In some ways it was surprising recognizing some of the names on the graves. In others, it wasn't. It was much easier to bury them here than bring them all the way back to their families. If anything the fact that they were killed over our lines and were able to be brought back was a blessing as it meant they could actually be buried properly rather than lost in no man's land or in the enemies territory. Besides, for every name you even vaguely recalled there was twenty others, if not even more, whom you never heard of in any report, let alone knew. Believing it perhaps best to leave Adélaïde to her grieving you decide to do something that you felt was best, given you were here. Simply pay your respect to the dead.

Of course, given everyone here had already been buried in some ways you couldn't do as much as you wished, though in some ways that distinction was meaningless. Still, you spent some time in the graveyard, mainly stopping by the graves that had names you recognized. Though, you did give Liliane's grave some space, not wanting to disturb Adélaïde. In fact during your entire time there she never seemed to really take her attention away from her friends resting place. You couldn't really tell if she even noticed you or not, much like how she seemed to be earlier. The thought however occurred to you that you could potentially try and get some of them medals posthumously, however the chances for that were quite slim for most of them barring the most recently deceased, including Liliane.

After some time, you eventually would take your leave and make the walk back to the airfield, leaving Adélaïde be. The trip back would be in some ways be shorter due to the lingering thoughts in the back of your mind, but upon your return to the airfield, you set out to try and find Ermengardis. You had allowed her time away from flying to be dedicated to some of her work rather than purely just resting, and was curios as to how far she had gotten with her chemistry projects, if anywhere. It'd take only a little bit of time to find her, asking Commandant Maret where she was likely saving plenty of time. She was in a small room set aside for a mix of office and lab, and giving a knock you quickly were met with a "Come in." When you entered you found her writing things down, pausing to look at you after you fully entered before gently putting down her pen and standing at attention.

Once dismissed, she was quick to ask "What do you need, Miss Helene? Is... this about what I think it is?" She clearly had a bit of concern, and you had an idea as to what she was asking about.

Luckily for her, you didn't plan to talk about that just yet, and instead stated "I actually was going to ask about your research. You've been getting the resources you need for it, right? Have you made any progress?"

This seems to relieve Ermengardis quite a bit as she says "Oh, yes I've gotten the materials I've needed. I think I'm quite close. I did more research and it turns out there's a few chemists in Cipanto who worked on something similar briefly. I think I'm at the point I can try actually making it. And once I'm done synthesizing I'll try testing it out. Not on myself, of course. Well, not until I know it's safe anyway. I doubt anyone else would volunteer, nor would I really want them. Especially if things go wrong." Despite how bad things going wrong could be she sounded calm talking about this, in fact she seemed more worried about what might happen to others rather than herself.

>Ask Ermengardis why she doesn't want anyone else but her to take it if she proves it's safe.
>Ask Ermengardis how much longer she estimates things will take.
>Ask Ermengardis about Adélaïde and how she's doing.
>Ask Ermengardis about Eva's concerns.
>Ask Ermengardis about her book. It was still being edited you believed, and were curious how much she knew was changed so far, if she knew anything.
>Ask Ermengardis about how she thinks things are going in the air and with the escadron.
>Tell Ermengardis she isn't allowed to test anything on herself.
>Ask Ermengardis something else (Write in)
>Tell Ermengardis that was all and visit someone else.

(I intended this to be up a bit over 24 hours ago, but better late than never.)

>>5961848
>Ask Ermengardis something else (Write in)
Ask why her work could be dangerous. Would a ground test not be sufficient to iron out the worst bugs?
Also ask if she would like to correspond with some of our industrial contacts.
And remind her that the Air Service has trained test pilots (actually, does it, given that aviation is in its infancy?)
>Ask Ermengardis about her book. It was still being edited you believed, and were curious how much she knew was changed so far, if she knew anything.
>Ask Ermengardis about how she thinks things are going in the air and with the escadron.

>>5961887
+1

>>5961887
Supporting

>>5961887
This has been obviously voted for and I'm still going to use it when I work on the turn later tonight. Even if I believe you might not have been here for when she was allowed to work on what she actually is. It'll lead to a few funny moments at least.

Given she suggested that her work might be dangerous, you decide to ask "Why could it potentially go wrong? What exactly is the problem? You don't have to test it yourself after all, you even admitted such."

"Well, yeah. But there's still a risk. The wrong dosage could potentially make something that otherwise would be harmless fatal. Likewise, rats and mice work decently, sure, but they aren't the same as a human and might not react the same. What might be a poisonous dosage to them could be harmless for us, or even the opposite. After all, it's never been tested on, well, anyone. This is all irrelevant until I actually synthesize everything though, and that'll still take a bit of time. I appreciate your concern though!" She seemed happy to talk about this, though this lead on to another question of yours.

"Well, even then you still don't need to test it on yourself." You say to a bit of her confusion, to which you elaborate. "I mean, this is the air corps. We do have test pilo-" Before you can even finish Ermengardis stands up and cuts you off.

"No. I refuse to make someone take this other than myself. Even if you take a moment to ignore the ethical concerns it's, well, me. Imagine just how bad that'd look. The media already doesn't like me all that much given my heritage and them finding out I've been testing out unproven drugs on people will only make things so much worse." She gave a slight pause before adding "Sorry for cutting you off, miss Valmont."

"I appreciate your strong morals but, I wasn't exactly intending on having them be forced, you know." You state a bit awkwardly, which quickly make's the feeling mutual.

"Oh...I'm sorry. I mean, they are test pilots. They signed up for a completely different job. Even if one of them volunteered though, I'd feel uneasy having them as a test subject. I hope you can understand." Ermengardis glances a bit away after saying this, clearly feeling more than just a little awkward under your gaze now as she sinks back into her chair.

After a bit of silence, you further ask "Well, do you think I could maybe help in some way? If you need any industrial contacts I can provide a few if you think it might be useful."

Ermengardis meets this by simply shaking her head. "No, I don't. Not yet anyway. I appreciate the offer, however I think it's best we wait until after I get something and see what it can do before I talk to any businesses that could potentially mass produce it. After we know, then maybe I could use those sorts of connections, but uhm, until then it's better not to. I'd rather you not promise the moon to one of your families friends and then get left with some useless tidbit for chemistry enthusiasts." She did seem to have your best interests in mind when saying this, and she clearly had thought this out at least to some degree.

