Chapter 2: Winning the South, Negotiating with the East Rome, Western Roman Empire, 476

"You claim the throne?" one senator asked in a rather surprised voice.

"Did I mispronounce something?" Narius asked back in a very serious sounding voice.

"No, general," the senator answered, "But we have been nothing but a city council, really, with no power over the Empire. We did not expect you to directly announce this to us."

"It is time that changed," Narius replied, "Have any of you seen the keystones to some of the city's older buildings?"

The Senate chamber was quiet as Narius began to pace across the center of the room.

"Carved there are the letters 'SPQR'," Narius spoke, "they stand for Senatus Populusque Romanus. Something that I feel has been missing in Rome. A Senate that has power and gives the people a voice."

"And you will restore us that power and voice?" another Senator asked.

"Largely," Narius answered, "I am still to be the ultimate decider of things, but the Senate will gain some lost authority."

"And if we refuse your authority?" an elderly senator asked, "And demand a republic again?"

"I will have you killed," Narius answered with a perfectly straight face, "The Republic failed because there were too many rich men who enjoyed being rich and not in governing effectively. Diocletian's Dominate has failed in much the same way. Too many generals and noblemen fighting for the crown while the Germans conquer us. Under my power there will be laws of succession and rules for the government to follow, but the corruption of the Old Republic will not be allowed."

"And you will fight Odoacer?" another senator asked.

"For the glory and resurrection of Rome," Narius responded.

The last Senator who had spoke began to clap his hands and stood up. Many of the younger members of the Senate joined him quickly. The older members reluctantly joined them. Narius stood silently as he listened to the Senate's official statement of response to his announcement.

"Hail Caesar!" the Senate chorused, "Hail Caesar!"

Janus stood quietly outside the Senate building as Narius came walking out of it.

"How did it go, sir?" Janus asked.

"Quite well," Narius responded with a smile, "The Senate will follow me, which is already a victory over Orestes and Odoacer. Rome's nobility will learn of this soon and will thus follow me."

"Congratulations, sire," Janus saluted.

Narius smiled, "Yes, but there is still much work to do."

"What are your orders, sire?" Janus asked.

"I want both legions to prepare to march south," Narius ordered, "We must make sure that the Vandals leave Sicilia and insure that the governors of the southern provinces are loyal to me. Rebuilding Rome will take a long time and will flow much better if I do not have to deal with insurrections."

"What of Odoacer and Orestes?" Janus asked.

"Orestes will know of this sooner or later," Narius shrugged, "But he only has two legions himself, and knows that he would need my legions to stand a chance against Odoacer, but he knows that he will also need troops to fight me as well. More then likely he will march north and attempt to negotiate for help from the Burgundians. While our enemies destroy each other in the north we will secure the south, and begin to build a new Roman Empire."

Constantinople, Eastern Roman Empire Zeno sat quietly in his throne room as Theodoric and Theodoric Strabo, leaders of the Germanic tribe called the Ostrogoths came in with a few armed body guards.

"Welcome," Zeno spoke calmly, hoping to assure the Germanic leaders that he had not prepared a trap for them, which he hadn't, "I thank you for your haste in coming."

"Why do you call us here, Flavius Zeno?" Theodoric Stabo, the older of the two Germanic leaders spoke.

"There is turmoil in my lands in Italy," Zeno answered in a firm voice, "The rightful Emperor Julius Nepos has been murdered and a German has claimed his throne named Odoacer. Now, I have heard rumors of a suitable Roman heir in one general in Rome, which I intend to investigate, but he will not be able to deal entirely with the threat of Odoacer."

"You ask us to conquer the Western Roman Empire for this general?" Theodoric Strabo questioned.

"No, I offer you Dalmatia," Zeno corrected him, "Odoacer controls it and will have to defend it, and it is my understanding that your people desire a homeland."

"That is correct," Theodoric spoke, "But why Dalmatia? Why not just offer us Italy and ignore these weaklings in the West?"

"Because that weakling in the West is Roman and according to rumor has won battles," Zeno answered.

"And if this Roman does not exist?" Theodoric Strabo asked.

"If the Roman does not exist, you may have Italy as well," Zeno conceded, knowing that doing so would remove the threat of Ostrogoth attack on his borders.

