The Siege of Fort Calixtus

Cohors Speculatorum

Among the brushes, the trees, and the full moons above, the woodlands around the northern camp of the attacking rebels seemed silent and peaceful, with the exception of the camp itself. The pyre set in the middle had been erected under orders of General Ellis, the man in command of the siege of Fort Calixtus. There was a festival and revelry going about, knowing that no Republican troops could attack them as they had been confined to their walls for the last forty-one days, unable to do anything other than observe and wait as the rebels pounded them with their own cannon and shot them with their own rifles. Word had come in that a flotilla of rebel ships had managed to not only defeat, but also capture the Apollo, a Republican destroyer in orbit. Along with the light cruiser Mithras, Apollo had been providing provisional support for the defenders of Calixtus. This not only meant that the siege was closer to an end, but also meant that Servius Terra was almost free, and the day where negotiations on Servius Terra's freedom was getting closer and closer. However, their naivety will ultimately become their undoing. Aleutia never forgets or forgives their enemies.

As the rebels reveled with their loved ones in dance and music, they were not aware of the impending threat that was nearing them. Unbeknowst to the guards on duty, who were pretty much drunk anyway, there were movements in the trees and bushes and tall grasses that, surrounded the camp.

On one side of the camp a guard who was sober enough to still do his job noticed the slight shackling of leaves. He went closer to the bush to peek over it. When he got close however, he knew that he had made a grave mistake, as he was greeted by a ready legionarius speculatorus and a quick, deadly sweep of the gladius to his guts. His body was then dragged into the bushes by the legionary, in which was then hidden behind a tree, throat slit and bloody, mouth opened wide, and with the legionaries being the last thing seen by his open eyes.

Hidden in his cloak, the lightly armored legionarius continued his prowl in search of a good enough tree to establish a forward observation point. He finally found a sturdy one with a thick and climbable trunk. Wearing nightvision goggles and no helmet, the legionarius scanned the area around him for potential enemies, thrice just to make sure. When the coast was clear, he sprung out of the grass, now on his feet, and turned to his limbs to begin the work of climbing.

Climbing the tree was no problem for a legionarius of the cohors speculatorum. The cohors speculatorum was a cohort in a legion which, instead of consisting heavily-armored legionaries, was made up of lightly-armored, swift, and fast moving scouts, often acting as a reconnaissance force for a legion. The cohors speculatorum was much smaller compared to the standard cohort, only having 250 legionaries of 40 men each century at full strength, while cohorts often incorporated 600 legionaries and a couple dozen officers at the same conditions, with 80 legionarius and 20 support troops per century. The speculatorum, according to the De Rei Militari – Aleutian's chief gospel for military matters – could be used in a diverse range of roles; From reconaissance men, to behind-enemy lines excursists, to saboteurs. Speculatorii were trained in sharpshooting and ranging, and were ideal to take out high-ranking enemy officers from concealed position. It was an honor for anybody to be a part of the cohors speculatorum, as they were not only the most skilled bunch in a legion, but a better, more deadlier, legionarius than others.

Swift, Silent, Deadly Legionarus Alessio Kassandros uttered a small laugh inside, being translated as a simple smile from the outside, as he made his way up the tree. He was reminded of a joke a friend made back in Fort Calixtus.

Kassandros was very glad, however, when a couple days ago, Centurion Albinus came into his section of the wall and suddenly told his contubernium – his squad of ten men – to pack up and be relocated to the north wall. "You're going on a field trip," said the centurion to Decanus Balbus, his squad leader. Balbus was now hidden among the high grass and trees engulfing the hill, just like Kassandros. However unlike him, Balbus waited in the slopes to greet the incoming vanguard of Knights of the Ordo Equester, whom which will stage a surprise attack against the unaware rebels now partying in their camp.

When Kassandros reached the top of his tree where he could rest his back and set up a sniping position, his radio crackled coincidentally with Balbus' voice. "All Archers this is Archer Four-Two. Sitrep, over."

"Archer Four-Two, Kassandros in position."

The rest followed suit. Nine men replied to the decanus' question. All of them were in position, and most importantly, all of them were still alive. That meant the mission was not compromised. It was a matter of time, he thought, until the equites came to finish off the ungrateful rebel scum who were reveling in front of him. Kassandros took his sniper rifle from his back and rested its bipod upon a branch, with his left elbow resting on his knee. He adjusted the scope, and looked into it. A man was conducting fornication with a woman outside a tent, his hands squeezing her ample breasts as visibly, she moaned in pleasure as the man struck her with his shaft. Kassandros grinned at the sight. A couple more were dancing with tankards of cool beer and ale in their hands. The music was turned on quite loudly, most likely to trigger jealousy from the inhabitants of the besieged forts. The only jealousy that would exist is because we'd be alive by next sunrise, and them not. Kassandros thought to himself. As he scanned the camp from left to right, he found himself someone with military uniform. He was dressed in an abominous version of the centurion's breastplate, and even wore a centurion's helmet. The bars of his rank stood sharply on his shoulder pads. A traitor... or a bastard who stole a loyal centurion's cuirass thought Kassandros

...and most likely their commander.

He readied his weapon and put its butt on his shoulder. He steadied it with his left arm, as the bipod planted itself on the branch. He put the bastard right between his crosshair. Suddenly the radio sounded. The voice of Balbus spoke into his earpiece. "All Archers, be advised, the vanguard has exited the fort. ETA Five minutes. Callsign: Defender One. Just a heads up. Out."

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