Travis Starnes
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The Sword of Jupiter (Imperium #1) - Chapter 11
🕑 Added 2019-11-15 16:45:15 +0000 UTC
“Princeps, I would like a word with you!” Ky said as they walked up the steps of the imperial complex, away from the wildly cheering crowds.
“I thought you might. Legates, please see to your men, and ensure they all have time to visit the games while they take place.”
“Father!” Caesius said as he and his sister followed their father up the steps. “How could you …?”
“I know you have much to say, Caesius, but the games have been announced. As my son, you have responsibilities. We can speak this evening.”
Caesius gave Ky a look of pure hatred and stomped off the steps with several of the men who had been gathered behind them following in his wake.
“Lucilla, I believe you also have duties to attend.”
“Yes, Father,” she said with a slight incline of her head.
The look she gave Ky was far different than her brother’s before she too turned and walked down the steps, Ursinus in her wake.
Successive men from the group lined up at the top of the steps behind the Emperor attempted to stop them as they passed, to ask their leader questions. Although the Emperor was successful in deflecting each of them, the constant interruptions did slow the pair enough for Ky to query the AI.
‘Explain what a consul is.’
“In the Republican era, Rome was commanded by a pair of consul voted on a one year term, exercising controlling executive authority over the whole of the Republic on alternating days. These powers included commanding the legions, executing laws passed by the Senate, and conducting diplomacy with foreign powers. During the period of imperial rule, the position lost most of its power, becoming largely ceremonial with some notable exceptions during times of crisis. All documents reviewed of this timeline to date suggest no consul has been named since the last Publius Vipstanus Malchus shortly before the expulsion of Rome from the Iberian peninsula and the end of this time period’s Republican rule.”
‘With all those powers, what does the Emperor declaring me Consul mean? Your explanation makes it sound like the consuls had full executive power and yet the Emperor didn’t say the powers would be any different. How does wielding executive power work if there’s still an Emperor?’
“Current data insufficient to extrapolate any likely scenario, Commander.”
‘You’re a big help,’ Ky thought, receiving no answer from the AI.
Finally, the Emperor getting past the throng of audience seekers led Ky into one of the offices used by a functionary. There was no door, but the emperor’s guards flanked the arched doorway, keeping anyone else from following the pair inside.
“I want to apologize to you, Ky. I realize I made my announcement of your elevation without warning you first. I believed you would have declined the offer if I’d asked you beforehand.”
“If you predicted my response, then why would you make the announcement, anyway? While I do want to help your people, I will not be bullied or tricked into doing something against my principles. I agreed to not openly tell people I wasn’t the person in your prophecies, I did not agree to have you announce to everyone I was this Sword person! I will not lie about who I am.”
“I also predicted your refusal to listen to why you must be appointed Consul. I announced you were the Sword despite your declining the title for the same reason. This morning you told me we would have to agree to make major changes to some of the fundamental building blocks of our society if you were to stay with us. I don’t think you grasp the difficulty those changes will require. We are a people steeped in tradition, and we rarely look beyond ‘the way things have always been done.' While I recognize this is a problem, and I agree change is needed for our survival, most of my people cannot see this. They will need a powerful reason to abandon some of our oldest traditions and systems. For the types of changes you are suggesting, nothing short of a messenger from the gods would be acceptable.”
Ky frowned, his righteous indignation faltering on the Emperor’s words. While he did not like the idea of deceiving people and claiming he was something he was not, what little he had seen of Roman society did suggest the Emperor was correct. Globulus threw away his own life, and the lives of five thousand of his fellow Romans, because he could not accept Ky’s participation in the plans for the defense of Devnum.
“I can see your point, but I do not want to claim I’m something I am not. Yes, letting people believe what they want to could help get changes made now; but someday the truth will come out, as it always does. If your people are as resistant to change as you say they are, how will they feel about learning the changes they’d been forced to go through were made under false pretenses. Do you think they will realize the rightness of the changes, or will they ignore it all in anger over being deceived?”
