Additional Operations IV: The Duel
To General von Zettour,
I must once again object to your continued attempts to sequestrate naval ships for your adventures in the south.
As you are no doubt aware, there is a severe Naval disparity between ourselves and the Allied Kingdom. As such we need every available to both protect our coastlines and to prepare for a decisive engagement so that we can realise the wish of the Supreme High Command and begin invading Albion to put an end to this war.
To put it plainly, you will not be receiving any of our ships.
We have arranged for alternative transport for your troops, however. We have commandeered several merchant vessels intended for use for the invasion of Albion and are willing to spare several in order to transport your troops and supplies through the Southern Sea.
We have also arranged for an Ildoan escort to see them safely to the port of Tripoli. Although I know many in the General Staff have their concerns about the reliability of our Ildoan allies, they assure me they will do everything they can to protect our ships from the predations of the Allied Navy.
On an unrelated note, I hope you and General von Ruddersdorf have had time to read through my proposal on the future use of our submarines. These vessels will be of limited use in an invasion so can be tasked with sinking any shipping heading towards the Allied Kingdom without compromising our current plans.
I know some have their doubts about the legality of unrestricted submarine warfare, but the way I see it is that supplying the weapons is as bad as pulling the trigger themselves.
Sincerely
Grand Admiral Henning von Holtzendorf
Imperial Navy
September 6th Unified Year 1925 20:00
Mess Hall, Merchant Ship SS Aenne Rickmers, The Southern Sea
Will stared up at Tanya with a deep feeling of dread as the room fell into an uncomfortable silence around them. She was glaring at him with a predatory grin that sent a shiver down his spine and he found himself struggling to keep his anxiety from his face as her eyes cut through him like a scalpel.
Usually, Will enjoyed seeing the girl's professional exterior break. One of his favourite pastimes was to see how quickly he could get her to drop her guard and show some real emotion. Usually, it was only anger he could entice out of her, but he loved to see her features contort into almost any expression. He enjoyed seeing her struggle to maintain her composure as something unexpected caused her calm business-like exterior to waver and expose the true Tanya von Degurechaff underneath. He lived for the day when she finally cracked.
Perhaps it was because he was so used to adopting various masks and persona himself, but he'd realised the moment that they'd met that much of the girl's true self was locked away behind her façade of professionalism. Not that her professional attitude wasn't an integral part of the girl's personality of course, but it was a veil that hid what was deep inside and Will wanted to let the inner Tanya out a little more.
He wanted to see what was underneath.
Someday he even hoped to coax a genuine smile out of her. One that wasn't simply due to a feeling of satisfaction of a job well done or surviving a dangerous mission. He wanted to see a smile of contentment or joy from her. Such an expression from Tanya was rarer than diamonds and far more valuable.
For the moment though, he could only imagine what it might look like. Her uptight and overbearing attitude towards him prevented her from revealing such a treasure to him.
Today, however, he was not feeling so pleased about seeing the girl's smile; it made him feel like a mouse that had just noticed the cat looming over him. It was the smile of a hunter that had caught its prey in its sights but was enjoying watching it squirm as it realised there was no escape. That smile was directed at him, and he knew that it meant something very unpleasant in his future.
"Good evening Captain Hozollern." She said with a barely perceivable hint of malice. "Don't you know it's rude to talk about someone behind their back? A less forgiving person might consider it disrespect towards a superior officer."
Although she seemed outwardly calm, Will could tell she was a mixture of furious and exited upon finding him in such an exposed position. Her porcelain-like fingers had unconsciously curled around the pistol at her hip as they often did whenever she began to lose her temper. However, her eyes told him she felt a moment of triumph after finding him doing something wrong. She was obviously looking forward to whatever she had in store for him.
She stood confidently over him in her uniform. It almost felt as though she had been born to wear it and she gave off a threatening aura that made her seem larger than she really was. He marvelled how such a pretty young girl could radiate such threat while still demanding the attention of everyone present. She both terrified and captivated those around her, Will included, but somehow that made her more fascinating.
Fascination aside, he was in deep trouble.
It was his own fault, he knew that, but that knowledge didn't give him much solace; admitting his mistake wouldn't do anything to get him out of this situation. Tanya looked as though she was ready to deal yet another unpleasant punishment to him to make sure he didn't repeat this particular mistake ever again.
He certainly didn't plan to.
I suppose this is my punishment for being difficult, he frowned grimly. Perhaps I shouldn't have teased her so much.
Her smile widened as she casually rounded the table, keeping her eyes fixed on him. Will felt his stomach knot with anxiety as her toothy grin made him wonder what the potential fallout of this endeavour might be.
This mess had started not long after they had left port. Annoyed that she had been unable to discipline him severely enough for his actions a few days earlier at the testing grounds; she had decided to "volunteer" his services to the ship's Captain to enact further, and no doubt unpleasant, punishment during their journey. The Captain was horrified at the idea of course, and ironically Will had needed to step in to allay his concerns. It was either that or face an increasingly grumpy Tanya. Will opted for the path of least resistance, some fights simply weren't worth it.
Tanya had forced him to work for several hours deep in the dark oily depths of the engine room, crawling into the small spaces that the rest of the crew were unable to get to. Although it was supposed to be a punishment, he found he actually enjoyed it. It was difficult work, but it had been a unique learning experience and the machinery was strangely fascinating to watch.
It had also given him another opportunity to proliferate his reputation, something he took care to do wherever he went, and he'd quickly gotten to work befriending the crew.
As one would expect, the sailors had initially been a little nervous around him, his supposed social rank being an automatic barrier between him and others, but it hadn't taken long to win them around with his usual charm. Before long he was laughing and joking with the sailors and engineers as though he'd known them for years and he'd managed to reinforce his reputation as a friendly, outgoing and sweet young boy who was beloved by all.
It was fun; it reminded him of the time he was playing the part of Corporal Ansbach on the Rhine.
Will enjoying himself hadn't been part of Tanya's plan however and she became increasingly frustrated with him during her regular visits to make sure he was appropriately contrite. This, of course, led her to find yet more dirty and gruelling jobs for him, including an up-close look at the ship's plumbing.
Although not exactly enjoyable, he soon found the unpleasantness of these tasks were vastly reduced due to the friendly attention of his new friends from below decks. Many of which had apparently heard certain rumours about him and Tanya. This gave them the mistaken impression that the Major's harsh attitude towards him was some sort of twisted sign of affection and interpreted her disrespectful attitude as proof of this.
Will wasn't so sure about that, but he was happy to let the rumours spread for now. He doubted he could stop them anyway and he rather liked the extra attention it brought. Besides, these stories guaranteed that any humiliating punishment Tanya could conceive would no longer have a negative effect on his reputation, they all thought she was doing it because she liked him.
He looked forward to seeing the expression on her face when she found out about it. She'd be horrified he was sure, maybe he'd even get to see her turn red with embarrassment. Another rare treasure from the Major.
