Civil War Stories, The Will of the Senate

[GeneralHankerchief]

Off the coast of Carthage

"So, tell me what's going to happen again?"

Marcellus Aemilius and his centurion were outlining the current situation aboard Admiral Appius' flagship, the Faustina. The wily Admiral had split up the senior commanders on the fleet, so in case disaster struck and a ship sunk not all would be lost. Marcellus and his staff were on the Faustina, his Tribune Augustus Porcius & staff would be on another corvus quinquireme, and Appius would be on another ship.

The Senate Fleet was making good time. Appius knew what he was doing. They would reach Rome in a little over one season. But they would not get there first.

"When we arrive, Servius will have already landed and most likely taken some sort of action. Aside from the forces already around Rome, commanded by Mamilius and Laevinius, I estimate that we will get there second, just beating Quintus Naevius and my brother."

The centurion nodded. "Right, so the order goes Servius, us, Naevius and Oppius, and then later on Coruncanius, pater Aemilius, Caparius, Pacuvius, and whoever survives at Ancyra."

"Correct."

The centurion understood the timing of the arrivals, but wasn't quite sure of the campaign map. "So tell me again what happens once we land."

"Simple. We make for Servius and engage him in battle."

"But shouldn't we take some settlements and produce troops before we take Servius on?" The centurion had asked variations of this question before. He knew that he was about to provoke Marcellus' testiness, but wanted to make absolutely certain that he knew what was going on.

"No. If we wait then suddenly we're faced with even more enemies. Italy does not matter in this situation."

The centurion had heard variations of this answer before, but never anything like this. "How can you say that Italy doesn't matter? It's what everyone is driving for!"

"Look, just shut up and listen." There was that testiness. "Everyone is making for Italy because that's where Servius is heading. He is the key player in this equation. The Senate is going to win this war. It's a foregone conclusion. My job is to make it as bloodless as possible.

"One good battle is all we need. Engage Servius and his army, and defeat him. Once his followers learn that their Consul and leader is either captured or killed, they will surrender."

A look of understanding crossed the centurion's face. "So remove Servius and we win the war."

"Yes."

"You speak as if Servius is just some foreign general that has been giving Rome trouble, and not your nephew."

Marcellus stared out onto the open sea. "My nephew died a long time ago."

The two sat in silence for a while, watching the fleet go over the endless blue expanse that was the Mediterranean, lost in their own thoughts. The centurion knew that what his commander had said was not the full story, but said nothing.

[Braden]

Decius moved through the streets of Rome and revelled in it all. Panic had started to set in and some rioting had even broken out amongst the frightened populous, perfect….simply perfect.

Rumours had been spread as soon as he’d left Manius, of course, these were not just normal rumours, they were spread by his own men. He was not alone in this task, Decius never was.

Manius’s villa stretched out before him in darkness. It seemed that all around was sleeping still as Decius calmly walked upto the compound door and knocked loudly. There were muffled sounds from within as the night servant started to the door, suddenly the hatch opened and a face appeared.

Decius stepped forward, removed his cowl and smiled in a friendly manner at the man inside. He smiled back.

“Oh, master Curtius, what brings you here at this time? The lady is most afraid, she has heard much and is worried about the master.”

“Do not worry Galius, that is why I am here, I bring word of his safety to the mistress of the house.”

“Of course sir, please, enter”

The hatch swung shut and soon the doors were open. Upon entering, Decius allowed the slave to close and lock the doors behind him before turning back to him.

“is the mistress awake?”

“No, not as yet sir. If you would care to wait in the anti-chamber I shall awake her for your audience.”

Decius smiled, sickly sweet and suddenly unnerving

“That….won’t be necessary…”

The dagger slipped swiftly into the slaves throat. A gurgle and nothing more….Decius caught the falling body in his arms, blood seeped down his dark tunic, turning it even darker brown…..he had chosen this colour well…..life-blood continued to pump from Galius’s throat as Decius carefully laid him to the ground. He stared into Galius’s eyes. The question on them was plain, was always the same in these cases…..”Why?”….there was no simple answer, nor any answer that Decius could give in the moments Galius had left, that is, if he even cared to answer the question.

Decius moved swiftly inwards to the villa. He knew the layout deeply, having been an honoured guest over the last 7 years or so.

_________________________________________________________

Outside, things grew in proportion as citizens both scared and confused continue to riot. The Senate was nearly powerless to prevent this happening, what troops they had in the city were confined to barracks. Firstly, because their low number could not hope to prevent the full scale riots that were developing and secondly, as the Senate were still unsure of their loyalties.

Other than that, certain Senators used what force they had to help where they could.

One such “gang” arrived at the villa of Senator Manius Coruncanius that late afternoon, a few hours before nightfall. Well aware that night would bring nought but troubles for the city, the Senate speaker had done what he could to secure the personal property of many of the Senate.

Centurion Kaeso Decmitius knocked loudly on the big doors, impatiently he banged again and harder.

“Open up in the name of the Senate!”

