***Destroying Osca***

Legions XXXIV and XIII sat just outside the ruins of what used to be Numantia. Praetor A. Maximus Terpus knew that he had destroyed the main rebel strong hold, but that their army was still on the loose. His tactics of sailing around behind them had obviously worked, but he still had to finish the job. Once his army had rested they began a march Eastward towards Osca the other center of Rebel support. Along the way the Legions destroyed a few small
villages and pillaged for more supplies as they went. When they finally reached the Osca the Legions camped a few miles away, and Maximus convened his Generals and Officers to plan the assault on the city.

MAXIMUS: Gentleman, we have yet another strong supporter of the Rebellion that must be destroyed. Again no one is to be left alive and the entire city is to be burned to the ground. Anything we cannot carry or otherwise take with us is also to be destroyed.
This is how I want the assault to take place. We will send One cohort of Legionnaires along with our archers around to the East bank of the river. They will be led by Officer Marcus
Jasinus Verus. They are to insure no one can flee across the river. Legion XXXIV will come in from the West and Legion XIII from the South. The Cavalry elements will be stationed to the North, again picking off anyone that might attempt to flee the city. Word of Numantia has spread so we can expect some resistance and I also think they may have a small militia,
but it should be easily cast aside since their best fighters will be with the Rebel Army in the Mountains. This attack is to commence in the morning at dawn. Are there any questions?
MAXIMUS: Then you are all dismissed. Officer Verus please wait around for a second.
VERUS: Yes Praetor?
MAXIMUS: You have been very impressive so far on this campaign. Your leadership and abilities have really shined through in front of the men. That's why I'm giving you this assignment, so perform well.
VERUS: Yes Praetor, I understand.
MAXIMUS: Make sure that no one gets across that river. And fire those arrows into the center of the city right up until the legions are in the range.
VERUS: Understood, I will turn the river red with their blood.
MAXIMUS: Good, you are dismissed.

With that Officer Verus left the tent and the Praetor A. Maximus Terpus alone to his
thoughts. He had recently received word that his good friend Rufus Actius Dio had been promoted to General, which pleased Maximus very much. He knew Actius was a deserving man, he had worked hard for Rome. Maximus then read a report on the Legion VII's cavalry experiment with his nephew Publius Nero Terpus. He was very happy to hear that Nero was doing well and looked forward to having his own legion's cavalry trained in the new
tactics. Hopefully once they returned from Hispania that would be in the works. Finally he sat back and thought over his career. He had accomplished much, he was the first Terpus ever promoted to General, and then on to Praetor.
He had during his time accumulated great wealth for his family and brought much honor to himself and to Rome. He knew he owed all of this to one man, the Emperor Tiberius Vitellius. The Emperor had given Maximus every opportunity to succeed and for that Maximus owed him everything. And finally he went to bed.

Maximus was awoken by the bustling of soldiers preparing for the battle that was about to begin. When he awoke he immediately began to put on his armor and prepare for the battle.

MAXIMUS: Lucius, go get me Officer Verus I want to review with him.
LUCIUS: Understood Praetor.
A short time later the Officer Marcus Jasinus Verus walked into the Praetor's tent.
VERUS: Yes Praetor.
MAXIMUS: Jasinus, you are to leave as soon as you are ready and take your men around to the East side of the River on the he other side of the town. Once you are in position immediately begin raining arrows into Osca. That will also be the signal for the legions to begin their march upon the city. Is that understood?
VERUS: Perfectly Praetor. I assure you everything will run perfectly.
MAXIMUS: Excellent, and remember no one crosses that river.
VERUS: Yes Praetor.
With that the Officer left to prepare his men and begin to move them into position. Maximus finished preparing himself and then walked out of his tent and into the bustling commotion of the camp breaking down and preparing for battle. Maximus was very confident this battle would be short and sweet, since they were not believed to have a large militia maybe a few
hundred men. It would be a massacre and then the last major rebel city would be destroyed. Maximus began deploying his troops, and the Cavalry rode off into position. All of a sudden the arrows began to rain down upon Osca and the Legions began their march towards the city.
The Legions made their way towards the city and almost immediately dispatched the small
militia that had formed just outside. Suddenly the Legionnaires were ripping into the middle of Osca and killing everything in their way. Men and women, young and old were screaming and dying as the legionnaires tore through the city with a vengeance. Some tried to make a run for the river and get across, but they were either shot down by arrows or stabbed upon
reaching the other side. The Officer Jasinus Verus had prepared very well for their attempt to escape. Once the population had been dealt with the Legions began pillaging the city for supplies.
After the Legions had taken out all they could carry, they prepared to set up camp on the East side of the river and set the city of Osca on fire. It burned all through the night as the Legion rested. It burned on for two days while the legions rested in preparation for their march towards the Pyrenees. Maximus had decided it was time to flush this rebel army out once and for all. He also thought that since they knew Hispania was destroyed for them that they might make a run northward into Gaul.
He immediately dispatched marching orders to General Agrippa Vitellius to march Northward into Western Aquitainia Gaul and position himself for the fleeing rebels.

