Asimov's Future History Volume 2

by Isaac Asimov

  Governor Varus dismounted and glanced up at him. “Something wrong, Tribune?”

  “No, sir. Uh — I thought I might take our guests on a brief ride back along the troops for a moment, though, if they’re interested in seeing the sights.”

  “You haven’t had enough riding for the day?” Governor Varus shook his head, handed his reins to a groom, and wearily walked away.

  “Would you come with me for a moment?” Marcus asked, looking at Jane and Gene.

  “Sure.” Gene shrugged.

  “Lead on,” said Jane.

  Marcus steered them around to the side of the column, which was dispersing to build the camp. He rode back to Fabius Albinus, the centurion in command of the advance patrols. Fabius had just dismounted, and was dismissing one of the patrols that had just returned and reported.

  “Centurion,” said Marcus, looking down at him. “Have your patrols reported whether any German villages are close by?”

  “Yes, sir, they have. Several are close.”

  “I have a favor to ask, Fabius.” Marcus made his tone more casual, since he had no direct authority to give Fabius an order. “I’d like to see a few of them myself, but I don’t dare go without a large escort.”

  “I can send a couple of decuries with you. Almost all the patrols have rejoined us now.”

  “I had more in mind, Fabius. Would you ride out with me — and bring your entire troop?”

  “The entire century?”

  “Would you mind? Perhaps for an hour, no more.”

  “The men have been riding all day. They’re ready to stand down,” Fabius said slowly.

  Marcus merely waited, as Fabius studied his face. They both knew the time would come when Marcus could return the favor.

  “All right, Marcus. I’ll take them out with you.”

  “Thank you, Fabius. I won’t forget it.”

  As Fabius mounted again and called out his orders, Jane moved up next to Marcus and leaned close to him.

  “Marcus? Are you going to get into trouble over this with the governor?”

  Surprised that she would question his decision, he almost ordered her to back away. Her tone of genuine concern stopped him, however. Next to her, Gene also was watching him. After all, they had heard the governor tell him earlier not to interfere with existing marching orders or army directives.

  “It may be a problem,” Marcus said quietly. “But if I can learn something that will convince the governor to stop a disaster, then this will be worth the risk.”

  “Please don’t,” said Jane.

  “I’ll be fine. But I must ask you two to remain in camp with Demetrius. I will be back soon.”

  20

  FABIUS HAD HIS century of cavalry mounted and in formation in only moments. He nodded to Marcus, who drew up next to him at the head of the column. Then Fabius spurred his mount to lead them out.

  “Halt! Halt, I say!”

  Marcus clenched his teeth at the sound of Governor Varus’s voice. He forced himself to remain calm, however. On his left, the governor angrily strode across the mud toward him. Behind Governor Varus, Jane and Gene had dismounted but were watching.

  “Centurion, dismiss your troop,” said the governor. “Return to your normal duties.”

  “Governor Varus —” Fabius began.

  “Don’t waste your breath,” Governor Varus growled. “The tribune doesn’t need any excuses from you.”

  Fabius turned and began a quick stream of orders to his century.

  “Get down, Marcus,” ordered the governor. “Governor, we need to know what the local villages —”

  “Or you may lose your position, Tribune. Dismount!”

  Marcus jumped to the ground.

  “I have already heard all of your arguments. I will not listen to them again. Prince Arminius will be joining us at any time, with some members of his own party. I suggest you remain at my tent with your guests. Alert me the moment Prince Arminius arrives.” Governor Varus turned and hurried away.

  Marcus sighed. At least he was still a tribune. He took the reins of his horse and walked toward the governor’s tent, which had been raised already.

  Jane stood silently with Gene as Marcus led his horse past them and handed his reins to a groom. When Marcus had moved out of hearing, she turned to Gene and shrugged. They had heard the entire exchange between the governor and Marcus. Around them, the new camp was slowly going up.

  “It was kind of a dirty trick, wasn’t it?” Jane drew her cloak tighter around her.

