2017/7b.plaintext

   1 with hindsight an opportunity for peace was thrown away cal gac us may have been a traitor but he
   2 was born a roman and had forged the local tribes into an organised and disciplined force it may have
   3 been possible to treat with him bringing caledonia within the empire in exchange for the
   4 governorship of caledonia but salus ti us was a greedy and ambitious man for whom victory was
   5 everything he had no wish to share caledonia or glory with cal gac us and thus conceived a plan to
   6 repay the treachery of the caledon ii in full he made a great fanfare of pushing his forces into
   7 northern caledonia to the remote for to finch tuth ilsa lust i us in secret had conceived a sly and
   8 audacious plan ca to was instructed to proceed with an expeditionary force from e bora cum to the
   9 frontier fort at inch tuth il where he would relieve the ii legion a diu trix pia fidelis who were
  10 required in dacia he quickly established the legion in a state of battle readiness and was joined
  11 thereby salus ti us who took command of the ix legion humiliating the faithful ca to in front of his
  12 own mensa lust i us was no strategist but in tactics and cunning he knew no parallel from the
  13 legions extensive scouting network he had learned that cal gac us had established his headquarters
  14 in the mountains west of s trac athro the marching camp leaving ca to in charge of a smallholding
  15 force of two cohorts at inch tuth ilsa lust i us ostentatiously led the rest of the ix legion to s
  16 trac athro he setup camp and laid waste to the villages around him in an act of gross provocation
  17 and cruelty he emulated his hero crassus knowing that the many caledon ii who suffered a gruesome
  18 end on his caledonian way were not involved with cal gac us and his revolt they were just fodder in
  19 his attempt to provoke a confrontation a she knew they must the caledonian armies mustered for a
  20 final showdown with the legion and marched on stra cath rosa lust i us set his forces with picket
  21 fences and traps but against the scale of the caledonian force there was little hope of success
  22 nonetheless with their pride at stake and accepting their fate the legionnaires of the ixth watched
  23 and waited to join battle undercover of darkness and before any skirmish could be conducted salus ti
  24 us secretly set out with a small force of handpicked soldiers who had travelled with him from rome
  25 with a devious plan to steal the codex from right under cal gac us noses a lust i us was a very
  26 unpleasant man but he was widely read and knew of the hebrew tale of gideon he set his guard at key
  27 points around the perimeter of the caledonian camp and in the depths of night when all men are at
  28 their lowest ebb they rose as one breaking cover and making noise like a much larger army in the
  29 confusions a lust i uss lieutenant stole into the camp and made away with the codex returning it to
  30 salus ti us who remained throughout at a safe distance perhaps salus tiu scared nothing for the fate
  31 of the ixth legion perhaps its destruction was part of domitian s planned revenge or perhaps it was
  32 just a diversionary tactic to have them camped at s trac athro but the outcome was the same roused
  33 by the surprise invasion of their camp the caledonian warriors launched a massive assault ons trac
  34 athro whatever his motivation in an act of the greatest treachery salus ti us abandoned the ixth
  35 legion to oblivion and set out south for the fortified port at car riden where he intended to escape
  36 by sea from britannia with the codex he sent a despatch to ca to ordering him to retreat with all
  37 able men to car riden raze inch tuth il to the ground and leave none of the weak or wounded alive in
  38 order to provide nothing of value to the enemy salus ti us and his guard must have thought they
  39 would be safe but once more a proud son of rome had grossly underestimated cal gac us realising
  40 quickly that the codex was los the set out to recover it marching his men double time in pursuit of
  41 the fleeing salus ti us and so at car ride nsa lust i us regrouped with his trusty guard and the
  42 remaining cohorts from inch tuthill ed by the steadfast marcus fidel i usca to it was not long
  43 before the pursuing caledonian force arrived before the gates of car riden and laid siege with their
  44 backs to water the roman force was trapped their safety lay in a refuge far over these a and it is
  45 fitting that the ending of my story will lie buried safely in their refuge at novio magus
  46 batavorum____+