With your curiosity regarding her little project sated for now, you would instead move to ask about her other, older project. "Have you heard back at all about that book you wrote? Or is it still in the process of being worked on by the government? If you have, do you know anything that's been changed?"

"No, actually. I've not heard much of anything regarding it. I presume they might be making a lot of edits, or are taking time to get the book in production. But, it does concern me a bit. I did really try to circumvent most of the censorship that it'd inevitably have by essentially embellishing certain things to appear more patriotic. For example, I stated in it how I volunteered rather than the fact I was drafted. Uhm, thinking about it those patriotic embellishments to try and make the media get off my back might be why it's taking a while. But, even then I just lied about my views on the war and things like that. I didn't lie about my accomplishments in the air or the battles I had. Maybe they think I did for some of them. But, I don't know." She sighed after saying this. You knew full well from your original chat with her how she felt about her place but it was a bit sad to hear this. Even if it was somewhat expected.

"Do you plan to make something more accurate to your beliefs after the war?" You'd ask in a bit of concern.

"Yes. Provided I'm still here then." She simply states a bit somberly, perhaps thinking back to a certain ace who passed recently.

"I'm glad to hear that. Though, maybe write some things down when you are done working on the chemistry project, just in case." She simply nodded when you said this, after which you continued. "So, what do you think of how things are going for us in the air? How do you think things are going with the Escadron as well?" You had a feeling it'd be a bit mixed, given recent events.

"Poorly. While our own escadron has done well, until recently anyway, others aren't. The Lothring's aircraft has it's reputation for a reason. Sure, they are few in number, but what happens when they aren't and every Lothring pilot is flying one and not just a handful of aces and lucky pilots? Or worse, what happens if the Prußenmark's start producing the things for themselves? Worse, we've been pushed back just about everywhere. Not just here on the western front but elsewhere too. The only front that's going well with our side advancing rather than losing ground or being stuck in a stalemate is what Cipanto is doing all the way in Asu against the KLIL, but even there Cipanto is having issues against the Lothring's. I fear even if we win it will be a pyrrhic victory. On a more personal note with my Escadron, other than the death of Liliane we've been doing okay I guess. Or I have anyway. As well as I can be after losing a friend, I suppose. I know it could be worse though." She seems very much worried, and for good reason to be fair. Though, maybe she needs to be reminded that most of the fighting is still over Lothring and Prußenmark territory.

>Ask Ermengardis how much longer she estimates things will take.
>Ask Ermengardis about Adélaïde and how she's doing.
>Ask Ermengardis about Eva's concerns.
>Tell Ermengardis she isn't allowed to test anything on herself.
>Ask Ermengardis something else (Write in)
>Tell Ermengardis that was all and visit someone else.

>>5963590
>Ask Ermengardis about Adélaïde and how she's doing.
>Ask Ermengardis about Eva's concerns.

>>5963590
>Ask Ermengardis something else (Write in)
Remind her that a group of one is not statistically significant. My gosh, is she trying to invent Pervitin? That would be one way to raise morale. . .

>>5964474
>>5964648
+1
Pervitin is bad though. The fatigue can knock someone out for days. It is good for short blitz wars but useless in long grueling wars.

"It is just one group. It's not statistically significant considering how many more escadre's we have compared to their singular escadron." You say, trying to provide a bit of reassurance to Ermengardis, though it wouldn't be met with the response you hoped.

"It not being statistically significant didn't help Liliane...Besides, my entire worry is what will happen when every Lothring scout escadron has them? What will happen if Prußenmark makes the aircraft for their own escadrons? Even then, while we believe there's only one group it's just that. A belief based on the information we have at the moment. Not a fact, merely a presumption. You of all people should know how accurate military intelligence can be at times." She sighs after this before looking down at the journal she was writing in. "Even ignoring that, it was just one group responsible for the Bergan scourge at first. The power of that machine lies not just in the design but in the psychological impact it has on our and Pretany's pilots. It's quite a bit faster than our own aircraft, you can't escape from it. If you see it, you have to fight or die. Despite that, even the best pilots will struggle against it. I know you are trying to help and you mean well saying that, but..." She pauses for a bit, trying to think of what to say before softly adding "I'm sorry." as she looked back up to you.

"You don't need to apologize." You simply say before asking about something that was important. "I know you probably don't want to talk about her but, how is Adélaïde doing?"

"Linde...She's struggling. You know full well what happened to her in her childhood, I know she told you. This is just a repeat of those same events made all the worse by the fact she did genuinely try to save her. She's a woman of her principles and she promised to protect her. She never intended to break that promise but she did and now she's taking all her frustration out on herself, I think. I'd not be surprised if she blames herself for it, she wrote a bad workman blames their tools on the side of her old aircraft ages ago for a reason so why would her beliefs suddenly change? I've tried giving her some support and a shoulder to cry on, but she just seems so despondent and hopeless. It's really sad seeing her like this. I would consider Linde a good friend after all, and I want to help but..." With another sigh, Ermengardis sullenly says "She just wants to be alone." It was clear that this was something bothering Ermengardis. Though, being unable to help someone you care about, well. It's only natural to feel frustrated and somber when the cause of that inability to help is due to them refusing it.

"How are you personally holding up? It sounds like this is a lot for you." You ask quickly after she finished.

"I'm doing okay. I mourned Liliane's death and while it's still there, it's faint. You know, something in the back of your mind, uhm, a sort of longing? If you lost someone you had been close to I think you know what I mean. I think I got most of it out the first couple days after. I think you should worry more about Linde than me. My biggest problems back when I was first drafted have gone away thanks to your help and my rise to an ace pilot. Sure, the media still isn't kind to me but no one will state that nonsense in front of me or treat me unfairly now. Had you asked a few weeks ago I'd likely have said I was great, but you already know." She sounded mostly calm with a bit of worry, though that hint of underlying sadness was still quite clear.

