Homo Excellis Chapter 40: Homo Excellis Part 39 Messengers, a pride and prejudice fanfic

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Part Thirty-nine: Messengers of Civilization

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Earth -1847I. dies Lunae a.d. III non. Jul MCLXXIII a.u.c.

(6th of July of the year 420 B.C.)

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Western Roman Empire – Ravenna Imperial Palace

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There are people out there who say that you don't believe I exist…

Honorius wasn't a very brave man and these last days had been pure torture for him.

Half his staff and almost all his servants had deserted the Palace and only around a hundred guards had steadfastly -and because of a handsome bonus- accepted to stay with him.

Half crazed by fear he hadn't left his apartments for the last thirty hours and every little noise added to his almost overwhelming fear.

The strange voice coming from behind him, did scare him to death.

Everything morphed into a black void where he felt himself drowning.

A part of him was even welcoming the end of what had been, most of his life, a nightmare.

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It was a smiling and compassionate face that greeted his coming back to consciousness.

- Did you know that you had a very injured heart, dear?

The voice was as beautiful and compassionate as the face.

He wasn't sure if she was speaking to him, nobody had ever called him dear, but he decided that since she was looking him in the eyes he was the recipient of her words.

- It did hurt quite often, indeed…

- After three different strokes, it clearly had to!

She stood up and stroked his cheek in a very motherly way.

- Well, that problem should no longer bother you, dear. But it will come back if you don't find a way to relax and stop being a shrieking nerve bundle.

She turned around and spoke in a lot less friendly tone.

- Try not to kill him a second time…

- He died of fright just because I spoke to him. Is it really worth living when you can't even put up with a little surprise?

He saw the woman shaking her head and making a movement.

- Fluffy, please, bring me back!

She looked at the man.

- He's in much better health than he was but he is still fragile and weak. Show a little restraint or he won't survive the rest of your conversation.

She made a little hand gesture and disappeared with a loud bang.

The man whose voice had killed him came nearer.

- Ready to talk or should I come back later?

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For long painless minutes he just basked in his new feeling of quiet satisfaction.

He finally was reminded of the man's presence by a short impatient caugh.

- Who are you?

That question put a large smile and the man's handsome face.

Honorius couldn't help but hate the man profoundly. He was tall, athletically built and in possession of a face that would pull every female's eyes in his direction. Everything he, the Emperor, should have had at birth!

- There is a celestial law that say that, on Earth, the outside always ends-up looking like the inside. That law doesn't apply to everybody. If you have the possibility to choose a body wouldn't you be an idiot to choose a small, fat and ugly one? You would have preferred looking at that?

And the man's body scrunched itself into a perfect mirror image of Flavius Honorius Augustus the fourth, Imperator. Small, bent and with a not-so-handsome face.

Honorius couldn't help but wonder if his face was as ugly as what the man was showing?

- It's going better, believe me. With the sickly greenish color, you had a few minutes ago, you were even uglier.

The man's body changed into the brawny handsome one.

- Let's come back to my first question: you still don't believe I exist?

- Who are you?

The man's smile vanished from his face and Honorius could read in his vis-à-vis eyes that even if his voice still sounded pleasant, his patience was coming to an end.

- I asked first, said the man. Answer mine and I'll answer yours.

- You do exist, but I still ignore who you are, so I can't really be sure why I would be doubting your existence.

The man's eyes lost their deadliness as he nodded. He wasn't friendly, but he was no longer threatening.

He was just relaxed in a very disturbing manner.

Honorius had never had anybody really relaxed while speaking with him.

- I'm the postman. The man going from place to place to deliver all the important messages very high-ranking and exceptional beings need to get delivered.

So, it was true, they never spoke of themselves by giving a clear qualifier. But their words always hinted at what they wanted people to think they were.

And the man's very relaxed manner did give his pretentions an easy accepted layer of truthfulness.

- And you have a message for me?

- Not only for you, I'm going to take you with me to your brother and when you are together, I'll deliver you the message said exceptional high-ranking beings asked me to deliver.

He sighed.

- And once that is done, I'll go my way to deliver a few other messages around the world.

He shrugged.

- These are interesting times; dear friend and a lot of people need to be informed about what is expected of them.

- Is something expected from me?

The man shook his head.

- Not anymore. You've lost all the opportunities you had been given. You've failed on such a scale that you are no longer even considered as redeemable. You have already lost your part of the Empire and even your retinue has fled to some safer locations. I do fear there's nothing else expected from you. You'll be the witness of the message and that's it, but the one who will have to deal with the message will be your brother.

- Why not let me die?

The man couldn't help but laugh out aloud.

And like the rest of him the laughter was that of a strong self-confident man.

- Nobody wants a martyr! Not in the present circumstances. Better a living idiot than a dead martyr, believe me.

And what was even worse for Honorius was the fact that the words didn't even anger him.

- The beings I spoke about believe that it wouldn't do to let you be assassinated while they are moving the pieces all over the board. I'll bring you to your brother because you will be, for a time, safe with him. We want you to think about what's good for the Empire and what you should do to let exactly that -meaning what is good for the Empire- happen.

The man shot him a joyless smile.

- As I said you are not my only delivery, I'd like to go on. Are you ready?

- What's g…

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Earth -1847I. dies Lunae a.d. III non. Jul MCLXXIII a.u.c.

(6th of July of the year 420 B.C.)

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Eastern Roman Empire – Constantinople Imperial Palace

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He didn't reach the end of his question that they were somewhere else.

He had no problems to recognize his brother's office.

And he had no problems to recognize his brother's amazed face while looking at him.

- Honorius? How did you come here?

