Dixon Shade: Deputy Team Leader, Tom Anderson's lifelong best friend, and alter ego. Along with Tom Anderson one of the two best hand-to-hand combat specialists ever produced by the Armed Forces Commando Academy. Lady-killer and confirmed bachelor until he meets Diana, a young Greek girl living in the Roman port city of Caesaria Maritima on the Mediterranean Sea north of Jerusalem.
Scythia (Southern Ukraine), 529 BC - Extract:
Dixon turned to face the giant. Somehow the captive realized that Dixon was no ordinary Scyth. He did not laugh, but readied his sword. Dixon saluted the giant with his own sword -- a very unScyth-like gesture, but one that drew a positive murmur from the crowd -- and stepped forward. The crowd quieted in anticipation. Dixon circled the giant warily while the giant tried to lure Dixon near the stake in the center of the ring where he could use the loose chain as a weapon as well as his sword.
For a moment, Dixon hesitated. This was not a game. There was no score book and at the end of the match, the opponents would not shake hands and go for a beer. In this moment of hesitation the giant launched his attack. All of Dixon's training came into focus in a single moment. He quickly side-stepped the captive's lunge and moved behind him. The giant tried a broad sweep with his sword, this time going low trying for Dixon's legs. Dixon leaped over the blade as it passed, at the same time bringing his own sword down sharply into the left shoulder of the giant. The giant grunted but did not retreat. Dixon was no longer the sportsman, but a Commando. He realized that a large number of Scyths were watching and that his performance could affect the mission. Two powerful Scyth warriors had already been defeated by the giant. The crowds from the other three rings pushed forward for a view of the deadly captive circle.
Dixon moved swiftly to the attack launching blow after blow against the sword and shield of the captive. Within moments the giant began to tire from the onslaught and loss of blood from his left shoulder. He made one last effort to catch Dixon by surprise, feinting one way and attacking another, but it was not good enough. As the giant shifted his momentum from the feint to the attack, Dixon caught him full force in the forehead with the hilt of his sword. The giant went down hard. Without hesitation, Dixon swung his sword high and with a single slash, severed the head of the giant. The muscles of the severed head continued to twitch as if it had a life of its own -- surprise registering on the dying face. Blood spurted from the neck of the body as the heart continued to pump -- not yet aware that life was over.
The crowd went wild. They rushed into the ring and picked Dixon up on their shoulders and paraded him throughout the games area swinging the head of the giant beside him. At one end of the area was the tent of the Vozhdek who acknowledged the crowd and saluted the momentary hero. Tom followed at a distance, ready to try to bail Dixon out if he needed help. Commandos generally tried to start low key and ease into positions of prominence as the mission progressed. Parker would not be thrilled at this early notoriety. But, such is life. There was no going back so they would just have to ride it out and make the best of it. Finally the crowd lost interest and put Dixon down. As the Scyths returned their attention to the other rings, Tom grabbed Dixon and suggested that they get back to the tent and try to avoid becoming heroes more than once on the first day.
Dixon was gray. He had killed men in combat before, but never so brutally. He had never killed a man tied to a stake and then cut off his head. He was covered with blood. Training had prepared him to take the necessary course of action, but nothing could prepare him for the revulsion he felt at killing a tethered man.
Roman Arena, 36 AD - Extract:
Dixon marched the guards into the Arena box, eight in front, two on each side of the Emperor, and eight to the rear. Even in his concern, the pomp and ceremony of the Coliseum impressed Dixon. And the crowd! More agitated and excited than the crowd at any South American soccer match that Dixon had ever seen. Before the Emperor's entrance, there had already been several small events, gladiators against animals, that excited the crowd. The entrance of the Emperor signaled the beginning of the main events and the crowd cheered mightily. The Emperor acknowledged the cheers as if they were for him and took his place, other officials surrounding him in nearby, if less pretentious, seats. Dixon took his place to the front right side of the Emperor's box.
The reaction of the crowd galled Dixon. He could somewhat understand the cheering as the first stage of entertainment began -- the battle of gladiators. Beginning with one-on-one events, then team events, and then finally a free-for-all with only one gladiator standing at the end. Intermixed with these events, almost like intermissions, were single and group combat against bears, lions, and alligators. In each of these events, Dixon could at least understand the crowd siding with one gladiator or team against another.
But the next phase was simply murder. Or execution, Roman style. Criminals were tossed into the arena with wild animals. Sometimes with a weapon, sometimes without. Mostly without. The crowd laughed at the desperate antics of the untrained criminals trying to stay away from the animals or to fend them off in some way. And they cheered as the victims gradually tired and the animals tore them, literally, into pieces.
But finally it came to the new event. Tossing Christians to the lions. Dixon's heart leapt to his throat as he heard the crowd roar its bloodlust as now innocent men, women and children were forced into the ring. Not warriors or criminals, just terrified, otherwise normal people. Dixon smothered a sob as he saw Diana enter the ring, her light cotton robe torn nearly off. She looked so small. And the crowd was so excited.
Dixon readied himself. He had hoped that the crowd would be more disposed toward the innocent victims before them. But there was no sympathy from the crowd. It complicated his plan. At least Diana was on his end of the Arena not more than fifty meters away.
No explanation was provided to the crowd although Dixon could hear shouts of "Kill the Christians" coming from various locations in the crowd accompanied by titters of laughter.
The Christians gathered in two small groups of about fifteen people each on opposite ends of the Arena, not knowing exactly what to expect. The answer was not long in coming. From various locations around the arena cage doors opened allowing ten or twelve lions onto the floor of the arena. From the far end of the arena, four gladiators also entered. A mixed event. The crowd cheered.
The lions circled, getting a feel for the arena, initially looking for a way to escape, glancing hungrily at the roaring crowd. Giving up on the idea of escape or getting at the crowd, the lions began to move cautiously toward the two groups huddled at the center of the ring. In their circling, one of the lions ran into the four gladiators forming a small group of their own at the far end of the arena. Jabbed with the butt end of a spear, the lion roared in anger but backed off and turned its attention to the unarmed Christians. The gladiators leaned on their spears resting for the moment conserving their energy for what they knew was yet to come.
Several lions began to close on the group at the far end and the crowd turned its attention to watch as the Christians held each other. The few men in the group stood between the lions and the women and children in a futile effort to offer some defense. Within seconds, a lion had leaped on one of the men and began tearing at his face. Another lion joined the first and began to tear limbs from the body. The screams of the man and nearby women could be seen on their faces but could not be heard above the noisy cheering of the crowd. At the near end of the arena, the lions began to close on Diana's group.
This was it. Dixon glanced to his right along the arena wall to note the location of a red robe draped over the wall marking the place of his planned exit. Then he suddenly turned to the guard next to him and seized the spear from the guard's startled hands. Dixon tossed the short spear to the arena floor and stepped up onto the low railing separating the seating area from the arena. He stood on the railing with his arms held above his head, short sword in his right hand, high in the air. Then he dropped lightly into the arena.