Chapter 1

JANUARY 18, COUNCIL ERA 2167, SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF NEW STAVANGER, MINDOIR

A slight fuzziness clouds my vision. As it clears I find myself staring into a spoonful of some cloudy soup. I slowly lower the spoon back into the bowl and attempt to take stock of my situation. The first thing I notice is how small I feel; my feet are swinging freely in the air and my fingers barely wrap around the spoons handle. Raising my head I find myself looking at a small group of children, eating peaceably while conversing in English, laughter flitting up among the rafters. Their faces are familiar, but when I try to bring up the names that match them I feel only a fogginess clouding my thoughts. Looking to the head of the table reveals an older nun smiling to one of the children seated next to her.

Continuing to take in more of my surroundings I start to notice oddities. The walls and tables are strangely futuristic, made out of a smooth material that could be some kind of metal or plastic, but there is no wood in sight. The door across the room doesn't have a handle; instead I see a strange orange square, seemingly made out of light, floating in front of it. Twisting to see behind me I can see windows lining the wall. The windows themselves don't seem to be made out of glass, but are instead some kind of forcefield that I can see barely shimmering if I focus on it. Looking outside I can see fields stretching out only broken up by a few unassuming single story buildings. These buildings are made of the same strange materials that surround me. A ship that is shaped like an elegant box defies gravity and floats off into the atmosphere on some strange blue thrusters. I can see people walking down the streets, waving at others driving what I can only assume is farm equipment through the fields. My sudden movement must have caught the attention of those around me as their voices have stopped.

"What's wrong Tania dear?" the old nun asks me.

Tania? Yes, I remember now, my name is Titania. Turning back to face the front of the table I open my mouth to answer when I see behind the nun's head. On the back wall, facing the tables is a statue. The figure has its arms outstretched as if to embrace those before it. A simple toga frames their body, a hood hiding the face, and large angel wings billow out behind the figure. My eyes go wide before my face contorts into a visage of pain and rage. The immense feeling of hate that wells up within me clears away the fog that has been clinging to my mind. BEING X.

APRIL 18, UNIFIED YEAR 1927, IMPERIAL ARMY NORTHERN MILITARY DISTRICT, SALAMANDER KAMPFGRUPPE GARRISON

After a brutal battle with both General Winter and the Federation troops along the Eastern Front, we were reassigned to the Imperial capital in January and I had the naive hope that the Salamander Kampfgruppe would be allowed some much needed, and earned, rest and relaxation at Berun. To be fair we were technically allowed a few months, granting our tanks and artillery the time to be repaired after their harsh treatment in the freezing temperatures and endless snow. While the troops were allowed a bit of rest I continued to write papers on the effectiveness and shortcomings of my new combat group discovered on the eastern front. It felt like the frost had only just thawed from my creaking bones when we began receiving news of the commonwealth conducting recon in force at both former Entente Alliance and Republic territory, as well as Colonel von Rerugen's worrying news of our "allies" troop movement in the Kingdom of Ildoa. It seemed that even with the general staff beginning to find allies in the minorities of the Federation, trouble still found its way to the Empire.

But of course I know the real puppet master of this conflict, and he wouldn't allow it to end until I bend the knee. I hope Being X bought a coat because it will be a cold day in hell before that happens. So I have to keep suffering through this waste of human resources while staying in the General Staff's good graces. The next assignment they gave the Salamander Kampfgruppe may seem like a safe and easy one at first glance, but hunting for insurgents hiding out in former Entente Alliance territory sounded like a thankless job where we would never be sure of who was friend and foe. On the inside I was vehemently against such a high risk low reward mission, but you don't tell the General Staff you "can't" or "won't" do something when you have made your entire career out of doing the impossible. It would be like asking for a one way ticket back to the worst fighting in the front lines.

I was sitting in my temporary command, looking over a map of the area we would soon be entering while trying to enjoy the sludge that even Visha's mystical skills couldn't transform into something that would be considered coffee, when the girl herself rushed in waving a communication in the air. Something that could make the war maniac that I had personally trained since the beginning of the war panic was a major cause for concern to me. I wouldn't show the panic, of course, calmly taking the packet from her while she gasped out, "Colonel! Emergency communications from Berun."

I read over the words slowly before the mug I was holding slipped out of my hands and crashed to the ground.

"It's over," I began muttering, hand on my face. A light chuckle managing to escape my lips before I could stop it.

"Ma'am?"

