Those listening went quiet.
“Together we will conquer all those who stand before us,” he paused, “I guarantee success and fortune.” He waved his arms at the assembled equipment waiting to be loaded on the docks and at the ships in the harbour, “We will not be bested and defeated by druids and fools who live on butchered meat and milk like animals, we are Rome, we are soldiers of the Empire.”
Men began to cheer, at first single odd voices in the masses.
“Are we the legions of Rome, afraid of men who live lives in little more than mud huts, who rely on their women to fight for them and paint their skin to hide their sallow weak flesh?” He surveyed the men before him and saw that some individuals were excitedly talking to others and encouraging them. The General drew his gladius from its sheath and pointed it to the heavens.
“The gods are with us and Mars God of war himself looks down on you now, with him at our side victory is assured. Join me,” he looked up, “join us and your commanders and together we will conquer that barbarian place called Britannia. With four full legions, thousands of auxiliaries, cavalry and artillery we will smash all those who stand before us.”
He lowered his sword and then pointed it out into the channel and quickly the attitude of the men began to alter. They exchanged looks and stopped their sarcastic calls and started to shout the name of Plautius now agreeing to go to war. Thousands of voices chanted, “Plautius, Plautius.” He turned to Narcissus, who fumed and left the platform to cat calls from the men nearby, his journey not entirely wasted.
Subsequently that night the ships had begun their journey carrying their deadly cargo westward. The refusal to board the ships and the subsequent delay however, had taken many weeks all told and the usual campaigning season was already well underway. The Britons in the meantime had heard through traders of the legions refusal to take part in the invasion and had dispersed from the southern shores back to their settlements and families believing that like Caligula’s invasion of a few years before, this one wouldn’t happen either.
Although Britannia was to be the furthest point west these men had journeyed, their boots would be on the beaches of foreign soil the next day. Almost to a soldier they where captivated by their own thoughts wondering who amongst them would survive to see the sun rise again in the days ahead. The fleet slowly moved across the water, oars aiding sails, drums beat rhythmically like the mighty heartbeat of the gods, timing the strokes and propelling them to the land that would be the next Province of the most powerful country and Empire in the known world.
Druids were said to be all powerful, pagan religions ruled the lands where the tribes still performed human sacrifice to their gods. Warriors were known to cover their skin with a substance called woad, a plant extract, when they fought in battle, many had images tattooed onto their bodies. The hair was spiked outward in lime to make them look more ferocious, their body hair shaven except for their heads. Britannia was indeed a primitive and barbaric place where the soldiers expected to sustain heavy casualties and the loss of many of Rome’s sons.
The land would be dominated, decimated if necessary and brought to book. Client Kingdoms would be established and the mineral wealth distributed throughout the Empire. Emissaries had travelled to the rich green country the year before in the knowledge that some of the inhabitants had aided Gallic allies in Gaul. They had met with two of the brothers of Adminius who ruled one of the larger tribes in the southern part of the islands, Togodumnus and Caratacus but they had refused to become just another Province and clients of Claudius. They were known to have unified some of the tribes under their banner and were now refusing to pay tributes in the form of taxes and had denied all attempts at persuading them to join the Empire. The men of the Second Augusta led by their Legate, Titus Flavius Vespasian were now determined to show them the error of their ways, along with the men of three other legions.
The soldiers were packed into the war galleys and supply ships with equipment and animals and now couldn’t wait to get to dry land. The smell and noise, together with the constant rolling waves of the sea had already made many sick much to the amusement of some of the crew and marines. They had waited in Gaul for months whilst their forces gathered, their refusal to board the ships had hindered their progress further but now they now wanted nothing more than to get to what was said to be the largest island in the known world and onto firm ground.
Preparations were already underway for farmers, their families, builders and merchants to follow the first wave of vessels in order that the island could be made into the next Province. It was intended that in a short time the indigenous population would soon see the benefits of joining the other cultures and countries that now enjoyed the benefits of the eternal City. Philosophy, wealth and education would follow as it had in other lands that profited from an alliance with their Roman masters. A much different destiny awaited those that resisted and they like others before them in Gaul would be crushed under the eagle standards that now approached their lands.
Although Centurion Tiberius Albinus Varro was from Rhegium, located on the southeast coastal tip of his homeland, a large sprawling port, he didn’t like the sea or anything to do with it. He didn’t previously believe that the naval crews were worthy of military recognition. Not just because they were not as highly trained and less paid than he and his colleagues but because he considered that they were on a lower level, on the military scale when all was considered. They went to war at sea, whereas the men of the Second Augusta waged their battles on land, where wars were actually won and victories secured. He now however, admitted a grudging respect for these sailors and marines whose weather beaten faces creased in grimaces as they worked the sails and strained to propel them forward.
It was common knowledge that the men who manned the military vessels were ranked below their legionary counterparts and even below the auxiliaries that were drawn up from many conquered lands. The navy was considered by most to be an inferior force altogether, it was younger than the infantry and had only come into being because of Carthage and it’s seaborne threat.
However, Varro had now developed some admiration for the miles or manipularis marines, as they referred to themselves and not just as sailors. They were providing an invaluable service to the Empire as this journey and its preparation were proof of. The Emperor was spreading the eagle’s wings and men on foot alone could not achieve victory without the aid of their water borne comrades. His legion was at full strength and the five thousand infantry and nearly one thousand cavalry had trained and re-trained whilst waiting to board the ships for the short but uncomfortable journey across the channel. They were happy to be on the move at last and on their way after the dull routine of training and listening to superstition and rumours in their temporary garrison camp.
Varro was physically slightly shorter than most of the men in his company but only by an inch or two, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in breadth and pure physical strength. Naturally broader than most, he had built on that by training with large pots filled with water and logs cut from thick trees for years. He and his closest companions had pushed their bodies to the limit, training everyday to try and ensure that they were at their best when the time came to jump from the boats. His skin had a slight olive tint and his short wavy black hair was cut close to his head. A tight and neatly trimmed black beard made his features quite distinguished and almost uniquely Greek looking.
He and his men although mounted, were part of the Equites Legionis who were a form of cavalry attached to the legion but were actually regular legionaries taken from the ranks. Different legions had varying numbers of Equites Legionis from one hundred and twenty to one thousand troops, in addition to auxiliary cavalry. They generally worked independently as scouts or messengers and were employed in carrying out special duties on behalf of their Legate and were commanded by Centurions unlike the Decurion’s of the auxiliary units. Varro commanded the scouts of the Second Augusta and therefore liked to ride horses, what he didn’t like was boats.