Travis Starnes
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The Sword of Jupiter (Imperium #1) - Chapter 10
🕑 Added 2019-11-04 13:57:33 +0000 UTC
While the legionnaires finished off the last pockets of resistance, Ky found Velius near the front of his troops, yelling and even kicking a few to get his units pulled back together. Ky was fairly surprised by the sheer chaos he found around him.
“Dominous,” Velius said as soon as he saw Ky. “Your plan worked. When the Carthaginian bastards crossed the ridgeline, and I saw just how many of them we faced, I was almost certain we were done for. You should be proud.”
“While I am pleased with our victory, the price we had to pay is too high. It will take a while to recover from this. If the Carthaginians were smart and followed up the attack, there wouldn’t be enough clever tricks in the world to save us.”
“I don’t think they can. Ramirus seemed to think this was the bulk of the ground forces the Carthaginians had on Britannia. They will need to pull in additional forces, maybe all the way from Africa. That will take time.”
“That’s some good news, at least. Are your victories always so … chaotic?”
Ky was looking around at men searching through dead bodies for loot, wandering off, and generally no longer functioning as an army.
“Usually. At least they haven’t realized yet there’s still the Carthaginian baggage train to be had. The men take their bounty very seriously and look forward to a battle so they can claim their part of the spoils.”
Ky frowned at this statement.
“Do you have some men that will follow my orders and not join in on the looting?”
“Strabo’s men were at the front of the First Cohort and saw you in action. I’d be willing to bet they’d follow your lead.”
Ky hadn’t realized that Velius, who he’d lost track of when the assault started, had been close enough to the front to see him.
“I need to take them with me to secure the baggage train. While I’m gone, I need you to ensure the Carthaginian soldiers are allowed to surrender. Find a place to contain them until I talk with the Emperor about them. They are to be fed, given tents if possible, and be well treated. Is that clear? Aelius should be nearby, make sure his men know this.”
“Yes, Dominous.”
While Velius seemed a little thrown by the order, he took it in stride and didn’t protest, which Ky appreciated. They may have won, but Ky still had a lot of work to do and was already thinking about his long term plans now that he’d thrown in with the Romans.
Collecting the Romans, Ky ordered them to fall in behind him and marched towards the baggage train. He wouldn’t have thought it possible, but when they eventually arrived, they found the scene even more chaotic that the main battlefield.
Some of the camp followers, many of whom had been women, had tried to run towards the main Carthaginian forces and were stopped short of the tree line. Ky had at first through they were also digging through fallen Carthaginians looking for something of value. What he found when he got closer disturbed him to his very core.
“Get off her!” Ky screamed, grabbing a man by the back of his neck, and sending him flying over some of the gathered men watching the scene.
All of the men froze, staring at Ky in wide-eyed fear, allowing the women to scramble off the ground and escape. Although a few of the assaulted women ran back down the road away from the Romans, the bulk of them ran behind Ky, pulling their torn clothing to cover themselves as best as they could.
“Centurion!” Ky shouted without turning around.
“Yes, Dominous?” Strabo said, moving quickly to Ky’s side, his voice sounding wary.
“Take your men and secure the Carthaginian baggage train and all prisoners. If you see any more scenes like this, I expect you to step in. Civilians who participated in the battle can go back to the city, but I want any legionnaires to be held until I can talk to them. Arrange for the captains to help transport, under guard, all of the Carthaginian equipment and treasure back to the Seventh Legion. I want every weapon, piece of armor, and clothing collected. No looting. Leave me five men and get to it. I’ll see you back at the Seventh.”
The centurion saluted, pointed out five men to stay behind, and moved quickly down the forest road towards what remained of the Carthaginian baggage carts.
“You five will escort these women to the Seventh Legion and inform Velius that I want them held with the other Carthaginian prisoners until we can figure out what to do with all of them. He is to set up a separate holding area for women. They are to be guarded and have their safety ensured.”
