Legatus Legionis: Book Two in the Gaius Claudius Scaevola Trilogy

by Miller, Ian

  The crossing of the Thames occurred, together, as far as we can tell, with a skirmish in which Togodumnus was killed, unless, of course, Togodumnus was killed at the Medway, assuming the battle was at the Medway. Again, we simply do not know what happened, but in one sense that leaves the writer some scope to invent.

  Some doubt that Caratacus was at Camulodunum, preferring to think he had already fled west. My personal view is this is somewhat unlikely, because it was the senators that voted Claudius a triumph, and they would hardly do that in the absence of any battle. The senators, after all, were brought along because they were probably plotting against Claudius. Is this right? I have no idea, but it is believed Claudius brought elephants, so that made a battle there, albeit short-lived, somewhat desirable. Furthermore, Dio states there was a battle some distance from Camulodunum. Dio would have no idea what that distance was, but it makes sense from Caratacus' point of view to be close, because otherwise a legion could just go in behind his forces and sack his city. So, I had to have a battle, and one in which the elephants were critical. An important point about this battle is that again, there is no evidence of it, so it had to have been one that left little evidence. That eliminates the burning of the city. The people and soldiers would pick up spears, swords, etc, after the battle, and ditches would be there anyway, but "no evidence" implies that even the onagers did not fire massive stones.

  So, all in all, my account of the invasion must be considered to be essentially fictional, but with what I could reasonably be sure of included, together with quite a bit of imagination.

  Legio XX is usually considered to have earned the name Valeria Victrix after putting down the Iceni revolt, however, there is also a strong possibility that the Valeria part was earned in Illyria, somewhere just before 13 BC. That is why I have labelled it the Valeria.

  What happened after Camulodunum fell? There is no evidence the twentieth went back to where London now is, but on the other hand, given that there had been no time for preparation, in my opinion the area around Camulodunum would have had trouble housing three legions, so I have separated them. There was a second reason. The direction of the breakout is known and the twentieth seems to have headed for Bath. Actually, there is no real evidence for that either. Some think the twentieth stayed in Camulodunum. I find that really strange. The standard Roman procedure was to leave the conquered time to accept that they were conquered, with the clear understanding they would be treated very badly if they revolted. At the same time, they needed to secure more territory, and you do not achieve that by leaving a quarter of your army doing nothing.

  Further, from the point of view of military strategy, it is a very desirable objective to aim for the Bristol Channel, as that cuts the north from the south. There is no point in legions crossing paths, so I felt it desirable to start in the configuration they would march in. What happened after that is pure fiction. There is no evidence to support any battles, let alone a major battle with Caratacus, but for various plot reasons of the third book in the trilogy, I needed the last major battle. Further, we know there were battles. Vespasian, because he later became Emperor, has had his exploits better recorded, and it is alleged he fought thirty battles going west. Accordingly, two battles for the Valeria are not unreasonable.

  As in Athene's Prophecy, my portrayal of Gaius Julius Caesar was a problem. There are various accounts of his behaviour, mostly from people who did not like him, but while there may be different versions, I had to settle on one, and be consistent. I hope I have succeeded. There is little doubt he was reviled by the senatorial class, and history has put him down as a mad tyrant. There is also no doubt that the masses really approved of him. It also appears that he frequently challenged a statue of Jupiter to actually do something, so that part of the story has at least some justification. Again, I have tried to follow the interpretation by Anthony Barrett, but as he notes, in many examples of what happened, details are ambiguous and often unreliable.

  This novel gives my answer to how a Roman could prove the heliocentric theory. Some may wonder why I did that, as it may seem a distraction. Part of the reason will become clear in the third book of the trilogy, but part of the reason for the trilogy as a whole is also to illustrate the scientific process. This is something that is not altogether understood by most, and I hope the reader finds it of interest. In particular, I wanted to give an impression of what happens when a really fundamental problem is solved in an unexpected way. The result is that in an instant that is quite overwhelming, a number of seemingly unrelated facts suddenly come together, like the picture of a jigsaw that self-assembles, and he or she who sees this suddenly sees a part of nature that was previously hidden. What is also unusual about this feeling is that it probably applies even if the discovery is wrong! The feeling comes from so many unrelated things suddenly becoming understandable, and is almost certainly restricted to science, and to only a few scientists.

  I have written other novels. For more information, please visit my website http://www.ianmiller.co.nz. I also have a scientific blog at http://my.rsc.org/blogs/84 and I have discussed and will continue to discuss some of the scientific issues raised in my novels. I also have a more general blog http://ianmillerblog.wordpress.com that discusses some of the other issues raised in these novels, such as governance, socioeconomics, etc, in a more general way, and also some of the current scientific issues in what I hope is a generally accessible way to anyone without detailed scientific knowledge but with an interest.

  My previous novels form what I call a future history. Each are intended to stand alone, although books in the First Contact trilogy are probably better read in sequence. The other books are:

  Puppeteer Set in 2030, it deals with a faltering government that arose through excess debt, terrorism and the energy crisis. The background is based on one interpretation of what will happen when oil becomes excessively expensive, and we have not become prepared.

  Troubles Set in 2050, an anarchic society is coming out of the energy crisis, thanks to the invention of fusion power. At the same time, I try to show how one invention can lead to a whole lot of extra technologies.

  Red Gold Set in 2070, it covers the colonization of Mars, fraud, and when a scientific discovery is made that makes Mars viable, I introduce one of my theories in what I hope is a reader-friendly way. It also shows the start of corporatization that will be a feature of following books.

  A Face on Cydonia The first of the First Contact trilogy, it describes how evil has entered an entrenched corporate society, how some independent but poorer people try to oppose the corporate overlords and how a disparate party set out to prove this rock has nothing to do with aliens, but instead each discovers exactly what they do not want.

  Dreams Defiled shows how all their ambitions come to nothing.

  Jonathon Munros The conclusion of the trilogy, where Jonathon Munro achieves immortality.

  Athene's Prophecy is the first book in the Gaius Claudius Scaevola trilogy. in which Scaevola is sent on a quest to save civilization far into the future.

  I hope I have been entertaining, but I also hope that I have given readers something to think about.