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Sejanus found herself pacing once more, stopping only to swear and kick the occasional slave unlucky enough to cross her path. The coldness of night had set in and they were at a standstill. Siege.. The Legion wasn't good for a drawn out fight under most circumstances - they were a 'hit and run' kind of army, depending on surprise and quick ferocity to overtake their prey. They were ill equipped for a siege and she had a damn good idea of who would be sent back to get supplies.
Agrippa's centurion was always made to do the boot-work since the first Battle for the Dam. A small ambush had delayed them and they'd arrived a day late, missing the slaughter that devastated the ranks of many other centuria. Sejanus was among the few decanii to have survived the first Battle, Boulder City having claimed most of them, and there was still a stigma about her and her peers. They'd been sent east as punishment, not allowed to join in the conquest and rebuilding on the western front. They'd not been called back till the second Battle, and still they tended to get all the least glamorous assignments.
"Survivor's guilt... that's what they want from us.." she muttered to her self, stopping to shiver in the cold. She pulled her night-cloak about her shoulders but the scant cloth did little against the chill.
"A damn siege! That's all we fucking need, eh?" came that familiar gruff voice. Agrippa came into view of the brazier's light, stumbling a little as he made his way back from the latrine. The old man stopped by the fire, warming himself against the cold. "And we both know who'll be hoofing it back to request supplies," he added grimly. "Ah, and I remember so fondly my days as a promising youth.." he said, sighing in mock nostalgia.
"What before the War?" smirked Sejanus.
Agrippa chuckled. He missed seeing the Decanus smile. Things had been too tense lately, the Legion pressing its advance as hard as they could so as not to lose any momentum or force. It seemed they had finally hit a wall though. The day had been hard fought at first, they had taken the eastern side and dug in without letting go. By evening however it was clear they were at a tedious impasse, unable to force their way into the terminal. Sending in a fresh wave to hold their ground for the night, the Centurion and his men retired to their camp, getting food and rest for the morning.
For a moment the two of them stood silently by the brazier, gazing in quiet recollection. The day had cost a lot, admittedly mostly recruits, and they -had- taken their share of NCR with them, but even so... How many more would die holding the siege? Sejanus knew she'd not be around to see,
"Should probably start packing, shouldn't I sir?" she asked with a bitter half smile.
Agrippa sighed. "Suppose so, lad. They'll most likely be sending us off for aid first thing, along with a report for Caesar. Always picked as the bearer of bad news aren't we..."
Sejanus shrugged resignedly. A small part of her was relieved she had to admit. Being sent away, though dull, meant she and her men would be free from the Legate's ire. Though there was no honor in it, there was no needless death, no waste of life. She turned her face sheepishly, frowning at the thought. She knew some called her weak for her attachment to her men, but they meant more to her than she liked to admit. They'd been with her for years, some since she'd joined roughly a decade ago. They were her friends, her family, her charge. The thoughts of those she had lost still hung heavy on her heart.
As if sensing her mood, Agrippa clapped her on the shoulder. "Get some sleep, Sejanus. The morning will be here all too soon and we might as well face the tedium with a modicum of grace."
Sejanus nodded, stretching before turning her back on the fire to head for her tent. The morning would be austere, but at least she had sense to know what came. With a final glance back and wave to Agrippa, she entered her contubernium's tent.
She lay down among her men, the smell of sweat and the filth of battle strong at such close quarters, but the warmth provided by their closeness outweighed any such minor discomforts as she settled in against the cold night. Besides, she thought, there was a certain comfort to such a familiar smell, and a primal part of her loved the smell of others, the safety it seemed to afford. She smiled, letting sleep take her the second she closed her eyes.
Lupe and his squad of ten made a small camp like everyone else were doing. It was getting dark and cold. This normally would've been avoided since most of them could handle it but they needed all the rest they can, plus they weren't going anywhere, anytime soon.
Lupe sat down with the other legionaries by the small fire they had just made. Even though it was freezing below his wait, he somehow felt warm. Either it was by the sheer excitement of the Bears soon quick death, or it was probably by the heat of the campfire. Either way, Lupe found it comforting.
Lupe soon looked in his small pack and took out a bottle of water and some Brahmin beef jerky. He took little bits listening in as the other legionaries talked about the upcoming battle. Some of them seemed ready enough for a fight, most were ready for a bloodbath.
One of Lupe's squad mates, whose real name was hard to remember, tapped Lupe on the shoulder.
" What do you think about the battle against the profligates?" Said TJ, who Lupe decided to make that his nickname.
"I think it'll be a quick and fun battle. If we're lucky, we might even be able to take down a couple of the remaining Power armoured profligates" said Lupe.
TJ nodded in approval at Lupe's short comment. He soon went back to talking with the others but Lupe didn't stay long to listen to it. He went outside the tent he had been assigned to sleep in and he stated doing the same exercises he's been doing his whole life. He did his usual 50 push-ups and 100 sit-ups. It wasn't much compared to everyone else in the legion but it was something his dad taught him to do ever since he was little and he's been doing them ever since.
Once he was done, he crawled inside the tent an laid across the bedroll he set up earlier. He pulled out a small necklace around his neck and he squeezed it softly as he slowly drifted to sleep.
Lupe dreamed of the last time he'd seen his father. It was when Lupe was 16 years old and he was just getting done with the usual training of young men his age. He knew this was the day his father was going away to fight against the profiles gets who dared stand up to the legion. Lupe didn't know much about it but he figured it was just some big shot squad from the west who thought the legion were just a bunch of slavers.
His father was in his 40s with the rank of Centurion. Lupe thought about the fact that his father was one of the newly ranked Centurions and that he was being sent to command one of the camps that were expected to be hit daily by the bear.
His father caught the look in his eye and told him not to worry and that he'd fine against the tribe of the Republic. His father have him a small necklace and told him that it was the same necklace his father have him when he was about his age.
Lupe didn't get the time to reply back as he was awoken by one of his squad mates who told him it was time to get ready for the attack
Morning came, and the vast majority of the legionaries arose. The officers seemed unsure of what to do. A siege seemed a simple enough process, but the Legion were an offensive army. Holding the line here meant losing their momentum, and in the weeks it would take to starve the enemy out, they I-15 may already be flooded with reinforcements. Even the Legate, with his mind ill suited to strategies beyond 'charge!', must have realized this.
Yesterday, as the men had poured into the courtyard of McCarran airport, Titus Vulcanus had already begun to suspect the NCR troopers would use the interior for choke points by the entrances. Maybe that NCR training was paying off - he knew their tactics well.
He and the other centurions in the southern legion had been struggling to come up with a way to break this siege early. They'd come up with nothing concrete. Titus had only realised as he walked into his tent that he had in his possession a very valuable asset. When McCarran was desperate for supplies, who better to have under him than someone from their supply corps?
Not only would the NCR defences break, but he'd get to punish his slave again. He did wonder whether he was putting far too much effort into making her life hell than was actually deserved, but regardless, this actually helped he legion - her pain was just a bonus.