Frays In The Weave

He was, Trindai guessed, more amused than anything else. The more irritated Erwin got the smugger the Martian, Trindai tasted the foreign expression for a while, became. It was as if this was only a game.

At the far end of the fields raw recruits were going through basic training, marching and turning, marching and turning. Closer to the walls the first to join the brigade went through far more complex manoeuvres

Trindai saw how they turned to let crossbowmen through to lose a volley on straw targets and then close ranks and show those targets a solid shield wall again.

Those men were as trained as they were ever going to be. The only thing that remained to complete their education was to send them to the butcher. That last of lessons decided how a unit would perform. There was nothing he could do to alter that reality.

He gazed further south and pointed for Erwin"s benefit.

"We"re sending artisans there as well," he said.

The fourth of their company, the interpreter, earned part of her salary.

"But you don"t have the numbers you require?" Erwin"s answer was translated back.

Trindai followed the column of wagons heading south with his eyes. We don"t even have wagons enough thanks to that idiocy earlier this year. "No, I"m afraid we don"t. Craftsmen are arriving from Dagd and even Vimarin, but it will take them some time to get used to the rules. Especially those from Vimarin," he said instead.

"You know, there is a solution to that problem. A partial one at least," William broke in, and in De Vhatic.

Trindai turned. "Is there no end to your supply of surprises?" he grinned.

"I have a few left," William answered and shot Erwin a vile smile. "You could have learned as well, you know," he continued to the bewildered admiral.

The interpreter did her work and Erwin"s face reddened.

That was a nasty surprise to spring upon him. William hadn"t been here for long, but with mastery of De Vhatic he was able to negotiate on his own without the need for interpreters. Mairild wouldn"t like this, Trindai thought. But then she probably already knew about her latest potential problem. Trindai had no doubt most, if not all, interpreters received an additional salary from her.

He wondered just how many informers she had. Some probably went back as far as when she arrived here posing as an actor all those years ago. Posing, no that was the wrong word. She had been one, and a very good one as well. It wasn"t her fault the theatres had experienced a fall from popularity that lasted a full eightyear.

Then he recalled why he was guiding his visitors on the walls. "Please, tell me, Minister Anderson," he said and searched for a spot from which they could attack in the exercise he had planned. If Erwin agreed, of course.

The mock village wasn"t completed yet, but he still wanted to train the troops in combat among building sized obstacles, and if Erwin gave his go ahead the sky ships would do perfectly.

Trindai saw William following his stare. "Yes, they could land there as well," he said.

The Martian must have misunderstood what Trindai was thinking. Then the words registered? "Land?"

"Yes," William said. "New Sweden, that"s the people in permanent flight above us, wants a piece of this place as well. They could earn their stay."

"Orbit?" Trindai said after William explained the strange expression with one, single word in the outworlder language. "So this third kingdom also wants a presence here?"

"Yes, and I"m certain they have enough artisans to fill your needs. Untrained but not unskilled. They don"t do it for a living."

That made Trindai"s day a brighter one.

"If you would be so kind to invite me into your conversation," Erwin said though the interpreter.

Trindai ordered her to give Erwin a resume of the conversation and added the question about using the sky ships as houses for the exercise.

Erwin nodded agreement.

That was good news. Now, with more outworlders arriving on the training grounds they would receive both much needed raw materials as well as more sky ships to use for the training.

"Minister Anderson, I would be grateful if you did, but formally you need someone in the council to agree as well. I doubt your suggestion will meet any opposition, but I can"t sign this kind of agreement."

"I understand," William answered. "I will go through official channels." Then he turned to Erwin and they immersed themselves in a conversation that had the interpreter bewildered.

"What is it?" Trindai asked.

"Sir, I don"t understand them. It is an outworlder language, but none I have learned."

It was only to be expected. With more than one outworlder kingdom he shouldn"t have been surprised by the existence of more than one language. He still was, and worried as well. The outworlders weren"t supposed to communicate their secrets safely among themselves. Mairild would definitely not like this, and for once Trindai doubted if she had the knowledge. It wasn"t often he learned anything in Verd before she did, but this was the second time in a short time, he suspected.

He frowned and pushed the darker memory back in his mind. The first time he had ordered his men to murder their own. He hoped the price wouldn"t be as high now.

He glared at the troops below them. A price, and he intended someone else to pay in full.

"Minister Anderson, we may have a problem though."

"Yes?"

"I don"t know where we should house the new arrivals."

William smiled and turned to Erwin. This time the admiral shared the smile. "We thought of that problem. I think it"s solved," William said.

Trindai looked at Erwin. What were they up to? "Could you clarify, please?"

"Admiral Radovic and I will share that burden between us. Our quarters here are large, and we have the means to rent an empty building or two, even furnish it."

"And that would also place you in control of the newcomers." There was no reason to pretend that he didn"t understand the underlying reason for their sudden generosity.

"It would," William agreed. He hadn"t taken any offence from the tone of his voice at least. "You have to understand that while New Sweden is a very minor nation when compared to either the Republic of Mars or the Terran Federation they"re here, and we"re not."

"And you would prefer if their local presence mirrors their actual political strength as closely as possibly?" Trindai guessed.

William translated for Erwin, and they both nodded.

Trindai really didn"t care. One outworlder was rather like any other to him, and if they could supply the help Keen needed at the moment he wasn"t going to be picky about it. In fact, he preferred the current situation. A divided outworld scared him a lot less than one united. It made them more human in a way. With their own inability to put all differences aside and join in one, great and powerful nation.

He drew a lungful of late spring. Yes, his day was definitely brightening up. For once he looked forward with genuine joy to supervising the troops.

He would, of course, hide that grin when he barked at the officers and their soldiers. His job was to be General de Laiden, and if Trindai enjoyed a good laugh as much as anyone else the was supposed to eat recruits for breakfast and only save the trained men to have a mouthful for dinner.