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Ostia,
Junius, 124AD
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The sky was transfused with golden traces, and thin wisps of cloud rolled across the sinking sun as the procession arrived outside Ostia. The party was led by a small group of horsemen, who rode line abreast down the road. Behind them came a large covered wagon, and behind that, a large crowd of onlookers who stretched back for some distance followed on foot. The wagon was draped in purple and finely decorated, and at its centre, dressed in full Imperial glory, was the body of Helvius Tiberius Vitellius. His face was serene and he seemed at peace – almost as if he were asleep, rather than departed for his eternal rest.

Raeus Vitellius led the party along the way. Besides him on either side rode Helvius Augustus Vitellius and Tiberius Fortunus Vitellius. Besides them, the Ispii, Rimilius and Cassius rode straight backed – despite their age, Tiberius’ old allies had ridden the whole way on the last journey with their old Emperor. None of the men had spoken on the journey – they all rode in all their finery of state in silence, lost in their own thoughts and remembrances. To the right of Cassius Ispius rode another old military comrade, Maxentius Volusius and beside him Tiberius’ long time aide, Andronikus Diodurus.

The entourage behind them contained many leading politicians and state officials, and they were flanked by Praetorians ensuring the progress of the funeral party. Raeus had made sure his wife Cloelia had joined them on the progress, as well as his oldest two sons, Lucius and Commodus. He thought it was important that these two remembered this day forever – his other children were too young, but these two should see the passing of a great man.

Raeus’ thoughts were exclusively of memories of the past twenty years. His emotions had been spent in the weeks following the Tiberius’ death, instead of anger or sorrow; there was now almost emptiness, but it was warming. The old memories brought a trace of a smile to his face – joy at the times gone by. He thought of two young officers meeting in the Saharan desert – of times in Egypt, Greece and the East. He knew in his mind that these memories were of halcyon days that never truly existed – they were not as carefree as his memories allowed him to recall, but still, they were of good times.

The party reached the port of Ostia. There, as arranged, a small galley bobbed and dipped in the tides. A whole wharf had been cleared for the party, though there was still not room for the whole procession. The Praetorians cordoned off the wharf behind the wagon, though a few figures that had made the journey south were admitted beyond. The rest of the crowd now spread along the waterfront to catch a glimpse of what would follow.

The captain of the ship greeted the funeral processions leaders, and then the Praetorians carefully withdrew the late Emperor’s body from the cart. Raeus smiled slightly to himself – it was very like Tiberius to break with tradition and not be burned at death. He had been so struck by the tomb of Alexander in Seleukia – awe inspired by its greatness and that his body lay at rest nearby. It had come as no surprise that he had detailed plans for his own burial on the families’ estate in Carthage in the event of his own death.

The eight Praetorians carefully laid the Emperor’s body down onboard and withdrew a step back. These men would be accompanying the Emperor on his final journey – they knew his estates in North Africa from having fought the rebel Justians there, and they would ensure he was laid to rest. The other members of the party now stepped forwards, to see the Emperor one last time. Each in turn had a moment with the Emperor’s body, and gave him a small gift for his eternal rest.

Raeus went last and slowly stepped forwards. He smiled sadly at his old friend and then spoke softly, a few words that not even the Praetorians could hear. He then produced a small golden amulet, cast with the Vitellii symbol of the eagle, and pressed it into the Emperor’s hand that he closed around it. “Tell them you are a Vitellii, and be proud,” he whispered, and then turned around, and didn’t look back.

He descended down to the wharf with the rest of the party behind him. There he found his wife and two sons – Cloelia was weeping gently, and both boys looked visibly upset. Lucius looked visibly upset, whilst Commodus’ eyes were puffy and red. His younger son ran over and hugged his father as he stepped off the ship. Raeus dropped to his knee and held the young boy for a moment – Commodus had always held a great affection for Tiberius that the Emperor had always returned whenever he and Raeus’ family were together. Raeus broke the embrace and said, “Come, let us see him off.”

Some of the procession had begun to disperse as the ship cast off. Raeus and his family went to stand beside the Ispii at the end of the wharf as the ship broke from the harbour, and cast into the waters of the Mare Nostra. They watched as gradually the ship bearing the body of the great Emperor Persicus shrank as it sailed into the setting sun, which formed a great yellow orb on the western horizon. All were lost in their own thoughts as the ship shrank to almost a dot. Then Commodus spoke.

