But Pharaoh said, "Who is Adonai, that I should heed him and let Israel go? I do not know the Adonai, and I will not let Israel go."
Miryam had been sitting in her palace, overlooking various affairs, talking to the various members of the Sanhedrin, when two letters arrived together. The first was simple confirmation about the officer who had arrested the talented young artist who had painted "Romanes eunt domus" all over the walls of a barracks, whereas the other was a much greater surprise. Marcus Antonius, as it appeared, had looked to the Queen of Israel for military aid. MIryam felt amused, somewhat more useful than she had prior, and overall complimented at the letter, but deeper analysis showed interesting details. The letter spoke of traitors in Armenia, despite the Armenians being, to her knowledge, never quite a full friend of Rome, nor a proper subject of the Romans. Her thought immediately turned to Crassus, the Lord of the East, and the only Roman other than Antonius in the region. After all, who else would be the traitor, for one must owe allegiance to betray in the first place. The letter was finished with a promise that Judea would receive her own benefits from this whole mess. Vague though it was, Miryam had to consider the offer.
Judea had a formidable force. Famed for guerrilla warfare, the Judeans were among the most excellent cavalry one could hope for in all the East. Horsemen and charioteers were the prime retinue in days long past, and likewise a legacy of fine archers existed as well. Canaan bred such excellent archers almost naturally, with many Syrian recruits being archers, and produced more ranged warriors than any other territory the Romans held, apart from the javelinmen of Italia itself, perhaps. The last thing that Judea was famed for were its slingers. In keeping with a longstanding tradition of marksmanship, the Judean slingers always hit their target. A rock thrown from a sling could damage through the mightiest of armor and, like in the story of David and Goliath, it would take but a single slinger to defeat a behemoth, a giant. A group of Judean slingers, then, could be incredibly destructive if given the proper incentive to do so: pointed at an enemy and told to shoot, their rocks would hit harder than any arrows ever could.
Should Miryam put forth such a force? It appeared that immediate assistance was requested in the invasion of Armenia. Antonius was almost certainly used to fighting in the mountains, due to his positioning in the Greek and Anatolian region. Judea's warriors were far from unfamiliar with mountainous terrain, and often utilized it to their advantage in defeating whatever standard armies existed below with the power of many irregular troops and local support. Outside of Judea, this force might not be nearly as powerful. After all, the defense on the homeland was a top priority, and gifted the army with much of the morale it was so famed for. However, Miryam saw the long game. A fight between Antonius and Crassus was going to involve her one way or the other, so it'd be beneficial to pick a side now. Crassus was rich, a successful politician and general, but Antonius made good promises. Antonius was a good, honorable man, and the ear to Caesar. With Antonius holding as much power as he did, an excursion into Armenia in his honor would not only curry favor with him and Caesar, but the causus belli of defending the Republic would grant her favor with the senate, and the whole of Rome. Crassus could not brand her a traitor without becoming an enemy of Rome.
Miryam had made up her mind.
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