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Everyone was already standing at attention when Fas arrived. She’d come directly from the Ka’Raks and was feeling a certain amount of exhilaration at her recent success in being able to produce a new effigy. That effigy wasn’t for a Ka’Rak, however. Instead, she’d formed it with one of her soldiers in mind: Skith. If her theory was correct, the Ka’Raks would accept him without question as one of their own.

“Present for inspection!” Fas called out as soon as she had reached her place in front of her assembled battalion.

Igniter Prin stepped forward at once and Fas allowed her to lead the way through her ten units of Sparks, as well as the accompanying Embers. Each Igniter took their turn in presenting their units. Most were in good form, though a few Sparks were still below her expectations.

“Your uniform is soiled,” Fas told one Spark who had a large stain down the side of his jacket.

“I will see it is washed,” the Spark replied.

“And correct your posture.”

“Yes, Conflagrator!” the Spark called back and stood up a bit taller.

Fas created a mental note about the Spark and then moved on. A stain and a slouch weren’t serious offenses but could be signs of other, more serious issues regarding discipline.

The rest of the inspection went on without much incident. Her soldiers were getting better each day and she was looking forward to the day when she’d be able to begin training them along side the Ka’Raks. As she began to make her way to the front of the assemblage, something nagged at her mind. It was the sort of feeling when you walk into a room only to realize that you’d forgotten the reason for being there. Fas paused and then turned, slowly, to look back over her soldiers. Were she on any other assignment she probably would have ignored the sensation but not here, not with Ka’Raks so close at hand.

“Conflagrator?” Igniter Prin asked after some time.

Fas held up a hand to silence Igniter Prin.

“There’s something…somethings out of place,” Fas said at last.

“Everyone is present and accounted for,” Igniter Prin stated.

Fas tried to do a quick, visual count of the battalion. There were ten Sparks in each unit, their Ember standing at their head. Those units were organized behind their Igniter, ten units to each one. It was as she began counting the Igniters that she finally noticed what was wrong. She opened her mouth but caught herself before she spoke. Belief was a fragile thing, sometimes, and she didn’t know if what she had discovered was a good sign or a bad one. Regardless, Igniter Skith and his ten Embers and one hundred Sparks were all missing.

For a brief moment, panic threatened to grip her as memories of her time on Isarch. Learning to manage the Ka’Rak’s belief was a difficult endeavor and one that nearly ended in disaster for her on numerous occasions. It had been a risk, using Skith as an unwitting test subject but she had been so certain that all it would do would make the Ka’Raks accepting of him. The longer Fas stood there, the more she became aware of her soldiers watching her and she could feel their unease growing.

“Soldier!” Fas called out as she made up her mind. “We march to the Ka’Raks. They are peaceful and will not attack. You are not to engage them in any way beyond observing them.”

There was fear in many of their expressions but they followed her nonetheless as Fas began leading the march back the way she’d come. Her heart was still racing but outwardly she was under control. The steady, rhythmic tromp of marching soldiers helped to calm her nerves and by the time they reached the warehouse she no longer felt so uneasy. Her stomach was still a bit clenched but nothing she couldn’t ignore.

“Igniters,” Fas commanded, “Organize your troops into a wide semi-circle around the front of the warehouse.”

The igniters obeyed and soon the soldiers were all in position, leaving a wide area in front of the warehouse open. Fas strode over to the doors and, pausing for only the briefest of moments, pushed them open.

The changes were immediately apparent. Where the interior had been mostly empty before, there were now rows of military bunks, exercise equipment, and even a shooting range. In fact, it looked nearly identical to a standard barracks. The only differences were the effigies stacked along the one wall, and the fact that every soldier inside was a Ka’Rak. There were also significantly more than just thirty-one of them.

“Fall in line!” a familiar voice called out from inside the warehouse and the Ka’Raks all rushed toward the center of the warehouse where there was room enough for them all to stand.

As the Ka’Raks hurried into their positions, Fas did a quick count. There were ten units of ten Sparks, each one with an Ember at their head, and three units of ten Kindling with Spark Li’Ko standing at their head. The last to reach their position stood in the place of an Igniter, with the name on the uniform reading ‘Skith’.

