“That goes for you both as well. If you’re going to be my advisors, helping me to keep everyone safe, they need to respect you. They need to know that you are where you are for a reason, as eventually more will join us that don’t have personal experience of you and your shared past here. If you need skills or magic, tell me. We have enough, and while I don’t want to waste it needlessly, I’d rather use it than not. Lastly, we need a healer; a real one, not just my magic and Oracle’s.”
“I want a dedicated healer for the Tower, and they need to be someone we can power-level, as I have a personal need for them to be strong as soon as possible.”
“Power-level?” Cai asked, and I grimaced at realizing I’d not even thought about the concept being alien to them.
“It’s a phrase from my home, it means to push them up the ranks fast, such as taking them with us when we go to kill things and sharing the experience gains with them, that kind of thing.”
“Ah! We have the concept here, though it’s usually something that guards do for the nobles or richer people. I just hadn’t heard it put that way before,” said Cai.
“Okay then, any questions?” I asked, and Barrett raised a hand hesitantly. “Seriously, dude,” I said shaking my head. “Just speak. No need for that crap when it’s just us.”
“Okay, Lord J...”
“And none of that! Just Jax, unless there’s a good reason to use more!”
“Okay…Jax…what about gear for the fighters and hunters? And you said soldiers one minute, then fighters the next, so which do you want? You can’t have both. I served as Guard Sergeant before I signed on with Oren. It was a long time ago, but I remember enough. People either fight as a unit, or as an individual, with different strengths and weaknesses.”
“Well, we’re going to teach them differently. Everyone gets the same basic training; that’s why they’ll be soldiers. They’ll learn to fight the same, and then they get to specialize. Each team will have one dedicated healer, a tank and damage dealers; they’ll need both a ranged and a melee fighter. Last of all, we’re going to train those that have the aptitude to do magic as well, but keep that quiet, as I haven’t figured out all the details yet.”
“Okay, we’ve got plenty of weapons and other equipment, and the soldier’s armor, but most of the gear from the armory upstairs is junk. Literally. The metal was safe from the weather, and it’d been treated and oiled, but anything that isn’t metal is useless. The leather has either rotted away, or it’s so hard, it might as well be sharpened and used as a weapon itself now.”
“Well, you have anyone that likes working with that kind of stuff?” I asked, getting irritated. Always, there were more details. I wanted to do something, not sit around talking.
“Aye, there be Iken. He loves to tinker wi’ stuff, but we need ‘im on the ship! Especially if you’re sayin’ Barrett no be flyin’ wi’ me goin’ forward!” Oren spoke up, looking agitated as he gestured at his former first mate.
“Iken? And no; while you’ll occasionally fly together, of which I’ve no doubt, Barrett is now in charge of the security side of things for the Tower,” I said, shaking my head regretfully.
“He’s the big, furry engineer, Jax. You’ve met him a few times, but he doesn’t really speak unless you speak to him first. He’s a bit…shy,” Barrett said, looking uncomfortable.
“The big lad? The ginger Ewok looking dude? Damn.”
“I don’t know about ‘ee-wok,’ but yes, the big ginger one that doesn’t fight. He’s a Krill. His people survive primarily on nuts and berries. He’s basically eating his way through the gardens at the minute. Never seen the big bugger as happy as he’s been the last few days, despite the fights.”
“And he’s needed on the ship?” I asked Oren directly.
“Aye, laddie, ya canna take ‘im! I need ‘im; well, iff’n ya want the ship t’ run, anyway!” Oren said, folding his arms across his barrel chest.
“Hmmm, okay. Well, we will see… for now, he’s yours; maybe see if we can recruit from the engineers or existing ship’s crew. Make that a priority, please, guys. Get through them, sort out who can be trusted, and arrange for them to take the Oath this afternoon. The rest, we need to get rid of, so I’m going to have to have a think on that. We don’t have the setup, manpower, or any damn desire to have prisoners’ long term.”
“What will ye do?” Oren asked, and I shrugged, sitting back in my chair.
“I’m not sure. Either give them some basic supplies, and we can drop them off somewhere and point them in the right direction for the cities, or maybe something a bit more permanent. I honestly don’t know. I’d much rather not hurt people if I don’t have to, and they did surrender, at least some of them. As I say, I’ll think about it,” I said, and the three of them took the hint, saluting with a fist to their chests and heading out of the room.
I sat for a long minute, thinking. I knew what I had to do, but that didn’t make it any more fun.
I took a deep breath, straightened up, and let it out in a long sigh, squaring my shoulders as I put my hand on the Creation Table, calling out in my mind to all three of the Tower’s wisps.
It
