June 1923 of the Unified Calendar. Blonde-haired and blue-eyed Tanya Degurechaff is completing her final course of the Imperial Military Academy, and is sent to train in a squad at the third line in the Norden military district. This training, should it have completed without issue, would have allowed her to take the first step in a brilliant career as an Imperial Aviation Mage. However, events take an unexpected turn. The Empire and the United Alliance are plunged into a state of war following the latter's border transgression. As the Empire transitions into wartime policies, Tanya is assigned to observation duty. A surprise attack by the United Alliance forces her into a situation where she has to deal with an enemy magician company alone. With no apparent way to hold out until allied units arrive, and capital punishment reserved for the ones who flee.