Ongoing Operations: Calm in the Rear

June, Unified Year 1925

Major Tanya von Degurechaff's Temporary office, General Staff Offices, Berlun

Tanya couldn't help but chuckle as she scanned the latest issue of Illustrirte Zeitung. Its gushing coverage of Wilhelm's progress in the East was so complimentary that she was beginning to wonder if he'd paid them off. Either that or they were trying very hard to score brownie points with him and the Imperial Royal Family.

She shook her head as she tried to wade through the sycophantic drivel. Usually, she did not bother with magazines such as this, Zeitung was one of the worst and most crude of the Empire's propaganda rags, filled with colourful pictures and simple language that targeted the lowest common denominator. It was not something that a thoughtful and studious person like herself would usually consider reading, especially since this particular paper had been the one to embarrass her with that awful photoshoot.

However, she'd recently been persuaded to add it to her list of newspaper subscriptions in deference to Visha. The older girl had taken a liking to photography and even Tanya had to admit that the brightly coloured photographs emblazoned throughout the magazine were rather impressive. They were nothing compared to the digital graphics utilised by publications during her past life of course, but for this period's technology, and especially during wartime rationing, the magazine was likely the best in its field when it came to coloured print.

Unsurprisingly, it also seemed to be the paper most likely to feature Wilhelm's escapades and although she fully expected the stories about him to be exaggerated, it was an efficient way of keeping tabs on him. As long as she sorted through the hyperbole to find the few nuggets of truth within the articles that is.

Not that I want to keep tabs on him of course. As his former Commander, it's only right and proper that I check in on his career progress from time to time. She silently corrected herself as her eyes drifted towards another picture of Wilhelm grinning for the camera. As usual, he was playing up the part of his saint character for the press, brandishing his sword as he posed like one of the pictures of the long-dead heroes and conquerors that lined the corridors of the General Staff Offices. He was clearly loving all the attention.

In this particular issue, there were several "exclusive pictures from the front" each of them featuring obviously staged photographs of the little captain, along with an extraordinarily complimentary article describing the valour of him and his men. They had also included a fairly humorous cartoon featuring his caricature kicking the Allied Kingdom's "John Bull" and the Federation's "Ivan the Bear" out of the Vaterland. Something even she had to admit was a rather pleasing image, even if it was a little childish.

It was all nonsense of course. Wilhelm's contribution was negligible compared with Eastern Command's counterattack and General Rudersdorf's sledgehammer-like deployment of the Grand army. But then again, propaganda didn't exist to tell the truth, only to spread a favoured message. Although she would much prefer a free press with which to get her news and form opinions, she could see the advantages of keeping the general public in the dark and the advantage of having someone like Wilhelm be one of the faces of this war.

She chuckled again, shaking her head. In a way, Wilhelm had achieved his goal of becoming a writer, although not quite in the way he had envisioned. Right now, he was selling fiction to the entire nation and for reasons she didn't truly understand, it was a bestseller.

It seems like he's doing pretty well for himself. She noted as her eyes drifted towards his purported score of kills; this at least she knew would be somewhat accurate information. The military disliked inflating the number of kills of its magical aces and actively hounded its propaganda papers if they reported too inconsistently. She'd heard some of the brass voice concerns that reporting the higher estimates might seem too fanciful or set impossible standards for new recruits. It seemed that the little captain was diligently scoring kills day by day though, something she was sure he would be thrilled about. At this rate, he really might overtake me.

Despite the laughable coverage, she couldn't help but feel pleased for the boy. Even through the grain of the newsprint, she could tell he was happy with how things were going. The fear and madness she'd seen in his eyes during Tiegenhoff was completely absent and for once the self-satisfied grin he usually wore brought a smile to her own face rather than simply grated on her nerves. It felt good that they could both share the feeling of success; even while so far away from one another. It was just as he had said, they both had gotten what they wanted. And although part of her was struggling to reacclimatise to the quiet and peaceful atmosphere of office work, it was a problem she was glad to have.

If he was here, I doubt it would be nearly as peaceful. She mused to herself before quickly shaking the thought away as Visha appeared and poured her a fresh cup of coffee.

"There's some good pictures of the prince in this issue." Visha observed, following Tanya's gaze towards a photo of Wilhelm and his company standing defiantly on top of a captured Russy tank. "Maybe I should take some clippings for my scrapbook."

Tanya nodded and gratefully sipped from her coffee cup; she swore that one day she'd find out what the girl did to make the warming beverage taste so good.