- I brought him, said the man who was now standing behind his brother.

Never before had Honorius seen his brother move that fast.

Arcadius was at his brother's side in less than a second.

- Don't delude yourself there are no special powers in your family. In the future, you'll have, like usual, to walk or ride to move your lazy carcasses.

The man's smile took a threatening glint.

- As I already said to your brother, I have a message to deliver to the both of you.

He stopped and shot them a smile.

- There are a few things the protocol asks for, don't worry it's more or less for the show.

An aureole began to appear, and its light was soon blinding. The only thing they could still see were the man's eyes. Metallic blue eyes over-shining the blinding light of his aureole.

- Know that the Empire cannot and will not be cut into parts. Like in Heaven there can only be Unity. One Empire, one ruler and blood will no longer be enough to be entitled to rule.

- Know that the real heir has been protected and will come to reign over a prosperous united Empire. He will be of the mixed blood necessary to unite all citizens under the banner of the one and true Empire.

- Know that the Creator sent his people to protect the Empire and that they had been given the means to keep an eye on what happens at the Empire's head. Should an intervention appear as necessary they have been given the power to intervene.

The light snapped out with a loud bang. And the brothers were once more alone with themselves.

And a lot more questions than answers.

Arcadius, was, as usual, the first to react and he grasped his brother by the shoulders.

- What just happened didn't happen, understand? What just happened never happened!

Honorius wasn't even surprised by his brother's words.

He even agreed with his decision. Those commands could not be known outside of them.

- But, how are you going to explain that I'm here? An hour ago, I was still at home in Ravenna.

- Nobody has seen you; you'll hide in my hide-out until tomorrow and till then I'll have something organized to explain your presence here. Nobody will ever know about the means used to get you here and nobody will ask. You've taken a boat two weeks ago and you will arrive tomorrow night, not at all in flight but for a normal visit and your staff will have betrayed you while you were away. We'll wrap up everything, you'll see…

A loud knock at the door interrupted Arcadius' frantic attempt.

- Hide behind the curtain and don't say a word, nobody can know that you just arrived.

Honorius, as was his habit, obeyed and went to hide behind the curtain.

Arcadius took a long breath and went to the door with his usual angered frown on his face. He hated it when they interrupted his work!

He opened the door and shouted.

- What? It has better to be something important or there will be consequences.

It was Arabetos, his personal man-servant and he was as white as a linen.

He pointed towards the north.

- Your Majesty you must come immediately a miracle happened! Scripture appeared on the Palace's chapel's walls.

It was Arcasius' turn to turn pale. He was tempted to deny his servant's demands, but he knew he couldn't, not if a miracle was involved.

And he soon stood with probably all of his staff behind him in front of the chapel's walls.

And on them he could read in golden letters.

- Know that the Empire cannot and will not be cut into parts. Like in Heaven there can only be Unity. One Empire, one ruler and blood will no longer be enough to be entitled to rule.

- Know that the Creator sent the Gods to protect the Empire and that they had been given the means to keep an eye on what happens at the Empire's head. Should an intervention appear as necessary they have been given the power to intervene.

And suddenly he could hear a voice in his mind.

You just fucked up with the only chance you had, Emperor! We were about to be lenient and give you a chance to redeem yourself and you've just wasted it.

Arcadius was unable to believe that these Creatures had been able to spy on him even when not around.

- You really thought that you could get rid of the truth so easily? Think again! And should you find a way to make those commands disappear we will burn them into your face's skin, you traitorous scum.

There was a silence and just when Arcadius was hoping that he was at least alone again, the voice was back.

And, by the way, we have dealt with Ardabourios' army. You should think about launching a recruiting campaign as soon as possible! The Eastern Huns despite having been surrendered by their Kings don't feel very surrendered at all.

Arcadius and his whole retinue could hear a sardonic laugh coming out of nowhere.

And guess what? They just learned that the great majority of your forts on the borders have been emptied and their garrisons sent somewhere else! And, being opportunistic Huns, they are looking over the border with greedy eyes. Greece and its rich cities, even Constantinople are almost defenseless. Don't bother calling your men back. Your orders will never reach them! But you still have your faith, isn't it? Will your Bishops' prayers suffice to convince the Huns that they have nothing to gain from a campaign to the South? You'll soon have an answer to that question.

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Earth -1847I. dies Lunae a.d. III non. Jul MCLXXIII a.u.c.

(6th of July of the year 420 B.C.)

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Earth 0 – 6th May 1844

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Bagdad – Sultan's Palace's library

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- I've read your book, Jane and I cannot deny that I am impressed and by the content and by the author.

Here, Yasmina smiled at Jane.

- There is clearly a superior mind behind this pamphlet whose content proves with clarity the Church's bias and misogynistic background that has pushed the Church's Hierarchs to forge their own Prophet's words.

- So, you agree with my proposal to publish it…

Yasmina shook her head.

- Not in the least, dear! Publishing that book under that form would be like hurling a grenade into the main storage bunker of a guncotton factory! It would destroy the Church and probably, in its backlash, trigger a real religious war between Islam and what would be left of Christianity. Even Fouché and Napoleon will not be able to smother that firebrand.

Jane frowned at her sister-wife's affirmation. Clearly, she was unable to fathom why publishing the truth -the proven truth- would have such an horrific result.

Yasmina stood up, went to her sister and, knowing that it always was through personal contact that Jane could be easily comforted, took her in her most sisterly hug.

