The Legion (Superpowers)

The Legion is the primary arm of the Imperium's military machine. The centerpoint of a military-industrial complex of enormous power in the Roman state. Feared universally by other countries and reveared by imperial patriots, the Roman army is the most potent force in the world and a valuable tool for pursuing policies by other means than diplomacy.

Founded in the 4th century BC, it continues to grow in scope. Only the Mongol world army exceeds its manpower. Military scientists, from around the world, theorize that The Legion rivals the combined ground forces of all the planet's armies. This is questionable but no one can deny its vast capabilities.

The longest serving military force in human history, The Legion has weathered transitions in technology that single organizations never see. Its incredible logistic flexibility and the mental fortitude of its soldiers, has allowed The Legion to exist over millennia.

Historically, Rome's ground forces had four divisions. The Legion (professional soldiers); the Auxiliaries (militia); the Cabellica (heavy cavalry), and the Castellanae Imperia (Eng: National Guard). At the closing of the Global War, the Auxiliaries were officially disbanded as a standing force by the Caesar. The law of Auxilaria Subito (conscription) however remains from its addition to Roman Law in 1067. Besides these divisions is the Praetorian Guard that is popularly considered part of The Legion. This, however, is a fallacy. The Guard is its own branch of the military, unrelated to the National Guard or armed forces.

Legio Romani
The professional arm of the imperial ground forces is the Legio [Romani] (Eng: The Legion). The modern Legion fields 201 Legions of almost identical formation. The 1717 Marian Reforms established its current organization, closely in line with historical models.

The standard Roman foot soldier, unchanged in name for thousands of years, is the Legionary. Exactly 1,242,180 legionaries fight for the armed forces and are assisted by countless engineers, officers, doctors, and technicians outside this count.

The Caesar's personal Legion is the 101st legion (pronounced chi). It operates apart from the Praetorian Guard and follows orders directly from the emperor. Its soldiers are some of the most fearsome in the modern world.

Organization
The Imperial Legion's smallest infantry division is a Contubernium, or 10 man-unit. While the name has been kept over all these millennia, the modern use is notably distinct from how the ancients saw the term. The Contubernium's 10 milites (soldiers) are commanded by a Tesserarius and his second-in-command Decurion. Ten Contubernia constutite a Century (La: Centuria). The commanding officer of a century is the prestigious Centurion, who stands outside his battle group's 100 soldiers. Centurions are assisted by two Optiones who have individual control of five Contubernia.

One of a Centurion's Optiones is appointed Primo Optio, successor to the CO. In the event of the Centurion's death in battle, the Primo Optio accepts his powers and responsibilities until conflict ceases. He must appoint the second Optio his own Primo Optio, who in turn appoints an accompanying Optio from the Tesserarii. Ranking officers who are subjected to the dangers of war must have an Immutatio (Eng: Second-in-command). Otherwise, the chain of command risks breaking. At the bottom, a Tesserarius can succeeded by his Decurion. Rarely, an officer and his immutatio will die simultaneously, without opportunity to name successors. This doesn't happen often, and when it has, the entire Contubernium usually perished. The point is moot.

Next in the line of divisions are the Cohortes, comprised of 6 Centuriae. In the old days, Cohorts were arranged in a hierarchy where the first was most prestigious and the tenth least, but this order was phased out during the end part of the 1st millennium, and long gone by Marius' reforms. Cohorts are led by a Signiferius. Once the standard-bearer of the army, signifer became the name for a high military rank in the 18th century. His formal duties are to choose the symbol, motto and personalized aspects of his Cohors to distinguish it within the Legion. Rarely in the actual line of fire, the Signifierius still risked losing communication with his troops, either in a radio blackout or technical error. In such an event, the Cohors' senior Centurion fulfills the duty of Primus Pilus (Eng: First File) and will take charge until contact with upper command is restored. The Primus Pilus' Century received no special treatment but the First File himself has the highest pay grade of a foot soldier.

