New Management
2 Days Later
"The Oro raiders have agreed to your terms of surrender, Lord Interfector," said Centurion Galio.
"And what were those again? I've been dealing with the Santa Rita gang all morning who haven't been quite as agreeable." Said the Interfector, somewhat occupied trying to decipher another vague report from Legate Marius that only seemed to discuss livestock losses in the past two days.
"The Oros have agreed to halt any raids on Legion marked caravans… However, they only agreed to Legion marked transports, and with the additional demand that we return the captures from their raid party last week-"
"Granted…" said the Interfector before adding, "Have all the non-crucified Oro captures escorted back, and send an emissary with the standard offer of alliance with auxilia options. Oh, and send them a gift of compensation for their guys we crucified prematurely."
"Yes, Lord Interfector," said Centurion Galio as Centurion Lucania asked, "What is the status of the Cohort's funds, Lord Interfector?" seemingly worried by the vast expenditures of their commander in the past few days.
"Untouched," said the Murderer before glancing up from the papers to see all the centurions looking at him questioningly, "Seriously… All those new guns out there are on the payroll from my own personal funds."
They all looked at him still questioningly. He grinned, seeing that same question he'd seen on all their faces since he met them: "What exactly did you do for Caesar?"
The Interfector answered their ocular question, "Caesar rewards his servants generously. I don't have much need for All the monetary rewards I've received, so quit your worrying, my merry men."
The huddle of centurions was silenced when their worries were put to rest, most of them more focused on how to handle being called "Merry Men" by their superior. Centurion Arman recovered the quickest and asked, "And what of your 'Personal Auxilia'? Legate Marius should be arriving soon."
Their Primus leaned back, "What about them? Do any of you honestly believe that Legate Marius will care that I'm having the toughs of Two Sun take on losses that we'd otherwise be taking? We have regional allies fighting all our battles for us right now and don't give me that 'These should be Legion victories' crap. All those guns I've hired have skills, expertise, and grit that some of the Auxilia don't even have, and I got them throwing themselves at our enemies for me. I'd say my little 'hearts and minds' approach is working out perfectly, especially if we have to move the Cohort soon."
All of them in the enclosure were silent and agreeing with the practical use of their Elite's reputation. Still, the centurions weren't quite used to having others win their victories, even if it meant nearly the whole 4th Cohort was completely intact. Before Centurion Theracos could give his report on the situation, an explorer came through the opening, one of the members of the Elite's personal guardsmen. After the initial greeting, the explorer reported straight to the point;
"My Primus, Legate Marius draws nigh."
The Interfector dismissed the meeting and exited the tent with his centurions in tow straight towards the cliff overlooking the eastern pass. Atop the cliff, the Elite saw the forces of Legate Marius marching along the distant path, rounding the turns and snaking around the northern rocks to the main gate on the west end of the fort. The state of the force they saw approaching wasn't a surprise to anyone who saw it. Still too distant to see the faces and grime on the battered force, they didn't need any indication of something bad other than how long it took for the rear of the column to emerge from the mountain pass. The Elite recalled the same sight months earlier when the force marched through those passes going the other way, and that force's column was much longer than the one he was looking at. Of the 6-700 legionaries who went east into those passes, the most generous estimation of those returning forces was around 1-200. Still, by the time the rear had emerged from the cliffs, Legate Marius's staff force appeared to have just reached the main gate to Long Shadows. After seeing all he needed to and confirming his worst suspicions, the Elite made his way towards the gate.
Along the way, he ran into Dalton and Aleron, who he ordered to accompany him as he stepped up to the lowering entrance to the fort. As the gates creaked open, Legate Marius was of course the first to enter, and after speaking with his centurions, he noticed the Elite. Legate Marius approached him as the rest of his force filed into the fort to begin reconstructing their camp after months on the campaign. Again, the worst suspicions of the Murderer and his officers were confirmed when they saw the battered and broken legionaries, dirtied, and bloodied as they filed into the camp. This was by no means a triumphant return with thousands of slaves in tow marking another tally on the assimilated list. By every indication, the returning force might as well have done so with their tail between their legs.