Then, to confirm her fears, the Ka’Rak saluted and called out, “Igniter Skith, presenting for inspection!”

It was his voice, his mannerisms, his uniform, and yet he was clearly a Ka’Rak. Fas strode forward and tapped Skith’s hands. Igniter Skith led her through the units, which she inspected. Skith had always maintained his soldiers well and this was no exception.

“Well done,” Fas declared once they had finished inspecting his soldiers and was surprised then to see Li’Ko stepping forward and saluting.

“Spark Ka’Rak Li’Ko, presenting for inspection!”

Fas hadn’t expected that but she didn’t let herself hesitate and immediately went and, as she had done with Skith, allowed Li’Ko to lead her through the Kindling. The decorum was less refined among this group, but nothing she wouldn’t expect from other Kindling and though she gave a few comments here and there she still accepted their efforts.

“Conflagrator Fas,” Skith said as soon as Fas had finished inspecting the Kindling, “Permission to fall in with the battalion.”

Under normal circumstances this would be the obvious thing to do, yet she was uncertain how the rest of the battalion would react at seeing over a hundred Ka’Raks marching out towards them. And yet, Fas wondered, how far would the power of the Ka’Raks belief extend? In making an effigy for Skith, she had inadvertently caused the Ka’Raks to turn him and the soldiers beneath him into Ka’Raks.

“Granted,” Fas heard herself saying and then lead the way back out to where the rest of the battalion stood waiting.

Unfortunately, Immolator Gres was out there as well and she did not look amused. However, as the Ka’Rak that was now Skith moved to join the rest of the battalion, no one seemed bothered in the slightest. Skith’s soldiers followed suit and everyone else were similarly unperturbed by their presence.

“Immolator Gres,” Fas announced, “You have come to see the first introduction of my soldiers to the Ka’Raks.”

So I’ve heard,” Immolator Gres grumbled. “And I see you’ve installed one of your Igniters and their soldiers in the warehouse as well.”

Immolator Gres motioned towards Skith. It didn’t seem as though anyone besides Fas had noticed that Skith, the ten Embers and the one hundred Sparks had all become Ka’Raks.

“Yes,” Fas replied slowly, still trying to make sense of what had happened. “It has already improved the Ka’Rak’s discipline. I’m considering a promotion for them.”

Immolator Gres waved her hand impatiently.

“Just get on with it,” she barked.

Fas nodded and then returned to the warehouse.

“Spark Li’Ko!” Fas called out. “Assemble your Kindling before the battalion!”

The Ka’Raks tromped forward, their steps almost in cadence. There was an eagerness to their movements and as they stepped out of the warehouse and into the sunlight, Fas understood. Even believing that they were loyal to Fas and the military, no longer thinking of themselves as prisoners, they had still been inside the warehouse for several months. The looks of relief and even joy on their faces as they stared up into the sky were so genuine that the battalion seemed to relax at the sight of them. It was difficult to be afraid of someone who looked so incredibly nonthreatening.

It took some effort for Li’Ko to get their Kindling organized again but eventually succeeded.

“Spark Ka’Rak Li’Ko, presenting the Kindling to Conflagrator Fas and the battalion!”

Fas let them all look at one another for a moment, relieved that the fear had all but dissipated and was replaced with curiosity.

“Alliances, formed through mutual respect and training, are what make us great. Make us strong. Together we will grow and become more effective and capable than we have ever been before. Whatever differences we may have will not prevent us from becoming bonded, becoming brothers and sisters, united in the shared goal of securing our borders and preserving our worlds.”

Fas looked over the battalion once more and was pleased with what she saw. Her soldiers were looking excited, eager to see what these Ka’Raks could do. The Ka’Raks, the thirty-one original Ka’Raks that is, looked similarly ready to begin whatever training lay ahead of them. It took some effort not to spend too much time looking at Skith and the soldiers who had become Ka’Raks. How and why no one else had noticed their transformation was beyond her, but Fas wasn’t going to try pointing it out to anyone either. She’d have to be careful with them and see if she could undo what she had done. Still, perhaps this wasn’t all bad. It didn’t seem that Skith was aware of the transformation either and this might give Fas the opportunity to really test out the limits of Ka’Rak belief.