Gaius Fabius Portio DELENDA EST CARTHAGO Part II 146 B.C. In fact, it takes another two months before Carthage falls at last. They held out valiantly, to the bitter end. When the walls are breached and Rome's vengeful legions enter the city, more than a few soldiers are surprised at what they find. It was known that Carthage was in dire straights, but no one was prepared for the piles of bodies lying unburied, uncremated, rotting in the streets. The last remaining defenders are quickly overwhelmed and slain, leaving only a horde of pitiful, starving citizens who can't muster the strength to resist you. There are fewer Carthaginians left alive than there are invading Roman soldiers. You see some burning, looting, pillage and rape, but surprisingly little. Publius Cornelius retains control over his troops, and the expected temporary loss of discipline in the aftermath of victory is considerably dampened by the pathetic state of the vanquished. Pity will not alter their fate, however. Orders are to collect every last surviving man, woman and child, and herd them into the prisoner of war camp being established just outside the city's walls, where they will be shipped to the slave markets of Greece and Asia Minor. Thus, you are leading your century in a street-by-street search to root out anyone who may be hiding in the blackened, dusty buildings, with twenty men marching along each side of the street (and the rest of the century deployed along neighboring streets), entering each building in turn. As you reach the end of the first street (you, as commander, remain in the street where you can see all your men, rather than entering the dwellings yourself), you sense the buzz of another immortal. <><><><><> [gaius] The sad state to which the defenders have been brought has dampened Gaius' enthusiasm, and most of his troops have picked up his feelings. Thus, it is that his cohort approaches the undesirable task of checking each house with just the professional desire to get the job over with, rather than with the eagerness expected of troops who are finally getting to loot the city they have sieged for years. The depleted surroundings have much to do with their attitude, also... Thus, it is that the feeling of another immortal's presence snaps Gaius out of an almost careless state that he had fallen into, moving slowly down the street at the pace of the searchers. Nothing important had been found for a couple of blocks, and although the cohort, like the others sent in for the mop-up duty, hadn't seen action earlier in the day, they had been standing around ready for action since before dawn. Looking around in sudden alertness, Gaius turns to one of the older veterans by his side, "Quintus, I've got a feeling. Nothing certain, but tell the searchers to be careful. We don't need to be losing men now. And if we find anyone, make sure they're given the chance to surrender... it's not like we need to kill them to prevent them from killing us, at this stage of things." <><><><><> [GM] Quintus nods, and relays your orders down the line. The house-to-house search continues, while you stand in the street wishing that the warning buzz gave some clue as to direction. Whatever immortal is triggering it remains out of sight. Achilleus shouldn't be in the vicinity, as he is with the Consul's staff, nearer the city center. Suddenly, you hear a blood-curling, feminine scream from a nearby residence, where two of your men just entered. It doesn't stop after the initial shriek; the woman continues to scream loudly and at great length. <><><><><> [gaius] Turning to Quintus, Gaius quickly shouts "Stay here, coordinate", even as he begins to rush towards the house. "What's going on here !", he shouts as he enters the house, immediately sidestepping so he is not silhouetted against the entrance. "Report !". <><><><><> [GM] One of the two troopers inside immediately snaps to attention. The other one is too busy fending off a woman who appears to be trying to claw his eyes out. With a snarl, the soldier backhands her, with a blow that snaps her head back and sends her tumbling to the floor. She is screaming incoherently the entire time, interrupted only by a brief intake of breath as she is struck, and then continuing even before she hits the ground. Still screeching loudly enough to be heard for half a mile, she kicks out at the soldier and begins scrambling backwards towards the wall behind her. She's a Carthaginian woman, not unattractive, but just a little too old to be considered pretty. She seems in better shape than most of her starving countrymen. Her face is contorted with hysterical rage, and as you enter, her screaming only becomes louder. And the buzz continues the entire time. "We found her lying on the couch," the soldier who just knocked her down says, pulling himself to attention. "She woke up just as we entered, and right away started screaming hysterically, even before we laid a hand on her." "We weren't trying to rape her, sir," says the other trooper. "Just grab her and take her outside." He frowns as he has to raise his voice so you can hear him over the woman's steady screaming. Then