It all started with a book.
And, like all books, it started with a title.
The title was innocuous enough, An Unauthorized Biography of Tanya von Degurechaff. The first run was relatively small, and purely intended for academics and the recesses of dusty military libraries.
But, like some acts of passion, the bounds grew far beyond what its originator ever intended.
Under the title was the name of the author, Professur Frederick Wagner. As a lofty academic, he chose his own projects and intended this to be his final work as he slid into retirement in the post-war period. Despite cuts in the budget and privations experienced by crippling reparations, he had a comfortable pension awaiting him along with some savings and investments that had survived the Great War. Such being said, he had no need of further fame, had no need of remuneration or profits. Thusly, he felt free to pursue the truth without hinderances.
Naturally, there was a price to pay for such a draught of truth, that most heady of drinks.
The book was either too short or too long. The length of time covered, barely half a decade of a child's life should have had barely enough pages to keep the covers apart. Conversely, the tome far exceeded the wildest lives of such a small period.
The foreward, in part, set the tone for the entire book.
When I first started this project, I was prepared to be a light of reason, dispelling the shadows of rumor and myth. But, in the oddest twist, I found that the public accounts profoundly understated the accomplishments of this young woman (then only a child). The more I searched and verified, the more astonished I became. Unburied documents and whispered confidences painted a far different picture than the official record and, it must be said, made far more sense when correlated with confirmed evidence...
...she was, and is, a modern prophetess: telling of visions that she alone can see but only to have her words fall on deaf ears. Perhaps this modest tome can rectify this injustice somewhat.
The period after the Great War was a time of much discontent in Germania. The Fatherland was stripped of both treasure, its ability to defend itself and even their less-than-beloved monarchy. Certainly, before the war, most civilians would probably have said that it was a useless appendage from an antiquated era but afterwards... even ardent republicans found monarchist leanings once it was abolished by mandate of hostile powers.
Added to this was the anger over the hefty reparations. Righteous anger since Germania had always been the defender, never the aggresor in that terrible war! Fear of the rebirth of the mighty war machine forced a reduction in military far below what was needed even for a semblance of defense. Rumors of the treatment of captured soliders by the Federation were rampant and most likely true and even understated.
With a terrible economy, too many out of work soldiers, and a vacuum left by the removal of monarchical rule, it would only take a tiny seed to crystallize the solution of discontent. Into this was thrown a single book that quickly became nearly a bible to its followers. A proof that Germania was strong, was vital, and could out-shine all the world despite whatever misfortunes befell her. A ray of hope in otherwise dark and overcast times.
Naturally, Tanya knew nothing of this until it was far too late as she more important matters to deal with: her impending execution.
That said, it was still only a potential, not a certainty. Still, one tends to take such things seriously. As the surrendered nation, they suffered the rules laid down by the victorious. Except for those who had acted in a truly atrocious manner (most of which had already been dealt with by Germania already) and those who were easily acquitted, the rest were suffer under cobbled-together guidelines based on international treaties.
One of the rules was that she was separated from anyone who might aid her or support her defense. Her lawyer was chosen, as far as she could tell, by the fact that he would fail disastrously while still seeming to actually attempt his best. "Gladieau, you are suggesting I wear what?"
He wiped the sweat from his face with an already soaked handkerchief. "A dress, Fraulein. Even eliciting a modicum of sympathy will spare you the firing squad and there are no friendly faces on tribunal today. With your age and the fact that you look younger and shorter than most, we could reasonably pass you for eleven, even ten years old." He tried hard not look at her as the diminutive Lt. Colonel intimidated more than any of his ex-wives.
She looked at him, aghast. "You mean you aren't even going to attempt to get me acquitted? It's your ethical duty as my lawyer to get the best result possible!"
"That is the best result, I'm afraid."
"Was your law degree issued by accident, Herr Gladieau? This is an international tribunal. The disposition of the convicted is decided like old women haggling over vegetables. Anyone who wants to score points would sell me out to the Republic, or the Federation, in a heartbeat. I either win, or I'm as good as dead!"
"I don't think..."
"Obviously!" She glared at him as if she could puncture holes in his body by willpower alone.
He revised his estimation... all THREE of his ex-wives... put together! "B-but it couldn't hurt to just... it's only a dress!"
