December 23rd, 1908, 12th Division Headquarters, Ishvala Ruins, Amestris – Tanya POV
Lieutenant Colonel Tanya Degurechaff walked through the ruins of Ishvala with a skip in her step. Around her, soldiers were laughing, cheering, dancing, singing and more in celebration. The reason was clear: for most of them, the war was over and for the rest, there would be little risk until they too were moved out of the front lines.
1st Lieutenant Viktoriya Serebryakova had given the news to her earlier that morning on a telegram.
[Fighting has ceased for more than 8 hours in Ishval, Dahlia region claimed liberated by Central government! With the final region liberated, all of Ishval has been lawfully reunited with the rest of Amestris! With the reduction of conflict on all fronts, more units are to stand down for reorganization. All units connected to the 12th, 16th, and 47th Divisions are to cease all action on December 23rd. Return to your Brigade HQ for new orders.]
In celebration – and with little else she could think of doing – she gave the Battalion the day off. She left them only with an order to get as much of their packing done as they could. Depending on the nature of her unit’s reorganization, they would be heading either to East City or Central.
It was for this very reason that she reserved a meeting with the commander of the 12th Division and made her way to his headquarters. Coincidentally, it seemed that Major General Halcrow also wanted to talk to her about something.
She entered the large building – one of the few free-standing structures left on the outer-edge of the city – and gave her superior a salute.
“So, the war is over, Major General Halcrow, sir.”
The General smirked and shook his head.
“I can understand the mistake since the uniform hasn’t come in yet. I’m a Lieutenant General now.”
She was surprised. It was rare for someone of such a high-rank to get a promotion. She gave him a nod and a smile.
“Then congratulations on the promotion, sir.”
He gave her a sad smile back..
“I appreciate it, it was a… long time coming. I’m not the only one. Almost every officer below General in the army is getting a promotion now that the war’s over. I also saw fit to promote Ironblood to Brigadier General as befitting his responsibilities. It shouldn’t come to much surprise. With conscription over and mandatory service periods expiring, almost half of the military will disappear soon and that leaves a lot of positions to fill. Out of everyone under my command, I think only the Crimson Alchemist is staying his rank considering how recently he was promoted.”
Walking to a nearby table, he picked up a sealed envelope and handed it to her.
“That includes you of course, congratulations Colonel Degurechaff.”
She took the envelope with trepidation. Once it was in her hands, she looked it over for a moment, not sure if her senses were not disobeying her. Unlike with her promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, there was no flamboyant displays for the press or a personal award ceremony from the Fürer. This was just a boring, ordinary gesture of good-will, with seemingly no ill-will behind it.
Once the situation caught up to her she gave him another salute and a big smile.
“Thank you sir!”
‘Just one more promotion until Brigadier General and a permanent position in the rear!’
He shook his head.
“It’s only right. Really, it is I that should be thanking you. Your Operation Orb was instrumental in ensuring that last desperate Ishvalan gamble did not succeed and I’m sure that mission helped in my own promotion. I take care of my subordinates.”
Tanya smiled, glad that she was finally being recognized for something other than her direct military involvement. She had not taken any direct action during that engagement. Surely the General would not force her to the front if he valued her contributions in the rear.
‘I had him pegged wrong from the start. I was right not to let his actions surrounding Executive Order 3066 which forced me into these wars from biasing my thinking.’
Her next thought, however, made her frown.
‘But the question is, what now? Is it actually the case that I’m on a course for an easy retirement? I might be heading to the rear permanently soon, but if Amestris goes into another war…’
Tanya had to say something. She sighed.
“Sir, we can’t let another Ishval happen again.”
Lieutenant General Halcrow sighed and nodded. He gestured to a nearby table and chairs.
“I suppose we cannot let all this good news distract us too much. We both have reasons for this meeting. Well, to business then.”
They sat down and the General stared into the Colonel’s eyes with a stern expression.
“With a comment like that, I imagine that you want to take more political action.”
Tanya groaned. This was a conversation she had been dreading ever since it was clear she would be joining the military, but she could not hold it off any longer. With the Operation Orb project, she would never be allowed to leave the country, but she also could not continue working for a doomed nation.
‘But what should I say? To anyone from modern Japan, it’s obvious what the end result of Amestris’ aggressive expansionism will be: to be crushed by one or more global wars. The only proven system for long-term peace and prosperity is for Amestris to transition towards democracy and a Rules-Based International Order governed by Free-Market Principles. But I doubt a General that just got a promotion through war wants to hear about that.’
She would play things safe for now and stick to the clear facts.
“Sir, I… you should know me by now. I’m not one to rock the boat and I’m no pacifist. I know that the military has a place and the need to protect Amestrian sovereignty. I was perfectly content to just work my way to a rear position and enjoy a comfortable life, but General Halcrow, this war… it was such a massive waste of our potential. We lost over 100,000 soldiers and a productive area of our nation with nothing to show for it. We’ve been lucky that the neighboring powers have also had their own problems to deal with, but if we try something like the Border Wars again, our nation might not survive.”
General Halcrow frowned, but he did not dismiss her premise out-of-hand.
“You’re not wrong, Colonel, and you’re not the only one bringing me these concerns. Before I go on, I have to ask. What do you know about Military Politics?”
She grimaced. Her lack of knowledge on it was a painful reminder of just how fast the past few months have been and just how out-of-depth she was regarding her situation.
“I’ve been on the receiving end of it a few times. I joined the war because of it and I know that Central played me up as the ‘Hero of the Western Front’ for some political reason to hide something… probably some deal between them and Western HQ. I thought it might have been because the mission was so awful, but then I saw the state of Ishval… I suppose I should be lucky the political maneuvering hasn’t been worse.”
