Part IV: The Rising Suns:
[FONT="]The [FONT="]Roman Republic, End of 45 BC[/FONT]
…
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Heirs to Caesar and Pompey, by (REDACTED):[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chapter Four:
[/FONT]
[FONT="]The opening moves to the actual war post-Caesar death were taken as Pompey the Younger and his lieutenants put an end to the Spanish campaign, having left Scapula in command after the sack of Turbula and the skirmish of Burgusia. Aulus Hirtius and Gaius Pollio scrambled all the forces they could gather without risking the internal security of the Gaulish provinces too much (in no doubt still remembering the recent Bellovaci revolt). Attempts to block Pompey and Labienus at the Pyrenees were not to be successful, forcing Hirtius and his forces to fight the battle at a disadvantage in the outskirts of Narbo. From the Gallic Wars we can gather Hirtius to be at least a decent commander, yet probably no match for Labienus. Having forced the split of the Caesarian forces with able use of Spaniard cavalry, Pompey fought and killed Pollio in a skirmish near Salsune, leaving Labienus to battle the proconsul with the main army at Livuna. Hirtius was able to achieve an early breakthrough, yet the numerical inferiority proved too much to stand, allowing the Pompeian legates to break through his ranks and later execute Hirtius at Pompey’s behest.[/FONT]
[FONT="]It had been a swift campaign to take the Narbonese Gaul, which delivered the road to Italy and the full backing of the city of Massilia by the middle of autumn. The news were badly received through Italy, as Lepidus and Caesar Brutus continued to recruit as many of Caesar’s veterans as they could to fill the ranks of their armies, leaving an increasingly battered Plancus to try and keep a restless Rome under control (in no small part due to the return of the gang fights and the demagogic tendencies of the Antony brothers). Faced with the strategic dilemma of a march on Italy as winter nearer and without enough men to march north towards what was left of the garrisons in Gaul, Pompey and Labienus set their command at Narbo over the winter to prepare the upcoming invasion, confident in finding victory over the upcoming year, the sixth of the ongoing civil war.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Initiative would fall on the naval theatre over the last months of the year, as Sextus Pompey sailed from Massilia to disrupt the Caesarians as much as possible. Manning his fleet with veterans from the Spanish campaign and Senatorial level exiles like Plautius Hypaseus, Cornelius, Memmius and Laelius, Sextus showed his skill at naval engagements by setting up a trap for Gaius Didius and the Caesarian fleet at Corsica, constantly harassing his opponent and forcing him to battle near Ursinum, a key victory for Sextus Pompey. Mostly free to raid the seas now, he increased the size of his fleet by capturing several liburnian vessels and raiding both Corsica and Sardinia, an initial expedition to Sicily halted on the intervention of Titus Furfanius. Despite the inability to force an invasion of the grand prize that Sicily could be, Sextus was hailed as Imperator by his fleet and went onto to boast on having the skills of Neptune, having succeeded in capturing a source of grain supply in Sardinia which reflected badly on the Caesarians. [/FONT]
[FONT="]A veteran’s colony in the Cisalpine Gaul, End of Autumn:[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
My name is Gaius Julius Caesar Brutus Albinus, quirites. – He would often say, the obvious emphasis on the first three names –
And I am in need of your help.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]He had always found it hard to understand how the old man exactly did it for the men to following him without a single doubt, but even if the finer points of that skill escaped him the sound of his name was enough for most of the men to listen to him very carefully. Appeals to Caesar’s horrifying and brave death here, a story of the Gallic Wars there, and from time to time an appearance from Basilus or Lucius Caesar if the particular colony of veterans had fought with them. It was true enough that the man who used to be Decimus Brutus had not looked like Caesar given his pale face and his healthy amounts of hair, but those words somehow, did the trick for them to enlist in the attempt to crush Pompeius’s son.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
We seem to be doing rather well. – Basilus was saying, devouring a chicken as they took a much needed rest –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
It’s not well enough. – Lucius Caesar had been downcast ever since Munda –
Even assuming we will have enough time to retrain and set everything up for next year, we will need more men.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Eight proper legions are more than enough, do you think? – Basilus answered –
Not even Lepidus can botch recruiting eight more, and there you have two armies ready to punch the bastard on the nose.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]The bastard[/FONT][FONT="]. Caesar Brutus was not fond of Basilus ever since he had learned the man tortured his slaves from time to time, but he could not deny he had his uses, especially since he had spread through Italy the rumor of the younger Pompeius being a bastard born out of Mucia Tertia’s infidelity. Who the father was varied among the different versions (a random picentine legate, the exiled Scaurus, the late Lucius Afranius, even Labienus himself in the more humorous one), but it never failed to amuse him. Lucius Caesar was often depressing, yet indispensable not only due to military skill, but the sheer prestige of being Caesar’s cousin. Pansa was everything but brilliant, yet very measured and loyal until the end. He regretted not being able to count on Hirtius, but such was the nature of war. A lot of the talent available to the Caesarians had fallen onto Antonius or Lepidus’s hands somehow, but with most of the big beasts on his side he felt confident enough on the aftermath of the victory.[/FONT]
