Ongoing Operations: Redeployment

40 Years After the Great War

Londinium

By early March of 1926, the war had entered somewhat of a stalemate. Although the Allied forces on the Southern continent had taken a beating, they were far from a spent force and it was clear that fighting would continue there for some time. Meanwhile, in Europa, the threat of invasion by the Empire had reduced thanks to the hard work of the Royal Navy. This meant that most of the fighting was limited to the airspace above the Albish Channel as planes and mages duelled for control of the skies.

Despite this, most of the evidence shows that most of the Empire's leadership was relatively upbeat about the state of affairs, with many high ranking politicians believing that the Allied Kingdom and Free Republic would soon need to come to a settlement if things remained the same. Indeed, there was no reason for the Empire to believe that anything should change, and the only real threat was the intervention of the Russy Federation.

However, the Supreme High Command believed that there was little to fear from their neighbour in the east. Although they often had trouble discerning what was going on in the secretive country, the two nations had been gradually building diplomatic relations for some time, even signing a non-aggression pact before the war. Recently unearthed documents have shown that their cooperation had been growing since then. With agreements for limited intelligence sharing and the Commissar for Trade and Industry visiting Berlun in late February of that year. From the Empire's point of view relations in the east may not have been ideal, but they were certainly at a high point.

However, as we all know, the Empire would soon receive a shock that would change that view and the course of the war. – Andrew WTN Special Correspondent.

3rd March Unified Year 1926

General von Romel's Camp, 30 Kilometres East of Boulaaba, Southern Turus Desert

"It's as I keep saying general, an officer like Major Degurechaff is wasted on the front lines! Her skills really ought to be utilised better by the General Staff." Wilhelm smiled sweetly as he continued his charm offensive against General von Romel.

Evidentially, recent events had somehow snapped him out of his depressed state and back to his irritatingly devious and personable self. Although part of her was pleased to see his recovery, it had unfortunately come at the worst possible time for Tanya.

After they had returned from the mission, she had immediately sought out the general so she could clear up the misunderstanding about her receiving his orders and the destruction of the enemy command centre. She didn't want to appear like she was padding out her achievements, so she was desperate to deal with the issue as soon as possible.

Her eagerness to deal with this matter was perhaps why she hadn't realised that Wilhelm had followed her, something he'd rarely bothered to do in recent months. Although he had made an annoying habit of following her, or rather inviting himself, to any meeting he wanted to in the past; since the ambush in Tripoli, he had done his best to avoid people. She'd even had to drag him to briefings on occasion.

However, this time he had casually slipped into the meeting as though he belonged there, just like he used to. She should have realised he was up to something there and then, but she'd been too worried about maintaining her reputation. Although, as it turned out this focus on that hadn't done her any good. As soon as she'd tried to explain what had happened the boy had immediately stepped in to start singing her praises.

"Not only was she able to accurately predict your orders and act in concert with your assault, but she also managed to figure out where the enemy command centre would be! No disrespect to you General, but with insight like that she could be doing your job!"

Tanya cringed as the boy continued to twist the truth about what had happened. Even after she'd interjected and explained that she hadn't received the general's orders Wilhelm had continued his exaggerated account of the day's events. If his nonsense was to be believed, she had somehow learned to read the general's mind and had conducted her actions according to his unspoken will. He'd made it seem as though her simple leaps of logic had somehow been her expressing a deep understanding of the general's tactical mind.

It was embarrassing; she could only imagine what impression the general had of her after the boy's comments. The worst part was that he had been there, he knew what really happened but instead decided to take this opportunity to lie about it.

Why are you doing this now? Why did you choose this moment to turn back to normal and ruin everything for me? She complained to herself, silently begging the brat to shut up. She'd forgotten how easily the boy could begin worming his way into people's minds when he turned on the charisma. She'd done her best to stop him of course but he seemed to be making up for his previous weeks of sullen silence with a bout of verbal diarrhoea. Despite her best efforts, she'd barely been able to get a word in edgeways.

Are you trying to make a fool out of me? She groaned internally as Wilhelm continued to make comments that were as likely to insult the general as do anything to falsely raise her profile. Fortunately, the General didn't take any offence to the boy's flippant comments. Unfortunately, the man still seemed to take what the boy said seriously.

Damn it, Wilhelm! Shut the hell up! She thought doing her best not to scream at him in front of the general. If he carried on like this, he would set her up for a colossal fall once the truth of what happened came to light. Once the general and the other officers found out the attack on the enemy command centre was a fluke, Wilhelm's sudden attempt to promote her competency would be seen as dishonest and fake. And knowing how people perceived the brat, she would be the one to get the blame for it.

Wait, is that your plan? She wondered, not putting it past the devious little brat to attempt to undermine her in such a way. She had to wait for an opening and put a stop to this as soon as possible.

"I'm not sure about that your Highness; I'm not about ready to retire just yet." The general replied, with a chuckle. He must have thought the boy was joking she realised, hopefully, that meant that all was not lost just yet. "And although I see your point about her skills being used by the general staff, it would be a crying shame to lose such a capable front line commander."

Good, it seems that the General is at least somewhat immune to Wilhelm's crap. Tanya thought allowing herself to relax a fraction as she noticed the smallest hint of a frown cross the little captain's face. It seemed that Romel still considered her a competent officer at least, no matter how bad Wilhelm was trying to make her look.

"That may be so General, but It would be a far greater shame if her skills were lost on the front lines." Wilhelm continued, simultaneously causing both her and the general to frown at his words. What exactly was he getting at? She had absolutely no intentions of dying if she could help it and she found the idea of Wilhelm bringing up the possibility vaguely insulting.

"Indeed, surely we should make sure those skills are −"

"I apologise General, it's been a long tour of service and Captain Hozollern seems to be in need of a rest." Tanya interjected quickly before the bratty captain could continue any further. If he were to seize control of the conversation again, they could be here all night and her career would likely be in tatters. Besides, she'd rather not listen to him go on about the possibility of her falling in battle. She just hoped it wouldn't be too difficult to brush off the boy's sudden bout of talkativeness as combat fatigue. Considering his recent behaviour, it made for a good excuse to get him out of the way.

