RE: A bit more fiction

From: donald_at_...
Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 02:08:20 GMT


In message <000101c4621d$b2c9cdc0$0302a8c0_at_master> "Jane Williams" writes:

>RR:
>> Yes, it's really
>> hardly more than a jumped-up squad, but that's why it's
>> guarding some little piss-ant town out in the boondocks where
>> nothing happens. If you continue the story (please do! I'd be
>> happy to consult if you'd like), we might find out *why* it's
>> barely more than a dozen guys. ..
>
>> These *are* the new recruits?
>
>Well, one at least was recruited in Pavis, we know that much. I believe
>Donald had ideas, which I hope he'll explain himself, concerning a century
>that's supposed to be DH peltasts and is now mainly Heortlings of various
>sorts none of whom speak more than a few words of New Pelorian. They're
>about as "Lunar" as those baboons :)

Probably the best thing is to explain my thought process on the matter. We start with a story where Heartland officer is in charge of a mixed bunch of soldiers, mostly recruits from Dragon Pass and a centurion from Tarsh. Now according to my understanding of Lunar practice that would require the officer to be a Yanafal Tarnils initiate with the rank of Fereshori. Which implies a level of knowledge and training which doesn't fit the story. So I needed an explanation for why Gemellus was in charge of a bunch of people from another military culture. I concluded that a regiment of Dara Happen peltasts had lost a fair number of men at some battle or other and someone had decided to recruit locally to fill the gaps. Then they realised that the new recruits couldn't understand the DH NCOs so all the recruits where shoved into a single century under the only centurion who spoke a variety of the local language to train them. So we have a company which is officially DH and therefore requires a DH tribune, but are in fact Heortlings, Tarshites and whoever else got recruited and hasn't deserted yet. Some poor soul is going to have to train them sometime.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/

Powered by hypermail