It was late in the night when Marcus Aurelius let the calamum. He had spent the day reading and answering diplomatic letters. This was the last, but possibly the most important of all in that moment. Senator started reviewing the letter clamly...

QUOTE:

To Shazir Heart of the Flame,
King of Corsairs of Cilicia,
Teacher of the Truths of Zoroaster:

Well, we have finally come to an end in this question. I think both you and me knew this was going to be the final stage of this tragedy, but we have played our characters with great skill 'til the end, and now the epilogue is waiting for us. You are now going to teach us a lesson about "how to not spare the rod", and you're surely a great teacher; but, even being only a rude roman warriors, perhaps we also could teach you a lesson.

You, and also your allies (who until now haven't been able to speak for themselves), claim the right to defend and bring Justice to the Mediterranean waters, and under the protection of that claim you are going to bring us the gift of war.

Roman People never has had any territorial interests far away from our shores, as I stated in past letters. We have never attacked any other nation since our ancestor Julian founded our Republic long time ago. We didn't even seek for foreign help when Ildico seized the power, starting a civil struggle inside our borders; foreign powers offered their help then on their own, knowing our Republic was an honourable and honest nation, enslaved by a tyrant.

Now you come with your allies Blood Debt, bringing back broken blades, armors and eagles which have never been ours. To be "Roman" means much more than fight under the Eagle Standards, is a commitment, a way of understanding the world, an obligation with your fellow citizens... Those men you found in Corsica wearing that weapons were not romans since long time ago. They forgot their "Romanitas", betraying their comrades and the Republic. Possibly we were wrong allowing them to live, but it was necessary to end up with the blood shed in our lands, saving our people's lives.

You say we should have killed them because there were no land waiting for them, but we all, even proud Cilician warriors, have come from another place, and many of us have been able to find a new land to live and a new nation to fight for. Why should we have denied those men this possibility, especially when then his crime was only leaving Rome because they not want to be part of it? If that men became pirates and criminals later, it was their fault, not ours. Nevertheles, even so, we've been offering our help in past letters, offering compensations and grants for your allies, and protection for their ships; but you've never been interested about.

Perhaps I have become somewhat suspicious this days, but I think this conflict was planned long time ago, possibly in royal halls of Athens or in the active harbours of Cilicia. I think this has always been your objective: fight us in the field, crush our legions, sack our provinces and savor the rage of the battle. But it's OK, War is also a part of life, Mars is one of the most important Gods in our Pantheon, and also conflict is part of Zoroaster teachings. As you told me:

"The truth is not always what a person wants to hear, but truth is always needed to make them a better people ".

I also sense honor in you, so I will wait for our first encounter and, even if we fail, I'll be glad to pay off my debt with Mars for prolonging our negotiations for so long. We thank you and your allies for your last letter and these days of truce. You are an honorable enemy.

I still wish you Good Winds and Calm Seas....

May the Daevas smile on you!!

Marcus sealed the scroll and gave it to his optio:

- Must be in Shazir's hands tomorrow before sunset.

With a grim smile Shazir looks to the fleet bearing directly to his.

Blood and Honor Marcus. A happily spoken oath comes from the Cillician Kings smiling mouth.

....Time to set sails and rigging. Lay your heart into those oars! Place your blades in reach! We have a promise to keep!

Alconan Dreadeye!! You have our strongest bow!....Fire me this message to the closest Roman ship....

QUOTE:
Marcus Aurelius,
Senator and Censor of the Roman Republic,

It is with joy I greet the dawn that holds the sun in your eyes. It lights our targets well from behind us!
I have given my word and plan to keep it. Keep your sails full so we can find you faster if you sink, my honored enemy.

I wonder who will swim today? Funny how many flags the Romans now call their own. Or did you not invite them all?

As to the length of this being foreseen....I am no soothsayer, but mayhap you are right. The powers that guide us all may have just been waiting for us to listen to them after all.

May your Gods give you strength this day. But see me and mine victorious!

-Shazir Heart of the Flame,
King of Corsairs of Cilicia,
Teacher of the Truths of Zoroaster

After the grand victory in the naval battle against the cilician fleet moved the etruscan forces to Apulia.

It was a bloody wake for the cilician landforces, looting roman province Apulia. Phalanx after Phalanx left the ships of the etruscan fleet and set foot at the shores of Apulia. The cavalry swarms out, scouting for the cilician pirates and the hordes of uprising peasants and slaves. With the rising sun the etruscan phalanxes moved over the heights, where the cilicians camped. The cilician forces outnumbers the etruscans by three to two, but after a fierce brawl the cilician mob was driven into the sea by the etruscans, when etruscan cavalry smashed into their rear.

