by Saxon Andrew
“Are you sure you found all of them?”
“We have everyone they’ve used in the past.”
“How were you able to find them Milly?”
“The Maxcomputer was invaluable in finding them. We’ve developed a new virus that will be sent on the electronic connections of those sources and it will effectively destroy them.”
“Who developed that virus?”
“Eric Mandel and the Maxcomputer.”
“The power of that computer is disconcerting,” Graham remarked.
“It’s getting more powerful as more data is downloaded; however, we wouldn’t have been capable of tracking them down without it.” Milly shrugged, “I guess it’s a necessary tool in the current state of our dealing with the Opposition.”
Graham nodded and said, “Thank you for the update. Keep me informed if anything changes.”
Milly nodded, “I will.” She turned and left Graham’s office. He thought about the new technology that was coming out of the new computer and worried. The devices designed to take out the missile satellites were designed in part by the new computer. He blew out a breath and wondered how the Opposition would respond to what was coming. It was like being caught between a rock and a hard place; damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Leaving those missile satellites over the country really wasn’t an option. But what would happen if they were removed? That was an issue hanging over them.
• • •
Nicole and Charles spent the next week discussing Alexander and the civilizations on the eastern side of the Mediterranean, until Nicole asked, “Did you fight with Alexander’s army?”
“No, our ethics prevent me from killing except in extreme circumstances. I took a support position cooking for the warriors.”
“What prompted you to leave?”
Charles smiled, “The computer informed me that a new civilization in Italy was going to war with Carthage.” Nicole’s head tilted. “I visited Carthage for a short time, and I have to tell you, they were sailors extraordinaire. They traded with places around Africa and into West Asia. There were Merchant Princes in that city whose wealth was staggering. Carthage was one of the most powerful cities in the then known world. Hearing that a new civilization in Italy was going to war with them was extremely interesting. I left the Middle East and went looking for this new civilization.”
“You’re talking about the Romans?”
“Yes. And in a relatively short period of time, that city became the world’s most powerful. In less than five hundred years after the city’s first appeared, it conquered an area that far surpassed anything Alexander ever did. To use a current phrase, the Romans didn’t play.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“When a Roman Army invaded a new territory, they would approach the first city and would call on the city to surrender. If the city refused, they would lay siege to the city. Once the city walls were breeched, they would kill every living thing inside the walls including dogs, cats, and any other animals; and they weren’t gentle in the killing. Word would get out and the next city they approached, would immediately surrender.”
“They sound like they were…”
“Savages,” Charles finished, “and they were. However, less loss of life happened because of this practice. And the conquered cities were left to rule themselves as long as they paid the taxes Rome imposed on them, which were quite fair in the beginning. By the time of the start of year zero in the current calendar being used, one could safely walk from one end of the Roman Empire to the other. Cities no longer required walls to defend them and trade around the Mediterranean exploded.”
“Speaking of our current calendar, were you present when the crucifixion happened?”
“No, I was in Rome watching the struggle of the most powerful leaders fighting to control the Empire. Honestly, the city of Jerusalem was viewed as nothing more than a small troublesome province in the Middle East. If I knew what would come of it, I would have made sure I was present; but the impact of that event wasn’t realized until more than two centuries later.” Nicole was silent and Charles watched her expression, “What do you want to ask.”
“How do you know I have a question?”
“I told you earlier, I’ve learned to read human’s expressions. You’re reluctant to ask me something.”
Nicole stared at him and then asked, “Do you believe in a supreme being?” Charles tilted his head and didn’t answer. “Do you?” Nicole pressed.
“You know there is no direct physical evidence that one exists,” Charles remarked.
“That’s not the question; do you believe one does?”
“I didn’t for the first billion years of my life. Everything I saw in the Universe could be explained as the result of natural universal laws that governed how things functioned. What is in the universe today could just be attributed to natural development.”
“Humans believe in a supreme being who created the Universe and the laws that govern it,” Nicole responded.
“Humans have believed in gods from the very beginning of their existence,” Charles retorted.
“What happened that caused you to change your view?”
Charles raised his hands and then sighed, “If everything out there is a result of natural laws, then everything out there should be similar.” Nicole raised her shoulders and nodded. “I was traveling across the Universe at high-speed and the computer reported an anomaly ahead. I slowed the ship and the computer reported that the dark energy ahead of us seemed to be emitting a higher level of energy. I slowed the ship some more and decided to investigate. It’s a good thing I slowed down; the moment we entered that area, the ship came to an immediate stop. My stardrive stopped working along with the gravity thrusters. We were stranded and unable to move. Everything inside the ship continued to function but all the external systems were inoperative. We were about half a light-year inside the area and I suddenly felt the ship moving. We determined that we were being pushed out of that space at a high rate of speed. We started looking around that space and all we saw were brief flashes that appeared too numerous to count. In less than a month, my ship was ejected out of that space and all my systems came back on.”
