Abyssus Abyssum Invocat Read online

  It’s not too difficult to put together the gunshots and the reports from each unit to get a grasp on the situation.

  For better or worse, habituation to the enemy’s simple patterns can invite carelessness, but…as long as you’re not screwing up in how you deal with them, it’s not too bad.

  “From the field, Colonel.”

  Taking the telegram, I listen to the reports and finds that it’s what I expected.

  “HQ, this is Infantry Third Company. We fought off a minor attack. It was a night raid conducted by a small number of armed commandos. We’re currently cleaning up the battlefield.”

  After all, it can be said…

  The attacks we’re experiencing are classic harassment attacks—the insensitive kind that aim to disrupt our sleep—but if we’re discussing each individual strike, they’re relatively straightforward to handle.

  Defend, repulse, and recover—that’s it.

  “What’s the damage?”

  “Since the patrol spotted them early, there are no major losses aside from one burned-out building.”

  That’s good. The fewer letters of condolence I have to write, the better.

  “That’s some nice work. Who was on patrol?”

  “It was Corporal Kurtz and his men.”

  “Got it. Give them a gift from me later. And send me the details of the incident when they’re available. Have your unit stay sharp.”

  Keeping damage to a minimum is good, but on the other hand, it’s proof that trouble is still constantly following us around here. We may have repulsed the attack with negligible damages, but the more times this happens, the more likely it is for a mistake to occur.

  And mistakes eventually lead to catastrophes.

  The commander’s reply to Tanya is a reliable “We’ll be careful.”

  Tanya smiles wryly, since he could have left that unsaid, and urges him to continue with his report.

  “The commanders at each level are tabulating the details now, but casualties appear to be extremely low. This time we discovered the enemy early and reacted swiftly. I don’t think you’ll have to wait long for the detailed report. The only thing is that we had to wake up napping troops. Please bear in mind that we’re running on very little sleep.”

  “Not much we can do about that.” Tanya groaned, sharing his understanding.

  Cornering us so that we can’t relax while they do their best to disrupt our sleep—the enemy’s guerrilla units are really having their way with us.

  Considering the enemy efficiency and lack of hesitation, they must have green-lit a scorched-earth campaign—destroying all infrastructure within reach, basically.

  “I have to admit that regardless of how well it can build things, Communism sure can tear them down.”

  “That’s for sure. But we’ll at least resist by being efficient at fixing things. We’ll show those demolitionists.”

  The commander and I exchange banter that hardly qualifies as small talk, or joking for that matter. It may seem stupid, but it’s clear that if we can still afford to screw around like this, things are all right.

  No one is as fragile as a soldier on the front lines or in the trenches who has lost the ability to smile.

  While taking things seriously may be a virtue, being humorless when you’re in a tight spot renders people helpless—to the point that they would contribute more to society by being shot.

  On that point, lack of sleep is bad for mental health as well as morale. Infantry Third Company, whose beds were burned up, won’t be able to get a good rest until the firefighting and restoration are done. Since it’s fall, it’s still just barely possible to camp…but if at all doable, infantry should sleep with a roof over their heads.

  “Do your best. I’ll send some refreshments over soon.”

  The minute she puts down the receiver, Tanya follows through on her promise. It’s times like this that it’s most important to be considerate. Encouraging subordinates and appreciating their work a little can make a big difference in the field. The most basic rule of personnel management is to make sure that subordinates know the high-ranking people can see their hard work.

  When there isn’t enough effort put into the essential principle of rewards and punishments, nothing but utter collapse awaits. Principles are principles for a reason and must be respected.

  “Oh, Lieutenant Serebryakov. I need to give something to Corporal Kurtz and his men from Third Company. Send one of the bottles you have stored in the battalion treasury.”

  “Y-yes, ma’am!”

  After making her expectations plain, Tanya sets about reorganizing her thoughts. She switches gears from personnel manager back to her role as commander.

  The situation is clear.

  The building Third Company was garrisoned in has been burned down in the night by a guerrilla raid. Something like this happens every night, so the troops are used to it, but…the question is whether there will be another attack tonight or not.

  If the raids are likely to continue, Tanya needs to tell the units on patrol to raise the alert level. But if the enemy doesn’t come, that would mean cutting into their precious sleep time for no reason.

  Should I leave the alert level as it is and let my men get some rest? Or should I raise it and be prepared for a raid? The choices are in direct conflict. Either way, it’s a tough decision.

  “Okay…what should I do?”

  Her uncertainty probably stems from the fact that she hasn’t been getting enough sleep, either.

  In an attempt to open her eyes, Tanya reaches for the coffee that had materialized at some point, and the moment she smells it, she smiles ironically—probably because they’re the beans she received from Colonel Uger the other day.

  Her nose is so used to the frontline-issue ersatz coffee that she learned not to breathe in the smell. But for the first time in a while, she sniffs at her drink in pursuit of the pleasant scent.

  That simple fact is enough to put her at ease about the supply lines. The smell of the unusually fragrant coffee sinks into her tired body.

  Colonel Uger has excellent taste.

