XII: A Team Built Right - Hopefully

29 Fyrva, 350BFD, 10 Ur
Southern Edge, Shanvér Woods

"Alright folks, it's time for a decent break," Findat announced, partly because it was true and partly because he had realised he was less fit than he thought, "do not yet venture under the canopy of the forest. The air is already cooler having walked for four hours, without giving our bodies a shock in the process."
With a murmur of assent, the small Silent Shields group broke into pairs to set up a campfire, makeshift pre-set crossbow defences and to line traps in a twenty-pace circumference around their camp, so as to protect it from any large predators. Findat unhooked his pack from his shoulders and waist and let it drop with audible relief. Each of the team were allowed one luxury item, or provision and his was a polished oak frame, joined by wool-lined cotton lengths that formed a collapsible, but comfortable chair. This he untied and, with two clicks and a satisfied grunt, carefully lowered himself into it, allowing the gentle morning breeze to wash over his face.
Once cooled off, which took a much shorter time than he had anticipated, he took a look around, scanning the area, his team and the forest's edge. Shanvér Woods had always felt like it was on the doorstep of Shevezz and yet it had taken them a few hours of steady walking to reach it. The ground between the city and the forest's edge was slightly hilly, like the gentle undulation of a mostly-calm ocean, but at one of its highest points they had stopped to view the land that lay between them and their first destination. From a distance, Shanvér appeared to be a pretty green-and-purple wood, stretching back further than even the keenest eyes could perceive. Now they were much closer, the trees that grew there created a dense canopy, making their way in seem dark and fraught with danger.
"It's still pretty though," he quietly acknowledged, "but just because something is beautiful, it does not make it less dangerous."
The Overseer, or in his present company, rightly holding his military title of Commander, had pulled this team from various walks of life in the Queendom, most of whom had not been Shields, but would be formally inducted and trained upon their return. The first challenge had been finding someone to do as he was instructed - do the physical leading and protect those less used to battles.
"People like me," he had admitted earlier.
For that role, he had recruited Shenzàn Khryt, a native-born, desert-trained warrior-woman with a sharp, fierce gaze and carrying a greatsword and a heavy axe on her back.
"One for trees, the other for targets," she had explained, though did not elaborate on which weapon she had assigned for which task. Findat had opted for not asking, in case it proved him ignorant, or worse, "jumping to the obvious conclusion", a real no-no in the Shevezzii mindset. Shenzàn had grown restless of late, finding regular military duties of little challenge to her and had accepted his invitation more to explore the unknown and visit places outside of the city, than for any physical test of her combat skills.
While Findat had been explicitly denied the right to ask for a Councilperson to aid in any political negotiations, that ban did not extend to their assistants, script-writers or trainees. Vider Nihl was a Parànti, or Homus in Shevezzi, and an acquired citizen, one not born in the Queendom. He was granted permission to use some of his sojourn allowance - a generous allocation of days in an Ana that were not to be worked - to join the team. All working citizens were required to take this allocation but not in one stretch of time, so as to pace their work and rest. Vider Nihl, the protegé of Councillor Sair-Porten, had worked for almost three years in the area of workers' and outsiders' rights, helping to bring about life-changing improvements while at the same time striving to augment the Queendom's prosperity and reputation. What he was less skilled at was taking his required time-off allowance and had only been granted permission as it was hoped the "actual work" part of the visit to The Nectar Glen would be the smallest proportion of time.
Being in territory unknown to himself, Findat had also purloined a botanist and zoologist from the Centre for Natural Understanding. The Elelupi botanist Veman was an "experienced wanderer" as he liked to call himself, having travelled many weeks on foot cataloguing plants, trees, streams and other features of the natural world. The Queen Herself had assigned him to their Mapping Intelligence Corpus where he had been able to make many useful changes and additions - once he had taken a team of his own to verify his observations. Findat had chosen him for his ability to identify plant-life in the forest - both that which was beneficial either as food or medicine, and that which could be hazardous or fatal.
