by Carlo Zen
Tanya wonders something similar, herself.
“I feel more like they’ve pushed unwanted inventory on me. This huge thing, it shoots bullets that are only 14.5 millimeters long, but it’s single shot! You can tell me it’ll pierce a defensive shell in one hit, but how am I supposed to use it in the middle of a highly mobile battle?”
Well, it’s my job to figure that out, grumbles Tanya in her head.
Their combat skill research includes a few testing missions. She’s been asked to evaluate various pieces of equipment and items mages don’t usually use to give an idea of how they work for aerial mages in combat.
This is always how it goes, but considering they are invading enemy territory and normally there would never be any use for this sort of weapon, she does sort of feel as though they’ve just shoved inventory off on her under the pretext of reevaluation.
She’s weighed down by the ammo belt and the various attachments.
It’s a bit surreal; she feels like a cartoon in an American comic.
But this is reality. Absurdly, the weight of her gear is about the same as if she were wearing full-body armor.
But reality is even more ridiculous.
There exists a battlefield where even this much ammo will be consumed in the blink of an eye. Still, this is a bajillion times better than running out of bullets in enemy territory, so she’s compelled to urge everyone to wear even just one extra ammo belt.
And this is why Tanya has absolutely no interest in evaluating some weapon that may or may not be useful.
That said, there is one saving grace. A different sort of saving grace from the time she was test personnel on the Elinium Type 95. And that is that the weapons she is being asked to test out are existing weapons.
She really appreciates the fact that she is allowed to toss it partway through the mission. But it does feel like a waste. She’s sure that even if she can’t use it this time, there might be a chance in the future…
“…It’s a misuse of tax money and national power. I should give the government pointers on how we can use those things better. That’s something to consider later.”
She can write it after the mission in the comments section of her combat skill research report. For now, she has to prioritize evaluating anti-surface strikes.
“Major, all personnel are prepared to sortie! Everyone can move out on your orders!”
“Thanks, Lieutenant Serebryakov! Contact Control for details on the weather!”
Efficiently delegating the routine pre-sortie work, half complaining, she still laughs at how cartoonish she looks. Her bag completely packed with bullets, the anti-armor sniper rifle is longer than she is tall. They’ve been generously issued hand grenades, explosives for destroying facilities on the ground, and even small amounts of the newest shaped charges. What a fancy war we’re going to fight. She imagines the consumption of resources will be equally extravagant.
It does mean, though, that she has a lot of options, personally. It isn’t efficient overall, but the dilemma is that it’s pretty handy for those in the field. She accepts the fact with a wince and takes off on her mission.
With her, she brings the usual elite crew. The 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion heads directly through the sky to the Commonwealth mainland in order to perform their anti-surface attack mission test. But not too long after they leave, the weather seems to be taking a turn for the worse.
Tanya already regrets carrying so much equipment.
Perhaps because there isn’t enough meteorological data, the army’s weather report is hit or miss over Dodobird Strait. She was aware of that, but when the clouds, wind speed, and humidity are all worse than indicated, she has a mind to make a complaint.
“Fairy 01 to Galba Control. Fairy 01 to Galba Control. Come in!”
She calls into the static-ridden wireless over and over again, trying to get a weather update, but there’s no answer.
“It’s no good… Sferics? Either way, this connection is the worst.”
Tanya repeats her call a few more times in vain before reluctantly admitting that they are in a tough situation if they can’t even make contact with ground control.
“Fairy 02 to Fairy 01. Do you copy?”
“Just barely,” Tanya replies and consults with Weiss, who has approached to within direct conversation distance, about remedial measures they can take. It’s less a problem with their wireless units than an issue of atmospheric obstruction. There are so many clouds, and it seems liable to rain. These are the worst conditions for trying to signal.
“This is the best quality we can get just for short-distance intra-unit communications? The noise is awful. I guess long-range will be pretty useless at this rate.”
“Should we go back? Even if this weather isn’t bad enough for a no-fly warning, I wouldn’t be surprised if the operation was canceled.”
“You have a point, but…we haven’t received a cancelation order. Plus, our battalion has plenty of experience operating under radio silence. Chances are that ground control assumes we’re going ahead with the operation. If we leave now, we might confuse the others.”
It isn’t that she’s denying the conclusion of the officers on site. But Tanya has had more than enough experiences where the people on site made their own decisions, and the result was a total mess.
“Considering all we’re doing is mingling with everyone else’s wave attack and performing anti-surface strikes, we’ll just run this operation at our own pace.”
“Understood. Given the poor visibility, what if we pulled our formation in tighter and communicated more closely?”
Tanya is about to nod but thinks, Wait a minute! and interjects, “…No, we can’t do that. That would send our risk of an unexpected attack skyrocketing.”
If their formation was denser, they would be more orderly. But a well-equipped observation base with good ground facilities would be able to spot them even in this awful weather.
The Commonwealth has an extremely good reputation when it comes to wireless interception technology. She can’t allow for the risk that the enemy gets on top of them because they knew her battalion was coming.
