Nil Admirari

by Carlo Zen

  He was also confident that he could get an understanding of the situation. Even an objective appraisal would say he could do a great job if he went.

  But Zettour unhesitatingly dismissed the temptation from his mind. "I can't abandon my duties regarding the reassignment of troops from the east and domestic negotiations. We're still making adjustments in the manufacturing plan."

  Being an unsung hero meant dull, unending work that no one would really notice. Slacking off at the top wouldn't be a good example for their subordinates.

  The spirit of a commander leading from the front was a constant. It held true both in the field and in the rear. The last thing he wanted to do was be counted among those fools who thought being a commander meant kicking back.

  "What about you, Rudersdorf?"

  "I'll have to leave my pasta-eating, sightseeing trip for another time. Though I'm curious about what sorts of exercises the Ildoan Army will get up to."

  "Me too." Zettour nodded and suggested an alternative. "Then we'll just have to choose some elites. My people will send a team."

  "Oh?"

  "Northern Ildoa is a mountainous region. I just figure they could learn a lot about operating deep in the mountains from our ally."

  It would be instructive in not only a purely tactical sense but also in terms of military geography.

  Their ally was kindly inviting them to the exercises. Dispatching a studious group of officers would surely be handy later.

  "I agree. From Operations, I'll send Colonel von Lergen. I'm sure he'll see what there is to see."

  "What about his work in Operations?"

  "That's no problem. It's about time for him to become a regimental commander anyhow."

  "...I feel like I have to say, 'Under these circumstances?'"

  "You're right, but, well, this is a good chance for him."

  "Hmm...," Zettour murmured and shook his head. Does Operations intend to leave operations in the south up to Colonel von Lergen?

  The kind of guy who was a balanced bureaucrat but could also hold his own under fire was certainly valuable.

  "All right, gentlemen. Make it happen."

  LATE JANUARY, UNIFIED YEAR 1927, IMPERIAL ARMY'S FRONTLINE AREA IN THE EAST, SALAMANDER KAMPFGRUPPE'S GARRISON

  "W-we're being reassigned to the capital?"

  Aware of how foolish she sounds, Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff rereads the General Staff's orders.

  Since her unit serves directly under the General Staff, it's not that surprising to get a sudden notification like this. She's well aware that they can circumvent the regional army group's headquarters to redeploy the unit.

  The issue is the destination.

  They're going from the front line to a staging area built around a railroad station near the capital. It's actually so close to the capital, you can say they're being transferred to a garrison near Berun.

  Was this message decoded correctly? It's no surprise they wonder if there was some mistake. Even the guys who weren't normally skeptical had to be suspicious.

  Tanya gets the signaler to make sure there aren't any decoding errors, but it's a waste of effort. There are no mistakes on their end.

  The duty officer wondered the same thing as Tanya. They say the message was double-checked before they even brought it to her.

  So Tanya acts as though the orders she has are real.

  She summons the chief officers of the Kampfgruppe. It doesn't take long for them to assemble, and she relays the orders.

  The looks on the older hands' faces say it's hard for them to believe, but she thrusts the truth at them with instructions to pull back. Before long, word arrives that the Eastern Army Group has a train for them, and things are busy.

  This is the second time they've managed to escape the quagmire of the east.

  Tanya had braced herself for a bunch of unpleasantness, but the contact they receive is kept so businesslike, she's caught off guard.

  Not that businesslike is a bad thing. In fact, she prefers it that way.

  "Colonel, is something wrong?"

  "No, I'm glad we aren't having any issues." Though she harbors absurd doubts, she feigns composure as she dismisses her subordinate's question. As long as it doesn't sound like she's trying to convince herself. "Thanks to the Council for Self-Government, we have heated train cars. Maybe our new friends are more trustworthy than we thought."

  If the Imperial Army can use the Federation standard rail network, that's great news for its strategic mobility.