"Ah yes of course! I should let you both get packed, you're being rotated out tomorrow after all." The General replied with a hint of disappointment in his voice as Tanya began forcing a reluctant Wilhelm out of the command tent. "I can only hope the replacements they've sent are half as good as you."

Tanya would have liked to take the compliment and drag Wilhelm out of the tent, however, the general's words made her pause; the timescale was all wrong. Although it was true that they were due to be sent back to the Vaterland, she had assumed they would need to wait for the next supply convoy to take them back to the port. From there they should have a leisurely cruise back to the mainland courtesy of the Illdoan navy. They shouldn't be in any particular rush.

"Tomorrow sir?" She asked as a protesting Wilhelm tried to escape her grip. She quickly and quietly twisted his wrist in response, causing an almost imperceivable yelp of pain as for once he struggled to stay quiet. Fortunately, the General didn't seem to notice.

"Yes they've sent a plane over for you, they didn't want to wait for you to head back by boat. I imagine they want the press to see the returning heroes when they pass out the medals." The general chuckled again, while Tanya surreptitiously shoved an elbow into Wilhelm's rib to further discourage him from whatever irreverent remark he had ready in reply.

Still, a plane to collect them wasn't necessarily bad news. True it meant that they'd have slightly less time travelling, meaning they technically had less time rotated out of the combat zone, however, they would at least be back in the comfort of home sooner. Better still, it was evidence that despite everything the General Staff was still able to keep to its pledge to rotate out its units every six months, meaning they had yet to suffer any major manpower problems.

All things considered, she saw this as a sign that the Empire looked in pretty good shape, meaning she'd have plenty of time to relax in the rear while others took over down here. If she was lucky, it might all even be over by the time she was redeployed again. It was just a shame that senior officers like General von Romel were exempt from combat rotation, it almost made her feel a little guilty, she'd grown quite fond of her superior.

"Just save a little of the credit for when I get back to Berlun eh?" The man continued cheerfully, "you won us a great victory out here."

"I'm sure it'll be your name in all the history books, sir," she replied honestly. Since this world had so many parallels with the old one, she was sure the general's name would go down in history just as his doppelganger had. She doubted anyone would remember the actions of any mid-level officer like herself. Well aside from her superiors at the General staff at least, or so she hoped anyway.

With those final words, and the continued protests of Wilhelm, Tanya removed them both from the command tent. The General was obviously busy and as he'd said, they'd need to get packed for the journey back to the Empire. She could already see herself sitting in her favourite café in the capital. A cup of good coffee in hand while reading the newspaper; she might even treat herself to some chocolate cake. It was a little expensive nowadays due to the war, but she felt like she'd earned it.

"Why do you always insist on making things difficult?" Wilhelm huffed breaking her from her thoughts as he tore himself from her grip as they passed out of earshot of the guards. She blinked in confusion, finding herself caught slightly off balance by the question; of all the things she'd expected to hear from the boy after that display, this was not it.

"I think that's my line. What the hell was that in there?" She replied, relieved she no longer needed to hide her annoyance with the little captain. "Are you trying to ruin my career?"

"I was trying to help secure you a better position. You know? In the rear? Like you wanted?" Wilhelm spat back irritably rubbing his wrist. "Although apparently, you're too modest to allow anyone to give you even the smallest bit of praise."

"As if anyone who witnessed that melodramatic sycophantic display could see it as anything other than a joke." Tanya scoffed while Wilhelm let out an exasperated sigh in response. "And I don't appreciate you trying to predict my death!"

The more she thought about it, the more Wilhelm talking about her death bothered her. Not as a reminder of her own mortality, although it was difficult to ignore that at the best of times, but because he had been the one thinking about it. Perhaps it was a lingering sense of paranoia from the time he had pointed a gun at her head, but she strongly disliked the idea of Wilhelm wondering about her chances of survival.

Moreover, she was fully aware of the risks of her job. However, she also knew her superiors weighed the pros and cons of deployments when it came to losses. She had always chosen to believe that they didn't expect her to be among the casualties. The way the little captain had described it made her feel like they thought of her as disposable.

Nonsense! I know the General Staff value me. This is just another one of Wilhelm's attempts to annoy me.

"I did no such thing! I was only trying to make the point that your abilities could be used better in the rear. Did you not notice the hint I dropped for him to add you to his staff? It would have been an ideal steppingstone into the operations department!" The little captain continued seeming increasingly exasperated, much to Tanya's confusion. "I could have probably arranged myself an extended stay on the frontlines with that too; but no, superhuman Tanya Degurechaff has to remind everyone she's too good to promote to a desk job!"

Tanya stared at him blankly. It seemed she really had gotten the old Wilhelm back, complete with his absolutely insane way of seeing things. What was he talking about? Being too good to promote? That was foolish, she'd allowed herself to be taken in by him with those words back when she first met him but she now knew he'd tell any lie to get what he wanted. It was as he said, this was just a way for him to keep himself on the frontlines again. Although somewhere along the way, he must have started to believe the exaggerations he'd been spewing about her. She may have been a good officer, but she was hardly superhuman.

"I suppose it doesn't matter; you've proven I don't need to worry about you." The little captain continued now sounding disappointed. "But it would have been nice if I was able to keep my word about getting you a permanent assignment in the rear."

Again, Tanya found herself staring at the boy in confusion and inexplicably also insulted by the boy's words. True she had no need or anyone to worry about her safety, other than within the confines of their duty of course, but having Wilhelm openly declare that he didn't care about her felt a little like a punch to the gut.

Fortunately, she managed to keep her cool. She believed in personal freedoms after all, and he was allowed to choose who he did and did not care about. Even if it did prove he was nothing but an ungrateful brat.