She made a grasping motion with one hand that he couldn't help but notice his neck would fit into with frightening ease. "If I try to act as a child NOW, it will ruin any defense I might mount. No, we have to use the rules against them in such a way that they cannot back down." She bit her thumbnail, her mind racing with a speed that would put a modern computer to shame. For the past two months of captivity, she had been going over the relevant treaties and laws but always with the assumption that line soldiers and officers would be shielded by the fact that they were under orders. For some reason, they wanted to make an example of her personally.
"It's probably the Federation. The Republic owes too many favors as much as they'd like my head. The Republic will cite the grievance and the core issue... yes. Then they'll step back and let those shitty communists have me in exchange for considerations on the division of the colonies. Greed and stupidity. I can work with that." Tanya grinned in a way that made her lawyer swallow nervously and protect his throat with a chubby hand. "Listen carefully, here's what we are going to do..."
He listened carefully with his face growing whiter and whiter. "I can't do that! I'd seem like the biggest idiot to pass the bar!"
"You are! You should put that on your business cards!" She grabbed his lapels with strength that would have been surprising in a grown man. "You WILL do as I say or I'm going to cover myself with that fancy cognac you have over there and claim you gave me a few glasses to 'calm me down' and then tried to rape me." She brought his face close to hers. "Or I could just defenestrate you right now. You've heard of Prague, yes?"
He couldn't agree to her plan quickly enough.
Chapter 03 - Fool's client
The day of the tribunal was overcast and the atmosphere inside was equally hazy. It seemed like half the men were smoking something with only the arbiters pretending like they didn't want to light up themselves. Tanya wrinkled her nose and tried not to cough too obviously. One day, when I run my own office, the first rule will be a ban on tobacco! She was in her full dress uniform, decorations freshly cleaned and on display. From her mirror-polish boots to her Silver Wings medal she positively glistened.
"The" day was a misnomer as there had many wearying days of testimonies and judgment before this but for Tanya, this was the one. Amongst the judges were members of most of the powers involved. She didn't bother to connect faces with countries as it was irrelevant to her plan. Instead, she focused on what was important... giving them the worst day of their lives.
She stood in the defendent's spot, unfraid even though she had to look upwards at the jurists. Finally, someone brought over a spacer for her to stand on so that her face could be seen over the top bar of the box around her.
Her lawyer stood to one side, sweating even more than the day before. Indeed his face had a greenish tinge. He stood up shakily, "Your honors, may I..." This was as far as he got before he violently vomited on the floor, splashing some guards that happened to be too close. With a weak voice. "I-I'm afraid that I may be too ill to continue. We request a continuance until I've recovered." He managed to get the last sentence out before he vomited again.
The man from Britannia scowled. "How long are you talking, sir?"
"A week? Maybe longer?"
The judges held a quick conference while Tanya apparently ignored them. People busied themselves cleaning up the vomit and, thankfully, opened a few windows which let out the smell and also some smoke. "That's unacceptable, Herr Gladieau. You must continue or provide appropriate alternative counsel. Or we'll be forced to replace you."
With a ghastly grimace, he stammered. "To bring a suitable counselor up to speed would take even longer, your honors. I was the only one assigned to the Colonel so there are no replacements." He plowed on ignoring their objections as if he were deathly afraid. "To deny her suitable counsel would be rightfully seen as a travesty of justice."
The Francois was beside himself. He had been the one to insist that she only have one defender and now that demand was biting back hard. "Nonsense! This is merely an attempt to delay the proceedings. Continue and try to vomit in a bucket henceforth."
"I-I-I'm afraid I must withdraw. My apolo..." More vomiting followed.
Tanya barely glanced his way, impressed at the power of the purgative he had taken at her insistence. Finally, she spoke up. "Your honors, I have a simple solution."
Instantly, every eye was riveted on her. A beam of sunlight from the opened window caught her blonde locks (now much longer due her time in captivity) which framed her face like a halo.
Finally, the Legadonian member rose to her bait. "And what would that be?" His voice dripped with hatred, not kept in check at all.
"I'm willing to represent myself. I'm obviously familiar with the case, my own, and I find myself acceptable naturally."
"You are hardly a lawyer!"
