Entry #355118, added on 06-22-05 @ 9:25 am EDT
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| Barracks Life | Entry #355118 |
As odd as it sounds, the topic of barracks life can get to be a pretty raunchy one, because of all the associations it has.
Firstly, some explanation of the military system of the Kana is in order. Participation in the military is NOT required of all Kana youth--however, it IS highly expected, and most Kana fathers would go out of their way to ensure that their sons will have a shot at becoming esteemed soldiers. After all, in a society where being a career soldier is the highest career one can hope for, this is of course the path most Kana wish to take.
Kana of wealthy or career soldier families are raised practically from birth to participate in the military. Children are given mock weapons from as young as the age of four and up to learn how to fight as they play, and even usually wear the black lappets most associated with lesser soldiers and trainees. When they reach adolescence, usually between ages eleven and fourteen, they are taken to the barracks or to an important officer and introduced into the military, if they are of well-known or wealthy families; or, if they are of lesser families, they may wait for the general's men to stop by their house to ask after them. Every so often the general sends out "scouts" to ask at every household if there are any Kana pups of the proper age to join the military; in this manner, young Kana from poorer families may be introduced into the military, if they are of the proper age. Not all youths are accepted, and so Kana fathers take every precaution they can to impress the general's scouts, so that their sons will be taken away to the barracks.
Trainees have the choice of living in the barracks or of merely training there and then returning home to sleep; this depends on the will of the parent/guardian, and on how much space is available in the barracks. Poorer trainees usually bunk with the rest of the Kana, and most of the trainees who return home are of the richer families, but there is no hard and fast rule concerning who stays where. Generally it is assumed that those Kana who return home to sleep are spoiled and pampered, or else weak and timid, so it is preferred that trainees stay in the barracks.
The barracks themselves are large buildings consisting of one main hall/room, perhaps with several much smaller rooms toward the back; the main room is lined with row after row of simple cots upon which the trainees sleep during the night. They are allowed to keep their necessary belongings, weapons, and armor nearby, but this is all. Meals are furnished in the barracks themselves (except for those trainees who return home) and are partly paid for by the Kana who sponsor the trainees. The first few years of training are usually gratis, as it is considered quite necessary for any Kana to obtain at least the minimum skills required in fighting; civilian Kana can be conscripted to serve in the military in times of need, and so it's best if they at least know how to fight. Newcomers to the military are tested for existing ability and then placed in one of four training divisions, from first (best) to fourth (weakest), and trained accordingly; these divisions are not like the castes, strictly enforced and immutable; rather, it is quite easy for a trainee in a lower division to work his way up into a higher one, should he demonstrate the appropriate skills. Trainees are expected to at least surpass the rank of private, and so most of the civilian Kana are actually of the rank of sergeant third, second, or first class. Most Kana youths achieve this rank quite easily, and many then quit the military to take up a civilian job; those who remain choose to become career soldiers, and hope to achieve the rank of lieutenant.
Training to become lieutenant is much more strenuous than that to become sergeant, and so monetary funds are now needed to continue these Kana's training; this is where sponsorship comes in. The majority of Kana youths are sponsored by their parents/guardians; those who either do not have a guardian, or those whose guardians cannot or refuse to pay the fee, can be sponsored by other Kana who choose to do so, usually on the basis of the youth's existing fighting skills. Sponsors often take a big part in their trainees' lives, overseeing their training and offering guidance; it is because of the closeness of this relationship that the strongly sexual connotation of the sponsor/trainee relationship came about. (This, and the fact that many sponsor/trainee relationships do result in sexual relations between the two.) Some sponsors may even take their trainees out of the barracks and train them personally, though usually it is agreed that a young trainee is best left in the care of the barracks lieutenant, since it is in the barracks that trainees best learn the camaraderie that later becomes so important to the lieutenant class. (See the upcoming entry "The Brotherhood Of Lieutenants.")
From around the age of fourteen to sixteen or eighteen trainees fight hard to become lieutenants, whether in the barracks or under the guidance of a personal trainer; in the former case they are seen to by the barracks lieutenant. The barracks lieutenant is a lieutenant of at least the first class, though often an elite, who has been selected for this duty and is paid appropriately. A single barracks lieutenant can oversee as many as two hundred trainees or more, and as such the job does not allow for much intimacy or personal relationships. The role of barracks lieutenant is an odd one in that barracks lieutenants perform a much-needed and much-lauded service which few would choose to undertake, yet they are also seen as being not "real" lieutenants, like those who are guards or career soldiers are. As such this job is often lightly mocked or looked upon with mild derision. Barracks lieutenant is not an ignoble job, but on the other hand it is not considered nearly so grand as that of guard to the general, for example. And so even within the otherwise tightly knit brotherhood of lieutenants, there is a bit of a pecking order.
On the OTHER other hand, barracks lieutenants, being the ones who hang out with the trainees most of the time, are also viewed by the trainees as being more approachable, and are most often the lieutenants to be found fraternizing in the taverns with the younger Kana. They do not usually possess the slight snobbery that often comes with being a career lieutenant. And as well, seeing as they put their own skills on display every day, barracks lieutenants are often selected for promotion to higher status, often within the general's household itself.
