Hail Caesar

Octavian watched as dirty, barefoot children stood in the food line. Their eyes were hollow. These children arrived at Camp Veii yesterday after a two hundred mile hike. Many of them arrived alone, their parents only a memory. He felt bad for these children. They had no idea why they were homeless now. They didn't know the Romans from the Iroquois. Luckily for them they followed people who were fleeing to the East. To flee to the West would bring them right into the hands of the Iroquois' slave labor camps. Octavian had to close his eyes at the thought of this. Even with his eyes closed he could still picture the children at the hands of the Iroquois. Working from sun-up to sun-down until they could no longer work. Then tossed out, with practically no clothes covering their emaciated bodies. It would almost be better for them to just shoot them than to leave them out to die in the elements.

During the day the desert sun scorched the dirt and sand in this part of Zululand. The night brought frigid temperatures. It was too much to think about. Time was of the essence now. The invasion had to work. They were receiving some help from the Zulus. Not from the government, but from a few sparce groups who could see that the only chance that the Zulu people had was to turn toward the alliance.

The Egyptians and some Romans were fighting through the eastern mountains. It was a difficult path. Armor couldn't make it through the steep passes. The soldiers were advancing sometimes only a few hundred yards a day. Frequently they were pushed back as the Iroquois had entrenched themselves well on the cliffs. The whole war now rested on the coming invasion.

Nine divisions of Roman marines and tanks were to hit the southwestern coast of Zululand tomorrow morning. Six divisions of mixed American units would hit the northern coast. Octavian and Tut were to keep the pressure up in the mountains, thus keeping the Iroquois from retreating to the east after the invasion.

It was a good plan - one that he was proud of. Octavian, Antony, and the American general Laffayette had come up with it. Everything depended on forcing the Iroquois into a three front war. The strong American Navy was responsible for keeping the Aztecs from relieving the Iroquois, although the minor of the allies was little more than a pest at this point.

Looking at the refugees again, Octavian thought to himself that this had to happen quickly, before more innocent civilians died. Shaka would be taken out of power and a new, competant leader would take over. At least that is what he hoped for.


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Maximus could barely make out the cliffs in the dim light of dawn. Looking out the side of his landing craft, he could see his objective better by the light of the bombs that were dropping on the Iroquois fortifications. His landing site was the beach between the Two Kings. These were two eerily similar looking mountains that stradled one of the only beaches on the southeastern coast.

Already they were being shelled, even more than they had expected. This was an ominous sign, thought Maximus as he watched the landing craft next to him. That craft was sinking; the last shell got a bit too close for them and the whole landing craft nearly flipped over. There was nothing that he could do about it now. To stop and help these men would be to leave men on the beach unsupported.

At one thousand yards to the landing, Maximus could hear the gunfire for the first time over the roar of the landing craft's engine. Occasionally he could see the tiny splashes where the bullets hit the water. He turned to the driver.

"Do you see that entrenchment about a hundred yards in?" he said, pointing to a spot behind the beach. "When we land, go in at an angle so that my men aren't forced to run straight at it."

The driver confirmed, and Maximus moved to the bow to continue surveying the scene in front of him. Already, several craft had landed. He could see bodies on the beach along with men trying to run to the sea wall with their heads down, apparently trying to protect their faces by leading with thier helmets. Those had to be 20mm shells, the General thought. If they got hit with them it doesn't matter if their helmet is on.

"Keep your heads up, boys! Watch where you're going on the beach!" he shouted to the men around him.

They had trained for a month on this landing. Engineers had built a very similar beach on the coast of the Unfinished Isle and they practiced the landing at least twenty times. It was the little things, Maximus noticed, that got overlooked. Something as minor as telling the men to keep their heads up. He would have to remember these things in his report so that they could become part of the men's future training.

It was then that the shell hit. Not a large one, but it was bad enough. After the shock of the initial explosion, Maximus realized that he was still alive. Then he realized that he only had half a landing craft left, and to help matters, it was sinking. He quickly shouted out for everyone to take off whatever was heavy that they were carrying, and to grab their guns.