With Ermengardis doing as alright as she really could be given the circumstances, you decided to ask something you felt she was the best suited to answer. "Given what you know of Adélaïde and your relationship with her, what do you think of Eva's concerns?"

"She's talked to me a bit before. It's not my field of expertise but what she has said makes sense. The only thing I'm unsure of is if she'll actually recover, given she won't talk with me or Eva. And Eva said that talking things out would be the best for her. I can only hope she'll let me discuss all of this with her sooner rather than later. I'd hate for her to hurt herself like Eva thinks she might. Or worse." After saying this with clear concern for her friend she added "I knew you'd ask about Linde and maybe Eva, and I wasn't looking forward to this, but I hope that answers all your questions about them. I'd personally prefer to move on." She wasn't the most comfortable continuing discussing what her friend was going through, it seemed.

>Ask Ermengardis how much longer she estimates things will take.
>Ask Ermengardis why she's calling Adélaïde Linde.
>Tell Ermengardis she isn't allowed to test anything on herself.
>Ask Ermengardis something else (Write in)
>Tell Ermengardis that was all and visit someone else.

>>5965560
>Ask Ermengardis why she's calling Adélaïde Linde.

>>5965560
>>Ask Ermengardis why she's calling Adélaïde Linde.

>>5965560
>Ask Ermengardis why she's calling Adélaïde Linde.

With Ermengardis' use of Linde to refer to, well, Adélaïde you decided to ask why exactly she was intent on doing so. "So why exactly are you calling Adélaïde Linde?"

She took a moment to respond, a bit surprised by the question. "I believe it's obvious, I mean, you do know her real name. She did tell you. It's just a short little nick name. Besides, it sounds better than Adel and I am fairly close to her. I do know her real name after all, and a lot of stuff about her past. I think I'm the closest person to her. Uhm, excluding Liliane, but..." She trailed off with her last sentence but overall seemed more confused than anything else as to why you didn't exactly get this, given why she presumed you asked.

"I get that, but I more so mean why you are saying it out loud here." You were more so concerned for Adelinde's safety given her alias than why she had the nickname after all.

"Uhm, no one else is really here? I mean, this place is quite private being essentially an office space for me in some ways. Unless you are afraid someone's listening in on our conversation no one can hear us. Even then, they would have to be right next to the door or else they'd not hear anything and even then they'd struggle to hear much. I can understand the caution you have though. I guess it's at least slightly better than just using her full name, but I'll stop if you are concerned about it though. You didn't have anyone following you, did you?" She seemed a bit awkward stating this, and now a bit more worried compared to before.

"No, I didn't. Not that I know of anyway." You swiftly reassure her, quickly dashing any of her concerns away.

>Ask Ermengardis how much longer she estimates things will take.
>Tell Ermengardis she isn't allowed to test anything on herself.
>Ask Ermengardis something else (Write in)
>Tell Ermengardis that was all and visit someone else.

(Sorry about the delay. I've been busy. Also sorry for the smaller post but uh, there's not too much to say given you just wanted to ask one single question. Not that I'm complaining. I'll try and make it up to you guys with an earlier post if I can.)

>>5969405
>>Tell Ermengardis that was all and visit someone else

>>5969508
Just a heads up, when you go for this option, pick someone else in the escadron you wanna talk to or the other escadron you planned on visiting.

>>5969405
>Tell Ermengardis that was all and visit someone else.
Maybe chat up Lucie as she is an old friend, or just run another war turn. We can visit Violet after that.

>>5970210
Sure, let's check up on Lucie

After the bit of relief from your reassurance that no one was listening in, you told Ermengardis "I believe that's everything I wanted to know at the moment, I hope to be able to speak to you again soon, but I believe I have somethings to further discuss with Maret. I'm sure you can understand."

She gave a nod before saying "I can. I wish we could end on a bit less of a sour note but, these are the times we live in. Hopefully my work will bear fruit sooner rather than later. Uhm, before you go I do have one request, if a bit of an odd one. Could you tell Lucie to requisition a bucket if we don't have one spare?" It was indeed an odd question to ask before you left.

"Why a bucket exactly?" You naturally asked

"I don't exactly have access to mice at the moment. And I think I can very easily make a trap for them. I'm sure I can find a spot where a few of them come by anyway. I did mention I planned on testing the stuff on them first before anything else." While you had no clue how exactly she planned to make an effective mouse trap with a bucket, you didn't question it. You never really had to deal with mice anyway, especially given your upbringing.

With this being all, you bid her farewell and Ermengardis likewise returns the gesture. After which you look for Lucie Maret. You first check her office, though find she isn't there. It doesn't take long to find her however, as you luckily run into her just after checking. She blinks, though when you turn your attention to her, she salutes. After you dismiss her for the second time today, you say "Good timing. I was looking for you."

This takes Lucile by a bit of surprise and after a short pause she says "I didn't expect you to be speaking with me again so soon." It was a bit of a strange statement, given the fact you had been away from her for hours given the diversion that following Adélaïde gave you.

"Why? It's not been that short since we last talked. I've not spoken to you for hours." You flatly say

"That's the surprising part. I thought you left given how long it had been. I expected you to return maybe an hour after we talked at most. Not multiple. I think I know what you are going to be telling me though." She clearly thought you came to a decision regarding Adélaïde and her practically grounding her from any solo flights.

>Ask for the documents from the ground crew regarding the remaining fuel and munitions from the last few missions and especially l'As's lone patrols.
>Tell Maret to allow l'As to go on as many lone patrols as she requests.
>Tell Maret you support her preventing l'As from going up alone.
>Ask where another pilot is. (Chose who)
>Ask something else. (Write in)

(Using the same prompts left over from when you talked to her last thread. If you have anything in particular you wanted to ask her though, now's probably the time.)

>>5970901
>Tell Maret you support her preventing l'As from going up alone.
As a matter of doctrine, *nobody* should sortie alone unless their aircraft is the only one available.
>Ask for the documents from the ground crew regarding the remaining fuel and munitions from the last few missions and especially l'As's lone patrols.
>Ask something else. (Write in)
Ask how she is holding up.

