Burning Skies

A tall pillar of smoke rose over the horizon drawing the attention of farmers working in the field. Sunil wiped the sweat from his brow looking up from the plough he was leading behind his oxen.

He frowned and unhitching his oxen lead they back to the barn. A small boy ran down the dirt path that went alongside his barn. “Men are coming, on horses and soldiers with big shields and swords!” he cried.

Sunil blinked an army…here of all places? What would an army be doing here he thought. They were at least a hundred kilometers from the main city of Sindu where the army and navy were based.

Suddenly he heard the sound of hooves and the neighing of horses. Hundreds of brown horses mounted by riders armed with bows and arrows thundered up the dirt road. Sunil walked to the side of the road “Hey! Where are you headed?” he called

The captain of the horsemen glanced at him and shouted to his comrades in a foreign tongue. They immediately strung their bows, and fired. Sunil was dead before he hit the ground.

The horsemen rode into the farm, and grabbed the small boy who was cowering and crying behind the barn. The sword descended putting an end to his life. The horsemen moved quickly setting fire to the barn, and looting the crops. Having finished their work they rode ahead intent on continuing their swath of destruction.

In the distance the sky was burning.

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The massive and bustling city of Sindu was the second largest in the Indian Empire. It was a major port city where the Western Fleet was based and was where colonists and merchants would embark destined for the island of Bombay and the Indian colony in East Africa. This port was also where exotic goods from all over the world reached India, from Egypt came copper, and other minerals, from Persia came fine horses, from Mali came precious diamonds and gems.

The people of Sindu were all famously wealthy having prospered from trade, and farming the rich banks of the Indus. However wherever there was great wealth there was also great poverty but no one paid much heed to the beggers. So when the first wave of refugees came into the city telling tales of destruction and massacres no one believed them. The local garrison commander laughed it off as the raving minds of lunatics.

However that’s when several more refugees arrived telling the same tales of death and destruction brought by the men with purple banners. This time the governor Vishwanath was consulted, frowning he placed the local garrison on alert and left it at that. No message was sent to garrisons from other districts nor was any message sent to the government in Delhi.

By the time the governor realized his folly the purple banners emblazoned with the words SPQR could be sighted from the walls of the city on the opposite bank of the Indus. Quickly longbowmen and pikemen were ordered to man the ramparts and the city gates were bolted shut. Messengers were rushed to Delhi from the rear gates with the request for urgent reinforcements. The bridges across the Indus were burnt delaying the Roman army.

By evening however the Romans had manage to construct their own bridge and crossed the Indus and positioned themselves north of the city.

The garrison commander Sampath squinted at them in the fading light from the top of the ramparts and turned to the governor which stood next to him. “I’d say they number about 50,000 men, probably more. They appear to have a large amount of cavalry and other troops that I can’t quite identify.”

“What’s our strength?” Vishwanath asked

Sampath sighed “20,000 and half of them are raw recruits, never seen a day of battle in their lives”

Vishwanath rubbed the ride of his nose and forehead “And how long do you think it will take for reinforcements to arrive?”

“If they come from Delhi or Ujaiin I would say at least 3 days. Anywhere else will take longer. And we can rule out reinforcements coming from Delhi. They say that large scale rioting has broke out in the city, some sort of uprising among peasants about their living conditions; they say the army is being used to suppress it tying down a lot of its strength. Apparently thousands of civilians have died in fighting and massacres and parts of the city are in flames. We can expect no help from Delhi. Our only real hope is for them to recall the Eastern Army from the Chinese border. Of course you can expect the top brass will have something to say about that, they’ve been clamoring for war against China for years. Only the gods knows what the Chinese have done to deserve it. And even if they are withdrawn it’ll take them more than a week to arrive.”

“In other words we’re on our own”

“Yes”

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However the by the next morning the Roman army was marching ahead leaving the defenders of Sindu behind unmolested. “What’s going on?” asked Vishwanath, “Why are they leaving us alone”

“Because they don’t consider us a threat” said Sampath grimly “So they’ve decided to lead a token force behind to box us in, while the main army marches on.”

