Chapter One

Twenty Years Later…

"On your feet you lazy sons of bitches!"

Cato jumped up from the rock he was resting against, and shouldered his marching pack. As the weight shifted from one side to the other, one of the straps broke with an audible SNAP. The Decurion snapped his head around, the stylized feathers of his helmet swaying in a cascade of colors.

"What in the fuck was that, recruit!"

Cato turned his head to the Decurion and saluted before replying,

"Sir! My pack broke a strap!" He replied, and swung the pack back off to show the officer .

The Decurion took the pack from him, and studied the strap for a moment. Then, in a flash of gleaming metal, he drew his Gladius and slashed off the other strap. He smiled at his handiwork and passed the bag back to Cato.

"There you are recruit! Now hold that pack above your head, and I swear to Mars, if it drops below your shoulders I will personally escort you to hell, where you can spend quality time with that bastard Edward Sallow."

Cato swore at his misfortune and lifted the pack above his head, where his travel rations, water skin, sleeping bag, and other assorted necessities of Legion life shifted towards the center and began to weigh down his arms. The Decurion sheathed his gladius, and began the march again. To take his mind of the ache that was beginning in his shoulders, Cato thought about the Decurion's choice of words. The name sounded familier to him, and yet…

And then he remembered. Edward Sallow, also known as Caesar, was the previous Emperor. He was blessed with a holy mission from Mars, and failed. The new Emperor, Augustus, was presented with the same mission, and told the Legion that Caesar was sent to the pits of Hell to burn for his failure, and that the same fate would not befall him.

Following his ascension to power, a civil war had taken place within the Legion. Those still loyal to Caesar had to be purged, and for two years the Legion was destabilized. Finally, thanks to several advancements in the Legionaries equipment and tactics, the remnants of Caesars Legion were brought to the field and routed with minimal casualties to Augustus's Legion.

All roads to the west were now sealed and guarded, in case the NCR tried advancing farther east. In time an uneasy agreement started between the two nations, and trade began to flourish. Augustus finally returned to Flagstaff, and the reconstruction of the Empire had begun.

As Cato and the other recruits marched down the road, their destination finally game into view. The metal glinted in the sun, and at a distance it could be mistaken for a pile of scrap. But as they got closer, they saw that the metal scraps were expertly piled and supported, making a formidable wall that enclosed the fortress behind it.

Fort Lupus, home of the Second Legion of Augustus. One of the first acts of the Emperor was to construct this second Legion, comprised entirely of new recruits, and sixty veteran Centurions. Its duty was to guard the Eastern border of the Empire, as most of it was entirely uncharted, while the First Legion guarded the west, with the Veteran warriors poised to strike the NCR at any sign of hostility.

Cato stared up at the walls in awe. They had been marching from Flagstaff for two weeks, where Cato and several others had signed up for Legion service. Unlike Caesers regime, Augustus accepted only volunteers for his new Legion, arguing that those who did not choose to join were cowards, and not worthy of Legion Training.

As they approached the gates, they swung open and men began marching out to meet them. Eighty Legionaries, along with their Centurion, took up position infront of the gate, some with every one of them armed with the weapons of the Legion. As they stood at ease, Cato took a moment to study them. Each of them had their Pilarifle*, a simple tube of metal with a spike attached to one end, it also had a stock and magazine fed firing mechanism attached. Strapped to their wastes, they also carried a Gladius and a 9mm pistol and several spare clips for it. In their left hands, resting against the ground, were their shields.

Pre-war Law enforcement had called them Riot Shields and they were used to pacify hostile citizens. The Legion had found them stockpiled in Flagstaff in a building called a Police Department. After studying them for a time, Augustus had found that they were bullet proof and resistant to the bladed weapons of Caesars Legion.

The Shield had been instrumental in the Civil War, as it provided a mobile wall of cover for the Augustus's forces. After the war, they were mass produced by captured Profligates known as Gun Runners. Once equipped with these, Augustus set about upgrading the rest of the Legion equipment.

Their armor, for instance, was not suitable for the rapidly changing times, and Legion Smiths began crafting a metal version, melted down and reforged from tin and aluminum cans, sheet metal, plates, knives, forks, and any other useless metal they could get their hands on. For the most part, the armor was standardized among the Legion, with only the scouts retaining the leather armor.

The Gladius was remade as well. The Legion of old had used lawnmower blades attached to sticks as their weapon of choice. Augustus distasted these, as they were prone to wear out and break faster than the Legion could find replacement blades. So he had those forged as well, this time from actual Iron Ingots, which were taken from a mine a few miles from Flagstaff.

The Decurion halted the column, and ordered them into formation, using the flat of his Gladius to smack slower recruits into their places. Finally satisfied, he left the battered and bruised recruits and saluted the Centurion.

"Ave Centurion Marcus. By the authority of Augustus, I have brought fresh meat for the grinder!"

(Authors Note: Pilarifle*: Using captured Gun Runner workers, Augustus had this weapon designed for the legionaries, to replace the random assortment of firearms they had used before the reform. The Pilarifle is named after the Pre-War Roman Empires Pilum, or javelin. Each Legionary would normally carry two Pila (Plural of Pilum) and would throw them at the enemy before they advanced to close combat with their shorter swords. Augustus's Legionaries each carry three or four .308 rounds while marching on campaign, while garrisoned forces will be known to use considerably more while defending their outposts. The Pilarifle is accurate from short to medium range, relying on a mass firing of the weapon to damage enemy formations or defensive positions.)