At the end of his day's punishment, after borrowing the Captain's private bathroom and changing into something that didn't stink of diesel and sweat, he joined his new comrades in an informal gathering in the mess. Apparently, it was a ritual for the sailors and their officers to meet down here and relax while off duty. The large food hall was used as a makeshift tavern during downtime and it was common practice to turn a blind eye to a few rule breaches as long as day-to-day operations remained unaffected. The merchant fleet was obviously less strict than their Navy counterparts when it came to shipboard discipline.
Unsurprisingly, Sophia had already found herself down here and was making friends of her own. Will knew that by the end of the day, she would have established a network that would allow her to know anything that might happen aboard ship. If they were lucky, the ship was assigned to supply the task force and they would receive a steady stream of news and contraband from home in the future.
They were also joined by a handful of officers and soldiers from both the 203rd and the other divisions of the task force, including Grantz and Neumann. As well as Christina, who was accompanied by an overprotective Captain Weiss. This was a little surprising and Will suspected she had attended to keep an eye on him, she had not been especially pleased when he had informed her of his plans to attend the evening's activities below decks.
After a midshipman produced a stash of contraband booze, which Christina made very clear was not to fall into Will's hands, the room filled with a cheerful atmosphere. They played cards or dice while some of the sailors produced instruments and began playing unique versions of old Germanic folk songs and sea shanties. The moonshine was shared liberally amongst those gathered and Will suspected that any who tried it would pay for their good time with a sore head in the morning.
Christina did not need to worry about him though, after the party Will had no intention of trying alcohol again for quite some time. Instead, he made do with some tea and enjoyed the friendly and lively atmosphere while making sure to win a few hands of cards before Visha appeared and bankrupted the crew.
All in all, it had been a relaxing evening. One could almost forget that you were heading off to a warzone.
Before long, the crew began questioning the mages in their party. It was hardly surprising; mages were rare and everyone in the 203rd was a named mage. Add in characters like White Silver and the Saint then it was bound to be of interest to even the saltiest of sailors.
"So how'd you mages figure out who's the best out of ya?" An ageing engineer asked as he gulped down his drink. "You get your fancy nicknames but there's only so many Aces in the deck."
"We mages let our achievements speak for us." Christina interrupted before Will could reply. She disliked when he socialised with people she thought were beneath him and was glaring at the man with obvious disdain. "The Prince for instance has one of the highest scores on the Western Front."
"That's true." Confirmed Weiss as he sampled some of the ship's finest moonshine. "I think the Major is the only one aboard ship with a better score, maybe even the whole military."
With hindsight, this was probably the point that Will should have gracefully bowed out of the conversation and left them to it, but the relaxed atmosphere must have lowered his guard and loosened his tongue. Besides, it seemed like an ideal time to show off a little, what harm could be in that?
"She's been serving in the field longer than I have, so it's only natural she would have a higher score." He replied taking care to phrase and deliver his words so as to maintain his reputation of humility while planting the seed in their minds that he might be the better ace if they'd shared the same circumstances.
"So, according to your rules, the White Silver is the better mage? It hardly seems a fair comparison if she's been doing it longer." The engineer pointed out swallowing Will's bait immediately.
"Hah! You don't know the Major!" Weiss interjected, "It isn't simply about time served, she's the best there is."
"The Major is highly skilled and a great commander, but I still believe the Prince is a better mage," Christina replied seeming strangely offended by Wiess's remark. "The Prince had the fastest-growing score in the few months he was on the front lines. It wouldn't have taken long for him to overtake her if he'd remained there, not to mention all those he mercifully allowed to fall back."
Will was rather surprised by Christina's sudden declaration. He knew that she held him in high regard and this confidence was heart-warming but surely, she would know he was not nearly as skilled as Tanya. The girl was the Ace of Aces, it was why he had sought to attach himself to her battalion in the first place. She had rightly earned her fame without having to resort to manipulating her reputation as he habitually did.
"That's right," Sophia emerged with a confident grin, flanked by Grantz and a few other soldiers. "The Major may have the Silver wings, but the Prince has taken on similar odds without needing to self-destruct, and he refused the medals afterwards."
Sophia too? What she was saying wasn't entirely true. Although he'd taken on a platoon himself in the past, he'd always had backup close at hand; that was distraction enough for the enemy to catch them off guard and deal with them swiftly. In Norden, Tanya had needed to hold off her attackers on her own while waiting for reinforcements. She'd almost been overwhelmed and overloading her computation orb had been a heroic last-ditch attempt to drive off the rest of the company. That was why she was awarded the coveted Silver Wings assault badge.
As for his own Medals, it was true that he had either refused them or had them melted down for funds for charity he never wanted them anyway. He only wore the royal paraphernalia or the trinkets he couldn't get rid of. He already had his sword to remind him of…
Don't think about it. He chastised himself inwardly, fearing the voice of Ludwig world come to mock him again.
After Sophia's proclamation, Grantz had weighed in on the side of Weiss, claiming that Tanya was the better and more terrifying, Mage. Before long, this turned into quite the heated debate and Will began to wish the subject had never been bought up; it was beginning to ruin the mood. Besides, he couldn't simply admit he was the weaker magic user, it would make him look bad.
"Sounds like you pair need to fight it out." The engineer chuckled as he took another swig of something that smelled like it was designed to lubricate the ship's engines. "That's how we settle things here, Klaus over there knocked a man clean out and afterwards they shared a drink. It's a ship tradition."
They laughed, shrugging off such a possibility as impossible. Naturally, this caused the conversation to evolve into a debate about who might win a hypothetical duel, with some of the officers giving surprisingly detailed analysis of their capabilities.
Will was surprised at how many supported him. Although he knew his battlefield butchery had been spun into tales of martial prowess, he never expected his inflated reputation might have fooled so many into believing he could beat the Argent in a fair fight. Even when he had been forced to consider killing her, he had never entertained the thought that he could deal with her if the playing field was even.
There was a general consensus among the group that if he managed to get close, he would have the upper hand due to his specialisation in close combat, but Will judged that this was selling Tanya short. It was incredibly unlikely she'd allow him to get that close and if by some fluke that she did, she was deadly with her combat blade. Once she was inside the reach of his sword, she could easily finish him.
Besides no one in the group could figure out how he would manage to get to her, and he refused to comment. Sometimes it was better to stay quiet, silence can speak volumes.
Still, as the discussion wore on, he saw no reason not to help his supporter's arguments even if they were fundamentally flawed. Since it was an impossibility that they would ever face each other, he saw no problem encouraging the idea that he could win. After all, having people think he was possibly the greatest ace in the Empire couldn't hurt his image and it wasn't as if it would ever be put to the test, or so he thought.
"I would never raise a finger against my Commander." He exclaimed innocently, taking great care to sound appropriately horrified by the idea. "But if there were ever any threat that she couldn't handle, I'd do my utmost to protect her!"