She'd been ready to leave the little idiot to her own devices and get on with her packing, but a thought hit her as she caught the now sulky look on the boy's face. If he didn't care, why go to all this effort? What gain was there for him in his misguided attempt to help her career?

She ground her teeth in annoyance. He wasn't making sense again and although she wanted to turn on her heels and forget about him, part of her couldn't leave until she found out what was going on with the boy. After all, she hadn't found out what had triggered his sudden recovery.

"What changed with you? And don't give me that rekindled confidence crap. Something happened to you out there and I want to know what!" She demanded, deciding that the direct approach was the wisest choice. She wasn't sure she had the patience to navigate Wilhelm's wordplay and mind games.

Wilhelm bit his lip thoughtfully as he tried to compose his thoughts, although Tanya couldn't tell if this was an attempt to think up another lie or simply to find the right words. It was unusual that he needed the time for either considering his talent for both conversation and manipulation.

"It's as I said, I realised I didn't need to worry about you. I don't need to worry about losing anything else now that Sophia and Christina are back home." He said quietly as he drew his sword and once again started staring at the blade. A moment of silence passed between them and Tanya wondered for a moment if he planned to elaborate.

"You told me not to have faith in you, but it's difficult when you so effortlessly manage to do the impossible." He continued with a wry grin, "Even without that thing you manage to perform miracles. Sometimes it seems like you could win this war all by yourself. I almost feel foolish for worrying that He could take you away from me, especially since you so regularly thumb your nose at him. I may have lost Christina but at least I now know I can concentrate on getting rid of this curse without him taking anyone else."

Tanya didn't understand. What did he mean by managing to do the impossible? She hadn't done anything like that. It sounded as though he actually believed the exaggerated tale he'd spun about her. Don't tell me that display for the general was actually sincere!

Additionally, she didn't like all this talk of faith and miracles; the boy was starting to sound like that zealot Schugel. What if she'd been mistaken? What if instead of the old Wilhelm being back to his former self, he had instead started falling under the sway of Being X? It was part of Being X's plan for her to generate faith by use of the type 95 after all, even though she had not used it much recently, it might still have an effect on a mind under the stress and grief like Wilhelm. And right now, he was acting as if she were some sort of miracle worker; was it the first step of his corruption?

I need to put a stop to this before Being X uses him as another way to get to me.

"Wilhelm no one has done anything impossible here." Tanya bit back, perhaps a little more aggressively than she'd meant to. "What I told the General wasn't modesty, I simply used logic to figure out what our best move was, I was looking at our chances of survival not divining some master plan out of thin air!"

"But you led us straight to the enemy HQ." The little captain protested, refusing to believe her "That on its own was enough to break the attack."

"It was a fluke! I never planned it! I don't have some six sense about these things! We were just lucky! I planned to break through and run like hell! I had the battalion target what I thought was a supply dump because the alternative was a heavily armed artillery battery! I thought it would be suicide!" Tanya replied, feeling embarrassed at having to admit all this aloud. Fear of her position and reputation usually prevented her from being quite so honest about her thoughts, particularly when it could expose her healthy sense of self-preservation. The last thing she wanted was to be accused of cowardice.

However, this time it was probably the only way to convince Wilhelm she wasn't some demigod. Once he stopped looking at her as though she could do no wrong, he would hopefully distance himself from the silly notions of faith that he'd been talking about recently. He could return to normal, at least for him, and they'd both return to doing what they needed to do to rub their existences in Being X's face. Although she would have to ensure he stayed quiet about what she had shared.

"But this isn't the first time you've done something like this. It happens all the time! You always manage to find where the enemy is most vulnerable. Do you really expect anyone to believe it's just a coincidence?" Wilhelm replied seeming suddenly slightly shaken by her admission. For a moment she worried if she'd pushed him back too far the other way but now was not the time to back down.

"There are no miracles, just misunderstandings." Tanya continued, paraphrasing something she'd mentioned before. "I've used logic and hard work to get results, that's all. And although I'm loath to admit it, I've had some luck here and there, but that's all it is."

"But −"

"There are no but's Wilhelm, we were lucky, that's all! Drop these foolish notions you have about me. I'm a soldier, that's all. Both of us are."

There was a moment of silence between them while Wilhelm digested what she'd told him. He wore a strange face, as though he were genuinely struggling to get his head around what she'd said. She found herself wondering exactly how long this silly hero worship had been going on, this had really shaken him. The look on his face caused her a sting of shame at her admission. A small voice in the back of her head was even telling her that she should have allowed the boy's admiration, even if it was a symptom of Being X's corruption.

Eventually, Wilhelm broke the silence with a quiet chuckle; something she realised she hadn't heard from him since before he sent the Zerbist sisters away. In truth, until the end of the battle there hadn't been so much as a smile, let alone laughter.

"I've heard it said that even mistakes have value." He said with a wry smile, "although I doubt anyone in the military ever thought of it like that."

He sighed and took one final look at his sword before carefully putting it back in its sheath.

"I suppose that's your way of telling me I should still be worried about what happens to you." The boy replied eventually, still wearing a strange look on his face. It wasn't exactly what she was going for, but at this point, she was too tired to argue. Besides, having another person concerned about her safety wasn't exactly something to complain about, although she would need to continue to make sure he didn't do anything too risky.

"Fortunately we'll be back in the Empire soon. There shouldn't be too much risk on leave." The little captain continued before fixing her with one of his old self-assured grins. "I'll just have to see what I can do with the General Staff on your behalf in the meantime."

Tanya couldn't help but think of that as some sort of a threat.

March 4th Unified Year 1926 02:20

Operations Dept, Offices of the General Staff, Berlun

Lieutenant Colonel Rerugen eyed the paper in his hand with undisguised suspicion. This was the third such letter he'd received over the last few months, each asking for a personal favour regarding the reinstatement of an officer that had been discharged due to medical reasons. Interestingly, each had been penned by a different author and they all made a different case as to whether the officer in question should be allowed back into service or not.

