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

by Carlo Zen

  “Objection! Your evaluation of the effects is biased. If we shoot down a ton of Unified States nationals, its public will be galvanized. You’re not taking that seriously enough.”

  “With all due respect, there’s no guarantee public opinion in the Unified States would move in that direction. It’s entirely possible that their government gets backlash due to the reckless deployment.”

  Both comments are intelligent and sincere. Both are correct, which is why it’s difficult to reach a conclusion.

  “Maybe we should get the Foreign Office to convince the States to remain neutral?”

  “Hmm, but at that point, isn’t this something that should be handled in the political realm?”

  “Excuse me, may I say something?” Upon getting permission, Tanya stands up, acting as unconcerned as possible so she doesn’t sound excitable. “While this is a political issue, it’s also an issue that has been left to our discretion in the field. There is an attackable target within the attackable area. Rather than turning this into a political problem and dragging the rear into it, why not just pretend that it was an unforeseen result of engaging?”

  Hence Tanya chiming in to seek middle ground as if to say, Let’s just sublate this.

  She suggests that handling it at their level makes the most sense. For better or worse, Tanya von Degurechaff loves legal loopholes. Hooray for gray zones. She won’t take a single step into black, but anything not black is white.

  “That’s an interesting idea, but in the end, we’re just field commanders. Shouldn’t the General Staff have a unified plan?”

  “If you’re a General Staff officer, wouldn’t you come out swinging like Major von Degurechaff suggests?”

  “Please refrain from speculation.” The argument threatens to explode, but a senior officer mediates to calm things down. “That’s enough. We’re soldiers. Even if we are sometimes expected to deviate from our orders, this is a matter of legal principle not war.”

  The conclusion being stated is, to Degurechaff, an unsurprising, commonsense answer. It’s a bit disappointing, but if she considers whether she should push any further, it seems extremely difficult. She isn’t averse to walking in the gray zone, but unless they’re your accomplice, you never know who will kick you into the black zone.

  “Major von Degurechaff. Your idea is an interesting one, but I’d like to wait for the General Staff’s opinion. Until further orders, we’ll continue our quiet aerial annihilation battle. Any objections?”

  “No, none. Understood. I’m sorry to have taken up your time. Then let’s get back to the main topics of combat skills and the aerial annihilation battle.”

  I guess there’s no way around it. Though she secretly feels that way on the inside, she’s a sensible enough officer to apologize for the tactless suggestion and refocus the conversation on its original topics.

  APRIL 29, UNIFIED YEAR 1926, TANYA VON DEGURECHAFF’S ROOM

  The commanders meeting lasted long enough that the date has changed. The discussion had a tendency to get heated, but now that it has safely ended and Tanya has repaired to her room, she is—rarely for her—conflicted.

  “…Maybe I should just take my unit and… No, they would resent me if I did that. The risk versus the return is…”

  She knows she’s obsessing, but she’s still tormented by the idea that they should attack the self-described voluntary army that the Commonwealth is sending in.

  “This is tricky. But I still want us to be prepared for an encounter battle. The best would be to wallop them if we get the chance.”

  Ideally, the Unified States won’t intervene, but is such a world war possible? The answer is simple and clear: no. In that case…we should give them a slap and demonstrate that if they reach out a hand, they’ll get burned.

  “Well, but I guess we should take provoking public opinion into account? …Ah, what am I doing?” She sighs.

  Mocking her circular train of thought, Tanya reaches for the cup of coffee she previously abandoned on her desk and brings it to her mouth. The cold coffee cooling off her head feels nice. Once she calms down a bit, she understands that the senior officer’s logic about not provoking the Unified States too much is correct.

  Since she has connections to the central General Staff, she tends to forget, but she’s only a major. Just a handy cog in the system.

  …She may be important, but she’s still just a worker, a part that can be replaced. She has known from the beginning that the military is such an organization, but that’s precisely why she sometimes wants to run away so badly.

  As far as she can tell by looking at the Empire’s current status, it should be able to fight the Federation. At least, the eastern front is seeing drastic changes thanks to mobility and an envelopment maneuver that should properly be called military art, achieved by interior lines. It will depend on what sort of reserves the Federation has, but at least their frontline troops have hit the solid wall of the Imperial Army and splattered like a rotten egg.

  On the southern lines, a limited number of troops led by a brilliant commander is keeping the pressure on the Republican remnants.

  And in the west, Tanya and the rest are spending their days cracking down on the Commonwealth in their aerial battle of annihilation. Really, the Empire doesn’t even feel the need to make a landing in the Commonwealth and force them to surrender at their castle walls. It would be all over if they cried uncle and accepted the peace terms.

  …Thinking a bit optimistically, the Empire’s situation is tough, but there’s no need to despair and throw in the towel yet.

  “It’s just wishful thinking, though. I can’t even fool myself…”

  There is only one problem.

  The Empire’s national strength is already at the limits of its limits, with every front trying too hard. Troops are stationed in each region, but the offensives reached their culminating points long ago. With the general mobilization, there are plenty of soldiers, but truthfully, the Imperial Army is like a puffed-up frog. One poke with a needle, and it would be a struggle not to pop.

