The Royal Council

[MerlinusCDXX]

"Point taken, Hilarion, and I do apologize for the snide comments. My point is, that until an investigation returns conclusive answers, we don't know who is fully to blame for the Hypaspistai incident. I believe that we'll find enough blame to go around to all parties involved. On the matter of Cunobelinus taking the settlement from the Ptolemies, I was under the impression that all settlements of the enemy were fair game for conquest. If that policy has no teeth, perhaps it should be revised and published, so that all may know what limits they fall under. I realize that Cunobelinus was told that he'd be unsupported if he went outside of his orders, but we must handle the city as a different case than a General who didn't follow orders. I'm not advocating the sending of reinforcements for further actions, but the inhabitants of the city are Hellenes, and as such, deserve to fall under the protection of whatever Hellenic power finds themselves in a position to do so. And, incidentally, I don't blame the Basileios for this mess, and if that is the impression you received, it is not the one I intended to convey."

[Celtic_Punk]

The Greek addresses Hilarion
"Since Satrap Aratos has fallen bedridden, his 2nd in command Cunobelinus as assumed his position till he can fully address the defence of the satrap. If he cannot do that with the men he presently has, then he must send the rest of the Satrapal Army. The Ptolemoi are not defeated, Cunobelinus has killed many of their princes, and a quite a few kings of the late Ptolemoi. This has been without any aid from the royal house other than the volunteer force he took from Alexandreia. The responsibility of the Satrap's defence is not the responsibility of the Basileus' but left to the Satrapy. Cunobelinus has been the 2nd in command of Aratos since their appointment to the 1st Syrian. He is only doing what must be done, and by the way he has produced fantastic results.."

[The Celtic Viking]

Hilarion addressed "the Greek" with a tired expression in his face.

"Please, you do not need to tell us how great Arrhenides is everytime you open your mouth. Just keep to the point and things will go much smoother, and things can be settled much quicker. From how I take it, you are getting reinforcements from the satrapy. That's good. Lord Sarpedon had suggested that."

Hilarion now turned to Mardakou.

"Mardakou, Arrhenides is fully to blame for it, and that cannot be disputed. It's not as if the hypaspistai forced him to take them with him, and then make up a story where they didn't. He took them, and that's enough for the first offence. He refused to send them back when told to do so immediately. That was ignoring a direct command, and refusing to send away lord Sarpedon's men regardless of how they came to be there - and that's enough for the second offence. It's thus got nothing to do with the policy that all enemy settlements are fair game, because I have not punished Arrhenides for taking that settlement. No one has to support any such campaign though, and this has never been so.

But for what it's worth, the majority aren't hellenes there - they're Aigyptians, and if they riot and kill each other, then that blood is on Arrhenides, not lord Sarpedon. Thus you should take your objections and pleadings to this Greek he sent, not with me."

[Celtic_Punk]

"If these charges are still going through. Then the General will stand trial in absentia, due to his present commitment. My business here is concluded. Good day sir." With that the Greek leaves.

[MerlinusCDXX]

"Fair enough, Hilarion. Disobeying orders is a bad business, for sure, but I think we should keep our eye on the main chance here, and, if nothing else, deny the Ptolemies the free soldiers they will gain when those Aigyptoi loot the armories and fight for those desert dogs once again. I do have another idea though. I could have some of my little sociopathic wreckers in the intelligence service infiltrate the city while we still technically own it and burn and loot their armories and whatever else there is of value. If nothing else, it will deprive those desert dogs any real weapons to use against us. If you think the Basileios would approve of that, I can have it done this coming spring."

OOC:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Destroy all the buildings to deny them troops (and get some loot).

[The Celtic Viking]

"Your request is granted. Go ahead and do it."