The Triumph of Venus - Chapter 27

Wouri Estuary, West Africa

The small Britannic fleet glided through the tranquil waters of the estuary, its lush, green shores a stark contrast to the relentless expanse of Oceanus they had traversed. The dense tree line seemed to engulf the waterway, stretching as far as the eye could see. The air was moist in a way Valdar had never experienced, damp earthy and plant mixing with the briny aroma of the sea.

Beyond a few paces of sand was a wall of towering trees, their trunks draped in vines. The waters themselves seemed to practically teem with fish, and Valdar could see them from his place on deck. They’d kept a fair distance from shore most of the trip, in sight but far enough away to avoid unknown shoals and sand bars. Seeing this estuary and the small island off the coast, it seemed like a perfect place, just what he was looking for. It would be well protected from storms and the rough seas of Oceanus, and there were several rivers feeding into it, meaning they’d have nearby fresh water.

“Gather a group of our legionnaires and sailors,” Valdar said to his first mate. “I want them ashore to scout out a suitable spot for our port. Also, signal one of the galleys to go upriver a little way. Not far, but enough to give us an idea of what’s inland and see if there are any signs of people living here.”

“Yes, Admiral,” the man said, heading for the signalmen.

A few minutes later, one of the modified galleys began pushing its way up what looked to be the largest river, next to the area Valdar was thinking of for a resupply port. On the shore, waves of men disembarked from longboats, pushing through the soft sand directly against the water and disappearing into the thick foliage.

Twenty minutes later, the men he dispatched were back, sending up the signal flags that all was clear. Satisfied with the initial assessment, Valdar made his way to the longboat and was rowed ashore.

“Report,” Vladar said to one of the legionnaire officers as they met him by the longboat.

“We’ve identified a suitable spot just east of here. The terrain is flat, and there’s a natural cove that could provide shelter for the ships. The tree cover is pretty thick, so it’s going to take some work to clear the land, but at least we’ll have timber to start building with.”

“Good. Very good,” Valdar said. “Take the men and begin clearing the area. I’ll start bringing more men from the fleet ashore to help. Get your legionnaires set up to establish a perimeter.”

As the men set off to their assigned tasks, Valdar gathered the few captains that had also come ashore around him. “My plan is to leave one schooner and several of the galleys here. Your task is to build up this port and maintain a supply line back to Hispania. I know building a port from nothing, in these conditions, will be challenging. The fleet will hold here for a week to help you get the initial settlement cleared and started. My hope is, between the schooner and the cannon-armed galleys, you’ll have enough protection until you can get some walls up.”

“And after the wall is built, Admiral?” One of the galley captains asked.

They all knew this wasn’t the goal of their mission. Valdar needed a safe port to resupply from as he continued around the continent, a way for him to send information back and get what he needed without sending ships all the way back to Hispania. It was a big job, but it also meant being left more or less alone very far from home. The sailors, many of whom had grown up sailing unknown coasts in search of profit, would have some appreciation for that, but those trained into the fleets more recently and the legionnaires would not have had the same experience.

“Once the walls are up and the settlement is at least stable, the schooner will travel back to Hispania for more supplies, both for you and to be drawn off of by my supply ships. You’ll inform the commander of what we’re doing and the port you’ve established, letting him know we’ll need semi-regular shipments from him to maintain the port. For now, this is a way station, a hub. Eventually, the Empress might decide she wants more contacts inland, but for now, you’re to maintain yourselves here and not venture further than needed inland, away from the port. I’m not sure what farming is possible here, but some of your people started off as farmers and might have a better idea. The finish looks good, and there is that island just off shore that you can also set up an outpost on if you feel the need. The galleys will remain here to maintain protection, assist with fishing, and whatever else is needed. It’s imperative that you maintain communication with Kalb. We’re far from home, and I don’t want any of you to up and suddenly disappear.”

Before anyone could answer, there was a commotion further down the beach, where the river inland emptied into the estuary. The galley that he had sent to explore had returned, its captain waving frantically.

Valdar and his men ran up to where the galley pulled up close to the shore, close enough for the captain to shout across.

“Admiral, there are people coming through the woods,” he said, pointing up river, into the trees. “They looked armed.”

