Chapter 15

October 2, 1927, en route to Panama

Getting transport to Colombia was easier said than done. While I'd long since managed to put together documentation showing Jennifer Ecks as an American citizen, Visha was in the country as a visitor, and as such getting permission for her to enter Colombia was much trickier.

Logically speaking, I'd have been far better off seconding her to Lena - if there's one person I trusted to train the new recruits of Velvet Iron to my standards it would be Visha. However, I had to admit I gave way to my own weakness here. The minute I'd brought Visha home to introduce her to Lena and Jenny, she had immediately taken over coffee-making duties. Quite aggressively too, when she heard Lena had been the one making my coffee at home. I wanted to tell her that Lena was quite adequate as a brewer, but when I tasted her first cup I could only wonder aloud how on earth I'd survived the past two years without her. Once I realized I'd said that in Visha's hearing, I knew trying to leave her behind would be futile. So I made the best of it, and sent out a telegram recalling Barrow to New York to take over as chief trainer. As for position of field commander, I handed that over to Samantha Young. One of the first few women I'd recruited, as well as a C-rank mage, she had shown herself an able fighter, an adequate tactician, and popular leader. She also got along well with Lena, which was vital to good coordination.

Of course, all this preparation meant is that it took several days before we were ready to leave. I will admit I was on the edge of paranoia for all of those days. Still, that didn't stop me from getting some useful work done.

During those days I touched base with all my most important allies and clients to gather information and confirm agreements, all to preemptively deal with any problems that might arise. And when I mentioned I might be heading to Central America (I was, of course, quiet about my exact destination), a surprising number of them started making all sorts of requests from me.

As a result, while my primary task there was still going to be consulting on security for my client's business, I was burdened with a large number of folders full of information and requests that I was now going through while I and Visha enjoyed the sun on the deck of our ship.

In a way, I was glad I had the work with me. That way I had something to focus on instead of fighting to keep my eyes from wandering to where Visha was sunbathing in her one-piece swimsuit. While it was good to once more confirm my reincarnation hadn't messed with my sexual preferences, drooling over those beautiful toned legs and fantasizing how they would feel wrapped around me was a less than productive use of my time.

And speaking of making productive use of time, my eyes snapped over to where the six agents from Velvet Iron were collectively proving to have far less willpower than I did. "Boys!" I sang out cheerfully, taking vindictive pleasure in how they all flinched and snapped to attention. "I'm glad to see you all so free. Let us make sure you are ready for the heat of the South American jungle shall we? Five laps around the deck. NOW!"

As they stampeded off, I could only wish I could deal with the leering sailors so easily. I had to content myself with giving those worthies my best death glare. Visha gave a small chuckle as she looked up from her own reading and said to me, "I notice you didn't tell me to join them. Shouldn't I be keeping in shape as well?"

"Your shape is already perfect." I muttered without thinking. Realizing what I'd said as she started to blush, I quickly continued, "After all, you were in the Imperial army until recently. I try my best, but those boys just aren't up to that standard quite yet."

This was not quite true. Five of the six were veterans of the various skirmishes against the gangs of New York, and I'd certainly put them as equal to the average infantryman. The sixth was the young B-rank mage that my testing teams had discovered. Even though he was only sixteen, I'd pulled him out of Household Magicks and brought him along with me. It takes a long time to train a decent aerial mage, after all, and this trip to Colombia was the ideal opportunity. Seeing as how the country didn't even have a formal aerial mage corps, I expected their detection network to be largely non-existent. An ideal place to discreetly train a young mage as well as get myself back into combat trim.

Visha simply nodded her acceptance and went back to her reading. I gave a mental sigh of relief. Truly, it was amazing how she could be so innocent in spite of her wartime experience. Thankfully, her habit of paying all her attention to her commanding officer meant that as long as I was around, she didn't seem to notice how every male in the vicinity seemed to drop 50 IQ points whenever she chose to reveal the day's swimsuit of choice. In a way I had to admire her self-confidence and preparedness. She seemed to be so happy to have a chance to wear them that whenever she would twirl around in them and ask for my opinion I didn't have the heart to tell her that it would be much better for my blood pressure if she hid herself under a tent.