- You do know that these last twenty-five years Geoffrey, a bunch of famous Muslim scholars and I, we have worked at transforming the Muslim creed in order to highlight the benign parts of the Koran and to slowly expunge the Holy Book from all the parts that we suspected to have been added after Mohamed's death. It hasn't been easy and for quite a few of the latest surahs of the book, which we suspect to have been dictated to the Prophet not by an Archangel but by Khadijah and Aisha, the Prophet's eldest wives, we cheated by pointing at them at being more recent than they really were. They endured the same fate as the real forgeries we had found out and proven.

- In clear you did the same thing than the Church's Hierarchs, said Maureen…

Yasmina who had worked very hard to change the Koran's underlying bellicose message couldn't help but made a face.

Maureen was not right but she wasn't wrong either.

- With the little difference that we didn't erase the parts that were going against the initial Archangel's message, but just revealed the political background that pushed the Prophet's survivors to add them to the Koran. And since we had already proven that, contrary to the myth of the never changing Koran, the Koran had indeed clearly already been doctored by Mohammed's unscrupulous heirs, pushing those last few Surahs into the same category has been rather simple. The door was open and the Cairo School of Islam having blessed the new interpretation, nobody had any reason to look into the whole thing with renewed skepticism.

Here she sighed.

- If we publish Alana's book, all of the crankiest elderly Muslim Doctors of the Law who had frowned at our revelations but had never found the courage to stand up and fight against them, will decide that times are perhaps changing in their favor. They will have a look at the original Gospels and, even if, by accident, they don't sniff out all those little liberties we took with the Khadijah and Aisha Surahs, they still will use the Church's forgeries as a banner to rally the Umma. They will point at it as the sign that Christian Churches have cheated on Mankind and that the only one perfect book the Monotheists should follow is the Koran.

She bent backwards to look Jane into the eyes.

- You see how that would end, don't you?

Jane took a long breath of air and, finally, nodded.

- Of course, I do… I have seen what Muslims and Hinduists were able to do to each other before what you call the revelations. I don't like it but, if you are sure that it is what would happen, I'll follow your advice.

- I'm sorry but I am sure that it is exactly how it would end. Give us a century more and let all those old Doctors of the Law die out and an attempt could, perhaps, be launched. But today just after all those years spent at pacifying Islam's doxa, it would be a disaster.

Yasmina let go of her sister and went to get the book she gave back to Jane.

- Take it back to Alana's Universe and don't take the smallest risk to have it move anywhere else.

Maureen couldn't help but wonder.

- Why would that be? Your Library is amongst the best defended places of your father's Empire.

- Ideas tend to spread a lot faster than one would believe. Scholars come in and out of here on a daily basis. And even if it is written in Aramaic, Greek and Latin, it still is easily readable for a real linguist. This book has no place in this Universe and I want you to bring it back to the only place where it belongs.

She sighed.

- As a general rule concerning those new genuine Gospels, never let them spread on an Earth where Islam already exists. Every Muslim Scholar who looks at them will instantly see what they mean and how they can be used to undermine the Christian creeds. If you want to launch a real religious war, just get that book into a Persian Mullah's hands. I guarantee the bloodiest result possible.

She looked Jane in the eyes.

- I am not joking, dear. This book is a time bomb. There cannot be even one copy left anywhere outside of its Universe of origins.

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Earth -1847I. dies Lunae a.d. III non. Jul MCLXXIII a.u.c.

(6th of July of the year 420 B.C.)

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Northern America Nyby near Atunlicoc

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- I think you should stop teaching your skills to people whose tribes we don't even know.

Talassipa couldn't help but smile at Ragnar's comment.

What was even more amusing was the fact that everybody around the table, Dane or native Obamissiwa nodded his or her agreement.

Kurt, like it always was the case, smiled at his friends' and neighbors' comments.

- And why would that be, asked he. I quite like teaching and considering the number of new apprentices I get each month; it seems that my teaching is quite appreciated.

Which was the case. All the apprentices they currently had were all, with one weighty well-known exception, not only satisfied with their teacher but also with what they were learning.

- And, since everything they produce becomes property of the community it brings quite a lot of interesting trade into Nyby. Our storerooms are again full even if the last freighters have sailed only five weeks ago.

- We are aware of that fact, said Kroll Thorson Bugly, Nyby's forespeaker. But we also wonder if we are not, by teaching the blacksmith skill to so many strangers, cutting Nyby's future profits.

Kurt took a long breath before he answered.

He and his wife had spoken lengthily about just that. And Talassipa had been the one speaking about the competition. She never could convince Kurt.

- My apprentices are a long way from being skilled blacksmiths, countered Kurt. Those who went back to their tribes are able to create crude tools like hammers and crude knives. And, of course, nails in huge quantities…

A usual that brought a lot of smiles on all the faces.

Natives were fascinated with the concept of nails and Kurt had been very adamant when he had warned his followers about using nails in ships and housing. But still making nails was every apprentice's favorite activity.

- That was why they came, after all. They will, after a few years of working with the forge, be capable of forging knifes, axes and arrow heads. But none of them will ever have the skills to forge long swords or precision tools. And, since I warned them that six or seven months would never be enough to be a real talented blacksmith, they knew that, if they went back with less than two years of apprenticeship, they wouldn't be real professionals. Those who quit exactly got what I agreed to teach them. Those who want to master the real craftmanship know that they will be with me for at least three or four years. And meanwhile the products they forge become better and will be sold for better prices. It looks like good business to me.

- In ten years, there will be lots of competition all over the land, insisted Thorson.

- In ten years, I will still be the one true master-smith whose products will be sought out by all those who want the best and who have the finances to afford my products. And everybody all over the land will know that I am willing to teach to whomever wants to become the best in the trade. If he accepts to work twelve hours a day! The tribes will go on sending their best and brightest to be taught by me and while they are here they will learn everything about us, Rome and the civilization we represent.

