Formicea

- Temia -

Seems like the war is over.
They have even already begun reintegrating the soldiers into society.
While there are still reports about small-scale quarrels, the wall Erys built basically renders all forms of aggression impossible.
Nobody can cross and cause harm.
The south might be open, but as it's now Formicea territory, any excursions from Koreso are no longer our problem.
Quite a stroke of genius from our leaders.
Yet it's not like they don't make use of what they received.
As far as my reports go, their superstructure expands daily, and they're busy cultivating vast fields of crops.
Many Formicea-supported projects offer work to those who no longer have a place in the military.
Also, they have their conditions to make this not a pure, net win for our side.

I, on my side, was no longer needed at the front, once battles died down, so I was sent back to my fief.
Yet not without a follow-up assignment.
Due to my past accomplishments in this area, I'm once more tasked with training a special kind of army department.

A mixed Formicea-human troop with a certain feature.
There'll be a far greater number of humans.
Not only in ratio, but also in total, as the higher-ups recognized the effectiveness during my successful campaigns.
So yes, effectively, I got a promotion and now have to raise this special troop within my fief.
If my ancestors, with the proud military tradition of my family, could see me now, what would they think of me?
Being the one responsible for a considerable number of personnel, without a doubt an honorable position, one that may even eventually grant me the rank of a general if I perform well enough.
However, the circumstances are anything but normal and may, in some instances, be considered dishonorable.

There are various points to aggravate this notion.
The most obvious are, of course, the insect troops.
Different from my last unit, those aren't exactly gifted goods but rather part of an official collaboration with the insect empire.

This one is actually a sore spot for some officials.
The thing is, this troop is supposed to repel any incursions to the east of Osari.
To be precise, to confront attacks on the insect territory.
While this also goes for monsters, it's primarily thought of as a preemptive measure against future Koresoan attacks.
So to speak, while this project may officially be declared a cooperation between Tarsona and the He'ora swarm, we're in fact exclusively working on the insect's behalf.

As I walk through the exercise fields, close to my estate, I watch humans and insects alike marching in formation next to each other.
Many of the latter are clad in armor and equipped with fierce weapons, such as claws, spikes, and straight blades, made to fit their natural form.
We utilize both heavy armor made of plate and lighter versions to protect common weak points.
Those improve their combat potential dramatically.
Yet with their bodies, it's not possible for them to take the armor off themselves, so we have a great number of supporting personnel to help them with changing.
Not to a small degree, comprised of nurses.

As far as I'm aware, the drones I command originate both from that titan queen and Princess Liseti.
This, of course, warranted several demands to be met.
So got my fief a bit of an underground base, in order that the drones would have a place to spend the time when it gets colder.
Not sure how I'm feeling about that.

In this sense, it was quite a challenge to get the people, especially the soldiers, used to the idea of serving along with those insects, but most of them don't have much of a life outside the army, so they weren't too hard to convince after being told that Tarsona wouldn't offer them any other military options.

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Additionally, some of them find a kind of solace in the knowledge that the terrifying monsters are on their side, ready to trample their enemies.
Yet it still doesn't surprise me that some are getting weird impressions about the discipline I demand here.
Some even take the feral appearance of their "co-workers" as an excuse for slacking off.

<Get back into position! Stick to the formation!> (T)

This is another gimmick of our army.
Somehow the insects managed to manufacture additional production of this nose-adjusting liquid, so others than just their princesses are able to produce it.

As it doesn't bear any negative side-effects, aside from a few cases who complain about a permanently changed sense of smell, it has become mandatory to take for all positions that require dealing with the insects to a certain degree.
This goes for almost all instances in public life, but yes, also for my mixed troops.
Every single soldier I command took it and is now capable of receiving the pheromone signals.

The speech adjustment, on the other hand, is a bit more problematic, and only a few officers in key positions have gotten around to taking it.

From a purely tactical point of view, this distribution bears certain advantages.
Pheromone speech allows our officers to relay orders that can't be misheard due to the chaos of the battlefield, and furthermore, directly imprint the picture of their intention into the heads of the soldiers, so there's no room for misinterpretation.
This makes formation training so much more efficient.
The soldiers simply stick to their roles if they see the shape of their formation and the angle they're supposed to attack at in their heads.
In addition, they can't talk back as only the higher-ranking officers are capable of relaying the signals, allowing for, more or less, undisturbed talks.

<Soro. How are the troops doing?> (T)

<Lady Lorata! Rather well. Rarely got recruits so inclined to listen to orders. Yes, many already had their first introductory training, but it's not like the tactics we are practicing here are of a simple nature.> (Soro)

Soro was a trainer who was sent to me to aid me with my task.
He's an expert in this field and astonishingly accepting of the insects.
I even surmise that he prefers them over the human soldiers, as they follow his orders far better.

<It seems about time to call the second division back.> (T)

<You might be right. I'll send a messenger.> (S)

Another convenient point.
As the insects by default speak their own language, one can simply send a flyer over to order troop movements at almost any distance.
Such a swift relay system allows for flexibility that is unheard of in modern warfare.

This also brings us to our communications officer.
As they are already close enough, they approach without delay at our perceivable exchange.

<Is my assistance required?> (Skiras)

<We need to call back the second division. Troops one and two shall head back immediately, while troop three, four, and five are supposed to move in an arc along the borders before returning.> (S)

While saying so, he also relays the desired routes as they'd look on a map.
Now Skiras will instruct the messengers, who again are going to fly to the respective troops.
This system enables us to patrol vast areas along the border to the Evergrove, while errors during transmission remain surprisingly low.
It, for one, shows how competent this Skiras is and, for the other, how well the conveying does work for Formicea.
To them, reproducing a message is akin to delivering a letter as it originally was.

Whatever critics may say about our program, our forces do very well at protecting the new rural areas around the thriving insect town.
Furthermore, we do so with remarkable skill, precision, and speed, having directed most of the training towards a readiness to appear on the combat sites at a moment's notice.
Whatever may be, one thing is for sure.
With the current development, it's only a question of time until our department will become one of the most fearsome units in all of Ea.

And by my name, I, Temia Lorata, will dedicate my all to achieving this one day.