The Phantasma of Hades

[Lord Zalzabad]

The plan for defence, Vittro's Humiliation

Commander Vittro was sitting down at the Drunkard Tavern, in Pisae. He looked at the amber liquid in front of him, and sighed. The radio operator returned, and shook his head, reminding him that the Recon unit would be back any time now, but they could not get through to Rome. Vittro took another sip from his drink, and stared at the mirror opposite him. The Recon unit returned and gave Vittro the bad news. They were surrounded. Vittro sighed, drained his glass, and asked the barmaid to get him another. If he were going to go down, he would go down happy!

“General Scipio, we have met up with Publius’ forces, and surrounded the city,” said Colonel Graccis, enthusiastically.
Very good,” replied Scipio, turning to Flavius, adding, “Send out an offer to surrender. If they do not reply in an hour, we will attack them. Graccis set the artillery in place. We will commence with a heavy bombardment, and then attack with mechanized forces from the north, east, and west, with the cannons situated in the south.”
“Yes, sir,” replied the two officers, as they started to go around doing their duties.

Vittro was sitting at the bar, as drunk as a skunk, sipping his tenth glass of ale for that morning. The radio operator ran in, and gave Vittro a message. Vittro stood up, holding his glass in salute, yelling, “We will fight to the last man! Order the troops to charge the command post in the south”
“But sir, that hill is heavily fortified!”
“Bah! Because of this, they will not be expecting an attack, so CHARGE!” said Vittro, before falling down on the dusty floor of the old tavern. The radio operator said to the barmaid, “Is he dead?”
“Nah, he’s just sleeping. He will most properly be over it in an hour or two,” replied the Barmaid. The Radio Operator, Major Titinius, slowly walked over to the radio to broadcast the Commanders message.

“Welcome, General Constantine,” said Cicero as Constantine walked into the Dictators office. Constantine looked around, and saw that the room was decorated with pictures. Pictures of his wife, pictures of himself, and surprisingly, pictures of his deceased daughter, Portia. Constantine was gazing at the walls, but asked, “Why was Air Marshal Satunis in such a hurry when I passed him?”
“Ah, a mission to save our research from the Rebels. But to the point, I called you here to go over the plans for the defense of Rome in case our lines don’t hold,” replied the Dictator.
“Do you fear that the lines will break, Dictator?”
“If they do, we have nothing to stop them,” said Cicero as he walked over to his desk. Constantine followed him, and saw a map of Rome, and surrounding terrain was set out on the desk. “This,” said Cicero, “was the plans for the defense of Rome under Marshal Antonius. That is now redundant now that Antonius has betrayed my trust. Tell, me, General, what is the approximate number of troops in the city?”
Constantine kept his face expressionless. His hatred for this man was great, but now was not the right time, “We have a division and a half of Infantry, a Armor Brigade, and a company of Republican Guard. We have nothing.”
“Darn that Antonius, we need to devise a plan!”
“Well sir, we are in a un-winnable position for defending this city. I propose moving the Government to Veii. There is a massive division there, including Marines. We should then withdraw all of our troops to the city. The nearby hills make the city extremely defendable, and will be protected by the Navy and the Airforce.”
“Well, General, your position has merit, we cannot win this war, but we might as well withdraw to a more defendable position. From there, we can easily defend, and bide our time intill hostility breaks between the two rebel groups. They are ideological opposites, Marius and Scipio. They will not survive in an alliance for long. However, remember, this is only if the lines break. Keep this plan a secret, ok?”
“Yes, sir. But may I ask a question, what is Project Z?”
“How do you know about that?”
“Just talk in the barracks”
“Well, I may as well tell you, Project Z is developing a weapon of unimaginable strength. We were going to use it to extort the world, but it seems that Lugium will fall any day now to Scipio. We are withdrawing anyone of importance to the New Rome colonies, where they will continue their research. However, some of the heavy equipment cannot be moved, so they will have to be destroyed. I have given that mission to Satunis.”
“Oh, I see,” said Constantine, a struggling to fight back a smile, “I will take my leave, sir.” Constantine was in, Cicero trusted him. Finally, his vengeance could be felt by all.

Major Titinius looked around at his troops, calming them at the oncoming charge. He looked at the hill, and picked up his whistle.

General Scipio looked down at his watch, an hour was up. He picked up his radio to the artillery commander, and prepared to give the orders to fire. Something caught his eye. Picking up a pair of binoculars, he looked down the slope towards the city, and was shocked at what he saw.

