Chapter 127: Duty of the National Defense Forces Officer Corps: Episode 5
Even Kaif, who had initially viewed Kaldir with skepticism, had no choice but to acknowledge her after crossing through the wormhole and beholding the endless expanse filled with mountains of weapons piled high. Even if the performance of those arms left something to be desired, they would still prove a massive boon to the National Defense Forces, who were so short on gear that they were resorting to matchlock guns.
"It looks like weapons stretch all the way to the horizon. Come to think of it, you called this space the Third Microverse. Does that mean those planets floating up there in the sky are also stacked with weapons you've created, just like down here?"
"Yes, Marshal. You can assume that dozens of planetary systems near the wormhole are all in a similar state. If you wish, I can produce more."
A single planet the size of Earth held an unimaginable quantity of weapons, yet here weren't just one or two such worlds forming mountain ranges of arms, but hundreds. Teleporting around with Kaldir to see it firsthand left him speechless on that front.
Atlantis's famed premium heavy tank, the Tiger, went without saying, but the ranks of medium-heavy tanks outnumbered even the T-34s—which she'd casually described as "I started making them and just kept going"—in a way he'd never even dreamed of. Seeing them now filled him with fresh awe.
The lines of medium-heavy tanks, armored vehicles, and infantry weapons stretched beyond the horizon, delving underground into hangars. Squadrons of warp strategic bombers and fighters were numerous enough to blanket the skies of an Earth-sized planet entirely, and the space battleships had grown so massive they rivaled planets in scale.
Until he'd seen it with his own eyes, he'd been unable to fully believe Kaldir's claims. But after touring the irrefutable evidence, Kaif even felt a twinge of guilt toward her.
"That planet over there isn't one that was originally in this space—it's a 'planet-class battleship' I made myself. Crafting something larger than Earth took considerable time, so I could have produced even more weaponry. As it stands, it's only enough to arm about fifty trillion troops."
"Heh, a battleship larger than Earth? Can something that size even warp?"
"Of course. It can enter and exit warp at speeds comparable to the destroyers currently held by Terra Marine."
Pinning down the details, that behemoth—more akin to an artificial planet than a mere battleship, precisely 1.4 times Earth's size—could warp at destroyer-class speeds. It hinted at the staggering level of technology Kaldir commanded. The confidence in her voice made it seem no exaggeration.
"Could you perhaps load all those weapons you've made onto that planet-class battleship and transport them at once? That way, we could reequip entire army groups."
"It's not impossible... but in my view, if this battleship suddenly appeared in the outside world without warning, it would spark pointless jurisdictional squabbles and waste time. So, Marshal, please convey my intentions favorably to the admirals of Terra Marine."
"Fair enough. A ship that size is bound to ignite fleet rivalries over who gets to operate it. When the opportunity arises, I'll pass your wishes along to Terra Marine as Deputy Commander of the National Defense Forces."
No nation would gamble handing such arms to a girl barely old enough to be his granddaughter. That meant every piece here was born from her own hands. Far more impressive than he'd imagined. Her talents made the position of Minister of Munitions seem almost beneath her. Failing to recruit her immediately would leave them without grounds to lament any talent shortage.
"Secretary-General, comrade, all talents deserve treatment befitting their worth. Of course, testing the performance of these endless weapons stretching to the heavens is urgent, but if we offer no reward after she's gone this far, it would dishonor the government."
Kaif whispered something in the Secretary-General's ear, who nodded in agreement. They could test even a handful of weapons in live combat given the Defense Forces' dire straits, and these men weren't without conscience—they knew that for every giving, there must be a receiving.
The Secretary-General recalled Kaldir's prior statement that she sought no monetary reward, but now that she'd revealed her hand, the conversation might shift. All she'd done was show them the arsenal and explain it, yet that alone had skyrocketed her value. They had to pay the commensurate price.
"Kaldir, if there's anything you desire, speak it now. On my name as Secretary-General, I'll grant whatever is possible."
"Secretary-General, I appreciate the offer, but I seek no other reward. If you insist on bestowing one, it can wait until our homeland regains independence."
It hardly seemed words from a 15-year-old's mouth—perhaps she was secretly 35? The Secretary-General felt inner satisfaction at her response but suspected she was hiding her true desires, so he pressed further. Kaldir then voiced her request, which cost no money upfront.
"Please permit me to formally enlist. However, unlike Your Excellency the Secretary-General and the Marshals who tolerate me, the various generals of OKW won't take kindly to being commanded by a mere girl like myself, so it may be an impertinent ask..."
She requested the creation of a fourth military branch, separate from army, navy, and air force, under OKW command alone—and authority over that organization. This deviated from the Secretary-General's intent to grant her a high existing post if she refused money.
