Two hundred and fifty men came to attention, their silver trimmed uniforms glinting in the morning sun. Rifles snapped to shoulders, heels of well polished boots clicked together. They raised their voices as one. "Sir!"

Glaring sternly at the troops, Colonel Joseph Richardson walked down the line, inspecting them for any sign of unreadiness. His efforts went unrewarded, as they all seemed attemtive and ready for combat. He irratably snapped his arm out parallel to the ground. "At the order, quick march! Assume your new possitions in the barracks! Move!" The soldiers turned and marched into the building.

Joseph heard someone approach him, but didn't turn to look. He knew who it would be. "Sir," said Kale, "Do you think it'll be enough?"

A simple shrug was the only reply. "They're looking for an excuse, Seargent. If I slip up even a little, they'll punish me as they see fit." He pulls a piece of jerkey out of his pocket and pops it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "But I brought the Soldiers to elite status. That should count for something."

"You did it by stealing the good soldiers from the Aveh guard!" Kale said angrilly. "You almost killed over a hundred of your own soldiers just because they didn't measure up! That doesn't bother you?"


There was a long pause.


Anoter piece of jerkey came out of Joseph's pocket He rolled it back and forth between his fingers thoughtfully, staring out of the gate and into the desert.

"Answer me! I deserve that much, sir!"

"Human flesh."

"What?"

"This." Joseph tossed the jerkey into the sand. "It means nothing to me. Most things mean nothing to me. When I joined the military, I destroyed all emotions I didn't find valueble."

"Sir?"

"I don't care what my superiors think of my performance, not really. As long as I do my job, I don't really care how it looks. But then, I don't care about the Aveh guard, or the men we lost, or this town." He spat visiously on the ground. "I just wish I knew what the hell I was fighting for." Joseph sighed, and turned to walk away. "At ease, Seargent, you've got the rest of the day off."