Ky stopped and looked at one of the men in the eyes to make sure he took the next sentence seriously.
“If anything happens to these women, I will hold you five personally responsible,” Ky said with menace in his voice.
“Yes, Dominus.”
Ky let his voice soften and said, “Show me the honor I know a Roman legionnaire has, and I won’t forget your service.”
“Thank you, Dominus. You heard him. Let’s go.”
Ky left them to wrangle the terrified women, who’d at least been mollified by Ky’s words enough to go with the Romans and headed back towards the Roman legions.
By the time Ky got back to the battleground, the bulk of the Romans were gone, with scattered parties working to collect weapons and the dead. The Roman camp was a hive of activity when Ky finally reached it. He was surprised, although he realized he probably shouldn’t have been, to find the Emperor had arrived and was conferring with Aelius and Velius.
“The man of the hour,” Germanicus said as Ky pushed through the tent flap. “I knew you’d come through for us.”
“You were the only one then. I was certain of nothing.”
“That’s because you still refuse to believe the gods brought you to us in our moment of need. I, however, have the wisdom to see the truth.”
The Emperor gave a mischievous smile suggesting he was at least partially messing with him. Ky couldn’t help but return the smile. So far he’d mostly seen a dour, serious leader worried about his people’s survival. It was interesting to see a window into parts of the man’s personality he’d suppressed for expediency.
“Now that the immediate danger is passed, there are many things I want to discuss with you. The most pressing being the lack of discipline I saw in the legionnaires after their victory. I found some of your men doing unspeakable things. Murdering, looting, and abusing prisoners.”
“If there had been a pressing danger, I assure you my men would have kept things in check,” Velius said defensively. “After a battle like this, men need to vent their anger and feel like they’ve benefited from victory. It’s how soldiers are.”
The looks of agreement on the faces around him stunned Ky.
“Not where I come from. We treat prisoners as human beings. We do things according to laws, not on a soldier’s whim. I will not be a party to this kind of thinking.”
Ky knew, of course, this wasn’t entirely true. There’d been plenty of instances of atrocities among his own people. The ideal, however, deserved to be upheld.
“I can only say that we will listen to what you have to say and if at all possible, we’ll do what we can to implement change. I think I can safely say that all of my legates understand that you are the only reason there is still a Rome at all. I hope I can infer from your statement that you plan on staying with us?”
“Although I started to have second thoughts about the decision; yes, I think I am going to stay. I want to warn you, there are a lot of changes I’m going to suggest. Some of them, like suggestions for new tools and technology, your people will see the immediate benefits and will agree easily. Other things you are going to question, or not even understand. There will be a few that will require rethinking some of the core ideas of your people. I can’t claim that I know what’s best for Rome, but I can tell you ways of doing things that, in the long run, will allow you to not only survive Carthage’s attempts to destroy you but maybe fight back and even win.”
“I can’t promise you it’s going to be easy,” the Emperor said. “There are a lot of powerful interests in Rome that like things the way they are and have fought me on every change I’ve tried to implement to help Rome survive. I’m fairly certain my ideas pale in comparison to what you’re going to suggest. What I can promise you, is that I will take everything that you suggest seriously. I’m also fairly certain that the legates here will do the same.”
“Absolutely,” Aelius said.
“Yes,” Velius said.
“I know what you’ve done for us. I trust you to help us, and I hope you will trust us even when some other Romans fight against us.”
“I think I can. These two men and their subordinates that I’ve met have shown themselves to be good and honorable men, as have you. That’s a good foundation to start with.”
“Excellent. Some of this will have to wait, as there is still a lot to do in the wake of our victory. The victory games of Sulla were postponed as we prepared for the Carthaginian assault. I can’t think of a better time to celebrate them, now that we have a new victory to celebrate.”
“Imperator, is this really a good time for a victory celebration?” Ky asked.
