[b]The Mercenary Leader[/b]

Candido Dizon walked the deck of the giant flat-topped barge that carried the motely assortment of armed men and women coming to defend Greek Socialist Hegemony over Cyprus. These men and women were from different ideologies and causes, but all were gathered and armed by him for one cause: The undermining of the Ottoman 'Caliphate' and defense of the Greeks, despite their 'de-conversion' into dirty atheism. Not that he'd reveal his distaste, Candido thought as he straightened his red beret and the Priscilline Conciliarist eight-pointed red-star. He, like his mother, Aurelia, was willing to adopt any guise that would allow him to gain and retain power.

Enough time being lost in thought; time to rally the troops. Turning to his men and women, Candido said, "All right, Maggots! Form orderly lines on the decks; radio the other barges to do so as well; as for the leaders of each sub-group of the Filipino Volunteer Coalition - they are to come forward and answer my questions!"

Candido paused as his orders were followed to the letter, with three men and two women, all in military fatigues and carrying their bootleg Russian guns, coming forward ahead of their troops, ready to follow the orders of their commander. Yes, Candido liked that, the title of commander. He would find the five individuals arrayed in a semi-circle in front of him as their troops looked on, and turn to the leftmost one before saying, "All right, [I]Capitan[/i]!" he used the Spanish-Filipino word. "Why did you come here to fight?"

The dark-brown-skinned man with a pronounced peasant nose said, "To promote the Philosophy of Comrade Hou, in a pure form that is not tainted by womens' weakness!" 

A barb aimed at the Lady President, as well as his mother, the Opposition Leader. Candido can tolerate it. How strange that the person to his physical left was also the most politically leftist. Turning towards the next, a Filipino Chinese man who sported an array of knives on his belt, the commander would ask, "You! What is your reason for coming to fight the Ottomans?!"

The Filipino Chinese would sharply grin. "To get rid of Religion, and unshackle humanity from the fetters of faith!" 

Candido tried to hide the darkness in his mood; it was Religion that drove opposition to Spanish Imperialism - Native Clergy (first Catholic, then dissidents from the Philippine Independent Church) fought the Spanish Friars because said Friars had turned against what Christ actually said! Not that he agreed with the Son of God in most things, but even so. But nevertheless, he turned towards the third person, a brown-skinned woman who was nevertheless fit and well-muscled. "And you, Lady Soldier?! Why do you fight beside men?!"

The female soldier smiled, "To uphold the legacy of Priscilline Conciliarism, and to create a world of peace and happiness!" The smile grew fainter. "Using the barrel of a gun, of course."

Candido liked the Priscilline already. "What is your name?!" He already knew her from prior interactions, but this would be her formal introduction.

"Lydia, sir! Lydia Vidal!" the female soldier, evidently in her late twenties, said, catching Candido's sudden flare of interest. She watched as Candido turned towards another woman, one wearing a red headscarf and a Sulu Kalis sword in addition to her arms and fatigues. "Your name and cause, young lady?!"

The red-headscarved woman grinned with bloodlust. "I am Asma Misuari of Sulu, and unlike everyone else here, I came here to uphold the Sharif of Makkah's claims to the Caliphate! The Ottomans have lost their lustre, the Hashemites' hour has come!"

Another person to like. Now, to the last one, a young man barely nineteen years old, but already a leader of a force of 400 men. With androdgynous looks that were slightly more masculine than feminine, Candido felt a bit of warmth as he spoke, "And you, youngster! Why is someone like you leading mercenaries to Cyrpus?!"

The young man, his snub nose being the only evidence of nonwhite blood, said in a tone that made Candido shiver: "Because sodomy isn't sinful or illegal if you do it to an Ottoman, sir."

A shudder from everyone else at that.