Losham
He was curious to hear who the front-runner had been.
Dave would find that for him, but he would have to wait until the ride back to the hotel to hear everything the Eight had managed to collect.
"You are all waiting to hear who will assume command of the army.
The selection wasn't easy. The position requires a flag officer with operational experience at scale, with established relationships across the chain of command, and with the demonstrated ability to maintain cohesion during the transition.
Above all, the army requires continuity.
Any disruption at the top propagates downward through the formations, and we cannot afford disruption in our operations. "
He paused, letting the silence work.
"After a thorough review of the field-grade officer corps, I have concluded that the candidate best positioned to assume command is the one who has served as Kolhood's executive officer for the past decade, and who has been functionally running the day-to-day operations of the army alongside him.
I am hereby commissioning Colonel Bertram as the new general of the Brotherhood's army. "
The reaction in the hall was immediate.
The officers were too disciplined to respond vocally, but the intake of breath that came from over two thousand men at once produced an audible shift in the air.
Bertram himself, who had been seated in the third row of the senior officers' section, sat up straight and tried very hard to school his expression into something that didn't look like shocked surprise.
Losham had decided not to tell Bertram in advance, for the same reason he had not told the other two appointees.
The unrehearsed reactions were authentic, and they reinforced the illusion that none of this had been planned and that Losham was attempting to save the Brotherhood after it had suffered an unexpected blow.
"Bertram, please stand."
Bertram stood.
"Colonel Bertram, you have served as General Kolhood's executive officer for over a decade.
You know the order of battle. You know the field-grade officers and the company commanders.
You know the troops. You are familiar with the General's standing operational plans, his contingency assessments, and the campaigns he was developing for future deployment.
There is no officer better positioned to assume command of the Brotherhood army.
Effective immediately, you are promoted to the rank of General and appointed Commander in Chief of the Brotherhood army. "
"I shall serve faithfully, my lord," Bertram said and bowed to Losham.
"Then come forward."
Bertram walked from the row of the senior officers' section to the platform, climbed the steps, and came to stand beside Losham.
Losham turned to face him.
"You will serve the Brotherhood with dedication and bring glory to our god Mortdh."
"I shall."
"Take your place at the table."
Bertram took the seat at Losham's right hand, the one that had been Kolhood's. The appointment was done and confirmed, and Bertram was now the second-most important figure in the Brotherhood.
"Bertram is not Lord Navuh's son." Mazlen voiced the first objection.
He hadn't stood, and he hadn't raised his hand, which he would have never dared to do if it was Navuh standing at the podium and not Losham. He'd just said what he'd wanted to say loudly enough to be heard by those sitting around him.
The hall went very still, and Losham debated how to respond.
He turned to look at his brother slowly, in a way that conveyed neither alarm nor surprise. "Perhaps you would like to come up here and address the assembly, Mazlen, so everyone can hear you."
Mazlen had not intended to be called out. He had intended his comment to be a piece of background dissent that would spread through the hall and spark a bigger reaction.
But he was committed now, and the hall was watching, so he was cornered.
He stood.
"I said that Bertram is not Navuh's son." Mazlen's voice sounded slightly tighter than it had been a moment ago. "The position of Commander in Chief has always been held by one of us."
Losham nodded.
"That is correct. The position has historically been held by one of Lord Navuh's sons. Kolhood held it for the last thirty years. Hocken held it before him, and Hazok held it before that. But each one of them had served as general before being appointed. None of you have reached that rank."
"Neither has Bertram. He's a colonel."
Losham smiled. "If my records are correct, none of you have served as colonel either."
"Rank can be conferred," Mazlen said. "Blood cannot. Lord Navuh's sons have always led this army. The position belongs to one of us by birthright, not by service record."
The objection caused a stir among the brothers and discomfort among the officers who were rooting for Bertram and the break in the millennia-old tradition of nominating Navuh's sons to the Brotherhood's highest leadership positions.
Losham stepped back to the podium.
"Let us speak of blood, then, since Mazlen has raised the subject."
He looked across the hall.
"Lord Navuh's blood runs through every soldier in the Brotherhood.
We are all the children of Mortdh. It might run more strongly through the eight sons on this platform, and it ran even stronger through the three Lord Navuh eliminated two days ago because they forgot who they served and to whom they owed their loyalty and submission.
The thickness of their blood meant nothing when they decided to break the rules and disrespect their lord. "
He looked across the hall at the faces of the various commanders, from the highest ranking to the lowest.
"Blood is just the framework. Lord Navuh has always appointed the most capable people for the positions they were best suited for, and he never hesitated to remove anyone from any position if they failed to perform to his satisfaction.
If he were here today, I have no doubt he would have chosen Bertram because blood is not as important as merit. "
He took a breath.
"If you believe my judgment is wrong, Mazlen, the proper course is to take your concern to our father when he returns. Until then, the appointment stands."
He paused, leveling his gaze at Mazlen. "I will remind you that the three lost their lives because they decided the lord's rules did not apply to them.
They believed that their blood entitled them to enter where they had been forbidden.
Blood does not protect anyone from the consequences of disobeying our lord.
I would advise you, and every brother on this platform, and every officer in this hall, to consider that lesson very carefully before you question the rules. "
The silence in the hall was absolute.
Mazlen's expression hadn't changed except for a tightening around his mouth.
The public rebuke he'd been given had been more deliberate and threatening than he had anticipated.
Using Mazlen as his prop, Losham had reminded everyone present that invoking any prerogatives, and especially those of blood, was ill advised.
The three brothers had believed that they were above the lord's law because they were blood of his blood.
They had been fatally wrong.
"Sit down, Mazlen."
Mazlen sat.
Losham could feel more than hear the collective release of breath. The dissent had been raised and answered, and the answer had been good enough that the men in the room could accept the appointment of Bertram and justify it to themselves and to their subordinates.
In the background, the Eight were doing their thing, reinforcing Losham's mandate with their thrall. Once it was done, everyone would leave the hall convinced that Losham had chosen the perfect replacements and that the Brotherhood was in capable hands.
Losham stepped back to the podium.
"The Brotherhood is not weakened by the deaths of three leading commanders because the Brotherhood's strength is in our collective might, and those on top are replaceable and exchangeable.
The Brotherhood has been purged of those who thought they were above the rules.
Those who remain were reminded why the lord's word is absolute and why it always needs to be obeyed. "
A murmur of approval spread through the rows of officers.
"The Brotherhood does not tolerate betrayal, and it does not tolerate disrespect or disobedience. Without exception, every traitor has eventually met his end regardless of blood."
Losham lifted his fist in the air. "Glory to Lord Navuh the wise and the just, with his bounty we thrive, by his will we live or die, we are all brothers in the Devout Order of Mortdh, in his name we wage this holy war."