“Hmm. Give strict orders to maintain the formation, but keep an extra eye out for enemies. Remember what happened when we ran into the Entente Alliance fleet with no warning. We can’t make the same mistake twice. Keep a careful watch. We’ll carry out the strike in combat formation.”
“Understood, Major.”
“Oh, wait. About the wireless situation. Let’s keep radio silence until we run into the enemy. The weather is bad, so I’m sure their radar is full of noise, anyhow, but…I’d rather keep things easy.”
“So we’ll work hard to make things easier? Yes, ma’am!”
Given the choice between suffering to avoid a known risk or avoiding suffering to take on a risk that could have been avoided, they choose the former. That’s the kind of training and experience the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion has amassed.
APRIL 29, UNIFIED YEAR 1926, THE COMMONWEALTH
Mary and her fellow cadets had finished their basic training and were now training with their units. For better or worse, they had a tangible sense that combat was just around the corner. They all felt, if vaguely, that the day they knew would come was on its way.
But for Mary…it came far too suddenly.
“I’ll explain our situation! Two minutes ago, the southern radar site as well as the detection line picked up an imperial aerial mage unit and a large air force unit approaching the southernmost air defense line!”
Their normally cool and collected leader read the latest report with a tense expression. When Mary’s brain comprehended the words two minutes ago, southernmost air defense line, her whole body stiffened. They’d had the airspace map pounded into them all this time.
If she remembered correctly…the only units that would make it there on time to intercept were ones like her own on standby in the rear. The enemy had already penetrated too far for the mainland
air defense units to intercept in an organized way.
“There’s no time! And this is really bad, but judging from the enemy mage signatures, there’s a good chance that they’re the Imperial Army’s most elite unit!”
That news was terrible enough that even the officers had the instinct to run for it. Really, a briefing should be conducted with more composure, but they were short on calm at the moment.
Man…, thought Mary anxiously. Then she suddenly noticed something weird—an officer was observing them from the side of the room. She didn’t recognize him, but from his insignia she could see he was a lieutenant colonel. From his uniform, he seemed to be a Commonwealth marine mage.
“What do we know about the enemy, sir?”
“It’s been tentatively identified as the Devil of the Rhine.”
“The Devil of the Rhine?”
One of the officers scrunched up his face to ask, Huh? but Mary had heard of her. It was the imperial Named who everyone had been talking about shooting down. But she never in a million years thought the mage from that discussion would suddenly show up in their airspace for a fight.
“According to the Commonwealth officer in charge of that intelligence, this Named is extremely dangerous even compared to other Named. She was first sighted in Norden. Since then, she’s been on the Rhine front, in Dacia, on the southern continent, and there are even unconfirmed whispers that she was deployed against the Federation, so she’s a seasoned vet.”
Hearsay? The officers frowned. As the tension built, the Commonwealth marine magic officer having a nonchalant smoke by the wall spoke up, somewhat aloof.
“Excuse me, may I say something?”
“And you are?”
It was a pertinent question, and the unit leader jumped in with an Oh.
“I should have introduced him sooner. This is Lieutenant Colonel Drake from the Commonwealth’s marine mage force. We’ll probably be doing joint operations for a while. If they need anything, you’re to cooperate closely with them.”
Having finally remembered to introduce the lieutenant colonel, the unit leader turned the floor over to him. Even their normally efficient leader was off today.
…It’s almost time to head into combat. It finally hit Mary how excited and nervous she was.
“As he said, I’m your liaison officer, Lieutenant Colonel Drake. I want you Unified States troops to bear in mind that…the Devil of the Rhine is a real Named who made officers and men alike tremble in fear on the Rhine front. Don’t write her off as a battlefield rumor—I hope you understand that she’s a grave threat.”
“…Colonel Drake, I didn’t expect to hear that from you. What are we dealing with?” the unit leader asked, puzzled. Her face said just as much as her mouth could have: Surely you’re overreacting.
“With all due respect, Colonel, whatever you imagine her to be, please expect worse. She’s an outstanding magic officer with both leadership skills and individual combat prowess. And her unit moves quite well, too.”
“She’s a talented commander?”
“Frankly, she can do both. The unit we’ve seen her with is a real handful. If you meet them with equal numbers, I strongly recommend taking shelter. Their combat altitude is eight thousand, and the battalion attacks in perfect order like a single organism. The tactical threat is nightmarish.”
But Drake’s answer was clear. His tone of caution with regard to the imperial Named was extremely earnest. There was no exaggeration or joke about this officer’s fear of the Devil of the Rhine.
“Colonel Drake, may I ask a question?”
“Sure, and what’s your name?”
“I’m Second Lieutenant Mary Sue, sir.”
“Go ahead, Lieutenant. What is it?”
That’s why the question came so naturally to her.
“What should we do if we can’t run away?”
“That’s a good question. Get shot down.”
Mary was starting to wonder what he meant when he continued with an, “It’s simple.
“Luckily, we’re defending the mainland. Unlike on enemy soil, friendlies can recover you. As long as you’re alive, you can heal up and rejoin the lines. So prioritize survival and gracefully take that fall. Got it?”
