‘Gaius, that young vigilis Atrius and I met, specifically mentioned new equipment in his station,’ I said. ‘I’m going to ask the nuncia in Washington for her thoughts.’
‘As long as she doesn’t let on we know,’ Volusenia said.
I gave her a long stare.
‘Washington is one of the most senior diplomatic posts and only conferred on the most able and experienced officer. You may rest assured, Marcella Volusenia, that the nuncia knows how to keep a secret.’
‘Don’t poker up at me, consiliaria.’
‘The nuncia there is old school,’ I added. ‘Not only did she come up through the cursus honorum but completed each stage with distinction. She’s one of the strongest willed and craftiest women I know.’
‘Sounds bloody terrifying,’ Volusenia retorted.
‘Not in your league, though, Colonel,’ I said.
Quirinia smiled and Silvia giggled.
‘My point is,’ I continued, ‘that she will have picked a good head of station and will give her or him very specific instructions. It will be helpful to have her contribution if we are going to take the EUS’s involvement in Roma Nova’s internal affairs to the International Court.’
‘Well, you know the political stuff better than I do, so I leave that in your hands,’ Volusenia said. She consulted a pile of typed sheets. ‘Next, you all report how run-down things are – closed shops, food shortages, unrepaired buildings, street lamps broken, petrol supplies cut off and the increased vigiles and military patrols. The photographs confirm this. How in Hades things have diminished to this state in this short time, I don’t know.’
‘I do wonder if there’s been passive disobedience in the population,’ I said. ‘Fifty per cent of it has been disenfranchised and rendered invisible by law. That’s a powerful force for resentment. You may remember the messages we had a few months ago about the silver producers deliberately reducing output and diverting distribution. On top of that, I wonder how many men are now seeing that their new, supposedly privileged, position isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Information should start coming in about that via the resistance groups we met in our first few days in Roma Nova.’
‘I can’t imagine how peculiar it must be there now,’ Silvia said and shivered. I took her hand and pressed it.
Volusenia looked at each of us in turn, then cleared her throat. ‘In light of economic weakness, the reported discontent, our signals intelligence, the resistance groups and international support, I think we must now start more formal activity.’
Nobody spoke while they took in her words. Quirinia put her hand to her neck. Junia and Atrius leaned forward, as I did.
‘Meaning?’ I said into the tense atmosphere.
‘The specifics of taking back Roma Nova.’
I took a gulp of water from the moulded glass beaker in front of me. At last, we had finished reacting to Caius. We were going on the offensive. Volusenia’s eyes glittered as she continued.
‘Now, that young guard you brought back with the shot arm, consiliaria, not only took some useful photographs but also managed to get wind of some of these damned work camps. Cross-referencing it with the signals information from the two listening posts, we’re pretty sure we’ve identified their locations. The inmates will be weak and probably physically in poor shape, so we will need emergency medical support, but some will be ready for revenge. Our problem will be restraining them.’ She smacked the flat of her hand on the table. ‘Whatever happens, we must not allow a wholesale personal rampage, no vastatio. it’s one thing to deny supplies and communications to the enemy, but on no account will farms and crops be destroyed. And looters will be shot.’ She paused, then looked away, something very rare for somebody so self-assured. ‘We’ll have to use whatever forces we can muster locally to enforce order and provide support when the camps are liberated,’ she continued, her voice tighter. ‘Female ex-vigiles, local reservists who can be vouched for, even the remaining male vigiles if we have to, stiffened up with a few Praetorians.’ She drew breath at last and looked up.
‘May I speak, Colonel?’ Atrius said. Volusenia nodded. ‘With your permission, I will work out a strategy to organise this. I know what it’s like to be in the hands of the nationalists.’ He looked down at the floor, his hands clasped together. After a brief moment he sat up straight. ‘Claudia Cornelia’s account of her time in that camp was invaluable. Apart from their physical injuries, malnutrition and exhaustion, these prisoners will be full of anger and despair and be overwhelmed with a way to express it. Yes, they will want to fight with us.’
