Though the Dust of You Is Gone

[HistoryDude]

Marcus considered his options. He’d already decided that he was staying in New Carthage. Unfortunately, that raised a very pertinent question: what would Marcus - and, for that matter, everybody else who decided to stay on this planet - do? Nova Romans weren’t a submissive people, by any means.

Marcus sighed. Even if he was fine with living under the rule of a people that wasn’t Nova Roman - and he wasn’t - the vast majority of the Nova Roman refugees would want independence at the least. Far more likely, they’d want a place from which to rebuild the Empire - preferably without as much decadence.

Marcus had only one question about that - how? How would the Nova Roman refugees be able to escape from the control - indirect control, of course, but still control - of the New Carthaginian government. They’d basically already agreed that they would recognize New Carthaginian authority during the meeting with the New Carthaginian diplomats. Wait. Hmm, that could work. He’d want a second opinion on it, of course, as he didn’t fully trust his own judgement - it hadn’t failed him yet, but sound judgement abandoned all men eventually.

Marcus was unhappy with the situation that fate had put on him. Fate was fickle - everything she gave, she took away eventually. Marcus knew that Jack had accepted his fate, but Marcus didn’t particularly want to follow his own fate. Marcus didn’t wish to lead at all - he was only Jack’s second-in-command because he had seen the truth of what Jack had said - and Jack had spoken the truth.

Unfortunately, the fact that Jack wasn’t staying on New Carthage meant that the Nova Roman refugees that did stay here would likely look to Marcus to lead them. Marcus sighed. What fate - what the Ancients - had decided was final. He couldn’t fight fate - he shouldn’t even try. And yet, as Marcus thought about the responsibility that he would soon have, he shuddered. He didn’t like his fate, although he had an idea as to what it was.

Many men would have been happy at knowing what their fate might be. Marcus wasn’t, by any means. Knowing his fate did not mean that he could change it, after all. Marcus knew that better than most beings did- Jack wasn’t able to prevent the fall of the Nova Roman Empire despite knowing that it would happen.

Marcus was going to gain control of the Nova Roman refugees on New Carthage no matter what happened. Well, it looked like he was going to need to find out what New Carthaginian politics were like. The problem with that was that Marcus had absolutely no relevant prior knowledge of New Carthage. He had been there before, of course. That had been a casual vacation, though, so he still knew next to nothing about the actual ways of New Carthage. The question was” how was he going to learn about the New Carthaginians? Yes, he was on their planet, but the area wasn’t even really under New Carthaginian rule.

Marcus sighed. He still didn’t get why the New Carthaginians had given up so much land so easily, but he wasn’t going to complain. Still, he knew that Jack was suspicious of their kindness. Truth be told, so was he, but he wasn’t about to make that fact known. He would need to get involved in New Carthaginian politics soon, as many of his fellow refugees that had decided to stay would. Nova Romans were a proud people, although they were far from vain.

Of course, if the New Carthaginians disliked how they were going about things, then that would become very problematic. He knew that the Nova Romans would fight if they had to, but they much preferred intrigue. Perhaps that was part of the reason that the once mighty Nova Roman Empire had fallen - it had already begun in decline before the Great Nova Roman War, and Marcus knew that - and he knew that Jack knew it, as well.

Marcus sighed. He might as well get figure out where he was living, since he was staying. Where could he find information about the New Carthaginian government?

First, though, he needed to talk to Jack. Hopefully, Jack had some advice for him.

Jack frowned. His scouting plane hadn’t finished its mission yet, but he couldn’t afford to wait until it did. He needed to ensure that New Sidon was a safe place to settle in, but, once that was done - and once he had refueled the fleet, of course - he would leave. New Carthage already had a relatively stable government. It wouldn’t be a suitable place to settle for most of the Nova Roman fleet.

Jack was brought out of his thoughts when Marcus entered the room. He was staying at a relatively large villa. This villa wasn’t overly ostentatious, but it was clearly larger than the other small villas that were popping up around town. That marked Jack’s status as the leader of the refugee fleet. Obviously, Jack wasn’t going to be staying on New Carthage, but he figured having a visible symbol of his leadership wasn’t that bad. Truth be told, the actual refugees had pretty much insisted that it exist, despite his protests. He figured that whoever took over the Nova Roman area of New Carthage - probably Marcus - would inherit the villa. Speaking of which…

“What do we do now?” Marcus asked. “I mean the fleet will have to eventually leave this planet, and then the settlers here will be left on their own, but what do we do before that moment?”