Sheepishly the hatch opened and the face of Galius Quirinalis, house master, slave to the Coruncanius household.

“Your seal, the mistress will not permit entry to you and your….armed men…without presentation of the Senate seal”

Kaeso, held up the metal siegel and nearly thrust it into Galius’s face.

“There! Proof enough slave! Now, open this door, it is getting late and none of us wish to be caught out this night.”

Galius nodded, closed the hatch and soon the doors were open.

Kaeso pushed in closely followed by 5 “irregulars” armed with swords but not in armour.

Galius stuttered. “I will get the mistress for you Centurion”

“That will not be necessary, I will go with you, my men will remain here for now”

Galius swiftly scuttled off with Kaeso in tow. Kaeso gripped his Gladius hard in its scabbard. He abhorred what he’d been ordered to do, it went against his whole grain as a Republican commander of some station. Then he was faced with Urgunalla, Manius’s wife and he paled when he thought of what came next…….

____________________________________________________


Decius, moved swiftly through the chambers. He barricaded the entrance to the servants sleeping quarters with a chair. Whilst, it would have been more efficient to kill them, he knew there were perhaps 12 or more in the room and the chances of killing them all and remain undetected was nil, even for someone of his skill.

Thus, he moved onwards through the building in the night. Where he encountered a lone servant he killed them. Without hesitation and silently.

Soon his tunic was sodden with a heavy metallic tasting liquid. He moved closer to the families sleeping quarters.

A lone guard. Decius stopped dead. Had he been seen? The guard appeared out of place, he was armed Decius could see, but dressed as a pleb would….but something seemed wrong with him. The guard held himself well, and was balanced on his feet, toned and strong………..but clearly bored.

No, he had not seen Decius, but still Decius berated himself for being careless. Still, the question remained, who was this person and why was he here?

Decius moved silently through the shadow of the columns and approached the guard from behind him. Decius’s foot scuffed the floor and the man sprang up and swung round!

Suddenly Decius had no time to wonder and no time for stealth…he launched himself a the man. Seeing the glint of Decius’s dagger the man grabbed Decius’s wrist….Decius dropped the dagger and drove his free hand into the mans nose.

Blood spurted and the man was stunned but he didn’t let go of Decius. The man responded, years of combat clear in his fluid moves. A sharp knee to Decius’s groin and the guards large hand moved downwards to hit, but likewise, Decius had not been idle his some 40 years of service, biting down the pain from his testis, he pressed his body suddenly close into the guards, the punch missed and Decius thrust his head strait upwards, connecting cleanly with the guards chin.

Decius held the guard close and tight with his left arm, all the while struggling with the guards iron grip on his right.

The guard twisted and clearly wanted to slam Decius’s fragile frame against the marble floor. However, Decius was waiting for such an opportunity and welcomed the cold floor, oxygen exited his lungs but he accepted it without the panic the guard had expected, twisting and using the jarring of the impact, Decius managed to get his right hand free. He brought his strait fingers down sharply but with all the force he could manage on the exposed throat of the guard.

He gagged and rolled off Decius, Decius wasn’t finished though. Without air in his lungs, he needed to finish this immediately otherwise the bigger man would be at an advantage he could not warrant.

Following the guards roll, he grabbed the guards head with both hands, then impelled the guard to roll again….and then again… the third time Decius held fast as the guard rolled again…

….rolled and left his head stationary in Decius’s vicelike grip.

The guards neck snapped, broken by his own momentum and weight, and Decius let him go and rolled away from the body.

He gasped for breath, and tried to get much needed air. After a few seconds his head stopped spinning and he regained his composure, but this didn’t clear the feeling of uncertainty.

Why was this man here? Were there anymore? Had he been heard?

Decius paused for what seemed like an age and strained his hearing. Nothing. No alarms, and no footsteps. He wasn’t made happy by this though, all that could mean was that anyone waiting to kill him was perhaps just better than he was.

Oh, to be young again.

Decius stood up, located his fallen dagger and moved on to the sleeping quarters. He had to complete this task, he was here, he was certain he could escape, it had to be finished tonight.

However, someone had heard him. She moved out of her room and went towards the front entrance to the compound……by passing Decius without knowing it, likewise Decius was unaware of her movements.

Decius was set on another route, starting at the West. He moved into the children’s rooms.

The small cot was first, it was a little matter and silent to smother a babe. Decius moved to the cot, armed ready…..nothing……nothing! Decius’s head swivelled round in the room, scanning the shadows for his enemies but it was empty. No one waited for him in the dark, this was no trap, but there…..the babe was gone!

Panic now DID set in to Decius’s mind, he swiftly moved on to the elder children’s bed chamber……….the same! They were gone!

____________________________________________________________


Kaeso nodded and stood to attention in front of Urgunalla. She was a plain lady but held herself with every ounce of royal bearing, she had complete lordship over her household, held the money, hired the staff, maintained her husbands home and status against all who would defy that status whilst he was not in Rome.

“So, Centurion, what brings you here with such alarming lack of manners?”