Receiving one note such as this might not be especially unusual. Although Rerugen had long since transferred to operations under General von Rudersdorf, he still maintained a good relationship with his colleagues in the personnel department and his former division head still reached out to him on occasion for advice about officer candidates. Indeed, he had received a request not too long ago regarding a First Lieutenant Koenig and had quietly ensured the injured man was given a post in the instructor unit overseeing the training of the Letzenbourg forces. Even General Zettour often asked him to use his sway over the personnel department to speed up or smooth over transfers or redeployments.

However, receiving three letters about the same officer was suspicious to say the least. It made him feel somewhat apprehensive; particularly considering the unit the officer was attached to and that one of the letters had been written by her.

Rerugen's feelings of disquiet about Degurechaff had not lessened since he'd first seen her overzealous display of punishment in the academy. If anything, they had only grown as she progressed through the military and spread her twisted views throughout the organisation.

He could not deny that she was a skilled officer. On the surface, she represented the ideal soldier but that was in part what bothered him so much. In truth no sane or moral person would ever wish to be the perfect soldier, would they? It involved giving up all sense of free will to the state, sacrificing all empathy and morality to one's duty and having complete faith in your superiors that what they were doing was right. Even the most patriotic soldier couldn't give all that, no one except Tanya Degurechaff.

The only real fault she'd exhibited in this regard was her attempt to attack the retreating Francois troops during the armistice. Even then, her predictions proved to be true and it seemed likely that if they'd listened to her, the war might have ended there and then.

Her keen and often overly pragmatic intellect were also sources of deep unease for him. Although the military prided itself on logical thinking unfettered by emotional distractions, Degurechaff took this mindset to the extreme. She ignored any sort of ethical quandary, instead only questioning the legality of an action. It was as though she truly believed right and wrong were black and white concepts determined entirely by the rule of law.

It was that kind of thinking that had led to Arene and it now gripped the General staff.

Her writings on the possibility that this war would eventually engulf the world was now the basis of the General Staff's defence policy. A theory that would have seemed utterly unthinkable not so long ago had become accepted fact purely due to her calm analysis of the geopolitical situation. Worse still, her monstrous solution to this problem was now being seriously considered by men like Zettour and Rudersdorf.

Even he was not immune and despite how much he may wish it wasn't so, he found her thinking infecting him too. The more he thought on it, the more he knew she was right; they could not win a world war; he wasn't sure anyone truly could. The only option was to avoid defeat, to cause more damage to the enemy than they could to the Empire. In short to forget strategic victories and kill as many people as possible.

He found the idea repugnant. Although it was a necessity for a soldier that they would be called upon to take the lives of the enemy, it was not what anyone joined for. The goal had always been to protect and win glory for the Vaterland while the enemy did the same for their own nation. Tactical and strategic goals should have been about seizing territory and capturing key positions. At the end of the battle, both sides were supposed to sit down and negotiate, and the soldiers were supposed to return to their families after doing their duty.

However, the only way anyone could see the Empire winning a world war was to cause so much death that the other nations could no longer afford to wage war. In short, genocide as a defence, or at least industrial massacre of any soldier not wearing the Imperial emblem. The idea was disgusting beyond belief, it was an affront to God Himself but what other choice was there if they were to save the Vaterland?

Worst of all, all of this was born from the mind of a little girl. It made Rerugen wonder if God had already forsaken the Empire. Their society deserved punishment for creating a child like her. Maybe she and this war were proof they were beyond redemption.

Perhaps this was why Rerugen's first instinct was to take a contrary stance to the letter sent by the monster disguised as a little girl. She had written asking for the medical suspension of Captain Sophia Zerbist to be reconsidered.

As usual, she had presented a neatly typed, logical and well thought out argument for her case while also providing evidence that the doctor who had signed the papers may have been breaking military regulations. Not for the first time, he wondered how someone so young could make her case so succinctly but by now he ceased to be surprised by anything that monster did.

Despite her professionally crafted argument, he couldn't help but suspect she had some ulterior motive over the reinstatement. Especially since she made the case that her reinstatement would be beneficial to Prince Wilhelm.

He still felt uncomfortable about the young Prince being in such close proximity to that vampire. He couldn't help but feel that she would somehow taint him as she had tainted the rest of the General Staff. If Degurechaff was a monster born of all the ills of the Empire, Prince Wilhelm was an embodiment of what the Empire had always strived for. It was no mistake he had been given the nickname of the Saint; his reputation for kindness and devotion to his patriotic duty was known across the world; it was hardly a surprise that soldiers so often felt the need to rally around him.

But the signs that she had begun to corrupt him were already there. There were increasing reports of the boy using excessive violence and the incident at Tripoli had raised more than a few eyebrows in the national papers.

However, he knew he needed to stay objective, and his personal misgivings were not acceptable reasons to block the reinstatement of Captain Zerbist. Despite his private concerns, he had been ready to side with Degurechaff on the matter until he received the second letter.

In contrast to the first, this one had been written in almost artistic handwriting and instead of a well-laid argument, it contained an impassioned plea from Prince Wilhelm. He begged that Captain Zerbist be allowed to remain on medical leave so that she could stay with her sister and had filled the communique with emotional language that pulled on the heartstrings. It seemed more childish than Degurechaff's but somehow more impactful because of it.

After reading it, he found it difficult to morally justify reinstating her, despite the logical case that Degurechaff had laid out. After all, it would be one person saved from having to contribute to the savagery this war might bring.

He'd decided not to intervene and thought nothing more about it for several weeks, but this final letter had forced him to once again rethink his stance.

Lt Col Eric von Rerugen,

I apologise for taking up your time, particularly as this matter is no longer specifically within your jurisdiction. However, as you are informally one of the superior officers that the 203rd Mage Battalion and its support companies, as well as a respected member of the General Staff, I thought it best to contact you on this matter.

