A Battle Unseen

[Doc]

Meanwhile in Jildrati, Etxea, 5637

Three loud open palm slaps were heard on the board outside of the field tent.  The space heater was barely keeping up with the cold of the night, and the Colonel hadn't had much sleep in the evening.  The Colonel slung his feet out of the sleeping bag and over the edge of the cot.  He looked around and though it was still dark, but there was plenty of light outside from the encampment.  Three more loud slaps on the board outside of the tent.  The Colonel grabbed his heavy woolen socks and started putting them on his feet.

"Entra aqui," the Colonel yelled, annoyed that he had been woken up a half hour before revilie by the boot fire watch.

A Lance Corporal entered and stood at attention.  He wore his woodland camoflague, a flak vest over that, and then a field coat over the flak vest.  He also had a duty belt on and his uniform was ironed, but not clean.  He snapped a salute smartly and the Colonel stood on his MRE box floor that barely kept out the mud.  He gave a lax salute in return.  "Que eso es, Lance Corporal?"  the Colonel asked in a heavy Suldanoran accent.

"Sir, I have been sent from the CP...  um...  I uh...  I..."

"Diga me, man."

"The Empress...  she's here."

"What Empress?" he asked, still half asleep, and rubbing his eyes.

"The Empress...  THE Empress, sir."

"Did Nathans send you down here, Lance Corporal?  Es un chiste?"

"No sir.  She's here."

"Donde es la Empreza aqui, Lance Corporal?  Is ella aqui ahora?"

"No Sir, she's..."  The Lance Corporal was interrupted by another three loud slaps on the board.

"What the hell is this?!"  the Colonel shouted.  "Come the hell in, que coño!"

The flap on the Colonel's tent opened, and a Captain stuck his head inside. and yelled authoritatively, "ATTENTION!"  The Lance Corporal was already at attention, but the Colonel rolled his eyes.  He was used to practical jokes, but he kept his sense of humor close.  These jokers were going to get everyone killed.  But the Captain held the tent flap open, and a woman walked in.  She was dressed in an olive canvas blouse with a green kevlar vest.  Her long light brown hair was tied in behind her head.  She's not military, he instantly thought.  As she stood up before the Colonel, and he read the nametag that had been hastily tacked on the kevlar, the Colonel thought "Chinga me..."

Without a change in his demeanor, the Colonel looked at the Lance Corporal and said "You're dismissed, Lance Corporal.  Thank you." and then he called out the door "Tambien Capitan."  Both of the two militia departed quickly.  Meanwhile the Colonel went to the other side of the tent, grabbed a fold up wooden field chair that was at his desk and opened it, placed it down next to the lady, and said "Madame..." as he gestured to the chair.  After she sat down, very properly, as if she had never sat on a wooden chair before, the Colonel went back to his field cot, pushed his sleeping bag toward the wall, and sat down on the rack.

A long pause, as the Empress stared at the Colonel, and he stared back at her, moderately annoyed at the early morning surprise visit.  After what was likely not more than 20 seconds, the Colonel said "What can I do for you, Your Highness?"  The Empress was not used to this sort of abruptness.  This Militia man spoke like he had no care or even really knowledge of the Protocol.  The Empress was taken aback somewhat.

"Colonel...  We..."

"Con permiso, mi Mujer, if you would, I am just a simple man.  Can we, just, entre tu y yo, speak like two normal people?  I don't want to waste your time, and I beg you not  to waste mine.  Please just tell me what you would like.  And if it helps, I am at your service."

The Empress caught her breath...  She inhaled sharply, and started.  "Ok Sir.  We can do this.  You are to be promoted."

"Madame," the Colonel said with a sig, and proceeded to explain to this kid how the milita worked.  "The Militia only goes up to Colonel.  We do not..."

"Colonel, Sir.  Can you please let me speak."  The Colonel opened his eyes.  He too was not used to some civilian talking to him like this.  He clapped his hand, and mimed zipping his mouth shut.

"You wished to speak plainly, Colonel.  But I am not in your Militia.  I am your Empress.  If we wish to speak plainly, I will ask you to speak to me respectfully."  The Colonel, reminded that even he had a chain of command, at length nodded.  "Yes Madame.  Tiene me promesa."

