The Phantasma of Hades

[Lord Zalzabad]

Ok, I was not planning on releasing this story till november, but I decided to do so anyway. It is the sequal to the Ghost of Thermpoplie, which I strongly reccomend you read before you read this one. Link to Ghost of Thermpoplie
Beware, it is very long, and may take up to two hours to read. Have fun!
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Prolouge

She looked down at her blood-soaked hands, and cried. She was only following her father’s orders, given to her all that time ago, so why was she crying? She looked back down at the body of her husband, and then saw what she had done. Her husband for more than 15 years, dead. She thought of her children, and how they would react to… no, she must not think about that. She looked once more at her hands, and heard the sirens of the police. She could still hear the voice of her husband, gasping in his last breath, “Why Portia, why?” She could not stand it any longer; she turned to the window, away from the Co-consul Cassius’ bloodied carcass, and asked herself “Why?” She looked back at the body, then back at the third story window. She could see the Police getting out of their car. She was overwhelmed by grief, and at the thought of disgracing her Father like that, but it was his orders. She looked once more at Cassius’ body, the Father of her children, and letting out a cry, she jumped out the window.

“It has been done, Consul”
“Very good. Now the trophy denied to me twenty years ago is within my reach, now that the only obstacle in my way has been removed.”
“But Cassius still has loyal forces, under General Scipio in the West, wont they react unfavorably to this news?”
“Send the Army out to crush our opponents. I must go to the Senate”
“Very well, Consul”
“Call me Dictator, as I soon will be”
“Yes Dictator Cicero”

[Lord Zalzabad]

Phantasma of Hades, Saturday, 16th of June, 1696

Twenty years since the Founding of the second republic, and the disastrous battle of Lyons, Rome has moved from strength to strength. Under the long and peaceful reign of the Co-Consuls Cassius and Cicero, the Roman Republic has prospered. However, Cicero still held a grudge against Cassius, who married his daughter, Portia, and conspired to kill him. Now, with Cassius out of the way, Cicero’s imperial ambitions can now be fulfilled. However, as war clouds approach, the pro-Cassius forces in the West under General Scipio are getting concerned at Cicero’s high ambitions, and are planning a coup. However, something unexpected happened…

The Major lined the last of the Republican officers against the wall, and ordered his men to fire at them. A loud crack sounded, as all of the troops fired simultaneously. As the troops were dragging the bodies towards a mass grave, a jeep pulled up to the compound. A captain jumped out of the jeep, saluted, by placing his fist over his heart, and gave the Major a message. He read this, and glanced out to sea. A destroyer was off the coast, flying the flag of Germany. He looked through his field glasses and saw that they were lowering a smaller boat into the water. Shocked at this, he gathered his men, and loaded them into trucks, heading to Anyang Harbour. Once there, he ordered his men to form an honor guard along the pier. The men began to fell nervous as the boat approached. Two black clad soldiers jumped off the boat, and saluted. The major saluted too, as the man got off the boat, “Welcome home, O’ Immortal Caesar!” Caesar smiled at this, and saluted them, in the traditional imperial way. General Marius was next to follow, and the three slowly walked down the pier, to a waiting convoy of jeeps, which would take them to the Governor’s Villa. Caesar got in the first jeep, while General Marius, and the Major got in the second.
“We completed you mission with only ten casualties, General, sir,” said Major Graccis.
“Very good, if your father was still alive, he would be proud of you,” replied the General.
“Do you think it is wise for Caesar to come ashore so early in the rebellion?”
“No, I don’t think so, but Caesar wanted to, and I trust his decisions.”
“But isn’t Caesar a little, well…”
“Immature? No, he has got that phase knocked out of him with Cassius’ bullet. He is a changed man.”
“I bet he would like to get his revenge on General Cassius.”
“According to my reports, he will not get a chance. It seems Consul Cicero has Imperial Ambitions and has had Cassius assassinated. This will make our task much easier, as loyal commanders to Cassius, such as Marshal Antonius, and General Scipio will start not to trust Cicero, and will be easy to manipulate.”
“Very well, General, sir, any more hints about our plan?”
“No, major, not intill we get to the Villa”