"And yet, self defense is not disallowed and has been accepted several times by this very tribunal."
There was muttering in the gallery as this was true. "Regardless, you are too young."
"Point of order!"
"What now, child?"
"Children," she stressed the word carefully, "Are legally not responsible for their actions. If you insist on assigning me as such, you must acquit immediately. My time actively involved in military actions ranged from age 9 to 14. Are you trying war orphan Tanya Degurechaff or Lt Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff today? I demand an immediate answer, sirs!"
They consulted heatedly with hands over their microphones and finally responded. "We recognize the COLONEL's right to defend herself as a fully recognized member of the military of the Empire." He frowned. "Do not forget the adage about fools and lawyers and do not make light of these proceedings again."
"Point of order!"
The Commonwealth's judge nodded wearily rather than answering.
"Is this a trial of law or of popular opinion?"
"I just warned you..."
"Hear me out as I need this clarified. All judgments are to be made on international laws, are they not? To subject a defendant to a vote makes a mockery of judicial proceedings and the sanctity of the wisdom of laws themselves. So I ask again, is this a trial of law?"
"Law. Of course."
"Excellent, then let us proceed. To simplify matters, let us handle all events other than those in Arene first."
Taken aback, the judge literally leaned away from the girl. She looked small enough to break under a stiff breeze but for the first time he felt the force of will of one of the most feared combatants in the entire world. Another consultation followed before he responded. "And the reason for this 'request'?"
She blinked and looked at him as if he were addled. "Doesn't it make sense to handle the easiest cases first? Irrelevant issues should be swept aside as quickly as possible thus we can get to the truth all the faster."
Despite heated debate, they took her suggestion and for a week they 'swept aside' charges. Unfortunately for the tribunal, the line between 'war' and 'war crimes' was quite clear in those cases. All evidence showed Tanya to be a brilliant commander, a cunning warrior and a strategist par excellence but... that was it. She committed acts of war, as did all soldiers. The blood of countless men was on her hands. But war is war and warriors are warriors.
The Federation was particularly incensed in that almost every issue they brought up had to be dismissed because they were non-signatories of the Rules of War. The only time Tanya took obvious pleasure in the trial was in baiting and destroying the arguments the commies presented one after another.
Despite exhaustive cross-examination, all were eventually forced to concede nothing she did was outside of the boundaries of acceptable behavior and in the end, they simply conceded every charge, saving their energy for the final, and most damning.
Overcoming objections, they allowed a scant single day of preparation before they took up the matter of Arene.
Tanya's preparations were to sleep late and enjoy several cups of fine cafe prepared by her lawyer's maid. Not as good as Serebryakov's, to be sure, but enjoyable. Gladieau, by comparison seemed in worse shape and had noticeably lost weight.
"Degurechaff..."
She glared at him, unhappy that her coffee break was so interrupted. "What?"
"I see you have a strategy, but I cannot fathom what it might be. Technically, I AM your lawyer, shouldn't I know something?"
"You should but it's far too late, I think. Perhaps I'll tell you later but I'll leave you with one clue."
He looked at her genuinely expectant.
"Everyone talks about how to deal with the Gordian Knot but no one asks about how to tie one in the first place."
"Hah?"
"After this is over, take the win by riding my coattails and don't do anything to embarrass me. Perhaps a new career... baking or something innocuous and more suited to your intellect."
Stunned, the man sat down heavily and actually seemed to contemplate what she had said.
Enjoying the newfound silence, Tanya sipped her coffee and read newspapers that Gladieau purchased but never opened. Using the excuse of needing to consult with her lawyer, she had spent most of her captivity doing the same in his offices rather than in the minimal comfort of her cell. Though she still had to sleep there, she spent far more time here. She couldn't complain, though, as the food was excellent, the coffee decent, and she had plenty of time to work on her Albish and Francois. Once she broke him of the habit of smoking in his own office, it was even better.
Tomorrow, she thought, that should decide it all.
Chapter 04 - Ignorance
Two of the younger prosecutors were smoking outside the tribunal chambers and wishing they could be drinking instead. What should have been the trial of the century and an easy win was turning into a nightmare before their eyes.
The older one, a blonde man of stocky build took a long drag on his cigarette. "I heard Peter had a nervous breakdown after yesterday."
