Westrons Pt. 07

- "What's wrong with our ramrods?" asked Langoret.

- "Wood dries out. Eventually it grow brittle. If a soldier snaps or breaks her ramrod, she's disarmed herself. You should use iron."

She nodded. Langoret would go away and think about what I'd said. She was a serious soldier, and devoted to her career. I was surprised to discover that she was only a few years older than I was; the vast majority of Westron Colonels, it turned out, were young and physically fit.

They had to be, since they marched with their soldiers. There were no horses to ride. She was a Countess, too, but never asked to be addressed as anything other than Colonel.

Langoret was a serious student of her craft; we had long discussions about weapons, tactics, and logistics over huge meals of roasted meats and resinous wines.

Themis listened in, as did Langoret's aides and some of the officers of the Aneli regiment. The conversation sparkled; I could have wished that these women had been at AFOTA with me. Mind you, General Brune would probably have ended up valedictorian.

Themis and I remained close. She would often reach out and touch my hand, or my arm. Her smiles continued to dazzle me.

She noticed that I still got hard, every night, in the tent.

- "Is that ... because of me?"

I couldn't lie to her. "You're a beautiful woman, Themis."

She felt bad, that I was suffering - her words - when she couldn't do anything to help me. Then she got a wicked look in her eye.

- "Could I ...?"

Themis didn't hesitate: she pulled down my breeches, and took my cock in her hands. Both hands. She stroked me, with a huge smile on her face.

- "Ah - Themis ..."

I ejaculated all over her.

That was the start of our nightly handjobs. Themis was constantly adding new wrinkles. She saw my eyes, watching her breasts shift around under her shirt - so she took it off. Fondling her certainly helped me; it just didn't do anything for her.

She kissed me, while she was jerking me off. That didn't help, either. And one night, when she wasn't able to bring me off, Themis dipped her head, and took me in her mouth.

It worked for me - but I could tell the difference. She was scratching my itch, but the scratching brought her no pleasure. I asked her to stop.

By sheer coincidence, the letter for her arrived the very next day. I saw the wax seal; it looked very impressive. To give her a little privacy, I moved away.

But Themis reached out, and took hold of my arm.

- "I've been ordered back to Cercen." she said.

***

She cried. I comforted her and told her that everything would be alright. I suspected that her family were pulling strings to have her recalled.

- "I wish ... I wish that I could make love with you again. One more time."

- "We'll see each other again, Themis. I don't know why, but I can feel it."

A hug, and a kiss. Then she was gone.

***

The packet with her letter also contained a brief note for me.

You are confirmed as Acting-Colonel of the Aneli Regiment

Kanitz

Not quite 25 years old. I'd skipped from Lieutenant to Acting-Colonel.

I had a great deal to learn about commanding a regiment - things that were never mentioned in the vids or the books. Langoret helped me enormously. She advised me to keep my troopers busy.

It seems that virtually every society has a saying equivalent to 'The Devil finds work for idle hands'. So I decided to keep the regiment hopping, while simultaneously satisfying my curiosity.

I had them dump everything out of their packs except the basics: powder and shot, a blanket and three days worth of food. Then I had them march, at top speed, trying to get a feel for how quickly they could move.

Frederick the Great's army covered maybe 6 to 8 miles a day. By the time they'd struck camp, they could only march for about five hours before they had to stop and set up camp again. His army couldn't go much more than 5 to 7 days from their supply depots. They also had to stop every few days to bake bread.

Napoleon's troops, though, could go 10-12 miles a day. In 1796, Augereau's division covered 114 miles in a week; Massena's went 100. In 1805, Lannes' and Soult's Corps marched 152 miles in 13 days. Davout's Corps did 175 miles in 16 days.

'Our Emperor makes war not with arms, but with our legs.' Napoleon's soldiers said. I wondered if the Westrons could match those achievements.

As their acting-commander, I had to keep up. That meant running. My shoes were worse than useless; I went barefoot. By the end of the day, my feet were in awful shape, but I'd gotten my first glimpse of what these Westron soldiers could do.

A week later, we did it again, only this time I pushed them. We covered almost 30 of their leagues before dusk - almost 18 miles. We slept out in the open, with only blankets. The next day, we returned to camp. For me, it was like back to back marathons, except that I had from dawn to dusk to complete them.

To put it into perspective, the army usually covered six leagues a day when on the move.