She was defiantly looking down on him. Curse her! Curse her and all of these ‘nu-royalty’, suddenly the task he’d been given by the Senate speaker didn’t seem so bad to him anymore.

“My Lady Coruncanius, by order of the Senate Speaker I have been instructed to ensure the safety of the family of Manius Coruncanius and to remove the household to within the Senate’s property.”

Urgunalla’s face was utterly impassive. A mask of dignity.

“Of course, such an order is unacceptable. You will have to leave this house now Centurion…and without my family”

Galius, went to grab Kaeso by the arm but Kaeso didn’t move. Instead he allowed Galius to try and move him……..Galius stared at Kaeso but kaeso wasn’t looking at him but instead at Urgunalla.
Kaeso fixed the imperious lady with a hard, narrow, stare.

“I am….sorry Lady….but my instructions are implicit. My men and I will not be turned away empty handed.”

Kaeso pulled his Gladius out from his sheath.

________________________________________________

Urgunalla moved swiftly through the house in the dark. What was it now! Not only had she been annoyed already this day by the arrival of that brazen Centurion but now she had been awoken by his clumsy guard falling over himself!!

Then she tripped over his body…..

Decius moved through the bed chambers and found no-one. Furious and confused, he heard a noise from out in the courtyard. A sharp intake of breath caught his attention, and his ears zero’d in on its location.

He’d been discovered! Clearly the noise came from where he’d left that guards corpse.

Cursing to himself, he made for the sound.

_________________________________________________________

Urgunalla, had fallen over. That was annoying for her. What was more annoying was that she’d clearly fallen over the drunken and asleep form of that stupid guard of Kaeso’s!

She stood up, ready to launch into the sort of fuming triad of insults and belittling that even a Titan would quail from…….but she stopped…..

He wasn’t breathing? She knelt down to turn him over….suddenly she felt sick, his head was hanging wrong. He was dead and his head didn’t look “right”.

What was happening! She stood upright to see a smiling face, a face full of venom and hatred staring back at her.

_________________________________________________________

Decius, swiftly covered the open ground and saw her. Urgunalla was stooped over the body of the guard. He silently moved closer, to within a few paces of her.

He didn’t want her to know he was there just yet, no, far better that the full horror of what was happening took hold of her first. He waited, and watch with glee the look of fear and uncertainty fill her face…..that normally impassive and graceful face…..and then she turned full on to him.
__________________________________________________________

Urgunalla stood there quivering before Decius.

“So, my dear lady, you appear to have found my last ‘conquest’” He smurked at her “now then, if you were to be so kind as to tell me what happened to your children…I will make your passing far kinder than his?”

Urgunalla’s head swam…….Decius? this dead man? Her children?!?

She ran.

___________________________________________________________

Decius was shocked! surprised, shocked and more than a little disappointed. Urgunalla struck him as someone with a bit more backbone that THIS! But here she was, running from him at the moment of his triumph…

…he gave chase.

Urgunalla ran, ran for all she was worth. She knew that outside were rioters, thieves and murderers but all of them……she would prefer their company far more than that of Decius!

She could see the door ahead of her, reached out for the handle to open the door and escape……….then she fell over. Her foot slipped on something wet and she fell backwards.

Decius was just behind her, saw her reach for the door…….he slowed to a walk.

She'd slipped on the blood of Galius.

Whilst she struggled to regain her footing he calmly walked upto her and pulled her up by her hair.

Of all things, Urgunalla was suddenly struck with the thought of who would clean the floor! There was Blood! Actual blood all over her ornate mosaic floor…….who would clean up such a mess?

Decius held Urgunalla in a vice like grip and broken she hung there impassively staring at him.

“So, lady, I’ll ask again. One more time only……where are the children!?”

Urgunalla looked at him…..but she didn’t question why, she could see the hatred in his eyes and that was reason enough. She could not hope to free herself now, nor cry for aid. There was no hint of potential mercy in Decius’s eyes either. So, calmly, and cleanly….

….she spat in his face.

Decius took the projectile in his stride. Did he expect anything else from her now?? The answer was clear as she spoke to him.

“Safe, curse you, they are safe and away from you. Away from this war that is coming. And away from….”

Urgunalla was cut short as the knife crossed her windpipe.

Decius let Urgunalla’s frame fall to the floor. So, the children were gone but Urgunalla remained. Perhaps she awaited here like a loyal Roman wife, waiting for her husband to return from campaign?

The permutations ran through his head. The front door was open, and the exit was clear for now, the children had escaped him somehow and he needed to know how and where. However, he needed to send the message that he’d intended to do to Manius……ensuring his loyalty.

Then the only option fell to him.
_____________________________________________________________

Sextus Silius Silvanus ran through the streets, chaos was all about him as he headed for the home of Manius Coruncanius at the head of the small detail of men Servius, the Consul, had detailed to secure Manius’s family for safety in Palma.

They pushed people out of the way and swiftly turned the last corner to the compound…….

Flames greeted them.

