Kassius Aelius

Art by Ozumii Wizard, picture of Aelius Kassius

## Early Life

*"Life is a gamble, lads, do you have what it takes to roll the dice?" - Attributed to Legate Aquila Aelius Verdius Gaius*

In a mid-summer day in the Green Belt of Diomikato, Aelius Vercengeterix Kassius was born the seventh son of Legate Aquila Aelius Vedius Gaius and his wife, Aelius Visellia. The youngest of their seven children, Kassius was not expected to do much, at least no compared to his six older brothers, the eldest of which was already in the Aquila Military Academy.

Nevertheless, he trained as hard as any son of House Aquila, and throughout his schooling, he was found to be a bit of a wild one. He also made fast friends with a noble girl he'd met at that early age, a girl name Lucila, whose parents owned some land in the Green Belt that Gaius wished to claim for himself. He would meet with the girl's father in secret, and arranged a union between them and set the date for when both would be legal adults, December 7th, 3174.

Despite this deal, Gaius planned on sending Kassius to the academy early, largely in part to make sure that he didn't go screwing up his plans to annex the other noble's land to his own, and also to start his son on a carrier path in the Aquila Legions, specifically, the Aquila Navy and Legio CXI, known to most as The Talon Fleet. Kassius' oldest brother, Velius, was already a Decanus and was working his way up the ladder.

## The Academy Years

*"I am but a simple soldier of the throne." - Trio Aquila Aelius Kassius*

His first year at the Academia Ardenti Arbitrium (3170) was a rough one. Being one of the youngest to attend, the older boys, as well his two older brothers, Helvatius and Tribatius, wanted to put him through his paces. He would spend the whole four years training, and getting into many fights with his two brothers. However, he was an exceptional learner, picking up many skills that would help him in the fallowing years. He eventually made peace with Helvatius and Tribatius, and the three brothers swore an oath of loyalty to one another, that even if they were is separate legions, they would be of one mind to serve the Empire, and to bring honor the Clan of Aelius and House of Aquila. He also met the Legate of Legio CXI, Furius Aurelius Gaius, whom was impressed by the young man's tactical skills. He would keep an eye on the boy and eventually request him into the CXI once he graduated from the Academy in 3174.

3171 would prove to be a critical year in the young Aelius' life, as that was the year he got into the AAA's esteemed tactics courses, and also met some of the men and women who in 3200 he would write as "being lucky enough to call my friends.". Among these were Vulpinus Marcus and Ignatius Sol.

## The First Missions

"*Aquila dreams old dreams of flight. Aquila sees with another sight. Aquila stand behind your skills, and Aquila sows and reaps at will. Aquila sows and reaps at will. Aquila stands behind your skill. Aquila sees with another sight. Aquila dream old dreams of flight" - Unnamed Aquila Navalis battle-song*

After graduating and marrying Lucila, Kassius was assigned to the *AQN Flight of the Eagles*. It was a small frigate, but he would serve as their tactical officer. In 3175, he would tour Sector South aboard the *Flight,* and would even get a glimpse at the Betrayer of Humanity when they stopped at Imperial Prime before their departure.

Kassius would return to his beloved wife, and the world of Diomikato in early 3176, where he would be given only a few months leave before he would go on a three month long tour of the Imperial Core, this time not only as a Decanus but also as one of the tactical officers aboard the hallowed flagship of his Legio, The *AQN Pride of Diomikato.* He spent much of this time getting used to the larger ship.

When the *Pride of Diomikato* came to in February of 3176, they were greeted with onlookers and quite the gathering of Velan nobles on Pharos. There was some pomp and circumstance, and afterwards there was a party for the nobility and a few days respite. He would spend this shore leave mostly on Pharos, specifically in The Great Library, seen more than a few times reading on history, philosophy, and Aquilan poetry. Coincidentally enough, his god-father, Shiekhsul Vela Eratesh Osiris was also there. This being their first proper meeting, the two spoke of star ships, and their own history, including the Shiekhsul's history with the Aelius clan, dating back to the progenitor of the name, Aelius Romulus.

Come mid-3176, he would return home once again. He was welcomed home with a feast and much celebration by the Aquilan Aelius. Perhaps, in a cruel twist of fate, it would be the last time they would all be together.

## 3177 - The Year Everything Changed For The Worst

*"The Decanus was rightly distressed, and filled with untold rage. It is a pity the Legions couldn't get him to a battlefield sooner" - Inquisitor Crux Dunellon Gotfried*

3177, a year that will live in infamy. Early on in the year, Kassius and Lucila were expecting a child, their first, and the family rejoiced. It would be that year, almost the same month, that the CXI would be assigned to rout some pirates in the asteroid belts around Cabina.

Thinking it would be a quick ordeal, Kassius went into preparations with vigor. When the *AQN Pride of Diomikato* and the rest of the CXI left Diomikato. Along the way, Kassius would be moved to fleet tactics, which would prove to save his life in the coming battle. As he and his team worked on plans to deal with the pirates, news of the Cygnus Betrayal would reach them.