Thus the range of ranks for ground troops is exhausted. As the highest ranking military official within a Legion (beneath general), Signiferius is an enormously prestigious post for a soldier. They receive the highest wages and only enter the heat of battle at their own will. It brings a great deal of dignitas to one's family to reach this post.

Upper Command
A Roman Legion is commanded by a Dux (Eng: General). The term "Dux" evolved during the Early Empire (50-700 AD) to be a catch-all term for military leader, much like the English term of general. Likewise, there was a large variety of Duces who ranged in title as one scaled the military hierarchy. Today the title has a specific and prestigious use. Since individual Legions tend to be stationed in one location, Duces are typically the highest ranking local military officer. They hold the executive power not only to issue orders but to create them and to strategize of their own accord. Duces often achieve the fame from successful military campaigns.

The immediate superiors of the generals are Epistrategos (Eng: Over-General). An Epistratego controls ten Duces, and has influence over just as many Legions. Under the current 200 Legion army, 20 Epistrategos serve the Empire at home and abroad. While generals are praised by the public, the Epistrategos are reveared for their military prowess. Their mere presence commands respect from civilians, politicians and soldiers alike.

The highest section of The Legion is continental command. All control of the forces on a single continent is in the hands of a Legatus (Eng: Commander). The five Legati of the Imperium are: Legatus Africanus, Legatus Europae, Legatus Oceanus, Legatus Asianus and Legatus Columbus. The four Epistrategos under the command of a Legatus, in addition to relaying orders to their inferiors, have the directive to focus on a layer of overall strategy. This focus depends on the skills of the Epistratego in question, but it involves specialization in coordinating other sections of the Roman military or specialization on certain situations that are common for region of their Commander. This specialization has been frozen in the last half-century of wars. One Epistratego coordinates with international forces, one with the navy, one with the airforce and the last with forces in space.

Administration
At the very top of this military hierarchy were two important individuals. The first one is the Minister of War. This is not so much a military rank as a political position, however it is nearly impossible to have this position unless you had a very distinguished military career, usually having served several years as a Dux, Epistratego or Legatus. The MoW is however not really part of the Legion itself, as he could stem from any branch of the military and in fact had control over the operations of the entire Roman Armed Forces. Despite this, the MoW is most heavily associated with The Legion and would even be present for many meetings of the Caetus Legati (Eng: Gathering of Legates).

The other primary leader of the Imperial Legion is the Generalissimus (Eng: Supreme Commander). Only created in times of war, or when war is imminent, the Generalissimus is the Supreme Commander with the first and last say in every major military action. Able to overrule even the Minister of War, the Generalissimus answered to no one but the Emperor himself. For this reason, it is only the Emperor of Rome that may appoint the Generalissimus, even appointing the title to himself on six different occasions in history. Such an act is essentially equivalent to declaring martial law, though it is somewhat of a formality anyhow as the Emperor always has indirect control over all parts of the Roman Empire, regardless of other internal factors.

As well as the standard legions, there were always several thousand men in reserves. These Adscripticii were permanently stationed within forts around the Empire and could be brought in as replacement soldiers at any given time. Although their majority consisted of legionary trainees (La: Tirones), a few could have ranks going up to the level of Centurion, and so could serve as replacements in the event of even their death or leave. All of the Adscripticii are part of the larger National Guard, or stationary forces.

The entire armed forces is maintained along a strict chain of command stretching from the regular foot soldier to the Generalissimus himself. No military personnel can search for directions from anyone outside their immediate commanding officer (CO), though the lower officers must accept orders from superiors. Under normal circumstances, the chain of command is followed to the letter, without deviation.

Other Posts
Aside from the regular milites and their commanders, there were several other special positions held within the Roman Legion. Though there are far too many different types to mention them all, some even having no set number of personnel, there are a few that are of central importance to the army. The first is the Aenator. With one per Centuria, they served essentially as officers of moral, checking the mental state of the soldiers and ensuring that mutinies were kept at bay. This job was a relatively new addition to the Legion, only having been added in 1864, during the Magna Cruorem.