Lars Porsenna, king of the federation of the twelve city-states of Etruria saw the devastation the cilicians did to the land and its citizens. He found several thousands of enslaved roman citizens in the abandoned cilician camp. He freed them and gave them food and other supply for their way to the next roman city or their destructed villages and farms.

After some conversations with his Locum and his Protectors as well as the roman Senate, he came to the decision, to pursuit the fleeing cilicians in a combined action with roman forces. Originally the etruscans marched only to help to defend the shores of Italy common with Rome against Shazirs riff-raffs and a carthaginian contingent. Shazir shall get the consequences of his acts now. No unwashed cilician shall set his dirty feet onto italian floors, neither roman nor etruscan, in future.

So Lars Porsenna dictates a letter with the declaration of war to Cilicia. He sent the message with a fast liburnian bireme to the rear guard of the cilician fleet, where the captain assigned it.

QUOTE:
Dear Shazir Heart of the Flame
King of Cilician lands,

we etruscans moved originally to bring help to our roman neighbours and friends to defend Italy against your fleet and looting mob, which leader you are. After our successful battle against your landforces we found Apulia, a fertile province, devastated by your pirates. Dozens of villages burnt to ground and thousands of apulian people enslaved, ready to bring them to an oriental slave-market.

After seeing this, we etruscans declare war on you and your godless people. We will pursuit your retreating ships, regardless to which shores you will flee. We will fight your pirates, hit your lands, loot your palace and take your wifes with us after destroying each of your ports and shipyards.

And if you ever will come to the conclusion to move westwards again, remember this and forego italian lands.

Greetings

Lars Porsenna
King of Etruria

An odd ship with a white flag of messenger followed and finally caught up to the sleak and fine ships sailed by the remaining navy from the Bloody wake.

After they announced themself as Etruscan messengers they were granted permission to send the diplomat over.


The Cillician ships that survived had been from the force chosen to deliver the tattered roman style armor and weapons to their own shore. The message was delivered successfully to the Coastal Watch of the Romans.
A thing they would not forget soon!

The roman militia had done as they always did. They let the Cillicians land first expecting someone to bribe them to go away. When they were met by fierce corsairs instead of weak kneed merchants they could not even defeat the leader though they ounumbered the Cillicians grossly!

Shazir was appalled at the ignorance of the true world seen by the Etruscan fleet commander.
Their were more than a few things the Etruscan did not see true.

QUOTE:
Lars Porsenna
King of Etruria


I greet you with a fair wind a confident salute. A confidence in my people, and our strength.
Also a confidence that they have the right measure of you already.
I do not, however have confidence that you know what you saw correctly.

You claim:
"we etruscans moved originally to .......defend Italy against your fleet and looting mob."
I reply:
My fleet was neither looter or mob. If we had then we should have landed in your nation while we had finished in Korsika. Also, my own ship sails with precision while you bring strange foreigners by the coracle and boatload from far outside the nations of Etrusca and Rome.
You sir, are the mob.

You claim:
"After our successful battle ...........we found Apulia, a fertile province, devastated by your pirates. Dozens of villages burnt to ground..."
I reply:
How odd, there is never a province I ever knew that was so small that it could be conquered entirely from within 300 spear lengths from a single landing beach. Why do you suppose the rest of the province went into riot after my corsairs landed? Perhaps because the local Roman militia was the true culprit for being blind to criminals in their protective authority for so long? Greedy men turn blind eyes when shown enough silver. Especially those in position of unmonitored authority.
Even I point to the next words you wrote...

You claim:
..."thousands of apulian people ......ready to bring.......slave-market."
I reply:
I wish that ANY single province of my own nation could have so many people! That is a good Laugh!
Are there so poor scouts in your nation that they cannot estimate an enemy strength? I have not even seen enough ships in my lifetime that..... were I to own them all those ships I could not transport so many!
Why would I want to capture and take some soft Roman worker to my own nation?
Never even begin thinking about feeding so many!

My men had orders to land in any way necessary and to remind the Romans of their debts of honor.
You are blind......the slave markets were there when my men arrived!
Or do you know of some divine ability to construct them so well in less than a fortnight???
Go back homeward and look again with your Own eyes, not some informants.