  Taste? At that thought, Tanya recalls something. Her current situation is not at all to her liking. In fact, it’s downright disagreeable. If she acted according to textbook, she would alert all units that one of theirs had been attacked and shift everyone into a state of readiness.

  The problem is that standard doctrine doesn’t really cover the combat environment in the east.

  Strictly speaking, the forward-most line and the main lines are no-man’s-land, so handling things according to textbook would be fine. But salients consisting of freshly occupied or abandoned villages and forested areas are hotbeds of partisan1 activity, so the theories don’t hold up.

  “…Even a plan that plays it safe, in the long run, would be…”

  It’s important to be on their guard.

  But she should also avoid keeping her soldiers sleep-deprived night after night.

  It’s absurd, but these two choices are inescapable. Which means that Tanya, as commander, is stuck picking one or the other.

  “Major Weiss, I’m not sure whether we should put a warning out. There’s no warning from the forward patrol, right?”

  “No warnings. The periodic reports have all been normal, as well.”

  “…Then I suppose I should…”

  …let the Kampfgruppe sleep. Tanya nearly says it, but then she thinks again. You can hate sleep deprivation only if you’re alive.

  Staying alive is my style. So I should be true to myself.

  “Wake up some of the troops. Combat readiness three. Get them on alert.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “We don’t know if the enemy will stop at one raid. The fact that we’re so used to their nightly attacks might be dangerous. I’d rather risk the resentment of the troops once they’ve gotten home than end up regretting exposing them to the enemy in a careless moment.”

  To be honest, it pains me
to make other people go along with my preferences.

  But ordering someone to do what I say in order to keep them alive must be…within the realm of the permissible, as a soldier. It’s like an extension of their tasks or duties. I’m sure even the Labor Standards Bureau would forgive me.

  “If that’s what you prefer, then who am I to disagree?”

  “Colonel Uger taught me the value of good taste.”

  “Oh, is he the one who gave you that coffee?”

  “It’s my secret stash. I have to check later to make sure Lieutenant Serebryakov isn’t using too much of it. Now then,” Tanya continues with some pep in her voice. “Shift to combat readiness three. Begin giving the notice.”

  “Understood,” Weiss says before leaving to relay her instructions. It’s certain that everyone will understand the need for security as their beds call to them. They’ll only get up with some reluctance.

  That said, if some rise, others can stay asleep. Combat readiness three uses shifts, so some people are free. Of course, that includes the officers at HQ as well.

  “Oh, Lieutenant Serebryakov. You should rest, too.”

  I need my adjutant to have decent judgment. I’d rather have her well rested and levelheaded than sleep-deprived and fuzzy brained.

  The decrease in cognitive ability humans experience when sleep-deprived must be a biological response.

  When we require sleep as a given, neglecting it is truly inept. Any capable person should ensure they get the minimum required amount of rest without fail. If I don’t want to consider myself incompetent, I have to give my subordinates as much rest as possible.

  “But I don’t want to leave you and Major Weiss…”

  “It’s not a suggestion. Get some rest. That’s part of your duty as a soldier. You heard the order, right, Lieutenant?”

  Getting proper rest and sleep could be called a part of an assistant’s duties.

  It’s impossible to maintain performance at 100 percent with willpower and guts alone.

  “Yes, ma’am, understood.”

  Her bow as she excuses herself is ever so conscientious. Perhaps it’s conceited to say that I made Serebryakov into what she is now, but it makes me so happy to see what a great officer she has become during our short time together.

  I’m incredibly proud to have contributed so much to the growth of human capital on our team. Of utmost importance, however, is a plan to utilize that human capital properly. On that point, Tanya does think waking up soldiers to put them on readiness, even if only level three, might be a bit too cautious.

  It’s important to be appropriately wary of risks. Fearing them too much invites its own problems. In the end, it’s important to have common sense and balance.

  Easier said than done.

  Why have there been so many of these either-or choices lately…? Tanya smiles wryly at the thought.

  “Hmm, if I wake them up for no reason, they won’t like me very much, will they?”

  “…What about just leaving the lookouts and canceling the combat-readiness order? We could let the unit get a little sleep…”

  If we do that… Tanya does the numbers in her head. They would be able to scrape together some time for the troops to rest in bed, even if only for a few hours.

  It’s not a bad suggestion.

  But… The thought also crosses her mind that it’s too soon for that.

  “Not bad, but let’s take a look at our situation. It’s almost dawn. Late at night or early in the morning are the times to strike. During this time of day, we need to be careful.”

  “Understood. Shall I wake up Lieutenant Grantz?”

  “Grantz is on backup and scramble duty. Let him sleep. A sleep-deprived scrambler will only cause an accident.”

  She’s really happy that his unit has become a real fighting force. She’s incredibly proud to have trained up First Lieutenant Grantz.

  Cultivating people is an important job within an organization.

  In my work in personnel, I never cultivated anyone… “Hmm,” Tanya murmurs as she breaks into a smile. “Maybe I actually have an aptitude for teaching people.”

  “I’d like to ask the two first lieutenants you put through the mill how they feel.”

  I may have been a strict teacher, but I got results. Not that I’m arrogant enough to say they could thank me and I wouldn’t be surprised.

