I Never Wanted Any of This

When dawn came, Decanus Roblesius poked his head through my tent's flap with a big smile on his face, clasped the thing open, and popped a squat next to me saying in his non-legionesque way;

"Guess who just made Veteran Decanus?"

I rubbed my eyes and answered wearily, "You? Why didn't you get Centurion or whatever?"

He said, "Not really sure, but I don't care. Really, I'm just glad I get to live another day and do my part for Caesar…"

Pointing up at a tiny figure on top of Big Rock, he shouted, "I told you I would burn your whole tribe to the ground! HAHAHA!"

I asked, "Who are you talking to?"

He shrugged, "Just that tribal bitch I mentioned, Tribal Fuck got to watch her whole village fall apart…. Provided she managed to stay alive the past couple weeks on that cross, Haha!"

After a night of sleep and contemplation on what I did the day prior, I almost shouted at my "Assessor." Decanus Roblesius' face turned to confusion as I said, "You nailed a tribal girl up on a cross!? You didn't say that tribal you tortured was a girl!?"

He said calmly, "I did tell you I nailed up a 'tribal bitch.' Also…"

He paused briefly before saying, "There's an old saying my inbred prepper father used to tell me; 'Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.' That bitch definitely won a stupid fucking prize for fucking with me."

My conscience was now fully intact. Frustrated by his utter lack of emotion or human empathy, I scolded the brainwashed servant of Caesar, "You aren't even a LITTLE down about nailing people to crosses, executing the sick and elderly, and determining which women are eligible for raping?"

His mind registered what I said for a moment, and his face twisted from semi-satisfied confusion into a stunning look of pure and concentrated hate. Though his face showed devilish rage at my blasphemy, he said in a calm but scolding way, "If it is what Caesar wants, then no, no I don't have a problem with it at all. And, since you just proved yourself to be a loyal servant of Caesar; I advise you never to say or let alone think that shit again, 'Decanus'… You're in the Legion now, boy; this is fucking war. So, you better wise up and get used to it or end up like that bitch who crossed my authority."

I grappled with my emotions for a second. Then, I shocked myself by adding a genuine apology for MY position on the tiny issues of organized rape, slavery, and murder, "Sorry, I guess the battle really threw me out of my funk."

He looked puzzled as his face returned to normalcy from rage, "I don't know what that means, but I will believe your status as Honorary Decanus means you are still 'adapting' to the Legion. So, I will forgive you."

I again threw out all my principles and morals by saying, "Yeah, sorry again for my outburst…" But before he could say anything, I changed the subject by asking, "You hear if Centurion Talamon needs anything from me?"

His face returned to satisfaction, "Yes, I am to bring you to him. Pack your things and get up."

Packing up my gear, I walked with Decanus Roblesius through the slave roundup that was still going strong, and into the newly set up command tent. Inside, I saw Centurion Talamon and a strange looking wastelander in the corner facing away from us.

I greeted the centurion with a salute and the standard, "Ave, Centurion. True to Caesar."

Talamon said, "Ave, Decanus. You have done me proud. But more importantly, you have done Caesar and his Legate proud."

I asked, "If I may ask, wasn't the Legate supposed to be here for the battle? I thought you gave mention of the Legate and his Centurion Guard?"

Just then, the man in the corner turned around; it was Joshua Graham. He was no longer wearing the crimson and black fur fringed uniform with the golden bull emblem that I saw him in during that meeting where I learned his true name and allegiance. Instead, the man I stood before was wearing ripped rodeo jeans, tan snakeskin boots, a white long shirt with rolled up sleeves, and a black pre-war tactical vest marked "SLCPD" and "SWAT" in big white letters.

I instantly dropped to my knee and saluted saying, "Ave, Legatus! True…"

He interrupted, "It seems you have come a long way since our first true meeting at the I-17 gas station… Hard to believe that was only a little over two weeks ago. Stand up, Drifter."

Standing up, I said, "What are your commands, Legate?"

He smiled innocently, "You can stop talking like that for one. I cannot have you approaching your Resistance brethren with the demeanor of a common legionary."

I said in a blunt and semi-sarcastic way, "What can I do for ya, Josh?"

Smirking, he said, "Much better… You have proven to yourself and to the Legion that you are a capable soldier in the field and under cover. By embodying the everyday legionary, you not only showed your loyalty, but your formidability. Due to the situation we are currently facing, we cannot spare the time to train you for your next assignment. However, your actions for us and for those who oppose us have proven unique and more valuable than you likely realize. From here on out, I am granting you the title of Frumantarius, agent of Caesar."

