Heir of Aurelian

In the war room of Marcellus' villa, several men of high ranking within the western roman military were waiting patiently. Among the Imperial Legates, whose responsibilities were to govern and protect the various diocese, half of them were present.

The others who were absent were exempted from their summons because of the dire situation in the territory they presided over. Ultimately, they would be informed of what was discussed here at a later date.

Alaric, Sarus, Carnifex, and Constantius III were all present for this meeting. They had not been told why they were summoned, only that their presence was needed in Rome. They waited patiently for the Imperator to grace them with his presence, while discussing among themselves reasons for this meeting.

After a few moments, Marcellus entered the room, with Sigefrida in tow. The woman had several scrolls in her hands as she laid them across the table for all to see. Meanwhile Marcellus had a chalice filled with wine in his hand which he drank from before addressing the gathering of officers.

"Approximately a week ago, a merchant caravan protected by veterans of our army marched into the Eastern Roman Empire. While in the Balkans, they were met by a patrol of eastern limitanei who unlawfully attempted to toll them for entry. We don't know exactly what happened, but conflict ensued, and the forces of the limitanei were obliterated.

The merchants foolishly continued to Constantinople, seeking restitution for their destroyed goods, and were immediately imprisoned by the local garrison. As for our veterans who were paid to protect the caravan, the eastern palatini beheaded them in a public execution. As of this moment, the regent of the eastern roman empire is requesting compensation for his slain soldiers, and warns that if we do not pay the asked price, then we will be at war.

I for one, will not be bullied into paying Constantinople, nor will I accept the loss of my soldiers so easily. They may have been retired from the army, but they had served with me in the past, and they deserve justice. However, I recognize that my army is not in the state that is required to wage war with the east.

Our armies may be better equipped and trained, but the enemy still outnumbers us ten to one. Since we cannot afford a war with Constantinople at this point in time. I have gathered you hear to listen to your suggestions on how to deal with this troublesome situation. I will now open up the floor. If any of you have any good ideas, I am open to hearing them."

The moment after Marcellus spoke, the room burst into outcries from the various generals and officers. They could not believe the audacity of the East, to not only punish the mercenaries and merchants, but to also demand compensation for the slain limitanei.

Everyone in this room knew that a century of limitanei was practically worthless. They were essentially nothing more than fodder, and to demand such a heavy sum for their loss, while they were acting unlawfully. That was simply unacceptable.  Alaric was the first to speak ill of the Eastern Roman Empire and their foul actions.

"They behead several of our veterans, steal the goods of our merchants while imprisoning them, and demand that we have to pay for the loss of their troops? Whose fault was this to begin with? Maybe if those bastards in Constantinople paid their soldiers better, they would not resort to becoming mere brigands!

We should not pay them a single nummus! After the shit their soldiers pulled, they need to pay us in compensation for the damages they have caused. Not only have several of our veterans been unjustly executed, but they have imprisoned our merchants, and seized their goods. If they want a war, then we should give them one!"

When Carnifex heard this boisterous response, he shook his head before lecturing the Gothic King on his own foolishness.

"Typical barbarian, all brawn and no brains. How are we going to enforce this demand upon them? We lack the military strength to defeat them in a war, even the Imperator has said as such. What we need to do is to negotiate with them, come to terms that we can both agree upon. The fact remains that we do not know how this escalated into an armed conflict.

Maybe if we had more evidence supporting the claims of the Merchants, then we might be able to compel the East to concede to some of our demands. However, as of right now, we are lacking critical information. We should dispatch our frumentarii to the site of this conflict and have them dig up any information they can.

We should also send an emissary to the east to begin negotiations. They need to know that while we are not willing to go to war over such a petty dispute, we also do not fear their strength. They need to realize that while war is not in our best interest, if push comes to shove, we are not afraid to fight!"

Sarus scoffed when he heard this before speaking against Carnifex's plans. While he may not agree with Alaric's strategy, it was suicide to whoever they would send to Constantinople, especially if they were a high-ranking officer.

"Whoever you send to that wretched city will suffer unimaginable torment. In order to negotiate with this Emperor of the east, or at least his regent. You will need to send someone of significant status into the lion's den. Those bastards in the east will not give up such a valuable chance to cripple this regime. I don't doubt that an accident will befall anyone we send. I don't know about you all, but I'm not willing to die over something as foolish as this."

Ultimately, Marcellus agreed with Carnifex's plan, but it appeared nobody was willing to go to Constantinople after hearing Sarus' words. Thus, he sighed heavily before speaking his piece.

"Carnifex's plan is our best option. Not only do we need to investigate what exactly went down on the border. We also need to project strength, while still showing we can compromise. If none of you bastards are willing to go to Constantinople in my stead, then I will just have to do it myself!"

The Generals present in the room practically sweat blood when they heard this. If Marcellus himself stepped foot into the eastern roman borders, he was as good as dead. This immediately got the men who were most loyal to him into a frenzy as they pleaded with him not to make such a foolish mistake.

"Imperator, you can not go to Constantinople. They will kill you before you ever step foot in the city!"

"I agree such action is simply suicide. I will not allow you to walk into such a meaningless death!'

Ultimately, the Imperial Legate who sat back and said nothing throughout the entire discussion sighed in defeat before volunteering for the position.

"I will go..."

However, nobody heard him as they were too busy arguing with each other in the background, and thus he spoke again in a much louder voice.

"I will go to Constantinople!"

When everyone heard this, they turned around to witness Constantius III standing boldly in the center of the room volunteering for this suicidal task. They stared at him with awe, especially when one considered that he was not exactly the most loyal of the Imperial Legates.

Sarus and Alaric were both intimidated by Marcellus, and respected his prowess on the field of battle. They may not be loyal, but they would never backstab him. However, Constantius was a wildcard, and thus the men were quite concerned about where his loyalties lied.  Marcellus narrowed his gaze towards Constantius before nodding his head in agreement.

"Very well, if you have volunteered, then it will be your responsibility to negotiate with the east about this troublesome border dispute. If they kill you, I will invade their lands and raze Constantinople to the ground!"

The various officers gave Marcellus a concerned look when they heard how far he was willing to go for one of his Imperial Legates. It was not simply a look of concern but one that question his sanity. Obviously Marcellus noticed the wary gazes that were cast his way and quickly corrected his stance.

"Well, maybe not immediately, but definitely within my lifetime!'

Upon hearing this, the room broke out into laughter. They could not believe Marcellus would so shamelessly backtrack on his words right after stating them so boldly. However, his bluff had definitely increased morale among his soldiers, and thus they settled their petty disputes, and supported Constantius behind the scenes.

Whether Constantius would prove a reliable man, and compel the eastern roman regent to see reason, or stab Marcellus in the back remained to be seen. However, Marcellus had heard in a vision from his past life that the man was exceptional, and thus he was willing to put his trust in him.