Snippet #1880660

The nights in the wastes passed far too quickly in Farren’s opinion, and Aethes was no exception to this fact. It felt as if only mere moments had passed since moonrise, since the stars had appeared, since the reservoir had lit up with those strange, ethereal glows… but he had seen the lights fade into the waters as the sun peaked the horizon. Another night had come and gone. It had been yet another sleepless night for the First Lieutenant, and now the calm of the cool darkness made way for the blistering heat and the commotions of The Army.

Exactly which imbecile’s idea had it been for Tenko to make a speech on such a day?

The preparations were tedious – the positioning of the soldiers, the distribution of the people, they were all things that to be arranged specifically for the occasion… this pointless occasion. They’d gone through the motions before. Farren still remembered the leader’s last attempt at oration. His grey eyes narrowed at the memory. With such mediocre words, he wondered how Tenko had managed to inspire such confidence, such support from the people. Well, then again, if the speeches were successful, there would have been no reason for bloodshed in the first place. These ‘rebels’ would have been rooted out by the outraged citizens of Aethes themselves. That man had far more than a mere army at his disposal – he had a whole city at hand with all its people, yet the he lacked the will or simply the thought to use it. The fool.

Farren had decided for himself that such ‘public speeches’ were to be treated simply as a front. After all, it was the perfect opportunity to bait out those rebels and be rid of them once and for all. If it was up to him alone, he would have issued a kill-on-sight command to all the soldiers should they notice any rebel activity. However, he had been opposed. Kill-on-sight would have ‘disrupted the peace’ and ‘caused a commotion’.

Really, in that case, the commotion would have started a long time ago. If done right, there would have been no problem… and Farren made sure he did things right.

… The heat was getting to him, irritating him… otherwise he wouldn’t be thinking such thoughts so early in the day. Unlike some other changers, like those soldiers lazing about in the shade as animals, Farren had no such option. The dark coat of his lupus form would have simply absorbed the sun’s rays to irk him all the more. However, the fact of the matter was, his uniform was not much better.

Now that it occurred to him, what excuse could these soldiers possibly have for shirking their duty in favor of rest? Surely they would have learned by now that his orders were not to be taken lightly, and with his current level of irritation, they might just all find themselves in the fighting pit for no reward at all… no. He couldn’t lose his head over a little bit of sun. With such a big event, every soldier mattered. He slowed to a stop when he passed one of the buildings within the fortress, with concrete slabs arranged into a sort of tilted overhang.

“The four of you,” he stated slowly, staring down at their heaving forms. “You’re stationed by the main gates.”

Startled by the sudden appearance of their lieutenant, the soldiers bolted upright. Two dogs cringed, ears flattened back and head dipped in some vague degree of shame. The miao took to slinking further into the shade, at which Farren narrowed his eyes further. The cat froze.

Only one soldier was in human form, and he wore no shirt in an attempt to salvage some degree of comfort. Clearly, from the heavy breathing, it helped very, very little. This changer opened his mouth to stammer some irrelevant excuse – something about the heat, something about the speech… pointless and useless nonsense. His ramblings were cut short when Farren stepped forward, slow enough to see the next excuse die on this soldier’s lips.

“Some fine soldiers are braving this heat in the fighting pit. If you do not wish to work, you are free to join them,” Farren told them. The heat of the sun did little to warm the coldness of his words. “If the sun is all it takes to bring you to your knees, perhaps you need more training.” He cut the next excuse short. “Do not try to justify your actions. If the heat is your excuse, it is for every other changer in Aethes. Tell me, then where would the Army be?”

Closer to where he wanted it to be, that’s where. If only the Army were so weak and feeble, everything would fall into place as he wanted it. However, Farren knew better than to linger on impossible thoughts. The fact of the matter was, Aethes was Tenko’s. Farren was simply the commander of the forces. Well, with some patience, all that would come to change… but for now…

“If you understand me, get to your posts,” he ordered. Swiftly and silently, the four did just that.

Farren grimaced and looked about him at the Fortress. To one side was a line of makeshift warehouses, each seemingly secure and guarded. To the other side were the crumbling barracks, where it seemed more soldiers had taken refuge from the beating sun. He would deal with them later. As of now, Farren had to report to the leader for duty.

The walkway was one of the main features of the Fortress, but really only ever used on occasions such as this. It was here, as always, that Farren found the others. He noted how that other Lieutenant had yet to arrive. However, Tenko and his wife was, along with Atra, that half-blind ariad bodyguard. Ah, yes, he was always near the leader. That was his role after all… He was good at what he does, perhaps did his job a little too well for Farren’s liking.

Then again, Farren had to admit that observing this bodyguard was a great deal of help in training that pair.

Drawing closer, Farren nodded to Tenko, raising his hand in salute. How much longer would he have to play this little game…? “Sir, the base is secure and the people have begun to gather. All we await is your speech,” he said in as proper a voice as he could manage. It sounded reasonably respectable.