by Tanya Allan
Strangely, the smell of human waste was ever present as well, so despite the pristine whiteness of the marble buildings, there was an ever pervading smell of sewers that tended to spoil an otherwise wonderful image. Weirdly, on my frequent trips through various modern Mediterranean ports as a US Marine in transit, I recall the smells as being similar.
Gallinas was easy to persuade. We set up a more complex display of the power and range of the longbow that my one archer against me and the lone legionary who set his shield for us.
I now had five longbows, so I initially planned to train five of the strongest girls to use them to some degree of proficiency. They weren’t experts, so I borrowed my original archer and four of his colleagues from the Sixth Legion, who were about to be sent north to augment the Ninth.
These men were keen to prove themselves as good as or better than I had been, so the competition was stiff. They were experienced archers, whose fluid movement and keen eye for wind and conditions could never be replaced by training newcomers to the skill.
Gaius managed to get the Port Patrol and his friend Culminus to compile a report that stated that they suspected that Glax was one of many who had been recruiting warriors to take to Dacia with a new type of bow. Although the longbow had been in existence for years, the Romans had yet to face them in any numbers, or bows of the size that Glax was in the process of shipping.
This report fell onto the Governor’s desk at the time Gallinas was hanging about. Gaius and I managed to show him what the bow could do in competent hands. This time we made six dummy legionaries out of straw and sacking, on which we strapped normal armour, including shields.
We placed the dummies into a cart, and to simulate marching men, we attached a rope to the cart and pulled it at walking speed towards the archers’ position.
From around four hundred paces, all five archers loosed their arrows, penetrating the dummies so it became perfectly obvious that all six would have been dead, had they been alive to begin with.
In contrast, we had two other archers armed with their usual composite bows to show that they had never got the range of the longer bows.
“How do we deal with them?” Gallinas asked, displaying serious concern.
I waved and the archers restrung their bows and notched arrows in anticipation.
From behind some bushes came our contraption – the first tank!
Powered by two large legionaries (also borrowed from the Sixth) it was a glorified double wheelbarrow that was armoured by thick planks of wood angled at the front and over the top and sides to protect the ten women that ran behind the two men who were pushing.
They were armed with javelins and shorter bows. The tank was pushed straight towards the archers who managed to impale the infernal machine in dozens of arrows as they closed the four hundred yard gap. Not one person was struck, and when they arrived, the women were able to retaliate to kill the archers. Only they didn’t have to – the point was made.
“How many do you have?” was Gallinas’ question.
“This is the only one. We need cash to make this, so if you want any more, you need to authorise funding,” said Gaius.
“Whose idea was this?”
“Gaius’,” I said, before he got in before me.
Gallinas did not look convinced, and Gaius expression told him the true story.
The young tribune simply smiled.
“How many do you need?” he asked.
“For a century, then at least ten,” said Gaius, before I could say anything. I was pleased.
Gallinas stood with his hands on his hip.
“Do it, but keep it classified. These men; see they are transferred to your command. I need to send an urgent report to the Emperor.”
I have no idea what he wrote, but Trajan must have been impressed enough to detach half the Ninth Legion and order their secret removal from Britannia to return to Rome for reassignment. My studies of history showed that there was some mystery of the fate of many of the Ninth Legion. Some believed them to be slaughtered by British tribesmen in an uprising, while other historians thought they may have been used by Trajan in a secret operation against the Dacians.
Now I knew.
There were two possible routes to Rome. The first was by ship to Gaul, and then march the one thousand miles from the coast of Gaul to the city. The other route was by sea. However, the Legion, at full strength, numbered ten thousand men. Given that Gallinas was to take half the legion; that was still five thousand men (and one hundred women). That is a large number to take by sea in small and less than perfect craft.
End result – we marched!
That wasn’t as bad as it sounded. The roads were sound, there were numerous fortified towns and garrison posts along the way, and we had sufficient carts to carry all the equipment. The infantry marched, but they carried no equipment, save their swords and pila. All helmets, shields, armour was carried in the carts pulled by teams of oxen. The men marched close to the carts, so if attacked, they could rearm and prepare themselves rapidly, but the route to Rome was relatively secure in these days.
It was late autumn, so the crossing was interesting. Once in Gaul, we spent several days waiting for the remainder of the troops and getting organised for the march. There was a fortified garrison town close to the coast, so we slotted in and retained the usual military discipline. I kept the training regime going for the girls.
Many were sick during the crossing, and several were suffering from a degree of homesickness as they left the white cliffs of Britain behind, exchanging them for the white cliffs of Gaul. One could easily understand that there was a land bridge here many millennia ago.
We had had to wait a few weeks for the messages to get to Rome and back, and then for half the legion to march south from Ebocorum.
I wasn’t sure of the date, but as it was getting dark earlier and staying dark for longer, I guessed we were into November.