“A rebellion?” said Cicero, shocked.
“Yes, sir. It seems troops loyal to Caesar have landed at Anyang, and have taken out the garrison,” said General Cracus, “but,” he added, “Isn’t Caesar dead? I wonder who was pulling the strings?”
Cicero remembered that day, twenty years ago. Cassius and Cicero could not find the body of Caesar, or his loyal guard, Captain Marius. They invented the story of burying them outside of Rome, and hoped. Hoped that, somehow, he did not survive. Cicero looked down at his feet. It seemed that all of his hopes and dreams had been ruined. Caesar was alive. However, he must not let anyone else know. That could ruin him. However, he could use the rebellion in his favor, he could use it to convince the Senate to give him Dictatorial power. He smiled. “Tell the Senate that a rebellion has taken place near Anyang. Keep the part about the Rebels being Caeser-ites secret”
“Yes sir!”
“And General,”
“Yes, sir?”
“Call my wife Calpurnia, and tell her I want to see her.”
“Yes, sir.”

“I still cannot believe it, little Portia, assassinated her husband? Unbelievable! You do know who is behind the assassination of our friend?”
“Most likely Cicero, once more on the road to supreme power, General Scipio”
“Yes, and what of their children, General Lepidus?”
“I hear Cicero’s wife, Calpurnia will be looking after them. Do you think we should go on with the plan?”
“Yes, we should. We will march on Rome with our loyal forces, and dispose Cicero from power.”
“When will we leave?”
“Tomorrow.” Nevertheless, what they did not know, was that tomorrow would be a day too late.

Cicero sat in the chair overlooking the Senate Hall. Four hundred Senators looked back at him, considering his speech. He had asked the Senate to give him dictatorial powers to help crush the Rebellion to the North. This would mean vetoing their power for six months, and the Consuls (well, consul, in this case, since there was only one) would gain full executive and legislature powers. "Shouldn’t we wait intill a new consul is elected?” stated Senator Publius.
“This situation is urgent, and if we wait any longer, the Rebellion will gain more influence, and spread”
“What guarantees do you give, Cicero, that you will not abuse your power?” asked another Senator.
“You have the word of the co-founder of the second republic, Senator,” replied Cicero. They considered this once more. Looking around the chamber, he could see the first Senators casting their votes. More got up, and placed a single piece of white paper with their vote on it in the box.

“So, Immortal Caesar, what is your plan?” said Major Graccis said once they reached the Governors Villa.
“I shall tell you, my loyal major. We currently hold the area around Anyang. Our troops lack the mechanized forces to combat the main Republican forces, so our first goal will be the city of Caesura, where we will seize the Republican arms storage. Consul Cicero will most probably keep my presence secret, as he does not wish to admit his failure to get rid of me, but will most probably use this “rebellion” to gain the Dictatorial powers he has lusted for his entire life. He will suppress all that are against him first, including Generals Scipio and Lepidus (Scipio being a Cassius supporter and Lepidus being an Imperial supporter). It should be easy to gain these troops on our side and as an alliance, we will encircle Rome from all sides, crushing the Republican Forces. Also with Cicero crushing all opposition to him will create disunity and mistrust in the Army, meaning that troops will desert to our forces, bolstering the Imperial Army size” finished Caesar.
“But, Immortal Caesar,” said Marius, “I worry about Scipio’s loyalties. Is he too close to the republic?”
“If he is, we will have to get Lepidus to remove him from the equation.”
“Very well Caesar, when should we move out?”
“I will give the troops the rest of the day to disembark, and tomorrow off for rest and relaxation. We will leave on Monday, our goal, Caesura.”

