Chapter 10: Tactical Evaluation

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Imperial Forward Command, Occupied Village Ruins

(A few hours after Danny and Shego's escape)

Tanya's officers kept their gazes fixed forward, waiting for the storm they knew was coming.

Tanya had never lost a decisive engagement before. Not without a calculated retreat. Not like this.

Her cold blue eyes scanned the reports before her. They had clashed with unknown enemies, suffered significant losses, and—perhaps worst of all—allowed those unknowns to escape.

She did not tolerate loose ends.

"Captain," Tanya's voice was calm, too calm. "Explain to me why two unregistered anomalies forced my battalion into a stalemate and escaped into the night."

The officer standing at attention, Captain Koenig, swallowed before responding. "Major, the enemy was… unlike anything we've encountered before." He hesitated, as if struggling to find the right words.

Tanya's cold smile didn't reach her eyes. "You don't say."

Koenig pressed on. "The green-fire woman—the one referred to as 'Shego'—exhibited physical enhancements, energy-based attacks, and high-speed combat maneuvers. She tore through our lines with a reckless, close-quarters assault. Had she been alone, she could have been outmaneuvered, but…"

He hesitated again.

Tanya's eyes narrowed. "But?"

"…the ghost was the real problem," Koenig admitted reluctantly.

At that, some of the surrounding officers visibly tensed.

Ghost. Even in an age of war and reason, superstition held power.

Tanya leaned forward slightly, steepling her fingers. "Clarify."

Koenig exhaled. "The male combatant—'Danny'—displayed a combination of flight, intangibility, enhanced durability, and energy projection. His mobility was extreme, making him nearly impossible to pin down. He was able to take multiple rifle rounds without apparent fatal injury and demonstrated unprecedented aerial agility. And—" he hesitated again, choosing his words carefully, "—he engaged you directly in single combat and survived."

The tent fell silent.

The weight of that statement hung in the air.

None of them had ever seen someone fight Tanya von Degurechaff and walk away alive.

Her reputation was absolute. Unmatched.

Tanya allowed the silence to linger before speaking. "Yes," she finally murmured, voice quiet but razor-sharp. "He survived."

Her officers shifted uneasily. Some glanced at each other, but none spoke.

Only Lieutenant Serebryakov, her trusted adjutant, seemed to be analyzing the situation in the same way Tanya was. Her expression was thoughtful, rather than alarmed.

Serebryakov stepped forward. "Major, if I may?"

Tanya nodded once.

Serebryakov clasped her hands behind her back. "This Danny Phantom—he was… holding back."

That got a reaction. A murmur passed through the officers.

Koenig frowned. "Holding back? That ghost launched an energy wave that tore through three of our trench lines!"

"Yes," Serebryakov agreed, "but what he didn't do is just as important. He had numerous chances to kill. He didn't take them."

Tanya considered that.

An anomaly with overwhelming power, but a reluctance to use it to its full extent.

Fascinating.

"And what of the woman?" Tanya prompted.

Serebryakov's lips quirked slightly. "She is the opposite of her partner."

Koenig nodded. "Shego fought with lethal intent. She did not hold back. In fact, if she had been leading the engagement instead of the ghost, we might have suffered higher casualties."

That was an interesting contradiction.

A warrior willing to kill, partnered with someone afraid to.

Tanya let out a soft chuckle, causing some of her men to tense further.

"What are your orders, Major?" Koenig finally asked.

Tanya took a slow breath and exhaled, staring at the war map before her.

Her mind was already working five steps ahead.

She had underestimated them once. That would not happen again.

The ghost had hesitated to kill.

The woman had prioritized survival over conquest.

Neither of them belonged in this world.

She had options.

•Pursue them immediately—risky, but it would force their hand.

•Leak information about them to the Republican forces—make them someone else's problem.

•Set a trap—force them into a battle where their powers would be useless.

•Exploit their morality—turn Danny's reluctance into a weakness.

Tanya tapped a finger against the map, eyes gleaming with dangerous amusement.

"They think they've escaped," she murmured.

She turned to her officers, expression sharp as a blade.

"Prepare the aerial mage corps for reconnaissance patrols at dawn."

Koenig saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

Serebryakov smirked slightly. "And if we find them?"

Tanya smiled, sharp and predatory.

"Then we introduce them to true war."

Her voice dropped lower, as if savoring the words.

"And we see just how far the ghost boy is willing to fall."

⸻

Outside the Tent – The Battalion's Perspective

As soon as Tanya left the tent, the tension immediately broke.

Koenig let out a deep exhale of relief, rolling his shoulders. "Alright. We're not dead. That's always a good start."

Serebryakov smirked, arms crossed. "Barely."

Sergeant Weiss shook his head, rubbing his temples. "A ghost and a plasma-wielding woman. What kind of war did we get dragged into?"

"Forget that," Lieutenant Grantz muttered, "Did anyone else notice how much the Major was smiling in there?"

That got a round of visible shudders.

Serebryakov let out a chuckle. "Oh, it's worse than you think. She's interested in them now. That means she's going to toy with them."

Weiss paled. "I think I'd rather she just ordered us to kill them outright."

Koenig nodded grimly. "If Tanya's planning something, it means we're going to be part of whatever twisted trap she's cooking up."

They all exchanged uneasy looks.

Then Grantz muttered, "I bet she disappears again."

Everyone turned to him.

"What?"

Grantz shrugged. "You know how she does it. One second she's here, next she's gone, and then we hear an explosion in the distance. I'm just saying, if she vanishes in the next ten minutes, we know she's up to something."

A pause.

Then Weiss sighed, rubbing his face. "Okay. Fine. Ten marks says she vanishes before breakfast."

Koenig smirked. "Twenty marks says she leaves a cryptic note before vanishing."

Serebryakov laughed. "You all underestimate her. She's probably already gone."

They turned.

Tanya was nowhere in sight.

A long silence.

Then Grantz cursed.

"She's going to make us all suffer."

Serebryakov just grinned.

"Of course she is. That's why we follow her."