Ongoing operations: Preparing to redeploy
40 Years After the Great War
Londinium
Perhaps one of the most surprising things about the Empire's raid on Moscau was the domino effect it had on other nations around the world. Until the 16th of march that year, no one had thought it possible that the capital city of one of the great powers could be so badly mauled and now both belligerents and neutral countries alike looked to their own defences anxiously. Indeed, even the far-off Unified States found itself desperately shoring up its forces around the White House and Pentagon, fearing a possible copycat attack should one of its rivals decide to strike.
However, despite the shock it brought to the world, it is important to note it only provided a minor strategic advantage to the Imperial troops fighting on the front lines. Indeed, within a few days of the start of the invasion, Federation forces had begun advancing deep into Imperial territory and without the great army, the Empire's eastern forces were struggling to hold back the red tide.
Despite the setbacks caused by the raid, anyone could have been forgiven for assuming that the Federation might still succeed in striking a quick victory. However, we all know that the war was far from over. – Andrew WTN Special correspondent.
19th March Unified Year 1926 08:00
Cabinet Room, 10 Downing Street, Londinium
Major General Donald Habergram was beginning to feel as though his entire life now revolved around either giving or receiving bad news. He'd long known that most of the intelligence business involved looking for and analysing the worst-case scenarios, but before the war he at least felt as though he could find some sort of silver lining to deliver to his superiors. Lately, he felt as though he were being treated like some harbinger of doom. Every time he was called upon to give an intelligence update his colleagues looked at him as though they desperately wished he were somewhere else. It was getting rather depressing.
"You're certain these reports are correct? From what we know of the Federation's military capabilities, this doesn't seem possible." Asked the army chief of staff incredulously, unwilling to believe what he was hearing.
Habergram could understand his scepticism. Considering the Federation's initial success on the front lines it was shocking to see such a failure in the rear. And the last thing the Allied Kingdom needed was to be tied to yet another floundering ally.
"I'm afraid so Sir Robert, the Federation capital has come under a major attack and several key installations have been damaged or destroyed. In truth, it is a miracle that they didn't lose any senior members of their leadership." Habergram replied, feeling a headache forming behind his temples as the others in the room murmured to each other with undisguised concern. "A group of mages snuck in behind their lines and hit the city before they knew what hit them. We intercepted their orders through Ultra but by the time it was decrypted it was too late to warn the Federation or our unit in Moscau."
He didn't bother to add that the orders they had intercepted only stated to carry out a raid to draw troops from the front lines. He was worried it might spark a debate about whether the Empire knew about Ultra or that they were either being deliberately vague or sneaking further secrets into their messages. Professor Turning had assured them that no such thing was possible, but Habergram was nothing if not cautious when it came to the Empire's capabilities; they'd been stung before. However, until he was certain, he couldn't afford to throw the power of their ace into question.
The worried reactions from the other officers were not unexpected, he'd been similarly affected when he'd first learned the news. Less than a year ago they would have rejoiced at such a catastrophe befalling the communist giant in the east, there was no love lost between the two countries and they weren't above a little schadenfreude. Yet now it was enough to send panic through the very heart of government. Not only because of their reluctant alliance but because they all wondered if the same thing could happen to them. Londinium may well be in danger.
"Now then gentlemen!" A calm voice cut in from across the room, accompanied by the sound of a striking match as the figure lit his cigar. The room quietened as everyone turned towards the man at the head of the table, the old Bulldog himself, Prime Minister Churbull. "How prepared are we for something like this? What's the risk?"
"The new radar systems and the continued air war over the channel mean we're a little more prepared than Ivan against something like this, but we may struggle if they time an attack to coincide with an air raid." The Chief Air Marshal replied, maintaining a professional tone despite the grave news and mild rebuke he had received from the prime minister. "I'm not sure we can guarantee the airspace over parliament and the palace, it may be wise to move the royal family to a safer location."
There was a rumble of agreement from almost all those present although no one seconded the issue. The safety of the royal family had been discussed before but without much success.
"Her Majesty and her husband will not be moved." Churbull replied firmly but with a hint of frustration. Habergram knew that the prime minister had advised the royals to move to one of the dominions until the threat of invasion was over, however, word had it that the Queen had been particularly blunt when he had broached the matter. It seemed even the Bulldog could be put in his place once in a while. Still, the fact that the queen's children had been quietly moved to either safer locations or military posts meant that some progress had been made.
"Then I believe we need at least a regiment of aerial mages on standby to protect Londinium from this kind of attack." The air chief replied flatly with an air of exasperation. "Perhaps we can requisition a few more marine mages from the Navy."
Habergram felt himself suppressing the urge to let out a depressed sigh. It looked as though the meeting was going to devolve into another round of arguments about who should give up their precious reserves of manpower. No one dared spare any resources without a fight.
"Impossible! We're already stretched as it is! The Home fleet, the southern sea and the new arctic convoys all need marine mages for protection!" The new first Sealord interjected quickly, unwilling to allow the others to erode even a portion of the senior service's strength. "Not to mention the increased Akitsushiman threat to the east. Our fleet out there is already critically undermanned."
Habergram frowned at the mention of their troublesome neighbour in the Far East. The situation over there was almost looking like a repeat of what had been happening in Europa. Had they not already been embroiled in a war, he was certain they would have been looking to intervene to prevent the Akitsushiman Dominion from gaining too much influence in the region. It had even been enough to cause the isolationist Unified States to look on with concern. Either Churbull or the American president would likely have to make a move soon or the world would have a second Empire to contend with.
"We're hardly flush with mages either." The army chief cut in, understandably unwilling to pick up the slack considering the Navy and air force already took the cream of the crop when it came to the Allied Kingdom's magical talent. "We may have swelled in ranks but most are still in training, if we ever want to take the fight to the enemy we'll need magical support."
Habergram found himself switching off to the conversation; he'd heard all this a hundred times before. The Allied Kingdom's personnel situation was less than ideal. Aside from the Navy, they had always kept a pretty lean armed forces in the past. However, now that they'd been forced to play their hand, they had needed to quickly expand the other arms of the military, meaning anyone with experience had been hastily snapped up while they instituted a draft and trained up new troops.
