The Immortal 436
As the men awoke on that hot summer day in Two ninety-eight, they could scarcely imagine that history rode upon their shoulders as battle was in the air. These were a mixture of the finest soldiers you could ever hope to find anywhere, four hundred infantry all armed with flintlock muskets, and thirty-six men from the Second Raptor Guards. The standard infantryman wore uniforms that hadn't changed much since the revolution in One Thirty six AD against the Romans, they were a forest green tunic with similar color trousers and brown leather shoes and helmets that were patterned off the Roman design, with no trim, or plumage, just iron painted a forest green color. The Raptor Guards were the elite guard unit of the Army, and literally rode on the backs of Utahraptors. Their uniforms as you could imagine were by far the most elaborate with bright red uniforms that were heavily embellished with silver and gold trim, elaborately decorated plate armor a bright red cape that came down to their heels and a helmet shaped like the skull of a Utahraptor with red plumage like a crest going down the length of it. Their primary arm was a nine-foot lance, although they did carry carbines, pistols and swords as a back-up. The camp was just six miles from the border with the Bobbanator Empire a fledgeling nation founded in the middle of the Third Century AD by Germanic settlers who had landed on the northeastern coast of South America, and within a generation had created an Empire that stretched from their capital on the modern day Gulf of Paria bordering the vast Amazon rainforest to the south to the Columbian Andes to the west where the larger and much more powerful SMF Empire's southern most border was. It was only natural to assume that the two giants were going to clash at some point. The Bobbanator Army was mostly engaged in conquest to the southeast but there was a sizable force just miles from the border. The commander of the four hundred thirty-six men at the camp was a brash young man from a very well-to-do family who pulled many strings to get him where he was. He saw himself as the bravest and noblest officer in the legion whereas his superiors saw him as being incompetent and a coward. This was Claudius Mamericus, the son of a prominent senator and hopeful to replace the current Emperor Ajax Augustus who had been in office for seven years and was up for reelection the next year.
A strange whirring sound filled the air on the side of a hill overlooking a smaller knoll and a rocky outcrop several miles from camp as a strange blue box materialized out of thin air. When it had become solid, the words "Police Public Call Box" could clearly be read across the top. After a few short minutes, two people stepped out and onto the mountain side. "Doctor," one a blonde woman in a salmon colored shirt said in a London accent; "this isn't Paris. Your navigational system must be off again." "No Rose, I highly doubt that." the Doctor said scanning the horizon; "The navigation system is working fine. Something must have bought us here." Rose sighed and looked down at the knoll then towards a snow-capped mountain. "Where are we?" she asked a little nervously, the Doctor smelled the air, "Judging by the atmosphere, and the position of the sun, I would say we're somewhere in central Columbia in the Northern Andes." He said before spotting a mountain in the distance; "If I'm not mistaken, that appears to be the Nevado del Ruiz volcano."
"'Nevado del Ruiz?' The same volcano that caused the Armero Tragedy?" Rose asked getting more nervous, "Yes, the same one, but with the Romanesque forts out towards the northeast and that camp down there, I doubt that's why we're here." The Doctor replied taking notice of the hill and the rocks, "Wow! Never thought I would see this! Mamericus Ridge and Raptor Rocks!" "What's so significant about them?" Rose asked shielding her eyes from the sun. "Last Stand of the Immortal Four Thirty-six, one of the most famous last stands in the Western world!" the Doctor said with an unusual giddiness, "How come I've never heard about it?" Rose asked with some apprehension, "There's really only one written account of it, and it's in a great library up in the Imperial Capital." The Doctor continued; "In your time there's a huge granite monument at the top of that knoll with a bronze statue of their commander Centurion Claudius Mamericus with two bronze freezes depicting the battle on either side. That camp down there is probably the one housing the Immortal Four Thirty-six, that would make this July twenty-third, two ninety-eight AD the day before they make their stand and history! Allons-y!" With a grin, he started down the hill towards the camp, Rose following closely behind.
As they reached the perimeter of the camp they found several pickets on duty and at the center of camp was a stand that held the legion's battle standard and an Imperial Eagle presented to the cohort by the Emperor himself, a very high honor for any unit guaranteeing them prestige, honor, glory and the favor of the Emperor and the Senate, and eternal shame and damnation if a commander should lose it in battle. On the end of camp they entered, they saw soldiers riding on the backs of dinosaurs of all things! "Doctor, are those velociraptors those soldiers are riding?" Rose asked in genuine shock, "Yes, and they're not velociraptors they're Utahraptors." The Doctor replied with a smile; "Did you think they call them the 'Raptor Guards' for nothing? These are the best units you could ever imagine to have in your service, armed with lances, carbines, swords and pistols plus the claws on their mounts make them a terrifying weapon!" "I would believe you Doctor, if I saw them charging at me I would probably run away!" Rose said as a member of the Raptor guards rode up to them aiming his lance at the three, he lifted his helmet and said, "Who are you and what are you two doing here on the camp perimeter?"