After he broke it down for her, she finally understood. For the Commonwealth, the sky over the Commonwealth was home field. Staying alive would be a win. Even if you crashed, if you stayed alive, you could fight another day.
“Did you hear what he said, troops? We have the advantage, since we’re intercepting!” The unit leader nodded and shouted encouragement. “Don’t forget that the people of the Commonwealth are behind us. We’ve already lost one home. Let’s not lose another one. Here, we have people who need protecting and our ally’s territory. Let’s do our best so the good people of the Commonwealth don’t laugh at us!”
““““Yes, sir!””””
“Galba Control to Fairy Battalion. Galba Control to Fairy Battalion—it’s urgent. Come in. I say again, it’s urgent. Please respond.”
“Fairy 01 to Galba Control. Contact. Reception is horrible. But it’s not bad enough that we can’t have a conversation.”
As soon as the waves are getting through, in comes a call from Control. The exchange is still filled with static, but the moment ground control finally made contact with them, Tanya is sure she heard a sigh of relief.
“Galba Control, roger. This is Galba 15.”
“Fairy 01, roger. Go ahead, Galba 15.”
“Due to the bad weather and reception, all the units are doing their own things. The existing operation plan has been aborted. I say again, the existing operation plan has been aborted.”
Oh, I see. Tanya realizes why ground control has been trying to call them. The unified operation collapsed due to the deterioration of the weather, so perhaps they’re going to regroup and try again.
“Fairy 01 to Galba 15. Roger on the operation being aborted. Requesting permission to return.”
We shouldn’t have problems getting permission to head back to base. That’s what Tanya had been thinking, but her hopes are dashed all too easily.
“Galba 15 to Fairy 01. Sorry, but I can’t authorize that. The Fairy Battalion is getting a new mission.”
The other units get their missions canceled, but we get a new one? What kind of awful is the news going to be now? Tanya secretly braces herself, but even she is petrified by the words that come out of the controller’s mouth next.
“The commander of the 114th Air Division was shot down and crash-landed to the southeast in district α 13. That your unit is out and about is a silver lining. Your mission is the combat search and rescue to recover the five passengers.”
The way the controller says he will send over the details makes it sound like the orders are already set in stone. But from Tanya’s perspective, there is no reason she should have to listen to something so unreasonable.
“Fairy 01 to Galba 15. I should warn you, my battalion and the 114th Air Division don’t use the same signal code! If we can’t even communicate, I don’t see how we have much of a chance to complete a rescue mission—not to mention in enemy territory.”
Regardless of how a search and rescue mission might go in friendly territory, it would be awfully reckless to poke around the Commonwealth mainland looking for the downed pilots.
“And my battalion’s mission was to evaluate anti-surface attacks in the first place! I understand the need for a rescue, but we’re not even outfitted correctly for it.”
Worst of all, they don’t have the gear necessary to perform a rescue. Tanya tries to continue complaining about how reckless it would be to go, under the circumstances, but the ground controller’s impatient reply interrupts and leaves her at a loss.
“Galba 15 to Fairy 01. I understand the circumstances. But all the nearby mage units have almost no experience conducting operations in enemy territory. Your battalion has the most expertise of any in the airspace.”
Unluckily, perhaps i
t should be said…most of the aerial mages have been pulled out and sent to the east, and since the air force in the west isn’t in great shape, the controller probably doesn’t have too many choices.
“Fairy 01, roger. We’ll RTB immediately, switch up our gear, and go back out to conduct the CSAR mission.”
“Galba 15 to Fairy 01. My apologies, but this is an order. Begin the combat search and rescue mission as soon as possible.”
“Fairy 01 to Galba 15. Is that an order with the understanding of the authority my unit has to act?”
“It’s a formal order. The General Staff has also approved it… Sorry, but please go now.”
…Of all the…, Tanya nearly replies but swallows her argument. She has no way to know the truth of it, but since she’s been told that they’re directions approved via official channels with the General Staff…she has no choice but to obey.
Not that she can’t get away with lying, but…if she left friendlies for dead and returned, she would catch hell from the General Staff. No, all she would do is lower the standing of the Western Army Group, and then they would probably be even more reluctant to cooperate with her combat skill research.
“Fairy 01, roger. We’ll be off on the rescue mission, then… You’re treating us when we get back. I hope you’ll be ready.”
Socializing for work is so uncomfortable. Peer pressure forces you into doing things you don’t even want to do. But if you’re going to play the game, you have to give it all you’ve got.
At least when we get back alive, they’ll owe us.
“Did you hear that, troops? We’re off to recover some big shots.”
“Understood. This sure is a…pain, though, huh?” Captain Weiss murmurs. First Lieutenants Serebryakov and Grantz next to him seem to find the problem hopelessly difficult. It’s easy enough to say, Save these friendlies, but this is in enemy territory, and who knows where they’ve fallen?
I’d really like to tell them to use a specialized unit. The 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion may be elite, but they perform combat missions, so they simply aren’t suited to this kind of task.