“Can we sortie?” asked Vishwanath

“Are you kidding me? With what? Our troops will get massacred.” Replied Sampath

“Well where are they going?”

“Given their movements I can only assume one place, Delhi”

“What! No!”

“Yes. Somehow they must have heard of the troubles in Delhi, and want to take advantage of its weakness. After all you know the famous saying. ‘He who owns Delhi owns India’.”

Great story so far. More please.

“My lord!” the messenger cried bursting through the doors of the Durbar Hall where the Emperor sat holding court. Every head in the room turned to the messenger who stood panting at the door. “My lord” he cried once more “I have terrible news”.

Emperor Asoka stood from his golden throne and descended the stairs of his palanquin. “What is it?”

“A Roman army approaches Delhi my lord, already Sindu is under siege, and many farms have been destroyed!”

Asoka frowned “Romans? Are you certain?”

“Yes my lord, we have seen their banners.”

One of the younger nobles in the Durbar Hall stood up angrily “My lord! Allow me to avenge us against these Roman scum! Let me lead the army into battle and drive them from the field!”

Asoka was silent for a few moments “No. You will go to Pataliputra and Shilloling and withdraw the Eastern Army from the Chinese border. General Ishvar will be in charge of the campaign against the Romans.”

“My lord is that wise? To weaken our defenses along the Chinese border? They may take the opportunity to attack.” Said the same young noble

“We have never fought a war against China in all our history and one is not likely to start now. Now everyone leave me, except you Ishvar”

The nobles and courtiers slowly rose from their seats and made their way out of the Durbar Hall.

Asoka waited until the last noble had left the room before turning to Ishvar. “As you know our alchemists have been working to develop a usage for the strange white powder that we have recently been excavating from the mountains. We all know that this powder has combustive properties when it comes in contact with fire. What we do not know is how to harness its combustive properties. Until now that is. Our alchemists have developed a weapon they call the “musket” and “grenade”. The first few divisions of these musket and grenade armed troops have been trained, I want you to take them and see how they fair on the battlefield”

Ishvar bowed “As you wish my lord”

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The Roman Army continued its advance along the Thar Desert. The harsh pitiless sun beat down on the heavily armored soldiers almost roasting them alive.

“Centurion!” called one the horsemen “Perhaps it would be better if we find a place to rest during the day and march during the night? The men are exhausted and thirsty.”

Centurion Oleaginus paused and nodded “Break now men”

The men sighed in relief the Praterion Guard putting down their heavy packs and shield and the cavalry dismounting.

Centurion Oleaginus sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow, their plans had been delayed and they were badly off schedule. Well at least he knew that there was no chance of the Indians sending reinforcements if his spies were correct. They had plenty of problems on their own.

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The fire eagerly engulfed a wooden stall at the side of the road, the flames leaping up and licking the top of the tarp, rapidly enveloping it. The smoke rose high into the air creating a haze of smog over the city of Delhi.

Emperor Asoka surveyed the scene from the top of the Imperial Palace, the riots had been going on for days now, it had started in the slums and slave quarters of the city and spread from there engulfing the vast city district by district. The latest district to be attacked was the market district where the shops and stalls were. The merchants had fled, and the mob had rampaged burning and looting. The local garrisons had attempted to suppress the rioters but were attacked by thousands of enraged peasants and slaves armed with sticks and stones.

Reinforcements had been called from other surrounding areas but even they were too few to fight the tens of thousands of rioters and rebels that ran rampant in the city.

No one was exactly sure why they were revolting. Some of the poor and slaves were rising up because of the oppression of the elite and wealthy castes. Others were just troublemakers attracted to destruction and violence, while others were religious fanatics of some sort with some unidentified objective.

Soon the rioters would be near the Imperial Palace. Asoka sighed; they had left him with no choice. He turned to General Ishvar who stood behind him and nodded grimly. Ishvar saluted and turned on heel to carry out his order.