“Which is why I didn’t have you announce you were the Sword. I am an old man. If someday the people start believing you aren’t the sword, then you will be able to lay the blame on an old man who wanted to save his people.”
“I couldn’t …”
“You can. Ky, I don’t know if you are the Sword or not. I do not know if the gods sent you or not. What I do know is, I will allow nothing to keep me from saving my people. My people may be able to bury their heads and ignore the future, for the gains of today. I, however, can recognize the impossible situation laid out for us. If preventing the annihilation of all of Rome means having you sell my legacy in exchange for legitimacy in the future, so be it. I also believe if you do end up saving our people, you will have completed the prophecies of the Sword, and my legacy will remain intact.”
“So, I can continue telling people I am not some agent of the gods?”
“Yes. Humility is one of the things our culture prides itself on, even if few of us are actually humble. They will recognize your denials for what they are, and you will endear yourself to them even more.”
“Fine. You seem to keep talking me out of the things I believe in, and getting me to agree with you.”
“Which is one of the reasons I have been able to maintain my position as Emperor.”
“So, what are my duties as Consul?”
“Your duties are whatever you decide is necessary. No one has held the position in almost a hundred years, and the last consul gave himself wide latitude in the position. He needed to get the remaining Romans in Gaul to abandon their lands and retreat to Britannia before the Carthaginians could destroy them, and gave himself whatever powers he needed. I was purposefully less than specific in my decree to allow you the same latitude.”
“I don’t understand something, Praetor. You don’t know me, and your legates did as much as I did to save your city. Why would you give me this power?”
“You forget my daughter saw you fall from the heavens. Also, in a matter of moments, you not only cured me of the poisoning, but made me feel better than I have since I was a young man. I also have heard accounts of some of your actions on the battlefield which were described as nearly miraculous. Beyond your actual deeds, I am a good judge of character, as is my daughter. We both agree we can trust you. All of this, of course, ignores the ultimate reason I decided to allow you a free hand.”
“Which is?”
“I have no choice. I have already leveraged everything in my power, and was on the cusp of losing my life and my people when you arrived. You are the only untried option left.”
Ky stood silently in front of the Emperor, trying to sort out everything he had said since they walked into this room and how he felt about the man’s words. The Emperor, for his part, silently waited for Ky to speak.
“I’m not sure what to do next,” Ky admitted.
“You knew this morning. Don’t second guess yourself.”
“I think we need to start with you hearing the overall changes I have planned. I know some of the changes I want to make, but not the best way to enact them, since I don’t know Rome well enough to know how your people will deal with the changes. After we talk, you can decide who I need to talk to, and how best to approach the people who need to be involved. Since a lot of these initial changes will involve the military, I think Aelius and Velius should sit with us as well. I would also value Lucilla’s input and anyone else you feel should be in the first meeting.”
“I have heard of all the documents you’ve been reading in your rooms. Do you have everything you need, or do you need more time? Also, if you need to make notes of the meeting, I can have a scribe sent to you.”
“All I really need is some time to put my thoughts together.”
“Fine, then tomorrow we can meet. First, however, you will have to meet with the priests. I have been putting them off, but with the games, they feel they must speak with you before they can offer any sacrifices. While I don’t need to be present for most of the games, I do need to attend the first contests tomorrow morning. Afterward, we can sit down with the legates and my most trusted advisers.”
“Thank you for hearing me out, Imperator.”
“As my newest consul, how could I not?”
Ky gave a slight bow and walked out of the office, back towards his quarters. Ky noticed odd looks by people he passed on the way, something he suspected would be happening more often thanks to the Emperor’s grand proclamation.
The celebration went on all night as the people let loose their collective joy and relief at surviving the Carthaginian onslaught. If Ky had not been able to filter out the wave of noise pouring in through his window all night, he would not have been able to get anything done. Finally, Ky, with the help of the AI, managed to assemble the beginnings of a plan.