Before he could tell them all to swim for it, the situation was complicated even more as the landing craft behind them had nowhere to go but overtop of them. Maximus and the men that were left after the initial explosion were at first shaken violently, then felt the craft capsizing beneath them.

------------------------------------------------

The water was warm. He hadn't expected this. During training in the stormy spring weather of the Unfinished Isle the temperature rarely rose above fifty degrees. This water was almost pleasant. It reminded him of his childhood, swimming in the lakes around Byzantium. It was always warm there. He had his first kiss there, as well. Julianna was her name. Beautiful black hair and brown eyes. He fished in those lakes too. Maximus prided himself on being a fisherman. It was one of the joys of his life. He didn't dare fish anymore. Dominic had fished with him often. The two brothers would take the rowboat out in the mornings. That day, the fishing was poor and the two boys became bored, as early teenagers often do. At first it was fun, wrestling about the small boat, but then the older Dominic became a bit too rough. In anger, Maximus pushed his larger brother. He didn't mean for him to hit his head on the side of the boat, or to fall into the water. He thought Dominic was playing at first; maybe he was trying to scare him. After a minute, though, Maximus became frightened. He called out his brother's name. When there was no response, he jumped into the water. He swam about these waters searching for two hours, exhausting himself. He wished that he, himself, would become too tired to swim anymore so that he wouldn't have to live with the guilt of killing his older brother.

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The sudden jolt of a soldier falling on him jostled Maximus back to reality. That reality was that he was underwater. The man who fell on him was carrying too much gear. Maximus pulled off the soldier's belt and jacket, then did the same to himself. The soldier was unconsious. Maximus kicked up from the ocean floor with the soldier in his arms. They broke the surface after a few moments; the water was only about twenty feet deep this close to shore.

Maximus looked at the soldier he carried. The man was not breathing. He had to get him to shore in order to save him.

The General began swimming on his back toward shore, keeping the soldier's head above water. It seemed like hours, but was only really a few minutes before his frantic swim struck land. Maximus stood in waist deep water and looked again at the soldier in his arms.

-------------------------------------------------

He doesn't look good, Maximus thought.

"Just a few more yards to shore, Dominic. Hold on, you can do it."

There was no response from the boy; just his lifeless body.

--------------------------------------------------

Reality again struck Maximus as bullets riddled the sand around him. Not this time, he thought. Just above the crest of the water he placed the soldier on the ground.

"Not this time," he said again, aloud this time. Maximus turned the man onto his side and patted him on the back a few times. He turned him onto his back again. Still not breathing, he thought. The General took in a deep breath, pressed the soldiers nose, then forced his breath into the dying man's lungs. He did this several times. After a while he turned the man onto his side again and patted him on the back. This time seawater spewed from the soldier's mouth, followed by several coughs. The startled soldier looked at the General.

"Come on," Maximus said, and, offering a hand to the soldier, began running up to the sea wall.

----------------------------------------------------
 
this is a great story keep on going!
BTW, about what time (year) is it @ this point?
 
Originally posted by Kamilian1
BTW, about what time (year) is it @ this point?

I could not tell you what era this is. I started this game with a horribly underpowered PC and could only get to about the part where the Romans took over all of the Unfinished Isle before the game became unplayable. The rest of it is basically all ficticious, but I tried to remain true to Civ III rules.
 
Zeeter's back! I have to say that this is the best story on this forum. I've been following this tale since the summer. Every time I come back and read some more and I end playing a new game of Civ III and losing hours by the dozens......Keep on writing Zeeter! You're keeping us on the edge of our seats! Hail, Caesar!:goodjob:
 
Great work Zeeter. I've been reading this since you first wrote it last year (or was it earlier than that ?) and it's been great following the different twists and turns and admiring your very creative writing style. You could become the first Civ author writing tales about different tribes in different eras.

Keep the great work up.

