He wanted Mr. Kesma to help bribe another sheriff in town—or, as they were formally called, a chief. During the National Defense War, also known as the Civil War, the Empire had followed the chancellor's advice and granted rural areas, like towns and villages, the authority to form local guard units to resist the relentless assaults of the federal army. The ultimate executors of this order were the local sheriffs, who would become the leaders and commanders of these guard units. Additionally, the Empire had granted these sheriffs another crucial privilege.
They could purchase standard-issue rifles, and even war machinery and weapon platforms, at a low cost from the military arsenal.