Unfortunately, there weren't enough people with experience to go around, leading to their current problems. Habergram had also found that they also usually preferred to serve in the more prestigious areas of the military rather than the clandestine world of intelligence, so he had had a particularly hard time filling the vacancies in his department.
Usually, they could fill the gap with officers and troops from the rest of the Commonwealth, however, the war was not popular in the colonies and the government feared the fallout of mobilising a largely reluctant populace. Instead, they'd been left with no choice but to beg for volunteers and hope the local authorities could stir up some war support. Besides that, all they could do was train the Albion draftees and hope they would be ready when the time came.
"We'll figure out the defence issue later." Churbull spat testily, putting an end to the argument for the moment. He would likely bully one of the generals to provide the manpower later. "For the moment I want to know what we can do to retaliate. What about the new combined air and mage unit you've been putting together Hugh? Can we use them to pull off something similar?"
The air chief frowned, although whether it was because he knew what Habergram knew about the Empire's defences or that the notion he had no mages to spare was proven false he couldn't say.
Once again Habergam felt his heart sink as he found that he was going to have to be the bearer of bad news once more. Especially since it had been refreshing to hear someone speak about striking back at the enemy; it would be nice to have a win to take to the press. However, the latest intelligence reports didn't paint a rosy picture for a potential copycat strike.
"The Empire still maintains air defences across the former Rhine front. They would see us coming long before we reached Berlun." He replied, feeling the sense of disappointment in the room.
"There are always risks. What about the defences around the capital?" Churbull pressed, still eager to find some way to hit back at the Empire. However, Habergram had not finished with the bad news just yet.
"That doesn't look good either, we know they added air defences after the Republic invaded the Rhine territories and although we are as yet unsure of their exact composition, we know that the Imperial General Staff keeps its instructor unit as well as an unknown mage unit under their direct command." Habergram continued gravely. "Despite the attack in the east, it appears they have enough mages in reserve to protect their capital."
Despite the severity of the news, Habergram couldn't help but feel a little proud of the information they had gathered concerning the Empire's capital. It had been extremely difficult to find all of this out. Berlun's defence was rarely discussed via radio or telephone transmissions, so project Ultra was all but useless in that regard, and the Empire's intelligence purge had severely damaged their spy network. What information they had found had been largely due to the efforts of the newer agents, posing as a psychiatrist at one of the military hospitals in the capital. However, even he had only managed to infiltrate the lower echelons of the Imperial command for the moment. And much of the information about the unknown unit was a mystery, it was mostly just referred to by the code V601.
"Damn it all!" Churbull raged slamming a fist on the table, causing more than one of the assembled gentlemen to jump back in surprise. "Are you telling me there is nothing we can do to strike back? We can't win this war without hurting the enemy! We will do something! Even if I have to fly over myself and give the Kaiser a bloody nose!"
The room fell silent in the face of the Prime minister's anger, nobody wanted to say it, but for the moment at least, there was little they could do. The channel of water that kept them safe was also a barrier for any offensive operations and although they had the ships for a strike to liberate the republic, it would be at least another year before they would have enough troops trained for such an operation. In the meantime, they were still effectively under siege from Imperial aircraft.
"We could have bomber command strike at the Ruhr industrial region, and perhaps the Letzenbourg steel mills. It may not be as effective as their raid on Moscau but it would disrupt their ability to manufacture weapons." The air chief replied eventually, although he didn't seem too enthusiastic about the idea. High-altitude bombers would be less susceptible to ground fire, but they would still have to run the gauntlet of the defences the Empire had put up to defend their precious industrial areas. Not to mention contend with the Imperial air Fleet that was still trying to wrest control of Albion's skies from them. It would no doubt be costly.
"Do it! We can at least show our new friends we're pulling our weight." Churbull growled, sounding almost like the animal he'd so often been compared to as he huffed on his cigar grumpily. "We'll take the Air Force's mixed unit to protect the capital for now."
"But Sir!" The air marshal protested, displeased that his secret reserve of magic users was being robbed from him. "They are intended to act as an assault squadron, using them to defend friendly airspace is a waste of their capabilities!"
"Then you better bloody well find me some more mages then!" Churbull snapped back angrily, quickly silencing the man. "I'd prefer to send them to help De Lugo clean up that mess in the south or support the Federation assault but since none of you gentlemen seems to be willing to take the fight to the enemy, I'm given few options!"
Habergram could feel the mix of anger and shame radiating from his colleagues at the Prime minister's words. Even he felt as though he had let the side down, despite all he'd done he still couldn't provide enough intelligence to conduct a decent attack. However, it was the members of the other services that suffered the brunt of the rebuke and Habergram couldn't help but feel a little bad for them.
It wasn't entirely their fault, they were all playing with a poor set of cards. The Albion psyche made you prepare for the worst, everyone liked to keep something back for a rainy day. But so far everything in this war had been far graver than they'd ever expected. Even the hardy residents of the Allied Kingdom needed a break from the rain sometimes; although God had yet to grant that particular request.
All this had made the officers more cautious; they were still waiting for the other boot to drop. Still, the Prime Minister was right, they needed to do something more if they wanted to win this thing. Someone would have to be willing to commit their forces eventually.
"I expect a revised plan for the defence of Londinium and enough troops to fulfil it by tomorrow morning." Churbull continued puffing on his cigar and giving an evil glare to everyone in the room. "Dismissed."
Habergram let out a sigh as he rose to join the rest of the officers as they began filing out of the room. The meeting had been more depressing than he'd feared, not only were they uncomfortably vulnerable to a similar sort of raid as the Federation, but their ability to strike back was still incredibly underwhelming. They may have done a decent job of rearming and training new recruits, but it seemed they had a long way to go before they could mount a credible counterattack against the Empire.
But then, the Albion gryphon had always known how to be patient.
20th March Unified Year 1926 09:20
Visdel Military base, Former Norden Territory
"Everyone on your feet! Now!" Tanya yelled, angrily bursting through the door of the mess hall; striding into the room as its inhabitants violently awoke from their inebriated slumber. To think these bunch of drunkards are my men. She thought as she glared at the bewildered soldiers as they tried to pick themselves up.
