[h3][i][u]The Border Guard[/u][/i][/h3]

Boys. Too many boys.

When Commander Hayha Nano worked under the Company of the Rose, he knew all his men for at least six months before going into combat with him, more than enough time to work out their individual quirks and abilities. These men were strangers too him. And there were too many boys.

He'd heard all the usual excuses. The first battle would turn them into men. They had never tasted defeat. And that old classic - they were willing to die for him, what more did he need? But these were the arguments of people who didn't understand war. The difference between victory and defeat was not whether your men were willing to die for the country, no. Victory was earned by making the poor sap you fought against die for his.

The way the brass spoke, it was as though war would break out at any minute. The commander had been assigned the petrifying task of securing the Freishann border against assault. A counter attack could wait until the army had been mobilised and prepared, but it was vital that a bulk Freishann force did not make it over the mountains. To that regard, Commander Nano and his men were the only line between Tsunatontu and total annihilation. The pressure weighed heavily on the aging commander. He knew what this kind of job entailed. The Brass made it sound as though it was about holding the line, preserving the border, just holding back the tide until support arrived. But Nano knew better. It was about sending enough young men to their deaths that their blood would make the enemies cavalry slip. They weren't an iron wall, ready to hold back any foreign invader. They were a wooden fence that served only to slow the enemy down until they were destroyed.

But the Commander didn't allow his misgivings to become known to the troops. Every one of them was a young, fresh-faced peasant boy, desperate for a life of brotherhood and adventure that the army would surely bring them. There wasnt a speck of dirt on their pressed uniforms, nor a scratch on their rosy cheeks. He was expected to turn these boys into killers, yeah right. The most these had killed would have been the rats in the village storehouses. They were not ready for war, and Nano didn't know how long he had to prepare them.

They started with encampments. Eschewing the traditional method of lopping down trees and building forts, they lived like bandits. With pick and shovel, they dug into the caves and set up makeshift barracks. Thankfully, if there was one benefit to recruiting lads from the villages, it was that they all had some sort of useful profession. Those who were once miners oversaw the development of the barracks whilst the hunters found game and brought meat back to camp. Blacksmiths looked over the tools and farmers built supports. It was a slog, but it was pretty cosy and it was only getting better.

Now, all it would take is time.