“Hostile?” Valdar shouted back.

“It was too hard to see, and we turned around right away to warn you.”

Valdar gave the man a wave and shouted for the legionnaire commander to bring all of the men in, back to the shore.

“Signal the ships prepare to defend the shore party. Opio, ready your weapons, but keep them at your side until we find out how this is going to go.”

“Natives, sir?” The optio asked.

“Probably. It was bound to happen, I just didn’t expect it so soon. They must have seen the ships.”

The optio nodded and began rounding up the men, putting the sailors, most of whom were unarmed except for wood axes and tools, behind his men. Valdar sent the captains with them, but remained in front. A few minutes later, figures emerged from the jungle. He could hear several of the Britannians, who’d never traveled much south of their island, gasped at the men’s appearances, but Valdar had visited Egypt several times and met Nubians and some other tribesmen from past the upper cataracts.

These men had a similar appearance, at least in their skin tone, although some were darker than even the Nubians he’d met. Their clothing was a difference, however. Most of the men wore minimal clothing and simple jewelry made from what looked like shells or polished rocks. The one thing they all were, however, was armed, carrying a variety of spears and bows.

They also seemed as intrigued and bewildered by him and his men’s appearances as he was of theirs.

Valdar took a step forward, holding his empty hands out, open with the palms facing up in, what he hoped, would be seen as a gesture of peace.

“Hello,” he said, working very hard to keep his voice calm and even.

One of the men, maybe a little older than the others but otherwise no different, stepped forward, handing his bow off to one of the other men as he did. He copied Valdar’s gesture, his hands out and open, and spoke in a language Valdar had never heard before.

Valdar held up a finger, hoping the “one moment” gesture was somewhat universal, and looked back to his men.

“Give me that,” he said to one of the sailors, pointing at some of the supplies they’d brought ashore.

He could hear the natives tense as the sailor grabbed it and ran it forward, putting the brightly colored, tightly woven fabric in Valdar’s hands. Valdar turned and held it out to the leader, who, after a moment, took it, running his fingers over the soft material with a look of wonder. Valdar then drew his sword, a gleaming steel blade that caught the sunlight.

A ripple of strange words went through the natives, several of whom drew back bows but paused as Valdar put the blade and pommel across his hands, extending the weapon to the captain.

The native leader picked up the sword, testing its weight and balance. He nodded, a smile spreading across his face. He gestured to the bay or maybe across the bay, then to the ground where they stood, speaking in his native tongue.

Valdar tried to follow, piecing together the meaning as best he could. Valdar gestured to his people and the area where they stood and the trees nearby. They did this for what seemed like a long time, each gesturing to the other. Valdar got the impression these men lived somewhere on the other side of the estuary, making it a pretty sizable walk between there and the proposed spot for his port. If he had to guess, they were a hunting party of some kind, since there didn’t seem to be anyone else around.

Valdar thought he got across the idea that he and his men wanted to settle here, and that he wanted to trade goods between them, at one point giving a small mirror, one of the many wonders the Consul had taught them. The native was almost terrified at first, then amazed. Valdar pointed to it and some of the dried meat the natives had on them. The man got the idea and gave a fair amount of dried meat to Valdar, who took a bite of one and then handed the rest to one of his men.

They had an interesting moment when Valdar reached over and, after a few minutes of somewhat comical confusion, grasped the native’s forearm in a shake, putting the man’s hand on his forearm in return. The man, after a moment, seemed to understand the gesture and smiled at him broadly.

Returning to his group, the men all chattered amongst each other, showing the fabric, sword, and mirror. They seemed truly excited by it all. As far as Valdar could tell, they weren’t hostile, which was fortunate. He’d had run-ins, as a younger man, with great bearded men living near the ice flows above the northern sea, who’d been instantly hostile when his then captain had gone ashore, so Valdar knew how badly this could have gone.

Valdar let the men mingle and there was a lot of interest on either side, although Valdar multiple times, in as gentle a voice as he could manage, reminded his men that they needed to stay calm and not take anything the men did as offensive. That it would take time for the groups to understand each other’s customs.

