Five Days ago near Moguntiacum, Germania Superior:
      Maximinus' people at first did not notice the single horseman ride out of camp to warn the young emperor in Moguntiacum that his general was a traitor, but as soon as somebody caught sight of Annia Junia's cousin, all the soldiers prepared themselves. The cavalry loyal to Maximinus ran to their horses and quickly climbed on. Maximinus, the declared emperor by his soldiers, carefully readjusted his purple cloak and went for his white steed.

      Early morning light showed the Statores Augusti and the frumentarii leader riding north-east up the muddy road toward Moguntiacum In a matter of minutes they would be able to see the large Roman fortress and know who was emperor. Germanians strolling by partially watching, partially keeping out of the way as they headed to whatever duties they had in life. It was not unusual to see the emperor's horsemen heading for the fortress. The galloping continued and as they reached the crest of the hill, they saw the emperor's flag still there. Quintus Cinna didn't know if he wanted to cry out in relief, or pain. It would be just a matter of time before his life would be in danger.
     
Sextus Junius Niger rode his horse like he never had before. His life was meaningless. He knew the traitors were close behind him, but he wasn't going to look back. He imagined their horses galloping but the fortress was not as far he suspected. Niger could see that the standards of the emperor were flying high over the wooden walls. As the wind whipped across his face, he went pale. In the distance ahead were numerous cavalry riding toward the fortress also. They and their blue cloaked leader would kill the emperor before he had a chance to warn them. Guards near the fortress walls came in twos as they went to see who he was. They hadn't seen the cavalry coming from the other direction. Ripping off his helmet, his black hair and beard showed that he wasn't a Germanian but instead was a Dalmatian. As he swept closer, they blocked the gateway. "I need to see the Augustus," he yelled.
      "Do not make demands to the emperor," a watchman hissed back. Niger turned to see that cavalry behind him were now in sight. It would be merely a matter of moments. "The Augustus, all his praise and glory, is about to be killed. Maximinus has been declared emperor!" The guards grimaced and they all rushed toward the emperor's brick headquarters. It would take several minutes to get through the military city.
  
    Quintus Cinna saw the guards trying to block him on the southern gate, but as quickly as the did, they stepped back. The Statores Augusti horsemen were not known to take things lightly and nobody wanted confrontation with them. When they rode though the wide marching roads of the fortress, they came upon the emperor's large brick building. It was three-stories and various friezes upon its top displayed other Germanic campaigns. Commodus Atrebas had his horsemen circle the building and face their horses outwards. Nobody would be allowed in.
      Quintus Cinna stepped through the doorway to see the young 26-year-old emperor in horrid fear. The imperial mother sat far off near a wall with her hands clasped together between her knees. Apparently they had heard the news from the dark haired man next to the Augustus. Julia Maesa looked up to see the cloaked frumentarii leader there and she stood quickly. "Thank the gods, you are here," she smiled. The imperial mother would have hugged him, but it was not appropriate. "Do you have any ideas?"
      Quintus shook his head ever so slowly. Her eyes watered and the quiet emperor turned toward the guards near him. "Warn the legati. I want Maximinus stopped and this rebellion controlled."
      The guards nodded and jogged through a hallway and out of the shadowy building. It wasn't more than a matter of seconds when Commodus Atrebas came in and reported, "my Augustus, the legions have surrounded the city."
      "We can stop them," Alexander retorted more in hope than in fact.
      Quintus whispered with despair: "For every soldier you carry, the Thrax has two. Remember, you had him train your soldiers, so most are with him." Alexander Severus would have hid, if it wasn't for the two men before him to keep him steady. The three and the mother marched upstairs and when they reached the third story of the headquarters, they saw on three of the far away walls, legions smothering the landscape. The emperor was on his last minutes. Banners of legions that had sworn oath to him and his family predecessors now all betrayed him. The glint of purple near the eastern wall made him turn and focus. A very large man on a horse stood unmoving. None of the four could see who he was, but they knew it was the Thrax. The gates opened and several hundred soldiers rushed through the wall as the guards let them in without aggression. The purple clad general trailed the last of them. Alexander Severus ran down the stairs with his entourage following closely behind.
  
    Bursting from the imperial headquarters as if possessed, weeping and trembling, Alexander Severus denounced Maximinus for his disloyalty and ingratitude as the enemy soldiers encircled the areas around his building. Soldiers from other buildings stared out of their windows at the event. When the purple Maximinus finally rode up in front of the group, Alexander hissed words of disdain at the officers near the traitor that he recognized.
      "Palius, Voragius, Timina, and Scalius. Why do you do this? Is it pay? I will give you double what he offers!" The Augustus yelled. He turned to see other officers he knew. Britannicus Junius and Alenius?" Both turned their eyes. "You are all traitors!"
      "Traitors!" Several Statores Augusti yelled in echo. Quintus Cinna noticed that Commodus was nowhere around. "We shall defend you till death," came a loyal stator.
      The emperor's mother could be seen in the shadowy doorway, and a man that Quintus Cinna recognized as Decius Aemilius yelled: "It is your miser of a mother that has befallen you!" The man was not a soldier, so Quintus understood that the merchant was trying to save his own life by proving his loyalty to Maximinus. The giant smiled with approval. Others yelled that it was the imperial money that had cut off their money and that they despised Alexander for his pettiness and stinginess in the matter of gifts. For a time, they did nothing but shout this barrage of charges."
      "Desert the miserly woman!" yelled Scalius toward the loyal guards encircling the emperor Alexander Severus. About a third of the Statores Augusti pulled away and joined the ranks of Maximinus as they watched their comrades look at them as if their own brother had betrayed them. Alexander, trembling from fear, saw this and without turning his back to the enemy, walked back into the door with the few senators that were near him.
      He hugged his mother mumbling how she was his true killer and she cried whispering, "It's okay, my love, it will all be over soon." She took him into the shadows of the building as all the soldiers stared at the empty doorway. Maximinus turned toward the blue cloaked Quintus Cinna with a recognized look. The frumentarius understood the situation. The Thrax admired him and wanted to know which side he was on.
      "Hail the emperor, Augustus Gaius Verus Maximinus!" Quintus yelled. The soldiers cheered the new emperor and the eight-foot tall Thracian grinned from ear to ear on his large horse.
      Maximinus turned toward the door way and back at Quintus Cinna with a nod. The frumentarius nodded back. "Tribune Commodus Atrebas!" he barked. From an alley corner, came the leader of the Statores Augusti. "It is time." The tribune's knees almost buckled but with a slow nod, he waved his men toward the entrance of the headquarters. They rushed in yelling. Screams of agony erupted from inside as the Statores Augusti killed the queen-mother, the boy emperor, and all of his friends, including Junius Niger, that remained loyal to the end. The emperor was dead. Long live the emperor.
     The End of the Beginning