by Carlo Zen
"I understand you're doing what you can, comrades, but please don't ignore the reality that our planes are outdated compared to the Imperial Air Fleet."
The rebuttal was a perfect example of smoothing over the truth. From Loria's perspective, it seemed like the faces of the soldiers listening to such nonsense were like wolves ready to tear into their prey.
"I'm sorry to contradict you, but the Thirteenth Air Army is made up of mostly new models. The problem is the amount of matériel available."
The soldier dispatched from the Federation Army's General Staff sounded disappointed.
It could be argued whether it was for better or worse...but either way, their repeated defeats in the field may have left their political senses dulled. The military was regaining the courage to report inconvenient truths.
As far as Loria could tell, it was regressive behavior. But even if it was simply their honest opinion, stemming from a realization that their preconceptions were no longer lining up with reality, and offered while at the mercy of aggressive political discussion, these thoughts were still worthy of attention.
"It's strange. If the imperial fleet is frozen on the runway, then what exactly are we fighting against?"
"This is an official warning for our comrades in the military. You need to watch what you---"
The blockheads, finding themselves at a disadvantage, began to argue, and Loria brought down the iron hammer.
"That's enough, comrades."
"""Comrade Loria?"""
He scanned the room and, upon receiving a nod of silent approval from the general secretary, began to speak.
"I'd like to report what the Commissariat for Internal Affairs has learned. Comrades, let us first start by acknowledging two truths. Here," he said, directing a subordinate to pass out documents. He began giving a straightforward summary of the main points. "First, the reports from our comrades devoting themselves to aid partisan activities probably aren't false. The Imperial Army is struggling with winter. That's not wishful thinking but simple reality."
He guaranteed the truth that the Imperial Army was suffering in the cold.
"I've prepared evidence to answer the army's question, so please take a look."
"...Are these repair facilities?"
"That's right." Loria nodded as he made sure the papers had gotten to everyone before continuing. "Note all the machinery."
Though the photo was indistinct, a specialist could easily parse the info contained within. For the military men, it appeared to be more than enough, seeing as how they started to nod.
"It's plain to see that they're sending a terrible amount of their assets to the rear, as shown in the attached photo."
It was no wonder Federation Army General Staff officers gasped at the sight of the photo from inside the repair facility---it was a mass of classified information. The things the Imperial Army was desperately trying to hide had been laid bare; if anything, there was hardly any doubt that this was an achievement worthy of a commotion.
What surprised the soldiers most was how readily this intel had been handed over. Frankly, concealing sources of information even from your allies was a fundamental principle of espionage.
Unless they were incredibly confident, no one would even consider revealing intelligence documents on a scale like this. They could tell the Commissariat for Internal Affairs seemed wholly convinced the imperial forces wouldn't be able to discern the source.
"There's a second reality we must also acknowledge... Unfortunate as it may be, the Imperial Army is learning quickly."
Everyone was hanging on Commissar Loria's every word to find out exactly how much his organization knew. The only ones uninterested in what Loria had to say were the people from the Committee for Resistance in Occupied Territories, whose thunder he had stolen.
"Especially because of those puppets, the Council for Self-Government--- yes, it turns out there are a few former Federation soldiers among the separatists.1 Sadly, that means our winter battle know-how is undoubtedly leaking."
"Excuse me, Comrade Loria, is it true that the Imperial Army and the separatists in the so-called Council for Self-Government are cooperating?"
The voice of the staffer from the Committee for Handling Occupied Territories trembled in a way that seemed to indicate he wasn't quite able to stop it from shaking.
He struggled to find some fault in Loria's report. Of course he did---it was literally a matter of life or death for him. Hoping to impart the impression that Loria's data weren't confirmed, just like his own organization's, this man recklessly turned his tongue on the commissar.
"It could be imperial propaganda, and failing to spot that would be a grave error. What say you, Comrade Loria?"
"The report is accurate; we have no doubt whatsoever."
"...So to what extent do the two parties trust each other?"
Ahhh. Loria was assailed with such an intense urge to burst out laughing that he struggled to contain himself. He replied in extremely polite terms to the blockhead's question.
"Indeed, I must admit that that's quite a difficult question for me to answer. So I'd like to ask you something instead..."
How incompetent can you possibly be?
"Why in the world would you of all people ask me that?"
The man gaping at him was the overseer of operations in the occupied territories. Loria thrust reality into his face by telling him how things were supposed to be.
"You don't know? Hmm, that's strange... Comrade, didn't the party task you with investigating governance?" Loria censured him slowly with pointed words. "I really don't understand. How could you overlook the establishment of the Council for Self-Government? There's still no intelligence on it after all this time?"
From Loria's perspective, departments whose jurisdictions overlapped were sometimes a nuisance.
Of course, the flip side was that if they were competent, their organization would actually be able to compete and pose a threat to him.
