My name is Aemilius and I have the duty to report to The Censor, the registrar of Rome, and as I fulfilled my duties in the conquered territories I was witness to an event that will soon be forgotten.

A woman by the name of Varinia of Thracia was brought to be executed for the crimes of sedition and rebellion by means of torture and crucifixion and I was ordered to write a detailed report of the event. I was given the power to intervene as much as possible to gather all of the facts.

Varinia of Thracia was little known in these parts until rumors went about that a new rebellion was being plotted. She was captured before anything happened and her execution was ordered to dissuade others with such plans. Thus, the sentence was to be carried out with extreme severity for the education of the people of Thracia and to obtain information from the woman as to others involved in the rebellion.

Varinia was the daughter of Paulous, son of Spartacus, a Thracian who broke out of a gladiator's training camp at Capua and took refuge in the hills. He gathered such a formidable force behind him, that two consular armies were sent against him, both of which he destroyed.

It was Crassus, who, at the head of six legions, at last brought Spartacus down, shattered his army, and slew him and thousands of his men on the cross. By the records kept in the census it is known that Varinia was born of Paulous and a woman of Roman descent in the year when Cesear crossed the Rubicon and marched on Rome, that is 20 years ago, and 22 years after Spartacus' death.

Her mother died during childbirth as frequently happens, even to Romans.. The girl was named after her grandmother, Varinia, wife of Spartacus, a freed slave who returned to her home village after the death of her husband. She raised Varinia in her household and it is believed that it was the education the girl received under the shadow of Spartacus' cross, that helped the girl grow to loathe the empire. The older Varinia died of old age in the year of the death of Sextus Pompeius, five years ago.

The rumors of Varinia's sedition began shortly after her grandmother's death, according to many witnesses, some of whom confessed under torture. Some Thracian men recruited the young woman as their symbolic leader to take advantage of the internal disarray of the Empire after Cesear's death and to profit from the divisions brought about by the plotting of the traitor Marco Antonius and the Egyptian whore Cleopatra.

They recognized that moment as critical in their plans to push back the Empire and avoid the annexing of Thracia. Little is known of the men behind the plot, that is the reason why this execution must serve as an interrogation as well, it is hoped and expected that the severity of the tortures will make Varinia name the leaders of the coming revolt..

On the first day of the event she was brought to the place of execution. She was dragged by force to the post of woes by the executioner allotted for punishment, she was bound to it by her neck, by means of a metal neck brace.

This action took some time during which she was asked to reveal the names of her instigators. The young woman, even as fear filled her eyes, remained silent. Her refusal was duly noted and it was witnessed not only by the soldiers gathered to guard but also by those who had a near view of this terrible spectacle.

They were struck with a fearful expectation of the coming tortures and not only so, but they could see that there was not going to be any compassion upon her, who seemed bold enough to reject any attempts to change her mind.

As public scribe and recorder I'm bound to keep my own opinions so as not to taint the written record of the facts. But as I take the notes I can't help but appreciate that which the woman brings with her, a quiet defiance, a beauty that moves and the attitude that proves she's of the same blood as the legendary Spartacus.

Varinia held her tongue as the metal brace was secured around her neck and against the post. The executioner did not take the matter personally, he dutifully followed the steps accorded to him and completed his task without emitting a sound.

The stillness of the moment was like a veil of silence that was only broken by the chirping sounds of the metallic bolts used to lock her neck in place. Her wrists were in shackles and a chain linked her arms to her legs. Her ankles were also bound by shackles. She was covered by an undergarment that was not enough to hide her nakedness. I could see in the eyes of soldiers and witnesses that her beauty was captivating, even under bondage, or maybe because of it.

I am not a judge of the morality that must rule the proceedings but I do note that those who attend these spectacles are driven not only by natural curiosity, but by a hidden passion, a morbid attraction to the suffering of the condemned.