The Waves Don't Forget

Green Skies

Now...they were back in the lecture hall.

The events of yesterday were still clear in everyone's mind, and they all sat in silence as Kurfürst seemed to be readying herself.

"...So, I suppose I should start with one of the most devastating, disastrous, and inhuman parts of this conflict. Something I am personally a victim of and also, technically, a helper in manufacturing."

She brought up a picture for the projector, pointing it at the white board and showing everyone the picture. It was a barrel, with several troopers wearing gas masks surrounding it.

"Chemical warfare."

Some of the girls gasped at the pictures, knowing the horrors of the weapon and what it could do to the body of any person or thing that inhaled or even came into contact with it. They snapped their eyes to Kurfürst, wondering how she could even let such an atrocious weapon even see the light of day.

"Listen girls, when I first learned of this 'Haber-Bosch' process, I was elated at the news and of what it could do. It was able to synthesize powerful fertilizer, and continue feeding our people for much less of a cost than ever before."

Her head lowered after she finished that. "However...once the War rolled around, and we began hyper construction on tools and weapons that could be used for war...it was only natural that we turned to Doctor Haber and his 'wondrous' work for a solution."

...

She shut off the projector, giving a solid and stern look to the girls in the room. "I am going to tell you now, before any thoughts plague you. I did not mean for this process to be used for warfare, I never even thought of it at first. When the machine of war did roll around, and we needed weapons, I gave it the go ahead for the simple reason that I believed it would help defend my people...I thought so heavily wrong."

She soon sat back down on the chair, taking a deep breath before leaning back and making herself comfortable. "Now...I believe it's time I tell you why I now believe this, and also why you know me as you all do today. The Great War changed me immensely, but it was not entirely negative...thanks to the efforts of many good and bad sources, I have also changed for the better, starting with Chemical Warfare..."
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It was mid-afternoon on April 22, 1915. This was the first time the Germans would deploy gas in war, and it was Chlorine gas.

Marching down the trench line, Kurfürst left her cold gaze ahead, occasionally looking towards the enemy lines some several hundred meters away. Most normal soldiers would barely make out the small blips of men at this distance, but she vision marked and saw them all perfectly.

She simply continued on, going out towards an elevated hill that was clear of nearly all soldiers, save for a few wearing special masks that had air filters on them: Gas Masks.

"Boys, everything ready?"

One of the men, one wearing a darker and slightly more formal style stood forward, a field officer. "Yes General! We are merely waiting for the winds to be in our favor, then we will release the valves!"

"Good, fasten those filters once that happens. Don't want you all dying here."

"Right!" He quickly returned to the others, going through yet another check and making sure things were looking good while Kurfürst just waited.

From where she was, she was unable to see the other line now, but as it was later in the day, there would probably be very little chances of a charge, and that's what they're hoping for. During this war, men were most relaxed during the day, as no one wanted to be caught in No Man's Land in broad daylight, so charges rarely happened.