"And while I cannot approve of young Scipio's actions in Alexandria," Norbanus went on, "the fact remains that those legions were stranded in Egypt when we, the Senate, meeting in this very chamber, voted to invade Sicily, thus declaring war upon Carthage."
As if in answer to a plea for an omen, the sound of clattering hoofbeats from without silenced even the low murmur in the room. A horse galloping across the Forum could mean only one thing: an army messenger with important dispatches.
"Clear the doorway, there!" called the princeps. Immediately, lictors made a pathway from the door to the consuls' podium. The hoofbeats ceased, and moments later a man in military belt, tunic and boots, travel-stained and exhausted, strode in. Looking neither right nor left, he went to the consuls' podium and held out a bronze tube.
"Dispatches for the honored Senate from the Proconsul Norbanus."
The presiding consul waved it away. "My colleague should read this first."
Norbanus took the message tube, forcing his hands to be steady. He examined the seal, then broke it and twisted the cap off the tube. He withdrew some sheets of Egyptian papyrus, unrolled them and began to read.
"From the Proconsul Titus Norbanus to the Senate of Rome, greeting." There were grumbles from those who thought it unfit for young Norbanus to style himself thus without having held the office of consul or even praetor first, but the father silenced them with a glare. He resumed reading.
"Our legions were in the process of subduing the cities along the Nile when word arrived from Alexandria that Hamilcar had withdrawn from Egypt and that the glorious reconquest of Italy and Sicily had begun. At a council of commanders our options were examined and discussed. We are eager to join the offensive, but a return through Carthaginian territory is unfeasible. The attitude of Egypt is uncertain, since we took part in Hamilcar's invasion. The Egyptian army is laughable and no threat to four Roman legions, but the Senate has not indicated a desire for war with Egypt, so we shall be careful not to provoke one.
"Marcus Scipio has tried to order us to Alexandria, but his commission from the Senate was merely to carry out a reconnaissance of Italy and Carthage, so none of us feel constrained to obey him, lacking orders from the Senate. There are those among us who doubt his loyalty.
"South of us lies a primitive wilderness, desert on both sides. Our only course is to march north to the Delta, then eastward, into territory unseen by Romans for more than a century. By the time the Senate receives this missive, we should be in a place called Sinai, said to be desert, but passable since the days of the pharaohs. The land beyond seems to be under some dispute. There is a sometimes-independent state ruled by a king of the Jews, and north of that lies Seleucid Syria, although both of these states are said to be under great pressure from the expanding Parthian Empire. Whatever our fate, we shall continue our reconnaissance and report faithfully to the Senate, in order that Rome's knowledge of the East may be expanded.
"Our plan is to march up the coast until we come to a port where sufficient ships are available to embark for Italy, Sicily or wherever the noble Senate shall order us. Should no such fleet present itself, then we shall march through Cilicia, Pamphilia, Lycia, Asia, Greece, Macedonia and Dalmatia until we reach Italy. We shall show the world that nothing is beyond the capabilities of the legions of Rome.
"I shall send further dispatches at every opportunity. Long live the noble Senate. Long live Rome." Norbanus the elder rolled the papyri and replaced them in the tube, his face glowing with triumph.
A senator leapt to his feat. "He proposes a feat worthy of Xenophon!" Shouts and cheers erupted.
Gabinius stood and gestured for quiet. "Let's cheer the feat when it is accomplished, shall we? Commander Norbanus proposes an extreme course, but anyone can see that his situation calls for such measures. I wish him well, as do we all. Now, we have been concentrating on Sicily, Carthage and the South to the neglect of the great world of the East. I propose we appoint a committee to study the situation there. We have assumed that the Seleucids are still supreme there, as they were when we went into exile. What sort of people are these Parthians who seem to be causing such trouble there? Will we be facing them once we have settled with Carthage?.We must know."
With some routine government work under proposal, the excitement subsided and the Senate got serious. While names for the study board were submitted, everyone talked of the latest news. First war in Sicily, now this! After generations of grinding warfare against the savages of the North, Rome was engaged with the old world once more.
Satisfied that the danger of open violence was past, the princeps joined the two consuls for some serious talk.