Despite sudden interruption and adverse effects of the previous evening's activities, most of the hung-over veterans managed to get to their feet with something approaching reasonable efficiency. Including her deputy, Captain Weiss and Wilhelm's second, Captain Zerbist. Who, despite the array of empty beer steins that had been around the table where they had fallen asleep, managed to straighten up and at least appear cognizant.
However, Tanya was in no mood to loosen the slack on any of her troops today. Not after what she'd been told.
"I said move Grantz!" She shouted as the young officer sluggishly joined the other officers in the line. He looked especially worse for wear and Tanya couldn't help but notice the bottle he hastily discarded as he rose from his sleeping place in the corner of the mess hall. She would have to keep an eye on him in the future. She may respect his personal freedom to indulge in a drink, but if he was going to turn into an alcoholic, whose love for booze might affect the performance of her battalion, she would see to it he never drank again.
"Serebryakov! Gather the rest of the senior officers." She shouted, glancing back towards the door where her aide loitered gingerly nearby. After having the misfortune of waking Tanya and bringing her bad news, she'd obviously elected to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. A wise move whenever a superior is in a bad mood but not one that would completely keep her out of the firing line.
"Captain Weiss, we're having a strategy meeting in briefing room four, you have five minutes! The rest of you, pack up your things, we're moving out in two hours!"
Tanya hissed with annoyance as she turned on her heel and strode out of the mess, leaving her soldiers to chase away the fatigue enough to get back to their duties. Under usual circumstances, she might have felt a little guilty about subjecting them to such a rude awakening, particularly since she'd been the one to allow their excess and promise a forty-eight-hour reprieve the night before. However, the news that Visha had brought her this morning had put her in a foul mood and misery loves company.
Besides, it was her superiors that were being unreasonable, she was just passing the feeling along, and they'd suffered worse when she'd tried to drive them out of the battalion during training. Dealing with an irate superior was nothing compared to what she'd promised them on the recruitment poster. She was well within her rights to vent her frustrations at them; they were lucky she was usually so well-composed.
The entire situation was intolerable, had she not seen the official dispatch herself she might have thought it all a cruel joke; and a not particularly funny one at that. They'd been given orders to redeploy already! They'd only been back behind friendly territory for a day and the General Staff wanted to ship them straight out to the front lines! She hadn't even been given the opportunity to submit an objection, General Rudersdorf's orders had stated that she should move out immediately! It was completely unacceptable, particularly since they'd already been pulled from their scheduled rest rotation in the south to conduct the last mission.
Had the General Staff never heard about the dangers of overworking competent employees? Or even commensurate compensation for work completed? It wasn't as if they were being paid overtime for all this; the least they could have done is give them a few days to rest and enjoy their success before they were thrown back into the meat grinder. This practically counted as abuse!
Worse still, she hadn't gotten the restful night's sleep that she would have liked. Something had felt off, and despite her bravado the night before, Wilhelm's warning about Being X had gotten to her and her thoughts had been dominated by the strange power the girl over Moscau had exhibited. She wanted to dismiss the unease as irrational, something brought on by the little captain's paranoia; she'd seen the girl fall to her death after all. However, she just couldn't rid herself of the nagging feeling something wasn't right.
"My my, what's all the excitement about?" A familiar and smarmy voice purred from behind, making Tanya instinctively wince with annoyance and pause in her stride. One day she swore she'd find out how he always seemed to find her whenever she thought about him.
You better behave yourself Wilhem, I'm in no mood for your games, she thought turningto the boy with the intent of ordering him to get ready for the meeting. As much as she didn't like it, he was still technically one of the battalion's senior officers and although she hated to admit it, he was occasionally able to provide some sort of useful insight.
However, she found herself pausing as she noted the dessert bowl and spoon in his hands. Her gaze drifted upwards, and she soon saw that the boy was wearing a smug grin with such obvious faux innocence that even those in the battalion nursing hangovers would be able to see through it.
"I was just trying to enjoy my breakfast when I heard the commotion. Anything the matter?" He continued with false sweetness as he casually waltzed forward to join her, offering Tanya a spoon full of cream. "Care for a taste? It's quite good."
She found herself staring at the contents of the boy's bowl. It was clearly the parfait that Serabyakov had prepared the night before, not necessarily surprising in and of itself but certainly an unusual breakfast choice. She might have considered his choice of food a coincidence if not for the boy's infuriatingly self-satisfied grin.
The boy was deliberately trying to annoy her again.
Somehow he'd found out about her fondness for the sweet and was using it to mock her, likely as some sort of petty revenge for last night's reprimand. She wasn't about to respond to his childishness however, she had more important things to worry about.
"We're being deployed. Tell your men to get packing and get to the briefing room on the double, we're having a strategy meeting." She replied shoving the spoon aside and pushing past him. However, to her dismay, he followed after her, loudly spooning a mouthful of desert into his mouth as he went.
"I'll join you then, I thought something like this might happen, so I told Sergeant Litz to make sure my company was all packed up last night. We're ready to leave whenever you are." He grinned between mouthfuls. "I wouldn't want you to think I wasn't eager to face the Federation."
His words almost made Tanya pause once more but her refusal to allow Wilhelm to put her off balance again allowed her to maintain her stride. Had he somehow known they'd be called to move out? No, it was impossible, he couldn't have found that information before her, even he didn't have access to the official channels the higher-ups used. Was this just another way to mock her? Using the façade of "improving his performance" just to irritate her?
Could you just act like a proper officer for once? She groaned inwardly as they reached the northern base's modest briefing room, doing her best to ignore the little brat's latest bout of petulance as she focused on the task at hand.
Tanya had visited both the intelligence office and the radio room before she went to wake the rest of the battalion, and had ordered some of the local officers to bring all information regarding the western front back to the briefing room before she returned. There were still some harassed-looking clerks frantically ferrying in boxes of paperwork, but she ignored them in favour of studying what they had already brought while Wilhelm made himself comfortable in the corner, putting his feet up and loudly continuing her leftover dessert.
