The Sword of Jupiter (Imperium #1) - Chapter 7

Ky walked into what he was thinking of as the throne room the next  morning, refreshed, despite the small amount of sleep he’d gotten the  night before. Although he could get along on very little sleep when  needed, the doctors had still recommended eight hours of sleep when  possible.

While he hadn’t hit that benchmark by any degree, he  still felt like a weight had been lifted off him. He considered that  maybe it was because he’d at least made a decision, allowing him to  focus on going forward instead of standing still. The soldier in him  enjoyed the simple distinction of having a clear objective. A small part  of him suggested there might be more to it than that but Ky wasn’t  clear what that would have been.

He’d sent for two more stacks of  documents the previous night and, while he knew he needed to do a lot  more reading, he felt he had a good handle on the Roman’s general  situation, if not its specific tactical one. He’d also gotten a picture  of their society and technology. On the technological front, while this  was a far cry from what his people had in the future, he was surprised  by how advanced it was, all considering. He had never been a historian  and had nothing beyond the most shadowy of ideas of what Roman  technology had been. When he’d explained his understanding the night  before the AI had suggested he was confusing Roman, medieval, and even  some renaissance history together.

He was less thrilled with what  he’d learned about Roman society. While he was fine with the society  being led by an Emperor, mostly because his own had something very  similar, he was thrown by the large amount of slavery that existed among  the Romans. The poor who couldn’t pay their bills, the children of  people already in slavery, and those captured in Roman battles,  including women and children found in overrun cities were all part of a  large slave class. He found himself extremely bothered by the practice,  although the AI pointed out the same situation existed among all the  contemporary societies.

For now, he’d have to live with the  practice, but Ky had promised himself he’d work on convincing the Romans  to abandon the practice if at all possible. That was, of course,  assuming he and the Romans as a whole survived the upcoming battle.

Ky  was surprised to see the room a lot less full than he expected,  although it was far from what he would have called empty. Standing  around the edge of the table that currently held a large map with  various figures sitting atop it were the Emperor, Lucilla, and Ursinus,  along with three of the men he’d met the previous day and a fourth man  Ky had not seen before. A few steps behind the three men from the day  before and the newcomer were about a dozen more men wearing various  symbols of rank that meant nothing to Ky but that he took to be  subordinates of the men closest to the map.

“Ky, excellent,” the Emperor said, looking up as Ky was ushered into the room by one of the guards at the door.

“You asked for me?” Ky said, walking up to the table.

“First, I wanted to tell you how happy I am that you’ve decided to stay with us.”

“You and your daughter both made good arguments.”

Father beamed at daughter for a moment before looking at the other two men in the room, “Ursinus you know, and you met Ramirus, Globulus, and Velius the other day, albeit briefly. Globulus  and Velius each command one of the two full legions we have at our  disposal for this fight, while Ramirus is in charge of our spies and  intelligence. Aelius is Primus Pilus of the Ninth Legion and brought  back what is left of it after half the legion along with the legate and  all the tribunes were lost. While not a full legion, I have asked him to  stand as its legate for now, since he is familiar with the men.”

Ky nodded to each as they were introduced.

“I  asked Ky to be here so you could bring him up to speed on where things  stand,” the Emperor said to the gathered men. “I’m interested in hearing  our new friend’s point of view on the defenses. Legate, why don’t you  start?”

The last sentence had been said to the man identified as Globulus,  who made a sour expression and indicated with a nod that the younger  legate should take the lead. Ky couldn’t help glancing briefly at the  Emperor, wondering what the man was thinking. From their conversation  the day before, Ky was certain the Emperor was one of the craftier men  he’d ever met, but Ky still wasn’t sure why he’d been sent for. The man  didn’t know him and had no idea what Ky could or couldn’t do, except  what Lucilla or Ursinus would have told him about the two small clashes  Ky had been involved in. Except for Ky telling the Emperor the day  before that he was a soldier, there was no reason Ky could think of for  the Emperor to have called him to the planning session.

“Certainly,  my lord. Thanks to the information Ky brought back, and some additional  information we have from assets in Londinium itself, we know this is  the majority of the forces Maharbaal  currently has locally. We’ve heard rumors that the ending of the revolt  in Iberia has opened up additional forces, but we are pretty sure he  hasn’t received any forces from the Continent yet, and most likely won’t  until after the ground thaws. While Ramirus’s  sources might have missed the army marching out, based on some of the  insignia Ursinus saw during the ambush, we are fairly certain this is  part of the force already stationed on Britannia. Which is, in its own  way, good news.”