Legate Marius stopped in front of the Elite with four of his staff members and looked around at the encampment taking special notice of all the wasters roaming about. Marius was neither mad nor glad about what the Elite decided to do in his absence, he only removed his helmet to better reveal a face with a few new scars as he said, "You went through with those reforms I see… Alright. Probably a good call."
The Interfector studied his superior worriedly as the Legate squinted at the sunlight and took a few sips from a canteen. The Elite couldn't help but watch the mangled forces continuously file into the camp and set up as he asked his Legate, "What exactly happened out there, my Legate?"
The Legate motioned for the Murderer to follow as he asked, "My command residence still untouched?"
Following the Legate, both of their staff soldiers were kept at a distance as the Murderer replied, "Yes, my Legate, right beside my own, and completely untouched."
"Good" replied the Legate.
As the two walked further back into the camp, the Murderer asked, "My Legate, I must know what happened out there."
"I'll tell you all the details, but first, you must allow me to collect myself."
From there, the two silently made their way back to the neighboring tents of the Elite and Legate's command domiciles. Upon reaching the Legate's nearly identical large tent, the Legate ordered his staff to wait outside, and the Killer took the moment to do the same with his staff before both men entered for a private meeting.
When the two were alone, the Legate began removing his armor and sat down to unfasten his boots when the Elite asked again, "What happened on your campaign? We hadn't heard any Real news from you in weeks, nearly two months now come to think of it!"
The Legate finished removing his boots, tossed his helmet towards his cot, and began seeing to some of his personal injuries before saying, "I would've given you regular intel if I could… But I couldn't."
"Well? What happened then?" asked the Murderer.
"Messengers kept getting hit, that's what. The only news Hidebark raiders let through were reports about nonsense. How they knew which messengers to hit is beyond me, but that's beside the point. The further we marched into Hidebark territory, the less they showed themselves. It was like the further we headed towards them, the more they'd hit our rear. I swear, usually campaigns are highlighted by at Least one or two battles, but I can't say we've had one in the entire 3 months we've been out there. We were still hit every day though only for their forces to disappear before we could rally…"
The Elite stood by silently as the Legate removed his chest piece and began cleaning a gash on his arm. The Legate continued;
"Yeah, just three months of a whole lot of death and I got nothing to show for it."
"I told you to use my auxilia..." said the Elite before adding, "or hell, even use my plan of getting Two Sun to handle most of the campaign. Mercs around these parts have been fighting Hidebark raids for years and some of the boys are even familiar with their territory. Not to mention I got half the guns in Two Sun throwing themselves at Long Shadows to meet me and join us. What the hell was the purpose of all that recon you were doing before I got here if you didn't even learn anything about their tactics?"
"I'll always admit when I'm wrong, but it's one thing to watch an enemy from a distance, and it's another to try to fight them. That was it though, they wouldn't let us fight them, they'd only fight us. Also, the second we found their homes, they'd somehow disappear completely by the time we arrived. Oh and that isn't even the strangest thing to happen out there. I've had nearly whole patrols or recon parties go missing out there just to hear from the site's only survivor that it was due to one crazy Hidebark. Can you believe that shit? I don't know what's true anymore, but after a while, I had to stop decimating my own guys. Couldn't afford it anymore, know what I mean?"
"So a single Hidebark has been killing your patrols while their forces continuously hit your column's rear on the march to vanishing villages? Sounds like you been in the sun too long, Marius," said the Interfector.
"Just take a look outside at the results," Marius said as he stood up. The Elite watched the man approach an armorer's workbench and crank the vice around the grip of his blade so it was pointing straight up.
The Elite asked as the Legate removed his undershirt, "So you aren't mad about me going through with my little 'Reforms' as you called them?"
Legate Marius replied casually, "Nah. I can't afford to be mad about anything really anymore. I'd say you held down the fort pretty well, and it would appear as though I probably should have taken your advice when it came to using your reputation, if anything just to get some cannon fodder and a few trackers. Suppose enough time and too many Legion victories made me look down at the idea of utilizing auxilia or outside forces. I'm also sure those toughs you hired will do wonders for regional stability in the event the 4th Cohort needs to move, if nothing else."
"I'm telling you, that's why Caesar sent me down here. He's usually pretty right about most things. You shoulda listened to him, Marius, ha."
The Legate thought out loud to himself, "I suppose I have myself to blame for the last 3 months. Don't change much though..."