[FONT="]There was a lot to be done.[/FONT]
[FONT="]It would take a lot of time to cement his influence and everyone could tell that only a very specific set of circumstances would see him wield anything resembling absolute power (mainly Lepidus, Pompeius and Antonius’s heads on display at the
Rostra), but it was not out of the question. A political genius he was not, but he did not felt disadvantaged at all when it came to the battlefield. The others warned him of Labienus, but believing as he did that Caesar’s death had been nothing but an accident, a stroke of bad luck at the last throwing of the dice, he would dismiss such talk as overrating the man and his supposed skill. Had not he, the new Caesar, crushed the Bellovaci? Had he not fought the Veneti and burnt their fabled fleet? Had he not been amongst the first to fight in the walls of Alesia, Massilia, Uxellodunum and a hundred other places? [/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Courier from Rome, Gaius Julius. – Pansa entered the tent, dressed in military attire –
Sextus Pompeius crushed Didius near Sardinia.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Well, Lepidus can’t blame me for that one. – Caesar Brutus coldly replied –
Is Sicily in danger? –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-It seems to be the case[/FONT][FONT="]. – Pansa replied –
Although the Senate is not being particularly helpful when it comes to troops.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
I bet on Cicero causing the trouble. – Basilus said –
You’ve heard the tales, often lecturing the Senate on legality and unity and then asking for some of the honors granted to Caesar to be struck down.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
It’s not just Cicero, Basilus, don’t be a fool. – Lucius Caesar warned, standing up –
My good nephew Antonius is also up to some disruption of his own, not to mention the Republicans too.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
What shall we do about it? It’s far too evident neither Plancus nor Lepidus are keeping the Senate in line.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
It’s very simple.
We proscribe. - Basilus’s words cut through the room –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
We can’t! It would be Sulla’s excesses all over again! – Pansa was terrified –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
It would do far more harm than good. – Lucius Caesar warned –
The moment you do that, the Republicans and even some moderates will flock to Pompeius, or even to Antonius in the east if he proves reasonable enough.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]But Caesar Brutus had stayed silent, and none of them would get a definite answer on his thoughts. It was quite the dilemma for he, who was more or less forced to follow Caesar’s legacy if he was to succeed in his unexpected quest for power. Could he do it? Would he dare to do it? Was he willing to put the heads of Cicero, Cassius and the rest on spikes, as it had been the case forty years ago?[/FONT]
[FONT="]To his surprise, his mind had no clear answer yet.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]The House of Servilila Caepionis, Rome, near the end of the year:[/FONT]
[FONT="]It had been months since Caesar had died, and she found it hard not to miss him despite everything that had happened. He had refused to share a bed with her ever since he had returned from Gaul, yet Servilia never stopped caring about the man who had been her lover for so long. She cared on her own egoistical and calculating manner, but she had cared about him all the same until he had suffered the most unexpected of deaths at the hands of an imbecile with a big name. Who was Pompeius Magnus Filius to take Caesar away from her, to defeat the one man who no one in Rome could best? Even as the months passed, the disappointment and the bitterness still ate away at her.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Are you feeling bad, Lady Servilia? – The younger Lucullus asked, unusually deferent – [/FONT]
[FONT="]-
I’m fine, Lucius, just thinking. – She replied, a bit absent –
Leave me to my thoughts, will you? –[/FONT]
[FONT="]To be honest, she did not enjoy the parties her sister had organized in the past couple of years, mindless family reunions which lacked the grandeur and the sheer exotic feeling she and others would find when visiting the now gone Egyptian Queen. Instead of finding decent conversation with Atticus or the Queen herself, she was forced to look again at the technically influent family connections, only to realize most of them were idiots anyway; Her little sister Servilila, Lucullus’s widow, obsessed as always with raising the younger Lucullus for a career he wasn’t ready for. Hortensia, the widow of her brother Caepio, still invited for some reason. Her disappointment of a son, Brutus, her detestable niece and daughter in law Porcia, and the younger Bibulus, their useless ward. Silanus, first son of her late second husband, somehow choosing to attend the party instead of doing something productive. Her eldest daughter and Lepidus’s young son (as the Consul was busy trying not to get himself killed while recruiting), and finally, the only bright spot of the evening, Cassius and her daughter Tertia.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
It has been an absolute mess at the Senate. – Cassius was saying –