“The army is four times your size, how is that good news?” Ky asked.

“Because  this is the majority of the forces available to them for now. While he  kept some in reserve back in Londinium, based on the numbers Ramirus’s  men were able to put together, a lot of that needs to remain where it  is to keep the local countryside pacified. Why that is good for us is  that, if we can somehow beat back this army, we will have at least the  winter to prepare for his next incursion. Snow is already starting to  fall which means there are fewer supplies available than there would be  at other points in the year. Plus, they would need to outfit their army  to fight in the cold, which the Carthaginians just aren’t set up to do.  They rarely operate north of the Danube, and hardly go into even Gaul,  leaving that to their Germanic puppets. They would end up spending most  of the winter pulling together new forces and equipping them for winter  operations, just to have to equip them again for coming at us after the  ground has thawed and the temperatures go back up.”

“Doesn’t that  mean they’ll spend the winter putting together a new army to come after  you? One most likely better equipped and much larger than the one  they’ve already sent, to make sure they get the job done?”

“That  is absolutely what it means,” Velius said. “It also gives us time to do  the same and prepare for another assault. We can worry about that then.  For now, we need to deal with the threat in front of us.”

“Which, as Ky pointed out, is still an army four times your size, Legate,” Lucilla said.

“That is true, my lady. We have some ideas for that, however. My plan,” Globulus  said, pointing at locations on the map as he spoke, “is to push forward  and straddle the Silurum - Devnum road. The forest is dense and goes  almost all the way to the ocean on the West, and to the Sabrina River on  the east. The only real path to us is either to go around to the coast  and follow the coastline towards us, which still limits how far they can  deploy their army and requires an almost sixty-thousand passus detour,  or to backtrack fifty-thousand passus and go around the Sabrina. The  only direct route is to come at us up the central road, which is bounded  on either side by thick forest. This will keep him from turning our  flanks and let us take his army head-on.”

“Can you win a head-on battle against so many men?” Ky asked.

“Quite  possibly. My men are hardier and better fighters than the  Carthaginians. I know we can take them in a straight-up fight where I  can control how much of their army can get at us.”

Globulus sounded confident, but it was clear from the expression on both Velius’s and Ramirus’s faces that they did not share his confidence.

“I  don’t mean to sound doubtful Legate, but is it wise to use the  superiority of your troops, which I am in no way doubting, as the entire  basis of your strategy?”

“Wise? The Roman legions are the best  armies in the world and cannot be beaten in a stand-up fight.  Additionally, it neutralizes their larger cavalry. Coming to grips with  them just as they exit the forest will keep their archers or siege train  from deploying against us, as well.”

Ky opted not to point out  the Roman Legions had lost time and again to the Carthaginians, pushed  out of Africa, off the Continent, and now hemmed into one side of  Britain.

Instead, he said, “True, but the forest is not  impassible. Yes, it will keep his men from going around your flanks in  mass but, if their general is smart, he will still send soldiers through  the trees to harass you from the side and rear, and eventually cut you  off. He has more than enough soldiers to pour them into the trees  piecemeal, in hopes that it weakens your force enough for his front line  to push through, or to engage you long enough that he completely  surrounds your legions, forcing you to fight in all directions.”

“Our cavalry should be able to hold the tree line,” The legate said, sounding a little less sure of himself.

“Commander,” the AI queried. “An additional strategy is available for the given array of forces.”

’Show me,’ Ky commanded inaudibly.

The  map animated in front of his eyes as the AI overlaid troops based on  the figures he’d been given by Ursinus during their ride back to Devnum  and what he’d seen of the Carthaginian army. As Ky watched, the AI’s  strategy was laid out in front of him and played out in repeating cycles  as the AI showed possible outcomes to the strategy and their effects.

“Ky,” Lucilla said, her voice breaking through his concentration.

“Wha…” he said, looking up to find all the faces in the room turned towards him.

He’d been so focused on the strategies offered by the AI that he had stopped paying attention so the other people had noticed.

“Did you have something to offer?” the Emperor asked.

“Yes, my lord, I think I see an alternative strategy.”

“My  lord, I renew my protest. I can’t see why we should listen to …”  Globulus started to say but stopped as the Emperor held up a hand.

“I would like to hear him out,” the Emperor commanded, causing Globulus’ already dour face to darken even more.

“Let  me make sure of a few points first. Based on my observations of their  army and my reading last night, the Carthaginians primarily use  phalanxes to hold an opposing force in place and a combination of their  cavalry and light infantry to work around the sides of the pinned army?”