As for me? Since I still had nothing worth flaunting, a T-shirt and shorts was all I needed or desired. Once I was sure the nearest males were no longer ogling my adjutant (or at least, being discreet about it), I went back to my own homework.

If I was to consult on my client's business, it was only right that I make myself as much of an expert on the subject as I could. While my specialty was security, I was fairly certain at least some of the problems my client was facing was due to questionable business practices on the part of his overseers. So, in the days leading up to this trip, I'd devoted quite a bit of time to studying the intricacies of coffee cultivation.

Coffee was big business in this world's Colombia, much as it was in my own, and America was one of their biggest customers. My client wanted to establish and operate plantations of his own rather than relying on middlemen to gather his supply, and it was my job to shoot anything that would cause problems for his business plan. Hopefully, the shooting would stay figurative. While I didn't know the prevailing laws of Colombia, I very much doubted they would look kindly on foreigners killing their citizens, no matter how justifiable the act of self-defense. Still, this was a job I was actually enthusiastic about, since Visha's brewing skill had reached new heights using the beans my client imported.

However, it wasn't coffee that currently concerned the report in my hand. No, what I was reading was the current state of Colombian agriculture regarding cannabis and opium.

Thanks to Hollywood, I had been aware in my past life about the fearsomeness of 'Colombian drug cartels' and how they pretty much supplied the world with every variety of illegal narcotics. In this world, at this time, Colombia was still mostly on the side of the angels and coffee. Coca, opium, and cannabis were all grown, but in relatively small amounts.

Now, I had absolutely no interest in becoming a drug-runner of some kind. Whatever I may have been accused of, I was a law abiding person, and I had no interest in joining the ranks of career criminals that make up the illegal drug dealers of the world. As such, I had no interest in the coca plant, since cocaine had been completely banned in most countries outside of a few very limited medical applications. Cannabis and opium on the other hand, were a very different ball game.

In the current state of technology, opium was a very useful and necessary plant. All the best painkillers were opiates, and some of these, like morphine and codeine, were so effective they were still seeing use even in my original life. Every hospital worth the name consumed large quantities of these drugs. In particular, my ally in New Jersey, the Mayor Hague, was deeply interested in promoting the city's healthcare system, and it is he who landed this situation in my lap. It seemed that America had long since banned commercial cultivation of opium, and relied almost entirely on imports from Asia to meet its needs. However, the recent war in Europe had drastically disrupted this vital supply. While the supply had once more stabilized, it had thrown something of a scare into the US medical industry and they were looking for an alternate source of the raw material to protect themselves from future shocks.

If the medical industry relied heavily on opium, the recreational side was using it less and less. The Americans were cracking down heavily on recreational uses of the drug. Some of my clients in Qintown had suffered from searches and raids by the police, and they were in turn looking for a legal way to provide their clients with the intoxication they craved. Alcohol was out, since Prohibition was still going strong. That brought me to cannabis, or marijuana if you will. While the US did have laws putting a tax on the substance, there were no laws at the Federal level outright forbidding its import and sale. While some states did have restrictions on its use, outright prohibition was rare. New York, for example, currently required a medical prescription to obtain the drug. How a recreational user might obtain a prescription was not my concern. There was a legal demand, and it was up to me to fulfill it.

Of course, all this were but secondary goals. My primary goal was to stabilize my client's coffee supply. If I had the time and opportunity I might seek some sources of opium and cannabis for my other friends, but it was not my main focus.

Well, no, my main focus wasn't the coffee either. My number one priority was to keep from getting arrested. Luckily, Colombia had nothing to do with Interpol, although whether they would hold out if America turned on the pressure was an open question.

