The World of The Gunny

Caesar looked out his palace window that overlooked the Mare Tyrennium and wondered, What, what will we find?

As the Commander in Chief of the Navarcus had reported that the Dido, a Liburnia class scout, had just completed the jump out system and returned safely. The Dido had made a small and premptive calculation of it's position and the Captain of the Dido had realised that they were in all likelyhood in the Alpha Centauri star system. The Dido had then returned to report the finding.

Casca, along with most of the Senate had belived that the finding of the warp point had been an augry from Iuppiter, and was a sign to bring the Pax Romana to the stars. Yet Casca still could not bring himself to order the exploration of the new star system his scout had found. Because like any pious Roman, he considered the stars the playground of the gods. Yet it was also true that Iuppiter himself had shown them the way to the stars.

Casca was still trying to decide when he was disturbed by his attache. The intercom holocube flared with the image of his trusted friend and attache,
"Caesar, pardon my interruption of your musings, but your son, Sempronius, has just arrived back from the academy."
"Junius, that is good news, send him in and bring us a jug of the best Gallic wine we have, so we can celebrate his graduation from the Officer's Academy."
"As you wish Caesar." The holocube then went silent as Junius signed off.

Two minutes later Junius, a balding man in his 40's, was escorting a muscular youth dressed in the ceremonial Lorica of a Legati Legionis. Sempronius strode forward and knelt in front of his father and said,
"Father, I have returned from the Academy awaiting your command."
"Rise my son and give your father a proper greeting, and not this ceremonial garbage." Casca said to his son. With that Sempronius rose and gave his father a bear hug of a greeting that showed his true love for his father, something that sometimes lacked in the halls of power that was Roma.

The two men, one the Emperor of the Pax Romana, and his only surviving son, both sat and poured a glass of Gallic wine that Junius had brought in.
"So tell me Sempronius, do you have a preference for a posting? As you know I cannot post you higher than a Centurion, but I CAN pick the unit you serve in." Casca said.
"Father I have been giving it some thought, and I would like to be posted on a Liburnia class scout. I want to be in on the exploration of the stars."

Casca was startled by his son's choice, he had thought that he would have chosen a posting in the Equities Singulari Augusti. But he also knew his son wanted to be Emperor and Roman tradition required that an heir to the Empire must have first commanded troops and conquered a territory, or by exploration, added to the Empire. Then they had to be a Senator in good standing. So his son's choice was both logical and good. He was proud of his son's choice, as no Roman could fault his son for lack of courage, because all know a Liburnia may have a cloaking device, but it has almost no defenses if the cloak is penetrated.

"Sempronius, I am surprised by your choice, but at the same time pleased. Maybe for the first time in the gods knows how long, a blood relative will take the throne from his father. I approve of your choice, and it also helps me make a decision I have had difficulty making. Sempronius Keep up this line of actions and maybe one day you will also be called Caesar." Casca said with pride in his voice.


I have no idea where this story will lead, I just had this dream and needed to write it down.