General Das exits his field tent and looks down on the smoking ruins of the Roman city of Veii. He looks out around the fields and sees Roman troops digging graves for the thousands that have died in the past few days. Of course, those Roman men are being guarded by his victorious Indian Army. Unlike past victories, Das does not smile as he thinks back on this latest battle. Too many Indian men have died in the past few days, and for what. General Das and his army has been decimated. It will take at least a year to muster the same numbers that he had prior to the Battle of Veii. He shakes his head as he heads back into his tent to continue to write the letters to the families of his lost men, this is the one task that the General despises but he refuses to delegate this task to his subordinates. These men died under his command and the least he could do, was to personally see to it that the families are told of the events.
__
Dear Ms. Patel.
I write to inform you of you husbands valor in the early stages of our glorious victory here at Veii. Sanji was commanding one of the first Infantry Regiments to land in Italia. As our army was disembarking, the evil Roman legions attacked our position. Sanjis regiment was in the direct line of the Roman advance and he rallied his men to save the army. In fierce hand to hand combat, Sanji was killed. He was stabbed in the back by a Roman bayonet. He refused medical attention until all his men were taken care of first. I know that Sanjis passing is a great personal loss to you, but his loss is also felt deeply to the men under his command.
General Das, Commander of Indias forces in Italia.
__
Dear Ms. Jumanti.
Your son Cristof was instrumental in breaching the defenses of Veii. In previous assaults, the 2nd and 3rd calvary Division rushed the Roman defenders. In the first two assaults, all the calvary officers were killed and Sargent Cristof took command and led the combined armies on one last charge into the city. The Roman regiments fell under the weight of this combined attack. As Cristof ordered his men back, to make room for the 6th Calvary, he knocked from his horse. We are unsure how Cristof died but do know that he was found 200 yards from his dead horse. His weapons were empty and his sword wet with Italian blood. The Romans may be savage fighters but they respect bravery, even among their enemies. Cristofs body was found at the side of a building with his arms across his chest and his sword ceremoniously at his side. A placard with the Italian word for valor was found at his feet.
General Das, Commander of Indias forces in Italia.
__
General Das closed his stationary as tears begin to fill his eyes. His aide walks into the command tent. "General, I have the butchers bill here."
"What is it?"
"Of the 8 Infantry Regiments, 3 are at full strength and 4 are totally decimated. The 5th Infantry may be raised to half strength by tomorrow. We are reassigning the survivors from those other units to the 5th."
"What of our offensive capabilities? What of the Calvary?"
"The 6th Calvary is at about 90%. The 2nd and 3rd are about 75% if you combine the two. With reinforcements, the 1st and 9th can be rebuilt. The other..."
"I understand. So we are basically out of the fight for some time."
"Yes sir. Our 4 artillery batteries were unscathed. If need be, we can transfer them to General Hamlet or Civanator when they land."
"We will see. What of the Roman casualties?"
"In the counter attack at the beach head, the Romans lost 3 Calvary detachments. 3 Rifles and 2 Infantry Regiments perished in the city itself. Unsure of the counterattacks once we took Veii. We do know that the Roman Army has been severely crippled and the other two Generals should have an easier time."
"I hope they appreciate it. So, I guess we are now the peace keepers here. Make sure that the harbor is rebuilt and those temples are established. We must keep Veii if the invasion of Italia will continue."
"Yes sir!"
____