Life of a Roman: An AAR

[johnhughthom]

Well it seems my life is back on track and I am a proper Roman. I am with the legions as a member of the Hastati, at thirty one I am the eldest but I am still one of the heavy infantry a true citizen soldier. I spent two years out of the legions living near Arpi. I had my house converted into flats and rented them out and used the last of my money from the irregulars to buy a farm. I hired a number of my former unit as labourers, telling them I had won the money to buy it in a game of dice! The rent money from my flats mean I was able to live a good life for two years, the freemen did all the work and I even managed to buy a few slaves. My child was born, it was a boy who I named after my father. I know he will grow up to do me proud.

A recruiter came by the farm to check on the status of all within. I told him I had spent fourteen years with the legions in the irregulars, unfortunately my service didn't count. There was no record of my serving as the unit was not an official part of the legion. I was registered as one of the capite censi for the previous sixteen years with no service. So I owed Rome sixteen years. Before I was forty six. Which unfortunately left me a year short, so I would have to serve continuously for the next sixteen years until I was forty seven. If there was a major war I could be forced to fight well into my fifties. To be honest I had been getting bored of my farmers life and was glad of the chance to get out of it. My wife would be comfortable while I was away and I would have something to come back to at the end of my service.

After Blasio's pacification of the Celts in the north Rome had only fought skirmishes with small bands of rebels and brigands, and the day I enrolled with the Hastati there was no prospect of war with a small power, never mind a major one. That all changed in less than a week, though. The camp was abuzz with news of Carthage' attack on Messana, just across the straits from Rhegium and Italy. Carthage had stayed in the west of Sicily for years, there was an agreement between Rome and Carthage that they would stay there. Their imperialistic ambitions were obvious now, first Messana, then Syracuse and they would dominate Sicily. In total contravention of all treaties between us. Rome could not allow such arrogance and we had to respond.

So now I sit on Sicilian soil, less than ten miles from the Carthaginian army, ready to help the Messanians. The Consul, Lucius Cornelius Scipio leads us. A second legion, led by former consul and the hero of Gaul, Cornelius Blasio is due to arrive within weeks.

Life as a Hastati is tough, but after being an irregular for fourteen years it seems like a life of luxury. I can't wait for the fighting to begin, I am properly armed, as are my colleagues. We have no need to run from anybody, we are the greatest fighting force in the world and Carthage will regret provoking us into action.