by Carlo Zen
Both Weiss and Serebryakov have gotten quite proficient in cumbersome post-combat reports under Tanya. Well, it was mainly a matter of increasing the types of forms they could fill in so they got used to producing a large number of various patterns, but still.
“Grantz is staying behind, so we’ll leave it up to him.”
“…Understood.” Grantz responded gloomily to Weiss, like an officer who had just been given hopeless combat orders.
He’s so wet behind the ears. As far as Tanya can tell, it’s not that he doesn’t have aptitude…just that he’s missing the concept of working efficiently.
Should he be praised as an earnest youth or cursed as clumsy? No, frankly, he’s just inept as far as administrative work goes. If Tanya had her way, she would like to get a veteran with the know-how, but…people are scarce.
Since she has no choice but to use who she has, all she can do is encourage Grantz.
“Be glad you’ve grown as an officer to the point where you can be entrusted with the rest of the work!”
“Th-thank you!”
She doesn’t really get paid quite enough to play the part of the hard-ass superior with a kind heart, but keeping her own workload from increasing is another reason for Tanya to train Grantz into someone she can use, so she cheers him on with an I’m counting on you.
Then she announces that she’s heading to the commanders meeting, manages to find a way to get her oversize hat neatly on top of her head, and has a brief word with her adjutant as she accepts her bag from her. “Lieutenant Serebryakov, do you have a moment?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Lieutenant Grantz isn’t as good at this sort of work as you. When you get back from the party, don’t help him.” Tanya tells her she must be tired and that she should get whatever rest she needs after meeting with the fighter wing.
“Understood, Major, but may I ask why? If Captain Weiss and I don’t help him…I have the feeling he’ll have to stay up all night.”
“That’s fine. Lieutenant Serebryakov, this sounds like something an old person would say, and I don’t really like the words as such, but…young people should be made to suffer.”
“Huh?”
At the point Serebryakov repeats, “Y-young people must…suffer?” back at her with an uncomprehending look, it hits Tanya. Ah, she probably thinks I’m the type to force my subordinates to believe that all you need is grit. I spooked her. She realizes she needs to explain.
“…Don’t look at me like that. It’s not like I’m saying where there’s a will, there’s a way.” She smiles and reassures Serebryakov that it’s precisely because they’re an investigative research unit that they are allowed to make mistakes. “The experience of failure is essential in improving coping ability. If we don’t kick Grantz into a bit of a ravine while we have the flexibility to deal with it now, who knows when we’ll get another chance?”
“Oh yes, I see what you mean.”
“I’m delighted to have this freedom to cultivate my men. Oh, and I should mention, Lieutenant, that this get-together with the 103rd Fighter Wing isn’t going to be easy. Since we report directly to the General Staff, our command chain is too different from theirs. I want to take good care of our lateral relationships.”
Lamenting that they must always be tossed from one front to another, Tanya adds that on the battlefield, the bonds you can trust the most are those of friendship.
“You’re right. On the Rhine front, we all knew one another.”
“As we experienced in Norden, we’re the parachute for when things go wrong. I don’t want to be the ones with the short end of the stick, and I don’t want to screw up due to poor coordination.”
“Yes, ma’am. Leave it to us.”
Tanya pats Serebryakov’s shoulder with a “Go get ’em” and whispers to Weiss, who is standing next to her. “Captain Weiss, take Lieutenant Serebryakov and pay them a nice visit. They don’t like being interviewed, but she’s a veteran of the Rhine and cute besides.”
Other units hate the investigation groups because they are always trying to conduct pointless interviews when everyone is busy. Well, duh. Consultants tend to make mistakes. Some of them can actually do the work, but there are way too many who get paid to spout impracticable bullshit.
If you cooperate with the interview and the results get twisted and a patchwork collage of cherry-picked quotes is presented as some kind of conclusion, it’s no wonder no one wants to participate.
But Tanya has to take it seriously.
“We’ve been charged with the big job of combat skill research. Data, Captain. I want you to get data from the field, no matter what it takes.”
What happened is that when she took advantage of the inquiry they conducted on her to tell Lieutenant General von Zettour she wanted to work in the rear, she’d been denied the placement. That said, Tanya isn’t too upset about that. She knew it would be difficult to get stationed in the rear.
The compromise was a temporary assignment to the less harsh western lines. On the whole, she’s satisfied with this. Happiest of all, their mission is combat skill research. And she was promised that after the duration has elapsed, her results will determine where she gets sent next.
Which is why Tanya is instructing Weiss so earnestly: I need you to do a good job.
“Teach them that we’re better interviewers than those idiots in the rear. Tell them we require data for analysis based on reality.”
The men in the fray have a tendency to be skeptical of the ability of those in the rear to do a proper survey.
And understandably so. I’ve read articles on the trends and omissions in the business models consultants recommend, and they were spot-on. Most of them basically just unquestioningly evangelize popular models. The army’s investigation teams have a hard time escaping that bad reputation.