Titinius blew his whistle, and the troops began their charge

Vittro stood up, looking around the bar. No one was around. A little groggy, he stumbled towards the door, and looked down the street. There was no one there. He did not give any orders, did he? This was strange. Stumbling down the street he just happened to look up at the hill to the south of the city. The sight shocked him. Bodies were lining the slopes, the bodies of his troops! What had he done? He pulled out his pistol, and put it in his mouth. Pulling the trigger, Vittro felt the pain of humiliation no more.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Great stuff Zalza, as always. Looking forward to Constantine attempting his coup de tat.

[vovan]

Very nice, Z.

No more school? I can't wait till we are done for the semester, since as of now I don't even have the time to finish my own story

Any way, please keep writing

[Lord Zalzabad]

The Rebels Victorius

Thanks. Now that I have given up posting on Apolyton Empire, I will have more time to concentrate on finishing this story

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caesar slowly walked the deserted streets of Caesura, flanked by General Marius, and the newly promoted, General Graccis. Caesar turned to Graccis, and said, “order your troops to gather the civilians in the City Square.”
“Yes sir,” replied Graccis, saluting and moving towards a nearby radio unit
“Marius, lead the way to the governors house,” said Caesar, “we have to get him to surrender his city to us!”
“It is near the City Square, Oh Immortal Caesar,” replied Marius, as they entered the deserted square. The only people about were a few soldiers milling around, who ignored the entrance of Marius and Caesar. The Generals slowly walked to the Governors House, where Governor Piaus was awaiting them. “Long time no see, Emperor Caesar, I believe you want me to hand over the city to you?” said Piaus
“Yes Governor. For your obedience, I will let you live, and retain your position” replied Caesar, as he pulled out the formal declaration of surrender. As the Governor signed it, people started gathering into the square. Ten minutes later, the square was full of locals wondering why armed men had seized their city. Caesar stepped up to the dais that had been prepared for him, ready to make a speech.

Captain Cato had never been more nervous in his life. He had only just received his position in the Imperial Guard a week ago, and now he was going to deliver this news to the Dictator. Cato was also afraid. He, contrary to his orders, had read the message, and did not like what he saw. He was afraid he would get in trouble for delivering this dreadful news. He knocked on the door to the Dictators office, and heard an irritable “Come!” from within. Timidly, Cato opened the door, entered and saluted. Cicero saluted back, and then asked, “What do you have for me, Captain?”
Cato handed over the document and said, “This message came for you, sir.”
“Well don’t just stand their, read it!”
Cato opened the envelope, and read out to Cicero the contents

Dictator’s Eyes Only
Report from spy’s stop
Caesura Fallen stop
Pisae Fallen stop
Regards, General Chrisius
End Message

Cato looked up from the document at Cicero, who was trying to contain the rage within him, “Leave… now…” said the Dictator in quiet anger. Cato did not wait to leave, he walked out of there as fast as he could.

Caesar stood on the dais, looking over the stunned and bewildered people of Caesura, and spoke into the microphone, “People of Caesura, your ruler has returned!” The stunned crowds were shocked. A man, who was said to be dead, was standing before them. Suddenly, a man in the rear of the crowd started to clap, followed cautiously by some other people. Soon the entire crowd was clapping, and young men began to stand in line to join Caesar's Imperial Guard. Caesar smiled at this, adding, “I will lead you to victory over the evil Republic that has neglected you for so long!”

Scipio was sitting at the mess hall in the barracks of the Pisae Garrison. No prisoners were found by his troops, just the masses of troops that charged his lines, and the body of a lone officer by the name of Vittro. It appeared that he was the commander of the force that attacked his troops. He looked over the list of casualties caused by the suicidal charge into the guns. He did not expect this to happen, a full frontal assault on his dug in infantry, and the attack had cost him dearly. Five hundred men dead, one thousand wounded. It seemed their advance would be delayed. He had just sent Colonel Graccis to check the Via Pass, their road to Rome, and Colonel Publius to capture Lugium. Captain Flavius walked in and gave him the news of Caesar's victory. He smiled, and sat back on his chair, opening a bottle of brandy. This, thought he, was a time to celebrate!