You claim:
.." we etruscans declare war on you and your godless people. We will pursuit your retreating ships, regardless to which shores you will flee. We will fight your pirates, hit your lands, loot your palace and take your wifes with us after destroying each of your ports and shipyards."
I reply:
I see you are not an honorable man from this.
You have not brought a single Roman with you, so you lie.
You have brought a horde of people with no connection to the Great sea we sail home across.
You are NOT a true leader as the honorable Marcus Aurelius, Senator and Censor of the Roman Republic is.
You have not even a feathers weight of strength of your own , like even my corsair High Lord Tiglatpilesar .....except in the foul breath you have.
You are following the gluttonous desires of the barbarians who follow your wake.
In short.
Your fleets come Pushed By Greed... instead of lead by a King.


You claim:
And if you ever .......move westwards again, remember this and forego italian lands.
My reply:
When the Cillician corsairs decide to come west again......we will make a special stop to emasculate such a weak nations males. You who have no strength of your own. No honor.
You do not deserve the privilege of having offspring.

Of course, all this said......Korsika and the pirates were very close to your lands...and you also did nothing.
Maybe my fleet did land on the wrong tribes coast.

Perhaps it was you who supported them all along!
Turn around and go home puppet before we withdraw our judgement and leave your own nation the blame!
I think I will have to ask the Roman Censor if he has indeed been betrayed by someone he calls ally.

.......Perhaps he and I as men of honor can find the deeper meaning of this situation together.


-Shazir Heart of the Flame,
King of Corsairs of Cilicia,
Teacher of the Truths of Zoroaster

The messenger and the letter were returned safely to the Etruscan vessel along with a good portion of corsair urine, because the cesspots were dumped on top of them as they were lowered over the side of the ship.

Shazir did not like this loud man with no eyes of his own.
Especially he did not like the cowardice of him hiding among the Northern warriors who had no true reason to be anywhere involved in this........unless more needed discovering to the West......

Enough for now though. It was time to sail home , the help to the Hellene allies complete.
Fond memories of the Carthaginian friends also shine in the eyes of Shazir's memories.

Julius Strabo was still recovering from his captivity in mercenaries hands inside Hyria. Only a couple of days before, roman legions had taken the city and liberated the prisoners in its dungeons. Appointed again as commander of roman garrison in Tarentum, Julius tried to be up-to-date with every question in his obligations when an optio came in citadel praetorium announcing a new sail in the horizon. Julius watched carefully bandages in his arm, remembering last "new sail" and its consequences...

- Raise the alarm! Garrison to their positions!



Fortunately, that new visitor in Tarentum harbour wasn't a dangerous traveler. It was a Teutonic vessel of the combined fleet, chosen as messenger ship by Wolfgar due to its lightness and manoeuvrability. Once moored, captain of the ship disembarked, giving Julius a small chest...

--------------------------------------------

Marcus Aurelius was sitting in his tent. Despite of mercenaries surrender days before, roman army was still concentrated before the walls of Hyria. There was much to do in the province before leaving.

He had spent all the afternoon reading and reviewing correspondence arrived from the fleet. Now, some copies of the letters between Lars Porsenna and Shazir were before him. Marcus had read them carefully, delving into every detail. Finally, he stood up and walk to his trunk in the end of the room and, after taking an old wooden box, he sat again behind his desk and started to write...

QUOTE:

To Shazir Heart of the Flame,
King of Corsairs of Cilicia,
Teacher of the Truths of Zoroaster,
Honored adversary of Rome:

As you said in your last message, Roman Gods were with us in our last battle, but also Ahura Mazda was with you and yours then. Cilician Corsairs proved their warrior courage and their reputation as proverbial seafarers in our last encounter.

My ancestors teached me enemies must be both hated and respected, and as far as I'm concerned you have proved to be a noble and honored enemy. I'm no soothsayer either and I cannot still see how is this war going to end, but I assure you I'm pleased of having faced an opponent like you. Perhaps in the future, Fortune will change her plans, and we will meet again in other circunstances.

May the Daevas always smile on you!!


Marcus Aurelius
Senator and Censor of the Roman Republic

PS.- You will fin a small chest with this letter. Object inside comes from a time out of mind. An honourable enemy gave that armlet to me long time ago, and tradition says it must be handed also to a noble adversary. I give it to you; take care of it...

Marcus opened the box and watched carefully the armlet, recalling past times...

What will future bring for them all?