>>5970915
+1

Given how Lucile expected an answer, you felt you may as well get that out of the way first and foremost. "If you want confirmation of my support for your actions, you have it. No one should be going up alone period. Even l'As, especially given her current state." It was a fair statement. Going alone was a major risk, far more than actually going up with multiple pilots.

Lucile was a mix of surprised but relieved with your answer, yet she quickly stated "You mean to say you want to prevent all lone patrols from my escadron? That can be done. Though, it is something of a tradition. One l'As started herself. Okay maybe not entirely by herself but, aces going up on their own isn't that rare for morale purposes. Plus it's usually just defensive patrols. I guess ironically one of the first escadrons to start the practice will be one of the first to stop." She didn't seem too upset with this news, clearly understanding the reasoning. After all, while no aces were downed while on lone patrol it was only a matter of time.

"Good. Though, is it really that much of a tradition?" You ask, considering you may as well. It had been some time since you actually engaged in the dynamics of the escadrons. Over a year at this point.

Lucile simply gave a nod before saying "Sorta. The Pretans do it, we do it, Prußenmark does it... I don't need to tell you how often Lothring has been doing it of late. I'm not even sure if they just meet up and join unannounced as support for the Prußenmark's jasta's or if they actually link up. Even then there's plenty of times when one of their lone aircraft cause problems. The new ones, that is. The old ones are still there but seem to be held back quite a bit now." It made sense at least for Lothring but, everyone else as well?

"Why has this tradition continued? It doesn't seem all that practical." You recognize it's stating a bit of the obvious, but you felt you may as well ask to get her view on it.

"I think the better question is why wouldn't it. I mean, you've seen what the papers say. Ermengardis has even told me a few of what the Prußenmark's papers say. The very few we can get our hands on anyway. We are knights of the sky and it is in the air that honor and chivalry still exists. Of course, it's a bit of an embellishment. There are certainly moments that are far from glorious after all. I doubt many knights are known to throw up in the middle of combat for one. But, even so, I do hope things stay that way. People need heroes and the thought of everything turning into nothing but numbers like on the ground where it's practically impossible for a single individual to do much of anything. It's just tragic to me." It was a bit of an odd statement given the nature of war for the past few centuries. Though, she did have a bit of a point. It was far easier for smaller units on the ground to do far more than what they are usually capable now. "The most important thing is that the Prußenmark's let us land when we are clearly out of the fight, in exchange we do the same."

"Alright. That aside, there is something else I'd like to request of you. The files from the ground crews regarding the fuel and munitions from the last few missions. Especially those of Adélaïde's lone patrols." You thought it was a reasonable and easy enough request.

Lucile blinked before saying "I'll try and get the reports for you as soon as I can but it'll take a bit. I can get to it now, though I might need to talk with a few of the ground crew. I just hope it won't take too long. I know you are a very busy woman. You are our superior after all." She clearly wasn't too prepared for this but even if she wasn't the best on the bureaucracy side of things she'd ideally get everything in order sooner rather than later.

"Thank you." You state in response before asking a bit of a more personal question "How are you holding up, by the way?"

"I mean, I mentioned it earlier but I'm used to loss at this point, so I am doing okay I suppose. A bit better given you've shown up and helped put a few of my worries at ease but otherwise nothing too much has changed. I do feel a bit guilty though for wishing that one of the newer pilots took Liliane's place but Eva's given be a bit of help with that too." it was a bit of an odd statement for her to end on but it did make some sense. Arguably, you wished the same after all.

>Ask Maret a bit more about the traditions that seemingly have started to form in the air corps. Three hundred years is a tradition, one is not.
>Let Maret get her files in order, however long that takes, and then continue the conversation.
>Let Maret get her files in order, however long that takes, and then wind down your meeting with her.
>Ask where another pilot is. (Chose who)
>Ask something else. (Write in)

>>5972748
>>Ask Maret a bit more about the traditions that seemingly have started to form in the air corps. Three hundred years is a tradition, one is not.

>>5972748
>Ask Maret a bit more about the traditions that seemingly have started to form in the air corps. Three hundred years is a tradition, one is not.

>>5972748
>Ask Maret a bit more about the traditions that seemingly have started to form in the air corps. Three hundred years is a tradition, one is not.
>Ask something else. (Write in)
Would appointing squadron department heads help? Lucie should have been able to delegate the retrieval of records.

With the existence of these so called traditions, you felt it pertinent to ask about them. Knowing some of the tendencies among your own pilots and the enemies would be good. As such, you ask "Since you are probably in more tune with them than I am with your proximity to your subordinates and fellow pilots, what are those traditions that have started to form in the air corps? The enemies and our allies as well, if you know."

"To start with, when a pilot is out of action, you are to leave them be. If their engine is on fire or otherwise knocked out, they are clearly trying to land, or even if they wave and stop maneuvering and try to lower their altitude to land sometimes. The first of these two are followed by almost every pilot, though the latter is subjective. I know there are even some pilots who just let any pilot go so long as their machine is even moderately damaged and they are trying to get away from the fight. If one of the wings is damaged enough that it's starting to bend upwards then usually enemies and our own stop firing too, though this is more to conserve ammo than let the enemy pilot go, as usually a wing going is a death sentence unless you are really low to the ground and quite lucky. You might say I have a bit of experience with that." She'd briefly go silent and rub the back of her head after saying that.

"What do you mean by almost every pilot?" You had a feeling you knew where this was going but, it was fair to ask.

"La Terreur, as she's nicknamed. I believe her last name was Cray? Or was it Chouat?" She gives a pause as you watch her try to remember, even thinking out loud in muttering "Cronje maybe? No... Chopin?" Before it seemingly clicked and she said at a normal tone "Chopin! That was it! She doesn't follow those rules, for better or worse. Probably worse. If she was easy to identify then any ill will she caused could be dealt with but we don't have the same doctrine as the Prußenmark pilots. Since you were curious as to what our enemies traditions were, they paint their aircraft distinct and intricate colors that follow a sort of theme of their version of an escadron. So, some might have a common pattern or color scheme for one escadron and a entirely different one for another. Their aces also have unique art. Sometimes it's just painted on the side of the aircraft, sometimes it's their own unique design and sometimes it's based on their escadron's theme. All three is also possible. That seems to be their main thing." The former was potentially concerning, but nothing had come of it yet so it probably wasn't that bad.