"A professional officer might spend this time studying the tactical and strategic situation." She pointed out, not bothering to look up from the reports strewn across the conference table. The picture they painted was not very encouraging, although Eastern command was putting up a good fight, Federation forces were pushing hard and taking territory much faster than she would have hoped or expected. Still, the tide would likely turn once the Great Army reached the front.
"I had a look at all that this morning." Wilhelm declared breezily as he shoved a strawberry into his mouth. "Looks a little rough, the reds are pushing hard considering they've only been at it for a few days. They've encircled Tiegenhoff and are pushing towards Dantzig. They seem very keen on fighting, one would think someone had done something to upset them."
Tanya ignored the less-than-subtle barb; she wasn't about to repeat the previous evening's argument again. He was just trying to warp the narrative. The raid was never intended to be a decisive blow against the Federation, just a way to draw some forces away from the front and hurt their pride, of course the remaining forces would continue attacking. It would take a little time before the results truly revealed themselves. Rumours were no doubt spreading through the Federation despite the communist's attempts to cover the truth from the soldiers on the front. Soon enough everyone would see how fragile their ideology was and when it was evident they would fall, she would be sure to remind Wilhelm of this conversation.
His pathetic attempt to frame the Federation's battlefield successes as somehow being her fault was puerile nonsense and his attempt to play a professional officer little better. Reviewing the intelligence and applying flawed reasoning to scorn her was no better than not looking at the reports at all. Perhaps I really should consider giving Captain Zerbist command of the close combat company.
By now Weiss and the other senior officers had begun filing in and were looking a little more refreshed. Even Grantz had smartened himself up and was endeavouring to make up for his earlier lethargy by assisting the clerks with files and photographs received from strategic command while Visha and Neumann were passing out coffee. Something she was particularly thankful for as the familiar bitter taste hit her tongue.
Once everyone was assembled, she quickly gave an overview of the strategic situation, taking care to point out details on the charts where necessary. It was important that her senior officers have a solid grasp of the big picture, it would positively impact their decision-making on the battlefield. Her frustration with Wilhelm only worsened, however. Instead of paying attention to her briefing he continued to lounge in the corner of the room and seemed intent on separating every last drop of his dessert from his bowl in the noisiest and most disruptive way possible.
"I see. They've hit us hard and forced us to give ground, but they haven't breached the Allenstein-Lublin line." Weiss commented thoughtfully rubbing his chin. "Even with the numbers the Federation has, they should struggle to get through there."
Tanya nodded, trusting her deputy's expertise in this area. Weiss had been one of several officers that had originally been drawn from the Eastern army so it stood to reason that he would understand the particulars of applying the interior lines strategy in that theatre better than she might. As suspected, Wilhelm's dour appraisal of what was happening on the front was proven false. His limited experience in the south and on the Rhine left him almost as ill-equipped as green officers like Grantz to properly assess the situation in the east.
"But what exactly does that have to do with us? What are our orders?" Neumann asked, voicing the question aloud that everyone no doubt was wondering.
"As you know, the Great Army is being mobilised as we speak as per the interior lines strategy. Strategic command has decided to assault the forces in the north first, meanwhile, we are to form a flying column and support the Eastern army as it tries to buy time and stabilise the lines along the Imperial Federation Border." Tanya explained, doing her best not to show too much disapproval in her voice.
Although she couldn't deny that their mission was a logical one, she couldn't help but be annoyed about it. This type of operation was notoriously hard work, they would be on the move near constantly, essentially fighting fires when anything came up along the entirety of the eastern front. It was the sort of task that entailed a lot of work with very little reward or opportunity to excel; the worst sort of job for an officer who wanted to climb the ladder like Tanya.
"They're attacking the north first?" Wilhelm chimed in, finally deciding to show some interest as he abandoned his now empty bowl and joined them at the map table. Surprisingly, his sudden bout of curiosity seemed to be genuine, and Tanya could almost see the cogs moving in his mind as he assessed this new information. Although considering what the boy was usually like, she wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing.
"Why defend the entente territory? Do they think the Federation will try to liberate it?" Grantz added with confusion, causing Tanya to smile.
She almost wanted to laugh out loud at the idea of the communists liberating someone else's territory. Most of their own citizens were lucky if they lived in one of the Federation's "so-called republics", puppet states that pretended to play democracy with only the choice being which state-sanctioned stooge was in charge. The most any "liberated country" could expect from the Federation was a new "people's government" staffed entirely by similar people chosen for their loyalty to Moskau. Rather than liberation, it was better described as a poorly rebranded conquest.
Still, she supposed she couldn't be too hard on Grantz for his naivety. Few people in this world knew how truly terrible and corrupt communism could be, this world's history had yet to see them catastrophically fail. That was the reason they managed to dupe so many people into following the flawed ideology in the first place.
"I don't pretend to know strategic command's full plan, but I would guess they plan on isolating and destroying the weakest force first, then use the Northern army to flank the main force while they bring the Great army back to the Imperial border." She continued explaining calmly. It was exactly the sort of tactic the Imperial General staff would put together. It was in the very nature of men like Zettour and Rudersdorf to seek out decisive victories. Despite her earlier gripes about them overworking her, she had to admit they worked hard at minimising losses by planning out such significant gains.
The plan itself also had all the hallmarks of the men she knew preferred to be careful about how they expended their resources. Although Northern command still needed to garrison the Legadonian territory to suppress any resistance movements, they could still bring some extra fighting power to the table. Neither Zettour nor Rudersdorf were the sort to allow their limited resources to stand idle. Something she was learning to both respect and dislike about the pair.
She was about to expand further but a knock on the door put an end to any additional strategic analysis as one of the radio operators she had pressed for information earlier arrived with a message. He saluted and quickly apologised for the interruption, not even glancing in her direction as he passed a paper to Visha before hastily excusing himself. If she didn't know better, she might have thought he was purposely trying to avoid her.
"It's from Eastern Command. The commander of Tiegenhoff requests any assistance in helping relieve the siege as soon as possible." Visha reported urgently, passing the message to her commander.
