Quinta Macedonica Legio - completed and retitled in honour.

[Ybbon]

As ever, do you follow orders or not, and yet simply following orders, whilst a valid reason in a purely military setting, does not help when the commanding office, is well frankly a stuck-up, pompous, loon Didn't work as a valid excuse at Nuremberg either. So Felix has to explain to a man who isn't and doesn't want to listen, why abandoning the fort was a good strategy and yet the Dux has to have a way to save face if he accepts this.

Looks like Felix is in a very precarious position himself!

[Diocle]

Wise words ybbon!!!!.......and I am damn worried!!!......

[Diomede]

SBH, please... the suspense is killing me.

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

That Mirror Which Also Dooms As It Reveals

‘So you admit the charges levelled against you, praefectus?’

His words were dull and harsh in the flickering gloom of the campaign tent. Around me, the press of cloaked and armoured bodies was tight and oppressive. The oil lamps guttered softly on the trestle table and gave the scene an eerie quality - one that I had felt previously only in those old Mithraic temples hidden underground. Above all our heads, the fug of the fumes seemed to roil slowly as if imbued with an unearthly presence and I felt it settle lower upon us. Cassianus was leaning forwards on that canvas stool and I saw that he held the ivory baton of his appointment and rank tightly, the veins swelling up along his forearm.

All eyes were upon Aemilianus. His face, framed by that ruddy beard and mop of hair, seemed unconcerned and I wondered for a brief moment if he were not mad. I suspect I was not the only one to ponder that. He stepped slightly forward and stood clear of the Illyrian guards at his back.

‘Not at all. Quite the opposite, Cassianus, vir spectabilis.’ He used the formal Senatorial grade lightly, as if dismissing it. A smile hovered about his lips.

The Dux frowned. He spoke then with that patience used only on a child who is being obstinate. ‘The Ducenarius has clearly described the situation that he found. The fort was abandoned and open, was it not?’

‘It was, yes.’

‘You have had a chance to question this Felix and test the veracity of his words but instead have stated - for the record -' here he glanced at the Greek notary still scribbling away at his parchment. ‘- that indeed they were correct. Is that not so?’

‘It is, yes.’

I could see that Aemilianus was somehow relishing this. His grey eyes seemed alight with a soft glow. A low smile hovered about his lips. I noticed that even the Greek - without pausing from writing - was frowning at the praefectus as if trying to fathom his mind.

‘And so you are -' concluded Cassianus heavily ‘-in direct breach of my orders. The penalty of which is death by beheading.’ He leaned back into that canvas stool and rested the baton over his legs.

It was then that I saw Aemilianus shake his head, once. He reached up and scratched his ruddy beard. ‘But I have performed your orders to the letter, my Dux,’ he said. ‘To the letter.’

For a moment, I thought I had misheard him. Around me, the tension which had been building suddenly twisted to a new pitch. Like dogs on a leash suspecting a quarry is nearby, there was a straining motion about me and the officers craned their heads forwards. I saw Angelus frown then and lift a hand that had been idly playing with the gems on his ornate helmet. Next to me, Barko coughed out an obscure Coptic oath like a cobra hissing to an enemy. All eyes reverted then to Cassianus and I found myself also gazing on him.

‘I charged you with the protection of this fort and all those under your shield - the soldiers and the civilians and the slaves left behind. I have returned to find that you have abandoned the fort and left all its gates open to the enemy and the desert. I fail to see how that is performing my orders to the letter!’ He grinned but I could see that there was a slight flicker of unease behind his dark eyes. He lifted up the ivory baton and twirled it without thinking.

It was the opening Aemilianus was waiting for and I saw him take it as an actor steps out from the chorus to begin that great speech all are anticipating.

‘As you yourself have demonstrated, Cassianus, sometimes, in order to save a thing, you must abandon a thing. In order to follow an order, you must desert a thing . . .’

