somewhere highly placed in the Palace.”
“Yes, General. May I suggest that I inform Lieutenant Tork of the changes in leadership of the Frontier Division while you alert the Intelligence Task Force of this problem? I will meet you in fifteen minutes in your office.”
“An excellent idea, Colonel, bring Tork with you. I want to hear more of his trip to Kantor.”
After the General left the room, Colonel Gregor turned to Alex and said, “Alex, you have some explaining to do. I could be brought up on charges for diverting the conversation from the General’s question.”
“I’m sorry, Colonel Gregor, but I cannot explain what I don’t fully understand. By some force of magic I was transported to the Targa Sea and then proceeded normally by ship. I would prefer to keep that information within this room, if possible.”
“I understand, Alex. My faith in you is complete and I can accept your story. General Clark, however, will not. Is Lord Habas aware of your transportation?”
“Yes, Colonel. He accompanied me on the trip.”
“Good. I am going to do something that I have never done in my entire career, Alex, and you had better back me up on this. If General Clark asks again, tell him that you actually had a month of leave and that I covered for you. The General spends so little time with his men that I doubt he could have seen you in the yard anytime in the last month.”
“Thank you, Colonel. I am indebted to you.”
“That you are, Lieutenant. Now, the Frontier Division has become too large to be commanded by a Lieutenant, so I am relieving you of that duty. Captain Jay Oren will assume command of the Frontier Division immediately.”
Alex was disappointed. The Frontier Division had been his idea and he had created it by himself. The Division had grown to over a thousand men so Alex knew that the Colonel was correct, but that didn’t ease the sting.
“Getting back to the matter at hand, there have been a string of attacks culminating yesterday in an attack in Klandon. Forty priests and acolytes were brutally killed in an attack and the entire library was missing. The unique thing about this attack, other than the massive number of casualties, is the portion of a Cordonian uniform found in the slaughter.”
“Cordonian uniform?” Alex sputtered.
“Yes. General Clark is convinced the Cordonians are behind these raids. That is why I feel that your trip to Cordonia will surface again.”
“Excuse me, Colonel, but you don’t appear to share the General’s concern.”
“You are observant, Alex. The people in Klandon were all slaughtered in one room with no signs of struggle. Without a struggle it is incredible that a well-trained Cordonian soldier would conveniently tear his jacket and leave us such a fortunate clue. I think whoever is behind these attacks wants us to focus our efforts on Cordonia.”
“That makes sense, Colonel. Does Targa have a military Intelligence Branch like Cordonia?”
“Not really, Alex. We have a group called the Intelligence Task Force, but it is little more than some officers on General Clark’s staff who correlate information that we receive from various sources.”
“Seems to me, Colonel, that intelligence like the Cordonians are getting would have great value to Targa.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Alex. There are several special groups that Targa needs to create in order to keep pace with her enemies and deal with them properly. General Clark and I were discussing the need for a small force designed to react quickly to attacks similar to what we are facing. This is where you come into the picture. The General has agreed to promote you to Captain and have you create this small, highly trained force.”
“I am honored, Colonel. How small a force are we talking about?”
“You will be allowed to choose three hundred men from the ranks of the Red Swords, Frontier Division, or the Regular Army. Choose two men to be promoted to Lieutenant. Your rank of
“Yes, General. May I suggest that I inform Lieutenant Tork of the changes in leadership of the Frontier Division while you alert the Intelligence Task Force of this problem? I will meet you in fifteen minutes in your office.”
“An excellent idea, Colonel, bring Tork with you. I want to hear more of his trip to Kantor.”
After the General left the room, Colonel Gregor turned to Alex and said, “Alex, you have some explaining to do. I could be brought up on charges for diverting the conversation from the General’s question.”
“I’m sorry, Colonel Gregor, but I cannot explain what I don’t fully understand. By some force of magic I was transported to the Targa Sea and then proceeded normally by ship. I would prefer to keep that information within this room, if possible.”
“I understand, Alex. My faith in you is complete and I can accept your story. General Clark, however, will not. Is Lord Habas aware of your transportation?”
“Yes, Colonel. He accompanied me on the trip.”
“Good. I am going to do something that I have never done in my entire career, Alex, and you had better back me up on this. If General Clark asks again, tell him that you actually had a month of leave and that I covered for you. The General spends so little time with his men that I doubt he could have seen you in the yard anytime in the last month.”
“Thank you, Colonel. I am indebted to you.”
“That you are, Lieutenant. Now, the Frontier Division has become too large to be commanded by a Lieutenant, so I am relieving you of that duty. Captain Jay Oren will assume command of the Frontier Division immediately.”
Alex was disappointed. The Frontier Division had been his idea and he had created it by himself. The Division had grown to over a thousand men so Alex knew that the Colonel was correct, but that didn’t ease the sting.
“Getting back to the matter at hand, there have been a string of attacks culminating yesterday in an attack in Klandon. Forty priests and acolytes were brutally killed in an attack and the entire library was missing. The unique thing about this attack, other than the massive number of casualties, is the portion of a Cordonian uniform found in the slaughter.”
“Cordonian uniform?” Alex sputtered.
“Yes. General Clark is convinced the Cordonians are behind these raids. That is why I feel that your trip to Cordonia will surface again.”
“Excuse me, Colonel, but you don’t appear to share the General’s concern.”
“You are observant, Alex. The people in Klandon were all slaughtered in one room with no signs of struggle. Without a struggle it is incredible that a well-trained Cordonian soldier would conveniently tear his jacket and leave us such a fortunate clue. I think whoever is behind these attacks wants us to focus our efforts on Cordonia.”
“That makes sense, Colonel. Does Targa have a military Intelligence Branch like Cordonia?”
“Not really, Alex. We have a group called the Intelligence Task Force, but it is little more than some officers on General Clark’s staff who correlate information that we receive from various sources.”
“Seems to me, Colonel, that intelligence like the Cordonians are getting would have great value to Targa.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Alex. There are several special groups that Targa needs to create in order to keep pace with her enemies and deal with them properly. General Clark and I were discussing the need for a small force designed to react quickly to attacks similar to what we are facing. This is where you come into the picture. The General has agreed to promote you to Captain and have you create this small, highly trained force.”
“I am honored, Colonel. How small a force are we talking about?”
“You will be allowed to choose three hundred men from the ranks of the Red Swords, Frontier Division, or the Regular Army. Choose two men to be promoted to Lieutenant. Your rank of
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