Ben's NaNoWriMo Log

Chapter 24 added Sep 23, 2005
The loose column of soldiers marched northward along the road to Disanne, talking amongst themselves in the warm sun. Over the past several days Sarah had gotten to know most of the Wolf Pack, at least well enough to put names to faces. The eponymous Ethan Wolfe seemed a decent enough fellow. His gruff yet honest demeanor made him popular with the people under his command, while his sharp tactical mind made him an effective leader. Sarah knew little about military matters, and was somewhat surprised to find that the people they had met at the White Eagle were just the company's officers. The rest of the men were camped out north of the city, some 150 strong. Sarah didn't know what to expect when she saw them, but the apparent chaos of the mercenary camp was not what she pictured in her mind when she thought of an army. They wore no uniforms or livery, which made sense since their allegiance was based on gold, not loyalty to king or country. Molly cautioned Sarah not to assume that they were in any way duplicitous, despite their mercenary nature; one a contract was struck, their loyalty to their employer would be unwavering. "At least," she added, " as unwavering as the integrity of their leaders. You hear sometimes of sellswords who betray or abandon their employers, but that's usually the last you hear of them. If an individual sellsword's reputation is important, a company's is ten times so." The armor she could see in the camp ranged from padded and brigandine jacks to half suits of plate. There were none of the heavier plate armors to be seen; they were all infantry, even the officers, and the extra weight of more armor would hamper their vital mobility. All in all, that first night camped with the Wolves did not instill a great sense of confidence in Sarah. When morning came and camp was struck, however, her opinion quickly shifted. The men who had seemed so disorganized during the night were frighteningly efficient in tearing down their temporary quarters, stowing their tents and other gear on a number of large wagons. In addition to tents and general camping gear, there was an entire portable forge, a massive kitchen, and various other amenities vital to the long term conduct of warfare. Molly pointed out that this was only a small force compared to the armies fielded during major battles back in Jal Kufri. As the men mustered on the road, Sarah began to see why they might be thought of as a fearsome foe. The most noticeable weapons in the long column were the pikes, a forest of spears nearly a dozen feet long. They composed over half of the total force, and were the least likely to be wearing heavy armor. Each of them carried a short sword, axe, or other close combat weapon in addition to their pikes, with a curved rectangular shield slung over their backs. Ahead of them in the column were forty men carrying enormous swords that required the use of two hands to wield them. They carried no shields, obviously, and wore the heaviest armor. While there were many women among the ranks of the pikemen, there were only a few among the soldiers leading the column. There were few things that limited a Kufriti woman's choice of occupation, but the constant swinging of six feet of steel was one of them. Of the two lieutenants commanding the greatsword unit, however, one was in fact a woman. Sarah remembered her clearly from the inn; her wild mane of auburn hair and deep laugh made Cate stand out in a crowd even without taking her towering height into account. The other lieutenant, Ian, was only an inch or two taller than Sarah. It seemed improbable that he would be able to make use of a weapon nearly a foot taller than him, but his thick arms were able to put the enormous blade wherever he wanted with no apparent effort. The lieutenants of the four pike regiments were less physically imposing, but they made up for the difference in bulk with their command ability. Compared to the greatsword units, the pikes had to maintain far stricter discipline to maintain their rigid formation. During the first few drills that Sarah saw during their northward march, Sarah was amazed by the precision of the bristling blocks of pikemen as they wheeled and turned without losing their shape. She was glad she wasn't going to have to run into that dense wall of spearheads herself. Nestled between the pikes in the front ranks were the greatsword regiments, ready to smash through any opposition that survived the trip through the pikes. At the trailing end of the column were three regiments of lightly armored skirmishers, and there was where Molly and Sarah found themselves. They were placed under the command of Jack Taylor, a sandy-haired man from Lastport who fought with broadsword and dagger. There was no single weapon form that unified the skirmish units. They used a variety of sword styles, and a few even preferred axes and other light weapons. Just as in the marching column, in battle the skirmishers were deployed at the rear of the formation, guarding the back and flanks of the pike block as it did its work. Their formation was the most fluid, and that was reflected in the men and women of the unit. They were a diverse and colorful bunch, often the rowdiest and loudest in any gathering. It didn't take long for the politics of the company to become apparent to Sarah. The greatswords were the best armed and armored, and the size of their blades was only outstripped by that of their egos, if the others were to be believed. The pikes were the heart of the company, though they felt that they were under appreciated by their fellows. The skirmish units were seen as undisciplined and lazy. These minor differences of opinion were inevitable, but the well trained soldiers did not let them interfere with their effective and efficient functioning of the company. Even off the field, the conflicts between units were simply another excuse for friendly competition. Sarah had never had a particularly large circle of friends, and recently it had shrunk to only a couple of individuals. Being suddenly thrust into this band of comrades was somewhat jarring to her. Molly, of course, was very much in her element. Sarah kept close to her, trying to get used to her new situation. She was particularly nervous during her first unit drill. "All right, ladies," said Jack, "have you got any experience with group tactics?" Molly shook her head. "They gave us a few basics at Silverwell, but it wasn't something we really worked on." He nodded. "Well, that's all right. We're not pikers, so our main goal is simply to keep our own units together and near the block. Don't let them get too far ahead, and don't let them run you over. Just stay light on your feet and you should be fine. This is Yellow Squad. That's Red Squad," he said, pointing to their left. "On the other side is Blue. don't worry about what they're doing; just stick with your unit and go where we go?" Sarah considered that. She tentatively asked, "What if they're in trouble?" The lieutenant shook his head sharply. "Don't get distracted by their situation. Keep your mind on your own. If they need help, I'll decide whether we go or not. I am the brain of this unit; you are its arms and legs. The hardest thing for a good swordsman to learn about unit tactics is following orders without question. We've been trained to analyze our opponents and make decisions about how to attack them, and it's hard not to apply that same sort of thinking to the battle as a whole." The first drill they did didn't even require weapons. The entire company was arranged in a square formation, with the greatsword regiments at the leading edge and the skirmishers at the rear. Sarah was amazed by the precision of the formation; the four score pikemen fell into neat rows and columns as if by magic. They started out marching forward, which was no great challenge even for Sarah. Going backward was a little more difficult, as she couldn't see where she was going, but it was still simple enough. After that, things got more complex. Wolfe barked orders, which were repeated throughout the formation by the lieutenants. The block wheeled, turned, moved sideways and on diagonals. Sarah found herself scrambling to keep up with her unit. At one point the order was given to "split". All the pikes snapped up straight in unison. Half of the ranks of soldiers stepped to the left, while the other half moved to the right. The soldiers on either side of Sarah and Molly helped guide them in the right direction. The ranks moved forward and merged, reforming as a wide, shallow rectangle with a single rank of greatswords across the front. With some practice, Sarah started to feel more comfortable with the movements. She still found herself lagging behind during some of the faster transitions, but she found the challenge enjoyable. The skirmish units had another set of drills that involved Wolfe ordering each unit to different parts of the main block. They ran back and forth around the sides and rear of the formation, trying to move as quickly as possible without getting too spread out. The actual weapon work was more difficult for Sarah, as she had only ever really trained with Molly, and only with rapiers. She had to learn how to attack a number of different weapon styles, both alone and as part of the group. Despite the fact that the mock combats took place with wooden practice weapons, she received a great many bruises as she learned the right and wrong ways to approach spears, swords, axes, and shield walls. By the time the Wolf Pack reached Disanne, Sarah was beginning to feel almost comfortable in her new occupation. Of course, her true test would come when they faced an actual opponent.
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