Kato nodded, taking in the information.”And our broadcast power doesn’t reach the front here?”

“Not yet. The engineers keep expanding the coverage, but it’s slow work. Without a Cybernetics Centre and zivvy, we can’t impress large numbers of natives as labor without tying up too many of our troops as guards, which is limiting things a bit.”

“Yes. Over on the northern front where I’ve been serving, they have been using native labor for cleanup tasks and gross engineering tasks like rebuilding bridges and such, even though it does tie down men as guards. The overseers are using whips, would you believe, to get the natives to work.” He shook his head. “It’s all very medieval.”

“You don’t sound like you approve?”

Kato shrugged. “With no zivvy, I don’t have an alternative, but it seems very inefficient.”

It was Toshiro’s turn to shrug. “We need to get as much use out of the healthy ones as we can. Our reinforcements are starting to slow down while the enemy is growing in strength.”

“That’s certainly true, although I was told they aren’t as strong down here on this front.”

“No. Nothing like the number of regular troops I’ve heard you’ve been facing up north. We are generally facing a lot of militia leavened by a few regulars down here. No Tanks and only a few pieces of artillery. They do have plenty of mortars which are a pain.”

He paused and pointed at some nearby troops. “And down here, we have a much higher ratio of impressed militia to military cyborgs than they have on the northern front, or so I’ve heard.”

The other man nodded in agreement. “Yes. And even then, a lot of the cyborgs we have aren’t even military. You’ll find a good third are ex-police or ex-chauffeurs or whatever.”

“Good God!”

“Yes. About the only thing we haven’t resorted to so far as using women in the front line, although I’ve heard they’re being pressed into service in the city, doing jobs that men would normally do because of all the manpower being on the front line.”

Rokuro smiled at some thought.

“You should hear some of the complaints from the older matrons whose daughters are being put to work.” He grinned at Toshiro. “A lot of the younger women are quite happy to be put to work, mind you. It gets them away from the matrons!”

Toshiro couldn’t help himself and snorted while Kato grinned at him.

“So. What relation are you to the main Rokuro family?”

Kato frowned at Toshiro for a moment and then shrugged.

“Before the troubles started, I was Rokuro 22. God knows what number I am now. Don’t let it bother you, though. I try not to let it bother me.”

“Right,” Toshiro said after a moment while he took that in and tried to process someone that high being on the front lines so far from Home. Damn, the fellow was probably even higher in rank now, and Toshiro was supposed to treat him as a subordinate? This could get dicey.