"...The Emperor Justinian brooded in his chambers as the couriers galloped into the city, bringing bad news, day after day. The expedition to seize Rome had failed disastrously, the Empress escaping only at the mercy of a Visigoth chieftain. The emperor's allies, the Gepids and Basques, were in retreat on every front. Even General Ambrosius' thrust into the Black Forest resulted in him being cut off by a Slav advance in Baltica. A sole bright spot was Egypt -- Narses' forces had repelled a Vandal attack. Everywhere else, Vandal and Visigoth rode victorious...."
Failure Foolhardy?
It was a bold gambit, Theodora said. It was a foolhardy venture, her generals admonished. Nevertheless, the Byzantine fleet put ashore near Rome hoping to snatch it from underneath the noses of the Vandals. The warlord Ammatas was not sleeping, though, and scattered the imperial army. Theodora's fugitives fled north, passing through the lands of barbarian Visigoth and Gepid, paying humiliating tolls.
Thaw Brings Invasion
The Visigoths who allowed Theodora to pass were not supposed to be in Venetia. When the spring thaw opened the mountain passes, the warlord Vigdonic marched upon the Gepids. Caught unprepared, the Gepids fought bravely nonetheless, but were driven from the province.
Vandal Enclave Unbreached
To the east, the Gepids were marching, as well. The chieftain Thorisin sought to crush the Vandal enclave in Pannonia. The battle began well, his forces sweeping up the Vandal left. However, the Vandal charge in the center and left began to buckle Thorisin's lines. Despite being caught at a disadvantage, the Vandals fought fiercely and drove the Gepids off.
Gepids Kingdom Split
While the Vandals were fending off Thorisin in Pannonia, the rest of their force was riding east into Moesia. Their local Gepid chief, Odonachus, led his men bravely into the fight. The battle surged back and forth, but when Odonachus fell, the Gepid battleline collapsed. The loss of Moesia split the kingdom asunder, its borders imperiled.
Black Forest Falls
The object of Thorisin's musing was riding hard north into Gepid Pannonia. The local chief, Vittigus, hastily assembled a force to oppose them, but was overrun by the war-hardened Vandal expedition. It was uncertain to the hapless Gepid villagers if the Vandals intended to hold this pocket of land -- surrounded by foes -- or whether this was merely a raid for plunder.
Strategic Land Reclaimed
Far to the north, the Byzantines were on the move, again, piercing further into Slavic lands. In a divided, swirling battle, General Ambrosius was able to shove the stubborn Slavs from the field. Arbor Neri was Justinian's, Slavic lands shrinking again under Byzantine pressure.
Slavs Retrench
Under pressure on too many fronts, the Slavic council of chiefs decided to abandon the province of Raetia as undefendable. The warriors could be better used elsewhere, so when the Visigothic kingdom of Gaul sent a probing force there, they found no resistance. The Visigoth warlord Handoric assumed control in a bloodless victory.
Bitter Forest Fight
While Ambrosius was marching west to try to split the Slavic lands in two, his supply line back to imperial lands was being cut off. The chieftain Kawalskus, reinforced by the men from Raetia, invaded Baltica. He was met by the ethnarch Constans in an area of dense forest and river banks. With no room to maneuver, the fight was nasty and brutish -- a type the Slavs excelled at. They prevailed, forcing the Byzantines to withdraw eastward.
Desert Strike Deflected
Sunny Egypt was a long way from the dismal, Baltic north, but the emperor's forces were at war here, as well. Narses' lieutenant Bessas eyed the Vandal invaders, covered in dust, marching out of the western desert. He gave them no time to recover and attacked immediately. A wild, see-saw fight ensued with Bessas' troops only just able to force the Vandals back into the desert. Egypt was preserved.
Basques Chased Again
A cynical man would say the Basque chieftain Andaronix valued Byzantine silver more than his men, as he was bribed to once again launch a raid on Visigothic territory. The chieftain knew his men failed more often than not outside of their home ground, but he felt they learned valuable lessons on how to fight their mounted foes. So, despite the more favorable terrain in Tarraconnensis, the Visigoths once again drove them back into their hills.