His colleague laughed mirthlessly, "Devil of the Rhine, indeed! I've never seen anyone who could twist case law and precedent like she does. Every word out of her mouth is an attack! When she questions, she's setting up an assault, when under examination, she is destroying her opponents! If she suddenly sprouted horns and a barbed tail, I couldn't be more surprised. Is she really just fourteen?"
"Hell if I know." He lit a cigarette off the one he was holding and then threw the longer one away accidentally. Taking it as a sign, he ditched the first one as well. "All I know is that I have no certainty that she won't win this."
"Surely not! Not after Arene!"
"You say that like a man, but not like a lawyer, my friend. There are morals, there are ethics and there are laws. We are here on a matter of law."
"Technically, yes, but..."
"The Devil is in the details." He straightened his waistcoat and grimaced. "Well, there's one thing to be thankful for."
"I can't imagine what it could be."
"Be thankful that she's a soldier and not a lawyer."
The other prosecutor blanched at the thought and shakily agreed.
* * *
To say the room was tense would be a lie of omission. The galleries were full and cameramen were using so much flash powder that it seemed as if lightning filled the room sans the thunder. The smell of the smoke did nothing to improve Tanya's mood and she was delighted when the tribunal had had enough and chased them all out except for the official court recorder.
The prosecutor did a double-take when she did not object to his recounting of the facts of the case. Both sides had long agreed on what happened, but when it came to the legality of the actions, ah, there was the rub.
Tanya was in rare form but seemed oddly out of sorts as if she were distracted by something. "As a point of 'sweeping away the details', can we agree that all under my command could not be responsible for my actions as they were following orders?"
"Surely you're not trying to set up a precedent where you'll argue to excuse your OWN actions as you were also under orders?"
"Not at all. I was the seniormost officer in the 203rd. All responsibility rests with me. I simply wish that they won't be pursued unjustly after these proceedings."
The chief jurist looked as if he had a revelation. It was all leading to this! She's trying to gather all blame on herself so that she could protect her subordinates. If she wasn't such a monster, I could almost admire her. "That's standard jurisprudence. Excepting separate incidents not covered, we agree."
"Excellent. I now call for the dismissal of all charges related to the Arene incident on the basis that they were allowed under the Rules of War."
The gallery, if they weren't already on their feet, would have rose as one. Their faces: outraged. Their voices: cacophonous.
"Order! Order I say!" Finally, he got control by having the volume of his microphone turned up to maximum and drowning out the rabble. "I assume you have some basis for that bad joke, Colonel!"
"Naturally, but let me reiterate a point you agreed to on the first day. This is a court of LAW, correct?"
"Of... course." He hesitated but didn't see any reason to object to his own statement.
"Then, let me present my case. Fortunately, the important events of that tragic day have been recorded and are in evidence."
"Primus: per article 26, paragraph 3 of the Rules of War on Land as declared in recording 1173a, the civilian combatants did massacre unarmed Empire citizens and soldiers." Per instructions, scenes of the men being shot in the back as they attempted to escape were displayed along with a recording of the warning she herself had made.
"Secundus: the irregular combatants were made aware, per article 8, paragraph 5 of the Rules of War on Land that we demanded to speak to them to release unjustly imprisoned. Recording 1173g, please." Her recorded voice rang out, clearly and calmly asking for a parley with the entrenched resistance.
"Now, please focus. Here is their response. Recording 1173h, play it."
The words of a dead man echoed around through the room. "We are the citizens of Arene. There are no prisoners. We are just people asking to be free."
"None of this is in question, but what is your point? This damns you more than anything."
She shook her head as if dealing with simpletons. "At that point, remember their previous declarations. There were no prisoners and all NON combatants had been given ample opportunity to retreat. By their own words, that made ALL remaining inhabitants unlawful combatants!"
"But the women, the children!" sputtered an older judge.
"Sir! You dare drag ME to trial and use THAT as an argument?! All non combatants were gone! All prisoners were dead by the hands of those hooligans!"
One barrister attacked back gamely. "The speaker could have been lying." He stopped himself as he realized the folly of his words but it was too late. Tanya pounced on them like a hungry leopard.
