UPS - I have merely pointed out the painfully obvious.
Printable View
UPS - I have merely pointed out the painfully obvious.
UPS, I am offended by your tone of voice and will ask Servius to punish you for this disgraceful behaviour. Adressing your betters like you were first consul yourself ? You are lucky you are under the first consul's protection or I would have you dragged off the floor and beaten to the bone by my lictors !
Now as to your arguments presented.
You speak of logic when what should matter most to the senate is Roman honour and dignity !
A Roman legion is powerful enough to defeat several consular-sized armies, as has been shown repeatedly. All that is required is courage to stand up for our only allies, the Germans.
If Quintus Libo does not believe himself up to the task, I am quite willing to relieve him from his post. I'm not afraid of some barbarians, even with the battered forces I am commanding at present. On the contrary, I consider my army too powerful to confront the Iberians ! I recommend the consul reduce my force to legion strength before letting me take up position guarding Viberi. All I ask is that he places my army at the river crossing between our and Iberian territory at the first oppertunity. That will stop the Iberians from wandering around our territory and make it a lot harder for them to attack the Germans.
I have always opposed giving away captured territory to our enemies. Are the Iberians not powerful enough already ? Must we help them even further ? This course is madness. We should do all we can to empower our allies, the Germans, instead. If Germany is defeated, Iberia will be sure to attack us.
You misunderstand my words, Senator. I believe that the First Consul is in charge of our grand strategy at this time. Which he is. If he orders me to withdraw, withdraw I will. He says we must withdraw from Viberi, and since he says this, I respectfully request to move my Legion to the ford at Luvavum. I am afraid he may have misunderstood me also, I do not wish a fort for my troops, just the bridge itself. I feel that I could kill far more Iberians with less Roman life lost if I was there not in a fort.Quote:
Originally Posted by Death the destroyer of worlds
If you, ex-Consul Lucius would like to journey north and aid me and my army, then I will certainly appreciate your help (though un-needed) and direct you to where you can do the most help... most likely in the rear, where you can guard the women and children. Such is appropriate no?
And besides, we are not even at war with Iberia as of now. Why are so many senators shouting with plans for combat? If all things go well, we will not need to fight at all.
Senator Quintus Libo,
I am pleased my initial praise for you in my speech before last as an example of a brave Roman was appropriate. I interpreted the Consul's previous statement as you requesting to withdraw to Luvavum on your own initiative. Now it is clear you have just been following orders as a good soldier and show a good grasp of tactics. My apologies for this confusion. I am sure the defense of our border is in good hands.
Gentlemen, Thapsus is back in Roman possession. Hopefully this time it will stay there.
(OOC: Lucjan, can you confirm that Oppius just jumped up in age from 16 to 20? Because I could have sworn that he was 16 at the time of the fort battle. :dizzy2:)
(ooc - He was 16, and I can confirm that he has mysteriously jumped 4 years in age. I see no problem with anybody else doing the same though. Perhaps we can attribute it to our little rp? The situation made him mature a bit? lol)
ooc - my Oppius Aemilius? He's been around a while. I wanted him initially when I first chose Valerius Paullus.
[SENATE SPEAKER]: Senators, I have just received a message from the First Consul to Manius Coruncanius that I thought I should share with the House. Manius's troops had requested to know where they would march after the midterm motions. Servius replied and his response was read by Manius in Pessinus's town square, a copy of it finding its way back to Rome. The message went:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Servius Aemilius
(letter from Appius Barbatus)
My fellow Senators, my apologies for what will undoubtedly be a brief and badly-lettered missive. We are on the sea south of the Peleponese, with a heading nearly straight east toward Halicarnassus. We hope to be off the high seas before the winter sets in, but one never knows.
Some of the men have never been aship before, and so there has been quite a bit of retching. However, I'm confident that they will recover their strength in time to take part in sieging and taking what remain of the Seleucid and Ptolemite settlements. They tell me it is a barren, rocky, inhospitable place for the most part, though that always means metals of some kind unless they were extracted by the ancients. This I will explore in some depth if I can amongst my other duties.