“It’s the best time for one. You need to understand that the games of Sulla are an important religious holiday for us, where we hold competitions and games in honor of the victories the gods have granted us. Not holding these games offends the gods. Don’t worry, besides a victory parade and opening of the celebrations, nothing should take away from what you want to start. The priests will run most of the actual ceremonies. Hours ago the people of Devnum thought they were going to be slaughtered by the Carthaginians. They need this.”
“I guess you have a point. When does the celebration happen?”
“We will hold the triumph tomorrow morning for you and both legates. Afterward, I would like you to be with the legates and myself during the speeches to the people. After that, we can sit down and begin talking about what you need. For now, the legions need to recover their dead, and the injured need to see the physicians. Let’s leave them in Velius and Aelius’s capable hands and return to Devnum.”
Ky looked at Velius, who held a hand in what Ky assumed was supposed to be a soothing gesture.
“We’ll be fine, Dominous. I understand your concerns about prisoners, and I promise I will personally ensure your will is followed on the matter.”
“I know you will, Legate. You’re a good man, both of you. After all this,” Ky said, waving his arm in the direction of the battle, “I don’t want to abandon the men.”
“I have centurions to help deal with the legions, my lord. You have more important matters to tend to. We need you to focus on what only you can do and leave the rest to us mere mortals.”
Ky started to protest, but the Emperor’s hand gripped his elbow, guiding him out of the tent.
“Would you escort an old man back to town, Ky?”
“Old man? Remember, I’m the one that told you what to expect after your recovery. I’m betting you feel better right now than you have in years.”
“Yes, well … appearances must be maintained. Besides, it was all I could do to keep my daughter from riding out here with me. She will want to see you soon.”
“I’m not sure why she’d want that, but I’m happy to serve, Emperor.”
Germanicus placed Ky’s hand on his forearm and patted it, giving Ky a knowing look that he couldn’t interpret. Ky and the Emperor, along with some of his personal guards, traveled to the center of town, and the government complex that served as the forum, governmental offices, and personal residence of the Emperor and his family.
Ky walked with the Emperor to the forum, before turning to head back towards the quarters he’d been assigned, with plans to have more documents sent up. Despite how hard he’d pushed the Emperor to begin planning their next steps in preparation for the next army the Carthaginians were certain to send, Ky wasn’t one hundred percent sure what that plan actually was. While there were a few things that he could think of off the top of his head for quickly evolving their society, Ky was far from a historian or a scholar. He - and by extension the AI, upon whose databases of later era technology he’d be leaning heavily upon - needed more information to build a plan. Information like what the current technological base or societal norms were in areas from medicine, to military hardware, to basics like how their craftsman and scientists thought. Once he and the AI knew where they’d be starting, they’d be able to make a plan on how to move things forward.
Ky had walked no more than a few steps from the entrance to the self-contained area the Emperor used for both his living area and offices when the door burst back open, and Lucilla came running through it, only to slide to a halt when she saw Ky was right outside. She clasped her hands together tightly in front of her, seeming almost unsure of what she was going to do next when she glanced at the guards who were very noticeably not looking at her.
That seemed to shake her out of her confusion as she looked up at Ky and said, “I’m pleased you’re back safely.”
“I was perfectly safe, my lady. It was very unlikely that anything used by the Carthaginians could have hurt me.”
“Ohh, I didn’t know that. So, you are like Achilles, then?”
“Achilles is the name of a hero from Greek mythology and popularized by multiple ancient authors, most notably Homer and Euripides,” the AI said at Ky’s confusion. “In some versions of the Myth, Achilles’ mother rendered her son invulnerable to mortal weapons. The methods used to achieve this invulnerability varied based on the source, including the application of fire or submersion in the River Styx, a waterway claimed separated the land of the dead from the land of the living in Greek myth.”
“No, my lady. My skin can be cut just like anyone else’s. The clothing that I am wearing, however, has the ability to deflect most weapons the Carthaginians could use against me.”
