[ WP ] A society in which any crime is punishable by death

Sitting in a curule chair with ivory legs atop a dais was a stout man with a thick, golden beard and bald head. His crisp white toga with purple border marked him as of senatorial rank, but he wore a crown of olive leaves and soldier's caligae with bronze shin guards. 
 
 `` What is your verdict, sir?'' A dark-haired orderly tapped his stylus on the edge of his wax tablet, shifting his glance from the man in curule chair to the shackled man between two armored guards. 
 
 `` Hmm?'' The man in the chair looked at the dark-haired man, `` What's that, then?'' 
 
 `` Your verdict on the accused thief, dominus.'' The man pointed his stylus at the shackled man as he said, `` Apparently stole a full bushel of oysters from the docks in the middle of the market hustle and bustle.'' 
 
 `` I did n't, my lord, I swear!'' The man in shackles shook so that his iron cuffs jingled, `` The dock rats only accused me because I refused to pay more than the market price for the basket. They took my money before they went to the guards!'' 
 
 The man in the chair leaned forward and asked, `` And what was the price of the oysters, man?'' 
 
 `` Market was ten silver, lord. They said I owed them another ten after they pocketed the ten I gave them.'' 
 
 `` Well,'' the man in the chair pointed to the man with the stylus, `` What is your name, again?'' 
 
 *For the hundredth time, you daft bastard! * The man with the stylus took a deep breath to still his temper before saying, `` My name is Caspianus, sir. Decius Coluberius Caspianus.'' 
 
 `` Right! That's right,'' the man in the chair tapped at his temple, just above where his bushy golden beard began, `` I wo n't forget it, my good Caspianus! Is there any evidence that what this man says is true?'' 
 
 Caspianus looked at the guards, the older of the two nodding after a moment of contemplation. 
 
 `` Go ahead, pedes.'' Caspianus pointed to the guard that had nodded. 
 
 `` Aye, sir.'' The guard took two steps forward and said, `` Vigilus Atrius, sir. The merchants had a sign that showed the price as fifteen silver, which was above the market price, and only had ten in hand when we responded to their shouts. I suspect this man,'' Atrius gestured back at the shackled man, `` Argued with the merchants before paying market price and absconding with the goods in question. Them being oysters, that is. The goods, I mean.'' 
 
 `` Understood, vigilus, understood,'' the man in the chair waved his hand dismissively, `` And what is punishment for theft?'' 
 
 Atrius stepped back to his original position by the shackled man, and looked at Caspianus quizzically. 
 
 `` Well?'' The man in the chair looked at the guard, saw he was looking at Caspianus and followed suit, gruffly repeating, `` Well?'' 
 
 Caspianus sighed, `` Well, Imperator Leontius, the punishment is at the discretion of the conviction of the judge. In this instance, you are the judge, and may issue a punishment you deem most befitting the crime.'' 
 
 Leontius drew his bushy golden eyebrows together and squinted at Caspianus before turning in his chair to face the shackled man and guards. 
 
 `` We'd kill a legionary that stole as much. I see no reason to treat these people any differently. Get rid of him.'' 
 
 The shackled man wailed as the guards roughly lifted him and marched out of the doorway at off to the right of Leontius' chair. 
 
 `` Right!'' Leontius clapped his hands together and rubbed them quickly before bending his fingers back, each issuing an audible pop as he did so. `` How many more of these, Caspianus?'' 
 
 *The verdict is always the same, * Caspianus thought with irritation as he checked his tablet, *Why do we have to go through this charade? * 
 
 On his tablet were the notes of the morning's first twenty cases, each line with a brief explanation of the offender's crime and a small space where the judge's cleric could note the verdict and any monetary fee that was incurred alongside it. 
 
 With the last verdict of execution, Caspianus marked an **M** by the case notes and tapped the stylus on the twentieth line of the tablet. The note for the case read: ABUSED AND REFUSED TO PAY A WHORE. 
 
 There were two more tablets of twenty cases in the pouch he kept remaining tasks, and he tapped his stylus against the edge of the tablet as he looked at Leontius. 
 
 `` One and forty more cases, sir.'' 
 
 `` Sons of Dis!'' Leontius threw his hands in the air with exasperation, `` Not even my lads cause this much trouble! And those cur are a rough lot of bastards!'' 
 
 *Indeed, they are, * Caspianus huffed as he pointed his stylus skyward. 
 
 `` The last nineteen has been death, sir, might you just issue a blanket verdict for today's cases? Or leave the remaining verdicts to me? You could run drills with your men at the camp instead of wasting the day here.'' 
 
 Leontius tugged at his beard for a moment before pointing at Caspianus and grinning, `` I like the blanket verdict, Caspianus. Death, regardless. These daft civilians need to get it through their heads that a martial Emperor means a martial Judge. I'm tired of all this lawlessness in my domain!'' 
 
 With a roaring yawn and stretch of his impressive arms, Leontius stood from his chair. He clapped his hands together as he stepped down each of the three marble steps of his dais, then pointed a finger in the air as he made his way down the narrow red rug which led to the entrance and saying, `` We're still Romans, after all! No barbaric lawlessness while a Roman is in charge, I say! Death for every lawbreaker so the rest know the weight of Roman law!'' 
 
 As Leontius disappeared beyond the corner, a flurry of his praetorian's signature yellow capes quickly following him, Caspianus angrily scratched **M** as the verdict for the next case and slipped his stylus into a slender pouch on his tunic. 
 
 He turned to the guards behind his stand and said, `` You heard the general, round them up and execute the order.'' 
 
 The guards looked grim as they saluted and marched through the holding doors to the left of the Emperor's vacated dais. 
 
 *We are still Romans, * Caspianus thought as grumble of the guard's relaying the orders to their compatriots, *Can we still say that for this rebellious little Empire? * 
 
 Caspianus made his way to the doorway Leontius and his guards had marched away from as the screams began to emanate from the holding room, stepping into the bright glare from the sun setting on the Hellespont. 
 
 `` Byzantium is a damned good place to play Charon in the guise of a usurping Emperor,'' Caspianus said to himself as he drew a deep breath of the salty air and tried to ignore the screams from the courthouse. 

