Watch Your Back

by William V Weeks

When Tallis crawled into bed, Abigail woke up. “How was your day, my love? She said.”

  “Long, but we lived through it. Tomorrow will be a better day.”

  My wife rubbed her husband’s face. “What’s this on your head?”

  “Don’t worry, Abigail. It’s nothing.”

  “There wouldn’t be a cloth wrapped around your skull if it was nothing. What happened?”

  “Last night, somebody ambushed me, but the doctor treated my wound and told me I’d recover.”

  Abigail wouldn’t let the subject drop. “I always worry for your safety, Tallis. I love you, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Your job is too dangerous.”

  “So you’ve told me, but you understood I served in Herod’s Army before our marriage. So don’t say the danger surrounding my job caught you by surprise.”

  “Don’t get so defensive, my dear. Every day your work becomes more dangerous, and when you earn a promotion, your stress level will increase more as will my worries for your safety.”

  “All is well in Galilee, Abigail. Please, let me get some sleep, my workday will arrive much too soon.” Tallis kissed his wife’s cheek, rolled over, covered himself with a light blanket, and fell asleep in seconds.”

  “Get up dear. It’s time to meet your soldiers. I fixed you something to eat. Hurry. You don’t have much time.” Tallis gulped his food down before dressing, grabbing his weapons, and heading toward the courtyard. “When do you expect to return home today?”

  “I plan to spend the afternoon with you, Abigail. If everything goes well.”

  “I’d love to be with you since we haven’t had much time together for the past two days. I miss you.”

  As the Conturbenium entered the fortress courtyard, one of the guards handed Tallis a piece of parchment. Kaleb wanted to see me in his office.

  “Good morning, sir. I received your message.”

  “Tallis, you’re supposed to be home resting, but since you are here, we need to discuss what happened the night when you worked alone and ended up with a head wound.”

  “Didn’t Tam explain everything to you?”

  “I want to hear the story in your own words.”

  “There isn’t anything else to tell you.” Tallis reviewed the events, of how he’d noticed the pillars and olive grove on his return to Hammath, the night Kush and Masa died. After hearing the story, Kaleb ordered his Decanus to never work alone. He wasn’t the first person to mention this to the young man.

  “Follow me, Tallis. This morning our Commander invited a representative from the Roman Army to teach our troops a few new tactical formations.” Tallis rose and wiped the sweat from his face with his forearm as the two men walked in silence down the marble covered hallway to the courtyard.

  Nikolaos paced as he waited for everyone to join him in the courtyard. Gavius, the Roman Centurion, shook the Commander’s hand and ignored the others upon his arrived. An entire Century of elite troops had accompanied the man, including the ten Decanuses. Herod’s army contained a large number of soldiers with little experience and limited training. Gavius turned and spoke to Nikolaos before our General turned toward his troops and ordered everyone to stand at attention.

  Tallis noticed a look of intimidation on the faces of most soldiers joining him in the courtyard. For many, this was their first experience working with Roman troops. Six of Herod’s other Centuries also attended the morning meeting. Add the Romans, and the parade ground became too crowded to maneuver with any efficiency.

  Nikolaos introduced Gavius to those present. Despite the Commander’s superior rank, Tallis realized who led the training session. The Roman Centurion spoke a few words to Nikolas, who shared the information with Herod’s soldiers. “Today, I am honored and privileged to welcome a representative of Rome to everyone. Gavius and his troops agreed to provide us with some much-needed training in the latest military tactics. As you know, Galilee and the surrounding provinces continue to experience increased levels of civil disobedience and criminal behavior.” Tallis wasn’t sure why Nikolaos said this. He and his men lived in danger every day. “Our job is to maintain peace and harmony in the areas governed by our Tetrarch. Today’s training will provide us with two specific skills we can use to control and defeat those who oppose Herod’ and Rome’s authority. Gavius, welcome to Tiberias. Please begin.”