Jack blinked. That was… actually a good question. What was their next step?

He had to think that for a few minutes, but he did come up with a plan. The small fort would continue to be built into a great city, but its sole purpose would no longer just be refueling the fleet’s ships. Building a city as a refueling center would be extremely wasteful.

No, the people who wanted to stay in New Sidon would build the refueling center. Once it was built, it would be used to refuel, and then those who wanted to stay would live there. It would become the capital of the Nova Roman refugees in New Carthage. He quickly told Jack all of this.

“Good point,” Marcus replied. “But what do we do before then?”

 

[HistoryDude]

“We wait,” Jack said. “For what else can we do? And, far more importantly, what else do we want to do?”

“What do you mean?” Marcus asked, confused. “We need a home, and, ultimately, we need revenge.”

Jack smiled. “You already have a home,” he began. “And I need to have fuel to continue my search for one. We will get revenge, though. That, I can promise you.”

“Which one of us?” Marcus asked. He must have seen the confused expression on Jack’s face, because he elaborated. “Which one of us will get the revenge that we seek?”

Jack frowned. That still didn’t make that much sense. Why couldn’t they both get revenge? Although, truth be told, if it came to choosing between his own want for revenge and his current lieutenant's, he would choose his own in a second. The New Greeks had almost everything from him. They needed to pay for that…

“Why can’t we both get revenge?” he wondered. “New Greece is a large empire. We can both make them bleed.”

“True enough,” Marcus admitted. “But if, for some reason, only one of us can get revenge…”

Jack understood his meaning clearly. He didn’t foresee any situation in which they couldn’t both get revenge, but he knew that some of the New Greeks were cunning. He knew that all too well. He quickly began to remember the fall of Nova Roma itself, but he quickly snapped out of that. He couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.

“Well,” Jack said. “If that were to occur, then we would be parted. Permanently. Indeed, it is likely that war may come between us.”

Marcus looked like a deer caught in headlights at his words. He frowned. Did his current lieutenant really think that he was being subtle with his ambitions? It was quite obvious what his ultimate goal was… to Jack, anyway. “Then again,” Jack reflected. “I am quite experienced in intrigue…”

However, Jack knew that speaking his thoughts to Marcus would be unwise. Still, he could teach Marcus about the importance of discretion. He would be helping a fellow Nova Roman, and, in a time where there were very few Nova Romans left, that would be a good thing. In addition, it would technically leave Marcus in his debt, and, if Marcus succeeded at his plans, then that would be a very good place to be indeed.

“You aren’t being subtle in your goal, my lieutenant,” Jack said. “If everybody knows of your ultimate goal, then many people will be able to figure out how you plan to reach that goal. With that knowledge, it would be easy for them to thwart your plans. You will fail if you don’t learn some subtlety.”

“I was being subtle,” Marcus snapped back. “Nobody else knows what I’m planning to do.”

“Nobody else knows what you’re planning to do yet,” Jack replied. “However, it isn’t hard to figure out. Our people are known as a defiant people by the wider galaxy - or at least the human portion of it - and they have plenty of evidence to back up that claim. The government of New Carthage probably already suspects that we are planning on undermining them.”

Marcus frowned. “That makes sense,” he said. “But how am I supposed to be subtle about this? Should I even be subtle about it to my future subjects - that is, the Nova Romans who are staying here when you leave?”

“Hmm,” Jack pondered. “Come up with explanations about why you need the information. They don’t even need to be true, just believable - to the people of New Carthage at least. Our fellow Nova Romans might want power for themselves, so they might aid you - or oppose you.”

 

[HistoryDude]

Announcement: I'm liking writing this AAR, so, from now on, I will try to update it every other day...

 

[Cromwell]

Poor New Carthage. Opened their doors up to Roman refugees and they are already plotting against them.

 

[HistoryDude]

Poor New Carthage. Opened their doors up to Roman refugees and they are already plotting against them.

Of course, they are expecting the Nova Romans to plot against them, so…

It’s also arguable that this is a more peaceful way of doing things, given that New Carthage has no clue how large the refugee fleet is. For all they know, the Nova Romans could take their planet by force.

 

[HistoryDude]

“Why would they oppose me?” Marcus asked. “I can offer them power, if that is what they want. If they are stepping out of line, I can always punish them.”