the other trooper curses and ducks, and a piece of pottery explodes against the wall next to you. The woman is picking up anything and everything that comes to hand, and throwing household objects frantically at the three of you. <><><><><> [gaius] The incongruous image of his experienced bunch of soldiers being held off by a pot-throwing harridan make Gaius release a couple of chuckles, as he raises his shield to ward off the pottery. "Allright, pick up your shields, we'll trap her against the wall. If she tries to go under your shield, lean forward and fall on her with it. And watch the backs, in case she is just a distraction. Let's go, up and FORWARD !" In step, at the usual battle advance speed, Gaius moves up to be even with the other two soldiers, then advances upon the woman to pin her to the wall with his shield. <><><><><> [GM] Three soldiers of Rome advance on the hysterical Carthaginian dame. She continues screaming, and throwing things, until your shields press her to the wall and pin her to immobility, and then she just screams. "Can I knock her over the head, sir, please?" pleads one of the soldiers, loudly. "Juno herself couldn't screech like this!" <><><><><> [gaius] "Hold on", he replies to the soldier, then yanks his shield out of the way, and punches the woman hard in the stomach. If she bends over, he then grabs her hair to force her down to the floor, and tells the more annoyed soldier to bind and gag her while Gaius holds her head down. <><><><><> [GM] The woman keeps screaming right until you punch her, and then she doubles over with a wretching sound. The soldier binds and gags her with relish. As soon as she catches her breath, the Carthaginian begins struggling as hard as she can, which isn't much with two men holding her down, but nonetheless, she squirms and twitches frantically and making gagging, strangled noises, trying to scream through her gag. She's clearly beyond hysteria. <><><><><> [gaius] Looking at the woman as she struggles, Gaius exchanges glances with the nearest soldier. "Attarus, I'll take her out, and make sure that the others are still doing their duty rather than wondering what the screaming is about. Search the rest of the house, and be careful... perhaps she's just hysterical, or perhaps she is worried about something else here. Somebody hiding in her house, a hidden baby, anything. I'll send another soldier in here, wait for him, and do a thorough job." After the soldier's acknowledgment, Gaius grabs the woman none-too-gently by the arm, lifts her to her feet, and starts pushing her out the door, trying to prevent winces at the more piercing shrieks. Once outside, he hands her off into the care of the small group of soldiers assigned to guard potential slaves, and sends Lucius into the building to search with the other two. "Let me know when she's calm enough to talk, I want to know why she was so frightened", are Gaius' last orders to the slave watchers. <><><><><> [GM] As the woman is dragged away by the POW-watchers, the Quickening buzz fades. Lucius and Attarus emerge from her house shortly, and report "No one else, living or dead, inside the building, sir. We did find this, though, lying next to the couch where we first found her." Lucius hands you a small glass vial, empty but stained with some dark liquid that once filled it. <><><><><> [gaius] "All right, good job, men. Take a break for a few minutes, then get back to your rotation at the next street we come to. Probably the girl drank something she shouldn't have drunk." As he heads down his assigned quarter with the rest of the men, Gaius ponders the strange circumstances. Clearly the woman is an immortal... yet she was much too frightened, just from the soldiers. Anyone that couldn't handle the thought of being killed or raped or sold into slavery, would have been at the walls making sure they died in battle, or would have committed suicide. Perhaps that was it... she had drunk some poison that killed her for the first time, and was terrified at having awakened to face what she had feared. Well, Carthaginian or no, he couldn't let her to face her new life without at least some explanation. Besides, if he understood his mentor's few conversations correctly, he was duty-bound to at least explain to her about immortals, her new status, and the rules of the Game. He would have to make sure he was around, when the disposition of the slaves was made. The legionnaires did have first pick at the loot from the city, and with his rank, he should have a good chance to get her without having to give up his share of the loot. Of course, that supposed that Achilleus didn't get her, instead... he would have to go there tonight, and claim her as his share before the general division of loot. He could always claim he was trying her out, to see if she would be a subservient slave. <><><><><> [GM] The rest of the day proceeds in depressing routine fashion...more bodies exhumed, more slaves rounded up. You sense no more immortals. You do feel a stirring at the nape of your neck late in the afternoon. And when your century reassembles, you hear some odd rumors that there was some