The Elite continued, "Anyway, I got half the local raiders surrendering to us and some even offering themselves up as official auxiliaries, all thanks to those toughs out there all organized and trying to emulate 'The Savior of Two Sun' haha. Anyway, what's the new plan then? You got my guys and the whole 4th Cohort ready to go. My little reputation down here should handle any of the ambitious types if we need to move, and utilizing some of the trackers that swore to me could root out those Hidebarks villages in no time," The Interfector said as he studied a tribal statue on Marius's desk.
Legate Marius pulled a stool over to the armorer's workbench before saying, "Take the remainder of the 5th Cohort, and expect some back up in the next few days, but don't expect a whole force from the reserve pool..."
Still studying the Legate's totem-like artifact, the Killer asked idly, "Where you going?"
"Caesar heard about what happened against the Hidebarks and is on his way down right now... You're a smart guy, Interfector. I'm sure you'll handle whatever's next just fine..."
As soon as the Elite heard those words, he looked over just in time to see Legate Marius falling from the stool face-first onto the blade he viced down.
"NO!" shouted the Murderer, but it was too late.
Legate Marius had impaled himself on the blade, the thing protruding out his back. The man sputtered and coughed blood as his body twitched and spasmed into stillness until that body laid there half on top of the workbench. The staff force outside heard the Murderer's shout and came in to see what happened. The Legate's staff surrounded the body and began doing their work to remove it from the workbench as Dalton took his spot beside the Killer.
"What the hell happened?" asked Dalton in a hushed tone.
Eyes still fixed on the lifeless display, the Murderer said "Caesar's on his way here."
The Next Day
The entire garrison of the fort was assembled at midday for the unexpected arrival of Caesar himself. The Elite stood at the head of the formation of the entire 4th and 5th Cohorts or what was left of them. The Elite brought them to salute as Caesar walked down the lane between the centuries with his guard of 30 Praetorian Elites at his rear. The Interfector's staff was off to the side of the formation, but Aleron watched as Caesar approached the Murderer of Phoenix, unable to make out what was said. When the two met, they exchanged brief greetings before dismissing the assembled troops of Long Shadows Fortress and disappearing into the Elite's command tent for a private meeting.
When the Elite was sitting across from Caesar himself, surrounded by the 30 Praetorians, they greeted one another again before the Elite started;
"Got here pretty quick I see, Lord Caesar. Was expecting you sometime next week given the trip from Flagstaff down here."
The dictator sat there in the Interfector's command seat, the same dark grey-headed middle-aged man he met last year, except with maybe an extra line or two from stress and a face that still said he could kill literally anyone with the point of his finger. "I'm always 'Officially' at the Palatii, Murderer. But, I would hardly be worthy of my namesake if I just sat in a palace all day. You should know I'm more than ready to take charge when my subordinates fail me..."
Not sure if that was a question or not, the Interfector gulped hard as those 30 sets of eyes watched him from all around. "If you want something done correctly, gotta do it yourself I suppose."
"Of course..." said Caesar before pausing to study his newest Elite Centurion. After taking his fill of silently terrifying the Elite, Caesar asked, "Where is Legate Marius? I saw what's left of the 5th Cohort out there, and I expected him to be leading the welcoming formation for my arrival."
"Marius? Oh, he uh-. He sorta killed himself, like, just yesterday after he got back... He felt pretty down about what happened on his campaign..." The Interfector said, still unsure if his words in general would allow him to survive this meeting.
After hearing that, Caesar paused for a long time, knowing that his presence alone was terrifying to the Elite. Still, Caesar appreciated the work the Murderer had done for him before the new reputation, and his actions since leading the Legion in battle have been satisfactory if not a little sloppy at times. Caesar could handle a big loss of troops on his commanders' part, provided those casualties resulted in a victory, but the losses by Marius ended in nothing to show for it, so Caesar only responded to news of the man's suicide with a simple;
"Good."
The Interfector started seeing the image of Marius falling on his sword on repeat in his mind as he spoke unconsciously, "The 5th took a big beating, but I got the 4th completely ready to go, and even a big crew of auxilia to take the fight to the Hidebarks as soon as you say the word."
"Is that who that big group of vagabonds next to the 11th century were?" asked Caesar, recalling the loose formation of wastelanders he saw on the way in.