The zoologist, Azachet, had had to work hard for over a décanà, or ten years, before her knowledge and approach was accepted by those with influence in the Queendom of Shevezz. A Kyadd of Sablesand descent, she had camped outside of the City's wide-open back wall and acquired day passes for weeks to peruse the visitors' libraries. Eventually, she was granted a week-pass, then a month's semi-residence permit landed at the entrance of her tent one day and she nearly cried. When the message-deliverer asked why, she had said that was the sign the Shevezzi had begun to accept her as normal. On many occasions, citizens had advised her that feline species had it easier at Béjaiber'ghas and each time she had said she was no trader, but wanted to study. Her month's permit granted her access to the Level One research complex, free writing materials and the chance to submit a work to the Centre of Natural Understanding for publishing consideration. Her precisely one hundred and thirty-nine sheet thesis on the ecosystem of Sablesand, including surviving on mostly food without water and the measures the city could take against sandstorms won her a prize, instant entry into the CNU and a permanent place of residence in the city.
"Arrre you surrre it is a Kyadd you want on a diplomatic mission?" she had asked, frowning, with her bright cyan-tinted eyes trained on the door behind Findat.
"I am sure I wish to have someone like you on my team and, let's be rational here, there is only one like Azachet," he had gently responded, which made her smile, showing her sharp fangs.
"That is indeed trrrue. Unknown territorrry for you, and partially unknown to me, so we both stand to gain knowledge."
"And we may need your sense of smell, if that is not an offensive thing to request?"
"It is not as though I can leave that behind in my rrresearch lab is it?"
They had both enjoyed a laugh at that moment, though Azachet had rolled her eyes when she found out she'd be working with Veman. When asked, she reaffirmed her commitment and told him that she too would have to learn diplomacy.
Findat leaned back in his chair, and took in what sunshine he could then turned his eye surreptitiously to his left to watch the final member of his team get to work. Naja Joiae, a nearly twenty year old Elelupii chef, brought to the Queendom by their father, probably because he migrated for business reasons. From Bevérohii in the North, Naja had given up what she referred to as "head school" and opted for "hand school" instead, becoming a cleaner and then a food preparation assistant in a local inn. She worked long hours with little pay, but used her time to learn about different ingredients and cooking methods, eventually taking over as the head cook when the previous one retired. Her father had insisted she had some sort of formal certification back in Bevérohii. While this had sounded too much like "head school", she reluctantly agreed, only to achieve a rare Gold Crown in quality and ingenuity against tough, more experienced competition. As Shevezz's system also understood the value of the Gold Crown, she was permitted to start at a higher rank than would normally be the case, which meant she now worked in mid-tier management, liaising with the health and prison wings' kitchens.
One who can be clever with ingredients and have a knack for negotiating when you don't even know that's what you're doing, Findat thought, you'll go far.
As he considered those around him, Findat could not help but suddenly feel inferior to each and every one of them, all for different reasons. Yet they had decided for themselves to be part of the team and acknowledged that he was technically their Commander, but he would lead from the "middle of the pack" with Shenzàn at the front.
I can flail with my knife if I'm desperate, but I'm no fighter, he accepted with resignation, even when I was younger, I preferred the lighter swords that seafarers prefer, not those of land-warriors.
But he had done as instructed. It was a small team. He had chosen five others, so that if they needed to make group decisions, with six voters, a majority was not an inevitable outcome. Each had their specialism, yet there were sufficient overlaps and co-dependencies that would necessitate them working together. Their weapons were mostly those used for hunting rather than warfare and three of them barely classed as being armed. The Commander only hoped that, in choosing each person for their skill, he had not diminished the impression they were together for diplomatic and research needs.
Whatever awaits us on the opposite side of this Forest, we need to be prepared to talk, but to not appear weak at the same time. Let's hope I made the right decisions, he thought, with a frown.

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