Remove ads

Mein Krieg (Youjo Senki/Tanya the Evil OC)

Reader mode
Remove ads
Chapter 37: A dolled-up humiliation
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 37: A dolled-up humiliation​


    As I walked along the corridor, dressed like a sailor and surrounded by my personal dressers, I could not help but wonder what kind of clothing Tanya could have been forced to wear. Surely, something totally unsightly and out of taste, if the way they had dressed me was any indication.

    It was only when I heard a female mumbling and looked up that could I fully realize it.

    "Tanya?" I called out, looking in her direction. "How are…ohhhhh!" I said while using all the strength in my body not to laugh.

    Her dress was something absolutely incredible and ridiculous. In my previous life, I had not seen many such clothes and even in those cases where I had seen them, they had always been Victorian or nineteenth-century specimens or drawings. Dresses whose fashion was dead and extinct for many years. This, on the other hand...

    The first thing that caught my eye in the dress was the long red skirt, which although not as pompous as that of a princess, could not help but remind me of certain designs of clothes I had once seen on some books that I had read long ago. To go with the skirt, there was a kind of jacket, also red, with a very narrow leather belt tied at the waist and from which a white undershirt emerged. To cover her neck she had a sort of cowl-colored "neck cover", on which a bow was affixed, also red in color. All of that was capped off with a red hat; white stockings and black shoes completed Tanya's clothing, which made her look like a life-size doll.

    "Frederick..." She said once she noticed me in turn. "Is that… you?"

    "I am strong to the finish, cause I eat my spinich. I'm Frederick the Sailor Boy!" I replied, mimicking a certain sailor's tone and expression.

    She stared at me for a few seconds. "You are ridiculous!"

    "Speak for yourself! I am not the one who is dressed like a dolly!"

    "No, you are the one who is dressed like a sailor toy!"

    Once again, we began to quarrel, but for a few seconds. The intervention of our corresponding companions made us desist almost immediately.

    "Miss Tanya, please calm down. This is not the time to argue…"

    "The same is true for you, Herr Frederick. We spent too much time fixing your hair. If you mess them up again we would have no more time to fix it!"

    Tanya giggled a bit. I was well aware of what she was thinking.

    A sound of footsteps warned that someone was coming. Someone we knew very well.

    "Oh, you are ready!" said Colonel Udo looking at u.s "Excellent. We'll start shooting the propaganda movie in about ten minutes. In the meantime, I advise you to stay here and prepare yourself for the event."

    "Lieutenant Degurechaff looks very cute!" said a female voice I knew very well by then.

    "Yeah, l but Lieutenant König is not far behind..." a third voice, who I knew too well, said in turn.

    Tanya and I turned around, just in time to see who had spoken.

    "Sergeant Viktoriya?" Tanya gasped in disbelief.

    "Sergeant Tragen." I spoke up in a very similar way. "What are you doing here?"

    "Headquarters wanted to be sure that you were okay." Responded Tragen. "So they sent the two of us here in order to watch over you and make sure you were safe!"

    "Y-you mean… you were sent here to act as our bodyguards?" I asked.

    "Yep. Never underestimate the Republicans. They could send their own spies to hit you while you are busy with the propaganda mission. Our mission is to watch over you and protect you from any harm!"

    He glanced at Viktoriya, who simply blushed at his smile. I could see, that both liked the other's presence very much.

    Tanya, on the other hand, was angered. It was clear that he did not appreciate the presence of Viktoriya or Tragen. She could not stand them seeing her dressed like that and if she could, she would have probably used her rank to order them to leave.

    She did not, however. Their presence here was ordered by Headquarters and if he refused without giving a logical explanation it could affect her standing. Something she certainly did not want.

    She smiled once again and tight-lipped, responded:

    "Very well. I like the fact that our superior officers care about us enough to send two of our best subordinates to protect us during this mission."

    "Thank you, Lieutenant Degurechaff!" Viktoriya replied, hinting a bow. "It is an honor for me to serve under someone like you!"

    "The same is true for me." Tragen said, moving toward me. "I would face the entire Republican Army just to follow you. Maybe not when you are dressed the way you are right now!"

    I smiled, but it was a bitter smile. Inside, I was hoping that Tragen would say nothing to the other soldiers or my subordinates. I would not like to impose a punishment just to stop the laughter.

    I almost breathed a sigh of relief when Colonel Udo returned, accompanied by another man I had never seen before.

    "Everything is ready. If Lieutenants Degurechaff and König feel like it, we can start shooting right now.

    I gulped. The moment of the most profound humiliation... was here.



    I looked at the camera as if it were a machine gun. In a sense, it would have been better if it had been a machine gun. The bullets could have killed me, but they could not take away my dignity. This, instead...

    The film set was positioned right in front of a large, windowed room, with the aim of illuminating us and the wooden backdrop we had behind us. I had to remember that, since we were in a society much more backward and less technological than ours, the cameras were not yet very advanced.

    "Lieutenant König, are you ready?" the camera operator asked.

    I wanted to say no. I wanted to scream. I wanted to grab a machine gun and shoot all of them right then and there.

    I absolutely did not feel like doing this propaganda service: not only had they got me done up worse than a baby doll, but every person in the Empire would see me in these clothes. They could find me nice. I found myself... sickening.

    Once again, I said nothing. I just smiled like a happy child and nodded.

    "And you, Lieutenant Degurechaff? Are you ready as well?"

    Tanya nodded, similarly to me. Behind the camera operator, the women present made an expression of delight. Viktoriya even looked at us with wide eyes, as if she had never seen something cuter than us.

    Well, now I know how baby seals and otters feel, I thought while trying to keep up my happy façade.

    "Very good." the cinematographer announced. "Let's start shooting!"

    He began to crank the crank on the side of the camera and a thin buzz indicated that the shooting had begun. And with it, my nightmare.

    "All right, act like we said before."

    Nevertheless, the suffering of a soldier involved humiliation like this, too. Even this was part of my duties as an Imperial Army officer. We had to keep everything inside!

    "Nice to meet you!" Tanya said in the most childish voice I ever had her heard say "I am Tanya Degurechaff, the Argent!"

    "And I am Frederick König, the Knight!" I said beaming in harmony toward the camera, a stupid smile on my lips.

    "We are the Silver Wings of the Empire!" we both said in unison.




    And so, it began. I do not think there are words to describe my mood in that situation. The closest word I could find to describe my situation was "stepford-smiler", an expression of my old life who used to indicate the persons who used to smile all the time, even thought they were clearly angry, or suffering. The smile was therefore only a facade through which the suffering of the person remained hidden within his body, while outside an image of serenity and happiness was projected.

    For a good hour Tanya and I were forced to smile, to talk in that sweet and childish way, about how it was right and beautiful for every man in the Empire to serve within the Imperial army, how our struggle was right and justified, of how our enemies had been the first to open fire (which was also quite true) and what would have happened if the enemy had won.

    I think the most humiliating moment was when we were asked to cry and speak in a broken voice about how the bad Republican soldiers would trample the glorious Imperial territory, destroy his crops, starve his people and destroy his youth's hopes. There was nothing more humiliating for me than crying. And crying on command in front of a camera in a child's body was even worse.

    Subsequently, several props were brought to us, all of them toys for children, to be used during filming. I was forced to pose sitting on a wooden horse, playing with brass soldiers, all the while talking about how the salvation of the children of the Empire depended on the struggle of its soldiers. And since it was easy for us to miss a syllable or for something unexpected to happen, we were forced to repeat every single scene numerous times.

    How many times, will you ask? Too many, in my opinion.

    To make matters worse, for the entire time of the shooting, we were forced to smile, smile, smile! I smiled so much that my mouth was started to hurt from all the smiling.

    "I will not be able to give orders for at least a week..." I murmured to Tanya once Colonel Udo finally gave us the permission for a short break.

    "I'll be too tired to scream at my soldiers when we get back." she responded, massaging her own cheeks. "But I will still find the strength to yell if Viktoriya does not keep her mouth shut!"

    "Do not worry, baby doll: I made a deal with her. She will not tell anyone of what happened here. Tragen too will keep all this secret."

    She gave me a doubtful look. "When did you even find the time to make such a deal?"

    "A few minutes ago, just after Udo said that we could have a few minutes off before resuming the shooting…"

    "And what did they ask in return?"

    "Absolutely nothing!" I responded making an OK sign.

    "What? They agreed on keeping the secret… for free?"

    "Let's just say that cute expressions are very useful when you ask someone to do something for you…"

    Instinctively, I tried to smile, but immediately the pain in my jaw prevented me from doing so, reminding me how long I had smiled.

    Tanya puffed. "Let me remind you that I invented this trick!"

    "Then you will be proud of me." I said before drinking a little sip of water. The colonel had allowed us to have a bottle of fresh water, but he had also told us not to drink too much, so as not to risk ruining our clothes.

    "You know what? After this experience is over, I'll ask them if they can give me this dress…"

    "Seriously?" I asked dumb folded. "You want to keep this?" She must be joking. Right?

    "No, I just want to have the pleasure to see it while it burns…"

    "Oh. That's more like you…" I breathed a sigh of relief.

    "What are you trying to say? Do not tell me you are actually starting to like this monstrosity in which you are dressed!"

    I looked down at my sailor dress. The idea of continuing to wear it made me disgusted and even I, like Tanya, would have great joy in seeing it burn.

    "Absolutely not. I was just surprised that you made it seem like you actually liked being dressed like this…"

    "Frederick, you idiot! Have you gone completely insane? This dress ... represents all that I am not: it is childish, it is silly, and it is for women…"

    "Well, technically you are a woman now-"

    I was not able to continue my speech because all of sudden Tanya punched me. In the stomach. Hard.

    "Listen you idiot: just because I appear as a young cute lady does not mean that I am accepting this! As soon as I am able to get Being X's…" she said squeezing her hand into a fist.

    "Lieutenant Frederick! Lieutenant Degurechaff!" said Colonel Udo, hurrying toward us…

    "Here we have to return to our personal Hell..." Tanya murmured, careful not to make herself audible.

    "Colonel Udo, what is happening? We need to return to shooting of the propaganda?"

    "Oh? No, not yet at least! I have come to tell you that an urgent message has arrived for you from the headquarters. You better come and see it..."

    By instinct, we got up and followed the Colonel. What could Headquarters want this time? What order could have arrived at such short notice?

    As soon as we arrived in the room where, until just before we had been busy getting us back, we found that the atmosphere had drastically changed. No one looked happy. Indeed, many of them now wore a face of worry.

    "Urgent, for you." A young, pale soldier in a green uniform said, handing the order to Tanya and I.

    As soon as I had the eyeglass holder, I began to read it and it did not take long to realize that the situation it described was far from optimal.

    The Republican offensive had begun.

    Infantry on foot, supported by artillery and numerous squads of Republican wizards, had attacked the Imperial front line in three different sectors. Two of them had held out (either by luck of sheer determination of the Imperial soldiers to hold the line at any cost), but apparently, the imperial defenses in the area of the city of Soilogne had been overrun. The result was that the Republicans had managed to break through, coming dangerously close to the depots of military supplies located near Waldenmünster.

    Those supply depots were essential if the Imperial troops wanted to hope to keep the area, so all licensed or temporarily absent soldiers had received the immediate recall order and returned to the front to serve actively.

    And of course, me and Tanya were included.