Now that I thought about it, perhaps the issue of these drugs might not be so trivial. I would need to be proactive to stymie Interpol's efforts. America's habit of treating Central America as its personal backyard meant diplomatic relations were kind of chilly between them and Colombia. It surely wouldn't take much to convince them that cooperating with Interpol was against their best interests? If I could present myself as a major investor interested in expanding Colombia's cash crops into the pharmaceutical field, if I could make a friend of myself to the current power players - then at that point, their natural anti-American sentiment should see them opposing any attempt to arrest me.

In fact, why just stop there? Money was all well and good, but part of the reason America had been able to run roughshod over the nations of Central and South America was their lack of a proper air force or mage corps. If I dangled in front of them the possibility of a professional mage corps capable of protecting their borders from foreign interference, their government should be willing to resist any attempt to extradite me. Plus, any mage I trained would be one more soldier between me and my pursuers. Two birds, one stone.

With visions of a safe tropical haven dancing through my head, I threw myself eagerly into my studies.

October 9, 1927, New York

"So, Lieutenant, explain to me why I am escorting you ladies to the cinema?" asked Captain Robert Strong. He glanced down to where Elya was cheerfully hanging off his arm, while a scowling Mary stomped along on his other side. "And are you sure your boyfriend won't rip my head off when he finds out?"

"Hey, I suggested making this a double or even triple date. Blame Ms. Killjoy over there if you get put in traction," came the airy reply.

"No. No more dates," came the hissed reply from Mary. "I had to put up with your loose behavior for months in Londinium -"

"For a good cause!"

"Then we somehow ended up on the exact same boat to New York and now I couldn't even get away from the two of you being disgusting in public-"

"Not my fault Joe got recalled at the same time!" sang Elya.

"Then we get here to find out our target has fled to Central America!" Mary finished with almost a shriek. "And now you want to drag me along on even more dates? No! I have had it! The only reason I'm even here is because you claimed to have vital information on Jennifer Ecks! In fact, why are we even going into the cinema? I refuse to take one more step until you give me a proper explanation!"

As Mary planted her feet and crossed her arms, Elya rolled her eyes. "Fine, if you want an explanation - take a peek at that movie poster."

The poster was a large display right outside the cinema displaying the current offering, an obvious war movie called Arenne. Scowling at it, Mary remarked, "So it's a picture about one of Degurechaff's biggest crimes. What of it?"

"Notice the name at the bottom of the billing list?"

Mary glanced at it, then paused. "Jenny E... are you serious? How do you know that's the same person?"

"You would too, if you read the gossip magazines," came the smug reply. "There was an article just yesterday leaking the true identity of Jenny E as, and I quote, 'petite and fiery red-headed beauty Jennifer Ecks lifted from obscurity into stardom by the vision of producer John Hughes' end quote."

"All right so it might be her..."

"Want to know what else the article said?" asked Elya, the smugness radiating off of her.

"Lieutenant," came a mild warning from Captain Strong.

"Oh all right, spoil my fun," Elya pouted. "The article also mentioned that Jenny E played the role of Tanya von Degurechaff in the movie... and that she happened to be an aerial mage that was, and this is another quote, 'good enough to give tips to our boys from the 117th Mage Wing'."

Now even Captain Strong stopped to stare at her. "Are you telling me that Degurechaff went and starred in a film where she was playing as herself?"

"I'm saying there's no way Jennifer Ecks could actually be Degurechaff. I was actually beginning to believe the case Mary was putting forward, but you have to admit, only an utter lunatic would do something like while she's on the run from half the planet." Elya didn't bother hiding the note of disappointment in her voice. Of course, the disappointment was more for having sent her friend Visha on a wild goose chase, but her colleagues didn't need to know that.

Both Captain Strong and Mary chewed on this for a long moment. Then Mary shook herself and spoke, "No! I refuse to give up that easily! You've seen the trial transcripts, Degurechaff is nothing if not arrogant in her abilities! For all we know, she actually is crazy enough to do something like this! In fact, if she was already planning to leave the country, it would be just like her to do this as a final taunt before leaving!"

