Chapter 2
At least the troop ship, the Victory, was a pleasant place for Natonito to be. He was sitting in the front of the ship, looking out of the window. In the room below him, the captain of the ship was guiding it over the Bravian plain. In his lap was his dear chief concubine's head, as she was taking a nap. He loved how peaceful she was when she slept, for she knew that she was safe and sound. In this dark world, she had found a refuge, and so had he. The two of them, though not married in name, were married in mind, and he was glad that there was some comfort for the two in a world that was dark and dreary as this. His other two concubines were playing with each other, as young ladies often did in the harems of the mighty and wealthy. He chucked as he watched them. They were so carefree, in a world in which nothing was happy anymore, just stressful and difficult.
Natonito remembered as a child when the sun shined in Bravia over the beautiful plains and the fields of the prosperous and hard-working peasants. The peasants now labored under cloudy skies, their prosperity taken away by high taxes to pay for the army that was needed for security purposes. There was something dark and evil about this world, and no one had been untouched by it. Natonito was glad he was no longer hiding in dark caves for fear of being found and executed by imperial forces. He smiled as he saw the enemies of the empire in caves in his mind, huddling in the cold and cursing his name. There were some pleasures to be found in this world, he thought. Like despoiling fair maidens from all of the empire, there was much a strong man such as himself could do to pass the time. For those that had the money and the power, the days could be as pleasant as you could afford. For those who had no money and no power, the days were misery, where the only thing sustaining the peasants who toiled for the fruit of their lords was the thought that in the next life they would be the lords and their masters would toil furitlessly for them. Some lords thought their peasants were dumb cattle, but Natonito knew differently. He thought the peasants were quite intelligent, and hoped that they would not realize the power they had over the empire. If the peasants gave up their hard labor, the empire could not eat, and Natonito knew more than anyone what that disaster would be for the empire.
He was not headed to deal with peasants, though. It was the army that was giving him his present headache, only calmed by his having the love of his life resting beside him, smiling during her pleasant sleep. The army, which took half of the impressive amount of tax money of the nation, was in Natonito's mind a morass of corruption and inefficiency. Time and time again the elite Imperial Guard which he commanded had to be brought in to fix the errors of the ineffective and pathetic army, which was ruled over by the inbred sons of noble houses. This army could barely handle the peasants armed with sycthes. Natonito was glad they did not have to face more formidable foes.
The army was made up mostly of paroled criminals, the bored rich, who insisted on making the officer corps expensive and bloated, and the sons of peasants who relished the chance to be powerful for a change. It was dressed in flashy uniforms, but most of the money went to officers and to the charlatans who were supposed to feed and supply the army, but who rarely did, and merely pocketed the money, bribing the appropriate imperial official so as to avoid paying the steep price mandated by law- the death penalty. Since the army did not get its food from the suppliers, it ate off the land.
It is said by peasants that there are two scrouges upon their fair land. One is the rebels and their privations. The other is the lords and the army that they support, and their privations. It seems like the peasants of the empire are unable to find any comfort in their frustrating lives. To the people sitting in the army ship, though, the peasants are hardly a matter of concern.
While Natonito was annoyed that he had to leave his palace and his fornication (something he wholeheartedly enjoyed), the troops loved being on a mission. As the troops were only able to enjoy the skankiest of the palace servants, they were releaved that not only would they get to use their fearsome military skills, but they were able to enjoy fine and vigorous peasant girls, something all of them eagerly anticipated. It was hard for them to control their enthusiasm as the ship landed at Russville, now ruins. They were let out after Natonito's concubines were let out in the temporary dwelling for the Directrix and enterage. Then the Directrix and the Guard prepared to deal with the situation at Russville.
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