    Rereading the message, I felt a strange sensation of happiness mixed with nervousness. Happiness, since we could leave this place and these horrendous clothes and return to the environment that best suited us. Nervousness, because we would be back on the front line, with all its associated risks.

    "Well," I said aloud, "it looks like we won't be able to complete the propaganda service"

    "Do not worry about that," Colonel Udo said, putting a hand over my shoulder "We have enough material. We will immediately send it to our pre-production centers and within a few weeks the whole Empire will see our propaganda posters and short propaganda films!"

    Which means that the whole Empire will see me in a sailor's suit and act like I'm a child, I thought with a reflex of rage.

    "Very well," Tanya said as she walked towards the dressing room. "If it is all right for you, Frederick and I would immediately go back to our uniforms. The nation calls us!"

    ""No problem. Just be careful when you take off your clothes: we don't want to have to order new ones for next month's session ..."

    "Next Month?" we both gulped.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • I feel bad for tanya because in the anime she had to do the same thing. Makes me feel bad for kids who had to do this.

    Edit: congrats on reaching 100k words.
     
    Last edited:
    Theybare not adorable, they are a pair of murder hobos. And if I keep repeating it, I might start to believe my words.
     
    Chapter 38: Return to the battlefield
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 38: Return to the battlefield

    ​
    As I walked towards the "new" headquarters of my team's command, I could not help but notice the despondency in the eyes of normal soldiers. I had already seen depressed or melancholic soldiers: usually it was enough to distract them from their nefarious thoughts to chase away the bad mood. A very effective method was to shout at them and shake them with heavy words: this way fear quickly entered into circulation and took depression from their heads. Sergeants who were responsible for the troops' mood usually put this method to use.

    This time, however...

    This time I seriously doubted that the old method would be enough to drive away the melancholy. The soldiers sat down, or worked without raising their eyes from the ground, almost without speaking. The atmosphere of camaraderie that united them was practically dissolved. And for a very serious reason.

    These soldiers were part of the forces that had been attacked and repelled by the Republicans in the battle a few days before. They had been defeated, beaten, forced into an ignominious retreat under the fire of enemy artillery, to which they had lost several key positions and numerous war material. Even I, had I been in their place, would have ended with morale in the gutter.

    "A very sad scene, don't you think?" I murmured to the blonde girl at my left.

    "This is not sad, Frederick. This is pathetic! The soldiers of the Empire should dedicate body and soul to the victory of their nation, do not get caught up in discouragement!"

    "Well, I heard they were beaten to a pulp. A little sorrow is understandable..."

    "But not excusable! How can they pretend to stop the advance of the enemy and regain positions if they cannot even hold these positions? They should send someone to give them a good grooming…"

    "Someone like you, baby doll?" I looked at her with a smile. "In fact they would need some propaganda stuff…"

    She growled, but did not hit me. Striking another officer in front of the soldiers could have bad repercussions for morale.

    Evidently, the anger at the propaganda service that we had been forced to do before being called back for the military emergency was not enough to cloud her senses.

    "Just to know, where are you headed now?" I asked, trying to make her forgot her own anger.

    "To my tent to review my squad, just like you!" she responded, still half-growling. "I hope with all my heart that they enjoyed my absence... because as soon as I am with them again they won't have fun at all!"

    "Still convinced that behaving like Sergeant Hartman makes you respected by your soldiers?"

    "No!" she replied. "I don't want my soldiers to respect me, I want them to fear me!"

    "You know very well that I can't approve this behavior..."

    "Neither can I approve yours!" she looked at me with a hasty look. "You treat your soldiers too well, in my opinion. They think of you as a pushover!"

    "Better a pushover than a totally psycho." I replied in a calm tone. "At least my soldiers would give their lives for me. Yours? The moment a cannon shot hits you they will have a party!"

    She pushed me away, and for a few seconds we glared at eachother, as if daring the other to hit first. Then, she spoke again.

    "Perhaps it is the case if we go to our respective command posts alone, without doing the last bit together."

    "I agree!"

    We then separated with our respective prejudices towards the other, each thinking about when the other was wrong. At least I did.

    It took me about one hundred and eighty-three steps before my anger began to boil. Tanya and I had never had a good relationship, but lately she was beginning to show signs of... impatience when in my presence. I was not sure what could have caused this change in her, but I knew one thing: I could not afford to ignore it.

    The years of study at the military academy had not only taught me the strategies of war and the logistics of the army: they had also taught me that it was better to be suspicious and to be wrong, than to be too sure of oneself and ignore possible dangers.

    I was just trying to imagine at least three or four possible hypotheses when I finally recognized my tent. Around it stood several individuals, all of them familiar.

    "Sir!" Sergeant Hana spoke as soon as she saw me coming closer, saluting me. "You are here!"

    "At ease, sergeant!" I spoke her back, looking at the other soldiers of my squad. Among them, I could recognize Tragen's muscular back and...

    "Lieutenant!" said another female voice, which at the beginning I did not recognize. "I'm happy to see you again!"

    I froze for a couple of seconds as I saw Christel Heider hurrying toward me. What was she doing here?

    "Corporal! Is that… you?"

    "Well.." she said chuckling sheepishly. "Technically, now I am a sergeant, and all thanks to you!"

    "Sergeant?" I said with an amazed tone. "Are you telling me that…"

    "Yes! After the battle where you and Tragen… rescued me, the higher-ups decided that my value in battle was so precious that I could receive a promotion. They offered me to become a sergeant, and I jumped at the chance!"

    "Well…I am very happy for you, sergeant! Would you be so kind as to do me a favor?"

    "Yes, sir. But, if I can afford to ask, what kind of favor?"

    "Relax, soldier. I just want to ask you if you would be kind enough to give me a little summary of what happened in my absence..."

    "Sir, give you an update of the situation is my duty!" Hana spoke up again.

    "I know, I know," I said trying to assume a playful expression "Well, if you are so interested into giving me the update, fell free to do so. But do it… together…"

    Hana and Christel looked at each other for a couple of seconds. Sadly, there was no way for me to learn what they were thinking.

    "Very well" said Christel keeping her eyes low "Sir, the situation is that-"

    "The Republicans are advancing, sir!" Hana stole her words. "Their wizards fly up every day: they attack our troops in their weakest fortifications, in conjunction with the ground forces."

    "Hum." I murmured, thinking over it. "Have you already fought them?"

    "During your absence, sir? No, but we had the chance to see a close fight three days ago, near the village of Bolszaal. At least five squads of Republican wizards engaged the 5th Squadron of the 24th Mage Platoon, and practically annihilated them."

    "Did they have a numerical advantage? Did they have the element of surprise?"

    "Well, yes sir, but what-"

    "It means that our enemies are merely cowards, Sergeant. They can defeat us if they attack us by surprise and with the numerical advantage. Nevertheless, they do not have the guts to face us in a fair fight. Because when we fight them on equal terms, we win. Always."

    "The Lieutenant is right." said Tragen, coming toward us. "When we fought them the first few times after she took the lead, we always defeated them. Now we are at a disadvantage, but only because we have been hit by treason, by surprise. But it won't take long to get even!"

    "Very well, comrade!" I said back to Tragen. "Now, we need to…"

    I stopped as I realized that behind Tragen were some new faces. They wore imperial uniforms, but I had never seen their faces before.

    "Tragen, who are they?" I asked, looking at them.

    "Sir, after our forceful removal of Kemmler, the headquarters decided to flesh out our ranks. These two come from Berun: fresh recruits from a training camp."

    "And we are the veterans…"

    Tragen smiled. "Yes sir! We have not yet arranged for their... ahem... initiation ceremony, but only because we were waiting for you."

    "I understand." I said, moving toward our newest additions.

    I looked carefully at the soldiers in front of me. One was a young brown-haired boy with an aquiline nose and green eyes, and another with shorter black hair and brown eyes. They both looked very nervous, as if they expected hard discipline.

    Well, why should I ever disappoint them?

    "Soldiers!" I said, positioning myself in front of them. "State you name and rank!"

    "I am… I am Corporal Matthäus Hauser." The first boy, the one with the brown hair said. "It… it is an honor for me to meet…"

    "Save your flattery for prostitutes, son! And you?"

    The other boy put his hand behind his head. "Corporal Chris Egner. Ready to fight the enemy of the Empire!"

    "Very well. Now, I must say something to you two: I have only three rules in war. One! Everybody fights! Two! Nobody is left behind! Three! Nobody leaves or quits! If you test me, I will squeeze the life out of you with my own bare hands! Is that clear?"

    "Sir! Yes, sir!" the two shouted at the same time.

    I smiled. "Welcome in the Imperial Mage Corps!"

    "The Wizards of Frederick!" suddenly shouted Hana, behind me.

    "Hurrah!" almost every soldier of my squad shouted in the same way.

    I smiled. It was nice to see the effects of the strategy of conquering the hearts and minds of one's subordinates. This alone proved that I was right and Tanya wrong when I claimed that it was a great responsibility to be an officer in charge and to worry about one's subordinates.

    "At rest! Now, where the hell is…"

    In that right, exact moment, I saw Sergeant Stauffer, the last remaining soldier of my squad that I had not seen until that moment, coming toward me walking quickly, with a document in hand.

    "Stauffer!" I greeted him. "I am happy to see you are still here as well. What do you have in your hand?"

    "Orders, sir." he smiled, looking at me. "Urgent, from Strategic Headquarters!"

    It was a moment. I grabbed the document, opened it and began to read the orders without saying any word. It took me several minutes to read it all, from beginning to end, and then to read it again, to be sure of what I had read.

    "Sir, are you Okay?" Asked Sergeant Hana, peeking a little over the documents.

    I looked at her. "Nothing that should alarm you, sergeant. It's just our orders…"

    "Does the command want something of unrealistic from us, sir?"

    "Nothing out of the ordinary..." I replied.

    After closing the folder with the order sheet, I headed towards my tent. I went in, put the folder on the folding wooden table next to it and sat on my camp bed. Here, in silence, I tried to reason.

    "Sir, what's going on?" asked Hana, entering in turn in my tent. "Is something troubling you?"

    "No it's nothing. It is just that… Summon the rest of the team. It is best to inform them immediately about our orders."

    "Yes sir!"




    In silence, I mentally reviewed the words of the speech I had to make to my soldiers. I hoped above all not to show any clue to my true state of mind since being the officer in charge of the unit, I had to exude confidence and security. At a time when a commander does not know what to do and lets himself fall prey to panic, this could spread among the troops, with disastrous effects.

    I looked at my men. Everybody in front of me, their eyes fixed and their chest out. They looked like life-size toy soldiers.

    "As many of you will know," I started to speak. "in the previous few days we had to give up a lot of ground to the Republicans, due to their offensive. I do not hide from you that our current situation is far from being optimal: on the contrary, it is very difficult. Unfortunately, we do not have sufficient forces in this sector to block the Republican advance before it reaches its goal, namely the depots located at Waldenmünster."

    I stopped for a second to catch back my breath before continuing.

    "Our ability to hold this critical sector depends on those supply stores. If the Republicans are able to take control of it, we would be forced to retreat, perhaps to the Kwaven River or maybe even further back. For this reason, Strategic Headquarters wants us to stop the enemy advance, in order to bring reinforcements and stop the Republican offensive!"

