August 8th, 1908, Barracks #6, West City Outskirts, Amestris – Visha POV
The Western Military Academy was an enormous complex, the biggest in Amestris. Covering over 1000 acres and with a capacity for over 40,000 personnel, it was a peerless facility that produced almost half of the nation’s officers. In one small corner sat a number of student housing ‘barracks’ designed to provide free accommodations for those who volunteered for military service. In one of the female dorms, a typical daily routine presented itself for the last time.
“Visha, get up! You told me to wake you up, come on!”
2nd Lieutenant Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakova groaned beneath her rough, hand-spun sheets. She had graduated from the academy a week prior and had yet to be deployed unlike many of her peers. If her friend Elya Müller had anything to say about it, the fresh-faced 17-year-old graduate had been acting a little too relaxed for a military officer.
‘Jeez, I wish Elya wouldn’t be such a mother hen. How could I not be relaxed? I’d been so worried that I would be sent to the Western Front as soon as I graduated that I’d had a week of sleepless nights worrying about it! Suddenly, there’s an order that all Trained Alchemist graduates were required to join a newly formed battalion with weeks of extra training in the rear. It was such a huge relief!’
Still, Visha knew that there was still a lot of work to be done on her first day and reluctantly opened her eyes and looked to her best friend.
“Morning Elya.”
Elya was already dressed in the uniform of a First Lieutenant and sighed. She shook her head and gave her a sly smirk.
“The shower is free. Can you hurry up so we can eat? Oh, and I got the scoop on your new battalion~ so hurry up~”
At her friend’s sing-song tone of voice, Visha shot up in bed.
“Really?!”
She never showered so quickly in her life.
---
August 8th, 1908, Canteen #2, West City Outskirts, Amestris – Visha POV
Like most of the military buildings in the Western Front, the Canteen was well maintained but utterly barren. In a building meant to contain and serve two-hundred people, Elya and herself were the only ones there. If not for he soft sounds of the kitchen staff cleaning up in the distance, it would have been eerily silent. It made her wonder why Elya had not been transferred yet. They had graduated at the same time – although Elya always had better marks than Visha did and was already promoted – so her friend should have long moved to her new post in Central. It was just another things to add to the pile of weirdness that was ‘Elya Müller – Gossip Queen of West Academy’.
With a plate of fresh vegetables and cereal, Visha sat across from her friend with an eager look in her eyes.
“Tell me! What did you find out?!”
Elya gave her a contemplative look as she chewed a piece of bread.
“Well, it was pretty tough getting any information. This ‘203rd Battalion’ is actually something of a secret. Some kind of experiment cooked up by the higher-ups. Of course, I would do anything for my Visha, so I took a peek into the more ‘sensitive’ information.”
She could only give her friend a deadpan look.
‘Where does Elya even get all this news from? I guess I shouldn’t think to hard about it, she would just tell me “A woman has her ways” or something if I asked.’
Visha took a bite of her cereal. Something did not sound right… at least more weird than usual when it came to ‘Elya gossip’.
“Wait a second, why would they be doing something like that here? Isn’t the West stretched super thin? How could we be doing anything experimental at this point? Wouldn’t Central Academy be better for that sort of thing?”
Elya slammed her hands to the table, startling Visha into dropping her spoon.
“Exactly! That’s what got me so interested in the first place… Ah, uh, apart from finding out more for you, I mean. Anyway, I did a little digging. It turns out, the commander is a State Alchemist. Can you believe it?”
She looked up at her friend in surprise.
“A State Alchemist?”
Elya smiled.
“And not just any State Alchemist, the youngest one in history!”
Visha stared agape.
“Wait, the 9-year-old?! That is who is going to be my commanding officer?!”
Elya nodded.
“That’s not even the weirdest part. Despite being called a battalion, there will be less than 100 positions.”
Visha put down her food and stared at her friend.
“But an Amestrian Battalion is supposed to be at least 1000 people!”
Elya shook her head.
“And not only that, but… and this is hush-hush, but they are going to use the battalion against Creta before going out East.”
“But isn’t having a State Alchemist on the front-”
“Against the Alchemy Accords? No kidding. I don’t know what’s going on, but the whole situation is fishy. So again, you did not hear any of this from me.”
At Visha’s worried look, Elya was quick to console her.
“Whatever happens I’ll look out for you, promise. You want out and I’ll find some strings to pull. Just because I’m heading to Central doesn’t mean you can’t write, okay?”
Visha promised to write and smiled slightly, but could not sustain it. Instead she played back the information in her head again and again as she carefully finishing her cereal.
‘Some weird Alchemist Battalion… potentially up to some shady things… just what am I getting myself into?’
