Act Zero
Scene Ten.
Brutus knew the revolt he
had planned was in the gutters then. It was due to Cicero’s folder than damned
the works. He should not have trusted Cicero, but it was all of Cicero’s bare
plans that triggered the revolt. Pompey was convinced of the plan, but there
was his reluctance to get in then; he wanted assurances. It was then that
Brutus knew he had to get others, and it was then that Moses told him of
Junior.
“He is hot-headed and will
be an asset to us.” Moses was his henchman and confidante. “I can talk to him.”
Brutus knew that Pompey
still held an influence on Rome; his boys are still loyal to him. He agreed
with Moses to act on Junior. It was unplanned when Moses got into Lucas Perry,
and there were two developments that he had no control over.
One was Junior, who was
convinced that the shift of power would be there if they defeated Caesar. He
was looking to learn more about Rome. Brutus told Moses to handle him.
Two were Egypt. Brutus knew
that the treasury of the Romans was low. The last civil war caused them some
losses and concessions to the other gangs. The Sicilians were on their backs
then, and Caesar had to negotiate for peace. Mark Antony was sent over there,
but the coffers were barely sufficient. It was Lucas Perry who told Moses of
Egypt.
“I had seen the reports.
They posted an agent there to check the numbers. I hardly know him, but he is
good, as he gave some numbers back to his superiors. That was not all I heard;
Egypt has his balls grabbed. His numbers are the tip of the iceberg.” Lucas
told Moses. “We could see them. I am told they needed allies.”
That was not all. Pompey
also knew Egypt.
“They are my customers. They
are busy with a lot of wares through the wharf, and from there on, the barges
go down south. They pay well, and there is no dispute on the rates. I valued
them as my customers.”
Egypt was the dark horse
then. Brutus had his plan revised to include Egypt, their wealth, and the
Romans' boys. There was one hidden agenda for Brutus; he needed to remain
hidden, so he used the lieutenants there. He got Moses to do the point and
Pompey to cover the flanks, checking the numbers so he could negotiate terms.
Cicero does all the math and supplies the numbers.
It was all fine until Moses
got Isaac killed. Isaac was the brawn one who spoke too much when drunk. Moses
had to kill him, unsanctioned then, but the greatness of it was to make Isaac
look like a sick death. Not so much with Lucas. He was killed carelessly by
Junior for being greedy, and then came Moses, who confronted Junior and gave
him the iced shoes. In the course of their business, there were personal
connections.
Moses death raised more
questions.
It then came to Caesar to
ask the questions. Caesar was too careful, and having survived the last civil
war, he was trying to avoid another bloodshed. Brutus knew that Caesar must be
contained; he prompted Egypt to tempt Caesar. It was to get Caesar away from
Rome. It worked, but the presence of Mark Antony was disruptive. Ironically, he
suggested to Caesar that he bring back Mark Antony. It was a move to have the
lieutenant monitored and later controlled by Brutus, but it was not ‘que sera
sera’ then to his favour.
Brutus had to get the
assassination done, but it failed. The second one too. He decided to escalate
the plan by getting the other gangs in—the Visigoths and Tongs—but they got
cold feet.
Coppers that get in the way
were removed, like ‘Best’.
The death of Cicero was
unforeseen; Brutus did not plan for Lady Fulvia and her reckless behaviour.
Brutus then pushed his other
hidden lieutenant to surface. Menas did a good job in the new Triumvirate, but
he was up against Lepidus and Agrippa. He laid the grounds for them to dislike
Mark. Brutus was surprised at Agrippa’s ambition, but that old man is an aging
bear.
Ptolemy was killed by the
half-sister, which was another foreseen angle. Lady Cleop was then the Queen,
and she kept Caesar with her. Things were escalating, and Brutus knew he had to
act fast or more would die, including him.
Brutus called on his other
ace.
“Enobarbus, can you meet me
later today?”
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