I said, "Thank you, Joshua. What would you have me do?"

"You are to stay within the ranks of Jack Swilling's Arizona Resistance and keep in regular contact with Markus Dinero of Scottsdale. He will give you orders that are directly from me. You will likely need to prove your allegiance to Swilling's Resistance after your absence, so I am granting you exclusively the permission to kill legionaries. This is only if it benefits your goal of relaying information to us and staying in our enemy's good graces. Do not abuse this privilege, for we will find out who you kill and the circumstances surrounding it. I will tell you right now, although this doesn't seem to apply to your nature: You must not kill any courier you meet out there in the wastes. Many couriers traveling throughout Arizona and beyond are Legion agents and members of the Frumantarii."

I said, "Sounds good Legate-Er, Joshua."

He nodded and said, "Before you depart, are there any questions on your mind? I will answer them to the best of my ability if it means you can better understand what I require."

I was glad he offered a chance for questions, even though I had to think for a moment. I learned a lot about the Legion in the Decanus School, but there were some questions on my mind that only the Legate or Caesar himself could answer. He told me why he admired me in the beginning, and saving his life only solidified our meeting. In the school, I learned all about why the Legion does what they do, but my involvement with the Resistance and their side of things made me ask the simple question of;

"Does Caesar really have plans to march on Phoenix soon?"

His face remained steady, but another slight grin appeared as he answered, "Why? You want something to report to Swilling's Resistance?"

I immediately shot back, "No of course not, Lega-Er Joshua… Just somewhat curious about when I can expect to report back to you personally."

His grin widened for a minute before reverting back to its default emotionless state. "You need not worry about when you'll see me again, Mr. Dinero or his assistant will be your source of information; but I'll clarify that later. Also, yes; Caesar does have plans to take Phoenix in the future. Anything else?"

I had one more real question… Why? I asked Joshua Graham, "Why does the Legion even want Phoenix?"

He seemed somewhat surprised by that question. I guessed it wasn't too often that one of his subordinates asked for the reasons behind a given task or planned battle. However, he responded normally, "Caesar sees Phoenix as our Legion's own 'Carthage', even though the ancient timelines differ greatly between the rise of Caesar and the Punic Wars…"

He caught my unknowing expression and continued plainly, "Phoenix is the only civilized city in a hundred miles from anywhere in the Sonoran Wastes, and its water makes it a commercial hub that grows and grows off trade. Despite the squatters and junkies, the Phoenix government and its organization make it the most dangerous obstacle in Arizona to our expansion southward."

I asked, "So, Caesar wants to take Phoenix to control the trade and water?"

He let out a tiny chuckle as he said, "No, not at all. Caesar wants the city annihilated…"

I shot in, "Wait, why?"

He answered emotionlessly, "As I said; because an organized Phoenix stands in the way of our southern campaign, and they have the power to unite even the tiniest settlements in a joint effort against us if they choose. Though they have stayed predominantly mired in their own local affairs since its founding, I doubt that will stay the case when we move southward. Bypassing Phoenix cannot happen if there is even the slightest chance that they will hinder our move across Arizona. Phoenix will be destroyed because it simply must be done. That's all I will say on the matter for now, but your friend, Mr. Dinero already has something in the works. Our plans will be revealed soon enough, but is there anything else?"

I thought for a good long minute to notice that Centurion Talamon and Decanus Roblesius had left during our chat. I concluded by saying, "No, I don't have anything else."

He nodded, "We shall proceed with your current task then."

I nodded in return and he went on, "You are relieved of combat duty effective immediately, change your clothes and re-enter Phoenix. Phoenix will not let you in if you bear any sort of resemblance to us, but I'm sure you know that already. Mr. Kekos will relay information to you when Mr. Dinero is not available. Do not worry about finding them, for they will approach you when necessary. Simply continue your work with the Resistance and you will be contacted… Finally, our inevitable march on Phoenix may happen sooner than you think. When the time comes for you to rejoin our ranks, you will know. Until then, I bid you Vale."

With Joshua's new task, my role in the fall of Have-Su, and my ties with Jack Swilling's Resistance, I was more involved in the conflicts of Arizona than I ever wanted or expected to be.