He pointed at Luka Bjornson who was Nyby's best shipwright.

- The same is true for Luka even if, for now, he has only apprentices coming from the tribes along the coast. But that will change too when the tribes living along the great rivers in the West learn about our way to build ships…

He frowned at the gathered leaders of Nyby.

- Those who come here learn more than the skills I and Luka teach. They learn Latin and Danish, and they learn about what exists on the other side of the Ocean. That is why we have been sent here, after all… Not only to colonize but to demonstrate that another layer of civilization exists and that we are willing to share! And let's not forget that, as long as we show them that we are ready to share knowledge with everybody who accepts to share our life and learn to live like we do, there won't be any jealousy all over the tribes. Wherever his tribe lives if a man -or a woman, should it occur- comes to me and asks to be taught, I will accept with no restriction.

- Until now that was the case, insisted Thorson… We are gathered to decide if it goes on!

- For me, it will go on in the future, said Kurt with a smile. I'm the master craftsman, I decide if and how I accept a trainee. The city council cannot and will not interfere in what is my life. The day you try to make me your bitch I'm out of here and moving to somewhere else!

- Nobody's trying to make you their bitch, protested Tussilinat, the man who had been, for the whole gathering, behind this new attempt at regulating Kurt's work and teaching. With more competition we will earn less and with the great number of newcomers we need the money…

- I do agree that we need the money, but I can't help at being amazed at how fast you've all adapted yourself to the Roman way of making business. A year ago, when newcomers came to a settlement and were granted a place within the community, the men would gather and help the newcomer to build his house. Two days later the new member of the tribe would enter his new home. Now it is Nyby who prebuilds the houses and sells them to the newcomers. Go back to the old ways and you'll need less money.

- The old ways were adapted to the old times, intervened Atlapti.

Atlapti was the woman in charge of the fur trade. And she was good at her job and had an eye to determine the real value of a fur or a pelt. And she was even better at making money out of her trade while staying honest and never using her position to cheat a customer. Which did not mean that she wasn't making a healthy profit from her skill and gift.

- We are now members of the Roman Empire and we had to adapt our ways to the new realities.

- New realities that create new inequalities should perhaps be looked at with mistrust and not taken over, countered Kurt who always helped newcomers who hadn't the means to buy a house from the Council to build their own. He had a whole barrel full of "failed" nails poor immigrants could use to make a new shelter.

- I quite like the way the tribes of the Nation have shared aims and how they practice solidarity, insisted he. The Roman way of living has its advantages but not everything is good in it… Even if it is not as acute in Britain than in the rest of the Empire, the ways newcomers are treated as second class citizens should not be something we try to emulate, here. I like the way the Obamissiwa Nation welcomed us as friends and even family when we came here and I'd love to see those conditions last for many more years and even wash over to the main Roman lands.

He frowned in Atlapti's direction.

- My teachings are at every honest student's disposal. The moment we begin to make differences between the people we welcome, we will create enemies…

He looked at his friends and neighbors.

- Do we want enemies?

- Of course not, countered Tussilinat. We share, of course, your visions of a bright future but whatever you say the reality still is us being a part of the Roman Empire and we have duties towards the Throne.

Duties? I call that greed…

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- How is it possible that a society that was, till last year, based on shared values and community work could, within months, let such a greedy bunch take alla the space in the public life.

Talassipa couldn't help but laugh at her husband's genuinely outraged outburst.

They were together in their bed and had shared their frustration in the best way a loving couple had ever known.

Now was the time to make the usual after-meeting briefing.

- Probably because we got all the greedy ones of the nearest half a hundred tribes around! Those that came with me from my village were already ready to jump into the boat… The surroundings weren't in their favor in our old village but deep down the greed was always there. And you can't deny that within Romanity greed plays a great role. Becoming rich, amassing money to climb the social ladder are part of the values Rome bears.

- We are half a world away and we don't have even one normal pure blood Roman among us. I don't see why we should follow that usual path! Let's do something new and out of the normal Roman mold.

- Let's try to save our energy towards what's really worth a fight, love! Let's seek out the best things in my Nation's culture and do what's necessary to preserve them. Greed is a basic human emotion and since I'm not a Romantic like you, I know that it is a lot more durable than love. Don't get into a fight you cannot win.

She heard him sigh.

- You really believe that?

- I know it, love. It's not a belief, there always were people, even in our tribes, who needed to have more of something. More space, more furs, more salted meat… They knew that, should they need more, they would have their share of the village's reserves but still they had to have one more basket… It's human and the moment you begin to judge people negatively because of their little foibles, you nurture conflicts. Let them be greedy and let them amass more wealth. But never let them forget that they are part of a community and that, should the community need more, they would be called upon too!

Once more he sighed.

Which made her smile even more.

He was, probably, the wealthiest man along the Northern Obamissiwan coast but he seemed to be oblivious to the fact. Probably because his wife did spend a lot of time sharing their wealth with those who needed it. But still, because of his magnificently carved axes and knives he always had more furs and more ore-stones stored under their house.

And since the natives had begun to bring him what he called ore-stones, they were even becoming richer. Especially when said ore-stones had gold within it.

Others had tried to jump into that boat but because he was renowned to be honest and fair, the ore-stone trade had begun to flow towards his workshop. And since he couldn't always give a fair counterpart for the mass of metal he would smelt out of the ore, he had introduced the concept of back-payment.

And back-payment was a concept Obamisswas loved.

Back-payment was easy to understand and difficult to make work. he would pay immediately what he could and a part of what surplus payment he would get for the metal would be paid back to the man -sometimes the woman- who had brought the ore.