Furthermore, people who don’t know what it’s like in the field can’t understand voices from it. Sadly, there are too many good-for-nothings who convince themselves that it can’t be true and analyze war regardless.
“Of course, with your quick wits, I have high expectations.”
“Ha-ha, you flatter me, ma’am. But thank you.”
“I’m serious. Looking forward to your report.”
Between talented, respectful professionals and guys with big heads, there are some things only the former understand. That’s why she’s sending two soldiers with combat experience going back to the Rhine front to socialize and exchange information.
Tanya genuinely feels that if anyone can do it, Weiss can. He and Serebryakov are sure to be able to do a proper survey.
Combat commanders don’t have a moment to waste, so they get right to the point. Since time is finite, they can dispense with politeness, and their topic of discussion is the confirmed newcomers.
“To sum up what we know, it seems a regiment-size voluntary force of mages is being deployed with some degree of rapidity.”
“Nationality?”
Pressed for an explanation, a specialist elaborates on a serpentine legal argument, to which Tanya listens with great interest, hmming, but the other officers take it poorly.
And in conclusion? They urge him on, and he exhibits that hesitation unique to someone trying to evade blame two or three times before finally spitting it out. “They appear to be citizens of the Unified States under Commonwealth command.”
“So? What’s important to us is which army they belong to. Are they Unified States Army or Commonwealth Army?”
As soldiers, the commanders have to be most interested in whether the mages can be considered enemies under the rules of engagement.
“…According to precedent and legal principle, they could be seen as enlisted in a country’s regular military. So if they take orders from the Commonwealth, then they aren’t Unified States Army,” the legal specialist responds timidly, suddenly the focus of attention.
With the comment that troops obeying military orders from the Commonwealth can be conside
red Commonwealth Army, the combat commanders murmur, It’s decided, then.
But the legal specialists seem to have something they are hesitating to say. Realizing it would be unwise to miss hearing the experts’ concerns, Tanya asks for additional explanation to keep the conversation flowing.
The officer nods numerous times as if to thank her, but then brings up a worry that is out of the blue even for Tanya: regulations regarding the treatment of prisoners.
Basically, the Empire isn’t at war with the Unified States, so the rules aren’t clear about how to handle prisoners.
But as far as Tanya knows, nationality is based not on the soldiers’ heritage but their military affiliation.
The French Foreign Legion had French soldiers who were not from France. Or what about American green-card soldiers? They’re also legally American soldiers.
“Are you saying we should be careful taking prisoners because the terms are vague? Could you explain why we can’t just treat them as Commonwealth soldiers?”
In order to not get caught up in a war-crime mess, Tanya adheres as best she can to the law.
Which is precisely why she’s not satisfied with their response.
Not that there haven’t been times when nationality became an issue, but…honestly, in this situation, she can’t see why country of origin need be taken into account.
“As far as I know, as long as someone meets the four qualifications of belligerents, their nationality doesn’t matter. If they were irregular combatants, then the question would come up, but…”
Tanya’s doubt is a sensible one about the rules and regulations of war. Under her expectant gaze, the expert glances around, seeking help for just a moment before letting a resigned sigh slip out. “The Unified States’ official stance…is that although we’re not actually at war, they’d like to send in a humanitarian watch group to collect info on prisoners and injured from both sides.”
It’s a pretext that rightly causes everyone in the meeting to smirk.
“Well, that’s the definition of shameless. Are they serious?”
“Hmm! That’s the question, isn’t it?”
They couldn’t help but be a bit disparaging in their exchange—because surely the States were kidding. It’s such an absurd reason even Tanya finds herself casting aspersions. Sending in a humanitarian watch group to protect your citizens when the two countries aren’t even at war?
I’m pretty sure it’s the embassy’s job to take care of their citizens.
And boy, a neutral country that dispatches personnel who get caught by a warring state and then butts in because they’re our citizens is neutral in an awfully technical sense of the word.
I’m sure this neutral state is as “kind” as Stalin,14 as much of an “honest broker” as Bismarck,15 and as “good” as Fouché,16 the bastards.
“It’s a proposal that’s got our dear General Staff officers grinding their teeth. They’re essentially declaring an intervention. It’s definitely fishy.”
“An enemy has arrived. Isn’t that all that matters for our job?”
“Without a doubt.”
The wryly smiling officers prefer a simple narrative: All we have to do is shoot them. Ignoring the dejected legal specialists, they begin to get excited about just whacking the newcomers as enemies.
And actually, Tanya admits that they have a point. Shoot the enemy. No further argument is needed, and their belief that other arguments shouldn’t even be broached speaks to their faithfulness to their duty.
They are soldiers and warriors.
“Well, politics is for the bigwigs and the government to handle. It’s not clear when the Supreme Command will have a decision, but we need to take care of the enemies in front of us.”
Some voices hear-hear, but Tanya furrows her brow.
The view of the Imperial Army combat commanders in the west is correct for someone in the field. The problem is that as far as Tanya knows, awakening the Unified States would be a bad idea. She can understand the General Staff’s delicate, we don’t want to provoke them stance to a painful degree.