Considering how gravely the Secretary-General and two Marshals—already outliers—were entertaining her words, while most soldiers would shout, "How dare a commoner wench—and cruder still, a vulgar blonde blue-eyed slut with nothing but massive tits to her name—act so brazenly," her request made sense.
One could cite Joan of Arc, but even those under her had initially doubted her strategy until her genius shone through, earning their true faith.
Would generals and marshals, decades her senior, blindly obey just because of the Secretary-General and two Marshals' endorsement? Rather than hoping for reconciliation like Joan's conflicts, creating a fourth branch outright, granting her command, and letting her select her own personnel might be wiser.
Yet understanding didn't make approval easy. Creating a new command structure from scratch? As the Defense Forces' senior-most officer, Grozny knew how thorny that was. Even if supplies came free via Kaldir...
A monetary demand he might strain to meet, but demanding new power left even the Secretary-General visibly disconcerted. Especially since her tone suggested she viewed power not as an end, but as a mere means to something grander.
What greater goal did Kaldir pursue, wielding a force independent of army, navy, and air, answerable only to OKW? Whatever the truth, it couldn't be pried out here.
As the three pondered, Kaldir racked her brains too. A fourth branch under sole OKW oversight—Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, or OKW for short—separate from army, navy, and air command structures.
If her loyal self-proclaimed "National Socialist (Nazi)" Beomhyeok were here, he'd quip, "That organization's gotta be the Armed SS, right? Heil, Hit..."
Even without naming it the Armed Guard per his dreams, Kaldir saw this new branch as a golden opportunity for the fascist faction, which held only meager influence in Atlantis.
Historically, military organizations were the root of all power. To forge a fascist state, a force loyal solely to the fascist party was essential—but the existing army, navy, and air forces adhered strictly to "soldiers do not meddle in politics," leaving no fascist foothold.
Bluntly declaring here, "Actually, I believe our nation should become fascist; I'm forming the Atlantis National Fascist Party to crush the dominant Atlantis People's Party," would get her joints broken by Grozny, who despised military political meddling.
Aside from the Defense Forces' ancient maxim of silent loyalty to His Imperial Majesty, even Grozny—a high noble—viewed the nobility's exploitative rule as utterly abnormal, once muttering something like "This regime is criminal." Still, one never knew.
Resolved to submit to the legitimate government's authority, spread fascism gradually, and eventually seize power legally via the party, Kaldir judged it wiser to hint subtly even if rejected outright.
"Hmm, I understand your request. We'll permit your formal enlistment. But the rest may prove difficult."
Grozny broke the heavy silence, postponing the thorny issue to prevent a stale mood. Her enlistment plea was easily approved on the spot.
Hm... What rank to assign? No precedent for female generals existed, but relegating a figure accompanying the Army Marshal to field officer or below would be laughable. If they created the fourth branch per her request, the initial rank might become moot anyway.
Grozny tabled that too and adjourned. Heh, what did rank matter? The top dog ordering underlings to "trust Kaldir" ended it. Did they not grasp a superior's "recommendation" in the military hierarchy, human?
With the four-way meeting concluded, the Secretary-General returned to the People's Government Administrative Building with Kaldir's aid... and Kaif, back in their universe, scouted space for stashing her weapons, securing enough for one division to hand over first.
"How long will this take... Ah, it's done already."
Defying Kaif's expectation of time needed, Kaldir summoned gear for a full armored division the moment he sent coordinates for the cleared site. The returned Secretary-General and absent James each received equivalent arms.
If the Minister of War could have joined us, it would have been ideal... But he's likely short ten bodies quelling internal strife.
Unlike the patriotic military government under Grozny's firm grip or Atlain's solid People's Government, James's domestic government fractured between "Screw left-right coalitions; smash the reds first!" and "With Lucids breathing down our necks, is that sane?" Making it hard for their leader James to step away.
Back to the point. With more troops than weapons, the Defense Forces easily mustered crews. After overseeing from on high, he headed to Grozny to declare he'd personally test the new gear's performance.
"Didn't the Army Marshal say reviewing even absurd operations or intel is the 'duty of the National Defense Forces officer corps'? And I stated I'd inspect the girl's weapons myself, so this stays true to my obligations."
"For a Marshal's dignity, will you risk the front lines? Even if I say this... you won't listen."
A five-star outranking the four-star staff tank rider. Hard to picture, yet Kaif—still thinking himself the young, hot-blooded soldier from decades ago—never shied from the vanguard. Dozens of times, he'd ignored Grozny's pleas, charging out to bag dozens of enemy tanks and bonus aircraft in a single Tiger.
Now Grozny knew dissuasion was futile—he'd sneak off anyway—and calmly approved the sortie. "Come back unscathed" came as a bonus.
Yaaah, this is thrilling! The battlefield calls! Kaif's face atop the Tyrannosaurus Rex Tank beamed brighter than stuck in his office. Born not for rear-echelon staff but frontline command, the moment to sync with a new beast had arrived.