  It's pretty obvious, but the cars are fit for the climate here, too. We can expect better insulation and cold-proofing than in imperial trains.

  Best of all, our risk of being attacked by partisans will drop. Improved safety and security on the road will do a lot to decrease the strategic burden. As a commander in the field, it's a relief to hear.

  Praise be to Zettour and his great idea to wash his hands of administration in the occupied territories and allow the separatists to establish their own puppetlike government.

  Tanya shakes her head, and having quickly reviewed what needs to be done, she gives orders.

  "Where's my runner?"

  "Here, ma'am!"

  "Tell Lieutenant Tospan to start moving the infantry."

  "Yes, ma'am!" He races off, the very definition of nimble.

  Watching the young orderly go, Tanya murmurs to herself, "I don't get it. What are the higher-ups thinking?"

  Despite the bitter cold, the Salamander Kampfgruppe is surviving the winter. The infantry have gotten used to the freezing east and the snowdrifts.

  If need be, they can play tag with Federation ski commandos. They've adapted, and you could even say they now have perfect control over the battlefield environment.

  The road to get here was long indeed.

  Making arrangements for cold-weather gear, paying attention to our nutrition, just barely getting the supplies we need---it was a difficult period.

  At the end of a great deal of toil and strife, we finally had the necessary equipment. We no longer have to worry about socks.

  And it's not only the gear that improved---what's inside did, too.

  Even Lieutenant Tospan, whom I considered emblematic of utter uselessness, is no exception. Even with that thick skull of his, he's managed to improve when it comes to routine work.

  All the officers have been infused anew with camaraderie.

  Which is why Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff has to wonder...

  "...Considering the current situation in the east, there is leeway to call us back for reassignment. I understand that it's possible. But what's the reason? What would cause them to pull us out?"

  The Salamander Kampfgruppe is the strategic reserve that has kept its energy up the best.

  We're first-string fighters---you could even call us a precious asset.

  I could understand if we were being deployed urgently to the east, but why would we be rushed away?

  "We only just repelled the Federation's limited offensive. Honestly, I never imagined we would be pulled out now."

  The battle lines are still unstable.

  Though things are calming down in the rear regions, the Federation Army's infiltration raids never end. The Salamander Kampfgruppe can even be sent out in the snow, making it quite handy to have around.

  Tanya can't think of any reason to pull them out now. Of course, the difference in intel held by HQ versus those in the field is undeniable.

  "I don't get it. You're telling me the higher-ups have some good reason for this?"

  The words I don't get it are repeated.

  That's how crucial this is to Tanya.

  Pulling staff out of a busy shop is a bad move unless there are awfully pressing circumstances.

  "I'm sure they're not even giving us a break..."

  We ended up going straight from the southern continent to the Federation, after all.

  "That was awful."

  Is the same thing going to happe
n again?

  Either way, we should be prepared to not get a proper rest. Going in expecting the worst is probably slightly better for your mental health.

  "Supposedly, they want to talk to us. Is it really okay to believe that we'll only be ordered to serve as the opposing force in military exercises?"

  [chapter] IV Diplomatic Deal

  EARLY FEBRUARY, UNIFIED YEAR 1927, NORTHERN ILDOA

  Upon heading to visit the Kingdom of Ildoa, Colonel von Lergen was given three missions by the General Staff.

  The first was to see how well the Ildoan Army was trained.

  Whether they were enemies or allies, the more information the General Staff could acquire about them, the better. For a staff officer, the task of reporting their observations was a natural duty that didn't even need to be discussed. Even with the situation as tense as it was, that was a relatively simple task.

  The second was an order to get a feel for the military geography with mountain battles in mind. Lieutenant General von Rudersdorf, who was leading Operations, gave this task to him personally. As far as Lergen could guess...the idea was to be prepared for potential combat with Ildoa.