He was rather pleased with that, he managed to maintain his reputation by refusing to consider fighting her, while implying that he could beat something that she couldn't at the same time. Boasting with humility and declaring that he would courageously save his commander should the need arise. It was perfect for maintaining the image of the Saint.
"So you're saying that you are stronger than her?" The engineer replied with a wide grin as the officers of the 203rd fell unusually quiet around them.
By now Will was enjoying himself too much and hadn't realised the importance of the sudden silence of the soldiers. It had been a while since he'd managed to hold the attention of the room like this, at least without Tanya turning it around on him, and he was enjoying leading people to the conclusions he wanted them to make.
"It would be improper to say anything that would disrespect my Commander so," He began bowing his head slightly, leaving the unsaid message dangling in the air. To any listening it was obvious he was implying he was the better mage, but no one could claim he actually said it.
That is when Tanya revealed herself.
"Good evening Captain Hozollern. Don't you know it's rude to talk about someone behind their back? A less forgiving person might consider it disrespect towards a superior officer."
Suddenly the silence of the soldiers made sense and he felt a deep feeling of foreboding as he realised his mistake.
Will turned and did what he could to compose himself as he looked upon the threatening presence of Tanya. He couldn't tell how long she had been listening but judging from her expression, and a snigger from the engineer who obviously didn't know better, she'd heard enough. Worse still, she would have doubtlessly seen passed his faux humility and straight through his empty boasts. She would take offence to his comments and was likely already thinking up new and interesting ways to punish him for his attitude.
"It is interesting though, we often get compared but who do you think would win if we really fought Wilhelm?" she asked, pacing slowly like a lioness on the prowl.
Will remained silent, he was on dangerously thin ice and knew he had to be very cautious with his next words. She was challenging him, worse still she seemed to know that he didn't believe he could beat her. He needed to deescalate this situation and quickly. Unfortunately, Tanya did not give him the chance.
"I understand the tradition on this ship is to fight out your grievances and see who the better fighter is. Like some sort of Duel?" She began nonchalantly and Will winced, she must have heard everything.
"Usually, the military doesn't allow for this sort of thing but in the spirit of cooperation with our friends in the merchant navy, perhaps we can play by their rules for a while. After all, they have very kindly gone out of their way to take us to the southern continent, we should give them a show to thank them."
Tanya shot him a cruel smirk, before continuing and Will felt a shiver run down his spine.
"You can consider it training. You like Training don't you Captain? Maybe we can put this little question to rest once and for all."
Will felt his blood run cold as he realised what her plan was. She knew he couldn't beat her in a fair fight, so she was going to use this as a way to beat and humiliate him in front of the entire task force! Worse still they would be watched by the sailors of the merchant ships and the Ildoans accompanying them.
The story would spread like wildfire and he'd lose all the respect and prestige he'd earned with his fraudulent heroics.
"Now now Major." He said forcing his voice to be calm despite the imminent threat of social demise. "As I said before, I wouldn't dream of ever trying to hurt you."
The lie had obviously been for the benefit of the crowd, he hoped that getting them onside might help diffuse this situation. However, Tanya was prepared for this argument and fixed him in place with her eyes while hitting him with a sickly-sweet grin.
"It's only training Wilhelm, I trust that your skilled enough that you wouldn't actually hurt me."
He was trapped, he couldn't refuse without seeming like he was conceding and that would be utterly humiliating. Worse still, Tanya seemed as confident that she could beat him as he was sure that he would lose. No matter what he did, he'd end up losing face. All he could do was try to minimise the damage.
Maybe I could throw the match.
Yes! That was perfect, if he made it seem as though he obviously lost, he could claim that he simply couldn't bear to harm his commander. He could trade on the Saint's reputation to minimise the damage. Sure it would be a loss, but it wouldn't matter as no one would consider it to be a real fight. If he were lucky, it would even keep the question of who the better mage was open, which could be advantageous in the future.
He would still have a disgruntled Tanya to deal with in the aftermath, but he would just have to work hard to placate her. It wasn't as if he was stupid enough to continue his teasing once they reached the Southern continent; they were in a warzone and he had a debt to pay. He would take up the mantle of a dutiful soldier for her to see that it was.
"I hope our not considering letting me win Captain?" Tanya leaned over and whispered in his ear. It was as if she'd read his mind, he must have allowed too much of his thoughts to appear on his face. "I expect…No I order you to put everything you have into this; we wouldn't want to disappoint our hosts now, would we?"
Will's heart sank, Tanya had skewered his most favourable outcome already, if he were to save his reputation, and escape Tanya's ire, he would have to give everything he had.
Fine, he grumbled to himself, just remembered you asked for this.
XxxxxxX
September 7th Unified Year 1925 06:00
Main Deck, Merchant Ship SS Aenne Rickmers, The Southern Sea
Tanya felt a smile tug at her lips as she looked across the deck and into the green orbs of her opponent. To most, he must have appeared nonchalant about the whole affair and stood calmly with one hand resting easily on the hilt of his sword. However, to someone better acquainted with his deceptive qualities it was clear that Wilhelm was worried. He may have been doing his best to keep up his confident veneer for those watching but Tanya saw past the lies, he knew he couldn't win.
She glanced around the deck barely masking the elation as she saw how many people had gathered. Despite the early hour, they'd drawn quite a crowd, it seemed that every sailor, soldier and officer had gathered on deck to see this. It was hardly surprising, they were both named mages after all, and it wasn't every day you got to see the likes of them go toe to toe with each other.
She could tell Wilhelm wasn't pleased about this, however, no doubt he wasn't looking forward to being mopped up in front of a crowd. But if he hadn't wanted that, he shouldn't have been picking fights he couldn't win.
You brought this on yourself Wilhelm, I can't let you continue your insubordination. When we get to the south our lives will be on the line, you need to learn your lesson before then. But since you refuse to behave, you'll learn the hard way.
She would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to this, Wilhelm had been grinding against her last nerve for some time now and it would be most gratifying to see him knocked down a peg.
Despite her warnings, he still hadn't ceased his irritating behaviour and his foolish boasting below decks had been the final straw. Not only was it disrespectful but it was tantamount to undermining her authority and she could not allow that. What did he think he was doing? They were on their way into a warzone, it was no place for his stupid games. She couldn't afford for him to continually challenge her and her patience like this anymore, it was time to finally put this matter to rest.
That was why she had been willing to be a little liberal with the rules on duelling. By calling it a training exercise, she could get away with giving him a good thrashing until he learned to respect authority. And by using the ship's tradition, she could make sure there was enough of an audience to make sure he is suitably shamed into submission.
If she'd learned one thing about Wilhelm, it was that his fake reputation was where he was most vulnerable. Today she would give it a bruising, after that, he wouldn't dare misbehave again for fear of her shattering it completely.
Still, she couldn't allow herself to get overconfident, Wilhelm may have his doubts about the outcome of this duel, but she knew it was dangerous to underestimate him. The boy had proven time and time again that he was an expert at turning situations to his advantage, it would be unwise to assume he wouldn't have some trick up his sleeve.
