Spartacus Page #5

of hundreds.

Your life.

Our child's.

- I have faith you'll find answers.

- Where?

- Within the soul you say I have?

- Yes.

You may not have chosen this

moment, Spartacus.

But it seems that this moment

has chosen you.

My Lord, is it true you've given

the troops permission to camp...

without building the usual

defensive fortifications?

The men are tired

and I am tired.

When a Roman army bivouacs it is

customary to build a fort.

It's just a handful of slaves...

facing the same miserable

conditions we are.

With women and children and one

tenth of our equipment.

A little while ago some of you

were asking me if I had a plan.

And the plan is this.

We will attack first.

David, hold your men outside the

camp until you hear my cry...

and then charge in like

the gods of hell.

If these don't hold,

I'll kill you myself.

If these don't hold, you won't have

to kill me. We'll all be dead.

You can tell us now.

You are safe here.

I was asleep.

I woke up to screaming.

The sound of screaming.

I was screaming.

Their men were everywhere,

like ravenous beasts.

And their women followed, feeding

like harpies on the wounded.

The killing went on and on.

At the end our men threw down the

weapons and plead for their lives...

- but there was no mercy.

- How is it that you were spared?

I don't know why they chose me.

All I know is I was brought

before their leader.

My name is Spartacus. I have a

message for your Senate.

Tell them that we, the slaves...

say the Roman way

is corrupt and dead.

We want nothing from you.

Leave us alone.

But if you come

after us again...

we will destroy you all.

By all that Rome holds sacred...

I will see her honor restored.

I will not rest...

until this Spartacus...

hangs, crucified...

at the gates of Rome.

Move and kill!

Move and kill!

Again.

Move and kill!

Move and kill!

Faster!

- They're looking better.

- Against wooden posts.

We'll see what they're like

when the target fights back.

- Orsino is here.

- The Sicilian pirate?

What do we have

to talk to him about?

A lot.

The key would help.

Spartacus.

I could tell at once.

You have such

an air of command.

You here to do business

or flatter me?

You've done well.

We like to think of it as back

wages, long owed.

Is it enough to buy us passage

out of here?

- For yourself?

- For all of us.

If you take us beyond the borders

of the Empire they wouldn't follow.

What you're asking would

require a great many ships...

and make me many

enemies in Rome.

- So how many trunks of gold?

- At least five more like this.

When we are ready

how do I signal you?

Get to the coast and fly this...

where it can be seen

from the sea.

Take it.

A gift for our new alliance.

I'll take it as a down payment.

I better get some help.

That was a fortune

you just gave away.

We can't eat gold, nor will

it keep a sharp edge.

Crixus, let's keep this arrangement

among ourselves for now.

- We can't trust that man.

- Orsino or Crixus?

Either one.

Over the walls!

As word spread of the revolt...

slaves from all over the country

ran away from their bondage...

and flocked to join Spartacus.

We all knew there was

no turning back.

It was freedom or death.

And so we marched

from city to city...

taking what we needed for the day

we might finally be free.

But the fight for freedom

was tainted by revenge.

No mercy was shown to

those who fell into our hands.

Is this wise?

As long as they obey the laws it's

better to let them have their way.

They're still a mob.

- Take everything!

- Making an army will take time.

Intelligence reports the slaves

are squatting...

on the coast at Nola.

- We must attack and annihilate all.

- With what?

Thanks to your haste, we'll be

Glabrus was obviously

the wrong commander.

- Your choice as I recall, Senator.

- My choice by default.

- There were and are better options.

- Pompey, for example.

Recalling Pompey now...

it'll jeopardize the

Spanish campaign.

Well, I haven't got your experience

in the field, of course.

Wait. Yes, that's right.

You have none.

Very well.

For now let us focus

on Rome's defenses.

We cannot, under

any circumstances...

allow the slaves to escape.

I say we march on Rome!

There are sixteen cohorts

in Rome.

We're outnumbered

at Vesuvius. Now...

- their bones rot in the fields.

- But taking a city...

is different than ambushing

a sleeping cohort...

that's too lazy to build

a proper camp.

For one thing, we have

no siege equipment.

We can build it.

And while we do that,

what would Rome do?

Recall their legions.

The real soldiers.

Not these city boys

who play at soldier.

I say we march north...

towards Transalpine Gaul...

- and over the mountains to freedom.

- Rome is north.

And when we march past we'll

thumb our noses at them.

There are many cities between

here and the Alps.

- Not just Rome.

- And many of them...

I'm sure would be more than happy

to pay us our back wages.

Then we march!

Yesterday, you had your fun

with me in the Senate.

Today, let's get down

to business.

This Spartacus is turning a rabble

into a real army.

I don't think we can count

on him doing anything...

as ill-conceived or impetuous

as attacking Rome.

Still, it would probably

be wise...

as someone has

already suggested...

to strengthen the city walls.

Those would be large contracts.

Plenty enough to go around.

But if you really want to be

confident about Rome's security...

I cannot support your bid

for consulship.

General of the next army...

sent against Spartacus.

Sixty-forty on

the contracts.

I make no promises.

I also think we should

make an example.

There are one hundred thousand

slaves in Rome...

and they have all heard the

story of Spartacus.

What do you propose that we do?

I say we make the price

of rebellion...

painfully clear.

What is it?

Two hundred Roman slaves...

picked at random...

and burned alive this morning.

Hold, Crixus.

We can't sacrifice

everyone to save a few.

We're moving on.

The stench is appalling.

Breathe deeply, Flavius.

This is the smell of Crassus'

new world order.

Although it goes beyond anything

I'd have thought him capable of.

I'm sorry. The child is dead.

- Varinia?

- She must rest.

- Our son.

- No.

You're alive.

That's what matters most.

I have failed you.

There will be others.

I promise.

Our scouts indicate

that the slave Army...

is headed toward the Alps.

But what message does that send...

to the hundreds of thousands of

slaves in the Republic...

- if we let them go?

- It pains me to say it...

but Crassus is right.

- We have to stop Spartacus.

- But no more city cohorts.

We must bring down...

the Sixth and Seventh Legion

from Transalpine Gaul.

Frontier troops.

The slaves...

have never encountered

experienced soldiers before.

Agreed.

And we might even go

one step further...

and say that

such experienced troops...

require a commander

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