The last vote was counted, and the clerk of the Senate chambers turned to Cicero and nodded. Cicero beamed at this and turned to the Senate, “Thank you for your votes, gentlemen, now I am disbanding the Senate for the time being, while I paint the Senate chambers a nice shade of Red.” The Senators looked around and saw Republican Guard Units blocking the entrance. Cicero left through his private chamber, and shut the door. Calpurnia was there. Over the gunshots in the adjoining Senate chambers, Calpurnia said something. General Cracus entered and nodded his head. The Three left the antechamber, and entered the Strategy Room. “Dictator Cicero, sir we have more information on the rebellion in the north. Scouts indicate that they are Imperial Guard units, in their black uniforms, and the Standard of Caesar flies over the city. It seems that they had assistance from Germany, with a German Battle cruiser off the coast. However, it does not look like there are many troops in the city, so I suggest we send the Infantry Division which is protecting Caesura to crush the Rebellion, and I suggest we let Marshal Antonius command it personally,” finished Cracus.
“Yes, I agree, Caesar will try and consolidate his position in Anyang, so we have little to worry about leaving the city undefended,” said Cicero, “I want you to lead the attack personally.”
“Yes, Dictator, I will take the next train out to Caesura”
“Cicero, we really must talk about the fate of Caius’ children,” said Calpurnia in an urgent tone.
“Cassius’ Children? Very well, send them to a work factory.”
“Very well, my love.”

The train was obviously a military one, as could be told by the Tanki on the stock carriages, and it was heading West. There was no war on, so why were all these military trains heading west the farmer thought. He took a note of this, and continued to work his field, finishing hopefully before the sun set.

Scipio woke up in horror, and looked at the clock, 11:30. He was awoken because of a nightmare, a phantasm of hell, showing Rome in flames, with him kneeling at the statue of Caesar. Scipio tried to remove that hellish image from his mind, and tried to return to sleep. It would be a big day ahead of him, so he needed rest.

[Lord Zalzabad]

Sunday, 17 June, 1696

It was the Gunshot that awoke Lepidus, a gunshot right outside his compound. He rushed to the window, and looked out over the city of Pisae. There were two Tanki of the Republican Guard sitting outside the gate, their turrets aimed towards the guard towers. His troops were firing back at the Tanki, yet it was no use. Lepidus rushed to the telephone to call his old friend, and fellow conspirator, General Scipio to tell him of the events unfolding in Pisae. “Scipio, its Lepidus, I didn’t wake you? No? Good. We may have a problem, there are Tanki trying to seize the compound… No no, they are not Imperial Tanki, they are Republican Tanki. Where would you get such a silly Idea? A dream? Well, anyway, mobilize all of your forces, it seems like Cicero has caught on to our plan. You will check with Senator Publius about the situation in Rome? Good plan. I will talk to you tonight, if I survive, that is”

Scipio put down the telephone, and looked at the map of the Western Area Command. If the base in Pisae has been stormed, it would only be a matter of time before Cicero’s troops headed south towards Ravenna. He would mobilize his forces in both Ravenna and Giza, and move all of his loyal forces from Pompeii to Ravenna. There he would make a last stand. A servant entered, and gave Scipio the morning copy of the Veii Times, the most prestigious newspaper in the entire republic.

Veii Times, Sunday Edition
All the latest goss from the stars of Colossus, the movie Page 3

[B]Rebellion at Anyang[/B
]An anti-government rebellion has broken out outside Anyang. The Former Chinese colony, which ceded from China to join the Roman Republic, has been seized, and the Garrison massacred. Consul Cicero has ordered General Cracius to lead the Western Army to crush this rebellion. This is a blow to Marshal Antonius, the commander of the Western Sector. Sources close to the Consul suggest that he may be vying for dictatorial powers in a vote that took place last night. However, the Times has not been able to contact any Senators to confirm the result of the ballot.