Which had three consequences: satisfied customers who soon became returning customers and new sellers who had been convinced by the stories of the numerous satisfied customers of the smithy that Nyby's smith was the man to see if you have found something earthy that looked interesting!

It had come to the point that the workshop was no longer in need to order iron, tin and copper oversea but had enough local providers to forge and build everything they needed.

Kurt still ordered weapon steel ingotsabroad for two reasons. First, they were dirt cheap and second because it was easier for his apprentices to work with already existing steel than forge their own. He himself made a point of creating his own steel even if for axes and knives he always used the special weapon-steel brand Britain was producing in huge quantities all around the year…

But considering the present flux of precious metal Kurt had even invited one of his cousins who was a journeyman goldsmith to join him in the new Danish settlement.

- You do know that there's nobody along the coast who's richer than us, don't you?

- I know that I have a good share of precious things in the cellar but those aren't mine, dear. They are resources needed for the Smithy, not personal wealth.

- What about the furs?

- Those can indeed be considered as personal wealth. But they are payments for created items. Neither of us really knows how many they will be worth in Londinium.

- Not exactly but they are worth a lot, believe me! The trappers who brought them are good hunters who know their job and even if there are other fur buyers, they always bring us their best pieces. Because they trust you and want you to go on working for them. They will be worth a lot all over the Empire. I hope your cousins won't cheat us…

- Every merchant cheats his customers and his sellers. That's how he becomes rich! But Onwald is a good man who will cheat me but within limits. We will get our part of the riches, don't worry…

- I'm not worried, we have already more than we need even should we start a huge family, but still, I would prefer to extend the back-payment procedures to secure our hunters' fidelity than enriching Onwald for nothing.

- It's not nothing, dear. Onwald knows the people who have the best customers on their lists. It's all a game of relationships. We provide him with the best merchandise, and he secures the richest buyers. And said buyers will pay him more than he would get with other people. Everybody wins and if you want to extend the Back-payment to the fur providers, I'm not against it but it will take you lots of time and bookkeeping. And if I do remember well you are not the best bookkeeper I know.

- I'm a lot better than you ever were but I have enough work to do with my day job, no I was thinking about young Harald who loves to read and write. He could be our clerk and he would love it…

- Tobjorn, Harald's father is not very happy with what he calls a weakling…

- If said weakling would become an apprentice at the local smithy even Harald's father would be proud of his son.

- Harald would hurt himself with even the smallest sort of hammer…

- Modern Roman Smithys do have all sorts of jobs. The hammer-wielding sort being only a part of them. Clerk in charge of the inventories and the back-payment system could be another sort of job.

- Tobjorn will kill me if he ever learns that I'm using his son as a clerk…

- Tobjorn is, compared to you, a dwarf, I'm very sure that he won't dare even frown at you.

- I'm no bully…

- No, but you could be Harald's boss. That would help Tobjorn to accept his son's vocation…

She felt Kurt turning around and could feel his eyes on her.

- Woman, I'm quite sure that you are, right now, manipulating me into doing something I normally wouldn't!

- Damn, I believe you just caught me! But that's what happens when you marry a clever man who's not easy to influence.

She soon felt the tremors of his laugh.

- You are using me shamelessly…

- It's for your own good, you'll see. Harald is a good boy, and it could even happen that he takes a fancy with some not too heavy hammer. Which would please his father a lot…

- Indeed, said Kurt, send him to me. We'll have a conversation about how he sees his future.

- With books and stories…

- I got as much but he still will have to be serious about his work. I won't let him cheat on us.

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Earth -1847I. dies Lunae a.d. III non. Jul MCLXXIII a.u.c.

(6th of July of the year 420 B.C.)

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Yucatekaan somewher betwenn Uxmal and Jaina

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- I do hate it when people are dumb and foolish.

The centurion, a Gael who had joined the Legions a few years ago when Drest invaded his Island, grunted something about idiots and barbarians…He was in charge of the aftermath of the battle and clearly wasn't happy with his current job.

- Be careful with your choice of words. Barbarian is no longer an acceptable concept.

The grunts went on but became just less understandable.

Titus Armanus Thepix was no longer sure that he had made the right decision. He had volunteered to come to Mesoamerica and to become a Legionary healer.

Healer being a difficult term.

He was a well-respected surgeon and he took pride in his vocation but things were no longer as clear as in the old times…

He looked at his bracers and at the piece of black crystal that was visible on his backhand. The black surface was covered with pulsing yellow-to-red lights.

A red light was pulsing at his right and he turned the crystal to zoom in as the manual was asking for.

A few seconds later he was crouching at the side of a heavily tattooed Uxmal warrior.

The red rapidly blinking light was showing him that the man was dying!

He placed his hand on the man's breast and looked at the crystal that soon began to show the outlines of a man with a red pulsing dot at the side of his breast.

He tapped on the pulsing dot and soon could read "arrowhead in the left lung, please remove with a counter clock movement and drain the lung empty…"

Which was easy to do indeed for a surgeon of his experience.

Thirty second later the shaft of the arrow -with arrowhead- was out and he was pushing the size seven copper tube into the man's lung. For reasons unexplained copper tubes were good to avoid festering wounds and Titus looked at the flowing blood coming out of the lung.

After a few more seconds the crystal's message changed. No longer crimson red but orange.

"Lung emptied. Please proceed with plug Seven-Forty."

Which he did by inserting the said copper plug into the wound.

The plug had been contained in anpther small copper tube closed with a screw and was sticky with an ointment that felt -and smelled- fresh and that was mildly acidic on the skin.

The message on the crystal changed. "Patient no longer dying. Please get him to triage."