At first, no one knew what to think. Was it Crux making a power play? Was it true? While Legate Furius Aurelius Gaius managed to keep the fleet focused on the battle at hand, the Talon Fleet would be set upon from within by their own synthetic forces, leading to the event known as 'The Talon's Defenestration', which involved Legate Furius being blasted out a window of the Observation Deck. The crew of the *AQN Pride of Diomikato* would continue to coordinate the battle until it became clear that it was lost. Before this, Kassius would fire the Singularity Gun into the vessel that had killed his Legate.

With the fleet in disarray, Kassius pulled the remaining crewmen together to jump back to Diomikato. Weather Crux had sent out the warning as a power play or not did not matter to him. The Synths aboard the *AQN Pride of Diomikato* would be slaughtered, and likely a few innocents with them, and the CXI would begin consolidating themselves, believing that all ships that weren't over the home world had been lost.

Upon their return, news from Vectis reached the young Kassius, that the synth uprising in Vectis had left many members of his family dead. On the day the synths and Cygnus betrayed humanity in 3177, Aelius Gaius, Aelius Visellia, Aelius Helvatius, Aelius Tribatius, Aelius Lucila, and their unborn child died. This broke the young man, and he was forced to stay in the care of some of his Serpens relatives.

Following the initial betrayal, the Navalis tactician reassigned himself to serving in the Navalis Fighter-Bomber crews, eventually being able to lead a squad of space-to-atmospheric fighters to rain hell on the traitors. He would eventually earn the nickname "The Reaper" for his kill count. Part of this also would be characterized in the song 'Tools of War', as written by his Lyran cousin, the propagandist Meret Lyra Aelius Priscilla.

He would also spend some time assigned to a Crux assault on Gats, where he would meet one of his few friends, Scharfricter Crux Kessler Vrkas, whose life he'd inadvertently saved. This was one of the few clear moments in his time between 3177 and 3198, as well as having the two Pyxis Rangers Romani Raetac and Romani Elena, aboard his ship. He would save the two Pyxis three times through out the war, though his memory of these events are fuzzy.

His mind was focused on one thing, and one thing only. He was out to spill the blood of all the enemies of humanity, and swore he would never be caught so unawares again.

## Blood of my Blood, No Longer

*"I once thought that there was nothing that could break the ties of family, and yet, here we are. The great family of the Empire is torn asunder. If I were a weaker man, I'd beg God to strike me down when I saw what became of sweet Lucila, my brothers, and my parents. Unfortunately for Cygnus, I was born Aquilan, and they will know the truest pain of loss once I find them." - Personal Log, Centurion Aquila Aelius Kassius*

The betrayal of House Cygnus shook the Aelius to their core, and by the end of the Diomikatan phase of the war for Aquila, Kassius was the sole heir of Aelius Hedrianus, the Aelius who had stayed in the House of War. He spent as much time as he could fighting on the front lines, having to be forced to take time off by his superiors and usually by a Q officer. Much of the bright and loving young man hardened into the hard and stoic man seen today. This section will focus on the hunt of their former brethren.

Much to Kassius' shame, he would never get to kill the majority of his traitorous kin, that honor would fall to the Yaksha Reticulum Aelius Kangjon and his many sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, and so on, with aid from his Serpens, Fornax, and Crux cousins in the mix. He personally began to hunt down any of his treacherous kinsfolk, in one instance finding someone on Prime who claimed to be Aelius Nerva, and to Kassius' dismay, it was an impostor.

## The World That Was, A Legion Decimated

*"I will do this task, if no others seek it. It was by Aelius hands this fleet was wrought, it ought to be by Aelius hands it is rebuilt stronger." - Aelius Kassius, before being voted Legate of Legio CXI, The Talon Fleet*

After the war, Legio CXI all come together to Diomikato to decide their destiny. The fleet had been dropped to only a few thousand souls left, and the *AQN Pride of Diomikato* was functioning on a skeleton crew. No one wished to take up the duty of Legate, as they'd need to rebuild the Legion from fragments. In the end, only Kassius stood to the task. His first order was a refitting and mass repair on Diomikato, in order to stay prepared. Now a Legate, he fought tooth and nail with the Convocation to not disband his Legion, and by sheer force of will he did. By the dawn of 3200, the legion was at half strength.

However, Kassius was still a shell of the man he'd once been. For almost thirty years he'd fought for his House, for the Empire, and that had taken it's toll on him. Thought he'd never admit it, he missed the steady ebb and flow of the war. He knew his and his House's role in all things. Now he lacked that. He would never sail the stars with joy in his heart after all the deaths of friends, family, and loved ones he'd endured.

## 3200 to 3201, The War of Corporate Aggression

In early 3200, he would take the *AQN Pride of Diomikato*