Scipio looked up from the paper, and started to worry. It seemed that Cicero had the Senate exterminated. He walked calmly to the phone, and called Pompeii command giving his orders, and then he rang Lepidus back. “Lepidus? This is Scipio, withdraw all of your troops to Fort Constantine. Yes, I want you to abandon the city! Why? Because it will be easier to defend, also you can retreat into Egypt if things get too rough, and there is nothing they can do about it. Compound surrounded? Appoint someone to command the forces there, and attempt to get out alive. Tell them Cicero has eliminated the Senate. I will be careful. Goodbye”

“Dictator Cicero, our forces are storming Lepidus’ compound as we speak”
“Excellent, Major, I want them to bring him to me alive.”
“Do you wish for me to order the forces to take the Barracks?”
“No, they will fall without a fight once they know their leader is gone”

Colonel Publius (The son of the Senator) was sitting at his desk. There was a commotion coming from General Lepidus’ compound. He was about to send troops out to investigate, when his phone rang. Publius was shocked at what he heard, and pushed the alarm. He looked out the window as his men formed up in their ranks, wondering what the alarm was for. Colonel Publius walked out of his office, and on to the Pulpit. “Soldiers of the Glorious Roman Army! I have called you together, to rally you in defense of your freedoms. Last night, our leader, Consul Cicero had the Senate executed, so he could gain supreme power, and today, he sends his loyal troops to crush all opposition to him! General Lepidus is besieged within his compound by these evil forces, and instead of ordering us into a fruitless attack on the Republican forces, he has heroically ordered us to retreat to Fort Constantine, and continue the fight from there. In memory of our Great commander, (for he will surely fall in the coming battle) we must carry on the fight under General Scipio’s command. Now, get the trucks ready, and gather together all of your gear. In 10 minutes, we leave these barracks for destiny! Dismissed!”

“Watch where your firing, commander, remember, Dictator Cicero wants Lepidus alive” said the driver to his Tanki commander.
“Yes, yes, I know, its time for the Infantry to advance into the building. Remember, to take Lepidus alive!”
“Yes sir!” the young conscripts said, storming the building, to their deaths.

Lepidus could see no way out of this. His troops had been pushed through the compound, and the fighting was outside his study. His guards had taken many of Cicero’s troops with them to their graves, but the Republican forces had an unlimited amount of troops. His forces would hopefully be heading for Fort Constantine. However, his fate was sealed. His desk had been turned over for a barricade to the Republican Forces bullets, and Lepidus joined the two soldiers behind the desk, brandishing his pistol, ready for the inevitable. The shooting outside stopped and it was quiet. Lepidus braced himself. There was an explosion

Publius looked towards the compound, as he had heard a faint explosion. The last of the trucks had just left, and he was about to go himself. He ordered his driver to take him pass Lepidus’ compound on the way to the fort. He knew it was risky, but he had to see the fate of his commander.

“Commander, everything is completed here,” said the Corporal.
“Is all of our objectives completed?”
“Yes, commander.”
“Very well then, we will move on to the barracks.” Publius was standing across the street. It is all over, he thought to himself as he got back into the car. He was very luck the windows were tinted, for at that time, the Commander turned around, and looked at the car, speed away. “Darn Pisae drivers,” cursed the Commander.

“Dictator Cicero, the compound is taken”
“Very well then, tell the commander to move on to Ravenna. Beware of resistance. I am sure Lepidus told Scipio about the situation”
“Yes, Dictator Cicero”

“General Scipio, Pisae has fallen to Cicero’s Republican forces, as has the Armory. On the plus side, Colonel Publius managed to evacuate the loyal garrison to Fort Constantine; the first troops will be there shortly. Also, the troops from Pompeii have arrived.”
“Very good. I want a light resistance in the outer suburbs, with troops in the houses, especially on the route from Pisae. Also, heavier resistance in the centre of the city, centering on the railroad station to cause maximum damage if the Infantry come by train. I want the 1st Tanki battalion to protect the railroad depot. That is where they will attempt to unload the Tanki…”
“But, General, thy may unload out of the city and move in that way.”
“I was just getting to that part, Colonel Graccis. We will remove the rest of our troops to fort Cassius, where we will station the Artillery. If everything else fails, we will level the city and blame it on Cicero’s troops.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“Do you want to put money on it? Even those Imperial…” Scipio stopped for a moment, looking blankly at the wall, “I wonder,” said Scipio eventually, faintly remembering something Consul Cassius told him about Germany. Imperial Rome’s only Ally. Rumors circulating told of pro Caesar force gathering up under the command of General Marius. If he could somehow get hold of this Imperial force, he could call them in as allies, to help them defeat Cicero (he could get rid of them later), “Get me on the phone to Bismarck, NOW!”
“Yes, sir.”

