Raj smiled, running fingers through his curls. "No. To reassure future rulers
and
to teach future soldiers that there's no honor in rebellion. I'm not going to contribute to the climate of fear that's rotting us out from within." His smile turned to a grin. "And Starless Dark, I don't expect Barholm to give me the chop, anyway. It'd be crazy, and he's not that crazy. Yet."
probability of eventual clinical paranoia in barholm clerrett is near certainty if subject's lifespan extended past 60 standard years,
Center noted.
"To make a point? You're risking everything just to make a
point?
"
"There
has
to be a point," he said, driving one fist into a palm. "Or what's it all for? I—we—killed
sixty thousand men
out here, Suzette." He wiped one hand across the back of his mouth. "I can still see it . . . That wasn't a battle, a whole nation died there. What for? To make a reputation for me? Or to give Tzetzas a new province to loot—for a while, for a few generations, until some new bunch of barbs takes it away again? No."
He shook his head, turning to look at her with his hands clasping behind his back. "I don't fight wars because it's the most efficient way of piling up corpses. I'm not spending my men's lives for that. It has to have some point, or I might as well do the world a favor and blow my own brains out." More gently: "Don't you see?"
Suzette's shell of control cracked, and she flung herself against Raj. He held her, stroking the sleek black hair; it caught occasionally in the cracked calluses of his saber hand.
"Spirit, I'm afraid, Raj!" she said. "He's mad with jealousy . . . I'm so afraid."
"I'm afraid too, darling," he said gently. "It's for the best, though. Believe me, it's for the best."
It was evening, cool and gentle in the bows where Raj sat alone. His feet dangled over the netting that linked bowsprit to deck, almost within reach of the spray as the ship took the swell with all sail set in the mild breeze. The water was dark-purple beneath, fading to almost black at the edge of sight, rippled with white foam. Six-winged flying things skipped in shoals over the waves and then dove; stars were coming out, a frosty bridge from north to south across the sky. Miniluna and Maxiluna were both full on the eastern horizon, throwing brilliant paths of silver ahead of him, on the road to home.
—and the image of red-hot irons glowing toward his eyes faded.
probability of blinding, 22%,
Center concluded,
±4%.
Well, at least it's less likely than outright execution; I'd prefer that, he thought.
Stretching, he rose and took a last puff on the cigarette, letting the breeze ruffle through his hair like a woman's slender fingers. Off to the left the smoke of the escort-warship had a ruddy tinge from the fires of her furnace, only visible in the hours of darkness. He flicked the butt away, and it was a tiny meteor toward the water that slapped with thousandfold hands at the hull.
And whatever comes, it doesn't really matter. I'm obeying the Spirit that made all—his gesture took in the night and the horizon.
i am not god,
Center said; there seemed to be a troubled overtone to its monotonous internal voice,
i cannot guarantee a desirable result, i can only indicate actions whose results are most probably beneficial to human society, optimization for you as an individual would be a completely different calculation.
"I am the Sword of the Spirit," Raj whispered, raising his arms to the arch of stars. Once men had traveled there. "And I will obey that Spirit—whatever the cost."
Southern Territories Expeditionary Force
Order of Battle
Mai 1, 1106 After the Fall
REGULAR CAVALRY
5th Descott Guards —800
Major Gerrin Staenbridge (Companion)
Captain Barton Foley (Companion)
Captain Tejan M'brust (becomes Companion during
The Hammer)
Senior Lieutenant Antin M'lewis (Companion)
Recruitment area: Descott County.
Insignia: a black "5" over crossed sabers.
Motto: "Hell o Zpalata" ("Hell or Plunder") across top of shield.
7th Descott Rangers —600
Major Kaltin Gruder (Companion)
Recruitment area: Descott County.
Insignia: a black "7" over a running dog.
Motto: "Fwego Erst" ("Shoot First" ) across top of shield.
1st Rogor Slashers —590
Major Mekkle Thiddo (Companion)
Senior Lieutenant Peydro Belagez (becomes Companion during
The Hammer)
Recruitment area: Upper Drangosh Valley, north and east of Sandoral and in the southeastern foothills of the Oxhead Mountains.
Insignia: a black "1" on a rayed star. Motto: "Hingada thes Ihorantes" ("Death to the Infidels")
Poplanich's Own —620
Major Ehwardo Poplanich (becomes Companion during
The Hammer)
A House regiment, recruited mostly from the estates of the Poplanich family (in the provinces along the Coast Range seaboard, south and west of East Residence). Officers from gentry families related to or clients of the Poplanich.
Insignia: Chrysanthemum (Poplanich sigil) on a blue background.
Motto: "Eweyz Widya" ("Always Faithful")
21st Navy Haifa Dragoons —610
Major Hemilo Istban
Recruitment area: Northeastern frontier, near the Singre mountains.
Insignia: a black "21" on a silver background, flanked by rifles.
Motto: "Singre Guzzlah" ("Blood Drinkers")
17th Hemmar Valley Cuirassiers —608
Major Anhelino Dalhouse
Captain Hermano Suharto
Recruitment area: Central Provinces, mostly the Hem-mar Valley near East Residence.
Insignia: black "17" on a light-green background. Motto: "Waymanos" ("Forward!")
(N.B. After the Southern Territories campaign, tavern brawls frequently start when members of other units say "Backwards!" in the hearing of a member of the 17th Cuirassiers.)
3rd Chongwe Dragoons —610
Major Hesus Anderson
Recruitment area: Chongwe Island, a large island in the middle Midworld Sea, and the westernmost Civil Government province.
Insignia: black "3" on blue background, over a stylized wave.