All Hail Caesar ! :king:
 
Thanks, guys. I've enjoyed writing this when I've had the chance. I'm almost done a class that I'm taking now, and may have some more time to devote to this.
 
"He wages this war whilst we sit and pay for it. What has Rome to gain from this?"

Antony sat before the Senate committee stern faced. "Oil, Senator. The Iroquois have it, and we do not."

The Senator was unmoved, thought Antony. Why were they questioning this now, he thought. Throughout Rome's history there was never any questioning over Caesar's rule. Now, suddenly each move was under a microscope.

"Rome cannot continue to support the costly endeavors of war to please Caesar's ego, General Antony," the Senator said. Senator Mussolini was young and brash. He wanted to make an impact as soon as possible. Antony could read in the man that he saw an opportunity to take advantage of this unpopular war and was running with it for political gain.

The people of Rome did not like this war. It was not for the protection of the Roman people, but for the protection of Zulu people. The same Zulus who ran with spears and had just discovered the use of Saltpeter. The same Zulus whom they had warred with years ago and were held to a draw. These were madmen who would think nothing of sending thirty divisions of Zulu warriors against three or four Roman Rifleman divisions. They were lucky. If Caesar had given the resources for a total war against the Zulus there would be no conflict now. Unfortunately, at the time there was nothing to gain from this war. The use for oil had not yet been found, so other than a few small villages, Zululand was useless.

"Senator, if we have no oil, we have no way to defend ourselves from Iroquois attacks on our homeland," Antony finally replied.

"Bah! The Iroquois have not attacked our homeland in years. There is no way that an attack on any part of Italy could possibly be successful against our Infantry."

"You know little of what you speak, Senator." Antony was becoming angry. "A concentrated attack on any of our shores would weaken our defenses considerably. The Northern Province wouldn't stand a chance as they are too far away to be reinforced in a timely manner."

"No, General. You know little of the resolve of the Italian people. Romans will not allow a force to enter our shores without paying the consequences. We will, to a man, beat back any attack. I have tremendous faith in the Roman people."

This was a smooth move, thought Antony. How could he argue this? To do so would be to insult the people of his homeland. He knew full well, though, that men standing in columns with hunting rifles and pickaxes would be of little use against an Iroquois tank division.

"With all due respect, Senator -" Antony was cut off by the Senator.

"Furthermore, I resolve to end this conflict immediately and bring our soldiers back home, where they belong. Their job is to defend our shores. To defend Rome itself. Not some far off land."

Senator Cassius stood, "I second the Senator's motion." Great, Antony thought. Since Cassius and Brutus had been elected senators every major decision of Caesar was questioned. Previously, the Senate didn't have the backbone to stand up to him, but Brutus' reputation propped the senate up, even if the Senator was currently fighting in Zululand.

Mussolini stood again. "I call for a vote in the senate tomorrow. Resolution number...what are we up to...3019 to end the conflict in Zululand. I further call for a resolution to amend the constitution so that Caesar can no longer wage war without Senatorial consent." Cassius immediately seconded the motion.

I now have one day to convince enough senators to stay on Caesar's side, thought Antony, as if he didn't have enough to do helping to wage a war.
 
finnally! more!
 
YAY!!! Keep writing!!!
 
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Maximus had been stuck here on this beach for days. The men couldn't move up the beach, nor back towards the water. Any movement whatsoever was seen by the Iroquios machinegunners. All they could do now was wait.

According to the battle plans, his troops were to have had air cover. Carriers were fifty miles offshore, and were to be bombing the Iroquois bunkers non-stop until Maximus' men could break through. Where they were he did not know. His men were alone, and there would be no retreat.

two days ago three landing craft approached the beaches in a desparate attempt to bring the men back to the ships. These landing craft were blown out of the water.

"We must surrender, General," stated Maximus' leutenant.

"Do you know what will happen if we surrender?" replied Maximus.

"We'll be captives for the rest of the war. Better than dying on this god-forsaken beach."