The Chancellor was sitting in his study, wondering if his decision to assist Caesar was right. He looked at the half empty bottle of Schnapps, and poured another shot. Maybe if he were a bit drunker, the doubts would go away. His aide came in, and handed him his telephone. “Yes? Who? Scipio? Oh, General Scipio. How may I assist you tonight? What do you mean General Marius,” said Bismarck, worried, “He is not here!”
“Don’t lie to me, Chancellor, I know about the Caesar-ites that you have there!”
“Why would you want to speak with them?”
“I want to get their assistance”
“I cannot help you, maybe the Governor of Anyang?”
“Why him?”
“That’s all I can give you, goodbye, General,” with that, the Chancellor hung up the telephone.

Scipio wondered about that, and looked in his directory. Why would the Governor of Anyang know about General Marius? He remembered he article in the paper, found the number, and dialed.

“General Marius, there is someone on the phone for the Governor (who was of course, dead),”said an aide.
“I wonder who that could be” said Marius to himself.
“Hello?”
“Who is this?”
“Who is that?”
“Its General Scipio, I got a tip off the chancellor of Germany that you could help me to get in touch with pro Caesar forces, in particular, General Marius”
“Speaking”
“What?”
“I am General Marius”
“What are you doing there?”
“Reclaiming Rome for its rightful ruler”
“And who would that be?”
“Emperor Caesar”
“WHAT! Isn’t he dead?”
“No, he is quite alive. Now, General, why did you want to speak to me?”
“I require your help to overthrow Consul Cicero”
“Its Dictator Cicero, now, and the Senate has been disbanded, permanently”
“So, will you?”
“We already are, but our forces are not strong. I will discuss the matter with Caesar, and discuss the likelihood of an alliance; I will speak to you soon. Goodbye, General.”

Scipio put the telephone down, his face in shock. “What is the matter, General?” said Colonel Graccis
“He is alive”
“Who is, General, is it Cassius?” said Graccis, hopefully.
“No, Caesar.”
“My God!”
A minute passed where no one said anything, then Graccis broke the silence, “Is it wise to sign an alliance with Caesar?”
Scipio remembered his dream, Rome in flames, with him kneeling at Caesar's statue. Could this mean that he would submit to Caesar? He needed to back his position. Most of the nations in the world (with the exception of Germany, at least) would hate to see Caesar back in power, so he knew he had a solid base for allies. He would call around, and gain the backing of the world. He must capture at least some of the Republic before Caesar took it all. Even just the Western section. He picked up the telephone, and dialed the number of his old friend Chancellor Joffre.

“So what about the alliance with Scipio?”
“Well, General, It will be good as a diversion to our attacks, I approve with it. Call him tomorrow morning before we move out, and inform him of my decision.”
“Yes, O’ Immortal Caesar,” Marius then saluted, and left the room.
“So, Major, you will be allied with your brother. This will get interesting.”
“I have not seen my brother in over 10 years. I wonder if he has changed.”

It was near midnight when Scipio put down the telephone and, with a smile on his face, turned to Colonel Graccis, “We must retreat to fort Cassius immediately”
“But what about our allies?”
“Joffre is taking care of that”
“Yes, General”

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Well I for one am glad that you have posted this earlier than planned.Once again this is excellent.

[Lord Zalzabad]

Back to the story

Not much this time, a bit of history aout Rome, and a new character
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Monday, 18 June, 1696

The officer walked into his father’s bedroom, alarmed by the message he was sent. He looked up at the clock, two in the morning. Something must be wrong! He entered the ambassador’s rooms, only to see a nurse looking over him. “Is my son here?” said a faint voice Major Marcus Constantine faintly recognised as his father. “Yes, father, I am here”
“It looks like this may be my last day on this planet, but before I pass on, I have to tell you something. Please come closer, Marcus. You must finish our family legacy. You are well positioned to complete it. It is your destiny to lead Rome into a new golden age, like that under you ancestor ruled over, many millennia ago… you… must…” with that he was dead.

