Witch of the Eighty-Sixth

by contrastellar

There is no such thing as a clean war, and for those who know the secrets of this battlefield — what else could this life be, than a Curse?

12. Chapter 10

April 15, SY 2150 — 09:25 GCT (Giad Coordinated Time)

The Eighty-Sixth Strike Package — a semi-independent, mobile force of two-hundred and sixteen Processors, all serving the Federal Republic of Giad, as a brigade-sized force to be used independently of previously adopted stratagems against the Legion. Some had the concern that this force had been put together with too little training, with too many resources, too quickly — but the initial trials of the unit in live-fire scenarios, and even the deployment of the Strike Package along the front lines before, during and after the Large Scale Offensive, had proven that the Processors were more than capable in operating with the equipment and supplies they had been given. Even if most of the Processors in the Strike Package had never had this many supplies to work with, having grown used to fighting with next to no supply chains before, during the Large-Scale Offensive, and the fighting thereafter. But it meant that many of these Processors had never worked under a strict hierarchy of ranks and orders — typically only taking orders from their Squadron Commander, and their Platoon Leaders if they weren't a Platoon leader themselves.
There were nine squadrons of twenty-four processors, each broken up into six, four-man platoons.
SPEARHEAD, led by Captain Shinei "Undertaker" Nouzen, the Operations Commander for the entire Strike Package.
BRÍSINGAMEN, led by Second Lieutenant Shiden "Cyclops" Iida.
NORDLICHT, headed by Master Sergeant Brent "Freki One" Bernholdt.
THUNDERBOLT, headed by Second Lieutenant Yuuto "Verethragna" Crow. THUNDERBOLT and all the remaining Squadrons are comprised of volunteer Eighty-Six, liberated from the Republic of San Magnolia.
LYCAON, squad captain Reki "Hualien" Michihi.
PHALANX, squad captain Taiga Asuha.
CLAYMORE, headed by Rito "Milan" Oriya.
VALKYRIE, squad captain Sabina "Bluebird" Fardin.
And CALIBARN, led by "The Witch", who had adopted the name of "Mercury" during her time in the Federacy. Personal name: "Aerial", although most still referred to her by her moniker.
All of whom were under the command of the Brigade Commander, Colonel Grethe Wenzel, and then under the direct supervision of the Tactical Commander, Colonel Vladilena Milizé, a foreign officer from the Republic, who had volunteered for the Eighty-Sixth Strike Package, not knowing that the leading squadron of Processors, would be the Processors presumed "KIA" during the last Special Reconnaissance Mission ordered before the Large Scale Offensive by the Legion — Captain Nouzen, First Lieutenant Raiden Shuga, Second Lieutenant Anju Emma, Second Lieutenant Kurena Kukumila, and Second Lieutenant Theoto Rikka. All of whom had miraculously survived both their encounter with the Shepard unit that had been made from Shinei Nouzen's brother, Shourei — and then the time after that, once they had disappeared from the sensor capabilities of the Gran Mur and into the Legion territory beyond.
It was a story that the Witch had heard a few times now, recounted as the story about the heroic Eighty-Six by fellow Eighty-Six, and a story of tragedy that children were given such heinous orders, a story often told by the Federacy, its citizens and its military staff.
There were many who didn't condone the Federacy's Armed Forces relying on, or even using at all, the capability of a large number of Eighty-Six — all of whom were practically children — in their war against the Legion. But, through self-advocacy, and a relentlessness to reenlist under their own volition, many of the Eighty-Six did return to the battlefield, general populace's opinion be damned.
The Witch had certainly been one of those who had volunteered to be here, and was picked as a Squadron Captain based on her tenure as a Squadron Captain during her time in the Eighty-Sixth sector, and her skills in combat and leadership test scores, rivaling that of Captain Nouzen's own, yet she didn't complain when she was assigned to be the Squadron Captain of the last of the Nine Squadrons of the Strike Package.