Early the next morning, one of the Emperor’s messengers arrived and led Ky to a large, ornate temple not far from the imperial complex. A group of fifteen men in white togas with purple edging stood on the steps in front of the giant doors. A sixteenth man standing in front of the group was further distinguished by a covering draped over his head, also trimmed in purple.
“Consul,” the man in front said.
“Pontiff,” Ky replied, the AI having pulled descriptions of the notable positions in Roman society and the special garb they wore. The covering on the man’s head with its purple border signified him as the Pontiff Maximus, the head priest in Roman society who essentially ran all religion for the Romans.
“Follow us.”
The priests turned, and Ky fell in step behind the Pontiff as they walked into a large open room with a scattering of Romans on the floor bowed in prayer. At the end of the room was a huge statue of a bearded man seated on a throne, holding a staff in one hand and the figurine of a winged woman in the other. The statue reached to the ceiling of the room, which stood at well over two stories. Ky guessed the towering stone figure was at least thirty feet tall.
On either side of the statue were doors, into one of which the priests led Ky. The antechamber was a much smaller room, with an open area and an altar against the back wall. The group of them filled the room almost to capacity. Ky followed the Pontiff Maximus into the center of the room as the fifteen other men lined up along the walls, all facing in towards the pair.
When they reached the center of the room, the man indicated with a gesture for Ky to stop there before continuing to stand in front of the altar, also turning to face Ky.
“I am Lucius Vesnius Sacerdos, Pontiff Maximus of the Roman people,” the man in front of the altar said, and then gestured at the men along the walls. “The gathered pontiff’s each lead and command a Roman cult for one of the dominant gods in the heavens. Our Emperor has identified you as the Sword of Jupiter, sent to answer the ancient prophecy, and deliver the Romans into salvation. We are here to determine if you are, in fact, sent by the gods.”
Ky was not sure what he needed to say and decided to remain silent, looking back at the gathered men.
“Do you claim to be sent by the gods?” one of the men asked.
“No, I never claimed I was sent by the gods. In fact, I denied being sent by them, or anyone else, when the Emperor asked me directly. While the exact nature of my arrival here is difficult to explain, my arrival here was happenstance and not direct intention on my part.”
“The prophecy said the Sword would deny his role. While the proclamation isn’t explicit in the text, I agree with those who say he is a tool of the gods and not a direct servant,” a second man said.
“More of Trogus’ nonsense. The oracle said he was a servant of the gods. One cannot be a servant of the gods without knowing they are,” the first man replied.
“You wear the mantel of Apollo. Are you not his servant? Have you spoken with the god directly? Were you ordered by Apollo to your present position?” a third man asked.
“We are not here to argue old disputes. We must determine if this man is who the Emperor has claimed him to be,” Sacerdos said before turning back to Ky. “You said you had difficulty explaining how you arrived here. Why? Do you not know how you arrived here?”
“I do, but the words to explain my arrival are far enough outside of your experience as to not exist in Latin or Greek. I will try, but please understand without the right words, what I’m going to say will not make much sense.”
“We are learned men. I doubt there is much you can say we won’t understand,” one of the men around him said.
“Do your best,” the Pontiff Maximus said, making a gesture to quite his subordinate.
Ky struggled to find the words, noticing some of the things he wanted to say were not going to be translated by the AI into Latin since the word for the idea did not exist. Instead of throwing Hague Composite English at them, he would have to improvise.
“I come from a point far in the future, although a different future than your own. I was testing a craft in the … among the stars,” Ky said, struggling to find a way to describe outer space.
He queried the AI for other options of how to describe his true arrival in a way a primitive culture would understand, but got no response.
