When the sharp slaughter had ended, Patroclese and Sheraya had moved among the dead and dying offering aid where they could. Once the Roman officer had been taken away to be locked in the ship's hold, Xena had sent for Autolycus to outline her plan to him.

"I want you to take a group of Amazons, disguised as Romans and find out where they've put Hercules and the others," she explained with an authoritarian note in her voice.

The thief didn't even hesitate before objecting to her orders, "I work best alone Xena. I can slip in there and find out where they are, probably get them out too, with less trouble and far less danger than if I cart a bunch of warriors along with me!"

"Not this time Autolycus," came the gruff reply.

Not willing to concede the point the King of Thieves persisted, "Be reasonable Xena. I can't take a bunch of feather brained women along with me. I need to slip in and out of places and having a whole lot of other people with me is not going to make things any easier."

"It will if you do what I say. With you and the Amazons dressed in Roman armour, you'll be able to gain access to the dungeons on the pretext of taking their prisoners to see whoever's in charge ... almost certainly the harbour master," the warrior insisted.

"See," pointed out Autolycus excitedly, "We don't even know who's in charge over there .. not with any certainty at least," he objected.

"I have faith in your ability to uncover the relevant information, and adjust to the demands of necessity as required." Xena assured him smugly.

"What am I supposed to do with those ... Amazons! while I'm doing that!" snapped the thief in frustration.

"I have faith in your ability to figure that out too," her voice growled, eyes beginning to blaze with the icy anger that sparked when her patience was being tested.

"But Xena!" complained Autolycus, not yet ready to concede her victory.

"Get off it, Autolycus," her voice dropped to it's lowest register in an intimidating growl. "You need backup in case any rough stuff breaks out or something unforseen happens .. so just accept it so I can get on with organising the attack. With luck, what the rest of us will be doing should draw attention away from you." She watched him open his mouth as if to argue the point further, before he quickly closed it at the predatory look in her eyes. "Get yourself into that officers uniform," she told him brusquely, satisfied that he wasn't going to dispute her orders further, "I'll talk to you before you set off."

"Yeah .. great .. thanks a bunch!" he muttered as she threw the clothing at him.

- That had been relatively easy, - she had almost smiled at the thought, - compared to what had come next! -

Having got Autolycus' grudging agreement to participate in his part of the planned rescue, she need to work out just how they were going to remove the threat of the ballista and get the chain boom dropped so that they could sail the ship out of the danger that would threaten them from all sides come the morning.

She snagged Eponin's arms and instructed tersely, "Sort out your steadiest eight warriors and get them to pick through the Roman uniforms for the ones that fit best and aren't to covered in blood. They'll be going with Autolycus when he goes after Eph and the others."

The Weapons Master nodded and went about the task with quiet competence, leaving Xena to be ambushed by a concerned Gabrielle, "You're not fit enough for fighting yet," the bard had warned.

"I'm fine Gabrielle," she had replied tightly, "I heal fast, remember?"

The younger woman planted herself in front of her friend and gripped her arms firmly, "I remember," she said heatedly, "I also remember how you collapsed on the deck, due to loss of blood, the moment we set foot on this ship. You've got a nasty wound in your back and a stubborn ego the size of Mount Olympus! But however fast you heal," she poked Xena in the abdomen, "you haven't had time to replace all that blood yet. So do us both a favour and let the Amazons take care of the ballista, please."

The warrior gave her friend a hard look, "Like I said, I'm fine Gabrielle .. now move out of my way, please. I haven't got time for this."

"No!" answered the bard stubbornly.

"Gabrielle!" came the low warning growl.

"Not until you promise me to stay on the ship."

"Fine!" came the curt reply.

The Amazon Queen looked at the dark warrior in disbelief. Xena never gave in that easily, "It's the rig ...." she began, only to be cut off in mid-sentence as the Warrior Princess casually lifted her friend out of her path and proceeded to head across the deck to the prow, where she could study the two imposing targets that needed to be neutralized.

Her parting words to the dumbstruck bard drifted back, "I said I was fine, Gabrielle."

Xena chuckled mirthlessly to herself, - It was a good job she couldn't see my face, - she thought. - Just exerting the strength and energy needed to lift her left me sweating and unsteady. I had to stand up at the prow and pretend to be examining the watchtowers, so that I could lean on the damned rail .. or she'd have known for sure just how weak I still am, as it was she made a pretty damn accurate guess. -

She'd had to pull herself together when Eponin approached her, trailing the bard in her wake, "We need two groups of fifteen Amazons, Ep," she'd said coldly, drawing on her warlord persona like a well worn glove. "The group that comes with me is going to need to be made up of strong swimmers. You can take the other group in the second rowboat."