The Roman calendar was confusing at best, because it was aligned to the moon, so as this was a 355 day year, occasionally a completely different month called Mercedonius was inserted towards the end of February every now and again to make up the difference, then, after that month finished, the last five days of February happened. Talk about odd! It didn’t help that they kept altering it in Rome, but never bothered telling anyone else.
The wet and windy weather followed us south. We travelled on the known and established roads, skirting to the west and south of the Alps and crossing into Italy by Ventimiglia.
The weather improved as soon as we could see the Alps to our left. By the time they were to our rear, we were in Italy and marching south.
I found it fascinating, as Gaul was as green and forested as Britain. The Roman influence was far more advanced here, and the Ninth, the Hispanic Legion, became more content the further south we marched. Britain was not considered a good posting, so all were happier to be in warmer climes.
We averaged four miles an hour, covering around twenty-eight miles a day, and taking forty days to get there. I thought I was fit and lean before we started. When we finally rolled into our new barracks just outside Rome, I think we had all lost weight and become leaner, fighting machines.
The Legions were forbidden to enter Rome, as the fear of military coups was very great. The Cohortes Urbanae and the Praetorian Guard were the military presence within the city. The former kept the peace for the people, and the latter guarded the Emperor. Such was the politics of Rome that generals were often considered high risk, as the Legions’ power was such that they could topple an unpopular emperor just by their presence alone.
In truth, out of the first forty-nine Emperors, eight were murdered by their own Praetorian Guard. Some, it has to be said, ruled for as little as twenty-one days.
The Christian church had yet to become organised sufficiently to be a real presence, as that would not happen until the Emperor Constantine in the year 312AD. The Edict of Milan was a turning point as it gave the Christians freedom t
o follow their faith without oppression or persecution for the first time. Constantine even restored Christian property that had been seized or confiscated under previous administrations.
I had yet even to meet a Christian, knowingly, at any rate. They were still a persecuted and hated sect, forced underground by prejudice and bigotry. The Romans didn’t like their ideals of loving everyone and true selflessness and equality. The British in the nineteenth century were placid where it came to class consciousness and status compared to this lot!
Trajan has a place in Christian History because in correspondence with Pliny the Younger, he addressed the issue of how to handle the faithful. This is one of the earliest mentions of Christians in pagan literature and is often quoted.
Pliny was governor of Pontus and Bithynia (in Asia Minor) for three years beginning in 111AD. He wrote to the emperor explaining how he had dealt with Christians. This included requiring them to worship the emperor or the Roman gods, and if they refused, to execute them. But he wondered if he should execute youngsters and whether it were enough for a Christian to sacrifice to idols or if such a one should still be executed.
Trajan (or his secretaries) replied:
“You observed proper procedure, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those who had been denounced to you as Christians. For it is not possible to lay down any general rule to serve as a kind of fixed standard. They are not to be sought out; if they are denounced and proved guilty, they are to be punished, with this reservation, that whoever denies that he is a Christian and really proves it - that is, by worshiping our gods - even though he was under suspicion in the past, shall obtain pardon through repentance. But anonymously posted accusations ought to have no place in any prosecution. For this is both a dangerous kind of precedent and out of keeping with the spirit of our age.”
Trajan, although he did not perpetuate persecution on the scale of Domitian and other emperors, executed several Christian leaders including Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and Simeon, Bishop of Jerusalem.
While I was there, I saw little evidence of Christians, or even of any persecution going on. To be fair, we were still in the same century as the birth, life and death of Christ, as well as the mission of the man called Saint Paul. He died here, in Rome, but not before starting a church that was now operating underground.
I wasn’t actually looking for them, but as time progressed, I came to see their signs on door posts and walls, so knew they were around.
I wasn’t especially religious, a fact I think I may have mentioned before. I’m not sure whether God would approve of what I had done, and was doing. For all I knew, God might have started the Time Corps, so I deliberately kept an open mind. I was, however, no lover of the church, especially that part of the church in the United States where I grew up. Bigotry and hatred had replaced any gospel of love and tolerance in most of them. Their attitudes towards the gay and transgendered, let alone their attitudes towards those with darker skins, left a great deal to be desired. I found it much easier to avoid them.
However, the church wasn’t to become accepted and socially permissible for another two hundred and something years. These Christians were the revolutionaries of their day. They were the hippies, the strange weirdoes and the counter-culture within Roman society. The faith appealed to slave and rich man, particularly to the slave, so they bucked the religious, social and class trends in every way possible. That was why just being a Christian was enough to sign your own death warrant.
The Emperor was a god, so had to be worshiped. Few really did, but just went through the motions for social acceptance. The Christians refused, and many died for it, as was illustrated in Trajan’s letter.
The female century had its own quarters within the garrison camp. Living under canvas wasn’t as bad as living in some of the rat infested buildings with open sewers close by.
At least in the camps, the latrines were well placed and dug deep. The cook house was out in the open and the food fresh and plentiful.
