Surrounding OZEV, their Neighbors continued as usual, including the Concentration of Forces at the Borders between them. Yet despite most of the major movements being done, a quiet eerie Calm remained. Pieces of a major event about to happen, yet it was as if that was just an Opening for much bigger, hidden moves.
Confidential Coordinates, Asian Federation territory
The Landscape was a mess, as if a Tornado of Fire passed through. The latest landmark of that path, a Village full of Innocent Muslim Uyghur Chinese who were forced to do Heavy Labor. Yet traces of exactly what happened were Plenty. A man following this track was sure of it.
"This is Aurum 1 to Aurum Forces, report."
Looking like Mike, yet not him, Aurum 1 was one of his Many children, but the one and Only he acknowledged as a true Prodigal son. His task was a bother, a WEF pawn group, had opened a Pandora's box, and one going in a Beeline for Fraulein, but the task wasn't intercept or close-in and then wipe the target. The target was something else entirely.
"Aurum 5, tapped nine TYM Tangos."
"Aurum 8, Four Holy Blades wiped out."
"Aurum 15, Finished a full Armored Unit from Peace Martyr."
Wipe out all and any support escorts allowing the bastard to Beeline unimpeded. Despite that, the blockades will still not do much, not against the Pandora Box those idiots released in a Vain attempt in trying to Kill Fraulein.
"Aurum 2, we found a problem."
Problem, that means one thing only. Political ones.
"Aurum 2, I'm coming, Aurum 3, set for immediate intervention if necessary."
"ROGER."
Once there, Aurum 1 saw the issue and knew it would be a Pain in the ass. Silicified Biological matter, and above normal Temperatures even in the Burnt to Cinders area this entire path of death and Destruction was. His radio clicks, this demanded an immediate report to Stahl and all other Main Teams.
"Stahl team, this is Aurum 1, you copy?"
"Loud and clear, what's the problem?"
That was Stahl 1, his father, he probably expected something nasty mixed in this incoming problem.
"Collapse Matter, likely from Papa Tango."
"Alright then, keep the cleanup, plan will be changed a bit, good work."
Call ended.
"So?"
Aurum 2, his cousin, and Love Partner, asks, knowing exactly what they will do.
"Continue the task, the others will do what they can."
He sighs, as he and his Whole Battalion sized force (48, it's a Mage Battalion) continue the sweeping for more and more stray troublemakers.
"Li Shusheng…. Artificial supermagician made from Cheng Shusheng's DNA. Guess being a brazen emotion driven idiot is his DNA."
Idle thought done, he hurried to take the lead position of their Cleanup chase.
Germania, Alps
Motivation for rebuilding the Navy was likely so high that all areas important for that branch of our Armed forces managed to somehow pull a new Record. Middle of February as estimated in as the fastest the First Destroyers would be delivered in Seaworthy state, and they delivered, not Two as said until a few weeks ago, but FIVE, once I demanded a more clear explanation on HOW such amount came that soon, the Navy Admiral was eager to tell that the fact the sooner the current Ships to be built are done, the sooner the new KMS Kaiserin will begin Construction in full caused a handful of Dockyards to open for taking off the Less important tasks for building the ships.
In other words, because the first SK Class Carrier time to be ordered depends on all that's already Queued for our Navy needs, the whole process entered full Overdrive to hasten that. Only me to manage such scary productivity from those under her command or Rule, all fine and dandy…. If my plan WAS to have the SK Class built ASAP. What's done is done, I just point that proper procedures still MUST be done to ensure the new Ships are worth every Pfenning, and no Overworking the workers as well.
The schedule clearly became a sudden surprise shocker, By June the Navy would have ALL Destroyers delivered, and August, the first Carrier would arrive, the last two ships in queue would likely be finished and debut by Christmas, but all that was only the schedule if things remained as good as they're currently, with some leeway, the schedule would be more Normal for the Carriers. For now, KMS Kaiserin's new escorts were showing to be a welcome massive step above what our Pitiful overused Destroyers could deliver.
Enough CIWS, SAMs and ASMs made them in general a fine escort Destroyer. My only nitpick…. Is their KMS AI cores, who for whatever reason gravitate towards making their physical appearance being as if I WAS their mother, and they REFUSED to not call me that. The Navy men were all happy with that and saw no issues whatsoever, new ships or not, my aim for Germania's Navy remained the same as always, a cheap and effective Naval force able to work with the constrained Size of its fleets.
Back to the today, the Mage sent to help the reestablished US Mage forces has returned, in a single Month she has somehow made a batch of THE BEST those Americans will ever have in Aerial Mages, since Ours should remain the better ones worldwide, I will take nothing less after all. Visiting the Training Academy to greet her return, it's nice seeing this place Weiss took such effort to make into what it is to this day. Talk about the star of this meeting.
"I HOPE your work trip to the US has been DESPAIR free."
She turns in a hurry, having been talking with the Other Mages trusted with Germania's future Mages, they all make a sharp salute.