"So your argument is that the commander of the unlawful forces in Arene LIED to turn the civilian population into human shields? Why haven't you brought him and his cronies here, then? The 203rd followed every rule and every protocol of war... who then is the true monster?"
"Don't try to weasel you way out of this! You clearly committed atrocities..."
She amplified her voice with magic slightly and was aided by the microphone. Even without an orb, small tricks could be utilized and she had had months to practice. "Rhetoric! Please point to a SINGLE LAW OF ANY SORT that was broken. Even one! Today we've established that any and all atrocities were committed by those we fought. Not us. Never us!" Her impassioned speech drowned out everything else and had a hypnotic quality, causing all to hang on her every word, her every syllable. "How is this justice? You blame the innocent while the guilty wear halos in your eyes?!"
"They didn't know..."
"You implied that I was a fool for repesenting myself. Let me remind you of another truism: Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Now I challenge you... find the law that was broken or set. Me. Free!"
All were stunned by her impassioned plea as she stood there defiantly. Then her eyes dropped down in a rare show of apparent humility as if stunned by her own outburst. The crowd, even those who thought her a monster, were moved by her passion if not her argument. This woman, no this CHILD was fighting for her life having done no more than what she was asked. Were we wrong?
What they didn't realize was the she was looking at the floor. Acting on instinct born of countless battles, she leapt like a cat and grabbed a guard and then pulled him down. Despite his greater bulk, he was caught by surprise and tumbled immediately. Before the other guards could react, they were interrupted!
"Death to the Devil!" shouted a half dozen voices from the gallery and even the press corp and hidden guns were pulled out and immediately discharged. Pandemonium ruled the room as armed guards poured in to eliminate the gunmen and restore order!
In the end, there were four dead gunmen, eight injured bystanders and one death... the guard that Tanya had pulled on top of herself. She did not struggle as she was taken into custody but shouted while covered in blood, "You couldn't beat me with legal tricks so you resort to assassination! Where's the justice?! Give me justice! Justice!"
Her cries echoed in their hearts long after she was pulled from the room.
Chapter 05 - the knot, tied
The next day, newspapers were filled with quotes from the trial. The second most popular was, "Give me justice!" and the most popular was, "Set me free!" It was quickly discovered that the dead guard was part of the assassination plot and had shifted position to give the perpetrators a better shot, not expecting to be turned into a literal human shield. Even the tribunal was too embarassed to press charges on that count as his job was to both keep her prisoner AND protect her. She flipped through the articles with obvious pleasure. Because of petty restrictions, there were none in the language of the Empire but she made do with what was available.
After delivering the papers, Gladieau looked at Tanya wth puzzlement, but this time it was in her prison cell. It was deemed 'too dangerous' for her to be anywhere else and she was decidedly grumpy about the change of venue. "How did you know?"
She sighed and responded as if it were obvious, "There were a pair of guards bracketing me at all times and they stood in designated positions. Those places had been used for so many years that the floor had grooves worn in the old wood despite repeated applications of lacquer. And yet on that day, the guard on my left was out of place by a good two feet." She frowned. "I also felt the whisper of magic being used. Probably used to signal those idiots as the room had detectors to keep orbs out."
"Not such idiots... they almost killed you."
"Idiots I called them, and idiots they are, or were. The tribunal HAS to rule on a matter of law but they also might bow to public opinion. Trying to kill me so blatantly shifts enough public opinion away from guilty to 'maybe not guilty'. And I made a point of asking if it was a court of law or of popularity. If the latter, they might just take a vote and try to justify the result later. But now they HAVE to find an ironclad legal argument and there isn't one! If they want all their precedings to have weight internationally, they can't just handwave a conviction. Those braindead assassins were the best thing that could have happened to me." She took a sip of coffee supplied by the guards and then put it firmly down on the table. "Except for this truly terrible prison food. Surely there must be some way you can bring something palateable next time?"
"There are rules, von Degurechaff."
"Just tell them I'm afraid of being poisoned and they'll likely change their mind." She frowned at her cup. "I'm not so sure that isn't so far from the truth. The Francois claim their cuisine is superior but I've seen little of it in here."
"You ARE a prisoner, it would be unseemly to give you special treatment."
"This is why you aren't a better lawyer, sir. I'm, at worst, a suspect of unproven crimes. One could argue even illegally detained as they have no evidence of a crime." Not having anyone else to share her thoughts with, she continued to use Gladieau. "Surely you see the quandry they are in?"