We had our new uniforms now, although we had not worn them in public yet. Mine was quite spectacular, probably because of the burnished metal breastplate that was sculpted to my body. There was no doubt as to my gender, given the shape of the breasts in metal for all to see. At least, they hadn’t given them nipples!
The black cloaks were just the job, as they were sufficiently different and striking to catch the eye. Added to the black helmets with detachable red plumes, dark tunics and dull metal armour and arms, we did look amazingly sinister.
I slept alone, these days. Gaius was still embarrassed over his slightly premature ejaculation to repeat the performance. To be fair, we had been very busy and lacked the same opportunities that presented themselves in Britain. I was slightly disappointed, but then it was a relief to be out of a relationship that could possibly alter my perspectives and hinder my objectivity.
Iona had taken another female lover from the ranks. I had unwittingly walked in on them when I wanted to speak to her about something important with regard to the training.
The red haired little beauty had been a recent addition to the ranks just prior to us leaving Britain. I had registered the event and simply walked out, unaware that I had been seen.
Iona had seen me, and followed me out. She had wrapped a cloak around her nakedness. She was quite a delectable woman, and I felt familiar stirrings within. I quashed them. I also felt slightly jealous, but also not a little guilt.
“You are angry!” she said, as a statement, not a question.
“No. To be honest, I’m pleased for you.”
She was surprised.
“Pleased? How so?”
“I am jealous of the girl, but not angry. You are still very attractive and desirable. But, we have moved on, and this is right. I need to be free, as do you.”
“Free?”
“Yes, what I have to do means that relationships might hinder me. As much as I might want to be loved and needed, it might not be the best thing for me. I may have to leave and return to where I come from. It might not be right to leave behind someone who will miss me.”
Her frown cleared and she surprised me by nodding.
“I understand. Yet you denied it.”
“Denied what?”
“Being the mortal form of a Goddess.”
I was about to come back with a more reasonable explanation, but then it dawned on me that actually, that was as good an explanation as I could give.
I simply nodded.
“I still love you,” she said.
“And I you, but it is right we are not as close.”
She smiled slightly.
“What?” I asked.
“I often wondered what a Goddess would be like. Now I know.”
“Don’t tell the Romans,” I said. “Go back to her, with my blessing.”
She hesitated.
“What?” I asked.
“There was a rumour about you and the centurion; Gaius.”
“And?”
“I was curious.”
“I sleep alone, these days. If he comes to me on a cold night, I wouldn’t chuck him out. If he wants a wife, he’ll be disappointed,” I said, as coolly as I could.
She grinned and nodded.
“That’s almost exactly what I said. He is quite a man, though.”
“You tempted?”
“He only has eyes for you,” she said, shaking her head.
“Then go back to your little girl and leave the rest to sort out their lives.”
I was up early the next morning, taking the century out to a quiet meadow some distance from the camp. We carried our new uniforms and I wanted to get them practicing their drills while wearing it. The uniforms were too theatrical to be of any good in combat, but I wanted the girls to be able to put on a good show if needed. The Romans liked fancy shows, so that was what I intended to give them.
Once changed, it took us a while to get the straps and new kit to fit. They had been made by men unused to the fema
le form, so it took quite a bit of alteration and adaptation to get things as we wanted them. In the end, they were ready.
I stood and addressed them as they lined up in their sections. Each section was roughly the same as the standard Roman ‘tent-party’ of eight with two NCOs, similar to a lance corporal and a corporal in charge.
“The strength of our unit is the small teams. Two teams of five to a section, three sections to a platoon, and three platoons to the century. The other numbers are made up from the NCOs and officers. There are eighteen teams, each with an NCO. Each platoon has an NCO and an officer.
“We have to move rapidly and avoid the standard slugging match that the Legionaries are famed for. Fast in, fast out, using whatever cover is available, that’s our game - to identify weaknesses in the enemy and exploit them if we have the ability. If not, then we get back to let the commanders know, so they can send people who can deal with the enemy. We’ve been training at camouflage and concealment almost more than anything else. But, and this is a big but, we have only been training in rural surroundings. We need to be able to conceal ourselves in urban and mixed settings as well.
“Soon we will have to be displayed before the Emperor. Now, this could be either a success or a disaster, so we will work hard to ensure it’s not a disaster. I have no ideas of the nature or location of the display, but if I know the army, it will be in a situation that will make it as tough for us as possible, with the minimum of warning. You see, politically, there is mileage in making sure we fail, for Gallinas might be just a junior Tribune, but his sponsors in the senate are far more ambitious. Likewise, there are those who oppose them, and so they will do their damndest to make sure we look stupid.”
I paused, looking at these young women as they regarded me. They were as much out of their time zone as was I. Centuries before their time, in fact. However, female warriors were present throughout history, so we were not setting a precedent, just!
I glanced at Iona, whose eyes were gleaming with zeal. I couldn’t help but grin. I nodded to her, and she bellowed some orders.