The General gave her a sympathetic nod.
“The military likes to portray itself as a monolith ruled by the Fürer, but the reality is that there are a lot of different Factions competing for different goals. The Western General Staff and most of the Alumni from Western Academy make up the Academics trying to codify and standardize the military. There’s also the Industrialists lead by the Armstrong family, the Centralists lead by our leader, and a whole host of Factions starting to emerge now that the Ishvalan Rebellion is over.”
The number of Factions and clear divisions immediately had Tanya concerned. It was frighteningly reminiscent of pre-war Japan. The Imperial Way (皇道派), the Control (統制派), the Financial (財閥) and other factions all vying for power in the authoritarian regime of Imperial Japan. Considering the time period she was in, it was too much of a coincidence to ignore.
‘The last thing I want is to step one foot off the frontlines only to have get stabbed in the back. I haven’t been in the military long, but if the Amestrian Military Junta is anything like Imperial Japan’s, being in the wrong Faction is asking for a young officer to commit Gekokujō (下克上); killing me to make a name for themselves in their clique.’
She looked to him with thinly-veiled concern.
“I imagine you’re telling me this because of you have something in mind, sir. I don’t want to make an… incorrect decision.”
General Halcrow nodded sagely.
“I had a feeling you were smart enough to realize that. There are many ‘dead-end’ factions that will bring an abrupt end to your career… if you know what I mean. I was afraid you might end up joining the new radical groups built from the other Ishvalan veterans like this new ‘Eastern Liberation Front’ or ‘Blue Division’ or whatever it is that wants to overthrow the government.”
She did not need to hide her disgust. She had heard of some of those groups, but had thought they were just public interest groups that were trying to lobby the government for change. She was glad she did not make any hasty decisions. She certainly did not want to join a radical color-themed group and end up in the ranks of some anarchist – or worse, a communist – faction.
She pleaded her case emphatically.
“I’m a team player, sir. I’m willing to compromise on some things to focus on what’s important. I just don’t want to see a repeat of the massive waste I saw in this war. Is there an organization that would put Human Resources to good use?”
He paused for a moment with a hint of surprise before he nodded.
“Then the only right choice is with the Centralists. As a member, I suppose I’m biased, but it is the largest and most influential Faction, but even including these new radical groups, no factions has historically made meaningful changes to the status quo more than us. With your record and with my backing, I’m sure you will carve out a place for yourself and bring Amestris into the modern age.”
She frowned. The Centralists sounded an awful lot like the current government. She voiced her concern.
“Central and the Fürer were the reason for the inflexibility when dealing with the Ishvalans in the first place, were they not? How are we expected to change their minds?”
General Halcrow smiled.
“That’s been my goal. You could say it was the main reason for why my promotion was so late. This war may have started from an act of violence, but it grew into an uncompromising war because of the aristocratic and conservative elements of the Centralists forcing the Fürer’s hand. I was there when it happened. It was a shock; I’d thought my efforts had sidelined them. The Ishvalan Rebellion has been their only recent political play that’s actually succeeded and you can see the results for yourself.”
He gave out his hand in a gesture for her to shake it.
“So, will you help me make this war their last political move? I’m sure we have our differences, but we can act on those after the incompetents are ousted from the faction. Will you work with me to make it happen?”
She was conflicted. She had not come into this meeting for politics and it was a usually a good idea to walk away from a deal to think it over rather than deciding in the moment.
‘Is this the right move? I have little political connections so what are the alternatives? Go back to Lieutenant General Zettour who had me lead a suicidal charge behind enemy lines? He jumped two ranks for it and he owes me… but he probably just sees me as a means to an end. What about the Fürer? He got me into this mess in the first place and seemed to be on my side… but he no doubt has a strong desire to maintain the status-quo.’
She sighed.
‘No… I have to “play the hand I’m dealt” as the saying goes. I can’t allow another Fürer to plunge the continent into war like that German one, but I also won’t stoop to methods like the Imperial Way Faction (皇道派). I can’t just unilaterally shape Amestris into my ideal image with assassination and radical action. That would make me the worst kind of hypocrite. I must work from inside the government… and if all my political allies are in the same faction, what better choice is there? ’
She shook the General’s hand.
“Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll join you in Central. As you said, I’m sure that we will be competing in the long run, but that doesn’t need to make us enemies. I will do whatever it takes to secure the future of Amestris.”
General Halcrow grinned and signaled for his adjutant to prepare lunch.
“I’m glad you made the right choice, please stay with me for lunch. There are a lot of things I would like to discuss with you. Working together, the future of Amestris look unrecognizable compared to what it’s like today.”
She nodded. At the very least, she needed to get her Battalion’s orders.
They sat and discussed the reorganization of the Division. Her Battalion’s place in Central, the research department she wanted to open to expand her Operation Orb Project’s scope, and more. In a few minutes, the food had arrived and the General brought up a glass of wine in a toast.
“To peace!”
Being underage, she brought up her glass of water instead, but hesitated. She realized that the toast was actually true. For the first time since she was less than two years old, Amestris was finally at peace. She could not afford to waste this opportunity.
She nodded and raised her glass.
“Yes. To peace.”
---
January 1st, 1909, Eastern Parade Grounds, East City, Amestris – Grumman POV
Outside the window of the formidable and austere East City military headquarters, a parade of the Amestrian military was on full display. Trumpets and drums of marching bands played as columns of soldiers marched around the parade ground in good order. Once each group was finished being “presented” to the headquarters, they would then march out into the streets of the city and into the cheering arms of the public. All across the parade grounds, but also hanging on the balconies of the apartments nearby was the Flag of Amestris flying proudly in the calm breeze.