She also couldn't underestimate his combat prowess; she'd seen enough of his skills to know he was a genuine threat if she allowed him to take the initiative. However, that was precisely the reason she was so confident that she could beat him, she'd studied his fighting style and had a good idea of how to counter it.
As usual, he had equipped his close combat gear, including his sword, pistol and a few grenades, eschewing the benefits of superior range that a rifle or even an SMG would provide. This meant he had no choice but to engage her in close quarters, as was his speciality.
She had no intention of letting him get that close however, she'd seen how skilled he was in a melee and didn't see any reason to allow him the luxury of fighting on his own terms. It was much safer to keep him at range, if worst came to worst, she could simply wear him down if necessary. Although she'd prefer the crowd to see him beaten more decisively if at all possible. The additional bruise to his ego would be sweet but it wasn't quite worth the risk of granting him any potential advantage.
She watched as Visha marched into the space between them and looked to both for confirmation that they were ready. Her Adjutant had been entrusted with the task of starting proceedings and to act as a sort of unofficial referee, and she nervously began explaining the rules for the benefit of those present.
Tanya had insisted they put some rules in place for this. Rules were important in every walk of life and there would be chaos without them, so it only made sense that such an event was properly coordinated.
They would do their best not to seriously injure or kill each other, it was supposed to be a friendly duel after all. Bruises to the ego were acceptable, however. They were also using live ammunition, and both had the option to call a halt to proceedings if they felt they were in any genuine danger. Such an action would mean conceding defeat, but even Wilhelm wouldn't allow himself to die so foolishly for the sake of his pride.
As for their gear, they could take only what they could carry and were limited to one computation orb, there would be no tricks involving a spare. Wilhelm had also insisted that she couldn't use the Type 95, claiming that it would give her too much of an advantage. She had been happy to agree to that, she didn't want to use it, she would beat the little Captain without Being X's interference.
The match itself was to be overseen by the officers below and members of the 203rd were on hand in case anything went wrong.
As she finished explaining, Visha looked to them both again, giving them a pleading look. She didn't seem especially happy about this event. Perhaps, Wilhelm's discordant actions had already begun affecting the morale and operational capability of her battalion. Why else would he most loyal subordinate be so hesitant about following such simple orders?
It was unforgivable! Wilhelm's beat down couldn't come quickly enough. She needed to re-establish discipline in the ranks before the damage he'd done was beyond repair.
She and the little Captain each gave Visha a nod of confirmation and the young woman raised her arm to prepare the signal to begin. Meanwhile, Tanya returned her gaze to her opponent, studying him for any sign of trickery. He may not be confident, but she was sure he'd have some sort of strategy prepared.
"Eins, Zwei, Los! Los! Los!" Visha yelled, dropping her arm to signal the start of the bout.
Wilhelm wasted no time and moved the instant that Visha's hand fell. Instead of ascending however he shot off backwards and disappeared off the bow of the ship, expertly avoiding the shocked onlookers as they struggled to get out of the way. They'd agreed that they were to hold fire while so close to the ship in order to avoid potential damage or friendly fire and evidentially Wilhelm was willing to take advantage of that fact to cover his escape.
Tanya didn't pursue him, however. It was a clear invitation to follow from Wilhelm and she knew better than to allow him to take the initiative. Instead, she quickly took to the skies to attain aerial superiority and gain a better view of the situation. Although it might seem a fairly obvious tactic, it was a solid one that seldom had any drawbacks, especially when she wanted to maintain the distance between her and her foe.
She cast her eyes downward to look for her prey. Wilhelm had chosen a different strategy and had dropped down to the sealine. His boots glided along the top of the water, throwing up a dense misty spray behind him, blocking the view of the spectators still aboard the ship.
It wasn't a bad plan, if she'd have taken the bait and followed him as he had intended, she would have found herself with a mouth full of seawater and zero visibility. She hadn't fallen for it however and his sea mist smokescreen was nothing more than a convenient arrow pointing her towards him. She aimed her weapon and fired off a few short bursts at the boy, her elevated position giving her a clear line of sight.
She was at the extreme range of her weapon so knew that both the stopping power and accuracy would be somewhat limited at this distance. However, she was pleased to see a few hits impact on the boy's barrier causing light to shimmer across it. Thankfully it seemed her marksmanship skills hadn't been too badly affected during her time putting up with Wilhelm's deluge of paperwork.
However, it wouldn't be enough to stop him at this range, she had to get a little closer to score a hit that would incapacitate him. She accelerated and began closing, firing off more bursts as she descended, more and more hits lighting up his shield as she closed.
Wilhelm quickly realised that his feint had failed and abandoned his exposed position by stopping suddenly allowing the sea mist to engulf him. Tanya circled, keeping her distance while the spray evaporated, opting to save her ammunition for when the little Captain was once again within sight.
Suddenly the boy shot upwards out of the fog towards her, hastily ascending, drawing his own pistol and firing a few pot-shots in the hope of throwing her off. Tanya remained calm and ignored the shots, the pistol was well outside its effective range and his shots were wide of his mark. Instead, she moved to maintain her distance while adjusting her aim to fire at the approaching threat.
At this range, she could barely miss but her instincts caught her before she could squeeze the trigger.
It was a fake, she was certain of it. She had never known the boy use decoy formula before, but it was clear he'd been practising, although where he had found the time, she would never know. This was a surprisingly good facsimile but unfortunately for him, she'd had enough experience with using decoys that she could see through even the most elaborate ones. It was difficult to explain but eventually, you learned to sense whether something was really in the space or not and her instincts told her it was empty.
The real Wilhelm, still dripping from his saltwater shower, had instead stayed close to sea level and had obviously been trying to use the distraction to manoeuvre himself for a charge from underneath. He'd been rumbled however and had only just begun his accent as she lowered her aim and fired a burst directly onto him.
He was forced to abandon his charge to evade and Tanya adjusted her aim to follow his course. This time she wasn't aiming at him though, she was using her fire to herd him in the direction she wanted him to go. He was still uncomfortably close to the fleet and she didn't want to put it or its passengers at risk.
Using your fire to control the enemy's movement was one of the favoured combat doctrines of the Republic's mages but Tanya saw no harm in putting what she'd learned on the battlefield to good use herself. Wilhelm would either have to follow the route she chose for him or push through the hail of fire she was pouring around him.
Although she succeeded in forcing him away from the vessels, ultimately Wilhelm would choose the latter of these two options. She saw his barrier waver as the remaining shots in her magazine impacted and caused it to shimmer once again. It was a reckless move, especially for a friendly bout and Tanya began to wonder exactly how far the boy might take this duel. Perhaps it would be better to end this quickly before he got hurt.
First, however, she needed to reload, and she hastily began replacing her magazine, tossing the empty into the ocean below while keeping a wary eye on the little Captain's movements.