Vale.
The best of luck to you and your men, Valerius. May Jupiter be with you.
Would you say that our fleet is strong enough to be uncontested in the Mediterranean?
UPS - The Mediterranean? Ha! There isn't a fleet in the world that could hope to match the strength of our fleets. The Roman navy, now divided into the western, central and eastern fleets, is the most powerful navy in the world. I dare say Poseidon could not quash the might of the Roman navy.
Such disrespect for the Gods is dangerous ! The mighty Poseidon may just take up that challenge.
UPS,
I believe you no longer speak truly for the Consul! Such bravado against a GOD would not be his words or feelings.
I tell you this……be wary of your back my “friend”, your master comes from Afrika as we speak, soon to address the Senate himself and I ask you how much “Bravado” you will speak of when your skin hangs like ribbon from your bones…..
To the Senate,
As you are aware Pessinus was taken a good few weeks back. I have now submitted my report for all to see about the taking of the town.
However, I have one more to submit still and it will follow in the next day……
To Appius Barbatus,
Hurry good General for, if my men have anything to do about it, there will be no Seleucids or Ptolemites left in Asia-Minor for you to best!
May Poseidon blow his strongest and aid your speed.
I am also interested to hear if Rhodes has passed its curse of Plague…..if you can find out as you pass before landing I would be appreciative?
I can tell you that the lands where we are now are like Hades itself! Desert and sandstorms are all that welcome us. Why anyone would put a town in these areas is beyond me.
I suspect that if it were not for the Oasis’s and the trade caravan traffic these towns would have long since been abandoned to the sand dunes! This place makes even Sardis seem “civilised”…..tis no wonder why my men wish to move on and be done with this “border construction”.
Good news is for my men that, should we continue at our present speed, they will have finished the task in hand well before the end of this Consulship…..then….who knows?
…perhaps the Iberians will feel what it is like to face a “real” foe?
(letter from Appius Barbatus)
Senators,
A passing merchant ship has given our men even more news to praise the gods for. Manius Coruncanius, though almost as young as I, has won an impressive victory in Asia Minor. Truly he is to be commended for overcoming such odds with so little loss in Roman lives!
As soon as the merchant had passed out of hailing distance, though, my men began to voice their concerns that there will be no Seleucids, Ptolemies, or perhaps even jackals to fight by the time we reach the coast!
Vale.
Senators,
Please send a note to my counterpart Appius Barbatus on my behalf, assuring him that I will petition the Consul himself……
……..asking that he allow me to leave at least some Ptolemites for him to vanquish.
I know of one, perhaps two, coastal towns yet to realise that Roman culture is far better than their barbaric ways.
Only one or two mind, I quite fancy allowing my men to sun themselves in a green and fertile city…..well, at least one with some “comforts” *cough*
I hope also that by that time I will be re-united with the full quarter of my army still under Garrison duties. I’ve had to fight the last two battles with far less than the Consular army I started with.
…still, for the few, greater the glory and acquisition. I can imagine those men of mine, patrolling Sardis still and cursing under their breath they are not with us now! Ha, ha, ha, ha!
Appius, you honour me. What I do, I do for the Republic, to realise the Consuls plans and, perhaps more importantly, to safeguard as many of my men’s lives as possible.
Ahhhh yes, thus I am please to announce to the Senate and indeed the citizens that for every Roman or Italian ally life that has been lost on this campaign.......nearly 18 Seleucids or Ptolemites have paid the highest price!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
*There is a cacophonous clattering outside the doors before a loud thud heralds their opening. Before the doors have even swung wide, Servius and praetorian bodyguard are pushing their way into the senate floor, Servius on a direct march to UPS Maximus.*
UPS - Ah, consul! A Wondrous return to the sen-!