"Xena ...." Gabrielle tried to cut in.

Ignoring the plea in her friends voice, the warrior continued with her instructions, "We need to take out the ballista to make certain that the ship is protected from attack. If we move quickly, the Romans won't have time to put up much of a fight or raise an alarm."

"What about the chain?" asked the Weapons Master, knowing that disabling the ballista was only a temporary measure .. they needed to get rid of the boom so that they'd be able to set sail.

"You concentrate on the ballista .. I'll deal with the chain. Now go get the attack parties ready. We need to get this show on the road, or at least on the river!"

Eponin, nodded her agreement, gave a slight grin at the attempt at levity and headed off to select the most able of her warriors for the coming mission.

She was aware of the bard's silent .. disapproving .. presence then, just as she was now. She had no way of explaining to Gabrielle how much she needed to be involved in this ... how she needed to prove to herself that she was more than just Caesar's animal .. his pet .. his creation! But she couldn't find the words that would allow her to express all of the doubts that had assaulted her since she had been in captivity. She needed to be involved in something that reinforced the meaning in her life .. she needed to strike a blow against Caesar, even if it was only this token gesture of finally regaining her freedom at her own hand, whilst helping the friends who had aided her.

"I want you to stay on the ship," she had told the bard tonelessly.

"No way!" came the anticipated response. "If you're going, I'm coming too!"

"I need someone here to keep an eye on things here. You're a staff fighter .. you're not cut out for the raiding party," she continued in her calm logical tone, refusing to look at the honey blonde woman, knowing the anger and hurt that she would see in the green eyes of her friend.

"Xena look at me!" the bard had demanded waiting several heartbeats before repeating her demand when the warrior didn't move, "Xena, turn around and look at me!"

Reluctantly the big warrior turned and leant back on the deck railings. She looked anywhere but into the face of the shorter woman, knowing that if she did, all her determination would be blown away by a pair of stubborn green eyes. Gabrielle was no longer a naive young woman that she could easily order around .. - Well scratch that thought .. she's never been EASY to order around. It just used to be easier to find excuses that she'd accept. - Now the young woman had grown into a self-assured individual who could rely upon herself in dangerous situations. She was a bard, the Amazon Queen and a warrior in her own right. She also knew all of Xena's weak spots.

"Look at me, Xena," the bard repeated in a softer tone, drawing the warrior's reluctant eyes to her. As Gabrielle searched her friends face, she could see the doubt and uncertainty mixed with the rage and pain. She knew this woman almost better than she knew herself, her moods, her brooding, her anger .. yet seldom did she ever see the self doubt that was evident in those deep cerulean eyes. "You need to do this." It was a statement rather than a question, but Xena bobbed her head slightly in agreement anyway. "The I need to go with you .. where you go, I go .. remember?"

It was pointless arguing. Gabrielle would win this one in the end .. they both knew it. It didn't make the warrior happy that the bard would be part of the attack .. nor did it make the bard happy that the warrior would be exerting herself before she was recovered enough to do so .. it was a compromise of sorts.

"Don't think you fooled me when you lifted me up," Gabrielle said finally to break the silence. "I saw that stagger as you headed up here."

"Did not," retorted Xena almost gently, allowing her friend's gentle chiding to break through the high walls of her fears.

"You were trembling."

"I was cold"

"What about the sweating?"

"It wasn't much,"

"Ah ha! I knew you were still suffering from the effects of that wound," crowed the bard as if she had won a major point.

Silence settled between them for a drift of long moments before Eponin had called and told them all was ready. Both women straightened knowing that they needed to prepare for the coming assault. While Xena had told the Weapons Master just what she wanted her to do, Gabrielle began to remove her boots in preparation for the swim.

"Take your fifteen, Poni and the second rowing boat and head across to the far watch tower," ordered Xena, "Give it until the moon is about halfway to the horizon, then start your attack. We should all be in position by then and hopefully things will go off without a hitch."

"What about you ... how you gonna get to that other tower if Autolycus is taking the other boat?" demanded the Weapons Master although she already knew the answer to that question and couldn't think of another viable option.

"Swim," said Xena shortly. "That's why I wanted your best swimmers."

"Look, why don't you take the boat?" pressed Eponin knowing that Xena's wound shouldn't get wet, and that she was far from being up to full strength.

