The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 4: Dabit Deus His Quoque Finem

by Carlo Zen

  “…So it’s finally happening?”

  “I don’t see how this could mean anything else…”

  The troops don’t usually let shaken glances and murmurs slip, but under the circumstances, it’s not surprising.

  The Northern, Western, and Southern Army Groups, who have been dealing with raging battles in recent years, often criticize the Eastern Army Group for standing around and getting free lunch, but Supreme Command pays no mind and keeps those soldiers right where they are. The threat those forces pose is not something the Federation can take lightly. Within the Empire, as well, the people urging vigilance are not in the minority.

  Imperial soldiers are incapable of forgetting about the Federation. One word about trouble in the east, and everyone understands what that means.

  “True, we were originally mobilized as one unit involved in investigation and verification, but the situation has changed dramatically. This morning before dawn, the General Staff received a distress signal from the Eastern Army Group’s 437th Tactical Special Reconnaissance Platoon.”

  With that one comment, the air in the plane seems to freeze over. This is the exact moment the question Could it be? transforms into the conviction So it’s true.

  In response to her subordinates’ tense reactions, Tanya nods in confirmation.

  The situation is simple.

  An alert has been sent by the anti-Federation patrols in the east. There’s no other reason the tactical special reconnaissance platoon (that is, the unit illegally violating the border on deep reconnaissance missions) would make a peep. The 437th is a high-stealth unit that goes to the trouble of posing as some Siberian-like guys, diplomats, or whatnot in order to infiltrate. Nothing else is known about the unit other than that it reports directly to the Strategic Reconnaissance Department in the General Staff’s Operations Division.

  “They were standing by for rapid response against the Federation on Warning Line One when they raised the alarm, reporting via encoded signal that a Federal unit of unclear scale was mobilizing.”

  Taking into account their flight path as well as Weiss’s explanation, only a new recruit would be unsure about the nature of their mission.

  “I have some more bad news. After the original report from the 437th, there have been no additional transmissions. Sadly, multiple other tactical special reconnaissance platoons have gone dark. Our canaries in the mine cried out once, then stopped.”

  To describe the situation in the east in a word: unsettling. The tension is about to shatter. Even an optimist would admit that with this much circumstantial evidence, the possibility that it’s all a misunderstanding becomes incredibly low.

  The Red Feds made some kind of move. Our lookouts gave a distress call and then went silent. That’s why we’re going to see what’s happening—by violating the border of a neutral country, apparently.

  After reflecting upon the events, Tanya figures her subordinates all understood as well. She sighs, then steels herself.

  Whatever happens, let’s not give the Reds a chance to take us prisoner.

  If the Federation was a country that honored human rights and whatnot as admirably as the States, that would be one thing…but regardless of what happens to the frontline troops, the soldiers dropping deep into enemy territory have a very real chance of being captured.

  If we were up against the feisty Yankees, at least their nation is civilized. As long as military police are around, there’s no need to worry about summary executions.

  But we’re up against the Reds.

  It’s already possible to see the terrible future awaiting us once we drop in by looking at the fate of the Germans taken prisoner at the end of the war,3 but Tanya isn’t in a hurry to sacrifice herself. There’s no reason to contribute to the study of battlefield psychology by personally performing reenactment experiments.

  In other words, to return home alive, it’s critical that we at least resist the Red threat. It’s rough, but I don’t have a choice when it comes to fighting for survival.

  If there’s one good thing, it’s that… Tanya boasts to the god she doesn’t even believe in about the decent hand she’s been dealt.

  “So our mission is pretty much what you expect.”

  Weiss’s tone is oddly restrained as he implicitly informs them that this is war.

  Tanya watches everyone maintaining their cool: company commanders Captain Weiss and First Lieutenants Serebryakov and Grantz, and the rest of her subordinates.

  They’re elites, probably among the best in the whole Imperial Army.

  “We’ll cross the border and prepare for the worst. While conducting surveillance of the Federation Army, we’ll sound the alarm if necessary. It goes without saying that until our opponent makes a declaration of war, this technically counts as violating the border of a neutral country. Move with utmost caution.”

  Weiss keeps his explanation very matter-of-fact like the pro he is, but it’s precisely because he’s a pro that his emotions make it difficult for him to keep his voice steady without some effort.

  I can’t help but love his ability to put up a front of internal mastery, however superficial. It’s so perfect how he has both that humanity as well as the self-restraint of a specialist.

  Weiss probably has a few things he’d like to say to the higher-ups about this sudden order and impossible mission that has been foisted upon the battalion. Tanya herself isn’t sure if all this secrecy from the General Staff should be appreciated.

  There’s no question that confidentiality is important. But confidentiality and whether you’ve been given the information you need or not are two issues that must be considered separately.

  I hardly think there are any Reds in the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion…, Tanya thinks but immediately regrets it. Speaking from a HUMINT standpoint,4 the Reds have a reputation for infiltrating power structures to gain sympathizers no matter the situation.

  In other words, she can trust only the battalion she knows well.