Atrocamedies wrote the last paragraph for his college paper on the history of Rome, more importantly, the age of the Triumvirate;
“In 1219, the Consul-elect Cataline dissolved the Senate, declaring himself Emperor of all Rome. Thus began the age of troubles, when various governors of Roman provinces squabbled with each other over who will gain ultimate supremacy over the republic. Three factions arose from this time of lawlessness. Cicero, governor of Actum, was the leader of the Republican Faction. Emperor Cataline, obviously was the leader of the Imperial Faction, while the former Consul, Constantine the Great, lead a third faction, as a middle of the road faction. General Caesar was bribed by Constantine, and assassinated Cataline, ceding his territory to Constantine. Allying with petty ruler, Pompey, they formed a Triumvirate against Cicero, who took Rome, declared himself Dictator. In the Battle of Veii, 1250, Cicero’s forces defeated Pompey’s and Constantine’s armies, capturing, and executing them. Constantine’s son, however, managed to escape with a hand full of men to China, vowing to gain his revenge some day. General Caesar’s forces, however, were persued to the far and desolate north, where his forces, based around Caesura conducted guerilla attacks on Cicero’s empire. Cicero was appointed Consul for life, and decided to enlarge his empire, by taking the Greek enclave at Thermopile. So was the disastrous battle of Thermopile, where the army of Rome was saved by Caesar's army, who, after victory over Greece at Thermopile, persued the Roman army to the Gates of Rome, where Cicero surrendered, in exchange for his life. And so began the dynasty of Caesar.” Atrocamedies looked down at his document, that, he thought was worth an A.

Scipio looked over the City of Ravenna from the spires of the ancient fort. His artillery was in position. Once Cicero’s forces reached the city, his men would attack. His plan was simple. His forces would inflict maximum casualties, and draw the enemy into the city. Once there, his forces would be withdrawn, and his artillery would decimate the city into an inferno. He smiled, as he saw a thin plume of smoke from the northern horizon. “Captain, prepare the guns!”

[vovan]

Two thumbs up on this one, Lord Zalzabad! Very engaging and original. Keep going and don't be afraid: if there isn't too much feedback sometimes, and the readers seem quiet, it's because they have nothing to say but praise.

(Just you wait till they start criticising - that's when the desire to write goes away in some writers, unfortunately - I know it does in me, but I can't do anything about it...)

Any way, looking forward to the next chapter.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Hail Lord Zalzabad, just one thing though pleeeaaase keep it coming!!

[Lord Zalzabad]

I'll try, but I have to study for my HSC (really big test) in the meantime, so updates will not be as common

[Lord Zalzabad]

Constantine considers his fate, The battle of Ravenna begins

New discriptive title for each chapter!
------------------------------------------------------------------------“Why Zhang? Why did he have to leave me?” wept Constantine, bitterly.
“It was the will of heaven, young Constantine, I know that he was a friend to both Rome and China alike” said ambassador Zhang Lu of the Chinese Republic. “But what should I do, Zhang?”
“You should do what your father wanted you to do, what the heavens allow you to do.”
“But how?”
“You are a member of the republican guard, you have access to Cicero’s chambers. Do it then, but choose your moment wisely, Rome it seems, is about to be ravaged by War, you must choose your moment wisely, or it could mean disaster for us all.”
“Thank you, Zhang for your support”
“Your welcome, my friend”

“Commander, forward scouts note that the city has been abandoned by the populace, and Scipio’s forces are positioned around the city”
“Very well, private, we will dismount from the trains here and go into the city on ground”
“Why, sir?”
“Because Scipio is not a fool. He will have armor at the rail depots to blast us as we arrive. I want to be in the city by noon.” The private looked at his watch, seven am.

“Sir, Cicero’s forces have stopped, but they are outside our range of our artillery.”
“Withdraw all troops from the city, bar light infantry” Scipio shouted
“Yes, sir” said the Private, scampering to the radio to broadcast the order.