"Two reasons," the warrior told her calmly, "Firstly you have twice as far to go .. secondly, and more importantly, you swim almost as well as a rock!"

"I resemble that remark!" grinned back the Amazon. "Still ...."

"Don't worry at it, Ep. The tide's running out and there's a strong current that sweeps around to the point that watchtower stands on. It's just a case of keeping our heads above water and letting the current doing the work." Xena explained. "Now we need to get moving if we want to pull this off."

She stood at the railing watching Autolycus' crew pull quietly for the harbour. They needed to find a quiet place to land and then work their way through the port to the prison to release their companions as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. Even under the pale light of a waning moon, the rowboat was difficult to detect as it headed for the shore.

Gabrielle finished unlacing her boots for her .. she was still having trouble bending over, feeling dizzy against the strain of the wound. She kicked them off and checked her weapons. The chakram was clipped comfortingly to her hip. She'd elected to take her sword, figuring that she'd carry it okay in it's sheath on her back. She had her breast dagger, but the ones that she kept in her boots would have to remain on board .. as would her armour. She'd wear her leathers, but the brass armour would be far too heavy from this expedition.

"Ready?" asked Gabrielle by her side.

"You sure your wouldn't stay on the ship?"

"Xena!"

"Okay, I know ... Joxer and Patroclese will keep an eye on things here with the rest of the Amazon guards," she sighed. Turning her attention to the Weapons Master she instructed, "Time to go, Ep! Take care, huh? I don't want to have to come and rescue you."

"Artemis protect me!" grinned the Amazon, "I wouldn't want that either!"

"Get out of here," grinned back the Warrior Princess, "and make sure you keep it quiet."

They watched as Eponin and her selected Amazons slipped over the side to their boat and pushed off from the ship, quietly synchronizing their oars as they pulled for the far watchtower.

Once they were on their way, Xena turned to observe her troops. All were stripped down to essential clothing and most only carried knives, though four did elect to take swords strapped to their backs as Xena had. She'd told then to drift with the current and to assemble quietly under the watch tower. She wanted the ballista disabled as quickly as possible, which she was going to leave in their hands to do .. while she and Gabrielle went after the chain mechanism.

With nothing else to be said the large group of women slipped over the ships rail and let themselves down slowly into the surprisingly warm waters of the Tiber.

They'd moored the boat at a little used slipway and had mounted the slippery steps to emerge in a foul smelling alleyway some distance from a decently lit street. Forming up to look like a detachment of Roman troops, Autolycus led his band of Amazons out into the streets of Ostia and through dint of educated exploration quickly found their way to both the port gaol and the harbour master's office which was housed in the same building.

"So far so good," muttered the thief as they reached their destination unchallenged. "Now all we have to do is find out where everyone is. The dungeon should be the place to start though."

Leading the Amazons confidently into enemy held territory, Autolycus, with his criminalistic experience, had little trouble guiding them to what proved to be the entrance to the dungeons. Motioning his cohorts to keep as much in the shadows as possible, the thief moved forward with a brash swagger until he was ordered to a halt. "State your business here!" a voice demanded.

Moving into the light, of a torchlit guardroom, the King of Thieves made a theatrically long inspection of the decurion in charge and his two guards, "Is it no longer regulation for a junior officer to salute a senior in the army, or have the detachments seconded to the harbour master's service become little more than yokel militia!" he demanded bombastically.

"What?" asked the decurion, somewhat incredulously.

"GET ON YOUR FEET!" roared Autolycus, who glared at the luckless soldier until he did so. "That's better!" he snapped. "Now what about a correct salute?" he demanded.

The decurion snapped off a text book salute in response to the demand and braced himself at rigid attention under the close scrutiny of a man he perceived to be a superior officer. "Sir! What can I do for you, sir!" he barked with military correctness.

The thief nodded his head as though grudgingly impressed with the instant improvement in the junior officer's military bearing, "Much better!" he purred almost to himself. Getting down to business he used an officious tone and demanded, "The prisoners that were brought in earlier this evening! I have orders to take them back to Rome immediately for Lord Caesar to interrogate."

"Sir, I need to see ..." began the harassed officer of the guard, but was cut off almost immediately.