This is how I will always remember Aemilianus. In that moment, when he dropped those words like silver coins into a dark and unfathomable well, standing there, alone, unbelted and unweaponed, the dull flickering light sparking from his beard and hair as if aflame, the hard grey eyes unflinching, while all around him men - hard men of Rome - sighed then and saw a battle won and lost so very different from that on the field amid the slaughter and the gleam of fevered swords. I first saw this Gallic officer deep in the Black Desert amid the tumbling of his men and the skirl of the Saraceni as he shouted out Cede! Cede! And I have seen him since order his numeri about with all the respect and demeanour of a palatine officer while also striking them and bullying them and daring them to do better than him. I have seen him in the thick of battle, laughing, with the shade of Julian at his side, the blood shading him in a cloak others might call imperial. I have seen him kill without rancour or hate and be all the more effective for that. And I remember him walking away from me into his death while I stood and mouthed that word carved in my soul like a brand - walk away in disgust even as my whispered word faded, as my men glared at me for an order I could never give, walk and fall without hesitation, with the last of his numeri with that dying word trailing him like the dust of the dead - and perhaps it was, for I know something in me died in that moment. But I choose to always remember Aemilianus in this moment when he stood alone without armour and sword and spoke a simple sentence which won for him a battle bigger in his mind than any he had ever fought - for in it, he brought to bay a man who had abandoned him and so gutted him with his own sword. And Aemilianus, commander of two rough and undisciplined companies that even now encircled us from above, said a few words with a half-smile that stilled his enemy - and there in his eyes was a triumph greater than any I would ever see in him afterwards, despite the dead piled up about him.

Cassianus stiffened in shock on the canvas stool. ‘I charged you to -‘ he began -

Aemilianus raised his hand lightly then - and by all the gods I saw this Dux, this Armenian Roman, spoiled by luxury, by Rome itself, halt. ‘You - Greek - read back the charge placed on me by this Dux in his own words.’

The notary fumbled then and I saw his beady eyes glitter with panic. He unrolled the parchment slightly and found the words he was looking for. ‘”I charged you with the protection of this fort and all those under your shield - the soldiers and the civilians and the slaves left behind.” His words were dry and hesitant and his hands shook on the roll.

‘Indeed,’ said Aemilianus, ‘and is the fort burnt or sacked? No. Are the soldiers slain? The civilians butchered? No.’

‘You abandoned Nasranum!’ The baton was pointed towards him.

‘Yes. I had no choice, Cassianus, vir spectabilis. Does the scorpion stand in the way of the elephant? It does not. Does the galley remain moored up when a tidal flood arrives? No. It stands out to sea. Do I garrison this fort with a single century when an entire army decamps out of the east? No - I evacuate it along with all those under my charge - as you so succinctly put it - and retire to a more defensible position. In abandoning the fort, I saved it.’

‘Save - how can you -‘

What he said next was as close to a killing blow as I have ever heard uttered. ‘I merely echo your own example, my Dux, which I am sure is also on record?’

I have seen men slain in battle, gutted in a knife-fight in some dark alley between the insulae, drown in rough waters with the transports pitching like panicked animals, and burn to death wreathed by screams and that smell no man ever forgets - but what I saw then was something far deeper: a light going out in the eyes and soul of a man who knows that he is lost; that his will has been beaten; his character trammelled before his peers. It was a light going out that few men are ever privileged to see and we all saw it dim and then gutter like one of the oil lamps on the trestle table nearby. He had lost and this Armenian knew it. Moreover, it was his own actions which had absolved Aemilianus. He himself had created his own defeat - and I think deep in his long lost mountaineer’s heart, he knew his honour and his prestige - that cloak we all cling to greater than any riches - was now tarnished beyond redemption.

It was then that the entrance flaps behind me swished open and I saw Octavio and Suetonius enter with a stumbling Tusca between them. The latter, I noticed with satisfaction, was sporting a purple welt under his left eye. A look of panic filled his face then when he saw the exalted company about him - and almost without thinking, he flung himself down upon the ground and performed proskynesis to Cassianus. A litter of laughter rippled out around this camel officer in response and for a moment he looked up in confusion, all the bluster and swagger now gone from his face.

I reached down and touched him on the shoulder. ‘Are you proclaiming the Dux imperator then?’ I asked casually.

‘I thought - I thought - forgive me -' he threw his fearful gaze back upon Cassianus.