At the podium where the soldiers were being presented, a number of Generals were seated in ornate chairs. When each group came by, the Generals would stand up and proudly salute. It was a ceremony to unify the ranks; to show that everyone from the highest-ranking general to the lowest ranking private had a place of importance in the operation and prestige of the army.
Except it was all a sham.
From his office in East City Headquarters, Lieutenant General Grumman could only look on in silence while the Generals from Central – all of whom had never once set foot in Ishval – proudly strutted and role-played the “stoic” and “unyielding” ideal for the men. He calmly sipped his tea, the bitter flavor complementing his mood.
‘I suppose I should be glad that Central denied my request to take part of the parade. While it might have given me an extra boost of recognition from the common soldier, it wasn’t worth getting into a fight with Central over. If they want to sideline the real soldiers who saved the Ishvalan Campaign from the brink of collapse, so be it. I was never someone who stopped an opponent from making a mistake. Some anonymous rumors circulating around to my subordinates hinting at Central’s decision to sideline me has had far more political value than any parade.’
He heard a loudspeaker turn on and an announcer speak from a script. It was the same tired lines repeated in different ways that were said throughout the day to fill the dead air between the musical numbers of the marching bands.
[Watch as our glorious Amestrian military continues to show their fortitude with distinction! These men and women have just returned from their heroic victory in Ishval and have had little time to rest, but we could not deny them one last chance to present themselves to you, the people! For many of these sons and daughters of Amestris, this will be their last parade. They will return into the arms of their families and serve as the solid backbone of our nation in peace. A grateful nation thanks you all for your valorous service in the name of protecting our homes!]
Grumman smiled as the people cheered on the soldiers and despite the distance, he felt he could see the soldiers march a little straighter, with chests puffed out a little fuller. Despite his enmity for the current situation, he was glad that – at least for the common people – this was a celebration worth having. A first step towards a new normal for a nation no longer at war.
There was a knock at the door. Grumman turned to find his adjutant poking his head out from the other side.
“Sir, a Lieutenant Colonel Mustang and Major Hughes to see you.”
Grumman nodded and the adjutant closed the door. These officers were just two of many he had meetings with throughout the month. Like the others, these two had been denied promotions because of their adversarial actions towards their superiors’ incompetence. They were the perfect people to have serving under him and their promotions were something they had earned.
The two men entered, but he did not turn to greet them. He wanted to gauge them a little first.
As he had expected, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang was the first to speak.
“Sir, you wanted to speak with us?”
Still without turning, Grumman gestured his tea cup towards the parade.
“Lieutenant Colonel, what do you think of this parade?”
The Flame Alchemist seemed confused by the question.
“I… I’m not sure what you mean. It’s a gesture of goodwill, a festival? The people like it, although I’m not much of a fan.”
‘An unsurprising answer from an Alchemist; sticking to the facts, but…’
Grumman turned to the Major.
“And you, Major Hughes? Do you know what I mean?”
The Major gave him a nervous looking smile.
“There’s a lot less people in that parade than there should be… but I suppose its better for us to march in East City than to our graves in Ishval.”
‘I’m glad at least one of them is paying attention.’
Lieutenant Colonel Mustang turned to his friend in shock.
“Hughes! What are you-”
Before the situation could get tense, Grumman laughed and gave them each a calculating look.
“So quick to defend your friend, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang. There’s no need to worry, I won’t be so quick to revoke the ranks I just gave you because of a little backtalk. Now Major, perhaps you could illuminate your friend on why you thought saying that was alright? I’m interested to know myself.”
The Major crossed his arms.
“You specifically chose us for this meeting… we were in different Companies yet you picked us to come in together for this. You also promoted us despite the numerous… recommendations sent back to Central by former commander Fessler. So I did some digging; I wanted to know whose command we were being signed up for. You seem to be surrounding yourself with a lot of new people from after the Ishvalan Civil War. It wasn’t hard to see a pattern of picking ‘troublemakers’ like us. You’re something of a ‘troublemaker’ yourself, right?”
Grumman said nothing for a moment. Instead, he simply sipped tea and let them stew on their “revelation”. He then smirked.
“While I won’t deny that, there’s no need to be modest. I didn’t choose you just for your views or your personalities. You’re both exemplary officers. You, Major, have just shown a level of insight that I doubt most Generals in Central could match and, Lieutenant Colonel, your skill in Alchemy has been the talk of the military for almost a year now. Many consider you the best there is. If I just wanted some anti-establishment muscle, I could have picked any number of soldiers itching to kick-off a revolution.”
That seemed to frustrate the Flame Alchemist.
“If you’re such a troublemaker, then why don’t you? What do you see when you look at that parade?”
Grumman laughed. He would not let them see his true feeling so easily.
“A nice parade!”
That weak admission had both of the officers groaning. Flame in particular seemed put off by his nonchalance.
“What’s the point of all this?”
Grumman shook his head in mock insult.
“Does there need to be a point? I might be a little troublesome, but that doesn’t mean I want a revolution! Perhaps we can talk about some stories of my youth! Why, back when I was a young officer like yourselves, I never concerned myself with-”
The idea of listening to him ramble made Flame look borderline apoplectic.
‘You really need to reign in those emotions, Flame, you’re so easy to tease.’
Major Hughes patted his friend on the back and turned to the General.
“Sir, I really think you should get to the point or Mustang here might start throwing Alchemy.”