One important rank that has existed in one form or another all throughout the Roman Legion's history is the Ballistarius. Within the modern army, they are the gun crew for all the various artillery pieces (Ballistae) in use by the Legion. Group of Ballistarii are always attached to a particular Cohors, their number being mostly continuous throughout all the Legions. Mostly is to be emphasized here as this is were a distinctive element of the Roman Army comes into play. Though the Legions all have a very linear structure of command, a certain few are specialized within a certain field. For instance, right now, the 166th has five times the standard number of Ballistarii, and has several other changes making it a specialized Artillery Legion. Even though the overall legionary structure described above is kept in place, the increased number of personal specializing in the set-up and use of artillery is what distinguishes it within the Legion. Each artillery Alarius is led by a single Duplicarius. There were usually 6 of these per cohors and their commanding officer is the Signiferius, putting them on the same rank as Centurions.

Another important position is Medicus. Roughly the same as its equivalent word in English, the Medici would go into battle and medically operate on wounded soldiers. Interestingly, this is the only position in the entire Imperial Legion that can be held by non-citizens. This rule was implemented during the late 50's to allow the great skills of the Inca doctors to benefit the Empire.

Testudos
Before the Aegranian Reforms of 1068-1075, Testudos were limited to a support role within the Roman Legion. Only about 26 were in service at any one time, and their use was limited to whenever they were needed. Due to the fact that just a single one could have a devastating effect on virtually any army or fortification, the new Emperor Aegranus opted to significantly increase their use. He changed it so that every single Legion would have use of a single Testudo.

Over the years this number steadily increased and by the end of the Two Hundred Years War there were 5 Testudos per legion. It is around this time that new electrikally powered Testudos came into existence and began to replace the man-powered version. Despite the changes, the Testudo remained an integral part of the Roman Legion until 1820 when they were fully replaced by an entirely new design of Testudo, one which would completely revolutionize the way war was fought the whole world over.

Ranks
Here is an overall chart of Roman military positions and their numbers in the Legion.


 * Generalissimus
 * 5 Legati
 * 20 Epistrategos
 * 200 Duces
 * 2,010 Signiferii
 * 2,010 Primus Pili
 * 12,060 Centurions
 * 12,060 Primo Optiones
 * 24,120 Optiones
 * 120,600 Tesserarius
 * 120,600 Decurions
 * 964,800 Legionaries


 * Total Infantry : 1,242,180 Milites

Gathering of Legates
The Caetus Legati is the most important military group in the entire Legion and the Empire. Under normal (peaceful) circumstances, the Legates meet every week in the Concilium Res Militas of the city of Rome itself. When one or more are abroad, they tend to attend by long-distance telecommunication hologram. Impressively, the Council Chambers utilize nanotechnology of small robotic dots in the form of a liquid that can form any shape or color, creating what appears to be a perfect "hologram", one which can even interact with real objects.