"Very well," Theodoric Strabo answered, "Dalmatia will be our homeland."

The two German chieftains slowly walked out of the thrown room and prepared to be escorted out of the city in order to return to their tribes.

"You are to ready your warriors to march directly for Ravenna," Theodoric Strabo ordered his younger counterpart, "We will establish our power base there and defeat this 'Odoacer'."

"What of the Roman?" Theodoric asked back, "Zeno only offered us Italy if he does not in fact exist."

"He offered us Italy, boy," Theodoric Strabo answered gruffly, "He does NOT exist."

Ravenna

"Sire," an elderly senator spoke as he entered Orestes's office carefully.

"Senator Ran, Orestes spoke, "What brings you here? Is something wrong with my son?"

Senator Ran walked carefully towards the desk Orestes was sitting behind. The man was obviously nervous as Orestes had been working on writing what appeared to be a list.

"Sire, it is with great regret that I have to come before you," Senator Ran spoke fearfully, "But I must inform you that Narius has declared himself Emperor."

"What?" Orestes growled as he stood up.

"Narius has declared himself Emperor," Senator Ran answered, "Your son has been imprisoned, and the Senate is behind him."

"How dare her?!" Orestes screamed, "How dare he?! I need him to repeal Odoacer!"

"Narius has declared you both German threats to Rome," Senator Ran reported.

"What has he done so far?" Orestes asked.

"So far?" Senator Ran replied, "Narius has so far gathered the militia leaders from around Rome and has been delivering orders, largely to guard the area around Rome and the territories that would block any attempt to march south on your part."

Orestes sighed, "What are his plans?"

"I believe he intends to take the Southern provinces and march north," Senator Ran answered.

"Can you get my son out of his clutches?" Orestes asked.

"I do not know," Senator Ran answered, "Narius keeps him under close guard, and he maintains the support of most of the Senate."

Orestes began to pace in front of him, mumbling something under his breath. After a few moments he looked up at Senator Ran.

"Senator, you are loyal, are you not?" Orestes asked.

"I reported this to you, did I not?" Senator Ran replied.

Orestes sighed, "I'm going to have to trust you. Odoacer is the greater threat. His army is larger and is getting closer. I must make contact with my people among the Burgundians to confront him."

"You're leaving Ravenna?" Senator Ran asked.

"I have to now," Orestes answered, "If Narius has risen against me, I now lack the troops to face Odoacer, and I would need Odoacer's troops to besiege Rome. I will go to the Burgundians, defeat Odoacer, and trap Narius in southern Italy. I need you to govern the city and to make sure that Narius himself does not advance on it."

"Most things would indicate that Narius will march south, to insure the loyalty of the southern provinces and Sicily are with him," Senator Ran spoke, "If you rush south, you might be able to catch him in the open and on ground he does not wish to fight on."

"I don't believe he wished to fight in Rome when the Vandals attacked it," Orestes answered firmly, "And he won there. I need more troops, which only the Burgundians can provide. Now, will you carry out my orders or not?"

"Of course, sire," Senator Ran bowed.

Neapolis

"I do no see why we are advancing south, Narius," Urses spoke, "both Orestes and Odoacer are to the north of us."

"They are north of us, but Sicilia is to the south of us," Narius answered, "You yourself warned that the Vandals would eventually return. This march is to insure the loyalty of the southern provinces and that the Vandals adhere to the agreement and leave Sicilia to us."

"And supposing they do not?" Urses questioned, "What then?"

"We took the half of the Vandal's landing ships at Ostia," Narius answered, "We can use them as a fleet."

"They're having their sails replaced to identify them as Roman ships," Flavius Sextus reported, "That will take time."

"They're also all at Ostia," Urses added, "If we were going to use those ships, we should have just marched to Ostia."

"But then, how would we insure the loyalty of the citizens here?" Narius asked, "Or in the other southern provinces?"

"Orestes and Odoacer would be my first concern," Urses replied, "Not some farmer in Neapolis."

"They are my first concern," Narius answered, "But we have nothing really to fear from Orestes and Odoacer is likely to be more concerned with him, rather then with me."