“What was going on?” Nicole asked.
“We started examining the bright flashes and what we found was…”
“What?”
“Unbelievable. Those flashes were life forms flying around that space faster than lightspeed. We learned that inside that area of space, everything moved at speeds faster than light. My ship was constructed of materials from a part of the universe where lightspeed is an absolute barrier and it wouldn’t operate in that space. That is also why it was ejected; it was a foreign body that was repelled by the energy in it.”
Charles paused and Nicole asked, “What have you determined from the experience?”
“I’ve learned that the universe is not homogenous; everything is not alike. Different universal laws operated inside that space and if everything developed from natural laws, it shouldn’t have been able to exist. That caused me to wonder if the universe developed to support different kinds of life forms.” Nicole’s eyes narrowed and Charles said, “If that’s what’s happening, something is making that happen.” Nicole was silent and Charles added, “That would support a Supreme Creator, or something like it.”
“So you think human’s insistence on a Supreme Being in touch with humanity is nonsense?”
“I’ve seen more than a billion civilizations and most of them have no religious beliefs on the subject.”
“So, you think it’s nonsense because of the huge numbers not supporting it.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you’re intimating it is.”
“Look! If there is a Supreme Creator and for some reason beyond my understanding, that being, God, or whatever it is, decided to have a direct relationship with humanity, there is no possible way to discount it. It may be that a human’s mind is attuned to
the Creator. There’s something in humanity that’s always reached for a Supreme Being and just discounting it as superstition or ignorance doesn’t account for the belief to be present since the start of humans, even before they were really intelligent. Up until I entered that space, I discounted the possibility of a Creator; now, I just don’t know.”
“Could that space you found be where the souls of those that die go?”
Charles lowered his eyes, “Now that’s a leap! It could be that or a million other things and attributing it to souls after death is attempting to explain something unexplainable in terms you understand. You’re trying to mentally make that space fit your beliefs; that’s not the way the universe works. Things are what they are; nothing more or nothing less. Another species could just as easily say those life forms are just normal species living inside a different environment.”
“How large is that space?”
“I have no way of knowing. It just seemed to start where my normal universe ended. If anything exists beyond that space…well…I have no way to even consider what it might be. My ship is incapable of crossing it.”
“Could it be a different universe?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because a different universe wouldn’t exist inside another where one could move between them. The universe by definition encompasses everything as far as infinity. That space was definitely inside this universe.”
Nicole thought about what Charles was saying and then smiled, “Let’s get back to the Romans. Is there anything that you didn’t anticipate happening?”
“The sudden rise of Christianity.”
“Oh?”
“At the time I had no idea how that religion would become the force it came to be. It made a huge impact on the Roman culture and ultimately swayed all future events in the Western Mediterranean and Europe. The Church became more powerful than most of the rulers of humanity from Rome’s fall until modern times.”
“Why do you think Rome fell?”
“They stopped fighting their wars and paid others to do it. Rome became decadent and when they ultimately didn’t pay the mercenary armies, they turned on Rome and sacked it. Rome turned its back on all their culture, traditions, and behaviors that made them strong. Rome was little more than a city ruled by mobs by the time it fell.”
“That led to the dark ages,” Nicole commented. “That must have been a dreary time to live?”
“Quite the contrary, it was a good time for someone like me.”
“Why?”
“With the breakdown of civilization, humans returned to living in walled cities isolated from other communities. It was a time of Lords and Kings who ruled the land. I could move around and not have to worry about my history being tracked. All recordkeeping of members of society went away with the Roman tax rolls. The Church became even more powerful and religion was at the center of most everyone’s lives. The Pope had more power than most of the powerful kings and being excommunicated by the church was a real threat to their rule.”
“What did you do during that time?”
“I learned to play a lyre and I went around posing as an entertainer. I also learned to juggle and most of the Royals in Europe welcomed me into their keeps.”
“You can juggle?”
Charles went to the counter and put three lemons in his hand. He sat down and started juggling them with one hand while he continued talking, “It was also a dangerous time to be traveling on the roads but even robbers and brigands liked to be entertained. What saved me most of the time was that I knew what was happening in Europe and everyone was curious about the state of things.”
Nicole watched Charles juggling without thinking about it. She stared at him and he looked at his hand, “Oh, sorry. I sometimes do this to help me focus.” He put the lemons back on the counter and said, “Where was I?”
“Robbers and brigands.”
“Oh yeah. Anyway, I spent quite a few centuries roaming around Europe and when I visited places I had been before, I’d tell them they met my father and he trained me to be an entertainer.” Charles paused and sighed, “Life wasn’t easy after the fall of Rome. Most of the common people in Europe farmed the Lord’s lands and the only thing that they had to look forward to was going to heaven when they died. They were extremely religious and knew their only escape from their backbreaking toil was death.”
“That’s awful!”