The whole compound was ablaze. It was clear how, rioters were everywhere..burning, robbing, killing without control. Sextus had seen this sort of thing before but had not dreamed it would even happen in this city of cities. However, he also knew that it would not last long. Perhaps by tomorrow, or even the next day the riots would stop. People, even looters, had to rest, had to sleep, and during that time the city would return to calm. The Senate would then post troops at key points in the city and things would return to “normal”.

But before him, the home of Manius Coruncanius burnt.

“Ok, lets move in. Spread out everyone”

The troops in disguise moved forward cautiously towards the villa. “Over here!”

Swiftly Sextus ran to where Flavius stood above a body on the ground. It was Urgunalla’s body, blood still ran from her torn throat and it was clear she’d been crying just before her death.

Sextus knelt down, tears welling in his own eyes. You never get used to this, needless killing of women….children……Children!! Sextus looked up.

“Quick, Flavius, look for the children. There are three of them”

With that Flavius went to search as best he could around the building whilst Sextus cradled Urgunalla’s crumbled form.

He quickly returned

“None sir, if they are in the building then they have perished in the fire but they are not outside sir.”

Flavius’s eyes went down to Urgunalla’s body

“What’s that?” He pointed at Urgunalla’s clasped hand.

Sextus prised the soft fingers apart and removed it, holding it up to the light of the flames around them.

………it was a Senate Seal.

___________________________________________________________

Kaeso rode onwards into the evening. The three children each had to ride pillion with one of his men, he held the baby in his arms himself.
“So Sir, are we not supposed to return to the Senate compound?”

Kaeso turned to Oppius

“Well, we would do…if I thought they’d be safe there. No, Oppius, our route is clear to me. Take the family out of Italia. We’re on our way to Rhegium, then by ship to Syracuse. It’s best these whelps are kept as far out of this war as possible.”

“What’s the matter Oppius? Don’t you care to be a wet nurse!”

With the laughter he’d created Kaeso pushed his steed into a gallop and the rest followed. Joking apart though, he needed to find a nurse for this baby….and soon.

[Braden]

The fat old man was sweating.

“Where is he? Where is that Centurion!?!”

He paced up and down the office, wringing his hands behind his back in worry. The Senate Speaker wasn’t accustomed to such stress, had grown accustomed to nothing more worrying occurring in his life than his stylus breaking whilst taking notes in the Senate hearings, but now….NOW, his life appeared to be nothing but stress…the Senate had resolved to expel the Consul, had insisted HE bring the Consul in chains to the Senate….and then nothing but panic had set in.

He hated panic…perhaps even more than stress. It upset the defined balance of things, of the way things were “meant” to be. Now this!

He’d done his best, sent out what troops he could cobble together out to try and secure the families of both warring sides. Perhaps he could then restore a semblance of order to everything but it had not all gone to plan of course, whilst he’d managed to get several families back to his compound under guard, others had already fled but this newest problem was worse still!

“Tell me again, why has Kaeso not returned and what did you find at Manius’s villa”

The Senate Speaker gesticulated towards a soot covered and clearly weary man in plain dress, stood before him at attention.

“We arrived after nightfall. We found Manius’s villa burnt to the ground, there was evidence of blood in the street outside. Of Manius’s family there was no trace, nor any trace of Centurion Kaeso, Sir.”

Again the Senate Speaker showed his confusion and the Legate in front of him, although dressed in civilian clothing, found it all very annoying. He’d been asked the same question three times now, had nothing new to add to it….besides, he craved for a bath and this, fat, smelly man in front of him was clearly loosing his mind by the second!

“…b….but….I don’t understand it, are you saying they’re all dead??”

“Perhaps Sir, there was blood, but no bodies and I’d not be confident of someones death until I’d seen a body sir.”

The Legate sighed. Why was he still here??

The Senate Speaker blustered some more, paced again twice up and down in front of the Legate then….

“Erm…ok…..we have more important things to worry about than to send out search parties for dead bodies….you may go.”

With a visible look of relief the Legate saluted, turned on his heals and strode out of the chambers……there was a hot bath waiting for him.

….he didn’t even hear the cries of frustration, confusion and anger still echoing out of the Speakers chambers as he left.

[Braden]

Decius smiled to himself as he casually rode out of Rome. He’d been dealt a pretty poor hand today but had still managed to turn things around, in fact, fate hate conspired with him to make matters almost as perfect as he’d initially planned it.

After dragging Urgunalla’s body into the street, he’d placed his own Senate Seal within her dead fingers, it was a simple thing to then set the villa complex ablaze and then he retired to the shadows…and waited.

It was not long before a troop of men had arrived and whilst they were searching the burning property and the surrounding area it was nearly too easy to snatch one of the men as he’d become separated from the group. What he’d told him was most enlightening indeed.

They were on a mission from Servius to safeguard Manius’s family and therefore his loyalty.

Decius laughed out loud when he heard this!

Here he was, wanting to kill them……for the exact SAME REASON!!

The irony wasn’t lost on Decius, and it was almost a shame to kill the man…but no matter, that is how fate deals with things.