"We're all here?" Shin said as he entered the briefing room followed by Colonel Milizé, and all of their subordinates stood up at attention, as had been drilled into them during their basic training since arriving in the Federacy. "Good."
"At ease, please sit down." Colonel Milizé instructed, as he was the senior-most officer present.
They all sat in the chairs of the briefing room, all facing the wall that had the screen attached to it.
There were nine Squad Captains, Shin himself — representing SPEARHEAD — and then the Tactical Commander herself. Eleven people present for the squadron captain's briefing prior to the Strike Package's first mission. "Just starting out," Lena said as she stood at the podium in the front of the room, and connected the tablet she carried to the screen, "Does anyone have any major questions regarding the briefing we already underwent earlier?" Lena asked, looking around at those present, including Shin, who sat at the front of the arrangement of chairs.
Someone raised their hand, it was the captain of the PHALANX Squadron, Taiga Asuha, his darker skin making him stand out, even among the wide berth of colors of the Eighty-Six. "Colonel. You said that PHALANX will be escorting Major Penrose… Can I ask what her purpose during this mission is?"
"That I can only give generalities on. Major Penrose is going to be investigating a strange signal that we've been receiving over the Para-RAID while scouting out the Charité underground labyrinth." Lena sighed, "unfortunately, that's all I can give you. Your job, as PHALANX Squadron, is to protect her during her investigation, and then return her to base safely."
"Copy that, thank you, ma'am." Taiga responded.
The Witch raised her hand, and was promptly acknowledged by the Major. "Ma'am, for CALIBARN… We weren't given specific instructions, are those still yet to come?"
"When we were initially drafting up plans, Lieutenant Mercury, we were unsure of the exact niche that CALIBARN would fit into. But we think we have clearer picture of that now… CALIBARN will serve as the flank guard during the initial push into the underground, and then serve as melee specialists in tandem with SPEARHEAD. I know that you have a platoon dedicated to long-range support, they'll coordinate with myself and NORDLICHT directly to maintain an exfiltration point for the rest of the Strike Package."
"Understood."
"If there are no other questions," The Colonel says, "Then I'll let Captain Nouzen take over from here, and let you all commence with your own planning." Lena nods, and leaves the room.
Shin stands up, and turns around to all of the Squadron Captains. "We all have experience fighting the Legion, but this shouldn't exactly be a walk in the park. Please make your preparations, and let me know if you have any questions."
They all nod, and Shin leaves, following after the Colonel.
"Well, shit, sounds like the L'il Reaper sounds just as confident as always." Shiden Iida, the Captain of BRÍSINGAMEN Squadron half laughs, and most of the Captains that still remain nod in agreement. "Well, that's well and good, but what about you, Witch?" Shiden looks behind her, at where the Witch sits, quietly, not having nodded.
"I-I'm fine…"
"Heard your Squadron just finally got its final roster yesterday." Master Sergeant Bernholdt, the leader of NORDLICHT says, only giving the Witch a sideways glance.
The Witch nods. "Th-they said that they had to shuffle around people to make sure I had enough specialists."
"Well, it seems like her Highness seems to think that you've got what you need… Have you met your Squadron yet?" Shiden asks.
The Witch shakes her head. "N-no. But I'm doing that this afternoon."
"That's a good idea, make sure that you know everyone before we head into hell in the next few days…" Bernholdt responds.
She nods, closing her eyes as she does. There's a scuffling of chairs in the time that her eyes are closed, and when she opens them again — she's sitting alone in the briefing room.