“It’s all they knew. The only bastions of higher learning were the monasteries and most humans couldn’t read or write.” Charles paused and said, “I did enjoy France. That’s where I chose the name Guetteur. Paris was a great escape from the normal feudal life outside it.”
“What prompted you to leave Paris?”
“I learned that a King in England was standing up to the Catholic Church and I wanted to see what was going on. So, I took a boat to England and set up shop as a faith healer again. I used some of the gold coins I collected to pay for my humble dwelling. I should tell you that France and England had been at war for about a hundred years starting in the thirteen hundreds and ending in the fourteen hundreds over the succession to the crown of England. But that was over, and it was safe enough to make the move.”
“Go on, please.”
“Henry died in 1547 and I had been paying attention to the discovery of the new continent discovered called the New World. England decided to start sending colonies to the New World and I thought about going to take a look. Jamestown was established in 1607 and it appeared England learned how to make a successful Colony. Plymouth was founded in 1620 and I decided it might be a good time to leave England.”
“Why?”
“My last name was Guetteur and Spain and France were getting angry at England for stealing the wealth being moved from the Americas by English Privateers. War couldn’t be far ahead, so, I decided to go on the next ship headed toward one of the two new colonies. The Fortune was scheduled to go in 1621 and I managed to buy my way on the ship.”
“What did you do when you arrived?”
“Well, I worked helping to unload the ship and decided to find someone to tell me where I was to live. I saw a group of men standing in the center of the main square and I walked over to see if any of them could help me find a place to put my personal belongings. I stood outside them and listened in. They were discussing having to set up defenses against an Indian attack. It appeared the Wampanoag were having second thoughts about the treaty they signed with the colonists and they were gathering all their leaders to discuss it. The only one in the Colony that spoke the Wampanoag language was ill and unable to travel.”
“That was Squanto, wasn’t it? History says he left his tribe to live with the Colonists.”
Charles smiled, “Yes, Squanto was captured by traders and taken to Europe where he learned to speak English. He eventually made it back to America in hopes of returning to his tribe but was captured by the Wampanoag. He did not consider the Wampanoag his tribe and he did leave them to live with the colonists in Plymouth. I listened to the men discussing what to do about the threat of the Wampanoag possibly attacking the colony, so I volunteered to go and talk to them.”
Nicole laughed, “You were fresh off the boat and you volunteered to go talk with the Wampanoag?”
“Sure, why not?”
“You didn’t speak their language!”
“Those men said the same thing. Myles Standish told me it’s crazy to attempt it; he said I’d probably die in the effort. I told him that it’s worth the risk of one dying in order to prevent many from dying. It took about an hour for me to convince them to allow me to go and Myles handed me a musket.”
“Is that the musket you have now?”
Charles shook his head, “No, and I refused to take it. I told him I would go unarmed. Taking a weapon was a sure-fire way to die.”
“How were you able to convince him to allow you to go?”
“I told him I could communicate using my hands. Remember,
I was an entertainer for a number of centuries, and I learned how to tell things by using my body and expressions. Anyway, he gave me directions on how to find the Wampanoag camp; he told me not to worry if I lost my way, ‘They will find you’. He also said if I didn’t return in five days, he would come looking for me.”
“I still don’t understand why he agreed to let you go.”
Charles shrugged, “Someone had to go, and I was the best choice.”
“Why?”
“Well, as you said, I was fresh off the boat, I knew nothing about surviving in this new land, and I would only be a drain on the colony until I learned a job or trade. I think he also believed that if I didn’t make it back alive, then the rumors of the Wampanoag threat were true.” Charles chuckled, “Even with all that, he really thought I was stupid to do it.”
“What would possibly possess you to go? It would certainly draw attention to you.”
Charles smiled, “It was an opportunity to communicate with the Native Americans living around Plymouth. Remember, I live to see and learn new things. I just saw this as an opportunity to see current Native Americans and compare them to ones I saw thousands of years earlier.”
Nicole smiled, “What happened?”
“Myles provided me a bag of food to carry with me and the men silently watched me walk into the forest. I thought about how I would approach the Indians and I decided that I would do what I did when I traveled around Europe in the Middle Ages. I started singing loudly and walked boldly ahead into the forest. The computer kept me moving on the right track and the next morning I ran into three Wampanoag scouts. They stepped out of the forest and quickly surrounded me. The obvious leader said to the other two, “This one must be crazy.”
The computer had been feeding me their language since I walked into the forest and I said to them, ‘I’ve had a vision and I need to speak to Massasoit.’”
The three Indians were shocked that I spoke their language and the leader asked me how I was able to do so. I told him I learned how to do it during the vision I had.” Charles chuckled, “I can tell you that drew a response. The Leader, after a long discussion with the other two decided that dealing with me was above his pay-grade, so to speak. One scout remained behind and the other two bound my hands and led me into the forest.