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The mob continued their destructive advance through the city, the city garrison had been driven away to defend the Imperial Palace and now they feel upon houses and shops as a wolf falls upon a lamb, looting, raping, and pillaging.

Suddenly they heard the sound of marching boots, and a battalion of soldiers came into view. The soldiers were dressed unlike any they had seen up till then. They wore khaki uniforms and strange hats. They carried no swords or bows unlike the local garrison. The only weapon they had was a strange metal stick, Behind these soldiers were another line of troops wearing white and blue uniforms and tall black hats. They had swords at their sides and carried black balls in their hands.

The mob paused in their advance taking this strange sight in. The mob wavered unsure of whether to continue or not. One of the mob leaders spat on the ground and urged them on saying “Come on, haven’t we put the rest of those military bastards to flight? Attack!”

The mob responding to his directions rushed forward.

The captain of the troops lifted his hand “Ready” he said as his men took aim leveling their “sticks” at the approaching mob. Behind them the other soldiers began to light the fuse on their “black balls”

“Fire”

The world exploded.

There were bangs as the muskets went off and lead balls powered by the gunpowder shot through the air embedding itself into soft human flesh. At least half of the mob went down in the hail of bullets. Their lives suddenly and brutally cut short in a cold and impersonal manner.

Behind the musketmen the grenadiers lobbed their grenades, the grenades hit the ground near the mob exploding spectacularly, lacerating the skin of those nearby and outright killing those who got direct hits. Hundreds died in the initial barrage as scorched bodies tumbled to the ground. The mob panicked they were trapped in the narrow road with nowhere to run.

“Reload” ordered the captain.

“Fire” once again the terrible command. It went on and on. Reload, and fire. Reload and fire until there was nothing left. More than a thousand people had been killed within ten minutes. The terrified rioters hadn’t dared to put up resistance against these terrible soldiers who wielded weapons that harnessed the fires of hell.

The same scene was repeated all over the city. The streets ran red with blood. Before the day was done the all rioting had ceased and for the first time in weeks an eerie calm descended over the city of Delhi.

Heres a pic of the minimap so you can get an idea of where everything is:

: Most excellent!

The Roman soldiers sighed in relief as they finally reached the edge of the desert. The march had been fairly brutal; they had lost both men and horses to the terrible heat of the day, which was in the ultimate irony, followed by freezing cold of the night.

But now it was over. He had reached the banks of the Yamuna River, and not far beyond lay Delhi. General Maximus sighed in relief. His army was still strong consisting of several legions of Praetorians, pikemen, crossbowmen and the fearsome armored knights. Nothing the Indians could match.

He smiled grimly. With one swift blow he would tear out the heart of the Indian Empire and bring it crashing to the ground. All the riches of the Orient would then be available for Rome to exploit. He remembered the old adage. “Fortune favors the bold”

“General!” a shout came from the Centurion Oleaginus jerking Maximus out of his contemplations. “Something is coming!”

As he squinted into the distance his eyes widened and he swore violently. What in blazes was that? He had never seen anything like it before. And there wasn’t just one of them. There must have been dozens. As they came closer their features became more defined.

The troops glanced fearfully at each other as the beasts approached. They began edging backwards and Maximus stared horror struck, transfixed by the grey monstrosities. Suddenly a trumpet sounded and it was repeated and echoed again and again by each beast. Then they began to charge.

His horse whinnied in fear and began jerking backwards as he struggled to control. Meanwhile the Roman troops behind him stumbled backwards in terror. His troops were going to break.

”To me!” he shouted “Crossbowmen and Pikemen to me! Legions form ranks behind them!”

The soldiers moved forward reluctantly.

“NOW!” he roared “You craven dogs! I’ll have you flogged for your insolence! You fight for Rome remember that!”
The troops jumped into action. The first line was made of pikemen while behind them the crossbowmen prepared their bolts and the legions massed in the rear. His knights formed on the flanks. He drew a deep breath as the beasts grew ever nearer “FIRE” he roared.