The General took out a fan from on his desk. Hiding his mouth behind it, he let out a polite chuckle. He closed the fan with a snap and pointed it towards them.
“Ha! You have quite the fiery temper Flame Alchemist and I learned that with just this little conversation. That’s all this meeting is really for; to learn from one-another. No need to take things so personally. But I suppose in the interest of moving the discussion forwards, let me answer your question with a question. What does Central think when looking at this parade? Do they see valuable soldiers and civilians in need of protection? Do they look at the talented young soldiers marching in perfect rows, and see the future of this country? People with lives ahead of them; children of mothers and fathers that love them and are eager to see them back safely for the holidays?”
That seemed to cool their moods significantly. They both had a dark look and Lieutenant Colonel Mustang clenched his fist.
“Is that your idea of a joke? We’re nothing but cannon-fodder to them. In Ishval, we were worth nothing. If they cared about our lives, it was only for the inconvenience in disposing our corpses after being killed.”
Major Hughes then gave the General a calculating look.
“In fact, I would say that the orders we were getting from Central was closer to active sabotage than just a disregard for our lives. There was one thing that stood out to me near the end of the war. If we just opened the way to Aerugo, most of the Ishvalans would’ve left on their own. I know from my friends in Intelligence that some made it anyway, but could have had a much easier time of things if we gave them an opening ourselves. That would have killed two birds with one stone: saved the lives of many of our soldiers and gave Aerugo a humanitarian headache to deal with. No matter what Central wanted out of this war, that should have been the obviously superior outcome, right?”
‘I was right about him, a good head on his shoulders. I suppose if he’s willing to give a little information, I should reciprocate.’
Grumman nodded.
“You’re seeing something that took me decades to uncover, although I imagine that Ishval made certain things painfully obvious. This isn’t the first time the military has made a completely irrational decision like that – nor will it be the last – but you must be careful. Don’t look too deep into this if you ever want to actually do something about it.”
Lieutenant Colonel Mustang slammed Grumman’s desk.
“That’s easy to say, but those bastards killed a lot of people I’d call my friends. Comrades-in-arms I shed blood with! We need to be doing whatever it takes to bring them down!”
‘I’m glad I caught them when I did. If they went on like this, I would have been down two promising subordinates.’
Grumman looked up at the State Alchemist with a condescending look. He gestured to his door.
“Then march out that door and join the Eastern Liberation Front, or the Anti-Central League, or the Amestrian Anarchist Army, or any dozen other groups. I’ve been fighting this for longer than either of you’ve been alive and I can tell you that Central is not a pushover! If you think you have what it takes, go. I won’t stop you.”
That seemed to cool Mustang’s temper a little.
Grumman leaned forwards, he gestured a hand to a wall. A photo of his graduating class hung on it. Of the 84 people in that photo, only 6 of them remained.
“I knew many men – good, smart, men – informants, trusted confidants, people like you who thought they knew what they were doing. They mentioned taking a closer look at the Centralists and they never came back. No body, no hint of them in the record books. Like they never existed. Some of these people worked for Intelligence; knew the Bureau inside and out. They should have known how to keep their investigations hidden, but they had no chance.”
Major Hughes nodded.
“So then I was probably right then. There is a conspiracy at the highest levels. Is the Fürer even a real person, or is he some sort of puppet fabricated from whole-cloth as a convenient tool for them to act with?”
Grumman sighed.
‘Stupid fool, and I had such high hopes for him…’
In a fluid motion, he ripped open his desk drawer and grabbed the Luger inside it. With a deftness not befitting his advancing years, he aimed the pistol at them with a solid grip. He looked at the two of them with a grave look.
“You shouldn’t have said that.”
They were both quick to respond. The Flame Alchemist had his ignition-cloth gloves ready and leveled. Likewise, Major Hughes had two hands on a set of small knives holstered on his belt.
The Lieutenant Colonel gave him a look that could kill. It was the kind of dead-eyed look that only a Veteran from Ishval could have.
“What are you doing old man?!”
General Grumman did not flinch.
“The real question is, what are you going to do? You kill me and you’ll never make it out of East City. Whereas I can find any manner of excuse for disposing the two of you. A pair of traitors. What was your plan, bringing weapons into my office? Did you think the lack of a search at the door was an invitation?”
Major Hughes was the first to put his weapons away. He rubbed a hand on his face and groaned.
“Sorry Lieutenant General, sir, I wasn’t thinking. That won’t happen again.”
‘So he’s not a lost cause, just in over his head.’
The Flame Alchemist looked confused and turned to his friend.
“Hughes?”
Seeing that his point had been made, Grumman put his pistol away and gestured for Major Hughes to speak.
“Sorry Roy, I messed up. We didn’t know where Lieutenant General Grumman’s real allegiances were, yet I gave away how much I actually knew about the ‘potential’ conspiracy in Central. I didn’t even consider that. Damn it.”
Lieutenant Colonel Mustang frowned and lowered his gloved hands, looking between the two of them.
“But if the General put away the gun, then he is against Central. What was the point of all this, then?”
The General sighed.
‘I’ll have a lot to teach the Flame Alchemist about subtlety, that’s for sure.’
“The point, Lieutenant Colonel, is to teach you a lesson. You can trust me now that I know all your secrets, true, but why did you take that risk? Do you know if I’m the real ‘Lieutenant General Grumman’? How do you know anything I just told you was the truth? Can you say for certain that this wasn’t a sting-operation cooked up by Intelligence to reign in a ‘group of traitors’ before they could do any damage. You just outed yourselves and I would have had everything I needed to bury you.”