‘Work out how many people you will need and possible resources,’ Volusenia replied. ‘Consiliaria Quirinia’s team will cost it out.’ She glanced at Quirinia who was scribbling in her notebook. ‘Bring it back to the next meeting in two days’ time, please.’
Atrius had lost his naivety, but also his self-assurance after being tortured by Caius’s goons. There couldn’t be a better person to handle this. It would give him a personal as well as professional route to reconciliation with himself. But it was, being brutal, a side issue. First we had to secure Roma Nova. I raised my hand.
‘Colonel, we have plans on the intelligence, diplomatic and humanitarian front and the earlier theoretical work my and Consiliaria Quirinia’s groups produced back in April, but we must now develop the practical military one. We are still short of enough active forces to launch a full-scale invasion.’
‘Our total numbers here are now up to 2,993, Aurelia, including five live births in the last two months,’ Quirinia piped up.
‘How many of that figure are between ages sixteen and fifty-five?’
‘Just under two-thirds,’ she replied.
‘So we have a potential fighting strength of around two thousand, with half of that capable of front-line combat.’ I looked around. ‘I know Junia Sestina’s been stepping up training, widening it to include all that age group. I know we have the resistance groups, but we need numbers or some strategy to combat their lack.’
Silence.
‘Where do you suggest we get these magic numbers from?’ Volusenia looked directly at me.
‘Well, I wondered about calling in favours from military colleagues in other countries. I could probably muster a hundred or so who would help, totally unofficially.’
But I knew they’d have the covert backing of their military command. Soldiers looked after fellow soldiers even across national boundaries.
‘To get sufficient numbers we need to plan to advance steadily, gaining people as we go, such as those female military who were thrown out when Caius Tellus came to power. This is Caius’s regime’s blind spot. They think they have subdued the women of Roma Nova and rendered them invisible. They will be one of our best-hidden weapons. Of course, they won’t be as sharp as Junia Sestina’s trainees; they’re over a year out of condition.
‘The second is what remains of the Twelve Families inside Roma Nova.’ I nodded at Silvia. ‘We know the imperatrix’s cousins to the third degree have been imprisoned.’ Silvia stared at me wide-eyed, then nodded. That particular piece of news had been hard to tell her. ‘What has happened to the rest of them, we don’t know,’ I added. ‘But the Families structure is still there. Can you imagine what the Mitelae, the Calaviae, your own family, Colonel, and the others must be feeling? Yes, they’ll all be keeping their heads down, but probably boiling with fury underneath.’
‘My sister was murdered by Caius Tellus,’ Volusenia said. ‘The rest of them will either be in prison or being careful, but yes, I’d say they’ll be ready for retaliation.’
I didn’t mention the name of the Tellus family for obvious reasons, but I was worried about Quintus, Caius’s estranged brother. I hadn’t heard from him for months. Was he even still alive? Caius might have just shot him on a whim. And what had happened to little Conradus?
I shuffled my papers together. ‘We need to contact them one by one and get them to leave the city and rally any people remaining on
their estates and the surrounding areas. This will give us pockets of reinforcements. We’ll sweep them up as we advance. They’ll also help contain and stabilise their local areas when we take them back.’ I looked away. ‘My own people are here, of course, but I’m sure they’ll want to come with us.’
Juno knew I wanted to see what had become of Castra Lucilla. I wept inside at the memory of that night we had to abandon the farm. It had been heart-wrenching for the estate workers to leave the homes their families had lived in for generations. Volusenia looked up from the notepad she’d been scribbling in for the past few minutes.
‘We have just under three hundred Praetorians here,’ she said. ‘Even with my poor arithmetical skills that means there’s another two hundred inside Roma Nova lurking somewhere. None of the photographs and none of the reconnaissance reports show any Praetorian on duty anywhere. We’ve heard of eleven confirmed executions, all senior officers, and only a few others imprisoned. Some may be in the work camps or in Truscium, Mars help them. But signals intelligence shows no increase in movements to and from there nor any increased radio traffic. This leads me to conclude there are at least a hundred and fifty keeping their heads down. We need to find them.’
