The tide of soldiers washed over the Legion shields
Buried, the ranks of Legionaries sagged.
"Push!" the Legion NCO yelled.
Welcome to 264 B.C.
Over the grunts and cries of men struggling against the mass of bodies pressing down on them, the Optio bellowed again, "Push!"
And the Legion shields rose, rolling back the tide. The higher the shields, the more soldiers slid off, and the straighter the Legionaries stood. One shield tilted back, and a mercenary soldier tumbled behind the ranks. An infantryman stepped back and drove his blade between the soldier's ribs. Once the breach was sealed, he returned to his place in Legion combat line.
With the Qart Hadasht Empire controlling the port of Messina and the shipping lanes, one Legionary is sent across the Messina Strait to do the impossible. Open the harbor for the Legion. Once behind enemy lines, Alerio Sisera relies on his style of physical negotiations and brutal diplomacy to complete the mission.