    For a second I looked my soldiers in the eye. Apart from blinking, they seemed completely immobile.

    "Of course, our little crime cannot possibly hope to stop the Republican attack by direct confrontation. To block their advance, we must break the eggs in their basket and pay them with their own coin!"

    I took a few steps back and pointed at an area of the map I had hung up a few minutes before. There, in the red area (depicting the land that our army had had to give to the Republicans in the previous days) there was a small square of black color.

    "This location is a position fortified that the enemy captured in the early days of their offensive. It was a small supply depot for our advanced troops, but now the enemy is filling it with food, fuel, uniforms, ammunition and everything their troops need to continue their offensive. Given an estimate of a special commission, if the enemy no longer receives supplies from this small, precious outpost, they would be forced to interrupt any offensive for a period of no less than two weeks. More than enough time for reinforcement divisions coming from the South to arrive, and block their advance forever!"

    I took a deep breath, trying desperately to replace the air in my lungs. Screaming out loud was tiring.

    "Unfortunately, the enemy is fully aware of this weakness. In simple terms, they know that we know what their weak point is. Therefore, do not expect it to be a walk in the park: it will be a very risky mission. The recruits will most likely not survive!"

    Hauser and Egner looked nervous for a couple of seconds. Were they regretting the choice to enlist? Well, it was too late now to have second thoughts.

    "So." I said pointing once again to the map behind me. "As you can see from the map, in the initial attack some positions managed to resist the onslaught of the Republicans, thanks to the bravery of the soldiers in their defense. Not enough to prevent the large-scale enemy offensive, but enough to slow it down and make it more difficult. If these positions had fallen into enemy hands in the early days of their offensive, we would have already lost. Some of these, as you can see, are very close to our objective. We will launch ourselves on the nearest one." I said, pointing to a blue mark a few centimeters distant to the mark of the enemy depot "This is a military fort, currently held by a company of the 263rd Army Rifle Division and by sparse units of the 63rd company of engineers, of the 78th division. They are all soldiers who were caught completely by surprise by the enemy attack, but they managed to regroup and hold the fort. From what we know, they are under siege and are in need of additional supplies. Supplies which we will help deliver!"

    "But, sir!" Tragen asked, raising his hand. "How we will manage to supply the fort and attack the enemy depot at the same time?"

    "We won't. We will board a transport plane and we will jump with parachutes on the fort of our allies together with some supplies that, in the worst case, will help them to hold out for a few days. Since the enemy expects an attack to come from the front lines and not from the besieged strongholds, we will have the advantage of surprise. Once we "get rid" of the enemy troops surrounding the strong ally, we will head at maximum speed in the direction of the ammunition depot that we must destroy. Of course, we won't be able to use magic until we have destroyed our primary goal.

    "But, sir!" asked Christine. "How in the name of God does Strategic Headquarters expect us to fight off the enemy forces who are besieging our fort, and then reach the depot we have to destroy… without using our magic?"

    "I understand your concern. In fact this is a very difficult mission. Precisely for this reason we will use weapons of the last generation for this mission, including... this one."

    The soldier looked down at it. It was not very beautiful to see, but it did not need to be. It simply needed to make a big enough bang.

    "What is it?" asked one of the recruits.

    "A high capacity explosive bomb. A gift from... an old friend of mine. We will use it to destroy the enemy supply depot."

    The soldiers took almost simultaneously a step back. It was clear they were very impressed by the bomb.

    "You have five hours before the mission begins. I advise you to take a shower, or eat a hot meal, or write a letter home if you feel the need. I will be in my tent and will be available if any of you want to talk to me in private. If you have any concerns or fears that you want to express, do not hesitate to ask. Dismissed!"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 39: Supplies from the Sky
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 39: Supplies from the Sky

    ​
    "So, this is the plane that will carry us over the enemy lines and launch our supplies, as well as ourselves over the fort?" I said, looking at it.

    "Yes sir!" Hana replied, looking at the loading document. "Command believes that the enemy will never suspect one of our aircraft, intended for refueling, to be used to parachute soldiers behind the front line. In any case, as you can see, the technicians are proceeding to repaint it in black in order to reduce visibility as much as possible!"

    "Are we sure it will hold up in flight? It looks to me more like a piece of sheet metal and rubber, held together with wire, than an airplane."

    A couple of technicians (who apparently heard my words) turned their heads in my direction and gave me a hostile glance. However, they said nothing and after a few seconds of glaring they resumed work on the plane.

    "Well sir, I had this opinion too, but our Imperial Air Force correspondent tells us that this is the aircraft most suitable for the mission and there is no time to wait for others to be freed up. To be honest" she said approaching her mouth to my left ear. "I believe that the big shots of our Air Force don't want to risk one of their best aircraft on this mission…"

    "I think so too. Looks like have no choice but to settle for what's available."

    "Yes sir! Unfortunately, I was unable to get information from our pilot about what our route will be. Even when I tried to flirt with him, it was hard to get anything out."

    Mentally, I suppressed any sign of frustration. Apparently, the fact that this was a combined force mission between the Imperial Army and the Air Force had implied that, since we were legally under the command of the Army, the pilot of the plane (which instead fell under the authority of the Air Force) was not authorized to give us any information on the mission, other than those we already knew. Therefore, it was impossible for us to know which route we would take, and consequently, what resistance of the enemy we might have encountered.

    "All right. Don't worry, it's not a problem."

    "Sir, I…"

    "Don't worry," I reassured her. "I am not scolding you, nor am I disappointed in you. You did your best. It is not your fault that we were assigned a pilot who follows his orders."

    Hana was relieved, but only for a moment. "Maybe I should have tried harder? With flirting, I mean."

    "No. That would not have insured success and frankly, I would prefer to get the information in other ways. Do not worry, once we get back from the mission I will teach you some tricks on how to make silent types talk!"

    I left Hana at the controls and walked to the other side of the plane where Tragen, Christel and Stauffer were carrying out a thorough inspection of the cargo.

    Most of the cargo, of course, included necessities for the soldiers: metal containers filled with food, water, medicines, munitions. Another part of the load was the equipment that would go to us: combat rations, ready-to-use medicines, bullets adapted to our spells, and obviously our bomb: five thousand kilos of explosives sufficient to transform a fortified position into a fireball the size of a field.

    Finally, a small part of the load included something that might be useful for the besieged soldiers of the fort: a medium-caliber machine gun, portable by means of straps, and if the situation called for it, capable of firing sufficiently powerful bullets to be able to destroy the magical protection of an enemy wizard.

    Tragen, Christel and Stauffer they were right around the aforementioned machine gun, and they discussed it excitedly.

    "Do you really think it has enough firepower to penetrate a wizard's shield?"

    "Nah! That is impossible!" boasted Tragen with an air of arrogance. "No firearm is powerful enough to break through a magic shield if the wizard concentrates on it. I bet they said it only for propaganda reasons!"

    "I'm not sure..." replied Stauffer, moving his hand to touch it. "I've heard stories of similar weapons that have managed to kill several wizards on some occasions. Maybe what they say is true, and that weapon can really achieve similar results…"

    "Well, lethal for a wizard or not, I'm glad it's on our side…" said Christen, gleaming over it.

    "A-hem!" I cleared my throat to make my presence known.

    Immediately, all three looked up and snapped to attention once they saw me.

    "Sir!" Tragen said, trying to salute me at the same time. "Have you already completed the mission checks?"

    "Hana is working on it." I replied back, coming closer. "Still, I thought you would take care of your work. What were you doing?"

    "Well, sir, we…"

    "We were just discussing about our mission and the supplies that we had to bring with us…" Stauffer interjected.

    I looked at them for a moment with a stern look. If I were Tanya, this would be a good time for some disciplinary action.

    Luckily, I was not Tanya.

    My expression softened, I said simply "All right. Officially I should punish you for wasting your time, but I believe that nobody will die if you do it now with a few minutes lto spare. Consider yourself officially punished and resume your work!"

    "Sir!" asked Stauffer, his eyes full of surprise. "You mean that... you will not report us?"

    "Not unless you want me to. We still have time..." I smirked.

    "No, no, sir! It is just… I was surprised… that's all!"

    I smiled again. "We are soldiers. After a little while, you'll run out of things that will surprise you. Now, get back to work!"

    Stauffer smiled in turn and so did Tragen and Christen.

    "Yes, sir!"

    The little trio promptly got back to work. However, I still had some questions for one of them.

    "Sergeant Christel?" I asked.

    "Yes, sir?"

    "Come over here."

    She stopped for a few seconds. Then, slowly but continuously, what's the matter, she came closer to me.

    "What's the matter, sir?"

    "I have some... questions that I would like to bring to your attention. Come on, let's take a short walk."



    "Sir." Christel spoke up, her voice a little nervous. "We have been walking for at least five minutes without you having asked even one question. Can I afford to violate protocol... and ask you what you want to know from me?"

    I looked up. "I want to ask you your opinion on this mission. What do you think of it?"

    "Sir, it is not my task to comment or give an opinion on the orders command gives us. Our job is to obey them!"

    "Stop with the formalities, please. I know, that deep down, everyone has their own personal comment to make on everything that happens around themselves."

    "Sir, I…"

    I stepped up, and put my hand over her mouth, silencing her "Let's try again. I don't want to know what you think of this mission. What I want to know is your personal opinion, especially regarding some of my doubts…"

    "Doubts?" she said once I removed my hand. "What kind of doubts?"

    "Tell me, sergeant: as a woman who has seen the most terrible conflict in human history with their own eyes, did you notice that the enemy is giving us a unique opportunity?"

    "A-an opportunity sir?"

    "Their attack. It is true that so far they have had the advantage of surprise and have defeated us, but I note that the enemy is using many of their best divisions in an attack that, although it puts at risk our depots, is wedging more and more among our lines without reinforcing their own rear lines. If our forces located north and south of the enemy lines were to launch an attack aimed at reforming our front, or if supply lines were to be interrupted as our headquarters plans to do by means of our mission, the republican divisions would remain trapped in a bag with no means of reuniting with the rest of their army. As a result, the enemy is risking entire divisions in an attack that, if you think about it, has very little chance of success. And I don't think the generals of the Republic are so stupid..."

    "Sir… you think that this offensive is just a distraction? A cover up for a larger attack, maybe on the entire front?"

    "No. If that were the case, we would have noticed a gathering of enemy troops all along the front, and supplies for military use. Republican aviation, artillery and magicians would prevent us even from getting up in the air. Instead..."

    "What are you thinking, sir?"

    I looked towards the sky. I knew well what I was thinking. This attack was not a war operation, but a trap. And it was not the generals or the leaders of the Republic who decided it, but someone else. Someone much more… omniscient. And assholish.

    "Sir, are you okay?" Sergeant Christel spoke up again.

    For a second, I did not hear what she was saying. I was too angry with who-shall-not-be-named to notice my surroundings.

    "Sir? Why do you keep looking at the sky with that look?"

    "Nothing. It's just… I remembered someone I'm not overly fond of…"

    "Are you talking about someone at the Academy? Or someone you met earlier?"

    "Someone I met earlier. Much earlier. A life earlier…"

    "Well, sir, you were talking about the Republican's offense. The two things are connected, are you telling me?"

