Initially, they had tagged Elsalore as one of the ringleaders. A big female with multiple piercings, Elsalore had a penchant for throwing her considerable weight around. She showed open disdain for rank and title. And she would trumpet her strong opinions at whomever she wished. Captain Hobart, in particular, had been cowed by her on more than one occasion. When his cohort suffered one of the first ambushes, the remaining officers considered it a sign of Elsalore’s influence.
Not that it really mattered who led the rebels. The imperialists needed to stomp out any thoughts of insurrection fast, before all the native workers turned on the colonists. Then reports of a sizable assault reached the governor’s room. Fearing the worst, the officers ordered out all the guns and troops, ready to take on even their strongest workers.
Reaching the fort’s battlements, however, the imperialists received a big surprise: There stood Elsalore, armed and facing outward with her five kin. Each hulking, gray figure appeared ready to defend the fort against the rebelling mob. The governor caught Elsalore’s eye and bowed his thanks. In response, she and her kin trumpeted a challenge to the charging natives and readied their immense battle shields.
In retrospect, more than one imperialist officer recalled the old wisdom: Elephants never foment.