I woke up the next morning to knocking on our door. Yes, I had asked to be woken up, but it didn’t make me hate it any less. It was too fucking early, especially when I hadn’t had to wake up at any particular time for weeks. My body felt heavy, and it took more effort than it should have to get up and say through the door I was up. Anne wasn’t helping. She was cute covering her head with her pillow, trying to fall back asleep after the awful noise. Why did the army do everything so early in the morning. On top of it, putting on my uniform didn’t feel great, but pinning on the royal shield helped, reminded me that things were different now. I knew I wasn’t in any danger, but it felt like I was. The letter wasn’t clear about if someone was coming with a carriage to pick me up or if I was supposed to make my own way there, so I chose to ride over by myself. I didn’t want to be late, and a ride would be nice. I don’t know why they couldn’t be clear though. You would think the army would be good at giving orders.
It was relaxing. The streets were mostly empty this early in the morning, and since the college was at the edge of the city, it got less busy the farther I went. I even got to see how my new horse galloped. It was only for a bit, but it was fun anyways. The campus was massive, and I somehow managed to take some back road there and I wasn’t at the main gate. I had to ride around the tall iron fence encircling it until I found it. The whole thing was exactly what I expected for something with royal in the name. The buildings I could see were Matarian in style, massive, ornate, exactly what I would expect from the royal family. The main gate was similarly grand, as was the tower besides it. To my surprise it was an officer on gate duty. I saluted them as I approached, but I didn’t know what the protocols were on horseback, if there even were any, privates were not supposed to have horses.
“At easy private, name, and your reason for being here.” Gods he sounded so much like an officer I would think he was making fun of them if I didn’t know better.
“Zalgeth Paratonne, I was ordered here by letter.” I took the letter from my pocket and held it out to him. He looked at it before handing it back to me, but he didn’t have it long enough to actually read it. Pulling out his own paper, which I assume was a list of names.
“Stables are on the path to the left, you can’t miss it, then go wait in the tall building north of the stables. Someone will be along to collect you at some point.”
I saluted again and waited as he opened the gate. I was surprised it was light enough for one person to open, but he managed it easily. The campus itself was a little unsettling. So much open space with unnatural short grass. Probably some weird rich person thing, such a waste of space and effort.
The outside was far grander than the inside. There was a desk for reception that was a little fancy, but otherwise it was a lounge of some sort with tables, a few small restaurants, and students chatting, doing homework, some sleeping even, made the whole building less imposing. The man at reception said they didn’t know anything, or have anyone to contact, so I should just wait around. That left me with a choice to make, try to fall back asleep or get a coffee. While I suspect on some level the coffee might be rude, falling asleep would be worse, and I had the royal shield now I doubt an officer would be comfortable chewing me out like a normal private, and the students seemed relaxed even though they were all in uniform, so they probably weren’t too strict here. It was silly in hindsight but I always imagined the Royal Military Academy as nothing but parading around in fancy formations and saluting in neat lines, but I guess since the students here were going to be officers they were allowed more freedom. I was halfway through my coffee before I realized I forgot to eat breakfast so I got some sort of bread thing. I didn’t know what it was, the place had no line and I just wanted something. It was weirdly sweet, but with the coffee it was fine, and it was easy to eat fast, which was all that really mattered right now.
I had finished eating and was almost done with my coffee when a student nervously approached me.
“Private Zalgeth?” A part of me wanted to say something rude. I was the only demon here, I had a royal shield on, how could they possibly think I was anyone else. We both knew she was told to get the succubus, so why pretend to be unsure. Such a human thing to hide from difference. She was a kid though, maybe 19 at the oldest, I couldn’t tell, but there was no reason to be mean, just a stupid impulse.
“Yea, that’s me.” I didn’t know if I was supposed to stand and salute. She was a student, which made me think I wasn’t, but she was going to be an officer, which made me think I was. I had the royal shield though, so fuck it, I wasn’t going to salute some kid who hadn’t seen combat unless I had to. I drank the last of my coffee in one sip.
“Where are we going?” I asked, standing up. I didn’t realize how much taller I was compare to her, and she seemed more nervous as I stood over her. Probably has never met a demon.
“Yideg Asnake, a marksmanship professor here, requested your presence at his morning class. We are going to the shooting range.”
“And your name?”
“Officer in training Fatima sir, I mean ma’am.” Ah she was one of those. Interesting how succubi were sometimes considered men, but no one ever thought of devils as women, even though all demons have both bits. We walked in silence for a bit. I guess it made sense for the range to be far away.
“So Fatima, am I the first demon you’ve met?” I wanted to know if my hunch was right.