  “We had no choice,” said Gene. “We had to point out Marcus’s intentions to the governor. There was no other way to stop him and he might have discovered tomorrow’s ambush if he had ridden out right now in strength.”

  “You’re sure now that it’s coming tomorrow?”

  “Yeah.” Gene nodded, looking at her grimly. “The governor said that Prince Arminius is coming tonight. The German entourage feasts with the Romans tonight-that means the attack is tomorrow.”

  “Then Hunter had better get back here tonight and get us away from the Romans, as he planned.”

  “Exactly.”

  Late in the day Hunter and Steve were hidden in the forest outside the village. They had watched MC 3 following Julius around in the village as other warriors came and went. Then Prince Arminius had led a group of warriors out of the village, but Julius, MC 3, and most of the warriors from this village had remained.

  When Prince Arminius had left, Hunter had raised his hearing to maximum sensitivity as a safety measure. Immediately after doing so, he had detected the presence of two figures also hidden in the brush nearby. He turned to Steve.

  “We are not alone in observing this village. Two others are doing the same, roughly a hundred yards to our left, completely out of sight.”

  “Romans?”

  “I doubt it. They have been relying on cavalry patrols for this kind of work.”

  “Then who is it?”

  “I suspect that one is Wayne and the other probably a German warrior whom Wayne has somehow convinced to help him. Judging by their position and their lack of movement, they have not yet noticed our presence.”

  “Maybe we should grab Wayne,” whispered Steve. “Get him out of our way once and for all.”

  “Doing so now would cause a disturbance,” said Hunter. “It would reveal our presence and thereby our interest in observing this village.”

  “Hold it — you mean you’re just going to let Wayne stay right here with his eye on MC 3 and leave him here? Hunter, that’s crazy — even worse, irrational.”

  “I disagree. I see no way in which Wayne can rush into the village and grab MC 3. We know that MC 3 is surrounded by too many Germans, all of whom are looking for a fight.”

  Steve shook his head in disbelief. “Well, we still have to decide what we’re going to do for the night. It’s getting late now, anyway. If we’re going to find the Roman camp tonight, we have to get moving. It’s a long walk from here.”

  “Getting MC 3 now would endanger too many humans,” said Hunter.

  “He will resist and they will defend him. With that many opponents, I would not be able to get him away without harming them.”

  “At the very least, let’s go sneak up on Wayne and get a good look at him — at least a positive identification. That way we’ll know for sure.”

  “Yes, that is wise. I can make this approach more efficiently alone, however. Please remain here.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  Hunter started to move when he received a signal on his internal receiver. “Hunter, Jane calling.”

  “Yes, Jane,” Hunter radioed.

  “The Romans are making camp again for the night,” she said quietly. “We found out that Prince Arminius is bringing a party of Germans here for a feast. Gene says that means the attack will start tomorrow.”

  “Are you in danger now?”

  “No. We’re fine. But I can’t talk long. We’re in the middle of camp. Gene and I are hud
dled together pretending to talk to each other.”

  “Does Gene anticipate danger tonight?”

  “I’m here, Hunter,” said Gene. “No, I don’t. We just wanted to make sure you were kept up-to-date.”

  “Hunter?” Steve looked at him. “Something wrong?”

  “I have a call from Jane and Gene,” Hunter said aloud. “Please wait.”

  “Should we still follow the original plan?” Gene asked. “Are you rejoining us here tonight or should we try to meet you somewhere?”

  “Steve is with me now,” said Hunter. “Remain where you are. We shall come back to the Roman camp tonight and reunite the team, as planned. Hunter out.”

  Steve was still watching Hunter curiously.

  “We shall go to the new Roman camp now,” said Hunter. “The attack will begin tomorrow.”

  “Wait a minute.” Steve’s eyes widened. “You mean we’re going to leave MC 3 right here? We almost have him. We could grab him and take him back to our time — then come back for Jane and Gene.”

