Civil War Stories, The Will of the Senate

[GeneralHankerchief]

Outside of Lepcis Magna

...was it really, though? The climate was more temperate, there was no smell of the sea, and the buildings were marble. Nothing like the Carthaginian-influenced architecture of Lepcis Magna. So where was Marcellus Aemilius? Where was he, anyway?

And then he saw the Senate Building, and realized that he was in Roma. Beautiful, glorious Roma. But something was wrong. The Senate Building, in all its majesty... was burning. Chaos. Anarchy. Pandemonium.

Marcellus was about to alert the Vigiles when he spied a large bucket of water near his feet. The Vigiles would take too much time. It was up to him to put out this fire consuming the heart of the Republic. Marcellus picked up the bucket and rushed up the stairs, and into the building.

...the entire interior of the building was in flames. The various statues of the Gods, the Speaker's platform, the Upper and Lower Chambers - all were being consumed. These flames were the largest and brightest he had ever seen, and they would leave no survivors in their path. Nevertheless, Marcellus was determined to put it out. He raised the bucket to splash the water onto something, anything, but the bucket had shrank to the size of a goblet. At that very instant the statue of Jupiter Optimus Maximus crashed to the ground. The flames crackled in triumph.

Marcellus turned and was about to run, when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There was a corpse lying on the floor. Its blood had stained the ground around it. The eyes looked up, glazed, at the ceiling of the building, which looked like it would come crashing down any minute. It was Marcellus' brother, Oppius.

Gasping, Marcellus wheeled around and saw more bodies. His other brother, Manius the Mad. His wife, Magna. His two children, Julianus and Augustus. His father, Lucius, and his mother. All had blood around them, and all were looking up at the weakening ceiling.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, Marcellus began to run as fast as he could, but after three steps he tripped, crashing onto the marble floor. He looked around to see what broke his run, and saw with alarm that it was the corpse of the Senate Speaker. The old man's left arm was straight, clearly pointing in another direction in the building. Ignoring the flames, Marcellus made his way to that direction. What he saw was a graveyard with no burials.

His colleague and sometimes rival, Numerius Aureolus, was dead. Bloody and glazed eyes, just like the rest of them. Next to him was the legendary Tiberius Coruncanius. Dead. Galerius Vatinius and Decius Laevinius. Dead. Cnaeus Caprarius, dead along with the clerk that he had killed in frustration. Appius Bartabus, Valerius Paullus, Luca Mamilius, and Secundus Salvidenius. All dead. Titus Vatinus and Publius Laevinius, two of the lesser "Founding Fathers" of the current period of expansion. Dead.

There were more. Marcellus saw the bodies of Gaius Rutulius and Marcus Laevinius, two long-departed senators, in the Corpse Room as well. Cornelius Saturnius, who had recently been lost at sea, was still lying dead here among the rest of them. He saw Amulius Coruncanius and Publius Pansa. Dead. He saw the corpse of Vibius Pleminius, all battle-lust vanished from his face, that same blank expression that comes with death in its place. He saw the body of Augustus Verginius, his friend and somewhat mentor. The legendary Quintus was nearby, also dead. He saw the Founder of the Republic, Lucius Brutus, lying there too, dead. Much like the Speaker, he was also pointing.

In a state of shock, Marcellus followed Lucius' path, and came upon the body of Romulus himself. He was dead like the rest of them, burning along with the city he founded. All was lost.

"Looks like you're next," came a voice from the shadows. Out stepped the generals on the side of the Consul, looking very much alive and angry, decked in full battle armor. Manius Coruncanius leered. Quintus Naevius snarled. Flavius Pacuvius made a threatening motion with his gladius.

Out stepped Servius Aemilius, carrying a burning torch. He was decked in robes of crimson and had an unmistakable crown on his head.

"The time has come, Marcellus," he said. "Do you swear fealty to your Emperor?"

Emperor. Senate burning. Roma falling into ruin. Jupiter already fallen. Apocalypse.

Marcellus awoke with a start, sweating. He was in a tent outside of Lepcis Magna. He had a full-size Consular Army at his command. The city (Lepcis Magna, that is) was about to fall.

Blinking, he realized that it was all a dream. A vision of things to come, perhaps, but still a dream. Marcellus found his Tribune, Augustus Porcius (loyal to the Senate, as Jack would indicate 2,256 years later). He said nothing of the disturbing dream.

"Augustus," he said, "we are in the wrong place. Prepare to lift the siege, and contact Admiral Appius. This army is needed elsewhere."