—It is a pleasure to greet you, gentlemen. I trust all of you for the success of this mission. If you were chosen by Fernández, then you are the right people for the job. —Miguel said, with a poise that far exceeded his thirteen years—. We do not expect any trouble in the first few stops since the terrain is not suited for ambushes, so we will follow the formation laid out by the Lieutenant and scout in the previously arranged sectors for the hunters' light cavalry.
—As you command, young master. —The present commanders responded.
With that declaration, the convoy of over 5,000 people set off toward the east of the county, with the promise of returning to their homes and resuming their normal lives before the Marquess's attack. The more than a thousand commoner infantry volunteers marched alongside the carts, their pikes reflecting the early morning sun. The families, with their meager belongings loaded onto ox-drawn carts, kept the veterans' steady pace. Along the edges of the road, the mounted scouts rode through the fields, scanning for any sign of danger.
Once on the way to the first village, Miguel, inside the command and control wagon, received hourly reports from the various military leaders of the caravan. He placed the reports from both the military and civilian positions onto a rough map of Count Alban's region, using square wooden pieces with inscriptions written in the Antiochian alphabet that indicated the different forces in the procession.
—My lord, the scouts report the first village is in sight, but at our current speed, we calculate we will arrive two hours after nightfall. —Fernández replied, before continuing—. But they say they see a lot of activity in the village, which shouldn't be happening. I have ordered the scouts to get as close as possible without being detected, on foot if necessary.
—Good job, Lieutenant. —Miguel said as he placed another wooden piece in the village's position with the inscription "Suspicious".— If they cannot get close enough, let's wait until dark to take a closer look, as there shouldn't be anyone in this village; especially since it is too close to the capital. —Miguel said, analyzing the map while thinking: What an unexpected boon it was to be the only judge for many kilometers around this time, just like with the Colombian National Army.
...
The year was 2027, and a young Douglas was the sole judge of the municipality of Taloco, Cauca, a stronghold of the FARC narco-guerrillas. Taloco, the advanced operating base for the military forces during the offensive in the Micay canyon—a strategic route used to export narcotics through the Pacific route to the coast of Baja California, Mexico—was the textbook definition of a red zone trying to masquerade as a zone of peace. Threats of car bombs and sporadic harassment of the town's bases surrounded Douglas, the sole promiscuous municipal judge in the area, a title in law meaning a judge must know a bit of everything: civil law, criminal law, and even labor law, albeit to a lesser extent.
When Army intelligence detected a provisional FARC stronghold where the commander of the guerrilla unit—who had recently been harassing them with fire from the hills adjacent to the town—was located, they did not hesitate to launch a military operation to capture or kill the enemy leader. While the operation was underway in the middle of the night, the authorities notified the Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación), which in turn notified Douglas, the judge with criminal jurisdiction, to stand by in case there were any captured personnel to begin the corresponding criminal proceedings.
As part of this inter-institutional mission, Douglas was taken to the joint command post where the various agencies coordinated the institutional and war efforts.
—Doctor, welcome! —exclaimed the General of the Fifth Division of the National Army—. Make yourself comfortable. The operational briefing is about to begin. Everything indicates there have been enemy combat casualties and some people captured, so we need you in the area in accordance with the National Law of Justice Without a Face, which mandates that judges and prosecutors support operations within the military's operational zones.
A bit nervous but wanting to appear strong, Douglas replied:
—I know what this law is about, General. We can start with the details.
With a slightly mocking smile at the judge's nervousness, the General continued:
—Very well. Right this way, please. —He pointed to Douglas's seat and then made his way to the conference podium—. Good morning, everyone. At 0500 hours, a special forces unit from the Joint Special Operations Command of the Colombian Armed Forces conducted a surgical operation with a HALO jump onto enemy positions in an attempt to capture or neutralize the threat before the target could move. As you can see on the map, the blue boxes are our forces, the ones with an asterisk are special forces, and the ones with an 'X' are infantry troops who were conducting territorial control operations in the surroundings, but were alerted once the special forces had already surrounded the enemy area. We count on the special forces commandos being sufficient for this mission, but we have several Plan Bs in motion if the situation requires it.
Suddenly, another military officer entered and whispered in the General's ear.
—Gentlemen, —the General announced—. We have confirmation from the ground forces that the danger has ceased and there are casualties that must be reported. You will be inserted into the area of operations by a UH-60 helicopter.
...
—Lieutenant, give the order to camp now. Circular formation, the command and control wagon and the supply wagons in the center, and the rest around it, with a rope tethering everything together to make any assault on the formation more difficult. Give the order to the scouts to stay alert to the surroundings and the village. —Miguel said after sticking his head out to look at the sky.
—As you command, young master. —Fernández replied.
The Lieutenant raised his hand and relayed the instructions to the sergeants. Immediately, the march came to an orderly stop. The wagons, situated in the center of the clearing, formed a central axis around which the supply carts were positioned. The personal guard and the veterans began deploying the hemp ropes, pulling them taut to link the wagon wheels together and create a continuous barrier that would hinder enemy cavalry. The clatter of horses and the rhythm of the men working created a constant hum that dissipated as the formation's perimeter was secured and ready for the night.
—Fernández, have the mounted guard stay close to the "gate" of the formation, in case we need to ride out on horseback. The rest of the infantry should be distributed equally. —Miguel said, looking toward where the village was supposed to be—. And, Lieutenant, come with me; we are going to take a closer look. Anthony, Benjamin, Clayton, with me. Will and Gary will stay at the wagon to watch over the supplies.
—It shall be done as you say, young master. —The brothers responded.
Riding with his guards, Fernández, Iván, Raúl, and another group of five scouts stationed at the front to keep an eye on the village, Miguel approached the edge of the brush. They dismounted to be as stealthy as possible, intent on answering the question: Who was in the village? Had everyone been evacuated before the Marquess's invasion?
—My lord, —Fernández asked—. How did you come up with the idea of placing wooden pieces on a map?
—Nothing complicated, really. —Miguel replied—. We have symbols for practically all of human knowledge; look at mathematics, for example. Now, what about the military? We have those symbols too, but a battle changes from second to second, sometimes even faster. That is why we needed a system that could adapt to those changes without having to draw a new map every single time.
—Interesting, my lord. —Fernández said, genuinely impressed—. There is no doubt as to why you are in command. The Count and Countess have been blessed.
—It is nothing special, Lieutenant. One or two ideas are not the same as understanding war. It is just planning, not execution. I leave that to the wolves. —Miguel said, making a gesture to include everyone around him.
—A toast to wisdom and humility. —Fernández said.
—To that, —everyone else agreed.