slowly expanded until, at the time the invading Earthmen
came, it covered almost as much territory as had the Roman Empire at its
peak.

The Imperial Army, consisting of upwards of fifty thousand troops, was
extremely mobile in spite of the handicap of having no form of
transportation except their own legs. They had no cavalry; the only
beast of burden known to them--the flame-beasts--were too small to carry
more than a hundred pounds, in spite of their endurance. But the wide,
smooth roads that ran the length and breadth of the Empire enabled a
marching army to make good time, and messages carried by runners in
relays could traverse the Empire in a matter of days, not weeks.

And into this tight-knit, well-organized, powerful barbaric world
marched Commander Frank with less than two hundred men and thirty
carriers.

VI

It didn't take long for the men to begin to chafe under the constant
strain of moving through treacherous and unfamiliar territory. And the
first signs of chafing made themselves apparent beneath their armor.

Even the best designed armor cannot be built to be worn for an unlimited
length of time, and, at first, the men could see no reason for the
order. They soon found out.

One evening, after camp had been made, one young officer decided that he
had spent his last night sleeping in full armor. It was bad enough to
have to march in it, but sleeping in it was too much. He took it off and
stretched, enjoying the freedom from the heavy steel. His tent was a
long way from the center of camp, where a small fire flickered, and the
soft light from the planet's single moon filtered only dimly through the
jungle foliage overhead. He didn't think anyone would see him from the
commander's tent.

The commander's orders had been direct and to the point: "You will wear
your armor at all times; you will march in it, you will eat in it, you
will sleep in it. During such times as it is necessary to remove a part
of it, the man doing so will make sure that he is surrounded by at least
two of his companions in full armor. There will be no exceptions to this
rule!"

The lieutenant had decided to make himself an exception.

He turned to step into his tent when a voice came out of the nearby
darkness.

"Hadn't you better get your steel plates back on before the commander
sees you?"

The young officer turned quickly to see who had spoken. It was another
of the junior officers.

"Mind your own busine