As Artorius turned to leave he was interrupted by the Legate.
“I did not say you were dismissed!” Apronius barked. “You may stand down, but you are not dismissed yet. There is a new set of charges we must first deal with. Centurion Lincinius!”
The Cohort Commander was shocked to hear his name spoken and fumbled with his reply before stumbling forward to stand before the Legate.
“Sir?” he asked, suddenly afraid.
“You allowed a tyrant to run amuck within the Third Cohort,” Apronius observed. “You have allowed the morale, good order, and discipline within an entire century to lapse. You did nothing while good men were punished for crimes they did not commit, and the combat readiness of the entire cohort was compromised as a result.”
“It has never been policy within the Legion for either the Legate or myself to interfere with the Cohort Commanders,” Calvinus added. “However, you have betrayed the trust placed in you and as a result are no longer fit to lead the Third Cohort.”
“Sirs, I protest!” Lincinius bellowed.
“Therefore,” Apronius interrupted, “you are relieved of your duties as Centurion Pilus Prior, pending a formal investigation. You are dismissed.”
Lincinius looked like he had been struck down by the gods themselves as he walked slowly from the hall, the enraged prosecutor in tow, muttering in low voices. The men gathered sneered at them, but kept their tongues lest Master Centurion Calvinus make good on his threat. There was an awkward silence until the legionaries guarding the door unlocked it, and the men were at last outside.
“Optio Artorius!” Apronius spoke. His voice had relaxed considerably, though it was still strained by tension.
“Yes, sir!” the Optio replied as he stood rigid before his Commanding General. He had yet to even comprehend that he had been acquitted of any wrong doing in the murder of their former Centurion.
“You acted in accordance of your charge as a leader of legionaries and saved one of your men from a needless death. While I do not agree with the precedent this may set, the facts are that I am now short a Centurion within the Third Cohort, two in fact; that and I know the men of the Second Century will follow you anywhere. You have been their real leader since Centurion Macro left for the First Cohort. You will, therefore, continue to lead them in the position that should have been yours by right, if not by protocol.” He then nodded to Master Centurion Calvinus, who stood and read from the scroll he still clutched in his hands.
“Optio Titus Artorius Justus: As a testament of your selfless leadership, extreme valor in the face of Rome’s many enemies, and absolute fidelity to the Legion and the Emperor, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Centurion. You will assume immediate command of Second Century of the Third Cohort, Twentieth Legion.”
“Centurion Vitruvius,” Apronius said.
“Sir!” Vitruvius replied, walking quickly from the crowd and standing before the Legate.
“You are now the interim Commander of the Third Cohort, pending the results of the investigation against Lincinius. You have full authority to execute these duties as you see fit, though we cannot promote you to the rank of Centurion Pilus Prior until the investigation has been completed and any actions taken against Lincinius are resolved. Though, as a word of advice, I would not plan on returning to your former Century.”
He still had yet to fully comprehend what had transpired that morning, his mind a whirl of conflicting thoughts. Had he truly done the right thing? Legate Apronius seemed to think so. And though the worst was over, Artorius knew that Fulvius’ friends in Rome would be enraged and seek whatever retribution they could exact against him. He just shook his head as he explained his concerns to Praxus and Magnus as they walked away from the cheering masses.
“And you wonder why I’m in no rush to become a Centurion!” Magnus snorted. “It’s too political at that level, and in Roman politics we know just how dangerous that can be. No, thank you, I’ll stick to fighting enemies who at least have the decency to look me in the eye and make it plain that they are trying to kill me.”
“I always thought I could avoid the political fray until at least making Centurion Pilus Prior,” Artorius replied. “The Cohort Commanders are the ones who have to at least start playing nice politically, since they can be given independent commands within the provinces.”
“Well, Magnus has a point about the violence of Roman politics,” Praxus added. “Hell, you’ve proven that!” Artorius scowled at the remark, but then shook his head in resignation. “Hey, it’s nothing new, old friend. I mean at least we’re not of the Senatorial or even Equestrian classes of society. Some of the greatest politicians and statesmen Rome has ever had have met with terrible ends: Gracchus, Cicero, Pompey, the divine Julius himself. Even the great Marc Antony fell from grace due to politics.”
“And a certain Alexandrian twat,” Magnus observed. “Antony was a great soldier and general, and was one of Julius Caesar’s right hand men. How far the mighty can fall…”
“A bit extreme comparing my circumstances to those, don’t you think?” Artorius asked. “Whether through fame or infamy, those names you mentioned will all be remembered by posterity. Who, even a generation from now, will remember the name Titus Artorius Justus?”
“We tell you these things so that you can learn from them,” Praxus replied. “You need to see where these men went wrong and where those such as the divine Augustus did it right. You did not want to get thrown into the political fray; however, you doing the right thing and executing that bastard Fulvius has made you some powerful enemies. These are enemies who don’t care how good of a soldier and leader of legionaries you are, or how many awards for valor may decorate your chest. You’ve got to start making friends in the right places. You’ve already got an advantage there with Pontius Pilate.”
“That’s true,” Magnus concurred. “He may only be an Equestrian, but he’s Deputy Prefect of the Praetorians, answering only to Sejanus. Hell, that gives you practically a direct link to the Emperor himself!”
“I’ve always been leery of Sejanus,” Artorius responded. “I know Pilate admires him, but there is just something about him that makes me uneasy. Justus Longinus hates him with a passion. Says he’s a poison in Tiberius’ ear.”
“Well, our friend Justus doesn’t have senators and magistrates out for his blood, now does he?” Praxus retorted, placing a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Doesn’t matter if Sejanus is the biggest prick in the Empire, he is still one of the most powerful men in the world, and you, my friend, have the opportunity to use that to your advantage.”
Artorius and his friends continued their conversation as they returned to his room at the Century’s barracks in order to move his gear over to the Centurion’s billet, which had been cleaned out during his confinement and trial. Magnus and Praxus were joined by Rufio and several of the Decanii, who were talking quickly amongst themselves. Even with everything that had transpired that day, nothing could have prepared Artorius for what he saw next as he opened the door to his new quarters.
Chapter V: The Centurion
“My lady!” Artorius choked on the words as he spoke them. At first he thought his eyes must be deceiving him, but in the dark, curled up on his bed and fast asleep was the Lady Diana.
“Oh shit!” Magnus swore while slapping his forehead. “I completely forgot she was here! Sorry about that. We all got caught up in…” Artorius raised a hand, silencing him. Praxus grinned and slapped the Norseman on the shoulder and they left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.