by Carlo Zen
Let’s play.
“Yes, I need Comrade Colonel Mikel to do his best… So I’ll give him and his troops the best support possible and deploy the best reinforcements. Someone who’ll make a favorable impression on the Commonwealth would be good.”
I’ll send her lots of friends.
That lovely jokester fairy. Surely the privilege to have her was his alone, so he was so excited to trap her. He was looking forward to it so much that before he knew it…
“Well, this is no good. Now I’m all hot and bothered, and at my age.”
What a bad girl. It just builds up; it’s too much—how am I supposed to help it? What a troublemaker she is. To think I’m this excited to push her down.
[chapter] V Out of Time
OCTOBER 10, UNIFIED YEAR 1926, FEDERATION TERRITORY, NAVAL BASE
Of all the medical facilities in the Federation, the navy base ones were the most advanced, since they kept in touch with the West Side. At least, you could call them proper hospitals. They were staffed with a full complement of trained medical professionals.
And it went without saying that they paid attention to not only numbers but quality, too. As far as medicines, they were far and away the most well-stocked thanks to the drugs carried over from the West Side.
At least, unlike the exceedingly gruesome intensity of the frontline treatment environment, this place was incomparably blessed. It was a real hospital with pristine sheets, the sharp smell of disinfecting alcohol, and a properly cleaned linoleum floor.
The medical officers on the forward-most line, who were reported to be running low on medicine, had given up even dreaming about facilities like these.
But no matter how well-equipped the facilities were…
“Hey, hey, help me out! Please, I need a cardiac stimulant! Hurry!”
“Cut it out…Thomas! Jackson is already asleep!”
“Colonel Drake! You can’t be serious! Please don’t talk crazy! Jackson! Hey, Jackson! Stay with us! You’re going home, aren’t you?!”
Wartime hospitals were…hospitals.
Seeing one of his subordinate officers shouting, unable to accept the death of a lifeless young mage…he was already used to this.
What a rotten thing to get used to, lamented Lieutenant Colonel Drake internally; some part of his parched heart wanted a stiff drink as he stepped into the room.
“Hey! Examine him again!” Thomas lashed out at the Federation medic.
“B-but…”
Drake understood Thomas’s feelings to a painful degree.
Mage units were proud to have bonds as close as a family’s. No, their relationships were thicker than blood. How many officers could remain calm when losing a friend who accompanied them through thick and thin, who broke bread with them?
“Don’t die here!”
And on top of that, he recalled that Second Lieutenant Jackson was First Lieutenant Thomas’s junior by a year. They were friends since the academy—he had to put it in past tense. It was a terrible shame to Drake as well.
“Lieutenant Thomas!”
“Colonel, there must be—there must be some mistake!”
That said, this could go on only so long.
“You have lots of other fellow soldiers who need treatment. Keep it down, Lieutenant Thomas!”
“But!”
He wouldn’t call it a tantrum.
He could understand losing composure to the point of rejecting reason.
…It’s pretty hard to get used to…this.
If he hadn’t been forced to witness so many of his subordinates’ deaths that he’d become almost immune, how wonderful that would have been.
It was a horrible job and a horrible position to be in. But casualties were inevitable in war. As long as they were inevitable, officers needed to accept them as such and do what needed to be done.
“Cool it!”
He popped Thomas one and took advantage of his shock to drag him out of the room as if he was kicking out a nuisance. Luckily, it should probably be said? Some of the idiot’s friends who were worried about him picked him up.
Alcohol and time were the only things he could prescribe to fix that issue. Tonight, there was nothing to do but drink like fish. I’ll give them time to share memories of the deceased and have a good manly cry.
Drake winced a bit when he realized how much he had been drinking since the start of the war. He was always drinking in the worst way, never to enjoy it; he might as well have been drinking rubbing alcohol. At this rate, he felt like he was going to forget how to savor a good drink.
But. He returned his consciousness to reality and bowed. “I’m sorry my officer got in your way. Please examine the other injured.”
“No, it was…”
“No matter how we paint it, it’s true that he caused trouble. Please allow me to apologize.”
Drake had told his mages in no uncertain terms that they were to treat the Federation medical officers and staff with respect.
Their allies were pouring finite medical resources into them.
Bowing your head and thanking the personnel who worked so hard for you and then turning around and heaping abuse on them was wrong. Which was why Drake didn’t hesitate. He bowed deeply to the young medic Thomas had been bothering.
That was his job as the responsible party.
“Please don’t trouble yourself. Surely it’s only natural to have feelings about the loss of your subordinate.” From off to one side came a gentle soprano voice.
Considering it was a hospital, military or no, there were still enough female personnel that it wasn’t rare. Not to mention that men and women had been serving together in mage units and rear divisions for quite a while now.
The woman who had spoken was perhaps in her early twenties? With a somewhat tender look at him, she walked over. But in the uniform of a line officer…? Drake hadn’t seen her before. When he checked her rank, things felt even stranger.