April 15, SY 2150 — 14:53 GCT

The afternoon came quietly throughout the base. It helped that she was instead focusing on paperwork up until it was time for her to meet her hastily, and finally put together squadron. She was working in her quarters, which were only marginally larger than the shared bunks that the rest of the soldiers had. As a Squadron Captain, she could be afforded that much at least.
She stood up from her desk, and set aside the paperwork, before taking her tablet and pulling up the roster of her squadron. Twenty-three other processors, and then herself as squadron leader. It wasn't a complete shock to see some of the names that she had. Considering that she had been sought out by Guel, back in Sankt Jeder, before the founding of the Strike Package, she wasn't surprised to see that her second in command was listed as the callsign "Darilbalde". Among the roster there was also the personal name of Miss Chuchu, "Balor". There were her so-called "Familiars" from the Valkyrie Squadron and a few other callsigns that she recognized, mostly from the Eighty-Sixth sector — namely ones like "Pharact" and even her former D-Platoon leader. But the vast majority were names that she didn't recognize immediately — but figured that if they were here, in her squadron, they had to have been Name Bearers in the Eighty-Sixth sector, which meant that there was more talent here than there wasn't. The numbers had been run by analysts of the Federacy, and they figured that those who were conscripted, and survived until the point of having been liberated following the Large-Scale Offensive — that those surviving Eighty-Six were in the less than one percent of all Colorata who once occupied the Republic.
Meaning that they were capable fighters, if not capable soldiers.
She wondered idly if Shaddiq survived all of this, or if he simply opted to not rejoin the military after all was said and done. She couldn't blame anyone who didn't want to join the Federacy's military — and opted instead to live a life that had been otherwise stolen from them. But she knew that herself? That kind of life wasn't for her. That there was more that needed doing, something that drove her to rejoin, and despite the semblance of peace that she had found in the months back in the Federacy — she couldn't bear to live knowing that at any given moment, she hadn't continued to fight the Legion, to try and find her purpose that the battlefield had crafted for her.
That was something that she still wasn't quite used to — the formality of a soldier's life. Something that she never needed to worry about in the Eighty-Sixth sector, something that she never needed to worry about while fighting her way through Legion territory in her attempt to find the "Bloodstained Queen of the Eighty-Six". And it wasn't something she needed to worry about during her life in the Federacy — it was only something she needed to worry about now, as she was a formal member of the Strike Package.
She set the tablet down, and turned away from her desk, stood up and moved for the door to her quarters, and then taking a right hand turn through the base, towards the briefing room where CALIBARN would be waiting for her. She glanced at a clock that was hung on the wall, at a T-junction that she turned left at, and headed deeper into the base. It didn't take long to end up at the briefing room, and to open the door to find the most of the voices of her twenty-three soldiers chatting among themselves. All of which stopped when she opened the door, and there was a scuffling of boots as they came to attention in respect to their superior officer.
"At ease." She said, as she stepped into the room and then stood at the front. "You can all sit." They sat.
"Welcome to CALIBARN, everyone." She says, assuming the air of authority that feels like it comes more naturally to her than it doesn't. "I know that we were put together somewhat last minute, and that some of you don't know each other — but I promise one thing. That we're some of the best that the Eighty-Six have to offer. I know that you are all volunteers, and that you chose to be here, so I'll save the whole thing talking about our unique skills… But you should already be acquainted with your platoon members, and also the other platoons that exist. I'll go over that here, briefly. If each platoon leader wants to introduce themselves and their team's role? Starting with Foxtrot."
A girl who the Witch didn't recognize stood up at this. She had the darker skin and light eyes of a Deseria. "Foxtrot Platoon — I'm Ryn 'Rhino' Ise from the Southern Front, Third Defensive Ward; MIRROR EDGE Squadron. Primary role is fire support."
Another girl stood up, with the red hair of a Pyrope, and the green eyes of a Aventura. "Echo platoon, vanguards. I'm Analise 'Ender' Brise from the Western Front, Second Ward. ELYSIUM Squadron was my former posting."
Monarch stood up, having short, smoky chocolate hair of a Cairn, and the black-colored eyes of an Onyx, "Delta platoon. We're snipers. I'm 'Monarch', but my real name is Noah Regula. Eastern Theatre, Second Defensive ward. LFRITH."
A grinning young man, with short hair, colored like a Rubis stood up. "Charlie Leader! Artillery team, I'm Joshua 'Tomcat' Mitchell. Eastern Theatre, Second Defensive Ward. Formerly of LFRITH!"
