Westrons

Kanitz was very helpful. She knew that I'd been robbed on my way to Cercen, so she supplied me with a purse. I'd need the cash to set myself up - and to at least

look

like an officer.

My first thought was to give some of the money to Talley and his family, to repay them for what they'd already spent of my behalf. He wouldn't hear of it.

- "You need a full kit. Uniforms. Weapons. Food. Tallia can help you find most of these things, and I'll help with the rest."

- "I owe you too much already." I protested.

- "Listen, Cook: you've impressed the Countess. That reflects on me, in a good way. It'll probably help me sell some maps, and it may get Tisucha more clients at the Palace. That's how things work here. You find somebody reliable, someone you can trust ..."

"And if you make it big - which I think you just might, then you could be in a position to return the favour some day."

- "Favours. Plural."

- "Sure." said Talley.

His eldest daughter was a gift from the heavens. She knew where the best outfitters were, and how to negotiate a decent price for me. She got me military-style waistcoats, shirts, stockings and breeches.

Those damn breeches. I couldn't very well wear a kilt, as male Westrons did. It would've been more practical, but not

military .

.. I would've stuck out, like ... the only male in a female army. Or the only Pylosian in the army.

It wasn't just the lack of underwear ... the thin breeches did nothing to conceal the shape and size of my bulge. I tried to explain the problem to Tallia; when she finally understood what I was driving at, she stared at my crotch - which didn't help in the least.

But she did come up with a partial solution, in the form of a bright red scarf, which I could wind around my waist like a belt, or a sash, leaving a trail in front to conceal ... the offending member.

Talley took me out to buy a brace of pistols, with powder and shot. The price was outrageous, until I dropped Countess Kanitz' name into the discussion - and the gunsmith came down by a third.

I got a sabre, too. It was a bit lighter than the ones I'd trained with, being made for Westron females. The only issue was finding one with a hilt big enough to fit my hand in.

Tallia helped me find non-perishable foodstuffs, parchment and quills, and a candle.

- "Why would I need a candle?"

- "What if you have to write a dispatch at night?"

She was marvelous. I spent a bit of the money I had left to buy her a pendant, in the shape of a miskel, a little purple flower which symbolized friendship. The fact that Tallia had told me about miskels when I was looking for a gift for Airta only made it a little more special.

Tallia understood perfectly. I listened to her advice, and took her seriously. If you don't think that's important to a 17-year old adolescent - of any species - then live and learn.

All kitted out, I said my farewells to Talley and his family. I went back to the Palace one last time. Kanitz had promised to provide me with an aide, who would know her way around the army, and could act as my batman (batwoman?) and advisor.

Airta and I exchanged smiles. Kanitz was smiling, too.

- "You look very proper, Lieutenant Cook. Well done. Ah - here is your aide."

"This is Ensign Themis." said Kanitz.

Mother of Mercy.

Her hair was yellow. Canary yellow. But she had brown eyes. The combination was striking. Her uniform did little to conceal her spectacular shape. And her face was beautiful.

Airta suddenly looked very plain. Countess Kanitz, I suspected, could hold her own in a room filled with beautiful women. But there was no question about it: my aide was going to be a serious distraction.

Kanitz gave us a letter of introduction to General Brune, Commander of Westron forces on the Southern Front, near the city of Tonol.

- "Are you ready, Sir?" asked Ensign Themis. Damnation - even her voice was like golden honey.

We discovered a problem, almost right away.

The shape of a Westron's foot is more akin to that of a cat, or a rabbit, than to a human. They can place their feet very precisely, when they move slowly. But their habitual gait is quicker than a human's.

I hadn't noticed this, in the city, because Tallia's hybrid foot was more like her father's than her mother's. And the only time I'd followed Kanitz, she was moving at a more sedate pace.

Within moments, Themis had to adjust her speed so as not to leave me behind. It was difficult for her, but she made the effort to match her pace to mine.

- "Hang on." I said.

- "Pardon?" she said.

- "Ah - sorry. A Pylosian expression. It means 'Wait a moment'."

- "Yes, Sir."

- "Themis? You know that I'm only an observer, right?"

- "Yes, Sir."

- "So ... it's probably not necessary to call me 'Sir'. You can call me by my name. And if I just call you 'Themis', then I won't have to add 'Ensign' every time. Would that be alright with you?"