    I evaluated my options. If I said yes, it could appear to her eyes as if I was aware of a mole, or a real spy, within the Imperial Army. Which would lead to a series of dangerous consequences: she would obviously wonder why I did not report it, and if I did not provide a sufficiently credible excuse, she might even think that I was covering, or favoring, the aforementioned spy. At that point she could denounce me as a possible double agent. At that point nothing could save my reputation.

    "No, the things are not connected." I finally said. "It was just a stray thought."

    "Sir, tell me… is this person who you hate still haunting your thoughts?"

    "A little bit. Why do you ask?"

    "Because, if I can afford to say it sir, continuing to think about the people who caused us pain merely empowers them."

    "What are you saying?" I asked dumb founded.

    "Sir, if we keep thinking about the people who hurt us, we do nothing but let their memories condition everything we do. In this way, it is as if we made them immortal, because their memory and the memory of what they have done to us will torment us for our entire lives. And life is too short to suffer in such a way. The best way we have to manage the people who hurt us is to ignore them and forget about them."

    "So, you suggest for me that I should try to forget about them? And by chance, how?"

    "Thinking about beautiful things, sir! Instead thinking about your enemy, think about the almighty God and his infinite justice: think of the fact that, at the end of our days, when the short life we lead on this earth is over, the humble will be exalted, and the heathens punished!"

    "That's right." I replied with a soft voice, trying to not show my nervousness and difficulty. "Of course; I didn't know you were such a religious girl..."

    "Oh, I used to read the Bible in the Sunday meetings when I was younger, before this war started. I am not that devoted, but I like to think that God is on our side in this war and in every day life."

    "I thank you for your advice." I lied through my teeth. "I will treasure them and try to remember for the rest of my life…" I replied with a smile, still trying to not appear the least angry.

    "Happy to being at your service, sir!" Christine saluted, almost laughing. "It is always a pleasure to give help to others…"

    It was then that I heard a pair of boots approaching loudly from behind, running. I turned around expecting it to be Tragen or Stauffer, or Hana. Instead, I saw that it was a girl in uniform who I had never seen before.

    "Halt!" I said aloud at the incoming girl "Who are you? State your name, rank and unit!"

    "Sir" the young girl said, saluting and standing in attention. "Corporal Sigrid Schoeler, of the 23rd magical Company. I apologize for the interruption, but I have an urgent message for Second Lieutenant Frederick König. The soldier at the base told me I could find him here. Can you please tell me where he went?"

    Christine and I exchanged a look of amused confusion.

    "Well, , there are two ways for you to find Second Lieutenant König. The first is to return to the base and ask for new information…"

    "And the second one?"

    "The second one is to give me the message and greet me as Second Lieutenant Frederick König, of the Imperial Magical Corps."

    "What?" she said, looking to Christine for an explanation. However, she did not find any.

    "That's right." I said with a grin. "You're looking for me."

    "Oh! Oh, I am sorry sir! I did not recognize you, I was expecting…"

    "Someone taller, older and maybe with an uglier face? Believe me, I am used to it."

    Corporal Sigrid blushed for a second, before remembering her duty and immediately retrieved a sealed envelope, handing it to me carefully.

    "What is that?" I asked, taking it.

    "I do not know." the corporal responded. "I was charged with bringing it to you as soon as possible."

    The corporal saluted me, and I saluted her in turn. Then she hurried away while I started to open the envelope and read the message within it.

    What I saw made me look pale.

    "Sir?" asked sergeant Christel, coming closer. "What happened? Are there new orders from Command?"

    "No." I replied, still looking at the message "They are just... boring civilian matters. I do not think you would be interested."

    Quickly, I folded the message sheet and hid it in a pocket of my jacket. I would think it over later.

    "Now, I believe it is time we rejoin the others and start preparing for our mission…"

    "Okay, sir. But if I can afford to ask, what did the message say?"

    "Nothing you need to worry about." I replied, starting to march forward "Just a message from… an old friend."
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 40: Hearts of Iron
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 40: Hearts of Iron​


    A lion with a cough.

    That's the only way i could describe the noise the plane's engine was emitting. A powerful and deep roar, interposed with the occasional small burst, which to an inexperienced ear sounded like coughing.

    The more I thought of that engine, the more I could not help thinking of an old episode of a TV series I had seen in my previous life. Nightmare at 20 000 feet, where an everyday passenger of a commercial airplane tries to fight off a demonic presence trying to make the airplane crash. I did not like the episode very much, because it had made a strong impression on me the first time I saw it. In the years that followed, whenever I was forced to use a plane to visit my family I imagined a bristly and dangerous creature intent on destroying the engines of the plane. The only escape from these fears was to lower the window curtain and try to sleep, hoping to wake up when the journey was over.

    And here I was now, aboard a much smaller and shabbier plane than the commercial planes I have traveled before, with an engine that gave the impression that it would stop any minute, above a land occupied by the enemy and on a moonless night. It did not take more to unleash my most frightening fantasies.

    It was true that, now that I was a magician, I could fly and therefore survive an eventual plane crash. Yet I kept shivering every time I approached a window.

    To try to keep my wild imagination at bay I had initially reviewed the details of the mission, but after reading the new operational orders a dozen times and finding that there was nothing left to risk forgetting, this option had lapsed.

    Therefore, I decided to do a last-minute check on my soldiers' morale.

    "Sergeants Hana and Christel" I said walking toward them.

    The two both saluted "Sir! What's the matter?"

    "Calm down, my fellows in arms." I said, sitting between them "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and that you were psychologically ready for the mission!"

    "Well, sir." sergeant Hana started to speak. "Christel and I were just discussing about the details of the mission, and we…we believe we have found a way to end it in a better way."

    I looked at them for a couple of seconds. "Really? And how, if you can afford to tell me?"

    "Well, sir, we-" sergeant Christel started to speak, only to be quickly interrupted by Hana.

    "During a reconnaissance mission the team performed a few days ago while you were busy with your propaganda stunt, Sir. We located an old irrigation canal a few kilometers upstream from our target. We believe that-"

    "One moment!" I spoke up with altered tone. "Are you telling me… that you found a possible hideout/observation point just a few kilometers from the target?"

    "Yes, sir." Hana beamed.

    "And tell me, sergeant Hana: why did you not mention this in the official report? The one you gave me when I returned?"

    Hana's face paled. She knew he had made a mistake, a very big mistake. To leave out important information for the conduct of war (such as a suspicious gathering of enemy forces, changes in the meteorological situation, as in this case, possible abandoned but reusable structures) in an official Army report was a crime, albeit minor. Of course, she would not risk court martial or the firing squad, but it could result in demotion to the rank of an enlisted soldier, or reassignment to another front. It would be even worse if the information she had withheld caused any number of our forces to be lost. The punishment prescribed by the official regulation for this kind of infringement was demotion and fifty lashes.

    "Sir! I- I-"

    "You know that, without having the complete picture of the situation, we risk making big mistakes, right? And that any information available is extremely valuable? Think about whether, because you didn't write this information in the report, we risk finding ourselves trapped! What will you do when the Republicans surround us and kill, or worse yet, capture you? What will your excuse be?"

    Hana lowered her glance, looking distraught. She also knew well the penalties provided for in the regulations.

    "Listen to me. I will not report this, either now or when we return to the base. But for heaven's sake, can you tell me why you didn't say anything?"

    "Sir… I…" she tried to speak, clearly disheartened. "I did not say anything… because…"

    "I told her to." Christel suddenly spoke up, her voice full of determination.

    "You? Sergeant Christel could you please explain this situation to me?"

    "Sir," she explained. "I asked sergeant Hana not to report the presence of the old irrigation canal because if command knew about it, they would have reacted either by occupying it or by destroying it, in order to prevent it falling into Republican hands."

    "And pray tell, sergeant: why would it be a bad thing?"

    "Because of the relic, sir."

    I looked at her, half stunned. What was she talking about?

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Sir, you weren't here when the republican army attacked the region, so you couldn't have been present at the evacuation of the civilian population. I was. I was there when the Republican soldiers set fire to the Halgem church and seized the treasures it contained. I have personally seen and talked to some of the villagers during their evacuation. One of them, the parish priest of the church, had confided to me that long before the declaration of war by the Republic, before our sacred frontiers were violated by those godless barbarians, he and some of his faithful managed to rescue the relic that was kept inside their church…."

    "Let me guess...." I responded despodently, finally realizing the whole story. "They hid it in the old irrigation canal."

    "Yes." she replied. "They could not take it away with them and feared that if they left it in its place, it would be lost forever. Therefore they hid it, hoping the war would end soon and that they could claim it after a few weeks. Instead..."

    "And instead the war continued and the civilians of the regions were forced to relocate elsewhere." I finished her sentence.

    "The last one to leave was the parish priest. I personally accompanied him to the station. He made me promise that I would keep an eye on the hiding place.

    "What if by chance you were promoted or reassigned to another front?"

    "Then I would have confessed the thing to someone who would have remained here, asking him the same thing the priest asked me…"

    "And tell me, why did you confess it to Hana?"

    "She didn't." hana spoke up, a newfound confidence in her words. "She only told me about the old irrigation canal, asking me not to report it. I did not know the reason why."

    "And why would you agree to keep it a secret without knowing the reason, Hana?"

    "Let's call it... feminine agreement." she spoke up, nodding to Christel.

    "And… why did you decide to tell me everything, without knowing how I would react?"

    "Because, sir." Christel responded. "If I can afford to be honest, leaving that precious relic there is a big risk. The irrigation canal is now very old and usually dirty with mud and infested by rats. All these things risk damaging the relic. We know that, for now, it is wrapped in a package to preserve it, but we do not know if it can hold up. In the time until we can recover it, it could be irreparably damaged. Worse, it may have been found by a poor Republican soldier, and taken away as a trophy. I can't allow that…"

    "So, you want me, during this mission, to diverge from our orders to try and find it?"

    "No, sir, we just wanted to you to know the real reason why. We hope that, maybe, you could share this secret without reporting it to Strategic Headquarters… and maybe…"

    "Not another word. I understand. Just to know, what kind of relic are we talking about?"

    Sergeant Christel took a piece of paper out of her uniform and handed it to me.

    "There. This is an image the priest gave to me, in case it get lost, to try and retrieve it…"

    I looked at the image for a few seconds. It didn't look like anything, though...

    "Here is the first!" a very familiar voice echoed into my head.

    What? I thought with amazement as I heard General War's presence invading my mind

    "It is one of the artifact I need to you to collect. You must capture it, at any cost!"

    "Sir?, are you okay? You look like you have seen a ghost?" sergeant Hana said, looking at me.

    I smiled, trying to hide my inner turmoil. "Nothing. I just had a little pain in my teeth."

    "Oh, maybe you need some healing liquor to rinse your mouth, sir? If you want, I can lend you my bottle..."

    "No, no." I replied. "No need to do that. Now, about this famous relic..."

    "Sir, are you going to help us keep it safe?" asked Christel with a glimmer of hope.

    "No." I returned a smile. "I'm going to do a lot more…"




    After my brief "chat" with Hana and Christel, I made the decision to check the morale of the rest of the troops. Obviously, my first choice was to go and check on Tragen and Stauffer.

    "Sir." said Tragen saluting as soon as he saw me. "Do we have to prepare ourselves to parachute?"

    "No, sergeant." I replied, making a gesture to calm him. "At least not yet. Where is Stauffer?"

    "He… he walked away a minute ago. I saw him head for the cargo compartment a few minutes ago..."