kind of explosion inside an unbreached section of the city's inner wall. In the evening, you appear at the POW camp, where numerous other officers are assembling for the same purpose as you....though most of them have their eyes on younger female captives. You sense the Quickening, as expected, and see the Carthaginian woman huddled in the midst of the prisoners, her wrists tied together and anchored to the ground with a stake. She's rocking back and forth and wailing, though she can barely be heard above the general clamor. And you see Achilleus in the throng of eager soldiers awaiting first crack at slaves and booty....he's looking into the huddled mass of prisoners, trying to figure out which one is the immortal. Then he looks up and sees you, and his eyebrows knit together. <><><><><> [gaius] As he meets Achilleus' gaze, Gaius immediately abandons his plan of picking up the woman here, and heads directly towards the other immortal. "Good eve, Achilleus... had a fine day ? Mine wasn't altogether pleasant, though it's one day closer to being finished with this fiasco of a siege...." Being close to him, Gaius leans in and speaks in a softer voice... "Did you have anything to do with the explosion inside the city, earlier today ? I thought I felt something at about the time that it was supposed to occur, and you're the only immortal that I know was in the area then." <><><><><> [GM] Achilleus grins, like a well-fed wolf. "Aye....I caught a Carthaginian soldier who became immortal only a few months ago. Not much of a challenge, but he knew the Rules, and had some skill, so someone trained him. I hadn't sensed any others until now." He gestures towards the prisoners. "One of them is an immortal." The immortal Option turns to regard you. "But why do I think you already know that, Gaius?" <><><><><> [gaius] Ignoring Achilleus' query for the moment, Gaius just smiles enigmatically... "A newly trained immortal. Well, well... that raises some interesting questions, indeed. It explains what I felt earlier today. But more important, is this... think upon this, Achilleus, and answer me if you may, for I would also like to know... Didn't you hear about an immortal from a distance ? If so, then how long must that immortal have been alive, for news of him to travel to you ? Is it likely, then, that the immortal was the one you killed today, or is there an older immortal around here, who may be wondering where his pupil now awaits ?" As Achilleus ponders this, Gaius also smiles... "Why, Achilleus, whatever makes you think that I can tell you why you would think any thing..." <><><><><> [GM] Achilleus shakes his head, and smiles slyly at you. "I am quite sure, after taking his head, that this immortal was not the ancient rumored to dwell here. Aye, I certainly HOPE he is still in the city, and not snuck off, which he may have done. I imagine a centuries-old Carthaginian probably could slip away through the troops surrounding Carthage...but for some reason, I believe he is still here." He looks back at the slave compound. "As you wish, Gaius. If there is another immortal in there that you wish to protect for some reason, remember what I said." <><><><><> [gaius] All of a sudden, Gaius's smile fades away, and is replaced by a slight frown. Pausing for a couple of seconds so that he does not rashly say something that he will later wish unsaid, he cocks his head in a contemplative stance before replying rather heatedly.... though he lowers his voice as he reaches the part about the immortals... "What, then !? Am I to account for my actions to you, now ? I will not fight a fellow Roman for the life of a Carthaginian, even one who has done me no wrong. But what I have heard from both my mentor and other immortals, is that newly created immortals are properly and honorably taught about their new situation, and about the Game. If I choose to do what I consider honorable in such a situation, it only becomes your business when it leads me to fight you, and not until then." Calming down at the end, Gaius decides that to be fair, he ought to allow that he may have misinterpreted the other's tone of voice. "Though what I have said I stand behind, I apologize if you only meant to remind me of your desires, rather than trying to tell me to stand aside. I remember your warning quite well enough that a reminder will be unnecessary." <><><><><> [GM] Achilleus pauses, considering his words as you did. "Then you intend to actually rescue, and even train, a Carthaginian immortal, who will most likely become a vengeful enemy of Rome?" He looks at you sharply, but somehow you have a hard time believing Achilleus is really that concerned about Rome. Then he shrugs his shoulders massively and steps back. "Very well, Gaius. I leave this fledgling to you, then, but be damned sure to keep him out of MY way!" The Optio turns and stalks away <><><><><> [gaius] As Achilleus stalks away, Gaius mutters... perhaps loud enough to be heard... "No worry about that... may as well take his head off myself..." Looking after the former gladiator for a while to make sure that he has left the area, Gaius turns back to find the