Praetorian Series [3] A Hunter and His Legion (12 page)

“
Indeed?”  Herod asked.  “Please enlighten me.”

“Sorry,” I interrupted, “but you don’t need to know.”

“Do not speak to me, deceiver.”

I rolled
my eyes but ignored him.

“We need to go to Alexandria,” I
told Vespasian bluntly.

“Then go,” Vespasian said
, waving a hand.  “You do not need my help to get there, and it is one of the few peaceful portions of this empire remaining.  If you leave now you could be there within a week.”

“Well...” I sa
id, trailing off, “…Alexandria is only the first stop on a much longer journey, which is why we need your help.”

“Is that so?”  Vespasian asked.  “And where will
you go next?”

I worked my mouth,
debating whether I should tell him or not, but then figured I should.

“Britain
.”

“
And the help you desire?”

“The military kind.”

Vespasian stood bemused but quiet, so I continued.  “I need a few cohorts of legionnaires, an equal amount of auxilia, enough equipment for three times that size a force, and enough naval vessels to transport it all.”

Vespasian snorted a sharp laugh
.  “Is that all?”

“What?!”  Herod’s face
grew redder with each passing second.  “You are not actually considering this, are you?”

“I’m not considering anything,” Vespasi
an snapped.  “Net yet.”

I considered t
he stalwart Roman’s words, not quite sure what he was thinking.  My inability to read him had always unsettled me since our very first encounter, but I had to admit it was certainly a beneficial political tool.  I tried to imagine his interactions with Agrippina, realizing that it must have been a bloodbath of wits.

“So, is that all?”  Vespasian asked again.  “
I ask because you desire much, especially since you’ve returned to me without Agrippina, which we agreed you would do.  And I would be most negligent were I not to mention that you have left this city, and this man here especially,” he said indicating Herod, “in quite a state of disarray.  And of course, we must not forget that it was your actions alone that have fractured this great empire into pieces.”

I forced myself not to cringe. 
That very sentiment ran through my mind on a near hourly basis; I didn’t need to start hearing it from him as well.

“What’
s happened?”  I asked.

Vespasian
didn’t reply, but casually made his way back to his desk while Herod moved to stand behind the Roman, his good arm folded across his chest, clutching his injured one.  I was still amazed at how familial these two were.  Up until a few weeks ago, I, and every other historian for that matter, had no idea Herod and Vespasian had ever even met, let alone been buddies.

“It seems you are the catalyst for a great many things, Jacob Hunter,” Vespasian said matte
r of factly.  “I know little of what you consider ‘history’ from where you come from, but from what Galba told me, I assume Rome remained an empire for quite some time after the reign of Caligula, am I correct?”

“Yes, quite a while longer
,” I answered.  “Centuries longer.  Fourteen hundred years longer even some would argue,” I finished, making the tired argument that Rome’s true existence lasted till the end of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, an obscure fact only a sad few college students ever learned back home.

“Well,
” Vespasian said, “it seems we have quite the problem then.”

“
Please get to the point,” Helena demanded, never one for historical digressions.

Vespasian smiled even though I suspected he had nothing to smile about.

“The vast empire of Rome has fractured,” he said.  “Rebellions have flared up all over the empire. The ceasefire with Germany has come to an end, resulting in Sarmatian aggression as well, Gaulic and Iberian nobles are growing restless in the west, the Parthians are ready to invade Anatolia in the east, and the Senate is completely divided on how to contain the situation, all the while their empress hasn’t been present in Rome for over a year.”

He paused
, giving us time to let it all sink in.

I turned to Vincent.  “Is all that possible?”  I asked in English.

“Certainly possible,” he answered after giving himself a moment to think, but he didn’t seem willing to elaborate even if he could.

“Oh,” Vespasian interrupted
, “I believe I failed to include that Britain has rebelled against the legion I left there last year as well.”

“
Is that so…” I whispered, already seeing where this was going.

“
It is,” Vespasian said as he lurched to his feet, “so I have a proposition for you, Jacob Hunter.  I give you everything you ask for and more, and in return… you reconquer Britain for me.”

“Me?”
  I asked, truly stunned now.

“Not you alone, of course,” Vespasian comforted as he
sat on the edge of his desk with his arms crossed in front of him.  “I have already sent a courier to Galba to make haste to Britain and await reinforcements.  He is one of the most experienced military commanders I have available, and I believe he would be most happy to see you.”

“
I wouldn’t bet on it,” Santino said.

Vespasian ignored him. 
“I left only a single legion earlier this year under Legate Aulus Plautius’ command when Agrippina ordered us to the German front,” Vespasian elaborated.  “I argued we needed at least another year to quell the countryside and leave no less than
three
legions to maintain control, but I was overruled.”

“So how many are you sending with Galba?”
  I asked.

I tried to do the math in my head of how many legions were currently with Galba
in Germany, Vespasian here, located in Britain, and scattered around the rest of the empire, but there were so many I couldn’t nearly keep track of them all.

“
Not a one,” he answered

“No
t a one, huh?”  I repeated, growing suddenly frustrated.  “What would you like me to do then?  Win Britain over with my looks and charm alone?”

Vespasian smiled.
  “That will not be necessary, as I will be sending two legions with you instead: the
II Augusta
and the
XV Primigenia
.  I believe you are familiar with the latter?”

“
We worked with them five years ago when they were still training under Galba’s tutelage,” Vincent answered.

