by Ian Miller
They cautiously lay down on the couches, and although there was no formal hierarchy, Gaius arranged for Natasha to be beside him, thus leaving Harry and Marisa beside each other on another couch. An array of knives, spoons, and other utensils appeared.
"As a concession, forks are available if you wish. Alternatively, if you wish to be authentic, use your fingers, and napkins and water will appear to clean your fingers. The portions will be very small, but don't be disappointed. We'll have three entrees, two roasts, and a dessert, so eat carefully. Oysters, goose liver, fish, lobster, truffles, or something more unusual, such as bull's eye? For roasts, I'll suggest a game animal and pork. Treat yourselves! Contrary to what you might feel, most Romans were not gluttons. A lengthy meal was usually also held around the entertainment for the night, and the eating was rather light, the idea being to eat small amounts of a large variety of food. Let us dine, and I shall recount what has happened since I returned to this solar system."
Part Three
HELLAS PLANITIA, VALLES MARINERIS, ROMA
August-September, 2285
Chapter 1
Gaius Claudius Scaevola Plotkynnius became aware of pressure around his ears. The language teacher! He was arriving. Home! Or was it? He had been away for a little over three years, or so his body said, but the overall time would be over two thousand two hundred years. During the time of a minor campaign for him Earth would have changed immeasurably. The thrill of realization that he was near his home planet was countered by the need for a new language.
"The language is English." He opened his eyes, and saw Marcellus, his Companion, standing before him.
"What is English? Where did it come from?"
"From a place called Britain, as far as I can tell," came the reply.
Britain! The land of the Celts! "Surely they did not . . .?"
"I'm afraid Rome is no longer a power. Latin is unspoken. The two major languages from the lands you knew are now English and Spanish. After Rome declined, Britain was invaded by Angles, from Germany. You have much to learn, Gaius, of your home planet."
"And to what level has Earth advanced?"
"First level space colonization. You will be pleased to know your names for the planets have been retained. There are colonies on Sol 4.0, also still known as Mars, on Sol 3.1, known as the Moon, and at least five space stations have been built together with a transit base on sol 4.1, known as Phobos. The Ulsian observational group based on the body Terrans now call Chiron has continued to monitor human history, and recordings are available for your perusal. Humans have actually made first contact, although that is not widely known. A very limited number from Mars have qualified as contacts."
"So humans are not quite as bad as they might have been?"
"They have negotiated most of the great crises, although without much to spare," Marcellus said. "The Earth's environment, fortunately for them, proved somewhat resilient, but your kind did their best at times to push it to the limit. Mind you, they've only survived so far, and more is yet to be solved."
"They'll get there, I'm sure," Gaius said confidently.
"With or without your help?" came the challenging response.
"I am aware of the laws on intervention," Gaius said gravely. "I have no intention of disobeying them. Now, tell me, did the M'starn come here?"
"I'm afraid they have," Marcellus said. "So far, they have made their presence felt to the extent that they have been involved in overturning the previous government of Mars, and they now control that planet. They may or may not be responsible."
"And what does that mean?"
"According to the reports, the M'starn invaded Mars, and they're taking Martian colonists for forced labour. However, there appear to be very few M'starn on Mars, and on one interpretation all they've done is to help some rebellious Terrans take over the three main colonies."
"Are there are parts of Mars they don't control?" Gaius asked curiously.
"Most of it, actually, but that is uninhabited anyway. They've left one settlement alone, in part due to special contact between humans and Ulsians."
"Don't tell me the local Ulsians put up some defence on behalf of the humans?"
"And why not? They're here."
"Perhaps," Gaius said, "but isn't it a bit out of character?"
"I can see you're trying to be insulting?"
"I can see I'm trying to come to grips with strategic reality," Gaius countered. "The Ulsians here have a couple of small transport ships, so to take on even a group of main-line warships is just plain stupid."