By now, I imagine you have received a letter from Prince Wilhelm about my medical discharge. I admit and am ashamed that my mental state was so dramatically affected by the news of my sister's injuries and at the time it is true I was unfit for duty by my prince's side. He was right to be concerned about me and so I do not hold any ill will for him for attempting to block any potential reinstatement.

However, this failure on my part is unforgivable. I have abandoned my comrades in the Letzenbourg assault company and the fellow members of Major Degurechaff's battalion at a time when they need as much help as possible. Worse still, I have left the Prince dangerously isolated and unprotected.

Rerugen couldn't help but wonder if the woman was referring to the Prince being protected from potential assassins or Degurechaff as he read that sentence. However, he quickly pushed the thought aside, cursing his continued suspicions of the girl as he continued reading.

Due to his intelligence and maturity, it is often easy to forget that the Prince is still a child and I know the incident involving my sister affected him just as deeply as myself. Indeed, I have heard some disturbing reports about his recent actions from my comrades and I am concerned this is affecting morale.

Although I am confident that Major Degurechaff is doing her best to provide as much comfort and support to the Prince as possible, she too is only a child and I fear that both need support in such trying times.

Rerugen paused again. Just the thought of relying on someone like Degurechaff for emotional support was terrifying, he could only imagine what the Prince was going through. Still, the woman was right he was a child, how could he cope with losing someone close to him at his age? Could even Major Degurechaff, "Rusted Silver", cope with such a thing? Her psychological evaluations had always revealed she was perfectly stable, but they were designed for minds that had time to mature. If anything, both of them should be showing some sort of signs of distress considering what they'd been through.

Perhaps it would be better if both were away from the front, even though he'd endeavoured to keep the girl away so her terrifying ideas couldn't continue to spread. Sending them to the front was likely only making things worse. But what was it that Degurechaff had said during her interview?

"I have no other path." He murmured recalling the words from her transcript. With an answer like that and her temperament, could they ever take her away? Was it too late to take the soldier out of the girl?

If there were no hope for her, then perhaps they could at least save the Prince from becoming like her. But then he had also vehemently opposed any efforts to remove him from frontline duty; publicly promising the Letzenbourg government he would not return until the war was over. He'd even going so far as to use his influence at the Imperial court to get his way.

"Why are they both so damned difficult?" He sighed, rubbing his eyes under his glasses before returning to the letter.

Since returning to Berlun, and seeing to my sister's ongoing treatment, I have made every effort to speed my recovery and have taken the liberty of having a military doctor retest my fitness for duty (see attached). It is my greatest hope to return to the prince's side as soon as possible. Since you are widely respected by the personnel department, I hoped you might be able to assist with expediting their review of my case.

I know it is impossible to dissuade him from fighting for Letzenbourg, but if he must put himself in danger, I want to be able to support him. If we are at all able to keep Prince Wilhelm as a shining example to the troops, I would like to do my best to keep his morale high so he can pass that on to those around him.

I'm sure you understand as you seem to have done much to support Major Degurechaff these past few years and she still speaks very highly of you.

With Friendly Salutations.

Captain Sophia Zerbist

The last sentence left Rerugen in stunned silence as he tried to wrap his head around the words. Degurechaff speaking highly of him and his support? Surely there must be some mistake. He'd long been one of her most vocal critics, if the monstrous little girl believed he had gone out of his way to support her then her thinking process must have been more warped than he'd originally thought. How could someone so perceptive get something so wrong?

He shook the thoughts from his head, trying to understand Degurechaff had always proven fruitless in the past, he saw no reason why that might have changed. As always, he had no choice but to ignore the gut feeling that something was wrong with the girl and think about the situation logically. Although part of him couldn't help but wonder if that was what that devil wanted all along.

Considering the information he had at hand, Captain Zerbist's request at least warranted consideration. The case for having someone keep an eye on the prince's mental state for morale reasons was good enough that he believed the latest doctor's evaluation she had sent should be confirmed. If the latest report allowed for Captain Zerbist to return, there should be no reason for his colleagues in personnel to block her reinstatement. Despite the prince's impassioned objection, Miss Zerbist had requested it and her wishes should be taken into account; as should the boy's own safety and wellbeing.

He also thought it prudent to advise someone to look into the original doctor's report. Degurechaff had made a decent case doubting its veracity and it was troubling that it had not yet been followed up. It made him wonder what personnel were doing these days, they were supposed to be duty-bound to make sure mistakes didn't happen. That was why they were always so fastidious with their officer selections and reports in the first place.

He let out a sigh and made a mental note to call Colonel von Kordel first thing in the morning while silently lamenting that he no longer had the luxury of fixed office hours. By necessity, the operations department had to operate twenty-four hours a day and although he gained much more in the way of experience, prestige and career prospects working here, he did sometimes miss the simple nine to five hours that the personnel department enjoyed. He supposed he would have to content himself with some coffee for the moment.

A forceful knock on the door broke him from his reverie. Anyone coming to see him at this time of night obviously would have something important to report so he bid his visitor to enter as he straightened up in his chair and adjusted his glasses.

"First Lieutenant Erya Müller, Army Intelligence." A young woman introduced herself with an eager salute before crossing to his desk, although Rerugen did not look up from the letter to notice. She quickly reached into a satchel hung over her shoulder and produced a file. "I have the latest reports from our listening posts on the eastern border sir."

Rerugen nodded a thanks as he took the file and began skimming through its contents. He didn't like what he saw.

"We've lost contact with the last of our canaries in the Russy Federation, it appears they've been caught up in one of the General Secretary's purges." The young woman supplied with a hint of excitement in her voice, confirming what was in the report. "Do you really think they could be preparing an attack?"

Rerugen paused his reading and carefully placed the file on his desk in front of him so he could get the measure of this new officer. The various intelligence branches had seen a huge influx of new personnel since the Abwehr's corruption had been exposed. Young officers like this had been recruited from all over to replace those who could not shake the clouds of suspicion.