Eventually, the group left, probably to return to their village and tell others what they’d seen, which meant by tomorrow he’d end up with a larger group to deal with. They did indicate, Valdar thought, that they’d return and Valdar tried to give them the idea that their visits would be welcome.

“Alright, let’s get back to work,” Valdar called out as they left. “Optio, keep patrols at the rear and no one goes off alone. Understood?”

“Yes, Admiral,” the man said, his eyes following where the natives had gone. “Do you think they’ll be a problem?”

“It’s hard to say for certain. They seemed more curious than hostile, but we must remain cautious. We don’t know their customs or how they might react to our presence here.”

“I understand.”

“Good. Make sure you keep them all on task once we leave. Your very first job is to build a workable palisade to use for defense, and maintain a constant guard once you do. Have everyone sleep aboard ship if you need to. Don’t provoke them, but make sure you take every precaution you can think of. Store anything of value aboard the ships as well. Remember, we’re not here to start conflicts. This is to be a trading port, and there may be valuable goods we can acquire from the locals.”

“Do you think they’ll have anything worth making all this effort worth it?”

“I don’t know. The primary goal of this port is to give us an easier way to resupply and stay in touch with the homeland, but if we’re going to do it, we should try to make it actually viable. I’ll make sure to give orders to the Schooner captain to bring back items useful for trading; tools, textiles, and the like.”

“I’ll make sure we keep everything safe.”

“I know you will. While the captains are in charge of their ships, I’m placing you in charge of the port itself until someone from home sees fit to send someone senior. Also, be on the watch for sickness. I seem to remember the Consul mentioning something about a disease carried by mosquitos when he spoke of Africa. I want you to send word to him and the Empress through the commander of the Kalb garrison, asking them for any special instructions they might have, and see if you can find out more about this disease and how we can protect ourselves from it.”

Dismissing the Optio, Valdar went to give similar instructions to the captains that would be staying behind. This was a fraught plan, and there were numerous things that could wipe this small settlement out before it had a chance to get started, but if they could hold on, it could actually turn out to be a viable thing around Africa. He’d shipped some goods from Carthaginian ports, before Scandia became more involved in the war, that originated from ports further east. That had never been an option for merchants before, considering the land distances involved, but if they could make it around by ship, it might be.

He’d started this plan out of pure military necessity, but there was a chance it could actually turn out to be profitable at the same time.

***

Middle Sea, Southwest of Italia, Nearing the Coast of Sicilia

The wind whipped past Ky as the schooner cut across the Mediterranean Sea. After more than six months stuck in the quagmire that was Italy, he was finally out and moving again. His timetable might be much tighter than it otherwise would have been, but Ky was thrilled nonetheless.

“We’re making good time,” Ky said to Bomilcar, who walked up with Aelius and Auspex in tow from the stern of the ship.

“We would be there already if we’d crossed straight to Zancle,” Aelius pointed out.

“No one disagreed with you on that, then or now,” Bomilcar said, visibly stifling a sigh of annoyance as Aelius brought up the topic for the thousandth time. “The Carthaginians have fortified it too much. Landing even near the city would have been costly, and possibly bogged us down again. A legion on the ground, marching to the city, is a lot more effective than trying to land outside its gates. If Valdar’s fleet hadn’t done such a good job clearing the waterways, then maybe, but without having to fear Carthaginian interception, this is far preferable.”

“The debate has already been settled,” Ky said before Aelius could start the argument again. “Aelius, you’ll still get your shot at Zancle when you march north with your legion, while Auspex and Bomilcar’s legions march south to deal with Syrakousa. As far as our scouting can tell, it’s the much larger garrison, and a bigger threat to us.”

“Yes, Consul,” Aelius said, getting the message.

“It’ll be nice to be done with this and on to Africa,” Auspex said.

“Agreed,” Ky said. “You all did amazing work, getting things moving once you were freed up again. I want to commend all of you on the excellent work.”

All three men were unused to compliments and only mumbled their thanks in reply.

Even though they were traveling the longer distance, it didn’t take long for the schooner to cross it, with the Sicilian coast coming into view after only a few hours. Dozens of galleys and two of the large caravels traveled with them, packed with legionnaires and equipment. Not the entire army, but enough to conduct a landing. It would take several days to land everyone. That gave the enemy time to react and adjust their force disposition, but there wasn’t an option for it.

