As Bestia’s eyes swept down the ranks they fixed on Cato, looming nearly half a head above the rest — his height emphasised by the fact he stood immediately to the left of Pulcher.

‘You! Yes, you, Mister-I’ve-got-a-bloody-letter-from-my-friend-the-Emperor!’ Bestia bellowed as he strode towards Cato and sharply poked his vine cane into the white shoulder patch. ‘What the bloody hell is this?’

Cato winced. ‘I don’t know, sir.’

‘Don’t know! How long have you been in the army? Almost half a bloody day and you still can’t recognise badges of rank!’ Standing right in front of Cato, he glared up into the youngster’s face barely a span apart. ‘Just what kind of fucking soldier are you?’

‘I don’t know sir, I…’

‘Don’t look down at me!’ Bestia screamed, splattering saliva. ‘Keep your fucking eyes straight ahead! At all times. Do you understand me?’

Cato flicked his eyes up and stiffened. ‘Yes, sir.’

‘So what the hell are you doing with optio’s insignia?’

‘I am an optio, sir.’

‘Bollocks!’ Bestia shouted. ‘We do not promote ladies overnight.’

‘I was, in matter of fact, made an optio last night, sir,’ Cato explained.

‘So then, optio today, centurion tomorrow, tribune the day after… At this rate you’ll make fucking Emperor by the end of the week! You take me for a fool, boy?’

‘Er, excuse me, sir,’ one of the drill instructors said quietly from behind Bestia. ‘He is an optio, sir.’

‘What?’ Bestia jerked a thumb at Cato. ‘Him?’

‘Afraid so, sir. Direct commission from the legate. It’s been entered on the new recruit roster, sir.’ The drill instructor held out a wax board and pointed out Cato’s name.

‘Quintus Licinius Cato, optio.’ Bestia read out loud. Then he turned back to Cato with clear menace in his eyes. ‘So that’s what the letter was about! Friends in powerful places, eh? Well, it won’t help you. Optio you may be, but while you’re on basic training you get the same treatment as the rest. Understand?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘In fact,’ Bestia leaned close to him, whispering, ‘I’ll treat you worse. You got the promotion — now you’re fucking going to have to earn it.’

Then he spun round and strode away. He took up a position ten paces ahead of the front rank of recruits. ‘First lesson, ladies. The attention pose. Your drill instructors have placed you in four ranks, exactly one pace apart from the man beside you, and two paces between ranks. Memorise your position. In future, when I tell you to form ranks you will go to the position you are now in, at once. The correct posture for unarmed attention position is this.’

Bestia dropped his cane and stiffened, his chest thrust out, shoulders back, head up, arms straight down with palms flattened against the sides of his thighs. He paused a moment. ‘You all see that? Right then, let’s see you do it.’

The recruits self-consciously did their best to adopt the pose while the drill instructors went down the ranks, making adjustments where necessary. Once they were content Bestia continued. ‘Next thing. When standing at attention you must at all times fix your eyes straight ahead — whatever happens. And I mean whatever happens, ladies. If bloody Venus herself rides past accompanied by a thousand naked virgins and I see any one of you so much as flicker his eyes to one side, I will beat the living shit out of him. Understand? I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?’