May 15th, 1936; 2:12 PM
Berun Military Airbase
Outskirts of Berun, the Empire
It had been a long while since he had received orders like this, and even longer since he had received a direct order from them, but if anything that only instilled a sense of nostalgia, giving him a sense of excitement despite the terrors he would probably face going back. The 203rd had effectively disbanded after the war, only existing in a mostly ceremonial fashion, with many of its members leaving the army afterwards or being assigned elsewhere. Of course, given the eliteness of the 203rds members, General Staff had a key eye on all of them, meaning that if they had to be reassembled, they could be easily.
Of course, he had expected it eventually, given how much they did during the last war, and the likelihood of another one, the Empire would want to get the 203rd running again sooner or later, however it's quite surprising just how effective they were in even getting some of the members who left the army to rejoin. Although if he had to guess, it was likely her doing.
As for himself, after the war he remained in charge of the 203rd, although he in reality was much more one of the people who trained the new mages rather than leading the battalion. Now of course, he was again in charge of the 203rd in reality as well, though... Was the 203rd really needed all the way in Qin? What the hell is going on in East Asia to warrant the Empire's intervention? Is war really that close?
He didn't have time to ponder it for long as he heard a familiar voice behind him; "Hey Weiss! How have you been?"
The voice was hard to mistake, although it had changed a bit in the years since they had last met;
"First Lieutenant Neumann! I am well, thank you for asking, it's clear you haven't changed much since I last saw you." Officially he was referring to Neumann's character, in reality he was talking about Neumann's appearance as he still had the same round face as before. He was just as big too, however his bulk was always more muscle than fat, it's hard to maintain fat on the battlefield after all.
"I hope that's a compliment, sir. I'd say the same but you've certainly aged much more than I have, I hope the army's been treating you well."
"That it is, Neumann, though I suppose I should take a nice long vacation on the beaches of the Baltic, that would be nice."
"I'm afraid it seems we're stuck with the beaches of the Pacific for the next few months, Major."
"I suppose that will have to do. How have you been keeping up? You left the army after the war if I recall correctly?"
"Yep, I left and bought a nice home by the shore, you should come visit sometime, there's a nice bar down the street we can have some drinks at. Maybe we can even get her to come, you know how angry she was back when she wasn't allowed to enter the bar back during the war because she was a minor."
He gave out a hearty laugh, "The Lieutenant General? Yes that was quite entertaining, although I'm not even sure if she knew we heard her bickering with the bouncer. Regardless, she's more of a coffee person, I haven't heard much about her, but I don't see her being the beer-type. Maybe wine though..."
"Shame, I was curious how the 'Devil of the Rhine' holds her alcohol."
"I'd imagine better than you, Neumann." He gives Neumann a glance, and he seems mildly annoyed and amused.
"We don't talk about that time Weiss, I keep telling you there was something in that beer, I refuse to believe otherwise."
"You keep telling yourself that."
Another familiar voice called out and approached the two rapidly, stopping before Weiss and giving him a firm salute, "Major Weiss! It is good to see you again."
"No need to be so formal Koenig, we're not really in any official meeting right now, although when we see the Lieutenant General, that's likely to change." Weiss replied, turning to the third former member of the 203rd, Wilibald Koening.
"By Lieutenant General you mean...?"
"Yep Lieutenant General Tanya Degurechaff."
"I'm still not used to her having such a rank, although I expected it would happen eventually."
"If I heard right, you remained in the army, didn't you, Koenig?" Neumann asked, also turning his head towards Koening as he entered the discussion.
"That's right, although I got reassigned from the 203rd elsewhere. I've gotten a lot more time off than during the war that's for sure though. I heard Visha got a job at some cafe though, did any of you hear about that?"
"Probably from all the times she made the former Major's coffee, she was probably an expert by the time the war was over." Weiss said, giving a soft chuckle to himself.
Koenig spoke up, "Visha always saw her in a very positive light, it's honestly quite surprising she wasn't outright terrified of some of her other qualities..."
"Yeah like how terrifying her training was... They worked certainly, but that didn't make them any less traumatizing..." Neumann added.
"I still get shivers thinking about it, I'm almost terrified of shoveling snow." Koenig muttered, practically shivering slightly.
"We should probably get ready, we're flying out to meet with the rest of the unit here soon, I believe we're taking off to Oukraina where we'll be briefed before flying as a unit along with others to the Qin." Weiss began gathering his items, placing his backpack that he had brought around his arms and preparing for his flight.
Neumann began doing the same, although his bag was a bit less bulky than Weiss's, "Yeah, I have a few small things I need to do before takeoff. It was nice meeting with you two before we left. I can only wonder what that woman will put us through in the next few months. One thing's for sure; it will certainly be interesting."
May 20th, 1936; 12:02 PM
Imperial East Asian Military BaseQingdao, Treaty-Port of the Empire
"Members of the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion! I am Lieutenant General Tanya von Degurechaff, formerly the head commander of this battalion as well as later the Salamander Kampfgruppe this battalion served under. Of course, if any of you forgot who I was, I'll be sure to jog your memories."