Servius, the Consul. Decius had to admit that he had a vile admiration for the young man, so dedicated, so determined and stubborn. A man who knew, without any doubt whatsoever that HE was right and all others who differed in view point were utterly wrong. It was such a shame that he had such useless morals.

Decius worried about Manius though. Manius was not Servius, and he considered if his son would be up to the task he’d set in motion. He was also a little worried about the details the man had blurted to him about the armies that faced Manius in Asia-Minor…..but…..those things Decius had no control over.

He merely placed the markers in the best position possible, rolled the die and waited for fate to decide if he lived or died.

He was used to that, besides, despite his misgivings about Manius’s resolve over the long term he knew that the message he’d planned to send to Manius would get to him and that he would face Numerious’s legions with all the fury he could muster now.

Still….if he failed……was Servius such a poor choice for a second option? Decius was sure he could make himself “indispensable” to the Consul…or would that be Emperor…..

Decius smiled again to himself…whilst behind him Rome, perhaps the very Republic…..

………burned.

[econ21]

The Eternal City

Jack bounded into the Professor’s study, like a puppy bringing the old man’s shoe. He thrust out the photocopies:

”Look what Dr Gawrilov faxed to me from the Smithsonian! The pre-battle communications of Numerius and Manius at Ancrya! Can you believe it?!”

The old professor slowly looked up at the lanky, eager young man who seemed to be bouncing over him. A long moment of silence ensued. An icy stare of condescension slowly seemed to drain all the enthusiasm out of his student.

”Bah! Hollow rhetoric and personal tittle-tattle, no doubt! All that matters are the physical realities on the ground. The material situation, not the shallow ideals those idiots thought they were espousing. I did not ask you to dig into their hearts. I wanted you to study the sources, interrogate the individual accounts and make scientific inferences about the course of the engagement. Give me a battle report, for Christ’s sake!”

Jack felt like the Professor had cuffed him round the ear. He dropped the facsimiles on the floor of the study and dejectedly left the room, shoulders drooping.

As the door closed, the old Professor licked his lips and quickly grabbed up the faxes. His eyes greedily devoured their contents, like a young school boy who had broken into his parents’ sweets drawer.

To Numerius,

I shall call you friend still at this sorry time. Your letter, had it arrived but a few days earlier would have received a different response from me, but now…..now I have received word from Rome of the fate of my family….now, I find my heart is steel against those who would commit such an act.

I entered this “war” with the hope that honour would return to the Republic and to those in it who conspired against justice, however, now I fear that all honour and justice as left the Republic you now serve.

My scouts report that your numbers have swelled and for that I am glad. I would not have you face my army with the pitiful numbers you had but a few weeks ago, and I would have taken no part in your destruction in such a one-sided fight.

So, you tell me I have lost my way. No, friend, I have lost my family….those most precious to me……you, my friend, serve a corrupt government, where murder has been proved to be an accepted legal vehicle.

You will excuse me, I am in mourning.

I ask you to stand aside and let my forces pass onto Greece. I will accept your word that you will not strike my rear and that you will defend our Eastern border in my stead.

I offer you, no battle here. If our armies fight, neither of us will win. Even if you destroy my army, plunge your sword into my own heart and all that you wish comes to pass….your army will be broken. The Seleucids will roll over your few remaining men and we will have lost all we have fought for, you and I, for these past 5 years or more.

If we fight, neither of us is likely to see Rome again.

Manius.

Dear Manius,

I greave for your loss. You can be assured that I had no knowledge or involvement in such a dastardly act. If I survive this day, I will do all in my power to root out and punish those responsible.

Truly, a man's grief for the woman he loves is the most powerful thing. It is all consuming and terrifying. But, Manius, the fate of the Republic overshadows even that. It rises above our private passions and hurts, engulfing us all and sweeping us along a path we do not choose.

You say you wish to march into Greece and from there, no doubt, to Rome. And so do I. But you would go there to return that viper Servius to the bosom of our beloved country. And I would go there to decapitate the threat to our Constitution and our Republic. Destiny ordains that only one of us will make that journey to Rome and it will be along a road soaked in blood.

You shall not pass.

Numerius

Numerius,

As you will have it friend. Rest easy that I have no joy in this task but I am compelled to seek out the murderers of my family, if they lay in Rome then there I will go, if they lay in Iberia or Carthage…I will go there…..in Hades….I will go there.

I shall salute you on the field of battle for your bravery none the less.

Manius

[Lucjan]

New developments were usually a welcome thing, they offered new oppertunities, new chances, new insight. But this was not to be such a development. Servius had just received word of the events at Manius's villa, and..

THUD! THUD! GR! THerd! CRACK! And the marble bust broke against the wall with that final wailing of hatred and pain. "#@*! YOU! #@*! YOU!" Servius was red faced, sweating bullets in his rage, and he had dropped to his hands and knees. "WHY!?" An angry lashing outwards cast the shattered pieces of Mars's bust to scatter across the room, as dust would be blown about by the wind. "WHY DO YOU BETRAY ME THIS WAY!?" He lifted a fragment from the floor and staggered to his feet, staring at the left side of Mars's face. "WHY DO YOU BETRAY ME!?" The piece quickly found itself being hurled back to the floor in the midst of his rage. "I HAVE GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING!"