Despite having drilled the ranks of the Federation forces into his brain, he didn’t recognize this armband.
Strangest of all, the moment the medic saw her coming over, he gave a parting salute and rushed off to work.
Drake knew from experience what that meant.
It was like rats escaping a ship. When trouble arrived, nimble marine mages scattered in the same way.
“Excuse me, you are?”
“I’m Liliya Ivanova Tanechka, one of the humble gofers others might call a political officer. I’m a low-ranking political commissar as well as a first lieutenant in the Federation Army. Please call me Liliya.”
A mild demeanor and polite way of speaking.
But what she was saying was very important. I never thought the day would come that we’d have anything to do with political officers or commissars or whatever.
“Humble is one I’ll have to look up in my Federation language dictionary later. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Drake of the Commonwealth’s First Expeditionary Marine Mage Force.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Colonel Drake.”
She didn’t seem at all like a mere first lieutenant, but whatever. He had orders from the fellows at home to treat political commissars not as military but as civil servants.
While he didn’t have direct experience, he’d heard more than enough rumors.
The one about them being a pain in the arse was proven by the medic who’d skittered away like a rabbit earlier. I’d really like to avoid trouble…
“Now then, I must perform my unpleasant duty.”
“Duty?”
“Oh, I suppose it’s a misleading way to put it.”
Drake braced himself, but the woman straightened up and then bowed.
“As a party member, I extend our sympathy and condolences for your sacrifice and contribution. As an individual, I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“I appreciate you saying that. With your sentiments and condolences, I feel I’ll be able to show my face to his family…despite being a good-f
or-nothing commander. Thank you.”
Then he slowly told her.
They weren’t the only ones to face that horrifying imperial mage unit, the Devil of the Rhine and her gang. The Federation Army had sacrificed many as well.
“It’s late in coming, but please accept the gratitude and respect of one Commonwealth officer for your country’s sacrifice and for fighting alongside us.”
“It’s an honor. Certainly, that’s the best farewell gift for my fallen comrades.”
Her words contained more sincerity and integrity than mere lip service.
That’s what made him hesitate.
“…This probably isn’t the sort of thing an outsider should say, but…”
“Please, anything. The Commissariat for Internal Affairs said to hear out any opinions our allies have.”
Perhaps he was careless because he was given permission?
Although the home country had told him to be careful…Drake let his request slip.
“Then one thing. I hope you won’t blame your officers too much.”
“You mean you’re putting in a good word for our comrade the colonel?”
“I don’t mean to interfere in domestic affairs, but…”
“I’m eager to hear what you have to say.”
“Colonel Mikel and the others from your nation did their very best in the fight.”
Colonel Mikel and his men had faced the Devil of the Rhine with them. Drake found himself arguing how bravely they had fought.
Frankly, he was afraid he was crossing some line in Federation culture by saying that. He was so worried he had made trouble for the men already detained that his face tensed up before he could stop it.
“The party has a philosophy of rewards and punishment. But this is war. Sadly, even doing your best doesn’t guarantee success.” She smiled at him. “Please put your mind at ease. I don’t know if it will do anything, but I’ll write a note saying our comrades’ best efforts were thought of highly by an external party.”
“To be perfectly frank, I would really appreciate that…but are you sure it’s all right?”
“All right?”
“Officer Liliya, I don’t presume to know your position in your country, but is it all right at this juncture to leave a written record that you approve of an outsider’s opinion?”
“Hee-hee-hee. Seems like your concern for me has taken a strange turn.”
She laughed peacefully in her gentle soprano.
She didn’t seem worried about herself one bit.
“I’ll be fine,” she declared with no hesitation. “Just because you did your job well doesn’t necessarily mean results will follow. Unfortunately, that goes for my country, too.”
In the bright blue eyes looking at him, unwavering, was her firm will.
“But using that as an excuse to punish someone isn’t how Communism works. You could say that defending against that is our job.”
“…Huh?”
“Oh, have you been reading imperial propaganda?” She winced and asked him not to believe it. “Unfortunately, I must say, I know much is said about the Federation and our mother party. But the truth is what you see here.” She pointed at herself and then pointed at Drake with a smile. “We’re humans, too. Do you think you could see us as your neighbors—as we are, without discrimination?”
“I misjudged you. I do feel as though I’ve met a friendly neighbor.”
He bobbed his head and was about to reach out when he finally remembered where he was. If I kiss her hand, I’ll probably get walloped.
He hadn’t been this impressed since meeting blue bloods back home. But this was the Federation. Honestly, it was hard for him to imagine that any old families remained…
Which was why he proceeded to ask her a question—he felt he was in the presence of someone quite unexpected. “By the way, do you mind? Perhaps it’s rude to say, but you seem awfully young, Officer Liliya.”
“Do I look inexperienced? I did just graduate from the academy…”
“Ah, how tactless. I shouldn’t have brought up the topic of age with a woman. How awful of me. I’m terribly ashamed.”
As he apologized, he winced inwardly that he was missing his opportunity to learn about her background.