“Magic armor,” she half-whispered, her hand reaching out and stroking Ky’s arm.
She seemed transfixed for a moment before pulling her hand back quickly and taking a step back from Ky, her eyes once again darting around to look at the guards standing by the doorway.
“No, that’s not what I … It’s difficult to explain. I can assure you, though, that I am unharmed. Did you need to talk to me about anything else? I was about to go to my quarters and continue reviewing the documents your father gave me, to learn more about your history. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like.”
“I couldn’t. It would be unseemly.”
“Ohh. Then, is there anything else I can do for you?”
“No … I … No. Thank you, though. Have a pleasant night.”
The last was said as she backed away from Ky. He had trouble reading the expression on her face and was concerned that he might have offended her as she turned and fled back into the imperial quarters.
Ky watched her close the door, perplexed at her behavior. With a shrug, he turned and continued towards his own quarters, completely missing the expression exchanged between the guards outside the Emperor’s residence as he passed.
One of Velius’s men found Ky the next morning still going over records. He led Ky to the outskirts of town, where Ky found lines of men from both legions in formation to march. He’d had the AI pull up information about triumphs the night before, from both the Roman records and the AI’s historical documents.
The historical documents showed that before the Emperor, triumphs were a way of awarding generals who’d led victories with a public show of success, while after the Republican era, it was usually reserved for a way to honor the Emperor himself.
The man who led the legions would travel at the head of the procession, which was a mixture of a military parade and a show of captives from the victorious campaign. If the leader had multiple legions under his command, and more than one legion was taking part in the triumph - which was usually not the case - then the legate over each legion would precede his men.
The Roman documents showed that there had been no triumphs since their expulsion from the continent. The last triumph was held for the Roman Emperor, who’d managed to keep the Romans from being expelled from Iberia, at least for a while. That triumph had been almost a century ago, and yet it seemed everyone was still familiar with the process, like some lingering cultural idea.
Ky greeted the two legates, who were still passing orders to their subordinates on what needed to take place when the event started.
“I’m not clear what I need to do for this,” Ky asked them once the pleasantries were out of the way.
“The Emperor has given you the place of honor, leading the triumph into the city.”
“Why? If this is a way to improve morale among your citizens, then it should be one of you. I’m a stranger here.”
They exchanged a look and Velius said, “I don’t think you understand how far word about you has traveled. I would imagine there isn’t a soul in Devnum who hasn’t heard of you by now.”
“I’d say it goes further than that,” Aelius added. “We received a rider from the returning legions, and they asked about you specifically, wanting to know about the rumors they were hearing. I’d wager by now even the smaller towns on the coasts have heard about you.”
Ky closed his eyes and sighed. While he did not like being so blatantly used, there was something to be said for how upfront Germanicus had been about it, not denying or lying about what he was doing. There was also no chance the Emperor would stop doing it, leaving Ky with only two choices. Accept he was going to do it and push back as best he could or take his chances somewhere else.
“It’ll be easy,” Velius said at Ky’s expression. “Just stand in the chariot, look serious and occasionally wave at the crowd. The procession will end at the steps of the Imperial complex, where you’ll step off the chariot, walk to the edge of the stairway and kneel in salute. The Princeps will then make a speech about our great victory and announce the start of the festival. ”
Velius demonstrated the salute to Ky.
“See,” Aelius added. “Easy.”
Ky shook his head as both men smiled at him in an almost gloating fashion.
“Fine, I’ll play my part in the Emperor’s play.”
“Just as we all do,” Velius said, slapping Ky on the shoulder. “Speaking of which, I think it’s time for the play to start.”
The procession was just as unpleasant as Ky had foreseen. In his time, this kind of thing wasn’t done. Everyone was born with a specific place in society and a specific role to play. No one got accolades for doing what was expected. The cheers from the crowd made him feel deeply uncomfortable, but he forced a smile, waving at the people as the chariot rode through the streets.