Tanya makes a slightly creepy grin before continuing, "Allow me to be the first to say, welcome back to the battalion! I'm aware not everyone was able or willing to rejoin us on our reunion expedition, however for those who have returned or remained, let me just say that it's clear you're the same buffoons that you were when I left you. But you're still buffoons who are the damned best mages in the Empire!"
A couple of the mages laugh a bit, however settle down as Tanya gestures for them to do so with her hand, "Now I'm sure you're all wondering why I've dragged you out of your nice summer homes in the Empire. Well the truth is that war is on the horizon, and being the war-hungry dogs you are, I've decided to bring the 203rd with me on a special summer vacation."
She takes a few steps to the side, pointing at the map formerly behind her as she stands slightly to its side, "I'm sure many of you are aware of the conflict occurring over here, for those of you who aren't, I'll give you a summary. Akitsushima seeks to expand their domain into the Qin territory, and the Qin don't want that, any further questions?"
There's another light round of laughs before she continues again, "Regardless the Empire has made a deal with the Qin, and we are to provide Economic, Industrial, and Military aid to the Qin, however there is a saying; 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' We cannot just 'give' the Qin military aid and expect them to win, let alone survive in the future. No, we must teach them to defend themselves, to bring them up to Imperial standards! Of course, if the Akitsushimans come knocking, there wouldn't be much stopping me from letting you all go have a bit of fun with them."
Tanya walks back to the center of the stage, again addressing the battalion, "Soon we'll turn this nation into one that can truly stand among the world powers, and when we're done they'll have nobody but the Empire to thank! For now, you're dismissed, though don't fret, its a reunion after all, I wouldn't let my men celebrate reuniting with their comrades without some alcohol."
Some members of the battalion couldn't hold back their excitement as they quickly gathered in the dining hall, Tanya grinning to herself as they all left, leaving just her, Visha, and Weiss.
"Are you sure thats a good idea, Lieutenant General..?"
"Of course it is, many of the men are still weary or unsure about their new deployment, it's good to let them have a bit of fun, so long as it doesn't get out of hand."
"Knowing the battalion, that likely won't be a problem Ma'am, of course I'll be keeping watch just in case they've gotten more rowdy since the war." Weiss added, looking down at Tanya who, while having grown taller was still easily notably below average height.
"Just as reliable as ever, Weiss. However you needn't worry about that, go have some fun, it's only the first day, and this deployment won't be seeing much action for at least another week or so, and we won't even see combat for a few months."
"Understood, though I still won't allow myself to get drunk." Weiss salutes before turning to exit the room, now just Tanya and Visha remaining.
"Aren't you going to join them, First Lieutenant?" Tanya asked, turning now to Visha.
"I couldn't, knowing they're going to get a bit too rowdy for me. Besides I'm sure you have plenty of paperwork you'd like my help with."
"That I do... I wasn't going to force it upon you on the first day, and in truth you really should take the day off, but I can tell I can't stop you if that's really what you want."
"Thank you, Lieutenant General, I'll get to work right away!" Visha salutes before turning to begin leaving as well, heading for another door than Weiss and the others had gone to.
"If you are going to be working today, make sure to grab some of the coffee I managed to get shipped in with us, make some for yourself as well, or whatever you'd like really, there's a lot of good stuff shipped in."
"Will do! Thank you Lieutenant General!" Visha salutes again before leaving through the doors.
Tanya thinks for a moment, considering if she had rubbed her workaholic aspects on Visha a bit too much for her own good, eventually shrugging it off and heading to handle her own affairs as well.
May 21st, 1936; 3:31 PM
Qin National Republic EmbassyQingdao, Treaty-Port of the Empire
Seyang had been preparing for this day for months, his plan and proposal had not only gotten his government's approval, but was also even accepted by the Empire. While he had made it in hopes that the Empire would at least compromise and send basic aid, in truth it seemed the Empire was willing to accept it with only minor revisions.
Now he was to meet the attache to the Qin National Republic, supposedly a war hero and the world's top mage from the Empire, Tanya von Degurechaff. Qin records don't have much on the Great War, however even still her name does come up a number of times in them. From what it seems she's an expert in what she does, his main fear however is that her achievements are over-exaggerations, and that this attache is little more than a propaganda show while other aspects serve to aid the Qin. Such wouldn't be the problem if it didn't mean the project would be left without a central leader on the Empire's part. There was only one way to find out the truth, and that was to meet her directly.
After a few minutes he was sat down in a room across from the Empire's attache. His first thought however, was that she was... incredibly small, even by Asian standards. However the more important details to notice right off were... hard to detect. Seyang had prided himself on being able to figure out one's intentions and character quickly, and just looking at one's facial expressions and stance even without anything being said was enough to tell him a lot... at least normally.