"I wonder where he finds the time to pose for photos." She replied as she enjoyed the warm, bitter taste on her tongue, finding herself unable to draw her eyes away from the boy's smile. "Normally I'd say he must be slacking and showing off for the camera but if there's even a sliver of truth in these reports he's working hard for once."

"He does always seem full of energy." Her adjutant replied with a chuckle, "I swear the only times I've ever seen him sleep were at the party and in the window of your old office on the Rhine."

Tanya felt a flicker of concern at the older girl's words. She'd always had problems convincing Wilhelm to get enough sleep. He was always making excuses, claiming insomnia because of nightmares or drugging himself up with stimulants to avoid his regular rest periods. It would be just like that little idiot to overwork himself and put himself at risk just because he refused to allow himself time to properly recover. Could she really trust that he would be taking care of himself?

"If you like that picture, I could clip it for you. Or I could contact the magazine for a copy of the original." Visha cut in, giving her a smile and a pointed look.

Tanya blinked with confusion for a moment, as she looked up into her subordinate's smiling face, wondering what she was talking about. However, a glance at the clock on the wall made her realise where the time had gone; she had zoned out whilst staring at the magazine she realised, she'd been glaring at his picture for nearly five minutes. Visha must have been wondering what was going on with her.

"Ahem… No, that won't be necessary." She coughed awkwardly, wondering why she was feeling so embarrassed about her lapse. It wasn't as though she hadn't become lost in thought around Visha before. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to go? I thought I gave you the afternoon off to meet with your friend."

As a general rule, Tanya wasn't keen on allowing her subordinates time off for personal visits and errands during work hours. However, Visha had been working hard aiding her with her research paper and had missed out on a lot of the downtime enjoyed by the rest of the 203rd during their tenure in the capital. The least she could do was allow the girl some time to catch up with one of her old classmates. Besides, rumour had it her friend Eyra was doing analysis for the newly reformed intelligence branch. Allowing her adjutant the odd afternoon off was a small price to pay to obtain some future networking opportunities.

"Yes ma'am, you did, but I wanted to check if you needed anything else for your meeting with Colonel Rerugen before I go."

Tanya nodded with understanding. The research paper for General Zettour was not the only task assigned to her while she was back in Berlun. The General Staff liked to get the most out of their subordinates and although they allowed the officers in the rear the luxury of lunchtime without the interruption of machine gun fire, it instead made use of its personnel's time in a myriad of other ways. Every day she had been bombarded with additional paperwork from other officers keen to share some of their workloads. From mundane reports on train scheduling to theories about new tactics and strategies, all needed to be properly processed and answered if she were to keep her position in the rear.

One such secondary duty she had been tasked with was the position of impromptu assistant to Colonel von Rerugen as he went about his duties relaying Rudersdorf's commands from within the Operations department to the Eastern Army. A task for which he had been entrusted with an awful lot of authority when it came to assigning specific units and officers.

This meant she now spent most afternoons helping deal with the man's weighty list of tasks. It was difficult work, but rather rewarding. Until now she'd only really been on the receiving end of orders and she hadn't realised quite how much back and forth there was between departments before the written orders reached their destination. Additionally, the Colonel had to liaise with the Service Corps to ensure everything make sure that all the supplies were in place so that the Operations department's orders could be carried out. Not to mention a plethora of other tasks the two generals enjoyed lumbering him with.

It felt as though they were kindred spirits of sorts and she was pleased to be assisting the man. He was intelligent and diligent in his duties and it was clear that he was well respected here in the General staff. Most definitely a connection worth cultivating if she were to succeed here.

As a result, they met several times a week and surprisingly Colonel Rerugen had insisted she host the meetings in her office. She could only conclude that he wanted to make her feel comfortable as she settled into her new role and although she was professional enough not to feel intimidated by the new position, she was thankful for his consideration. He truly is an excellent role model for a superior officer.

"The coffee in the pot should stay warm enough and if not, I'm sure I can remember how to make another myself." Tanya replied with a smile as she waved the girl away. She appreciated her adjutant's attentiveness but she had no intention of becoming the sort of superior who couldn't manage to tie her own shoes without her assistant.

Visha nodded, dropping off a stack of papers that she'd already prepared on her desk before excusing herself and leaving Tanya alone with her thoughts. A quick glance around the office told her that despite her protestations that she could look after herself, Visha had already prepared everything else they would need. At least, almost everything.

I still have a few more minutes before the Colonel arrives, she mused as she glanced up at the clock, feeling a small rumbling from her stomach. He mentioned that rationing was getting stricter nowadays, it'll start getting more difficult to get a hold of luxury goods.