"Oh, I see what you mean," Marcellus nodded. "You recall I mentioned there had been first contact. Well, a very few Martians have been permitted first contact, and in return for donating supplies when the Ulsian colony was having difficulties, they were given reprogrammed androids from their great android control crisis. The reprogrammed androids were the key. I'm not sure how much was bluff and how much was real, but whatever happened scared the very life out of the chief collaborator. The leading M'starn representative must have decided that the local resources weren't up to dealing with this, and if they have no current territorial interest in this planet, it would make sense for the M'starn to accept a neutrality deal.
"And the collaborators accepted this?"
"It's not clear what the M'starn want in the long run," Marcellus said, "but what they want now is labour and materials to repair their ships. The Ulsians think that as long as they get those, the M'starn are only imposing power as part of a deal, and if the collaborators refuse to accept orders, they'll be on their own."
"Which they don't have the stomach for," Gaius nodded.
"In a word, no," Marcellus replied. "There's one other partial oddity. The M'starn and a number of Martian collaborators attempted to attack a space colony, but were repelled inside by a human force."
"Repelled?"
"Yes. Apparently they learned from the Mars experience and used spears and arrows, exposing the only real weakness of the M'starn armour until our level of technology is reached. I must say I find it extraordinary, but there it is."
"Then not all has been lost," Gaius said proudly.
"So it seems. Anyway, the M'starn then seems to have ordered the destruction of the colony, but the Livia shielded it. The Livia transmitted a report modulated on a fake dephasing jet, and unfortunately I have to tell you Vipsania is dead. The entire message awaits you."
Gaius leaned forward, his head in his hands.
"You really knew the M'starn would not allow her to live," Marcellus continued, after two minutes silence.
"Yes," Gaius replied bleakly. He looked up and wiped the corner of his eye. "Technically, I've known it since the great battle, but I tell you, Marcellus, secretly I still had hope. Now, I do not feel better for having hope removed."
"I won't insult you, Gaius, by saying I know how you feel, but please accept my condolences."
"It's not your fault, Marcellus, but perhaps you could leave me alone to grieve."
"Of course, but there is one further decision I need from you."
"What?"
"I have fully used the relativistic mass recovery units . . ."
Yes, thought Gaius, what a marvellous invention! As one approaches the speed of light, the object becomes more and more massive, and ever-increasing amounts of energy are required to get incremental steps in velocity. But the increase in mass can be thought of as potential energy, and when slowing down, this mass could be reconverted to energy to step down from relativistic speeds.
The concept reminded him of his first Ulsian physics lesson. Although his fellow Romans were great builders, they did not ask why something worked; it was sufficient that it did. The Greeks, on the other hand, wanted to explain everything, but since using the knowledge was outside their frame of reference, they did not care whether the explanation was correct. What an odd pair, he and his Greek teacher; the teacher who so wanted to be a Roman, yet turn his Roman pupil into a Greek, a strange mixture where
both wanted to be right! And he had to shudder as he remembered the Roman number system; multiplication was very complicated, and in it, calculus would be, to say the least, difficult.
Nevertheless when the Ulsians noted his desire to learn physics, they had taught him things so far outside his Roman vision that he had at times felt frightened. It was strange how this came to his mind now; the sheer beauty of the concept of pouring energy into a space vehicle to overcome a perverse law of nature only to find it was all stored and ready for use at the other end had always left him breathless.
"Gaius, are you fully awake? Is your body working fully?"
"I'm sorry, Marcellus. My body is fine. I've survived the journey in fine form. It's just that I'm a bit mixed up."
"I think I may understand, at least partially," Marcellus said. "But the decision must still be taken! Because the M'starn are present, I thought you might wish to remain undetected. For this reason, I have not yet engaged the main drive."
"Good thinking," Gaius nodded with approval.
"But there is a price to pay. We're moving at over half light speed. We can lose a certain amount of velocity through the fusion motors, and I have engaged them. But they won't do enough, and anyway, we'll run out of matter."
"So you're proposing?"