I was thrilled. Langoret was initially more sceptical.

- "Fine. You march a long way. When you arrive at your destination, you have no artillery, and food for another two days. What would you do?"

I suggested a few possibilities. She changed from sceptical to intrigued.

The Aneli regiment didn't quite know what to make of me. They knew that I was brave, and that I had a big dick (by Westron standards). They were curious about my reasons for making them run - I taught them all to 'Run 100, Walk 50'.

But they were also ... proud. They had the only Pylosian commander in the entire army. The only male, too. And when they saw my bleeding feet, they knew I wasn't going to ask them to do anything I wasn't willing to do myself.

- "A pleasant change for them, after Storana, I should think." said Langoret.

She suggested that we visit Colonel Tudino again. The raven-haired saviour of Tonol was only too happy to stand us to an excellent dinner, with several bottles of wine. Much of the evening was devoted to shop-talk.

Alone in my tent, though, I found myself thinking of Themis. As with Vanova, I hadn't had enough time with her. And now, in all likelihood, that was over.

I missed her. I was also very, very horny. But when I woke up one morning, looking forward to what I had planned for the regiment, I realized something: I was happy.

***

The order came: the Aneli regiment, and Langoret's, were to make their way to the capital, as quickly as possible.

- "Why do they need both regiments?" I asked.

- "A victory parade, perhaps?" said Langoret.

It was the 'ASAP' in our orders that gave me an idea.

- "I bet you we get to Cercen before you do." I said.

Langoret smiled. "What will you wager? You have no money."

- "Bragging rights." She'd never heard the expression, but Langoret was very familiar with the concept, once I explained it.

I called the Anelis together, and told them of our new orders.

"Wouldn't it be nice," I said, "if we arrived before we were expected? If you could show those nobles in Cercen what you're capable of?"

- "You want us to run all the way?" called out a soldier. They knew I wouldn't punish them as Storana had.

- "No. I want you to run to the Vagres river. That's where the currents start flowing north. We can boat into Cercen."

"But I do want to get there before Langoret's. The Colonel and I - we have a little wager. I wouldn't mind impressing the Queen, either. What do you say?"

- "If we win, can I get a red sash like yours?" shouted one trooper.

- "Or can you come to my tent, next time I'm in hemmer?" said another.

That got a laugh.

- "Sell what you don't want to carry." I told them. "Extra food wouldn't hurt - we're going to be far ahead of the supply wagons."

***

We beat Langoret to Cercen by two days.

***

We were also a week early, according to the royal officials who were supposed to prepare for our arrival. I got the troops into barracks, just outside the city, and saw to it that they had plenty of food and drink.

Then I went into the city, to visit some friends.

Esyle answered the door. Her eyes went wide, and then she took a deep breath. I braced myself, expecting her to scream, or shriek ... Instead, she breathed out, and stepped forward to embrace me.

- "We were so worried." she said.

- "Let him go, Esyle. Bring him inside." said her mother. But the moment her daughter released me, Tisucha hugged me, too.

"Welcome home." she said.

Talley and Tallia were both thrilled to see me - though neither embraced me. Talley did slap me on the back several times.

- "You did it! Damn me - you did it!"

- "Did what?"

- "You don't know? Cook - you'll be leading the Aneli regiment in a victory parade. Through the streets of Cercen."

- "It'll be the first victory I've ever celebrated." said Tallia.

- "Me too." said her father.

***

Kanitz stood up to welcome me. She bent one knee, and dipped her head; I bowed. There was no sign of Airta. Another woman stood against the wall, in her place.

- "Welcome back, Cook. Please - sit."

I sat, but the Countess didn't.

"You must excuse me, for a moment." she said. "I will return shortly. In the meantime, there are some letters I would like you to read. Please - go ahead."

The first letter was by Themis. It was her report to Kanitz. I should've known. She wasn't just my aide; she was an observer in her own right. Or perhaps she was also keeping an eye on the observer.

I couldn't blame her, or Kanitz: how could the Westrons trust me? I was Pylosian, and male. The only skill I'd shown was that I could control myself around a female in hemmer. Yet, Kanitz was showing me Themis' letter, letting me know the truth.

I could almost hear Themis' voice, as I read her words. They were addressed to Kanitz, and not to me, but still ...

