Chapter VII: Pelusium's Aftermath

It did not take long for reports about the disaster at Pelusium to reach Atalanta. Among the first to arrive was Opimius Tarquinius, who had been a commander of the Republican Cavalry during the battle. He had fought valiantly and tried his best to rally all of the cavalry to prevent the disaster he saw unfolding before his eyes. He spent several hours trying to assemble some force to try to break through but by 18:00 hours, he realized it was no use and made a mad ride back to Atalanta. When he arrived in the city, he saw a city in panic. Everyone feared for the worst and believed that soon Pomerlane would attack the city itself. Some were boarding ships to flee the city already. Opimius tried to take control of the situation as much as he could. With many senators already dead at Pelusium, he gathered a few soldiers still in order and placed the city under martial law for the time being. Opimius was the Master of Horse, second in command of the Republic and had to do this to prevent the Republic from totally collapsing. He ordered the navy to stop any ship trying to flee the harbor in the panic and by morning had the situation under control. He would give a speech to the population of the city, telling them that panic would only make matters worse and that Pomerlane had not yet defeated them completely. "So long as our navy rules the waves, this Pomerlane will never take Atalanta!" He proclaimed. This speech would rally the citizenry and probably saved the republic from collapse.

Meanwhile, Pomerlane had decided to march right on Atalanta, trying to pull off a coup de grâce. He arrived outside the city on the 10th of August and sent an envoy carrying the head of the dead Doge along with a message that read "Surrender the city at once, all will be spared and pardoned and allowed to live freely under my rule. Should you chose to resist, I will show no mercy to anyone in this city. Your future walls and towers will be made up from the skulls and bones of the people of this city and the streets will be paved with their blood. Every building will be raised to the ground and I will scatter the ruins of this beautiful city across the globe. Mark my words and remember this should you resist."

the Ryuguard, Flagship of the Republican Navy

Opimius, outraged at the letter and the presentation of the head of a Doge to him, order the Envoy executed and his body hung from the walls for Pomerlane to see. He also ordered the flagship of the Republican navy, the Ryuguard, to fire a shot into Pomerlane's camp to signal that Atalanta would not fall without a fight, and to take Atalanta he would have to beat her navy. Needless to say, Pomerlane got the message and prepared for his next move. He left 5,000 under Pomeclius to build a siege camp outside the city while he would take the rest of the army to capture the rest of the Republic, one city at a time. He knew it would this would be a long siege and a long campaign to subdue the Republic once and for all.

To be continued.