This wasn't a normal situation, he couldn't get much of a read on her, however that in itself proved she was smart, and would likely prove a good negotiator, if not an even more competent attache if all went well.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Seyang Chao, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Qin National Republic." He extends out his hand for a handshake with the woman, and she meets him in kind.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Lieutenant General Tanya von Degurechaff." He was surprised as her grip met his, easily surpassing it in firmness. In truth it didn't mean much outside of the fact that he could certainly not judge this woman by her size as behind that potentially cute and innocent face was almost certainly the devil talked about so many times during the Weltkrieg.
"I've read a bit about your exploits during the Weltkrieg, Lieutenant General, I hear you were arguably the best mage in the world, even supposedly wiping out an entire company on your own at one point." He lowered his hand and sat back into his chair, trying to analyze everything he could about this girl, making sure not to miss a detail as he tried to get a good impression of her intent.
"I'm not big on bragging about my accomplishments, my duty has always been to serve the Empire, and in this case, aiding the Qin is doing just that." Tanya nods, giving a determined smile to him as he continues to analyze her.
"I see, well I've heard about your 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion, I've also heard you're bringing it with you along with many advisors. May I ask what plans you had in mind for the modernization of Qin?"
"Of course, you see there are three main prongs of my reforms, and each of them has sub categories of their own. The first is your Economy. This itself can be split into three areas, combating your inflation, industrializing your nation, and improving your infrastructure and railroad networks. The second area is your army, primarily the Army and Airforce, perhaps even seeing some Qin panzers ready for the war. Lastly is mages, in which the 203rd and myself will oversee training. I trained my own battalion in just a few months, and considering the terrain of Qin, I'm certain I can do it perhaps even faster for your mages."
Now she gave a strangely sadistic grin with the last statement, clearly showing that whatever she meant by 'training' and whatever it had to do with 'terrain' wasn't going to be fun for the soldiers, although judging by the effectiveness of the 203rd, it would work. For those who survive it.
"Can you go into the specifics of these areas if you don't mind Lieutenant General?"
"Yes of course, here are the documents detailing every aspect of the initial phase of reforms. The majority of it was written by me, however I had many people aiding me in creating many parts of it. Please read them over when you have the time and send me your feedback so I can relay it. You see, we desire to collaborate with the Qin government on these plans. The Empire can't save Qin alone, we must work together to see that these changes are made, and made quickly."
Tanya hands Seyang several thick stapled documents, each containing detailed and in-depth plans for how to fix some of the issues Qin has. Of course, he doesn't have time to read them on the spot, but it's clear they're all likely well thought-out.
"Thank you, I will look over them as soon as I get the chance and I'll relay copies to the government."
"Good, now is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"
Syang sighed, it was clear that this woman was putting up as much of a formal act as him, as he shook his head, "I'm sure we're both alright with dropping this formal act, correct?"
"I'd thought you'd never ask, Mr. Chao, so what is it you really want to talk about?"
He was taken aback slightly as it seemed Degurechaff had been analyzing him just as much, though he didn't dwell on it for too long, "You brought the entire Battalion with you to Qin... You don't need a whole battalion to train mages, Ms. Degurechaff."
"Right you are, so I presume you pick up their true intention?"
"The Empire truly wishes to get involved in this upcoming war? With all due respect, I'm confused about what the Empire stands to gain."
"Well you see, in truth, there's another war brewing in Europe, and the Empire lacks allies. Our allies, while capable of holding their own, are not enough to win the war alone, and isolated from the great powers, the Empire has begun slowly forming a sort of unofficial triumvirate with Albion and the Unified States since the Londonium naval Treaties. Of course, Albion and the Unified States are still distant, and the Empire believes sending direct help to you while the Unified States or Albion can't will secure our position as their potential allies. Of course there's also the prospect of a strong and friendly Qin to stand as an Imperial ally should we ever become politically opposed to the rest of the west."
"So its allies the Empire wants?"
"Precisely, of course we have no problem helping you regardless, strong ties with you are good overall, especially should you succeed and thrive after this war. A strong and stable Qin is an ally the Empire would love to have."
"I see, well I believe that about sums up most of my questions. What will the 203rd do should the Akitsushimans start a war however?"
"Well officially we won't do much until the Empire formally announces the volunteer forces sent to Qin, however unofficially they'll be under the title of 228th Qin Mage Battalion, wearing Qin uniforms and mage gear, which conveniently will be Elenium Computation Jewels"
"You're really managing to supply us with Elenium Computation Jewels?"
"Took a bit of negotiation and convincing, but I managed to pull it off. You won't be getting the most up to date ones like the Type 99 the 203rd is using, but you should be able to get some supplies of the Type 98, although the Type 98 is still a Single-Core model. It seems Elenium hasn't developed a way to mass produce them, not that they'd give it to any other nations anyhow."
"I see... Well thats about all I had to say Ms. Degurechaff. Unless you would like to add anything, I'll be taking my leave."
"Understood Mr. Chao, I look forward to working with you in the future."
"As do I, Ms. Degurechaff."
He took his leave, turning and exiting the room as he thought about the conversation he just had. Normally he had full control over any conversation, able to read people like an open book. There were few that he could not read, and one of them was that small girl...
This would be interesting.