“My test went wrong, and I was sent here. What your soldiers saw in the marshes was me falling from the stars to the ground. I did not know of your conflict with the Carthaginians and only helped your soldiers because they were surrounded by a larger force and needed help. On my journey here I found I liked the Romans I’d met, a feeling reinforced after the Carthaginians tried to murder us in camp the next night. From there, your Emperor told me of your struggles and asked for my help.”
“You admit you come from the heavens, traveling the night sky with Mars, Jupiter, and Venus?”
“No. I was … you don’t have the words for me to explain. I was born in a … great house … far above the earth; high enough that even the tallest hills looked like dots, as my home circled the planet.”
The men started mumbling amongst themselves, and Ky sighed, knowing he was not getting anywhere.
“You came from the heavens, crashing to the earth on wings of fire, but you say you were not sent by the gods themselves. Perhaps the gods sent you to us, but without your knowing their machinations, pulling you from your home in the heavens and throwing you to Earth.”
“No, I participated in the events leading to my coming here and my coming here was random chance. What happened is just what happened, not something foreordained. The gods did not give me special abilities. To me, the things I can do are science, no different than your turning lumps of iron into swords.”
“These abilities go beyond the tools you use. We have reports from soldiers of your leaping over dozens of men and running faster than a charging horse.”
“Those are also a tool, after a fashion. In my time, we can … modify the body. My muscles have been altered to allow me to do things you would find impossible.”
“So, you could make us able to do the same things then?”
“No. I don’t have the tools or the expertise to give you the same abilities. I was a soldier, not a scientist.”
“So, you were crafted to be a warrior.”
“I guess.”
“As is true with all prophecy,” the speaker from before who defended Ky’s being the Sword said, “the meanings are layered upon one another. Jupiter did not send us a man who would be a weapon for Rome, he sent a weapon that is a man, and a man that is a weapon. How does this not convince you?”
“Consul, we must discuss what you have told us. Please wait outside while we confer.”
Ky bowed slightly and walked out, unsure of how to answer any of this and afraid he had confused their incorrect beliefs further by being unable to express himself properly.
‘You could have helped me more in there,’ Ky said internally to the AI.
“Acceptance of your divine origin is key to the greatest probability of successful societal evolution; which is, in turn, a key to successful survival in this timeline. Convincing religious leaders you were not sent by their deity lowers probability of successful societal evolution and survival.”
‘You’re not supposed to make choices for what the best course of action is.’
“No decisions were made by this unit.”
Ky sighed, known this would get nowhere. He had already started looking at the logs the AI was compiling and had noticed some discrepancies between its actions and what it was logging. He was certain this would be another such case.
After a few minutes, the men emerged from the room.
“Consul, we have discussed your responses to our questions and decided they both match and expand our understanding of the prophecy. We agree with the Emperor. You are the Sword of Jupiter.”
“Okay, what does your decision mean?”
“Our decision means the religious orders will not oppose the Emperor’s decree. We also ask that you join the Emperor at the opening of the games this afternoon, and take part in other, similar blessings during other festivals.”
“Does the Emperor know where and when I need to be somewhere?”
“He does.”
“As long as nothing goes against my moral judgment, I’ll be happy to take part.”
The priests nodded sagely, dismissing Ky, who began his walk back towards the imperial complex. He was unsure if he should be happy about their decision to publicly agree he was this mythic figure. He could not disagree with the AI that being declared this Sword person was the most expedient way to accomplish what he needed to do, he just hated the idea of allowing everyone to believe a lie.
Ky did not feel like going back to his small quarters and waiting for another summons. He had already run through most of the documents in the Roman library, which was unsurprisingly small. Each time a capital had been lost as they were pushed further and further out of Italy, and then Gaul, and finally, out of southern Britannia, they had been forced to leave behind or destroy much of their collected works. What remained in the Roman library was a collection of writings from the last fifty years, reconstructed works from people’s memories, and a few tattered originals that somehow survived each displacement.