“Their  cavalry, like our own, is mostly used as mounted archers and scouts  until the opposing forces lose cohesion, but otherwise correct.”

“Am I also right in saying the phalanx is more vulnerable than your legions to flanking attacks?” Ky asked.

“Yes.  Generally, they are more lightly armored than our legionaries, and they  don’t pivot to face attacks from new directions nearly as well,” Velius  replied.

“My suggestion would be that you split your forces. You  move back to just past where the road leaves the forest and opens up  into the farmland between here and Devnum. There you would use two full  legions as a holding force to blunt the Carthaginian army and hold them  against the forest, or at least let them feel they have you pinned in  place. Once the army is all the way deployed, we would smash into its  rear and flanks with the Aelius’s men and all of the cavalry.”

“You  want me to take on a force four times my size with mine broken into  three smaller groups? That’s madness!” Globulus bellowed.

“Hear him out!” the Emperor said, his voice taking on a tone of command Ky hadn’t heard from him before.

“I  understand the idea of splitting your army is distasteful, but with the  right timing, it could be enough to counter the Carthaginian’s superior  forces.”

“I assume you have a plan to ensure our forces achieve total surprise?” the Emperor asked.

“Yes,” Ky said as he proceeded to lay out the AIs plan in detail.

When  Ky finished walking the Emperor and his legates through the details of  the plan Velius was nodding thoughtfully while Globulus could barely  contain his contempt. Aelius, for his part, was silent, seeming  uncomfortable surrounded by so many men of higher standing, including  the emperor.

“Will this work?” The Emperor asked his legates.

Velius  gave the map another long look as he collected his thoughts and said,  “Maybe. If everything goes as he says, yes. I’ve fought the  Carthaginians in one of my first battles. It was a skirmish, but I’ve  seen how they fight. They don’t do well with attacks into their rear. If  we manage to pull it off, it will work. If they break the holding force  before the Ninth can engage and turn to face the new threat, however,  then it’s all over.”

For his part Globulus made a disgruntled noise.

“Is he right about the chances of the original plan being successful?”

“No,” Globulus declared.

“Yes,” Velius said, almost simultaneous with the other legate, who glared at Velius.

“So his plan gives us a better chance of defeating the enemy?”

Globulus didn’t reply, continuing to glare at the younger centurion.

“It is risky, but yes,” Aelius said, speaking for the first time.

Velius took his joining the conversation in stride while Globulus didn’t even try to mask the raw contempt on his face.

“Do we have any ideas that are less risky and still give us any chance of stopping their army?”

“No, my lord,” Velius said.

“It seems we should go with Ky’s plan, then.”

“My Lord, we can’t …” Globulus started to protest but was interrupted by the Emperor.

“No.  I was concerned about your plan from the beginning. Everything he said  about the weakness in that plan had already occurred to me and it should  have occurred to you. His plan, while it is risky, does at least  address those problems. You will follow my orders.”

“With your leave, I will go to my men and prepare them to move into the assigned positions,” Globulus said, looking angry.

“Yes.  Please coordinate with Velius’s legion. Aelius, I will issue orders  that you will retain direct command of the Ninth for now, but Ky will be  in overall command of the ambushing forces.”

“As you say, my  lord,” Globulus said and turned to leave, several of the men falling in  line with him, leaving the large, open room.

“What about your  other legions?” Ky asked. “You said the Ninth arrived just recently. Is  there any chance more could come to our aid before the Carthaginians  attack?”

“No. They’re all putting down an incursion by the  northern barbarians. We sent a runner to them requesting they send four  of their eight legions back to us, but its two days ride there and  that’s for a single messenger riding hard. It will take the legions we  requested at least five days to get here. It’s only luck that had Aelius  detached with a weakened legion to reinforce and refit itself.”

“My  lord, I also need to go to my legion and begin getting my men prepared.  We will need to move in the next few hours to get our men in place.  Their outriders could be upon us as soon as tomorrow morning. If this  trap is going to work, they need to report back to their leaders about  our formations waiting for them just outside the forest. The more the  Carthaginian general is focused on our holding force, the less chance  they will look for our ambushing forces.”

“Certainly, Legate,” the  Emperor said, using a much friendlier voice that he’d used with  Globulus. “Aelius, you should also return to your men. Ky will join you  before you move into your final positions.”

“Thank you Princeps,” Aelius said, and left along with two more of the silent observers.