During emergencies the Legati can be gathered for several days on end, often with the accompaniment of the Minister of War and Generalissimus or Emperor. The Legati also serve as the primary military advisors to the government, and this council is not too dissimilar from the American Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Equipment
The equipment for the standard Roman Legionary is:
 * Primary Weapon: There are three options for a legionary's primary weapon: one for long-range, one for close-quarters and one for use against heavy targets. Like most of a legionary's equipment, the primary weapon is powered by a small nuclear battery that is part of his suit. Certain capabilities, such as targeting, are standard to all guns as they connect directly to targeting computers and sensors in the armor itself.
 * Long Distance Weapon: The Nike Assault rifle is the most advanced infantry gun in moder use. The gun itself is about 0.9 meters long, with no stock of any kind since such an addition is unnecessary when there is no kickback. The gun uses a solid-state laser with a standard power requirement of 1 MJ per second, the equivalent of 200 grams of high explosive onto the target every second. As the gun fires at frequencies of either 2, 4 or 6 short pulses per second, the effect of the gun is devastating even to armored targets. The range of the Nike, like any laser weapon, is only limited by the soldier's line of sight, although more than 30 km of travel in air will significantly reduce the amount of energy that actually reaches the target. Assuming a full power supply, no other energy use and a 2 Hz operating frequency, the Nike can fire about 20,000 shots before needing to have the power recharged. Other systems of the soldier would however be operating simultaneously, and so realistically a soldier would have about 2,000 to 5,000 available shots. Considering no reloading whatsoever is required, those numbers are remarkable. There is an optional mode for the gun that provides a "realistic" sound and flash that can serve as a good intimidation tool.
 * Close-Quarters: The Hammer of Hephaestus burst gun is the only plasma handgun in use by any military force in the world. Only about 0.6 meters long, the gun is considered rather large for a small arm, this is only to allow room for the 0.3 meter long helium gas cartridge that is used as ammo. Electromagnets heat and accelerate the helium gas to a muzzle velocity of about 20,000 meters per second through coiled accelerator tubes. Given the surprisingly large amount of gas ejected with each shot, one cartridge allows for about 200 bolts to be fired. Since most soldiers would be equipped with between 4 to 6 magazines, the weapon is still highly effective. The Hammer is especially effective against armored targets due to its capability to burn through nearly all materials, although electromagnetic shielding is an extremely effective countermeasure.
 * Heavy Machine Gun: Almost 2 meters long and weighing over 26 kg with no attachments, the Minotaurus Heavy machine gun is the largest man-portable weapon in current use. In certain variations of attachments, the gun can weigh up to 34 kg, not counting ammunition. In most cases, the gun attaches to large pack held on the soldier's back which usually carries 16,000 bullets of 8 mm caliber. Each of these bullets has a small shaped charge that can add 50 mm of penetration into tank armor with each hit. With a variable rate of fire that can approach 3,000 rounds per minute, a soldier equipped with this gun can make short work of a tank in times of need. Adding more to penetration, the guns have an anti-infantry and anti-vehicular mode, the former accelerating them to 1,300 meters per second and the latter to about 11,300 meters per second. Essentially the gun is effective for anti-infantry, vehicle and aircraft roles. Even fortifications can offer little protection from the Minotaurus.
 * Sidearm: There are two standard sidearms for Roman Legionaries. The first is the Clanculum rapid fire gun. It's small size, magazine of 50 rounds and muzzle velocity of 1,300 meters per second allow it to get a legionary out of most sticky situations. The Percidio however is more like an OTL Desert Eagle, able to give more than 20 KJ of kinetic energy to each of its 12 rounds. The decision to use either one is all down to preference, either the soldier wants a high-powered sidearm for close encounters, good in combination with the Nike rifle, or perhaps the soldier wants something to rapidly take out multiple foes at any range, something which is useful in any situation. Unlike the primary weapon of the legionary, the sidearms power comes from its ammo clip and so is usable even if their suit runs out of power.
 * Armor: The Lorica Carbonata is the crown jewel of the Legion, and is perhaps one of the most advanced pieces of technology in the world, with one suit able to cost upwards of $540,000 US (10800 Dn). The payoff however makes it all completely worth it, very few legionaries ever die on the field. There are dozens of features built into the suit, each of which helps it live up to its stupendous reputation.
 * Outer Layer: Outwardly the armor appears to be made of sturdy plates of what seems to be metal, though is actually a hardened alloy of carbon nanotubes, which is nearly 200 times stronger than steel and still a fourth of its weight, a material that not even the Mayans are capable of creating at their current level of technology. This can't cover every inch of the soldier obviously and so many parts use linked nanotube micro-particles (analogous to chain mail) that offer mobility whilst only slightly reducing overall durability. As for the helmet, there are viewing ports though the actual glass part is far smaller than it may appear (a circle of 8 mm in diameter) and only leads to multiple cameras, rather than directly to the soldier's head. In any case the thickness of the plates at most points is enough to resist literally anything up to the level of a direct hit from a cruise missile, and the incredibly high heat resistance of the material (approaching that of tungsten) similarly makes fire, laser and electrical weaponry ineffective except at a very high orders of magnitude.