He was a little taken aback when he first saw her. She was undeniably attractive, with even the usually drab imperial uniform unable to hide her slim yet toned physique. Life in the army had saved her from the food shortages that increasingly caused malnourishment amongst the civilian populace of late, and perhaps that was why he found himself subconsciously taking note of his figure. Although he quickly chastised himself for it. He was her superior officer and several years her senior, it was unacceptable for him to even think about her in such a way. Particularly after the ugly incident involving Admiral Canaris.

He coughed and averted his gaze hoping to cover his embarrassment before studying her face instead. Trusting that his past experience with personnel would give him some better insight into the young officer.

She wore an eager smile, framed by brown wavy hair that although not strictly within regulations, was neatly tied back framing her face. It was a smile he'd seen countless times on the faces of cadets during his time working at the military academy. However, unlike many of those trainees, there was no sign that it was forced and she seemed genuinely pleased to be here, even at this late hour.

Overall, he got the impression of an excited young officer, enthusiastic about her new post in the General Staff. Although in this case, that excitement had perhaps undermined her professionalism. He could not blame her for that but it could get her in trouble if she acted this way among the more senior members of the general staff. He thought it best to take the opportunity to impart a pearl of wisdom to help her in her career.

"It is never wise to ask what your superiors are thinking Lieutenant." He said with a smile as he gestured towards the file on the desk. "And traditionally, it is Operations that would ask that sort of question of Intelligence, that is why you brought me the file after all."

The woman flushed with embarrassment and scrambled for an apology. Rerugen suppressed a chuckle, despite the difficult situation brewing it was comforting to know that there were still young men and women serving that acted like normal people instead of automatons like Degurechaff. Maybe the Empire hadn't been completely overtaken by that monster's type of thinking.

"However, that is a question we'll have to find an answer to and quickly. I'd better wake the General Staff." He finished with a sigh, suddenly remembering Degurechaff's warning about this war escalating further.

"Will you be sending mages across the border?" The Lieutenant asked excitedly, only to return to an embarrassed smile as she caught Rerugan's frown. "Sorry sir, I overheard some officers talking about it the other day and I like to keep an eye on where some friends are deployed. I won't tell anyone of course."

So that was why she was chosen for intelligence, it seemed she was a very good listener and by the sounds of it, she'd already divined the likely candidate for such a mission. He caught brief a glimpse of something cross her eyes and sensed she knew much more than she was letting on, or at least suspected something. She was playing with him, playing the part of the overeager young officer to ease a little extra information out of him.

Perhaps there was more to this woman than it seemed.

"You need to be more careful about what you say, Lieutenant and what you listen too." He replied as he rose from his chair and began ushering her out of his office, with this news they would both have a lot of work to do.

"I'm sorry sir, I'll be more careful in future." She replied, seeming appropriately contrite but now as he watched her with a closer eye he realised this too was fake. There was a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth and Rerugen suspected she knew he'd caught onto her. However, her tone quickly returned to that of the eager young lieutenant. "But war with the Federation! It's kinda terrifying. I just hope it doesn't turn out how he said."

"How who said?" Rerugen asked in confusion, the only person he could recall that had predicted this was Degurechaff.

"Why Prince Wilhelm of course." Erya replied producing a book from her satchel and offering it to Rerugen, "he wrote all about the great war years ago, it's creepy how much he got right!"

I should hurry and summon the General Staff he thought as he took the book from the young officer's hands. He'd heard about the prince's political treatise but had never read it. Despite the urgency of the situation at hand, he found he wanted to see exactly what the boy had written.

Without thinking he flicked through the pages until he reached the section describing the Russy Federation. After skimming a few words and skipping a few pages he found his eyes drawn to a few words.

As previously mentioned, war with the communists must be prevented at all costs. If hostilities are to break out, everything should be done to deescalate and swiftly bring them to the table. If we do not, I foresee terrible casualties on all sides.

Rerugen felt cold as he handed the book back to the young officer. How could it be that both the Prince and Degurechaff had foreseen this possibility but no one else had? And why after all that had happened had no one heeded these warnings?

"Don't worry sir, he didn't get everything right and we don't really know anything yet." The Lieutenant added, sensing his concern. However, it did little to ease his sense of unease.

"Considering the reports, all we can do is pray that he got this one wrong." He said eventually, mentally adding: If God still answers our prayers that is.

40 Years after the War

Somewhere in the Böhmerwald, Östria

Maggie stood in front of the quaint little cottage in the middle of the Östrian countryside and wondered if she had somehow misread Andrew's messily scribbled directions. True the area was beautiful, with green forest and ice tipped mountains dominating the scenery for miles around. But the humble little hovel several hours away from civilisation was not the place she had envisioned one of the most prominent surviving generals of the Great War living. Particularly not one that was now in his seventies and still so active in the veteran's charities in Berlun.

She half expected to see a girl in a red hood skipping up the road, bringing treats for her grandmother. Was this really the home of an elderly ex-soldier?

She double-checked the notes she had swiped from her mentor and, after ensuring Andrew's poor handwriting hadn't somehow led her astray, she carefully opened the quaint wooden gate that led into the colourful and well-maintained garden. The smell of flowers filled her nostrils as she made her way down the path and she couldn't help but reflect on how peaceful it was as she approached the door of the cottage.

Part of her even wanted to wait a few moments and enjoy the good weather and beauty of the garden before she ventured onwards, however her thirst for knowledge would not allow her to idle for too long. Instead, she steeled herself for what was to come by straightening her dress before tugging on the iron handle that connected to a hidden bell inside.

The doorbell chimed, and there was a brief moment of silence before the sound of movement from inside the house as the occupant made their way towards the door. After a few moments more, the door creaked open revealing a tall thin figure with grey hair; a long strand of which fell along the side of his face framing a calm and collected expression.