---
August 8th, 1908, Western Barracks Parade Ground, West City Outskirts, Amestris – Visha POV
Thankfully the mustering area for the new battalion was not far away. As she walked into the Parade Ground for the first time since her graduation ceremony. She looked up to the bleachers with a smile. It was where she sat with Elya and her other classmates as the old headmaster gave out their diplomas.
‘I think that was the proudest day of my life. For the first time since fleeing Drachma, I was finally just like everyone else.’
The stage and podium was still set up just as it had for her graduation, but now the few hundred attendees were lined up in front of it rather than in the stands. Apart from themselves, a small tent, and a few soldiers loitering in the distance, the entire parade ground was completely emptied. She was surprised that the majority of her fellow recruits were not also officers. The requirement for joining was being a Trained Alchemist, but while she knew that Alchemy Certifications were free, it was also really hard. Anyone who had the mental discipline to learn it would have had an easy time becoming officers in comparison.
While she was waiting, Visha got familiar with the other officers. She had wanted to talk to the Non-Commissioned Officers as well, but they had already formed their own groups. The tallest officer – a serious looking man with combed-back black hair – gave them all a salute and introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you all. I am 1st Lieutenant Matheus Weiss. Sorry if I come off a little stiff, but I’ve been on the Western Front for over a year and things have been very tense. I’m always ready to help out, so don’t take it personally.”
A more heavy-set man with brown hair and also wearing a 1st Lieutenant’s uniform let out a boisterous laugh. He slapped Lieutenant Weiss on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be cheery enough for the both of us. I’m Rhiner Neumann and I was in the 431st Rifle Brigade with this dour guy over here. They merged us into the 40th Infantry Division and I guess that freed us up to come here. Anyway, if you ever need some candy or a pack of smokes, let’s just say I know a guy who knows a guy.”
With a lull in the conversation, the last 1st Lieutenant nodded and stepped into the conversation. He had dark hair and a pale complexion.
“I’m Wilibald König, but please just call me König. Unlike most people here, I was on the Aerugo Front for the most part. It’s been pretty quiet while I was there so I’m hoping a little of that luck has followed me. Anyway, I’m not much of a talker but I was a history major before joining the military so I if you want to know who the King of Constantine Republic in 1845, I’m your guy.”
With her seniors all having introduced themselves, Visha felt more comfortable chiming in.
“Ah, I’m 2nd Lieutenant Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakova but please just call me Visha! I know Amestrians have a hard time with Drachman names. Um, I just graduated, but I’m a quick learner! I look forward to working with all of you!”
Realizing that she was the first one without combat experience to speak up, she felt a need to prove herself. Since she no doubt knew they would find out soon anyway, she let them in on some of the information Elya told her.
“Anyway, I heard from a friend that the Commander is the 9-year-old State Alchemist.”
The last officer – the only other 2nd Lieutenant there – finally piped-in with an angry tone.
“What?! How could a 9-year-old even be in the army yet alone a Battalion. This is ridiculous!”
They looked at him with mixed expressions. Lieutenant Weiss and Visha were outright shocked while the other two looked embarrassed. The first thing Visha had been taught in the Academy was that there was a place and process for everything. Outright saying something negative about your superior to a fellow soldier – especially without actually knowing them – was not something you did as an Amestrian soldier.
Perhaps sensing that he overstepped, he nervously scratched his neck.
“Ah, sorry. I’m Vooren Grantz. I, uh, I also just graduated.”
Lieutenant Neumann nodded and slapped Lieutenant Grantz on the back.
“I understand where you are coming from but-”
He was about to say more when a soldier with a bugle sounded out, cutting him off.
At the sound, they instinctively formed a grid, the hundreds of soldiers rushing to stand equally-spaced apart and at attention. The officers stood at the front with the remaining enlisted and NCOs lined up behind them. When the bugle-call ended, a small girl wearing a Major’s dress uniform and cap opened the tent and walked out on stage. Visha noticed the child wore silver jewelry in the form of an intricate silver sphere as a necklace on her chest and a pocket-watch on her belt.
‘Oh my god, she’s so cute in that uniform! I- I just want to hug and protect her forever. Is this what they call motherly instincts?!’
While those thoughts played out, the Major walked up the stage and stepped up on a small wooden box. No doubt the box had been planned because when the Major adjusted the microphone stand downwards, she was forced to tilt her head slightly back to talk into it, but it just reached. This, of course, only added to her cuteness in Visha’s mind.
The Major poked the microphone, which caused an electronic squeal to ring out which got their attention.
“Good Afternoon! I am Major Tanya Degurechaff, the Mythril Alchemist. By order of Brigadier Generals Hans von Zettour and Kurt von Rudersdorf and with permission of the General Staff and the Fürer, I have been tasked with assembling an elite unit of infantry in using a newly developed experimental weapon. Regardless on the results of this training, you will not be allowed to discuss the nature of this weapon or the nature of this Battalion to anyone. This is a Project sanctioned by the Fürer. I trust you are aware of what that means.”