"Are there any other traditions? It's a bit strange for them to be formed in such a short time." It was only natural to further inqure, it couldn't just be that after all.

"Yes. Lone patrols for one. The Pretans do this too, as does our enemies I believe. Usually there's two reasons for it. For a pilot to get familiarized with a new aircraft, or for morale reasons. Usually it's the latter when it's a proper patrol and only high ranking aces really do it because they actually have the authority to make additional volunteer missions. I believe for the Pretans it's specifically their escadron's leader who is able to do it and no other pilot, and they are expected to do it more often but I'm not really sure what the Prußenmark or Lothring procedure is. Another tradition is paying respect to your foes. We actually got a few memorial wreaths from some of the Prußenmark escadrons and a Lothring one. Another I believe is attempts to actually speak with your foes if they survive and are downed behind your side of the lines. At least, I've heard stories of that sort of thing happening anyway. Otherwise, there's some that recently were formulated by l'As that you are well aware of, but that's more of a new tactic than a tradition. But that aside most traditions are adopted from traditional romanticized chivalry from what I can tell. So, there is some basis in them." After saying this she seemed to get lost in thought again, probably trying to think if she missed something.

With this all said, you gave her a nod before saying "Thank you for informing me of this. I have to ask though, shouldn't you have department heads under you? Someone you can delegate to retrieve the records?"

"Oh. I've mostly been doing most of the bureaucracy myself. I'd delegate some of it to a Capitaine under me usually but, well...One of them is probably not the most reliable and the other is busy enough as it is between trying to ensure their fellow Capitaine is okay along with their other duties. I suppose I could get one of the ground crew working on that sort of thing though. I just need to figure out who." A part of you wondered how exactly she's been able to keep the escadron running with minimal delegation since the start of the war. Maybe you should be impressed? Or alternatively disappointed.

>Ask Maret to have her escadron challenge one or more of the traditions she's mentioned (Which ones)
>Let Maret get her files in order, however long that takes, and then continue the conversation.
>Let Maret get her files in order, however long that takes, and then wind down your meeting with her.
>Ask where another pilot is. (Chose who)
>Ask something else. (Write in)

(Sorry about how long this took. I did not intend it to be so long before I actually made another update.)

>>5975929
>Let Maret get her files in order, however long that takes, and then continue the conversation.

>>5975929
>>Let Maret get her files in order, however long that takes, and then continue the conversation

>>5975929
>Let Maret get her files in order, however long that takes, and then continue the conversation.

>>5975929
>>Let Maret get her files in order, however long that takes, and then wind down your meeting with her.

Pushing aside the glaring inefficiency and likely extensive hard work resulting from not working smart, or a deliberate choice to spare other's from the grueling bureaucratic labor, you are swift to say "Alright then, I think anything else can wait now until those files are able to be shown to me." To this, Lucile nods.

"Alright then. I'll be back in my office when I have everything ready. If I'm lucky I might have most of what I need in there. But I'll go check with the ground crews first. If you want or need to do anything while I get everything in order and aren't here when I'm done I'll go get someone to let you know I'm done and ready to show you the reports. Sound good?" She asks, clearly wanting a bit of confirmation for something that really didn't need affirmation. Perhaps she was still nervous.

"That sounds fine. I'll speak with you again once you have the report available." With this said, she gives a "Yes Ma'am!" before heading off and leaving you alone for some time. In hindsight it would have been far better to ask this before you went to speak with Eva as the files would be the first thing you got when speaking with her again what with how much time you spent talking with or following the other important pilots of Vert. So, you are left to wait...and wait...

Eventually, after roughly half an hour, Lucile returns with a clipboard in hand. "Ah! You are still here. Good! Sorry for the long wait, but I have most of what you requested. These are the notes by the engineers from the last three weeks. The mission files themselves should be in my office but you can look at these in the meantime. If there's any missions in particular you have interest in I can get those far quicker than just getting, well, everything." She hands the clipboard over to you, and you can see the date and times on each page, along with the aircraft and pilot in question.

Looking over the notes, you see the lone patrols for l'As after Liliane's death seem to have her aircraft fully loaded and fueled. Return times indicate she was up for an hour usually, the longest time she was up being for about an hour and fifty minutes, with her returning on a completely empty tank and not a single round left. Most of the times she went up on her own it seems she used up at least some of her munitions. Naturally, you ask "The lone patrols. I'd like the debriefs of those before anything else." With this said, Lucile gives a nod and enters her office while you look at the other missions. Various patrols with multiple pilots seem to have pilots usually fill their tanks roughly half way minimum, interestingly. The lowest seen being about a third. They always seem to take as much ammo as possible up with them as well, though you do notice variations among different pilots. Without the files or further details it's hard to grasp any sort of pattern but you do notice a few pilots who seem to have their tendencies, likely for specific missions.

After reading these reports over a bit, Lucilie pokes her head out of her office and says "I got her lone patrols on my desk. It'll be easier for you to read in my office so, please come in. If you really want I can bring everything outside though." You simply shake your head.

"That won't be necessary. I'll be with you in a moment, try preparing the other files while I'm reading Adélaïde's." You say before checking a few last things in the clipboard before entering the office and sitting down in front of the desk before taking one of the files. Reading through them however you notice something very very interesting. Debriefing of Adélaïde's lone patrols shows her claiming many different Prußenmark aircraft and a few Lothring planes as well, though no Havik's noticeably. Despite this, very few of these claims were given to her due to a lack of sufficient proof, the few times they were it seems due to her downing the aircraft near the front lines where soldiers later confirmed roughly what l'As claimed. This is actually a bit odd given before she had the tendency to take pieces of the aircraft she downed whenever possible. If her claims were genuine, perhaps after Liliane's death that wasn't important to her anymore?

