Seventeen – Mutiny Part One

The next morning Raidon and the other soldiers of first platoon get up early. Even before the morning bell, they are ready and have their harness on. Everyone now has the marking of the elephant, which shows that they have completed their basic training. Apparently, accepting Raidon as their commander was the last step they needed.

"Does this mean we're getting paid extra now?" asks a recruit.

"Why?" asks Raidon in amazement.

"Well, when I signed up, I asked, like everyone else, how much we would get paid. I was told that we were now getting two coppers, and three when we finished training. You think we're real soldiers now, right? So then we also have to get those three coppers."

Raidon can only nod in agreement, but the recruit isn't done with his story yet.

"I kept asking questions then, and you even get paid extra in certain situations. For every day you have to fight, you get paid double, the same as when you're on a campaign. When there is heavy fighting where many men lose their lives, you get even more. Then you get a month's worth of pay."

"What happens if we die during such a campaign that you talked about?"

Now others are also starting to get involved in the discussion.

"Then you get death money. That is brought to your family together with your belongings. So if I were you, I'd just think about who should that should be sent to, and then write that down." This last answer gives the recruit with a gloomy face.

When the discussion stops, Raidon sends a number of soldiers to the second platoon to pick up the other recruits as well. After all, they also belong to the New Legion. To be on the safe side, he instructs the recruit with the big mouth to tell his information about the salary to the other recruits. This way everyone knows the same.

Once the others have arrived, Raidon steps forward.

"Grab your manuals and open them on page 75. Then read the piece in paragraph four," he commands with his best imitation of Major Quinn.

Although Raidon has now become the commander of the New Legion, he has little experience in commanding others.

Even though they don't yet understand why they have to read something in their manuals, slowly most of them start to pick up their books. Brandon is difficult at first, but when he sees the first reactions of the others, even he picks up his book. The surprise is now at least as great as the previous evening with the men of first platoon. Some still need to have it explained to them by their neighbors, but in the end everyone understands what Raidon is referring to. Raidon is the actual commander of the New Legion!

The understanding that they are actually rebelling comes not much later. Not everyone is happy with it, but no one protests too loudly. Captain Bras has made too many bad decisions since he became the commander.

Brandon is not happy and certainly does not want Raidon as commander. Yet, at the insistence of the others, he eventually gives in. As soon as he does this, the last step appears to have been taken. Everyone in second platoon gets their markings. As with the men of first platoon, everyone gets a big elephant on their chests. Brandon even gets an extra mark on the shoulders. On both shoulders there is a single arrow, which Raidon thinks he recognizes as the sign for squad leader. This makes Brandon the highest in rank within the New Legion after Raidon and thus takes command of second platoon. It also makes it clear to Raidon that Brandon is not yet competent enough to work as a sergeant.

Some soldiers, because that's what they are now, want to kick Captain Bras out of the camp right away. Raidon disagrees.

"Remember that the military will not accept us. They will attack us as soon as they understand that we are rebelling. They will call us deserters."

Then he tells them what they are going to do.

"We are going to capture everyone in the camp. That way they can't warn anyone. By the time the army finds out, we’re long gone."

Raidon again uses his imitation of Major Quinn.

"We’ll split up. The first three squads of first platoon go with me to take over the headquarters. We will also take the captain and his guards. The other two squads take care of the sentries. That leaves all the other staff in the camp for you and second platoon, Brandon."

Brandon appears to open his mouth to contradict Raidon, but then changes his mind. Without a word, he goes to perform his tasks with second platoon.

When Raidon arrives at the staff building with first platoon, the guards are immediately alert. They are not used to the recruits, who they normally belittle, suddenly marching towards them with so many. However, they remain the personal guards of the captain and they can't resist making cruel remarks.

"What is this? Shouldn't you be marching!", they shout, among other things. But Raidon and the other men of first platoon don't show any sign that they hear anything. This is easy enough thanks to their closed helmets. Within a few moments, the guards are overpowered. Then the captain and a bunch of other guards come out. Although the captain continues to shout and use his whip, this is totally ineffective against the armor of first platoon. Within half an hour the entire camp is under the control of the New Legion.