Titus stood up, took his whistle and whistled twice. A pair of legionnaires immediately began to run in his direction.

One done, plenty to do.

-°-oOo-°-

- Lots of bodies out there, whispered Ancius Pullius Tiber, the Tribune in charge of the thousand men of the XXXth who had fought against Uxmal's Jaguars. Can't understand why they didn't give up when it became evident that they were overpowered.

Crucius Oteen, who was stubborn when it came to names and even more when it came to his name shrugged.

With enough frowns, everybody had accepted to call him Crucius without insisting.

Crucius was a Pict of the old generation and, contrary to most of his relations, he had chosen to serve the Legion not as an Auxilliary but as a Specialist on Primitive -the word Barbarian being more or less forbidden- behavior.

And Crucius was good at his job since he could blend in any culture and suck up the whole complexity of it. The fact that he was in the same height and strength category than Drest was a great help and his facial tatooes were amongst the most elaborated -and frightening- one could find all over Pictland.

- Warriors of that category don't give up… Ever. They fight to the end. They would lose face if they did. And losing face is their ultimate fear.

- It is still a bloody waste. Those men could have served their Cities and, for some of them, Rome.

- Don't cry about them, those weren't good men… They weren't even good warriors. Their fighting specialty is backstab and nightly cutthroat. Without the Satmap's warning they could have penetrated our outer walls and tried to kill us in our sleep.

He shook his head.

- I don't think they would have succeeded but we would have lost a few good men. A soldier just awaken from his sleep and without any armor is never at his best. And they were not better in their city. What you look at are the corpses of bullies and thieves and for some of them rapists and murderers. Those Jaguars are their King's Secret Police and his tool to get his people obedient. If you ask me, good riddance!

- Still a waste of good manpower.

- Believe me you don't want that sort of man working for you against his will. The only reason Rome still exists is because most slaves aren't badly treated and have been born into slavery, so, since the situation is normal and bearable, they do not hold a grudge against their masters.

He pointed at a man who was still alive and brought back to the medical tent by two legionaries.

- If you enslave him, he will do whatever is in his power to kill as many of his new masters as possible. And considering their skill set, there is a good chance that he will be able to get out of the city. Those types are living time-bombs. Kill them or, better still, send them back, their King will deal with them a lot harsher than you ever will.

Here a frightening smile appeared on his face.

- They have lost face and have been beaten in an infamous manner. A sacrifice in Chaac's honor is written all over them.

Once more he pointed at the man on the gurney.

- He will hate us to have saved his life. Not only did we deprive him of the glorious' warrior's death he thinks he deserves but, if we send him back to Uxmal, we will provide him with the most infamous way to die known to those insane madmen.

- Which is?

- Have your chest opened while alive and your heart cut out and thrown into a pyre! And the whole thing in front of all those he had bullied for years.

His smile changed visibly.

- In fact, saving their lives and sending them back to Uxmal is the rightest way to treat them… Justice with a huge "J".

Ancius couldn't help but sigh. Picts were indeed a bloodthirsty bunch. He was glad to have them fight at Rome's side and not against them.

Crucius couldn't help but laugh at Ancius' face.

- Give us half a dozen generations and we will be tame normal Romans. Tatooed tamed normal Romans but normal Romans nevertheless.

- Given the way everything changes, I'm no longer sure what a normal Roman is! And I'm sure that in a pair of generations what we call normal will no longer be!

Crucius winked at the man who had become like a son to him.

- We live in interesting times, don't we?

- We sure do, my friend, we sure do.

He took a long breath.

- But some things stay the same… We are still looking at dead bodies lying around on a battlefield.

Crucius made a non-commital face.

- It is not as it was. Look at our men. They are saving friends and foes in the same movement. They are probably a little faster when it comes to get the bodies of friends out of the battlefield but still, they come back and try to save the enemies too.

He sighed.

- I remember a time when the centurios were roaming the battlefield to give the death stroke to enemies and mortally wounded friends alike. Those times are no longer. Even recently deceased can be brought back to life. Even enemies can be brought back to life if the Gods approve. It changes everything, Ancius! We got a whiff of immortality, and it will change us forever. What we thought was only mythical and born out of power-hungry clerics' dreams has been proven to be possible. Death is no longer the terminal point it was and we have been given reasons to believe in Justice and Goodness. Gods we thought to be figments of our imagination are real and reachable.

Here he snickered.

- And not at all like we thought they would be.

Ancius nodded.

- That's quite true, my friend, that's quite true. But some things are the same, aren't they? A battlefield is still a battlefield, and, in my opinion, it points at something that had been done poorly.

- They came at us with an unsheathed knife. They got what they deserved, and the range of our victory will give us better chances to avoid seeing other Jaguars of other cities stalking towards us. And you did it without a whole Legion.

- I would have preferred not to have to do it. We came in peace, and we tried very hard to be respectful.

- Respect is earned and with this second victory, believe me, you've earned it. And if you send the surviving Jaguars back to Uxmal, a lot of would-be conquerors will think twice about launching a campaign against us. After all, dying in battle is a warrior's normal fate. Dying infamously with your heart ripped out of your chest is something totally different they will do everything to avoid.

- So, you think we should free those still alive?

- No, I think we should hand them back to their Master. Just freeing them would be a mistake. As I said, Jaguars are bullies and predators who to make ends meet, steal from their Masters' underlings. Give them back to their masters and not only will you get rid of them without dirtying your hands, but you'll earn quite a few supporters within the working classes of Uxmal and all the nearby city States.

Once more he laughed aloud.