“Send in the first wave,” Ky said to the signalman waiting next to him.

The legates had all boarded longships. They had scattered the legions across all of the ships evenly, to allow the maximum number of longboats to land at a time. Ky watched as the sleep boats, already dropped down next to the ships that carried them, skimmed across the water and skidded onto shore. While only about a third of the men in the ranks had taken part in the last amphibious landing on the Insula Manavia, many of the unit leaders had been line legionaries during it, and everyone knew what they were doing.

As soon as the boats were ashore, the men piled out and began forming a semi-circular line, pushing up off the sand and rocks and onto firmer ground, where they waited for the boats to return and bring the next wave. For twenty minutes, Ky waited and watched, not even pretending to use a spyglass, for the enemy to attack. The Carthaginians had to know they were coming. Beyond the fact that they’d been building up forces along the east coast of Sicily, anyone with military experience would have known the Britannians couldn’t just leave that large of an island, with at least a handful of full units of Carthaginians, sitting behind them as they went for Africa. They’d passed a few small fishing vessels which Ky had to assume one or two was a plant to watch the inevitable landings, which also meant the Carthaginians had to be monitoring their progress, and know they weren’t going for Zancle after all.

And yet. Nothing. The second wave landed and then the third, and other than a few locals trotting out to look at the ruckus, no one appeared. He wasn’t the only one concerned by it. Ky could see riders headed north, south, and west, probably sent by Bomilcar to figure out what the Carthaginians were up to. By the time the fourth wave of longboats prepared to sail, Ky couldn’t take it any longer.

Over his Lictore’s objections, he boarded one and joined that wave coming to shore. Landing, he found Bomilcar, Aelius, and Auspex all huddled up with a small group of runners and aides.

“Consul,” Bomilcar said. “I sent out scouts, but I would have expected to see the enemy by now.”

“Either they’ve pulled back to the defended positions, or have abandoned the island altogether to defend their homeland. They’re outnumbered here as it is, so maybe they decided it wasn’t worth the effort.”

“Maybe,” Bomilcar said.

“Yeah, I don’t buy it either. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. If they want to fight in the open field or let us shell their cities, I’m happy to oblige. Once three of the men are ashore and the scouts have returned, we will continue the plan. One way or another, I want to be off this island and landing on the shores of Africa by month’s end.”

***

Carthage

Imilcar’s stomach rumbled. He’d been feeling ill for weeks now, and was only getting worse with every piece of bad news being delivered. Although they hadn’t said anything directly to him, yet, he knew his healers were becoming concerned with how rapidly he was losing weight, his skin sagging in pouches on his face, giving him an almost drooping, melted appearance.

Not even pushing his generals, punishing failure with the most brutal consequences he could imagine, seemed to slow the flood of bad news. If anything, it was starting to isolate him more. He used to rely on the infighting among them to ensure he received all of the information he needed, but as their ranks dwindled and the failures grew, it seemed few wanted to stick their head up enough to tell him of the latest disaster. Which is how he only heard about this latest problem through gossip and whispers. It had become time for him to put his foot down and start finding out what was happening in his empire again.

“I’m not sure what rumors you refer to, great one,” the guard captain sent to be a sacrificial lamb by cowardly superiors said.

“Then ignore the rumors and tell me is it true. Are we having a large number of refugees coming into the city from the continent or not?”

“I’m not sure I would say they are coming into the city. There have been an … umm … influx of citizens from Italia, Sicilia and some of the islands the Romans have yet to take over showing up over the last month, as the Romans have begun to make more headway. We’ve also seen some … umm … allies from Hispania arrive, but they have mostly shown up at smaller ports and not the capital.”

“But they are coming. Abandoning their duty to defend the continent?”

“…Yes,” the man said, almost more a question than a statement.

He was sweating bullets and looked like he might try to turn and run at any moment.

“And how, pray tell, are they managing to navigate past the Roman fleets when our own supply ships cannot? How were they not inspected?”