Every meeting boils down to Plancus shouting profanities at the Antonius brothers and the Republicans as they try to shut down his interventions, Cicero boasting on the strength of the Republic and the need to stand united, or whatever that means, and someone mourning Caesar and wishing he was there in his eternal might and wisdom to guide the Senate.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
No need to be harsh, Cassius, it is known that all of Rome loved Caesar. – Silanus pointed out, drinking a cup of wine –[/FONT]
[FONT="]Why was it that men would often follow those who had done them harm? [/FONT][FONT="]Servilia could never understand why in the name of Jupiter Silanus the younger liked Caesar and served on his Gallic staff, considering his own father had been publicly humiliated before the Senate as Cato unknowingly forced Caesar to reveal her own adultery. Same with Brutus, following Pompeius Magnus to Pharsalus despite that barbarian having murdered his father decades ago. And then people asked why she did not look happy during family meetings… [/FONT]
[FONT="]-
I for one have had enough with all the Caesar worship. – Cassius was saying now –
It’s about time those imbeciles leading the Senate do something actually worthwhile.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Like giving you Syria to rule? – It was Hortensia this time, smiling –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
I’d do a better job there than anyone else, yes. – He replied, showing a more than fierce smile –
It they can give that verpa of Marcus Antonius Asia they can surely give me a Governorship somewhere.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
You would be great as a Governor, Cassius. – Porcia said, not as a compliment, but with certainty – [/FONT]
[FONT="]And for once Servilia found herself in agreement with Porcia. Finding Portia to possibly be the most annoying, infuriating and ungrateful fellatrix of Rome after she had somehow stolen Brutus, she had to agree that Cassius was a man to take into account. Unlike Lepidus, she did not regret for a moment that matrimonial alliance, as she was sure Cassius would be smart enough to back the right horse in the upcoming war, and would probably save Brutus by bringing him along. Once Silanus and most of the women had left early, it had been easier to discuss what actually matter.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
All right, Cassius, I would like to hear your view on it. Who is the man to back? – Servilia asked -[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
In all honesty, the idea of following the one who defeated Caesar is not one to dismiss easily. – Cassius continued –
But Pompeius is all but brilliant, not to mention he doesn’t care much for us.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Old Ahenobarbus and the rest are to blame for that. – Brutus replied –
If they hadn’t forced Magnus to fight in Pharsalus and undermined him at every turn… It’s understandable he wouldn’t think highly of the old optimates, but it can be argued that we’re a different case.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Says the man who was given Cisalpine Gaul by Caesar himself. – Cassius mocked him – [/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Lucullus and I will back him. – Bibulus said in a very serious tone, his friend nodding –
Anyone who will destroy the legacy of that snake is our friend.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Tace, Marcus! – Servilia shouted –
Who are you to talk about Caesar? –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
The son of Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus, a man who died fighting the tyrant himself!-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Fighting Caesar? Your father died of a cold, desperately trying not to embarrass himself while playing with Pompeius’s ships.
Don’t speak up if you have no idea what you’re talking about. -[/FONT]
[FONT="]The party had ended not long after that, leaving Servilia unsure about the future. That Lucullus and Bibulus could kill themselves while playing to be men did not interest her, but Brutus and Cassius’s actions would be decisive in the months to come. One way or another election would be held and then Lepidus and Caesar… Brutus would fight Pompeius in Italy, and neither of them was known to be too merciful. Oh, she would be fine, but would [FONT="]her beloved [FONT="]son[/FONT] survive int[FONT="]act?[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT="]Governor’s Palace in Ephesus, Asia, around the same time:[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Gods, it feels good to be alive! – Antonius shouted, looking at the dancers as Dellius and Poplicola sipped more wine - [/FONT]
[FONT="]Not that it had been nonstop celebration ever since Antonius had taken over his new province, but without Caesar or anyone to censor his conduct he had been able to recover the life he had lived while leading Rome and lost after the old man had cut most of his ties to him. He was the one with the power, and it wasn’t about having a piece of paper and the lictors to prove he was a magistrate once again. No, his power came from himself and his legions, and the whole province of Asia had learned that soon enough. From the small and useless officers who had learned their place, to the etnarchs, to the small kings of Cappadocia, to Dejotarus, who had been struck with the fear of the gods as Antonius had threatened to burn his kingdom down if the proved disloyal, and now to Ephesus.[/FONT]