“I’ve seen others, and I know of some, but met, yes ma’am, you would be the first.” I felt bad for the girl. Who knows what she was told about us, but she didn’t seem afraid of me, just uncomfortable.
“Hey, no need to worry, we’re on the same side until you graduate. If anyone asks I’ll say you were a model student.”
“Until I graduate?”
“Well, you’ll be and officer, and despite this,” I tapped my royal shield, “I’m still a private.”
“Right, no socializing allowed.”
I laughed, “that’s a nice way of putting it.” She looked at me confused, so I tried to explain. “Do they not tell you, the enlisted troops have, issues, with commissioned officers.”
“No,” she looked down, “they didn’t tell us.”
I took a deep breath, “Sorry, I thought that was why you’re nervous, I was trying to lighten the mood, but I guess I made things worse.”
We walked the rest of the way in silence, and I was happy to see that Fatima was the image of confidence by the time we made it to the range.
It was easy to tell who the professor was. He was old, maybe around 50, graying beard, bald, and missing a leg, his pants rolled up to show off the ivory and wood prosthetic. It was beautifully carved with prayers engraved on it.
“Private Zalgeth, an honor,” he said, saluting me. I saluted back, but I was surprised. He out ranked me, and I didn’t expect him to make a statement like that in front of his students.
“Class, I want a moment to speak with her, then we will begin.”
“So I bet you’re wondering why you’re here,” he whispered to me. We didn’t walk that far from his class, and while our backs were to them, it would be easy to be overheard if we didn’t whisper.
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“Yes sir.”
“None of that. Part of it is personal. It is a rare opportunity to meet a war hero, in particular the first succubus to be one. I hope you will make liberal use of the range and armory, you are welcome to it. It’s good for them,” he gave a subtle glance to his class, “to see someone not like them around. For today though, I want you to scare them a little. I’m glad to see you are as imposing as the rumors suggest.”
“There are rumors about me?”
“I keep my ear to the ground so I am more aware than most, but yes. First succubus with a royal shield, and not only that, but the report puts you as the leader of the defense. Point is, some of them may end up commanding troops in trenches without ever fighting in them, and they live isolated lives. I started as a non-commissioned officer. My family pulled some strings, I won’t deny it, and they helped me find work here after I lost my leg, but that still puts me closer to the enlisted than anyone else here, and I know at your medal ceremony you spoke mostly about socks and boots. You know what really causes casualties. I want you to be a blunt, intimidating, demonic veteran, really put the fear of god into them, it’ll help. We still aren’t teaching trench warfare here and I don’t have many ways I can fit it into the curriculum, and I can’t change it.”
“We’re fucked if the next generation of officers still don’t –”
“I know.”
“Okay, we should talk later. I don’t know why they won’t teach trenches, but I might be able to help get them to.” I doubt dinner with the King was enough to change anything, but I had seen men’s units decimated from bad orders. It leaves a mark, even though I only ever saw the aftermath. Thank the gods for sexism. Women’s units were not considered “well suited” for offensive action and areas of heavy fighting.
“Tradition, and calvary are, in short, the main reasons why, but I would be happy to explain it better at another time, for now?” He gestured to his class. I nodded.
“Everyone you are lucky. Private Zalgeth here is a recipient of a royal shield. Not only was her defense of her fellow soldiers heroic, but she organized a retreat and called in an artillery strike at great personal risk. That strike allowed our trenches to be easily retaken. He conduct in the trenches and after shows she understands trench warfare. Her experience and expertise is valuable, and I have given her permission to speak freely, and she will be truly honest, something you will never get from your enlisted troops. I will start us off with a general question. Zalgeth, what is the importance of marksmanship in the trenches?”
I laughed, this would be fun. “Unless you’re a sniper, better to spend your time sharpening your shovel.”
“You should clarify why,” the professor added.
“Do they not know?” He shrugged. “Sometimes, if the enemy doesn’t use a walking barrage, you can shoot as they cross no man’s land, but otherwise rifles are pretty useless. Bayonets can help, but they get stuck in ribs, that’s why a shovel is better, doesn’t get stuck when you hit someone with it, and you can have a grenade in your other hand.”
The professor and I were happy to let it stay silent for a while.
“Any questions,” he asked. Silence. “In that case you all know what a walking barrage is.” I liked him, he knew how to make people uncomfortable in a useful way. A few hands went up and unsurprisingly when he called on a student they asked what a walking barrage was.
