0.2

-- Lt. Col. Tanya von Degurechaff --

We were halfway back to the encampment by the time I realized I was doing things out of order. My Kampfgruppe is a fearsome weapon but even the best weapons require maintenance. Drop your rifle into the mud of the trenches and it won't fire without cleaning, and confusion and doubt are no less fatal to the function of an army. I needed to ensure my mages understood the necessary course of action so I could use them as a... cleaning rod to break through any obstructions among the unit commanders.

I came to a stop and called, "Gather up!"

The battalion quickly assembled by company in a semicircle in front of me. The unit commander meeting I'd scheduled was fast approaching, but this shouldn't take long. I took in the faces before me. There was fear there, and grief, but there was anger too. Reigning in the battle maniacs was Sisyphean toil, but giving them their head? It wouldn't take half a sentence. Well, I'd give them a bit more than that; anything worth doing is worth doing properly.

I let the silence stretch for a few long moments, considering my approach as tension built.

"Debt, gentlemen. All civilization is built on debt. The farmer borrows against Fall's harvest to plant in Spring. The inventor seeks investors to gather the capital necessary to complete the invention. Even the Kaiser takes out loans to fund this war and must, I assume, expect some unimaginably vast return commensurate to that outlay. When it comes down to it a debt is just a promise, and there's no shame in that."

I took a moment to look over the battalion. Some of the newer members were thrown but my veterans had an idea where this was going. I met Koenig's flinty stare.

"To renege on a debt, though? Well, that's no good, is it? If all civilization is built on debt, a deadbeat is nothing but a barbarian. Koenig, what would you call such a man?"

He knew what I wanted. His jaw set and his hands tightened on his rifle.

"I wouldn't call him a man at all," he rumbled.

I nodded.

I'd grown rather fond of this call-response speech pattern early on in my officer career. As a major I could hardly develop a personal relationship with every mage under my command, and of course my appearance didn't inspire confidence.

"We are owed, gentlemen. Vish--" I cleared my suddenly tight throat. "The Lieutenant was taken from us. From me! We are owed, and don't doubt we will have our recompense. Granz, do you think the communists will pay us what we're owed?"

He knew what I wanted. He raised his eyes to meet mine, unashamed of his tears.

"Not without a fight."

I nodded.

The men knew their company commanders, though, so I involved them in the speech and they made their support clear. And that had only become more important now that I was responsible for a whole Kampfgruppe and couldn't spare the 203rd the attention they deserved.

"Of course not. To the communist, debt is oppression. Left to its own devices the Federation would collapse under the weight of its barbaric ideology, but how much damage would they do in the meantime? Too fucking much. And we'll do our part to stop them. We'll take what we're owed, eye for an eye. Though of course it's not that simple. You have to consider relative value. What do you think, Weiss? How many communists is S-- the Lieutenant worth?"

There was only one answer I would accept and he knew it.

"There..." he started, too softly. He swallowed and spoke up. "There aren't enough in the world."

I nodded.

But the ritual wasn't done, was it? There were four companies and I'd only addressed three company commanders.

"You're right, of course. But forget what we're owed! It's vulgar to focus on that when we haven't yet discharged our own obligations. And make no mistake, gentlemen, we are in debt. We owe the Fatherland, of course, who was robbed of his finest daughter on our-- But you know what? Screw the Empire! It's the Lieutenant we owe! We failed to teach them they should have laid down and died before laying a finger on her; the least we can do is make them regret their inattention!"

I took a breath, reigning in my increasingly shrill tone.

"But hey, maybe I'm being unreasonable? Matters of debt demand a sober, considered approach. I'd hate to go too far." I looked to Third Company and steeled myself. "Serebryakov, what mercies would you say are due your former countrymen?"

...

I nodded.

They understood, most of them. And the rest understood I would not be swayed, that there was no way out but through.

"Nothing less than the life of every man who took the field against us today will satisfy our obligation. Every one of them, I swear it! Swear it to me!"

And they, hard-faced and resolute, did swear it.

Weiss and I touched down a little ways outside the encampment in the hope of hiding its position. Likely futile after my takeoff earlier, but we'd be breaking camp soon enough anyway. We started towards the command tent.

"You understand what I need from you, Major?"

He looked at me for a few long moments.

"Of course, Ma'am. Only..."

He faltered under my regard. Had I glared at him? I didn't think so. He'd had an unfortunate penchant for timidity when he'd joined the 203rd, but I'd thought he'd grown out of it. Well, perhaps I could forgive some weakness today. So long as he did what was required of him.