The worst possible news had finally made itself known. Even after holding off the small winter offensive, all signs showed that the Federation was beginning mobilization for a spring offensive. Worse yet, it was being coordinated with tactical landings in the Northern Republic as well as the Western Entente Alliance. It appears as though my worst fear since this war began has finally been realized, the unified states had joined the war. I wanted to cry; everything I had accomplished, all the commendations, all the connections built, it would all crumble to nothing. The war hero of a winning nation becomes the sacrificial lamb of a losing nation. You don't become a symbol of pride and propaganda in the Empire then expect to get off scot free when they lose. No, I would be sacrificed to all the people that hate the Empire for this war. I have already seen the true face of humanity, from my first life when I was pushed into a train, and throughout this war. Logic, such as me just doing my job, or that I always followed the rules of war wouldn't matter to them. All they would see is my ace of aces reputation and silver wings assault badge, things that brought me respect and admiration in the Empire, and would hate me for them, seeing me as the blame for every person lost during the war. Well… I refuse to go out like that.

"Tell the men to prepare to move out. Get ready and then gather everyone for an official briefing in an hour's time."

Viktoriya gave a crisp salute then headed out to follow my directions. It still amazes me how much she has grown from when I first saw her. Just another example of how much you can gain by investing in human capital instead of flinging them at each other in wasteful war. In exactly an hour I found myself standing atop a raised platform looking over my 203rd mage battalion; all of them standing in perfect formation in front of my newest charges in the Salamander Kampfgruppe. Men and women baptized in blood and gunpowder, standing without fear in the face of the next unknown mission, complete faith in their own ability and mine.

"The beginning of the end of the war is upon us." I can hear mutters of confusion, and I can see even the 203rd, for all their discipline, twitch in surprise.

"As I speak, simultaneous attacks are hitting all sides of the fatherland." At this I hear exclamations, and the 203rd begin leaning forward in anticipation.

"In the east, the Federation has materialized more men to begin a spring offensive. To the south, our allies, the Kingdom of Ildoa has begun marching toward the capitol." I don't even attempt to mask my disgust at this betrayal.

"In the Northern Republic and Eastern Entente Alliance, combined units of the Commonwealth and the Unified States are landing en masse on the beaches." At this point, uncertainty and doubt has spread the troops, and I can see the looks of concern even my most veteran men are giving me.

"The people of the fatherland are now faced with a choice!" Everyone stills and becomes silent as I raise my voice.

"The first, to throw up the white flag, sit down, give up on everything we have fought and died for, and wait for the inevitable while hoping for the mercy of our enemies." I see the moment their doubt and fear switches to anger, growls and even intermittent shouts coming from the crowd.

"The second!" silence returns, "Is to stand tall, raise the black flag, and push these bastards back out of our country!" A deafening roar spills from the entire group. It reminds me less of a war cry, and more of the defiant roar of a cornered animal.

"It's time to sortie! We march north to meet these invaders that dare to defile our country! Back to where this war all began. Prepare to move out!"

JUNE 24, UNIFIED YEAR 1927, BORDER OF IMPERIAL NORDEN AND FORMER ENTENTE ALLIANCE

Flying over these skies, where this entire fiasco began, is leaving me nostalgic as I look through the trees for signs of the enemy forces. I could almost hear Being X chuckle to himself as my life seems to have come full circle in four years. The battle itself started well. The infantry was entrenched and we were able to start shelling their infantry as soon as they were in range. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th companies of the 203rd were able to hold off the Unified State and Commonwealth mages by keeping the altitude advantage and using their superior optical decoys. I was almost ready to believe that the enemy had spread out their troops on so many landing zones that we might be able to at least hold them here. That hope was quickly dashed, however, when SHE came into sight of my binoculars. The same girl that has been chasing me around with wild abandon since the Moskva raid. I can only assume she is another pawn of Being X with her huge magic reserves and intense single minded attacks on me whenever she sees me.

As it was she must not know where I am as I watch her fly toward the second battalion. At the thought of this Being X puppet using his powers to ruin this fight my stomach fills with a boiling anger. I'll fight him personally any time he wants, but I won't let him kill MY MEN.

"Oh Lord…"

"...give me the strength to protect your flock, and punish those that would defy them."

Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakov had been with Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff longer than anyone else. They fought together on every front and rose through the ranks together. You could say that everything Viktoriya has become was directly thanks to Tanya's tutelage. Tanya's trust in her went so far as to allow her command of the entire battalion whenever she went off on her own. The battalion knew that the Lieutenant Colonel was a force on her own. Her skills as a commander and her belief in everyone improving and getting the opportunity to prove themselves were the only things that kept her from going all out in every battle we fight from the start. These traits allowed her to train the 203rd into the greatest mage force, on both the individual and group levels, the world had ever seen. The warning of when she would go all out was when the entire battalion would hear her pray over the open channel, as if to tell the entire enemy force that God is on our side, so she was unafraid.

It was an awe inspiring sight to watch the Lieutenant Colonel create shockwaves when she propels herself to unearthly speeds. Viktoriya had watched Tanya single handedly take out multiple platoons of enemy mages since their first time together on the Rhine front. When she flew straight toward only a single enemy it left her momentarily perplexed. That is, until Viktoriya saw the mage in question. She wouldn't forget the enemy that shot optical lance spells over a battlefield like they were simple penetration spells. The last time she had let Tanya face that mage on her own she had to help the Lieutenant Colonel fly back to Empire territory.