"If I were you, decurion, I wouldn't keep Lord Caesar waiting any longer than necessary. These prisoners stole some personal property of his and he's most anxious to have it returned. I can guarantee that any man who causes a delay in this matter is going to be made to be very sorry. If he's lucky, his career will be merely ruined, if Lord Caesar is still in his current foul mood I couldn't vouch for that man's life." He let his words sink in to the now perspiring soldier. "Of course should any man be responsible for the swift execution of the General's orders, then I'm almost positive that his career will soar ... Now where are those prisoners?"

Making a decision, the decurion barked an order to his men, "Valos, Marcus, get four sets of shackles and secure the prisoners so that they're ready to leave with the optio."

- Four sets? - questioned Autolycus silently, - What's happened to the other two? Which two is it? Damn! Xena's not going to be happy about this! -

"It won't take but a moment, sir to get them ready for you," announced the decurion, suddenly eagerly committed to helping the dashing looking optio who was obviously a trusted man in Lord Caesar's service. If you should have the chance to mention that Paolinus, Decurion Antonius Paolinus, was of help in this matter ...."

"What?" questioned the thief absently, before realising what the soldier was getting at and waving his hand in acknowledgement, "Yes, yes, of course Paolinus." - Just where am I gonna find our two missing pigeons? - he asked himself with a frown.

"Thank you sir," beamed the decurion. "Umm .. just what did these people steal that is so important to Lord Caesar? ... Sir?"

Autolycus snapped his attention back to the officer of the guard, "That's on a need to know basis, soldier, and you don't need to know!" he growled.

There was a rattle of chains as the three men and Nebula were led from the cells out into the custody of the King of Thieves, "Alright you roaches!" he had to suppress a vagrant grin that threatened to spread over his face as he studied Hercules and Iolaus fettered like felons! - It's kind of nice to have the shoe on the other foot! - he mused. "Let's move out!" he ordered. "We've got a long way to go!" He turned back to Paolinus, "Thanks for you help decurion. I'll make sure your name is mentioned in the proper channels."

Executing another text book salute, the guard returned, "Sir! Thank you, sir!" and watched happily as his ex-prisoners were shoved between the ranks of legionaries and marched away from his jurisdiction.

No one spoke as they made the march to the exit and out into the night. They followed the King of Thieves' dictum that 'You look as if you have the right to be there and no one will question you!' It almost always worked.

When they were finally away from Roman observation heavy sighs of relief were made all around. Hercules found employment for his prodigious strength as he easily removed the shackles from his own, and the others', wrists and ankles, while Iolaus couldn't refrain from commenting, "What kept you!" to their rescuer.

"Hah!" retorted the thief with feeling. "You try talking a Roman decurion out of his prisoners without a single piece parchmented evidence to back you up!"

"You did great Autolycus," Toris told him gratefully. "We appreciate it."

"Anyone know where Ephiny and Malonda are?" asked the thief, knowing he hadn't yet completed his task.

"They know she's the Amazon Queen and they're treating her with due respect," Hercules told him.

"How did you four end up in the hoosegow, then?" asked Autolycus pointedly.

"Somebody recognized me," Nebula informed him, "and the guys were locked up because they were posing as crewmen for a pirate ship."

"What do we do next?" questioned Iolaus.

The King of Thieves drew a deep breath, "Nebula needs to get back to the ship and get it ready to sail. Xena and the Amazons are raiding the watchtowers to put the ballista out of action and drop the boom that's stopping us from leaving. I need to locate and liberate Ephiny and Malonda. I don't think that trick I just pulled to free you is going to work again, so I'll just have to rely on good old fashioned sneaking and steal them out from under the Roman's eyes."

"Ephiny's our responsibility," put in Hakine who was commanding the detachment of Amazons.

"You want to get her killed?" demanded Autolycus.

Hakine looked as if she might argue the point until Hercules gently interrupted, "We'll get her out. Large numbers might not be the best way to do it though."

"Speaking of large .. I can't take you either, big guy ... you're just not built for sneaking .. neither are you, Toris." apologised the thief.

Hercules gave him a look, "Well who do you intend to take?" he demanded.

a quick look around the group told Autolycus that he wasn't going to get away with doing this on his own. "I'll take Curly, he's got some fair skills and he's short .. I'll also take two Amazons," he said forestalling Hakine's objections. "The rest of you better get back to the ...."

He was stopped when Hercules held up his hand for silence, "What's that?" he asked, cocking his head.

"Thunder?" suggested Nebula with a puzzled frown.

"Horses!" disagreed Toris, "From the direction of Rome by the sound of it ... lots of them."

"Gods in Olympus! We're in trouble!" evaluated Hercules.