From: Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 19:05:47 EDT Subject: Post: 6th Army: Rumors Title: 6th army: Rumors Narrator: Emily (Estela) Time and Date: I belive it should say that someplace on your email. I'm just too lazy to check unless it doesn't and someone really really needs to know.... and their email program doesn't say it. A handful of the soldiers of the Sixth Army sat around the green fire outside their tent. Just at the edge of vision, plumes of smoke and steam rose from the ruins of Kaika, blurring the view of the stars. But the soldiers weren't looking up. They leaned in toward the fire, discussing the odd weather and strange orders they'd been experiencing lately..... "That rain was... weird," commented a soldier. "The red stuff? Yeah. Must've been half the Fourth Division were too slow getting their tents up and they're all sick as dogs from the stuff they ate." A third man laughed. "That's why they're in Fourth, and *we're* in First." The other soldiers laughed raucously and cheered, and a few of the men at the neighboring fires turned to grin at the comment. The rivalry between divisions, especially First and everyone else, was nearly a tradition in the Sixth Army. A soldier across the fire, one who'd gotten caught in the red rain himself, leaned forward and lowered his voice as he changed the subject. "What about the new orders that've been coming down? You know, the Gahnril after that one girl, and they won't tell us anything but that she's got brown hair, brown eyes, that amulet, two men with her and all of them on horseback? Oh, and she's wanted "alive and minimally harmed"? No names, no reasons?" The first soldier nodded. "I heard..." "Heard WHAT!?" chorused the other men, after waiting for him to finish. "...that The Girl has a harem, and those two men are just part of it!" A fifth man shook his head. "No, no way! I heard she's a GUY!" The second man grinned. "Well... that could explain why he seems to find that rumor so interesting, then." He jerked a thumb back toward the first soldier, who turned a dark red visible even in the flickering green light of the fire. "Shut up!" The other men laughed while he glowered at them. The third man commented thoughtfully, "You know those four scouts who vanished on us? I heard she ATE them." "Even is she is a girl, I wouldn't join the harem of someone like that if you PAID me! Well... depending how much you paid me, I guess....." said the fifth soldier, provoking another ripple of laughter. The sixth and last soldier, who has until now been silent, leaned far forward, gesturing the other men to come close. "I heard The Girl is a sorceress," he said, very softly. all around the fire, eyes widened as the men considered the implications of that, but before any of them could reply, their commanding officer stepped out of the shadows. "I would suggest you men keep those rumors where they belong. Unspoken. It's bad for morale, and discipline, to go spreading nonsense about the girl we're after among the troops. And get some sleep. We set out at dawn, and that means leave, not wake up. Good night, men." He turned on his heel and walked off. The men exchanged glances, then took the hint, heading to their tent.