Servius - "Silence" the consul bellows, a vengeful booming in his voice. "You have betrayed me UPS, you have twisted my words, distorted my integrity in these proceedings, neglected, nay, intentionally declined to pass on urgent reports to this floor, and further acted in a manner that has caused me much consternation and leeched from me the good name I held amongst my fellow senators. *Servius's hand was drawing swiftly to the hilt of his gladius as he approached the clerk.*
UPS - Consul! Master! I've only done what was best for your image! *The clerk is in a baffled mess, his responce sprawls out in stutters and clear, nervous anticipation.
Servius - *The gladius is drawn, and the consul forces the clerk to his knees.* "To what end have you caused me anything but defamation?!" *The clerks words spill out in sputters and whimpers. "You have abused your position!" Servius yells, and then mutters something to the effect of "$&#@ing Greek", before thrusting the gladius into UPS's upper belly and forcing the blade down, the clerks entrails spilling out onto the senate floor and flowing down the stairs before him like a small stream. The consul then turns to adress the senate.*
Let it be known that from this moment on, no man but myself shall answer for my actions. No man but myself shall direct this senate as to the intentions of my plans or my feelings on any cause. Leaving this man to act as my voice in my absence was a grave mistake that shall not be replicated. If there are no questions, then let the midterm motions commence.
*all members of senate sigh with relif that that obnoxious greek Ups is dead*
[SENATE SPEAKER]: [...Looks anxiously at the blood dripping from Servius's gladius and begins stuttering, stumbling over his words...]
S..s...senators, I ... err... believe the Senate is open for the mid-term proceeedings. There will be a three day period of debate and the proposing of motions, ending on Tuesday 6pm UK time, followed by a one-day period of voting.... Now... err... if you will excuse me, I have ... err ... urgent business to attend to. ... Err... Most urgent...
[Hurriedly exits the Senate building, sweating profusely and continually glancing back at the figure of the First Consul.]
*Lucius nods approvingly at Servius*
Well done, grandson, a blessing long overdue. Lictors ! Remove this mess and some slaves in to clean the floor !
Now, Servius, if you would lay out your plans for your second term, the senate would be in a much easier position to discuss the future. Will you lay out your designs for the future ?
*Manius enters the Senate, casually steps over the fallen UPS. Pauses, looks down at the corpse, spits on him then moves to the centre of the Senate*
Senators of the Republic, People of Rome
As of today I effectively hand the Republic Asia-Minor. In just over ONE YEAR, my Consular army have taken six settlements and killed nearly 4,000 enemy. Now we have taken Adana and crushed the last organised Seleucid resistance. There are but two settlements left for us to strike against before we have a defensible border against further Seleucid agression. But Senators, here are the papers from the Adana garrison commanders desk......Asia-Minor is ours!
*A toga'd figure stumbles into the Senate, arms filled with scrolls and looking thoroughly bemused. Nobody in the Senate recognizes him. The Speaker moves to throw him out but this new figure shows the Speaker something, and is given the floor. He is totally oblivious to the corpse near him.*
"Greetings, Senators," he says cheerily. I am sent here from Afrika in order to speak for Marcellus Aemilius while he is commanding operations in that theatre. My name is... let's see, I have it here somewhere... ah yes! My name is Fed-Exus."
*The clerk, Fed-Exus, then takes one of the many scrolls and begins reading.*
"First of all, Senator Marcellus is pleased at the death of that foul Greek Clerk, and wishes many long years of hardship for him in the afterlife... oh, dear."
*Fed-Exus finally notices UPS' body and chokes back vomit. Thoroughly disturbed, he nevertheless continues.*
"At this time, Senator Marcellus would like to propose one motion. Let's see, here it is:
Motion 12.01: Conquest of further settlements in Asia Minor beyond those that Servius Aemilius has proposed in the previous year is expressly forbidden. Note: This motion does not apply to raiding."
*Fed-Exus takes a seat in the Senate, watching the further deliberations and trying not to look at the body of UPS Maximus.*
Servius nods to his grandfather, and steps out of the way so that the lictors can remove the mess he'd created from the senate floor.