***Positioning of Legion VI***

Agrippa Vitellius had requested Legion VI be moved to Western Aquitania Gaul because strategically, that is where the rebels would flee from Numantia. They wouldn’t run across Hispania and then over the mountains. After waiting, permission was finally granted and he moved his Legion into Aquitania Gaul to fortify for the potential fleeing of the rebels. Chief of Staff Tiberius Julianus had to do the majority of the fortifying.
His reasoning and plans were:
Inside a craggy mountain pass bordering Hispania, Chief of Staff Agrippa Tiberius Julianus of the VI legion sits inside his command tent, pondering the unexpected. His orders were simple; defend the mountain pass from the rebels in Hispania at all costs with a force of 3,000 men. This worried Tiberius for he knew that a possible contingent of Rebels could attack his position at anytime and catch his men off guard. Feeling restless Tiberius orders several contingents of cavalry given to him by General Vitellius, to scout the nearby countryside for possible enemy sightings. Their orders were to disperse through the country no more than 3 miles in distance from the camp.

He gave stern orders to the cavalry officers not to engage the enemy but to observe and gather intelligence of rebel movements. After which they are to report back to camp for debriefing. Thundering off into the distance the cavalry charges out of camp. Leaving behind a maze of fortifications and ditches. Ever the textbook soldier, Tiberius had the camp surrounded by a standard fortification ditch shadowed by an array of stakes driven into
a pile of breastworks made of earth and nearby timber. Which is dotted with guard towers high as a three-floor insuale. As a result a catapult crowns each tower.

After the initial construction Tiberius was very confident with his idea. But soon he realized that such a textbook endeavor would be known to the enemy, thus they would have a counter strategy. As a preventive measure, Tiberius ordered a massive ditch to be constructed at the mouth of the pass and a breastwork similar to the camp lodged behind it. This massive ditch spanned a quarter of a mile east to west. With a width of 8ft and a
dept of 7ft. Thereby any advancing army should be temporally slowed. As a counter measure, Tiberius gave strict orders for two cohorts to stay within the camp and the rest of the troops to the ditch. If the line of battle fails at the ditch, the men are to draw back to a clearing between the camp and the ditch for an engagement on open ground.
Thereby the enemy will be forced to fight a pitched battle on open ground. When applicable the legionaries are to throw the pilum at 15yards and engage the enemy with the gladius. Tiberius knew that such an open battle on untrained rebels would be traumatic to any enemy aggression. If the last line fails, the troops would retreat inside of the camp until reinforcements arrive.

The plan was as good a one, as Tiberius could think of. Agrippa added his own. He constructed double-walls ahead of the fortifications filled with water. Then came a series of "man-traps", buried, then he built carefully concealed holes in the ground, several feet deep and containing pointed stakes in the center that would easily impale. They were called "cippus". Fortifications complete, Agrippa waited.He began to think that maybe his father had been wrong. He thought he knew what to do but that maybe the Praetor, Secondo and even the Emperor did not understand. Waiting is all he had been doing since officially joining the legions at age 17, even though he had fought as a young lad with his father.

Meanwhile, he had heard that the emperor Tiberius had ordered his wife, Cassandra to go back to the east on a dangerous mission. He pleaded with the emperor to allow him to go east to protect her, but he responded that his duty was to Rome and not his wife. Agrippa was torn and angry, but just then, a scout had returned.
He had sent scouts to locate the rebels. He thought that maybe Terpus had beaten them, he received news. “Sir”, said the scout.
“Report” Agrippa said.
“The Arevaci tribe is only a day's march away!”
“Perfect.” Finally a chance to show his abilities and Rome’s power.It was now time to set his trap.Agrippa had been ordered to defend against the Arevaci and then force them to retreat. He was hoping to do much more damage.He scattered his men amongst the mountain range in such a way that they would “force” the Arevaci directly to the defenses they had set up.
These men would close in from both sides and eventually trap them from behind so that the only way for them to go was into the strength of his legion or retreat through more of his legion. He would defeat them before Terpus could come.
Agrippa knew he could eventually win, but at what cost to his valiant legion? A scout had informed him that Terpus' legions were on the march. Agrippa swallowed his pride and realized that even though he could win, he would lose much. Instead of losing men needlessly, Agrippa ordered his men in the mountains, through pre-arranged signals, to retreat back into the mountains when he knew Terpus was close. The Arevaci knew
they could not get through the thick defenses of the Romans. They had lost too many at first. They saw the retreat in the mountains and took advantage, deciding they would find another way around.