"Only?" I asked.

He swallowed.

"They've still got more than a hundred twenty mages, twice our artillery at least, and ten times the men. It's one thing to fend them off while we're dug in, but... Colonel, what's the plan?"

... Plan?

I almost hesitated, almost admitted I had nothing, but hard won experience wouldn't allow me to show doubt to a subordinate. Not even Weiss.

"Let me worry about the how, Major. Focus on the meeting. When have I led you wrong?"

I closed my mouth, cutting off the rambling before I could say anything even more dumb. Today! I'd led him wrong less than an hour ago!

But he decided to have mercy on me. I couldn't imagine why.

"Yes, Ma'am."

I nodded and started to consider how I was going to kill a division. Hundred twenty mages or not, I thought we still had the edge in the air. After all, the only real advantage mages have on the defense is better anti-air coverage, an unreliable asset at best. With me at their head, the 203rd could crush their combat mages and kill their spotters, reversing the artillery advantage via much more accurate fire... which still left an infantry division facing down my battalion. And it wasn't enough to beat them. They couldn't be allowed to flee or surrend--

"Ah, Colonel?"

Weiss had stopped and I joined him. We hadn't arrived at the command tent yet, but... Ah, this was probably the last chance we'd have to talk privately before the meeting.

"Major?"

But he didn't speak. He took out a handkerchief and paused inquisitively. Oh, right, the blood. But since when did Weiss handle-- Well, everyone should be well acquainted with the realities of a soldier's profession at this point; a little blood is just the sign of a job well done. But that was no excuse to appear slovenly. I nodded and he started dabbing at my face, my cheeks, my nose. He'd never get it all out of my hair or uniform, but the effort should count for something.

He did what he could and put the handkerchief away. We continued on our way without another word.

"--seize the rail yard. It's not like there's a bridge they can blow; we shouldn't have much trouble fixing any sabotage," I finished. "Meybert, Ahrens, you're confident your vehicles are up on their maintenance? We're scuttling anything that can't keep up."

Ahrens nodded and Meybert said, "Yes, Ma'a--"

"Forget logistics," Captain Thon interrupted. "Why are we pursuing a superior force? Our orders are to defend the separatists while--"

"You're confusing defense for guard duty," I snapped. "Proactively destroying threats to the separatists is well within our remit. Regardless, the Kampfgruppe's orders are my concern. Concern yourself with my orders."

He stared at me for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, this is insane. We can't win this fight and there's no reason to try." He took a step towards the radio. "I'll--"

His drivel trailed off into wet gurgling -- a substantial improvement in my opinion, the man had a profoundly annoying voice -- but... Ah. He had a bayonet in his throat. My bayonet, as it happened. Oh. I heard a scuffle to my left, but I was confident Weiss had it under control. I shoved Thon over onto his back so he could finish dying in relative comfort.

"What a fucking disgrace," I grated, mouth forming the necessary noises without my conscious involvement. "It's one thing to find cowardice and insubordination in a conscripted farm boy, but in an Imperial captain?"

I shook my head and caught sight of Captain Meybert, hand on his pistol grip and Weiss's hand latched around his wrist ensuring he couldn't draw it.

"Something you'd like to contribute, Meybert?"

He hesitated, eyes sliding from Thon drowning in his own blood to Weiss to me. I quirked an eyebrow.

"... No Ma'am. I was just... startled."

Now I hesitated. I glanced at Weiss who gave me a nearly imperceptible nod.

"Very well," I allowed and Weiss released him. "I suppose congratulations are in order, Acting Captain Tospan. I'll fill out the paperwork when time permits. I trust the rot extends no further into the Fallschirmjäger battalion?"

He gaped wordlessly. I frowned.

"And we'll need to keep your vice commander appraised, of course. Someone fetch... Lieutenant Nemec, I believe?"

At least three staffers scattered to track him down, but Tospan remained silent. Was something wrong with him? I took a step towards him and he suddenly found his voice.

"Yes Ma'am, thank you Ma'am, no problem Ma'am!"

I shook my head, displeased.

"Get it together, man. You're acting like you've never seen a corpse before."

He nodded -- too fast, but whatever -- and I prepared to get things back on track.

"Now--"

Everything froze. Time stopped. Captain Thon, who'd finished dying a few seconds before, sat up and wheezed. He shoved three fingers into the hole in his neck and tried again, managing comprehensible speech with a slight whine.

"My child, you're making a mistake. Remember: there will be no second reincarnation."