Escape by Dirk van den Boom

Author:Dirk van den Boom [Boom, Dirk van den]
Language: deu
Format: epub
Tags: Science-Fiction
ISBN: 9783864026270
Publisher: Atlantis Verlag Guido Latz
Published: 2018-08-31T22:00:00+00:00

22

Volkert hated surprises. When he took a step back and tried to look emotionless, only his old comrade Secundus realized that he didn’t necessarily agree with what had just happened. But Sedacius gave him a friendly smile, as if he had done him a favor.

Volkert had been promoted. Again. The last onslaught of the troops lead by Andragathius had been repulsed – it had been no more than a skirmish between the forerunners and the rearguard –, but it had not only shown that the Supreme Commander of Maximus was harder on their heels than their own scouts had discerned, but also had led to the death of Primus Pilus of the XVI. Legion, the legion of Sedacius. The reorganization of the remaining troops of Theodosius in a total of 17 legions had led to an exalted position of the former tribune – who had now been promoted to the rank of legate. The skirmish had disabled Centurion Levantus, the former Primus Pilus, the highest of all centurions, with a severe injury. He would survive, and he would, everyone said, return to active service with a promotion to Tribune, but until then there were vacancies, and for some reason Volkert was chosen to fill one.

At the same time he was promoted from the position of a senior NCO to officer. He wasn’t even too young for that – the war favored fast promotions, because war also caused fast losses. Roman centurions led from the front, so they were exposed to the same dangers as the simple soldier and died just as easily. Volkert had been lucky so far due to the lack of staff, but he would not receive a quiet staff post despite his again improved position in the hierarchy: First among the Centurions, he kept his own unit and would wade through the dirt as well and lead his men as before, only with slightly better pay, and that troubled him more than anything else, even better chances for another promotion. From Primus Pilus to Tribune, it wasn’t that far, then the step to toward nobility wasn’t a big one as well, and as Diocletian had proved, there was no real hindrance to any further ascent.

Volkert was now resigned to the fact that someday someone would blurt out his true identity. Thus, the promotion held an advantage. The likelihood of finding grace in the eyes of those in charge then increased with each higher rank. What bothered him most was the fact that he was now even more indebted to Sedacius, and then, when his plans for overthrowing Theodosius materialized, it was quite possible that this association would cost him his head. As a simple legionary, he could hope for mercy – and the winner still needed soldiers. But in such an exalted position, Volkert would no longer be able to talk himself out of executing orders. He finally became a co-conspirator, a traitor.

He stifled a sigh, maintaining self-restraint. First deserter, then traitor.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.