Tanya took the message from her adjutant and scanned it for confirmation, although it was more out of habit rather than because she believed Visha had made a mistake. However, she could feel the mood darkening as the eyes of the other officers fell on the map table, specifically towards the embattled city of Tiegenhoff.
This part of Wilhelm's bleak assessment of the situation of the eastern front could be considered accurate. The port city and rail hub perched on the Baltic Sea was not especially close to the Federation border but it was close enough that it had obviously presented a tempting target for the assaulting Federation. The forces within the city had managed to put up a decent fight and had resisted initial attempts to storm the city, however, the forces guarding the southern flank had taken a beating and had been forced to fall back leaving the city surrounded.
That wasn't the reason for the sudden gloomy atmosphere, however. Eastern command had sent a request rather than orders, meaning that they were unsure if they'd be able to spare the forces to help out the defenders. It was essentially a cry for help.
All of them had seen messages like this come through before and they all knew it meant that it was unlikely anything could be done; the defenders would have to fend for themselves. Not that it was really her problem of course, their orders came from Burlun and superseded anything from Eastern Command. Besides, their unique position in the command structure meant she had a great deal of autonomy when it came to interpreting orders.
Still, no soldier wanted to hear about their comrades being left to hang out to dry, it was a terrible reminder that it could happen to any of them and such news was terrible for morale.
"Things don't look good for them." Weiss murmured glumly. "They can still get supplies by sea but the Navy might not want to risk it with the reds in artillery range."
Another nail in the coffin for the city forces but understandable from the point of view of the navy. Ships were almost ruinously expensive to both repair or replace, and although it was an ever-present annoyance that the fleet wasn't pulling its weight, even she could see it wasn't worth risking them for an otherwise doomed city. She hated to admit it, but it might not even be worth the risk of an evacuation if all it did was give the Federation an opportunity to take potshots at their transport ships. It would be almost literally shooting fish in a barrel.
"I can't say I envy them." Wilhelm added gravely, abandoning his earlier petulant behaviour in favour of a more sombre tone; obviously he'd decided his saintly reputation needed reinforcing. However, something about his tone seemed a little strange, she almost believed that he felt sorry for the trapped soldiers.
Still, she couldn't help but agree, losing the city was a tragic waste; especially given the location. As a major rail hub, it was robbing the federation of a great deal of logistical capacity while it was still under Imperial control and its position behind the rest of the lines meant it was an awkward threat to their rear. If it were possible to prevent the fall of the city, a flying column would be unnecessary, its strategic goal could be achieved by striking from a base in Tiegenhoff.
Meanwhile, more Imperial soldiers lost meant less precious human resources for the Empire, not to mention more work for her; neither of which Tanya liked thinking about. But still, it would only be a waste of further manpower and matériel if the eastern forces mounted an unprepared counterattack to save them.
"I've read that the Federation favours mass battalions of artillery." Wilhelm continued, a frown staining his features. "Once they move up the big guns, they'll flatten the city. Considering everything that's happened they might not even let them surrender."
The other officers shared a grim look for a moment, no doubt perturbed by Wilhelm's words. She opted not to reprimand him for his defeatist tone however, at least not for the moment. It served as a helpful reminder that the Federation was not a signatory of the various treaties that regulated the rules of war and so were not bound the same way that they were. This was of particular importance if they were captured, unlike the other powers, the Federation had no obligation to keep them alive.
Still, this wasn't the only thing that stopped her from speaking out. Something else about the boy's words had caught her attention. Had they really not brought up the artillery yet?
It made sense, even on the Rhine it had been difficult for the artillerymen to keep up with the situation at the front and that was when the lines were practically static. Back when they had been serving under lieutenant Schwarzkopf, there had been plenty of times that she and Visha had called in artillery support only to find the guns weren't in position. And that had been with the Empire's famed logistical efficiency. The Federation had gained a great deal of territory very quickly, it stood to reason the heavy stuff couldn't keep up.
That was something they could exploit.
"Serebryakov, bring me all the aerial reconnaissance we have around Teigenhoff. Grantz, fetch anything about the composition of enemy forces around the city." She ordered urgently as she stared at the beleaguered city on the map once more, the cogs turning in her head as she studied the possibilities.
Both officers produced results gratifyingly quickly and after a brief glance through the information, she felt a smile start to tug on her lips. Wilhelm had been right; they hadn't brought up the big guns yet. Neither did they have a great deal of dedicated anti-air in the area.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, pack your things." She declared with a wide grin. She had a plan that would make life much easier for both herself and Eastern Command.
"We're going to help out our brothers in arms in Tiegenhoff!"
24th March Unified Year 1926 12:40
Golitsyn Hospital, Moscau, Russy Federation
Mary winced as she staggered through the hallways of the Federation hospital in search of her commander; sharp stabs of pain shooting through her body with every step. She'd been told she was healing remarkably well considering her injuries, and the doctors had been surprised that there were no signs of long-term damage from the fall. However, to her, it felt as though her bruised body was hurting more now than when she'd first hit the ground, especially around the bullet wound in her shoulder.
But it had been her heart that suffered the worst. Since seeing papa's gun in the hands of that monster she'd suffered a near-constant ache in her chest that no painkiller could erase. In truth, the pain from her other wounds almost served as a welcome distraction in comparison to the sorrow that had buried itself in her chest.
She knew she should be thankful that she had been spared from what could have been life-ending wounds. Damien said that God had protected her from the Devil and in truth, she found it difficult to disagree with him. She could think of no other explanation for how she could have survived against that monster. The girl had not only been cruel but efficiently so, not even showing a sliver of emotion as she plunged the butt of Papa's gun into her stomach. Had that been the look on the demon girl's face as she'd rained death down upon the city? Did she not care at all for the lives she was taking? Anyone so uncaring had to be pure evil; only God could save them from that.
Then there had been the power that had enveloped her, the warm glow that had saved her from the indiscriminate fire of the monster and cushioned her fall. There was no other explanation for what it was other than it was a miracle. For whatever reason, God had spared her.
