"This is nowhere near where I wanted to go," Kate says. "Weather is nice, though."
"So, when and where are we?" Jeffrey is really appreciating the new chip in the omni. They arrived on a promenade along the sea, whereas in the old days the omni would have dropped them in the sea, for sure.
"Portugal, Lisbon." Kate studies the omni. "April 1485, red light."
"I can't think of anything that should have happened in Portugal around this time."
"We're by the seaside. The fresh seabreeze might blow the cob webs out of our heads." Kate puts her arm through his. "C'mon, let's stroll along the water. Whatever is wrong will jump at us sooner or later."
"That's the way it always is." Jeffrey puts his face in the wind. "It's beautiful here, isn't it? The ocean overthere. Just think, in a few years time Christopher Columbus will set sail, cross that ocean and discover America."
"Are you talking about me?" the man they pass at that moment asks them in broken Portugees.
"That depends," Kate replies in equally bad Portugees. "Who are you?"
"Christopher Columbus from Genoa, merchant sailor," the man replies and makes a flamboyant bow.
"Talk of the devil." Kate nudges Jeffrey. "This is the man himself."
"It is my honor to meet you," Jeffrey says to Columbus in Italian. "I am Jeffrey Jones, and this is Kate."
"It gives me pleasure you address me in Italian. My Protugees isn't very good."
"Neither is mine." Jeffrey chuckles.
"Now, what was it you were saying about me?"
"I was just telling Kate here about your plan to sail West and find a passage to India. An excellent plan. I am sure you will be successful."
"An excellent plan, that it is, but alas, no one wants to finance it." Columbus shakes his head. "For many years the Portugees have profitted of my many skills as a sailor. And now? Now I come with a daring plan. Too daring in the eyes of the Court. My estimates of the distance to India are supposedly incorrect. They think the ships cannot carry enough food and water to reach India. I don't see how I can convince them to give me money to equip my ships. If they are not willing to support me, then how can I ever execute my plan? There is a way West to India, I know it."
"Why don't you ask someone else to finance your plan?" Kate asks.
"Who can I ask?" Columbus throws his hands in the air in frustration. "Who can I ask? There is no one else. No one has the capital to equip a small fleet. Only the king can help me, without him I am lost. You are a woman, you don't understand this sort of thing."
Kate rolls her eyes. "I am so tired of this." She gives Columbus a push. "I understand this sort of thing fine! This has everything to do with common sense, of which women generally possess a lot more than men." She gives Columbus another push. He stumbles and falls into the water. When his head pops up again she continues, "If the Portugees Court is not willing to give you any money to sail West, there are two things you can do. One, you can swim West, you are already in the water. Or you can go somewhere else to get the capital you need. I am sure there are others interested in the financial benefits of a western route to India, in stead of trying to sail around Africa." Having said this Kate walks away.
Jeffrey watches her go, then decides to help Columbus out of the water.
"I'm sorry about the plunge you took. Kate can sometimes be ..."
"Your wife has a spirited character. You should keep her on a leash," a dripping wet Columbus tells him.
Jeffrey frowns his brow for a moment. When voyaging with Bogg people often assumed that Bogg was his father, that would make Kate his sister. But this is probably not the time to point that out to Columbus.
"She is right, though. If the Portugees Court is not willing to support your plans, then why don't you go to the Spanish Court? They're probably very interested to find a sea-route to India before the Portugees. And you could try to get private funding. How many merchants do you know that want to invest a little money in an expedition to a western route? Many little contributions make one large capital. Enough the equip three ships and sail West."
Columbus looks at him baffled. "I hadn't thought about it that way. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps my days in Portugal have come to an end, and must I look around for a new bread lord."
"Good luck on that." Jeffrey shakes his hand. "Now I will find Kate before she throws some other men into the water."
"Insuffrable man," Kate says when Jeffrey catches up with her. She keeps up her brisk pace.
"When they thaught you at School that Voyagers give history a push, did they forget to mention that didn't include people?"
Kate glares at him.
"Don't lecture me or I'll give you a push. So what's Columbus gonna do? Is he gonna swim West or will he go to Spain?"
"I don't know. You have the omni."
Kate stops to check the omni.
"Green light. I guess he's not going to swim."
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A/N: There is another Voyagers give Columbus a push in the right direction (although not as literally) story written by Douglas Neman. It can be found on Voyagers! Headquarters the Unoffical Website. That one however has two historical errors in it (four if I'm picky), so I felt free to write my own story on the same topic.
