I always come across Alesia threads, and almost all of them seem to start with the assumption that Caesar will be dead. Let's say Rome suffers a serious and disastrous defeat at Alesia, say, Gergovia times 10. Caesar's army is completely shattered, but he limps away with what's left back to Narbonensis...
Then what? Is his term in Gaul basically cooked, as far as the senate is concerned? Can Pompey really save his goose, and would he want to? Assuming Caesar is forced to return back to Rome, could he survive the charges being brought against him or will he be forced into exile? Could the situation perhaps still be salvaged in Gaul, or is it beyond recovery?