Still, she found it difficult to give thanks when so many others had been killed and injured. She knew it was childish to think that God would step in and protect everyone, perhaps even stop the war, but part of her desperately wished it were so. Particularly since some of those who had been lost in the fighting had been both her squad mates and her countrymen.
That was why it was so important to see Commander Drake.
"Sist…Mary, you should be resting. Let's return to the ward, we can see how Miss Vivi is doing." The familiar voice of her friend Damian called behind her as he struggled to keep up. The boy had visited her regularly since she'd awoken, offering her company, news and prayer whenever he was able to sneak away from his own hospital bed.
She'd thought his presence strange initially. When she'd seen him after the fall his wounds had disappeared, so she had not expected to see him in the hospital; at least not as a patient. However, when he had appeared to keep her company, he had sported bandages and a sling, as well as a limp from some shrapnel that had embedded itself in his leg. She had later found out that he had been sent here before her and had been convalescing in another wing of the hospital.
When she'd asked him about his appearance on the Moskau streets after the fall, he had responded only with a look of confusion, so she'd had no choice but to conclude the whole thing had been a dream or hallucination. Quite why she had thought of him as she hovered at the edge of consciousness she couldn't fathom, and she couldn't help feeling a little strange about his visits. Still, she couldn't turn away her friend for trying to keep her company, particularly when he was the only one bringing her news about Vivi and the others.
"I can't Damien, I need to see Colonel Drake about this. Tor and Eva deserve better." She replied pressing onwards as she felt tears beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. She hadn't been close to either of the other Entente exiles; they had mostly kept to themselves and had rebuffed offers of friendship for fear the others might exclude them. All of them already sensed that they were quietly being blamed for the war, but Tor and Eva had worried that if they formed a group, it would only make things worse. Mary had respected their wishes, even though she desperately wanted someone to talk to about home.
Despite the distance between them, they were still Mary's countrymen and she knew she needed to speak out. She was certain that if the situation had been reversed and she were the one being treated this way, they would have done the same. As one of the few Legadonians left in the unit, it was up to her to speak out on their behalf.
Her thoughts were quickly broken however as the boy gently took her hand and bid her halt in her stride.
"The Lord will hold them close no matter where they lay." He replied quietly as he looked up at her offering a reassuring smile and for a moment, she felt herself calming down.
It was not to last however, as a vision of her father entered her mind, accompanied by another stab of pain in her chest. No, there was a reason she needed to speak with the commander, she had not been able to bury her father, not been allowed to mourn, she wouldn't put Tor and Eva's families through the same thing. She couldn't erase the pain of their deaths, but perhaps she could lessen it.
"That isn't the point Damien." She replied, reluctantly pulling herself away from the boy's warm hand. "They should be allowed to go home one last time."
Damian didn't reply as she turned on her heel and continued on her way, but she felt grateful for his continued presence as he followed her, silently offering her his support. Despite all her bravado, she was nervous about facing the commander.
Unfortunately, the hospital was a labyrinth, and all the signs were written in the Federation's cryptic alphabet making it all too easy to get lost. Worse still, the longer it took, the more her wounds ached and the fire that stoked her desire to see the lieutenant colonel began to weaken slightly. She was close to giving up when she finally turned a corner and found what she was looking for.
She looked out over a small garden courtyard attached to the hospital grounds. Despite only being early spring, the garden was green and full of life, with flowers already starting to bud amongst the well-tended flowerbeds and she couldn't help but feel as though some of her aches were chased away by the beauty around her.
At its centre was a large statue of a man that Mary didn't recognise. It almost seemed strange, she would have expected to see a statue of an angel or a saint in such a place and although the man stood with his arms out offering mercy as the others usually would, the effect somehow felt a little odd. He stood on a plinth decorated with the Federation stars along with a plaque of names and she found herself wondering what they must have done something to earn such reverence.
Finally, at its base was the man she had come to see, Lieutenant Colonel William Douglas Drake, seated at a simple bench staring distantly off into the sky and absently drinking from his hip flask.
She felt a stab of anger as she watched him take a swig from his flask, wincing slightly as the aftertaste of the alcohol hit his tongue. She knew he could be cold and heartless, but even he must realise how inappropriate it was to drink here. This was a garden of remembrance, a place to respect and mourn the dead, not some Albish pub.
Calm down it won't do any good to get into another argument with him. She reminded herself, forcing the anger to recede as she and Damian hobbled over to his refuge.
"Sioux, Willibrord." He murmured in greeting as they approached, continuing to stare up at the gloomy and overcast sky. "You realise that when the doctors tell you to rest, it's an order, not a request."
Yes sir, I know sir." Mary replied uneasily as she tried to find the right words. Now that she was in front of the man, her nerves had returned threefold and she found herself unsure of what to say to him. "I wanted to talk to you about Tor and Eva."
Drake remained quiet for a moment as he tore his gaze from the gloomy sky and instead fixed it on her. He wore the same harsh frown he always did, not even showing a little emotion for the people she had just named. She felt uncomfortable as she stood under his glare, she always did, he made her feel as though she were both unwelcome and unwanted but she swore she would weather these feelings to see this through.
Suddenly, his expression softened slightly, and she fancied she saw a hint of sadness reach his eyes before he turned his gaze back to the garden and made space on the bench for her and Damien to join him.
"Mattisson and Lundin were from Legadonia too. Were you close?" He asked softly as she and Damian took a seat next to him. She began to shake her head in reply but the man continued speaking regardless. "Along with Lewis, Smith and Wesson, we lost five."
Mary wasn't sure what to say and silence passed between them once again, it had been a terrible day for the volunteer battalion and nobody knew quite how to process it. It was Damien who found the words to continue.
"O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters into your hands. With your tender love; deliver them from evil and bid them to their eternal rest, Amen."
Mary felt a little better after hearing the boy's heartfelt act of worship; somehow the words felt like they fit, even within the strangeness of the garden. However, she was more surprised to hear the whisper of an "amen" escape the commander's lips as the boy finished his prayer. She had always assumed that the cold and gloomy man didn't believe in God.