***Making a Stand***

The General Agrippa Vitellius regrouped his legion and began to fall back, hoping that the Praetor Terpus would be able to catch the Rebel Army while it was on the move. However the Rebels were moving faster than the General had originally figured and he began to realize that he would be forced to make a stand in order to slow them down enough for the Praetor and the two legions under his command to catch them. He chose a plain just south of Elus to make his stand and hopefully slow the rebels down just enough. He deployed his troops in a defensive position, and just as they had finished preparing the fight was upon them. The Rebel army charged into the Roman defenses and a bloody battle ensued. At the start, the General Vitellius sent word to the Praetor Terpus as to his plan, so that hopefully the Praetor would be able to find them.
Praetor Maximus Terpus rode along as his legions continued their march. Suddenly a runner came bearing the message from General Vitellius.
RIDER: Praetor Terpus.
MAXIMUS: Yes, speak.
RIDER: I come from General Vitellius, bearing a message. He stands at Elus. The battle has already commenced.
MAXIMUS: Will he be able to hold?
RIDER: Yes for at least a while.
MAXIMUS: Dismissed. Lucius get up here.
(Lucius runs up to the side of Maximus' horse.)
LUCIUS: Yes Praetor?
MAXIMUS: Legion VI is in the fight up ahead. Lets get to a Double Time pace. We are still quite a ways back of the Rebels.
LUCIUS: Immediately Praetor.
(With that Lucius ran off to give the orders to move to a double time march. The Army quickly sprung to action around the Praetor's order.)

The Rebels continued to charge into the lines of Legion VI and continually the Romans repelled them. The battle had ensued for most of the day now and both sides were taking on heavy casualties. The General Vitellius continued to show his skill as a tactician moving his men at precise times to avoid the rebel army's flanking movements and frontal attacks. The
battle was very fierce as the Arevaci people were ferocious fighters. They continued to give the Romans all they could handle. The General Vitellius watched as his casualties mounted, he was beginning to wonder how much longer he would need to hold against such numbers, when he began to see the forward scouts of Praetor Terpus' Army. Finally the General thought to himself.

***The Battle of Elus***

Praetor Terpus looked at the battle as his men began arriving. He immediately sent forth his cavalry elements straight into the fray. The Rebels were caught somewhat off guard by the arrival of two more legions and the cavalry rode right into the rear of their formation. King Caros however was also a skilled commander and immediately began shifting his forces into
a defensive position. Basically forming a square with his army so that they could defend against both attacks. Maximus then began to position his troops strategically.
He spread out his two legions and soon they had surrounded the rebel army completely and the Roman archers began to rain arrows down upon them. Immediately the Praetor also began to coordinate with General Vitellius in order to insure their attack would go off
simultaneously.
MAXIMUS: General Vitellius, glad to see you again.
AGRIPPA: Hail Praetor. I'm glad to see you as well.
MAXIMUS: Alright here is the plan. On my signal we will attack the rebels from all sides with the Legionnaires. The cavalry will hold back until we get a break at a point in the rebel lines. Once we have that break the cavalry will ride straight for it and get inside their perimeter and we will destroy them. Understood?
AGRIPPA: Yes Praetor.
MAXIMUS: Excellent, then prepare your men.
With that the General immediately went back to his troops and explained the plan to his officers. Maximus set about making sure his men had what they needed for this battle, since for the time being it seemed some of the fighting had died down while both sides were regrouping. Then Maximus again ordered his archers to unleash a storm of arrows upon the rebel army. Once the storm of arrows subsided, Maximus gave the signal for the men to
begin the attack.
The men of all three legions immediately began their march towards the rebel army. The cavalry followed in close behind preparing to storm through any break in the line once it was achieved. Again the fighting was fierce but the new strength and size of the Romans quickly turned the battle in their favor. Once Legion XXXIV broke the line, the cavalry struck a decisive blow by streaming into the rebel position and being able to attack their lines from behind.