‘Another factor is the attitude of the current magister militum,’ I said. ‘Has Caius replaced the previous one? If we can be reasonably sure that the country’s top soldier would bring his troops over to us, or at least not deploy them against us, that would be a huge advantage.’
‘That’s a big “if”, Aurelia,’ Quirinia said. ‘I know at the last imperial council, the magister was anti-Caius and you said he was still in post when you were, er, at the palace with Caius.’ She blushed, remembering her own prejudice, I thought. ‘He’s very loyal to his soldiers and would do anything to protect them. You reported there were regular troops helping the nats when you escaped from the caves. So they are working for Caius at present. If the magister is still in post, he won’t move until he’s sure Caius is losing.’
A touch on my arm. Silvia.
‘I know this is all technical stuff above my head, but would it help if I spoke to him and asked?’
Five pairs of eyes turned on her slight figure. Her skin flushed red, but her gaze was steady.
‘He was very kind and polite when he came to the palace to see Mama,’ she said. ‘And he always brought me a birthday present.’
Volusenia rolled her eyes. Luckily Silvia was still looking at me and didn’t see. Quirinia sent me a pleading look.
‘That’s a very clever idea, darling,’ I said, trying to sound sincere. ‘And one we’ll keep in reserve. I think at the moment, we’ll have to plan for the worst case.’
She gave me a mulish look back. ’Well, it was only a suggestion,’ she retorted. ‘I don’t know why I’m in this meeting. There’s nothing I can do to help.’
‘I know it’s difficult and perhaps a little boring,’ I replied. ‘But it’s important for you to know exactly what we’re planning to do in your name.’
‘Oh.’
‘You being here reminds us all why we’re doing it.’ I took her hand and pressed it. Poor child. What a way to spend your teenage years.
She nodded, crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. Quirinia gave her a quick smile and a nod. Volusenia said nothing.
‘It’s the logistics of it all that will be the bugger,’ said Junia, breaking the silence.
‘Exactly so, lieutenant,’ replied Volusenia. She looked at Quirinia. ‘That Vibianus from the Paris legation, he seems a likely sort. I’d like to second him to work on the logistics, if you think he’s up to it.’
‘Well, I’d be most unhappy to lose him…’ Quirinia looked dismayed.
‘I know he’s performing administrative miracles for you, consiliaria, and our little colony is running smoothly because of it but that’s not the object of our existence here.’
‘No, I’m perfectly aware of that, Colonel,’ Quirinia retorted at her most huffy. ‘But without good administration, we wouldn’t be as stable and prosperous as we are.’ Her right hand clenched around her pen as she glared at Volusenia.
‘If I may?’ I had to stop this turf war. ‘The Colonel needs Vibianus’s expertise. That’s beyond question. Why not promote his number two, Grania, to help you, Quirinia? She seems pretty competent.’
Both stared at me, one miffed, one cynical, but after a moment, Quirinia nodded.
‘Now, next steps,’ I said to move them on. ‘Tasking. I suggest we establish two teams. One will work under Junia Sestina to make lists from the telephone directory that Atrius brought back, and from personal knowledge of friends and relations of the exiles here. This team will actively sound out potential supporters inside Roma Nova. The contacts from those lists will also act as a disinformation conduit. The propaganda war is as important as live operations. I did some preliminary work on this in March.’ I glanced at Junia. ‘Ask Numerus for the file. Then you’ll need to draw up a contact schedule in liaison with a signals officer.’ I glanced round at them all. ‘We’ll have to be extremely careful and do it in tiny stages. The potential for leaks is significant, but with our low numbers we have to try everything. I’ll develop the approach messages with Junia. But before one call is made, we’ll all have to slog away at the lists, vetting them to weed out any doubtful names.