"I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose Tyler." The Doctor said hands in his pockets; "We're just passing through the area." Eying the Doctor, the Guardsman said, "You're a doctor maybe you can help us. I am Optius Marcus Pillus commander of the Guard detachment assigned to support this infantry cohort. We have some people we picked up in the jungle that are unconscious, an old man, a woman, two young men and three men clad in strange armor." After looking around, the Doctor said, "Take us to them, and I'll see what I can do." the Guardsman raised his lance, turned and trotted away. "C'mon Rose, we have patients to treat!" the Doctor said with a smile. "Are those muskets?" Rose asked somewhat confused, "Yes they are, after fall of Rome the knowledge of this civilization and it's technology died with it." The Doctor replied before both started after the guardsman.
Optius Pillus stopped and hitched his raptor to a hitching post as the Doctor and his companions caught up with him, "They are inside." Pillus said before leading them in. On several cots were a number of people, a young man with raven black hair, a second with blond hair, an older man with long gray hair, a woman who looked to be of royalty and three men who looked like they might be knights. The Doctor looked over each of them scanning them with his sonic screwdriver. "What's wrong with them Doctor?" Rose asked to which the Doctor replied, "Looks to me to be unconsciousness induced by a temporal displacement, and the only treatment is a pail of water in the face." With that, the Doctor picked up a bucket of water and dumped a little bit of water on the black haired boy causing him to shoot upright. Then he went around the others doing the same getting the same result. The boy looked around and said, "Where am i?"
"You are in a military encampment near the border by the fire mountain Mount Aries." Pillus replied; "I am Marcus Pillus, commander of the Raptor Guards in this camp." The blond haired man said, "I am King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, the person you first talked to is my manservant Merlin, the woman next to me is my wife Queen Guinevere, over next to Merlin is Gaius, our court physician and the others are three of my knights, Sir Leon, Sir Gwaine and Sir Percival."
"I am honored to have you in our camp sire," Pillus said with a bow; "I will inform Centurion Mamericus, he will want to dine with you tonight before we break camp and proceed to the foot of Mount Aries." With a slight grin, Arthur said, "Gwen and I would be honoured to dine with your centurion." With that, Pillus bowed and exited. Looking over the strangers in the tent before him Arthur said, "Who are you three?" "I'm the Doctor," The Doctor answered; "this is Rose Tyler. Anyway, how did you come to be here?" "Don't really know," Gaius answered slowly standing, "all I know is we were out travelling to visit another kingdom, we stopped for the night and the next thing we know we're here in this camp."
"Definitely a temporal disturbance," the Doctor muttered to himself; "something has brought both of our groups to this specific point in time." Merlin was the first to catch on, "If someone did displace time to bring us here, why do it in the first place?" he said standing with the rest of the people in the tent, "A very good question indeed, Merlin." The Doctor replied with a look of contemplation on his face. "So what units are here?" Arthur asked after a slight pause, to which the Doctor replied, "This particular unit is actually two, the Forty-second Infantry Cohort and a detachment of thirty-six men from the Second Raptor Guards. Tomorrow morning they break camp and march to a knoll several miles from here and will take part in the Battle of Mount Aries, although better known as the Last Stand of the Immortal Four Thirty-six."
"How are we to get home Doctor? I mean to Camelot?" Gwen asked somewhat frightened, "I will get you home, we'll leave before these soldiers march out tomorrow. We're up at a location that overlooks the battlefield." "Can't we help or warn them?" Gwaine said with his arms crossed, "No, this is a fixed point in time, it must happen the same way every time." The Doctor replied. "What happens in the battle?" Arthur asked suddenly feeling silly for asking the question. "The brief version," the Doctor replied, "the Raptor Guards out as the vanguard runs into a patrol of attacking infantry, they engage with their lances, and after fifteen minutes the remaining twenty fall back to a rocky outcrop and take cover there. Then the Forty-Second cohort comes over the knoll and engages the main infantry force beating back three assaults before they are overwhelmed and wiped out. The battle itself lasts three hours from first contact to the time the last man falls." The group then exited the tent in silence contemplating what they had just been told, and wondering how they would ever get home in one piece.
