A Pack Of Buffoons

The gavel struck the block, the consul, a man by the name of Johannes Seneca, announced, “We are now proceeding on the case presented to us by Julius von Kaiser. Let the man take his stand.” He sat on a throne at the end of the senate hall, sat higher than everybody else, he could be seen as the head of the Senate. In fact, one of his titles was ‘The first citizen.’

Julius cleared his throat and began to say, “I, Julius von Kaiser, leader of the Green Division, wish to extend our cooperation in this war for Concursus.” He declared, “I believe that my division would act as a magnificent army corps to fight on your behalf.”

This was the same song and dance that he asked for for years now, but most of the time, he asked through diplomats. This one was different, he came here personally, he had to have a reason for it, Brutus raised his hand and was allowed to speak, “And what would you wish to gain, fighting more for us? Riches? Women?”

“I, as a former noble of the Caspian Empire, whose status of my family was revoked due to treasonous actions against me, would love to achieve this status once more in the Antediluvian Empire.” He announced, there was a silence in the room that followed.

Brutus looked around, the faces of the other senators felt dumbfounded. This was, after all, the first time that a mercenary leader that they hired asked not only for citizenship, but for nobility. “I speak for the entire court and the court says we den-”

“Brutus. Your time for speaking is over,” Said Consul Seneca, “You wish to apply for nobility in exchange for your martial feats in the name of our empire? This is a very absurd request. Though the military affairs have been going well, so as much as we appreciate your service, I believe it’s not needed.”

“Going well? I’m afraid that your information is mistaken, my dear Consul.” He turned his head towards Brutus who still held the paper.

Brutus cleared his throat, folded the paper, and put it down, “I disagree, Julius. The war has been going well! We have made significant advances through the Amazonias which the Sakilo-Jawanians currently e-.”

“Brutus.” Seneca silenced him, “Give me that paper.” Like a child who’s being scolded by his teacher, Brutus reluctantly gave the paper to Seneca. Seneca flipped his glasses and started to read the letter.

The consul sighed, in an attempt to alleviate the situation, Brutus cried out, “The war effort is going swimmingly, the losses of the 11th and 12th are nothing more than a minor setback!”

“We have had MANY! Minor setbacks in your name, Brutus! And now we have lost two entire squadrons near our borderline. This is UNACCEPTABLE!” Seneca yelled, his booming voice echoed through the entire chamber.

“Then I believe my assistance would be needed.” Julius declared, Seneca stared at him. Composed himself back into a poker face and read the papers once more.

“Your assistance would in fact, be absolutely needed. Though for your citizenship and noble status, that we cannot guarantee.”

“Then let us come across a deal.”

Seneca stared him down, this was a deal not only to him, not only to the senate hall, but to the entirety of the empire, “Let us hear it.”

“We give you the Amazonias, you give me the noble status I so desire.” That was his deal. The Amazonias were an area occupied entirely by the Sakilo-Jawanian military, and though for conventional armies it would be difficult, Julius and his mercenaries had been fighting in these jungles for years.

Plus, he had people within the Sakilo-Jawanian military that could cause the armaments they had to spontaneously combust. It would be a shame to happen, but it would definitely happen.

“I ref-” Brutus attempted to butt in,

“You have no RIGHT! Senator Brutus, NO RIGHT! You have failed the senate one too many times. The losses of the empire remain in your hands, yet the triumph of victory shall not go to you.” Seneca scolded, his voice growled as he shamed the lowly senator back to his chair.

“Are we in agreement then?” Julius asked.

“This is a democracy, boy. Voting will begin, the guest may see himself out while the senate discusses the voting procedures, good day.” With the boom of the hammer, Julius was instructed to leave. And leave he did, as he walked triumphantly out of the golden doors that closed behind him.

*

Caius and Agrippa found themselves above ground, they gawked at the numerous aircraft flying in and out of the airstrip, “Say, Agrippa.” Caius started the conversation.

“Yes, my lord?”

“Please, drop the formalities, we’re only two years apart, no?”

“Why yes, now, what were you gonna say to me, Caius?”

“You’re a native of Concursus, correct?”

“Ah, yes. Though as comedic as it is, I was born rather in the city of Romulus. A far cry of what people thought would be life in this… green inferno.”

“Oh, Romulus? Didn’t that get destroyed a decade or two ago?”

“That was the narrative that the galactic kingdoms went for,” he reached into his coat pockets and pulled out a pack of cigars.

He offered one to Caius who refused. Caius doesn’t really want to acquire his father’s vices, “And what would the truth be?”

“It sank.” Romulus was the megacity, the only one of Concursus. On the night of the Antediluvian invasion of Concursus, it disappeared, never to be seen again. On the supposed area that Romulus existed were ruins that seemed to indicate battle. But there was no battle, just as there was no Romulus.

“Sank, Romulus sank. That’s what you’re telling me?” But Caius would never believe that, for all the engineering feats that humanity has undertaken in its millions of years of evolution, the idea of sinking an entire city to hide it only ever existed in fictional mythology.

“Of course, though its remains are yet to be found. For all intents and purposes, it disappeared, and even I don’t remember much in the brief moment I grew up in that city.” A jet fighter flew by, they were alarmed for a moment but they realized it’s friendly, “You were born and raised Caspian, correct?”

“Correct.”

“So you could fly one of those?” He pointed at one of the various aircraft at the hangar.

“Damn right I can.” Agrippa smiled, and under his guidance, was able to suit up Caius in little to no time at all, before Caius could even make sense of what was going on, he was already in the cockpit of a San-40 “Ghost” Caspian-made jet fighter.

Nervousness overcame the young man. It wasn’t that he couldn’t fly, he could absolutely fly. It was more of him not being able to fly for the past 3 months, suffice to say he wasn’t used to it, not anymore. But nevertheless, he tried.

He pushed forward and controlled his breathing, though the air composition and gravity of Concursus is vastly different from Caspians, it was made sure that the fighter would adapt to the pilot’s ability, not the other way around.

He felt the rigid airstrip bump the aircraft then, he flew. With a thunderous boom the aircraft flew high into the sky and before Caius knew it, he was spotting the beautiful orange hued sunset of Concursus, “WOOOOOHOOOOO” He yelled into the mic, unable to hide his excitement.

He flew hoops around the air, getting used to the controls was a difficult task but overtime he managed to do it well enough for combat, then, a radio chatter comes to his ears, “This is Command 1, all units in the vicinity, be advised, a group of unidentified aircraft has pierced through our airspace and is headed straight to our base. If you do not find yourself capable of handling the unknown, land immediately.”

Caius thought for a moment about his life, what led him to this planet, what led him to this plane. His cowardice to save his parents, his reluctance in the military. For Caius, it was time to stop running away, for Caius it was time for him to take control of his life, and as he gripped tightly into the stick that controlled the aircraft, he made his decision.

“Command, this is Kaiser 1, intercepting boogeys. Give bearings.”

“Kaiser 1, boogeys spotted 4 kilometers, 30 degrees east north east from your position, do not engage unless unavoidable and necessary.”

“Affirmative.” Thus, he flew.