She'd half expected him to use the opportunity to close on her, even though the act of reloading had become second nature to her, it still slowed her slightly. If he moved at full speed, he could have considerably shortened the distance between them. However, he instead chose to continue his climb, opting to take this brief respite to get some cover in the clouds.
She followed at a distance but did not enter the cloud bank, it would be too easy for the boy to ambush her in there. Instead, she would smoke him out and finish this before he had time to recover.
She raised her weapon and prepared several air burst artillery formulas as she poured mana through her weapon. She squeezed the trigger, sending the magic-infused ammunition into the air and watched it disappear into the clouds before it detonated in a series of violent and fiery explosions. Wilhelm would need to move quickly to avoid being engulfed in the flames, from what she'd seen, his shield wouldn't hold if he tried to weather the firestorm in the air.
As if on cue, a slightly singed but otherwise unscathed Wilhelm charged out of the detonation, riding the crest of the blast wave to give him additional speed. He raised his pistol once more and fired off several shots of his own as she quickly began accelerating to keep the distance between them.
She felt some hits impact the rear of her shield it was clear that this was not a fake this time. He soon switched his aim however and three more shots whizzed past her head and the air in her path erupted in front of her. She realised he too had fired artillery formulas past her and had lit the air ablaze in order to force her to drop her speed to avoid the blast. It seemed he too was willing to put what he'd learned in battle to the test in this duel.
She turned to avoid the blast before returning fire once again. Wilhelm was undeterred by this however and he continued his charge as the shots impacted her barrier, finally drawing his sword as he closed. It was now clear that he would catch up with her, she would have to act quickly.
She immediately decelerated, coming to a sudden and complete halt in the air, wincing as she felt the G forces shudder through her body. She braced herself as surprised looking little Captain reached her far quicker than he had expected and his stomach impacted heavily with her flight boot, knocking the wind out of him.
It had been almost a mirror of the attack she'd seen him pull off when they'd first met on the Rhine but obviously Wilhelm had not expected to be on the receiving end. He hadn't even had time to react with his sword, much to her relief. She knew that she was close enough that he could cause her problems if she weren't careful.
She watched him tumble backwards as he struggled for breath as she moved off once again to regain her range advantage. To his credit though he quickly recovered and began accelerating once more but surprisingly he once again ran from her rather than tried to chase her.
It seemed strange, they both knew he needed to get close in order to win this, so why was he keeping his distance?
Her question was soon answered as she took a long turn and observed him from a distance. It seemed like he was shielding one of his sides once again. It was likely that her blow to the stomach had done more damage than she had originally thought, he may have even cracked a rib again. She'd heard that once broken, bones were often brittle and more likely to break again long after the original injury had healed.
However, the fact that he still hadn't given up meant that the boy was taking this little farce far too seriously, she would have to end this soon, before he really hurt himself.
She continued her turn and followed after him. His speed had decreased due to his injuries and with a little more controlled fire, she found she was quickly able to catch up with him. He was still doing his best to evade however and had used the extra time to reload his pistol, but his fire was sporadic, and she soon found herself close enough that she was sure she could shatter his barrier with a well-placed burst from her weapon.
"I've got you Wilhelm!" She yelled partly in triumph and partly as a warning. Once his barrier dropped, she would declare herself the winner, but he needed to be prepared for some stray fire that might come his way as it fell.
However, suddenly Wilhelm rolled onto his back and fixed her with an evil smirk. All sign of his previous injury had disappeared, and he was no longer holding his side. Instead, he revealed a familiar stick with a cylinder on the end that he had been hiding with his phoney injury.
She cursed her foolishness; he must have faked it to draw her in.
He didn't bother ripping the pin to prime the explosive, he didn't need to. Instead, he released it in an almost casual manner allowing it to tumble backwards towards her. With barely a glance to aim, he squeezed off a shot from his pistol that struck the grenade before it reached her, causing it to detonate in a cloud of thick smog.
Shit, smoke grenade she realised as she inhaled a mouthful of potassium chlorate. She'd fallen into his trap and lost sight of him in the gas. She had little time to react however as her ears picked up on the sound of Wilhelm suddenly switching directions and she was suddenly face-to-face with the boy's blade.
At this point all she could do was rely on her survival instincts and hope for the best, there was no time to properly consider her actions. She jerked backwards, dodging Wilhelm's first blow with only a second to spare as the blade whizzed past her face. The second was not far behind but Tanya kept her cool, evading him again while moving to position herself for a potential counter.
Sensing an opportunity, her hand flew to her combat knife and she lashed out in an attempt to retaliate only to be parried by the boy. It did catch him off guard however had he backed off, disappearing into the smoke once more.
The smoke was beginning to clear and she now had a larger range of vision around her, however, visibility was still low and the whisps of smog played tricks on the eyes. She caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye, along with the tell-tale hum of flight equipment and turned just in time to meet Wilhelm's charge once again. She levelled her weapon but hesitated as she realised something was wrong once again. It was another decoy.
Instinctively she shifted her aim upwards, seeing the real Wilhelm bearing down on her. She wasn't sure how she had known he was there, but some part of her mind had obviously registered his presence overhead. She squeezed her trigger once again spitting another burst of fire at her opponent and the boy's shield shattered like glass.
She felt a moment of elation and a smile reached her lips once again. It was over.
Her elation was short-lived however and Tanya felt her heart stop in horror as the boy yelled in pain.
Time seemed to slow as she watched one of her shots strike the centre of boy's torso and she felt a terrible mixture of sickness and dread his chest exploded in a shower of crimson ichor. His face went slack with surprise as his mind realised what had happened and he stared at her with a dumbfounded look of confusion on his face as he hung in the air for a moment.
For a moment she dared believe it was another decoy, another trick. But her instincts didn't lie, she could feel that the real Wilhelm was there in front of her and her eyes told her that he had just been gravely wounded.
"Tan...ya?" He whispered sounding betrayed before he fell backwards, dropping his pistol as gravity began inviting him towards the ocean below.
Tanya's mind raced as she watched Wilhelm's lifeless form plummet to the ground, she hadn't meant to hurt him, at least not this much. She'd only wanted to teach him a lesson, get him to behave. She wanted him to be the person knew he could be if he stopped the games and deception, she hadn't wanted this!
Tanya rushed after him in a panic, hoping to catch him before he reached the sea. His injuries were severe, but he was a mage, if she could get him back to the ship, they might be able to treat him before it was too late. Still, that chest wound had been horrific, what if he was already dead?
She had no time to dwell on that possibility now, time was of the essence. She pushed every ounce of mana into the type 97, urging as much speed into her flight gear as possible. As she approached, she dropped her machine gun, trusting the strap to catch the weapon, she needed both hands free to save Wilhelm.
She closed; she was almost there when suddenly the image of the wounded Wilhelm flickered for a moment revealing his smug grin once again and his injuries had disappeared.
