{Caesar}
Slowly I open my eyes. My head is killing me. My auto doc sits to my left it is powered down. I sit up and see Lanius stood over me. Leant against one side of my tent is Inculta and sat to my right is Lucius. And Finally lent against the entrance to my tent is the Courier.
"You succeeded?" "New vegas is yours Mighty Caesar"
Lanius growl is refreshing. I gesture at the courier and Inculta speaks.
"She was instrumental in our victory. However we don't appear to be anywhere near Hoover Damn anymore. We appear to be in a arid region." "I name you High Centurion Bellona. You may build your forces yourself. Now what do you mean Inculta?" "We are in a red desert region. I have my Frumentarii scouting along with our scouts however so far all we have found is a nomadic tribe to the north." "Lanius bring me that tribe. I whish them interrogated." "Yes mighty Caesar."
Lucius speaks up
"You should know my lord we only have half of lanius's forces. All my praetorians and the members of the Frumentarii who were stationed at the fort when we were transported here." "Go Lanius I want that tribe brought back in chains."
Lanius strides out of the tent. Bellona stepped forward.
"Mighty Caesar if you are going to appoint a woman as a Legate won't that contradict your policys on women?" "Fine you make a good point if women can pass the trials they can become Legionaries, and any other position under you. I stand up and don my robes and furs before putting on my pipboy. And finally I place on my gold laurel wreath, I haven't worn this since my headaches began. I step out of my tent and look out over this new world.
"Establish a perimeter. Until we know more this is now our capital and so bring it up to the basic standards of a capital of the Legion!" "Yes mighty Caesar."
{Legate Lanius}
Lucius was right I only have half my forces. After we won the battle against the NCR I sent half of my forces join in garrisoning the Mojave and the other half returned to Fort Hill with me. We are coming up on the Nomad tribe now. My Legionaries run only a few metres behind me, my Legionary Veterans run close to me and Prime Legionaries fan out to either side. Behind them are the Legionary Recruits. My Centurions lead their groups. And at the edges of my formation are the chariots. Ready to pincer the enemy. A nomad tribe is barely worth the organisation. We crest the hill and observe the camp. They have tents positioned into a circle surrounding a fire, horses graze at the edges. I am about to order the charge when I look to my left and see the newly instated High Centurion Bellona . She has that cyberdog Rex. She appears to have already become popular among the hound masters who accompany her along with their hounds. I miss my cyberdog, I remember when I claimed her after the conquest of Dogcity. I left her at flagstaff before the 2nd battle of hoover damn.
"What do you want?" "I came to observe the mighty Legate Lanius in battle. You didn't partake in the 2nd battle of Hoover damn." "Watch and learn."
I raise my sword and point at the camp in an instant my army charges rushing through the long grass I hear the screams of dead nomads, my men know better than to scream when they die. Screaming is a right reserved for the injured, we flood the camp. I catch a blade swung at me and headbutt the foolish man he collapses blood flowing from his forhead. I swing my sword out slicing through a second nomad who screams as he dies. I spot a man dressed more ostentatiously than the rest he has gold rings covering his fingers. I rush at him my veteran Legionaries funnelling out behind me. He moves to block my blow but a last minute adjustment takes his hand off. I am about to slice his head off when High Centurion Bellonaappears and deflects my sword.
"Lanius, Mighty Caesar wants someone to interrogate. We need him alive."
I glare at her but she is right Mighty Caesar wants him alive. Bellona turns her voice cutting through the sounds of fighting.
"KNEEL."
No one notices so she pulls a pistol from her hip and shoots the chieftain in the groin. His screams are easily heard by his nomads.
"I SAID KNEEL!"
Silence then one by one both nomad and Legionary falls to their knees. Only now do I get a good look at her. Her sleeveless trench coat has the bull on its back. Her cowboy hat has a golden laurel wreath painted on it and she wears Legionary trousers and boots. She stands holding the chieftain up a machete at his throat.
"Submit or die."
Dogs stalk through the kneeling figures. When a man leaps to his feet they pounce on him dragging him down and attacking him. His screams stop when rex bites down and the dogs disperse leaving a mangled body. Slowly one by one the nomads submit.
"All yours Legate Lanius"
I smile, she is smart yet brutal a true leader.
"Legionaries, escort our new prisoners back to the fort, and pack up this camp." "They are not your Legionaries Bellona." "Do you disagree Lanius" "No." "You lot catch the horses." "Yes High Centurion Bellona!" "Why?" "I forsee a use for them."
We hoist the chieftain and toss him into a chariot. The chariots are being loaded with the tents and supplies. We climb in with the chieftain and rex positions himself with his jaws clamped on the chieftains throat. We finally arrive back at the fort. The Legionaries we left behind are patrolling the area surrounding the fort. We ride the chariot up to the entrance and jump out. I hoist the chieftain out and drag him through the gate. Inculta appears with two Frumentarii.
"We will take him."
I hand him over and they drag him into a tent. I continue up to Caesars tent, the man sitting in the throne reminds me of the man I met when I first slaughter my tribe. The man who took me in who turned me into the warrior I am now.
"You have returned." "Yes Mighty Caesar."
High Centurion Bellona approaches from behind me. She gasps staring at Caesar.
"You are glorious my lord."
