Drums of War

“Oh, you’re finally awake? Took you long enough, Wil.”

Wilhelm’s eyes fought against his mind, struggling to open. Every light seemed all too bright, and Levin’s blond hair shimmered with all of them at once, burning Wilhelm's eyes. Wilhelm struggled to lift himself up, even with Levin’s assistance. He forced his mouth open so that he could speak, and an unpleasant taste simmered from his all-too-long slumber.

“L…Levin? How long have I been out?”

“About twelve hours. The doctor said there was some kind of issue with the anesthesia, but you were fine otherwise. So the headmaster asked me to keep an eye on you, for a bit.”

“Really? Thanks, seriously.” The throbbing in Wilhelm’s head had started to calm down, and the wave of nausea that he felt lessened. So, the procedure’s done. Wilhelm now counted himself among the Cyberitters, and a warm feeling filled his chest. Then, the thought led to another. 

“Hey, Levin… I’m sorry, about the other day. You didn’t deserve it.”

Levin’s eyes widened. “Huh? Oh, that. It wasn’t really a big deal or anything, so-”

“You don’t need to downplay it.”

“I… Yeah, you were being an asshole,” Levin replied. “But we’ve known each other too long for me to take it personal. And hey, now you’ve got the chance that we both wanted, right? So… let’s call it water under the bridge, Wil.”

“Ha, sure. I’m good with that.” With his strength returning, Wilhelm reached out and wrapped his arms around Levin, pulling them into a hug. Levin held on tight enough to make Wilhelm wheeze, laughing as Wilhelm pulled away. Then, Levin grabbed a plate off of Wilhelm's desk. 

“I figured you might want something to eat, so I snuck this out of the mess hall. No promises about the taste, though.”

Wilhelm took the plate. “Right now, I think I could eat just about anything.”

Levin stood up. “Then you’re in good enough shape to be on your own, Wil. I’d better get back to my room: the headmaster said she’d tell all of us where we’re getting deployed, tomorrow.”

“Getting a headstart on the cleaning, then? You’re always a few steps ahead, Levin.”

Levin replied with a sharp laugh. “That’s my line, Wil. No matter what I do, you’re just out of my reach,” Levin said. “You’ll probably be in some unit with the rest of the Top Eight, now.”

“Well, yeah, but each one of us has their own, small squad, and we can choose who’s in it, pending approval from our boss,” Wilhelm said. “If you’re willing, how about joining mine?”

Levin turned back around. “A-Are you sure? I don’t want to hold you or anyone else back.”

“Of course I’m sure. Look, you still made into the top fifteen of our graduating class, yeah? You’re plenty good enough. And besides, I’m not leaving you behind.”

“...Well, if you say so, then how can I say no?”

Wilhelm smiled. “You can’t, that’s how. Since we were in the orphanage, you’ve always had my back, and the same goes for me. There’s no one that I trust more than you.”

“Can you cut the sappy stuff, Wil? Seriously…” Despite this, Levin smiled. “I’d better get going. Make sure to eat and rest up, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Take it easy, Levin.” Left alone in the room, Wilhelm surveyed the food left to him. Sauerkraut? Damn it, Levin… You know I hate that stuff. Despite his dislike for the “healthy” plate given to him, he devoured the food in front of him, out of desperation if nothing else.

____________________________________________________________________________

“Mr. Frei? Are you quite certain that you’ve recovered from the anesthesia?” The harsh, probing voice of Headmaster Emilia ripped Wilhelm out of his reverie. She had called him, along with the rest of the Top Eight, to her office at the fine time of 6 A.M. in the morning. Pain in the...

Better not. “Y-Yes, headmaster! Sorry, resting yesterday was... tough, so I stayed up all night.”