  Once again, The Roman leader spoke, and Nikolaos translated the information to those present. “Gentlemen, today you will receive training in a technique you may find useful if protestors turn violent and you need to protect yourselves. The Roman Century will demonstrate this formation with we call a ‘Square.’ This procedure will help keep you and your colleagues safe when your Century finds itself surrounded in a hostile environment.”

  The Roman soldiers moved from a standing rank order to collapsing and forming what appeared to be a tight box, a square. The troops on the exterior sides of the formation held their shields against their chests while facing away from their colleagues. Those in the center raised their shields overhead to protect the group from any projectiles raining down upon them.

  Tallis glanced at his men as they watched in awe at the demonstration before them. Next, the Romans closed ranks, eliminating the gaps between their shields. Maintaining this formation, they demonstrated how to move in various directions in a synchronized manner. Tallis thought the process looked simple enough, but how would such a tactic work at the Conturbenium level? Gavius turned and spoke to Nikolaos who then called his Centurions forward. The remainder of Herod’s soldiers stood at ease, many with concerned looks on their faces, afraid to fail, as Tallis’s confidence waned.

  When the Centurions returned to their Centuries, Kaleb spoke to us. “Our soldiers will practice at the Century level, rather than every Conturbenium working as an independent unit. Tallis, you and your men, will form the left side of the Square. Have your troops turn their backs to your fellow soldiers.” Kaleb continued to assign tasks to the other Conturbeniums while Tallis’s troops waited. “On my command, we will move as a unit, and close ranks like you saw in the demonstration. Now.” Our Centurion stepped to the side, and we attempted to execute his orders.

  Tallis didn’t know how he and six soldiers would perform the work of ten men, but his team turned as directed, facing away from the others while they struggled to form a square without success. Kaleb frowned. So did Nikolaos, while Gavius smirked. All Herod’s soldiers heard the Roman soldiers laughing. Kaleb managed to control his temper. “Let’s try this again,” as a smile appeared while his Century returned to their original positions so they could attempt the maneuver a second time.

  Despite the best efforts of Herod’s soldiers, none of his Centuries managed to create a functioning square. Kaleb and the other officers hung their heads. If they had to perform this tactic in public, the crowd would burst out laughing.

  Gavius yelled something to Nikolaos, who directed his Centurions to get their soldiers back into formation. The Roman Centurion didn’t appear to appreciate the humor of the moment, as Herod’s troops returned to their original positions in haste.

  With everyone back in formation, Nikolaos spoke again. “We call the second formation you will learn this morning the ‘Pig’s Head.’ This strategy enables you to move people, dividing a crowd so you can control large groups.”

  Tallis watched his fellow soldiers as they listened to their Commander’s words. He hoped his team would perform the next strategy better. Gavius barked out another command, and his troops snapped to attention before moving into a formation resembling geese flying south for the winter. The front row of the Roman Centurion contained thirty soldiers, the second row had twenty-five, and each additional row had five fewer men per row. Once in formation, the Romans advanced with their shields held chest high. Herod’s troops found themselves pushed aside with ease.

  After the demonstration, Kaleb called his Century together and explained how we would position ourselves within the Pig’s Head before comm
anding us to execute the formation. The soldiers performed the maneuver well on our first attempt, and they continued to improve their efficiency with repeated practice. Their Centurion looked pleased with their efforts. By the end of the training session, Kaleb’s Century performed like polished soldiers rather than a rag-tag group stumbling over each other and embarrassing themselves.

  Tallis didn’t know what happened next, but Gavius said something to Nikolaos who then called his Centurions forward. When Kaleb returned to his troops, the senior officers departed, heading toward Nikolaos’s office. Tallis’s commander called his Century together and told everyone this morning’s training was over. “Return to your assigned regions. My Decanuses and I will meet tomorrow morning at our regular time.”

  Tallis led his men out the south gate of the fortress. As the Conturbenium marched back to Hammath, The Decanus kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, watching to see if anyone tried to spy on them. If so, Tallis and his soldiers would give chase. Should the trip home prove uneventful, he looked forward to spending time with Abigail.

  Chapter 6