The latter, grateful for the interruption, motioned him to rise. ‘Your lapse is understandable, if a little exaggerated. I am only a Dux of the frontier and not worthy of such adoration. Otherwise, as this Felix, has so aptly put it, others might assume I am making a bid for the purple!’ He laughed and it was the release we all needed in the room. Tusca climbed to his feet but kept his eyes low on the ground. That cursed camel smell washed over me from him, baking itself in the confines of the campaign tent.

For one moment, I saw Cassianus fix the Gallic officer with a distant look and then he sighed ever so slightly. A smile wreathed his lips. ‘The fort was threatened, you say?’ he asked. ‘That was why you abandoned it?’ There was no contempt in his voice now. Only the careful concern of a commander for a subordinate’s report. And in a blink of an eye, the tension and the threat of execution was gone as if it had never existed. There was no celebration of his release from that charge nor a congratulations from us. The Dux had gestured and it was as if it had never existed - merely a figment of some badly worded play or dream prophesy.

The awful scratching of that stylus ceased as if on cue.

Aemilianus spoke then and he reverted to his role as the least officer among us all. And what he told us in his simple words changed everything here in the Harra.

[Diocle]

No words ! Spectacular!!!!
I would like to see this scene acted in a good movie by great actors (here the communication trought the eyes is very important! more than voice), fantastic!!!

[Ybbon]

One slice of atmosphere please! Talk about cutting it with a knife, better be a very sharp one for that. Riveting, glued to my seat with a whole tube of superglue I was

As Diocle says, what a scene that would make, done right, Oscar all by itself.

[McScottish]

Just write the damn book already, how long are you going to make us wait, dammit sir.

[Ybbon]

We can review it on Amazon - "Read it, it's OK but it's no Dan Brown!"

[edit] which would be the opposite of damning by faint praise, more praising with faint damning

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Thanks for the feedback, guys - I wasn't sure if such a long and wordy (ie: static) scene would work in an AAR context but it is vital to what comes. I am working on translating this AAR into an e-book format. I am breaking it down into a 5 Book structure (you are all in the middle of Book IV at the moment). Book I is already published at Smashwords here.

If you fancy downloading it in full, PM me and I will release a special code so you don't have to pay for it. Write an honest review instead (and I mean honest!). I am still not sure if the AAR format translates into a multi-serial novella structure so any thoughts on Book I would be appreciated!

[McScottish]

I say, old bean, that looks positively spiffing! Wouldn't mind ye olde code... I also look forward to the next few updates, smashing work all round!

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Sure thing, McScottish - just PM me your email address and Smashwords will send you an email with the redeeming code in it. You can then 'buy' a copy for free by entering the code at the checkout. Same for anyone else who is interested in a free copy of Book I - email your address over and I will send out the code!

There do seem to be some formatting issues with the kindle version which I am still trying to iron out, though. PDF format is good but in kindle it seems to indent paragraphs in a random manner which I don't understand at the moment!

[Diocle]

Actually I would like to pay for your works my dear friend! Sadly my Credit Card has expired, I cannot use it in Internet, probably being close to its expiration date the bank blocked the payments aboard (outside Italy), normally the bank send me a new Card automatically, I'm waiting!

The only orders I did were here in Italy and I had to pay on the delivery of the package (Libanius and Vegetius). I wish I had many Credit Cards! but I've only one! I wish I was a great architect! But I'm drawing in Autocad hundreds of stairs, hospital rooms, corridors, stairs and then corridors and bathrooms and rooms and stairs and bathrooms and corridors for my boss......all this f underpaid work ,was not exactly what I dreamed when I was in Univesity!.....But this is the life I presume!...

Because I never wrote anything that was less than honest about the work of anyone, now, I can safely say, adfirm and repeat that I think that your works are excellent writings.

Sorry for the off-topic vent, but my day was boring, very boring! Very, very, boring!!!





only this old song of the clash can describe how I'm bored today: Jenie Jones

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

I appreciate the offer but no one here who reads these updates should pay - afterall, you have all encouraged me to think about printing it alongside my plays. Besides - it is all here for free anyway! Sorry to hear about your day being boring - mine by contrast was anything but: I finally passed my driving test this morning (despite the pain inmy neck/arm!), wrote this update when I got back and am now off for a champagne celebration!