  Of course, merely studying the lay of the land didn't automatically put them on the road to war. That said, it was significant that they were considering it, even as a potential plan. Adding in the commander's determination and resolve, it seemed like it could be an important indication.

  The final task, it has to be said, was an incredibly unusual order compared to the other two.

  His third mission was extremely simple. Lieutenant General von Zettour, in charge of the Service Corps in the General Staff, wanted him to find out as much as possible about General Gassman.

  Lergen remembered staring---in spite of himself---at the orders, rereading. That wasn't the sort of mission a colonel would usually be asked to do.

  It was a routine job for a lower-ranking officer.

  And Lergen didn't have espionage experience in the first place. As a colonel in the Imperial Army General Staff, he had been cultivated to be an operations man who could manage logistics and organization in the rear.

  Even he wasn't confident he would be successful aping the duties of an Intelligence agent.

  When Zettour had told him he would be great precisely because his background was in Personnel, his only reaction was bewilderment. Though he was the eager type to put forth every effort to fulfill orders, he couldn't deny that this was out of his wheelhouse. How did he expect him to compare Personnel domestically in the Empire and the personnel affairs of senior officers in a foreign country?

  That said, if Lergen let every emotion he had show on his face, he would be disqualified as a high-ranking soldier.

  Having entered the Kingdom of Ildoa, he interacted cheerfully with his reception, exchanging polite remarks like the model of a perfectly serious officer.

  "I'm Colonel Virginio Calandro. I'll be guiding you all on behalf of General Igor Gassman."

  The man who met Lergen and the others from the Empire was a similarly courteous officer of the Royal Ildoan Army, a man with an amiable smile. Just as Lergen was about to salute, he was surprised to find the man holding out a hand to shake.

  He was the type to try and cozy up to people.

  "Now then, you're Colonel von Lergen, correct?"

  "It's an honor, Colonel Calandro."

  Still, the hand as he shook it had the extremely firm grip of a soldier.

  His hands were awfully hard for a soldier-politician. He was the sort who made others realize right away that he knew when to be hard and when to be soft---the most formidable type to have monitoring you.

  For Lergen, who had been asked by the home country to dig into this and that during his trip, this guy would be a pain.

  All he could do was accept the same truth all soldiers had to live with: You can't choose your enemies. Lergen took up the challenge Calandro's smile presented and nodded with a warm smile of his own.

  "Right this way. It isn't much, but we've prepared some refreshments."

  The remark was enough to make him think, This is what getting a jab in to score the first point means. The spread was all luxury items that had disappeared from the Empire due to the Commonwealth's naval blockade.

  "Allow us to treat you to some real coffee."

  "Oh, the kindness of a neutral nation, hmm?"

  At the facility for receiving guests near the location where the exercises would take place, they served all variety of goods from the southern seas that hadn't been seen on the imperial mainland in some time due to the embargo---including, above all, fragrant coffee.

  To rub it in, they even had piles of brown sugar.

  "Yes, I'm so happy we're able to show our allies some hospitality."

  An exaggerated remark, an earnest tone, and, to top it off, a suspicious smile.

  Lergen didn't feel like he could do a very good impression of a diplomat, but he found himself in the position of having to fight snark with snark as a representative of his country.

  "We're so lucky to be counted as friends." On paper the words would have been impossibly mortifying, but even Lergen himself was aware how hollow his tone was. "We were just so busy with our duties on the battlefield...I'm afraid we've been out of touch. Ah, but it's so embarrassing to make excuses."

  "I don't think it's an excuse at all. I certainly don't want to be such a small-minded person as to blame you when you must have valid reasons."

  The conversation was stereotypical: patronizing Ildoa, evasively cynical Empire. Nevertheless, they exchanged their snide comments with the proper feigned politesse.

  Perhaps it could be called a verbal preliminary skirmish as reconnaissance-in-force?

  Nearly satisfied at having gotten one in, Lergen was forced to show his hand.