Guel stood up, his arms crossed. "Bravo leader. Second Lieutenant Guel Jeturk. Callsign 'Darilbalde'. Formerly the Witch's Deputy in LFRITH. Vanguard team."
"And finally," The Witch said. "First Lieutenant Mercury of Alpha Platoon. Callsign 'Aerial', and Alpha is a Vanguard team as well. As many of you know, I am the 'Witch of the Eastern Front', and was formerly in LFRITH, prior to the Large Scale Offensive." The Witch sighed. "I know it seems like a lot of us already know one another from LFRITH, but please don't let that detract you from asking us for things when you need them. I'm aware that we're rag-tags from all over the Republic. But we're a team now, so we need to function like one. There isn't a lot of time between now and the Charité Operation's start, but please try and get what training you can in. Being more prepared will mean the more likely we are to get through this in one piece." There were murmurs of agreement as the Platoon Leaders sat back down.
Guel raised his hand. "Lieutenant, what's our deployment plan looking like for the operation?"
"Colonel Milizé will be 'borrowing' one of our Platoons, likely Delta, for exfiltration point security, due to their longer-rang configuration. Foxtrot, even though they're fire support, aren't marksmen, they're predominately configured with thirty-millimeter auto-cannons, so they will be interior to the Labyrinth, and defending the exfil points as we need them to. Everyone else will be pushing forward towards the Weisel unit, in support of SPEARHEAD, BRÍSINGAMEN, and VALKYRIE."
Monarch raised his hand next. "The briefing did not specify a mission length. Do we know that?"
"During our briefing with Colonel Milizé and Captain Nouzen this morning, we were informed that the mission length will be eight hours maximum. This is due to the blockade that will be running, thanks to the Relief Expeditionary Force's efforts. We shouldn't waste their time." The Witch explained. "The mission clock starts once the blockade is online."
"Understood."
Tomcat was the next, and last to raise his hand. "What about my team? Aren't we worried about the missiles weakening the structure and causing a cave-in?"
"…That's a great question… I'll bring it up to the Captain and Colonel, in case they have any ideas." The Witch said.
"I mean, the way I see it, we've got two options, either the M-9X's, or some KKM's."
"What the hell are those?" Someone asks.
"M-9X's are bladed missiles. Equipped with High-Frequency Blades, they seek out targets and cut them up with chassis-mounted blades. And KKM's are 'Kinetic Kill Missiles' — basically missiles without warheads, that get up to speed and impact to deal damage without risk of collateral to the structure and causing a cave-in." Tomcat explained.
"I'll talk to the Colonel about acquiring one or the other, and adding to your Platoon's loadout." The Witch said. "Are there any other questions?"
There was silence, it seemed that no one else had anything else to ask or say.
"I want to emphasize that despite us being a last-minute addition to the Strike Package's roster, we're still some of the best that there is. We might not be ex-SPEARHEAD, but we've all got experience to match them. We made it through the LSO, and we'll make it through this." The Witch said. "If there are no other questions, you're dismissed. Platoon Leaders, please send me any armament or equipment requests as soon as possible."
There's a scuffle of boots and chairs as the twenty-three Processors in front of her stand up, and move for the door, the chatter among themselves resuming as it had before she had entered the room. The only person who doesn't get up to leave right away is Guel, who watches the other Processors leave the same as the Witch, who places her hands on her hips as they do.
The two are in silence for a moment, before Guel speaks up. "You seem none the worse for wear."
"They expedited my training at the Special Officer's Academy, since I was a late volunteer for the Strike Package."
"Also because half the shit they teach you, you already knew." Guel commented.
The Witch motioned with her hand, as if to say 'that too'.
"Still, I'm shocked that they moved you to Squad Captain before the operation's start." Guel said, leaning back in his chair. "But I suppose you're the next best thing to the Captain, so it's not like your leadership is in doubt at all."
"And my platoon leaders are mostly my former Processors from LFRITH. So it's not like I'm not leading soldiers I don't already know."
"There's that." Guel sighed. "How about Bluebird? You think that her and VALKYRIE will be fine?"
"VALKYRIE works fine together as they are… They didn't need me to lead them back to the Gran Mur, they could've done it by themselves."
"Which is fair enough. But hey, I'd rather have you leading us than a random that I've never fought with." Guel said, standing up. "I'm going to go chat with Nika. Need to make sure that she mounts the new blades correctly."
"Good idea. I'll be checking Aerial later tonight anyways." The Witch responded.
"See you later, ell-tee." A smile flashed across The Witch's face at the slang used to refer to Lieutenants, before Guel left, giving a half-wave as he went.