[ChrisiusMaximus]

[vovan]

Yet another great installment. keep 'em coming, Z

[Lord Zalzabad]

The Battle of Via Pass

Sorry about the lack of updates, but here is the next section
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caesar looked at his new recruits with pride. These men would be the backbone of his conquest of the Republic. However, they still had a lot of training to accomplish. The regular forces, however, had mobilized with their newly acquired weapons and were ready to advance south to Caesar Augustus. A few would remain here and train his troops. Intelligence indicated that the garrison in Caesar Augustus was small, and would be a walkover. General Graccis walked over to Caesar to inform him of the movement of the Republican Forces. It seemed that a large section of Republican Guard Troops had left Rome, leaving the city practically undefended. He also informed him of the withdrawal of equipment and personnel to Veii, and of Scipio’s progress. General Marius whispered something in Caesar's ear, who smiled in reply. “We move out immediately, Generals!” said Caesar

The canyon was deep, impassable. There was one bridge over the canyon, one bridge to service the entire area. On one side of this uninhabitable wastelands, known as the Via Mountains, just over the canyon was Fort Via. Long ago, at the dawn of the first republic, the Consuls decreed that only one road be built through the mountains as a defensive precaution. If barbarians overran the Western Empire, Fort Via would hold them at bay from reaching the centre of the republic. The Fortress was centuries old, built on the ruins of the first, destroyed during the Times of Troubles, yet it was almost impenetrable from the West. Attackers would have to cross the bridge, heavily guarded, and then pass through the ancient fortress. All attacks against it had failed. However, Graccis knew, looking through his spyglass, that once that fortress was breached, they would be in open ground all the way to Rome. He picked up the radio to the General, who ordered him to stay. Once more, he picked up his spyglass, and looked at the fortress. In the distance, he could see a cloud of smoke, caused by a large body of mechanized forces. He focused in on this group, and picked up his radio again. Strange, he had never seen that type of Tanki before.

Commander Titinius looked at the Tanki that was now under his control. These were not like the previous Tanki, but New, Modern and Advanced. Their speed was double that of the previous model and packed twice the firepower, with Armor as thick as a battleship. And to think, Cicero had placed the entire battalion under his command. He saluted the commander of the Tanki Force, and ordered out a recon unit of light infantry to make sure that there were no spies in the hills over the canyon.

Graccis was having a cup of coffee as his unit continued to observe the Fort. His orders were to observe and not make contact. A private was watching the pass, and franticly signaled to the Colonel and he approached. The Private pointed towards the bridge, at a company of Infantry marching over the bridge. Colonel Graccis quickly sneaked over to the radio and broadcast the report of the company. After a brief silence, the radio crackled back, “Most properly recon unit, Ambush at will.” Graccis smiled at this chance for action, his first in the war. He signaled his men to gather around them, and all the men gathered around him. Pulling out a map of the area, he signaled the positions where his troops will be to ambush the recon unit. This plan, he thought, was flawless. However, there was a flaw. There was no one keeping observation on the bridge. If there was, they would of seen the ten jeeps crossing the bridge, loaded with heavy infantry, equipped with Machine Guns, Flame-throwers and Rocket Launchers.
“Very well, this is the plan. We will ambush them on the main road. We will place the Machine Gun at the top of this ridge,” he gestured to a point on the map, “and have infantry concealed behind these trees,” and gestured to a point beside the road, “When the enemy approach, we will all open fire apon the advancing troops, but wait for my signal, understand?”
“Yes, sir,” replied the troops, enthusiastically.
“Then move out”

“Why did you send that other unit out, Commander Titinius?”
“I have a sneaky suspicion that there is something out there, waiting for us,” replied the Commander, gazing out over the hills, “Prepare the artillery for action, Sergeant.”
“Yes, sir.”

The trees were little more than stumps, but the men still managed to conceal themselves wall. A cloud of dust arose from down the road, and the sound of voices approached. The troops clicked the safety off their Assault Rifles, and waited silently and patiently. Colonel Graccis, from a safe distance on the ridge picked up his Radio, ready to give the order to attack. He waited a few minutes, and moved the radio to his mouth, pressing in the transmit button.

“Did you hear that?” said one soldier to another.
“No, what did it sound like?”
“A crackle, like a radio in transmit mode would make”
“Very strange…” but he did not finish that sentence. Graccis’ troops had opened fire. The unit sought cover, but in this wasteland, there was very little. There were perhaps ten of the original twenty soldiers left alive in the recon unit. The Radio Corporal, sheltering behind a large bolder, shouted into his radio, “Under fire, under fire, request artillery support at co-ordinates 124 543”
“Roger that, Corporal, will respond” he replied. A rifleman ran across the road to the same bolder the Corporal was sheltering behind, and asked him, “Where is our backup?”
“I have requested Artillery fire on the enemy positions. The Mech. unit behind us should know about the enemy positions, and will offer support”
“Very well.”