[Ybbon]

Taxi back then! don't lose the bleeding thing just after getting it

[Diocle]

Happy to hear that SBH can finally drive his Bat-mobile!!!

Now only another test is awaiting for SBH :
Our hero have to come here on the Continent ......driving the car on the right side!!.....Muahahahah!!!
I'm malicious because I had a boring day (and if it was the only one.....)!

[Yeepeep]

Man this is good stuff! And I don't mean just the story of the Quinta (which is simply amazing). It is only recently that I've begun to realize that the entire forum is.

I've always had the habit of "saving" a good book for the right moment, like keeping the last Harry Potter for the week after an important exam. And I've always felt bad after the book was over because I knew the next one would not be available anytime soon.

But this forum! Man, it's like an endless "final GRRM book". Everyday there is something new, something exciting, something to look forward to. And it gives me the opportunity to savor each and every story because I know it will not be the last one.

Ugh, this came out stupid. Log story short - I'm loving it!!

[McScottish]

I'm loving it!!

Ronald McDonald, is that you?!

On a serious note though, I must concur, Brother Yeepeep, this forum truly is a never-ending store of exceptional writing. I am not so arrogant as to include my self, but one needs only look upon this work, or that of Ganbarenippon or Knonfoda or Julianus to find something incredible. (Oh, and your own work, of course!)

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

I agree - it is a great place to read and gain inspiration. In fact, I have been mulling a vague idea about collecting the best AARs and compiling them into a ebook - a sort of 'Best of TWAAR' as it were. I wonder if it would work and the best way to go about it? Smashwords is a great site to epublish as it is free and converts the uploaded file automatically into every download format. It then vets it and if accepted then automatically publishes on the big sites like Barnes and Noble, Apple, Diesel, and so on.

I think the best AARs would be the story-driven ones as I doubt we would be able to use the ingame pics for legal reasons.

[Knonfoda]

Okay, so I finally caught up with the latest update (can't believe I was a full three updates behind!) and I have to say you have outdone yourself this time SBH. Truly, it was amazing to see you taking the suspense and doom and gloom to a level not previously explored, not that of the battlefield or the impending battle, but a court martial hearing! I loved the fact it built up over the course of three episodes too, and that there were so many angles. The numeri plotting to assassinate the Dux, the officers in the tent - whom were so nonchalant I suspected they were about to murder the Dux themselves - and then Aemimilanus, with his brilliant mind.

The way you worded and described the rebuke heaped upon the Dux for his own inadequacy and failings in the past, and how Aemilianus used them to utterly thrash his commanding officer was simply superb. The line of the fire going out in his eyes was just the cherry on top as far as I'm concerned. I think these last three updates have been some of your best my friend. However, you deceived me in the IB forum by saying an Emperor was proclaimed. I was amused, to say the least, when I came to discover how this came about lol.

I think the book with the AAR's in them is a very good idea. Sadly, my own work cannot factor in there (damn pictures, I knew they would be my undoing) but in any case my own writing is not up to scratch to feature in such an edition. But it would be a good enterprise, nonetheless!

+ Rep

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Thanks, Knonfoda - I appreciate your inisghts and praise also. It was/is a tough section to write with little in the way of actual action. But as I wrote earlier, it is a pivotal moment in the AAR.

I have posted up about the possible 'Anthology AAR' ebook here to see if anyone thinks it might be a good idea. There are a number of issues regarding a venture of this type so if anyone here has any thoughts, please put in that post. I think there are a number of excellent AARs, as McScottish writes, which would benefit from wider exposure in the world of e-reading - and an ongoing serialised anthology (which is essentially what this forum is) seems to make sense. If nothing else it may allow writers here to publish outside this community!

Also, I am putting the following code out now here -SW42E - if anyone reading this AAR wishes to download Book One of The Nowhere Legion, use that code and you can download it for free. All I ask is that you write a review on the Smashwords site!

Knonfoda - I know what you mean about your own AAR - but with some judicious editting, I don't see too much of a problem. Afterall, this is an anthology and as such should represent a variety of AARs in the community!