She took a moment more to consider as her gaze drifted towards the bottom drawer of her desk, wondering if she were willing to part with her treasure. Perhaps I can curry a little more favour with Colonel Rerugen by sharing some of my chocolate during our meeting.

She hesitated for a moment before leaning down towards the drawer, fishing a key out of her pocket as she went. Her supply of pre-war and fine imported chocolate had been dwindling for some time now, with almost everything she had obtained of late containing less and less cocoa and more of the unpleasant ersatz alternative. As such, she had been carefully rationing the good stuff and had even hidden her last few bars from Visha.

Not that she didn't trust her adjutant of course, but she knew all too well how things could seemingly "go missing" in an office environment. It was better not to leave it lying around to tempt her sweet-toothed subordinate. Besides, hiding it made it more difficult for her to succumb to her own temptation to snack on it, it was all too easy to absently break off a square and eat it while she was busy concentrating on her work.

She unlocked her bottom desk drawer and removed a stack of documents from inside before reaching for the mechanical pencil she habitually kept on the table. Next, she carefully manoeuvred the point to a small hole on the underside of the drawer and pushed, revealing a false bottom. She pushed it loose, feeling a small sliver of delight as she revealed the carefully wrapped package.

She smiled as she took the package and carefully replaced the false bottom and documents. She knew hiding her treats like this was overkill but it was a habit she'd picked up in the orphanage. Privacy had been a luxury there, sweet treats rarer still and she'd quickly learned that many of the other orphans were not as honest as she was. Besides, the ability to keep certain things unseen was a skill that may come in handy someday. If the fortunes of war ever changed, she might have to make a swift career change; that would require hiding more than a few bars of chocolate.

She began unwrapping the package, smiling with anticipation as she removed the brown paper but paused as she realised something seemed off about the weight. It was heavier than it should be. A sudden sliver of suspicion washed over her and she hurriedly ripped off the rest of the wrapping to investigate.

"That little…" She growled under her breath, feeling her blood boil as instead of her chocolate the paper revealed a small paperweight with a carefully written note attached.

Tanya

You graciously advised me to keep my energy up and look after myself while I was away. So I have taken the liberty of helping myself to some of your chocolate. Hope you don't mind.

I'll replace it all when I get back in a few months.

Kind Regards.

Will

She felt a flash of anger as she screwed up the note and tossed it across the room before returning to her chair, at least she could take solace that he hadn't taken her coffee too. How had he found out about her hiding place? And more importantly, how did he always manage to frustrate her so much? He was probably over eight hundred kilometres away right now and he still managed to find new and creative ways to annoy her.

She slumped back in her chair and glared at the picture of the self-satisfied little brat as he mocked her through the photograph from halfway across the continent. Another spark of anger flickered through her and she grabbed her pencil once more, this time wielding it like a knife.

"Thieving little bastard!"

Xxxxxx

Colonel Erich von Rerugen winced as he felt the familiar lurch of his gut that signalled his impending meeting with Major Tanya von Degurechaff. Understandably, they had become more frequent of late and he had been forced to change his diet to help ease his gastronomic distress. He had hoped that regular contact with the monstrous young officer would help build his tolerance and ease his bouts of stomach cramps. However, so far, this had not been successful and he could never seem to shake the ever-present sense of unease when he was around her.

He let out a sigh before reaching into his desk drawer for the medicine the staff doctor had given him to help his condition. This is getting ridiculous, he told himself opening the bottle and swallowing a pair of pills. I shouldn't be intimidated by a little girl, not even a monster like her.

He washed the medicine down with a glass of water before glancing over at the wall clock, letting out another long sigh. He only had a few more minutes until his meeting; it was depressing that he could now set his schedule to the timing of his intestinal troubles. Still, he had a job to do and putting it off would do nothing to aid his duodenal discomfort.

He rose from his seat, carefully loaded a bundle of files and reports into his satchel and headed off to Degurechaff's office, fortuitously located on the far side of the building from his own.

One lesson he remembered keenly from his time at the Military College and subsequent postings, was that, although it is important to give all you can to a fight, it was always important to leave yourself an avenue of withdrawal. As much as it shamed him, this was the reason he had asked Degurechaff to host their meetings rather than invite the monster into his own office. Foolish though it was, he feared her way of thinking would somehow infect him if he did not have someplace to retreat to, somewhere free of her malign influence. He still worried that she was somehow poisoning the minds of the General Staff and although he may not be able to prevent that, he could at least prevent his own conscience from being corrupted.

Perhaps I'm worrying too much. She's been nothing but polite and professional during our meetings so far. He tried to reassure himself, trying to quieten the acidic rumble from his insides. She's been just as helpful and dutiful as any officer. Perhaps even more so.