Raidon orders a squad from first platoon to guard the prisoners and two other squads as sentries to keep an eye on the surroundings. The last two squads of first platoon must be ready to activate at any time. This means that second platoon can take a rest and have breakfast. Later they will switch so that first platoon can have breakfast.

Raidon himself goes to question the clerks. He wants to know where all the manuals of the old legions are. He knows that they should be somewhere in the library, but also that there are some in other rooms. Under the guidance of a few soldiers, the clerks have to gather the books. Although the clerks are afraid, they work pretty fast. The clerks also tell that there are many messengers going moving between the capital and the camp with orders and supplies. The next one is expected in three days. This means that Raidon must organize his two platoons as quickly as possible so that the messenger does not find out what has happened. Even if they secure the messenger, he will soon be missed.

The captain's office is quickly searched so they know what else is going on. Here Raidon finds yet another book of the old army. This book contains better maps, which he can compare with the other newer maps they have found. He thinks that he should start going through the books that night. For now he has the first thing he has to do is to talk to the instructors.

While John and Gareth stand guard at the door of Captain Bras' office, Raidon has the instructors come to the office one by one. Since he still finds it difficult to go stand up to Morris, the head instructor, so he decides to keep him until last. The first instructor is Bob. Instructor Bob is very clear in his answer.

"Absolutely not!" he almost shouts. "You are warriors of the Empress. No imperial warrior deserves to desert and then expect others to go along with them. Forget it!"

The following five instructors are almost as clear, although to varying degrees. This means that only Morris is left. Fortunately, Morris is quite calm.

"I have to admit that I don't like captain Bras. And I don't agree with how he arranged things here. But you're asking a lot."

"The intention is not to become bandits or anything, Morris," Raidon responds, "the intention is to make sure that we are seen as our own unit. Not a group of weird soldiers who have no rights because they originate from the lower classes. We will try to reach the Empress and raise our concerns with her."

"That's a bit better than what I expected. Unfortunately, it will have little chance of success. Not everyone can just get to the Empress and the generals will try to stop us from the moment they hear about it."

"So they shouldn't hear about it," is Raidon's answer, followed by the fact that, "Wait, you said us? So you're in?"

Morris agrees: "Yes, boy, I'm in. You are our boys and are progressing so well that it would be a shame to give up on you. You could be the salvation of the empire."

After this conversation, Morris consults with the other instructors. Despite some grumbling and complaining, he manages to persuade the others. Raidon, meanwhile, goes to talk to the clerks, after which he also has to make an attempt to persuade the other support staff.

It takes Raidon the rest of the day, but in the end he manages to convince everyone. All the support staff, from the cooks to the masseurs, have suffered under the policy of Captain Bras.

The next day starts early for Raidon. With virtually everyone in training camp participating, it's time to figure out where they're going. There is no point in staying here. The generals obviously know the location of the training camp and they will not be safe for long. Raidon takes the maps out of the stack of papers and also grabs the map book of the old legions. It takes him some time, but then he has enough similarities between the maps to decide what’s what. It seems as if there used to be many forts all over the continent. But there is only one that might be useful to the New Legion. This place is now in the middle of the wilderness, far enough away from habitation to avoid discovery, yet close enough to provide secure supplies if necessary.

This former fort was a permanent fort, meaning it once had stone walls and buildings. It is possible that some of that is still standing.

Since everyone is already packing for the move, Raidon lets everyone do their own thing. He maps out a route for the trip and decides to leave only a day later. From the clerks he has heard that a messenger should be coming very soon. If the messenger is not stopped, then the whole operation is lost before it has even started.

The most convenient thing is to leave two instructors behind to catch the messenger. Raidon decides to leave Bob and Alan behind. Those two are the least friendly instructors, so he'll get less complaining when they arrive at their new home.

The next day, everyone in the camp joins the convoy. All the carts are loaded with handy items, from pots and pans to important books and training items, not to mention the old altar. Only the instructors Bob and Alan are left behind along with Captain Bras, who is locked in a room on his own, and with the captured guards in a different room. Before departure, the instructors will provide enough food and water for them to last until the next messenger arrives.