She'd written an account of the battle of Tonol. There were no surprises in it - except that she made me sound like some kind of hero. I'd just stepped in, really, when the moment seemed to call for action. After that, it was just a case of one thing leading to another.

As I looked up, I noticed the attendant looking at me. I smiled, and said: "Hello."

She simply nodded. She was short, and a bit round, but I didn't see much beyond her incredibly long hair. It was wavy, and the colour of brass.

The second letter was Langoret's report. It was factually inaccurate. She gave me far too much credit, and herself too little. Then she gave Tudino her due, but went out of her way to repeat that the greatest share of the credit belonged to me. I shook my head.

The third report made me frown. It was General Brune's description of the Battle of Tonol. It was also a complete piece of fiction. I shouldn't have been surprised, I suppose; I'd already gotten the feeling that she would have fit right in at AFOTA.

I didn't have time to work out why Kanitz was showing me these before the Countess returned. She sat down opposite me.

- "What do you think?" she asked me.

- "Themis gives me too much credit. Langoret gives me far too much credit, and herself not nearly enough."

- "You didn't mention General Brune's report."

I didn't say a word.

"Ah." she said. "I see. Well, perhaps you could tell me your impressions of the battle."

- "It went much as Themis described. Colonel Langoret saved us - she moved at exactly the right moment, and struck at exactly the right place. But Colonel Tudino saved the entire army. She won the battle, if you ask me."

- "Have you had sex with Langoret?"

Kanitz's face hadn't changed. I couldn't remember her ever being petty. I decided that it was an honest question, to determine if I was biased.

- "No."

- "And Tudino?"

- "No."

- "Thank you, Acting-Colonel Cook. We appreciate your patience, because these things do matter. You captured quite a few enemy guns at Tonol, not to mention other materiel of all kinds. The prisoners, too ..."

"Prize money, Cook. The guns are extremely valuable; the Queen will buy them. Prisoners can be ransomed."

- "This is about determining shares of prize money?"

- "It's not insignificant. General Brune is entitled to 25%. But in her report, she was claiming 2/3 of the credit."

"From what I can tell, the honours seems to be divided equally between you, Langoret, and Tudino. If the Queen agrees, you will be a wealthy man, Cook."

- "Thank you, Countess." I was rich?

- "I had another reason for inviting you here." said Kanitz. "A friend of mine wanted to meet you ..."

The female attendant - with the long, brass-coloured hair, stepped forward.

- "Me." she said. "Wenzla, I need a glass of wine. Better yet, a bottle."

- "May I present Countess Aneli? Acting-Colonel Cook." said Kanitz, with a flourish.

Aneli? I scrambled to my feet.

- "Countess Aneli?" I bowed.

At close range, she had pouty lips, and a pug nose - retrousse, if I wanted to be charitable. Big blue eyes, which clashed with the brass of her hair. She looked much younger than I'd expected.

- "Right. Pleasure to meet you. Are you hungry? I sure am."

- "Food and drink." said Kanitz. "On their way."

The owner of the regiment I'd led at Tonol sat down opposite me.

- "I'm so sorry, Countess." I said.

- "Sorry? For what?"

- "That we lost so many of your ... women. Killed, and wounded."

She frowned, for a moment.

- "I wish they were alive, too, Cook. But you also won the first victory we've had against the Crolians in ... decades."

- "Countess Aneli is here for the victory parade." said Kanitz.

- "That's not all I'm here for!" said Aneli. She'd raised her voice just a bit.

Kanitz sat down beside her.

- "Cook, we de-briefed Langoret yesterday. Both Aneli and I were ... intrigued by some of the things she told us. It seems that you have quite a few ideas, about how to improve our army."

- "I want to hear them." said Aneli. "The girls say you've been making them run."

The girls? She'd been talking to the soldiers in her regiment. Her regiment.

- "Could you, perhaps, explain them to us?" asked Kanitz. "Just a summary, for now."

She didn't have to say anything more. This was another of Kanitz's tests. An audition, or another job interview. It was like being called into the counselor's office at AFOTA - except that I liked these women, and I wanted their side to win.

I tried to organize my thoughts, and prioritize them.

- "Ramrods ..." I began.

- "Iron, rather than wood." said Kanitz. "Noted. Go on."

I tried to explain the concept of 'Foot cavalry' - Stonewall Jackson's Virginian infantry, who'd covered 30 miles a day. To my mind, the shape of a Westron's foot should have meant that they could travel even farther - or faster.