“If  you approve, I’d appreciate it if I could take Ky with me to visit the  army. His suggestion seems to be the best option we have, but I think it  would be good if he saw the forces first hand, to see if it changes his  suggestions.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea.”

“Sir, could I have a word with you first,” Ky said, feeling a bit adrift.

“I’ll wait outside,” Velius said with a salute, leaving the room with those officers who hadn’t accompanied Globulus or Aelius.

With  the military leaders gone Ky was left with just Ramirus, Lucilla, the  Emperor, and Ursinus. He eyed the other people in the room, prompting  the Emperor to wave him off.

“Anything you need to ask, you can  say in front of these people. My daughter, of course, has my fullest  confidence, but both Ramirus and Ursinus have served my family since  they could walk. I trust them quite literally with my life.”

“I  was wondering why you asked me to be here. I’ve already reported  everything I saw of the Carthaginian army. I’m not sure what you’re  expecting from me. Your generals would have figured out a viable  strategy without my input.”

“I’m not sure that’s true. I knew the  plan Globulus brought me had problems. Velius would have stood up to him  and put forth a more practical solution, but word of the disagreement  would have spread. Even if I overruled Globulus and accepted Velius’s  plan word would have spread. Globulus isn’t universally beloved by the  soldiers but they know him and many have served with him. Velius is  young and was only recently placed as a legate. He comes from a  prominent merchant family who’ve made it clear they’d be willing to  trade coin for legitimacy. You’ve met the man so I hope you can see I  named him to the position because of his ability and not what his family  was offering, but many of my subjects believe the rumors. In a dire  situation like this, I couldn’t trust Globulus to not change strategies  once he was in the field and I couldn’t trust the legions not to go over  to him. I’d hoped you would hear Velius’s plan and, being a soldier  yourself, would side with it over Globulus’s tendencies to charge  forward regardless of relative strengths. The fact that you instead  offered your own strategy was even better than I’d hoped.”

“You  were worried Velius didn’t have the loyalty of the troops, how would I  change that calculation? I’m just arrived here and have met hardly  anyone.”

“Soldiers talk. I’m sure by now Ursinus’s man has  finished going to men from each cohort and told them of your heroic  deeds on the journey here, and who he thinks you really are.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because I ordered him to.”

Ky’s mouth hung open. That had been the last thing he would have guessed the Emperor would say.

“I  realize you aren’t happy with that and it is very calculating of me to  use you in such a blatant fashion, especially without asking your  permission. I would apologize, but we both know I would do it again if I  had to. The existence of my people is at stake. If we lose this battle,  we lose everything.”

“So I am here as some sort of symbol,” Ky said wearily.

“While  that was my initial motivation, you proved once again I shouldn’t  underestimate your value. Velius’s plan had the benefit of being safe  and easy to execute, but I also had misgivings that his plan would have  won out in the end. Yours is riskier but it feels somehow right. I may  have wanted you to bring hope to my soldiers, and you’ve instead brought  hope to me. My daughter will tell you that I am the eternal pessimist  so that is quite the feat.”

Ky had already realized the Emperor  was a much craftier man that he seemed at first, which in of itself was  almost certainly a second layer of misdirection on the Emperor’s part.  The man’s mind was clearly very agile and he had again completely  outmaneuvered Ky.

“I guess what’s done is done. I’m not happy with  you playing me but I get that you felt you had no choice. I should go  to Velius. I don’t want to hold him up.”

“Go and good luck. Please know I appreciate everything you’re doing to help my people.”

Ky  nodded and made eye contact with Lucilla, who looked like she almost  wanted to say something. When she made no move to speak, however, Ky  gave her a tight smile, turned, and left the room to the waiting Velius.

The  trip to Velius’s legion didn’t take long since it was camped on the  open plain just outside the city. Ky couldn’t help but notice the land  the soldiers sat on looked suspiciously like farmland, which the AI  confirmed after a quick analysis. It was after the harvest, so no crops  looked to be planted at the moment, but Ky wondered if they did the same  thing in the middle of summer. That couldn’t be good for the  food-producing area when an army moved through, even if they didn’t take  or steal the already harvested food. Ky filed that away as something to  think about later.

The camp itself was far less organized than Ky  had thought it would be, considering how orderly the Romans seemed to  be with everything. While the tents were in neat, orderly rows, men sort  of milled about absently. There seemed to be no distinction as to who  was where, or what they were supposed to be doing.