"Ensign," drawled Elya, "Might I remind you that unlike you, I've actually met the girl? From our brief conversation, she struck me as intensely no-nonsense and practical. Dramatic gestures like this seem very much out of character."

"All right, that's enough," broke in Strong. "I admit I'm feeling confused myself. But since the Lieutenant here has gone to the trouble of renting us a box for the show, let's just go and see Jennifer Ecks in action, shall we?"

Later that evening saw the trio walking out of the theater in a daze. By silent consensus none of them spoke until they reached their current office.

Elya was the one to break the silence. "It was a pretty good movie. I think it might do well in Berun, even with the anti-Empire slant."

"Oh yes, very good indeed. Particularly Jenny E." growled Mary. "That woman looked almost identical to Degurechaff! No make-up is that good!"

"If she's a mage she could very well be using an illusion."

"And the way she spoke? You've got to admit, that was a damn convincing Prussian accent! Almost as if she were a Berun native! Some of those lines were quoted from her trial, and they sure sounded exactly like our recordings of her!"

"It's called acting," came the weak response.

"And her flying!" Mary continued, heedless of Elya's rebuttal. "That was actual flight on the camera, and she was damn good! Too good to be some random unknown!"

Captain Strong cleared his throat. "I do believe you ladies are missing the forest for the trees. If that really is Tanya von Degurechaff, then those movie scenes mean someone just handed her a military grade computation orb."

You could hear a pin drop as everyone contemplated this. Mary said weakly, "It was probably only for the movie... they couldn't just let her keep it."

"I'm not so sure at all. The one who supposedly found her was the producer John Hughes, right?" At Elya's confirming nod, Strong continued, "Well, here's a tidbit that came my way which was supposed to be need to know... and I'm deciding you two now need to know. Recently, the US Army decided to upgrade their flight orbs to a newer, better model. The new orb is called the Hughes M27."

"Hughes? The same Hughes as the director?" asked Elya, sitting down in shock.

"I don't know. But I'm going to shake every damn tree until I find out."

"Wait... wait just a damn minute!" cried Elya, fist thumping down on her armrest. "Are you telling me that Tanya von Degurechaff came to America - and was somehow involved in the development of a brand new computation orb?"

"I'm saying that's what we need to find out..."

"Because, Captain Strong," interrupted Elya. "It all seems very convenient how Degurechaff supposedly broke out of lawful custody and disappeared into the ether - and the next thing we know, she's here in America. Training mages. Holding important positions in powerful companies. Developing new mage orbs. Hobnobbing with the rich and famous. Quite busy for a supposed prisoner on the run. Not like a fugitive at all, in fact."

The temperature in the room dropped to freezing as Elya's words washed over all present. "I'm not sure I like what you're implying, Lieutenant." growled Strong.

"I'm not implying anything," replied Elya with a cold smile. "I'm saying it wouldn't be the first time in a government that the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing."

"Don't you dare!" hissed Mary. "We all know it was her own people that broke her out!"

"No, we don't!" cried Elya, leaping to her feet and towering over the younger girl. "We KNOW nothing! All we have is speculation built on conjecture and supported by guesswork! And right now, our best damn guess is that Degurechaff's new identity has been working with the US Government all along! You tell me what I'm supposed to think!"

"LADIES!" The uncharacteristic roar from the Captain brought them both up short and to involuntary attention. "I understand this is a very tense situation. The Lieutenant's suspicions are understandable given the circumstances. So this is what's going to happen. I'm going to NavInt and find out everything I can about where these new orbs are coming from. And you two are going to track down this John Hughes and do everything you can to make him talk! Because let's be clear, I am NOT pleased that someone in my own government may be playing fast and loose with international law."

