Minister Nix fell silent, though, if the room had been more still, an observant person could also hear him tick. His every movement coordinated precisely to his rhythm. 1, 2, 3, 4... but this was the General's domain and he had little to say when it came to fighting. His work was to threaten, to cajole and to pander to avoid wars, whilst the Board of Generals plotted quietly.
"Colonial work is something of a speciality of ours," said Glozing, grinning widely. Her grin revealed the curious sight of mismatched teeth. Some were glossy white, some were dull yellow and some where slightly grey. If one adhered to legend, then this would be the result of teeth lost and gained during the wars. Her campaigns had varied from the jungle drenched isles of Tropica to the wintry plains of Artica; but wherever she went she gained teeth as her trophies. They were not human remains, but several might have been ivory carved from a walrus, or perhaps a few were shards of the milky quartz that littered the shores of Amyr, but where've they came from, they were hideous in their disarray. Somewhere behind her grin was a small collection of wires in the same fashion as dentures or retainers, but they held such a strange collection of false teeth, that one could hardly tell if she had any real teeth left.
"We expect certain gains from our work. While our forces are particularly trained for the consumption of minute states, the variety that make up colonies, our economy depends on the absorption of said states post-conflict." Her grin dissipated as her speech drifted from the art of war to the mundane matters of provincial administration. "We absorb all hard specie owned by the government and any large private collections. If infrastructure is damaged, crews composed of the subjugates are organized to rebuild them. The civilian population is relocated to other colonies and new inhabitants are imported to assure the tranquility of our conquest. Ultimately, due to the efforts of our Domestic Assimilation Force, once we absorb a nation, we attempt to leave it in exactly the same manner in which we found it, expect of course, drained of its will to survive."
During this speech, her hands wandered across her uniform, subconsciously checking that each button and medal were in the correct alignment. Her sash, a soft grey with white trim in the fashion of her uniform, held a singular pin (as most uniforms or ceremonial clothes do in the Empire), that signified her rank. A series of crisscrossed lines in delicate brass that produced an eight-pointed star and single bar with five smaller stars atop it and an inverted chevron below it.
"So, you can obviously see that the Empire is not only interested in the concentration of trade into Imperial hands, we are also excellent at reeducating former slaves of communist regimes. To this end, I believe that I shall be allowed a number of legions from the Army of the North; likely in ratio to the number of targets which will be pursued."
Although it was impossible to say how many times Nix had completed his count, he had doubtless reached the sacred number when he spoke after the General.
"If we are able to occupy the colonies quickly, then we will be able to invert the enemy's supply systems to support the invasion of the mainland." The count ended and began. "While the Empire has a large number of logistical vessels, we lack modern warships of any substantial description and would require the protection of a third party."
"Solve this problem," continued Glozing, "and we can find solutions to every logistical need."
