It is March 17th, 45 BC,
and the forces of Julius Caesar are locked in intense combat against the
Pompeic forces led under Titus Labienus and Gnaeus Pompeius, the latter being
the eldest son of Pompey. The two
opposing legions stood silently on the plains of Munda, waiting for the other
to initiate. Faustus Aemilius Galeo lifted his scutum and unsheathed his
gladius, anxious for the inevitable skirmish. At the front of the legion,
Caesar, on horseback, raised and pointed his gladius toward the Pompeian army,
ordering a frontal charge shortly after. From there, it seemed like everything
happened in a matter of seconds. To his left, Galeo saw thousands of soldiers
sprinting forward behind their shields. To his right, he saw lightly armored
cavaliers charging forward on horseback. He stayed distracted at the sights and
sounds of battle until the voice of Lucius Scribonius Ducitius shook him from his
trance. “Galeo! Behind you!” he shouted. To his horror, the novice soldier
turned around to see a gladius rapidly approaching his face.
Quickly, Galeo raised his shield
and heard a sharp ‘cling’ as the sword came in contact with it. Widening the
distance between him and his aggressor, Galeo stabilized himself and stood up.
The aggressor was none other than his best friend, Titus Horatius Catilina. “Galeo?!
What are you doing, fighting under that turncoat of a general you call Caesar?
Do you not know that you are raising your blade against Rome itself?” Catilina
said. Galeo still kept his stance, but some of his hesitation began to show
through. I won’t let him get to me. I won’t
let him get to me! He couldn’t let Catilina get to him. When Galeo and
Ducitius joined Caesar’s legion, both of them had to swear allegiance to Caesar
himself.
“My loyalty…lies with Caesar,”
Galeo responded. “And so will your corpse!” yelled Catilina as he charged
forward with his gladius. Galeo and Catilina locked themselves in pitched
combat, yet both sides skillfully parried any thrusts and slashes the other
could put out. Galeo’s and Catilina’s gladii would clamor until a stray bolt
from a Caesarian ballista struck Catilina’s knee and brought him to the ground.
Galeo saw his chance, but with a bit of hesitation, brought down his sword on
Catilina.
The entire battle ended with a
Caesarian victory, and with that, the last of Pompey’s forces fell. With no
major opponents left, Caesar had won his war, and was named dictator for life
of Rome. Galeo, however, thought differently. Should he be happy that he came
out victorious against his fellow men?