Visha’s dreamy thoughts were doused with cold reality; exposing a Fürer-sanctioned secret was a death sentence. Despite the Major’s appearance, the tone and cadence of her voice was anything but childish and demanded attention.
The Major waved an arm to her left, and two soldiers removed a piece of cloth on a nearby table. Beneath it, a few dozen fist-sized spheres were revealed. Their neat rows and metallic silvery forms glistened in the bright afternoon sun.
“These are the ‘Type 1’ Operation Orb. This is a new type of mechanical alchemic enhancer made from the joint effort of the Silver Alchemist Major Giolio Camanche and myself. To those of you who are quick at counting, you will notice there are 50 Orbs and 208 of you. This means that not all of you are expected to make the cut.”
The Major looked out into the crowd and Visha felt the piercing blue eyes seem to land directly on her.
“Many of you will find the task of using this weapon too difficult. Many of you will not have what it takes to make it through the next two months of training. In other words, many of you are not good enough. For the rest of you, you will look forward to endless work under the harshest conditions. You will take part in mathematical and scientific exercises that will expand your minds to the breaking-point.
“You will do this willingly, for when these two months are over, you will be alchemists second only to State Alchemists in both combat effectiveness and lethality on the battlefield. You will all be tools and pawns in the great military adventures of Amestris. That is one reason why this unit is to be called a battalion despite its lack of manpower. The General Staff expect that each of you will have the effectiveness of twenty men. I will demand more. The Fürer and your country deserve nothing less. You will receive your orders tonight. Rest well… it might be the best sleep you’ll have for the next two months.”
Visha clenched her hands at the Major’s words a new hope driving her.
‘I’ll be able to perform alchemy again? Ever since mother’s lessons, I thought I’d never get to perform real alchemy for the rest of my life.’
She had taken a dozen free certifications to prove her alchemy knowledge. She had hoped it would help her get her a job. Frustratingly, Amestrians were bigoted towards foreigners like herself. Between her limited language skills at the time and her lack of funds, finding a well paying job was impossible. She had all but given up hope of ever doing alchemy when she eventually joined the military; it was the only impartial employer willing to take her on. During her time at the Academy, she had polished her Amestrian pronunciation and made friends but she thought she had moved on from feeling anything about alchemy.
‘But if there is a chance… I’ll do whatever it takes.’
---
August 9th, 1908, Western Academy Lecture Hall #2, West City Outskirts, Amestris – Visha POV
The wooden paneling and well-worn furniture of the Lecture Hall they were in spoke of a long and storied history. All across its walls were black-and-white photographs and painting alike of various alumni of the Academy and professors who had won many glorious achievements for Amestris. Visha was intimately familiar with the Western Academy’s lecture halls to the point that coming back was almost a point of pain.
She sighed.
“Just a week ago, I thought my coursework was over, and now I’m already back for more…”
Neumann laughed.
“Don’t be so glum, it’s worse for people like us who haven’t been back for years.”
König smirked.
“Yes, I imagine that standards must have changed since a gorilla like yourself was allowed to graduate. Should we be surprised if you drop out today?”
Neumann flexed his left bicep while pointing towards his head.
“I’ll have you know that I’m have the full package: brains and brawn. While I have no worries about studying, I would be more worried about yourself Wilibald. Lifting books isn’t going to keep you in if the Major has us to doing endurance or survival training.”
König grimaced.
“Hey! I told you not to call me-”
*Bang*
They all quickly went to their seats as they found the Major had dropped a thick textbook onto the desk at the front of the room.
“Good morning! I see that you are all very energetic this morning. This is good! I hope that optimism remains. I have found that a bright and optimistic outlook is useful in retaining new information, and you will be learning a lot.”
Major Degurechaff stepped up on a stool so that she could reach the top of the chalkboard and began to sketch a transmutation circle, a number of lines with letters next to them and several algebraic expressions using those letters.
“Before you can use the Operation Orb, you will need to master the field of ‘Dynamic Array Alchemy’. Trained Alchemists like yourself might have had problems envisioning and understanding the vague ‘Art’ of alchemy, but unlike typical alchemy, even an idiot can master this.”
She drew 3 x 3 grid and filled in each cell with an algorithm containing a number of trigonometric functions.
“This is a matrix. It is a two-dimensional drawing used to simplify certain mathematical operations. I will be beating the calculations of these matrices into your head until you can hear them in your sleep. I will do this because the Operation Orb cannot function without the solutions of these calculations. It cannot think; it’s just a chunk of silver. It will not know you are being shot at with a gun or how much power it should use in deflecting the bullets. What can think is you.”
She spent the next two minutes drawing six separate transmutation circles all over the board. The complex shapes were strange, like an alien with no understanding of alchemy tried to draw one before putting the result through a wood chipper. It looked nothing like any Circle Visha had ever seen before.