"Ah, Miss Winton I presume?" The man spoke, his baritone voice showing only the slightest strain of age as he spoke in heavily Germanic accented Albish. "I hope you didn't have too much difficulty finding us?"

"General von Rerugen. No, not at all!" Maggie lied, offering out her hand for a handshake. It had taken hours to get all the way out here, it was almost as though the man had purposely decided to move his family as far away from the city as possible. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me."

"The pleasure is mine." The man said taking her hand, "and I'm retired, there's no need to refer to me by my old rank. Herr Rerugen is fine, or Mr if you prefer"

The elderly man's hand was almost as cool as his stare as they shook hands in greeting. Behind his bottom rimmed glasses, he had cold calculating eyes that spoke of a man used to hiding his thoughts. She could already see why Andrew and his colleagues had struggled to gain much information from this man. He seemed like the type that played his cards close to his chest and chose his words carefully. She suspected his use of Albish from the outset was not coincidental either. She had expected to be conducting the interview in Germanian and had been a little surprised by the man's fluency in her mother tongue. It was likely a way for him to avoid uncomfortable questions by acting as though he did not understand if he needed to.

Maggie did her best to keep her suspicions from her face and smiled politely; she had a feeling this was going to be an interesting, if challenging, meeting.

This man's wits had clearly not dimmed with age and considering he was the leader of the legendary Rerugen Kampfgruppe she could expect him to be a formidable intelligence indeed. She would have a difficult task ahead of her she was sure; however, Maggie had a few tricks up her sleeve.

With the introductions over with, the old general led her into the cottage and ushered her into a cosy looking study, leaning heavily on a cane as he made his way through the house. He invited her to sit on a small couch before disappearing to fetch some refreshments, leaving her alone. Like any good journalist, she took the opportunity to snoop around.

What she found was a little disappointing, however. Unlike most of the old soldiers she had interviewed during her time working with Andrew, the General did not display any of his past glories or achievements. Instead, the walls and furniture were decorated with pictures of family and loved ones, with a black and white photo of the General and a curly-haired woman sitting with pride of place on his desk.

Other than the photos, there were numerous books spread across the room but even these had very little relevance to his martial past. Aside from a copy of von Romel's memoirs and some field manuals penned by the general after the war, there was nothing in the writings that connected him to the great war. Other than that, the only other thing she could see in the office was an ugly statue of Rodin's thinker on the windowsill.

The study could have belonged to any ageing gentleman. It was almost as though the man had done as much as possible to distance himself from his past in the armed forces. But why? Was there something in his military career he was ashamed of?

She took a few moments to rummage through his desk, cursing as she found a locked drawer barring her progress. She would not be deterred however, a lock implied something she was not supposed to see. After a quick check to be sure the general would not be returning yet, she took a pin from her hair and carefully began picking the lock. She'd had the fortune to pick up the skill from an ex-thief turned locksmith she'd once interviewed, although she had never told Andrew about it. Fortunately, it was too not difficult and after a moment she heard a soft click, telling her she had found her prize.

Within the drawer was a picture frame buried under a pile of documents. The papers again revealed little of import, being mostly related to his charity work, but the picture proved to be far more interesting.

She couldn't help but smile as she turned the frame over, revealing a photo of a much younger General Rerugen in full uniform with a teenage girl standing at his side, looking almost awkward in civilian attire. She instantly recognised the second figure, although only because it resembled someone she'd already spent an awful lot of time investigating recently. Indeed, it was the younger version woman she had come to Germania to interview in the first place, albeit with little success so far.

Frau Tatjana Ansbach.

She'd not been able to unearth very much about the businesswoman's youth, it was strange that she would come across some information about her here of all places. Evidentially the retired general had some sort of connection with her, and had done for a long time but why had he never mentioned it to anyone before? And why had he tried to hide the picture from her?

Damn, I should have brought a camera. She cursed to herself, wishing she could take a copy for later. She likely wouldn't get away with pocketing the photo, particularly if she wanted to confront one of them later. She made a mental note to investigate this lead once she returned to the capital and placed the photo back in its place but paused as she noticed a faint scribble on the back.

Degurechaff

Was that some sort of code word? Or perhaps a name? She hadn't heard of either but it could be a clue. Most importantly though, how did this word relate to Rerugen and Ansbach?

The sound of the retired general returning broke her from her thoughts and she hastily returned the picture and papers before returning to her place on the sofa. She had to hope he wouldn't notice the drawer had been unlocked, at least until she had left and for now her questions would have to go unanswered.

"I apologise for the wait, my wife is down in the village at the moment so there's only the two of us here for now." The ex-general called as he re-entered the study with a tray of coffee in hand, limping slightly without having the use of his cane to steady him. He placed the tray on his desk and passed her a cup before taking a place in a chair opposite her. "Now what can I do for you Miss Winton? I'm afraid I'm still a little puzzled about your visit. I've already told your colleagues everything I could recall for the program you're making."

"In truth Herr Rerugen, I'm no longer officially working for Andrew. I just thought I'd pop here as a favour to him while I'm in the country. Just for a few follow up questions." She replied in a friendly tone as she reached into her handbag for her pen and notebook. She knew from experience that in both swordplay and journalism, it was always best to disarm your opponent before lunging in for an attack. "I'm actually here in Germania to interview Frau Ansbach of the Urodela Corporation. I understand you've had dealings with her in the past."

To his credit, the old general barely reacted. If she had not just seen the picture linking the two she might have missed or disregarded the small twitch that told her he hadn't expected her to know about the connection. However, it was obvious he was not the sort to be so easily rattled and he calmly reached for his coffee and took a sip.

"Frau Ansbach and her corporation have long been contributors to several of the veteran's charities of which I am a trustee." He began, his voice betraying nothing as he spoke. "As a result, I have met her a few times at social functions over the years but I'm afraid I don't have much to tell about her."