"What we'll have to do soon anyway. We have to recharge the energy banks if we're to engage in battle, we need more matter, and we have to slow down. All three can be achieved by a star skim."
"At some danger," Gaius noted.
"It's the easiest way to refuel in this part of the galaxy. Of course you must leave the ship. Our present course will take us past Sol 4.0 and . . ."
"What's the mass of that planet?"
"Gravity is about point three eight Earth."
"Atmosphere?"
"Not much. Remember, it's the small planet found on the outer limit of rocky planet accretion, and it hasn't had much in the way of volcanic degassing."
"I'd better take breathing equipment then."
"What I suggest," Marcellus said, "is that you take the prime shuttle and land outside a dome. I would suggest the major one at a place called Hellas, which is on flat ground, and it has a large flat dome over it. You should be able to work out a way to get in, and if you can keep a low profile, you might learn something"
"Assuming I can get in," Gaius said slowly.
"If you can't, you weren't paying proper attention during your training."
"I meant, unseen," Gaius replied. "Since I am ordering stealth mode for the Actium I've got to assume I'll be without it for some time, which of course also means I shall be without most of my firepower."
"That's true," Marcellus said, "but you've got to do something. If you're going to be afraid of –"
"Don't goad me, Marcellus. You're not supposed to do that."
"I know. I suppose I should say I'm sorry."
"No, you shouldn't, because you're not," Gaius smiled wanly. "You are, as usual, quite correct. I am not angry with you."
"Please believe me, then. I am truly pleased you are not angry with me."
"I believe you, my Companion," Gaius smiled. "You must try to understand that, at this moment, I have very strange emotions. I am coming home, but I have no home. Everyone I knew will have been dead for over two thousand years. My way of life will be gone. I cannot hope to understand my own people, and they cannot even imagine, in their wildest dreams, what I have seen and done. I am truly a lost soul, and without Vipsania . . ."
"If you can make the unbelievable jump into Ulsian society, I find it difficult to see why you cannot enter that of your own species."
"On Ulse, at least I had the love of Vipsania. On Earth I shall be taunted with women with whom I may not even –"
"I should not interrupt, Gaius, but there are some things that perhaps I should tell you. Firstly, the total innocence of Earth towards the Ulsian Federation need not be kept. The M'starn have already shattered that. But secondly, I have additional instructions from the Ulsian representatives on Plotk. Ulse recognizes that your actions have saved Ulsian civilization, and without those actions there would be no Ulsian laws now. Ulse recognizes the loss you suffered, and while you must recognize that even Ulse cannot bring back Vipsania, I am instructed to make whatever concessions I can to ease your future life. There is no question of your never having another wife, if you so wish. We only hope you can choose as wisely as you did the first time. Ulse also mourns for Vipsania. She was held in extremely high regard, and in some ways more so than you."
"Thank you very much for saying those kind words," Gaius said solemnly. "Never fear. I will not break Ulsian law deliberately, because I only too fully appreciate the reasons for them."
"You're not even slightly tempted to play God?"
"Some distant relations did that," Gaius shuddered. "I'm not proud of the results."
Marcellus nodded. "Then, Gaius, go and discover what humans have done in the last two thousand years. I would suggest a very quick survey of all of the history, then a study of as much as you can absorb of the present. You can view the rest at your leisure later. There is much to learn, and I suggest . . ."
Chapter 2
Five young people crept along a stony path between the stubble of two of the great Hellas cornfields. It was pitch black at corn level, but above there was a faint glistening from stray light on the great dome, and towards the west there was an additional light due to tiny Phobos as it skimmed across the sky. The air, not surprisingly, was almost still as the dome had yet to cool down in the bitter Martian night and the convection currents had yet to make their presence felt. Inside the dome, it was the usual pleasant sixteen degrees, a heat maintained by excess heat from the power generators outside.
"I think this is far enough," a young girl said. "Enrico won't take long."
"If he comes," a young man replied doubtfully.
"Akiro, I'm sure he'll come," came the firm counter.