No, understanding it doesn’t make her feel better. But she can’t approve of dragging a political mess onto the battlefield.
“Can we declare them enemies? Don’t you think if we engage, the fact that the imperials attacked first would be used as anti-Empire propaganda for the public in neutral countries and the Unified States?”
Tanya points out the possibility in spite of herself, her tone urging caution. Thinking of Churchill hoping for a Pearl Harbor, it’s simple. The Commonwealth, and of course the Entente Alliance, the Grand Duchy, the Republic—all the countries fighting against the Empire—are all fervently hoping the Unified States will intervene.
So surely you can say they are desperate for any excuse.
“It’s a tricky situation, huh?”
“But conversely, couldn’t we take advantage of it, too? If one of ours was dropped by those pests, we could bang down the embassy’s door about the unfortunate victim.”
It’s only natural that some of them would start to say, Well, if the enemy can do it, why can’t we?
But perhaps it should be said.
No decent commander has a mental makeup that would allow for such a victim.
…At least, not at this point.
“That’s about enough of that. The slightly stronger language was inappropriate.”
Several people’s comments, that it wouldn’t do to count their subordinates as statistics, spoke to the prevailing view.
“Commanders in the field don’t need to be thinking about that. All we need is the fact that there is a regiment of aerial mages under Commonwealth command out there trying to keep us from securing air supremacy.”
“So then?”
“No changes. Tomorrow and thereafter, we follow the same plan we had and continue the annihilation battle. But increase the expected enemy count. We need to be aware of the worst-case possibility that there are Unified States voluntary forces.”
In the end, they decide we’ll handle things with the understanding that there are newcomers to the battlefield—a boring, exceedingly admin notice–like conclusion.
“Overall, I have no objections, but may I say one thing?”
“What is it, Major von Degurechaff?”
“This is a suggestion, since we’re the investigative research unit under the General Staff, but couldn’t we prioritize taking out the Unified States’ voluntary army?”
“…You mean take the initiative and go after it?”
Yes. She nods and continues. “We’re not familiar with that country’s doctrine. It would be good to check them out and collect some data.”
Actually, the usage of mage units is quite different among countries. Since the Rhine, the Imperial Army’s mage policy has progressed from using them as support for infantry to using them on their own more often, but the Republican Army has always been using mages for strikes in special units.
In the Entente Alliance, which isn’t a very useful reference, they were all in composite units, so a lot depended on the quality and personality of the commander. But it is worth mentioning that they tended to use mages more for aerial operations. You could think of it as reinforcing their air force, which was somewhat lacking in muscle.
“What we want to know is how Commonwealth mage units are used and how they fight. So I think confirming whether the voluntary army works the same as the units we already know will be useful.”
The Imperial Army has been fighting the Commonwealth in the west and south already… They figured out, albeit belatedly, that the army and navy have very different usage patterns.
In their army, mages are assumed to work jointly with other branches of the forces as essentially flying infantry, while in the navy, they’re worked hard as an independent branch.
Which is how you get things like attack squads dispatched from submarines, boarding parties between ships, close air support for marines, and so on. Commonw
ealth marine mages are tough even individually—not the type the Imperial Army wants to wrangle with.
“It’s only natural, but I still wonder whether the voluntary forces being sent to the Commonwealth will be used according to regular Unified States doctrine.”
“Right. But I think we can expect some secondary repercussions either way.”
When Tanya gets looks that ask what specifically, she makes a definite assertion. “The Unified States is not going to declare war on the Empire in the current situation. But the facts have gradually stacked up to show that there are actors who want it to participate on the anti-Empire side.”
The Unified States will hit us eventually.
Which is why, Tanya continues.
“In that case, one way to deal with it might be to show in no uncertain terms what the result of an escalation would be.”
“That’s an idea worth considering. What do you think?”
But the officers appear unable to reply to such an abrupt request. They think for a bit.
“I believe the proposal is too politically oriented. Our strategic objective is to secure air supremacy over Dodobird Strait. We shouldn’t deviate from that. Most importantly, any proposal that would allow the Commonwealth units long stretches to recuperate would clash with our objective.”
“Mm, I think we need to consider this on the grand strategy level. If you think that we could really deter the Unified States from intervening, then Major von Degurechaff’s proposal is quite a keen insight.”
Both the for and against arguments are reasonable. It’s true that the units in the west have only been told to secure air supremacy over the strait. With those clear orders, deviation won’t be allowed.
Air superiority is essential to the strategy. The sticking point is that Degurechaff’s proposal actually has a good chance of assisting aerial battles in the west. In terms of regional air power, and especially with the not insignificant bonus of getting rid of the Unified States pest, the argument begins to heat up.
“I strongly agree with the ‘keen insight’ evaluation. If we could discourage intervention before it even begins in earnest, that would be great. I think this proposal could assist with achieving air supremacy over Dodobird Strait.”