“How?” Jack countered. “How will you punish them? You could exile them from New Sidon, true, but you don’t control the entire planet. They can always go to the other continents here on New Carthage. Simply offering them power won’t work either. What kind of power? And, even if you can answer that question, there isn’t enough power that every Nova Roman refugee that decides to stay here can get some.”

“Why not?” Marcus wondered. At Jack’s confused look, he elaborated, “why aren’t there enough positions of power that every Nova Roman who stays here can’t get one? This planet isn’t composed of just New Sidon and New Tyre, after all.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. “While everything you say is true,” he began. “There are millions of Nova Roman refugees - even if we’re just counting the ones who are staying here. It doesn’t matter how large New Carthage is - there will not be enough positions of power that every one of them can get one. Even if there was, some positions are more prestigious than others. Even if we didn’t care about prestige, some positions hold more power than others. What would you do to those who try to usurp your throne?”

Marcus frowned. Jack could see that he was thinking about the answer to that question. Personally, Jack would make an example of them, but he understood that that strategy had problems. It wouldn’t work all of the time.

Marcus apparently thought similarly. “The first few will be made examples to anyone who tries to do it in the future,” he began. “If that doesn’t work, I will destroy those who refuse to surrender militarily. However, this won’t be good for the internal politics of the realm, so I will attempt to bribe them first.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “And if you can’t defeat them militarily, and they won’t accept bribes? How will you get out of that situation?”

“I wouldn’t be stuck in that situation in the first place,” Marcus said, rolling his eyes. “Some people will accept bribes - greed is one of the oldest sins. There won’t be a revolt large enough to actually threaten my power.”

“Pride is another one of the oldest sins,” Jack responded. “You need to plan for everything. Because nothing is ever impossible. The gods are fickle. They give, and they take alike.”

Marcus raised his eyebrows. “You still believe in the gods?” he wondered. “Even after… after our empire’s destruction? After everything that’s happened?”

Jack sighed. “Yes,” he admitted. “I do. I don’t believe that they’re benevolent, but I never believed that. What kind of gods allowed the kind of atrocities that have occurred across societies, civilizations, and planets? Certainly not benevolent ones.”

“Then, why do you worship them - or why did you worship them?” Marcus wondered. “Also, I still don’t think that a rebellion will ever be able to seriously threaten my rule.”

“You still need a plan if one ever does,” Jack said. “And our legends speak of gods that are easily offended. I’d rather not take chances with them. Also, don’t plan for Nova Roma before the colonization of New Byzantium.”

“Isn’t that idiom a little outdated now?” Marcus asked. “Nova Roma has burned. It was destroyed. Despite that, you do have a point. I shall take my leave now and begin my plan. I have no intention of staying reliant on a state that isn’t Nova Roman.”

Jack watched him go. As he did so, he thought of what Marcus had said to him - and he considered his question. Unfortunately, that led to him remembering the sack of Nova Roma - he had been there, although he hadn’t wanted to.

 

[HistoryDude]

Jack had known that Nova Roma was going to be sacked. It was obvious. The former Nova Roman Empire had a cesspit of decadence. Very few cared for the good of the state of Nova Roma - everyone simply prioritized their interests. That didn’t make for a good government.

Most people in Nova Roma didn’t even notice this, and that was the worst thing of all. Many didn’t want to be saved. That was problematic. Still, a few people - on Nova Roma, and his current lieutenant had been among them - had recognized their forthcoming doom.

Despite all of that, the real reason that he had been present in Nova Roma was not to rescue the few Nova Romans that realized that they were doomed. Well, that wasn’t the main reason, but it had somewhat influenced his decision.

No, the true reason why he had been present on a doomed planet as it burned was because he didn’t have a true choice. Oh, there was a choice, but circumstances had ensured that the alternative - simply avoiding Nova Roma - was unthinkable.

There were many innocents on Nova Roma - people uninvolved in the games of power played by the rulers of the planet. Jack had already rescued most of them, though, although a few had stubbornly insisted on attempting to save the planet. Jack had known that they would fail, but he’d also known that attempting to convince them was folly - and a waste of time. And time was one of the only things that he had never had enough of.

Unfortunately, half of the fleet hadn’t managed to escape the orbit of Nova Roma when the planet finally fell, so he had been required to stay on the planet in a desperate effort to save them. He had succeeded in that at least - for the most part, anyway. He had managed to buy enough time for almost everybody to escape the planet’s orbit. He had been in his original flagship, which had been his flagship for years by that point, the Avitus.

