The Saga of Tanya the Merciless

[0445 HOURS - OPERATION OVERLORD II - SECTOR SEVEN - AMERICAN ZONE]

USS Mount McKinley, Command and Control Ship

Primary Landing Zone Assessment

"These casualty figures warrant analysis," Admiral Morrison noted calmly, studying the mounting reports from their assigned sector. "Compare them against our contingency projections."

[0447 HOURS]

"Third wave encountering 89% attrition before reaching the seawall. Pattern suggests pre-planned defensive positions rather than improvised response. General Whitaker's command staff was eliminated by precision fire the moment they achieved what should have been covered positions."

[0448 HOURS]

Morrison traced the approach vectors on his chart. "They've somehow optimized their firing solutions. Not just pre-sighted - they're anticipating our tactical adjustments. Lieutenant, pull our feint operations data. See if we've been compromised."

[0450 HOURS - CROSS-SECTOR UPDATE]

"Sir, British Command reports moderate resistance in their sectors. Australian forces encountering standard defensive protocols further north. Only our zone showing these precision response patterns."

[0512 HOURS - SECTOR SEVEN]

"General Hayes reports unexpected tidal behaviors channeling craft into potential kill zones. Requesting permission to execute Contingency Pattern Delta-7."

"Approved. Let's see how their firing solutions adapt to synchronized evasion protocols."

[0527 HOURS]

"Sir, Signals has intercepted what appears to be enemy command traffic. Likely deliberate misinformation, but protocol requires review."

Morrison scanned the decoded transcript, his expression neutral.

[INTERCEPTED TRANSMISSION - 0525 HOURS]

SUBJECT: Urgent Equipment Analysis

FROM: COL. TANYA

TO: HIGH COMMAND

RE: Enemy Footwear Protocols

"Detailed observation reveals critical inefficiencies in American boot lacing patterns. Significant tactical implications..."

[0529 HOURS]

"File under deliberate chaff," Morrison ordered. "They're trying to cloud our signals intelligence. Focus on actionable intercepts. What's the status of Delta-7?"

[0531 HOURS - SECTOR SEVEN TACTICAL]

"Fifth Wave implementing randomized approach vectors per contingency planning. Enemy response remains... mathematically precise. They're not reacting to our movements, sir. The firing patterns suggest they predicted our contingency protocols."

Morrison studied the tactical display. Every variation they'd implemented had been met with precisely calculated counterforce. Not brute opposition - elegant efficiency.

[0535 HOURS - ADJACENT SECTOR REPORT]

"British forces report normal combat intensity in their zones. French units encountering standard resistance patterns. The precision defense appears localized to our sector."

[0550 HOURS]

"Updated casualty assessment indicates 40% attrition across primary landing zones. Medical capacity strained but holding. Colonel Patterson's analysis suggests we're facing a defense system based on probability matrices rather than standard tactical doctrine."

[0612 HOURS - FLASH TRAFFIC]

FROM: GEN. WHITAKER (DEPUTY COMMANDER)

"Enemy response patterns indicate fundamental paradigm shift in defensive theory. Requesting tactical analysis priority one. This isn't improvisation - it's mathematics."

[0613 HOURS]

"Forward elements reporting precision that exceeds human reaction time. Artillery firing solutions anticipate movement before execution. Machine gun positions relocating based on mathematical prediction rather than observed flanking attempts."

[0615 HOURS - SECTOR SEVEN COMMAND]

Morrison overlaid the casualty distribution plots with their tactical prediction models. The variance wasn't random - it was iterative. Each death represented a calculated point in a complex equation of attrition.

[0617 HOURS]

"Pull everything we have on their sector commander. Colonel Tanya. Focus on tactical philosophy rather than personal history."

[0618 HOURS]

"Analysis correlating casualty patterns with historical command data shows consistent mathematical progression. She's treating combat as an optimization problem rather than a tactical engagement."

[0620 HOURS - URGENT FLASH TRAFFIC]

FROM: SIXTH WAVE COMMAND

"Enemy defensive doctrine operates on predicted responses rather than observed movement. Request immediate deployment of chaos pattern protocols to disrupt mathematical modeling."

Morrison absorbed the tactical picture with professional detachment. Their invasion plan had accounted for every standard deviation of military response. But they were facing an opponent who had reduced combat to pure mathematical efficiency, who had transformed an impossible defensive position into a calculated engine of attrition.

[0645 HOURS - COMMAND ASSESSMENT]

"Current attrition rates will degrade operational capability below acceptable thresholds within three hours. Enemy defensive efficiency suggests algorithm-based response patterns rather than conventional tactical doctrine. British and French sectors reporting normal combat intensity."

[0647 HOURS]

"Prepare to execute Contingency Omega," Morrison ordered. "We need to fundamentally restructure our approach to Sector Seven. We're not fighting a military unit - we're fighting a mathematical proof."

[0650 HOURS - SECTOR SEVEN - AMERICAN ZONE]

The precision of American military doctrine encountered an equation it couldn't solve.