That night the Doctor, and Rose, Arthur, Gwen , his knights and Merlin entered the tent of Centurion Claudius Mamericus, where a sizeable table was set up and able to seat up to a dozen at a time. Centurion Mamericus was standing at one end of the table, "Ah gentlemen, welcome, I am Centurion Claudius Mamericus, commander of his imperial majesty's Forty-second Cohort." He said in a high pitched voice walking towards the group. "I am King Arthur Pendragon of the Kingdom of Camelot in the land of Albion." Arthur said gesturing to Gwen, then his knights and Merlin; "This is my wife Guinevere, my knights Sir Leon, Sir Gwaine, and Sir Percival, the Camelot court physician Gaius and my manservant Merlin." With a polite bow Centurion Mamericus replied, "It is an honor to be hosting you here in my camp, had I known of your royalty, I would have made better accommodations available to you." "Think nothing of it, the accommodations we have right now will be sufficient." Arthur replied politely. After a moment, Centurion Mamericus noticed the Doctor, and Rose, "Who might you two be?" he asked with a slight hint of arrogance, "I'm the Doctor," the Doctor replied; "allow me to introduce Rose Tyler."
"You're a doctor, doctor who?" Mamericus asked, to which the Doctor replied with a grin, "Nothing special, just the Doctor." They sat at the table while servants brought out bread and wine for everyone and placed the bread on platters in the middle and poured the wine into goblets placed at each table space with a set of silver platters at each. Then servants brought out plates of pork, lamb and duck, bowls of fruit, corn and potatoes. As the supper went on, and the group ate their fill, they conversed and it began to be apparent to the guests around the table that Centurion Mamericus was highly arrogant and incompetent as an officer. When they were finished with supper and on their way to a tent that had been prepared for them, "Doctor," Rose said leaning towards the Doctor in a hushed voice; "that Mamericus, is the most arrogant man I've ever met." "I have to agree with you Miss Tyler," Arthur said with a genuine dislike for the man who they had just dined with; "he's arrogant and incompetent, no wonder why he got is men massacred." Gwaine broke his silence, "I think it all has something to do with his family connections, just because you have family in high places doesn't necessarily make you a good leader."
After a short pause, the Doctor said, "You're correct Gwaine, Claudius Mamericus is the son of a very well-off senator, who made sure he was put in a high up position so he could have fame and glory." "Just another reason why politics and war don't go together so well." Merlin said as they reached their tent. Arthur looked back at his servant, "Merlin, you really do have some brains in that head of yours after all." He said in a half sarcastic tone. Merlin gave him a look of slight irritation before they went inside to sleep because they knew they would need to be well rested in order to make the trek up the mountain in the morning.
Merlin was the first to wake on the morning of July twenty-fourth, two ninety-eight, it was foggy, yet still humid. Walking around camp looking at the stacks of muskets and lances, he could feel the weight of history riding upon his shoulders. He felt torn knowing that by the end of the day everyone in the camp around him would be dead, so far away from home and their loved ones. He could sympathize with them being thousands of miles away from his own home and loved ones. A young soldier no older than eighteen sitting by a cooking fire noticed Merlin meandering around, "Good morrow lad, you looking for something?" he asked poking some coals with a stick, "No," Merlin replied wandering over; "I'm just walking around, trying to get used to the climate."
"That's the hardest part for any person new to this posting, took me two weeks to adjust to life down here. I am Titus Annaeus Marcellus."
"I'm Merlin, servant to Arthur Pendragon, king of Camelot."
The young soldier stood and they exchanged Roman handshakes
"Good to meet you Merlin."
"And you Titus."
"What brings you out here?"
"Just passing through on the way back home."
"Where is home for you?"
"Thousands of miles away in Albion. What about you?"
"I come from a peninsula on the largest of the Great Lakes of the North."
"If you don't mind me asking: What made you get into the army?"
"Did not have much of any other choice, I was tried for stealing a chest of gold, judge gave me the option of spending thirteen years in jail or joining the Army, needless to say I chose the latter."
"MERLIN!" the voice of an angry King Arthur called out from their tent, "I'd better go, Arthur gets cranky when you make him wait." Merlin said with a smile as a trumpet sounded the call to arms, "I'd better get moving myself, sounds like we are making ready to move out. It's been nice meeting you Merlin and may the gods bless your journey home." The soldier said to which Merlin replied, "Likewise on yours." The two parted ways as the climactic moment drew near. When Merlin arrived back at the tent, he found Arthur, Gaius, the Doctor and the knights standing outside the door. "Merlin," said Arthur; "where may I ask were you?" "I met a soldier and had a short conversation with him." Merlin replied. The Doctor and Gaius exchanged looks, "You didn't tell him what's to happen today did you Merlin?" Gaius asked to which the Doctor seconded, "If you told him anything you might have altered the future." With a slight grin, Merlin said, "I didn't say anything, it was brief and not much information was exchanged." With a sigh of relief the Doctor said, "Good. When Rose and Gwen are ready we will head up the mountain." The nine sat and watched as the soldiers in camp suited up and made ready to march out. Five minutes passed until Rose and Gwen exited the shelter, "Doctor, we're ready to go, and I rather like Gwen, we get on quite well." Rose said truly starting to become friends with Gwen. With that, they set off towards the edge of camp and the TARDIS in the hills above Mamericus Ridge.