"Well put Willibrord, but personally I prefer to send them off with a toast." He said eventually, raising his flask in the air before taking another deep swig. Once again Mary felt a flare of annoyance at the man's disrespect.
"Sir, should you be drinking that here? Isn't that disrespectful to our Federation allies?" She replied a little more testily than she'd meant to and for a moment she worried she might have annoyed the lieutenant colonel however, instead of anger he let out a bark of laughter instead.
"Maybe you're right Sioux, but no more disrespectful than your friend's prayers over there. At least for the Godless Federation." He chuckled, only causing Mary's irritation to grow. However, she wasn't given the opportunity to press the man further before he spoke again. "You didn't come here for this Sioux, what do you want?"
"Is it true that they'll be buried here in the Federation?" She asked, her anger being replaced by dread as she expected the inevitable confirmation of what she already knew. They would be leaving her countrymen behind.
"Our Federation friends have given us some space in one of their military cemeteries, we'll have a service in a day or so to give them a send-off." The man replied quietly, staring off into the sky once again.
"Sir, please! You can't! They should be allowed to go home!" She blurted out in a desperate panic as all her fears for her fallen comrades were realised. Just imagining how their families would feel knowing their sons and daughters were being buried in a far-off land made her feel sick. She knew all too well how it felt not to get to say goodbye to a loved one. "After the war is over I mean. They can't be left here!"
"That's not how we do things, Sioux. The Commonwealth bury the dead where they fall." The man replied glumly, taking another swig from his flask. "A proud military tradition, so I'm told."
She could tell from his tone that even he didn't believe that, but why was he so blasé about it? Did he really not care? Did he have no one who would mourn him back home?
"No! It's not right! Tor and Eva fought to free our home! That's where they belong! They should be buried in the entente, for the sake of their families!" She protested, thinking of her mother when she received the news of papa's death. When she'd been told his body was unrecoverable and that she would never see him again. She didn't want anyone else to feel that pain.
"I understand how you feel Sioux but−."
"No, you don't understand! You didn't lose your home, it wasn't taken from you!" She called desperately fighting the tears as she thought of her home in Legadonia, the house where she had grown up and her father's comforting smile. "You don't know what it's like! They have to go back! They −″
"That's enough Warrant officer Sioux!" The man snapped angrily, shocking her into silence. "It wasn't just your countrymen that fell that day! There's a war on, do you think we have the luxury of shipping everyone home? Especially one still under occupation. Our priority is keeping the rest of us in one piece!"
"B…but−" She stammered through the tears, looking to Damian for support but the commander spoke again before there was a reply.
"I know it's not ideal, but the living come before the dead." He continued, softening a little but fixing her with a hard stare that told her she couldn't win this fight.
She knew she was right, resources were limited and logically it was more important for ships and planes to be used for things like food and medical supplies rather than transporting the dead. Yet in her heart, she knew it was wrong for the fallen to be left here. It was wrong to cause so much pain to the people back home.
"Besides, things are never so simple." He continued with a frown as his eyes caught sight of something approaching behind her. Instinctively, she followed his gaze and found herself feeling a little relieved to see the figure of their Federation striding towards them, wearing her usual friendly smile.
Mary had been told to be wary of Lieutenant Liliya Ivanova Tanechka. She was a Federation political officer and although no one could seem to agree on exactly what that was, it apparently meant she was not to be trusted. Commander Drake certainly seemed to dislike her and even Damian seemed cautious around her, despite her help in finding a place in the headquarters for a makeshift chapel.
Mary couldn't understand their distrust. The woman had been nothing but helpful when it came to assisting the volunteers settle into life in the Federation. She was friendly, treating her like an equal rather than an officer despite the extra years of experience and higher rank she held. Overall she felt more like a counsellor and mentor than a military officer.
"Lieutenant Colonel Drake, I hope I am not interrupting." The political officer saluted, a heavy Russy accent staining her speech. "Does there seem to be a problem? I thought I overheard something about the ceremony for your fallen comrades."
"I was hoping they'd be sent home after this is all over." Mary found herself murmuring before Drake could reply, earning herself an icy glare from her commander.
"It should be possible to preserve their bodies until they can be repatriated." The woman replied quickly, shooting a reassuring smile Mary's way as she brushed aside a strand of her chestnut hair from her face. "We would still like to have a ceremony for them however, it would only be proper to honour them for what they sacrificed for the motherland."
Mary felt a wave of relief and shot the political officer a grateful smile. Tor and Eva's families would have to wait to properly grieve their loss, but they would at least get to properly lay them to rest. They wouldn't need to feel the way she did about not getting to say goodbye to papa.
"That's very generous of you." Commander Drake growled with suspicion as he switched his glare to meet the smiling woman instead. Again, Mary couldn't understand why he was being so openly hostile, the woman was doing her best to solve this problem for him. Was he just upset that she'd contradicted him? Surely he wasn't so petty.
"Of course Lieutenant Colonel. Comrade Loria has instructed that we do everything to facilitate you; especially after your heroic defence of the capital." The woman replied, managing to keep her smile under the colonel's harsh glare. "Indeed, he mentioned giving Warrant officer Sioux here the Hero of the Russy Federation award for her gallant efforts in charging the enemy."
Mary was shocked by the woman's words. She wasn't sure that she deserved a medal simply for following her heart to protect people, but she was pleased to hear that the effort they all put into driving off the devil were appreciated. Colonel Drake had been worried it might somehow cause a diplomatic incident, but it seemed they had nothing to worry about. This "Comrade Loria" was obviously a kind and understanding man.
"You obviously do things very differently here." Drake replied dryly. "We usually punish people for disobeying orders, not reward them"
Mary found herself staring at the man dumbfounded. What did he mean by punishment? A soldier's job was to protect people, wasn't it? It was true she'd technically disobeyed orders but it was for the good of everyone, why would she be punished? Maybe Drake really was a petty man.
"Ah, this must be the famous Albish humour I've heard so much about. I was told it does not always translate well." Lieutenant Tanechka laughed, seemingly unperturbed by the man's words. "It would be silly to punish a hero would it not?"
