TNL 39 – Research & Navy Part One
On the fifth day of the month, Raidon arrives in Aran. In the harbor, once more, a soldier is waiting for him.
"How does he do that?" asks Raidon to no one in particular. "I'm sure we didn't see a single fishing boat this time, so they couldn't have told him we were coming."
Raidon doesn't have much time to think about it. As soon as the boat docks, he and his soldiers rush to the garrison.
Once there, Raidon immediately goes to the headquarters. The soldier on duty tells him that Brandon has been on the road with the inspector almost every waking moment during the past week.
"That inspector insists that he be accompanied by the sergeant. He does not want to accept Sergeant Brandon because he has not received confirmation of his promotion from the generals," the soldier tells him.
"Hmm, it's one of those people."
"Yes, Captain. The inspector even instructed his assistant to try one of our harnesses on. That man must have giant blood in his veins, that's how big he is. However, when he tried that harness, he fell to his knees within three steps."
"That may be true. No matter how big and strong he is, he will never be able to wear our armor with ease. Recently, I've learned that the harnesses are much lighter for us than they should be. Someone who tries to wear armor but is not a member of the legion will think that those things are made of lead. And for malicious people, they even seem to become so heavy that they cannot carry out their evil plans while wearing them."
"Sorry captain, it’s hard to comprehend that, what about Captain Bras? He could stand when he put on a harness."
"Well, but no matter how bad Bras was as captain, I don't think he was really evil. That might be different with this assistant. But enough talk, please send Sergeant Brandon here. I will have to hear him out about the inspector."
Soon Brandon arrives with the inspector on his heels, Raidon speaks to him.
"Brandon, I need you in the office. Mr. Inspector, I will speak to you shortly. Please be patient."
Brandon follows Raidon into the office while the inspector is clearly furious.
"Brandon," Raidon begins once they're in the office, "tell me about that inspector."
"Well, there is not much to tell. Imagine our old friend Captain Bras, but even more arrogant. That man has been getting under my skin since his arrival. So far we are not doing much correct and he thinks it’s not done to have him be received by a squad leader like me. So brace yourself."
"That might be fun. Fortunately, I have taken squad leader Ice and his squad with me, so it seems as if we have everyone back in the province. Now the inspector can't whine about that."
When Brandon wants to leave, Raidon quickly asks:
"What's the name of that man?"
"No idea, he hasn't lowered himself yet to tell a simple soldier like me his name. I can't get any further than that he has the rank of captain and therefore thinks that he should immediately take command here because he is by far the highest in rank."
"Well, then it's nice that I got my promotion to captain just before I left."
Brandon looks at Raidon in amazement. "Congratulations, Captain! That will take some getting used to. Everyone is used to calling us both sergeant."
As soon as Brandon leaves the office, the inspector storms in.
"How dare you make me wait for that simple squad leader! I am a captain of Falwyn's armies and appointed investigator by the generals of the armies of her majesty the empress! In rank, I am the highest in this whole province and therefore authorized to take command of your whole bunch of men." After this outburst, the investigator stands there panting right in front of the desk.
"Mr. Investigator," Raidon begins quietly, "as you know, I have only just arrived in the city. I needed to know what the situation is with the men under my command. You as captain should know how important that is."
The investigator seems to be calming down a bit.
"I'll start over. My name is Captain Raz, of the Beynon family. As I said, I have the rank of captain and with that I am taking over the command of this province. You are now under my command as a sergeant and I will not hesitate to have you demoted back to squad leader if I deem it necessary!"
Raidon remains calm, causing even more irritation with the investigator.
"Captain, I'm afraid I have to correct you. You are not the highest in rank in the province. That's me."
"What! Absolutely not!"
"Once again, I am. As commander of the province garrison, I am senior in rank to anyone else of the same rank. I must inform you that it would not have mattered under any circumstances. We of the New Legion are not under the command of the regular army. Only the Empress herself can command us."
The investigator does not hesitate for a moment.
"What do you mean the same rank! You're a sergeant and I'm a captain!"
Apparently, the investigator did not get anything from what Raidon just told him.
"I got my promotion a few days ago. I am a captain these days, just like you. With that, I fear that your attempt to take over is doomed to fail, even if we could be forced to accept you as a possible commander of the New Legion."
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"Impossible! The generals don’t agree with any promotions, otherwise I would have heard it!"
Raidon has to sigh deeply after this statement by the investigator.
"Like I said, we are under the personal command of the Empress. And that in name only! We do not get our promotions from an earthly person, but directly from the god Mithras. As soon as we are ready for a promotion, it appears on our armor. This means that there is no ignorance in our chain of command like there exists in other armies. It also means that the generals have nothing to say about our promotions. That is why you have not heard anything about this. What does surprise me is that you do not know this. As an appointed investigator, you need to know how the New Legion works, right? Or did the generals just pick some clueless noble to poke around?"
The investigator seems to be speechless. He turns around without saying anything and walks out of the office.
For two days, Raidon sees very little of the investigator. Apparently the man can feel that Raidon has less patience with him than Brandon has had. The man interrogates several soldiers of the garrison and also talks to the main inhabitants of the city. Furthermore, he spends most of his time sifting through the reports that the New Legion made.
When Raidon finally speaks to the man again, the investigator tells him that he has finished his investigation.