  “As long as the situation in the west remains unresolved, the Empire can’t commit its full strength to the east.”

  If they concentrated their power in the east with an enemy to their rear, they would end up reenacting the Rhine battles where the Republic attacked them from behind. She hears that even now on the continent, with air supremacy secured, they are still bothered by sporadic disturbances.

  Showing any weakness would spell the end.

  Even if the Unified States doesn’t join the war, the Commonwealth will leisurely land their successfully mobilized army on the western coast.

  “But as long as there’s this immense pressure in the east, the Empire won’t be able to secure enough forces to get the Commonwealth to surrender.”

  It’s completely valid for the east to want even one more division to put on the main lines. Though the Great Army was mobilized and able to destroy the invading army for the most part…it affected the numbers only enough to make it an actual fight.

  And Tanya, she knows—that according to the other world’s history, going up against the Federation is a quagmire. Under the circumstances, if the Empire is looking for a way out of this, the only route is to resolve the various issues in the east. In the history of Earth, Tanya knows, the real German Empire managed to do that. The Imperial Russian Army was obliterated on the eastern front and Imperial Russia dropped out of the fight due to the ensuing political unrest.

  …But. Tanya is distressed.

  In the first place, duplicating the prohibited move of sending in radical revolutionary elements, which was what finally brought down Imperial Russia, is not terribly likely given that the Communist Party is already firmly established in the Federation.

  In the second place, even the Imperial German Army that ruined Imperial Russia…couldn’t find a way to win against the matériel superiority of the U.S.A. It may have competed on the battlefield…but the poverty of
the rear is well-documented.

  “…Even if we clean up the east, can we achieve security in the west?”

  The question that slips from Tanya’s mouth in spite of herself is a manifestation of her anxiety. The reason behind the military strategy taboo against multifront operations is that they don’t have the forces to support that many fronts.

  It’s only a matter of course. If they had the military might to prevail on multiple fronts, there would be no need for strategy in the first place. It would be a simple task of grinding down matériel; they would be able to trample the tiny enemy armies.

  The Imperial Army is the strongest in the world, but it’s not so infinitely strong it can stomp the world beneath its boots. Under these circumstances, the Empire must—in order to survive—eliminate the Commonwealth’s interference, slay the Federation, and end the war before the Unified States gets involved.

  But the Commonwealth’s navy is too powerful. Even with the somewhat untrustworthy Ildoan Navy as an ally, the size disparity is too great. The High Seas Fleet—all imperial fleets put together—is the size of the Commonwealth’s Home Fleet, which covers only one region. With that in mind, the idea of expecting anything out of a naval battle is pure fantasy.

  If the Commonwealth felt like it, it could bring out its Inner and Outer Sea Fleets, or even the Norden blockade fleet. Even if the Imperial Navy challenged them, it would be a hard, losing fight, and then it would be over. About the only thing that can be expected of the navy at this point is to figure out how they will die.

  There is only one thing Tanya can do in this case.

  “Pointless struggle. It’s a futile resistance.”

  With a sigh, she feels that her mental state of griping to her desk in her room is past all hope of salvation.

  …Salvation? If I’m clinging to the fantasy of God, my mental health has definitely deteriorated—I’m surely weakened. I knew that, since I was human, I’d have my limits. After all, I’m only one of these Homo sapiens creatures.

  “…Still, I’m an educated citizen. Will I submissively resign myself to my future like a fatalist just because it’s ‘destiny’?”

  Plainly speaking:

  “No.”

  Homo sapiens, the species we call humans, have no reason to agree to kill ourselves, and neither is there any reason we should have to assume the tragic role of a sacrifice to fate.

  We choose to do whatever we can that will blaze the trail to the future.

  Unballing her clenched fists on her desk, Tanya stares at the palms of her hands.

  Her delicate little-girl fingers have bizarre calluses from her training. Luckily, they don’t present any obstacle during combat.

  …This is just fine. She smiles.

  When the cards are dealt, whether you lament your hand or think how to use it depends on you. I’m going to seize the future with my own two hands.

  That’s the privilege humans have. It’s the condition for being human. So all she has to do is seize her opportunity. To enjoy a happy, tranquil future, she has to work.

  It’s definitely a rough job, but can you really be upset if suffering and hard work are prerequisites for a respectable life?

  I’ll resist, even if I’m the only one.

  As she is about to nod with determination, she remembers the rank insignia hanging on her uniform. Oh. She realizes she had carelessly missed something.

  I’m not alone.

  I have fantastic friends. What great news, she thinks, laughing as she drains the bottle of sparkling water in her hand.

  And that’s why, it should probably be said…

  The next morning, Tanya appears before the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion and looks each one of her subordinates in the eye with unusual resolve. I have no intention of sacrificing myself for the Empire. But this isn’t such a predicament that we have to run just yet.

  I don’t want an entirely Communist world, and I’m also not interested in falling as one of the cornerstones of a free world, so there is only one thing Tanya can do: stomp the world under imperial boots. Even though she was forced to pick the best of the worst options, Tanya has no regrets about walking the path she’s chosen.