It took another couple hours to reach the Tardis, most were somewhat skeptical of what they were looking at. "Here she is, the TARDIS!" the Doctor said with a smile, "This is it?" Arthur said with relative disappointment, "It is rather small, how can you fit yourselves let alone ten?" Gwaine asked with some confusion "Appearances can be deceiving Gwaine." The Doctor replied approaching the door, unlocking it and entering the Tardis, Arthur, Gwen and the knights following close behind, all of whom stopped on the entrance pathway in shock, "It's... bigger... on the inside. But... how?" Arthur said with a bit of a stunned stammer, "It's all due to multi-dimensional engineering." The Doctor replied looking at a monitor at the console. The five went back outside and looked around the sides in amazement. Merlin looked down at the hill below them just in time to see the glint of armor and lance heads coming over the top, "DOCTOR! Arthur!" he yelled back, the Doctor poking his head out of the Tardis, a few seconds later; "The Raptor Guards are cresting the hill." The ten lined up outside looking down below, then Rose spotted glint at the base of the ridge, "Look at the other side of the ridge." she said pointing towards it, "The invading advance guard, the battle's about to start." The Doctor replied as the Guards on the ridge spotted the attacking unit and formed up into two lines.
After a few seconds a shot rang out from the advance guard and the Raptor Guards started forward leveling their lances towards their enemy. After another few minutes, the Raptor Guards broke into a charge straight into the advance unit. Then a volley of musket fire rang out from the base of the knoll and the remaining twenty of the Raptor Guards made their run to the rocks. It was not long before the infantry crested the hill and immediately formed a two-rank battle line, the first rank kneeling and the second rank standing. As the barbarians came out into the open, the first rank fired a volley knocking down twenty of them, while the first rank reloaded, the second fired a volley killing twenty-five.
After two more volleys the barbarians fell back. "They're pulling back." Merlin commented, to which the Doctor replied, "Yes, but this is only the first assault, the Bobbanators are regrouping. They will launch four more assaults before they overrun the position." As the Doctor said these words, the barbarians started up the hill a second time, but in greater numbers. The First rank fired a volley knocking down thirty, the Barbarians returned fire with a volley of their own killing ten. The second rank fired their fifth volley knocking down twenty-eight, then they fired two more volleys killing seventy in total before the barbarians pulled back again.
While this was happening the Raptor Guards had dismounted with their carbines and hid behind their boulders exchanging fire with a column of Bobbanators as they fought inching closer with every passing minute in numbers greater than the first two. The barbarians started up the ridge a the third time. After a pause, the Bobbanators charged bayonets fixed, and in five minutes killed every last Guardsman amongst the rocks. in fear for his life, Centurion Mamericus turned his horse and ran back towards the camp and the forts beyond. "The coward!" Arthur shouted visibly upset; "Leaving his men behind to die while he flees to save his own life!"
"Oh, he'll be caught, the Sixteenth Cavalry is in the area, their general will catch him and kill him himself for cowardice." The Doctor replied with a solemn expression on his face. The two sides exchanged volleys for five minutes with the Forty-second Cohort losing fifty men and the Bobbanators losing two hundred, the latter falling back to regroup. The men of the cohort knowing they were about to be overrun, formed a circle around their acting commander. While this was happening, the Bobbanators moved some of their men to the left to get around the flank. Then, in the final assault every available man in the Bobbanator force started up the ridge, firing and reloading as they moved, the men of the cohort returning fire and taking casualties as time ticked by. When the barbarians had gotten within twenty-five yards and there were only one hundred men of the cohort left alive, the former charged in bayonets fixed slamming into the tiny band of men that were left. Unable to watch anymore Rose buried her face in the Doctor's shoulder while Gwen did the same with Arthur. In a matter of minutes the last man of the Forty-second Infantry Cohort was dead along with an additional two hundred Bobbanators. The battle was over, with the Forty-second Cohort and the thirty-six men of the Second Raptor Guards wiped out and the invading barbarians victorious.
In silence, the Doctor led every one into the Tardis, standing around the console, no one spoke for at least ten minutes letting what they had witnessed sink in and allowing the Doctor to set the coordinates for Camelot. In a somber tone Merlin broke the silence, "What happened in the aftermath of that massacre? Surely their government didn't let it go unanswered." "You're absolutely right Merlin," the Doctor said glancing over; "the Sixteenth Cavalry as I mentioned before, engaged the Bobbanators and defeated them a week later, and after three weeks, the news reached their capitol and the two empires were at war. It would last for two years ending in a decisive victory for the SMF Empire bringing the borders back to where they were at the start of the conflict." After a pause, the Doctor continued, "Now to bring you, King Arthur Pendragon and the Knights of the Round Table, well, three of them, back to Camelot." With that, the Doctor pressed a button and the Tardis dematerialized going where none could have ever dreamed of going before.