‘The second team headed by you, Colonel, assisted by Vibianus, will plan each individual step of the take-back – objectives, timing, forces needed, expected reinforcements, feeding, resupply, logistics required. Timing and coordination will be crucial. One of the first things to plan is a schedule of specific targeted insertions to seize the main towns of Aquae Caesaris, Brancadorum and Castra Lucilla. This is going to have to be an invasion on a shoestring.’ I smiled at them, but I wasn’t feeling humorous. ‘Whatever happens and whatever casualties we incur, once we start we must push through until we take the entire country.’
* * *
‘Nightcap?’ Volusenia asked as the others left.
‘Just a quick one.’ It was past midnight and I was yearning for my bed. ‘What’s on your mind?’ I asked as I took the glass.
She stashed the bottle in her lower filing cabinet drawer and came to roost on the corner of her desk.
‘It’s all very well drawing up plans and tactics, but there’s one big problem. Two, actually. Weapons and transport.’
‘Agreed. I suggest that people draw funds from Quirinia and start buying rifles individually as from now. They’ll have to apply for a licence and join hunting or gun clubs. Just a few at a time. The regime’s pretty permissive here and most farmers have at least a shotgun. Handguns are out, but knives can be bought over the counter.’
‘This is ridiculous,’ Volusenia snorted.
‘Of course it is, but we have no option,’ I said. ‘I’ll make a few other enquiries for heavier matériel with international colleagues but I’ll have to be ultra discreet.’
‘And where are we going to store these weapons? The New Austrians will smell a rat.’
I smiled at her.
‘What?’
‘You remember in the original refugee group there was a logistics specialist, I think he was called Rex, no, Regulus. He’s married to one of the PGSF optiones. He’d been a transport manager and followed his wife out. We made him part of Quirinia’s original steering group back in March.’
‘And?’
‘He masterminded the hire and deployment of the removal vans when we moved here from the original safe house. At present he’s driving a taxi. Well, we’re going into the logistics and storage business and he’s going to run it.’
She laughed heartily, then wiped her eyes. ‘Well, I’ll give you credit for inventiveness, Aurelia.’
‘I’ll talk to him in the morning to get it set up. I’m sure Edward Soane’s lawyer has a commercial colleague who can push the paperwork through for us. There’s a third thing…’
‘Oh?’
I set my glass down and looked str
aight at her. ‘Caius is not stupid, as I feel I have to keep reminding everybody. He was more than often one, sometimes two steps in front of me when we were younger. And he’s just as sharp now. His only weakness is the belief that women are less able and should keep to the domestic side of life. And that’s where we can snare him.’
‘How will that help us now?’
‘He’ll think we’re up to something if we don’t give him something else to think about, something that confirms his belief. And we need him to be distracted. I have an idea I’d like to run past you…’
28
I set off with a rather overawed Regulus, the transport manager, to see Edward Soane the next day. His superior assistant Anton Drexler ushered us in. Edward promised that ‘Klettermann Spedition KG’ would be duly registered with the Austrian authorities and gave me an introduction to a commercial bank for its financial transactions.
‘Are you diversifying your investments, Aunt Aurelia?’ Edward asked as I signed financial guarantee papers.
‘We can’t squat in Vienna forever. Some want to settle down here to normal life like Regulus here, so he needs an income. He’ll also be able to employ a good number of fellow exiles.’ I hated lying to Edward, but Volusenia and I had agreed to start spreading rumours that we’d accepted the current situation and were planning to disperse and seek new lives elsewhere now that Roma Nova was closed to us. And Anton Drexler was listening, but pretending not to. ‘Helping our people set up businesses or resettle elsewhere is important,’ I continued. ‘We all need to have a stable future. Now that Marina is settled in the EUS, I’ve been thinking about joining her. Or perhaps I’ll go to London for a while.’
He shot me a speculative look, but courteous and discreet as his kind were, he said nothing as he gathered the papers together.
‘Aunt Aurelia, if your colleague would excuse us for a few moments, I need to take five minutes of your time on a personal matter.’
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