B4 Chapter 38: Under One Eagle
B4 Chapter 38: Under One Eagle
Tiberius studied the young Legatus for a moment. His youth was becoming less apparent by the day. The fine dusting of stubble decorating his face was finally beginning to thicken into something more substantial, and the dark bags under his eyes spoke of a weariness no young man should know.
He waved for Gaius to rise. "Then we shall speak. Come."
Gaius nodded, straightening and falling into step beside Tiberius. The guards moved to surround them both in individual bubbles of security until Tiberius waved them off. "That will not be necessary."
His praetorians nodded and allowed Gaius to approach. The First Legionnaires hesitated only a moment longer before following Tiberius's direction as well. He saw Gaius's mouth thin ever so slightly.
They walked side by side in silence through the castle until they arrived at Tiberius's private office. There, he motioned for the guards to remain at the door as they entered. He trusted Gaius, though not to a foolhardy degree. Tiberius was well aware of the machinations that could cause even his closest of allies to turn on him. But he had other countermeasures in place for just such eventualities as well.
The door shut behind them. Tiberius clasped arms with Gaius and motioned for him to sit before the desk as he took his place behind it.
"We will not be troubled here. Speak."
Gaius remained silent for a long moment. He averted his gaze as though uncertain about how to broach the topic. But before Tiberius could grow impatient, he met Tiberius's eyes and took a deep breath.
"I have concerns about my Legion."
Tiberius frowned. It wasn't entirely unexpected, though. A Legatus's primary concern should be his Legion, after all.
"Explain."
Gaius straightened, squaring his shoulders as his gaze firmed. "With how thinly the First Legion is spread across its many responsibilities, it can hardly be called a Legion anymore. A cohort siphoned off to merge with the Third Legion. Another permanently dedicated to construction work. A third and fourth on monster hunting duty. And that's without considering the number of centuries and contubernia who have been reassigned to other tasks such as blacksmithing or magecraft experiments. I have less than a cohort under my command here in the capital. My men feel less and less like my men with each passing day."
Tiberius saw a flash of the Legatus's youth peek through as he spoke. The slightest bit of petulance tinged his words, though he tried to suppress it.
He let Gaius's words settle before responding. "Such is the way of things in peacetime. A Legion is not always together as a singular, battle-ready force. When assigned to a province, it will often find itself spread out between defense and maintenance of the area. As your men are."
"That is... I understand that, emperor." Gaius took another breath. "And it would bring me comfort. However, I am rarely the one making the decisions as to where men should be assigned. Most of these assignments were decreed without my input. It was also decided without my input that Quintus would absorb the first cohort. I am still struggling to properly train the men I received in return and properly fill the roles left empty. And I will likely lose even more as they are pulled away from their duties to train another Legion and fill positions of authority there."
Tiberius remained silent. Gaius's words were true. But at the same time, there was no helping it. Such actions needed to be taken.
"I understand the necessity of all this," Gaius preempted. "But it weakens my authority as Legatus when such decisions are made outside of my control. If this continues... I do not know if we could live up to the standard that you have come to expect. "
When the Legatus had finished, Tiberius tapped one finger against the desk. "And what would you have me do about this? As you stated, such measures are necessary. None of your men have been deployed frivolously.”
Gaius nodded. "I ask that you allow me first choice on new Legionnaire recruits. And when the Fourth Legion is established, I ask that experienced men also be taken equally from the Third Legion, if not the Second as well. Otherwise, I fear that the First Legion's eagle will soon resemble a carcass picked over by carrion birds."
Tiberius mulled it over. The first ask was easier to grant, if still problematic. There already weren't enough recruits to go around, not without accepting retainers and nobility whose allegiances were so clearly pledged to others already. And the second... He didn't like the idea of trusting this world's natives with too many leadership responsibilities.
Gaius had accurately identified that Tiberius would need to draw on his own men further, though. And though he didn't want to entrust such duties to anything less than a true Roman, he would need to at some point. Perhaps he needed to trust Quintus and Gaius to work such matters out.
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"I will consider it." He confirmed with a slow nod. "However, requisitioning men from the Second Legion for the Fourth was not my intention."
Gaius looked surprised. "Truly?"
"Indeed. Though true to our ideals and capable in their own right, the elves and their training mean they function better as a Legion of their own. Training them to fit with another Legion would take more time."
The young Legatus frowned. "That's a problem. Already, the fact that they are all assigned to the forest rather than assisting throughout the empire is..." Gaius paused, catching himself before he called into question Tiberius's judgment. "...Limiting. If you do not trust them to act as a Legion should, then why grant them the title at all?"