“As an example, these are the Intermediate Transmutation Circles for ‘Deflection of 8mm Mauser ammunition’ used in my demonstration yesterday. With these forming a three-dimensional construct, any Trained Alchemist becomes immune to 8mm ammunition.
“Now, let me break down how the Operation Orb constructs the first of these six circles. The first circle is calculated by performing a Linear Transformation using the matrix ‘TM’ constructed using the average and variable mass ‘MA’ and ‘MV’ of an 8mm bullet transformed over the eigenvector ‘vD’ made by the scalar multiplication of the average speed ‘SA’ of the bullet with the average deflection angle about the volume of space I will now refer to as the Deflection Isolation Volume ‘VDI’. As most of these values can be trivially calculated, the focus can be given to the formula TM(vD) = λM vD. The eigenvalue solution of this – when programmed into the Operation Orb – constructs the first circle.
“Next, the second circle is calculated by…”
---
A bell chimed eight hours later. The Major turned away from the board and looked at them with a smile.
“Ah, I suppose that’s it. I hope that everyone has paid close attention to my lecture today. Without this vital information, you will sooner kill yourself than safely use the Operation Orb.”
She pointed to a stack of paper on the desk.
“This here is homework which you all will work on for the rest of the day. We will have a week of these lectures followed by an exam. Once that is out of the way, we can start with Field Training… at least, anyone that passes the exam will be continuing. The rest of you will be kicked out of the Battalion. Good luck!”
On that cheery note, the Major left the classroom, no doubt to get other things ready. The rest of the over 200 recruits in the room groaned.
“I’m not the only one, right? That was impossible!”
“Was that even math?! Where were the numbers? I stayed on as an NCO so I’d never see math again, damnit!”
“Should we just quit now? What’s the point of even trying? More of that for a whole week?!”
Except for König and herself, every other person in the room was saying similar things. Visha was stunned. For her, the explanation was clear and concise.
‘I thought the Major was actually a really good teacher. I was just like the lessons Mom used to teach- no wait, that’s it! It isn’t that the Major is a good or bad teacher, she just assumes that everyone already knows the basics!’
Visha rushed to the front of the class and grabbed everyone’s attention.
“Everyone! I think I know why you’re all having a hard time with this! I think the Major just has a hard time figuring out where everyone stands academically since she is so smart.”
One of the soldiers seemed unimpressed.
“Oh yeah? If you have this all figured out, why don’t you teach us? What the heck was the Major talking about?”
Visha had a revelation.
‘If I can teach everyone what I know, won’t that mean the Major will have more people to help and protect her? Could this be the small way I can help her and Amestris?’
Once again, she felt a swell of pride just like at her graduation. She had a place to belong again. She smiled.
“Alright, but be prepared, if you flunk out after my lecture, there won’t be any second chances!”
She quickly drew a grid on the board and a few vectors.
“Alright, so imagine that a matrix isn’t just a fancy ‘math square’ but a set of geometric vectors. A vector is just an arrow, it has a size and a direction like this. As you can see here…”
They had the remaining 8 hours of each day to both figure this out and solve the homework. Visha vowed to make every moment count.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
---
August 17th, 1908, Western Academy Lecture Hall #2, West City Outskirts, Amestris – Tanya POV
Tanya looked at the report with incredulous rage. Her small hands balled into fists and ripped the page in two.
“What… no, this can’t be right. How could 162 of the 208 recruits have passed the exam?!”
Her experiments on the front line had proven that her theories about the Orb were sound. Save for the Silver Alchemist – who was far too busy creating new Orbs for the government – she was the only person alive that could qualify what ‘passing’ meant. So long as her training was not impossible such that at least one person passed, she had free reign to crush the recruits into dust with impunity. So long as the number of passing recruits fell far below the 50 Orbs available, she would be given more time to find more qualified recruits. It would not be enough to save her from the battlefield forever, but even an extra month would be one month closer to her State Certification renewal and a month less on the front lines.
“Yet somehow a room full of muscle-brained soldiers with no post-secondary experience figured out inverse-kinematics in only a week! Even when I was at university in the modern age, that would have taken me a full semester. Sure, it is technically achievable with a strong foundation and hard work, but that still should’ve been enough to kick most of them out!”
She sighed, doing her best to settle her emotions.
“This is fine. It is just the 1st week of 8. I have plenty of chances to sneak in a few borderline-impossible tasks to flunk out the majority, but it can’t be too obvious or too hard or it will be caught by the supervisors. I… I just need to do a little fine-tuning.”
---
Greeting the remaining recruits with a fake smile, she voiced out her false congratulations.
“It appears that all of you are keeping up with the math assignments, this is… entirely expected. As these academic exercises were so easy, I have decided to increase the pace of future exercises to improve effectiveness. Less effective training means less effective soldiers, and less effective soldiers means more dead ones! So I expect that you are all grateful!”