Still, reading through everything, you soon get more files of the main flights and missions and find that there are indeed trends, defensive patrols tend to have pilots lower the amount of fuel they are using while escorts and offensive patrols tend to have a bit extra but not by much. You also find that a number of the pilots have their tendencies, like Ermengardis usually having a 43% full on defensive patrols and 70% on offensive ones. Meanwhile some of the newer pilots seem to experiment before settling on what works best for them, provided they live long enough. Though in the grand scheme of things, this is inconsequential to the most important thing you've discovered here.

>Ask Maret to have her escadron challenge one or more of the traditions she's mentioned (Which ones)
>Ask Maret about Adélaïde's claims on her lone patrols.
>Ask Maret if Adélaïde has collected any pieces of aircraft she's downed recently at all.
>Ask where another pilot is. (Chose who)
>Ask something else. (Write in)
>End the conversation and move on to Violet. You've spent enough of the day with Vert.

>>5977440
>Ask Maret about Adélaïde's claims on her lone patrols

>>5977440
>Ask Maret about Adélaïde's claims on her lone patrols.
>Ask Maret if Adélaïde has collected any pieces of aircraft she's downed recently at all.

>>5977440
>>Ask Maret about Adélaïde's claims on her lone patrols.
>>Ask Maret if Adélaïde has collected any pieces of aircraft she's downed recently at all.

After reading through the files you were given, you had two major questions on your mind. "Lucile, I notice Adélaïde has claimed a lot of aircraft shot down on her lone patrols, yet a lot of them weren't confirmed. Any reason why that is?"

This quickly gets Lucile to seem a bit surprised. "Well, she is the one who flew. Though she did at least write down what happened roughly on the flights. Most of the time she was over enemy lines instead of sticking to our side of the front so many of her claims can't be confirmed. After all, they are lone patrols. Had she a few pilots with her then they could confirm her claims just as well as the soldiers on the ground. I personally don't doubt them, but procedure is procedure as I am sure you are aware. Why do you ask? You don't think she's been lying about her victories or anything like that, do you?" The last statement seemed to be a bit of a surprise to you, though it was a thought.

"No, of course not. I'm just curious at the fact they aren't confirmed. It requires proof, yes. But she usually takes pieces of the aircraft she's shot down, right? That is proof enough as far as I am aware." you elaborate, starting to get her to likely see where you were going with this.

"Yes. She usually does as trophies from her victories, why ar- Oh. I think I see where you are going with this." Lucile says before shaking her head "No, she's not taken any trophies from her recent lone patrols, unfortunately. So that can't be used as confirmation." Lucile seemed to be a bit disappointed, perhaps wishing Adélaïde's victory count would go higher than it is, either for her sake or Adélaïde's.

Lucile's wording however did leave a bit of ambiguity which you wanted cleared up before any potential misunderstanding could be made. And as such you further inquired "All of her victories or just some of them on her lone patrols?"

This is met with a pause from Lucile, who states "I've not really thought about it but no, I don't think she has. She certainly didn't present them as proof if she did when she made the claims that were confirmed."

With confirmation she took nothing from the lone patrols, there was one last question you really needed to ask to get confirmation as to your little theory over the strange discrepancy in claims vs confirmed victories. "What about her normal patrols? Has she taken any trophies with those or has she also not taken any?"

"She's downed a few aircraft with us but now that you mention it, no. She's not actually taken any trophies recently. The last time she did was..." She gives a pause before adding "I have a bad feeling I know why." You felt that was more than enough for confirmation as to what you believed happened here, though just to be sure.

"It's Liliane isn't it?" You ask, quickly getting confirmation with a nod. "If she starts taking trophies again, let me know." you add, thinking maybe that would be a sign of her recovery.

>Ask Maret to have her escadron challenge one or more of the traditions she's mentioned (Which ones)
>Ask where another pilot is. (Chose who)
>Ask something else. (Write in)
>End the conversation and move on to Violet. You've spent enough of the day with Vert.

(Bit later than I wanted and a bit smaller of a post than I wanted. I do hope you guys, few as you are, are still enjoying this. I kind of worry that I've been bleeding players since I got enough time to continue this.)

>>5979650
>Ask something else. (Write in)
Can lone enemy patrols be lured into ambushes? Is there a pattern to their lone flights? (Admittedly, this really is a question for our S-2).
Also ask if she thinks Adelaide should be pulled from duty for the next fortnight.

Actually, I am surprised by the number of players responding to this thread -- it is more active than some of the recent war turns.

>>5979650
>End the conversation and move on to Violet. You've spent enough of the day with Vert.
We have 3-4 loyal players who are here forever. Never forget.

>>5979681
+1

Given the tradition of sorts that was flying all by your lonesome, you ask the obvious question. "Can you potentially lure enemy lone patrols into an ambush?"

Lucile seemed to think for a moment before speaking. "I guess, if we actually know where they are. It's a lot easier to see a flight of aircraft than just one. Even then, it isn't entirely practical. I mean, going after one aircraft that can probably tell they are being followed and who might not even be an ace when there's many other targets out there is probably not the best use of our time. We'd only be able to do so if we were on an offensive patrol, or just finished up a defensive one. If we have good intelligence as to where an enemy ace is operating maybe we could try something like that. But it would be best to coordinate something like that with another escadron. Not just for safety in numbers but to have a better chance at actually forcing the enemy to engage if they don't like their odds of a four or more verses one." With this said, you simply give a nod.

"That will be all. I'll consider what you have said when issuing my orders. Thank you for your assistance. Goodbye, Lucile." With this said, Lucile simply bid farewell herself before you moved to leave. You then had a choice of either waiting for a train that could take you over near where the fairly new Violet escadron was located, or have a somewhat long motor trip. Waiting for a train however would likely take longer depending on when you arrived at the station and it wouldn't even get you directly to Violet, just near them. Considering this, it probably wouldn't be that long to just go by motor car, at most an hour provided the roads were good. The trip would be a bit bumpy, but there was a certain freedom compared to the train. Then again, perhaps that was just because of the modest rush of air across your face. Once you arrive at Violet, you find the airbase seems a bit more modest compared to the one Vert was stationed in with only a few buildings and even a surprising number of tents.

Much like with Vert, you first try and find the commandant of the escadron, and through asking one of the soldiers on guard, you quickly get directed to Charlène Pernet's office. Once there, you knock before opening the door to find a woman with black hair who seemed to be very on edge working on some paperwork. The second you enter she even snaps at you in broken Pretan without even looking at you.