"At ease, this is just a casual visit. Captain Irys D. S. Cent, mind if I ask how your US visit has been?"
"N-Not at all! Holy Kaiserin."
This lass's flight style reminds me of Neumann, Competent, firm performance, yet something involved in flying limits her ability to do her best. That end her uncanny skill in making some incredibly inappropriate innuendos enter her phrasing. Still, she's one of the Best at Training Mages. A bit of Horny seems to be enough spice to get recruits into the zone.
"Have you been able of seeing their country? Not the scenery during Training, but, you know what."
"It's as you predicted, Hardly the Nation of the Early 2000s, even as they kept me to the "nicer" parts of the Central area cities. Comparing to OZEV, this is heaven, and they are one step from becoming Limbo."
So the situation is harsh, easy to see why, when your Economy never regains the people's trust and Alternative Markets become the go to, without actual proper actions to regain the citizens trust, society and government become two different Layers within the same Nation, with the Top Brass and those with good ties in the levers of power fattening themselves while the rest starve. I can see how the Blue and Yellow Parties managed to retain power in their small strongholds, other places are just barely better.
"And the Mages you Trained? Any showing promise?"
"Not much, compared to ours, even the three more passable ones would lose in minutes."
Overall Knowledge levels of the average joe has increased, but not much compared to the 1980s, blame the Magicians, Extreme Left idiots, and dozens of asinine Policies on education to make what should be a whole solar system of a gap in average Education level of the common person into merely a small step above those years. And that reflects in this harsh Mage quality, even Germania got hit hard, but we managed to have something better just BECAUSE our average population had a bigger batch of surviving Mage lineages never found.
The talk goes quickly, then I decide to stretch myself a bit. A normal Flight training regimen, that for me was a basic exercise, anyone else tried what I just finished, being in a hospital bed by the first drill would be already enough luck. Some other things I did were shooting, Underwater Mage Training and even some close quarters sparring with a few Courageous Mages, of course I held myself back a lot.
Germania, Berun
Nighttime in this City had become just like any Modern Large City of SALARYMAN'S First life, Lit up and with activity up to late in the night, and me looking through the Window of my Bedroom. Chilly wind came in, but I wasn't bothered or affected by it, looking at Berun, I am reminded, of all OUR work, effort to stop disaster from falling the Fatherland, what began as a survival plan and our first steps to spite that Asshole X, over time became more of an attempt at having the Empire avoid Losing and being destroyed. Yet WE failed, and instead worked even more to get Germania back to shape.
Yet, Fucker X interference aside, WHAT had WE done so wrong? What mistakes the THREE OF US committed to fail at so many things? With Hindsight, the answer is obvious, failure of communication, but what else? The US of now can only admit, none of the three inside here had much in common with that period's customs, Nowadays, ARTORIA did little in that, at least we have a honest outsider opinion immediately available, so some of our Mutual BS is filtered preemptively, but not always.
Misunderstandings, Wrong conclusions, incorrect leaps of logic…. WE can't fathom how our existence as Tanya von Degurechaff is filled with such insane amounts of Misunderstanding led actions. But they did happen, and they caused their share of consequences and butterflies. And to a degree, even when there's no such thing as coming to different or wrong conclusions, sometimes WE hit a wall too high for what WE could handle at that time. Such was why I ended stuck as a Lt. Colonel of Kampfgruppe Salamander until the war ended in such atrociously bad defeat.
{It's my opinion, that the Imperial Military focus should be on avoiding defeat, that we should develop a friction containment doctrine meant to bleed the enemy of all resources, including their soldiers, while minimizing our losses.}
That very first talk with Zettour, one that birthed the 203rd, my assignment as commander of it, and a Doctrine that was overused to the point of wastefulness. Maybe that was the turning crux, a Grand strategy was born from that, and the Best Tool for that very task as well.
{Many times during the fights I fought, in all fronts I took part, I saw Many from both sides of the fight Lose themselves to their Emotions, to end this kind of war, one side must defeat the enemy with such overwhelming blows until the end, that even the embers that lead to even more war are snuffed out.}
It was one talk with Lergen only, but it clearly seeped into how the Empire General Staff applied strategy into the war. That only works up to a point, ending a war sooner, once the Blaze of a Global or Great war has begun, what the empire began to do just worsened the fires of war.
{The war for now is going at the Empire's favor, but don't forget Brest, the Albish Desert incident, or even the Russy Attack that began the Eastern front war. No matter how much the Empire showcases its might against all foes we fought and may fight again, our fatherland CANNOT keep this, but our enemies can and will. Before this ends in a reversal of positions, suing for peace while the Empire has the upper hand is far more beneficial than keep going as the situation has been.}
I saw the writing, WE knew it would turn to the worst past that sole window, and WE tried. Yet even Zettour had decided back then that a Career suicide was not worth being the cost for saving the fatherland. Politics are such a dull and useless waste of time most of the cases, yet it oftenly runs things aground.