The bolts discharged with a hiss, but it seemed fear had made his men inaccurate as most of them failed to find their mark, the few that did bounced off the monsters armor. “No you fools! Aim for their riders!” he shouted, but it was too late.

The beasts smashed into the first line. Maximus heard the sounds of metal screeching against metal, followed by the loud and audible crunch of shattering bone. He gazed torn between horror and awe as the monsters scattered the bodies of his men, tossing them into the air like rag dolls. The line buckled and then collapsed, as the beasts smashed their way through. The crossbowmen behind them were trampled, and began to flee abandoning their crossbows and armor. The few that attempted to reload were gored by the monsters enormous fangs.

Belatedly he noticed that the beasts were almost upon his knights. He hardly had time to react before he heard the twang of an arrow discharged by one of beast riders. He felt something impact his chest and he toppled off his horse, and then everything went dark.

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“The entire Roman center is collapsing General” said Captain Narayan “Shall I have the war elephants press the offensive?”

“No. Have them withdrawn.” Ishavar ordered

”Withdrawn sir?” asked Narayan “But we have them on the run! The Romans are on the verge of collapse!”

Ishvar looked at him coldly “They are in danger of being enveloped if they press any further. Even war elephants can be brought down when surrounded. Have them withdrawn now. Take our musketmen and grenadiers instead. The Emperor has commanded me to test their performance. ”

“Yes sir” said Narayan saluting and prepared to ride away.

”Oh and captain…” said Ishavar

“Sir?” Narayan turned

“Don’t ever question me again.”

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The Roman army was in chaos. With the death of Maximus morale had collapsed and the duty had fallen on Oleaginus to command what was left of the Roman forces.

Not an easy task, as aforementioned Roman forces were thoroughly engaged in finding the fastest way to flee. Swearing violently Oleaginus watched as the surviving pikemen, crossbowmen, and knights fled past his legions not heeding his orders to stop discarding their weapons and armor along the way.

“Well boys” he said smiling grimly “I guess it’s up to the Praetorians to show them how real men fight. Hold your ground; we can bring down those beasts.” Then he blinked in surprise

The monsters were leaving. All of them were turning around and leaving.

”What the hell is going on?” he murmured

Then he heard it. The familiar tramp of marching feet. He grinned, so finally the Indians had decided to fight like men. He would send them running tails between their legs. “CHARGE” he roared

*****************************************************************

Narayan watched as the Roman legions surged forward. “Fools” he muttered.

The musketmen opened fire in a thunderous crescendo. An entire line of Roman legions went down like puppets that had their strings suddenly cut. Clearly their armor and shields did little to dampen the impact of the musket balls.

The first line kneeled down to reload while the second rank opened fire and a deadly scythe of musket balls cleaved their way through Roman ranks once more. The Roman charge floundered in the middle of the field its soldiers desperately ducking behind their shields in the vain hope of protection.

Narayan watched incredulously as some soldiers continued the charge, perhaps driven by a combination of madness, fear, and desperation. He supposed that these Praetorians did indeed truly deserve their title as the elite soldiers of the Roman Empire. Their courage would do them no good here however.

The grenadiers stepped forward and flung their bombs. The ground erupted in great gouts of dirt and flame where the bombs landed. The agonized screams of Roman soldiers filled the air as their bodies were burnt, and ravaged. The distinct smell of the acrid smoke from the sulfur combined with the odor of burning flesh and Narayan felt bile rise in his throat.

So this was how war would be from now on. These weapons of fire and death would be used in battle. War would become cold and impersonal as soldiers faced each other from distant sides of the battlefield. No longer would there be any room left for individual courage for all attempts at it would end in massacre, the likes of which he beheld before him.

The Roman Empire would rue the day it had attacked India. He was sure of it.

This is really good!

This is an Artifact. It is a Skillful Story.

It is made from Bits, Bytes, and skill.

It is banded with chunks of Excellence.

It is spiked with lacings of Battle Scenes.

On it depicted in wonder is an Image of two nations fighting.

Very Good!