Breathing deeply he ran his hands through his hair and stared up at the ceiling. "I have given you victory, after victory, after victory...and now your lust for blood has become so great that not only do you turn Roman upon Roman, but in the most treacherous of your own vile deeds you have bid men to slay the families of those who would see this conflict out for your wretched entertainment. These people are not soldiers, they are not fit for the horrors of war, and yet you have paniced them, spread your chaos into the hearts of the innocent! You have done the unforgivable!" Servius, beginning to calm, drew his gladius from its sheathe and placed its blade towards the sky. "In the name of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, I swear it Mars, on this day I swear, when my time has come to pass, and I am to cross from this world into the realm of Hades, I will drag you to Tartarus with MY OWN BARE HANDS!"

Shaking, he dropped the gladius to the floor and exited his prayer room, heading immediately to the war room and grabbing the first messenger he saw by the shoulders. "Send word to Manius, I have heard what happened, but I am not convinced that all is lost. Tell him we will give his wife the proper burial, and she will be given all due honor she deserves, and that we will find his sons no matter what has happened to them. Tell him that no amount of words can express the guilt I feel in my heart for not having gotten their sooner. Let him know that I am dispatching my men to find the treacherous filth responsible for this vile act, and if it is with my dieing breathe I will bring him the men responsible for this, that by his hand their judgement shall be slow and painful, and every ounce of pain they have caused him shall be his to inflict upon them a hundred fold. Go..deliver this message, and dispatch my men!"

Servius then turned one last time to look towards the sky. "Mars...you are no god, you are a demon. No matter what you do, I will win this war. For the good of the Republic, for the good of mankind. Men should not bow down to gods like you...YOU, should bow down to us."

Servius shook his head, and that look was breathing out from within him again. "Mars... I will make you bow to me."

[SwordsMaster]

Luca Mamillus




“What?!” Callimachus stepped back, alarmed at my furious expression.


“Servius will be able to land within the season, Luca. There is nothing we can do about it.” I had heard him the first time. I just needed to digest it. I had thought it would take him at least two more seasons to reach Italy. Apparently some of the admirals had been torn from the rightful path also.




“We must make haste for Rome so.” I said after a few seconds' contemplation. Callimachus came closer. “Think about it.” he said. “I know you want to be the first man in Rome, but with your force, Servius will trap you like a mosquito and will still have enough force to rampage through Italy while keeping you under siege.”


I kept silent. He was right. But without Rome, what were we fighting for? The Republic cannot be governed from Carthage or Massilia. It must be Rome or nothing.


“Besides, even if you somehow manage to kill Servius, do you think this will be the end of this? At the beginning everyone thought it would be the Consul and his veterans only that would need to be defeated, but as he gathered supporters, this was becoming more and more complex. Even with the consul dead, the rest of his followers would not hand themselves over. They would need to be fought.”


He was right again. But would he understand? “What do you suggest?” I couldn't recognise my own voice.


“I suggest you take the north while you can, so you get the chance of fighting Servius within the year. He will waste soldiers on the walls of Rome while we build up a force.”


“Leave, Callimachus. I need to think.” I said. The greek looked at me again for what seemed like an eternity and then left the tent. I sat on my own. My eyes went from the ray of light passing through the entrance and falling on the table full of maps and rationing reports, to the small altar in the corner, with the statues of Mars and Ceres – a man needs a sword and a full pot – and I thought about the gamble. Servius' men were the best of Rome, and the gauls I had recruited along the way couldn't even hold a proper formation. I could not beat him head on. How could I beat him?


I could not. Callimachus was right. If I am dead, even holding Rome, Servius will get it anyway, over the dead bodies of a few hundred gauls and my own, that is the only difference.


I reached over for the bottle of Thracian wine beside the table. Three long sips.


I could delay him. I scrambled to the table. Map of italy. There were several chokepoints. I wrote down a plan. Both for Servius as for those arriving from the North. Another few sips of the sweet thracian. A few letters for the commanders further south. Another visit to the bottle.


Finally I felt too drunk to write. I sealed the documents and let myself fall on my bed. The bottle was empty. “Sentry!” I called. The soldier stuck his head into the tent. “Send for my centurions.”


It was Callimachus who entered a few minutes later to tell me that the centurions were waiting outside. I swayed my way to the entrance. I could barely stand. I looked at them all, trying to focus.


I moved my lips. “We make for Bononia.” I managed. “Pack your men.” I managed to sway back into the tent before I tripped and fell. Callimachus helped me up.


“A roman must be drunk to make a rational decision.”