But what was truly awful had yet to come...
"Shall I ask a different question? Traitor, how much did the Empire pay you?"
Useless allies were a nightmare.
Ineptitude might as well be the same as betrayal. It had to be purged.
"Th-th-that's not what happened!"
"Then it has to be incompetence, negligence, or sabotage. No matter which, you've done an awfully poor job."
All he had to do was murmur, "Get him out of here."
Security personnel from the Commissariat for Internal Affairs standing by cut in and escorted the man trying to scream something out of the room in an exceedingly democratic and humane way. The rest was their job.
Surely he didn't have to give detailed instructions for every little thing. Anticipating his wishes was the bare minimum he expected of his security officers. And he wasn't worried about them making a mistake.
With that, the issue of their former comrade was solved.
"Actually, this is the most critical intelligence we need to obtain. We're pouring our espionage efforts into rooting out traitors as much as we possibly can." Now that the cleanup was over, Loria turned the conversation back to the Council for Self-Government. "...All right, comrades. This matter is running behind due to the laziness of its former point person. I'd like to make a suggestion about how to progress."
Loria continued his explanation in a matter-of-fact tone. Though he spoke nonchalantly, as though he hadn't just made someone vanish into thin air, he had certainly seized enough initiative to dictate what discussion was on the table.
"They say that stormy-weather friends are the true ones. I'd like to test if the Empire and the Council for Self-Government will remain friends in the snow. What do you think?"
If the Imperial Army and the Council for Self-Government were seriously intending to cooperate, that would have long-term implications.
Putting together reports he had received so far from his mole in the Council for Self-Government, it seemed like the sep
aratists were expecting a lot out of the Empire. If the Empire was planning to actively cultivate their fantasies, that would be a nightmare. It could mean that the Imperial Army, which was supposed to be a mere instrument of violence, had transformed into a rival on a more subtly strategic level.
"Comrades from the General Staff."
So spineless. He wanted to sigh at how cowardly the Federation staffers were, with their jerking shoulders.
No, they had grown a great deal more forthcoming after all their mistakes. Of course, he felt bad that he had to threaten them.
Because he understood how important sympathy was, Loria smiled gently.
"In a purely military sense, it's very simple. I want you to hit the enemy and see how they react. This is an official request on behalf of the Commissariat for Internal Affairs: Please ready a limited counterattack operation against the Imperial Army this winter."
"I---I beg your pardon, Comrade Loria, but...a military operation for a political objective?"
The stiffened soldiers' faces spoke louder than he could have imagined. Apparently, the teaching that officers were to remain calm and composed at all times wasn't being followed very well.
Loria had heard once that eyes speak louder than mouths, but regardless of where their voices were coming from, this reaction was overly dramatic.
"That's right."
"Comrade Commissar, as representative of the General Staff..."
"Well, hold your horses..." Loria raised a hand to quiet the uniforms. "To come right out and put it bluntly, the mission is reconnaissance-in-force for a political objective. But look, I won't pin any purely military failure on you. It's only natural that strategic objectives are given priority."
"R-reconnaissance-in-force? ...We have an idea where the enemy line is. From a purely military standpoint, it would be a risk since it could end up an unnecessary attack."
"That's a good point." Loria nodded but refused to yield.
War was the continuation of politics.
The problem they were facing was strategic by nature. Knowing the relationship between the Imperial Army and the Council for Self-Government was absolutely essential for long-term planning.
Especially because...
"...This is a good chance. Let's make this a joint operation by the Federation Army and the international community to add in some cooperation between countries. It's not a bad idea to tack on other elements if we're already going to take military action for political ends."
Does that work for you? Loria asked his boss with his eyes and received an affirmative nod.
In that case... He moved the discussion to the next phase. "All right, shifting into operation planning... What sort of support do we have from the Unified States?"
"Currently a convoy is delivering supplies, but there's a problem. Since exporting directly to us would violate some of the Unified States's domestic laws, the cargo has to take a detour through a third country, so it will take some time."
"Hmm." Loria smiled and continued making preparations.
If there was a problem, it simply needed to be solved. And since Loria knew this was also a solid step forward in bringing his love to fruition, it was important not to rush things.
EARLY DECEMBER, UNIFIED YEAR 1926, FEDERATION TERRITORY, IN THE VICINITY OF THE MULTINATIONAL FORCES HEADQUARTERS
The Federation took the lead in forming a multinational unit to display its international ties.
The stated objective was to present a joint effort between a group of allies from a diverse group of countries. Internally, it was also explained that this was a trial unit that could serve as the basis for gaining joint operations experience fighting against the Empire.
Put plainly, the Commonwealth was reluctant but eventually agreed to the Federation's proposal---though the jury was still out on whether this was a good or bad outcome.
The news that a certain marine mage lieutenant colonel stationed in the Federation had been dispatched to escort the convoy must have been music to the Commonwealth Army authorities' ears.
