John Ringo: East of the Sun, West of the Moon

“No, just wondering what you’re really planning,” Herzer admitted. He’d never been able to guess, but… it didn’t keep him from trying.

“With any luck at all, it will all be moot,” General Galbreath noted. “If Colonel Carson succeeds, the war will be over.”

“And he is training well,” Edmund said, distantly. “Herzer, have you taken a look at the Icarus force?”

“Not in depth,” Herzer admitted. “Among other things, I’m not cleared for full information. But I was sparring with the colonel earlier today and he’s a formidable fighter. If many of his men are like him, they’re going to do well.”

“And if we have the fuel tanker…” Galbreath said, breathlessly.

“That’s it,” Herzer said, nodding. “We keep the fuel and as soon as the New Destiny reactors run out, only Sheida and the rest will have power.”

“And then we’ll be able to stop this bloody war in its tracks,” Galbreath added, nodding. “No need for an invasion. For that matter, if we can track down the New Destiny Key-holders, and I’ll bet a lot that Sheida will have that well in hand, we can get back to a real life.”

Herzer looked at Edmund and raised an eyebrow.

“Color you pessimistic, boss?” he asked, lightly.

“There are few actions that are in and of themselves war winning,” Edmund admitted. “Think of it this way; if New Destiny gets the fuel, are we just going to roll over?”

“No,” Galbreath admitted, frowning. “Not given what they’ll probably do to the world.”

“I’d keep fighting,” Herzer said, working his jaw. “With my last breath.”

“There you are,” Edmund said, quirking one cheek in a grin. “And so will New Destiny, if only to keep from having us capture them alive. And the lack of intel on New Destiny’s plans makes me suspicious. I know they have to be planning something; they’re not asleep. But what is the question.”

“Less than a month until the first shuttle lands,” Herzer noted. “We’ll know soon enough.”

“In the meantime,” Edmund said, “we keep planning for victory and keeping one eye on failure. Which means we have to have the tenth legion. Even that is not enough. Sixty thousand legionnaires, less than half of them fully trained and the majority with no combat experience, against an estimated two hundred thousand Changed.”

“Ten thousand bowmen,” Galbreath reminded him. “Six thousand cavalry. And the dragon corps.”

“Three thousand actually bowmen ,” Edmund said, shaking his head.

“And the private regiments,” Galbreath pointed out and then winced.

“Damn the private regiments,” Edmund said, almost shaking in anger. “If we put that money where it should be we wouldn’t be scraping and scrabbling for another legion!”

“Some of them are good,” Herzer said, trying to mollify his boss. Under the constitutional strictures that Edmund himself had supported, the de facto existence of small private armies was fully legal. But it had been a huge political firestorm when it had been suggested that they become associated with the regular army and in the end the compromise had been the worst of all worlds. The regiments were to be supported by the army if called to field duty while the army had little or no control over their training, equipment, doctrine or leadership unless they were on field duty.

The training and equipment of the regiments was highly diverse, from local militias founded around pikes to battalions of heavy horse with everything in between.

“And the dragons were decimated in the Atlantis battles,” Edmund grumped, apparently willing to forget that the private regiments existed for the time. “Less than a hundred of them are left and all but two are wyverns.”

“Hey!” Herzer interjected. “Nothing wrong with wyverns!” The nonsentient two-legged flying beasts made up the bulk of the dragon corps. There were three types of wyverns: Powells, which were the primary strike force; Silverdrakes, which were small, fast and highly colorful air-to-air fighters; and Torejos, which were heavier beasts that were rarely used in direct combat but could be used for aerial resupply or the rare airmobile mission.

“Of course not,” Edmund replied, soothingly. Herzer had been in three major battles on wyvern back, despite his official status as an infantry officer. For that matter, he was a fair bowman. “But what I wouldn’t give for the same number of greater dragons.”

“If wishes were fishes,” Herzer pointed out.

“Well, if we want that tenth legion, we’d best get out and circulate,” Edmund said, shaking his head.

“Perhaps and perhaps not,” General Galbreath said, laying a hand on his arm. “Have you been watching Countess Travante?”

“No,” Edmund said. “I’m not a dirty old man.”

“It’s… enlightening if you know the political scene,” Galbreath said, quietly. “Just watch.”

“Lost,” Megan said quietly as a portly blond man approached with a significantly younger brunette female in tow.

“Duke Anatiev and Mrs. Lydia Pina,” Meredith whispered rapidly. “Kanaka. He dotes on his dog Puddles. Wants more money to flow through Kanaka. Leather and beef for legions. Kanaka Beef Corp.”

“Anatiev!” Megan said, smiling broadly as she took the man’s pudgy hand. “And Lydia! Lovely to see you this evening. No Puddles? Where is the little scamp?”

“Oh, Puddles can’t handle the excitement, Countess,” Anatiev said, beaming. “Just barks herself into a frenzy. You really should join us at the Dog Club one afternoon, all the best sorts are there.”

“Please call me Megan,” the councilwoman said with a smile. “I don’t currently have a pet. I’ve only just got my feet on the ground.”

“It must have been terrible,” Lydia Pina said, leaning forward.

“It was,” Megan replied, cutting off that flow of conversation. “I have been meaning to take the portal to Kanaka, though. I understand that it’s growing by leaps and bounds?”

“Well, we were,” the duke said, frowning. “But so much of the new lands are being broken closer to the coast that our sales are down sharply. Which is silly since we’ve all this beef on the hoof and the best slaughter houses in the nation. Transport, though…”

“Balmoran Canal…” Meredith whispered quickly.

“Well, if we can get the funding for the Balmoran Canal pushed through, the transportation costs will drop to nothing,” Megan pointed out. “Or the upgrades to the Nawlins ports. I think that KBC might be interested in talking to Commons Member Weiss.”

“Very good point,” the duke said, blinking rapidly. “But what would be really nice is if we could get some solid contracts with the military.”

“I suspect that will depend upon their needs, Duke,” Megan replied, smiling sweetly. “Especially if they have a tenth legion to support.”

“I do believe I said guaranteed, Megan,” the duke said, smiling back.

“Nawlins…” Meredith whispered.

“The Nawlins port upgrades are probably less expensive and would take a shorter time than the completion of the canal,” Megan replied, mentally kissing the support of the Balmoran contingent goodbye. “With that, leather and beef from KBC would be on a steadier stream. I think the military is more worried about guarantee of quality supply than actual cost, although it would have to be in line. But without that guarantee of supply, I think anything I would say would be dismissed.”

“And there is the question of what sort of legion,” the duke pressed. “Kanaka has some of the finest horsemen in the world…”