"We needed more men. And they have proven their worth on the battlefield." Tiberius said simply.
Gaius nodded. "They have. Which is why I urge you to consider drawing from them for the Fourth Legion. If you are unconvinced, then I'll be more than happy to take some as transfers as well. I have experience commanding them alongside our own men, more than anyone but Quintus."
He did have a point. And as much as Tiberius saw Gaius as a boy, he had gained much experience over the past couple of years, both in battle and in peacetime.
That wasn't the entire issue, though. While the elves had proven faithful to Roman ideals and the position of emperor, Tiberius still couldn't help but harbor some amount of distrust. They had yet to encounter a true test of their allegiances or their independent abilities. It was another reason why he had kept them assigned to the forest thus far.
"As I said. I will consider it." Tiberius said with finality.
The young Legatus shut his mouth and inclined his head. "Thank you, Emperor. You are exceedingly generous."
"In the meantime, we will speak about how your Legionnaires are deployed."
They talked for a while longer, Tiberius offering guidance as they talked strategy. Between the ability of the men to travel and communicate over vast distances, the matter of placing them strategically proved far less problematic than it may have been otherwise. But Gaius did have a point. His men were spread unevenly across the entire empire, many too far away to be of help in an emergency.
Tiberius suggested that they establish towns or outposts within the empire's interior for the Legionnaire blacksmiths, mages, and other specialists to ply their craft. These towns would be located nearer to the borders and allow them more mobility. Additionally, Gaius managed to reclaim some of the men doing less essential work for his own projects and tasks.
They also spoke about establishing cavalry regiments. It was something that the Redcliffe family had floated a number of times. Though Redcliffe's Ruffians did contribute to the empire and regularly sought out monster incursions, they clearly sought more ways to gain renown and experience. But Tiberius had let the idea fall by the wayside, preferring instead to utilize men he trusted for more important tasks. Perhaps that would need to be revisited. After all, the mountains were not the only potential warfront they faced. Given Quintus's preliminary reports, it seemed that the east may require more attention than he'd initially hoped.
The horsemen would likely not be of use in that direction. Neither the elven forest nor the deserts beyond would be particularly hospitable to their mounts. He recalled the difficulty that cavalry had in Africa before arriving here, and this unexplored land sounded vaguely reminiscent of that harsh place. Nor could the former nobles be solely trusted with watching over their own lands. They needed oversight. But attaching them under Gaius's command would be a good place to start. Between that and giving him some of the less conniving nobles, it would help to lighten the load on his Legionnaires and give him more men.
By the time they finished, some of Gaius’s concerns seemed to have been assuaged. He had been somewhat aware of them already and recognized how thinly the First Legion was spread. But for him to approach Tiberius about it directly... evidently, things were more dire than he'd known. That, or the young man wasn't quite as confident in his position as he should have been.
Gaius stood and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, emperor. I am grateful for your time."
Tiberius simply nodded. In all honesty, he should be. Tiberius had no lack of things that needed doing, and carving out time for Gaius had already pushed multiple previous appointments back on the timeline. But it was important. His Legatuses needed to be well taken care of.
The door swung open. Lucius entered, striding up to the table with a bow. His eyes flicked toward Gaius for a moment before returning to Tiberius. "Sir. An urgent report from the bard."
"Speak." Tiberius motioned for Gaius to stay. A mix of curiosity and faint concern filled the younger Roman's eyes.
"The bard is approaching the city. He is accompanied by a small band of orcs."
Tiberius leaned forward, hiding his shock better than Gaius. "Accompanied?"
"Yes, sir. Neither the orcs, the bard, nor the bard's companion appear to be imprisoned. They move as though simply escorting the bard and a figure that may represent orcish leadership."
Orcs. He'd thought they were done with those barbarians. But it seemed that fate had other plans. Still,
"Has he sent no advance report?" Gaius demanded. "No Legionnaires accompany them?"
Lucius's attention flicked to the Legatus again. "This is the advance report. The First Legionnaires on patrol spotted them mere minutes ago."
"Have the patrol approach without aggression." Tiberius cut the brewing squabble short. "Identify their aim. Speak with the bard and have him explain himself."
Lucius bowed. "Sir."
Gaius and his troubles were set aside for the moment as the strange development took center stage.
Marcus had found the orcs. Yet the circumstances of their reappearance raised too many questions. The idea that the bard would have allied with the green-skinned barbarians was unthinkable. But so was the idea that they might approach in such a nonviolent manner.
Things could change. But in the meantime…
Tiberius stood and swept from the room. "Prepare the grand hall. I suspect we will need it soon."