{High Centurion Bellona}
He looks nothing like the sick dieing man I met in the Mojave. He still looks sickly but he is dressed in a full length robe with furs and his broach. And on his head glitters his gold laurel wreath makes my painted one look like a mockery. I fall to one knee.
"I see you have painted on a wreath. Why?" "I read some books on rome and saw it so I thoughtsince I am now a memberof the LegionI should make it obvious." "I suppose that is why you have stapled one of our old flags over the flag on the back of your trench coat?" "Yes Mighty Caesar." "Very well paint it properly and sew the flag on properlyand you may keep them."
Inculta appears and kneels before Caesar.
"We have extracted much intelligence from the chieftain and have confirmed it with members of his tribe. This location is known as the red wastes. To the north is an area called the grass sea where a people known as the Dothraky rule. They appear to be a very large collection of tribes they didn't know much else and know nothing as to what is to the east, west or south of us." "Helpful. We will conquer the red wastes and form a border with this grass sea. Expeditions will travel in all directions. If they encounter a town or camp they report back and a force will be sent to take that town or camp. Lanius your Centurions will lead their divisions in the expansion I want you leading the northern expansion. Bellona You will lead the western expansion. All tribes you conquer will be drafted for Legionaries and you will both pick tose that join you. Bellona by next year I want to be able to pull Lanius's forces from the western front and for you to be able to at least maintain the front with your forces. Understood?" "Yes Mighty Caesar." I turn and leave.
Lanius has 8 Centurions and asigns 2 to each front he has placed 2 under me I notice that they don't have any chariots but do have all the hound master's well I can make do. I am sat in my tent when a woman, one of the newly conquered nomads, knocks on the wood support.
"Yes" "I heard you were recruiting for your forces." She pauses then as if floodgates have opened starts speaking. "I don't want to be sold to a man. I am a woman but I always wanted to fight please let me fight." "Pass the trials." "Pardon?" "There are trials to join the Legionarys. Go back gather up those who also wish to be Legionaries and tell them. High Centurion Bellona requests you be trained. If you fail you will be sold but if you pass I imagine you will join me on the front lines." "Yes. Thank you."
She rushes off. And I sit back. I rest my hat on my desk and pull out some gold paint. I get to work touching up my wreath that I rushed earlier. Once that is done I start sewing the flag on. Once everything is attached I go to bed Rex curls up at my feet. The next morning I awake at daybreak and get dressed going to the food tent for breakfast. I join the mass of Legionaries and sit down. I notice that the woman from last night and several others are dressed in training armour at a different table. Hmm hopefully they will pass. Once done I make my way out the main entrance to where two divisions placed under me are camped. I find the two centurions stood with a crude map. Both are wearing crude masks similar to Lanius's.
"What do we know?" "3 towns have been discovered so far however the scouts are reporting that their is a desert kingdom about 600 metres away." "How long?" "To the first town. A day to get the army their and take it. Then about half a day from that one to the next if we carry on straight away." "Straight away? Dont we need to secure our control over it?" "We never did with Legate Lanius. Whenever we went on the war path we brought submission through crucifixion and leaving a small force behind to maintain order." "Ok we will travel to the first and rest then take it at first light. We will then surround the town with our tents and bring it properly under the legion. Only once it is fully submitted will we move on got it."
Both grumble but I think they were the ones stood within direct view when I shot the chieftain's cock off.
"Lets go." It takes half an hour to get the camp packed up onto carts. We need to get horses. We can't have Legionaries pulling them all the time. It takes almost until night fall for us to arrive at near the town. The Legionaries set up camp and I take a stroll into the town. To call it a town would be a overstatement it is more like a village with aspirations. I find an Inn called the Red Bush and wander in. At least this world has good boose. As I drink a man walks over.
"Whats a pretty lady like you doing here?" "Not interested." "Lady you shouldn't be wondering the red wastes alone didn't you know the Dothraky like to take women as slave wives. I could protect y"
His words are cut off as Rex bites down on his groin.
"Not interested."
I walk up to the bar and drop some Denarius on the counter.
"What the blazes are these lady?" "Money." "Don't accept foreign coins." "Won't be foreign for long." What?" "Nothing."
I sight and roll my eyes and contemplate shooting him but I don't want much of a defence tomorrow especially with the hangover I'm going to have, maybe I should go sober. Nah, last time I did that a cunt in a striped suit gave me a new hole.
"The coin is silver can't you take the value?" "Lady who is going to confirm that the blacksmith is blind drunk over there."
I grab his head and slam it into the counter. Wow he went out easily. I drag him into the back and close the door. I then make my way back to my forces and kick the Centurions out of their beds literally.
"Get up, get the best we have. I'm drunk and don't want a battle to go with my hangover so we do this now. Kill any guard and help me break into the chieftains home." "What?" "You heard me. Now move."
We rapidly make our way back to the village. It doesn't take long for the guards to notice us but they get gutted quickly. A few people come out to the sounds of the scuffles but rapidly go back to bed when the first crucifix goes up. I would like to know who decided to haul that thing down her just for this. We rapidly approach the central building snd my guess was correct a man in a loose top and trousers stumbles out of the door. I step forward and slice his right thigh. He screams and drops to his knees. I crouch behind him placeing my ripper to his throat. I lock eyes with the chief of the guard as I press the trigger and after a couple of seconds the chieftains head comes off. I hold it up by the hair and smile at the chief of the guard. As one of my Legionaries tosses me a spear which I drive into the ground and mount the head on it.