All too late she realised what he had done, he had overlayed another decoy over the top of himself, using it to fool her into believing she had seriously injured him. He must have realised why she could tell the difference between him and the decoys and used it to his advantage. Had that been his plan all along?
Tanya didn't know whether to be relieved, surprised or furious. No normal combat mage would consider using a tactic like this. Why would they? There was nothing to gain from placing your decoy over yourself, they were used to draw fire away. But Wilhelm was no normal mage, and she'd made the mistake that they were playing by the same rules. But as with everything else he did, he made up new rules as he went along.
Well played.
The boy's hand shot out and grasped her wrist as he bought his sword down towards her neck. She wasn't ready to give yet however and she caught his sword arm with her other hand, and they began to struggle to overpower each other as they continued to tumble downward.
It seemed she had an advantage however, she twisted his wrist, she knew he hadn't allowed to properly heal and saw him wince in pain as she wrenched it around. A little more pressure and she would force him to drop his weapon. He wasn't about to go down so easily however, and she saw him move his head as if to headbutt her. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact; she wasn't about to let go now but then something completely unexpected took her by surprise.
Rather than the heavy blow to the head she had expected, she felt a sudden soft warmth covering her lips.
Her eyes snapped open in surprise. Wilhelm's face was close, very close. She saw the boy slowly lift his head away with a soft smile, leaving a strange tinging on the edges of her mouth as their lips parted. His smile drew her gaze to his eyes, and she found herself trapped by the green orbs that, for that moment, looked back on her with a strange sort of reverence.
He kissed me?!
Tanya's mind was blank, she was struck dumb by the sudden turn of events and felt like she had utterly lost the ability to keep track with such a bizarre situation. She could barely process what had happened, let alone why he had done it or even how it made her feel. All logic had fled this situation and she was utterly lost.
That was when she saw the glint of mischief return to his eyes and she felt a deep sense of foreboding as the realities of her situation began flooding back to her. She realised that in her bout of confusion, she had loosened her grip and she was now completely at Wilhelm's mercy. What's more, they were still in freefall and were plunging towards the sea, she needed to act quickly.
She summoned a little mana and willed it into her orb to start giving herself some lift but to her horror, nothing happened. She heard a chuckle from the little Captain and glanced back at him. She felt him release her and she began falling away from him as he restarted his flight gear.
He held up an object in his hand and shot her an infuriating smug grin as she fell away. He'd snatched her computation jewel while she was distracted. Without it, she could no longer operate her flight equipment. She'd lost.
Wilhelm you Bastard!
XxxxxxX
September 7th Unified Year 1925 07:45
Main Deck, Merchant Ship SS Aenne Rickmers, The Southern Sea
This didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Will moaned inwardly as he sat miserably on a crate, holding a cold slab of frozen meat liberated from the ship's cold room across his eye. He could already feel his face swelling up already and knew for certain he'd be sporting a particularly nasty looking shiner by the end of the day.
He'd won, but it didn't feel like it. If he were a character in one of his favourite stories, he'd have been hailed as a dashing rogue that used cunning, charm and brilliant tactics to win the duel. Tanya would have graciously conceded and started treating him better and they'd end up as close friends and confidants. She'd learn he was an indispensable ally and would eventually hate to even think about being separated from him.
This was not one of his stories however and reality was far too cruel for the silly sentimental notions that existed in fiction. Especially when Tanya von Degurechaff was involved.
"You're lucky I don't charge you with sexual harassment." The girl who had gifted him the injury growled at him with annoyance, further sinking his mood.
"You're the one who said I shouldn't hold back." He grumbled back at her. She was the one that started it, and it wasn't as if she was the only one to have suffered in this situation. The entire ship saw her punch him as soon as she returned to the deck and the outburst that followed put to rest any questions as to why she had done it. They had both been humiliated.
"I'm sure you're aware of the saying about all being fair in love and war." He continued, more for himself rather than because he thought she was really listening. "You knew I wouldn't play fair."
All things considered; Will could probably only count this as a Pyrrhic victory. Although he had technically won the duel, he had failed at both protecting his reputation and had further antagonised Tanya. It felt like he'd stormed the enemy stronghold and lost all his troops in the process, could you really claim victory in that sort of situation? Although at least in that position hundreds of people wouldn't have seen him floored in a single punch by an enraged tween.
He glanced back up at Tanya. She seemed distracted and was now silently staring off into the distance as a soft breeze caught her hair. He winced as he noticed her fingers reach up and absently touch her lips, she really must have been angry about the kiss.
Had it been anyone else he would have assumed that she was upset that he had stolen her first kiss, he had read in many stories that girls often treasured such things. Tanya was not the sentimental type however, she probably placed little or no value in something as insignificant as a kiss that barely lasted more than a moment. The only explanation for her caring about it at all was that she was utterly disgusted by it.
He felt a curious sense of disappointment deep in his chest as he reached up and felt his own tingling lips. It wasn't as if he'd wanted to kiss her or anything, it was a ploy to get her computation orb but still, it hurt to think that he repulsed her that much. At the time he hadn't really thought of exactly what he was doing, she'd managed to counter every trick he had come up with and he was desperate. Once she had hold of him he had thought it was all over, that kiss had been the only thing he could think of to distract her. Still, it hadn't been unpleasant for him.
Was it because of how he had been acting recently? True he'd been a nuisance, but it'd only ever been in jest. She knew that, right?
He'd always been rather fond of Tanya; he respected her work ethic and determination. In truth, she was an inspiration, she treated every problem as something that could be fixed with enough work and organisation. Sometimes he found himself almost believing her misguided views on the Imperial meritocracy. If anyone could survive in that world, she could.
He'd always assumed that beneath the angry scowls and sharp words, she felt a similar respect for him. He'd truly believed that deep down she liked him on some level, but her reaction made him doubt that and his hopes for seeing a genuine smile seemed further away than ever. Even the brief puzzled expression he had witnessed from her in the air was scant compensation for that.
Maybe I really did push her too far.
Tanya must have sensed her staring at her. She quickly turned, the angry scowl returning to her face while the ache in Will's chest became all the sharper.
"What are you staring at? Planning something else? I've had enough of this; I'll keep punishing you until you learn to behave Wilhelm." She spat irritably.
Will sighed. They couldn't carry on like this, they'd end up humiliating each other so much their positions would be compromised. Tanya was so blinded by her quest to force him to "behave" she'd turned into Captain Ahab and he didn't particularly like being thought of as a white whale. He supposed if she was going to be too childish to deal with this situation sensibly, he would have to swallow his pride and do it for her.
"Tanya," He began softly keeping his voice level so as not to further antagonise her, earning a raised eyebrow in response. "How about we call a truce?"
"I think you've misunderstood how this works Wilhelm." She replied narrowing her eyes in annoyance. "We aren't at war with one another; you are my subordinate, and you need to learn to follow orders."