“Dictator Cicero, sir, our forces are at the gates of Ravenna, and should be in the city by noon”
“How is our northern expedition going?”
“General Cracus has reached Caesura and is preparing the march north. We have also ordered the 1st air wing to the area. They should be their tomorrow”
“Very good.”
“Also, dictator, we have just received news from Veii that Ambassador Constantine has passed away”
“Send the family a ham, and my condolences”
“Yes, Dictator Cicero”

The company of men started the long march south from Anyang. They would be taking the back roads to avoid detection. Major Graccis was riding in a jeep next to General Marius. Turning to the General, Graccis asked, “Sir, what is your goal after we seize Caesura”
“Our Goal will be Brundistrum, the industrial centre of the west, and Byzantine, the Western Capital. By then, we should have enough troops to take out the Greek Cities of Thermopile, Spata and Athens, while our main troops head for Rome. Reports suggest that Cicero has sent his best troops to deal with Scipio in the West, which means that we will have little to no opposition, and what opposition we do meet, will be fairly poor.”
“Very well, General, when will we be in Caesura?”
“I estimate tomorrow morning”

The first of the troops entered the city, cautiously riding in on jeeps. There was no opposition. This, thought the commander, was strange. There was a crack and the commander fell. Major Vittro looked around, and ordered his troops to fire into the building where the sniper shot. They were gone. Another shot rang out, but missed the Major. There were snipers everywhere. Vittro saw a jeep speeding off towards the city centre. “Follow that jeep!” The troops followed the jeep towards the centre of town, and towards the trap.

General Scipio was looking through his looking glass at the Republican troops coming closer to his trap. Soon, they will be within the perimeter for the bombardment to begin. After the Republican forces were animated, his forces would advance towards Pisae, retaking the city with the help of Colonel Publius’ forces from Fort Constantine. “Sir, it is nearly twelve.”
“Fire on my mark!”
“Yes sir!”

Constantine sat on the edge of the pier, looked down at the water beneath his feet, contemplating his fate. He remembered Zhang’s words, “do what the heavens allow you to do” Constantine stood up, and looked out at the Colossus. Yes, he would do it! He would assassinate Cicero, and seize control of the empire. Captain Srato walked up to the Major, “sir, we have orders to report to Rome immediately. And Cicero has sent you a ham in sympathy about your fathers death”
“How nice of him! We must head for Rome. Srato, can you keep a secret?”
“Yes, Major, I can”

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Great

[Lord Zalzabad]

The Battle of Ravenna, the conspiricy deepens

“What was that!” Vittro yelled. Too late, the shells started to rain down on the city. , “Take cover!” yelled Vittro as he dived for cover in an abandoned butcher’s shop. He pulled out his radio, yelling into it

“WE ARE UNDER ATTACK, REPEAT, UNDER ATTACK! SCIPIO’S FORCES HAVE AMBUSHED U.S AND IS BOMBARDING THE CITY WITH ARTILLARY. WE NEED REINFORCEMENTS, OR WE WILL BE PUSHED BACK TO PISAE”

“That message came in fifteen minutes ago, Dictator. Should we send assistance?”
“Send troops to Pompeii and the Via Pass, order them to dig in. If Scipio wants to take the capital, he must go through there. In the mean time, send the third air wing to cover their retreat. How is our Northern Expedition going?”
“They will be there tonight, at around midnight.”
“Very good. Once Caesar is out of the way, we can turn the majority of the troops to the Eastern front, and against Scipio”
“Dictator, I hear that they are getting assistance from the French, and the Egyptians”
“Portray Scipio as a puppet to those regimes. Portray him as a bloodthirsty baby killer. Use the new medium of television to broadcast this message. We can do little else against those regimes, as they control the oil supply to our great nation”
“Very well, Dictator. It shall be done. When is this meeting of your Republican Guard Officers?”
“I believe its tonight. You will be there, General?”
“Naturally, Dictator.”