[econ21]

The Speaker's Quarters, Rome


The Senate Speaker lounged in his chair, his great stomach distended, like a giant frog exhausted from a day’s exertions of catching flies with its tongue. Normally, this was the Speaker's favourite time of the day. In the evening, when he could relax, catch up on his reading, before he had to go to bed and creep past the open door of Mrs Senate Speaker's bedroom. He gazed over the rim of his goblet at the Greek man servant tidying his papers.

“Dark days, for the Republic, my boy.” the Speaker intoned gravely.

Iannis, his servant, nodded solemnly in studied agreement, as if the Speaker has uttered the most penetrating assessment of their situation, rather than a statement of utter banality.

The Speaker turned away from his servant, satisfied. He liked Iannis - a reliable chap, knew when to speak and when to remain silent. Not like some of those other uppity clerks, like Upius Maximus. And that chap who had so riled Cnaeus but whose name the Speaker could not quite recall. Still those mouthy types had come to no good in the end, little more than faded red splodges on the marble floor of the Senate building.

“Servius’s fleet has been spotted off the coast.” the Senate said with a shiver of fear and excitement, like a little boy scareing himself with bedtime ghost stories. What would Servius do to him, the Speaker wondered? He had feared for his life when he had last met Servius. Numerius had volunteered the Speaker to go with a warrant for the arrest of the Consul. The journey to Iberia had been an agonising one. Not so much for the many cobbles and rocks on the roads, but because of the vivid thoughts the Speaker had of the many cruel and unusual punishments the Consul might inflict on him. Amazingly, he had been allowed to return unmolested. Perhaps the Consul viewed the Speaker as travelling under a flag of truce. Or perhaps he did not want to start a war or alienate more supporters by mishandling him. Or maybe, just maybe, Servius was not as black a character as the Speaker had come to imagine. Now, however, Rome was within Servius’s grasp and there was no flag of truce to protect the Speaker. The Consul need have no restraint - war was upon them and the sides were fixed. Now, the Speaker would find out how dark the Consul’s heart truly was.

“Luca and Decius are running round the countryside like headless chickens, poor chaps. Never seen battle, either one of them, and now they are the last line of defence of the Republic!” The Speaker stared mournfully into his goblet. How had it come to this? Where were Tiberius Coruncanius and Lucius Aemilius? The two gnarled titans of the Republic? Both were still crashing around the undergrowth in Thrace, having been lured out there by the Consul. They were magnificent men, but they were racing with time - not just with Servius’s armies marching on Rome, but also with fate, their greys hairs and failing bodies signalling the approach of the messenger from the Underworld.

”I say, Iannis, have you heard the news from Quintus Libo? Apparently the chap has chosen to stay in the middle of Gaul, battling it out with the Iberians. Even started laying siege to Alesia. Remarkable, quite remarkable. I would that more of our generals were like him. The wolves are at the door, but apart from Quintus, we are too preoccupied with yelling and throwing furniture at each other to pay them any heed.”

Iannis nodded at the Speaker. He knew his place. His job demanded a mastery of expressive body language but the Speaker seldom welcomed hearing the Greek’s actual voice. Iannis supposed the old man’s verbosity was a by-product of his job - having to listen every day to pompous Senators wax lyrical, the Speaker must be consumed with frustration and the pent-up desire to rant.

“The Seleucids are already moving back into Asia Minor. No doubt the Thracians will rally and renew their attacks. There are rumours that even the Carthaginians on Sardinia and Melite are beginning to move. Dark days, my boy, dark days.”[/i]

Iannis muttered agreement. Although aged over forty, he had long since been resigned to being called “boy” by the Speaker.

“And what of Numerius and Manius at Ancrya? Ah, the tragedy of it, the tragedy! Two such noble men, locked in a death struggle. One enraged by the death of his beloved; the other struggling to save the Republic.” The Speaker looked contemplatively at his red wine, before sighing and resignedly plunking it down his throat.

”And if Numerius should fall? Who should lead the Republic? Tiberius and Lucius are too old. Appius too untested. Cnaeus too much like Servius himself. There is Marcellus, of course, but would the people accept one so close to the Consul in blood?” the Senate speaker pondered this conundrum for some time.

Iannis recognised his cue.

”Master” he said slowly, as if the idea were only just occurring to him, ”Perhaps YOU could lead the Republic if Numerius falls?”

The Senate Speaker looked inquisitively at his man servant. The two men’s eyes met, each searching the others for meaning. Then the Senate Speaker’s eyes creased, his mouth curled and the two men roared with laughter!

The Speaker laughed heartily: the thought of his own portly frame with a cuirass strapped on, atop of some poor horse, addressing an army was too funny to contemplate. Yes, the Speaker liked Iannis - a sound chap, could always be relied upon to cheer him up even in his darkest moments. With that thought, the Speaker rose to retire to bed.

The pleasant blurred feeling from the wine had slowly assuaged his concerns with the state of the Republic and dulled any fears he might have concerning the days to come...

[econ21]

OOC: Originally posted by Lucjan - moved to keep the story chronological.