  Setting down the teacup after savoring his coffee, Calandro smiled and casually dropped a bomb.

  "I'll be frank. I'm General Gassman's special envoy."

  It was so unexpected that for a moment, Lergen was speechless.

  "There's something that I simply must speak candidly about with our friends from the Empire."

  "...A special envoy? What is it you want to discuss?"

  Lergen's intention had been recon-in-force, but he had encountered the enemies' main forces. Since it wasn't entirely unexpected, he had the slight benefit of preparedness...but he was undeniably taken by surprise.

  A sneak attack was more powerful than he understood in theory. Lergen was forced to learn what could be termed a lesson of battle in the field. He was practically holding his breath when Calandro spoke quick and rough, almost as if to steal the Empire's thunder.

  "The Kingdom of Ildoa is terribly anxious about the present situation."

  "...Which means?"

  "This prolonging of the war isn't good for anyone."

  He took the bait without hesitating. Those words were too significant. "For anyone?"

  Colonel Lergen of the Imperial Army General Staff knew it was rude to answer a question with a question. But he had to know the answer.

  It was one thing if the side making sacrifices in the war said such a thing, but it wasn't the type of thing a party that flitted like a bat to wherever the profits were found could comment on so smugly. All we have to do is fire back when fired upon. It's not so extreme, is it? In any case, it didn't feel right for this guy from the opportunist Ildoan Army to bring up the topic.

  "I apologize if I've offended."

  "Excuse me, Colonel Calandro, but the situation is---"

  "Don't misunderstand me," Calandro interrupted with a smile. "We're also quite concerned about the way things are going. We're prepared to act in good faith as a mediator for peace."

  This was what it meant to fail to secure the initiative. All Lergen could do was let each of Calandro's words pound into his brain as he stared into his counterpart's eyes, dumbfounded.

  "Do you understand? In other words, peace talks. We, the Kingdom of Ildoa, are willi
ng to be the middleman for our friends."

  Though Lergen knew it wouldn't do to be thrown off by this, he was nonetheless hard-pressed to find any immediate comment, and his silence betrayed his confusion. He was at the mercy of Calandro's choice of conversation topic.

  That he hadn't shouted, Of all the ridiculous---! was surely due to his last reserves of restraint. He was positive the other man had been observing his expression with periodic glances this whole time.

  If he didn't reflect on the meaning of Calandro's words and understand them, he wouldn't be able to respond effectively. Lergen lacked the decisiveness that field battles required.

  At that moment, he had to recognize, whether he wanted to or not, that he was inexperienced.

  "...I beg your pardon, but you're saying Ildoa wants to mediate peace talks?"

  The reason he replied in a question was simply that he couldn't think of anything nice to say.

  The principal figures of the Imperial Army General Staff, with only a handful of exceptions, hadn't dreamed such an offer would be suggested. As far as sneak attacks went, the Kingdom of Ildoa's proposal was a bolt from the blue.

  In Lergen's shock...what crossed his mind was a magic officer he knew well. As a commander in the field, Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff often made strange calls. In the rear, he had been astonished by her unusual decisiveness, but if she were here...what would she do?

  "Speaking as an allied nation, I caution that any more war will be a strain too great on the Empire's economy. Allow us to propose peace talks." Ever-smiling Calandro politely ignored Lergen's bewilderment and added, "I realize it's presumptuous, but don't you think it's time to find a way to settle things? If we call it a stalemate and volunteer to arbitrate, would you consider accepting?"

  It was precisely because Lergen was a key member of the Imperial Army that he had to swallow hard.

  The burden of continuing the fight was enormous---unbelievably so. The costs to the Empire had ballooned into a massive sum.

  The lines in the east were turning into a quagmire. The futile war of attrition with the Commonwealth and the Free Republic was an everlasting draw. The flip side of the General Staff's thirst for a decisive victory was the hemorrhaging of the Imperial Army, which was already growing anemic.