Colonel Graccis was watching with glee at the destruction of the enemy platoon. However, his happiness did not last, crushed by the sounds of shells being launched from Artillery at the Fort. He picked up his radio to inform the troops of this new emergency. After broadcasting his message, he ran down the other side of the gully to his jeep to radio base. At that moment, the shells hit the road.

Screams of the wounded echoed throughout the Valley as the gun battle raged on. There were only five troops left now, but the enemy troops had been decimated by the Artillery Shells. The troops were running low on ammunition, and had no hope of escape. A second round of artillery fired off, shortly hitting the ridge where the Machine Gunner was located. At that moment, machine gun bullets rained down on the enemy troops, slaughtering many of them, the mech. unit had arrived.

Graccis looked at horror as his troops were slaughtered. The ridge he had been standing on mere minutes ago had been destroyed. He could hear Cicero’s forces attacking his pinned down troops, and the bloody screams for mercy. Thinking quickly, he jumped into his jeep and hurried off.

Commander Titinius looked at the few prisoners that had been captured. Their uniforms were ragged and torn, with many of them carrying wounds of war. They would of course be interrogated, but Titinius was sure that they were an advance unit for Scipio’s army. The search of the hills afterwards found no other soldiers, however a pair of tire marks was found. He picked up the telephone to Strategic Command in Rome to report the incident.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

good to see some more my friend. Keep up the good work.

[Lord Zalzabad]

A Strange Development, Caesar Augustus Falls

Scipio took the news of the defeat calmly. Pacing back and forward, he shook his head and said, “in a war, you must expect losses.” Graccis was relieved at not being reprimanded, and turned to leave, however Scipio stopped him, “but, I can not let this go unpunished, Graccis, this is your first and last warning, do not stuff up.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied. As Graccis was leaving, the Radio crackled into life. The signals officer answered it, and then handed it to Scipio, saying, “It’s Colonel Publius, he is calling from Lugium”
“What is it, Publius,” yelled Scipio into the radio.
“We have captured Lugium with minimal casualties. The majority of the garrison surrendered however there were a few stranglers who decided to fight on. They have naturally been eliminated”
“Very well, then, Scipio out.”
“Sir, wait,” replied Publius, “we have discovered something strange”
“Strange? How strange?”
“Well, I think you better see for your self, sir”
“Very well, then, I will take a transport plane up there”
“I will see you soon.”

“Dictator, we have lost Lugium, as you expected. Also, an advance party of Scipio’s forces has been eliminated at the Via pass.”
“Excellent, Major. What’s up with Marius’ force?”
“Moving south from Caesura. Intel suggests Two armored brigades, Three Mechanized Infantry Divisions. Reports also indicates that they have about 1000 artillery up their sleeves.”
“Hmm, ok, then, where is their next probable target?”
“He could go for Caesar Augustus or Thermopile. Both are naval bases, but the fleet is currently en route to Veii, so they will not be able to capture any ships.”
“Very well, order the garrisons to destroy the port facility’s and airports in these cities to prevent them from constructing naval vessels”
“Very well, Dictator, it will be sent immediately.”

Governor Virntra was looking out his window over the city of Caesar Augustus, contemplating the orders he had just received. He knew this city would be Caesar's next target, and he knew that Caesar's forces outnumbered his by 10 to 1. The Commander of the Garrison walked into the office to inform him that all that had been asked for had been done, the explosives had been set. The commander handed the Governor the remote. The governors finger circled the red button, as he continued to stare out thee window. He turned to the commander, and told him, “The fate of your men is in your hands. You may retreat, you may fight, and you may surrender. The choice is yours.” The governor stood up and walked to his desk, opening the top draw. The commander asked, “What about you, sir?”
“Me?” replied the Governor, pulling out a pistol from the draw, “I will stay here.” The governor returned to his seat and looked down at the button, then saying, “this will set off the timer, wont it?”
“Yes, then there will be 10 seconds before it blows up”
“Very well, commander, you may leave.” The commander saluted, turned and left. The governor, meanwhile pushed the button, raised his gun to his head, and pulled the trigger.