Arriving at the imperial complex, Ky stepped down from the chariot and walked up to the steps, kneeling as instructed. Lucilla and her brother stood behind their father and slightly to each side. Lucilla beamed at Ky, a look of pride on her face. Her brother, on the other hand, looked as if he’d eaten something rotten. Behind the three in long rows stood men Ky didn’t recognize, but who were obviously important.
Two more chariots pulled up next to the one that had deposited Ky carrying Velius and Aelius. Both men joined Ky on their knees in supplication.
“Rise and join me,” the Emperor said in a voice that carried.
Ky hadn’t noticed before, but whoever designed the plaza that led up and into the Imperial plaza had done so with fine-tuned precision. His voice echoed off the cobblestones and marble buildings with acoustics designed to carry it to a gathered crowd.
Ky stood and eyed where Aelius and Velius went, trying to figure out where he was supposed to go, following slightly behind them. The men split, one going to either side of the Emperor. Ky chose to follow Aelius, who stood in front of Lucilla, not wanting to end up in front of the Emperor’s son Caesius.
“Today is a great day,” Germanicus said to the crowd that began to push forward, joining the lined up legionnaires to hear the speech. “Our mighty legions met the Carthaginian host before our city and have returned victorious. Today the sons of Rome shed their blood on the plains of Britannia; each a benefaction to the fields of Elysium; each a sacrifice to the glory of the people of Rome.”
The Emperor’s tone dropped, and his presentation became noticeably more somber.
“I heard your concern when the offerings to Mars were delayed, as we prepared to repel the Punic invaders. I heard your worry that Mars would be displeased, and you believed that he would punish us for our impertinence. I asked you then to trust me, and I was humbled when you gave me that trust.”
“Many of you have heard the rumors, the whispered hopes that the gods have decided that now is the time; the time that our prayers and sacrifices have finally been received with favor. You’ve heard that Jupiter has drawn his blade and sent his acolyte to lead the Roman people back to our rightful place. I tell you today that those rumors are true; those hopes have been met; those prayers have been answered.”
The Emperor turned and placed his hand on Ky’s shoulder, his voice once again becoming triumphant.
“Jupiter has sent his avatar, sword in hand. This man led our legions to a glorious victory, achieving a modern-day Cannae, with the Carthaginians in the role of the defeated. I warn you, however …”
The Emperor removed his hand from Ky’s shoulder and turned dramatically to the audience, his voice taking on a warning tone. Ky was amazed at the rapt attention the thousands of gathered people stood in complete silence, hanging on the Emperors every word.
“… the threat has not ended. To the south, the Carthaginian governor is already assembling a new host to send against us. We stand on the edge of a blade, with the destruction of the Roman people to either side. Much will still be asked of all of you.”
A smile broke across the Emperor’s face as he once again placed his hand on Ky’s shoulder.
“Take heart, my people. The gods continue to show us their favor. Ky, the Sword of Jupiter, has agreed to stay and help us prepare for the evil that comes for us. His help does not come without conditions set forth by the gods. The gods have decreed that Rome must transform if we are to survive. They warn us that all Romans must be prepared for great change if we are to survive the coming storm. If we pass through the crucible the gods have set before us, then a new and more powerful Rome will emerge from the other side. The gods have asked if Rome stands ready to face the greatest challenge in our long and storied history, and in your name I have sworn that we are ready!”
“To that end, I am naming Ky as Consul - with all the trappings that office once held - to assist me in guiding our people into this new future. With his help, like the phoenix of myth, Rome shall rise again from the ashes. To celebrate our bright future, I declare today as the opening of the Victory Games of Sulla, which from this day forth will celebrate both the historic victory of that mighty warrior and the victory of the sword.”
The Emperor grabbed Ky’s hand, raising it in the air as Ky fought to suppress the surprise and anger he felt welling inside.