"No, leutenant. We'll go to the Iroquois labor camps. Is that what you want? To support the Iroquois war effort until you die of starvation?"

The leutenant only looked at Maximus. There was nothing that he could say. The general knew that his men were coming undone. The beach was noplace to die. What happened to those damn carriers, he thought to himself. And the coastal bombardment from the battleships. Where was that? Maximus swore right there on the beach that if he ever survived, those responsible would pay dearly for doing this to his men.

------------------------------------------------

The rain continued to fall as Pavarotti stood on the bridge of his flagship. He had no idea of the scope of the Iroquois navy. The spies really blew it on this one. They were only suposed to have one carrier, and that was suposed to be stationed near the Northern Provinces.

His planes had seen five Iroquois aircraft carriers protected by four battleships and various destroyers. If not for this squall his three carriers would be at the bottom of the ocean right now. He prayed to Mars that the men on the beaches would have made it inland by now.

Captain DiMaggio (yes, I'm running out of Romans and true Italians) entered the bridge.

"Admiral, we've just received a communication from our submarines. They've spotted three carriers one hundred and fifty miles away."

This was the first good news that Pavarotti had received in days. "Is there any word on the other two?"

"No, sir. I expect that they're close by, though."

"Have we been able to communicate at all with the Adriana?" Pavarotti was concerned about the condition of his third carrier. He knew that she had been hit, but did not know of the damage. Her last known position was three hundred miles to the north in somewhat of a triangle position with respect to the other two carriers and the Iroquois fleet.

"No sir. She still sits in the fog," replied the captain. He was being optimistic, the admiral thought. For all anyone knew, the Adriana was sunk at this point. Pavarotti was silent for a moment.

"What are your orders, sir?"

"Prepare our bombers to strike the Iroquois carriers immediately. Send out a communique to the Adriana - encrypted, of course, explaining the plan. If she cannot send communication, maybe she can at least receive."

"And the fighters, sir?" asked the captain.

Another pause by Pavarotti. He finally replied, "leave the fighters here. I don't want to leave ourselves open in case the Iroquois come back at us."

Captain Dimaggio hesitated. "Very..Very well, sir."

---------------------------------------------------

"Can we send yet?" Captain Constantine asked the Captain.

"No sir. Just receive."

"And what of the condition of the flight deck." The Adriana had received serious damage two days ago. Her damage control teams had done a remarkable job in restoring much of the ship, but the flight deck was still a problem.

"The flight deck will be operational in two hours, sir. However, we will not be able to launch fighters for quite some time."

Constantine looked out at the flight deck. There were two sections to it. The long section, which ran the length of the ship, was used to launch the heavy bombers. The shorter section was to launch the fighters. It was this shorter section that took the most damage during the battle. It could have been worse, too. The Adriana's rudder had been knocked loose by the force of the bombs. While her support ships ran for cover the Adriana headed straight. Luckily a patch of fog protected them from sight and she was able to tighten up the steering.

"We can't stay in this fog forever. Begin preparing the bombers below deck. Immediately bring them up when the flight deck is repaired."

"But sir, they'll need fighter cover," replied the captain.

While he disliked sending out bombers without fighter cover, they had to do something. If they could hit the Iroquois now, they may be able to limp back to Rome for proper repairs. If they missed, they gave away their position to the Iroquois who would be quick to counter attack.

Constantine closed his eyes. He spoke calmly to the captain. "Let it be done, captain."

"Yes sir," came the reply.

---------------------------------------

"Incoming, sir. Six bomber squadrons. Roman," reported Captain Happy Feet.

Sitting Bull took his binoculars and looked for the bombers. "Where are the fighters?" he asked.

"I don't see any," replied Happy Feet.

"I don't like this. It sounds like a trap. Is our combat air patrol up yet?"

"Yes sir. The last two cap planes are taking off now."

Sitting Bull again looked to the sky. "They wouldn't send in bombers against carriers without fighter escorts. That's insanity."