[FONT="]He truly liked the city, much more than the boring Pergamum or even Sardis, for Ephesus knew what life was, celebrating Dionysius and Artemisia in their just regard. And sure enough, his entourage had found it easy to adapt to the new conditions, Dellius, Poplicola and the troupe of actors and dancers crafting ever more wild parties. Statius Murcus had proved to be the boring one of his legates, but his sense of practicality and his skill at scaring the pitiful eastern princes made him a great element. [/FONT]
[FONT="]-
We have another message from Syria, Imperator. - Murcus said –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
How do you manage to put that tone into your voice, Murcus? – Antonius looked upwards –
You’re supposed to be a poet, yet whenever you speak you do sound mindlessly boring.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Antistius Veto asks for support once again. – Murcus, as always, ignored the jive –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Veto? That useless cunnus has been fighting Caecillius Bassus for a year now, and he can’t even dislodge him from Apamea! – Antonius complained –
Veto can wait for the gates to Avernus to open if he wants, he’s not getting anything from me.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]What a bunch of whining losers.[/FONT][FONT="] All of them had written to him as he and his men had taken over Vatia’s place, all of them wanting favor from the new ruler of the East. All of them save for Antistius Vetius, with the gall to demand Antonius to march on Syria and assist him in containing Caecillius Bassus. Vetius, the uptight noblemen he was, was probably one of those who felt Antonius presence into Caesar’s high command to be an embarrassment. He could ask the Parthians for men for all the cared, he had bigger fish to fry. Having frightened half the province and half the eastern kings into submission or pretenses of submission, he also had his brothers cause trouble for Lepidus in order to secure a five year term in the East. Since “Caesar” Brutus and Lepidus would not allow him to fight Pompeius, he was fully set to enjoy himself in the East, and a single year would not do. Other than that, he had been constantly messaging Rufus and the officers in Alexandria to secure the loyalty of those four legions should they be of any help, and he had also sent messages to Cleopatra too. To no avail, of course, for the Queen would play it safe and send claims of friendship… without the money to back them. [/FONT]
[FONT="]So he took action on that front the next day.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
I assume this is the shrine to Artemisia. – Antonius said, blinking at the massive size of the building –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Why, of course! – Dellius was obsequious as always –
The mighty shrine, not only one of the most powerful temples of the East, but also one of the most rich.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
They do have a bank of their own for that. – Murcus intervened –
Although they did lose a good deal of money when forced to lend to all sides before and after Pharsalus.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
And the High Priest? –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
That would be [FONT="]Megabyzes[/FONT], High Priest of Artemisia. – Murcus again, having briefed himself for Antonius’s mission –
A Greek from the area, well known and highly respected. Caesar personally chose him to guard the Princess after the triumph.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]Antonius, Dellius, Murcus and the lictors penetrated through the entrance of the temple, being received by [/FONT][FONT="][FONT="]
[FONT="]Megabyzes[/FONT][/FONT] and his assistants. Leaving pleasantries aside given the busy day and the hangover he still had, Antonius demanded to enter and did not even bother to give his assurances to [/FONT][FONT="][FONT="]
[FONT="]Megabyzes[/FONT][/FONT] that no acts of sacrilege would happen. He was certainly not going to excuse himself to the High Priest, not on this particular task. Not giving any previous warning his coming, Antonius entered the room followed by his entourage and found Princess Arsinoe reading a lengthy scroll with an expression of boredom on her face, the maids all silent and not giving away a single expression. One of the Greek priests rushed besides Antonius:[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Marcus Antonius, Imperator and Governor of Asia, asks for an audience with the Princess Arsinoe.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Audience granted. – Arsinoe did not raise her view from the scroll, forcing Antonius to laugh –[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
Leave us alone.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
But sir, we cannot leave the Princess at any time…- The priest began saying - [/FONT]
[FONT="]-
You can either leave nicely or I’ll have to ask my lictors to shove a spear up a certain place of yours. – Antonius smiled again and then made a departure gesture –
Your choice.-[/FONT]
[FONT="]And he got the audience he wanted. Arsinoe, while younger than her sister Cleopatra, had played a major role during Caesar’s shenanigans in Egypt, escaping from the palace to lead the fight until her brother had drowned on the Nile. Spared after Caesar’s Egyptian triumph due to the people of Rome, mostly thanks to her fabled beauty and the sheer dignity in which she had confronted the humiliation, she was set to live the rest of her life inside the Shrine to Artemisia, ever a permanent threat to Cleopatra’s rule. [/FONT]
[FONT="]-
I am truly glad to be able to meet you at last, great Antonius. - Arsinoe smiled -[/FONT]
[FONT="]-
So am I, Princess Arsinoe, so am I. - And he smiled back -[/FONT]
[FONT="]He was unsure of how Arsinoe would prove most helpful, but the range of options was rather encouraging. Whether to rattle the bars of Cleopatra’s cage… or something else.[/FONT]