The Dux of Troy, Quintus Flaminius Tullius, had spent the morning on letters and orders and arrangements and the like. Indeed, he had spent the last few weeks doing much the same thing. Ever since he had heard the reports from the Senate in Rome, he had been busy.

Quintus had thought that, over a decade now after the Treaty of Alexandria, that he could finally begin to relax a little and enjoy the fruits of his labours. For he had spent his time travelling his new state, organising it, shaping it, making it into the kind of place he had always wanted Rome to be.

His first concern had been to ensure the safety of Ilium against those who would seek to harm her. So he had travelled to the courts of his neighbours, and sought assurances that Ilium would be left alone. But he could not rely on those assurances and treaties alone - treaties were only bits of paper after all, just as now it seemed like certain members of the Roman Senate wanted to rip up the Treaty he had signed with Catalus Aemilius in Aegyptus.

He had maintained an army, nowhere near as big as the force that Pola had taken halfway across towards Rome, but still large enough to put up a fight if the need arose. In addition, he had inspected the defences, and made sure that they could withstand a large-scale assault. Quintus knew that if Rome ever sought the destruction of Ilium, he would need to use all forms of force, cunning and deceit that he could rustle up.

And so the Dux continued to write his letters, issue his orders, and think up his strategy in response to the threat that faced him. After all his efforts, he was not about to give up now...