Orcs, thought Maxim grimly. The Master of Arms, what others called a general, had been conspicuously absent from the senate ever since the news had come back. Redskins were brutal, bloodthirsty and insane beasts no better than a wild boar or ferocious wolf, and needed to be dealt with as such. Maxim hated giving the order for conscription, but alas, that was the way of the world. The Maerians were not a particularily diplomatic people, but they did know the way of the sword, and the way of the sword seemed to be the way forward.

30% of their men and women; the Maerians did not make a distinction in the military, even the weakest of people could be put to use, behind the lines, as skirmishers or arbelasts... It was a shame they had so few weapons and so little materials to make them with. Maxim was kicking himself for not giving the order to establish a lumber yard when he had the chance, but they would have to make do. Hunting bows, boar spears, and once again those gladius': they were not defenceless by any means. 

And, they had brought bulls. Not a lot, only the professional soldiers who had joined before the conscription order had been sent out would get it, but they had the distinctive banded leather armour that their homeland's own soldiers would have worn. A breastplate mate from stiffened leather, straps along the shoulders and arms, cloth bindings around the hand to prevent chafing, and so if, god forbid, they were totally disarmed, they could throw punches.

It was a damned shame they had no iron. If they had had it, then they would have been able to make proper breastplates and helmets, but this would have to do for now. The fishing boats were perfect for the 'short' trip to and from the orcish camp, and if they could get a foothold near it, then that would become a perfect place to establish a military base, and perhaps, in the distant future, a town.

For now though, there would be training. From the barracks' training yards, there was the steady shouts of an army being trained, the distinctive 'clack' of training swords, and the smell of food being prepared for the army, hard tack and salted mutton, wafted across the city. It was a damned shame they had no grapes, but perhaps the soldiers could find some; military expeditions always went easier with a little alcohol to dull the sway of the waves.

Maxim watched as the government building was erected at last. It was no grand basilica, that was for sure, just a squat, triangular-peaked building with simple columns rising up. It would honestly fit a temple better, and Maxim would ensure that his lasting legacy would be to turn this into a temple once the senate moved out, but for now it would serve well. Chairs and a large table had been moved in, and the front area had been determined as a courtroom, a courtroom that had thankfully not been needed to be used.

The leader of the expedition, however, would not be the general or Maxim himself. The general was an old man, a strategic genius but not suited to fighting, and the senate had deemed Maxim to important to lose, and so it would be Maxim's daughter who would be 'in charge' of the expedition, one of the original soldiers, and the only one with proper metal armour, inherited from her father.

Aemilina was a soldier through and through. She had served in the military back home when it had been her time, and had continued in her service for another five years, and was one of the most experienced out of all of the men and women in New Matem with seven of her twenty-five years in service. She would be a capable general, the senate and the people had no doubt about that.

[hider=TL;DR]
- Conscription enforced
- General Amelinia, Maxim's daughter, is ready for the campaign against the orcs
[/hider]