Unlike what she expected, the recruits all seemed unanimous in having steely-eyed expressions.
“Sir, yes sir!”
Tanya was surprised that they were all still so dedicated despite her obviously lack-luster teaching performance.
‘I literally told them that ineffective training would get them killed, yet they don’t care how poor my teaching has been?! In fact, they are more motivated than ever! Are they just that desperate for these new powers that they will risk their lives for it? No, that doesn’t matter. I have made the course ten times harder. They will drop out with this for sure!’
She took her next packet of homework and distributed it to the class.
“Alright, you will memorize the contents of these tables tonight and recite them during our field exercises tomorrow. At the end of this training, there will be an exam! More fieldwork doesn’t mean less homework! Fall behind and you will be dropped out!”
Despite her dark promises of unforgiving physical and mental abuse, the remaining recruits did not budge.
‘Just what do I need to do to break these guys?!’
---
August 24th, 1908, Military Frontier Alpine Training Range, Riviere Outskirts, Amestris – Visha POV
Deep in the mountains to the north-west of Riviere, the potential 203rd Battalion was hiking in full combat gear up the steep slopes. Despite the frigid temperatures and reduced oxygen, no one complained. Every step was one step closer to being an elite-of-elites, to being the strongest soldier on the battlefield. In the face of such adversity, Visha felt a bond of brotherhood with her fellow soldier. She would not allow anyone to be left behind and knew the others felt the same. More than the others, she was motivated to see things to the end no matter what.
‘I will be an alchemist! I don’t care if I have to carry the same weight and climb the same hills as the men, nothing will stop me!’
At the front of their column, the Major was carrying the same equipment as the rest, but she looked no worse for wear. Visha had no doubt that the glowing orb on her chest was allowing her to do things beyond what should be possible, but rather than thinking less of her for it, the troops were even more motivated.
‘There’s so much she can do, I want to do that too!’
The Major gave them a vicious smirk.
“I can see your anger, your frustration. You want to quit, don’t you? You should. If you don’t have the endurance now, you’ll be of no use on the battlefield. The Orb can protect you from bullets, but you’re not invincible. You still need to run from artillery, put on a mask for gas and take out flame-throwing soldiers before they asphyxiate and burn you alive. Without the strength and speed to hold on you will die.”
The Mythril Alchemist turned suddenly and yelled out.
“Drachma Rifle, Mass Value 1!”
Visha and the recruits quickly yelled out the response to the Major’s “table call”.
““22.6!””
The number was the expected first mass-eigenvalue input into the Orb calculation for deflecting a Drachman 8mm rimmed rifle round.
“Mark 12 Aerugan, Volume Vector 3!”
Next was the volume eigenvector for the 3rd calculation but the answer was a bit more complicated since Major Degurechaff did not explicitly provide the details they needed. They needed to know that the M12 Aerugan tank’s main armament was a 40mm cannon. They were a little slower, but still fast enough.
““814!””
“Creta 7mm, Speed Vector 4!”
Next was the 7mm Cretan rifle round. Visha responded quickly, but she noticed that one of the soldiers was late.
““21.2!””
Major Degurechaff seemed to notice as well and quickly rushed over to one of the soldiers. She grabbed his shirt to get a look at the man’s name-tag. She twisted up in a look of disgust.
“Corporal Richter, do you think these table calls are a joke?! A Cretan Border Patrol just killed you!”
She pointed to two soldiers nearby.
“Private Schulz, Sergeant Hoffmann, you have just been volunteered to carry your worthless Corporal the rest of the way! Why is that?”
All the recruits were quick to respond.
““Dead soldiers are dead weight!””
Visha smiled as she spoke the words. It was one of several “slogans” the Mythril Alchemist had introduced. While the training was brutal, it really drove home the importance of everything they were learning.
The Major frowned.
“That’s right, your failures are everyone’s failures; if you pass, your failures will be my failures. That means playtime is over! Anyone else late on their table calls are out of the battalion!”
She went up and down the line, looking at each of them in the eye.
“But why wait? This pain can all be over whenever you want. I don’t need most of you; you can just quit and leave this all behind. No more math, no more table calls, no more angry little Major bossing you around.”
Visha did not need to look to know that they all had the same determined expression as she had on her face. It had taken the officers a few days, but together, they had figured out the true purpose to the Major’s sudden antagonism. Weiss had had heard from a friend-of-a-friend that the Mythril Alchemist had done time on the Western Front. He realized – as a veteran of the front – that the level of physical and mental exertion was comparable to what they felt being shelled day after day. It was clear, then, that the Major was preparing them for that type of combat. She was a perfectionist and was molding them into perfect soldiers.
‘I will not let her trust in us be in vain!’
