War was upon us.
Last Saturday, the first shots had been fired. And just yesterday, a ferocious battle occurred in Manila as the Americans pushed outwards against the entrenched Filipino forces surrounding the city. Señor Alcantara did not have all the details, but the word on the street before he left for Marinduque was that the Republicans had been successfully driven out of their positions, suffering hundreds of casualties.
I broke the news at the conference the following afternoon, with all officers present—including the cadets and the NCOs in charge of the training.
It should not have surprised me. I had always known it was only a matter of time before things took a sour turn. Yet, it still did. The training had barely begun. Now I couldn't help but wonder if I could field a ready force in time—or if the Republic would fall before I could do anything at all.