You're hiding something. Maggie thought as she studied the man's expression as he spoke. It was slight, but she could see in his face and body language that although he was perhaps not lying, he was at least omitting some of what he knew. Unfortunately, she could not force the issue too hard, this was a voluntary interview in the man's own home after all. However, he had at least given her a little more information to work with, even if he didn't realise it.

"Oh really, I hadn't heard about her charity work." Maggie replied, keeping a conversational tone as she watched the man's expression once more.

This much was true, she'd had an extremely difficult time getting a hold of the financial information and spending habits of both the Urodela corporation and its CEO. Particularly where she got the money to start up the company in the first place. At a time when most people in Germania were struggling to find the money to feed themselves, Ansbach had managed to find the funds to create what had now become one of the most successful companies in the world.

"It's odd that she would choose so many ex-military charities, isn't it? Surely he would have been too young to serve in the war. Why would she be so interested in those organisations in particular?"

The man seemed momentarily shocked, she suspected that he had believed she had divined the link between them because of the charities. Since he did not realise she had seen the photo, he must have been quite surprised that she had seemingly found it from elsewhere. However, he soon rallied and readopted his outwardly calm expression.

"I couldn't possibly comment on what she chooses to do with her money, however, she has generously donated to charities aimed at helping soldiers ease back into society. Particularly those who have suffered from combat fatigue or shell shock as we call it today." The old General replied carefully, causing Maggie to inwardly curse as he cut off her line of questioning. "I understand she also has an interest in funding scholarship programs as well as being a regular donor to several orphanages around the country."

His answer was too well-rehearsed, too smooth. Her instincts told her there was much more he wasn't saying. The picture was proof he knew more about her than he was letting on but why keep so quiet about it? And why had he avoided the question about her being too young to serve?

The official line on all sides was that children hadn't served in the Great War. Even if she didn't believe it there was no reason for the general to act so cagey about it. True there were stories like the Devil and the Saint but all official accounts said these personas were simply propaganda pieces. Most everyone agreed that aside from the occasional report of a few youngsters that had lied about their age, and the so-called Letzenbourg mascots, no one under seventeen had served on either side during the Great War. That had been one of the main reasons Andrew always shot down her theories about the Saint.

But what if that wasn't the case?

General Rerugen was one of those who would know if the official line was true or not, perhaps that was the reason for his reticence on the matter. This could be big! Maybe this was her chance to prove her theory that the Saint really had been the young Prince Wilhelm von Hozollern. But she had little more she could press him on, it was time to go for broke.

"I see." She replied, making a note of the general's words in her notebook. "And what about Degurechaff?"

The man's expression suddenly turned cold and the friendly smile disappeared from his face. She hadn't expected the man to lose his composure so easily, clearly whatever Degurechaff meant it was important and she wasn't supposed to know about it. She felt a slight chill up her spine as the man's eyes bored into her.

"Where did you hear that name?" He demanded quickly, a hint of anger tainting his voice for the first time. However, if he sought to intimidate her, the man had another thing coming. She would not be deterred so easily.

So it is a name! She cheered inwardly, elated that she had again prised a little more information from the man. But who was it? And what was the connection to Rerugen and Ansbach? She would need to do some digging when she got back to Berlun, it looked like her interview with Frau Ansbach would be more interesting than she could ever have imagined. However, she would try and get as much from the retired General as she could first.

"It is an ex-officer's name I came across in my research, in one of the charity documents." She lied, hoping the charity might be the link between them. She knew it was a risky bluff considering how little she did know but it was the only thing she could think of to keep the pressure on the old man.

Maggie did her best to maintain her light and friendly demeanour as she sat under the cold gaze of the ageing soldier, however internally she was starting to feel a little nervous. She took her cup and made a show of nonchalantly sipping her coffee. It was surprisingly good, not as good as a proper cup of tea of course but it helped distract her from the general's glare.

Eventually, the man's expression softened and he seemed to return to his former calm self.

"I thought you said you hadn't heard of Frau Ansbach's charity work." He said, a hint of a smile returning to the corner of his mouth.

Damn Maggie swore inwardly as she almost choked on her coffee. She'd been careless and allowed him to use her words against her, just as she had been doing to him. Worse still, she'd sent a clear signal that he'd caught her out by nearly spilling her drink down herself.

"I'm afraid I served with a lot of officers during the years, I can't be expected to remember the names of all of them." The former General continued, at least saving her from the embarrassment of explaining herself. However, he shot her a look that told her she would get no more information from him about this Degurechaff character. "You were here with some follow up questions pertaining to the Great War correct?"

She supposed that was all she would get about Ansbach for now but at least she'd found some leads she could follow up on again later. In the meantime, she still had to see if she could find out anything else that Andrew could use on his special report. Hopefully, she hadn't made that a more difficult task than it needed to be with her previous questions.

"Yes of course. As you know we've completed the programs on the earlier parts of the war so perhaps we can skip to a little later." She replied politely, flipping to a new page in her notebook.

"What did the Empire do when it first suspected an attack from the Federation?"

Authors Notes

Hi everyone and as always thank you for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting.

I feel like I say this every time but I meant to get this chapter out a lot quicker. However this time it took a little longer because I needed a little break so started writing a little bit of something else instead. Additionally, with certain current events I wasn't exactly super hyped about writing about an invasion so was dragging my feet a little as that comes next.

That said, I'm reasonably pleased with this chapter, even if it does feel a little mish-mashed together to me. I spent quite a while getting the Tanya part right and it felt very different writing Rerugen and Maggie this time so I hope you enjoyed it.

I could not think of a decent title for this chapter, and I don't particually like what I've ended up with. So if anyone has any sugestions, I'd love to hear them.

As always thanks to Vimmy-Vickers-1919 for continuing to act as my Beta reader and if anyone is interested in the art we had commissioned for our stories please search for user: Lord0Solus on Deviant art.

Other than that, I hope you are still enjoying the story and continue to read it in the future.

Xanen