"How many time do I have to get it through thick skull that I not care you ace now Miss Green. You not demonstrat that you have the expertise or character to be rewarded. Besides, I thought it was challenge to prove your little Pretan superiority over us Gallonians. If you want to complain talk to Miss Valmont, but know she far, far too busy to ever meet you. So stop wasting my time and get out of my office!"

You simply clear your throat, and the woman glances up only to seem quite surprised. Scrambling up from their seat and giving you a salute, the look on their face very clearly one of worry.

"M-Miss Valmont...I-I wasn't aware you would be coming here." She said in Gallonian, sounding genuinely terrified at the fact you weren't who she thought you were, As if she just kicked bear they believed was dead only for it to wake up then and there. "P-Please excuse my outburst. Miss Green has been giving me quite a bit of trouble of late and being an extreme bother like most Pretans. W-Would you mind enlightening me as to the p-purpose of your visit to my e-escadron?" You clearly had a few options here.

>Reprimand Pernet for her outburst. Being stressed or annoyed at a subordinate is one thing, lashing out at their direct superior due to not paying attention is another.
>Politely, but firmly remind Pernet that wasn't told to be at ease, and as such shouldn't have spoken up.
>Ask what exactly has Green bothered her about.
>Ask why she seems so annoyed with Green.
>Ask how she and the escadron is doing of late.
>Ask where Elizabeth Green is.
>Ask where another pilot is. (Write in)
>Ask something else (Write in)

(Dear god I did not intend there to be a week between updates... I am still going to try my best to get updates out and at a more reasonable pace and I feel terrible that I took this long but...I can't change the past, only the future. Also new IP because I had to reset my entire net about a four days ago after the net was out for the entire evening and morning.)

>>5986468
Return the salute and put her at ease.
>Ask how she and the escadron is doing of late.

>>5986473
+1
Don't sweat it OP

>>5986468
>Politely, but firmly remind Pernet that wasn't told to be at ease, and as such shouldn't have spoken up.
>Ask what exactly has Green bothered her about.

>>5986468
>Politely, but firmly remind Pernet that wasn't told to be at ease, and as such shouldn't have spoken up.
>Ask what exactly has Green bothered her about.
>Ask how she and the escadron is doing of late.

"Pernet. You do realize you are still at attention given my arrival. You understand what you are meant to do while at attention, correct?" You state calmly though with authority. She doesn't say anything in response however, simply giving a nod as it was clear from the look on her face the fear she had didn't disappear in the slightest. "At ease." With those two words, she lets out a sigh of relief as she practically collapses back into her chair.

After a slight pause, Pernet responds. "M-Miss Valmont, please sit down! Unless you plan on leaving very shortly and simply wished to inform me of your presence." She was less concerned but still a bit rattled.

Taking a seat, you quickly get to business. "Pernet, I will be speaking with some of the volunteers later. Before that, I would like to ask you a few questions regarding the escadron. Seeing as you are the commandant I believe you are the most informed and qualitied to answer them. Understand?" It was, at least in part, to try and put her more at ease and get her to clam down. It also was arguably better than just immediately asking questions. She gives another nod in response before you continue. "In that case, the first thing I'd like to know is how you and the escadron is doing lately. I have the reports of course, but a more personal perspective is important to me."

Taking a more confident stance, Pernet took no time at all in answering you. "Well miss Valmot, I think things have gone decently well. The Cipanto volunteers have been pulling their weight, and so have the Confederate volunteers. However, the Vesperian's leave something to be desired, and especially the Pretan pilots have...Issues. Even so, we have not been hampered by their lackluster performance compared to their contemporaries. If nothing else, they give the enemy something else to shoot at while more important pilots are able to do their jobs. Really, it's a shame one of our better pilots have been wounded of late. Though from my understanding they will be out of action for only a month. There is however some grumbling about the allocation of aircraft to the escadron among the...problem pilots."

This naturally begged the question. "Problem pilots? Please elaborate on who and what they've done."

Quickly, Pernet scoffed "You can't tell? The Pretan's and their colonists in Vesperia are a constant nuisance to me! I really don't understand why they don't just serve in their own country and save me the bother of having to deal with them. And yes, I am aware their backwards laws don't allow them in the military as anything else but nurses, however if they genuinely wished to fight they should change their names and learn the language properly. Most of them can hardly even speak Gallonian! They likewise have extremely unreasonable demands of our limited supplies as if they expect to be pampered rather than be treated like the soldiers they signed up to become. Miss Green as you can probably guess is the absolute worst with this and only made thousands of times worse by her insistence of Pretan superiority." She clearly seemed upset at even the thought of them.

This at gave a perfect segue to something you were interested in asking "What exactly has green bothered you about in particular anyway? Other than this Pretan superiority stuff?"

To this, Pernet sighs before stating "She constantly bothers me while I'm working to ask inane questions regarding her conditions or her assignment of aircraft and other such nonsense. Because she has become an ace she expects to be treated like royalty. Further, she is clearly undisciplined and I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out she was miss-credited a number of her so called victories. The worst part is her pathetic attempts to try and get one of the newer and better Dupont aircraft assigned to her so she can stop using the Vérany while trying to make it seem like she isn't desperately begging to waste a better aircraft when she inevitably gets shot down due to her asinine pride. Her little comments also used to be a problem but she somehow managed to learn something with that thick Pretan skull of hers despite how much whisky her mother drank before her birth." She clearly had some bad blood with her, or there was a major problem with one of your aces.

Still, you felt you should set some of the record straight. "I'm fairly sure it's the Kileshadrans that are the one's stereotyped as crippling alcoholics, not Pretans."

Once more Pernet seems to scoff once more "Does it really matter when the end result is the same?" clearly proving there was...something going on here.