That ship had been destroyed by the New Greeks. Jack remembered why they had ostensibly declared war on Nova Roma, but he suspected that they had many other reasons to dislike Nova Romans.

The New Greeks had declared war on Nova Roma because of a trade dispute. That was why Nova Roma had burned… according to the Feudal Empire of New Greece. Jack had never believed that they were telling the truth. This proved it. A state didn’t simply destroy the capital of another state over a trade dispute.

Jack managed to stop remembering the circumstances of the Destruction of Nova Roma just as the Destruction itself had begun. He sighed. That entire war had been a disaster, but it was over now, and he needed to avenge a planet.

Oh, the Nova Roman Empire was doomed anyway, but massacring the entire planet of Nova Roma was barbaric. Jack didn’t like the nobility of Nova Roma any more than he liked New Greece, but Nova Roma was dead, and New Greece was not.

Jack smiled grimly. He needed to talk with an old friend.

 

[Cromwell]

Jack seems very given to brooding on the troubles of the past rather than focusing on the future. Rather worysome in a leader.

For some reason I recon he'd be played by Marlon Brando in a film.

 

[Nikolai]

Jack seems very given to brooding on the troubles of the past rather than focusing on the future. Rather worysome in a leader.

For some reason I recon he'd be played by Marlon Brando in a film.

Then again the murder of an entire planet is not easy to forget.

 

[HistoryDude]

Jack seems very given to brooding on the troubles of the past rather than focusing on the future. Rather worysome in a leader.

For some reason I recon he'd be played by Marlon Brando in a film.

Then again the murder of an entire planet is not easy to forget.

No, it isn’t. Still, it is worrying, especially since he’s trying to lead a bunch of refugees. If he’s stuck living in the past...

 

[HistoryDude]

I'm going to be putting this AAR on temporary hiatus until next week. Sorry!

 

[Cromwell]

That's fine, we'll still be here.

 

[HistoryDude]

That's fine, we'll still be here.

Thanks! Now, I'll try to get another update out soon, but here's something to tide you guys over.

This story's title is meant to be meaningful. It comes from the theme song of both seasons of Medici: The Magnificent. The first two lines are:
Though the dust of you is gone,
And the world of what is done.

 

[HistoryDude]

That wasn’t to say that he trusted the Ancient that he was taking council from, or even that he knew it existed. Still, it had good advice, and he was going to need that right now.

He was waiting for the settlers to finish building a city. Of course, this city would serve multiple purposes. It would serve as his supply depot, which he desperately needed. However, it would also serve as a governing center for the people who chose to stay on New Carthage. After all, many of his fellow refugees liked this planet and didn’t feel the need to follow him to the ends of the galaxy. He couldn’t blame them, honestly.

He walked towards where the Aurora was docked. That was on the edges of the small city that was slowly being built.

He entered his flagship, and he was unsurprised to find that it was deserted. Well, deserted of humans, at least. He figured that the Ancient he was taking council from would be here, though. He had never known it to leave the ship during his previous military campaigns.

As he thought that, it took all of his effort to remain in the moment. His mind seemed to want him to remember the Nova Roman War.

He sighed. He had work to do, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted by flashbacks right now. In fact, he would prefer if he didn’t have flashbacks ever, but the gods - and, perhaps, the Ancients - weren’t that kind. Or they wanted him to remember the war for reasons of their own - the gods were fickle.

He headed towards his private room on the Aurora. That was where he always felt most at home. It was also where the Ancient who was counseling him lived, as far as he was aware. At the very least, he had never spoken with it outside of there.

His personal room was almost completely unoccupied, as he had left it and as he liked it. He smiled at seeing this.

“Anathema,” he murmured. “What should I do?”

There was a flash of light, and he saw nothing. He didn’t respond to that at all - this was how Anathema communicated - he had never heard it speak. He waits, for that is all that he can do, isn’t it? He knows what he must do, but he doesn’t know exactly how.

Anathema tells him that. It doesn’t speak, but Jack knows what it means all the same. He sees and hears nothing, but he smells oblivion. It is warning him off of his path. He waits, but the rejection of that fate is clear. Jack knows that it may be inevitable, but, if it is, he will not accept it.

For a brief while, the vision continues to assault his view. The nothing grows suffocating, but he still refuses to accept it. Then, finally, mercifully, it recedes. Idly, Jack wonders if that is inevitable, but he quickly decides that he doesn’t care. He’ll fight against it even if it is inevitable. He had no intention of going quietly into the night.