"Ah, yes, of course, of course." He paused. "But, maybe you could elaborate in case I missed some fine detail."
"I've set up a situation where they have only two choices. To convict on a tribunal vote, or to acquit as a matter law. That's why I couldn't appear as a child as that would give them a third option and a much less pleasant one than that. What if it was decided that I was NOT capable of judging my own actions and became a ward of the state? And which state would hold the keys to my prison then? That Loria... he has a twisted look about him. No, I could not allow that under any circumstances."
Gladieau wisely decided not to mention 'twisted' could be applied to her just as well.
"And if convicted there really is only one possible penalty... a quick trip to the firing squad though I might insist on a beheading by sword given my 'noble' status. I suppose they might dig up a guillotine somewhere, given their history."
"But, but isn't that WORSE?"
"How do you even put on your shoes in the morning? No, this makes their choice infinitely harder. They can either execute a child by VOTE or they can acquit by LAW. Leaving it to the law gives cover to their actions! They can wash their hands and say they had no choice. A judge lives on reputation and their reputations are on the line right now. They can seem to be the enlightened ones, dispensing justice from on high, unbounded by emotion and guided by nothing but the rules." She forget herself for a moment and drank a sip of coffee before putting it back down hurriedly. "They might even enhance their reputation in contrast to the slavering beasts like the Federation. Civilization versus the damned commies. Reason versus emotion."
She smiled in a way that reminded Gladieau that he hadn't been to confession in some time. "Now THAT is how you tie a Gordian knot."
"Isn't there the possibility they'll use Alexander's, errr, solution?" He made a hacking motion with his hand.
Tanya felt her intellect decreasing the longer she talked to him. "Don't you think they tried, hmmm? What do you think that merry band of trigger-happy conspirators was? They knew better than most," she looked at him sternly, "that acquittal was a definite possibility. A mad act of passion would remove the choice from their hands at the cost of minor embarrassment that a prisoner was executed in front of them. They could blame me for how high emotions had gotten... blame me for my own assassination. How droll!"
Gladieau suddenly stammered. "I know it's impossible, you've been under watch for months, but did you somehow arrange for them to attack you?"
She looked at him calmly. "I've been in prison or in your office for the entire time. How could I have arranged such a thing? Even if possible, there are less risky hobbies than getting people to shoot at you. Wouldn't you agree?"
"C-certainly! It is as you say!"
Privately she was shocked at his insight. Amazing, I have to upgrade him from a stopped clock with no hands to one with hands. "Such talk is dangerous, as well. If people actually came to believe that, who is the only person that might have assisted me, hmmm? Also," she lowered her voice so that he could barely hear it yet somehow he could make out every word. "Having come this far, I'd hate to have to change counsel just before our victory."
"I understand, Colonel!" He sat in the farthest corner of the cell, saying nothing, until the guards let him out at the appointed time.
Having nothing better to do, Tanya hummed some patriotic songs, practicing her vocal magic and thought back to an encounter several months ago...
Chapter 06 - what came before
Shit, shit, shit, shit! Thought Tanya had chosen this course with her eyes open, it didn't make her feel any better to be in the custody of the Republic. It was marginally better than being in the Federation as the frogs at least pretended to be civilized. A truly impartial body would have had the tribunal almost anywhere else. The Unified States wouldn't be bad, or even Ildoa. Too many axes to grind, though, and they want to grind them close to home. It helped, a little, that so many nations took an interest that they kept each other honest.
Even she was shocked at how quickly the politicos back home had sold her out. Over the strenuous objections of Rudersdorf and Zettour she had been abandoned almost immediately after the articles of surrender were signed. The breaking straw was, of course, Arene. She wasn't sure what concessions she was sold for but she vowed that she'd give those 'negotiators' a hard day someday.
Assuming she survived.
Technically, she could have escaped... in the short run. Those war nuts in the 203rd probably would have delighted in a chance to take on the Empire's army and the entire world at the same time. But there was no long-term retreat for a child whose own country had turned against me. No, temporary captivity was still the better option.