"Indeed." The man replied, his tone telling Mary that he certainly hadn't been joking but he seemed to be willing to drop the subject for now. "Was there something you needed Lieutenant?"
"My Apologies Lieutenant Colonel, I came to tell you that your uncle has asked for you to attend a strategy meeting at the Defence ministry. I understand our two nations will be working much more closely with each other from now on." The woman replied with an apologetic bow, her smile still easing the tension Mary felt. "Fear not, I will see to it your soldiers are well taken care of."
The political officer and Drake shared a strange look for a moment before the commander spoke again.
"I'm sure you will." Drake replied darkly as he got to his feet, taking one last swig from his flask before returning it to his jacket pocket. "Willibrord, Sioux, you should head back, I better go see what Isaac wants. No rest for the wicked it seems."
Lieutenant Tanechka saluted again as they watched the man leave while Mary wondered what to do with herself now that she had accomplished her mission. Now that the fire in her belly had died out, she was left with nothing but the pain from her injuries again, along with the ever-present ache in her heart. The Garden suddenly felt very empty, maybe the commander was right, it would be better to head back and get some rest.
"Mary, could I have a moment of your time before you go?" The political officer called as she and Damien got to their feet and prepared to leave. "I'd like to thank the hero of Moskva personally."
She turned back to the older woman but stopped as she felt a faint tug on her sleeve from Damien. The boy shot her a worried frown glancing at the Lieutenant before settling his gaze back on Mary. He seemed uncertain about something and opened his mouth to speak before the political officer spoke once more.
"You look tired Corporal Willibrord, you should go on ahead. Don't worry I won't keep your friend long." The woman smiled reassuringly. She was right, the boy did seem a little drained and Mary found herself feeling a little guilty about dragging him halfway through the hospital when he still had his own injuries to worry about.
"I'll catch up with you later." She added, adding her own smile to the older woman's. It was sweet that he was worried about her, but she didn't want him to exhaust himself or make his injuries worse. He still seemed uncertain but after another glance her way he reluctantly headed out of the garden leaving her and the political officer alone.
"I really must thank you once again for what you did to drive the invaders away from the city." Said the Lieutenant once the boy was out of earshot. "I meant it when I called you a hero."
"Erm thank you, Lieutenant." She replied, blushing slightly. It felt a little uncomfortable to be praised so openly for something she'd done without thinking.
"Please, call me Liliya. I'd like us to be friends." The woman returned cheerfully holding out her hand. Mary found herself a little overawed by how confident this lady was.
"You're sure? You don't blame me for the war? Or my people I mean." She replied as she shook the older woman's hand. Although people were rarely hostile towards her and her countrymen, it was obvious that people quietly blamed them for everything that had happened. Few people wanted to be friends with a Legadonian these days.
"Why should I? Your people might have started a border scuffle, but it was the Empire that created the tragic conflict we find ourselves in today."
"What do you mean?" Mary asked with confusion. Although she'd always told herself that the Empire's military build-up meant war was inevitable, she'd rarely heard anyone agree with her. And she'd definitely never heard anyone flat-out blame the Empire for the whole thing.
"The conflict never should have escalated. It's true your people tried to seize some land, but the Empire had no reason to invade the Entente. They could have easily forced a peace, but they chose not to." The woman explained, the smile falling from her face the first time. "They chose to attack Legadonia to conquer it, knowing that the other nations would be forced to join to keep the peace, even the peaceful Federation could not stand by and watch this injustice forever."
The woman paused for a moment as she stared up towards the statue looking down on them.
"We try not to think of things as purely good and evil here, it's unscientific." She continued, a little quieter this time. "But there is only one reason why the Empire would need such a powerful army and one reason why they would choose to escalate to a full-scale conflict. They seek to rob all people of their freedom. No matter their creed or ideology."
The lieutenant paused fixing her with a hard stare, this was the first time she'd ever seen the Russy woman without a smile on her face.
"Tell me Mary, what would you call that if not evil?"
Author's notes
Hi everyone, and as always thank you all for reading, reviewing favouriting etc.
Again, I feel I have to apologise for how long it took to get this chapter out, especially because it does feel a little bit like a lot of this chapter is just stuff that wouldn't fit in the last chapter. That being said I think everything in this chapter is still needed so I didn't want to leave it out just to forge ahead with the main story.
In the Habergram section, Vickers (my beta reader and author of the purpose of conflict) pointed out that the idea of the Akitsushiman Dominion having a similar experience in the East to the Empire in Europe would make for a good story and I'm inclined to agree, although there would be no canon YS characters to add into it. I'm sort of tempted by it as a side project but I think I would have to do a lot more research before I did as I have a fair few gaps in my knowledge when it comes to East Asian history.
I also added a little reference to another popular anime in that section, so do let me know if you spotted it.
Writing Tanya's section was fun, I always like writing her being hypocritical. And when she's in a bad mood for that matter. It was also nice to have Will back to his annoying self again, I had the idea of him deliberately trying to tease her with the parfait as I was writing the last chapter. Or at least deliberately from Tanya's point of view. I was also going to add the detail of him actually ending up feeling ill because of the food being too rich, as Tanya's excuse was the night before, but anywhere I put it broke the flow. So just imagine that Will got sick eating too many sweets.
Mary always feels difficult to write but hopefully, I'm getting a little better at it. Since she is the anti-Tanya, she does the opposite of Tanya and is driven by her emotions which can be a bit much at times. However, the idea of being upset that her comrades would be buried in the Federation is one that I felt I could understand enough to hopefully make her a little more relatable. I based that section out of a similar scene in the LN written from Drake's POV, it's actually a section I really like and wouldn't exist as I'm using the Anime timeline for convenience.
I also got to introduce lieutenant Tanechka from the Light novel in this section and I really enjoyed writing both her interaction with Drake and both of their interactions with Mary. I sort of see Drake and Tanechka as the Devil and angel on Mary's shoulders in a way, I don't think that's really how they are in the LN but I think it's a good fit for how their characters should work with Mary. Although Mary wouldn't think of them that way of course.
Hopefully, I will get the next chapter done a little quicker so you don't have to wait quite as long. Until then, thank you again for reading.
Xanen