“I believe the ships these people were on were stopped, your eminence. With some exceptions, the Romans have stopped every ship that crosses the middle sea and inspecting every vessel. It seems, however, that if it is a civilian ship with no signs of weapons or military supplies, they allow it through. I believe they are trying to win the favor of the commoners, or at least attempting to not antagonize them.”

“They think they’re that likely to win?” Imilcar asked himself, before returning his attention back to the captain. “Have any of these ships brought our warriors back from the continent?”

Beads of sweat formed on the guard captain’s brow, his eyes darting from side to side, as if he was looking for a place to escape.

“I... I’m not certain, Magnificent One. It’s possible some have returned, but...”

“But what?” Imilcar snapped. “Speak plainly, or I’ll have your tongue cut out and fed to the dogs.”

The guard captain paled, rubbing his hands together to control their trembling.

“F-forgive me, Your Excellency. I know you ordered that not one step of ground was to be lost. But there have been... rumors... that some of the commanders have been ignoring those orders.”

Imilcar leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous. “Go on.”

“Some units, they say, have come back to Africa. Left their weapons behind and slipped through the Roman blockade on civilian ships. But I don’t know for certain, I swear it!”

The guard captain looked like he might faint at any moment. Imilcar felt his stomach turn again. He knew they were too cowardly to openly disagree with his orders, but to secretly defy him? That was an even further step. He would send the Acolytes of Hexitas out to look into these commanders. If they defied his word, then punishment must be dealt, or he’d lose control of the entire army.

Still, if they were willing to go so far, knowingly put their lives at risk in defying him, it was something he needed to take into account.

Imilcar stared at the guard captain for a long moment, his dark eyes boring into the man’s face. The captain shifted uncomfortably under the Emperor’s intense scrutiny, clearly fearing the worst.

Instead of yelling at him, or having him drug out of the room and thrown in chains, Imilcar said, “Very well. We shall deal with these cowardly commanders in due time. But for now, we have more pressing matters to attend to. I want you to begin rounding up anyone coming from the continent. Put them under arms, for the defense of the homeland.”

The guard captain blinked in surprise. “Your Excellency?”

“You heard me. There are many brave citizens who have been defending Italia where they did a good job slowing the Romans down. If these people do not want to help with that, then they can help with the defense of the homeland itself. Anyone not in a critical job such as farming or smithing, something needed for the supplying the city or the armies, they are also to be put into arms.”

“But... but Your Excellency,” the guard captain stammered, “many of these people are civilians. They’re not trained for battle.”

“Then will still be effective in stopping an arrow, or one of these … what did the TianYou diplomat call them? Bullets?”

“Yes, your excellency. I will see it done.”

“Good. Once we have enough men, I want you to begin building up defenses along our coast. Get with the army commanders and any units arriving from the continent should be put into the defenses. With the Romans now in Sicilia, they are a short distance from our shores, and I am not confident the commanders there will be any more successful stopping them than any of the other failures have. It is only a matter of time before they attempt to cross into Africa, which will put their armies at our very gates. I’m not deluded enough to think they won’t land on Africa at all, but the further from Carthage we can push them, the better.”

The captain opened and closed his mouth, several times, but said nothing.

“I want you to take every measure to prevent the Romans from landing anywhere along our coast. Use the new weapons we’ve acquired from the TianYou. Fill the beaches with bodies if you must, but make any landings near Carthage impossible.”

“Good. Now go,” the emperor said, dismissing the man, who scuttled away the instant he was released, like the bug he was.

Looking around the room, Imilcar signaled to one of the messengers, “You. Send word to the commanders. If the Romans are allowing people to escape the continent on civilian boats, then it’s time we bring all our trained soldiers home from the continent west of Anatolia, including Greece. We need every able warrior for the defense of the homeland and it’s clear they are too foolish to defend it successfully.”

The man nodded and dashed out of the room. Imilcar sat back in his throne, resting his now floppy jowls on one hand. He’d hoped the cannon could turn the tide against the Romans, but they’d been ineffective in ship battle, and delivering them to the continent to be used in land battle had become all but pointless. They’d lost enough of the weapons for him to order the halt to the delivering, for fear of not having enough for defense of the homeland.

The chance to stop them on the continent was gone. If they were going to defeat them, it was going to have to happen on Africa.