“Let me get this straight. We get a free round of drinks for every time we let you thrash us?” he asked, settling uncertainly into his fighting stance.
“There is no letting me do anything,” Artorius corrected. “You are all helping your decanus get ready for the Legion Champion competition. And yes, a free round of drinks for every time you decide to give it a go.”
Valens raised his hand. “Artorius, you know I really don’t drink much. .”Artorius rolled his eyes. “Alright Valens, in your case it will be a classy prostitute. But you have to go at least three rounds!” “All right!” Valens shouted, grinning from ear to ear and raising his gladius in triumph.
Carbo came at Artorius, punching with his shield. Though each man in his section was skilled in his own right at close combat, they were no match for the century’s chief weapons instructor. Artorius quickly knocked Carbo’s shield aside and stabbed him beneath the rib cage. As soon as he went down, Decimus lunged forward, catching the sergeant across the helm with a blow from his shield. Artorius stumbled back and then settled into his stance once more. Decimus was taking things a little more seriously, and he was not going to let his decanus have an easy win. After a minute of punching and jabbing with their practice weapons, Artorius charged forward and with brute strength knocked the legionary down. Before Decimus could get to his feet, Artorius caught him with a jab to the neck. Gavius and Valens were dispatched quickly before Artorius faced his old friend, Magnus.
Magnus rolled his neck from side to side and loosened up his sword arm. He grinned at his decanus and deliberately advanced on him. Their shields collided several times before Artorius lunged in with an attempted stab to the ribs. Magnus blocked this with his shield, which he then swung and caught Artorius in the midsection. The sergeant stumbled back, surprised at the ferocity of Magnus’ attack. The legionary renewed his attack, nearly catching Artorius in the face with a stab from his weapon. His retraction was too slow, and Artorius caught him on the wrist with his shield, knocking the gladius away. Magnus yelped in surprise and raised his shield to block Artorius’ attack. Artorius purposely attacked Magnus on his left, pushing him towards where his gladius lay on the ground. In desperation, the young legionary lunged to grab his weapon, only to catch the point of Artorius’ gladius in the back of his neck as he attempted to rise.
“Not bad,” Artorius remarked, breathing rather heavily. “Since when did you start taking sparring seriously?”
“Since I figured you shouldn’t be the only one in the century vying for the title of Legion Champion,” Magnus replied, rubbing his wrist and the back of his neck.
Artorius smiled wide and nodded in respect to his friend.
“Well, do us both a favor and give me a better run for it when the actual competition comes!”
Chapter VI I: The Centurions’ Council
Gaius Silius sat at the head of the meeting hall, along with the military tribunes and Master Centurion Flavius. Flavius would have the final say once the counsel of centurions voted on his successor. At the table directly below the legate’s platform sat all of the cohort commanders, along with the centurions of the First Cohort. Given the importance of selecting a suitable man to hold the highest position in the legion a common soldier could hope to achieve, the debates would prove to be long and tedious. Though all centurions were professionals and would vote for whomever they felt was most fit, it would be hard for them not to show loyalty to their own cohort commanders and vote for them. Such potential impasses had to be avoided as much as possible. Silius deliberately kept from announcing Flavius’ retirement too soon, lest the candidates for the position start focusing all their energies on politicking their fellow centurions. Word had still gotten out and much political effort had already been exerted by those seeking to become the primus pilus.
Flavius had been a soldier for so long he knew of little else. His wife, Marcia, was the ideal military spouse. She had been supportive through every campaign, dressed his wounds from battle upon his return, and held him in the night when the nightmares born of horrors he suffered to protect her and the Empire came. She bore him two fine sons, one of whom was a scholar, the other a legionary like his father. He had three grandchildren from his eldest son, and thought it not right that a grandfather should still go off to war. He wished to retire and spend more time with his wife and grandchildren while he was still in the prime of his health.
His finances were more than sound. His pension from the army would be impressive, plus he would be elevated to membership within the patrician class. He would be able to stand for offices such as Tribune of the Plebes, with even the possibility of becoming a provisional governor. He smiled at the thought. He, in fact, relished the thought of a peaceful tenure in a position where he could still serve Rome. Marcia would be pleased.
“The position of centurion primus pilus is the highest a soldier from the ranks can hope to achieve,” Silius spoke. “He is the senior advisor to the legion commander, answering only to him. His responsibilities include not only leading the elite First Cohort into battle, but also the development and mentoring of all centurions and other officers within the legion. It is an epic responsibility, requiring that the man chosen truly be a Master Centurion.
“All of you have personal loyalties to friends and fellow centurions who will be standing for this position. You must put personal loyalties aside and focus only on which of these men is best suited to be your master centurion. Which of these men possesses the greatest skill in battle, the most ingenious tactical savvy, and the soundest leadership? It is up for you to decide.” With that, he took his seat.
Deliberations continued for some time. Each candidate stood before the assembly, his merits, and awards for valor, and experience laid out. Since it would take a clear majority for a decision to be made, there were numerous votes-off after the initial tally. After each voting, those with the fewest in number were removed from consideration and left the table to join their peers in voting. After three rounds, Centurion Primus Ordo Aemilius, Centurion Primus Ordo Draco, and Centurion Pilus Prior Calvinus were the remaining candidates.
All three were legendary soldiers in their own right. Aemilius was a superior cavalryman who had fought beside the allied Batavi tribesmen during the wars against Arminius. He had been awarded the Civic Crown for saving the lives of numerous Batavi auxiliaries during the fierce fighting along the Weser River. For him, the award was bittersweet, seeing as how he had failed to save Batavi War Chief Chariovalda, who had been a close friend of his.
Draco was a tactical genius and a master of “shock” tactics. He epitomized the Roman ability to adapt to adverse situations in the heat of battle. Often times he was able to manipulate the enemy’s strengths against them. Nothing pleased him more than misleading the enemy into thinking he had the Romans outmatched, only to be led into a trap with disastrous consequences. One tactic he was famous for was keeping half his javelins in reserve during an engagement. As his men closed with the barbarians, he would unleash a second javelin storm just as contact was made. His legionaries would then fall into a hasty wedge and charge full-tilt into the barbarians. His men were so well-drilled at this maneuver that the effects were devastating.
Calvinus, the only cohort commander still in the running, was a legend for reasons he wished he wasn’t. He had been one of the few to survive the disaster in Teutoburger Wald, something that still haunted him. Only two other soldiers survived from his century and, while he blamed himself for the deaths of the rest of his men, most gave him credit for saving the ones that he did. Cassius Chaerea, the senior officer who led out most of the survivors, credited Calvinus’ sound leadership for keeping himself and his men alive. In fact, Tiberius, at the behest of Cassius, would later award Calvinus the Civic Crown for saving the lives of more than one hundred men during the aftermath of the battle. Calvinus went on to lead the Fifth Cohort during the campaigns of retribution against Arminius. His men had been particularly ruthless, looking to avenge their centurion.