[h2][color=SlateGray]Coralie D'Amboise: The Battle of Katalani, 10:00am[/color][/h2]

Through the lens of her spyglass, Coralie could see the pikes advancing around her troops at the farmyard, threatening to cut them off.  There was no other batallia but her own, able to plug the gap and keep the route to and from the farmyard open... she snapped the glass shut, leaning down from her saddle to speak to the Iktani Major, "Give the order to bring us up along the road to protect the rear of our troops at the farmhouse."

He nodded and a few moments later the sound of drums and pipes signalled the advance.  Coralie dismounted, tossing her reigns to an aide as she fell in with her guard.

She wasn't sure if it had been a cunning move on the part of her enemies, or pure bad luck, but as they advanced, the Red pike formation turned, angling back towards Coralie's musketeers.  Her troops got a good volley off, ripping through the front rank, but other troopers stepped in to fill the place and the unit kept moving forward.

"Hold 4 feet from the ditch!" she called to her men, realising that hand-to-hand combat was inevitable and wanting to be sure that the pike formation would not simply push them off the battlefield.  Ensuring the ground where they met was broken enough to mean the pikemen couldn't hold their rigid formation.

They reached the ditch, the first line hopping down, pikes discarded and swords drawn, "Fire at will!" Coralie called.

She drew her pistol, firing at a man scrambling up, out of the ditch.  The ball struck the ground a few inches from his arm.  Coralie cursed, tossing the pistol aside and drawing a second as the man rushed towards her.  The second shot struck him in the middle of the chest and he tumbled forward, though by then more were surging over the wall.

Sporadic fire picked off a few of the assaulters but then they were upon the Iktani.  Sword clashed with sword.  Screams of the wounded and dying rent the air.

Another man came at Coralie, slashing down at her chest with a broadsword.  She took the blow on her breastpiece, not bothering to try to block but instead lunging forward with her own sword.  The Red soldier's sword glanced off her chest, but her own thrust struck true and he staggered back, bleeding from a deep stab to the chest.  The exchange of blows knocked the air out of her and she staggered back a pace, though there was no time to worry about that as a fresh wave clambered up over the ditch.

The fighting seemed to go on forever.  The man on her right was cut down.  She held the line until her arm ached and she felt barely strong enough to stand up.  There was a brief lull as the enemy regrouped.  Someone tugged at her sleeve, urging her to cycle back, and she did, falling back a few paces, taking a few moments to catch her breath.

On all sides, canon and musket roared, filling the battlefield with hazy acrid smoke.  At one point a rider appeared next to her, "General Assinger requests that you join him!" the rider called.

Coralie shook her head, "I am with my guard." She called up to him.  Perhaps it was pig-headed of her, but she was a Captain first and foremost.  It felt... wrong to sit at the back.

"General Assinger suggests that the enemy know that as well, which is why they are so determined," the rider called back.

But Coralie was not to be deterred.  She shook her head again, "I'll fall back with the guard, when the opportunity arises."

It didn't for some time.  Coralie reloaded one pistol, the other had been lost in the fighting, and rotated back into the line, although people tried to stop her.  She shot a big Inburian with a beard, injured another with a deep gash to his forearm.  The enemy regrouped, charged again, but her Guard stood firm and after what seemed an eternity, she saw the enemy resolve wavering.  They seemed unwilling to cross the ditch.  A few looked around.  A few began to run, then the whole body did.

Coralie was too exhausted to do anything but sit down on the edge of the ditch, surrounded by the dead, dying and wounded.  She could see many of the blue coats of her guards amongst the dead, though they had given a good account of themselves.  A very good account.

As the smoke cleared the clip-clop of approaching horses caused Coralie to turn around.  Assinger was there with his runners and her horse, led by the reigns, "Your Majesty," he greeted, lifting his hat formally before adding in a dry tone, "You'll need to stop doing this.  You're going to get yourself killed."

"I can hold my own," Coralie replied, tired.

"I have no doubt of that, but in the chaos of battle, all it takes is one stray bullet," Assinger pointed out, he dropped out of his saddle, moving to sit next to Coralie.  Around them the smoke was clearing from the battlefield.  Her lines had held firm. "Viryarus has been sighted.  The Reds are fleeing, but they won't get far - his cavalry will cut them to ribbons.  Also, Colonel Zeller reported that his Cavalry drove the red Cavalry off the field and fell upon their baggage train.  We took a significant prisoner."

Coralie turned, a smile breaking, "No... don't tell me..."

Assinger nodded, "We got her.  For all intents and purposes your rule South of Inbur is unchallenged."

"Alive?" Coralie queried.  A nod from Assinger, "Oh good... make sure she's treated well.  She'll come in handy if we need to face the sister."

Katalani was a decisive battle.  The Red Army of just under 19,000 had been crushed, with 2,238 counted dead on the field, and a further 7,706 captured, according to Coralie's records.  Others were ridden down by the Imperials in the pursuit, though Coralie's troops kept no record of the numbers.  There were still enough Red soldiers to reform, but in the chaos, Coralie's cavalry had captured Ariana as they ransacked her camp though her senior leaders were otherwise unaccounted for.  On her own side, Coralie had lost a mere 675 soldiers.  Coralie was now the undisputed ruler South of Inbur itself.