She thought about it for a moment.

- "Yes, Cook. I understand."

- "Okay, Themis. We have a problem: you have two speeds - slow, and fast. I tend to work at medium. Would you just walk normally for me? Just ... pretend that you're going to the docks alone. How would you go?"

She took off. I couldn't match that, unless I speed-walked - which would look ridiculous. I tried several ways to keep up with her, which served no purpose except to make her laugh.

- "I can go slower, S- ... Cook." she said.

- "That won't help, Themis. I may have to keep up with the army. They aren't going to slow down entire regiments so that I can arrive at the same time."

She had a beautiful smile. That didn't help, either.

We experimented a little more. Finally, I took off my shoes. That helped a bit. Then I remembered a book I'd read as a child. 'Run 100, Walk 50'.

It worked - more or less.

I had to trot, to match Themis' standard gait. She had to prance a little, to slow down to my walking pace. We practiced, and got better at it.

At the docks, we took a boat upriver. It was part of what I'd learned in Sleepread: without horses, the fastest, most efficient mode of travel in the Westron Kingdom was by the waterways.

There were always relays of oxen, ready to tow a barge upstream. Once we got past the central plateau, however, the rivers flowed mostly south. Going downstream was exhilarating. Powerful currents swept us along at a remarkably steady speed.

Themis always seemed to know where we going, even though I was the one with the maps - courtesy of Talley. She also seemed to have quite a bit of money.

- "My family is wealthy." she said. "Countess Kanitz explained to me that you were robbed, when you first landed at Frenet. I'm so sorry about that."

- "It wasn't your fault, Themis."

- "No. But I have money. Please don't object, if I can buy us food, or anything else we might need. I'm here to help you, after all."

It was hard to argue with her logic. Or her beautiful face. I was completely infatuated with Themis before we'd gone halfway to Tonol. I'm not so cynical that I don't believe in love at first sight. It was just something I'd never experienced before.

***

I wondered if that was how Westron males felt: you find a beautiful female, fall hopelessly in love ... and then wait for a year or two until she goes into hemmer.

Themis answered my questions about her family carefully, as if she was choosing what information I needed to know.

- "My mother was an Inhaber." she said. "But then there was a change in the family fortunes ... and it wasn't practical for her to own a regiment anymore."

I understood. Inhabers were the owners/proprietors of regiments in the Westron army. They raised the regiment themselves, recruited the soldiers (usually from their own estates), armed and equipped them. The Crown then paid the Inhaber a subsidy, to keep their unit in the field.

On the plus side, wealthy nobles bore the cost of raising troops. However, many of these regimental commanders, given the rank of Colonel, felt that they had the right to be consulted before any orders involving their soldiers were issued.

Some Inhabers took the field themselves; others delegated command to an experienced officer. Like many systems I'd studied at AFOTA, and at university before that, this one had advantages and drawbacks. A Colonel would be more likely to care about her troops, and it saved the Crown money, but it made the chain of command clunky and inefficient.

- "If your family is wealthy, Themis, couldn't you have obtained a commission in a regiment?"

- "Countess Kanitz is a friend of my family." she said. "When she offered me this opportunity, I seized it. Acting as your aide sounded much more interesting than being a junior Lieutenant in a line regiment."

"Unless ..."

- "Unless what?" I asked.

She looked away. "I don't want to be a burden to you, Cook."

- "A burden? I don't understand. You've been a great help already, Themis."

- "I don't want to be ... a distraction." She looked up at me. "You find me appealing."

How could she have known? Unless it was the way I stared at her, all day long, with my mouth open. Or my near-constant state of tumescence.

"If you would prefer another ensign," she said, "we could arrange that, once we reach General Brune's headquarters."

- "No. That won't be necessary." I said, a little too quickly. "Look, Themis ... Westron females are quite beautiful. And you're ... even more striking than most."

"But - you see ... I'm going to be surrounded by beautiful Westron women, officers and soldiers ... some will be in hemmer, too."

I told her the story of Countess Kanitz's test, with blue-haired Nystu.

"I think ... I can handle this."

- "I will do whatever you think best." said Themis.

***

We heard the news, on our journey, shouted across the river from boats headed in the opposite direction.

- "War! The Crolians have declared war!"