In Ky’s time,  everything had a timetable and everything was orderly. For soldiers,  there was always something to do. If they weren’t in combat, they were  in training, if they weren’t in training, they were working on  equipment, and if they weren’t working on equipment, they were cleaning.  NCOs ensured that everyone was productive when they were on duty. Sure,  they were allowed to pursue their own interests when not on duty, to  socialize or make use of entertainment facilities; but that didn’t seem  to be the case here. It seemed every soldier he saw was off duty. True,  they were sitting very close to their capital, but still, there should  have been some soldiers on guard duty or training or doing one of the  hundreds of other things soldiers did in every army.

Yet, Ky  didn’t see much indication of this. There were a few soldiers here or  there that seems to be occupied doing something productive, but they  were definitely the outliers, and not indicative of the average Roman  soldier, at least in this camp.

“Is it always like this?” Ky asked  Velius, who was riding next to him, leading a small column of staffers  and personal guards into the camp.

“Like what?”

“So, chaotic?”

“I guess. This seems chaotic to you?”

“Yes. I’d expected to see men preparing equipment or training, but these men are just milling about.”

“We  do some training each morning, but you can only push them so far. Go  too hard, and the men start deserting back to their farms or families.”

“These are conscripts?”

“Yes. Except for a small group of officers and guardsmen, most of the legions are citizens who are called up when needed.”

“Huh?” Ky said, surprised.

“Why would anyone want a permanent military force? All you’d need is one commander with the ambition to stage a revolt.”

“I guess, although I’m sure there could be safeguards for that. I mean, aren’t the men loyal to Rome?”

“Sure,  but their first loyalty is to themselves which usually means they are  loyal to whoever can pay them enough. While the Senate sets pay for  soldiers, anything beyond the base level, which isn’t enough for a man  to buy the armor, weapons or supplies they need on a campaign. It’s the  Legates and his officers who guarantee the spoils of campaigns or  payments of largess.”

“Spoils?” Ky was familiar with the concept,  but it normally applied to governments taking over assets of defeated  enemies, at least how he’d ever heard it applied.

The idea of  troops looting and taking what they wanted or needed was anathema to  him. The few times a soldier in his time had been caught doing that, the  penalties had been swift and harsh.

“Sure. Why else would men volunteer to become legionaries, if it wasn’t to take part in the spoils?”

Ky  was starting to have real concerns about the state of the military. He  couldn’t imagine anything with the setup that Velius just described, at  least and not call it a professional military. Of course, there was no  way to make a professional military if the soldiers had to pay for all  their own equipment and supplies. The entire structure of the Roman army  went against every form of professionalism he’d ever heard of.

“You do things differently where you’re from?” Velius asked, looking interested.

“Yes, very much.”

“I’d be interested to hear about that.”

“What about those?” Ky asked, pointing to small wood buildings spread periodically throughout the camp.

“The latrines,” Velius said, sounding confused. “I’m sure your people have those as well. I mean, everyone … you know.”

“We  do, although it’s much different. I was more interested in how close  they seem to where your men camped. I also noted large barrels of water  as well. That is your soldier’s drinking water?”

“Yes. This is a  temporary camp, so please keep that in mind. In a more permanent  fortification, we would have built latrine buildings further out,  drained by running water, and dug wells. Since this camp was only meant  to last a handful of days at best, the latrines are simple pits, and we  carry the barrels of water, filled from the town or river as we  resupply.”

“What would you say the number one cost of attrition to your men is?”

“Sickness.  It’s something all armies deal with, although it’s a bigger issue with  prolonged temporary camps and the least of a problem with permanent  military garrisons.”

“I see,” Ky said, again filing away the information for after they settled the battle.

He  was finding his hazy understanding of humanities far past clashing  strongly with the harsh reality of how things really operated here. He  could easily see some changes he could suggest that would have fast  results just by understanding some of the basic realities of nature.  Assuming, of course, they survived the coming battle.

“Is there something you had on your mind?” Velius asked, curious about the strange nature of Ky’s questions.

“Yes,  although nothing that can be useful for tomorrow’s battle. When it’s  over, however, I do have some suggestions that should help.”

“Help how?”

“Where I’m from, disease is the cause of only the smallest portion of casualties.”

That  wasn’t quite true. With the invention of medical nanobots, diseases or  at least the kind that would plague an army in the field was a  non-issue. Ky was thinking of things he’d read about armies of the past,  those from the latter part of the twentieth and early twenty-first  centuries. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to get the Romans up to that  standard of hygiene, at least not right away, but he could get them to  the levels of the early twentieth century. Which would be a huge  improvement over any other army on this Earth.