    In seconds, an alarm rang in my mind. The cargo compartment was not usually a space where those who were not allowed to handle it could stand. On the contrary, it could be a good place to be alone, and do things that no one could see. For example, hiding objects, doing sabotage, or-

    Activating a bomb.

    It was a moment. I threw myself in the direction of the aircraft's cargo compartment and without a second of hesitation I opened the door. I did not know how much time I still had available: if Stauffer was a spy or a saboteur in the service of the Republicans, he could have already activated the explosive. We could all already be dead.

    However, to my surprise, once the door opened, I found that Stauffer was not alone. Moreover, he was not performing sabotage.

    With him were the two young recruits, Hauser and Egner. And they were looking at me with a face full of fear.

    "Lieutenant!" exclaimed Stauffer, saluting me. "What happened? Did the anti-air artillery started to attack us?"

    "No. Everything is fine. At least, on the outside." I replied, letting the adrenaline flow away in my blood. "What are you doing here, Sergeant, in the company of our two young recruits?"

    "Sir, I…"

    "Sergeant Stauffer was giving us a quick survival course to stay alive if we were left alone, sir."

    "Really?" I said, moving toward them. "And why you'd have to do it here? Couldn't you take this little course with the others?"

    "Well, sir..." Stauffer started to excuse himself. "I thought it would be better to do this little drill here, because I wanted to avoid any disturbances."

    "With 'disturbances', are you referring to me, soldier?"

    "Well, sir, I…"

    "Just tell me: yes or no?"

    Stauffer looked down for a second. "Yes, sir. I was afraid you would punish me for being too friendly with the new recruits..."

    I looked at him for a minute. A part of me wanted so much to punish him, at least for the fright he had given me. However, we were soldiers in the process of performinging an important and dangerous mission for our Empire. Punishing a soldier now could have unpleasant consequences.

    Therefore I decided to let it go, at least for the moment. Nothing prevented me from punishing Stauffer when we returned to base camp. And if he didn't survive, well, I wouldn't need to punish him, would I?

    "Listen, I am not going to punish you. But please, return to your quarters and do not come back here unless I give you the permission to do so!"

    "Yes sir!" Stauffer said, hurrying toward the door.

    "Sir..." asked the young Egner, looking at me. "Can I ask you a little question?"

    "Well, what is it, soldier?"

    "I wanted to ask you: did you really think what you said when you said that, in all probability, we wouldn't survive the mission?"

    "Well that depends on you, soldiers: if you can carry out your mission without making mistakes, if fortune assists us and we don't get too noticed, there is a good chance that we can get away with it. However, remember: this is a military operation, nothing ever goes as planned!"

    "Sir?" asked Hauser coming closer. "What are you saying?"

    "I am saying that it's easy to hope and think that the things will always go as we hope. Every time, there are unexpected events or problems that force us to leave the established plans, and improvise. It could be a mechanical failure, or the enemy not behaving as we planned or time or chance affecting the choices we have already made, making them impossible. This always happens. So if you want to survive, try to-"

    I had no way to finish the sentence, because immediately afterwards the plane rushed to the right and I fell on the floor, hurting myself. I immediately tried to get up, but a new jolt threw me back to the floor.

    "Sir!" Hauser called out, holding on to a side tube. "What is happening?"

    "Just a practical demonstration of what I just said, I'm afraid." I said, using some of my magic to get up again.

    Clinging to the walls, I tried to move to the front of the plane and rejoin with subordinates and the pilot in an attempt to obtain information. The problem was that the plane skidded often and as a result I had considerable difficulty in standing. In fact, I fell three times, causing me great pain each time, which, though temporary, was quite unpleasant

    In the end, however, I managed to reach the troop compartment. Here I found my subordinates intent on holding on to whatever could prevent them from falling.

    "Hana!" I shouted at my trusted second-in command. "What is happening?"

    "Enemy artillery, sir!" she shouted back. "They've managed to locate our airplane and are trying to shoot us down. The pilot is trying to avoid them!"

    It was then that I heard the explosion, and immediately after, the terrified voice of the pilot.

    "We're hit! I cannot keep this thing in air for much longer. We need to do an emergency launch!"

    "Roger!" I replied to him. "How far are we from the target?"

    "We will be flying over it in a few minutes. Tell your men to-"

    And then, the right wing of the plane exploded in a cloud of fire.





    Important news from Trunko
    ​
    Hello to everyone

    It is I Trunko, and I have something to say to you.

    First, I would like to excuse myself to the relative shortness of today's chapter, but unfortunately, I had little time available to be able to devote to writing, also for reasons that I explain below. I hope you will forgive me for the shortness of the chapter and understand my reasons.

    Second, tomorrow morning (at 5.00 a.m.) I am going to take a plane, along with some friends, to go on a vacation that will last no less than 11 days. During that time, we will stay in a place where we will have little to zero internet. Therefore I do not know if I'll be able to publish it in time. I do not know if there are Internet points or other possible sources in the area to connect to, therefore I cannot promise to be able to publish the chapter next week.

    For this reason, I want to write this message to you, which is also a warning.

    If I succeed, I hope to be able to write and publish the chapter next week, as usual. However, if I am unable to do so, you know the reason why.

    I finish this message by wishing everyone a good summer and a happy day.
    ​
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Trunko said:
    "Sir..." asked the young Egner, looking at me. "Can I ask you a little question?"

    "Well, what is it, soldier?"

    "I wanted to ask you: did you really think what you said when you said that, in all probability, we wouldn't survive the mission?"

    "Well that depends on you, soldiers: if you can carry out your mission without making mistakes, if fortune assists us and we don't get too noticed, there is a good chance that we can get away with it. However, remember: this is a military operation, nothing ever goes as planned!"

    "Sir?" asked Hauser coming closer. "What are you saying?"

    "I am saying that it's easy to hope and think that the things will always go as we hope. Every time, there are unexpected events or problems that force us to leave the established plans, and improvise. It could be a mechanical failure, or the enemy not behaving as we planned or time or chance affecting the choices we have already made, making them impossible. This always happens. So if you want to survive, try to-"
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    The wise and the (relatively) sane Frederick. I half-expect him to just listen to the sound of the whistling and say "Meh, that is not for us".

    Actually, this reminds me of an old video on Youtube. It concerns a separatist commander in East Ukraine. During an interview, the sound of artillery barrage is heard, and while every single journalist dash to safety, he is just standing still, finishing his smoke.
     
    ComradeH said:
    The wise and the (relatively) sane Frederick. I half-expect him to just listen to the sound of the whistling and say "Meh, that is not for us".

    Actually, this reminds me of an old video on Youtube. It concerns a separatist commander in East Ukraine. During an interview, the sound of artillery barrage is heard, and while every single journalist dash to safety, he is just standing still, finishing his smoke.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Good old Givi.

    He knew they were completely safe. Apparently, artillery shells flying directly towards you make a different sound than th3y do otherwise. Same goes for rocket artillery.
     
    NuclearBird said:
    Good old Givi.

    He knew they were completely safe. Apparently, artillery shells flying directly towards you make a different sound than th3y do otherwise. Same goes for rocket artillery.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I wonder if we can actually do that in this fanfic. Preferably with a captured high-ranking Republic officer and with our team of propaganda "experts" in tow (let's be honest, even if I'm an Imperial, watching Fred and Tanya playing cute kids would make me anti-war, no pro-war). The Republic let loose a random artillery strike, and the shells accidentally fly pass the group, making everyone dashing for cover. Well, everyone but no Fred. He simply stands there, sipping juice and then saying: "Meh, this strike is not for us."

    Then he proceeds to scare the shit out of the officer with his calm and polite attitude. Then, for the final blow - "You can either talk to me, or you can talk to my bitch."

    Then, have the Republic batteries destroyed and a maniac laughter is heard in the wind.
     
    ComradeH said:
    I wonder if we can actually do that in this fanfic. Preferably with a captured high-ranking Republic officer and with our team of propaganda "experts" in tow (let's be honest, even if I'm an Imperial, watching Fred and Tanya playing cute kids would make me anti-war, no pro-war). The Republic let loose a random artillery strike, and the shells accidentally fly pass the group, making everyone dashing for cover. Well, everyone but no Fred. He simply stands there, sipping juice and then saying: "Meh, this strike is not for us."

    Then he proceeds to scare the shit out of the officer with his calm and polite attitude. Then, for the final blow - "You can either talk to me, or you can talk to my bitch."

    Then, have the Republic batteries destroyed and a maniac laughter is heard in the wind.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    He can certainly do that, imo. It's not that hard to set up your artillery support, accounting for inaccuracies arising from weather conditions and measurements, to shell an area close to you and pass it off as a Republican barrage.
     
    Chapter 41: Surrounded
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 41: Surrounded​


    The enemy artillery strike had hit our aircraft right on the wing, compromising its balance and blowing up a fuel tank. In the backlash, the pilot of the vehicle had been killed and his body had collapsed on the command seat, without life. I don't remember the details of what happened in those few quick moments, but I remember feeling a great fear. Then, seeing my soldiers in trouble, my officer vein took over and fear disappeared. I only knew that we were in a critical moment, and if I wanted to save my men, I had to act quickly.

    First, I ordered Tragen to reopen the aircraft's door. It was a difficult job, which lasted about ten seconds, but in the end Tragen's powerful muscles took over the hatch, managing to open it.

    Then, we launched.

    By order of the command, the launch had to take place without the enemy realizing that enemy wizards had been launched, so the plane was well equipped with parachutes. We had just enough time to wear them before a new explosion, coming from the damaged wing, informed us that in a few minutes this would be broken, and the plane would fall.

    I had never jumped from a plane before, yet I don't remember feeling afraid while I was doing it. Maybe it was because the fear of blowing up was greater, or because I knew there were no ways out, I went to the door and dived.

    I rolled in the air for about fifteen seconds before I could stabilize myself. Frantically, I grabbed the parachute cord, and pulled as hard as I could. The parachute opened with a snap, and my descent slowed in a few seconds.

    Below me, I saw a bleak and gray plain, in which it seemed impossible that life could exist. Carefully maneuvering my parachute, I tried to slow my descent as much as possible while I was looking for a place to land without ending up in a trench or a bunker full of enemy soldiers.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small clearing of trees, some still throwing leaves, the majority reduced to skeletons with no branches. It was unlikely that enemy soldiers patrolled it, so I directed my parachute in its direction, hoping the rest of my team would see me and follow me.

    As I descended, I stayed on alert in case of possible signs of enemy presence. In my mind, it seemed to me that there were Republican soldiers behind that bush, hidden in a hole by a tree or stationed in the area. Wherever I heard a noise, I turned my head and the gun instinctively, ready to fire.

    Finally, after a few minutes of pure tension, my feet retouched the ground and I unhooked the parachute. Immediately, I checked the area around me to see if anything had noticed my landing and was moving to intercept me.

    The area seemed silent (if we obviously exclude the sounds of cannons, machine guns and explosions coming from afar) so I initially deduced that I was lucky.

    Unluckily, I was not.

    "Who is there?" a voice sounded from my right.