woman. He feels confident that he will be able to feel Achilleus if the other turns back, and in any case, Achilleus' word may not be stone, but it should be good enough for this case. Now, to see how much of his gains he will have to lose, in order to gain a pupil. There is both anticipation, and fear, in him. This will certainly be both a challenge and a test, not to mention interesting, besides. But he knows that he is inexperienced, hardly old enough to be seriously thinking of teaching anyone... especially an immortal born in this situation. She will require careful handling if she is to make a break with her history without breaking, and he doesn't know if he is capable of it. Still, there is no one else here... and as for picking her up now, and dropping her off with some more experienced immortal, there will be plenty of time to consider that on the trip back to Rome. <><><><><> [GM] The woman goes for a reasonable price, since she's obviously past her prime, and certainly not a virgin. In fact, you get some bemused looks and a few jokes at your interest in the matronly Carthaginian, when your rank could easily entitle you to one of the few surviving maidens, or at least a younger woman. As she's dragged before you, you notice again that she's really not UNattractive....in fact, with a bath and some decent clothes, she could be rather appealing. The immortal woman collapses as soon as the two soldiers who fetched her for you let go, and she never lifts her face from the ground. "Well, enjoy, Centurion," one of the young troopers says with an ill- concealed sarcastic smirk. <><><><><> Gaius stands there for a couple of moments, looking down at the prone woman and shaking his head. Despite his best efforts, an amused smile bends his lips slightly... why should anything be less than as difficult as possible, he wonders. With a sight and another shake of his head, he bends down to grab the woman by her upper arm, and squatting to get more thrust from his legs, drags her into an upright position. Perhaps she'll respond now, so he doesn't have to carry her on his back all the way to his tent. The attention she attracts won't be a great matter, a few jokes about older women being skilled in many things will at worst mark him as having weird tastes. But after the long day, his back won't be thanking him for carrying her almost two miles. The thought of avoiding that foremost in his mind, he slaps her twice... not with any power behind it, but trying to get a nice loud impact. "Open your eyes and see the darkness, girl. I don't have the time, the patience, or the mood for this crap. Open your eyes and pretend you're alive. After all, if you don't think you are, pretending won't hurt you, now will it ?" <><><><><> [GM] The woman doesn't resist as you drag her to her feet. She keeps her head down, hair concealing her face, arms hanging loosely, with her manacles in front of her. The guards warned you that she was chained because she was raving so violently they were afraid she would tear at her own flesh or harm other prisoners. This seems hard to believe, watching the lifeless, broken captive that sways in front of you now. She doesn't respond at all to your words, but begins shambling forward in mechanical fashion when you begin prodding her away from the slave compound. <><><><><> [gaius] Well, better that than some alternatives, he thinks to himself. While there are some actions that he could think of taking, to try to cause her to respond, for now he is much happier having to do nothing. Nothing, that is, but lead her to his tent, secure her for the night, and try to catch up on some long-awaited sleep. Perhaps the discomfort of the manacles will cause her to say something during the night, but if it doesn't, it's not like her wounds will become infected and kill her. With that, Gaius falls headlong into the deep dark pit of sleep, and if he hits the bottom, he certainly doesn't feel it. <><><><><> [GM] The immortal woman is docile, almost trancelike, until you reach the threshold of your tent. Then she suddenly explodes into a manic hysterical frenzy, screaming and spinning about and taking you by surprise because of her startling change in demeanor. The chain hanging from her wrists slams into the side of your head, making you see stars. It doesn't look like this was a calculated maneuver on her part; the way she's flailing about, she obviously has no combat skills, even if she had the presence of mind to use them. She does immediately start running from you, while you stagger and clutch at your temple. She won't get far; already a trio of junior officers are moving to intercept her, laughing companionably at the scene, which must appear rather comic from their viewpoint. <><><><><> [gaius] Shaking his head both in frustration and to clear it, Gaius follows at a slow trot after her. If he's lucky, his fellow officers will catch her for him, so he won't be tempted to break something to go with his temper. Regardless of whether they stop her or he has to put on a burst of speed, he thanks them for their help (if applicable), and drags her roughly to the entrance of his