Dear Gideon,

It is good to hear from you again, old friend. I'm glad to hear that the path you have taken is working well for you; I hope that it continues to shape you in a positive manner. I apologize for having been so distant, sometimes one gets so caught up in the future that the past wanes from memory.

Once again I must apologize, I have been keeping my public information as private as I can, for reasons not unlike your own. I am gladdened that it was not easy for you to find me, that is reassuring. I am also glad that you persisted and found me anyway.

Things are certainly about to change, but I cannot yet gauge the wind. These are interesting times, and I feel like we must do everything possible to keep track of the flow of information; particularly who desires to know what. I can tell you this: Senator Gneisenow has been carefully monitoring the troop movements and training methods of at least two other battalions, though effectively they are now private armies. I do not who whose allegiances lie where. I have also heard whispers of a highly trained and rather secretive group, one that will likely tip the scales in Gneisenow's favor. Perhaps you know of them.

There is one other thing. I have been travelling, gathering information for myself. I stumbled upon something, just whispers right now, but unsettling whispers. There is a faction, it is not safe to say which, that is conducting ... experiments, though they are not far from torture. I hear they are looking deeply into the mind, pushing people to death and pulling them back just before it is over to see what happens. I don't know what they hope to achieve just yet.

Keep yourself safe. If you need help, do not hesitate to contact me. I have resources.

Your friend,

Theogenes

Dear Theogenes,

I am writing you from a forward outpost. I'm afraid I can't specify further due to army regulation of keeping troop locations and movements secret.

It doesn't feel like its been two years since we graduated the Gymnasium together. Though we both hated it, I look back fondly upon those days. It seems like life was so much less complicated then. Then again, so much has changed since that summer after we graduated. In the Fall I joined the army. The reforms passed by the politicians in the last election did wonders for the state of the Army. I know we both always joked we'd join up if we didn't graduate and yet, when I'd come back from traveling that summer, I found the benefits, not least of which the money, as well as the opportunities offered by the newly reformed army to be particularly enticing.

Basic Training was hard. There's no two ways about it. I definitely wasn't prepared for what awaited me the moment myself and about 300 other recruits showed up for basic training. Only half of those that arrived graduated from our class in the School of Cavalry. It was a good experience though. It made me strong, physically, mentally, and psychologically. I was recommended for promotion to Sergeant. This required me to continue on for another 3 extra months of training and and extra two years of service. I'm currently assigned to the 47th Shock Division, Senator Gneisenow's Battalion, 4th Company. We're a combined arms battalion. I'm in the mechanized infantry Company. The leadership training I've received has been a great experience. Working as a group leader and tank commander is exciting stuff. I can't tell you much more about it, but I'm looking forward to our next assignment. Rumor in the Battalion has it that there is a big urban combat training exercise coming up. Urban combat is specialty of my company.

You are a hard man to find. I had to really dig to find your address. How have you been in these past two years? I assume you are still at university? What course did you decide to pursue? Philosophy and Politics? The Army is going to pay for my university education as soon as I've served my time. I can either go to the Military academy in the Capital or any of the other private universities around the country. I think I'll go to the Capital for sure. I've heard great things about it all. The few days I've spent there in transit have been some of the best of my young life.

Do take care of yourself. There's firestorm coming. Senator Gneisenow is not the only member of the Senate that has funded a battalion here in the army. Who knows how much say he actually has in the actions taken by the battalion. In any case, Intellectuals like you, who don't have a party affiliation may very well bear the brunt of what the future has in store.

Your Friend,

Gideon