He finished his tea, sat up from his chair and walked across the room. He stood in front of a map of Amestris. On it were numerous outdated markings of unit positions and battlelines from when the Ishvalan Civil War first began. He pointed at them.
“This isn’t a game. This is a battlefield just as real as the one you two left with the same stakes: everything for the winners and death for the losers. In this war, secrets are our battlements and investigation is our artillery. Our enemy has the advantage. They rule the nation and have kept their secrets very well. I don’t know how, but this conspiracy is powerful and far reaching, with a strong leader and clear vision of what it wants.”
Hughes gave a look of surprise.
“How can you know that, sir? You were the one to say that they are so good, no one who investigates them makes it back from Central. How can you get any information about them.”
Grumman nods.
“That is a skill you’ll need to learn for yourself in time. Even if I can’t see how this conspiracy operates or what its goals are, I can see the edges; the shape. I’d have to have my head in the sand not to see it after 40 years in the military. The Centralists are large Faction, yet they’re completely unified. That should be impossible. A faction that size should have sub-factions, each with leaders vying for power. They should be calling in favors from external power-brokers of the other major factions to back them up in political disputes. At the very least, this unity should come with consequences. For unity to happen, a leader must emerge to maintain order and cull out disloyalty and liabilities among their ranks.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Grumman jabbed a finger at Central City on the map.
“None of that happens with the Centralists. It’s like you said, the Fürer’s not the leader. He doesn’t use his power logically. As a ruler, he should be convicting people that oppose him or building a power-base of allies loyal to him. Yet on paper, he has almost no supporters and should have been ousted decades ago, yet he’s stuck around. Some person or group rules the Centralists, working behind the scenes to keep the Fürer in power, manipulating the various civilian and military Amestrian institutions for their own gain with no trace of their existence beyond the results.”
Major Hughes looked defeated at the information he was being told.
“That’s horrifying…”
Lieutenant Colonel Mustang – on the other hand – seemed more annoyed than disillusioned.
“What’s the bottom line? What are we fighting here?”
With a sigh, Grumman made his way back to his desk and sat down.
“I don’t know what our enemy is. My guess would be some inner circle of Central General Staff and civilian power brokers, but that seems too easy; too ordinary. This is an organization that’s masterful at covering their tracks. The Centralists obviously value loyalty – there would be no reason for them to suffer the incompetency in their ranks otherwise – but I don’t know what that loyalty means. What are their goals, their motivations?”
The Flame Alchemist shook his head.
“Does any of that matter? We just need to win. Cut off the head and the whole rotting organization will come crumbling down.”
Grumman glared.
“Are you sure? Are you willing to bet the lives of everyone on your guess of leadership? The Centralists might not have a majority of the military under their command, but they have a clear plurality; over 40% of the nation’s combat potential is firmly in their control. What do you think a Civil War would look like if you were wrong? There wouldn’t be an Amestris left.”
That seemed to deflate the State Alchemist.
“That- I already know we can’t fight Central head on.”
Major Hughes nodded.
“We can’t defeat them head-on, so we need to find out everything about them. We need a sure way to take them down without a Civil War. You have an idea, right? You didn’t call us here just to tell us the situation is hopeless.”
The Lieutenant General frowned.
“Yes, I have a plan, but I’m also telling you to cool your heads, boys. There will be plenty of unrest and hot tempers flaring with these new radical groups in the coming months and Central will put them all down like it always does. We can use that instability to learn what we can about how the Centralists operate, but I don’t need dead men walking, I need reliable soldiers. Can I trust you two to wait and build up your reputations and evidence until the time is right?”
The two looked to each other and nodded. Grumman nodded back.
“Thank you. You’ll find that your faith will not be misplaced.”
They spent fifteen more minutes talking about less important things. Their place under his command in East City. The type of actions they would be undertaking. Approval for certain subordinates to be transferred over from Ishval. After the conversations ended, the two left. When the door finally closed, Lieutenant General Grumman let out a deep sigh of relief he did not realize he was holding in.
He stood up from his chair and walked to the window. Taking off his glasses, he waved them in front of his face, letting the sun reflect off them into the distance. Past the parade grounds and the soldiers, a team of marksman aiming into his office from atop a nearby building received his signal and began to pack up. Replacing his glasses, he turned back towards the door.
‘Sorry boys, but I can’t quite trust you two just yet. I’m almost certain you’re not a plant from Central – or I wouldn’t have been so open about my knowledge of the conspiracy – but having someone tail them for a few weeks won’t hurt either. If they’re in on it, I might find some more clues. I didn’t become Lieutenant General without taking risks, but I didn’t survive until now without knowing how to deal with the problems that come with it.’
He stepped out onto his balcony and leaved forwards on the railing. Below was a street that ran adjacent to both the parade grounds and the headquarters was a cafe where officers would regularly go for a quick bite to eat. Sitting at one of the tables was a nondescript man who was reading from a paper. He had been sitting at the cafe for four hours already… quite the avid reader.
‘But just because I can notice the obvious spies, does that rule out the absence of any not-so-obvious ones? How long until I’m the one “disappeared” by the Centralist spooks? Will I be joining the others as just another pound of flesh ground down by the gears of a State apparatus running towards its enigmatic ends?’
Stepping back inside, he looked to his desk and a picture of his family. In it were the Grummans and the Hawkeyes sitting around a table celebrating a large chicken dinner. He looked at the soft and shy features of his granddaughter Riza who could not be more than 12 years old at the time.
‘I suppose I can’t tell them that the real reason for the meeting was to see for myself the character of the people my Granddaughter spends time with, can I? No, I can’t let my sentimental side win. When the time comes, I must be willing to throw away everything: my family, my friends, even my morality for Final Victory. Overthrowing King Bradley and his cohort is the only way I can make those bastards pay for all they’ve done.’