tent. There, he grabs both her arms from behind, and holding her tightly, pushes her into the tent. Once both are inside, he will pause for a short bit, waiting to see if she is again hysterical. <><><><><> [GM] The officers grab your captive, but even they are surprised at how frantically she resists, shrieking like one of the Furies the whole time. If it weren't for her master following immediately behind, she might have gotten a heavy clout from one of them, as a Decurion curses when her fingernails rake his cheek. As it is, they thrust her savagely towards you. "You've got a real fury there, Centurion. I'd venture she needs her hide tanned well and thoroughly." She continues screaming, not at all inhibited now by having her arms pinned, and her hysterical wailing only increases when you haul her, kicking and thrashing, into your tent. <><><><><> [gaius] Despite his set jaw and mounting fury, he manages an almost civil thanks to the other officers, determining that he will buy them a jug of wine later that week. As he drags her into his tent, he pushes her hard to the floor, and with the back of her head to him, takes out his dagger and uses its pommel to rap her temple solidly. If she falls unconscious, at least he will have peace and quiet until her head heals, and if not, hopefully she'll at least shut up before he loses the last remaining shreds of his patience. **definitely not an auspicious beginning**, he thinks as he sits down upon his camp pallet. And tomorrow there was still plenty of work to do, whether his unit was assigned to finish the looting, or to beginning to arrange the camp for the upcoming march northwards. <><><><><> [GM] The pommel of your dagger to the back of her head silences the hysterical woman's screaming. She drops to the ground and lies there, whimpering a bit. She doesn't seem to be quite unconscious, but she is stunned, at least for the moment. <><><><><> [gaius] Gaius stands over the body of the vixen, breathing heavily both from anger and from the exertion. **serves the witch right. now i can gag and really bind her, and get some sleep.** Explaining the rules of their coexistence to her early on might be best, but he'll be blasted by Jupiter if he's going to remain awake long enough for her to recover... and calm down, too. First, the hands need to be tied behind her back. Sure, the manacles are restrictive, but she can cause a good deal of mischief with them on. Also, the legs will need to be tied together. And a gag is certainly required. If she's really desperate, she can moan loud enough to wake him up, but at least she can't make his headache get any worse. Working quickly to finish the job before she recovers enough to object yet again, Gaius sacrifices some spare tent lines and a clean bandage wrapping to shut her up with. After checking to make sure that she can breathe around the gag, he sits down and begins removing his armor, preparatory to falling onto his roll and into darkness. <><><><><> [GM] The woman does not struggle as you bind and gag her more securely. You aren't sure whether or not she's regained her senses by the time you strip your armor off and fall into bed. Something prickles at the back of your neck. You stir, and then awake, with no idea how long you've been asleep. It takes a moment to orient yourself, and then you realize that what disturbed your sleep was a strong immortal presence. You can still sense the woman lying silently on the ground a few feet away, and you had managed to fall asleep despite her proximity....so you can only conclude that another immortal has come within range. <><><><><> [gaius] **well. perhaps coming to Africa was not the brightest idea i have had in my life...**, he thinks as he gets up off the floor. There may not be enough time to get all of his armor fully on, but the breastplate is the most important item, and if he's not looking to get it fitted on so that it doesn't chafe for a whole day of wearing, he probably will have enough time to put it on. **i wonder if it's achilleus now, or the other immortal that he couldn't find.**, Gaius continues, as he is hurriedly strapping on the breastplate, and looks for the belt with his standard-issue gladius and dagger... and the non-issue extra gladius on the other side. <><><><><> [GM] The woman on the floor stirs slightly, enough to tell you she's awake. Perhaps she also senses the approach of the other immortal. You have your breastplate buckled on, and your two swords, when someone pulls back the flap of your tent, without knocking or calling out. The figure who stands there is armored, with a Roman officer's helmet. That's about all you can make out of him, silhouetted against the night sky, except that your first impression is that he's too short to be Achilleus. That, and the fact that he's holding a sword in his right hand. <><><><><> [gaius] Gaius pulls out his left-hand sword, holding it in a guard position. The right hand is on the hilt of the other gladius, and he shifts his right leg back to make it easier to defend with the single weapon until he gets out the other sword. "There is still time to avoid a mistake, if you