The Lotus Eaters

Rome, Province of Italy, Old Earth

The SecGen tugged at one altogether too perfect ear. 'The last time we got involved in a war, directly, on the ground of Terra Nova, we had out asses handed to us. It was too far and too hard to support. And the guerillas impossible to eradicate.'

'That's true,' Wallenstein conceded. 'But it's not as if we sent very good people to fight that war. We were still consolidating our hold here and simply didn't have the quality to spare.'

'I don't have it now, either,' the SecGen said. 'You've seen the streets of Rome, the strutting parasites living off of the achievements of their elders, sporting their diadems, and simply assuming that this way of life is eternal, without any need for sacrifice. Moore, I know, showed you the Ara Pacis and the . . . sacrifices. I have no worthwhile Class Ones to send you, Admiral. The few of them that are both capable and trustworthy I need here.'

'I'll make do with good Class Twos and Threes,' Wallenstein answered. She was surprised, shocked really, that the SecGen saw Earth pretty much as she did. He likely didn't see his entire Class the way she did though.

I wouldn't take any Class Ones if you offered them. Well, I'd prefer not to, anyway. 'And I intend to use locals to do our campaigning for us. There are many there who would prefer to see the enlightened rule of United Earth.'

'That hasn't worked out that well so far,' the SecGen said.

Wallenstein nodded. 'Martin was, perhaps, overly ambitious,' she answered.

Furiocentro Convention Center, Balboa City, Balboa, Terra Nova

'The program is ambitious,' Carrera admitted. 'But it is not, as a practical matter, more ambitious than the one that brought us from an idea, to a staff, to a small legion, to two small ones, to two larger ones, to four of them, plus supporting arms.

'The very short version of this is that every current legion is going to become a corps. A fifth corps will be created from tidbits taken from here and there. Every tercio will become a legion, plus several legions will have to be created almost from scratch. Every existing cohort will have to expand to the size of a tercio, and reconfigure itself to be an organization for heads up, conventional combat. I mean serious bloodletting.

'Some—many—of the units are going to have to shit large cadres to form still others.

'We are going to be buying or building or rebuilding tanks and planes and ships and guns as never before. We need trucks and helicopters and armored personnel carriers galore. Uniforms. Rifles. Radios. Machine Guns. Mortars . . . Ammunition.'

Carrera stopped to pour himself a drink of water, wishing deep down that it were whiskey, before continuing with, 'The biggest change will be in personnel management. We're not going to be a regular force anymore. In fact, the regulars will be pretty much limited to you people here, and those who couldn't attend but who have at least earned stripes. You will provide a cadre for units four times bigger than the cadres you provide. The difference will be made up of reservists, men and women we've sent to training, kept with the colors for a year or so to assimilate and socialize them, and then released to civil life . . . to partly civil life. Between you and the reservists, you will form the core for units, again, four times larger, with the difference being made up of militia. The difference between reservists and militia will be ability. The militia will be average, everyday Juans. The reservists will be those with some of that special spark that all or at least most of you have. Overall, the ratio will be one regular to three reservists to twelve militia.

'Generally speaking, you will all hold two ranks, permanent and full mobilization. You'll wear and be paid at your full mobilization rank when you are, in fact, mobilized and when your units are called up for training.

'Yes, that means the twenty-four or so thousand people we have on their second or subsequent enlistment, or who are lifers, will form the leadership for a force of about ninety-six thousand, not quite three percent of the country, while that ninety-six thousand will provide the leadership for a full force of nearly four hundred thousand, or about eleven percent of the country.'

'Yesss . . . that's right, all you squad and section leaders. Get used to the idea of being First Centurion to a maniple . . . soon. Signifers and junior tribunes'—which in most armies would have been called 'second-' or 'first lieutenants'—'I sure hope you've been keeping up with your studies; you're going to be commanding cohorts before the signifier half of you even have to begin shaving regularly. Senior Tribunes?'—captains and majors in other armies—'There are eagles in your future . . . that, or relief for cause.'

Headquarters, Tauran Union Security Force-Balboa, Bldg 59, Fort Muddville, Balboa

In his ornate office, behind his massive desk made of hand carved Terra Novan silverwood, Janier contemplated the series of gold-embroidered eagles on the blue material of the sleeves of his reproduction marshal's uniform.

How sad, he thought, to be born into the wrong time. Seven centuries ago and I could have marched with the Emperor; made my name at Marengo, Austerlitz, Jena-Auerstadt. Now, all I can do is try to make my name in Balboa . . . which is hardly the same thing. Life is so unfair.

Still, it could be worse. I have good troops, great power. The weather is pleasant and the surroundings more civilized than in, say, Middle Uhuru. At least my mistress here is approximately white.

The general breathed a deep sigh pregnant with frustration. I could take the rest of this country if my political masters would allow me to and support me in it. At least, now I could. It's simply a question of isolating that force out on the Isla Real by navy and air, and we have the assets to do both back in Taurus, then grabbing Parilla's government, the one that presides over the rest of Balboa. Yes, there are a hundred thousand enemy reservists, but they can be handled with their leadership stuck out on the island. And even the island must surrender when the food runs out.

There are, of course, those distressing rumors that the Legion del Cid has nuclear weapons. But I