"Maybe so," Urses answered, "But Odoacer has four legions, and is probably growing as he entices more barbarians to join him. He's also marching toward where his tribe has settled."

"The provincial militia units will be able to prevent those tribes from raiding into our territory," Narius answered.

"But they won't even slow down Odoacer's army," Flavius Sextus pointed out, "Urses does have a point, sire. This is a rather dangerous gamble, and one that could cost all of us our lives."

"Odoacer's greatest concern is Orestes," Narius answered, "He is the 'official' leader and is the only one who could garner support from outside of Rome. If he gets to the Burgundians, he could raise an army that could challenge Odoacer's army."

"And if he wins?" Urses asked.

"We'll lure Orestes into a fight he can not win," Narius answered, "The man is a brilliant schemer, seeing how he wrested power away from Nepos, but he lacks much in the way of tactical and strategic planning in war. That's why Odoacer rose through the ranks so quickly."

"And now Odoacer has come back to fight him," Urses said, "What if he wins?"

"Odoacer will likely be worn out by fighting both Orestes and the Burgundians," Narius answered, "He will need a year to replenish his forces for battle against us. It is imperative that we secure the south now, while Orestes and Odoacer battle in the north. Once the south is behind us, and Odoacer's army is exhausted, we can catch Odoacer in a position where he can not win."

"This forced march may put a great deal of strain on our troops, sire," Flavius Sextus warned, "We may arrive to besiege Odoacer, but with an equally exhausted army."

"This is what they drilled for," Narius answered, "marching with weights for hours. They won't go into battle after a long march, but they have been conditioned to do a long march. This will be their test and our test. If we succeed, gentlemen, these men will attain a place in history equivalent to that of Caesar himself."

"If we win," Urses told him, "If we win."

"And win we will," Narius answered back confidently.

Aquileia Odoacer watched calmly as his men began to construct siege towers around various points of the city of Aquileia. He had roughly seven legions worth of men, counting freed slaves and militia that had joined him when he advanced on Nepos's holdings in Dalmatia, but he only had real trust in four of his legions. The militia and freedmen were all enthusiastic to support him, but none were combat capable. He saw one of his scouts ride up to his location and dismounted.

"What is it?" Odoacer asked in a commanding voice.

"It appears that there is only one legion in Aquileia," the rider reported, "Orestes appears to have left Ravenna with the other legion."

"Where was he headed?" Odoacer asked.

"Largely, Milan at the moment," the rider answered, "Probably to meet with the Burgundians."

"Was Narius with him?" Odoacer asked.

"No," the rider reported, "I rode ahead to find Orestes and see what he was up to, but I could not find Narius with him. Orestes might have him guarding Ravenna."

"No," Odoacer shook his head, "Narius is too smart and ambitious a man to be trusted alone in the capital. All of the reports I've heard of him say he is fiercely anti-German."

"Aren't all Romans that way?" the rider asked.

"Yes, but from what I've heard Narius actually has the brains to do something about it," Odoacer answered, "This is a war situation. If Narius and his legions are not with Orestes, then he has likely claimed the Imperial Throne, which will be quite helpful to us."

"Sire?" the rider asked.

"After we crush Orestes, we present ourselves to Narius and offer a deal," Odoacer mused, "Either he rules as figurehead or he commands the army for me. In one sense he will have the whole Empire, but I will have the real power and command of the army to keep Narius in line. Or, he commands the army, but an army that is more loyal to me, and thus impossible for him to control anything other then what I want and he must accept one of those two proposals as he only has two legions that will be effective. I have four effective legions and three auxiliary legions. He would be destroyed if he fights. The Roman love of money and laziness will win the day for us."

The rider didn't answer right away.

"What of the tribe?" the rider asked for a few moments, "Many of them could gain access to weapons. Do you want me to tell them to rise up?"

"No," Odoacer answered, "With Orestes running to the Burgundians for help, and Narius likely only consolidating power in Rome, there is no need for them to risk their lives, especially if we're only attacking one legion here."

Odoacer then watched in silence as his men began to move the siege towers closer to the walls of Aquileia. He could clearly see javelins and arrows flying toward his men. Orestes's loyal troops were likely to be of better caliber then the meager personal retainer forces he had dealt with in the campaign against Nepos, but Odoacer stood on, waiting for a signal to be made that victory had been won.

