Green Eyes

“They’re hopeless,” Jared remarked impassively as his cobalt eyes analyzed the women gathered before him the next morning.

There were about 40 of them from half a dozen different countries and equally as many different forms of weaponry gathered in the training circle in front of Jared and Mara. Their multicolored eyes displayed emotions from fear to disdain to hatred.

“They’ve got some backbone,” Mara returned. “They haven’t run away way yet.”

“They have no identity,” Jared pointed out.

“That can be remedied easily enough,” Mara shrugged. “Attention Amazons!” she boomed. Instantly all of them tensed.

They had agreed earlier that Mara would take the lead. Having Jared as a teacher was uncomfortable enough for them and they decided not to push it. Well, not too much anyway.

“Before we begin, everyone discard your weapons to the left,” Mara ordered sharply

The Amazons blinked at her as if she were speaking alien. Mara wanted them to get rid of their weapons?

“Now!” Jared barked at them.

That got them moving. They practically ran over each other to drop their spears, swords, and whatever else they else were carrying and stacked them in a pile to the left of the training ring.

“Now that we’ve gotten that taken care of, I’ll explain what we are going to be doing for the next month,” Mara announced. “As you may have heard me and Jared discussing before we started, you guys lack a military identity. Given the international nature of your group, that is understandable.

“Obviously you are not creating your own nation here. It’s a little difficult to do that without men,” Mara couldn’t resist throwing in the barb. “However you are trying to create your own culture and ideals and therefore you need to create your own military identity, especially to preserve your new culture and continue what you want to do. In this next month, we will create your military identity.”

Murmurs began spread through gathered Amazons.

“Military identity is determined by a variety of factors,” Mara continued her lecture. “Cultural ideology, terrain, and goals. Malchians are tough people who live in rocky hills and are bent on conquest. Thus they have adopted the phalanx as their military identity. Anorians are contented people with an affinity for animals that live on rolling hills and treeless plains and as a result they rely on their cavalry.

“We Kalashonians, who have the oldest military tradition, used to rule the world and had to be ready to fight on any terrain in any situation. Our culture values success and therefore versatility and adaptability to any circumstances. As a result, our martial arts reflect that pragmatic attitude.

“Forms II-VI are meant to work in concert with each other so that if you learn one, learning any of the others is not that difficult,” Mara went on. “In addition, all Kalashonian soldiers are trained to use both swords and spears so that they will be prepared for all circumstances.

“The backbone of the Kalashonian Army is the Eleph, or company, that is composed of ten soldiers who spend years fighting together,” Mara elucidated. “The advantage is that you have a small, tough combat unit that can function on their own or can be put together with other Elephs to form a cohort or even a legion, giving a general a lot of options at his disposal.”

“Are you going to do this with us?” questioned a woman with brown skin and sky blue eyes, a Malchian.

“Not exactly,” Mara shook her head, “although there will be similarities. We have to consider your situation. You don’t have the numbers to use the Eleph system and we don’t have the time to teach you multiple Kalashonian weaponry and martial arts. Also, your goals are different than Kalashon. Kalashon has to guard one of the largest nations in the world and we may try to reclaim our empire someday soon.

“Conversely, you don’t have a border to protect,” Mara pointed out. “Instead you have to protect each other in the forest, which simplifies the matter. Simpler mission and only one type of terrain. And so we’ll tailor your identity to fit your situation.

“The identity that fits best for you is a hit-and-run identity,” Mara told them. “You inflict casualties without incurring any yourselves, something you can ill-afford. Plus that takes advantage of the forest, which is easy to hide in. The Harosheth is your best weapon. This narrows down your weapons to swords and bows. Anything else is too bulky or too cumbersome to be used quickly and flexibly.”

“We are also going to divide you into pairs, like a buddy system,” Jared spoke up. “One person in the pair will use a sword while the other, a bow. Each pair is one team. Think of yourselves as one, each being half of the whole. We will determine who goes where by testing both your swordsmanship and your archery skills. Once your place has been determined, we will spend a week of individual training to get the basics down after which time you will choose your partner. I will teach swordsmanship while Mara archery. The next three weeks we will then train you to work together as a single unit.”

“The first test,” Mara picked up, “will be the sword. Each of you retrieve a blade from the pile. Obviously we don’t have swords for everyone so please give your sword to someone who doesn’t have one as soon as you are done.”

The women shuffled over and picked a blade, though there were hardly enough to go around. Mara wondered if there would be enough for half or if they would have to execute some raids on passing Kalashonian troops, an unpleasant prospect. It took about a minute for them to run out of swords and then they fell back in before the twins.

“Your test will consist of dueling either Jared or myself,” Mara announced. Before the protests could start, the former slave held up her hand for silence. “Don’t worry, we will go easy on you,” she told them. “This is merely a test of your abilities and not actual training. But we do need some standard to measure you against and since Jared and I are well acquainted with our own abilities, we are the logical standard. So divide into two groups, one on the far side to fight me and the rest stay here with Jared.”

Almost all of the Amazons, except for a few more veteran ones, started following after Mara. Sighing she stopped and faced them.

“While I understand your reticence to be around my brother,” that was a lie, Mara knew. She didn’t understand their sexist attitudes at all. “We simply don’t have the time for all of you to fight me. You back,” she drew an invisible line through half of her group, “are going to be tested by Jared. That is not a request, that is an order,” Mara commanded. Immediately the Amazons obeyed.

Jared aloofly considered the women before him as the last of them reluctantly fell in before him. Behind his stone-cold expression, the former mercenary was reconsidering the intelligence of agreeing to help these people. He liked what they were doing, sure, but their deep-seeded albeit understandable hatred of men was constantly getting in the way.

“I understand that I represent everything that you hate,” he started, attempting to be diplomatic which was not natural to him. “But I am trying to help you. Please try to understand that. So who’s first?”

When no one moved, Jared audibly sighed in frustration. Gesturing with his drawn sword, he pointed to a woman towards the back. “You,” he ordered commandingly, “step forward. The rest of you, stand to the side.”

This command was obeyed quickly; they seemed to respond better to force than diplomacy Jared noted, something he found interesting. Latent condition from their previous lives, perhaps? Focusing on the woman in front of him, Jared drew his blade up in his personal Form VII stance and the Amazon across from him followed suit.

“Begin.”

*******