He was too old for the luxury to second-guess himself. He picked up the phone receiver and dialed 0. His Adjutant picked up on the other end.
“Major Albert, another pot of tea, if you would?”
[Right away General.]
Hanging up the phone, he sat back in his chair. As he reclined, a pain shot up from his hip, forcing him to lean forwards and grasping his lower back.
‘Ow… ah… The real question is, will my time come before I kick the bucket… I’ve been so patient. It’s thanks to that patience that I was able to use Ishval to recruit a loyal army for myself, but when will that moment of weakness in Central finally arrive? When can I finally put an end to this political sham?’
---
January 10th, 1909, Rockbell Household, Resembool, Amestris – Winry POV
Winter was boring.
Resembool was too far south for snow, so Winry Rockbell never got the chance to make Snow Angels. It was also too far north for the seasons not to change much. Instead, winter was cold, it rained a lot, and the ground was too muddy and wet to have fun playing around in. All combined, she was forced to spend a lot of time indoors. While she did not mind spending a little extra time learning about Automail and Surgery from Granny, it was still boring.
Granny and Winry sat at their kitchen table and ate breakfast in silence. Granny finished first, but did not put in the effort to clear the table. Instead, she distracted herself with a clipboard covered in notes. With the war going on nearby, there were a lot of injuries which meant a lot of Automail customers. That meant ordering parts, having consultations, assembling the artificial limbs and fitting them onto the clients. Granny did not perform the surgeries herself anymore – her hands were too shaky – but she did almost everything else. With Resembool being the first stop for many people leaving Ishval, a lot of them were willing to spend a premium to get themselves “fixed” right away, so Granny was always busy.
Winry hoped the war ended soon. She missed her parents. They were doctors that helped people and they promised to be back when the war ended. Normally, she would get mail from them every week, but over the past month, she did not get anything. Granny said it might have been lost in the mail. That had happened a little last year too so that could be the case again… but she was really worried. She did not let Granny know that though. She did not want her to think she was a crybaby.
When she finished her food, she got up, grabbed both her and Granny’s plates and started washing them in the sink.
Granny got up from the table and tapped her on the arm.
“No need to worry about that, dear. Just get your jacket on and go off to school.”
Winry frowned. Granny had been acting weird lately. Normally Winry did all the chores since Granny was busy making money, but over the past few days, Granny had taken over doing everything. She liked the extra free time, but it was winter, so there was not much fun things she could do instead.
“But-”
Granny bopped her on the head with her clipboard.
“Don’t you want to walk with the boys on the way to school? If you don’t leave soon you’ll miss them.”
She smiled at the thought, but was quick to correct her grandmother.
“Fine, but I only like walking with Alphonse. Ed’s a stupid weirdo.”
Granny gave her a weird smirk for some reason, but she ignored it. It was probably some stupid grown-up thing.
---
Fifteen minutes later, she had her jacket and schoolbag on and was walking down the road on the way to school. There was only one place the Elric brothers would be: the train station. It was the only exciting place left in the whole town. Nothing else really changed.
Today, there was another one of those “armored military trains” at the station surrounded by soldiers either guarding it, walking around, or talking among themselves. The train looked like a newer design. Instead of being made primarily from cast-iron, it was constructed from the same dark-colored medium-carbon steel used in the outer-plating of Automail they made for soldiers. While it was wear- and weather-resistant, the metal was also really heavy. There was a reason that trains used it but automobiles and wagons used steel with less carbon that could be made thinner.
‘I just don’t get those soldiers. Sure having “armored” Automail is cool, but all Automail is cool! Unless a soldier is covered head-to-toe in Automail, whether your arm can deflect a bullet has got to be less important than how easy it is to lift it, right?’
She hoped it was not one of those “boy” things like whatever secret Ed and Al were keeping from her. On that note, it did not take much scanning of the groups of soldiers and civilians at the station to see the Elric brothers. Their small forms – especially Ed’s – was easy to make out in the crowd. When they saw her approach, they immediately ran her way.
Al smiled which she reciprocated.
“Winry!”
Ed – like usual – had a face that looked like just he ate a lemon from Miss Monica’s greenhouse.
“Hey gear-head.”
Winry would not let that insult lie and threw a punch at his stupid face. Unfortunately, the boys had gone through some crazy “Alchemist Training” over the summer. Not only did that mean they came back with weirder alchemy than normal, but Ed could not dodge all her punches. Of course, the lack of physical contact only made her more angry.
“Don’t call me a gear-head, midget!”
Ed looked like he was going to retaliate, but was held back by his brother.
“Don’t call me a pea-sized flea, you Automail freak!”
“If I’m an Automail freak, than you’re an Alchemy freak!”
“Why you-”
Al stepped in between them and physically kept them apart. He groaned and turned to each of them.
“Come on guys, cut it out, you do this every day.”
She had mixed feelings about the two of them being back. She should be angry at them. For the past 6 months, they had left her all by herself. She still had one-or-two friends at school, but – as much as she hated to admit it – even Ed was more fun to talk to then they were. They just wanted to play with dolls or run around playing tag or climbing trees. They did not want to hearing her talk about the effects of Molybdenum on the temperature resistance of steel or the ways that Automail joints could be moved by nerve impulses.
That being said, she would have been even more happy if only Al came back.
“Maybe I would be nicer if you two would just hang out like we used to. Ever since you came back from your training, all you seem to do everyday is sleep in class and stay cooped up in your house with your dumb secrets.”
Ed huffed and turned away.