“Perhaps he shall return some day?” he asked, extending a pleading glance to his father, as if he could change the will of the Gods.

Raeus looked at his wife and smiled a sad, kind smile, which she returned. He then returned his gaze to the horizon, where the ship was barely distinct. “No, he shall not return. He is with the Gods now.” There was what almost seemed a flash on the horizon, and then the ship was gone. Raeus gave one final salute to the empty sky, and then turned with the rest of the procession and walked away.

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The Next Day
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The following morning, Raeus and his family rode north. Most of the journey was spent trying to improve Commodus’ riding – the boy was still new to the saddle, and it discomforted him greatly, but he put a brave face on it, keen not to be shown up by his older brother Lucius. Raeus turned his horse momentarily from the road and watched the party following them pass by for a moment. It was then he saw Rimilius Ipsius, and he pushed his horse to walk beside that of the aged Senator, who both exchanged brief greetings.

Raeus turned the conversation to business. “Senator, I actually wanted your counsel regarding some reforms for the Urban Cohorts I have been thinking about."

"Certainly. What do you have in mind?”

"I want to ensure a situation similar to that of Maximus Tiberius Agrippa does not happen again - and so I was thinking of passing more controls - checks and balances essentially - to the Consilium Urbis. Perhaps the Consilium being able to demand reports on all aspects of the Urban Cohorts work, and a monthly consultation. In your opinion would that be acceptable before the Senate?" Raeus knew he was no politician, and as Tiberius had before him, turned increasingly to the Ispii for guidance in this sphere.

Rimilius nodded. "Yes, it would be acceptable. However, I must warn against overreacting to the Tiberius Agrippa situation.” He gestured, pointing in the air with one hand. “Let us think through what happened... quite frankly, there is nothing that the Consilium Urbis could have done to prevent Augustus Varro's actions. They could demand reports, but his corruption was most likely hidden even from the Tribunes. In the future, corrupt actions along the lines of Augustus Varro could take place even within the Praetorian cohorts, under your very nose. It only requires a small group of collaborating junior officers and men.” He turned to face the Prefect earnestly. "Do you see what I am saying, Praefectus? Now, specific oversight regarding investigations... of high-level corruption might be acceptable. I should add that I am certainly not opposed to your proposal. However, I do not think that it will serve as a real safeguard against many types of corrupt activities."

"It is intended as much as a deterrent. It would make the hiding of any illicit actions more difficult - particularly if they could request reports from front line staff. Given this degree of transparency, I was also debating making Urban Cohort reports available to the Praetorian Guard. This could perhaps be of assistance in high profile cases."

"Yes, but remember... and I say this without any intent of disrespect to your organization... corruption on the part of elements within the Praetorian Guard is not out of the question. You see, we would be mistaken to assume that future acts of corruption will occur in the same pattern, with the Urban Cohorts in charge of the investigation and the Temple institution as the target. This is why I was not particularly fond of Tiberius Agrippa's initial proposal to exempt his organization."

Raeus waved a vaguely dismissive hand. "There will be corruption in the Guard, there has been before and will be again. On the other hand, we are discussing preventing similar cases arising in the Urban Cohorts. I believe both measures, though not foolproof, could at least grant a greater measure of control from outside forces."

"However, I would be open to an arrangement which would require the Urban Prefect to report on investigations and, if the Consilium Urbis, the two Consuls, the Senate, or the Emperor believe that is necessary, any of these authorities could order some form of particular oversight. In other words, the investigation would become a joint investigation" The Senator warmed to the subject, and became more expansive. "Under this situation, there could be two approaches. First, the Consilium, the Senate, or the Consuls could appoint a commissioner for the investigation who would have complete authority to monitor all arrests, raids, etc. Second, if the Emperor calls for a joint investigation, the Praetorian Prefect could appoint a Praetorian officer to perform the same function. Would this approach satisfy your concerns? It could be combined with the ordinary reporting requirements."

Raeus mulled the issue for a moment. "That could be a suitable situation for extraordinary investigations - as you say, not infallible, but potent enough. I would still like the Consillium Urbis to have a monthly review of the Cohorts work - it should minimise abuses of the office at least. Very well Senator, you have allayed some of my concerns. I shall present a report to the Senate shortly advising them of my recommendations."

Rimilius cocked his head to one side. "What other concerns might you have?'