He looked to his captain who was as dumbfounded as he was. Whoever was in charge of the Roman fleet was not very experienced, thought Sitting bull. It was basic naval air combat.

After a few moments Happy Feet replied. "I agree, sir. But it looks like that is what is happening here. They're coming in from bearing 075 degrees. I suggest that is the direction of the Roman carriers."

"We changed course two hours ago. If they knew where we were two hours ago, they may have turned to adjust. from our anticipated position. I suggest that the Roman carriers are in this area." Sitting Bull pointed to a map. "What is the weather in this area?"

"Fog, sir. Do you think they launched in that fog?"

"They must have." The battle outside was just beginning. Sitting Bull watched as a Roman bomber fell into the sea.

--------------------------------------

The sound of the explosion still rang in Maximus' ears. He lay on the ground as his men continued storming up the beach. What had happened, he wondered? One minute they were contemplating a suicidal surrender, the next minute they were storming the beach as the bunker which pinned them to the beach simply blew up.

The concussion from the blast disoriented Maximus at first. He was still coherent enough to order his men to charge up the beach. Unfortunately, the man he had saved days before was not coherent enough to avoid stepping on a land mine. It had happened right in front of Maximus. In fact, if not for that man Maximus himself would have stepped on it.

Now he lay there, watching his men move toward the remaining Iroquois positions. What had blown up that bunker? he thought. He was answered soon enough. An American tank appeared at the top of the beach; its machine gun taking out Iroquois soldiers at an alarming rate.

A medic found the general and began administering to his wounds. Soon the general of the Americans came to his side.

This general had pearl handled revolvers on an old holster. Maximus had not met Patton before, but knew of his reputation. He was brash, moved quickly, and was often reckless. That recklessness had paid off for Maximus' men.

"General Maximus," Patton saluted. He turned to the medic. "Corpseman, how is he?"

"He's got lacerations around his thighs and some shrapnal in his belly, General."

"I've seen worse, Maximus," Patton said, offering his hand. "You've done an amazing job holding out on this beach for so long."

Maximus was now close to unconciousness. Patton had taken his hand, gripping it firmly. He seemed to be trying to fight off the pain as much as Maximus was.

"General Patton. Please see to my men," Maximus said.

"Your men will be fine," replied the American general. "And you can see to them yourself when you're on your feet again."

"Tell Caesar that I die for Rome."

---------------------------------------------

Maximus knew that Patton had said something, but what it was he did not know. He was on a lake now. With Dominic.

Tears quickly filled Maximus' eyes. "I'm sorry, Dominic."

Dominic looked about the lake. Then at Maximus. A curious smile crossed his face. He held out his hand to Maximus.

Maximus took his brother's hand in his. The two hugged for a moment.

"Please, Maximus. Release yourself from this burden. I forgive you."

The General's heart soared. All that had happened before was irrelevant. He had gained the approval of everyone who he had ever met, but the approval he wanted most he could not get. Now Dominic had given him that.

---------------------------------------------

Maximus was roused by a harsh slap in the face. He opened his eyes to see the American General screaming at him. He had no idea how long this had been going on.

"You stupid bastard! I don't want you to die for Rome. I don't want you to die for your country! I want you to make that other poor son-of-a-***** die for his country!"

It was reasoning like this that kept men alive, thought Maximus. A smile crossed his face, as it did on Dominic's face a few moments ago.

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That's funny. I didn't put in the *****, I wrote *****.
 
There it goes again! I hope that the Civfan Police realize that was a quote from history, not a reckless use of the word *****.
 
Originally posted by zeeter
There it goes again! I hope that the Civfan Police realize that was a quote from history, not a reckless use of the word *****.
It's an automatic "dirty-word" catcher. Doesn't matter the context, if it finds certain combinations of letters, they get replaced by *s.
 
I know. It was a vain attempt at humor.
 
I was a little concerned that there may be an audit trail that someone reads that would indicate that I used the word *****. That's why I felt the need to point out that it was a historical quote.

Interesting that they found ***** and didn't find bast***.
 
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