There was a long moment of silence, then Elya touched her forehead in a sardonic salute. "Very well sir. Come on Mary, looks like we might be going to Hollywood. But sir, speaking of international law, I'd like you to remember that the US is also a signatory to the law forbidding research in quad-core computation orbs."

"I am aware of the implications, Lieutenant. I do believe you have your orders."

"Yes sir. Although I hope you'll understand if I take the time to send a report over to Berun. Just in case."

"Do what you must, just get going."

October 18, 1927, Strossburi, The Empire

Wilibald Koenig took a meandering route to a house in the middle-class suburbs of the city. It was a long distance to walk but if anyone asked he would point out what a lovely evening it was. That it also let him check for tails was a bonus.

A familiar voice bade him enter when he knocked on the door. Seated around a table were a group of familiar faces. He nodded to each in turn. "Ernest. Becker. Vogel. Teyanen. Glad all of you could make it. Are we expecting anyone else?"

"No. I don't think so," spoke up Becker, their host.

"True," said Teyanen. "I know a few others might be interested, but none near enough to make it here."

"And what are we interested in?" barked Vogel. Koenig remembered the bearlike man to always been have been a tad impatient - a failing which ensured he never made it past Warrant Officer in spite of his experience. "You dragged us here with a bunch of vague promises and now you've been tighter than a virgin's cunt."

Koenig closed his eyes in suffering as a thud and a pained grunt sounded in the room. Neumann might have been tolerant of Vogel's crude antics, but Emilie Ernest had served under Weiss and was a stickler for propriety. She had also been one of only six women who qualified for the 203rd, not counting Degurechaff herself, and once you got to know her you learned under the prim exterior was an ice cold killer who was almost a match for the Major in ruthlessness, if not skill. There was a reason, after all, that Vogel was remaining silent after suffering what sounded like a nasty kick under the table.

Reopening his eyes, Koenig rapped his knuckles on the table before someone else said something stupid. "That's enough of that. If everyone is here, Teyanen, then you better tell us what brought you all the way down from Essen."

"Aye, well, maybe you've heard, but sometime last month Serebryakov resigned from the service."

Ernst and Vogel looked surprised, but Koenig and Becker wasn't. Koenig still had friends in Berun HQ, and Becker had been part of Degurechaff's company and so was closer to Serebraykov than most.

"Thing is, before she quit, she sent me a letter. She was off to America, apparently she wanted to indulge herself with a world tour."

"All right. And then...?"

"Then, last week I get a telegram from her. It's marked as originating from Cartagena in Colombia. I'll read it: Teyanen all well stop Have found new work stop Extremely difficult and little pay with much danger stop Not much glory but company makes up for it stop Wish you all were here stop Visha."

There was long pause as everyone digested this, then Vogel leaped to his feet with a howl. "Fucking finally! It's god damn time! Becker get out the beer! We're celebrating tonight and tomorrow we're heading for Cartagena! Wait where the fuck is Cartagena? Ah, who the fuck cares! She's back!"

Ernest and Becker had joined Vogel on their feet and seemed ready to start the celebrations when a sharp slap on the table cut them off. Koenig's already narrow eyes were reduced to slits as he glared them back into their seats.

"While I am as happy as all of you, we cannot afford to be careless. If all of us make a beeline for Colombia we might as well draw a map for all those hounding the Major."

"What do you suggest, Captain?" asked Ernest.

"First, we need someone here to receive any more messages Visha might send. Teyanen?"

"No can do, Captain. I already quit my job and booked my ticket, I'm leaving next month. I'm only stayed around to help spread the word. I can arrange to have my mail forwarded, but someone else has got to hold the fort."

All five looked at each other, before one by one, their eyes came to rest on Becker. He rolled his eyes, "What is this, pick on the aristocrat day?"