>Ask her who the pilot that was recently wounded is and why she considers her one of the better ones.
>Ask her to elaborate her view on the CSA volunteers.
>Ask her to elaborate her view on the Cipanto volunteers.
>Ask what's wrong with the Pretan and Vesperian volunteers.
>Ask her about the volunteers from other nations.
>Ask where Elizabeth Green is.
>Ask where another pilot is. (Write in)
>Ask something else (Write in)

(If you couldn't tell, Pernet has a very FUN trait that is clearly absolutely perfect for her position and role. Along with given me quite a few keks.)

>>5989062
>>Ask her to elaborate her view on the CSA volunteers.
>>Ask her to elaborate her view on the Cipanto volunteers.
>>Ask what's wrong with the Pretan and Vesperian volunteers.

>>5989062
>Ask her who the pilot that was recently wounded is and why she considers her one of the better ones.
>Ask what's wrong with the Pretan and Vesperian volunteers.
In particular the Vesperians. They seem to underperform relative to their ratings.
>Ask her about the volunteers from other nations.

>>5989637
Supporting

Quickly you move on and say "Could you elaborate on your view on the CSA and Cipanto volunteers? You mentioned that they carry their weight unlike the Vesperian and Pretan ones." You were mainly curious as to why she thought they were better than the rest, or at least felt like mentioning they were doing more than the rest.

Pernet actually gave a slight smile before saying "Of course. For the Confederacy of Abmeryk States, unlike the Vesperians they actually made the right move in ditching the Pretans. Plus, we have a long history with them, even if at times we've had our differences with them. This freedom from Pretan influence naturally leads them to actually learn from their mistakes and improve quite a bit faster than most. And it shows with how skilled they have become in the art of flying so soon. On an individual level, some of them are a bit undisciplined at times, and worse some of them have made the horrific decision of fighting for the Prußenmark's, but those who have chosen the right side in the conflict and joined us have proven themselves capable enough at following orders and their recklessness and unusual innovation at times serves us well. It helps they seem to be indefatigable. Well, one of them anyway. Even the others hardly grow tired from their sorties it seems. So, for those fighting on our side and under me I would say they are quite useful to have around. Of course, it also helps that so far only one has been shot down and killed compared to some of the others." You wondered if everything she said was true, exaggerated, or if she was just biased in their favor given how the CSA came to be formed.

"And Cipanto?" You naturally ask to remind her, given the pause.

"Of course. They are in some ways very different from the Abmerykans. Mainly in the form of discipline. Even the most staunch Prußenmark loyalist drilled to the extreme would struggle to match them. If the Prußenmark's army has a will of iron, the Cipanto's have a will of high quality steel. They follow every order unquestioningly and are more than willing to do whatever it takes. In some ways they are, unfortunately, a bit like the Pretans, but those similarities are minor and do little to detract from their focus or ability to serve. Much like our own pilots, they seem to grasp the inner workings of the engine and the rest of their aircraft with ease and have no trouble keeping them flying through repairs or just ensuring they don't push anything to the breaking point. On that note, they seem to have an uncanny ability to know how best to utilize their aircraft. I have seen some maneuvers I've not believed were possible and which don't even have names utilized by them to get on the enemies tail or completely throw the enemy out of position and ruin their attack run. I believe they are natural aces in the making. And of the two we have, one already has achieved that status and the other is not far behind." She seemed quite pleased with herself, as if everything she was telling you somehow was her own accomplishment.

Given what she mentioned earlier, it was probably best to ask about the pilot she brought up. So, you ask "You mentioned there was a wounded pilot who you consider one of the better ones. Who is it?"

"Oh, that would be Miss Koguchi. She's two victories away from becoming an ace, and is quite resourceful. She is disciplined and completely stoic in her duty. This, along with her being quite the capable flyer makes her an exemplary Cipanto pilot and a gold standard. She and Mori are the only Cipanto pilots I have to go off of but both have shown that there is a reason that small island nation managed to win a war against the Varuskie's. Especially when you consider that these are their docile women. It makes me wonder just how strong, brave, and unshakable their men are." She seems to pause a bit, somewhat to your concern before she continues "I have another reason to believe she is one of the better pilots in this escadron. She even managed to save one of our other pilots from behind enemy lines a while ago and helped them evade capture and make it back to our side of the lines alive and in good shape. If that isn't enough to impress I don't know what is."

With all of this said, you have only two more questions in mind, and given her not so hidden biases, you move to ask the more important of the two questions you had. "What's wrong with the Pretan and Vesperian Volunteers? Especially the latter. They seem to underperform despite their high ratings in my files."

With a bit of a dismissive look, Pernet is quick to say "Because they are indolent, self aggrandizing cowards who don't know how to follow orders and constantly try to undermine this very institution at every turn. The Pretan pilots are completely incompetent and never should have taken flight. In fact I'm sure with how incapable they are if we had them as mechanics they would still find a way to kill themselves and destroy an expensive piece of army equipment they could never afford to fix. As for the Vesperians, it's because of much the same. Along with the simple fact they clearly are lying about their capabilities to make themselves seem better. It is clear you should presume they are only slightly better than the Pretans when it comes to the art of flying." You get the feeling that Pernet was maybe not the best person to ask about this as any pretense of them giving the Pretans and Vesperians a fair, unbiased view was completely thrown out the window.

With a slight pause on your part, you simply say "Right...And what of the other nationalities?"

This actually gets her to think for a bit, though after a bit she states "Those Varuskie volunteers from Reemi are about as capable as our own pilots, though they seem to be quite nationalistic. And I don't mean they support the Tzar. It is perhaps something to be concerned about, but most of them have died already so it can be put on the side. I don't think I've been around them, or rather their only survivor I've met, long enough to have much of a say regarding them. The same goes for the Vitulians and Illyrpsja however the Dacinians from what limited experience I've had with them are quite resilient and brush off wounds that should normally be of some concern. Of course, most of them are fighting less so for us and more so their own country. Though at this point I would not be surprised if most new volunteers are in it for revenge given their country's capitulation." It wasn't the answer you hoped for but it was at least you got some information out of it.

>Ask her about her clear bias against the Pretans.
>Ask where Elizabeth Green is.
>Ask where another pilot is. (Write in)
>Ask something else (Write in)

(If you have any write in's, feel free. Otherwise, sorry for being slow going still.)

>>5991414
>Ask her about her clear bias against the Pretans.