- "I don't understand." said Aneli. "You would outpace your artillery, your supply wagons, and the oxen."

- "Exactly. You could be ten or twenty leagues from where the enemy would expect you to be."

- "Without artillery. Without food." she said. Still, I believe that she saw the possibilities. I discovered quite quickly that both women had a solid understanding of military matters.

I also tried to explain the concept of light infantry, or skirmishers. This was a harder sell, since neither had never seen or heard of Croatian Grenzers. Nor did they immediately grasp the idea of 'open' order.

- "We have a saying, in Pylos: to kill a man on a battlefield, you must spend an amount of lead equal to his weight."

That, they understood. Westron and Crolian muskets were notoriously inaccurate. Sergeants taught raw recruits to aim at the feet of their enemies, knowing that the musket would kick.

I had the data from my readings while in stasis:

- in 1755, two companies of Prussian grenadiers fired at a target which was roughly 30 feet wide, and 10' high. At 300 paces, 12.5% of them hit it. At 150 paces, 46% hit the target. In other words, over half of them couldn't hit the broadside of a barn.

- in a similar test, 720 French infantry fired at a target 3 metres high by 100 metres long. At 200 metres range, there were 18 hits.

These were solid targets. A line of soldiers was not a wall. But I tried to explain how Napoleon's voltigeurs, his skirmishers, had tormented formations of Austrian, Prussian and Russian line infantry.

"If you have 1,000 soldiers, holding a ridge line, let's say ... and I have 50, spread out - nobody with 10 metres of anybody else ... would you fire a volley at us?"

Kanitz saw it first. "No ... but you'd have a thousand targets, clustered together. You wouldn't miss so often."

- "Midges. Mosquitoes." said Aneli. Yes, unfortunately, there were mosquitoes on CW144.

- "But you couldn't swat them." pointed out Kanitz.

- "That won't win a battle." said Aneli.

It was difficult to explain what light troops could do to linear formations. Frederick the Great had been so frustrated by the Croats in the Hapsburg army, he'd tried to create light troops of his own: Jagers (hunters).

Rifles were known, in the Westron Kingdom. They were used for hunting. When I suggested what a company of rifles could do to a line of Crolian infantry, from over 300 yards away, Aneli's eyebrows rose dramatically.

- "But in defence," she said, "these troops would have to stand up to Crolian attack. If you leave your artillery behind ..."

- "True." I agreed. "But you could supplement their firepower with light guns. Three pounders."

- "We don't have very many guns that small."

We talked for quite a while. Late into the night, in fact.

- "You'll stay here." said Kanitz.

- "Countess - may I ask? How is Airta?"

Kanitz smiled. "Would you like to see her?"

I nodded. Kanitz stood, and led me into the Palace. Down two halls, into a room ... and there was Airta.

With two babies. Two red-haired moppets, one of them suckling at her breast. Airta looked up, and smiled at me.

She was happy to see me. That was all: there was no recrimination, no criticism for having been far away. But there was no ... family sense, either. I was here as a visitor - not as a father.

- "This is Oscel." she said, holding up our son. She'd named him for the remembrance flower - my gift to her.

"And this is Caneia. After my mother."

- "They're beautiful."

We visited for a while, until Kanitz discretely suggested that we should leave.

- "What can I do?" I asked. "Does she need money? Or-"

- "She has all she needs, Cook."

I understood, somehow, all at once.

- "She's their mother. I'm not really necessary, am I?"

Kanitz was gentle with me. "Airta is very fond of you, Cook. You will always be welcome to visit. And gifts are never out of place. Rest assured: your children will know who you are - and where you are."

"You can sleep here. Aneli wants to talk with you again, tomorrow. I do, too."

- "Thank you." I said.

***

Kanitz handed me a piece of paper. I didn't recognize what it was.

- "Your share of the prize money from Tonol." she said

It was a significant sum.

- "Doesn't this belong to you?" I asked Countess Aneli.

- "I wasn't there. You were."

"How much of this goes to the troopers?" I asked.

- "They've already received their shares." she said

- "How much did they get?"

Kanitz told me. It was a pittance, really. Enough to get drunk, or, if they were very careful, it might be the start of a nest egg for the future. All of their shares put together added up to little more than a tenth of what I had.

- "Is it allowed - if I want to increase their share?"

- "Out of your own pocket?" asked Kanitz.