"I swear we disarmed all of them before you arrived," said the Elite in nearly a plead.
Caesar sat silently for far longer than the Elite was comfortable until the Interfector nearly found himself shouting internally, "Just kill me already!"
After what seemed like years of silence, the Dictator said softly, "You made use of your reputation down here. I trust they know it's me they're serving? Not you?"
"Oh yes, Lord Caesar. They think I'm the worst, I just opened the door for them, but it's you they want..." said the Murderer in his most self derogatory and bootlicking way he could muster.
Caesar let out a small chuckle, "Of course..." He then asked, "I understand you've been taming the region with those wasters in the event the 4th Cohort is needed in the east?"
How had Caesar known that?
The Interfector replied, "Yes sir, I've used my- Your unofficial auxilia force to eradicate and neuter the territory's raider strongholds in the event your Cohort was needed in the east. News from Marius over the past few months had been vague at best before his return, which made me fear the worst. Though I have complete faith in the Two Sun Municipal Garrison, those municipal reserve legionaries may be needed if the Cohort moves since the nearest camp of supplemental forces is too far north in the event we find ourselves stuck in Hidebark lands. My utilization and organization of the new auxilia was only to benefit your forces in the future, and some of the new soldiers may be useful in tracking down the Hidebarks in their own territory."
Caesar responded simply, "Good. Your strategic mind apparently seems to make up for and surpass your relative incompetence on the actual battlefield, if your messy handling of the Ajoans was any indication of your combat abilities."
"Thank you, Lord Caesar." responded the Elite, not entirely sure if his Lord was complimenting him sincerely. "As I stated earlier, I expected disaster, based on the Legate's reports and took steps to preserve your forces and squash regional enemies..." added the Interfector, unsure what else to say.
"And have you offered the local raiders options for auxilia?" asked Caesar, again already knowing the answer.
"Yes, Lord Caesar. Most raider strongholds in the region have agreed to surrender to your might, and have accepted terms to leave Legion marked caravans alone," replied the Elite.
"You did well, Centurion Interfector..." said Caesar before adding, "Have messengers adjust the terms of the raiders agreement that they will ramp up their assaults on Non-Legion caravans-"
"My Lord?-" Interrupted the Elite, but was in turn interrupted by Caesar;
"The people of Two Sun will realize that we are the only ones they'll work for. I can't have Two Sun thinking they can benefit from our protection and not serve us. Understood, my young Elite?"
"Lord Caesar is very wise. I will have the terms with the raiders adjusted accordingly. The people of Two Sun will know wholeheartedly who they serve."
"Lastly... What of the Cohort's funds? I trust your little endeavor with the local populace didn't bankrupt my Cohort?" asked Caesar, again already knowing the answer.
"The funds remain untouched. All mercenaries from the town have been and will be funded by the monetary rewards you bestowed upon me from my actions that aided your conquest over the metropolis last year," answered the Interfector.
Caesar again paused to study the Elite for a long moment. "Good. I can't say I completely approve of your reformation liberties in extending auxilia draft to peoples outside of my specified approval, but I'm sure you know I did send you down here to work your specialties in this region given your apparently intact reputation. Good to see your newest title of 'Murderer' hasn't obstructed the people's view of their old 'Savior.' Still, I suppose I have nothing but praise to offer you, given Marius's failure and your unorthodox successes in his absence. Perhaps I should have you raised to Legate sometime soon."
The statement from his master gave the Elite a childlike sense of pride, making the man responded nearly blushing, "Oh, that isn't- I was just doing my job, Lord Caesar."
Caesar then stood to his feet and motioned for the Killer to do so as well. "Then keep doing your job and achieving my desired results. Once I handle the Hidebarks, I'll be leaving the rest of the Arizona campaign to your leadership. Because there are many others that have served me far longer than you have, I'll likely hold off on such a promotion. That still isn't to say you fail me, what you really need is experience, Interfector..."
The dictator paused yet again before concluding the meeting, "Now. Let me see firsthand what it's like to have such a unique commander as my second on the field. Prepare the Cohort to move, Murderer."
The Elite responded to the order by dropping to his knee, placing his fist over his heart, and saying, "Your will be done, My Emperor."