*****************************************************

Servius walked aside his horse, a young boy riding atop it instead. They were in a small village west of Arretium. Behind Servius trailed a man in heavy, dull robes, both scribbling and stumbling as he followed the two down a bumpy trail to the edge of a stream at the village's edge. "Yes, I understand that, but what about the-"

"The what?" Servius cut him off, stopping at the streams edge and helping the boy off the horse. "The so called senatorial forces? Pawns of Numerious, the lot of them, not an ounce of self-reliance and independant thought amongst them, not even from Marcellus, and for him I had hope." Servius scoffed, and then felt guilty. He still had hope for Marcellus, hope that Marcellus was coming to Rome for reasons other than to fight for the sake of old mens' greed.

The man stopped, sighed, and sat down upon a rock, resting the scroll in his lap. "Servius you do realise that no man, in the never ending history of time, will ever be able to write a biography on you and truly understand what you had been thinking don't you?" Yes, the man was a servant, a historian to be exact, and such was the informality between the two that they had come to refer to each other by first name.

The consul turned back to his friend and stared.

"Because nobody but you is ever correct." It was a sarcastic stab at Servius's attitude towards governance and politics, and, sometimes, everything else under the sun.

Servius smiled. "I think it suits me well. Why should any man but I know what I am thinking? Wouldn't make me much of an individual now would it? Weren't you yourself just ranting last night around the fire about how it's important that the voice of every man be heard, and thats why you've stuck with me and the new republican ideal rather than running off with those elitist fools. What kind of a historian can't remember his own ramblings Petrus?"

Petrus smirked, he hadn't realised how open he'd let himself to Servius's counter attack.

The boy with them was tossing rocks into the stream, and turned to face the two with talk of the new republicans. "Consul."

"What's that, boy?"

"Why is Rome fighting itself?"

The boy was the village governor's son, and had been told to lead the consul around the town while his father helped gather a few extra supplies the town didn't need, of course to exchange for gold with Servius's legion.
Servius sighed, and picked up a rock to skip into the stream. "Because for all the logical rules and laws that man can come up with, there is always one cardinal law that for some reason, no matter what culture, race, or religion a man is, all men are innately bound to follow without defiance." Servius looked back to Petrus, who was still scribbling on his scroll. "When war speaks, man listens."

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Sextus's men had found no sign of the children back at Manius's villa, even after the blaze had extinguished itself and what was left searched from top to bottom. He had already made the necessary arrangements Servius ordered in regards to Urgunalla's body being respectfully sent off to Hades once the rioting had quieted down, but now he had much more urgent issues at hand. The children still possibly lived, and even if not, Servius had tasked him and his men with finding those responsible for this atrocity. Their first stop would be at the home of a certain senate speaker, the only logical place a senate seal could have come from. The speaker had become a tool of Numerious, who Sextus was convinced ordered the murder and possible kidnapping in order to put Manius at a disadvantage in battle. The most logical place to find more evidence was by interrogating the speaker.

It took a while, their long wait outside the senate house was testing on both their nerves and their vigilance. Normally the senators traveled by day, but even with the dangers associated in traveling at night, many senators, particularly the portly speaker, had taken to waiting until dark to be accompanied home by a small retinue of centurions. It was far safer than being caught out in the open during day time now, what with the mobs fighting almost daily in the streets, those supporting the senate, those still loyal to Servius, each casting stones and blaspheming the name of their neighbor in some false belief that it would somehow be of benefit to their side. But eventually it payed off.

The fat old speaker was making his way down the senate steps with two pair of centurions when they spotted him. They had planned this out all very carefully, and rehearsed it a dozen times in their heads, but would it pan out the way they expected it to? Their were six of them, and four centurions. He didn't see an issue, after all, they had all served with Servius in Carthage, and knew their way around a melee, the problem was they had no armor, no shields, and would have to rely on Sextus's own cunning to pull the speaker away from the guards. As they followed the speakers group out of the senate guards' earshot, Sextus started casting orders about. Cunning would do it today Sextus thought, after all, why risk an early death?

It was a grotesque noise, the burning of a man to death. Something of a cross between a constant howl of pain and the gurgle of a man choking on his own blood. But it was the easiest way given their situation. As the portly speaker and his group were on their way, two of Sextus's men snuck up from behind and sloshed the lot of them with jugs of oil, it was a simple matter after that of the whole group coming together around the speaker's with torches and knives. The smell was unmistakeable, they knew exactly what had just happened. Sextus believed that he'd never seen a group of centurions look so scared in their lives, or the senate speaker cower amongst them like a child and soil himself.

It took little coaxing for the centurions to be left on their way in exchange for the speaker. If there was one thing man feared more than anything else it was drowning or burning alive. Sextus had to settle for a threat of the latter.

Making their way, torches carefully extinguished, back to their own safehouse in Rome, they sat the senate speaker down upon their arrival and bound his arms and legs to a chair with rope.

"We know you ordered men to Manius Coruncanius's villa the night it burned to the ground." Sextus took a small candle from the table and held it in front of his face, casting an earie glow on his visage as he smiled a sadistic grin. "Now, talk."