This at least was true. She had been extraordinarily helpful when it had come to assisting him catch up with all the extra work gifted by General Rudersdorf and she'd gone above and beyond with both helping him write up orders and liaising between the departments to get what they needed. She'd also thoughtfully arranged refreshments at every one of their meetings and had begun to relax more around him, even making what might count as small talk about the various treats she and her adjutant occasionally provided.

He was beginning to wonder if she was going out of her way to try to impress him, a thought that was uniquely terrifying in itself. That would mean she had some hidden agenda for him.

No, I'm being paranoid, He chastised himself inwardly as he nodded a greeting to some passing officers. Maybe Zettour and Rudersdorf are right? Perhaps she has changed and matured during her frontline service, she hasn't shown any of the brutal nature I witnessed back in the Military Academy.

Aside from the rage emanating from her during the hearing, something she could probably be forgiven for under the circumstances, and her worrying tendency to refer to the Empire's soldiers as "human resources", she had exhibited very little of the behaviour that had so worried him in the past. She'd even seemed to show a sliver of concern for the men they sent to fight the Federation, commenting on some of the more worrying casualty projections with something akin to lament. The cynical part of his brain wanted to brush this off as simple pragmatism on her part, a desire not to see "resources" wasted when they could be used elsewhere. However, he knew himself to be biased when it came to matters surrounding Rusted Silver. Perhaps there really is some compassion in her and I've just been too blind to see it.

He frowned as he considered the possibility. If this were true, he had made an unforgivable mistake for a staff officer, particularly one that had served for so long within the personnel department. There had been many soldiers who had started off as bad apples but grown into model Imperial officers. There were even stories about Generals Zettour and Rudersdorf being problematic early in their careers and now they were practically running the entire war!

If his thinking were so inflexible to assume that Degurechaff was incapable of change then what kind of officer was he? There was no place in the General staff for inflexible thinking, particularly not in wartime. And yet…

I should at least give her the benefit of the doubt. He told himself as the door to her office loomed in front of him, doing his best to force his apprehension aside. He took a breath, politely rapped on the door and waited for the girl or her adjutant to answer.

There was no answer.

He paused for a moment, shifting his weight from one foot to the other before knocking again. This was unusual, Degurechaff or her adjutant had been practically waiting at the door for every other meeting, welcoming him in almost the moment his fingers struck the aged oak. Had she forgotten about their meeting? Surely not! Of all the faults he could find with Degurechaff, organisation and punctuality were not among them.

He waited a moment more, surreptitiously trying to listen for signs of life through the door while trying not to appear too obvious about it. Despite appearances of military professionalism, and the obvious need for secrecy in all military matters, the General Staff offices could be a hub for gossip at times. A superior officer lurking listening by the door of a much younger subordinate would doubtless set some tongues wagging if he dallied here for too long.

Straining his ears, he could hear what sounded like movement but it was difficult to be sure exactly what or to whom it belonged to through the thick oak doors. There was nothing for it, he would have to go in and investigate.

"Major von Degurechaff, I'm coming in." He called, knocking once more as he pushed the door open.

He stepped into the office and froze as he saw the monstrous little girl in front of him, momentarily reliving the moment three years before when he had witnessed her threaten another cadet with a lobotomy.

The Major was seated at her desk, wielding a pencil like a knife as she violently stabbed it into a newspaper. She moved with unrestricted savagery, as if her very soul desired the destruction of the page and her eyes burned with the same venomous bile that had so unnerved him back at the military academy. Perhaps worst of all, and in Rerugen's opinion the most damning proof that the young Major was still as violent and unhinged as he had always believed, was the evil grin accompanied by the soft mantra of: "You little bastard!" as she repeatedly plunged her pencil into the picture in front of her.

Perhaps…perhaps this is a misunderstanding. He told himself, not truly believing it but reminding himself of his bias and vow to appraise her more fairly as he tried his best to tear his gaze away from her hateful gaze. She had not yet noticed him and was still engrossed by her attack on the unfortunate soul who had enraged her in the newspaper. I'm supposed to be giving her the benefit of the doubt.

"Major Degurechaff? Is everything all right?" He called again, mustering all his will to keep his voice level.

The girl froze, dropping her writing-implement-come-weapon as she hastily switched her spiteful gaze from the paper towards him. There was an awful moment where her face didn't seem to know what expression to present and she seemed to go through several all at once before her familiar mask of professionalism returned and she stood hastily and saluted smartly.

"Colonel Rerugen Sir! I didn't hear you come in." She greeted him quickly, the barest hint of panic reaching her face. She made a brief attempt to surreptitiously hide the paper as she moved to the opposite side of her desk, pulling out a second chair and gesturing him to join her. "There's nothing wrong! My apologies, I must have lost track of time."