 * Inner Layer: The bottom layer of the armor is a synthetic fiber that offers maximum comfort to the soldier, while the next layer provides shock absorbency in the event of an impact. Electronic heat sinks act to drain excess heat from inside the suit and into the nuclear battery, while electric heaters can provide warmth in temperatures as low as -60 degrees Celsius. Finally, electromagnets which work diamagnetically on the human body can absorb accelerations of up to 40 g, enabling the soldier to withstand tremendous abuse.
 * Exoskeleton: The most important part of the entire suit, the powered exoskeleton gives each soldier seemingly superhuman abilities. First of all, it is able to support up to about 1,000 kg for the wearer as well as significantly reduce the amount of stamina lost by the soldier during any physical exertion, for instance allowing anyone in the suit to easily sprint several kilometers without tiring. Each of the "artificial muscles", acting through a design of motors pulling nanotube fibers, is attached to a polymeric nanofiber battery patch that is continually recharged to provide quick energy. Furthermore, the exoskeleton works in concert with the targeting computers to give the soldier perfect control and accuracy when firing his weapons. Another interesting point about the exoskeleton is that it has preprogrammed kickback motions for each of its weapons to both provide the soldier with a sense of power and intimidate the enemy. Contrary to popular belief, even the laser rifle offers kickback which the suit simulates, since light particles themselves have momentum.
 * Power and Shielding: All power for the suit comes from a small nuclear battery in the back of the armor. Depending on the intensity of the soldier's situation, the battery can usually run it for a minimum of two days time, and even up to several weeks if no weapons systems are used. Power travels to all necessary parts of the suit through insulated superconductor wires. Most importantly, electric nodes in the right hand provide power to the primary weapon, or any vehicle or building with an appropriate socket to receive power in this manner. On the left hand are other nods through which the nuclear battery is recharged, either from vehicles or special mobile charging units which receive power from orbiting solar satellites. All suits are also equipped with an electromagnet in the main suit that can project a powerful magnetic field on command that can reflect railgun rounds, plasma and electric discharges as well as partially deflect lasers, bullets, missiles and other shrapnel. An amplifier is placed in the right arm of the suit that can amplify and focus the shield in a certain direction depending on the orientation of the arm.
 * Sensors: The suit and helmet in particular are equipped with the most advanced electric sensors available to humankind. Like most suit systems, sensors can be activated or unactivated through deliberate thought, a skill which is taught extensively to all legionaries. In the eyes are both infrared and visible cameras which offer extraordinary detail on what they are viewing; this includes the ability to identify vehicles, civilians, legionaries and other combatants on sight. Both physical and digital magnification gives sight equivalent to most OTL sniper scopes, while the systems can integrate with a separate scope on the gun and provide significantly greater levels of magnification, as well as allowing the soldier to see both what the gun is seeing, and what his suit is seeing at the same time. Computers in the suit calculate things such as the height of distant objects, their distance and bullet drop based on the current settings of the gun and weather conditions. Other sensors can indicate radioactive substances, though only vaguely (they appear as a digital flashing glow over an object). Finally, the computer can take over to acquire, follow and eliminate targets when it would be otherwise impossible for the soldier to do it alone, this occurs automatically and seamlessly from the point of view of the soldier.
 * Medical Systems: Provided courtesy of the Inca Empire, Roman soldiers are equipped with a wide variety of medicines and drugs that Roman scientists could not fathom. A substance structurally similar to morphine can provide up to four days of continuous pain relief with a low chance of addiction, whilst another drug helps to rapidly heal wounds (at almost six times the normal rate). An artificial form of norepinephrin, combined with a cocktail of other drugs can be administered to put the soldier into, what the Romans call, "God mode", putting them into an elevated state of adrenaline high. Reflexes are multiples faster than normal, muscles operate far above their normal capacity (still important as quick muscle movements mean that the exoskeleton will react more quickly) and many soldiers attest to perceiving the passage of time at a slower rate, attributable to elevated mental activity. Although this can only be kept up for about five minutes maximum (as the heart will simply fail) it is an incredibly useful addition to the legionary's arsenal. Another drug can be repeatedly administered to keep a soldier active continuously for up to three days, whilst another still provides for their dietary needs over the same period. Lastly is a drug which most soldiers and civilians are given very little information about, and most of this information is a distortion of the truth. This final drug is injected without the soldiers knowledge if the vital sensors in the suit detect that the soldier is feeling worn down, dissatisfied or particularly unhappy and once administered, instantly elevates their mood and provides them with further resolve to accomplish their tasks. This eliminates one of the most important factors in the capabilities of an army, one which has won and lost more battles than arguably any other factor, the will of the soldier.