Across the bloody battlefield, Agrippa finally found his quarry. A man he had heard much about and not believed. King Caros was fighting maniacally, slaughtering his men almost as easily as Agrippa had been slicing through the Arevaci. He licked his chops at the opportunity to fight such a warrior. His blood boiling, he charged toward Caros. He was aware of the orders to take the King alive, so he knew he had to be more careful than Caros did. An advantage for Caros. It did not matter. He took the first swing at Caros with his sword, which was easily parried by the King as almost an afterthought. Caros swung almost casually with such speed that it caught Agrippa by surprise. Such speed from such a large man! He was caught on the shoulder, which spurted blood. Caros turned to him, surprised to see he had not lopped off his head. Agrippa had his own speed, but was now bleeding.Suddenly, it was like the gods pre-ordained this battle as the less-skilled
warriors fought amongst themselves, leaving the masters to decide their own fates. Agrippa threw the king off by swinging again with his sword but quickly following up with a kick to the knee of the King. Caros fell on the
knee but quickly parried another of Agrippa's thrusts. With the parry, he rose and threw an uppercut into the General’s jaw, rocking him back, blood streaming from his mouth. Slightly dazed, he was unable to completely reject the next thrust from Caros, that caught him in the thigh. With a scream, Agrippa went down to the ground.Time then slowed down for the courageous General. He was looking up at Caros, who was readying for a death blow on Agrippa’s head. Agrippa smiled as he licked the blood around his mouth. He was finally happy.
Vaguely remembering that he could not kill Caros, he leaned over as if in pain, and pulled out a dagger from his breast plate. He then lunged at Caros with sword in his right hand. Caros parried to the right, then Agrippa followed with the dagger in his left hand, raking the eyes of the King, gashing the bridge of the nose. Blood poured from the King’s eyes and nose as he swung wildly, trying to located Agrippa. After one swing, Agrippa sliced off the right arm of King Caro. Caros began screaming but still remained standing. Fearing that another similar wound would kill him, Agrippa simply took the butt of his sword and cracked it against the skull of the King. Caros had fallen.
He ordered a couple of centurions to take him away and bind him as a gift for Praetor Terpus. Meanwhile, he continued to fight, even though blood flowed from his shoulder and leg.
With the fall of their king and the cavalry running rampant in the Rebel lines, the battle quickly turned into a massacre. When the dust settled almost the entire Rebel Army was destroyed and the rest had been taken captive, including their King Caros.

***Transporting a King***

The Praetor Terpus sat in his command tent going over casualty reports from the battle when Lucius stepped in.
LUCIUS: Praetor, the General Vitellius is here to see you.
MAXIMUS: Send him in.
AGRIPPA: Hail Praetor.
MAXIMUS: Hail General. Report on your legion?
AGRIPPA: The numbers do not appear high, but to me, there are too many. I should have anticipated their speed. I shall do better the next time, sir. The dead number around 900 and the wounded upwards of 1500.
MAXIMUS: That is expected but you made a wonderful stand. You performed well today.
AGRIPPA: Praetor, I would like you to meet my Chief of Staff Officer Tiberius Julianus.
TIBERIUS: Hail Praetor.
MAXIMUS: Officer Julianus, I have heard much about you. I'm glad to finally meet you. You seem to be a budding star within the military.
TIBERIUS: Thank you Praetor.
MAXIMUS: The General Vitellius has spoken very highly of you. I must get back to my report for the Emperor now.
With that the General and Officer left the Praetor alone to his thoughts. Not long after though Lucius was again stepping into the tent
LUCIUS: Praetor, Officers Daia and Verus are here.
MAXIMUS: Send them in.
AUGUSTUS: Hail Praetor.
VERUS: Hail Praetor.
MAXIMUS: Hail, what is it men?
AUGUSTUS: Praetor we need to know what to do with the captives we have taken.
MAXIMUS: Kill them all, except for their King. He is to be a gift for the Emperor. And men you both performed very well today. Officer Daia leading that cavalry into their position was wonderful and they performed excellent.
AUGUSTUS: Thank you Praetor.
VERUS: Praetor should we continue all patrols?
MAXIMUS: No, keep patrols to a minimal tonight. The men have won a great victory and the main threat in the area has been eliminated. The men have earned some deserved rest.
VERUS: Understood Praetor.

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By: Praetor A. Maximus Terpus, General Augustus Agrippa Vitellius and Officer A. Tiberius Julianus
28 AD