The Major, however, looked like she was actually angry that no one was volunteering to drop out. Visha could see through the lie though; the Major was taking on all their animosity so that they could only focus on working together to overcome her trials.
Major Degurechaff spat at the ground near their feet.
“Well fine! If you dumb muscle-headed recruits like this training so much, give me 100 push-ups right now! And yes, Schulz, Hoffmann, you will be doing these push-ups with Richter on your backs. Go on!”
Without taking off their packs, Visha and the rest of them got down on all fours and began to do their push ups. She could feel the sweat pouring off her face and freezing on the hard ground below. Visha repeated a mantra in her head with every push.
‘T-this is nothing! I’ll be an a-alchemist! This is n-nothing! I’ll be an alchemist! This is nothing…’
---
August 26th, 1908, Military Frontier Alpine Training Range, Riviere Outskirts, Amestris – Visha POV
Visha and the 141 remaining recruits stood in a perfectly formed grid in the middle of an open field. The unit had given many tearful farewells as 19 of their number was removed from the Battalion. It was tough, but there was no regrets. The rest of them promised to keep in touch and would let them know if openings or recruitment was being considered again.
Visha could not spend much time reminiscing about the past, however, when the present was very forcefully making itself known. They had graduated from carrying a full pack of equipment up a mountain. Now they worked with a partner to carry human-sized logs above their heads. Her muscles screamed for relief, but she focused on the feeling of unused muscles growing with determination. If someone had asked her to carry something even a tenth of the weight going into the training, Visha would have laughed at the absurdity or just quit before she even started.
Well, she was not laughing any more. Neither was the Major as she got into the face of the soldier in front of her and yelled at the top of her lungs.
“Corporal Vogt! Eight Drachman Rifleman are firing at you! What speed-variability coefficient should you use!”
“S-seventeen point one with-”
“Fast reaction, but wrong! We aren’t doing table calls anymore, moron! Now you need to think on your feet! Most of the rifleman were using the Drachman rimmed 7.62 rounds, but what you thought was a strangely heavy-set rifleman was actually a soldier carrying an old LMG using rimless ammo! Just because the bullets are close enough not to break your ‘Deflection’, doesn’t mean you’re not dead.”
To make her point, the Major kicked the man square in the chest, causing him and his partner to topple over with their log onto the hard-packed, frozen ground. The Major looked indifferent to their plight and even had a small grin on her face.
“Think you can maintain a ‘Deflect’ right now? That’s what it would feel taking a dozen rimless rounds with your overly precise calculation! That goes for the rest of you! It’s more taxing, but use a wider band when you need it! Burning out is recoverable, death isn’t!”
The Major moved on, but Visha noticed a small grin appear on the man’s face. She knew exactly what he is thinking since she had the same grin. He looked at her and they both nodded to each other. He and his partner picked up the log without protest or help and moved back into the line.
‘He knows the Major just saved his life. I know he won’t be making that mistake again.’
---
August 31st, 1908, Military Frontier Alpine Training Range, Riviere Outskirts, Amestris – Visha POV
The previous alpine exercises had them carrying extra weight and pushed their physical endurance to their limits. The current one had them only in their summer uniform and the freezing weather was tapping them of their remaining stores of energy. Visha and several others were trying hard, but they could not help but shiver minutely in the freezing wind.
The Major – as usual – was playing her role as a sadistic taskmaster perfectly. She wore a fierce smirk as she walked down their perfect rows.
“Congratulations to all of you still here! You have now graduated to the painful non-lethal exercises and can finally use an Operation Orb! But that’s the good news. On the other hand, I have just been granted approval for lethal exercises. I cannot wait to use them. While I will try not to kill any of you, there are no guarantees. Of course, if you were to quit before that, you would be depriving me of this great pleasure.”
Rather than discourage Visha, it only served to motivate her more. There was no way that the enemy would play nice and try not to kill them, so it only made sense to have potentially lethal practice before being deployed.
‘She really does care a lot about us. She tries to put up a front of being cruel, but the constant warnings and the effort she puts into getting us to quit before we push ourselves too hard makes her true motivations clear. Don’t worry Major, I will complete this training and protect your gentle heart, I promise!’
The Major finished walking between their rows and stood in front of them. She lifted up her Operation Orb in her hands.
“The Operation Orb has no mind of its own. It is a powerful tool, but it is just a tool. It will not think for you, it cannot act without you. It will falter when you falter. You have learned how to use it, now you must learn when to use it.”
She walked over to an artillery shell that was next to a small arsenal of ammunition and the 50 Operation Orbs they would finally get to use. She pointed up and down the length of the shell.
“Shrapnel from artillery is both more and less lethal than bullets. Most shrapnel will miss you since it is omni-directional, but when something does come your way, there is a large variability in speed and mass. This makes your ‘Deflect’ harder to maintain. Lieutenant Serebryakova, why is that?”
