David Wishart - Bodies Politic

He laughed. ‘Forget that, boy. If you say you need the details of troop movements on the Syrian frontier over the next six months then you’ve got them, no questions asked.’

‘Close, but you don’t quite win the nuts.’

He stopped, and the laughter faded. ‘You’re serious?’

‘Yeah, I am. Very.’

‘Oh, shit.’ He frowned. ‘It’s important?’

‘A matter of life and death. Literally. Only I can’t tell you any more than that.’

‘Good enough for me.’ He shrugged. ‘In that case, it’s definitely your round. And if you’re after top-level military secrets you’ll have to throw in some cheese and olives as well.’

‘You’ve got it.’

We went to Tasso’s.

‘Right, Marcus,’ Secundus said when we’d got ourselves settled with the Massic and sundries in a quiet corner. ‘Go ahead.’

‘I want to know about the situation on the Rhine. Chapter and verse, the whole boiling.’

‘Oh, fuck.’

‘Yeah.’ I took a sip of wine. ‘Option’s still open, pal. You can tell me to get lost now and I’ll go like a lamb, with no harm done.’

‘Sure I can. So where do you want to start?’

‘There’s a major campaign planned for next year, yes? Into Germany and over to Britain. The emperor’s taking personal command.’

He nodded. ‘He’s bringing the eight Rhine legions up to full strength and recruiting another two, the Fifteenth and Twenty-second Primigeniae. Plus their full complement of supporting auxiliary infantry and cavalry.’

Yeah; I’d got that much from Gallius in Alexandria. Still, it was nice to have it confirmed. ‘Who’s commanding? I mean, before the emperor arrives?’

Secundus hesitated. ‘That’s a moot point at present, Marcus. Oh, sure, it should be Gaetulicus, or him and Apronius jointly. They’re the two governors. But the word is that Gaius wants to appoint Sulpicius Galba. He’ll replace Gaetulicus as the Upper Germany legate and Apronius’ll take orders from him.’

Shit. The ice was forming on my spine. ‘ Gaetulicus is being recalled? ’

‘I don’t think it’s been decided yet, not finally. But it makes sense. Galba’s a good man, an experienced soldier. He’s campaigned in Germany himself, he already knows the country and the tribes. If Gaius crosses over to Britain he needs to be sure of his back, and with Galba he can be.’

‘But not with Gaetulicus.’

‘Uh-uh. No way. Nor Apronius.’

‘How so, pal?’

‘Because he can’t trust them, neither of them.’ I shifted on my stool. ‘Militarily, I mean.’ Secundus’s hand toyed with his cup; he hadn’t drunk any of the wine yet, and barring that first sip neither had I. ‘The truth is that the Rhine frontier’s been going down the tubes ever since Gaetulicus took over. Before that, too, which was largely Apronius’s fault.’

‘Give me a for instance.’

‘You know about the Frisian business, ten years back?’

‘Not in any detail. Assume I don’t.’

‘The Frisians’re one of the big tribes in Lower Germany. They revolted, crucified a detachment of troops sent to collect taxes, and made a push towards the Rhine. Apronius tried to stop them, found he couldn’t and asked for help from Upper Germany. Gaetulicus’s brother was legate then, and he sent troops in support. Apronius met the Frisians deep in their territory, lost the battle, and most of his men were slaughtered. He had to retreat to the Rhine leaving his dead behind him. It was practically Varus in the Teutoburg all over again.’

I was staring at him. ‘This wasn’t reported in Rome?’

‘Not the full story, no. It would’ve caused an outcry, and Tiberius had troubles enough at the time as it was. That wasn’t the worst of it, though. Seemingly – and this didn’t come out until much later – when he’d retreated Apronius had left nine hundred men holding out, cut off from what was left of the main army. The lucky ones – just under half – managed to commit suicide when they were finally overrun. The Frisians took the rest prisoner and crucified them in one of their fucking groves. Every last one. Five hundred men.’

Gods! ‘And Apronius wasn’t replaced?’

‘No. The Wart couldn’t afford to tinker with the Rhine command, then or later, because between them the Gaetulici and Apronius considered holding it as their right. You know Apronius is Gaetulicus’s father-in-law?’

‘Yeah. Yeah, I did know that.’

‘So it was practically a family perk. And they were – are – popular with the troops, largely because they let them do as they like.’

‘Come on, pal!’ This wasn’t sounding good. ‘The emperor’s the emperor. Couldn’t the Wart – or Gaius, now – just haul Gaetulicus and Apronius back to Rome and shred the buggers?’

‘You’re not listening to me, Marcus. Yes, I said, that’s what he’d like to do, Gaius, I mean, in Gaetulicus’s case at least, and it’d make good sense. But things aren’t that simple. Tiberius considered it once, and when Gaetulicus got to know he sent a letter to the Wart saying he could depend totally on his loyalty as long as he kept his command. The emperor backed down, and Gaetulicus is still there. If Gaius wants to replace him with Galba – which he does – then fine, great, but he won’t find it easy. The trouble is he’s caught in a cleft stick. If he’s to invade Britain then he has to build up the Rhine force, but if he doesn’t winkle Gaetulicus out first he’s handing the guy an extra stick to beat him with. An extra two sticks, plus auxiliaries.’

‘You said Apronius is incompetent. How about Gaetulicus himself? I mean, if he’s okay, then -’

‘He’s just as bad. Currently, the Upper Germany frontier is a joke. Or it would be if the situation was funny. The tribes’re out of his control. A couple of years back raiding parties crossed the Rhine into Gaul because there was nothing to stop them, plundered a dozen towns and villages, stripped the countryside bare, killed a hell of a lot of people and escaped back over the river scot-free. That wasn’t reported in Rome, either.’ He looked down at his cup as if he was noticing it for the first time, lifted it and drained it. Then he was quiet for a good minute and a half. I didn’t speak, I just waited: Secundus was a friend, and I wasn’t going to push. Finally, he said: ‘There’s another aspect to things. One that’s just come up. Not even the emperor knows yet, and if it’s true it’s worrying as hell.’

The back of my neck prickled. ‘You want to tell me?’ I said.

‘No. But I will anyway.’ He didn’t smile. ‘And look, Marcus, I’m levelling here in my turn, okay? If just a suspicion, the breath of a suspicion, that I told you this gets out then I can kiss my job and my career goodbye. I’d be lucky to get work scrubbing out the senate-house privy.’

I didn’t answer. Waited. It was his decision to make, not mine.

‘Calvisius Sabinus. Name mean anything?’

I shook my head.

‘He’s the Pannonian legate, next to the east along the Rhine-Danube line from Gaetulicus, only appointed last year. A good man, but hot on discipline and not too popular with his troops. You understand?’ I nodded. Shit, I knew what was coming; I just knew it. ‘He doesn’t want to make trouble by reporting officially to the emperor, but he thinks Rome ought to know, so he sends directly to me and leaves it to my discretion.’

‘Someone’s monkeying with his troops,’ I said.

‘Right. Nothing obvious, tentative stuff. That’s the problem, it could just be the usual squaddies’ grousing that their mates under the commander next door are onto a cushier number than they are. But Sabinus is no fool, and he doesn’t cry wolf without reason.’ He hesitated. ‘And that’s not the full story, either.’