As soon as the enemy mage caught sight of Tanya, she abruptly changed course from 2nd company and chased the Colonel with all the zeal of a fanatic. To call Tanya a prodigy in mage combat would be a gross understatement. To Viktoriya and the rest of the 203rd (as well as most of the enemies that saw her) she was nothing less than the chosen of God (or the Devil), sent to defend the fatherland. It was a mesmerizing sight to watch as she flew, not around or over, but straight through the enemy formation of mages. A combination of beauty and grace with deadly efficiency and skill. Constant evasive maneuvers and non-stop Optical Decoys that even the 203rd had trouble differentiating, all happening at speeds once thought impossible.

It took every bit of discipline that was trained into Lieutenant Serebryakov to look away from the godly feats being displayed by those two combatants to rally the disparate companies back together to take advantage of the mass confusion that the Lieutenant Colonel was causing. Tanya's charge through enemy mages and above enemy infantry would seem illogical if it wasn't for the mage chasing her. She seemed to be cursed with the worst tunnel vision of any soldier Viktoriya had seen. Combining that with power that can rival even Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff was a recipe for disaster. The indiscriminate optical lances cut large swaths through the enemies own mages and infantry alike. The earth became littered with sweeping lines of destruction, covered with broken trees and the bodies of men. Between friendly fire and the 203rd the enemy's mage forces were taking heavy losses, while constant bombardment from the Salamander artillery continued on the enemies ground forces.

Even without firing a shot, the constant evasive maneuvers, defensive shields, and optical illusions were starting to take a noticeable toll on the Lieutenant Colonel. The illusions were no longer behaving as naturally and Tanya's movements were both slowing and becoming more erratic. The enemy mage also appeared to be running out of her enormous levels of mana, throwing away her rifle and pulling out a mage blade. The enemy army was in shambles by this point, their living commanders giving declarations of surrender over the open channel. Even as Lieutenant Serebryakov ordered the men to cease fire on the enemy, that mage continued to ignore her own allies. She watched in horror as Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff was tackled by the enemy mage deep behind enemy lines and into the boreal forest.

Viktoriya told the other battalion leaders to take care of the surrendered enemies that were left, in compliance with international treaties, before rushing off into the forest to find Tanya. Layers of pine trees made it hard to make out exactly where they could have landed. Neither was giving off a magic signature to follow and the noises of struggle echoed, making it hard to pinpoint a source of the inhuman yelling. Breaking through a small clearing allowed Viktoriya to see the back of the enemy mage, blocking her view of the Lieutenant Colonel. A single gunshot echoed and Viktoriya watched in stunned silence as the enemy mage's head snapped back toward her. The body collapsed to the ground, revealing Tanya von Degurechaff pointing a pistol to the spot where the body once was. Viktoriya was frozen in shock, before she dashed toward a collapsing Tanya.

At first I felt nothing; only a slight pleasure at ridding Being X of one of his pawns. Maybe that was too petty. I doubt this girl had the knowledge she was being used by a so-called god. Just another person with unknown potential wasted in this damn war. I suddenly found myself collapsed against a tree. An intense burning pain radiated from my chest. Looking down, I could see the mage blade lodged firmly between my ribs. Coughing, blood spilled down my lips. So this is how I die, drowned in my own blood. A sudden presence came to my side; forcing my head up, I could barely make out the visage of my loyal adjutant. She was saying something, but the ringing in my ears made it hard to make out. Between the magical exhaustion and this stab wound I'm surprised I haven't passed out already.

"Stay awake, Lieutenant Colonel, we can get you to a medic." Ah, she still has the naive hope that I can be saved. I suppose this is the attachment that can only be born when two people have been together for so long in battle.

"Lieutenant Serebryakov..."

"Don't try to speak, we need to stop the bleeding." I managed to reach out through the pain to grip her hand and pull it away from the wound.

"Visha, listen to me…" more coughing, blood, spikes of pain. "Blood in my lung...won't last much longer...didn't pick anyone in the 203rd for their medical formulas." It was getting harder to keep hold of Viktoriya's hand, but I held on to it for dear life.

"Of all the things I've done in this world...seeing your potential and helping you reach it has been my greatest accomplishment. You were the first person that felt like family to me. Tell the rest of the 203rd...that you were all a precious family to me." I could feel the tears streaming down my face as the feeling slowly started to leave my extremities; blackness was creeping at the edges of my vision.

"Promise me… you'll survive this war Visha. You have so much to give this world. I'm so proud of you." The last thing I saw and my vision turned black was the rest of the 203rd landing in the clearing. The only thing following me into the darkness, were the sobs of my battle sister as she cried out my name.