Visha stood up straight. She had never been called before and would not let the Battalion down. She puffed up her chest and yelled from her diaphragm.
“Sir! Large variability means more a less accurate Operation and more mental strain, sir!”
“Good guess, but wrong! There is less of it and it is not shaped for penetration like a bullet. All-in-all, the mental strain is comparable to a machine gun for the instant it detonates. No, the problem is that you can’t see artillery! Hearing a shell does not mean there will be any shrapnel coming your way, but you cannot take that risk! One missed ‘Deflect’ and you’re dead! A solution could be to protect yourself from every shell you hear, but keeping your ‘Deflection’ up for so long could burn through your ‘Mental Willpower’ in minutes. Luckily, I have the perfect solution.”
She did not explain herself immediately. Instead, she handed out the Orbs to a subset of the recruits and ordered the remaining ones to begin setting up audio equipment and taking various rifles and ammunition from the pile.
She gave them a wide smile.
“For the next 36 hours, you will hear the variety of different artillery sounds from the speakers around you. Just before the ‘shell’ lands, a signal will let your fellow recruits know to fire dummy munitions of different calibers at you. The shots will not kill you, but it will hurt a lot. After ten minutes, you will swap out with the next batch to use the Orb. Of course, you will be doing exercises during this ‘down time’. You may feel free to use ‘Deflect’ whenever you want. Use it too little and enjoy getting shot. Use it too much and you will burn out and get shot.”
She laughed.
“I’m sure some of you will figure it out. For the rest, I have a feeling you are in for a world of pain!”
---
September 4th, 1908, Military Frontier Alpine Training Range, Riviere Outskirts, Amestris – Visha POV
The Major was right.
While Visha felt she was one of the best at using ‘Deflect’, she was still feeling welts days later. Of course, she wore that feeling with pride. Every hit shot was a hit she would not be taking on the battlefield. The officers were quick to remind everyone of the true purpose of the training whenever anyone started acting frustrated. There had been no one who voluntarily quit since then.
‘Honestly, the Major is a genius in every sense of the word. Like everyone else, I had my reservations about being let by a child, but there’s no doubt in my mind now. I will do anything to protect Tanya. Amestris would never recover her loss… and neither would anyone here.’
The Major appeared frustrated for some reason, but quickly the State Alchemist schooled her expression and yelled out at them.
“119 of you still remain. Of course, this just means you will be given the opportunity to take part in the first of many live-fire exercises! Of course, I do not want to accidentally kill any of you and so we will begin slow.”
The Major took out a Luger from her belt holster and shot herself in the foot. The sight and sound of the action caused them to flinch, but at this point, there was nothing the Major could do to truly surprise them any more. Of course, the bullet of her Luger was deflected and instead impacted the dirt next to her foot.
‘I just wish the Major didn’t feel the need to potentially hurt herself just to make a point. Any one of us would be willing to serve as an example, but that’s just what makes her so good. She is so kind and that self-sacrificing nature makes any one of us willing to die for her.’
The Major sneered at them.
“As only idiots shoot their own foot, I will expect that anyone who manages to injure themselves here will quit and never return. Do not use a precise calculation. Keep the ‘Deflection’ barrier coarse and slowly fine-tune it to match the ammunition of your pistol. I will not warn you again.”
Visha sees that the others are hesitating, but she trusted her commander. Preparing the formula input in the Orb, she took out her own Luger and pulls the trigger at her foot. Just like with their non-lethal training, the bullet harmlessly collided with the ground.
The Major points to her with a big smile that Visha reciprocated.
“Well, it’s good to see at least one of you isn’t a coward. Well? What are you waiting for?!”
As the others also shoot at their feet, Visha notes that no one else had injured themselves either.
‘Tanya really is an amazing teacher. By slowly building the intensity and being ruthless in punishing any infraction, the whole Battalion is no longer making any mistakes, despite most of us being sleep-deprived and exhausted from all the exercise. I have no doubt we’ll be able to keep up a Deflect even in the harshest conditions!’
The Major seems frustrated. The young commander was still “playing up” her sadistic persona despite no one buying into the act anymore.
“Damn, it seems like none of you are going to the hospital. Well, keep it that way. Now, you all have felt the ‘feedback’. That mental strain is caused by your lack of alchemy experience and your imprecise Transmutation. With experience, you will learn to mitigate this by fine-tuning the barrier. Too coarse, and the mental strain will quickly cripple you. Too fine, and an enemy using an unexpected caliber will pierce your barrier. This will be a constant balancing act that will keep you alive and by association, you will keep me alive. Remember it!”
---
September 18th, 1908, Military Frontier Alpine Training Range, Riviere Outskirts, Amestris – Tanya POV
While the last two weeks could have been described as hell for the recruits, it was equally hell for Tanya.