Panormus, Sicilia Gunthamund slowly walked back to his ship, anchored in the harbor of the city in northwestern Sicily. He looked back to the land with a rather disgusted look on his face and then boarded.

"Set sail to return to Carthage," Gunthamund ordered as he stepped onboard.

"Did you manage to persuade any more to return with us?" the ship's captain asked.

"No," Gunthamund sighed, "All rich aristocrats who think they can bribe that Roman. He will kill them."

Gunthamund then stared out over the water as the ship slowly took to sea, leaving the port behind. The figure of the Roman general frightened him. He had been lead to believe that they were weak and overly reliant on the work of others. But the general he had met was clearly as skilled a warrior as he had ever seen.

"That general you met at Ostia?" the captain asked.

"Yes him," Gunthamund asked, "He killed Huneric and gave me his head, and demanded we end our presence in Sicilia. He'll keep his word, especially as we had to forfeit half of our invasion fleet to him."

"You're sure he'd kill the nobles there?" the captain asked, "If that's the case, we need to defend them."

"With what?" Gunthamund answered, "The warriors know that Huneric is dead and they won't fight now. We attacked Rome in arrogance and we paid for it. We should have simply attacked Sicilia directly instead of going to Rome. That general wouldn't have had the numbers to make much headway against our army in the open."

The captain then watched Gunthamund walk to go below decks to his private cabin.

"And I still don't know what to tell the King," Gunthamund spoke.

"I hate to add to the bad news, but that general you met has refurbished the ships he took from us to form his own fleet," the captain reported, "One of our scout ships found them sailing along the Italian coast."

"They're coming to inspect Sicilia," Gunthamund answered in a defeated voice, "They won't challenge us at sea. All we can do is return to Carthage."

"Yes, sir," the captain sighed and looked on, wondering what had happened to Gunthamund who had a reputation of being as equally fierce a warrior as Huneric had been and as the King had been in his prime, but he couldn't do much more the wonder.

The Vandal ships, with what few people they had evacuated from Sicilia as they could, sailed south, intending to reach Carthage.

Messana, Sicilia, 477 Narius was actually quite surprised as his troops eagerly stepped on to the lad at Messana. While he did not have much stomach for the sea either, it was really more of the welcome that surprised him. He could distinctly hear cheering as his ships enter the harbor.

"They seem quite happy to see us," Flavius Sextus noted.

"Yes," Narius answered, "Although these people all appear to be the commoners. It is the nobles that are likely to give us more trouble."

"Probably too busy counting money to be bothered," Urses grumbled.

"Just remember, we can't just kill all of them," Narius answered, "Not all of the rich are lazy."

"I have lived too long with rich men telling me what to do, and how to do it," Urses answered, not denying his peasant upbringing, "No rich man that I know of works hard. You, Sire, are equestrian, not patrician."

"If you say so," Narius answered, "Once we get the men ashore, I want them in marching formation along the main street. I also want a rider to go out and tell every noble within the city that they are to meet me outside the forum."

"I'll send for a runner," Flavius Sextus answered, "The horses will not be well enough to be ready to carry a rider for a few hours."

"Cursed sea," Narius growled, "Very well, send for a runner. Make sure he is armed."

"Of course, sire," Flavius Sextus nodded.

It took roughly an hour to get both legions ready and to leave enough armed sailors to guard the ships, but once that was done, Narius's triumphal entrance into Messana went along quite well. Again, Narius was well received by the populace of the city as he and his men made their way to the forum area. Upon arrival, he found his runner and about ten men wearing considerably finer clothes then what he had seen on the people who had been following him, and none of them were in military attire.

"Have you been assigned to guard these lands?" one nobleman asked.

"I am here to insure your loyalty to Rome, first and foremost," Narius answered.

"This island belongs to the Kingdom of Vandals," the nobleman answered, "You will be driven out."

"By whom?" Narius asked, "Your prince is dead. Your people's last attack on Rome failed miserably. They will be at war over who is king there. Sicilia is Roman territory."