“Sir, Caesar Augustus is in sight, orders, Caesar?” asked a Major
“Yes we aim for the Governors Palace”
“Very well, Caesar.”
Caesar reached the ridge that overlooked the city and smiled. Another city in his possession. However, at that moment, several explosions shook the area. Looking out over the city, he could see that the airport and the port were on fire. Caesar shook his head in disbelief, and gave the order to advance.

Scipio’s plane arrived ahead of schedule, but Colonel Publius was still there, saluting his General as he left the plane. Turning to his Colonel, Scipio asked, “what did you find?”
Publius smiled, and pointed towards a nearby warehouse, “its over there. We discovered it when we had taken the airport. You see, that was one of the areas of resistance in the city. Three transport planes managed to get away, but these two,” he gestured to two cargo planes parked near the warehouse, “didn’t make it off. We interrogated the pilots, who said they were supposed to take this stuff to Veii. They did not know what it was, though.” Scipio turned into the warehouse, and saw three large machines, two super computers, and a large filing cabinet. There was also a sealed chest with a strange symbol on it, and the words, Danger, Radioactive plastered all over it. Scipio turned to Publius, and said, “get the scientists to look over it. I want the rest of your troops back to Pisae”
“It will be done. What should we do with the prisoners?”
“Give them a chance to join us. If they don’t, shoot them”
“Yes sir.”

The Commander looked over his men, who were tired, exhausted, and outnumbered. His scouts noted that Caesar's forces were at the edge of the city, advancing down apon them. He faced his men, and said, “We are outnumbered and outgunned. The choice is up to you, men, if we fight on, or return to our families. I myself will fight on, even if it means fighting on alone. However, not from this city. I will fight a guerilla war against the rebels, and I will defeat them. If you wish to return to your families, you may do so now.”
No one moved. The commander smiled at this, and said, “Very well, then gather your stuff, we will leave for the Augustus Forest in five minutes. Dismissed.”

Cracus was reading over the report. General Chrisius had been ordered to keep open an escape route, and Marshal Antonius was moving most of his troops north to Byzantium. Caesar had seized Caesar Augustus, and the Garrison had fled to the hills. In the West, it was not much better, with Giza Ravenna, Pisae, and Lugium under the rebels’ control. The only good news was that Pompeii had been seized from rebel control. It seemed Cicero was loosing it, moving troops everywhere. Cracus was sure that the Veii pass would hold, but Chrisius’ and Antonius’ forces were made mostly of infantry. Cracus looked down at a map of the eastern part of Rome, and smiled. He drew a line up to Caesar Augustus, and then back down to Byzantine. His forces, it seemed, were the only loyal mechanized force in the entire Eastern Republic. Suddenly a plan formed in his head. He picked up the telephone, and dialed the number for Marshal Antonius.

Antonius was cranky. Nothing had gone right all day. The movement of his troops was behind schedule, and the Armor that he had expected had not turned up. Now Cracus was on the telephone wanting to talk to him. Antonius picked p the phone, and spoke into it, “Hello, Cracus, what do you want?”
“I have a plan to help rout the rebel forces marching on Byzantine”
“Explain”
And he did. After the plan had been discussed, Cracus said, “but there is something else. I believe that Cicero is too unstable, and must be removed”
“I agree, Cracus, but we will talk about this later”
“Very well, I will see you in Byzantium”
“I will see you there”

Caesar was sitting in the blood soaked chair of the former Governor, as General Graccis arrived, and handed Caesar a report. Caesar read it, and turning to Graccis, asked, “So there was no resistance whatsoever?”
“No, sir,” replied Graccis, “it seems that they fled for the hills after planting the explosives.”
“Very well, then, draft some locals into our army, and leave them here to protect the city from attacks by the garrison.”
“Yes, sir.”

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Looking good!

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Hey Zalza just seen your post in the contest thread, as we have plenty of time on our hands how about some more of this story

[Lord Zalzabad]

tommorrow, I promise, Tomorrow. Very busy at the moment, even with no school.

[Lord Zalzabad]

Caesar's Ruse

His scientists were looking over the package found at Lugium, and so far, they had not determined the material within, or the use of the two great machines. Scipio shook his head, and returned to his office. Sitting down, he ordered his commanders to come to his office to plan the Capture of the Via Pass.

“Caesar, the troops are ready to leave. Are you coming, sir?”
“Just one moment, Graccis, I have to make a telephone call,” replied Caesar, picking up his phone, and dialing the Pisae Barracks.