“Really? I’m not  doubting you but … I don’t see how that’s possible. Sickness has been  the scourge of armies since the beginning of time. If there was  something that could be done to keep it from happening, we would have  done it.”

“I’m not sure how to explain this, at least not in an  easy to understand way, so please don’t take offense. The issue isn’t  with knowing how to keep sickness out of the camps it’s knowing what  causes the most common sickness. Your healers do not understand enough  about the way the world works to prevent the causes of the various  diseases that plague your men.”

“You are saying you do?” Velius asked, sounding skeptical.

“Yes.  I know you don’t believe me. I’m not sure I would believe me if I were  in your position. I have yet to prove to you what I know or that you  should listen to me. All I can say is that, after the battle, I will do  what I can to teach your people the things that can help your men.”

“As  you say, that is something best left until after we deal with our  immediate problem. I will admit I am having trouble believing that there  is an answer to the problem of disease that our healers, philosophers,  and priests missed. However, you have demonstrated some miraculous  abilities, so I guess I should wait and see.”

“I appreciate your confidence,” Ky said, giving the younger legate a friendly smile.

It  hadn’t occurred to him before now, but Ky realized his biggest hurdle  was going to be getting the Romans to trust him enough to listen to his  suggestions.

“Well, let’s go talk to my commanders, and let them  know what the Emperor expects of them,” Velius said, matching Ky’s  uncertain smile.

Roman Forum

“I’m telling you, its trouble!”  Silo said, pacing like a caged animal, his purple edged toga flapping  around him with each turn. “You said he’d be dead by now.”

In  front of him stood five other men, each adorned in similar togas with  the purple trimming showing their status as leaders. All the men were  advanced in age, showing graying or balding heads that spoke to their  years on Earth. Slightly separated from the senators stood another man,  very differently adorned. A plain gray cloak covered a finely made toga,  the cloak’s hood pulled over his head, obscuring his face.

“Calm  yourself,” the hooded man said, holding up a hand in a soothing motion.  “I told you we’d make an attempt, and we did. But I also told you that  we couldn’t guarantee it’d kill him.”

“I realize that,” Silo said,  his voice filled with anger. “But he was on death’s door. How did they  manage to cure him? Clovis seemed certain the Emperor only had days.”

“It  was a close thing, that’s certain. Clovis did his best for Germanicus,  but he never even figured out that the man was poisoned. Even if he had,  it shouldn’t have mattered since there is no known antidote. It seems  impossible that he recovered,” Mutilus, one of the senators standing in  the small group, said.

“We aren’t sure what happened, just that  credit for saving the Emperor is going to this new man, this … Ky,” the  hooded figure replied.

“What do we know about him?” Silo asked.

“Nothing.  I heard Ursinus’s report myself and the story is too fantastical to  believe. Apparently, he fell out of the sky and shot balls of fire at  the Carthaginian soldiers, killing dozens single-handedly.”

Silo wave off the statement. He’d heard the same reports and had to agree they were preposterous.

“He seems cozy with Ursinus. Is there a chance this Ky is in league with Ursinus?”

“To what end? The Optio  has always been loyal to the Emperor and his daughter. Plus, if this  were some kind of plot by the Emperor to introduce a new player, it  would require him to predict the ambush on his daughter and send her  into it willingly. Germanicus is cagey, but he wouldn’t put her in  danger on purpose like that. Not his daughter.”

“I guess, but it  doesn’t answer the question as to who this man is. The Emperor has  brought him into the multiple councils of war, and even let the man  overrule Globulus’ plan to deal with the Carthaginian army. It’s too much.”

“I  agree, but for now there’s nothing we can do. He left the city with  Velius, who’s always been loyal to the Emperor. I can’t see any way to  get at him while he’s surrounded by Velius’ legion. After Globulus puts down the Carthaginian army, we’ll deal with the foreigner.”

“You’d  better. We agreed to support you only because you said you could remove  the Emperor. If you can’t deliver, then we have no use for you.”

The hooded man stepped forward in a rush, close to Silo, who flinched back from the sudden movement.

“I  will remove the Emperor but remember to whom you are speaking! If I’m  willing to have the Emperor killed, imagine how I would feel about  removing a Senator!”

Silo stepped back again, visibly blanching.  Standing straight and putting on a confident expression, he said, “Just  do what you promised and we won’t have any problems.”

The hooded  man didn’t respond. Instead, spinning on his heels, he walked off the  Senate floor. Silo and the gathered senators could only watch his  retreating back, annoyance clear on Silo’s face.