EMPIRE: Song of Peace and War

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 13: Sandstorm Pt. 1
Spring 249 BC Zafur

"By Ares! Look at all that dust they're kicking up." muttered Draco,"Their army must be huge."
"Forty Thousand or more I would guess." replied Babak

The two men squatting next to one another made the unlikeliest of comrades. Draco was a small man of a lean stature with a very youthful face, who had just reached manhood. His comrades in the 6th squad of the 2nd Battalion had nicknamed him 'Lizard'. His companion Babak, a dark skinned Babylonian half-blood was a full 2 heads taller and had arms of steel. Both men however, had a number of hideous burn marks all over their bodies. In fact, many Peltastai in the 6th had similar burns but none had as many as these two. The marks were a result of years of service in the 6th Squad, who wielded a secret weapon to battle: Greek Fire

A few years ago, the Peltasts of the Second Battalion had served in the navy as marines and learned the power of Greek-Fire which allowed the small and fairly inexperienced navy of the Empire to win countless victories in the Arabian Gulf against superior opponents. In the years since, the 6th squad of the 2nd battalion had risen to infamy for using Greek Fire in land battles, which was extremely dangerous since no man could predict when and in which direction the wind would change. They had grown more and more adept at using the Fire and even created several devices which would allow them to concentrate it into a small area and cause an explosion. This proved very useful in the siege of Homna 3 years ago, when the 6th were placed at the front of every assault. They had become general Euphorion's favourites, who used them extensively for sapping, assaults and other dangerous missions. Everyone in the army respected them for their reckless courage and called them 'The Flame Breakers'

"They are marching in a very wide column. I think they mean to descend upon us in battle formation before we can react!" exclaimed Babak,"We must ride back and warn the army"

As they returned to the army, they halted at the vanguard where the Flame Breakers were marching and saluted a man wearing the helmet of a captain. The captain was only in his early thirties yet he had a huge scar stretching from his temple to his mouth as well as a limp in his left leg. Every man in the army had seen Captain Planck in action, leading the Flame Breakers. Stories of his missions were the stuff of legends and everyone, enemies and allies alike, held him in respect and awe.

"Hail Captain!" greeted Lizard.
"What news Lizard?"
"We've spotted the enemy up ahead. They are kicking up a huge cloud of dust. Babak thinks there could be 40 000 or more of them."
"Warn the general, he is riding in front of the 7th Battalion, a third of the way down the column. Go quickly!"
"Yessir!"

They spotted the general in his white war-horse, surrounded by his elite companions. They hailed the generals bodyguards, who parted to allow the two men in. The High General was a rather plain looking man but had the look of cold steel in his eyes.

High General Euphorion


High General Euphorion eyed the two men and their equipment before his posture relaxed and he gave a rare smile.
"Ahh Flame Breakers! You are the scouts Captain Planck sent out?"
"Yes my Lord. We have spotted a huge army marching in our direction at a fast pace. We believe there may be 40 000 or more. In any case they outnumber us by at least 10 000 men. They are also marching in a very wide column. I think they mean to come upon us in full battle order and attack before we can deploy"
"I see. Did you note the composition of any of their forces?"
"My Lord I believe they have a large regiment of heavy infantry similar to the brown coats we faced at Homna. We saw at least 4 large divisions of those men as well as 10 divisions of their regular skirmishers. The rest of the army we did not see."
"Very well, return to the vanguard. I will give the order to deploy."

The two men rode back to the vanguard. Draco glanced back. The General was smiling...