think about it. And this is not the time or the place for a fight, in the middle of our camp. Unless you're really looking to lose your head," speaks Gaius in a low voice. <><><><><> [GM] "I came for the woman," the strange immortal says, in perfect Latin. "Fighting you would be an inconvenience, but I am confident in my ability to slip away in the aftermath of the Quickening. It might not be so easy for you, assuming you win, which you would not." "Let me take the woman and we'll both leave in peace." <><><><><> [gaius] "You came for the woman... To kill her, or to save her from being killed? " Gaius backs a step away, careful not to trip on the pallet. "Put up your sword, and we can discuss this politely. Right now, I'm quite willing to trade a prize of battle for the answers to some questions.... ... Or you can try threatening me into submission in my own tent, and seeing what that buys you," finishes Gaius with a smile. <><><><><> [GM] The stranger stays where he is, sword still out. "This is hardly an opportune time for a prolonged conversation, Roman. Your friend is wandering about looking for me. I'd have been happy to let him find me, but I have a greater obligation to this woman." He gestures at her with his sword. "I've known about her for years....known that she would become an immortal someday. Now, I intend to take her away from here, before your countrymen finish razing my city." His voice is hard and bitter. <><><><><> [gaius] Gaius lowers his sword. "Well, now, if you're trying to avoid Achilleus, that's good enough reason for me to help you. Never liked his violent ways, and this will be a good joke upon him." Gaius then pulls the key to the woman's manacles out from underneath his pallet, and lobs it towards the stranger. "As far as the girl, as long as she doesn't scream in leaving like she did in entering, I'll be just as happy never to hear that again." <><><><><> [GM] "Achilleus....is that his name?" The Carthaginian moves cautiously inside. "How odd to meet such a peacable Roman helping to lead the siege," he comments dryly. He catches the keys deftly, even in the darkness, and moves quickly to your captive's side. "Her name is Danacia...she was the wife of a Senator's son. Do you know how she died?" He looks at the woman, who is now making whimpering sounds through her gag again. "Did you or any of your countrymen...take advantage of her?" <><><><><> [gaius] "I am not peaceable. Just not one of those who takes any opportunity to shed some blood, for the slightest reason. I was around when Hannibal attacked us... that was good reason for me to be here, now. Not good enough, though, to be happy at a massacre." "As for the woman, I believe she had poisoned herself to avoid what you're implying... and was very surprised and frightened to wake up again, practically in the arms of some Roman soldiers. She hasn't really calmed down since, just occasionally run out of energy to scream with..." Watching as the man releases Danacia, Gaius continues... " far as I know, no one touched her in the sense that you are referring to, although I'm certain that she was violently silenced, one or more times." He tries to keep the irony out of his voice, at the last part. <><><><><> [GM] "Ah, Hannibal," he sighs. "The greatest mistake we ever made, was not finishing off Rome when we had the chance. Hannibal was too indecisive at that one critical moment, and our Senate lacked the will to make him follow through. But, so it goes." The mysterious elder immortal doesn't untie Danacia, or remove her gag, simply lifts her off the ground and slings her over his shoulders, with an ease that suggests considerable strength. "Now Rome rises....someday Rome will fall. I hope I am still around to see it. I thank you for being so reasonable. And I would be very wary of your peer, if I were you. I've seen his sort before...he's completely addicted to the Quickening. Men like that have no friends among immortals, only targets they're saving for the future." <><><><><> [gaius] "Rome rises indeed... as for its falling, may the gods choose to let that be far into the future." In a more sardonic tone of voice, Gaius continues... "Thank you for the wise advice. I was, of course, completely unaware of Achilleus' usual murderous tendencies..." <><><><><> [GM] "Ah, that Roman sense of humor," the Carthaginian retorts dryly. He apparently intends to carry Danacia through the camp, unconcerned with any reactions he might garner. Of course, a Roman officer carrying a bound captive slung over his shoulders isn't a totally unprecedented sight, but it might still arouse interest. He withdraws from your tent, and holds his sword up in salute. "Ave, Roman. Perhaps someday we will meet under better circumstances." Whether he means "Better for having a friendly conversation" or "Better for taking your head" is not clear, and probably better left unsaid. <><><><><> [gaius] Gaius watches the other leave his tent. Perhaps he will meet Achilleus in the night, or perhaps not. And perhaps there will be a duel, though probably the other Roman will be luckier if he is in bed and deeply asleep. In any case, he