Koenig hid a smile. While the whole battalion had known that Becker was really Klaus von Becker, youngest son of an old and wealthy family, the young man's affable nature had won over those who might have made an issue of it. Instead, Koenig replied, "Actually, in many ways you are ideal. It won't be just a matter of receiving and sending messages. Someone will also have to do the legwork of reaching out to our old comrades. See who is still... reliable."

The whole table sobered at this. Ernst, Vogel and Becker had been among Degurechaff's most vocal partisans. Koenig preferred to keep his own counsel, but Visha had vouched for him, as she had for Teyanen. The five of them could trust each other, but for how many more was that true?

A total of 59 aerial mages had borne the badge of the 203rd Imperial Mage Battalion. Of them, 6 had been killed in action, and 18 more invalided out of the army. Of the invalids, Teyanen was one of the lucky ones to have made a full recovery. Not counting the Major, Visha, and those present at the table, that left maybe 30 to 35 potential recruits if one counted those who were only partially disabled.

Of those mages, five of them had joined at the very end of Operation Revolving Door, and subsequently were the only five invited to once more bear the Type 97 as part of the 207th, the 'replacement' of the 203rd. Koenig did not grudge them their choices, but he also immediately dismissed them from consideration.

This still left maybe 30 mages. Of them, the only ones Koenig would trust wholeheartedly would be his fellow company commanders, Weiss and Neumann. After them would be those who had resigned in protest following the debacle of the Major's trial - maybe eight or ten all told. Still, even if they could be trusted with the secret, that did not mean they would be willing to leave behind their lives in the Empire for whatever hell awaited them in the jungles of South America.

Someone would have to reach out to the remainder of the 203rd, test them for reliability, then see if they would be willing to abandon the Empire to follow the Major. When he put it that way, Koenig was surprised there were even five such lunatics sitting around the table.

"All right," sighed Becker. "I suppose someone will have to act as your local contact. I warn you though, I'm not going to be left behind forever. Six months, then I'm on the next boat."

"Fair enough. Ernest, you're no longer in the army. How quickly can you follow Teyanen?"

"Tomorrow soon enough?"

"Don't travel together, instead figure out how to meet up in Cartagena. Once the two of you get there, establish a base of operations. One of you will have to man the base and coordinate the rest of us when we get there. And the other will have to search for clues as to the Major or Visha's whereabouts."

"Clues?" came Vogel's puzzled query.

"You really think Visha would send a message from there if the Major was anywhere nearby? Most likely, they'll have left clues for those who know them, but they won't be easy to find. You'll have to be clever and cautious. Or you can just sit tight and wait until I get there and figure it out for you."

"Respectfully Captain, up yours," Ernest said with a sweet smile.

"Hmph. Just remember, be discreet. We don't want to tip anyone off until the Major's ready for them. Now, I do believe Vogel mentioned some beer?"

As the somber mood gave way to celebration, Koenig found himself quietly nursing a drink besides Becker as the other three held a drinking contest. The young nobleman leaned in and asked, "Captain. This thing we're doing. Does it actually make sense? To abandon everything we know and head off across the ocean chasing after a girl we knew for barely a year..." Becker paused for a moment before continuing, "Now that I say it, we sound like a bunch of lovesick idiots from a cheesy romance novel."

"Now, now, Corporal. Not all of us are like Lieutenant Serebryakov." They both shared a quiet laugh. After a moment of watching the others make fools of themselves, Koenig spoke once more, "Everyone has their reasons. Some are simple. Teyanen feels he let us down with how he was invalided out, and wants to prove himself once and for all. Vogel was a perennial fuck-up one bad move away from a court-martial, until the Major took him in and set him straight. You and Ernest are a bit more complex, but I feel you are sincere and that is what matters."

"And you, Captain?"

"Now that is very personal, Corporal. But I will say this. The Major said many interesting things while I knew her, but the one that always stuck in my head is this thing she said right after we got done taking out the Dacian vanguard's HQ. 'Forward. Ever forward. Let's try and see just how far we can go.' So... I guess you can say I'm in this to satisfy my curiosity."