His commanders had just sat down as the phone rang. Scipio, wondering what it was, pushed the speakerphone button, and heard a voice that made all his commanders shake in fear.
“Hello, Scipio, friend” said the voice Scipio vaguely remembered, all those twenty years ago
“H…hello Caesar, wh…what might I owe this pleasure?” replied Scipio
“I have called to discuss tactics,” he replied.
“Well,” said Colonel Publius, confidently, “we are going no where intill we get past the Via Pass, and as you know, that place is impenetrable.”
“Who might you be, young Commander?”
“Colonel Publius, sir”
“Hmm, well, Publius, it seems that it is impossible to get past the Via Pass. However, you must think beyond the square, my young friend”
“How do you mean?” asked Graccis
“The Via Pass is not the only way through the Via mountains. You could send your troops along the coastal routes at Pompeii and…”
“And Titinium!” said Scipio excitedly, “That village is poorly defended, due to the poor condition of the coastal road. No one would even dream of using that path,”
“And,” replied Caesar, “That is why you will use it. I must go, Byzantium awaits.” And the phone hung up. Scipio turned to Publius, and ordered him to send a recon team out to scout out a route.

Constantine was sitting quietly in his command centre, waiting for something to happen. Nothing much had happened that day, other than a small skirmish with the Caesarites. However, what Constantine was really waiting for was a call from Marshal Antonius, to tell him to begin the coup. A telephone rang, which Constantine picked up, and spoke in for a few seconds. He smiled. At least that hole was plugged. He picked up a paperback book, and began to read it. It was another boring day.

However, this new day was not boring for the recon team. They had followed the road all the way along the coast, and the village of Titinium was now visible. The Road twisted its way along the coast, 100 feet from the raging sea beneath them. All they had to do was round this point and they would be there. The Commanders jeep turned the corner, and stopped. The road had been recently blown up There was a sheer drop for 50 feet, falling on jagged rocks. The commander heard something sounding strangely like a jet fighter scream over head. He raised his head to see what it was, but he did not see. The blast threw his command jeep off the cliff. As the fighter turned for another round, the Sargent ordered his men to retreat, and so they did.

Antonius looked over the fields of the Greek Plains where his forces were entrenched. He knew he lacked the mechanized forces that Caesar possessed, but his men were armed with anti-Tanki weapons. He was to hold off the enemy intill Cracus’ armored troops could cut around and rout them. This, he thought, would be a masterful plan that would crush the rebellion where it stood.

Graccis looked at the document with disbelief. He did not think Cracus was this aggressive. He quickly drove to Caesar's command Jeep, and told him of this terrible news. Caesar thought for a moment, and then it hit him, the perfect plan. He looked out over the Greek Plains, and saw where Antonius had entrenched his troops. Fine, he thought, it was time for them to see a ghost.

“Sir, a single Jeep is driving down off the plains. Should we fire apon it?”
“And reveal the positions of our artillery? No let’s see what Caesar has to say”
“Caesar? But isn’t he dead?”
“No, he is as good as alive. Why do you ask?”
“Because if the men see someone they think is dead approaching them…”
And suddenly it clicked. He picked up the radio, and yelled into it, “All guns, fire co- ordinates four zero zero nine”

“Men of Rome,” yelled Caesar into his megaphone, “Why do you fight me? I am your rightful ruler, Caesar!”
The troops were frightened, afraid that this man, who was said to be dead, was alive. One private, remembering a photo of the deceased leader yelled, “It is him!”
“If your government has lied to you about me, why wouldn’t it lie about other things?”
The soldiers thought about this for a moment. The argument was convincing.
“So leave that force of evil that suppresses you with lies and deceit, and join the glorious army, fighting to rid the world of scum like Cicero!”
One man stood up, and said, “I will join you!” he was followed by more. Other troops threw down their arms, and started to flee at the sight of this ghost.

Antonius looked at this with shock. His force had crumbled into nothing. He picked up the radio and ordered a full-scale retreat to Hispalis. Caesar had defeated the Republican Guard without loosing a single man.

Caesar smiled to himself. He had been victorious in all of his battles, without loosing a single man, and now, the Secondary capital was his, Byzantium.

[Flash]

I just found this story and your prequel. Thanks to you, I've been up allnight. .

Keep up the tremendous work. My only regret is that your incredable piece of ameteur fiction is not complete.
Truely a piece of inspiration.

Looking forward to more..................

FLASH

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Superb as always Zalza, kepp up the good work.