Auxilia
The Auxilia was once the militia arm of the Roman Military and consisted mostly of non-citizens joining in an attempt to gain their citizenship. This was an age old practice within the Empire, having been put into place during the Mid-Republic. Despite the vital role they've played throughout Roman history, as technology increased, so did the cost of fielding actual army units. With this rise in cost, also came the increase in functionality of a single operating soldier and so there was less need for extra unprofessional fighting men. Still the Auxilia remained in use until 1934 when the Emperor Sulla II passed an act that permanently disbanded the force.

This was the end to a process that had begun over a century earlier during the continued Roman conquest of Africa. By this time, with the power of the Testudos (tanks) and the Polybola (machine gun), the Roman Legion was really all that was needed to conquer most armies, in particular the primitive tribes of Northern Africa. Therefore in 1831 the Auxilia was significantly reduced in size and more resources were diverted to the tank program and the new wing of the military, the airforce.

Organization
Although the actual quantity of auxiliaries is a number that changes almost every year, since the Second Marian Reforms, the size of each auxiliary group has remained constant.

The largest grouping of the auxiliaries is the Ala or wing. A single Ala is made up of 20 Manipuli (regiments) of 500 Comensati, the base soldier within the Auxilia. This last new word derives from the Latin "Comes", meaning companion, as in "companion of the military".

Each Manipulus would be led by a veteran soldier of the Imperial Legion, known as an Evocatus. This was meant so as to still maintain a cohesive chain of command, despite the large quantity of green recruits in the Auxilia. Command at the level of Ala gets slightly more complex however. Each wing of the Auxilia is put under the command of a Dux or Praefectus Castrorum, and it becomes connected to that generals own legion, or that prefects fort. This is another aspect of customization of legions, as the number of Ala attached to each varies throughout the army. The only legion never to have worked with auxiliary troops is the 101st, the Legio Palatino.

Before the start of the Global War the Auxilia was at its largest ever peace time size, meaning without conscription being in effect. Although this is surprising given the fact it is in the last leg of its existence, but it still makes sense when put into the context of history. In 1929, its peak, the Auxilia consisted of 6,000 Manipuli, so 300 Alaris, containing a total of 3,000,000 Comensati.

Cabellica
Soldiers on horseback had always been part of the Roman military since the Early Republic, but this was a force slightly lacking in attention as it was a non-vital part of the army. This continued to be a deficiency for the Romans until the Aegranian Reforms created a Heavy Cavalry Arm for The Legion, dubbed the Cabellica. The Kataphracti soldiers proved to be almost unbeatable in battle as lesser empires had nothing capable of penetrating their heavy armor.