April 15, SY 2150 — 22:31 GCT

Lights out was in an hour. And The Witch didn't feel tired at all. If anything she felt completely awake, and unable to relax her body, if not her mind. And yet, despite lights out being in an hour, the maintenance bay was full of activity. Mechanics and maintenance staff moving hitherto on the floor beneath the catwalk that Lieutenant Mercury stood on. Those staff went about their business, not once noticing her in their activities. Why would they? They were much too busy working on preparing the Reginleifs for their sortie into the Underground Labyrinth, to worry about a single Processor leaning on the railing above them, watching them as they worked.
In that respect, Mercury liked just observing them. Not needing to worry about taking up someone else's space, time, or attention. Just simply watching as those who weren't combatants, fought their own kind of war against a different kind of machine — or more accurately the mechanics that governed those machines. How to mount the rocket pods that Tomcat's platoon would be using, how to set the high-frequency blades just right in their housing on both her and Undertaker's rigs. Things like that, which were things she didn't innately understand how to do herself, but were still important to the war effort none the less. Without people like the ones on the floor beneath her — there wouldn't be much of a war effort at all.
She appreciated them, silently. It wouldn't do to take both the time out of her day, or the time out of their day — to thank each mechanic and ordinance loader and fuel handler for their work. It would be wasted breath. And the best way that she could thank them for their work, was to take her rig out, and take down as many Legion as she could.
She watched the mechanics as they worked, and even noticed the more formal uniform-wearing Processors talking with their mechanic teams, discussing something or other about perhaps ordinance loading, weight and balance, charge balancing for the leg-mounted pile-drivers — who knew what they were talking about. Although the Witch did keep an eye out for one specific team — her own. Watching them as they mounted her blades on the front of Aerial, and were replacing the coils in the wire-anchors. But eventually, one blue-haired member of the maintenance team stepped away from Aerial, and looked as if she was making sure no one was paying any special attention towards her, before she disappeared down a hallway connecting to the hangar. The Witch already knew how to get to that hallway, the easiest path it would take from this catwalk to that place. Did Nika look anxious? Even from this distance?
The Witch pushed away from the railing, and started a casual, but not hurried walk in the direction that would quickest bring her down to that level, and towards that hallway.
A left here — stairway down — right and right again, and before long, she was outside of the hangar, just on the pavement and outside the hallway that Nika had disappeared down. The lights from the hangar she had emerged from, and the nearby ones that housed other squadron's Reginleifs, faintly illuminating the ground. The Witch walked at a comfortable pace, hands in her uniform pockets, in a breech of what was considered uniform code, but she didn't care at this juncture, this late at night, or in general. Generally superior officers, such as Raiden, Shin, Colonel Milizé or Colonel Wenzel didn't seem to care that much as long as the Eighty-Six did their best to adhere to the code. But at the core, they were still mostly teenagers fighting a war bigger than themselves. So no one really hounded them about it.
The Witch heard voices that were just a little more than audible above the noises that echoed from inside the hangar. The Witch cocked an eyebrow to herself, before walking past the corner of the hangar. There she found Nika, leaning against the wall of the hangar, and almost eclipsing her form from the perspective of The Witch — Sabina Fardin.
Noticing the Witch, almost through the corner of her eyes, Nika pushed Sabina away. Moving to a sharp attention at the sight of her superior officer.
"Lieutenant!" Nika said, her voice higher than she likely meant it to be.
Sabina on the other hand, merely looked at the Witch with half-scorn, half-disinterest. Her eyes almost seemed to be more drawn towards Nika, than paying attention to the interloping Witch.
"Bluebird." The Witch said, using her callsign rather than her personal name, as if acknowledging her presence as a soldier, an equal, rather than her subordinate. "Do I want to know what you were doing to my crew chief?" Although she figured she knew, and figured that it was simple enough to put two and two together, and that seemed likely enough. Mercury didn't remove her hands from her pockets, so in a way — they were both breaking military regulation.
"Does it matter?"
The Witch repressed the urge to cite some military code at her. It wouldn't matter in the long run if she did or didn't.
"How about this. I won't report you to the Captain and Colonel, and you'll let Specialist Nanaura do her job until after we get back from our operation." The Witch said, and wished that she had somehow come up with a better way of saying what she meant. Sabina and Mercury hadn't really been or not been on talking terms the last time they saw one another in the Republic, and she wasn't sure where they stood now anyways. "I need my rig up to spec, and I think we both know you have better things to do as a Squad Captain than—"
"I understand, Lieutenant." Sabina said, stepping away from Nika, and then walking towards the Witch, passing her by without altercation or sneer. Her face resolute yet neutral — leaving Mercury and Nika by themselves outside the hangar.
The silence passes for a moment or two, and just when The Witch can barely stand it — Nika speaks up. "Lieutenant I—"
"Nika." The Witch says, cutting her off. "I, personally, don't care what you two get up to, as long as it doesn't interfere with a mission. And I'm happy to overlook this, as long as you promise me that you won't let your feelings get in the way of your work. Hell, I can probably convince the Captain the same if it comes to it. But I don't want to—"
"Sabina saved my life in the camps." Nika said, her fists balled up by her sides, as if recalling a particularly vicious memory. "Without her, Mercury… I don't know—"
"I get it. And I'm not reprimanding you. I'm just telling you to remember that you have people counting on your work." The Witch said, turning around. "Speaking of, I saw you mounting the HF blades earlier… Make sure that the sparkers for the purging system work."
"Y-yes. I will." Nika said, with shaky breath.
The Witch started to turn around.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." The Witch said, half-turned away, and then continued to turn around. There's a grab at her sleeve, prompting her to turn around again. Nika looks at her, her face a mixture of emotion.
"Promise me that ..."
"Promise you what?" The Witch asked, not sure what the remainder of the sentence would've been.
"That you'll bring her back... I don't want to lose her again." Nika said, her voice trembling.
The Witch simply looked up at the sky for a moment, before looking down at the girl who was no older than eighteen, and was shaking with the weight of reality on her shoulders. Of the real possibility that she might lose someone else that she deeply cared for. The Witch had never asked Nika about who or what she had lost, living as an Eighty-Six. And she didn't intend to pick at those scars now — but the tremble in Nika's voice, the way her hand shook despite gripping Mercury's arm.
"I will." The Witch said, responding to Nika's plea.