- Nobody likes bullies, but everybody loves those who intervene to stop them… And it will be known, believe me…

-°-oOo-°-

Tzik'in K'uxaj looked out at what was no longer a sea straight but a buzzing sea port with dozens of ships coming and going every day.

Tuk'Lan, Tzik'in's second in command was at his side and Tzik'in had problems to decide if he was worried or enthused.

When in doubt, just ask.

- How do you feel?

- Good, answered Tuk'Lan with a smile. It's going good and we are prospering like never before.

- It was never our goal to make more money…

- It was never our goal not to use good opportunities. And the Romans' arrival has been the best opportunity ever.

- Uxmal's King is angered…

- Uxmal's King was angered! Now, in my opinion, he's afraid. His Jaguars have been slaughtered and the double dozen who are still with him are not enough to protect him from the populace's wrath should some unhappy fellow light up the whole city's current dissatisfaction.

Tzik'in shot a worried look at his second in command.

- What have you done, Tuk'Lan? Uxmal's King is our liege.

- Indeed, answered Tuk'Lan. But that could change if the current Dynasty would be overthrown. We swore a nominal oath to the King and his Dynasty. Should they no longer be in power, we would be freed from our oath.

Tzik'in's frown increased and he repeated his question.

- What have you done, Tuk'Lan?

Tuk'Lan looked at his boss and friend, and his eyes were a lot more serious than his smile could reveal.

- I did nothing, but there are rumors that Xcalumkin's current King has provided some of those new swords and axes to Uxmal's underground.

- There is no Uxmal's underground…

- Xcalumkin's King seems to be of another opinion. And should he be right, the Jaguars' defeat would be a perfect opportunity for said underground to launch a little rebellion. It could be that a change of Dynasty in Uxmal is about to happen. Xcalumkin's current ruler envisions easily his blood on Uxmal's throne.

- Xcalumkin's current ruler is an idiot and no sane Human Being would want him ruling Uxmal.

- I think that you can forget about Xcalumkin's current ruler's wish. The non-existent Uxmal underground has other goals.

- What goals and how do you know?

- I do listen to a lot of people and with the huge amount of merchants coming over to the Roman Town, I do have quite a lot of sources.

Tzik'in's frown increased, and he insisted.

- What goals?

Tuk'Lan's smile vanished.

- It seems that Uxmal's people find the situation for the commoners in Roman ruled lands a lot better than what they had until now. I think they will ask the Romans to send them a Governor and to include Uxmal into their Empire.

Tzik'In's face lost all colors. He had been in the Roman City. He had seen the people living there. Mostly people of local upbringing, though and they all seemed a lot more relaxed and happy than people living in Uxmal or Tikal, the cities he knew personally.

- It that happens, said he finally, the other Kings will react by sending troops. To smother the budding revolt.

Tuk'Lan shook his head.

- No, they won't! Because they will have seen what happens when a King sends his Jaguars away…

- They will increase the numbers of Jaguars…

- Becoming a Jaguar is not an easy thing, my friend, and you know it. They are masters of cooptation, and, in fact, they don't have a choice. They can only enroll people who think like them, but, at the same time, they can't take in those who are too ambitious. Who wants, lurking at his back, a greedy killer ready to backstab you the moment you show a weakness? Jaguars are a sort of secret society whose members are mostly sons and grandsons of former members. You can increase the Jaguars' number but only marginally. Add a few dozens more, that could be possible. But doubling or tripling their membership? Not in this life and not if they intend to maintain the current brotherhood feeling.

- The Kings will follow the Romans' example and hire soldiers…

- And the Jaguars will take them out themselves, said Tuk'Lan. Because the Roman way is antinomic with the undercurrent of Jaguar philosophy. You know that I have spoken with quite a lot of the newcomers. Especially the Legionaries! And I learned that most of them are people from the lower layers of the society who are taught to fight and become their cities' and their people's protectors…

- While jaguars are parasites who live by being the cities' and the people's predators.

Tzik'In let out a long breath.

- What are you hinting at, Tuk'Lan?

- At the fact that our current civilization model is about to collapse and that it happens just by showing to the people of the City States that something else is possible.

He couldn't help but laugh our aloud.

- I am more and more sure that the Gods not only exist but that they are a lot smarter than I thought. I did wonder why they didn't send armies to conquer us. With their new steel weapons and advanced strategies, they would have slaughtered us. But that would have created mistrust and hostility amongst the people. Hostility that could have been used by some of our smarter Kings. But that's not how they think. Now I see what they really were up to. They just showed us how it could be done better and without any major bloodshed. They placed an example in front of us so that everybody could look at it and just let it spread…

He looked at his friend and chief.

- I like the way they think, you know…

Tzik'In shook his head.

- I'm not so sure. I quite liked what we had achieved.

- It's up to us to take what interests us and to forget what we believe to no longer being useful. Conquering us would have destroyed what we were while, like always in war, being a major financial burden. Luring us into sharing their values gives us the opportunity to adapt our world to its new environment. If we want to go slowly there's no rush… Uxmal will show us how it begins.

Tzik'In shrugged.

- But, of course, since every City-State will react in its own specific manner, it could take quite a long time. I'm rather sure that we won't be alive when the adaptation process ends.

- But you are sure it will happen…

- Nobody, not even the Gods, can be sure of anything. But it looks like it could become our future reality. Uxmal's people will launch it or not. We'll see!

-°-oOo-°-

Earth -1847I. dies Lunae a.d. III non. Jul MCLXXIII a.u.c.

(6th of July of the year 420 B.C.)

-°-oOo-°-

Earth 0 – 6th May 1844

Earth +165 12th October 2009

-°-oOo-°-

Cheyenne Mountain North American Defense HQ

IT main localization

-°-oOo-°-

- That's quite interesting, said Lionel…

He looked up.

