The next day Cato was one of the first few soldiers up. It was 6 o'clock in the morning and later the previous night the rest of the army garrison had been woken to help fight the palace flames. The flames were now out but half the palace and a good section of the citizen dwellings had been burnt down. General Caractius had ordered an imediate investigation of the fire and a few soldiers had already been questioned.

As Cato walked through the streets there was evidence of the fire nearly everywhere. People were desperatley scrubbing and lifting rubble from the street while extra town guard garrisons patroled just about every corner. When Cato got to the agora he saw a familiar face. Macarus was helping one of the merchants set up shop, while moving some old wooden beams, that were in his way.

"hey Macarus!" Cato shouted.

"how you doing friend, whats happening"

"nothing much. what about you."

"same, just helping this Syrian merchant set up shop, but em" he carried on in a whisper. "i saw a small calvary regiment with an emissary at the head ride through the North gate earlier. They galloped straight to the palace."

"how long ago was that?"

"just about 20 minutes ago but..."

before Macarus could finish his sentance he saw a legion of men run through the agora to the palace. In the distance sword clinking could be heard.

"whats up now?" Cato asked macarus.

"sounds like trouble, we better go to the Palace." they left the Syrian merchant to his customers and ran after the legion to the palace. By the time they got there they could hear horses whinnying and the sword clinking was now more numerous and all around the palace. Macarus reconised some of the apparent enemy.

"Those were the horesmen that arrived with the emissary" he exclaimed. just thenn a small guard galloped out of the palace gate and straight past Cato and macarus.

"Was that the general?" Cato asked.

"it was...i think, but where's he going?"

Later that day (after lots of regular training and armour cleaning) the entire populous of the city and tha army was called to the central Forum. there were so many people there that the neibouring, old, greek agora had to be filled as well. no one new why they had been called and murmurs ran through the crowd about the previous fight and the fleeing general. Then, the emissary that had entered the city early took the stand at the center of the crowd.

"Citizens of Halicarnassus" he then nodded to a section of soldiers. "and brave imperial warriors. We have disturbing news. The long ruling General/Governor Caractius has been found, by the senate, guilty of treason against the peoples of Rome and her mighty Emperor.

There was a disgruntling muttering throughout the crowd. a few brave people shouted out random calls like, NONSENSE and HE WAS ALWAYS GOOD.

"Let me finish before you heckle please." the emissary shouted. "the reason Governor Caractius was always so good and kind was probally because of his generous nature with money. He has more money than other governors. This is a fact because we know he is being financed by Governor Atium, who is intern being financed by the Parthians to form a rebellion in the eastern empire and to overthrow the Senate."

Now the peoples opinions had changed and many boos rang out. Just then Macarus noticed another emissary running through the crowd to the podium. The two emissarys talked for while and gradually the speech giving emissarys expression changed from seriousness to terror.

"ladies and gentlemen, i have some terrible news. There is a small army approaching the city by sea. It has come from one of the Atium surporting states and plans to add us to its small influence. our estimated timelines were wrong they've launched the rebellion already. They'll be here in exactly 1 day.