Exile

All along the streets of Hiko the word passed. Runners from Alyissa were reporting to the council, and a messenger had arrived from the capital by fast galley. People left their tasks and headed down to the city square, anxious to hear the news about their loved ones. 2nd Hiko Swords, full of their loved ones, had been gone for weeks, but they marched north knowing of the great victory in the first battle vs the invading Agarthians, and were armed with weapons of the new iron. From the nearby barracks, shouts could be heard. Sergeants whipping the newly formed 3rd Foot, Hiko's Own, into shape.

In the wing off the library, Lizzie looked down the council table at the other elders. "We are agreed then." She straightened her tunic and headed outside. Surprised at the crowd gathered in the rain, she crossed the square and climbed a bit of scaffolding for the new temple to address them. Abandoned less than half completed, it was decaying quickly in the jungle damp. The crowd was restless, but quieted quickly when she raised her hand.

"I know you all saw the runners. What you don't know is that a Babylonian runner was with them. Babylon has joined the war." A few people cheered, then silenced as Lizzie continued "On Agarthia's side." Unnoticed tears streamed down her face as the terrible news unfolded. "1st Hiko Swords stayed in Alyissa to help defend their homes. 2nd Swords was cut off enroute, so they diverted into the eastern jungle, to block Babylonian reinforcements. The 2nd fought a hard action vs a unit of Babylonian axemen, but then a unit of Archers joined in and they were defeated. The Babylonian emissary has assured us that the survivors of the 2nd Swords that were captured will be released when the war is over. Unfortunately, that is the good news." Shocked silence from the citizens. "Aylissa was attacked from both sides. 1st swords were heavily outnumbered, but turned back the Babylonian attack. Across town, the soldiers of Aylissa fought bravely as well, but they were not armed with the new weapons, and it went badly for them. In all, we defeated 3 times our numbers, but in the end Agarthian troops broke thru, and captured the city."

"Negotiations are underway to end this war, but Babylon is marching south. If there is a delay in reaching peace, our troops will have an easier time defending if we evacuate the city, so please make your way to the southern beaches. The fishing fleets will carry you to safety. Pack only for a few days, this should be over quickly." A small lie, but no need for them to panic and overload the few boats with junk instead of people.

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Newly appointed Commander Jons gathered his composure and stepped out of his tent. He reached to button the tentflap, then left it hanging. It was just too much effort with only 1 hand, so the rain would just blow inside. His former companions from the 1st Swords felt only damp earth, likely from a mass grave, he could live with a bit of damp bedding. He looked at the assembled 3rd Hiko Foot. While he would never admit it to them, they were already shaping up to be soldiers, not the ragged bunch of farmboys and village toughs they were just a few weeks ago. But then they hadn't heard the real news of Aylissa, though some of the sergeants had probably guessed. Things worse than a clean death happened in battle, and what happened to unarmed civilians afterward was the stuff of nightmares. He shook off that thought, formed the 3rd up, and Hiko's Own marched south to the fishing beaches, along with the civilians. Supposedly "escorting" the civilians, but the sergeants turned a blind eye as children rode on daddy's shoulders one last time, or wives and mothers slipped into the ranks for another tearful hug and reassurance. Commander Jons rode ahead alone, and sat on a hilltop looking down, until all the boats had departed. Then he came down, formed the men up, and drilled them mercilessly. But they drilled in full view of the receding boats full of waving townsfolk, until the rain and distance obscured them.

The next day they marched north, confident in their new weapons and training.

The Babylonians approached. The men stood uneasily, fearing their first battle. What was Commander Jons thinking? Anyone could see 3rd Foot was heavily outnumbered, and they had marched into the middle of an open field to face archers instead of taking cover in the nearby village. Did he mean to join his dead friends in the 1st, taking the 3rd with him?

Commander Jons rode up on one of the few imported horses and addressed them. "Men, I'm going to give you the hardest command of your lives, but it will save your families." He turned to the sergeants and shouted. "Draw... Arms!". The men obeyed crisply. Good, they were still steady. The sergeants dressed the ranks. Then he gave the next command. "Now drop them!" The men muttered, some shouted in anger, few obeyed. Surrender? By now they'd heard the rumors. Aylissa didn't fall, it burned. The Agarthians had cut down even the wounded in their anger over the death of Vladimir Ahriman. Surely surrender would just result in slavery, or execution.

The sergeants shouted them down, and Jons continued "These are Babylonians, honorable men. They will take us prisoner for now, but once you give your parole, we will still be soldiers. The 3rd will fight for Babylon now, but your sergeants and I will still command you. We may not see home for a long time. We may even die fighting some war we know nothing about. But Babylon is strong. With us to help her, it will be even stronger. It stands between New Avalon and the rest of the world. Our families will be safe."

The men complied, slowly, but they did it. Jons put them at attention, and a bit of pride reappeared. He marched them away from the stacked arms, then turned and rode toward the Babylonian lines alone. Dismounting, he marched crisply up to the Babylonian lines, drew his sword, and offered it to their commander. "Hiko's Own stands ready to fight for Babylon!" In a whisper he added "March us far away from here, or any lands we know, quickly. A big city full of new sights, a far outpost, it doesn't matter. The men will be more steady if home is a distant memory"

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In Nisdey, much the same happened. A concession by the Agarthians to allow more time to evacuate the city helped hide the brutality of what happened in Aylissa, so the story was changed. The Babylonians were the cruel invaders, the Agarthians the honorable ones. The people would learn the truth eventually, but by then their sons would be gone. in service to a new nation. Whether they were fighting bravely on some foreign border, or secretly hostages to New Avalon's continued goodwill, it did not matter.

The Gods conspire, but New Avalon survives.