6 years, eleven months, and two days since Exile.
One year into Unification Wars

The Pryhan army had, by this point, taken back most of the southern and northern parts of the peninsula. The brigands and warlords had either fled up to the middle part of the peninsula, being crushed between two forces like a vice or had been slaughtered by the Pryhan army. These remaining holdouts were being further constricted after the Teufel river and its Saurian inhabitants signed a treaty with the Caesar, ensuring an alliance with them and further dividing the unconquered territory.

The captured territory, at least those that had been well secured, had begun to be ordered up. Borders for the new provinces were being drawn up, as to further bolster the power of the parliament. Cities and towns, long since held down under the strain of the heavy tithes and threat of raids, now were given room to expand. Businesses, namely in lumber and mining, began to form to capitalize on the lack of brigand activity. Even regiments made up of local troops began to be formed, with plans to form, in addition to the ten-fifteen that already existed, a total of thirty regiments, totaling about ninety thousand men.

However, that didn't mean it would be easy to end the war. Many of the warlords and the larger bands of bandits had started forming small alliances, hoping to hold out against the relentless advance. They would use guerrilla warfare and highly secure forts to hold out against the Pryhan army, hoping to cause enough strain on the supply lines to force them to pull back. However, this didn't work, and many of the forts were isolated and crushed, one by one.

This was the case with the one she and her men were currently in front of. It was apart of a small alliance of gangs, forced to Alline to survive. They raided her men on the path, hoping to catch them off guard. It failed, and velites tracked them down to here. She had the place surrounded, and was having her artillery prepped.

The fort wasn't much. A secure stone wall with a large gatehouse and perforated towers. Reasonably well-equipped enemy troops ran along the walls, preparing crossbows and small catapults. Beyond that wall, she knew from a flyover, would be a small town, haphazardly placed buildings forming crooked streets, alleys, and squares. At the far end of this little fort, a small redoubt had been dug, with a large, heavy wooden keep was positioned. In all, no more than a hundred brigands held the position.

Rainbow looked back at her own men. Due to the position of the fortified position, being pressed up against the side of a mountain, they had formed a semicircle around the position. Behind the initial line of troops, her four onagers and eight scorpion ballista positioned themselves in gaps in the trees, ready to fire into the fort. Further behind them, in a clearing in the woods, sat her own fortified camp, ready and waiting for them to return to after night fell.

"Praetor," a voice behind her said. Turning, she found herself face to face with one of her new officers; one of the 9th Maniples Decurions, a black-maned and indigo coated Terran named Sharpener Stone. He was a replacement for the original officer of the ninth, who was killed in action in the Adamantem campaign. He was a former brigand himself, still bearing the Horn tattoo on his forehead from his old gang. "I want to try one last time."

She sighed, then said, "Those degenerates already made it clear that they don't want to surrender. Or at the very least, their leaders won't let any of them do it." Turning to him, she put her talon on his shoulder. "Listen, I know that a lot of them don't want to be in this lifestyle. However, I can't just drop everything for you to try to talk some sense into them."

"B-but, I-"

She cut him off by saying, "I never said I wouldn't let you try. However, you don't convince them, I give the order. Understand?"

"Yes, Praetor! Thank you, Praetor!", he squeaked out, stepping back and trotting down the rock to go up to the wall. As he left, Vexillum came up beside her.

"Naïve, ain't he?", he said.

"Heh," she said with a shrug. "He's young. You know the old expression; 'The innocence of youth'? 'Sides saves us the trouble if he can convince them to surrender."

The two of them watched as the newer officer trot down to the walls. He had strapped on his shield, just in case. He stopped just before the wall, looking up at the defenders who had stopped to look at him. Some looked like they wanted to shoot him, but were stopped by others.

"Listen," he yelled up at them. "I know you all know who I am. I've tried to do this at least twice before. But, well, this is my last chance. Please, for all of our sakes, surrender. Just surrender. I'm a former brigand myself. From the Stonehooves, of all gangs. And after all of that, all that degenerate bastard Dainn did, I was still spared. Still given a commission in the army. Still rose to this rank in a prestigious regiment. I've seen other members of other gangs working in the Pryhan system; under watch, yeah, but what do you expect? Just, please, surrender. If you don't she'll kill you all. I can't help you. But, if you do, I'll see to it personally, that you are treated fairly. Please."

Both sides stood in silence, staring at each other, the enemy, and Sharpener. Suddenly, a flash of movement on the wall drew her eye. It was a fight, among several of the brigands. Lifting up her field telescope to her eye, she saw it was a group of them, a large one at that, that were trying to push into the gatehouse. As she watched, more of them joined the group, and soon broke into the structure. As she watched, the heavy wooden gate rose up, sliding into the tower.

Rainbow lowered the wooden frame, watching in curiosity. She then passed it to Vexillum and took off. She landed next to the NCO, who flinched at her loud landing. She draped a wing over his side, saying, "Well, that works. Good work, kid." Turning to his maniple, who was perhaps the closest to her position, she shouted to them, "Well what the hell are you standing around for!? Ninth Maniple, first century! Advance to my position!"

Shaking off his shock, the order centurion barked out, "You heard the Praetor! Fix shields! Advance!" A flurry of snapping locks later, the small contingent moved up to her position, with Sharpener stone filing into his own position in the formation as a group of Brigands exited the gate.

They were almost all unarmed, with one of them holding up a long stick with a white wool cloth on it. Almost all of them, as a few still held onto clubs, daggers, or other small weapons. The caragor in the front came up to her, which she had to imagine was quite terrifying for her. She was heavily scarred, had a glowing red eye and wings, and was wearing a massive, plumed helmet; to someone like this, she probably looked downright terrifying. She swallowed nervously, then said, "So, I take it the terms of surrender are unconditional?"

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