"Thanks to that, I miss the ocean something fierce and can't even pop into a pub to down a pint. True horror is serving the crown." The Commonwealth Army's Lieutenant Colonel Drake was muttering to himself.
It took only one written order before he was on a joint mission with the Federation Army.
Due to the unique chain of command, his powers of discretion were vast.
He nearly burst out laughing the moment he was handed the paper that read, "Cooperate to the greatest extent possible in support of this request." It had been written in such old-fashioned language that he might as well have been the royally appointed captain of a ship of the line back in the age of sail.
"But, man, I'm supposed to do my very best to meet the Federation's request?"
He was to provide what support he could to the allied nation's operations with good faith and respect. In other words, he didn't have to do anything impossible.
It wasn't even necessary to employ his skill and experience to come up with a clever interpretation of his orders. No matter who read it, it was clear that he had the right of refusal. The Commonwealth military leadership had given a mere lieutenant colonel the right to turn down the headquarters of the Federation Army.
"And how did the Federation even..." As a member of the Commonwealth forces, Drake naturally hesitated to say, ...accept those terms?
He stepped outside to be prudent and winced.
The Federation Army Joint Operation Force had formed under a banner of beautiful ideals to promote international cooperation, and its doors were wide open, but the result was a jumble.
Anyone who examined the origins of all the gathered soldiers could speak positively about the broad global impression this force gave off. Even if they looked only at the military affiliations, there were Commonwealth, Federation, and Free Republican troops. A closer look revealed members of the Entente Alliance's government in exile's army as well as volunteers from the Unified States.
Challenging the lone Imperial Army was a diverse resistance.
Multiple ethnicities had come together to fight against the massive Empire. It was a powerful demonstration of humanity's progress and universality, worthy of applause.
This was an incredibly photogenic moment.
It could be said that the Federation's Communist Party spared no efforts on the propaganda front. Drake found himself admiring them, too.
Taking a casual stroll outside, Drake was liberal with his praise. "Maybe we should get some of our colonial officials out here. They could use a lesson in PR from the Federation."
The Commonwealth could claim only a passing grade in administering and ruling over multiple ethnicities. Dividing and conquering was all fine and well. That said, even a generous estimate put his homeland at about a B.
They needed to learn from the Communists how to consolidate latent energy and use it.
Being able to say something without hesitating was an irresistible freedom. Happy he had no one accompanying him, Drake openly spoke his mind.
"Divide and conquer isn't the only way... Though it's not that applicable during a civil war, we need to learn the finer points of bringing people together when we're fighting against a foreign power."
But this was also a matter of That said, that said, that said...
Anyone looking up at the sky trying to sugarcoat their nation's selfish interests would be disappointed when they inevitably found them lying on the ground.
"...I can't stand being manipulated by propaganda."
Just thinking about straining to understand the veritable melting pot of languages all around him threatened to worsen his headache.
Even going by just what Lieutenant Colonel Drake had heard before he left on his solo walk, it was clear that there was a great array of nationalities present and their various languages were jumbling together into a mess.
The disordered hierarchy---a commander's nightmare---was also somewhat responsible f
or this state of things. In the end, it was tremendously difficult for anyone to communicate.
Surely the situation wasn't any different inside the inn that housed their headquarters.
"This has to be what it was like right after the Tower of Babel was destroyed."
Communications procedures had become absurdly intimidating.
An official notice issued in Federation language would be translated so all the different nationalities could understand it, and then their replies would be translated into Federation language.
Even for the most mundane exchanges, that was how messages were sent. Naturally, the commanders were at their wits' end. There wasn't a soldier on the modern battlefield---a place that demanded large amounts of intelligence be processed quickly---who thought this system would hold up in combat.
The point of propaganda was to make them look good, but logic could be twisted only so much.
The only way to fix the situation was exceedingly simple.
Interpreters---and lots of them.
In other words, they would leverage matériel superiority to break through this obstacle. The practical issue was that the students who seemed to have been recruited from the Federation's language schools were, regardless of their proficiency levels, already speaking all sorts of tongues.
Given the present state of things, no matter how many speakers they had, it wouldn't be enough. The shortage was so serious that even mid-ranking officers couldn't have interpreters.
Which is why I got to savor this walk on my own... Drake sighed as he spotted a soldier coming his way.
"Colonel Mikel?"
A Federation commander waved in greeting as he approached. Drake couldn't speak his language, either. But they couldn't very well hold a conversation via gestures.
"Agh, excuse me, I'll get an interpreter..."
"Oh, I doubt we need one, Mr. Drake."
Drake was trying to show with gestures that he was going to go find someone but suddenly froze and stared fixedly at Mikel. "How nice to hear my mother tongue... But I never dreamed you would speak it, Colonel. You'll have to excuse me---it's been a while since I've heard that dialect, and I don't much care for it."