The first time she doubted her decision was when she laid eyes on Loria. He had a horribly possessive look to him as if she were already his property. Even the screaming crowds of Paree hadn't affected her as much. I need to send that sick bastard to Being X and let them play with each other for eternity. No way am I letting him near me!
She already had an idea of how to turn the tide, but it would be tricky to set everything up. She'd be facing some ace legal minds but, to her advantage, they might be too overcome with emotion to do their best. Also, they likely would still underestimate her... tricky, tricky! Somehow she had to use that against them.
She murmured aloud as she thought, "Hubris, emotion, folly... ah!" The guards in the armored vehicle looked at her with alarm but the surprisingly large steel shackles still secured her firmly. She ignored them as she hit upon a halfway decent plan to navigate the tribunal. The details were troublesome but she had almost everything she needed. In fact, they were so sure of their victory they may have checkmated themselves.
Still, there was the final bow on the knot. How to manage that? She glanced out of the narrow windows of the vehicle and the incensed crowds, somehow sensing her gaze screamed even louder. The vehicle was pelted with bottles, rocks and garbage. Rotten fruit and what might be feces quickly dirtied the armored sides.
One guard finally spoke in Francois, "Looking at your admirers, Tanya?"
"No, I'm just glad I don't have to clean this vehicle. It will be quite the chore." Her command of the language was passable though her accent could use work. Even those few sentences surprised them, however.
"They say that this is the city of love... let's hope it can be that way again someday. Truly, I'd like to see her at her best." She smiled briefly then, shocking them even further. For an instant, she was no more than girl on holiday, though dressed in shabby prison clothes.
There, that should establish me as a civilized person and thereby deserving of civilized behavior. While these guards don't control my ultimate fate, they could cause me no end of short term suffering. Now to drive home the point.
"I've heard the restaurants here are the best in the world. Particularly the patisseries! I have a fondness for chocolate, you see. Coffee as well, I must admit." She chuckled. "I'm still too young for wine, but someday I wouldn't mind sampling those as well." She stopped speaking then, deliberately leaving a lull.
The discomfort of her guards was increasing exponentially until one broke the silence. "Miss Degurechaff... that may not be possible. Not in this life."
She nodded. "That would be a shame since it's all so close now." She put a hand against the armored side of the vehicle, causing her manacles to clank listlessly. For her seeming melancholy, she was gloating inside. That's it! Those are the last pieces, now all I need is an opportunity and maybe a little luck.
It should be said that her guards delivered her safely and respectfully despite the provocations of the crowds.
It didn't take long for her to browbeat Gladieau into ceding most of his office to her. Of course, there were soldiers everywhere but they allowed a certain amount of privacy as long as she was thoroughly searched afterwards. A small price to pay.
Every day, she went to his balcony and scanned the crowds. It was too high for any but the sharpest of eyes to make out faces but mage spotters were renown for having some of the best eyesight in the world. She thought she spied the same person for several days running. More browbeating and she secured opera glasses from Gladieau to confirm it. The face was very familiar and she thought back until she placed it. "Ah! He was in Arene!" One of the refugees she had spotted in her sights during X-day. She went back inside and tossed the glasses on her (his) desk.
"Better and better! I think this may very well work perfectly!" She worked on her vocal magic carefully while reading the main Paree newspaper. Years before she read a research paper about detecting mana waves and found an interesting report. Mana used OUTSIDE of the body was easily detectible and was as easy to identify as a fingerprint. Used internally, however, and without the aid of an orb spells were nearly undetectable. Of course, orbless magic was pathetic in comparison, good for little more than parlor tricks. Still, magic existed before orbs and it still had some minor uses. As a prisoner constantly surrounded by magic detectors, she had to be exceedingly cautious.
Her imprisonment had given her time to practice modifying and strengthening her voice. Why that? While there were spells that could, theoretically, be imbedded in an orb to amplify sound, they were deemed worse than useless as sound amplification technology was cheap and readily available and such spells would take up valuable space in the device. Having grown tired of constantly depending on Weiss to command her battalion in noisy conditions, she had learned the formulas and had been working on them since Norden.
She never thought they would become handy in a life-or-death situation like now. Combining the two might be just what she needed.