"Not to worry Major, It happens to the best of us." He replied uncomfortably as he reluctantly took his seat while the girl returned to her own and offered him a drink. He nodded, his throat feeling suddenly dry in the face of such a strange sight and he watched silently as she poured him a cup of coffee, hands still shaking slightly with rage.

Benefit of the doubt, remember? He reminded himself as he did his best to push aside his anxiety and reached into his briefcase for his files.

"We had better get started." He continued, the practised experience of hundreds of such meetings finally breaking through his discomfort as he passed a file over to the young Major. He felt on steadier ground when talking about work. "I've brought a number of reports from the eastern front that I'd like your opinion on."

She took the reports gratefully and immediately began pouring through them with the same alacrity he had come to expect from her. Meanwhile, he found that curiosity had gotten the better of him. He could see the corner of the paper peeking out from under some of Degurechaff's research notes and he decided to find out exactly what or who had upset the terrifying girl so much.

He took a sip of his coffee to cover his actions, although the Major seemed too engrossed in her work to notice him. Then he carefully teased the newspaper out from underneath the pile of documents with the tips of his fingers until eventually, the coloured newsheet was revealed to him and he hastily scanned the headlines.

SAINT SUPPORTS EASTERN MAGES!

PLUCKY PRINCE HUNTS PERFIDIOUS COMMONWEALTH VOLUNTEERS!

WILL THE SAINT BECOME THE NEXT TOP ACE?

His eyes darted to the tattered pictures and he felt his blood run cold. Every single image containing Prince Wilhelm had been defaced, in most cases, literally. The girl had taken to attacking every photograph of him with the same single-minded devotion she did while obliterating enemy units down to a man. Not even the caricature of the boy evicting the Federation Bear and Commonwealth John Bull had been spared her wroth and he could not help but fear for his safety. Especially since…

"These reports…they were written by Captain Hozollern, were they not?" He heard Degurechaff ask, her voice struggling to hide a growl. Rerugen suddenly felt as though he had entered a lion's den with his pockets full of steak.

"His Highness has been in a unique position to travel up and down the lines almost at will, he and his troops have been able to observe a great deal about the enemy's disposition." He replied quickly, feeling the need to defend the young prince. He had thought his observations helpful, particularly since they had been offered voluntarily by the boy while he was busy in the East. He'd assumed Major Degurechaff would feel the same, especially since they had served together for so long. He certainly hadn't expected a reaction like this.

Could it be that she's jealous of his success? He wondered trying to puzzle out her true thoughts. Aside from the few times he had witnessed her deranged true self show itself, she usually wore a stone-like expression that hid whatever was going on in her mind. However, after interrupting her ritualistic destruction of the newspaper she seemed uncharacteristically rattled, and her mask was starting to show the odd crack. Is she already regretting getting herself temporarily transferred to the rear?

"It's good to hear he's making himself useful." She replied carefully and Rerugen was certain he saw her eye twitch as she tried to force back her anger.

She is jealous! She fears losing her position amongst the aces and blames the young prince! He realised as he studied her expression further. She may have been trying to hide it but the set of her jaw, the slight furrow of her brow, the fire in her eyes. There was murderous intent there, he was sure of it!

Poor boy. He thought as he glanced down at the mutilated photographs of the young boy. He has no idea what his efforts and good service have earned him.

He spared another glance at the raging girl in front of him and felt another spasm from his stomach. Part of him envied the young prince, at least he didn't have to face the girl right now. When it came to facing Degurechaff, it might be safer on the front lines.

Author's notes

Hello everyone and thank you for reading.

I'm very sorry it has been a long time since updating, there are a few reasons for this including mild burnout, lots of work, a busy beta reader and this bonus chapter!

After the last chapter, I had a lot of kind reviews saying they liked the more mundane, day-to-day stuff and I got the impression that some of you wanted to see a bit of the downtime while Tanya was in the rear writing her paper.

This surprised me a tad and I had originally planned just to time skip forward a bit to where the plot starts to pick up again. However, I thought I would try to compromise a bit and decided to write a little bonus section about how Tanya is getting on without her annoying little prince by her side. I had originally thought to write a bit more and make this a full chapter but I really wanted to move on (I will finish this story! Even if it kills me!). I hope you can forgive me for that.

I'm uploading the next chapter at the same time as this again however it isn't my plan to continue doing this from here on so hopefully we can get back to a regular update schedule.

Thanks again for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting.

Xanen (AKA Lord Solus)