supposed that matters turned out better than he should have expected. It was all good and fine, to think that he could make sure that other immortals didn't get killed for the hell of it... but Achilleus had already killed one, and the woman turned out to have much better prospects than those of his help, and the last (then again, perhaps not the last) immortal hereabouts, was not exactly interested in discussions. But with the siege having turned out as unexpectedly difficult as it did, perhaps he was lucky that no real problems had turned up in the time he was here. The problem of the woman was solved, Achilleus seemed to remain in control as far as Gaius was involved, and the (apparently) older immortal was not a bloodthirsty headhunter like the former gladiator. With a philosophical shrug, Gaius sat down and began removing his armor. A sip from the wine jug (the tension had dried out his mouth), and he lay back on his pallet. It had, all things considered, been an extremely long day... <><><><><> [GM] The next morning, you sense no immortal presence. This morning, the engineers are beginning the task of tearing down the walls, the buildings, the monuments...the entire city. Delenda est Carthago is a literal command....the city is to be razed to the ground. Your century helps carry the city's gods out of its temples, and into the desert, where they are smashed to dust. This will take several weeks, but eventually, Carthage will be no more, and the very earth will be salted, so that Carthage will never be rebuilt, at least, not here. Rome exorcises her demons, but even the most vengeful Legionnaires can't help feeling a bit somber, as the ancient city, with all its glory, falls forever. You sense the Quickening later that day. Achilleus approaches you, with a suspicious frown. "So, where is your fledgling?" he asks. <><><><><> [gaius] Despite the gloomy mood he has been in most of the day, Achilleus' countenance brings a smile to Gaius. "The fledgling? Well, you know... every fledgling must leave the nest sooner or later. In this case, it just happened to be sooner..." Giving Achilleus a couple of seconds to get annoyed at this non- reply, Gaius continues... "It seems there was a much older immortal who had sensed that she was one of us before she had died. I hadn't know that was possible... perhaps as you get older you get more powerful. In any case, that one came to my tent and asked to take her... Being that he was about as polite as could be expected under the circumstances, and that she had already managed to seriously annoy me, I felt we would all be happier if he took her far away. So he picked her up and walked out. Haven't seen, heard, or felt him since. Nor her, either." <><><><><> [GM] Achilleus' expression is priceless. When he finishes gaping, the color on his face pales to something more normal, and he can get a coherent sentence out, he sputters "You....let....them....GO!?" His muscles tense, and his hands open and close...his right hand hovers near his sheathed gladius. For a moment, you think he might actually draw on you. "You....You....." he snarls, and chokes off the rest....the scene is attracting the attention of others, and he finally remembers that to mortal eyes, he is an optio addressing a centurion. He draws himself fully erect, and growls "By the Gods, I will....take this up with you....another time!" He spins on his heel and stalks away, without rendering a salute. <><><><><> [gaius] Looking at the former gladiator's back, Gaius is perhaps glad that Achilleus cannot see his expression. For despite his early upbringing, he is unable to keep a smug smile from brightening his face. He had no regrets about either saving the woman, nor about later letting the intruder take her away... all he had lost was some loot, and he had enough money to live on anyway. And besides being satisfied with his choices, now it turned out that by acting as he liked, he had managed to infuriate Achilleus inadvertently. Not bad, for an evening's work... and it was nice to see that the sandal was on the other foot, for a change. <><><><><> [GM] Achilleus avoids you for the rest of your stay in North Africa. You sense his presence now and then, glimpse him once or twice. About a week after the incident in your tent, you hear that Optio Achilleus Neronius has turned up missing. Desertion seems unlikely; he was a member of the Consul's staff, and who in his right mind would desert while the Army is camped on the ruins of Carthage? Where would he go? So the consensus seems to be that he strayed too far from camp and was picked off by one of the Numidians still roaming the desert, evading the Roman patrols. A few men have been shot at by these remnants of Carthage's allies, though most that could get away, did. In a month's time, Carthage has been utterly obliterated.....walking over the earth where the city once stood, you can still see a granite column here, a bit of pottery there, enough to show that these are ruins of some sort. But from half a mile away, there is nothing to mark the site, and in a few years, the North African winds will bury the last traces of Carthage