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Rome, the strutting parasites living off of the achievements of their elders, sporting their diadems, and simply assuming that this way of life is eternal, without any need for sacrifice. Moore, I know, showed you the Ara Pacis and the . . . sacrifices. I have no worthwhile Class Ones to send you, Admiral. The few of them that are both capable and trustworthy I need here."
    "I'll make do with good Class Twos and Threes," Wallenstein answered. She was surprised, shocked really, that the SecGen saw Earth pretty much as she did. He likely didn't see his entire Class the way she did though.
    I wouldn't take any Class Ones if you offered them. Well, I'd prefer not to, anyway. "And I intend to use locals to do our campaigning for us. There are many there who would prefer to see the enlightened rule of United Earth."
    "That hasn't worked out that well so far," the SecGen said.
    Wallenstein nodded. "Martin was, perhaps, overly ambitious," she answered.

Furiocentro Convention Center, Balboa City, Balboa, Terra Nova
    "The program is ambitious," Carrera admitted. "But it is not, as a practical matter, more ambitious than the one that brought us from an idea, to a staff, to a small legion, to two small ones, to two larger ones, to four of them, plus supporting arms.
    "The very short version of this is that every current legion is going to become a corps. A fifth corps will be created from tidbits taken from here and there. Every tercio will become a legion, plus several legions will have to be created almost from scratch. Every existing cohort will have to expand to the size of a tercio , and reconfigure itself to be an organization for heads up, conventional combat. I mean serious bloodletting.
    "Some—many—of the units are going to have to shit large cadres to form still others.
    "We are going to be buying or building or rebuilding tanks and planes and ships and guns as never before. We need trucks and helicopters and armored personnel carriers galore. Uniforms. Rifles. Radios. Machine Guns. Mortars . . . Ammunition."
    Carrera stopped to pour himself a drink of water, wishing deep down that it were whiskey, before continuing with, "The biggest change will be in personnel management. We're not going to be a regular force anymore. In fact, the regulars will be pretty much limited to you people here, and those who couldn't attend but who have at least earned stripes. You will provide a cadre for units four times bigger than the cadres you provide. The difference will be made up of reservists, men and women we've sent to training, kept with the colors for a year or so to assimilate and socialize them, and then released to civil life . . . to partly civil life. Between you and the reservists, you will form the core for units, again, four times larger, with the difference being made up of militia. The difference between reservists and militia will be ability. The militia will be average, everyday Juans. The reservists will be those with some of that special spark that all or at least most of you have. Overall, the ratio will be one regular to three reservists to twelve militia.
    "Generally speaking, you will all hold two ranks, permanent and full mobilization. You'll wear and be paid at your full mobilization rank when you are, in fact, mobilized and when your units are called up for training.
    "Yes, that means the twenty-four or so thousand people we have on their second or subsequent enlistment, or who are lifers, will form the leadership for a force of about ninety-six thousand, not quite three percent of the country, while that ninety-six thousand will provide the leadership for a full force of nearly four hundred thousand, or about eleven percent of the country."
    "Yesss . . . that's right, all you squad and section leaders. Get used to the idea of being First Centurion to a maniple . . . soon . Signifers and junior tribunes"—which in most armies would have been called "second-" or "first lieutenants"—"I sure hope