  “Attention, all units!”

  With one shout from Captain Weiss, the unit comes together in perfect order. As usual, the posture of the members of the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion says they are worthy of infinite trust when it comes to matters of war.

  “Our commander has a few words for us!”

  “At ease. Troops, there’s been a small disturbance in the state of the war. A new unit has barged in on our aerial annihilation battle. These guys don’t know how to wait their turn. They must have a pretty messed up understanding of the word freedom.”

  Tanya’s announcement of the newcomers is met with unperturbed silence. Even just the ability to be quiet and listen to someone talk is pretty good…but taking bad news without getting upset is great. These guys are just so dependable.

  “Headquarters wants us to finish wiping out the enemy and seize control of the sky. We can’t allow any more time for interventions from outside. Still, that isn’t our main task. Our mission continues to be assessment. As part of our combat skill research, I’m going to have you perform an anti-surface attack mission.”

  Tanya barely finishes asking if anyone has questions when Grantz jumps in as usual.

  “Commander, may I ask something?”

  “Sure, Lieutenant Grantz.”

  “From what I hear, combat is getting fiercer and fiercer in the west. So despite that, our mission is still changing to anti-surface strikes?”

  “That’s the right way to think about it. However, it includes anti-surface attacks from Commonwealth airspace. Since it’s actually for combat skill research, remember that the strikes themselves are not the main point.”

  “Major, under the circumstances, shouldn’t we be supporting the rest of the troops?”

  “It’s simple, my dear battalion. In order to control the sky, ground facilities may need to be destroyed. Our mission is to verify the potential of ground strikes accompanying air superiority missions.”

  Everyone seems to begin to understand, and Weiss’s voice rings out at just the right moment. “That’s all from our commander. All units, outfit yourselves for an anti-surface strike. Get your gear and be ready to sortie—on the double!”

  Weiss gives instructions at a good tempo; he’s a great deputy commander. Not that Grantz and Serebryakov don’t work well; the skill with which they obliquely ease the troops’ doubts while focusing them on the mission at hand is praiseworthy.

  “Major…this really is a rather sudden change. Did something happen?”

  “You can’t tell the troops, Captain Weiss. Really, it’s questionable whether I should even tell you, but…the situation being what it is…”

  As long as Weiss is around, Tanya feels she has someone she can recommend as her successor. The unit doesn’t seem like it would mind, either. If so, she can leave knowing there won’t be liability issues.

  Which is why, after glancing around, she slips Weiss a few documents.

  “…What’s this? Details on the voluntary army?”

  Weiss is her reliable vice commander but also the human sacrifice that will facilitate her comfortable service in the rear. Tanya passes on as much of the info she has been given as she can, with the idea that he’ll take over for her.

  “They mean to get in our way as Unified States citizens reporting to the Commonwealth. But they’re enemies. Going forward, we’re probably going to have to keep shooing away similar rabble.”

  It really bugs me how unfairly these guys play.

  “So, Captain Weiss, this leisurely move to intimidate the Commonwealth via air superiority will do more harm than good. We need the will to crush them, and we must carry out a plan to do so.”

  “Understood. I guess our victory is still a ways away, then, huh, Major?”

  The way he’s talking, Tanya feels the need
to reemphasize some things. She has him bend down and whispers the truth in his ear. “Victory? For better or worse, Captain Weiss, you’re a soldier with common sense, huh? We don’t need anything except to be left standing at the end.”

  The ones alive at the end, the ones standing, are the great ones. Tanya points it out to him with zero affectation.

  “We should try to be the victors in the end.”

  “Without a doubt, but…I want to prioritize the survival of the battalion over winning,” she adds with a nod of agreement. If possible. Our survival is more important than victory.

  “Major?” Weiss stood as he asked, sounding puzzled.

  Tanya laughed to cover herself. “Ah, just griping. When we go on the attack, we’ll do it just like we always do. Make sure you have all your gear. Our mission this time is an anti-surface strike.”

  One of the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion’s new directives, as part of their combat skill research, is to study anti-surface attacks. All different types of strikes have been requested, with targets from bases to harbors. The top must want to reconsider our assumptions and refine our findings into an anti-surface attack doctrine.

  “It’s a combat mission in enemy territory. We can’t just go back for more bullets if we don’t have enough.”

  We just have to do what we must. Commenting that she has to get ready herself, Tanya also reaches for her equipment. Contrary to her tone of voice, however, her expression is a bit weary.

  “M-Major…is that an anti-tank sniper gun?”

  “Apparently, it’s an anti-armor sniper rifle. I heard you can expect it to pierce defensive shells.”

  Weiss’s question is accompanied by a surprised glance at her gun. Well, anyone who saw Tanya stuck carrying this gun bigger than her would probably feel the same way.

  “…If it was a positional warfare with trenches or something, it might be pretty useful, but…”

  “I’m with you, Captain Weiss.”

  “Are the guys at home mistaking mage fights for fortress battles or something?”