“Well, maybe we just have more important things to do than play around like little kids.”
His brother punched him in the arm for that which had Ed turn around.
“Hey! What’s the big idea!”
Al turned to Winry.
“Ed didn’t mean it like that. We… we just learned a lot of stuff from teacher and we still have a lot of homework to do. I promise, once we have things all figured out, we’ll hang out like we used to.”
Winry looked hopefully towards Al.
“Promise? I hate you keeping secrets from me.”
Al nodded and Ed rolled his eyes.
“Eh, enough with the feelings.”
Ed’s eyes lit up with realization.
“Oh, that’s right! I heard it from the soldiers over there. The war’s over! I guess we’ll be seeing a lot less soldiers coming back, huh.”
Al smiled.
“Yeah! Hey, I bet you’re mom and dad will be coming back soon, right? I miss Auntie Sarah’s cooking.”
Winry beamed back at them. Suddenly, everything was right with the world. She was practically jumping up and down.
“Really?! That’s amazing!”
Then she realized that Granny would not have heard anything. News was slow. There would be nothing in the papers until the next one came out in a few days.
“Ah, that’s right! I gotta go home and tell Granny!”
She rushed off so fast that she barely heard the two Elrics say they would meet her at school. She ran back up the winding dirt road, and past a few neighbors. She was in such a rush she did not even say hi back to them!
She opened the front door and practically yelled at Granny.
“Granny! The war’s over! Mom and Dad are going to be coming home any day now!”
The small form of the Automail mechanic – who had finished washing the dishes and seemed deep in thought at a drill press – turned to her with an uncomfortable expression on her face.
She was confused. This was the best news they had all year.
“Granny? What’s wrong?”
---
January 10th, 1909, Southern Passenger Train Station, Resembool, Amestris – Tanya POV
Colonel Tanya Degurechaff was doing what she loved: holding a clipboard with a clear list of work to be completed, handing out the work to be done to competent employees, and providing feedback for the optimal efficiency of their work. It was the like a symphony working in perfect concert with her as the conductor and unlike during the war, her life was not at risk! Unfortunately, such moments were few and far between, but now she knew better than to squander them and gave 100% of her focus to the task.
“Colonel, sir! We, uh, there’s a problem we need your help with.”
She turned to see Captain Rhiner Neumann give her a crisp salute. She sighed, putting a bookmark in the ledger she was reading and handed it off to one of the train engineers for safe-keeping. With the amount of paperwork that had to be done with regard to the Battalion’s transition to Central and requisitions for her Operation Orb research, her Adjutant 1st Lieutenant Viktoriya Serebryakova and 2nd in Command Captain Matheus Johan Weiss were sleeping now so that they could take over for her overnight while she slept.
She turned towards Captain Neumann and gestures for him to lead her towards this “problem”.
“What is it? Has there been a some sort of military activity? I wouldn’t have expected any Ishvalans to pose a threat this far west-”
The large Captain rapidly shook his head and chuckled.
“No, nothing like that Colonel. It’s just… well, we have a stowaway.”
Tanya frowned.
“Someone slipped though our watch from Ishval? Damn, well we can’t use the town jail… I suppose it could be best to house them in a passenger compartment under guard-”
The Captain sighed.
“Colonel, sorry. I’m not saying this right. I mean, the stowaway is a child; an Amestrian child, probably from the local area. I asked about her parents and she just started crying and demanding to be taken to ‘Ishval’. I tried to take her away, but she was very aggressive in clinging to all manner of objects. I could have been more forceful but…”
She could understand his hesitance.
‘The Ishval Rebellion started because of locals rioting after a soldier shot a child. Even without violence, being aggressive with one would be a bad look… I suppose I’m not doing anything that couldn’t be left off for a few more hours.’
Tanya sighed.
“Alright, but why come to me? I might be a child myself, but I’m not exactly… good with children.”
Captain Neumann grimaced.
‘Hey! I’m not great, but I still distinctly remember my time in the orphanage. I’m not hopeless.’
The Captain seemed to sense her anger and shook his head.
“Well, you could say my fatherly instincts give me the distinct impression that she does not want to be around adults at the moment. Also – if it came to it – you could probably force her out with less of a controversy. That said. I’m sorry if I’ve distracted you from your duties. I could try a local from the area if-.”
Tanya shook her head.
“It’s fine. Try searching around, but I’ll also do what I can. Let’s handle this quickly, our Battalion still has lots of work to be done.”
---
Tanya dismissed Captain Neumann outside one of the train’s rear-most boxcars. It was one that mostly stored bags and suitcases. She saluted the two soldiers standing guard and realized that the Captain must have placed them their to keep watch.
‘It’s just a kid… no, I suppose it’s better that they follow the regulations to the letter. I’d rather deal with these one-off annoyances than for my subordinates to ignore the protocol and risk a child stealing supplies from under our noses. I suppose I should be glad this kid didn’t try sneaking into the boxcar carrying our ammunition or this inconvenience could have turned into an outright farce.’
She walked in to see the crying and sniveling form that looked almost like her mirror image: a blonde-haired girl roughly her age. The sounds of her sniveling reminded her of the brats at the orphanage and she could almost feel a headache coming on just from Pavlovian instinct.
“You cannot stay here, miss. You-”
The girl did not lift her head, but clenched her fists and yelled.
“Go away! I’m not leaving until I go to Ishval!”
Tanya turned back towards the exit and wondered if this was a prank the Battalion was playing on her in poor-taste.
“This train is headed in the other direction. We’re going to East City so please-”
“My parents are in Ishval so-”
The girl cut her off, looked up and finally realized who she was talking to.