After that, she stood on the balcony, not attempting to hide at all. Her hair caught the slightest breeze and bounced lazily, catching every sunbeam. Shaping a spell formula without an orb took tremendous concentration but she was nothing if not focused. The man was always there and she kept him in sight with the opera glasses as she constructed the spell. Strengthen the vocal cords, empower the air, focus the effect and then...go! The first time she succeeded, she saw the man jolt as if shot. His eyes immediately jerked up to the balcony and she smirked in response (though too far away for him to see). Each day after that, she sent the same message again, whispered in his ear. Sometimes she would even wave when he looked at her.
The message was: On March 19th, I'll be freed.
"Ah, my distant friend. You remember what March 19th means, right? If you are here about Arene, you could hardly forget, now." People who function on emotion are frequently overly sentimental. When would be the best time to commit an assassination? Why on an anniversary, of course.
The other piece was a bit harder. She carefully scouted out her guards to determine their level of distaste, so to speak. Leading up to her turn at the tribunal, she made sure be friendly and even chatty with all the guards except for one named Antoine who was barely civil at best and sometimes abusive when the wardens couldn't see. Usually just a cuff or kick but one day, he gave her a rifle butt to her ribs before the other guards rescued her. She dodged most of the blow -- he was pathetically slow! -- but she acted like it hurt more than it did.
One of the friendlier soldiers told her privately as he helped her, "Ah, that one, he's usually not like this but... he had family in Arene, you know? Just stay away from him as much as possible. Your ribs, are they cracked?"
She winced and shook her head. "No, I'll be okay. And Claude, don't report this, please?"
He looked a bit shocked. "But why? You need treatment!"
"If you report it, you'll get into trouble for not stopping him. And he'll get into even worse trouble. Truly, I can understand his anger. Terrible things happen in war and the dead aren't the only casualties."
Claude looked at her with shock. "Degurechaff... no, Colonel. I will do as you say." He saluted her respectfully and then helped her to her cell. Afterwards, he thought, How wrong are the reports about her are! In the end, she was just a child under terrible orders. She's facing the firing squad and she still has enough compassion to care about someone who has done nothing but abuse her. Well, Antoine will never believe it but I can keep them apart as much as possible. Ah, I know, let's give him the public guarding duties where he won't dare to misbehave.
On the thin mattress of her bunk, her face turned toward the wall, Tanya breathed out in relief and smiled secretly. That was too close! I almost lost my best pawn there! She had been quietly egging Antoine on for several weeks once she determined he had it in for her. Nothing noticeable by the other guards but enough to keep him at a low simmer. The key to a fine meal is to have everything to table at just the right time. If Claude doesn't think about it, I'll suggest Antoine be reassigned to guarding duties where he'll be around at the right time.
* * *
On March 19th, the anniversary of the bombing of Arene, she saw the conspirators were in place in the courtroom. All the faces she had spotted from Gladieau's balcony were there, possibly two more as well. They were so predictable, she was almost comically amused. It had taken some finangling with the schedule but she even managed to get the 'Arene question' to coincide with the anniversary. She suspected, though, that the Francois judge had been aiming for that as well. Perhaps he assumed that emotions would be against her and make conviction a simple task.
After her impassioned speech, she lowered her head to keep them from getting a clue from her face. She watched as Antoine's boots slowly shifted over. Even in the noisy courtroom, she could the tiniest 'click' as a gun was cocked... long years on the battlefield made one attuned to any sound that could mean your life was forfeit! Then she leapt for the man!
Taken by surprise, he couldn't defend himself as she pulled him on top of her like an unruly blanket. She cast her voice, somewhat modified, at the microphone, "Death to the Devil!" As if commanded, the conspirators fired as if that had been their actual signal to attack! She felt the bullets puncture the confused, and soon-to-be-dead, Antoine. He was a large man and she a small girl, so the odds of them hitting her were minimal at best. Still, they managed to get at least five bullets into the former guard and scarred up the floor near them several times. In the confusion, she slipped a small card in his pocket. On it were only two words, "Free Arene".
Tanya wasn't certain this was one of their code phrases but she counted on their stupid sentimentality. It was a common catchphrase amongst her anti-fans in Paree so it was a good bet. After being rescued by the other guards, she did her best to look outraged as they pulled her from the room.
There you go... I'm the safest prisoner in all the Republic. They don't dare touch me now!