{Germania has no interest in taking Bharat over and replacing Albion as their master, OUR interest is merely containing and stopping the Communists from taking even more Land, Lives and Resources.}
It was truly my very thoughts and aims for Germania, but Alan Shone, and by consequence the AK, saw me taking over the South Bharatian Volunteer Army as me taking the remaining half of the Albish Jewell for Germania. That opened the moment AK became dead set into their Hostile Policy against OZEV.
{It was always my belief that coexistence and cooperation can be achieved, that two Nations once at deadly odds with each other could let that Bad Blood go for the sake of prosperity of its citizens. But both the Francois Republic and Albion Kingdom prove that isn't always the case, even more as they are willing to resort to Terrorism and cooperating with known War Criminals respectively, if it means a way to destroy a supposed evil country. But I am not like them, Germania, OZEV is FAR ABOVE them in morals, so we just ask that a War crime Tribunal shall set what those two Nations should pay Germania and the members of OZEV affected by their Crimes.}
The 1984 Trials of Amstreldam, where the AK government was ousted, forced to Pay reparations and AK had to sign a Treaty forcibly restricting their NBC arsenal of WMDs. The Francois was forced to demilitarize a huge area bordering Lothiern and Alsace-Lorraine, as well allow unrestricted access of OZEV-US Joint Interpol Forces to hunt their out-of-control Terrorists rooted deep into their Intelligence and Army. My aim was merely whack them in the head and let things go. But the world reacted differently, the CSR had been hit in a massive retaliatory Strike by the whole non-Commie world, including several nuclear strikes.
The end of that whole incident was a Sterile CSR as a Nation, Defanged and humiliated AK, and a Thoroughly hated Francois Republic, International Trade with them only returned decades after my death. But all this and more…. A whole track record of me…. Unable to not be Misunderstood or speaking with people too dead set on a poor decision. Can WE even be UNDERSTOOD? By normal people? Then I am reminded…. Even people close to me like Visha never knew truly me.
"Even to my most beloved I wore a Mask. Can't this-"
A gentle tap on my shoulder, the moment I turn to see Kaiserin, I am instead greeted with a kiss, a deep, long, loving one.
"What the-"
A finger on my lips and I shut, once she is sure I am not going to talk more for the time, she embraces me in a Hug. I can easily sense a sweet, soft smell, cinnamon, but a hint of coffee and cocoa mix in. A few minutes in and she didn't let go of hugging me, strange. Is someth-
"Can we talk?"
"Uh? Sure, but like this?"
"Yes."
What does she want to ask? That needs us like this?
"Do you… Still fear being misconstrued?"
"Huh? What? H-how?"
Her grip lightly tightens.
"Do you?"
Damnit. Fuck it, I'm tired, close to another loop of Depressive Misery and Doing my best to be content with a huge bed with only me and a damn Orb to sleep on it.
"Sigh… YES."
That same grip lessens, but she still holds me firm enough.
What can I say? SALARYMAN'S First life, his school life had been of the Bishonen Shota with a meek attitude. WE ALL here have trouble understanding people, resonating with them, building a bond. WE can empathize oh thank you, but it's OUR inability to Understand people, fear of Rejection and even…. A need of acceptance. Three Souls with one simple issue, we just can't fathom to understand others, what they think or how WE should even behave or act to fit in.
A bad ability to read people and comprehend them in general, wanting to belong to a group and a sense that OUR true Selves would never be accepted. Truly a terrible combo, now extrapolate that in one Body carrying Three people suffering of such traits. Learning to run with a Mask was a must. A bit complicated in that WE worked with a rather imprecise philosophy about people's reasons and decision-making core. That it somehow still worked out for US was a surprise.
"Why you ask?"
"You're getting depressed again. And…"
"Hm?"
Kaiserin shifts to look at me face to face, and once more Kisses me. Once it ends, she continues.
"…If you really need, I can let you be yourself when we're by ourselves."
That's… reasonable, even if weird given she has a physical look near perfectly like me, and that always unease me. Being OURSELVES? Given deeper thought, what do WE even ARE outside the endless Mask wearing? These thoughts are cut short as my body feedbacks me a kind of development only some specific Mangas should have. My lookalike undressed me and is already only a Panty away of fully naked.
"Kaiserin, what's-"
Naked and unbothered by 95 looking, she pushes me down into the bed, and once on top me, the third Kissing session begins. This one goes for a rather long period, this much blatant attention, and openness with me, know what? Screw it. WE all, even Artoria, had to run constantly with Mask wearing, even if for different reasons. SALARYMAN for a desire to fit in the Japanese Society and not be isolated. CHILD in here since she's, well, the youngest of US all here, SOLDIER, for my Duties and compensate for the Body's age back then, ARTORIA, as King Arthur, do what she believed was best for Camelot and its people.
"Fine, this is already as stupid it can be. Doing it something as close to selfcest is nothing much more."
A faint smile on her.
"You down for such?"
"Maybe, even WE don't know."
Morning was waking up, taking a Bath, and feeling somewhat reassured, maybe having someone WE can just stop filtering our Behavior truly was what WE needed.