  Suspicion is a milestone on the way to paranoia, but there’s no guarantee that there aren’t any Reds among those who have access to her battalion’s operating schedule. It’s like a bunch of cunning raccoons and sly foxes trying to trick one another.

  “We’re heading into enemy territory fully expecting the start of a war. If by some happy chance we manage to avoid that, we’ll probably pull out immediately, but as an experienced unit, we need to be prepared for the worst; all of you need to move out ready to do battle with the Federation. That’s all from me!”

  “Thank you, Captain Weiss.”

  Weiss concludes the briefing. When he alerts Tanya that he’s finished, she switches gears. Her thoughts tend to follow rather roundabout paths to realms unrelated to the operation at hand, so she saves those for later. Right now, I have to fulfill my duties as a frontline commander.

  It’s important to keep an eye on what’s further ahead, but without living to see tomorrow, every plan is nothing more than pie in the sky no matter how well thought out.

  “Battalion brothers, it’s exactly as Weiss said! The General Staff learned a lesson on the Rhine front! We don’t want to be sneak attacked twice! I’m not a fan of how they informed us of our mission at the last minute in the name of confidentiality, but it does make me laugh when I think about how cautious they are.”

  The higher-ups in the Imperial Army must still feel the sting of their blunder against the Republic. Everyone who fought on the Rhine front nods nostalgically as if to say, Yeah, that was awful. Meanwhile, the older hands begin joking about how Grantz isn’t so green anymore, and Serebryakov assumes an air of seniority among them. It’s a deeply emotional scene.

  Tanya is satisfied with how much the tension has dissipated and continues.

  “That said, this time the capable higher-ups really nailed us with their scheming. As long as they’re capable, I’d like to skip the quibbling and give thanks to either God or the devil. Give thanks to whichever one you believe in. Personal
ly, I recommend Satan, who’s a live-in staff officer at General Staff headquarters.”

  “Major, is it true you have a devil’s tail?”

  “That’s a good question, but it’s also pointless. I lost my tail in that awful mess of Republican guns, trenches, and what have you. It’s too bad; had I been kicking back in an easy chair, I might still have it.”

  Though it depends on the time and place, putting on a silly grin and countering a joke with a joke has its merits. Clowning around can ease nerves and serve as a tool for employing some of humanity’s highly developed linguistic abilities: criticism and cursing.

  “Now then, as Captain Weiss told you…we’re up against the Reds. There’s no such thing as being too cautious.”

  She shouts at the top of her lungs but still can’t match Weiss’s volume. Looking around, she sees her subordinates straining to catch as much as possible. Tanya consciously attempts to raise her voice further, then recognizes the need to maintain face, forcing her to desperately pretend nothing is wrong.

  “…The aircraft we’re on, belonging to the Twenty-Second Aerial Transport Unit, is flying at full speed toward our operation zone. In order to conceal our presence for maximum effect, maintain the mana ban even after you drop. This goes without saying, but stealth is our highest priority.”

  This transport plane participating in the exercise will accidentally violate the Federation’s border due to the navigation instruments experiencing “technical difficulties.” Of course, no one will notice that the instruments are out of order, so imperial soldiers air-drop, thinking it’s the predetermined exercise area. That’s our story, but naturally, not a single person who hears it will believe it. It’s hard to even pretend. But we don’t want to invite the byzantine diplomatic issues that would result from being an aggressor, do we? Politics…, Tanya thinks and adds another remark.

  “And, well, all these highly obnoxious instructions are political requests. I don’t have a tail, so I don’t really get it.”

  The burst of chuckles from the back of the plane is proof that her chatter can be heard over the engines. Of course, conversely, the fact that everyone has to listen so intently is proof that her lack of volume is inconvenient.

  “We’ve got about thirty minutes until we reach our planned drop point. After we hit the ground, we’ll regroup while keeping our mana signals suppressed. All in all, it’s business as usual. I expect the usual results.”

  The plane has night camouflage to reduce visibility as much as possible. For a special ops plane equipped for low-altitude penetration maneuvers, the veil of darkness is best, although it does make friendly identification more difficult.

  Any airborne drop means that we’ll have issues staying together during deployment. Swiftly regrouping after landing requires quite a bit of training.

  Ask a unit to do it without wireless communication, and most commanders will throw in the towel.

  But Tanya knows she doesn’t need to bother worrying.

  This is the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion. They have experience navigating by dead reckoning out in the desert with zero landmarks. When it comes to their skills, including navigation, Tanya is confident there will be no problems.

  The achievements of this battalion, selected on their merits, are exceptionally brilliant. Her troops displayed their competence comprehensively in Dacia, in Norden, on the Rhine, and on the southern continent. Their results have been exceptional. The soldiers who make up the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion are now a band of wonderfully reliable veterans.

  Grantz and the other replacement troops who joined when the unit was on the Rhine front have also made remarkable progress. They’ve more or less reached the level of the original members who were at the battalion’s formation. And the critical element, which is the battalion’s combat strength, has been maintained almost perfectly with a nearly always full roster.

  A major factor is the unit being directly under the General Staff, ensuring that we have the budget and authority that allows us to perform well.