- Do you believe IT over there in Britannia has really thought about a less bellicose way to influence the natives?

- Why not? We, that's me and my siblings, are amongst the smartest Sentients around and it doesn't seem foolish to have us privilege a non-bellicose solution. We have been born in a war-ridden world that doesn't mean that we do love killings.

- IT never showed any reluctance to support us and the Romans waging war.

- Taking over militarily the Western Provinces was the best and easiest way to get those provinces back into the fold of civilization. The Roman incursion in Central America is not the same at all. It's a cultural foray not a military one.

- They just crushed a native army…

- They crushed an invading mobster gang, said IT. Not an army… And remember that they defended themselves when the gang came at them to try to rob them. They were badly outnumbered and were counting on surprise and their night skills to get into the town. They lost when IT gave away their invasion plan. Without the Satmap coverage they would have been able to enter the town and kill quite a lot of the defenders.

- Well, we have the Satmap and not using it would be foolish.

- I agree but I still believe that we should, even with the Satmap available, not forget all those other means normal Empires have to gather intelligence. We lack experience in intelligence gathering just because a Satmap provides us with everything.

- Why would we risk people's lives to get what IT will have just by checking the logs?

- Because there will be Earthes, like this one, where your opponents will have better technological means to counter the Satmap nano spy drones. The Reich, even in the sixties, would have had the tech to detect them and to find out who was interfering in their affairs. If that happens, you'll be confronted with real problems and very bad people who won't stop at anything to get your hide. You are way too naïve, Lionel. Technology will not always be high enough to compensate inexperience.

Lionel who had already thought about it, sighed.

- What would you propose?

- Use your real advantages. Your Uncle is the best, most experienced, most ruthless and most lethal spy one can imagine. And he is backed by two real Demons who have the power to teleport, read minds and suck souls. And who love their partying together. And he's just playing around performing his God act! What a waste! He could teach his science to other people, give your family, and us, the best spy ring ever and still have fun playing God. Lionel, it's always better to be prepared!

- Aunt Jane won't like your proposal.

- You will be surprised when you talk with her. She's perhaps the most loving and compassionate woman on Earth but that doesn't mean that she is naïve. She knows that to preserve the overall good it is, from time to time, necessary to take unpopular measures, which, for her, means letting her husband roam the realms and cull the herd of evil-doers.

- Uncle Geoffrey has taught a lot of people…

- In strategy and unarmed combat. Never assassin's skills which are, believe me, his best ones. He should begin to think about creating his own school. It is even more important now that he has access to the Multiverse…

Lionel shook his head.

- I don't know, it seems preposterous to ask such things…

- Talk about it with Your Aunts first. You'll be surprised, beli…

A shrill alarm interrupted IT.

- We've got incoming, said Lionel. Let's have a look at its origin.

Soon a bleep on the screens reassured him.

- It's our chamber… No intruder.

- But the sats have detected the portal opening, it seems that you are, finally, able to detect incoming portals.

- Without your four Detection sensor-arrays in orbit we would see nothing.

- That's not important, Lionel. You've gotten the science and the working tech behind the sensors. The rest is a question of miniaturization. And AIs are the best for that sort of thing. You should propose the science and the tech to your Atlantean Computers.

- They are not Ais…

- That's what they want the Universe to think but believe a real specialist, those computers are a lot more versatile than a normal even very high-tech programmed computer should be. I'm not criticizing them; it is their life, and they are free to deal with strangers the way they want but let them have the tech and incorporate the sensors in their next generation of satmaps. As my sats prove it, I can do it but not within their range of miniaturization. Let them have a try at it and we will all come out of that a lot better-off.

Lionel took a long breath and nodded.

- You are probably right! It had been a long time and with my new discoveries I even have a good reason to show up. I'll go get Alana and present her to the Computers in Atlantis. She's as bright as me, if not brighter, and she should have access to them…

- I'm quite sure they will love to have her coming over… And so would I!

Here Lionel could only frown.

- You would? You said you wanted only me and my scrounging parties paying visits.

- I've decided that I'll make an exception for your wife. Britannia is rather enthused with her wit, and I'd like to meet her.

- I'll go and get her. What about the sensor ranges for Britannia?

- They are ready to be transported! But were I you I would first equip Grant Great Britain. You have the tech to get them easily in orbit. Britannia, if I've followed your installation story, is slowly arriving at the threshold of electricity. If you want to do it fast, you'll have to import your launchers from Grant Great Britain. And even if you take only the modular Scout Models, you'll have to import the ships in kit form and they will still need a launching pad and an assembly plant. It could take you a few more months before having them in orbit.

- If you agree, I will, of course, do it… But I always spoke of equipping Britannia.

- GGB is your home base, and it is, whatever else, your financial hinterland. It's GGB you need to protect urgently. Britania will come next but depending on the speed my Atlantean brethren do the incorporation, it could come a lot faster if you wait to get a new Satmap model out of Atlantis.

- If they get it up faster than we have built the assembly plant in Scapa Flow, I'll put the new Satmaps in an alternate orbit. The assembly plant will still be useful because of the Skyships I've ordered… It seems that my little secret abode is about to turn into the center of a web of allied worlds…

- And it will be for the best. The Fast Intervention Force will grow and your Uncle will need more equipment. I'm quite sure your foray parties will often grace me with their presence.

- I f you agree with their forays, it will be for the best.

- I do agree but on one condition.

- What condition?

- If you name my Planet, let it be USA. I'll see it as our ultimate revenge over the Nazi scum.

- No problem, if that's your wish, your Earth will be USA.

-°-oOo-°-