Motto: "Rahpeedo" ("Swiftly")
1st Gaur Rangers —628
Major Hingenio Buthelezi
Recruitment area: Central Provinces; upper Hemmar Valley, near the north flank of the Oxhead Mountains,
Insignia: black "1" on purple background, crossed bayoneted rifles.
Motto: "Sehuro Comphadres" ("Faithful Comrades")
18th Komar Borderers —559
Major Hadolfo Zahpata (becomes Companion during
The Hammer)
Recruitment area: Central southern border country, on the frontier of the Colony and on the south flank of the Oxhead Mountains.
Insignia: black "18" on stylized sand-dune with palm tree.
Motto: "Dehfenzo Lighon" ("Defend the Faith") on the top of the shield.
Total Regular Cavalry = 5625 (9 battalions)
IRREGULAR CAVALRY
Skinners —600
Chief Juluk Paypan
Chief Pai-har Tradaw
Halvaardi —500
Chief Francor Genhuvaa
Stalwarts —581
Leader Hwilli Morgan
Total Irregular Cavalry = 1,681
INFANTRY
17th Kelden County Foot
Colonel Jorg Menyez
24th Valentia Foot
Major Ferdihando Felasquez
55th Santanderr Rifles
Major Fitoriano Huarez
1st Kendrun Foot
Major Pernardho Reyez
88th Seyval Infantry
Major Franhesco Alleyman
10th Melaga Foot
Major Alfaro Orzoco
23rd Hemmar Valley Foot
Major Lazaro Trahn
71st Upper Hemmar Foot
Major Sule Mihn
1st Asaurian Mountaineers
Major Andreu Three Bears
3rd Upper Drangosh Light Infantry
Major Algrood Naxim
42ndjernelle Marines
Major Dohminko Falcones
9th Irtish Skirmishers
Major Tentito Cortinez
21st Ceres Guards
Major Omar Sherf
101st Forest Hangers
Major Nortesinho Negrotete
2nd Gurnyca Mountaineers
Senior Captain Luis Ordhaz
1st Malga Foot
Major Heanar Fillipsyn
3rd Denson Foot
Major Jenkynz Ordonto
32nd Straits Rifles
Senior Captain Daniel Villegaz
9th Hayapalco Volunteers
Major Nikros Arayfet
Total Regular Infantry = 10,721
ARTILLERY
Colonel Grammeck Dinnalsyn, commanding.
No siege guns were taken on this expedition. Thirty standard field pieces were embarked. These were 75mm (3- inch) rifled cast-steel breechloaders, with iron-bound wooden wheels and iron carriages, drawn by four pairs of dogs—usually Alsatian-Newfoundland crosses. The muzzle velocity is 650 mps, with a range of approximately 4,500 meters with shell and 4000 with shrapnel. Canister (lead balls with no bursting charge) is effective to 500 meters.
Rate of fire is 3 rounds per minute. (Note: since the gun has no recoil system, it runs backward after every shot and must be manually returned to battery.)
Five mortars were also taken. These were 100mm smoothbore weapons, firing from 45 to 95 degrees. They were mounted on a modified gun-carriage with the cast-steel firing base slung under the tube.
Guns required a crew of eight, and were organized in three-gun batteries. Four of each crew had their own riding dogs, and the remainder rode on the gun, caisson, or the two lead dogs of the team.
Each battery was commanded by a Lieutenant, and included a squad of eight supplementary personnel to perform auxiliary tasks and replace casualties.
Gunners carry rifles and sabers as their personal arms; officers and noncoms also carry 5-shot revolvers.
ORGANIZATION
All regular Civil Government forces were organized in
battalions
(Sponglish:
bandata),
of 500-800 men (average around 600).
A battalion was made up of
companies
(Sponglish:
tabora)
and
platoons
(Sponglish:
campadra)
of roughly 120 and 32 men each, respectively.
A battalion would normally be commanded by a Senior Captain or Major; companies by Captains or Senior Lieutenants, and platoons by Lieutenants.
Platoons were comprised of eight-man
squads,
commanded by a Corporal or Sergeant. Enlisted men were
privates
(infantry) or
troopers
(cavalry); there were several grades within these ranks, based on skill (e.g., "marksman"), seniority or other skills (e.g., "watch-stander," open to literate soldiers).
Each squad generally bunked and messed together, shared a tent, and in the cavalry each squad was allowed one general servant to help with fatigues. (This provision was often exceeded.)
Units larger than a battalion were organized
ad hoc
as situations demanded. While there was a schedule of ranks above Major—Colonel, Brigadier, Brigadier General and General, with administrative titles (e.g., "Commander of Eastern Forces" )—there was no permanent unit organization above the battalion.
Companies and battalions would also have their senior NCOs—Master Sergeants—and a larger formation might have one appointed by the overall commander.
RECRUITMENT, PAY, AND RATIONS
The Civil Government's army still bore some traces of a period when units had been raised by provincial noblemen on their own initiative. Battalions generally had a number (denoting when they had been first mustered) and a county or district designation, showing where they had been raised. (Proprietary battalions were named for the individual who first raised them.) Recruitment was largely, although not exclusively (particularly for infantry), from the same area. Enlisted men and officers below the rank of Major almost always stayed with the same battalion throughout their careers.
In theory, all male subjects of the Civil Government were subject to military service. In practice, this had long ago been commuted to a compensatory land-tax (levied on farm units, not on the owners from whom they were generally rented), for most of the central provinces. In many frontier or upland areas the tradition of direct service continued; families were required to send one son per generation, and pay for his equipment as a cavalry trooper; service was for ten-year enlistments. In return, the family holding was exempt from tax. Those without suitable recruits could find a substitute, and volunteer enlistments from the same areas—with a substantial enlistment bonus—were also common.