  “I do not dare take the risk,” said Hunter. “I still feel that we are not very close to apprehending MC 3. The fact that we have been able to see him does not imply that we can simply grab him and run.”

  “But he’s the entire reason we’re here. Isn’t taking the opportunity worth the risk?”

  “I must balance the risk to harm of our future with the danger of harm to the individual warriors and to you. Remember, some of the Germans in the village may play an important role in the battle. If I injure them, I could also alter our future. Nor can I risk harm to you unnecessarily.”

  “Well …” Steve shook his head. “I can’t think of an argument against that. But I hate walking away from MC 3 when he’s so close.”

  “I believe that Julius will join the attack and that MC 3 will go with him. We will know where to find him.”

  “Yeah, all right. I guess.” Steve shrugged.

  “In any case, if we get MC 3 in custody while the team is together, we can leave immediately. That is the most desirable plan of action.”

  “You’re the boss.”

  Hunter listened carefully for signs of movement in the two strangers but heard nothing. The wind had not changed, so they were still upwind of the village dogs. He turned and slipped through the trees once more, with Steve behind him.

  Steve was exhausted by the time they reached the new Roman camp. Night had fallen, but the sky over the palisade fence was brightly lighted by the flickering glow of many fires. The sentries saw them coming and when Hunter merely waved, they opened the front gate.

  Inside, Steve saw why the sentries were in a friendly mood. A feast was well under way, with boars and deer roasting on spits all over the camp. The soldiers were talking and drinking; around some of the fires, groups were singing.

  Outside the governor’s tent, a tight ring of torches on tall posts surrounded the main party. They were seated on logs around a boar roasting over a roaring fire. In the light thrown by the fire, Steve could see Governor Varus, some soldiers he guessed were top officers of the army, and a large group of bearded German guests dressed in heavy furs.

  “Do you see Jane and Gene anywhere?” Steve asked. “Or Marcus?”

  “Yes,” said Hunter. “Marcus is seated behind the governor. Jane and Gene are sitting with him. We should walk around the outside of the circle to the far side.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  Steve followed Hunter on a long route through the crowds of festive legionaries. Jane saw them coming first and waved. Marcus and Gene greeted them when they arrived, but the tribune did not bother to tell the governor about their arrival.

  Hunter and Steve sat next to Gene, on the far side from Marcus. In the row ahead of them, Steve could see Prince Arminius sitting next to Governor Varus. The German on the other side of Prince Arminius was a little shorter, an older man with long steel gray hair and a lined face.

  “Gene?” Steve leaned close to him. “Any idea who the old guy is? All the other Germans here are of warrior age.”

  “I know who he is, all right. His name is Segestes. He’s Prince Arminius’s father.”

  “Really?” Hunter asked. “Why is he not the Prince of the Cherusci, then?”

  “Arminius was elected chief of the Cherusci,” said Gene. “He commanded a troop of German auxiliaries in the Roman army a few years ago and was elected chief after he quit that position. And Segestes has had considerable friction with his son.” Gene glanced over at them to make sure no one outside the team, including Marcus, was listening.

  “What is wrong?” Hunter asked.

  Gene lowered his voice. “Sometime tonight, Segestes will get Varus alone and betray Arminius’s plan to rebel tomorrow. But he can’t convince the governor any more than Marcus has been able to.”

  “It’s hard to believe Governor Varus is so hardheaded,” Jane whispered. “He has all these warnings and all the evidence around him, if he only would look at it.”

  “We must be glad he does not change his mind,” Hunter reminded her.

  “History is full of people who were blind like that,” said Gene. “Many historical figures seem incredibly blind, ignorant, or stupid in their actions, but of course we have the advantage of hindsight.”

  “Yeah, he’s overconfident,” said Steve. “I guess when you look at how well armed and organized the Romans are, and then look at the furs and the few weapons the Germans have, it’s understandable.”

  “Discontinue this line of talk,” said Hunter. “We are taking a reckless chance of being overheard. Save it for when we are alone, preferably back home.”