"I fully intend to follow your orders in the south Tanya, but we need to stop trying to one-up each other and work together." He began, removing his meaty cold compress to hold her gaze for a moment before returning it and staring back down to the floor. "We both have more important things to worry about."
Unbidden the thought of his sword entered his mind and he suddenly felt cold. As much fun as it had been to tease Tanya the last few months, he could no longer afford to be so carefree. He'd already been given a stay of execution and he'd promised Tanya he wouldn't do anything to risk prolonging the war any further. It was a risk he couldn't' take, he needed to focus on removing the curse or it would be the end of him.
Tanya had been silent for a while now, so he glanced back up at her and saw her regarding him with a mixture of suspicion and confusion. This was by far the expression he'd had the most experience with, but it was perhaps the one he least enjoyed seeing. It was an expression of distrust; one she wore when she wasn't sure if he was lying or not. He supposed under the circumstances it was understandable, but he really wished she would put a little more faith in him.
She turned and stared off thoughtfully again for a few moments, suspicion leaving her features but confusion remaining as she considered his words. Her fingers unconsciously moved towards her lips once again but stopped before reaching their mark and she removed it before turning on her heel and catching his gaze once again.
"How can I trust you? You haven't exactly been acting with the best intentions lately" she asked, less aggressively this time. Perhaps he was getting through to her.
"I suppose giving my word won't be enough." He sighed bitterly, knowing how little Tanya regarded his promises. He would no doubt need to find her some sort of collateral again, but what more did he have to offer her?
Tanya studied him again for a few moments and Will thought he saw her expression soften slightly. A notion that was dispelled as soon as she continued the conversation.
"Is that your word as a Prince?" She said evenly, sticking him with the barb despite her neutral tone.
Will winced again, it was a cruel thing to say considering what she knew about him and they hurt more than he would have expected coming from her. Still, he knew better than to react and pushed those feelings aside for now. He had to make this work.
"I'm one of you now remember." He said slowly as an idea of how he might win her over might began forming in his mind. "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks I am, I am now a member of the 203rd Ariel Mage Battalion."
He waited for a moment for Tanya to argue but instead, she remained silent and watched him critically.
"As such the honour of the Battalion is as precious as my own." He continued, aware that Tanya knew how carefully he maintained his fraudulent reputation. "So, I give my word that I'll follow your orders and stop undermining you from now on. Not as Prince of Letzenbourg, not as Wilhelm von Hozollern, not even as Will."
"I give my word as a Soldier of the 203rd".
XxxxxxX
40 years after the war
Thames Fencing club, Londinium
"En-garde…. Pret…. Allez"
Andrew stood enraptured as he watched the lightning-quick movement of the white-suited figures as they chased each other up and down the piste, blades dancing in the air as they went. He did not dare blink; their motions were so fast and fluid that he worried he might miss the deciding lunge or riposte if he did.
Andrew was by no means an expert in the sport of fencing, usually he would have shown little more than the patriotic support all people did during the Olympics, but even from his limited understanding, he could tell he was watching something truly impressive. The slim lithe combatants moved like dancers as they manoeuvred themselves to the ideal position to strike or parry. But rather than music, their motions were accompanied by the clash of steel as the blades struck one another, filling the room with noise.
If anything could be considered poetry in motion, this was it.
It was exhilarating to watch; he could feel his heart beating fast in his chest as he watched the combatants. It almost made him want to call out a warning to his favoured competitor as his eyes struggled to keep pace with the swift movements of the blades. It would have been a wasted effort however; she had already begun reacting to the next strike before his mind had even processed the last one. She was far too skilled to need the help of a clueless spectator like him but the excitement that the match made him feel twenty years younger.
He'd been surprised when he found out Maggie had been a fencer, although knowing her fiery attitude and boundless energy, perhaps he shouldn't have been. It was clear she was as talented a swordswoman as she was a journalist, yet more proof of what an extraordinary person the woman really was. Just watching her expert manoeuvres was enough to bring a smile to his face.
Suddenly, her opponent lunged forward, and Andrew feared the match was lost. But in a motion too quick for his eyes to follow, she parried the blow, knocking her opponent's blade aside before bringing her own sabre in for a final strike. Her opponent was completely caught off guard and was unable to step back quickly enough to avoid Maggie's blade as she expertly placed the tip of the sword at her opponent's neck.
"Touché" called the referee raising his hand to confirm the point scored.
The spectators began clapping enthusiastically; Maggie had won.
Andrew joined the applause of the club members as he watched Maggie remove her mask, allowing her long brown hair to fall on her shoulder, and exposing her beautiful smile. He sighed as he took in her features, she was smart, beautiful and athletic, some might consider her the perfect woman, Andrew included. It was a mystery to him why she was still single.
If only I really was twenty years younger, he thought to himself with a wry smile.
She shook her opponents' hand and congratulated him on a match well fought before searching the room with her gaze. It didn't take long for her emerald eyes to found him and her grin broadened in recognition as she excused herself and headed over to him.
"Andrew, what are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet in the Red Lion later." She inquired pulling him into a friendly hug.
"Well, I thought I'd come to see Londinium's finest swordswoman in action. I have to admit it was quite the spectacle, I could barely keep up!" he explained brightly, happy to see the young woman so cheerful. He knew it had been a difficult few months for her.
"Hah! I'm hardly the best there is, Clive would have beaten me easily with an Epee or Foil." She protested humbly. "I was just lucky he decided to use the Sabre."
"Nonsense, I'd wager you could take on the entire club single handily," he joked. "Even an old fool like me can see how much practice you must have put in."
Andrew realised too late the mistake he made as he saw the woman's smile waver. Perhaps it would have been better not to remind her how much free time she'd had lately.
"Well, I've had plenty of time to practice recently." She replied trying hard not to allow the hint of bitterness seep into her voice. "Since you know what my own projects have stalled, so it was either this or listen to mother complain about my absence at church again."
Maggie had fallen afoul of the new Director of News and Current affairs at WTN. Much like his predecessor the man had a very traditional view of female journalists and had done everything in his power to keep Maggie down. This had eventually resulted in a suspension as the headstrong girl had bought the director an incredible report about government corruption.
Unfortunately, the man's backwards views made him foolishly believe that she had no ability to understand the complexities of politics. Maggie hadn't taken it well, and when the director went on to claim she should be doing the job of a secretary; she blew her top and made some statements that couldn't be repeated in polite society. It was only Andrew's intervention that had stopped her from losing her job altogether; he'd had to use almost all of the influence with the higher-ups he'd gained over the tears to save her.
The whole situation had left Maggie feeling understandably angry and demoralised, she once again saw it as their superiors keeping her down because of who she was. She'd been off work for two months now because of it and she'd clearly been miserable. Andrew had arranged for her to return but the director had demanded an apology from her before she did.
Maggie was too proud and stubborn for that of course, so she had yet to return to the newsroom. Andrew had made a point of meeting with her at least once a week to catch up and keep an eye on her, he was more than a little worried about her. Today though he also had an ulterior motive.
