wishing that they could swap places.

"The fortunes of the Empire rest on this battle, I pray for your success" she heard Rerugen say solemnly in her earpiece. She'd never thought of him as a religious man and somehow hearing him pray grated on her nerves more than she ever could have thought.

You did this Being X! You interfered and set me up again! She cursed internally, you may have corrupted Schugel and maybe even that idiot Wilhelm but you won't get me! She vowed.

"Ignite the rockets" Schugel ordered and the first of the boosters began to roar behind her causing the cockpit to vibrate violently.

I will get through this and when I do, I swear I'll pound free-market principles into you.

"I pray God watches over these brave warriors" the mad doctor called, and Tanya found herself with a mirthless and derisive grin.

"May God protect the Vaterland!" Tanya began derisively, "but only if we soldiers are on paid vacation in Valhalla!" Tanya broadcast earning a chorus of cheers from her troops.

"We will save the Vaterland in God's place!" she shouted defiantly feeling her anxiety fade away, only to be replaced by her venom for Being X. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's! It's time for a war waged by humans. We go to win!"

The broadcast earned a chorus of cheers from her troops and Tanya couldn't help but grin, it looked like she'd get to spite Being X by adding a few extra atheists to this world at least.

"All units launch" Schugel ordered and the Boosters fired. Whatever device keeping the rocket in place was released and Tanya felt the sudden acceleration push her backwards as the V-1 Shot forward.

We will win! We will end this war!

Author's notes

Hi all and thank you for reading as always.

Sorry, it took a little longer than I'd hoped to get this chapter out, I've been suffering a bit of writer's block and I wasn't really enjoying writing this one so much. I think I'm back on track now though and hopefully, it's not affected the quality of the chapter too much.

I've decided I'm not going to go into too much detail about the rest of operation shock and awe, it's covered in the book, manga and Anime and it feels a bit disrespectful to rewrite it. Since Wilhelm isn't involved and there is no reason for Tanya or anyone else to be distracted by thinking about him there is no divergence from the original cannon. So I don't think that leaving it out will have much of an effect on the story.

I will be putting in some bits about operation lock pick and the final encirclement of revolving door however as Wilhelm is involved and the other sources don't go into too much detail so I can expand on that without stepping on Mr Zen's toes. Then I can get the events going that will force Tanya and Will back together again, and then their exploits in the south and Eastern campaigns which I'm looking forward too.

Other notes:

Reichsgründungstag translates to "Empire anniversary" in German, it is actually the name of the festival that they used to celebrate the founding of the German empire but since the translation fits so perfectly for what I used it for, I didn't change it.

Hope you are still enjoying this story and thank you again for reading

Xanen