“WITHDRAW FROM CITY, REPEAT, WITHDRAW FROM CITY TO PISAE. YOU WILL BE GIVEN AIR SUPPORT TO AID YOUR WITHDRAWAL. YOU ARE PROMOTED TO COMMANDER VITTRO, FOR YOUR EXELENT WORK THUS FAR”

That is a lot of help, thought Vittro. He turned to his surviving officers, and ordered them to Retreat to Pisae, wondering why he was promoted commander of his Mechanized Division.

“And what is with promoting that officer, Dictator?”
“He will take the blame when Pisae falls, and I will be the hero of the day for driving that “foreign puppet” out of our nation”
“Excellent plan, Dictator”

“Why, Constantine? Why kill him?” said Srato, amazed at what he heard.
“I must, Srato, as it is my fathers will,” said Constantine, biting out of the roast ham on the table before him.
“But he has given you so much!”
“Like this ham?”
“Well, it is tasty, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes, but I still must kill him, even though he gave me such a nice, plump ham”
“Very well, Constantine, I am with you. I will try to get together some higher placed officers in your conspiracy. It would not be very creditable if a Captain and a Major over-through the Government”
“You’re right,” replied Constantine, cutting off another piece of succulent ham, “but I am still leader”
“Ok, your still leader”
“Good,” replied Constantine, putting another piece of meat in his mouth, as the high-speed train rumbled down the tracks towards Rome.

“General, sir, Radar indicates that there are planes heading in this direction, most properly from Veii Airforce Base” said a Radar operator
“Shoot them down, Captain, they have come to aid the attack on Ravenna” shouted Scipio, angrily.
“But sir, that means our gunner crews will not be able to bombard the city”
“If those planes reach here, we will be toast!” Replied the General. The Radar operator knew not to cross Scipio in a mood like this, so simply replied, “I will issue the order, sir”

“Commander Vittro, sir, the Bombardment has stopped!” said an officer, looking towards the horizon
“What a brilliant plan of Cicero’s! Withdraw the men now” replied Commander Vittro
“Yes, sir, but what is this brilliant plan?”
“The artillery that the Republic uses can be converted to anti aircraft if need be. This was to save costs. Now, the planes are more of a threat to Scipio than we are, so they are drawing their fire away from us, giving us the chance to withdraw”
“How smart of them!”

“General, the planes are just out of our range. We cannot fire them” yelled the Radar operator from his bunker.
“General, it seems that the Republican forces are withdrawing from the city” said a signals officer
“Darn that Republican force, I was outwitted! Order the Mechanized forces to peruse the Republicans back to Pisae. Signals, get me Publius on the Phone” shouted Scipio, angry that his plan failed

Publius was contemplating his defeat at Pisae. If only he had not followed General Lepidus’ advice. They could of stayed and defended the city. He looked out from the lone hill which Fort Constantine was positioned. From here, he could see the city of Alexandria, the city of Pisae, and on a clear day, even Ravenna. He looked in the direction of Ravenna, and saw smoke rising from the city. A Lieutenant from signals came up to him, and Publius said, “You know, it may have been better to surrender back at Pisae. It seems Scipio has come to disaster. Get me on the line to Rome, I want to negotiate our surrender.”
“No need, Colonel,” said the Lieutenant, “Scipio is on the line and wishes to talk to you.”

“Publius here… a glorious victory? Congratulations. What was that? Very well, it shall be done” Publius put down the phone, and turned to him men, “Today, we march on Pisae!” A general cheer was replied to this glorious announcement

[Lord Zalzabad]

Lord Zalzabad needs your help!

In order to come up with the regular story, I must invent ever more bizzare and wierd Roman Names. Currently my supply is running out. In order to continue receving the same quality storyline, I ask you to pledge one new Roman name for the continued publication of this story.


Seriously though, I need more names (that I havn't used) There is still one more part in my Ghost of Thermopolie trilogy to go, and I am out of names halfway through the second story. Please help me

[vovan]

Lord Zalzabad, as always, a great story you have there. It would be sad to see you stop short of finishing the trilogy due to some simple reason like the lack of names. Check out this here link. It has information about roman names aplenty.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

How about General Chrisius Maximus!
BTW great stuff keep it coming

[Lord Zalzabad]

Thanks for your help, now I can continue the story!