"I'll be honest Maggs, I'm here to ask you for a favour." He began, taking a deep breath to steel his resolve.
"I told you before I won't apologise to that pig" Maggie replied immediately. Despite her months away from work, her skills at reading people and divining their intentions had not faded even slightly. "Why should I? He's lucky I don't use him to practice my swordplay on after he shut down my work and belittled me like that. Do you understand how it makes me feel to be treated like that Andrew?"
He'd be lying if he said he did, it never really made sense to him why some of his colleagues treated Maggie differently, but the look in her eyes, whenever she talked about it, was heart-breaking.
It seemed to him that the world had progressed backwards since the war, at least in some industries in the Allied Kingdom. It seemed as though everyone had forgotten how much the ladies in this country had helped the nation pull through the conflict. They even seemed to forget that some countries had even allowed women to fight side by side with their male counterparts. Despite all they'd done, some still thought that women should go back to cooking, cleaning and looking after the children.
But to Andrew at least, they had proven they were capable of great things he wanted to see them succeed. That was why when he'd met a promising young woman studying journalism, he'd taken her under his wing. He wanted to see what she would achieve first-hand. But for whatever reason, things never seemed to work out for her.
Still, what could they do about it? It was the world they lived in. He'd heard that things weren't quite so bad in the Unified States and that the Germanic Republic still maintained a certain degree of its former attitude towards equality. But Maggie loved her work, Andrew knew she was going crazy without something to keep her mind active, and neither the Unified States nor Germania had the world-renowned WTN. Even a secretary at WTN was more prestigious than a reporter for the New Jorvik times.
"I know he's an idiot, I'm fairly sure that's how he got the job" Andrew began, his comment about the director eliciting the smallest hint of a smile from the woman. "And I know it's less than ideal, but I really want you to come back. You're one of the best researchers in the business, those files you coaxed from the Republic war office practically gave old General Drake a stroke when he found out about them."
It was perhaps a little underhanded of him he knew, but Maggie was always very proud of her accomplishments. Buttering her up with praise was always a sure-fire way to get on her good side and if he were to persuade her to return to come back it was the best place to start. In Maggie's case, flattery really would get you anywhere.
"It got Drake to crack eh? He must be getting soft, normally you're the only one who can get anything out of him." She observed, a hint of smugness entering her voice as she heard the effect her efforts had on the old soldier.
"Then again, I'm not sure how much help I can be," she continued allowing the bitterness to seep back into her voice. "Such matters are too complicated for a woman to understand after all."
The Director really is an ass he thought to himself, sharing Maggie's frustration. Maybe if he showed an ounce of intelligence or talent, he'd realise the talent he was wasting! I suppose this is what happens when you give positions to a fellow freemason rather than hire someone on their qualifications.
This wasn't getting him anywhere, if he wanted to get her back, he'd have to pique her interest. Fortunately, he had just the thing, in fact, it was part of the reason he was here.
"Maggs forget about that for now, please, I really need your help again. We've finally been given the go-ahead to continue our program on The Saint."
"The Saint?" She replied cheering slightly. Andrew knew that the woman had a soft spot for the tales of the so-called Warrior Prince, even if they were just wild rumours. She had shared with him how much she had enjoyed researching the subject, it was only natural that she would perk up upon hearing about the program.
"Yes, we're finally going to talk about what happened in the southern and eastern campaigns and we're hoping we might be able to uncover one or more of the identities behind the legend. I could really use your help with this." He pleaded, inwardly pleased to see the interest on her face.
"The South," she said thoughtfully as she considered his words. "You only went to the Rhine and the Federation, right? You never got to see what actually happened in Tripoli."
Andrew suddenly felt very old, he'd been very lucky in his early career and his first assignments had been reporting on the War from the Trenches of the Rhine and later from inside the Federation itself. That was such a long time ago now and listening to that sort of question from a woman young enough to be his daughter reminded him how long ago it really was.
The War had been horrific. He'd seen more death than anyone ever should but despite that, he'd always held lingering questions about almost everything he'd experienced. The military had done their utmost to only show him what they wanted him to see while he was there, the Federation especially. He never felt like he was seeing the truth he'd been sent to report on; he always felt it was kept just out of his reach. If not for his association with Drake, his work might have been nothing more than one-dimensional propaganda pieces.
That was why he wanted to make this program, he wanted to find out the truth before it was buried forever.
"No, I never went south." He said quietly as he did his best to push aside the memories of the war. "That's why I'm so keen to have you back with us to help out."
A strange look passed over the woman's face, for a moment Andrew thought she might refuse him but gradually a grin started to creep along her face. He'd got her.
"I suppose I do owe you for everything with that pig-headed director." She began slowly, making it seem like she was still considering. "And it would be nice to get back to work."
"I'm looking forward to hearing your latest theory as to why the young Prince of Letzenbourg was most definitely the Saint." He teased reopening the same debate they'd had time and time again. "I'd love to know why the merciful Saint of the Rhine changed so drastically."
Maggie gave him a weak but undeniably beautiful smile before turning away thoughtfully. For a moment and Andrew worried if he might have said something wrong. Her confidence had already been shaken by the director; he hoped his good-natured teasing hadn't been taken the wrong way.
He opened his mouth to apologise but fell silent as the young woman's lips began to move once again.
"I'd like to know that too."
Author's notes
Hi everyone and as always thank you for reading.
This was out a little later than I had previously hoped due to accidentally losing a chunk of it because I forgot to save so I had to rewrite some of it (I'm sure you all know that feeling).
I'm not sure how well this one will land but as I've stated before the additional operations chapters are supposed to be fun little extras to add some fluff and character. So, if you don't like this one, it's not especially important to the overall story.
I've been wanting Wilhelm and Tanya to face off against each other for quite some time, but it took a bit of manoeuvring (and a little poetic licence) to get them there. The next problem is I realised that Tanya would win this fight nine times out of ten, even without the type 95. So, I had to think of some way Wilhelm could win, and you see what I came up with.
The only way I could see the aftermath of Wilhelm's win was a black eye and some very wounded pride hand it made me smile just to think about it. I couldn't not put that in, so Wilhelm got his victory this time, although he probably wishes he didn't.
I've also been wanting to bring Andrew and Maggie back for a while now and thought they would make a nice official end to part 2. It was a nice little extra to write into this part so I hope you liked it too.
What I didn't realise until I got the latest LN was that Andrew is supposed to be quite old. I always imagined him as in his thirties, but he must be much older. He makes his program after the war and was apparently a reporter on the front lines during it. Fortunately, I didn't mention any age before now so hopefully, I got away with it haha.
Quick extra note: This probably goes without saying but FROM THIS POINT ON THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE AND LATER ADDITIONS OF THE LN AND MANGA! You can't say I didn't warn you.
Again, thank you for reading and reviewing, I hope you are still enjoying the story.
Xanen