    For a second, I didn't say anything, I just cursed my classic bad luck for getting me into trouble once again. But most of all, I cursed a certain being…

    "Who's there?" the voice repeated "Come out and with your hands up"

    Of course, I had no intention of obeying such orders. I dove to the ground, gripping the rifle and pointing it in the direction the voice came from. I didn't know if they were Republican soldiers, but I didn't want to take the risk. I remained silent, aiming the rifle and preparing to shoot, waiting for the one who found out to be in the open.

    "OK then!" the voice echoed again "I'm coming for you. You had your chance to surrender and now you'll learn why you had to accept it as you could do it!"

    In silence, I kept pointing my rifle, preparing to shoot.

    It was then that I saw who had spoken. He was a soldier in a dark blue uniform, with dark eyes and a mustache. He was carrying a shotgun, and he had a gun in his holster. Just above the shoulder, an emblem identified him as a soldier in the Republican army.

    Once again cursing my misfortune, I prepared to shoot. But it was then, that I realized that he was not alone. Behind him was another soldier, with the rank of sergeant, and a large backpack on his shoulders.

    "Antoine, what happened?"

    "I heard a noise. I issued the warning, but no one answered. I wanted to check if ..."

    The sergeant put his hand over his shoulder, as if to calm him down.

    "Try not to get nervous, soldier. The Imperials will never dare to attack us. They are too cowardly to fight us openly by men and try to reconquer this land, which we have snatched away from them!"

    "You believe that, sergeant?"

    "Sure! Believe me: war is going to end soon. As soon as our army manages to destroy their war industries, the next obstacle … wait! What is that?"

    The sergeant pointed to something on the ground. To my horror I realized that it was my parachute, which I had not thought of hiding. Big mistake.

    "A parachute! And it doesn't seem to have suffered any kind of wear!"

    "This means an enemy paratrooper has landed around here!" shouted the first soldier, looking around "Where is he? Where is that son of a bitch?"

    Carefully, I raised the barrel of my rifle, aligning it perfectly with the sergeant's head. A moment's hesitation, then I pulled the trigger.

    The man's head exploded in a cloud of blood. It was not a good sight to see, just as the remains of the body were not a beautiful sight when it fell to the ground, headless and lifeless.

    "Merde!" soldier Antoine exclaimed, throwing himself to the ground "Where are you, you goddamned Kraut? Get your head out so I can shoot you!"

    While the soldier shouted at the top of his lungs, giving me at the same time precious clues as to what his position was, I moved the barrel again, pointing it at his backside. I didn't want to kill him instantly, but it wasn't pity.

    When I fired, the soldier finally understood my position, but it was too late to take cover. My bullet, although devoid of magical charge, flew swiftly through his flesh, severely injuring him.

    "Waugh! You son of a..." he said, trying to point his gun toward me.

    However, I had no intention of standing still while an injured but still operative enemy tried to shoot me back.

    With a swift movement, I plunged sideways to the right, then to the left, preventing the enemy soldier from taking aim. Then, with a quick flicker, I plunged on him.

    The bayonet with which my rifle was equipped was not particularly large or sharp. However, besides the fact that it could be kept armed without blocking the barrel, it had a potentially lethal weapon.

    You see, many soldiers believe that a clean bayonet is better than a dirty bayonet, since a dirty bayonet is very ugly to see in disciplined armies like the Imperial one. It is often the officers themselves, by way of punishment or discipline lesson, who order soldiers to take perfect care of the bayonet.

    But I knew the truth. A dirty bayonet may look ugly and inelegant, but it is far more lethal than a clean one.

    This is because a dirty bayonet of mud or earth is naturally covered by billions of small bacteria, and any wound caused by it does not heal. On the contrary, the wound has a high chance of becoming infected, and consequently of leading to a terrible death due to illness.

    This was something I had learned at the orphanage, on long days with other children. A wound that was not washed and cured, and that on the contrary was soiled could lead to terrible diseases, which often led to a painful death or amputation of a limb. I remember more than one child who, ignoring the nuns' warnings, still played in the mud despite having just wounded himself. The result was almost always the same: a terrible disease.

    For this reason, when I was reassigned to the Rhine front, I had decided to create a terrible substance that, although it didn't dirty the blade of the bayonet like mud or manure, could be just as lethal. I had bought a case of white mice to do my experiments, and I had them taste different substances created by mixing different compounds known to be deadly to the wounds.

    I can overlook the results of the first experiments, but in the end, I had managed to create a substance, mixing salt and putrescine from dead bodies, that even if it didn't dirty the bayonet, it made it much more lethal.

    And today, I would have seen its effects on man for the first time.

    In a few moments I was on the man. I saw his gaze turned stony and frightened, when a child in uniform jumped on him with a bayonet.

    This would have been a good time to surrender and redeem myself, to accept that the war was an ignoble and meaningless thing. I could have done good things for the rest of my life, thinking only of life, not death.

    And if you think that, I have a city called Stockholm to sell you.

    While my blade penetrated the flesh of man, I gave no emotion. No fear, no anger, no happiness. I felt only a very strong, rational clarity of mind.

    The man screamed. He screamed with all the breath he had in his throat. I also suppose I would have screamed, if I had a sharp bayonet that burned and penetrated my stomach.

    Instinctively, I pushed the bayonet further into his body, until the blade was completely hidden. At that point the man stopped shouting. But not to suffer.

    I could see his eyes moving frantically, I could see his mouth writhing in pain. I knew, without having to read his mind, that my "infectious" bayonet was causing him so much pain.

    For about ten seconds, nobody said anything. I kept pressing the bayonet in his body, and he kept moving in pain. He tried to break free, to attack, but he couldn't. My bayonet held him still.

    "Very well, soldier" I finally spoke up, still pressing with all my weight on the bayonet "you seem to have a severe case of acute bayonetitis, aggravated by infection. My prescription is to close my eyes, and let the bacteria I have just inserted into your body kill without hurting you. At least, not too much."

    "Y-you dog!" he exclaimed, pointing his finger to me "Who the hell you are? What… you are?"

    "I'm happy to have a chance to introduce myself. My name is Second Lieutenant Frederick Konig; maybe you have already heard of myself."

    Hies eyes widened, as I pronounced my name.

    "You-you are..."

    "Yes. I am."

    For another half minute, the good soldier stood completely still, in silence, before finally responding.

    "You… you are pure evil!"

    "No, I am necessary evil!" I exclaimed with a grin.

    "You… are an abomination. A hell-being, a demon-spawn!"

    "In other situations I would have been angry about such accusations, but in this situation and this scenario, I can only agree."

    "I hope the almighty God will punish your for your sins!"

    "He already did" I replied, starting to take out my bayonet from his body.

    "Ah!" he shouted once again "You… will never get away with this..."

    "Oh, but I already did" I spoke back, looking at the blood at the guts that had remained on the bayonet "If you don't realize it, it's just you and me here. Before your reinforcements arrive I will be gone long ago. And that means … that I have the chance to enjoy some time alone with you..."

    "Hey. What are you doing? No, no!"

    "Come one, I do not want to see people die sad. Now, let's put a smile on this ugly face..."





    After I finished "having fun" with poor Republican Army soldier Antoine, I headed northeast, in the direction in which our fort was besieged by the Republicans. I knew that this was the safest position closest to me; furthermore, there were strong chances that even my soldiers, lost by the explosion of the plane, would be there.

    I was hoping they were all well. It would have been terrible to learn that some of them had been killed, or worse, captured by enemies. Moreover, after spending considerable energy and resources to ingratiate myself with them.

    I flew at an average height, trying to hide as much as possible using the vegetation and the landscape surrounding me. I didn't know if there could be enemy wizards or magic energy detectors nearby, so I was taking a big risk. If the Republicans had noticed my presence, I could risk having the whole mission fail before it even started.

    Using my mana, I had created a special "acoustic detection spell" that gave me a better understanding of the sounds that were heard around me. In this way, if an enemy had approached, I would have heard him before he could see me.

    Strangely, however, no one's land appeared to be occupied by ... no one.

    Where were the enemies? Where were their teams, their scouts, their patrols? I would have expected to meet at least two or three patrols, magical or not, yet until now I had seen none of them.

    How could such an absence of enemies be explained? The whole area had to swarm with their presence.

    Finally, after a few minutes of research, I had my answer.

    At first, I heard some noises. Then the noises became sounds of gunshots, cannon shots and explosions. Finally, I saw with my own eyes what was happening.

    The Republican'army besieged the fort.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 42: A One-man Cavalry
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 42: A One-man Cavalry​



    Quickly, I threw myself to the ground, took out my binoculars and began to observe the position.

    I saw the Republican soldiers trying, with the support of their field artillery, to break through the defenses of the fort, only to be thrown back by the imperial troops trapped inside. I saw a team of Republican wizards trying to support the infantry; I saw…

    Suddenly, I saw that the Republican soldiers were about to get the upper hand. Their infantry, though at the cost of frightening losses, were slowly gaining ground, while their artillery continued to fire. Worse still, as imperial defenses seemed to lack magical forces, Republican wizards were free to strike without fear of being attacked.

    The Republicans would then take the fort and massacre anyone in it, unless someone did something.

    And by someone, I actually meant myself.

    Part of me wanted to turn away and fly away. I knew I was risking a lot already, but attacking an entire enemy division alone...there were no words to describe such madness!

    What could I do? I certainly could not abandon those soldiers to their fate, but the chance was clearly against me.

    One second, I tough suddenly getting an idea, the problem is that I am alone while those Republican soldiers are at least a thousand. The only solution would be to impress them so much that they surrender immediately without a fight. Something very unlikely as they were in the predominant numerical advantage. However…

    Immediately, I concentrated my magic, trying to give it the shape I wanted. It took me a few seconds, but in the end, I managed to create a small soldier figure no more than eight centimeters high.

    "Command me, sir!" the little soldier saluted.

    ...what if I am not alone? I finished thinking with a smirk.



    In this Earth, like in the Earth of my old life, artillery had undergone several revisions with the march of technology. At the beginning of their history, in fact, the cannons were raw and ineffective siege weapons, which more often exploded rather than shoot, unable to compete seriously with catapults or trebuchets. Then, with time, the cannons had evolved, ending up becoming the terrible weapons capable of destroying entire fortresses with few, precise blows.

    Yet, despite their remarkable progress and developments, the cannons had preserved some precious weaknesses of the past.

    The main one was that, since the cannons were fixed weapons, they could not move when they were in a position of fire. This meant that anything fast and powerful enough to destroy a cannon and avoid being hit had a good chance of annihilate it.

    Like a wizard.

    While taking aim against the position of enemy guns, I mentally reviewed the prayers I had read in my subsistence Bible (part of the mandatory equipment), looking for a prayer powerful enough to empower Orb.

    I didn't have many chances: if my plan failed, I would have found myself alone facing an entire enemy division with lots of wizards and artillery, which probably would have had a sad ending for me.

    I took a deep breath, and began to sing my homily.

    "Oh God, I praise you.
    Do not be silent.
    Wicked people and liars have spoken against me;
    they have told lies about me.
    They have said hateful things about me
    and attack me for no reason.
    They attacked me, even though I loved them
    and prayed for them.
    I was good to them, but they repay me with evil.
    I loved them, but they hate me in return."
    ​
    Immediately, I began to feel the magical energy of mana flowing through my veins.
    "They say about me, "Have an evil person work against him,
    and let an accuser stand against him.
    When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
    and let even his prayers show his guilt."
    ​
    Carefully, I took aim so the gunmetal of my rifle was perfectly aligned with its target: a large Republican cannon, surrounded by about twenty soldiers.