“It’s how you assault a trench without dying,” I explained, “Your artillery fires in front of your advancing infantry and both the artillery fire and artillery advance at about a walking pace. It leaves the defenders with no time to get out of their bunkers and start shooting. If you order an assault without that, and without at least a few days of softening them up you might find a bullet in your back, and you’ll deserve it. A fucking waste of life.” I looked at the professor, worried that I might have taken it too far, but he was smiling.
“Questions?” He asked, “and I mean it, don’t make me embarrass all of you in front of a war hero again.”
“So how do you decide where to dig trenchworks?” A student asked. I looked at them like I had no idea why they would ask that.
“You start digging where you are, because if you don’t you’ll die.”
This went on for a while. They really were ignorant of the basics. The students were uncomfortable, but I had so much fun. I hadn’t had the chance to lean into my old scary demon persona form when I was younger. Maybe it wasn’t good that on some level I missed it, but I did, and I guess for succubi it wasn’t really a stereotype. Though I guess for succubi it wasn’t that common, but of course people connected everything bad to sex, even violence, and to the average person succubi are nothing but sex. In this case I made an impression, one I hope they wouldn’t forget.
When we moved on to shooting I continued to make a good impression on the professor and some kind of impression on the students. They had these fancy lever action repeating carbines with rifling and smokeless powder cartridges. I was proud that after a bit of practice I was on par with the best of the class, even with the fancy guns.
“How long have you been shooting?” The professor asked.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve had a gun of some kind on me since I was 12.”
“Why so young?” We both knew why, the professor was asking for the students listening in, not for himself.
“Men don’t listen to no, especially when it comes from a succubus.”
To my surprise I was given a chance to try a long barreled rifle. I tried to use the scope but I couldn’t make sense of it.
“Do you have one without a scope? Seems a little unnecessary and it is giving me a headache.”
“You can see that far?” The professor was surprised. “I knew succubi’s eyes were better, but that far? I can barely make out the targets, never mind hit them.”
“I didn’t know that.” I replied, a little embarrassed. How had I never noticed?
He handed the rifle I had to a student and told them to go take the scope off.
“If your eyes are that good, how come there are no succubi snipers?” Fatima asked with a slightly accusatory tone.
“Not allowed.”
It didn’t seem to satisfy her, but I honestly didn’t care. I was distracted by my own thoughts, trying to figure out how I didn’t know something so basic about myself. At least I did alright with the long rifle once I got one with iron sights, and that helped distract me, that is until I learned something else. Humans couldn’t feel which way the wind was blowing. They used flags to tell. At least I knew my skin was more sensitive, even though I didn’t realize it had a use. Still unsettling though.
After class ended the professor took me into his office, a small building close to the range, just two rooms and a bathroom.
“There is something I’ve been having trouble with. I think you can help, and I can pay you.” He said after he sat at his desk and I sat down on the other side.
“I’m not fighting again.”
“Of course not, you wouldn’t be. If you are interested I can get you clearance to tell you more, and you can decide then.”
“Parliament hasn’t been great with giving me a clear schedule, that may have to take priority sometimes, and after you give me the details, I would need to discuss it with my girlfriend.”
“That may be a problem, security and what not.”
“She has a royal shield too, we fought together that day, Anne Mwenya. If you can get clearance for me you can get it for her, for everything. That is a hard line for me.”
“I think I can manage that, if you have now I can get you a little information, you can then talk it over with your girl and get back to me.”
I nodded, keeping my face as neutral as possible. Anne and I had just talked about finding a job and this fell right into my lap. It was lucky. The idea of working for the army again wasn’t the most appealing, but I technically wasn’t enlisted anymore, and as long as I didn’t have to enlist they couldn’t make me fight. It’s not like I had many options anyway, the army doesn’t prepare anyone for civilian life.
Professor Asnake took a cane with him for the walk over to, wherever we were going, but even with it he struggled. I knew the expression on his face, walking hurt him, a kind of hurt I knew well, the kind of pain that lasts for years, that is inescapable. It made conversation impossible, but I didn’t mind. I liked the professor but I didn’t want to trust him, and if we kept talking I might have started to. I was left sitting on a bench as he dealt with whatever bureaucratic mess he had to.
“Small arms testing.” He said when he came back.
“That’s all I get?”
“Officially, but you’re smart.” I noticed the flattery. I don’t think I needed to be smart to realize that my eyes were why he asked, so it would be something long range. I had concerns though.
“I would want to be in charge of safety, my own in particular. I don’t want some untested gun or whatever blowing up my hand or face or anything.”
“Of course, you will have enough control that you shouldn’t be in any danger.”
I nodded, “I guess that’s it then?” I asked.
“It is, will I hear from you soon?”
“Yes, I can decide quickly.”