"As I was saying, Colonel.  It is my desire to promote you to the Brevet Rank of Regular Brigadier General.  It is our desire that you shall serve the Empire directly.  Tiene algunas preguntas, señor?"

"Yes, Madame.  Why?"

"I would prefer that my subjects be commanded by Kalistanis.  We offered the militia to the Kundrati Union to command, because we didn't want Kalistan to need to declare war.  But we also didn't want to run into a situation we had last time, where if you needed to do something that might reflect poorly upon the service, and you went ahead and did it, we would have to have you answer for it and justify your actions."

"Do you mean what I think you mean, Señora?"

"It is likely that I mean precisely what you think I mean."

"Creo que lo entiendo, Majesty."

"As a Regular General, however, whatever the Kundratis tell you, you are in a chain of command that reports to me as well.  And here's what I want you to do.  You will follow the orders of the Etxeans, of course.  But you are also to operate with a separate set of orders above this, where ever you can."

"How do you mean, Señora?"

"IBSI has informed me that you may have some misgivings about how the Militia is to be used."

"No Madame," said the Colonel.  In fact he had, but how could she possibly know?  And who are these IBSI guys she was referring to?

"Of course not, Colonel," she said, calling his bluff.  "That being the case, whenever you get the opportunity to work with Hutori, you should take it.  You know that the main strength of the Irregulars is in mobility.  You are not regular infantry:  You have trained for centuries to be a mobile force, to avoid direct confrontation, and to avoid encirclement like the plague."

"Madame, have you ever served in the Militia?"

"No Colonel.  Don't be silly."  Then, the Colonel thought, how did she confidently speak like a general or a military theorist?  "With you as a Regular Officer, your command is to finesse as much mobility out of your orders as you possibly can.  We don't have any armor here, and it could become very easy for you to lose thousands very quickly if things shift.  So at the end of the day, you are to stay as mobile as you can without directly violating orders.  No pitched battles against hardened positions, not defense of indefensible points.  You are not to allow your men and women be used as bodies the throw at these fascists."

"Señora!  That's what I was saying!" said the Colonel.  "We're meant to be on the move, we are meant to serve behind enemy lines, to break things that the enemy uses to coordinate their defense, to do counter insurgency...  Matar los enimigos, claro?  I have been saying this..."

The Empress nodded her head.  "Sir, I am already aware of this," she said.

The Colonel paused.  Of course she was. 

"I think I hear your bugler calling morning colors.  So:  in these last few moments, let me tell you.  You will want to connect up with the Hutorian officer whose name is on this piece of paper.  After you read this, get rid of this paper.  They will contact you shortly."  The Empress slipped the Colonel a piece of paper.  "Colonel, do you have the name?"

"Si Dama," said the Colonel.

"Good, now burn that."  The Empress stood up, and the Colonel reflexively stood up as well, as he would do with a commanding officer. 

"Colonel, I will leave you and will meet you once more at your formation.  After you do your head count and pass word, I will personally conduct the promotion ceremony.  Then if you would indulge me, while your troops eat chow, I would appreciate it if you would let me speak with them for a while and kind of get to know them?  I am in country to promote you in our service, but part of my goal here is to let your men and women know that we are thinking of them and are behind them.  I want to remind them that they are fighting for one reason and one reason only:  It is not to put any person into power, or to gain anything for our Empire or anyone else's.  We are not here for punishment or revenge.  We are not here to be used by others.  We are here to set the men and women of this country free.  And when you are done, you go home and we will welcome you back as heroes.  But for a lot of you, you will be buried here.  So you are fighting for freedom and you are fighting to come back home.  Is that acceptable to you Sir?"

"Madame, absolutamente," said the Colonel. 

"Very well.  I will meet you at your formation."  The Colonel snapped to attention and Threw a sharp salute.  The Empress, lowered her head to acknowledge the salute.  "General, look to your Corps..." she said as she turned, opened the tent flap and let herself out.

The Colonel cut his salute as she left.  "Si, Señora."