    "Let his life be cut short,
    and let another man replace him as leader.
    Let his children become orphans
    and his wife a widow."
    ​
    The magical energy charged trough me, and I knew, without checking it, that my eyes were once again glowing golden.

    " Make his children wander around, begging for food.
    Let them be forced out of the ruins in which they live.
    Let the people to whom he owes money take everything he owns,
    and let strangers steal everything he has worked for."
    ​
    My hand was now on the trigger of the rifle, the thumb ready to fire.

    " Let no one show him love
    or have mercy on his orphaned children.
    Let all his descendants die
    and be forgotten by those who live after him.
    Lord, remember how wicked his ancestors were,
    and don't let the sins of his mother be wiped out.
    Lord, always remember their sins.
    Then make people forget about them completely."
    ​
    My own rifle now was glowing with burning light. And I knew, without needing to see, that the strike effects would have been tremendous.

    "He did not remember to be loving.
    He hurt the poor, the needy, and those who were sad
    until they were nearly dead.
    He loved to put curses on others,
    so let those same curses fall on him.
    He did not like to bless others,
    so do not let good things happen to him.
    He cursed others as often as he wore clothes.
    Cursing others filled his body and his life,
    like drinking water and using olive oil.
    So let curses cover him like clothes
    and wrap around him like a belt."
    ​
    Focusing on the aim and the power of the strike, I took one last look at the position I was about to reduce in ashes. I saw the soldiers moving frantically to recharge the big gun, in an attempt to shoot once again.

    Unluckily for them, I was going to shot first.

    "May the Lord do these things to those who accuse me,
    to those who speak evil against me."
    ​
    I pulled the trigger. In less than a second, a magical-enhanced bullet with high explosive potential flew out of the gun of my rifle and into the Republican's cannon. The Republican's soldier had a few instants to notice something coming toward them before realizing it was too late for doing something, and that they were going to die.

    When my magic bullet hit its target, there was a blinding light so strong that, if I had not looked away immediately I would have gone blind. Then, the thunder followed the lightning, and a big roar came to my ears.

    When I finally opened my eyes again, after a few seconds of disturbing silence, the first thing I was able to see was a haunting black cloud, in shape of a mushroom, emerging from the position where the Republican's cannon was a few minutes ago.

    Very well, I thought by myself, time for the second act of the drama.

    I got up from the ground, raising up to a hundred meters of altitude, and I came closer to the remains of the Republican's position. As I approached, I saw the damage that my blow had caused.

    The Republican's cannon was no more: only a twisted pile of ferrous scrap proved that it was there before. Around it, a dozen of Republican soldiers still alive (probably rescuers who came to help their unfortunate companions) were trying to rescue the bodies of the soldiers who had died in the explosion. Above them, a company of Republican's wizard were guarding the position, on alert against new possible enemies strike.

    "A-hem!" I exclaimed, trying to gain the attention of the Republicans.

    Some of them, apparently the one who had managed to hear my words, quickly looked in my directions, soon followed by the others.

    "You!" a young Republican wizard with red hair said with a snarl, "You did this!"

    "Yep!" I said, gleaming "That was my shot. I'm sorry for your friends over the rubble, but I needed you to stop the attack and pay attention to me!"

    "You are going to die for this!"

    "Me?" I replied, faking innocence "I am here just to ask yourself to stop the attack and surrender to our forces..." I smirked.

    "What? Surrender…to you? And why by God should we do such a madness?"

    In response, I clapped my hands. It was a signal for my wizard-holograms to appear.

    They came out of the black smoke of the explosion, every one of them with a rifle pointed at the republicans and seemly ready to shot. I knew that the Republicans saw them as soon as they gasped in disbelief, seeing almost a hundred of Imperial wizards descending from the sky.

    "As you can see, I am not alone," I said trying to appear as secure as possible "Now, I would like to offer to you the chance to surrender. Do it, and you will live. Otherwise, we will be more than happy to kill you all!"

    The moment was fraught with tension, for both sides. Inside me, I was dying of fear: if the Republicans had decided not to surrender, or one of them had shot one of my hologram soldiers and discovered my trick ... I would have found myself alone a few meters from a whole team of enemy wizards. In other words, I would have been toast.

    The Republican magician with whom I had spoken headed towards another wizard, whom, I assumed, was his direct superior (a sergeant, or maybe even a Lieutenant, like me). I saw them arguing nervously, and then the other magician headed for a lower point, probably looking for the commander of the attack force.

    In silence, I gritted my teeth, trying to concentrate, as my spell lost no power. If one of my soldiers vibrated or his image was deformed, the enemy would understand everything.

    Five, ten, maybe fifteen minutes passed. Then, I saw the magician first fly back to ground level, accompanied by a man in a clean blue uniform with a red hat, which I had to assume was the force commander who had attacked our ally fort.

    The man waved me down, so I lowered myself. Slowly, so as not to distract me from the spell.

    "Greetings" said the human officer as soon as my feet touched the soil once again "You must be the gentleman who blow up our main cannon…"

    "Second Lieutenant Frederick König. Yes that is me," I said, saluting, as to give respect to my enemy "And you are the commander in charge of the Republican forces who were besieging my friend, mister…"

    "Lieutenant Colonel Charles de Gaulle" he responded, saluting me in return "It is comforting to know that, despite the ongoing war between our nations, there are still individuals who know how to stay cool and act rationally. A bloodthirsty officer in his place would have already ordered his soldiers to attack and exterminate us."

    I smiled, trying desperately to not show any sign of my nervousness.

    "If I may say so, monsieur de Gaulle" I replied extending my arm as to shake hands with him "war is the most important place where we must maintain our values of chivalry and honor. With our nations and our loyalties removed, we are both human beings with brains, emotions and feelings. The same God has created us both. Why give up our humanity in the name of hatred?"

    The republican officer stood silent for a couple of second, before resuming talking.

    "Very wise and interesting words. From a very young-looking officer too!" he said shaking my hand with a bittersweet smile "I must say that it is an honor to meet you in person, Herr König!"

    "Oh, so I must assume you have already heard of myself?" I said, wondering how.

    "Every soldier in the Republican army has heard about you, as well as his kind friend Tanya Degurechaff" De Gaulle replied "Nevertheless, I am surprised by your kindness and calmness: from the voices I heard about you, I imagined you as a terrible and very rigid officer."

    "Oh" I said, faking surprise "Your reports were… greatly exaggerated!"

    He laughed and I did too. Funny how I was able to show as I was enjoying that moment, while inside me, I was trembling with fear…

    "Well" De Gaulle said, putting an hand over his hat "I suppose we have now to discuss our surrender…" he almost spite the word "surrender".

    It was clear he did not liked the idea of surrendering.



    The negotiations for the surrender of De Gaulle and his men were fast enough, and I was happy, because every second that I had to keep the spell active was for me extra fatigue. Fortunately (for me) De Gaulle was a fairly reasonable man: eventually, he agreed to an immediate surrender in exchange for him and his men being treated humanely.

    He was also going to offer me his sword, but I refused it.

    "Why?" he asked me when I gave it back to him "It's a tradition that, when an officer surrender, he always give his personal weapon to the officer which he surrender to."

    "Sir" I said, recognizing his rank as a fellow officer "You are a brave and courageous man who fought valiantly for his country. I'm letting have you sword because you are a worthy opponent for us"

    In truth, I was letting him having his sword for different reasons than honor: my generous terms of surrender and the kindness I had shown were nothing more than a trick to earn the respect of De Gaulle and his soldiers. In this way, I would have had more hope that they would have remained good in the prisoner camp, as they would not have attempted useless escapes.

    Moreover, a further boost of prestige could have been very useful to me.

    "By the way" I asked to De Gaulle as soon as he put his sword back into its place "do you have some imperial prisoners with you?"

    "Well, yes. Some soldiers who we managed to capture before starting to besiege the fort. Why do you ask?"

    "Because I would like for you to free them and sent them back to the fort so they can hear of your surrender and come out"

    "I am sorry, but why did you not sent one of you wizard?"

    I looked back, once again careful to not show my nervousness. The hologram-wizards were able to talk, but I had to make them say something. Without me directing them, their speeches would have empties, and if the Republicans noticed it… well, they were still armed and ready to fight.

    "My wizards could do it. However, I would prefer that you still sent those prisoners, because they are known to the Imperial Soldiers inside the fort. Seeing them will give them a glimpse of joy."

    De Gaulle looked thoughtful for a couple of seconds. For once, I would have liked to hear what he was thinking, because it would have been very useful… for me, of course.

    "Well, I can agree on that. Sergeant!" he suddenly shouted.

    Suddenly, a sergeant in the blue inform of the Republican Army appeared to my left.

    "Yes sir?" he said in an almost melancholic tone. Apparently, De Gaulle was not the only one who did not liked the idea of surrender.

    "Go to take the prisoner and set them free. Let them go to the fort and rejoice with their comrades."

    "Yes sir!" he said, in the same tone as before.

    "Looks like you do not like the idea of surrendering too much" I said to the Gaulle once the sergeant was gone.

    "Herr Frederick, can I be franc with you?"

    "Sure. What is it?"

    De Gaulle took something outside of his flank. It took me three second before I realized it was a gun.

    "When my higher-ups officer gave me command of this unit, they told me that surrendering to the Imperials like you is not an option. They instructed me to take my own life in case something like this should have happened. I did not disobeyed to them because of cowardice of fear of dying. I did it just because you came numerous," he said, looking at my hologram-wizards "and I wanted to give my underling a chance of survive this blasted war. If you would have come with a less numerous force, I would have surely…"

    "Lieutenant?" I hear a couple of voice came from behind me.

    I turned, and for the first time since the mission had begun, I gave myself the luxury of experiencing true joy

    "Tragen, Hana! I am happy to see you…"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 43: Back in Action
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 43: Back in Action​



    I sat on a large stone, probably coming from a wall of the fort that was now partially demolished. I had a flask in my hand, and from time to time, I drank a generous sip. I did not know exactly whom the flask was, let alone if it was really water that I was drinking but I did not care. I was very thirsty, because of the great energies used for the holographic spell of before, and my dry throat was not in a position to be picky.

    In front of me, there was a man in full uniform of the imperial army (but dirty with mud and blood), who had identified himself as Colonel August Gerstenberg, effective commander of the imperial forces currently trapped in the fort. He had a tough but friendly face, similar to an old man's, and he listened to my story almost without answering.

    "…almost unbelievable!" he laughed, pouring itself a small glass of alcohol "So, you are telling me that…"

    "Yes, colonel" I interrupted him "When I saw the Republican forces besieging your fort, I knew I could not turn my back on my fellow comrades. However, I had no way to fight them on my own. Therefore, my only hope was for them to surrender without even trying to fight. And the only way for them to do that, was to give such a show of strength that they would be too terrified to attack…"

    "And you did this by making…illusions of soldiers?"

    "I prefer to call them holographic motion-image of support" I said, taking another sip from the flask "And they are nothing extraordinary: many wizards have already made use of them in previous operations ..."

    "But not like you" he said, smiling "No wizard has ever thought of making such extensive use of it!"

    That is right, I though within myself, and for a good reason: it requires an enormous potential of magic, an uncommon concentration and the ability to act and behave normally despite the crushing effort. If I had not had a sufficiently large magic reserve...