***

General Brune was an old fusspot. She seemed overwhelmed by her responsibilities. For one thing, she had 10,000 troops, on paper; in reality, though, it was more like 7,000. There were always the sick and the injured, and deserters. But Themis told me about a particularly Westron scam.

- "Some Colonels do not remove the names of their dead from the regimental rolls. Then they collect rations for non-existent soldiers."

- "And sell them?"

- "Exactly." she said. "It's shameful." I didn't tell her that this sort of fraud had gone on in our past - in many armies.

Brune also had trouble with her Inhabers. Two advised caution - by which they meant complete inactivity. Two more were hotheads, urging her to move, to attack.

The General had hesitated, and consulted - and then discussed and hesitated some more. While she did, the Crolians had moved, brushed aside her outposts, and invested Tonol. The city General Brune was supposed to defend was now under siege.

The enemy had superior numbers, heavy siege artillery ... and we had a General who dithered. After her first horrible error, she was terrified of making another.

- "We shall shadow the enemy army." she decided. Essentially, that meant we'd sit and watch them besiege Tonol.

- "How did she ever get a high command?" I asked my aide.

- "Connections at court." said Themis.

The General was nice enough to us, giving us the freedom to go where we wanted, observe whatever we liked. Then she decided to score a minor point against one of her fiercest critics, by assigning us to the Aneli Regiment. We were to camp with them, mess with them ... and march when they did.

Colonel Storana commanded the regiment, though it had been raised by Countess Aneli (hence the name). Storana was not happy to see us.

- "What am I supposed to do with you?" she shouted, from behind the desk in her spacious command tent. The Colonel was a slender, striking female, with shockingly white hair. Her face and body were angular: straight lines and sharp edges. Her nose could have served as a letter opener, and even her chin was pointed.

- "We're here to observe, Colonel." I presented my orders from Kanitz. She barely glanced at them before throwing them back at me.

- "Observe? You mean spy? And then report back to Cercen? Why don't you report on that useless old fart in the General's uniform?"

- "General Brune assigned us to your regiment, Colonel."

- "Yes - to annoy me! To spy on me! Well - we'll see about that!" She brushed past us. On her way out, she shouted over her shoulder: "Just stay out of my way!"

- "

That went well

." I whispered to Themis.

***

Colonel Storana wasn't able to get rid of us; Brune might be a ditherer, but she could also be stubborn.

Themis and I were issued a tent, and we camped in the midst of the Aneli Regiment. That created its own set of problems. Themis was maybe 5'7", with generous curves; I'm just over 6', and just under 200 lbs.

We couldn't quite fit into that little tent. Once we had our extra gear stowed inside, there wasn't a lot of room left for us. We ended up sleeping rather close to each other - as in, pressed together. That was beneficial for sharing body heat, when the nights were cool.

But I couldn't control my natural reactions to having Themis' beautiful body plastered to mine. Many a morning began with me apologizing for having my erection pressed up against her ass. She didn't seem as bothered by it as I was.

We also discovered that we weren't going to be able to move around the camp in relative anonymity. Regardless of whether I wore shoes, or went barefoot (which I was doing more often), my lower extremities stuck out like a pair of sore thumbs.

Our campmates always seemed to pause, regardless of what they were doing, whenever Themis and I passed by. I was taller than most of the soldiers, with unusual feet ... and then there was the issue of my breeches.

Storana was furious when she saw a group of her soldiers standing still, staring at me.

- "What are you looking at!" she bellowed. "Never seen a Pylosian before?" As a matter of fact, they hadn't. Then she turned on me. Unfortunately, she chose to single out one unique part of my uniform.

"Why are you wearing this stupid red scarf?" she shouted. Storana seized the dangling end of my sash, and flipped it upwards, into my face.

Which meant, of course, that she and half a dozen soldiers got an eyeful, at close range, of the massive morning erection I'd been trying to conceal.

Even Storana was momentarily silenced. She sputtered, and fumed - but couldn't come up with an appropriate reaction. She took one last look, and then stormed off in a huff.

The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. Two of them grinned at me.

- "

That went well

." giggled Themis.

***

I learned quite a bit, in my first few weeks outside Tonol.

