governorkang | Knights of Neraka

"Commander Kang, this is Quadron Leader Mumul, the logistics commander for the Second Army. Quadron Leader, this is Commander Kang of the Draconian Regiment of Engineers." Huzzad saluted, then left.

Mumul looked up from his numbers. "Please sit down, Commander Kang. I want to discuss with you what your role will be within the Second Army."

"Yes, Quadron Leader," Kang could barely contain his excitement. Arranging his tail, he sat down in the chair, which had not been designed for draconians. It was damnably uncomfortable, pinched his wings if he folded them in and poked them if he unfurled them. The discomfort was a small price to pay.

"Could I ask a question before we start, Quadron Leader?"

"Certainly, Commander."

"What's the status of the attack on Thorbardin? As I understand it, the lord knight force-marched his men to get here, and now, instead of attacking, you're just sitting."

The quadron leader shrugged. "We were too late. The dwarves had been warned. They've sealed up the mountain."

"Are you going to besiege them, sir?"

"No. There's no time for that. The damn dwarves could hold out for a year against us. It would be a futile waste of manpower. We'll let them sit, holed up in their mountain, if that's what they want. Meanwhile, we'll seize control of all the roads leading into and out of Thorbardin. We have time. Someday, they'll have to come out."

Kang was impressed. It was a simple, but good, strategy.

"And now, Commander, what is the strength of your command?" The quadron leader flipped over a new page, prepared to record the information.

Kang responded. The quadron leader asked question after question, wanting to know the size, composition, training, equipment, and disposition of the draconian regiment. Kang was pleased with the interest the officer was showing in assessing the regiment. The knight recorded the answers in a table in his book. At last, he laid down his quill pen and sat back in his chair.

"Thank you, Commander. The first thing I want you to do this morning is haul all that bridge-building equipment you brought us over to Third Talon."

Kang felt a twinge in the vicinity of his shoulder blades, a painful twinge that had nothing to do with the chair. "Yes, sir," he said. "Do they need a bridge constructed, sir?"

"No, Commander. They're my engineering unit. They can use the materials and tools you brought. You can leave the wagons with Third Talon. You won't be needing them."

"Ah, I understand, sir. You want us to build siege engines. Catapults, trebuchets, we've built them all. "Why, once, during the War of the Lance, we built a catapult big enough to fling a minotaur—"

Kang stopped. He didn't like the way the quadron leader was smiling — patient, patronizing.

"Third Talon is quite expert at building and manning siege engines, Commander."

"Sir," Kang began, drawing in a deep breath to try to ease the knot of disappointment that was slowly tightening his stomach, "we are all well-trained engineers. Probably the best you'll ever find. Plus, we have experience in battle. Did your Third Talon ever build a bridge with silver dragons flying overhead, filling you with dragonfear, while the elves on the other side of the bank are trying to fill you full of arrows?"

The quadron leader just sat there, smiling.

"Look, sir," Kang said, "come visit our encampment. See how we're dug in. We only moved in ten hours ago, and yet we've already got the place defensible!"

For the first time, the quadron leader showed some interest, "Very good, Commander! Very good indeed!"

Kang was puzzled. "What do you mean, sir?"

"Damn good diggers!" Mumul said, thumping the table in his enthusiasm. "I'm glad to hear that you're good diggers."

"I beg your pardon, sir."

"You draconians. Damn good diggers. Since we can't take out the dwarves, this army has been ordered to move up and conquer the elves in Qualinesti. We already have plenty of engineers, but we can always use good diggers! I'll assign you to the Army Commissary officer, Talon Leader Stonchwald."

Kang's jaw dropped, his tongue lolled. He sucked it back in with an irritated snap of his jaws. "Sir, Commissary? We aren't cooks, we're engineers!"

The quadron leader had picked up his quill, was returning to his work. "Yes, very good. Commander Kang. The Commissary Command is also responsible for troop hygiene. Please report to Talon Leader Stonchwald after we've arrived at our base camp in the southern region of Qualinesti. Until then, try to stay out of the way of troop movements. It's hard enough keeping this army on the move without your regiment dogging the works. We'll be marching first thing in the morning. Have your men — make that draconians" — he said, this with a slight curl of the lip — "ready to go. That will be all. Commander.

"Oh, and, by the way," quadron leader added, as an afterthought, "you can each keep a short sword for your own defense, but turn in the rest of your weapons. They'll be needed for the front-line troops. Dismissed."

King stood up, started to salute, decided the hell with it.

Latrine duty. The quadron leader had called it by some fancy name, "troop hygiene," but Kang knew what that meant.