Caesar Maximus

The Son of Mars

Maximus

**Caesar Drusus Maximus**, simply known in the world of Fallout: Elijah's Wrath as **Caesar**, is the leader of The Legion, succeeding to the position following the defeat by New Vegas in the Second Battle of Hoover Dam in 2282 A.D. His reign thus far has seen the reclamation of much of Arizona, and even expansion into the lands formerly known as Mexico and Baja California. Maximus has also taken a much more diplomatic approach to ruling over the Legion, establishing treaties and alliances with New Vegas and the Lone Star Republic.

## Background (Fallout: New Vegas)

Drusus Maximus was born in 2252 in the Legion city of Tucson. He was the son of a soldier and one of his slaves, and thus Maximus had no idea who his father was, and it was a great desire of his to find out. To do this, Maximus joined the army when he was seven, and was soon training. He proved excellent at melee combat, ranged combat and the like, earning respect from his commanders. When he was thirteen, he met a new recruit, nine year old Constantine Quintus, and the two young boys soon became friends.

### New Mexico and His Beauty

In 2269, Maximus was sent out into the vast lands of New Mexico, where he served for over six years, sometimes alongside Quintus. This is why Maximus was not sent to fight under the Legate Malpais in the First Battle of Hoover Dam. They learned the land like the back of their hand, and New Mexico became a second home to him. However, the boy soldier didn't have a family.

He soon found it.
While he considered Quintus his brother in arms, even completing a blood oath to die alongside him on the field, he felt something... missing. Then he met *her*. When Maximus was nineteen, and in New Mexico, (2271) the Legion subjugated another meaningless village which knew better than too resist its approach. In the village, Maximus met the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She introduced herself to him as Cassandra Cenos, and she was two years his senior. Without intending to, she broke through his hard exterior and found her way into his heart. During his time in New Mexico, Cassandra-or Cassie and Maximus fell head over heels in love, though Cassie refused to sleep with Maximus. She didn't just want to be a girl who birthed his child for his own benefit. She wanted love. But with a Legionary? She had to have been a fool. Well, yes, she was a fool. A young, lovestruck fool. While Maximus was campaigning, he and Cassie would exchange letters of romantic gestures and innuendos. But Maximus was still a soldier, and a rising star at that. He was ruthless, brutal and violent to his enemies, but provided clemency to his friends and allies.

However, it was in one of these battles, in 2274, in which Maximus was shot in the face by a raider with an arrow, and lost his right eye. To the grisly shock of his comrades, he refused medical care from a filthy slave, tore the arrow out of his face and treated the injury himself, managing to somehow avoid infection. However, he feared that Cassie would be too horrified to look at him with this new addition to all his battle scars. When he next saw her again, she still loved him for who he was. It was then that Maximus truly understood that Cassie was different. She was his. However, he still forged a mask to cover his face, which actually did wonders for creating a fearsome reputation. This would be similar of course to Legatus Lanius.

### Legatus Secondarius

When Maximus was informed the following year that he was being recalled to Flagstaff. He rushed south to Cassie's village, where he took her with him, promising her that one day they would be married. Upon arriving, several soldiers tried to get their way with Cassie, though Maximus made a point of intimidation by slaughtering each and every one of them who threatened Cassie. He was introduced for the first time to Caesar, who had been impressed with his battlefield skill and tenacity. He was already a centurion by this time, and was promoted to a Legate, serving under Lanius. Lanius and Maximus developed a sort of sick, twisted mutual admiration for each other. Lanius, like Maximus, used whatever means necessary to achieve victory, regardless of casualties. They both held undying loyalty to Caesar above anyone.

Maximus became Caesar's third in command. If he were to die, and Lanius were to die, then Maximus would become Caesar. It was something Maximus held very high above his head.

Caesar granted Cassie special protection under his custody, per his request, however her name was latinized, to 'Cassia', though Maximus still calls her Cassie. Quintus was also returned from New Mexico, and became a centurion. Maximus was tasked with campaigning and conquering villages and regions for the Legion, something he did ruthlessly. Meanwhile, Cassie gained favor with Caesar, helping further promote her love. In fact, Cassie became one of the only women in the entire Legion to actually garner respect and prestige for her cunning skill in politics and negotiation, though Lanius always disliked her for this very reason. Caesar was neutral towards her.

Years passed, and in 2282, Maximus returned to Flagstaff, and he and Cassie made plans to get married. This was planned for after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, after the Legion had marched triumphantly into New Vegas. Maximus was convinced he would lead the Legion to victory... but he would be wrong. Caesar obviously chose Lanius as his commander for the battle, which did rub Maximus the wrong way. Shortly after, Caesar succumbed to his brain tumor, and died, making Lanius, Caesar. Lanius marched off to victory against New Vegas and the NCR.

A victory which never came.

