Wild Goose Chase: Babylon (fiction, continue 35)
Posted on: November 30, 2008
Babylon: where all start and end.
In order to relieve the pressure on the Northern and Easter bases within the periphery of the Empire Artax decided to open a third front westward. Many of the navy pirates had defected to Artax for higher returns but the Persian navy was still intact. Consequently, Artax avoided any maritime confrontation and his ships dispersed in the Indian Ocean met in Adan in Southern Yemen. The ships navigated around the Arab Peninsula and landed in the fishing town of Akaba in southern Jordan.
Instead of taking the long regular route to Babylon, the troops headed by Artax crossed a difficult desert to Basra. A mutiny in the inner circle of the Imperial guards assassinated “Khosro the Magnificent”. It was not that the Magnificent was more inept than his army commanders but the reaction of the guards was a traditional exit means to vent frustration on the leading scapegoat. The next day, the mutineers realized that they put an end to the only symbol that held the Empire still united. Chaos reigned in the Empire.
Artax army resumed its fast advance toward Babylon. The Persian Empire was as ripe as a rotten apple and the gates of Souze needed a light kick to disintegrate. The way to regaining the throne was open to Artax and post-war plans for reconciliation, reform, and reconstruction were being readied in Babylon.
Adonis Diaries 
Leave a Reply