"Only for the time being," the noblemen answered.

"How many of you are of Vandal descent?" Narius then asked, "Besides this very brave one here."

Three more men cautiously stepped forward. Narius then turned to a group of soldiers he had brought with him.

"Kill them," Narius ordered.

"What! You can't do this!" the first nobleman shouted, "You need our support!"

"And your support is for Carthage, not Rome," Narius answered, "I don't need the support of barbarians."

The four men tried to run, but didn't get far, as they soon found a crowd of people had gathered on the other side to see what was going on. They were easily caught by Narius's soldiers.

"You say you represent Rome, but isn't the capital in Ravenna?" one of the remaining noblemen, looking very nervous, asked.

"It doesn't belong there," Narius answered, "The Empire is currently in crisis with barbarians threatening her from within and without. When that crisis is over, the capital will be returned Rome and under my leadership."

"You're not going to kill us, are you?" another nobleman asked.

"If you do not support Rome, yes," Narius answered, "but I'm sure you'll do what is right for the Empire."

"It is not a question of whether or not we are loyal to the Empire, but loyal to who," a third nobleman spoke up, "Are you the new Emperor? Has Nepos died?"

"Nepos was murdered by a Germanic tribesman known as Odoacer," Narius answered, "Orestes, another German seized power in Ravenna and has forced most Romans out of power."

"And you seek to restore Roman power?" a fourth nobleman asked.

"I seek to preserve Roman power," Narius answered, "And I will do anything to do so."

"We do not seek to rebel," the first nobleman answered, "We seek to have our place properly preserved."

"It will be preserved so long as you work to earn those rights and carry out the responsibilities that will come with them," Narius answered, "Changes are and will come. Will you follow the decisions of the Emperor? Of Rome?"

The noblemen looked down at the Vandal nobles who had killed by Narius's soldiers. They then looked at Narius's soldiers, who were still present.

"May we ask of your name?" the first noble inquired, "Caesar?"

"Julius Flavius Narius," Narius answered.

"Hail Caesar Narius," the nobles answered with a proper salute.

Genava, Kingdom of Burgundians

"This is a very frightening picture you put before me," Gundobad, King of the Burgundians, spoke to Orestes from his throne, "The leader of the Roman Empire on the run from treacherous fiends. Don't you have some loyal retainers?"

"Some, but not enough to face Odoacer's forces, and not skilled enough to counter Narius's generalship," Orestes answered.

"You are worked up over nothing," Gundobad answered, "Narius can not be as smart as you say he is. He may be brave warrior, but I doubt he is that smart."

"He defeated a force four times his size without reinforcement," Orestes answered, "Narius has to be an effective commander."

Gundobad nodded, "Effective I can deal with."

"Sir, I come to ask for your help," Orestes spoke, "The Burgundians and Rome have worked well together in the past against common foes. I ask you to help me deal with Odoacer and Narius."

"I am already involved in some struggles over the Kingship of my people," Gundobad answered, "I doubt that I will be able to provide enough troops to help you fight Odoacer and then this 'Narius'."

"I am willing to cede more territory to your people, and Rome will gladly help defeat Godegisel, Chilperic II, and Gundomar," Orestes offered.

Gundobad thought for a few moments. The Burgundians were already allied with Rome, and Orestes was offering both more land hand help against his brothers. This made him wonder as to how much strength there really was in Rome. It also made him wonder over what Orestes might really be up to, but he couldn't turn down the opportunity. He wanted to be the sole King of the Burgundians and getting more land would be a definite plus.

"You're terms are agreeable," Gundobad spoke, "We'll march against this 'Odoacer' first. If Narius is against him because he is not Roman, then with Odoacer out of the way, he might soften his position against you, which will be the perfect opportunity to crush him."

"Thank you, King Gundobad," Orestes spoke with a respectful salute.

Constantinople

"You're sure you wish to do this?" Illus asked, "All we have are rumors."

"Rumors of a Roman who defeated a Vandal force four times his size," Zeno answered, "I want proof."

"Then let me lead a real operation," Illus pleaded, "They could take you hostage."

"Romans taking Romans hostage?" Zeno answered, "You will be present. If the rumors are true, then we will have a western counterpart to work with."