  There had been nearly no time to train them, but…while they might be a bit war crazy, Tanya has been able to whip them into excellent shape over that brief period.

  That’s what it means to invest effectively in human capital.

  Of course, the fundamental labs, theoretical education, and practical training you can get over a longer period in college is also meaningful. This here is the difference between academia and application. Not that I go so far as to believe that soldiers need academic education.

  That’s when Tanya laughs at herself for getting sidetracked. Still, redundancy is nothing to sniff at… Even if it doesn’t have anything to do with the current mission, that human tendency toward certain modes of thinking must be important for mental stability.

  We need to believe in freedom, fairness, and the market. Humans are political animals by nature.

  If that’s the case…we should act politically as well, competing freely and fairly in the market.

  “I remind you that this is an operation in Federation territory. Once we begin, the worst-case scenario is that our enlistment records never existed.”

  Conversely, in an environment where there is no market, there’s no need to play fair.

  Rather, such a situation calls for appropriate political action. If our opponent infringes on the freedoms of others, then we must be freedom fighters.

  It’s written clearly in the peace constitution of a certain peaceful nation: Freedom is won through ceaseless battle. In other words, fighting for freedom contributes to peace. That means we must battle these horrible totalitarian Communists for liberty, justice, and human rights.

  “This is the way it always is, but apparently, they’re not going to make things easy for us.”

  Tanya’s tone is no less heavy than the droning serenade of the engines, but she addresses her subordinates in as loud a voice as she can.

  After all, this is an unconventional mission.

  Responsibility for violating neutral territory tends to fall on those in the field. This isn’t the type of mission troops welcome. As an analogy, no office worker would be happy to be thrown under the bus by their company.

  No one wants to mess with insider trading or problematic donations unless the returns are huge. That’s why companies have legal departments to find loopholes under the pretext of enforcing compliance.

  …What I mean is…my company’s legal department is overflowing with respect for the law, obviously; it’s passionate about performing its function in society. Yes, I only mentioned that earlier bit as a generalization; you could say my company, the army, and so on are the spirit of the law incarnate. As she is about to make these excuses to herself, Tanya winces, realizing she can’t escape the conditioned responses from her previous life.

  Something about a leopard and its spots. Perhaps a nation can’t change its character, either?

  “If the 437th is right, the fatherland has no time to waste.”

  The state’s interests come above all else—the continental raison d’état.

  With war fanatics for neighbors and the Reds swarming, you don’t have to be la France to come up with that idea. That said, raison d’état is also raison d’humanité. Considering its limited nature, there must be few concepts in all human history that are as flimsy and unreliable as reason.

  Furthermore, if it’s “for the state,” we could be forced to take responsibility for all wrongdoing. There’s no guarantee the unit that carries out the plan won’t be thrown aside like a lizard’s discarded tail.

  State authority figures tend to want to protect themselves, so they often align their personal power with state interests—it’s really problematic.

  That’s why there has to be trust between those giving the orders and the people carrying them out. Nothing is better for my peace of mind than knowing the character of Colonel von Lergen as well as the lieutenant generals, Zettour and Rudersdorf.

  “Put another way, we’ll becom
e children again and go on a secret adventure without telling the international community first. Are any of you so dead inside that you would balk at a thrilling expedition to peek into a country of mysteries? Not in my battalion! We’ve been through forests of swords and hails of bullets, so I’m positive on that point.”

  Her confidence in those men from the General Staff is what lets Tanya crack jokes. If the superior officer is clowning around, that indicates they trust the brass, which puts the men below at ease.

  The moment they hear what she says, her subordinates erupt together in laughter and whistles; none of them looks worried. They all wear cheerful smiles that say, Let’s give it to ’em!

  Well, even if it’s nothing more than pre-sortie bravado, I’m glad they have the wherewithal to put on a brave face. It means they trust me enough not to complain in my presence.

  A superior who isn’t trusted by their subordinates is liable to be dismissed for lack of management ability, so this is key.

  Yes, I’m quite satisfied with how things are going.

  “Previously acquired intel suggests that the area the 437th was covering is a Federation staging point, though Intelligence says that’s not confirmed yet.” Taking care not to spoil the mood, Weiss chooses now to make his comment. It’s a brilliant move framed as supplementary information but intended to calm the frenzy.

  It’s entirely thanks to competent officers like him that we can maintain the troops’ willingness to fight while preserving discipline.

  Takeda Shingen was right. The people are your stone walls…5 In a way, though it annoys me to admit it, Stalin implemented this literally—although it’s more accurate to say he used a wall of people from the fields as a substitute for a stone wall.

  I suppose the walls of capitalism are metaphoric and the walls of Communism are literal. It’s about the same as the difference between capitalist and Communist chairs—wood versus electric. If I had to sit in one, I’d pick wood.

  “May I ask a question?”

  “Certainly, Lieutenant Serebryakov. Go ahead.”

  “If the area the 437th was covering is the site of activity, then the Federation Army’s intentions are clear. Assuming it’s obvious that the Federation is planning a preemptive strike on the Empire, will we be permitted to launch our own attack to head it off?”