In the end, Regina decided to split the difference and play it safe as much as possible. It might be she only got the worst of both options that way, but she didn’t feel like she had much of a choice — she couldn’t afford to ignore the situation in their occupied territories or refuse what she needed to manage it, and putting blind trust in Nerlians would be really stupid. So she would make use of Green and like-minded people, give them some tasks to handle for the hive, while keeping them away from the most strategically valuable stuff.
Of course, it was a balancing act. They definitely got more information than she wanted them to have, if they tried to pass it on to the Nerlian government. But their ability to actually act would hopefully be limited. They couldn’t do anything about the hive or her drones directly, so the worst was sabotage of infrastructure and generally turning the situation in the area against them. That would hurt the local civilians more than the hive, and Regina discussed some contingencies and defensive measures with the drones in the area and those responsible for managing their logistics.
Even if they were only taking some initial steps, it made the situation in Nerlia much simpler. Pointedly giving some authority to locals, some voice in the decisions about what was happening, seemed to reassure the humans a lot. There was still a lot of grumbling and barely concealed distrust, but that was a given.
The progress was good, since they were starting to encounter heavier resistance in Nerlia. The main army of the Nerlians, together with the Cernlian king’s forces, were still slowly making their way through Whitor’s earldom towards them, but they were still some distance away. Their ritual had clearly completely run out by now, with the soldiers moving only as quickly as exhausted human fighters would be expected to march. In Nerlia itself, though, several nobles or remaining commanders had gathered forces to oppose the hive’s push. While they hadn’t coalesced into a single proper army quite yet, they were definitely consolidating their forces. Regina supposed they thought that they needed a big army to face the hive’s expeditionary force. If so, they weren’t wrong. At least not about that part.
Ben was still coordinating their advance into Nerlia, mainly, although several commanders on the ground also had important roles. He’d decided to stay with Regina for now, although she knew that he wanted to get back to the front soon. In response to the Nerlian muster, they had consolidated their own troops a little, as well. They were still split into several corps, but those remained nearby enough to support each other, and they’d limited how far and in what numbers they were sending out scouts and smaller detachments.
We need to make a decision, if not now, then soon, Ben told her as Regina contacted him for a regular update and discussion of the situation. It will depend on our goals in Nerlia and the war as a whole.
Then what options do we need to choose between? she asked.
We have to choose how we handle the Nerlians and their forces here, he elaborated. We can try to force a decisive battle. We’d probably win that, even without relying too heavily on explosives or chemical weapons we can Conjure. But we’d need to ensure that they rout and hopefully don’t get the chance to regather their forces. Which means crushing them, or taking a large number of prisoners we’d then have to deal with, I suppose. Or we could try to follow a similar strategy as in northern Cernlia, and rely on attrition and indirect warfare. That would probably mean dragging this phase of the war out longer. It’s going to have implications for how quickly we move. And, of course, how we deal with the Nerlian civilians.
Regina didn’t answer right away, instead taking her time to think through what he’d said and consider their options. She also spent a bit of time considering what she actually wanted here.
I’d like to win this without rivers of bloodshed or turning them against us too much, she finally said. It would be best if we could get a significant portion of their forces to surrender. How likely do you think that is?
Ben hesitated. It depends, my Queen, and I’m honestly not sure. It’s hard to assess their morale. Many of the men fighting for Nerlia won’t be professional soldiers, but on the other hand, they are defending their home. And even if we take pains to get the local civilians on our side, it’s probably unlikely to trickle through to them. I’m not sure if a crushing blow to shatter their morale would work best, or to by some other means show them the pointlessness of what they’re fighting for, or who.
Regina exhaled and passed a hand through her hair. I’m not demanding miracles of you, she assured him. That said, which option do you prefer, Ben?
I will need a bit of time to think about it, he said, feeling apologetic. We can run through some scenarios and formulate some options for achieving our goals.
That would be great, she responded, then gave him a soft, playful mental poke. Sorry to move the goalposts on you.
It’s the challenges that make my work satisfying, he replied drily, but with the shadow of a mental grin.
Regina grinned back, but she did feel a bit concerned. She tried not to let that show, though. This wasn’t the first time they’d talked about their goals and objectives, but she was looking forward to seeing what he might come up with. Regina was self-aware enough to know that she probably wasn’t the best person to be planning a military strategy, even for political reasons. Although she didn’t intend to just sit around until he delivered her the perfect plan to victory, either.
Don’t hesitate to ask if you need any help or resources, she said. Also, you might want to talk to some of our allies, or just Janis, and some of the Nerlians we’re starting to work with now. I’ll put a few Keepers on the task and have them gather intelligence to help you.
I will, my Queen, and thank you.
Regina was going to keep an eye on that, too. Better understanding the mindset of the civilians in their occupied territory, and why they felt the way they did, was going to be crucial.
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She checked in on Janis, debating having a longer talk about the issue with her. For all that she cared for her drones, none of them really understood the more … ethically problematic issues. She wasn’t sure if it was a difference in biology, genetics, or culture. Hopefully not upbringing, or that would basically make it my fault, right? Regina grimaced. Her drones were great, but Janis was the one member of the hive she was confident actually had a moral compass. One in good working order. It probably wasn’t the strictest, Janis wasn’t going to start orienting her actions on Kant any time soon, but that didn’t really matter. Anyone too set on deontological moral philosophy was not going to work well with her anyway.