Training consists mostly of swordfighting/sparring, though the use of daggers, spears, and axes, and other activities such as wrestling, are also taught. Archery is a skill not much known of in the barracks but the occasional tribe participates in it. The trainees awaken very early in the morning, often before the sun has arisen, and engage in light training before a light breakfast. Morning exercises follow, then a light lunch, and then follows a long afternoon of hard training in the barracks yard. By the time night falls trainees are often wet and exhausted; most eat their supper in the barracks, though, when opportunity allows it, some head out to the taverns with their lieutenants and go drinking. The barracks lieutenants of the other barracks areas help to keep watch over the areas "abandoned" by the lieutenants who have gone out drinking, or else associates/helpers take over, or the trainees are excused for the time being.
Guards are not often stationed in the barracks at night unless a problem arises. No Moru or females are allowed in this area, as these would cause a distraction for the trainees; this is not to say there is no sexual activity, however. In fact the barracks are well known for the activities which take place there after nightfall, and even though not technically allowed, this happens so frequently that it is usually overlooked, and even joked about and expected. Seeing as the majority of trainees are in their teens and have not been with Moru before, it's only to be expected that they would turn to each other at such a time, and many Kana engage in their first sexual experience with another while housing in the barracks. Most relations are consensual, if secret and/or temporary; nonconsensual relations are all too common, however, as bigger, stronger, or older trainees take advantage of those who are smaller, weaker, or younger; often, several trainees will gang up on one who has been pegged as the "runt" of the training division, and he will have to tolerate their repeated attentions. Unfortunately, the great majority of such instances go unreported, as to be a victim of such an assault is shameful and humiliating; most victims simply suffer in silence until their attackers' attention turns elsewhere, or until they complete their training and leave the barracks. This can be seen as a way of weeding out undesirable trainees, since a trainee who is so weak as to "allow" himself to be assaulted is not desired in the military, and the majority of such trainees usually leave the military after they have reached the rank of sergeant anyway. And so in its own way, this criminal act can serve a purpose.
Surprisingly enough, intimate relations between trainees and barracks lieutenants are quite rare, and instances of barracks lieutenants favoring particular trainees are even rarer. Sexual relations between lieutenants and trainees are heard of and may be quite common, but this is only when the parties involved are not actively training in the barracks; for example, barracks lieutenants fraternizing with their inferiors in the taverns, and possibly taking them home with them. Such relations are almost always understood to be only in this context, that of two "offduty" Kana enjoying nesakh'ai (or whatever other sexual activity) together; as soon as they return to training, they are again seen as lieutenant and trainee, and act accordingly. It is not criminal for a barracks lieutenant to engage in a sexual relationship with one of his trainees; it is criminal, however, for him to do so in the context of training, or to allow the relationship to interfere with his duties. Nevertheless, aside from brief encounters after visits to the taverns, most barracks lieutenants and trainees know better than to dance so close to danger, and keep out of each other's affairs.
After much grueling training, those sergeants who manage to reach the rank of lieutenant third class are at last released of their obligation to the army (those staying in training beyond the "gratis" period are required to sign a contract to continue their training, which effectively puts them in service to the general, at least on paper), and may be allowed to either return to civilian life, to seek employment as guards or soldiers, or to continue specialized training. Often such training goes hand-in-hand with active duty as a guard or soldier and the training to rise from lieutenant third class to lieutenant first class is truly exacting. Only the best lieutenants make it this far, and only the best of the best reach the vaunted rank of lieutenant elite. These stages of training are considered "unnecessary"; that is, they are not so strongly pushed for as are the earlier training periods to become sergeant or lieutenant third class; yet this is exactly the reason why so many third classes attempt them anyway. The majority who achieve the rank of first class then seek employment; "lieutenant elite" is often considered a mere "dress title," though there are distinct differences between the two, and lieutenant elites do everything they can to earn their higher rank. Elites are more often chosen to serve in the most respected positions, and should an elite then decide to return to being a civilian, he is often set for life. Many more doors of opportunity are open to elites, and only elites are chosen to serve as first and second lieutenant to the general himself--the highest lieutenant positions within the entire tribe.
It should be mentioned that this entire process of promotion relies upon the trainees' higher-ups recommending them. It is almost always the barracks lieutenant doing the recommending, and after the end of every training period, the trainees and their guardians and the more important Kana in the tribe are assembled so the promotions may be given publicly. The barracks lieutenant, ahead of time, recommends to the captains most involved in military affairs which trainees deserve promotion; the captains observe the trainees in action, and then recommend them accordingly to the general, who either observes the youths in question or gives his assent for a promotion. Lieutenants are recommended either by their barracks lieutenants or directly by the captains themselves. Only the general has the ultimate say, though he usually goes along with what his captains advise, and may not ever observe the trainee in action.
In any event, once a Kana has reached the rank of lieutenant elite...there is simply no more training he can do. He can spar and fight to keep himself in shape, but active training ends here, and all other ranks, from captain third class and up, are purely political ones most often recommended by other captains. And this is where the strong division between the lieutenants and lesser soldiers, and the captains and up, is born...but that's for another entry. :)
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© Copyright 2005 Tehuti, Lord Of The Eight (UN: tehuti_88 at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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