"Grandfather I would gladly detail what plans I have for the second half of my term, but I have come a long way and a bit of rest would do me well to gather my thoughts and reflect upon the current situation before making any quick judgements I may regret later. I will detail my plans tomorrow, after a brief stay in Rome to meet with the people, relax, and look inside myself as to what I feel I must do to bring this Republic what it needs to be the guiding beacon of the civilised world.
Also, I would not like to make any premature insinuations regarding the east in responce to my uncle Marcellus that I would be opposed to such a motion, but the idea of halting our borders immediately at their current position could be dangerous to security in that theatre because it would force us to adopt a less favorable position both economically and defensively.
If I may propose the following change for my uncles' review?
Motion 12.01 - This senate authorises the solidification of a permanent boundary in Asia Minor that is, by no means whatsoever, to extend any further north or east beyond the territorial integrity of lands held under the influence of the cities of Heracleia, Ancyra, Adana, and Side.
This allows us to consolidate our lands in the east by eliminating the Seleucid pocket in Prusa, and by taking the three rich trade cities of Heracleia, Arsinoe and Side that, under the Roman Republic, could provide a vast amount of trade income at the benefit of actually maintaining a less expanded border than the one previously suggested.
If Marcellus and the senate were to accept my revision of Motion 12.01, then to solidify my own stance behind this border I would propose...
Motion 12.02 - If the revised Motion 12.01 is broken by the consul's actions, the consul hereby agrees to immediately step down from his position and relinquish the consulship to a new, elected consul.
I will detail more of my thoughts tomorrow after I've had a good rest, but I felt it might be good to adress this issue now.
*Servius takes one last look at the body of UPS Maximus before he heads out, a tinge of shame showing in his scowl. He had been betrayed, and he had been made to look like a fool by this man. No such thing would happen again, he'd be sure of it.*
Fed-Exus:
Yes, yes, I believe that is... adequate. Senator Marcellus does support a permanent, uh, boundary and I agree to the revised motion 12.01 and second Motion 12.02 in place of him.
I second motions 12.01 and 12.02 and propse the following:
Constitutional Ammendment 12.A: At every midterm session of this house, we Senators will elect a Tribune of the Plebs who will have the power to veto 1 (one) motion per session. He will hold office for the session he is elected during and also the following Consular election. He may not veto Ammendments. Note: this ammendment requires 2/3 majority to pass.
A Tibune of the Plebs ? Are you sure ?
I'm not entirely sure that such a position could be properly monitored, or validated, among this senatorial body.
The plebs, at least from my feelings, have always been properly represented amongst this senate by the senators who watch over them. And I have a few concerns regarding the possible abuse of such a position. Unless this tribune was unanimously elected by the senate, I feel that the potential abuse of this position for personal or factional gain may be too great to merit it's creation. The motions have always been fairly voted on by majority rule, and a blatant veto of any motion for unclear purposes is, in my opinion, a violation of the traditions and honorable democratic process of the senate.
Perhaps, though, there are differing opinions?
Senate,
I will also 2nd Motions 12.01 & 12.02.
I am unsure at this time of the validation of the Constitutional ammendment.....I await someone to enlighten me on its purpose.
.....and for GODS SAKE! will someone please remove that rotting greek corpse!
I am certainly interested in giving more of a voice to the Roman people. I have been feeling for some time now that the citizens have been sacrificing for the Republic and receiving little in return. Rome itself is beginning to become a seat of discontent and angst. We must show the world that Roman skills as as glorious in feats of engineering as they are in feats of arms. Let us set out to make Rome the envy of the world and let us create a place that rewards the citizens for their endless sacrifices.
I therefore propose the following motion:
Motion 12.03: When the current temple construction finishes in Rome next season, the Consul must immediately begin construction on a Hippodrome. When the Hippodrome is completed after five season, the Consul must immediately begin construction on an Amphitheatre.