"So you're leaving again?" asks Raidon.
"Absolutely. I think I have a pretty clear picture of the situation. I will leave a copy of my investigative report for you and I am sure the generals will be very interested in the outcome. I think you'll see me again soon with authorization from the generals to improve things here. Then I will probably also have the orders with me that make it clear that you are nothing more than a bunch of farmers who need real officers."
That said, the investigator leaves an astonished Raidon behind.
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Report
In the name of the Empress, this investigation has begun to assess the unit called The New Legion based on their actions taken.
Upon further investigation, it turned out that the following points were not in order:
1. The commander was not present on the arrival of the investigator.
2. Provincial capital Aran is not continuously guarded by the number of soldiers ordered.
3. Patrols are dispatched from Aran by an undermanned garrison.
4. Percentage of casualties is much higher than might be expected after confrontation with simple pirates/bandits.
5. Pirate loot was not sent to the treasury in its entirety.
6. Taxes have not been collected in the province.
7. The province of Aran is in poor condition.
8. The walls of the city of Aran are in less than perfect condition.
9. The barracks are not in such repair that it can receive visiting units.
10. Without permission, additional support people are recruited.
The conclusion of this investigation must therefore be that the New Legion did not adhere to their assigned tasks. Although the orders specifically state that the garrison at Aran must at all times consist of at least a full platoon, this is never the case. In addition, the soldiers from these units have suffered extremely large losses in their actions against untrained and poorly armed men. This is evident by the large percentage of dead and wounded after a skirmish with simple pirates.
Furthermore, several of the points mentioned are obscured or otherwise hidden away in the reports sent to the army command.
My advice is therefore that this unit is not worthy of its independent position and should be dissolved or transferred.
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When Raidon and Brandon go through the report together, they are both outraged. Brandon, in particular, can't stand someone being so negative about their performance.
"How does that man expect us to send patrols and keep fifty men in Aran? We only have seventy-seven men who are uninjured. That's impossible!" exclaims Brandon.
"Calm down, Brandon. This is what we expected, isn't it?"
"Yes, you're right about that, but still!"
Raidon and Brandon decide to send a message for the Empress to the capital. If this report is the only message that reaches the capital, then the generals will once again try to disband the New Legion. So they really can’t afford to have the message intercepted like how it happened in the past with the message they sent from the training camp. Just like last time, when Morris brought the message to the Empress, this time an officer with a squad of soldiers will have to go.
"Brandon, I want you to personally convey the message. You can take a squad from the second platoon with you. You will have to keep a good pace. If Empress Alyena does not get hold of this soon enough, the generals can put far too much pressure on her."
Raidon focuses on the rest of the distribution of soldiers.
"Lenn is doing fine as commander of Fort Alpha. I think I'll call him back to act as commander of Aran while you're away. Who do you think can take over Lenn's duties at Fort Alpha? Mateo is already in the pirate village, Ice is going with you and I want to take Gareth back to the naval base."
"Well, then I think it's best to have Indigo."
"Indigo? I don't think I know him."
"That may be true. Indigo is in the second platoon and has been promoted after the battle with the pirates. I think Indigo is the best to command Fort Alpha. I think he has a talent for organization, just like Lenn and I."
"Don't you think I should send Ice there to support him? He has the same combat insight as I have, and you could take someone else."
"I don't think that that's necessary. It's not like we're expecting an attack on the fort. And even it that would happen, they would have to be very strong to get over those walls. Then it would make little difference whether Ice would be there or Indigo. Anyone of us knows how to win a fight, otherwise we wouldn't have been promoted."
"Then I think we should leave John there to help him. John is getting better and better at sneaking around during his patrols, so at least then we know for sure that good patrols are being carried out."
When Brandon wants to leave, Raidon stops him for a while.
"Before I forget to ask: how did you know the right moment I would arrive at the port?"
"Yes, that was nicely timed, wasn't it," Brandon replies. "I spent some time with some of Ryker's colleagues. They taught me a thing or two about the sea. With a little calculation you can find out when a boat arrives. Just look at what the weather is like and where the wind is coming from and you apply that to the distance to be covered."
"You might call that easy, I call it complicated."
Brandon leaves the room, but before closing the door, he says:
"Me too, that's why I put someone on the lookout who saw your boat coming."
Raidon stays in town for almost a week to assess how Lenn and Indigo will fare when they arrive, but two days after they take over, he's seen enough. When he finally decides that the two squad leaders can indeed handle their new commands, it turns out that as commander of the legion he has some influence on the ranks within the legion. The same day that he decides that he can leave, it appears that Lenn has been promoted, complete with the double arrows on his shoulders. The next day, a messenger comes to tell us that the same thing has happened to Indigo.
Since the pirates have been defeated, it seems quite attractive for young people to join the legion. The twenty-two recruits Raidon wanted in the city have already been found, and there are even seven additional recruits who can go to the naval base. Unfortunately, Lenn and Indigo indicate that there is little chance that more recruits can be found in the city. Securing the province now has a counterproductive effect on recruitment. Despite the popularity of the New Legion, most young people are more likely to work for their own families. The city is getting more and more traffic now that the roads are safe again. The negative atmosphere in the city has completely changed. It is now a pleasant bustle wherever you go.