  Soon the boar on the spit in front of the governor was fully roasted, at least on the outside. Roman slaves carved off chunks of it; Demetrius served them with plenty of wine and freshly baked bread. Meanwhile, the remainder of the boar still roasted over the fire.

  Steve eagerly accepted his dinner. The meat was tough and greasy, but he was too hungry to care. Conversation stopped while the team ate.

  After a while, Marcus set his plate down on the ground, with food still on it. He picked up his wine goblet and stood up, studying the Germans in the front row by the fire. Jane looked up at him curiously.

  “I think I will mingle with our guests,” he said grimly. Then, forcing a tight smile, he moved up to the front row of seats and began talking to some of the visitors.

  “I am reconsidering our plan,” said Hunter.

  “Huh?” Gene looked up. “You don’t want to stay with the Romans for the battle tomorrow, do you?”

  “Not at all,” said Hunter. “Now that we are together, I think perhaps we should leave the camp tonight. I can make camp somewhere not too far from here and stand guard over you while you sleep.”

  “Why the change in plans?” Steve asked. “Why don’t we just take off tomorrow morning?”

  “Marcus may force us to remain with him tomorrow for our own safety. I do not want to risk that.”

  “I don’t think Marcus will be too happy about our going tonight, either,” said Gene. “He’ll think it’s too dangerous to leave now, too.”

  “We shall not discuss it with Marcus or anyone else,” said Hunter. “For now, we shall participate in the feast as guests. Maybe when the Germans leave, we shall be able to slip out in the confusion. If not, I shall look for another opportunity later tonight.”

  Steve turned away. In front of him, Prince Arminius was raising his goblet to Governor Varus. Curious, Steve leaned forward slightly to listen.

  “You have been a great help to me,” said Governor Varus, clanking his goblet against his companion’s. “You warned me that this expedition was necessary to keep the tribes docile. And without your advice about the necessity of gathering winter provisions, I would never have sent so many troops out to different parts of the province to prepare for winter.”

  “I’m glad to be of service, Governor.” Prince Arminius took a drink of his wine.

  “I will tell you plain
ly, I look forward to returning to our forts on the Rhine. This rainy season of yours is very cold and gray.”

  “Perhaps I can help you in this matter, as well, Governor Varus.”

  “Eh? How so?”

  “The road you follow takes a long route through the mountains. I can direct you through some mountain passes that will shorten the distance you will have to travel.”

  “Really?” Governor Varus sipped his wine again. “On which day we will reach these passes?”

  “Tomorrow,” said Prince Arminius. “Before we leave you this evening for our own camp, I will tell you how to go.”

  “Ah! I thank you again, Arminius.”

  Steve glanced over at Marcus. The tribune was gazing into the fire, too far away to have overheard the conversation. Then Steve turned to Hunter, who simply nodded with satisfaction.

  21

  LATE THAT NIGHT, the fires finally died down. Most of the legionaries had gone to sleep when Steve watched the governor and his party, including Marcus, escort their German guests to the gate of the camp. This elite party of Germans, unlike the bulk of German warriors, was mounted, and they rode out into the night with torches to light their way.

  Hunter stood up and casually walked away from the fire. Steve saw that Jane and Gene followed him and hurried after them. No one else took any notice of them. Hunter stopped by a deserted spot against the back wall of the palisade, where they would not be overheard by any of the Romans.

  “Most of the camp will be asleep soon,” said Hunter. “When only the sentries are awake, we shall leave the camp. I want to discuss the plan with you now, so we shall not have to talk very much when the time comes.”

  “Are we going to sneak out the gate?” Steve asked. “Those sentries probably had some wine, too. Maybe they’ll doze off in a little while.”

  “I believe that is too risky,” said Hunter. “Since it is their duty to remain on guard, I do not wish to count on their failing to do so. Maybe they will remain alert. Opening the main gate will make some noise and, of course, torches are lighting the area. If they do interrupt us, I cannot risk harming them, as you know, to facilitate our escape.”