beneath the sand. The victorious, jubilant, and very weary Roman Army prepares to return home. <><><><><> "On dune and headland sinks the fire.... Lo, all our pomp and glory of yesterday, Is one with Nineveh and Tyre." -Rudyard Kipling (?) (off the top of my head ) [gaius] Although the battle is over, an officer's job is never done. With the lack of a target, even Roman discipline wilts under the excitement, and most officers are unwilling to restrain their charges... even participating in the common fights and disruptions. Though not one of the latter, Gaius does not choose to fight the situation, only demanding that his soldiers comport themselves properly while enjoying themselves... in other words, if you're going to get into a fight, you'd better win... or your ass will be beat up twice. Several of them learn a lesson, as hard partying the night before is absolutely no reason why Gaius should let them avoid the early- morning work details, packing up the camp and the loot from Carthage. Some wiser souls laugh and jeer as bleary-eyed soldiers stagger their way through their chores, accompanied by Gaius's understated but biting sarcasm. And eventually, their maniple is on the move... escaped Carthaginians may be in the area, as well as some of their allies who might feel that a punitive strike now that the Romans are leaving might be worth trying. Not that Gaius or most of the soldiers under him believe that anyone will bother the train on its journey north... but theirs is not to question why, after all. <><><><><> [GM] 146 B.C. Rome .......... The celebration thrown for the victorious returning army is spectacular....it takes almost a month before life in Rome returns to something like normal again. With your longer view of things, it seemed like an awful lot of pomp and ceremony for what was really a very minor accomplishment. Yes, it is a historical event with ramifications that will be remembered for centuries, and perhaps more than anything else in your lifetime, secured Rome's place as the greatest power in the world....but Carthage was already in decline when the Legions came to finish her off. Carthage was little threat to Rome's security or economy, unlike some of the rebellions brewing to the north and the east. Defeating Carthage was no great feat; from the beginning, there was almost no doubt that the city would fall, it was just a question of how long it would take. North Africa becomes another Roman province. Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus is given the honorary title Africanus Minor, and immediately becomes a powerful member of the Senate...and shows every intention of bringing a much-needed element of military pragmatism to that august body. It is no secret that he was not enthralled with his task of completely destroying Carthage. You enjoy the revelry, though not so much as the mortals, who will probably not see such an event twice in their lifetimes. The only dim spot for you was discovering that Critias was not waiting when you returned, as promised. Those who knew him, the mortals, say he simply disappeared...not long before Consul Publius Cornelius's army set off for Carthage to take over the siege. The Third Punic War is over....and you have many options. Remain in Rome, as your mentor would have wished? Stay in the army, and travel to the far frontiers of the expanding Republic? Enter politics, and join your former commanding officer in the Senate? Or settle back into comfortable obscurity as a merchant? <><><><><> [gaius] Although Rome throws itself into celebration with gay abandon, for a while Gaius remains unwilling to join the festivities. For days he mopes around his house, alternately cursing himself, Achilleus, and the fates. Even one of the finest young immortals he had seen, was served up as fodder for the hungry souls of others of his kind. It was a shame that Achilleus had likely been killed in Africa, for now there was little chance that Gaius would get a chance to avenge his young friend's death. After several days, he begins to visit some parties, more out of a desire to let wine and company dull the edge of his miasma than out of any real partygoing spirit. Though this has somewhat of its intended effect, he never becomes really cheerful. Following the weeks of celebration, Gaius ponders what to do with his life. In the short run, he will have to travel to Greece to let Critias' first mentor know what is likely to have happened. For certain, that won't be a pleasant task... but Critias really had no relatives in Rome, that could fulfill the obligations. Afterwards... life in the army agreed with Gaius, and he wanted to travel. If he could get a job in a support or messenger, or even as a scout, that would allow him to see far lands, while giving him the opportunity to return to Rome often, to be able to see its history from both the outside and as a part of it. Certainly that would be better than a career in politics, arguing with thick-headed pompous idiots full of themselves. And while the challenge of making money, and travelling for that goal, was equally interesting, perhaps it was time for a change.