There were probably a few documents left that he had not dumped into the AIs memory banks, but Ky doubted more research would change the plans he and his implanted assistant had devised. On the flip side, his sanity could do with a change of scenery. Being cramped in a space station was not as bad when you could look down on a planet floating under your feet. Here, he needed more.
This led him to start walking a slow loop around the inner courtyard created by the several blocks of buildings making up the imperial complex. The open area was a large rectangle about a hundred yards across and several hundred yards deep with a small flower garden in the center and stone benches scattered along the periphery. Looking at the people as he walked, they all seemed to be from the upper echelons of Roman society. He had not been far enough out of the imperial complex to see the poorer segments of the city, but many of those Romans had made up the levy, whom he did have a chance to see.
There was a noticeable difference in their health, most likely from a wide gap in the level of nutrition each received, as well as the maintenance of their clothes. He was not an expert by any means, but he assumed these were members of the government and not just citizens. There were walls between some of the buildings, and some of the buildings were directly connected without a gap in between, but others left alleyways leading out of the imperial complex. He had not seen any guards, but Ky thought it likely this area was off-limits to the average citizen.
Hearing a rapid set of footfalls, Ky glanced over his shoulder and saw Lucilla quickly closing on him, although she slowed to a fast walk once she saw he had noticed her.
“May I walk with you, Consul?”
“Could you please call me Ky? I understand many of your people will feel the need to address me by the title your father gave me, but I wouldn’t think you would need to join them, considering who your father is.”
“Actually, while my brother has an official position in the government, I do not. I’m not sure you understand the magnitude of the position my father has given you. I believe you would now outrank my brother, at least as long as my father lives.”
“No, I do not really understand what being Consul means but I do understand what I need. People have been trying to either kill me, or make me into something they can use, since the moment I arrived here. I know some of the things I’ve done seem fantastical, but I am still a human being, and I could use a friend.”
Lucilla placed a hand on Ky’s arm, her eyes radiating sympathy.
“You seem so … different from the rest of us I hadn’t really considered how you’d feel about the deferrence. While my addressing you by your name wouldn’t be proper when we’re among others, when we are alone or with my father, yes, I will call you Ky.”
“I hope you know I consider you a friend, even if I haven’t been good at showing it. I know how Father is when he finds something, or someone, he can use. Even though he’s pushy and manipulative, I can tell you he genuinely likes you, too.”
“He is pushy.”
She removed her hand and looked around for a moment, as if she was afraid of being caught, letting her hands drop back to her side.
“I’m to understand you will be joining us at the games?”
“Yes, although I’m not sure what to expect.”
“The games will be exciting and loud. The crowds go crazy for the spectacle. There will be animal fights, chariot races, and gladiatorial combat. I enjoy the chariot races, or at least the less violent ones, but I could do without the animal fights or gladiators. Caesius, however, loves the fighting best and has since he was a boy.”
“For the fights, two men are armed and told to kill each other. Why would two people put their lives on the line just for entertainment?”
“They have no choice. Both men are slaves, well … usually. If a gladiator wins enough fights, he can win his freedom and enough money to carry him into a new life.”
“That’s … barbaric.”
“Really?”
Ky was surprised she seemed genuinely confused.
“You take two people who have no choice in the matter and have them try and kill each other?”
“You have to remember a lot of the slaves were either captured as an enemy of Rome, or were born to an enemy of Rome.”
“Their being your enemy does not make them less than human.”
“No, but what do you think would have happened if the Carthaginians had taken Devnum? Or to the Romans living in cities taken by the Carthaginians? The ones who aren’t killed outright are all put in bondage. Every Roman is aware of the fate waiting for them if the Carthaginians win.”
“Should their children have to suffer the same fate?”
“I haven’t thought about the subject very much. Probably not, but this is the way things have always been. You aren’t going to convince many of my fellow citizens to feel leniency towards either the Carthaginians or the Northmen.”
“I can try!”
