Both Ways (20181228)

CH45

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    The next two days of travel were rather mundane. They had proceeded to Shuar thus far without incident, and were making decent time. Thankfully, there hadn't been any rain. The stoney trails absorbed absolutely no moisture, which Anag told them could lead to dangerously powerful fast floods.
    Throughout their journey, Tavi had spotted a couple AAF aircraft flying at high altitude. While he couldn't see the aircraft itself, Salazar pointed out the contrails that followed the aircraft, under the stipulation that he not share the knowledge with the Shuarans, lest it upset them.
    Now, they rested once again, a single day of travel ahead of them. By tomorrow's evening, they should be at the great fortress capital of Shuar. Tavi sat down around a campfire next to Varg and Nasaug, who were observing their Shuaran cousins as they set up their own camp.
    "They do not know what they are doing." Varg said softly.
    "My warriors would have those tents set up by now." Nasaug commented, looking around. "Do they even have a sentry up?"
    "Not one that I see." Tavi admitted. The Shuaran warriors, Tavi had realised, were rather green; they were young and inexperienced. Varg had told him that Canim typically put the younger and more aggressive warriors far behind the lines in sentry or patrol as a sort of temperament. The warriors were excited about traveling to the capitol, and saw it as a chance to prove themselves in combat. Anag, however, had his hands fulls trying to teach his warriors how to set up a proper camp, for the third time.
    As they crossed the Shuaran plateau, they had passed a few other caravans headed in the direction of Shuar, but traveling a bit slower. They carried a great deal of arms, armor, and other pieces of war equipment. What they lacked, however, was a serious escort. Where were their warriors?
    Their caravan had passed a few smaller Canim villages, populated by only a hundred or so inhabitants. Tavi noticed that while there was an obvious population of female and younger pups, there was a glaring lack of military aged males.
    The more they traveled, and the more he saw, the more Tavi puzzled about Battlemaster Tarsh. Varg obviously considered him to be incompetent, a sentiment that resonated deeply with Tavi. He looked over to the Canim resting just across from where he sat. Anag was busily enforcing order in his ranks. Tavi thought of Anag well; He seemed like a competent and young officer. Why, then, was he stationed with these amateurish warriors? Tavi supposed that maybe Tarsh was the reason. Perhaps Tarsh had somehow been promoted beyond his competency, and Anag had been assigned under him to mitigate the foolishness of his superior officer.
    There was one more problem that Tavi hadn't quite worked out. Molvar was a major port city. No, the only port city in Shuar, in fact! A location that Tavi certainly wouldn't consider unimportant. Why then, would it be defended by Tarsh and a band of crack troops? It certainly wasn't the middle of nowhere.
    Then Tavi remembered what Anag had told him: They hadn't received a trade ship in six months. In other words, Molvar had become the middle of nowhere! This ultimately led to one conclusion: Shuar was at war.
    "Do you think Lararl knows?" Tavi asked Varg.
    "I wouldn't be surprised." Varg responded. "One thing I must give the Shuarans credit for is that they do take threats seriously, in a way. They do take precautions, but they overestimate the effectiveness of their own defenses."
    "This looks a bit more like precautions though, Varg." Tavi argued. "Tarsh. Defending Molvar. With those guys." He pointed over to a handful of warriors struggling to erect a tent.
    "I see your point, Tavar." Varg admitted.
    "But from Landager told us, they aren't really committing to military action." Nasaug reminded.
    Varg sighed. "When we were both young, I tried to teach Lararl to play ludus. He refused, saying 'a warrior should be focus on war, not games.'"
    "Which means?" Nasaug asked.
    "He lacks foresight." Varg answered. "When an inexperienced player plays ludus against one that has, what do they do, Octavian?" Varg asked.
    "React to their opponents moves and attacks." Tavi answered. "As I did when you first taught me."
    "And what if the more experienced player is not attacking?" Varg continued.
    "They attempt to create a defense, but ultimately hesitate, never going on the offensive." Tavi responded "All the while their opponent is strategically placing their peices-"
    "-For a devastating assault." Varg concluded.
    "Do you think that is what is happening here?" Nasaug asked.
    "I mean, it makes sense." Tavi said. "After all, the Vord do not know we are here. It thinks it has all the time in the world to prepare an offense."
    "But if Landager thinks it's going to start is just a couple days...." Nasaug started.
    "The Vord is, more or less, already prepared to attack." Varg finished. Tavi sighed, and leaned back against the rocky ground.
    "Well, let's just hope that Lararl is willing to hear our cause out." Tavi commented. "Before it becomes too
late." Mach, Salazar, and the rest of the AAF soldiers strode over to the campfire. Salazar stood over Tavi with his toothy smile.
    "Oh, come on now. Not everything is so doom and gloom." Salazar said. "Look around. It's like you are camping with your fifty best friends."
    "More like fifty worst enemies." Tavi muttered.
    "Well then, don't forget that your fifty worst enemies are the ones' whose trust we're trying to win over." Mach reminded. "Anyway, Captain Salazar's going out on a patrol tonight, seeing what there is to see."
    "Any reason?" Tavi asked. "Why can't the Shuarans stand watch?"
    "I'm trying to get the Commander to get some rest." Mach answered. "Hopefully, having Salazar out there will put him at ease."
    "Salazar snooping around would be the one thing keeping me up!" Tavi laughed.
    "Yeah, fuck you too." Salazar hissed back with a laugh. "Better watch your mouth before I give you a reason to stay up."
    "Get out of here!" Mach ordered, smiling and shaking his head. Salazar held up his hand in obedience, and led his team out into the darkness of the night. Once he was gone, Mach returned to Tavi. "You should get some rest too. We've got one more long day of travel ahead of us."
    "Sure thing, Colonel." Tavi replied, and Mach trodded off elsewhere. Tavi chatted a bit more with Varg and Nasaug, until they were ready to go to bed. Once they were off, Tavi soon followed, and retired to his small tent.