"If the rumors are true, I highly doubt that he would work with us the way Julius Nepos did," Illus warned, "Especially if the Roman is the garrison commander for Rome itself. I have heard rumors that Nepos was not well liked by the Senators."

"I want to meet this man in person," Zeno answered, "And if the reports are true that he is at war with both Orestes and Odoacer, then he is not about to drop everything and come here."

"That would be the more appropriate choice, sire," Illus told him, "The West is weak and has been for many years. They need to understand that because of that weakness, whoever rules in the west, rules by our consent."

"The Western Empire is in a state of civil war," Zeno replied, "They would only agree to serve us if we provide them with the troops needed to stop both Odoacer and Orestes."

"Which we can not do," Illus sighed, "Thanks to the recent struggles between you and Basiliscus and the threat the Persians pose to Syria, we do not have strength to fight a major war in Europe."

Zeno continued walking down the gangplank that lead to the ship that would take him and a small contingent of troops, including Illus, to the west. Illus slowly followed him.

"I am still uneasy about this, sire," Illus spoke, "The Eastern Empire is strong, but only strong so long as there is an Emperor to lead it. Suppose the ship sinks? I can be replaced easily, but a much bloodier civil war could erupt to try and replace you as Emperor."

"Then we'll be careful not to sink in deep water," Zeno answered, "I will not be deterred."

Mesana, Sicilia Narius was not ready to board a ship again, even though he knew he had to. The Sicilian march had gone quite well. Most of the nobles that Narius encountered had proof of Roman citizenship, and many of those that didn't did say their loyalties were with Rome. There were a few older men who seemed to be the real instigators of the conflict between Rome and the Vandals over the island, as they tried as much as they could to keep Narius and his soldiers out. Their attempts at rebellion failed miserably as none of their warriors were particularly well armed and stood no chance against Narius's troops.

"You don't like the sea, sire?" Flavius Sextus asked as his men began to board their ships.

"I don't hate it," Narius answered, "But I would prefer to remain on firm ground."

"Well, we'll soon be on firm ground again for a fairly long while," Flavius Sextus commented, "I imagine that fighting Odoacer will take up a good bit of our time."

"Defeating him will be easy," Narius answered, "Especially if everything goes according the overall plan."

"And if it doesn't?" Flavius Sextus asked.

"If we can not trap Odoacer in a siege," Narius answered, "We will force him to battle us on grounds that will not be to his advantage and use our cavalry to keep his forces off balance."

"Fabian tactics?" Flavius Sextus asked.

"We need the time to raise the army," Narius answered, "Odoacer had four legions when he went into Dalmatia. There is no telling how many he has now as freed slaves and others who decided to follow him. Even with the training that we provided for these men, two legions can not defeat four legions in an open battle."

"The Vandals outnumbered us in their attack on Rome," Flavius Sextus commented.

"Yes, but their leader was arrogant enough to charge into Rome and haphazardly," Narius replied, "While they outnumbered us, they spent much of their time rummaging through homes and buildings, and by the time they found our soldiers, they had lost all forms of organization. It was his arrogance that won the battle. Odoacer, however, will not make the same mistake."

"What makes you say that?" Flavius Sextus asked.

"Because Odoacer knows Romans better then that Vandal did," Narius answered, "If he was in fact the son of their king, he was likely raised on his father's war stories, all doctored to make his father look even better. Odoacer knows Romans better and will not simply charge at us trying to earn glory comparable to his father's."

Flavius Sextus only looked down to see that the last of his men were aboard their ships.

"We'd best get to our boats, sire," Flavius Sextus spoke, "You can worry about Odoacer onboard."

Narius only sighed and followed.

Mediolanum Odoacer looked out over the field that had been chosen for the coming battle. He had camped on a hill that was protected by groves of trees and the rising mountains nearby. Below him, he could see Orestes's camp along a road. Beyond that was the city of Mediolanum.

"He did get help from the Burgundians," an aide spoke to Odoacer, "I can see their banners in his camp."

"Just as I thought," Odoacer commented, "How many do you think there are?"

"From here, I would only guess, but about five legions worth, not counting the one legion that was originally with Orestes," the aide replied.