If she was from an old family, then whether it was the Federation’s Red Army Academy or the political academy, they probably would have refused her entry based on her status.
It wasn’t as if there were no red nobles, but the name Liliya Ivanova Tanechka didn’t ring a bell. He had never even heard of the Tanechka family.
“Apparently, a man can grow coarse in the company of rowdy marine mages without even realizing. I must be crazy, asking a woman her age.” He bowed again, repeating how incredibly embarrassed he was, and looked to see how she was reacting… A wry smile.
Not irritation or confusion? Sheesh, no more probing that will only end in disgrace. Just as he was thinking how to pull as much information out of her as possible, he noticed a first lieutenant approaching.
It was Lieutenant Mary Sue.
Though she counted as Commonwealth personnel, she was actually in an Entente Alliance voluntary unit sent over from the Unified States.
They had been literally obliterated. A company of them had been attached to the RMS Queen of Anjou on a direct support mission, and the result of their second encounter with the Devil of the Rhine left the majority of them incapacitated. There were only four left.
The ones who barely survived, like Mary Sue, were just enough to form a platoon. It was utterly tragic.
“Excuse me, Colonel. About the burial…”
“Sorry, I’m a bit busy right now. Let’s talk later, Lieutenant Sue.”
Though he had allowed her to debate him on this topic a few times…he didn’t want to get into it in front of a third party.
Drake sent Political Officer Liliya an apologetic glance.
“Umm, I don’t mind. Go ahead.”
“Are you sure it’s all right?”
How annoying, he couldn’t help but think. It would have been fine if Lieutenant Sue had just taken a hint and withdrawn, but…
“I’m not so heartless that I don’t have respect for the sacrifices of people with the same aim as me. Hello, may I have your name?”
Once she bowed and set a polite introduction in motion, Drake couldn’t find an excuse to stop them.
“I’m First Lieutenant Mary Sue. I’m part of a voluntary mage battalion from the Unified States.”
“Well! So you’re not working in the rear, huh?”
The commissar expressed her surprise at meeting another woman serving on the front lines. Unable to come up with a reason to shoo her away, Drake was falling behind.
He couldn’t even find a chance to interrupt their conversation.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Liliya Ivanova Tanechka. If you like, why don’t we be friends?”
Though she held out her hand warmly, she was passionately engaged in her work. Yes, part of the political commissars’ job is negotiating between Commonwealth units and the Federation.
“But work comes first, right? Uh, let me know if I can ever be of any help.”
Faced with that smile that seemed to say, Feel free to talk to me anytime! Drake couldn’t very well pull the plug.
“Er, is that all right, Colonel Drake?”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
How much more at ease would he have felt if he could have rejected her suggestion right then? Of course, if Sue was going to hesitantly confirm with him, she could have thought about their position from the start. As Drake looked on, feeling ashamed about being unable to stop two people of delicate positions from interacting at this delicate juncture…the conversation was picking up, if nothing else.
It was too late to regret not being more forceful and driving her off from the get-go.
“So…about the location for the burial…”
As he thought, Lieutenant Sue brought up the location where they wo
uld bury their dead. To tell the truth, it was a topic Drake was rather fed up with.
“I’ve already consulted with the Federation to get space here. It should have already been allotted. Was there something wrong with it?”
“…You want to bury them here?”
This again? Drake thought as he nodded. “That’s right.”
“If it was temporary…I would understand. But Colonel Drake, to bury our dead in a foreign country would be—”
“Lieutenant, I don’t really want to say this, but it’s regulation. As a rule, we bury our war dead in the land where they died. You should know that’s standard practice for the Commonwealth, right? We can’t be causing trouble for other countries during a war.”
She had noticed the difference in values a long time ago.
Commonwealth soldiers were buried where they so bravely fell. And the official regulation stipulated that if possible, a memorial should be built on the land where they died.
Nothing more than that was permitted.
“If necessary, we can send personal articles to the rear. But generally speaking, our heroes sleep in the land where they fall.”
“With all due respect, what about their fatherland? What about letting them go home to rest?”
In response, it should be said?
Lieutenant Sue was desperate in her persistence on this point. And it was something she had in common with the other former Entente Alliance soldiers: They had a deep-seated desire to be buried in their hometowns.
If that was how they viewed life and death in the Entente Alliance, Drake wanted to respect that as much as possible, but thinking what a headache this was, he had to point out something. “You guys need to remember that you’re enlisted in the Commonwealth Army. This isn’t the sort of thing I want to say, but…I can’t have you forgetting whose forces you belong to.”
“But…our eternal resting place has to be our home.”
“I get it, but you’re being too sentimental.”
The Federation was preparing a memorial. And the regulations stipulated burial where the soldiers died. If, under those circumstances, they refused the Federation’s memorial and said they were taking their dead home, it could spark a political dispute.
Why would the Commonwealth, who usually buried its dead abroad, take their corpses home? Who knew what the international aftermath of such a thing would be?