Westron terminology and organization wasn't difficult: a regiment consisted of two infantry battalions, of roughly 500 soldiers (though they were consistently under-strength). There were ten companies in a battalion; each company fielded 6 platoons of 14 or 15 soldiers, plus officers and aides.

Frederickian armies, in human history, ran on strict discipline - sometimes even savage discipline. I'd read his book of instructions for his generals. But I remembered my Napoleonic quotations, too. Everyone knows 'An army marches on its stomach', but he also said 'In war, the moral is to the physical as 3 is to 2'.

Numbers may tell, of course. Weapons and equipment count, too, as do training and discipline. But the army's confidence, their trust in these things, can be crucial.

With faith in their leaders, a well-fed, well supplied army can do wonders.

General Brune's army wasn't going to be performing any miracles in the near future.

The soldiers were brave enough, and willing to fight - they just didn't think they could win. Westron armies were on a prolonged losing streak to the Crolians, which looked like it was going to continue.

***

Themis and I witnessed a procession, of sorts. That's what it looked like to me, at least. I asked her if something was going on.

- "A duel." she said.

A duel? I shook my head. "What a waste."

- "Why do you say that?"

- "It's probably some stupid point of honour. Someone felt insulted ... and now the Queen could lose an officer. Wouldn't it be better to fight the real enemy? Instead of your own side?"

Themis considered what I'd said. Then she shook

her

head.

- "You may not see it, Cook. But duelling is often better than the alternative. We do not have blood feuds, or revenge murders. Nor do cowards wait in ambush, with five of their friends, to kill a foe ..."

"We may not do things as you do in Pylos, but our way is not always worse."

- "You have a point." I said, after a time. "You have a point."

I studied the regiment's equipment, and made a note of everything I saw. Then I composed long letters to Talley, in Terran Standard. If my letters were intercepted, no one could make sense of them. Talley would translate into Westron, and forward them to Countess Kanitz.

Then the news hit our camp: the Queen was dead.

It was surprisingly anti-climactic. Most of the soldiers had expected it, and it didn't seem to change anything - at least not in the immediate future. The old Queen had presided over part of their losing streak against the Crolians. They didn't mourn too hard.

The next morning, though, Themis was up before me. She'd been crying.

- "It is ... the end of an era, Cook. It may be for the better ..."

- "Were you fond of her? The old Queen?"

- "Yes ..."

- "Who succeeds her?" I asked.

- "Matila. Queen Maia Matila." she said. "This may be good for you, Cook. Kanitz is her closest advisor."

That night, there was more noise in the camp than usual. It sounded like ... howling.

- "Is that mourning?" I asked my aide.

She smiled. "No, Cook. Do you not know those sounds?"

And just that like that, I knew that I did.

- "Hemmer?"

- "Yes."

- "Because the Queen is dead?"

- "Perhaps. It could be you, too."

- "WHAT?" I realized that I'd shouted. "I beg your pardon. But ...

what

?"

- "No one knows, really, what sets us off." said Themis. "It could be a smell, or even a sound. A powerful experience, or just an arousing sight."

"It could be the passing of a Queen. But it could also be the sight of your massive erection the other day."

- "My -"

- "Is it always that large? The soldiers were quite struck by it."

- "You're not serious?"

Themis grinned. "Of course I am. You know, it could also be your scent. We Westrons are very susceptible to odours. And yours is very strong - very potent."

- "Really? But ..." I was afraid to finish my thought.

- "But?"

- "Well ... you've been very close to me. And you don't seem ... affected."

- "No, Cook. But that is because I was in hemmer only three months ago. I won't feel it again for another year - maybe more. Unfortunately, I didn't ... take. This time."

- "You're not pregnant?"

- "No."

- "Does ... is that what usually happens?" I was thinking of Airta. Could she be pregnant? How could she not be? I'd deposited enough semen in her to start a tribe.

- "Most often." said Themis.

- "So ... you've been in hemmer before."

- "Yes."

- "You've borne children?"

- "I have a daughter." she said, with a big smile. There was no stigma whatever, here, about bearing children out of wedlock. In fact, it helped to attract prospective husbands; Themis had proven her fertility.

- "And ... what's it like - for you? Hemmer, I mean."

- "Ah ... it's wonderful. I feel warm, and acutely aware - of everything. My senses are all heightened: hearing, and smell, and ... touch."