In the year 540, Vitiges, king of the (Ostro)Goths, suggested that Belisarius become the Western Roman Emperor (a post that had been vacant for 60 or 64 years, depending on how you count it), and that the Goths would continue to be in important military and administrative posts under him. In OTL he pretended to accept the emperorship, only to claim Italy for Justinian and bring back Vitiges and others back to Constantinople in chains. But what if Belisarius had actually done what the Goths suggested he do? Presumably Justinian would be displeased, but he's got problems with the Persians right about now. Does he manage to defeat his rebel general anyway? If not, then does the Eastern empire survive Persian agression? Does the western empire under Belisarius get new legs? What other implications might such a move have?