Though armor and weapons technology continued to advance, by the time of the Great War the Cabellica had become dominated by its Celeres, or swift attack horses, to counteract the advantages firearms had over armor.

In 1820 there was a complete reformation of the Cabellica, even greater than those of the XIth century. Cavalry were completely phased out and replaced with the modern design of the Testudo. Though this was a slow change, it would make a profound difference on the way wars would be fought for the next few centuries.

Organization
Much like the Auxilia, the Cabellica has always been made of Alaris, this is however their only similarity. In this case, the Ala is the smallest unit, of which the average one is made up of 45 Testudos. Interestingly, each Ala has a unique make-up so as to specialize for a particular function. For instance, the Ala Flagrantes I consists of 60 TF-124 Flamethrower Testudos, though the Ala Flagrantes VI consists of 20 TF-124s and 30 R-127 Medium Testudos.

In a similar fashion to the Legio Palatino (Emperor's Legion), the Roman head of state has his own personal tank brigade. The Ala Fuga consists of 40 T-121 Heavy Testudos supported by 60 R-127s. This allows it to perform its primary function of clearing a safe path for the Emperor during times of trouble. Though it is often used to undergo missions of a more personal nature for the Emperor, as it does not require consultations with generals or the Discateria to be used.

Castellanae Imperia
Although not has highly trained as Legionaries, nor with access to as advanced technology, the Castellanarum (National Guardsmen) are equally as important as the Roman Legion to the defense of the Empire. They operate the static defenses that dot the Empire, especially walls and non-legionary bases and forts. The Castellanae (Roman National Guard) however most resembles the Legion as all soldiers are professionals, though only to a degree. Despite not being as highly trained as soldiers in the Roman Legion, the National Guard has historically seen far less deaths due to the added protection of always operating out of static defenses.

The members of the National Guard are controlled by the Legatus that leads their continent of residence, through their direct control of the Praefecti Castrorum.

Organization
There are currently 3,000,000 Castellanarum in the National Guard, commanded by exactly 3,000 Praefectus Castrorum', their only CO. Most Castra (Bases) are led by one Praefectus and so each is manned by 1,000 professional troops. All troops are specialized for a certain aspect of defending the base, and so the thousand men are an assortment of infantrymen, artillerymen, armored troops and operators. All bases are heavily armed and armored, often making use of electromagnetic systems for shielding and surveillance, and having upwards of 10 heavy artillery emplacements, along with at least 40 light artillery pieces and about 500 gun-emplacements along the base's walls. Except when part of a city, it is usually illegal to get within a kilometer of a Castrum, coming within only a few hundred meters makes the soldiers no longer liable for shooting at the intruder. Furthermore, certain high-security Castra have a "shoot on sight" policy.

As well as single Praefectus forts, there are a few examples of forts with multiple commanding officers and battalions. Examples of these are the Cimbrian Provincial Praetorium and the Praetorium of Jerusalem, with 3 and 2 Praefectus respectively. Furthermore, in the case of walls, there are usually about one Praefectus per 1000 km, with for example 2 Praefectus Castrorum along the Great Judean Wall.

The largest and most important Castrum is the Castrum Italium, located partly inside of a mountain near Mediolanum (Milan). It consists of four battalions, so 4,000 soldiers and is generally considered to be the foremost military base in the world. Founded originally in the 1000's to protect the capital during another civil war, the base has been continually kept at the head of all military technologies. Rumors abound about this legendary building, including speculations on top secret research being performed there, and so it is a source of much attention in motion pictures, all in a positive light.

In addition to the 4,000 Castellanae and 4 Praefectus, thousands of members of the Munus Indicius Romanus as well as 1 legion reside there. Given its incredibly high security, and location of importance, it has one secondary function. In the event that, God forbid, the capital itself might be placed in danger, the entire Roman government can use it as a retreat zone and bunker. As the base is hardened against every weapon designed by man, it is without a doubt the safest place on the planet in the event of war, nuclear attack or meteor strike.