“Uh, who are you? I don’t know you from my class. Hey, that’s a pretty good uniform! I almost thought you were a soldier for a second!”
Tanya brought a hand to her face, cradling her temples to stave off any potential headache.
“I am a soldier. Colonel Tanya Degurechaff, the Mythril Alchemist, and I could ask you the same question. Who-”
Tanya was again cut off as the girl jumped up and bee-lined straight into her personal space.
“What?! But everyone said that Ed and Al were the youngest alchemists in, like, forever! If you’re so good at alchemy, prove it!”
‘Well, I suppose this is better than the crying. Maybe a little light-show will get her to trust me enough to kick her out.’
It was something she learned in the orphanage; the other children were too stupid to be coerced through logic and reason, but using a little Alchemy was often enough to stop them from pulling her away from her reading to “play tag” or any other childish frivolity. It never worked for long, but it was usually good enough for her to quickly find a new hiding spot away from the snot-nosed brats.
Tanya sighed and looked around for something she could use. She noticed a large artillery barrel had been stored with the bags. Based on the markings on it, it had fired the 3000 shells it was rated for and was too worn and warped to be accurate anymore. It was destined for some training regiment for test practice until it would be inevitably melted down into something else, which meant she did not run any risk of damaging it.
Using her Operation Orb, she activated Empower into her gauntlets and was surrounded by the faint-blue light of Alchemy. Grabbing the barrel, she effortlessly lifted the quarter-ton slab of metal from off the floor of the boxcar and then lowered it back down with equal ease.
The child was suitably surprised.
“W-what?! B-but alchemy needs a circle! Wait. Ed and Al said that their teacher could do Alchemy without a circle… are… are you Ed and Al’s teacher?!”
Tanya looked at the child with bewilderment.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about. I’m surprised you know about Transmutation Circles, but if you’re interested, I can talk all about it outside.”
The child seemed to initially buy her ploy, but it seemed she was a bit smarter than the children she was raised with in the orphanage.
“No! I’m not leaving until I go to Ishval…”
Just as Tanya was about to relent and use force, a voice chimed in from behind her.
“They’re not coming back, Winry.”
Tanya turned to see Captain Neumann standing behind an unremarkable old woman. The Captain appeared apologetic, probably realizing that having a civilian this close to the train was making a generous interpretation of her orders.
“Sorry Colonel. This woman claims to be the child’s Grandmother.”
The elderly lady nodded with a hint of anger on her face.
“That’s right. I’m Pinako Rockbell and this young lady here is my granddaughter Winry who is in really big trouble for trying to run away from home! I taught you better than that!”
The child let out another cry and ran over and hugged her grandmother with tears in her eyes.
“B-but you said mom and dad were dead! They can’t be dead! They just sent me a letter a month ago!”
Pinako sighed, rubbing the top of her granddaughter’s head.
“Winry, that letter was sent over two months ago. I’m sorry Winry, but I received another letter last week. They’re gone.”
“But why didn’t you say anything!”
The grandmother also began to tear up.
“I did. Today. I had hoped I would have more time, but I couldn’t let you hold out hope that they would be coming back now that the war is over.”
Having an innate feeling of being the third-wheel in the room, Tanya spoke up.
“Please, let me take you two home.”
---
If there was any consolation to Tanya’s involvement in the situation, it was that Winry had apparently never ridden in an automobile before. So when she had the two of them ride in the back of her staff car to their small home on the outskirts of town, the small child was too transfixed with the new experience to be too sad about the sudden revelation of her parents’ passing.
Just as the Colonel was about to leave however, she noticed the sign on their door.
“Are you an Automail Mechanic, Pinako?”
The old woman nodded her head warily.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Tanya could not let an opportunity go by, and in the off chance it helped, she would be remiss to ignore it. Heading back to the car, she took out a small pamphlet from a side compartment and handed it to the woman.
“I realize that the Automail business might be booming right now, but if you’re ever in need of any work, I’m hiring any certified Automail specialists for good pay.”
Pinako gave her an angry look.
“That’s rather bold of you to think I would work with the military after failing to protect my son.”
Tanya was an industrialist at heart and did not consider the implication of giving that offer in a military uniform. She winced at the implication.
“Ah, no, this isn’t strictly military-related. Please, just consider it. I’m looking into alternative uses of Automail, it’s an incredible new field! You would need to sign non-disclosure agreements like any government work, but you wouldn’t be under any obligation or contract. I know how valuable Automail technicians are. While there are military applications, I’m happy to hire conscientious objectors to work on civilian-only projects we have in construction or factory work.”
Pinako eyed her up, but pocketed the brochure anyway.
“Well, I suppose with how much trouble my granddaughter has been, that’s the least we can do. Now, Winry, say goodbye to the Colonel.”
The small girl seemed appropriately contrite and fiddled with her dress underneath her jacket.
“Ah… bye-bye Colonel.”
Tanya nodded and turned back to the car, regretting her poor “sales pitch” for her Operation Orb Research. She sighed, doubting she would ever see the Rockbells again.
Just as her driver got her vehicle moving, she noticed the idyllic landscape. While it was a little cold, the gentle rolling hills and farmland reminded her of the more quiet parts of Japan.
‘Huh, I wouldn’t have suspected that somewhere so close to Ishval would look this nice… The housing prices must be rock bottom right now. Perhaps I should consider investing in real-estate, could be a good place to retire.’
It was a shame that there was numerous families like the Rockbells, devastated by the horrors of war, but there were also many people like her that vowed to stop another like it from ever happening. She was optimistic about the future and looked forwards to decades of peace to come.