“Good, then you should be familiar with
them.  Furthermore, you will have one legion’s worth of auxilia, the legion and its auxilia already present in Britain, and of course, you will have Galba.”

“Oh good,” Santino muttered
.

I lifted a hand questioningly. 
“Wait, you’re only giving me assets equivalent to what you wanted as a peace keeping force?”

“I have full faith in your abilities, Jacob Hunter.  You can do things that ten legions cannot.
  Three legions should be enough.”

I held Vespasian’s eye for a second before I turned to my companions.  Artie wore
a blank expression, clearly not understanding a word we’d said.  Wang looked interested, as did Vincent, while Helena looked worried and rubbed her belly distractedly. Santino, unsurprisingly, looked bored.

“What about Agrippina?”  I asked, fold
ing my arms to mirror Vespasian’s posture.

“There is not much we can do about her
for now, I’m afraid,” Vespasian answered.  “Word has reached me that she has taken her entire Praetorian force to deal with the Parthian threat, which I must lead as soon as I am done here, but, as fortune would have it,” he said, clapping Herod on the shoulder, “Herod here has agreed to appeal to his forces to stand down, so I should be able to withdraw within the week.”

“I would not have agreed to such terms had I known you would be working with
him
,” Herod growled.

“Herod, for the love of the gods, will you shut up,” Vespasian snapped, turning to glare at
him.  “This man did what he had to do.  If you knew the full extent of his reasoning you would not be so quick to condemn.  None of this, not even your arm, was personal.”

“Wasn’t personal
!?”  Herod shouted.  “Thousands of Jews are dead, our peace with Rome in tatters, and people on both sides demand more blood, so how can you say this was not personal??”

I didn’t want to frown, or show any kind of emotion, but I couldn’t help
it.  Despite Vespasian’s rationale, Herod was right.  The killing of all those Jews and the deaths of all the Romans who had come to fight them was a tragedy that wouldn’t have happened if not for my involvement, but I tried to think about the fact that I may have actually
saved
thousands of future lives.  In all likelihood, the rebellion in Judea today had circumvented the rebellion that would have occurred twenty years from now, where even more Jews died in a much longer war.

I had
to accept that justification.  I had to.

“Herod,” I
said softly, and he finally lifted his eyes to meet my own, “please understand, there is more at stake here than you can possibly imagine.  We used you, yes, and I’m sorry for that, but it was very necessary.  Take comfort in the fact that should Vespasian wrest control from Agrippina, things will change for you and your people… for the better.”

He
rod stared at me with icy eyes, and I knew he would never trust me again.  Something there indicated that if I ever saw him again, I’d better watch my back, but I only hoped he wouldn’t get in the way now.  There was too much at stake.

He
held his predatory gaze on me before finally turning to Vespasian.  “I am finished here.”

He
stomped out of the tent, but on his way out, made sure to bump against me with his good shoulder, muttering under his breath as he made his retreat.  I felt a sharp pain in my side as he ricocheted off of me, and I winced and reached up to cover my wound with a hand as he stormed past

“Nice to see you too, buddy,” Santino called out to his retreating backside.  When Herod failed to respond
as he finally disappeared, Santino turned back to me.  “Don’t people say goodbye anymore?”

I smirked
at him as I rubbed my side, and turned back to Vespasian.

“He will be all right,” he said.  “H
e has a fiery temper, but a sound mind.  We will soon have peace in the region, and I will be free to move on to more important matters.”

I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief
at that.  “Good.”

“Now, on to said more important matters,” Vespasian said while moving to stand directly in front of me.  “
Tell me Jacob Hunter, would you consider a commission as legate of a legion?”

I blinked.
  “Me??  A general?”

“Why not? 
Were you not an officer in your country’s navy once?”

“Well, yeah
,” I said feeling suddenly overwhelmed, “but I was of relatively low rank.”

Vespasian chuckled.  “I would not care if you
had been but a simple foot soldier.  You are our only option.  I have been forced to reassign many legates in recent months and many tribunes have either fled back to Rome or are of worthless value.  You will have a skeleton staff of officers, mostly administrative ones at that, but a full complement of centurions and I will also leave my own senior centurion with you.  He goes by Fabius, and is a tough war master and not very sociable, but he is efficient and intelligent, and will serve you well.”

“Well, uh...”

I tried to stall while I mulled over the possibility of actually becoming a member of the Roman legion.  I’d once thought all the magic and childlike wonder I’d brought with me to Ancient Rome had died years ago, but I couldn’t help but feel a small flutter of excitement at Vespasian’s proposal.  I turned to Helena who gave me a small smile, a look that said,
Come on, Jacob.  You know this is something you’ve wanted since we got here.

I nodded, and turned back to Vespasian.
  “So do I get some kind of ceremony?”

“No.  As you are already technically a Roman citizen, there is little be needed done.  I will have the official papers drawn up within the week before you set sail.”

I frowned.  “Rather anticlimactic, but fine.  Anything else I should know?”

Vespasian squinted at me.  “I wonder if I should ask why it is you wish to go to Brita
in at all, but I suspect it is for something beyond my understanding.  Instead I will simply pray that the gods be with you as you begin your odyssey, and wish you luck upon your very first assignment as one of my generals.”

“
All right then,” I said with a nod that must have seemed more confident than I felt.  “Let’s do it.”