‘They won’t drop out! What is this madness?! I blew them up, shot at them, forced them to go days without food and had them hike up mountains without rest! I repeatedly told them that every one of their minor mistakes would get them killed on the battlefield and that my training could potentially kill them. Forget quitting, they should be filing into a psychiatric facility! I would feel genuinely sorry for them, if they had just quit. Why are they still here?
‘When I asked Brigadier General Zettour to give me whatever he had available, I didn’t think he would send me this pack of bloodthirsty monsters! Was this some ploy of his? Damnit, that sly fox! Well, whether on purpose or not, I’m forced to resign to the fact that I will be graduating at least 50 soldiers to the 203rd Battalion. Now I have the opposite problem. I’ve just ridiculed and threatened all of these potential subordinates, but now I cannot afford for any of the remaining 81 people left to drop out! If I am forced to have a full contingent of ‘Operators’ and go out on the front lines, I want as many meat-shields as possible between me and the enemy!’
She gritted her teeth before yelling out to the remaining soldiers who had passed the live-fire ‘Deflection’ training.
“Somehow, 52 of you are already capable of maintaining a Deflection Barrier up to combat standards. I expect that all of you will maintain that level of effectiveness by the time this training is over. Now we will be moving onto the ‘Destroy’ portion of the live-fire exercises. Unlike Deflection, Destroy is both easier and more costly. Each silver bullet you use could have bought a round from an artillery piece and it is far less destructive! Because of that, you you will be practicing with dummy rounds before moving onto this…”
She pulled off a nearby tarp to reveal several large crates of ammunition.
“Do not let the appearance fool you, this is all the ammunition we have made and I will not tolerate it wasted frivolously. If after the first 10 shots with the real deal, you are unable to cause more than 5 detonations, you will be removed from this training. I do not care if less than 50 of you can do it.”
Again, the soldiers did not budge.
‘Well… I might not have been able to delay the deployment of the battalion, but at least they’ve proven themselves worth all the extra effort. The State has many new resources to work with, and I have many new meat-shields. Truly the sort of win-win that can be expected in a rational, modern society. Now I just need to spend the next few weeks giving them encouragement and praise and hope none of them remember all the awful things I’ve said.’
---
October 8th, 1908, Western Academy Parade Ground, West City Outskirts, Amestris – Visha POV
If Visha was any less tired, she would be sporting a huge grin on her face. 60 days of the harshest, most intense training of her life had completely transformed her. While she still could not understand what had caused the Major to work so hard and risk everything to create such an incredible weapon like the Operation Orb at such a young age, the 2nd Lieutenant could now understand what was going through her head when she charged straight at a machine gun.
‘It isn’t that it is a pleasant experience – no, it’s terrifying – but it’s also the only thing us weak humans can do to overcome the sheer might of modern weapons! When a normal soldier sees a machine gun in a fortified position, all they can do is hide and hope artillery or a tank somewhere can come take it out. Not the 203rd! We can run headlong into danger and come out the other side unscathed!’
She looked around and saw that all her fellow officers had made the cut. The Officers, NCOs and Enlisted stood at attention in their best dress uniforms. She noticed that even some of the more sloppy dressers like Rhiner Neumann had ironed and polished his uniform to a mirror-like sheen. She also observed that – on herself and several others – the uniforms no longer fit perfectly. She felt a tightness where new muscles had formed and a looseness where she had lost weight.
It surprised her because no one talked about their fitness or even tried comparing themselves with their fellow recruits on their performance. Male or female, Officer or Enlisted, their capability with ‘Deflect’ or ‘Destroy’, none of their differences were cause for debate. They had gone through the same training. Anything they lacked would improve with time. Their genius commander had approved of each and every one of them. That was worth far more than any petty “one-upmanship”.
The Mythril Alchemist stood before them in her dress uniform too. Her officer cap, Operation Orb and Silver Pocket-Watch shined in the sun.
“The 81 of you standing here today represent the best Trained Alchemists in the world. This is not a boast. No one short of a State Alchemist can do what you can do now. You all stand head-and-shoulders above your peers and have achieved something truly momentous. While I regret that there has only been 50 Orbs made, know that all of you deserve to wear one now. You are all members of the 203rd Battalion!”
Despite being barely able to stand, she and the newfound members of the 203rd could not help but give small smiles in hearing the Major’s words.
“Some of you may not think so; some of you are no doubt unconvinced that the pain and effort of the past two months have been worth it. Perhaps a few of you think I was cruel. I understand, but I will tell you this. When we arrive on the battlefield in less than a week, we will do so not as soldiers, but as a machine wielding the full industrial might of Amestris. We will be the tip of the spear and the flat of the shield. Every battle we participate from this day forwards will not only take the lives of our enemies, but will save the lives of our fellow soldiers and our loved ones at home from foreign tyranny. You are now the best of the best in Amestris! I am proud of you all. Get some rest, for tomorrow we depart for the front!”