  Setting aside how he may have interpreted her silent gaze, he’s probably thirsty if he’s cooped up in the command post. Before she knows it, he’s holding up his cup and asking, “May I have another cup of coffee?”

  She glances at him and sees his eyes hungry for brewed arabica beans.

  “Hmph, I should have told you to sleep.”

  “If you wish…”

  “I guess I have no choice. You’re being responsible and following orders.”

  With a bit of a smirk, she pours him a cup as an apology for making him go along with her selfishness. Friend of the night, bosom buddy of overtime—coffee is a fine companion. She regrets sharing her private stock a little. It’s also maddening that the supply situation is poor enough to warrant regretting something so minor.

  Not long after serving Weiss, Tanya nonchalantly looks up at the hands of the clock and grumbles. “Hmm, it doesn’t seem like there will be a dawn attack. I guess my intuition has dulled.”

  If there was going to be an assault, it would be happening right around now. Preparing for an attack meant moving into position before sunrise…but the enemy won’t make it in time anymore.

  If there’s no sign of them now, all this readiness was for nothing. Morning will come, and all I’ll have accomplished is letting my vice commander drink up my stash of good coffee. I guess I should just be happy the enemy didn’t come.

  Tanya is nearly dozing off as she muses, but all of it gets blown away with a jolt.

  “C-C-Colonel, we’ve got an emergency!”

  “Give me a sitrep.”

  “It’s two battalions! Federation forces have penetrated our territory with battalion-strength units! The patrol made the discovery, and the rapid response unit has engaged them!”

  Conducting a night raid with battalions?

  There’s no time to think how bold a move that is. This is more than provocation. It’s a clash of two professional armies.

  “Wake everyone up! They’re here!”

  Did they aim for the moment we’d gotten used to their harassment attacks?

  Or does this happen to be right when they received reinforcements? No, neither of those things matters right now.

  We can investigate their motive later.

  Right now, we have to crush the enemies standing in front of us.

  “But why would they time their dawn attack for right now…? Wait a sec.”

  Two battalions in a dawn attack.

  The surprise factor is tremendous, but it’s even more bizarre that the Federation doesn’t second-guess whether two battalions might have trouble defeating an entire Kampfgruppe. The Salamander Kampfgruppe is an ad hoc combat force made up of armor, self-propelled artillery, infantry, and aerial mages, and they’ve been skirmishing with us for a while now.

  “I’ll go to intercept!”

  “Wait, Major Weiss! The 203rd is a reserve unit.”

  “Yes, ma’am, b-but…”

  If it was a sudden encounter, I could understand. If the enemy commander decided to have them rush in, he could be forgiven.

  But would an enemy who already has a good idea of our combat strength through multiple skirmishes conduct an attack this clumsy?

  The answer is…

  No way.

  “It doesn’t make sense to try to force their way in with only two battalions.”

  For anyone who wants to avoid risky situations, the regret of excessive caution is preferable to the satisfaction of assuming you’ve seen through the enemy’s plan. Well, perhaps in an offensive battle, people wouldn’t like the idea of being cautious.

  But thi
s is a defensive mission where the goal is to keep attrition to a minimum.

  “Tell the armored unit to assume these are enemy reserves. The mage unit will be held back for putting out fires. But scramble the backup company. I don’t expect them to participate proactively in the fighting. Tell them to be our eyes on the battlefield.”

  “Yes, ma’am!”

  Weiss performs a perfectly textbook salute and rushes back to his unit. Watching him go, Tanya smiles wryly. I’m sure he’ll work hard enough to earn the coffee he drank.

  I say “the coffee he drank” for the sake of cost consciousness.

  Being aware of costs is proof that I’ve regained a healthy sense of market principle. Even on the front, where you’re liable to lose your humanity, I seem to be maintaining both my mental and physical health.

  There is nothing more pleasant for me as a modern, free individual.

  Sheesh, the freedom to bask in contentment would be nice. But no, the battlefield doesn’t allow for even such a simple joy.

  “C-Command! It’s the enemy! The enemy is—!”

  “Enemy attack! Intercept them!”

  I knew it. I anticipated it. But really? They’re attacking headquarters?

  If we were in trenches, this would never have happened. The partisans must have spotted us during the day.

  It takes more than a few days to map out the geography of a village we’re garrisoning.

  Even with a patrol out, an unexpected defeat is still possible. But reality is harsher than I imagined. The area we have to defend is larger than we thought, and we don’t have enough manpower to properly cover all the ground.

  Insufficient personnel led to holes in the warning line, so naturally we’ve allowed this totally unforeseen attack to happen.

  “They’re coming directly for headquarters?! Shit, they’re too good!” The troops curse as they grab their rifles.

  But even if the Kampfgruppe’s rear personnel put up their best fight, it’s only the few staffers attached to headquarters. They’re soldiers, so of course they can shoot a gun, but…whether they can land any shots or not is another story.

  The ones we should rely on at times like this are the conscripts who guard HQ. But we were already short on soldiers. After drawing from the guard unit to bolster the front lines, our extreme numerical disadvantage is inescapable.