## The New Caesar (Fallout: Elijah's Wrath)

The people of Flagstaff eagerly awaited for news from the Battle. But this was when the cloud came sweeping across the Mojave, vaporizing everything in its path without mercy. The people of the land hunkered down, though upwards of 95,000 people died in the cloud. When it was all said and done, Maximus gathered and restored faith, claiming that when Caesar (Lanius) returned the rule of law would be restored. However... Lanius didn't return. The Legions eastern holdings collapsed into anarchy, and secessionist crisis.

A week passed.

Then two.

When the Legionaries came stumbling back, saying that the Legion had been defeated, Maximus knew what he had to do. He proclaimed his rightful position, presuming that the missing Lanius, his old comrade, was dead, most likely by the cloud which had nearly annihilated the Legion. Maximus became the Legion's third Caesar...

### Reclaiming the East

Maximus immediately got to work reclaiming the Eastern lands. He dispatched his old friend Quintus, now a loyal centurion to do this task on his behalf. Eloy, Miami, Willcox were all retaken. Expeditions to the Gulf of California yielded results, adventuring into the lands formerly known as Mexico. Then Quintus and another centurion were sent east to destroy a cazador hive in Sun Valley. The Battle of Sun Valley was a huge Legion success and spread rumors of the nation still being in great fighting capability, if they could sacrifice 285 men with the blink of an eye.

Maximus then promoted Quintus as his second in command, and sent him east with 8,000 men to destroy the SPQA. Quintus later returned with word that the campaign had sputtered out due to the Albans having received a new ally (The CMC Enclave) which held a vast technological advantage over the Legion. Maximus agreed with Quintus that sending 8,000 men to die would truly cripple the Legion, and so he sent an expedition north to Nellis Air Field to negotiate a trade offer with the Boomers for anti-air artillery. The envoys took 215 long brutal days to cross the Mojave before crossing the Colorado, reaching Nellis and getting through the Boomers bombardment. The envoys were turned away ten minutes later with nothing, and the slunk back to Maximus in shame.

When he heard, he let out a furious roar, but his wife, Cassie, convinced him perhaps the time was right to negotiate with Alba and the CMC.

While the envoys were wandering through the Mojave Wasteland, Maximus sent Quintus with his 4,000 men to reclaim Eastern Arizona. He did this so successfully, that he even obtained the city of East Fork as a protectorate, and discovering a desert ranger station with various weapons. Sending these back to Flagstaff, Maximus is looking to find a way to replicate these weapons to gain a firepower advantage over their enemies in the future. The eastern campaign culminated with the Battle of White River, in which Quintus decimated a horde of 2300 feral ghouls. This prompted Maximus to properly recognize him for his talents, adopting him as his son and heir, renaming him to Augustus, and making him a Legate.

### The Husband and Father

In December 2282, Maximus and Cassie married in a beautiful ceremony and they celebrated their love together after... in his tent, with the Praetorian Guard forbidden from even being in the tent that night.

Cassie was pregnant a month and a half later. Nine months later, she gave birth to twins, Germanicus and Valentina, and word is that now Maximus is willing to fight to the death to protect his wife and young children.

### East Fork Negotiations

Shortly after the envoys return to Flagstaff, Maximus, Augustus, Veteran Decanus Pinarius and one hundred legionaries marched east to a neutral meeting ground between East Fork and the Alban town of Luna. Maximus remained out of sight as Pinarius and Augustus attempted to negotiate with Alba and the now revealed CMC Enclave, represented by one ~~Kevin Spacey~~ Frank Underwood. Once it became clear that they were struggling, Maximus emerged and took control over the situation, intimidating and making the Albans speechless out of true mortal terror for their lives.

As negotiations progressed, the CMC and Alba began demanding more hostile and destructive terms, such as the Legion handing over all their slave women (only the women were specified) or handing over all their firearms. Given that it was now known that Lanius was alive, and lurking, ready to drown Arizona and New Mexico in an ocean of blood, Maximus spoke to one of the Alban diplomats, Amatius, one who Maximus held admiration for in private.

He implored Amatius, begged him to negotiate for better terms, trying to get him to understand that if the Legion were to agree to either one of these terms, Lanius would crush his troops, and wipe it out nearly unopposed. If that were to happen... New Mexico would burn in a sea of fire and carnage. Luckily, Amatius saw reason, went to his fellow diplomats, and informed them of the new information. Amatius defended Maximus, and in the end of the negotiations, promised to phase out the institution of slavery within four years. It was described as an epiphany of course, as he recalled Cassie's numerous unhinged rants about the inhumanity of slavery-and he questioned why only she deserved the fate of freedom. The Albans were stunned by the acknowledgement-though the CMC was not yet pleased. They inquired information on whom this 'Lanius' was, and both sides explained his brutality and his savagery in untold detail.

The Enclave soon declared war upon Lanius, and began the process of establishing embassies. The Treaty of East Fork was soon established, and ended the Alban War of Independence... forever.