Wilhelm heard a snicker, but he knew better than to bother saying anything to Aurelia. Not in front of the headmaster’s gaze, at any rate. Her eyes whipped on Aurelia, and the attempt at mockery immediately stopped. Satisfied, the headmaster leaned forward onto her desk, supported by her clasped hands. Her glasses, along with unmoving eyebrows and lips, made her expression inscrutable. As cadets, Wilhelm and his classmates often assumed the worst.

“Then ensure that you are alert when the captain of your new squad arrives, Mr. Frei. Were you to appear unworthy of this position, justified or not, he could strip you of it.”

A chill ran down his spine, and Wilhelm took a deep gulp. “Y-Yes, ma’am!”

He felt a nudge on his side, where Mathilde was standing. She offered her thermos to Wilhelm, and when he opened it, a strong smell of dark roast overpowered his nostrils. When the headmaster turned around for a moment, Mathilde whispered into his ear.

“I thought you might need it, Wil. I only had a little bit, so the rest is all yours.”

Wilhelm responded only with a smile and nod, as the headmaster had returned her attention to the cadets. He sipped on the thermos and forced himself not to spit the coffee back out. No cream, and no sugar? What kind of person drinks this?  Still, he drank as much of it as he could.

Thirty minutes passed, and finally, the man that they were all waiting for arrived: Captain Joseph. He walked in with little regard to the students and took a seat beside the headmaster, saying something to her that Wilhelm couldn’t pick up. He adjusted the dark blue cap on his head, which covered up his black, wiry hair. In many ways, he reminded Wilhelm of their headmaster: unsurprisingly, as the two were siblings. Harsh, severe, but hopefully, fair…

The newcomer spoke first. “My apologies for the late arrival. I had other business to handle that flowed over. Regardless, let’s get down to business.” He pored over the manila folder that he had brought with him, grabbing a few papers and a holographic stand.

“We’ll start with our objective. You, the members of Project Cyberitter, are going to test whether the 'cybersuits' that Doctor Wolter praises are actually worth a damn. Unless you’ve recently been kicked in the head by a donkey, you should be aware that the NSR’s aggression in the east has increased in scale, in a way unseen since their attack on Berlin ten years ago. Currently, Berlin has suffered a relentless siege for the last month and change.”

The room grew dark, and Captain Joseph placed the stand onto the headmaster’s table. A blue screen rose from its center, and it displayed the “eastern front” of the European Imperial Federation. To the north, the map displayed a single, large blue dot, which Wilhelm knew to be Berlin. Outside of Germany’s borders, small, red arrows approached slowly from a large, red dot, which Wilhelm couldn’t quite place. Logistics never were my strong suit...

Then, the top of their class commented on the matter. “They’re looking to take Berlin again, using Warsaw as a staging area. Isn’t that right, captain?” Wilhelm looked over at his classmate. His amber eyes stared intently at the hologram, its light shining in his pupils.

“Exactly. Hm… Ah, you must be Rudolf Wilder. Well, you're exactly right, son. Good to see that the top dog around here isn’t just a good pilot.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Anyway, here's the situation. Before this, the Republic had continued to send out squadron after squadron, poking and probing at our defenses. Now, we know their aims, and the top brass has a mind to end their ambitions. Once we end their Berlin offensive, we’re taking the fight to them.” The hologram then showed blue arrows traveling to Berlin, erasing the red arrows on their way to Warsaw, and going further, deep into the New Soviet Republic.

Mathilde spoke next. “And how far are we taking that fight, sir? Warsaw? Minsk?”

Captain Joseph raised an eyebrow. “In ordinary circumstances, cadet, that would be classified information. None of your business, in other words. But let me put it like this: we’re taking the fight as far as we’re able, whether that be Warsaw or further. Does that answer your question?”

A heavy silence hung over the cadets. Then, Aurelia thought to speak.

“So in other words, we’re going to war?”

“Indeed,” Joseph said. “For the first time in many years, we have a technological edge. For the first time in many years, we have alignment among the Federation’s political class, and allegedly, its people. All that’s left is to execute their will… That is our purpose, as soldiers.”