"What you mean is, you hope he'll come. And you hope he'll be able to help you."
"Look, for me it's quite simple," the young girl went on. "I'm not going on the draft. It's not even a labour draft. They've as good as said they're filling a workers' brothel and I'd as soon die as whore for them. I've got to get out of here!"
"Misako, dear. We don't want you to be a whore either. The question isn't whether we want you to go, but what do we do about it?"
"Akiro," Misako replied, "I intend to escape."
"And you're hoping Enrico'll help. But suppose he won't. Or suppose he can't? What's so special about him?"
"He will," Misako said defiantly. "And even if he doesn't, I'll do it anyway."
"How? Without a vehicle, you'd die outside the dome!"
"I'll take a land cruiser."
"That's not a very helpful idea," another interrupted. "How're you going to get out of the Hellas basin without being seen? A land cruiser can be seen for kilometers. And anyway, can we afford a land cruiser for one?"
"Enrico's said he knows how to get a cruiser, and how to get away," Misako said. "All you have to do is leave early enough at night to get enough distance. And I hope you're not telling me I can't have one? That you'd stop me?"
"I think maybe more people should go with you," came the reply. "The best move would be to stow away on an exploration cruiser. Or better still, go with a miner, or on a transporter to Theppot. That'd get us out of Hellas."
"There're no exploration cruisers leaving before the draft," another countered.
"Nor any to Theppot, and in any case those wretched Theppotians have promised not to give refuge."
"You can't blame them," Misako said softly. "Somehow they've negotiated some sort of a truce, but the fact is there's no way they could do anything to get rid of the M'starn."
"Anyway, another problem in getting away is that the Brownshirts guard the airlocks," Akiro added pointedly.
"Perhaps we could bribe our way out," one added.
"Perhaps an atmosphere'll sudden
ly appear and we can walk away," another snorted.
"Look, Enrico said –" Misako started.
"And just where is Enrico?" Akiro interrupted irritably. "He's supposed to have been here five minutes ago."
Suddenly, two bright lights flashed onto the group, and the young Japanese fell silent as they shielded their eyes. Two Brownshirts stood with powerful torches and pistols aimed at the group.
"What a seditious little group we have here," sneered the first.
"A profitable little group," sneered the other. "Four not on the draft!"
"They are now!"
"Which means we can sell four pardons!"
"Four leave tickets," came a cynical laugh. "They'd be back on soon anyway."
"But they never see things like that!"
"Let's charge them," Misako whispered to the one beside her.
"Ssshh!" Akiro whispered back. "We've got to –"
" Ssshh nothing! We've got to charge!" whispered Misako. Three charged, realizing this might be their only opportunity. The charge appeared doomed. Two of the men jumped on the closest Brownshirt, but they had no weapon, and no fighting skill. The Brownshirt swung around, using his large torch as a club, and the two farmers fell back, clutching at their hurt faces. Misako had charged at the other Brownshirt, but she was flung aside as if a twig. The remaining two had not moved.
"So, you scum, you thought you'd escape did you? Thought you could fight? A bit of a bloody nose, and you're crawling around the dirt like a mole. C'mon! Eat dirt!" He struck down on the young man with his torch again. There was a cry of pain, and he raised the torch again.
It never fell. There was a thud as a rock struck him on the back of the head.
"What the . . ." swore the other Brownshirt, as he turned towards the cornfield. There was a slight swishing sound, then suddenly he fell back, struck full in the face by another rock. The figure of a man who seemed to be folding up a sling stepped out from the corn. The item disappeared into what was presumably a pocket in an otherwise reasonably tight-fitting overall type attire. He stepped towards the inert bodies and, unaccustomed to the lighter gravity, almost overshot and had to clumsily grasp one of the bodies to slow himself. By doing so, he almost fell. He carefully regained his composure, then took both their weapons and their torches. He then grasped one by the hair and dragged him over and flung him down beside the other. He turned a torch on the small party.