    "Well, sir; I had few options to choose, so I decided to make one new myself!"

    "And it worked: you fooled every one of them!"

    "Well yes, by the way, how are the prisoners behaving for now?"

    As soon as the Republican soldiers had surrendered, I had been very far-sighted to ensure that all their weapons were seized and Imperial forces from the fort were rushed to the Republican positions.

    This is because I wanted the Republican soldiers to be put in the inability to rebel, before dissolving my spell.

    In fact, there were several Republican soldiers who, when they saw my "division" dissolve in the air, realized that they had been cheated and rebelled to take up arms. Fortunately, the imperial soldiers, armed and alert, had easily suppressed the insurgency. Even the Republican magicians, reduced to impotence thanks to anti-magical countermeasures, were forced after vain efforts to accept the reality, and to have been deceived.

    Curiously, de Gaulle did not attempted to raise back his troops. When my hologram soldiers vanished, he was astonished for a few seconds before lowering his eyes in shame. He understood what had happened, but he knew that there was no way to rebel.

    "Pretty good, at least for the moment. As you can imagine, discovering that you have surrendered to one officer and not a whole division of enemy magicians can cause a great deal of discontent among the soldiers. We have had three cases of rebellion, and one case of attempted escape. but most of the prisoners, apart from the understandable animosity, remain calm. I believe that the fact that their chief officer did not attempt to oppose new resistance weighed on the question..."

    "Do you believe that, since they surrendered practically of their own, we could give preferential prisoner treatment?"

    Colonel Gerstenberg tough about it for a couple of second "I do not know. Personally, I would not even think to give them water or food…"

    "What?" I said, baffled "Why?"

    "Because they are enemies, Lieutenant. They wanted to occupy this fort and slaughter me and most of my soldiers. They did not wanted to give us any grace, so why we should give it to them?"

    "Because we are better than them!"

    "Eh?, Would you care to explain to me?"

    "Yes sir!" I said, raising on foot "As you know, sir, we as Imperial are, by definition, a better people than them, right? So, cannot we demonstrate our superiority not only through the superiority of our firepower and the efficiency of our army, but even thought our superior moral highnesses?"

    The colonel looked at me for a few more seconds, without saying a word. I was starting to get nervous, because I was afraid I had said something wrong. Something that could have serious consequences for me and my career.

    "Our superior moral highnesses" the colonel spoke up.

    "Yes sir?"

    "Would you care to explain that?"

    I nodded, before unhooking my belt and place it in front of him.

    "Lieutenant, why did you…"

    "You remember the sentence that is written here, on the buckle of our belts?"

    The colonel took the belt and looked at its buckle.

    "It says Gott Mitt Uns, God is with us"

    "So" I said taking back my belt and placing it in its proper place "If we are really God's favorite people, why cannot we act as we are? We are descendants of the ancient knights who protected villages from dragons and other monstrous creatures; and the first virtue of a knight is courtesy. Why behave like bloodthirsty barbaric peoples?"

    The colonel nodded "Very interesting, young boy. It is not very common to see a young officer who still believes to these virtues. You are very rare!"

    Well, I suppose that is true, I thought in my mind, but this is not virtue. This is madness.

    "Well" the colonel said, raising from his sitting place "I must say, in a different I would surely have reported these words of yours to the first member of the military police I would have meet…"

    I suddenly stopped thinking, my mind filling with fear. Had I taken the longest stride in my leg? Had I inadvertently destroyed my chances for a further promotion? I froze with fear.

    "… However, you are the officer who saved my men and me. And what you are saying is the truth, even if it could sound different to an ignorant ear. So, I'll take your words by heart, and I'll treasure them!"

    "Thank you sir!" I said, lowering my head in sign of respect.

    After taking my leave of the colonel, I headed for the lower floors of the fortress in search of my companions. As I watched what was happening around me, I could not help but notice how everything inside the fort proved the battle that had just ended for my intervention.

    There were patches of blood scattered on the floor, the smell of gunpowder and painkillers, to remind myself that I was still involved in a war and that this had not yet ended.

    Next to a large fortress cannon, surrounded by a large team of employees, there were Hana and Tragen, who were discussing something with a low voice. Intrigued, I approached, hoping not to be noticed.

    Unfortunately, an officer in uniform is easily recognizable. Moreover, if his uniform is still clean and free of blood stains. Some soldiers immediately turned their heads to see me, and their sudden movement caught the attention of others.

    "Lieutenant!" Hana said, saluting me "What are your orders?"

    "Orders?" I said, saluting in turn "My first order is for you to tell me exactly what had happened after our little… separation…"

    "Sir" she tried to speak while standing still in attention "After the plane was…shot down, I and Tragen here tried to follow you, but we landed in a different than we were trying to. And then, a sudden attack of an enemy patrol forced us to retire…"

    "And what about the others?" I asked.

    "Christel and the others landed a few kilometers from here. Still, we had the luck to get in touch with each other and coordinate to meet here…"

    "Wait, are you telling me… the others are here?"

    "Not everyone" said Tragen with a sad tone.

    "What do you mean?"

    "The two young recruits sir" spoke up Christel, appearing from behind me "They are dead."

    For a couple of second nobody said anything. Actually, I did not realized what really has happened, until my brain processed the information.

    "What? How is that possible?"

    "Sir, we…"

    "How? Is that? Possible?" I spoke up again, looking at them with angry eyes.

    "The Republicans, sir" spoke again Tragen, looking down "We had a bad meeting with them in the forest. They ambushed us. We managed to kill three of them, but… they were too numerous."

    "And the recruits?"

    "Hauser was shot first by the republican, while Egner was shot during the battle. WE had no choice…"

    "Are you sure they are dead? Like, have you seen their bodies no more moving after being shot?"

    "Well, sir, we… no. We did not checked if they were really dead. But we had no time to stay and check…"

    "Then, we can assume there is the possibility that they were taken alive, as prisoners?"

    "Sir, I do not know. Maybe…"

    I looked at him.

    "Well, maybe yes"

    "Then, we have another objective for our mission: determinate if our young comrades have effectively died or we can still try and rescue them. Hana!"

    "Yes sir?"

    "How much time do we have to wait before returning to our original mission?"

    "Sir, I spoke up with a couple of officers. They told me that they would immediately provide us with supplies of arms and ammunition for the mission, but that they could not lend us food or medical supplies because of their scarcity."

    This means that we should be careful not to cause serious injuries or to lose ourselves, because we will have nothing to eat or to cure ourselves, I thought in a melancholic note.

    "And for the weapons, they agreed to give us something to blow up the fort?" I said, looking at Hana.

    "Something to blow up the fort? But… did not they give us a bomb, sir?" Tragen asked in turn.

    "Yeah, but did you remember to take that from the plane before it exploded? Did you remembered?".

    I was expecting an awkward silence, or a simple "no". However, Tragen's answer left me completely blown away.

    "Actually sir, I got it off…"

    So he said, and pulled out the black cylinder with the high explosive potential that was supposed to destroy the enemy refueling deposit.

    I looked at it with wide eyes, almost unable even to think.

    Almost.

    "How… how did you manage to save it?" I asked dumbfolded.

    "Sir, I… I took it. Just before launching myself from the plane in attempt to follow you, I grabbed it and took it with me. It was the only thing I was able to save, thought…"

    I looked at him. Tragen did something very heroic, something that could have him killed, just in order to save the mission.

    "Sergeant Tragen?"

    "Yes sir?" he said, suddenly standing still.

    "Remember to recommend you for an award, when we return to the base," I said smiling to him.

    He smiled in turn "Yes sir!"



    A couple of hours later, my team and I were proceeding with our mission. We advanced flying almost low to avoid being intercepted, and we remained alert in the event of possible encounters with other Republican troops.

    The first to advance was Tragen, with the rifle ready to fire. Behind him came Hana and Christel, and then came Stauffer and finally I. Like the leader of a wolf pack, I was the last in order to take care of my team.

    "Lieutenant?" asked Stauffer, a couple of meter in front of me.

    "Yes, what is it?"

    "I wanted to ask you a little question. Can I?"

    "Uh, sure. What do you wanted to ask?"

    "I wanted to know… if by chance our young recruits are still alive and we find the location where they are kept…"

    "Our mission is to destroy the enemy deposit. This is our primary objective. We cannot diverge from our mission to accomplish secondary goals, even if this means let our comrades into enemy' hands."

    "Oh" he said, "I guess then…"

    "Still, do not worry" I said, trying to cheer him up "If we get the chance to find out where our allies are kept, we can always try and rescue them once we have accomplished our primary objective. Or do it at the same time!"

    "Sir, you really would do this?"

    "Sure. They are our comrades, and the Imperial Army does not leave anyone behind. Even if we do not have the chance to rescue them, we can still give our command the information needed for them to assembly a search team and go to rescue them…"

    Stauffer smiled. This puzzled me, so I decided to investigate.

    "Tell me, Stauffer, why did you asked? Do you have some interest into seeing our young recruits saved and once again with us?"

    "Well… yes. Kind of" he said, in an evasive tone.

    I already knew, from his tone of voice, that he was not telling me the truth. There was something he was keeping from me, and I was determined to find out. Not now, however.

    "Sir? Sir!" said Tragen, signaling toward me.

    Quickly, I hurried forward "Tragen, what is happening?"

    "There is something in front of us, blocking our way?"

    "Is that a republican fort or something?"

    "No, sir! It does not look like a fort of the republicans…"

    "And what it looks alike?"

    "Better if you watch it yourself, sir…"

    With a sigh of frustration, I took the binoculars from his hands and looked through it, in order to see what he was…

    Oh dear…
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Is it the crucified or exposed corpses of the recruits and other pow? Is it a big board with the words "ur mom gay" in Germany? Is it Dio BRANDO!?

    Probably not the last one. But seriously, what is it?
     
    Tanya having her quality time with the Republic... or worse, Tanya is wearing that childish dress and having fun with the Republican soldiers.

    As in torturing them while laughing out loud.
     
    An interesting story so far, but honestly, I don't see General War being any better then Being X.

    Also I was slightly disappointing with the testing arc. I was hoping we would get to see Fredrick explore somethings on the technical side when he tore apart the doctors design and explained in detail why it wasn't working without a literal miracle.
     
    Jetsmillion said:
    An interesting story so far, but honestly, I don't see General War being any better then Being X.

    Also I was slightly disappointing with the testing arc. I was hoping we would get to see Fredrick explore somethings on the technical side when he tore apart the doctors design and explained in detail why it wasn't working without a literal miracle.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    If you have suggestions for the story, I am always open to listen to them! :)
     
    Trunko said:
    If you have suggestions for the story, I am always open to listen to them! :)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Well, Fred was originally IT, so I was hoping that he would get some chance to put that skill to work. The only thing in this world that would real fit is the magic tech. I don't expect anything revolutionary at this point, but even devising some simple support tech based on the current magic tech would be interesting and useful.
     
    Jetsmillion said:
    Well, Fred was originally IT, so I was hoping that he would get some chance to put that skill to work. The only thing in this world that would real fit is the magic tech. I don't expect anything revolutionary at this point, but even devising some simple support tech based on the current magic tech would be interesting and useful.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Well, you are right. Would you like to start a discussion about this? I would like very much to hear your ideas...
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top