Suddenly, he collapsed once more. His room disappeared, and he saw a place that he wasn’t familiar with.

He noticed that he was under the open sky. He looked at the stars, and he saw that they weren’t in a configuration that he was familiar with at all. He frowned. What was Anathema trying to tell him here?

Nothing happened. That meant that all of the answers were already in his current vision. Well, he might as well look around this mysterious place, then.

He recognized none of the stars in the sky. He looked backward, but he saw nothing. He looked forward and sideways, but he still saw nothing but open fields. Emptiness was all he saw.

As he looked closer, however, he did notice something. There were many ships in the distance, and it even looked like a small settlement existed.

Then, as sudden as it began, the vision ended, and he was in his room on the Aurora once more.

Jack understood exactly what he was being offered, though. He would have to pick between destruction or exile… and he would need time to think over his choice.

 

[Cromwell]

A very mysterious update to be sure. I hope we find out more about the nature of Anathema in the future.

 

[HistoryDude]

A very mysterious update to be sure. I hope we find out more about the nature of Anathema in the future.

Oh, we will... We most definitely will. That isn't that anyone wants to know that information...

 

[HistoryDude]

Jack quickly pushed his choice to the back of his mind. He figured that he would probably have more time, although nobody had explicitly stated that. Then again, the only being who could’ve given him that information was Anathema, and it wasn’t very clear.

In the meantime, he needed to figure out what the deal with New Sidon was. The people of New Carthage weren’t fools. It was possible that they were merely being extremely generous, but Jack doubted that… and, if they weren’t, then what was wrong with New Sidon?

The continent seemed like a perfect place to settle. It wasn’t paradise, of course, but it wasn’t worse than the rest of New Carthage.

As he wondered this, Marcus entered the room and told him that the exploration team he had sent out to figure this out was back in the new capital. Well, it seemed as if his questions were going to be answered. He hoped that the news wasn’t that bad.

“I can find out the answer to the question we have asked, and then tell you,” Marcus offered. “It is possible that they didn’t find out anything. Of course, it’s also possible that they did find out part of the reason, but not the entire reason.”

“I’m aware,” Jack said. “Do that, please. After all, New Sidon will be yours to rule. It is merely a refueling point for me. You should care about this information far more than I do.”

“Oh, I definitely want to know why the New Carthaginians were being so generous,” Marcus said. “I was asking if you were fine with hearing this information second hand, which you are.”

Jack merely nodded. Marcus left, and Jack mulled over what to do next. He could commune with Anathema on that, but it hadn’t been all that helpful earlier. On the other hand, he could prepare for his exodus…

Yes, that was what he would do. He needed to figure out exactly where he was going to lead his fleet - or what remained of it - to. The Aurora would lead the people of Nova Roma to a new dawn. The original empire had fallen due to decadence. That couldn’t be allowed to happen again.

This line of thought was abruptly cut off when Marcus entered the room again. He said that he now knew why they had been granted New Sidon, but he had a completely straight face, so Jack wasn’t worried. However, he was curious, so he asked what the reason was.

Marcus was silent for a while. “In the far south,” he began. “There is a wasteland - some would call it a desert. In any case, it is completely uninhabitable. I’m not exactly sure if it can be inhabited.”

“And how does this explain why the New Carthaginian government gave us the entire continent?” Jack asked. “It would be understandable if they just gave this uninhabitable land, and probably also some land around it, but why the entire continent?”

“I believe that the people of New Carthage are very superstitious,” Marcus said. “They probably believe that this desert could spread. There are probably legends as to why exactly that is. I’m not worried about that. It’s probably nothing.”

“Very well, then,” Jack said. “The small capital city is rapidly growing, and I almost have all the materials that I need to refuel. I’ll leave a few ships with you on the planet, but, after that, I’m leaving. This settlement will be your responsibility.”

“I know,” Marcus said. “And I will conquer the planet from here - one way or another.”

 

[TrinalGalaxy]

A desert that is uninhabitable... I wonder what lurks within the wasteland. What terrible thing drives people away, and may even grow or shrink it...

 

[HistoryDude]

A desert that is uninhabitable... I wonder what lurks within the wasteland. What terrible thing drives people away, and may even grow or shrink it...

Indeed. What could dwell there?

 

[Cromwell]

Very interesting, the threat must be well hidden to be invisible from orbit. Underground maybe? Or disguised in some other way.