When she focused on Janis’ mind in the psychic link, the first thing she sensed was tiredness. It had been that way for a while now. The campaign in Whitor’s earldom was exhausting for her. It probably wouldn’t be that bad if Janis didn’t insist on participating actively on the front, but Regina didn’t say anything about that. Instead, she just watched as Janis dismounted from a flying drone mount, staggering into the tent other drones had set up in a makeshift outpost between two rocky, forested hills.
Regina? Janis asked as she grabbed a bottle of water and started chugging it down. Can I do something for you?
Maybe later, Regina answered. I wanted to have a talk, but it might take a bit longer, and I don’t want to distract you now. How has it been going, though?
Pretty well, I guess, Janis said, although she seemed a bit hesitant. I’ve coordinated and led a few strikes, but our activities were strictly limited. It’s only effective as part of our larger strategy. She shrugged. I do think it’s having some effect, though. They’re clearly getting more hesitant, and I’ve had a few enemy fighters running away pretty quickly now.
That’s good to know, Regina replied, then stopped as a human soldier approached Janis to speak with her.
The two of them started to talk as they walked out of the tent, and Regina took the chance to get a better overview of the local situation. Whitor had dispersed most of his men into smaller units, to work with the hive more effectively. They were pretty useful for knowing the terrain, if nothing else. He also had dedicated people working as support, who could do some things the hive didn’t have as much access to, like blacksmiths or other crafts. Those were proving themselves pretty useful, too. Regina was allowing them to learn a trickle of know-how from the drones, although she made sure that was carefully limited. Still, it had been more than enough to make them all eager for new knowledge.
The most important things were probably ones that wouldn’t have much impact in this war, but which would be important later. She hoped to get more subtle things like an appreciation for science across, but that was admittedly difficult.
It seemed like Janis was in for a longer discussion, so Regina turned her attention elsewhere. The rest of this front, if you could call it that, seemed to be pretty much the same. The combined army had definitely slowed down; while it was obvious at this point that the effects of their ritual had faded completely a while ago, it didn’t seem to have had any negative consequences. At least not beyond what you’d expect from marching for those days, anyway. Although it was hard to be sure, since she couldn’t assess their state very accurately. There was only so much information you could get from watching an army move, a limitation she was really starting to feel. Maybe it was time to inquire with the marquis or Kiara again about their potential informants.
Maybe I should send an envoy to the Esemen, Regina thought absently, then paused. She drummed her fingers on her leg as she considered the idea that had suddenly come to her. It had potential, she decided. Obviously, it would be a very dangerous posting, as far as diplomatic assignments went. And with what happened to Bea … Her gaze darkened and she forced herself to think of something else. Maybe she should have a human as her representative for this?
It might be better that way. June or Florance Lyns remained her hostages, so they weren’t an option, although it would have been a good one in some ways. Regina didn’t have many other human candidates who qualified, though. She could send someone from the village, if anyone had the necessary skill for it, but that might be taken as an insult. Apart from that, she could only rely on Lyns or even Whitor, which kind of defeated the purpose, and the Neralts.
Marianne Neralt, perhaps? I’ll ask her, Regina decided. Despite or because of being excluded from actual power as a woman, the older Neralt was a good hand at social stuff, perceptive and articulate. She’d be familiar with noble customs, at least enough to get by, and being a noble should be enough to give her the status needed as an ambassador. Regina should probably offer something in exchange, though. It was a challenging and potentially dangerous posting, assuming the Esemen even accepted an envoy from the hive.
She could offer some kind of guarantees regarding territory to Neralt — no, to Marianne personally and specifically. Maybe not as a feudal lord — Regina would prefer to move away from that, as far as she could — but some position of administration, power and authority. She’d need governors or something similar, anyway. Having a qualified candidate to be … governor, seneschal, or viceroy, or whatever, would be good, anyway, so she could get two birds with one stone.
And I should probably sit down with some people and work out what kind of governing system I want to set up, Regina considered, although not knowing how things will turn out, or even having a specific goal to be met or not, is making that difficult.
She shook her head and stood up. The room started to sway around her, and Regina leaned forward, catching herself with a hand at the edge of her bed.
“Regina? Are you alright?” Ira asked, her tone and sense in the psychic link concerned.
“Fine.” Regina waited a moment for the dizziness to fade, then stood up and brushed off her hands, turning to the door.
“You’ve been sitting still in meditation too much,” Ira noted.
“I’ve been taking regular breaks to increase the hive’s numbers,” Regina protested.
Ira gave her a significant look, saying See? without actually speaking or sending the words.
“Whatever,” Regina grumbled. “It’s time for the next batch, anyway. Come help me.”
Ira moved a little closer to her than normal as they moved into the adjoining bathroom, and Regina sensed her calling another of the nearby Attendants over.
“You shouldn’t skip your training sessions,” she said in a low tone.
“Fine,” Regina sighed. “I’ll keep up the exercise. I promise.”
Ira was probably right, she had to grudgingly admit. With the war, Regina had neglected her training. She still found some time for magic, though not as much as she’d like, but it had been a while since she’d last gone for a flight, or even had a sparring match. With a start, she realized she hadn’t seen the sky in days. And she’d still been putting her body under stress.
“I’ll be going to visit the Neralts later,” she continued instead of admitting that. “You should come with me, if you like. And we’ll take the time for some training and flying back.”
Ira managed to seem satisfied without her face reflecting it at all, or her presence in the psychic link changing much. Regina grumbled about having pushy assistants and made sure she caught the echo of it over the psychic link. She still found herself almost smiling and, although she wasn’t going to say it, she felt better.