Cato is the only son of a former high-placed slave in the Imperial Palace in Imperial Rome. Upon his father's death Cato is given his freedom by the Emperor, but with the condition that he must immediately serve a standard term of enlistment with the Roman legions. In part to compensate for the hardship that this military service requirement will entail, the Emperor orders the legions to place Cato into the officer corps upon his enlistment - a situation which infuriates both the officers and lower ranks in Cato's first unit (and makes his initial time with the legions very difficult). Cato is initially given the rank of Optio, an officer grade that makes him second-in-command of a veteran Roman century.
As a former occupant of the Imperial Palace itself, Cato is well-educated, refined and well-mannered, but has no worldly experience beyond his literary expertise. His knowledge of war and military matters come only from books; his dealings with people has almost always been solely with the upper class of Roman society. As a consequence of his background, Cato's new life within the brutal, dangerous and decidely lower-class world of the legions is even more terrifying - it is an incredible challenge that he must adapt to quickly or perish.