Raeus laughed slightly, surprising himself. "None, bar the future Senator. My thanks for your counsel."

"Very well. Good day to you, Praefectus." Raeus nodded a farewell, and kicked his horse into a trot to catch up with his family further up the column.

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Rome
October, 124AD
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The following months of work had passed slower than Raeus would have liked. Every line of investigation into Tiberius’ death now seemed to point to the assassin having acted alone, and the investigation of the Urban Cohorts was turning up no more corrupt individuals and officials. And so, feeling that his work was almost done, Raeus had called a meeting with the Tribunes of the Urban Cohorts and Ciriacus Caelius, his first Tribune, who had been managing them in the past months – ensuring the peace on the newly crowned Emperor Dios’ return.

Raeus sat at the head of the table with Ciriacus Caelius besides him. "Gentlemen, thank you for meeting me. I wished to discuss with you the future of the Urban Cohorts - but first, your thoughts on the work of the last few months."

Marcellus Horantus spoke first. "We are pleased that the corrupt elements installed by the former Praefectus Urbanus have been purged. Now we hope that we can move forward into a new period of service to the state."

Raeus noted the starched answer. "Very well. My intention is to attempt to introduce a clear reporting structure for the Urban Prefect in the future, both to the Consilium Urbis and other political institutions." He leant forward. "I wanted your opinions on any reporting within the Cohorts - I do not want a repeat of a situation where certain guardsmen are acting outside of the knowledge of their Tribunes again."

Valerianus Flaminius now spoke for the group. "Indeed. This was naturally a result of the remaining operational control that Augustus Varro exercised over the cohorts. He put together a specific unit for the investigation of this crime. Such an action on his part was not out of the ordinary. After all, we as Tribunes command the cohorts as paramilitary formations, but investigations relate directly to legal and judicial affairs, which fall directly under the authority of the Urban Prefect."

"Very well. Would it be practicable then to have special units for investigations to be drawn from one unit so a Tribune - or at least some form of officer - could exercise some control over the proceedings?"

Valerianus Flaminius nodded slowly. "Yes, that seems reasonable in my opinion.” The rest of the Tribunes all murmured their agreement. Flaminius spoke again, "We as Tribunes rarely involve ourselves in direct investigations."

"Very well. In that case, if their is a concern regarding the Urban Prefect's actions, you men must be assured that you can go before the Consilium Urbis in complete confidence, or, if that body is suspect, the Praetorian Prefect or even the Emperor. I intend for greater balances at a higher level to ensure transparency."

"Thank you."

"Excellent - do you gentlemen have any issues you wish me to tackle before I go before the Senate with my findings?"

Valerianus Flaminius leant forwards in his chair. "I should add that you should make a distinction between every-day crimes committed by commoners and more sensitive crimes such as political corruption. The Vigiles and the Praefectus Vigilum usually handle the former, although we may assist. I hope that the status quo in this category is not subject to overhaul, for it would cause some complications."

Raeus nodded. "Of course. Such proceedings are not called into question - it is only in high profile investigations that this would be called into question."

"Good. That is all." The Urban Cohort Tribune sat back in his chair.

"Thank you gentlemen." Raeus rose from his chair and nodded a dismiss to the men as he and Caelius left the chamber.

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Rome,
Feburarius, 125AD
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Peace was never to last – Raeus knew that now – Mars had granted him the vision of the coming of war and the death of Tiberius almost a year ago. Emperor Dio had sprung straight to work on the preparations for war with the Goths – Raeus had been impressed with his workload and the preparations he had made. The Emperor had departed north a month earlier, Raeus had promised to follow as soon as he had finished his work with the Urban Cohorts was done.

The reports had been made, and Raeus supposed it was largely up to the Senate what they did. He disliked politics and the smoke and mirrors – he had not the talent for it. He had done all he could, and hoped the Senate would not waste this opportunity placed before them.

Now he stood in the atrium of the newly constructed Palatium Raeus Vitellius, preparing to leave his family again. He spent so long away from home that the last years had been a gift – a time to enjoy with his family as they grew. Now, he was needed again, and he had to bid them farewell once more. It was only on the ride north with the three Praetorian Cohorts that he really remembered he was marching to war without his oldest companion.

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Written by: C. Raeus Vitellius

Input by: Jupiter Optimus Maximus (GM)

Edited by: Sol Invictus