[hider=A legate to his men] "Carthage." the one word echoed through the legion. Spoken by Ennius Livantius, the word carried a certain...weight. The men stiffened, appearing at-attention as their commander spoke. "Our brothers in the Ferrata and Almera will stand against Hasdrabul, and we shall make use of their efforts. Lilybaeum is defended by naught but a small force, and is ripe for our taking. Rome has let us loose." He said, splaying his hands outward as a gesture towards the soldiers-- who all shoutted back in approval. "We sail for lilybaeum immediately. I pray that Neptune gives us favorable weather, and I pray he help us swiftly on our way." [/hider] [hider=An Equestrian issue] Spurius Mucius Tiro was not made for the sea. His vision blurred as his stomach retched and recoiled, the contents of his stomach emptying into the ocean alongside the quinquereme. He drew in a sharp breath and staggered back from the rail of the warship, a heavy hand clasping him on the back. "Neptune is going to strike at you one day, lad." Came the heavy voice of a sea-worn Centurion, Hirtius Pius. Mucius gulped, swallowing the bile in his throat, and straightened out, reflexively pounding a fist into his chest in salute. "I pray Neptune continues to favor us." he said with a heat in his voice- born both of sea sickness and a fiery pride to not seem weak. "Should the seas turn to storm, I will take full responsibility." Hirtius pat the young man on his back a few more times, reassuringly. "That won't be necessary." he said, before turning from Mucius and walking to the head of the ship. Mucius continued to swallow the foul taste in his mouth, not wanting to anger Neptune by depositing any more of his stomach into the sea. The centurion turned and shouted out, addressing the full Quinquereme; "We draw near to Lilybaeum, men!" He called out with a sort of gusto that was bred of excitement. "The legate says we fight mercenaries, ha! Scum who sell their lives for coin! Let us hope they find their transaction satisfactory, eh?" He asked, his laughter ringing out- and a few of the men around joining in, the Centurion's attempts at raising the sea-struck men's morale succeeding in a sense. Mucius felt somewhat better, himself, as he listened to Hirtius; focusing on something besides the rocking of the ship was good for him. "I say we show them what true warriors look like." [/hider] [hider=A legate's plan] Lilybaeum stands before Ennius; his target within sight. The quinqeureme rocks beneath him, and his men are already beginning to land on the coast, out of range of the fortifications. The man surveyed the city calmly. He was a soldier. He had his orders, he would carry them out. "We outnumber them. Stretch their defenses thin and assault them until they shatter. Mercenaries have no loyalty but to their lives." He said to his Primus Pilus, who stood next to him. Aurelius Aegidius was older than the legate, and much more battle-hardened. It's why the legate trusted him as an advisor, and even considered the man a friend. "Aye." was the primus pilus' simple reply. "How many fronts do you plan on launching?" "Three. I will lead the Hastati and Velites, you will take the Triarii, principe, and half the Sagitarii, and Hirtius claims he can make do with his Equestrians and the remaining Sagitarii. I have faith in our men, Aurelius, they are good soldiers, and men of Rome. These mercenaries may well surrender once we begin the assault. I want prisoners, not corpses. They may know more of Hasdrabul." "I will see you in the city then, Ennius." Aurelius said, clasping the man's forearm in his hand, before making way to prepare himself for battle. Ennius closed his eyes and offered up a prayer to Mars... [i]Grant us Strength, and keep our brothers safe.[/i] [/hider] [hider=the assault of Lilybaeum] "Tetsudo!" came Aurelius command, and the triarii around him all slid into the siege position seamlessly. Aurelius gripped a ladder, along with a dozen other soldiers. The Tetsudo advanced, flanked by five other formations on each side. Each bore a ladder, and advanced towards the walls at a steady pace. As they drew near, arrows and slings rained down on the interlocked shields to no avail. "Loose!" the simple command warranted six hundred arrows soaring over the walls and searching for new quivers; mercenary bodies. Aurelius couldn't place their origin from this distance, but once he closed in... Cries of pain and death reached his ears. The Sagitarii were able marksman, and Aurelius was glad for their presence. The Tetsudo pushed forward, and as they neared the walls Aurelius helped force the ladder up, quickly, as they formed a gap in the formation-- slings and arrows raining in-- and pushed the ladder up against the wall, holding it in place. "Wait..." Aurelius commanded. "Tighten formation!" and they pushed together-- just as an unbearably heavy load cascaded down atop them. The groans of men straining well beyond their limits as they worked in cohesion, sand and dirt filtering down between the cracks in their shields. The defenders had pushed heavy stones over the sides of the walls, their lethal loads bearing down upon the cohorts with deadly intent. Cries came from outside Aurelius' Tetsudo, and he felt the pang of dread that came with casualties. Each man lost under his control was like a knife to the back. He strained against the load he bore on his shield, above his head... "Push!" and in cohesion the unit all shoved outward with their shields at once, pushing the debris away and dislodging their burden. Aurelius took the chance to look to either side at the cohorts at his flanks-- most seemed to still be standing, and were even beginning to assault. His blood boiled at the sight of broken bodies at the base of the wall. "For Rome!" he cried out, placing a boot on the ladder as more arrows whistled over his head to clear the assault's assent... [/hider] [hider=Conclusion] The Aquila stood proudly on the walls of Lilybaeum. Ennius, bruised and bloodied from the combat, took stock of the situation as his wounds were tended to. "The mercenaries were fierce, their resolve strong." He said, grunting as his arm was bound tightly. He'd suffered a deep gash there, and it would scar up terribly in a few weeks, and even then the ache would be present for years. "Only a few "We roughly have a century of prisoners, Legate." Hirtius, who was flush and giddy from the battle, supplied. "A fragment of their total number. The Carthaginians paid them well, and they fought tooth and nail for their lives. What are our casualties, Aurelius?" "We have sustained minimal losses; We lost one and a half cohorts in total. Hastati and Principe mostly, with minimal losses amongst the Equestrian and Triarii forces." the primus Pilus supplied grimly. "But in the end we have won the day." "I can only hope the Almera and Feratta fared well..." Ennius said as he trailed into silence... [/hider] [hider=Letter to the Consul] Consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus Hail Rome! Lilybaeum has fallen into Roman control! The mercenaries proved to be able men, but were no match for the might of Rome. Celeris Acuta suffered minimal casualties in the assault, and have fought admirably. I am proud to call myself their Legate. I pray for the success and well-being of my brethren near Syracuse, and wish to serve Rome as best I am able. Soldier of Rome Servius Ennius Livanius [/hider]