Dance of a LifetimeChapter 79 Never Say Never
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A servant opened the door and ushered us in. A short rotund man with a florid face greeted us. It was not Julian's place to introduce us but I found that the servant already had our names.
Crescentius Popillius was our host. He said, "I have heard a great deal about all of you. Julian has shown us your book and I found your descriptions vivid. If it were not for all the things I have heard that you have actually made then I would had to have dismissed the book as a pleasant story."
Atrius was more sensitive to this matter and said, "I have seen things with my own eyes that would have forced any sceptic to see that Jón of Germania has indeed been favoured by the gods."
I said in my own defence, "The book was first of many. It was made in a simple format so that even the least educated reader could grasp the precepts. Further books will be produced in the same format. Supplementary literature will explain in more detail but it will be a while before they are understood to any depth."
Crescentius said, "Excuse my casual treatment of your work. I read very little. When I found that you had arrived in our city I read the book again in more detail. I could not put your book down until it was read in its entirety. Would you please explain about understanding the supplementary works you will be writing?"
"Certainly, the further works will deal in many parts of our physical universe. Chemistry is a new word that supplants alchemy. Gold is a primal element and cannot be made for a thousand years and then only at great cost. This science will push our understanding of the universe much further than most. There will be immediate and substantial returns on our labours."
"How does this happen? I have heard of alchemy and some reputed successes."
"There were no successes. Chemistry will benefit us by making our land more fertile. Everything about us will be improved from a horse in the courtyard to the clothes you wear."
More people came near and I explained how the struggle to learn more chemistry also brought us to a better understanding or biology, physics and our own bodies. I made a case for all of science and physics linked with everything else so an advance in one would provide clues to others.
People seemed interested in my talk but would get bored easily so I said, "I am taking up much too much time when a gathering like this is to exchange ideas. Perhaps you could tell me a bit about you and your business interests. I am new to the empire and know very little."
Crescentius Popillius was first and went into a lot of detail about his family. He seemed to be very proud of it and went on for a long time. It was only when people started to drift away did he speed up. He was fairly wealthy, had some farms and gained most of his wealth from trading.
The person that thought himself the next most important gave a much quicker rendition and then the rest of the group did the same. None of the women had much to say. It was their husband's place to speak.
I asked my own questions now but I tried not to be intrusive. I found that the men liked hunting, falconry or horseracing. The guests all knew about my book even if they had not read it and I was asked if the gods had similar sports.
Professional sports were listed and how the gods chose teams much like the charioteers now in vogue. More sports were listed that were enjoyed by the young or in the Olympics. The Olympics were still going strong in this time but I knew that some religious asshole would ban it in the next century.
I got down to personal competition and listed my favourites first. Wrestling, karate, judo and went on to list many other oriental forms of combat. They did not understand figure skating but I had to talk about the skate itself.
They were very excited when I said, "Hunting for sport is still done with a bow. Some use a small cannon that is light and can fire many small pellets or a large metal cylinder. Men and women use another light cannon that shoots one small cylinder a great distance. There is a device on top that allows the hunter to see the target as if it were only thirty feet away."
One man asked, "How far can the quarry be and still be taken?"
"Nine hundred feet is the usual maximum to do accurately but the military have similar ones the can hit the head of a man at over a mile. They can also shoot in the black of night and through fog."
"How can they see in the dark? That is impossible."
I said, "Even on the darkest night there is a small amount of light even if it is from the stars or a fire a long way away. It is there but our eyes cannot use it. When light hits a device, it can knock loose a small particles called electrons. The gods can take the power of lightning to make this electron hit more atoms to cause a flood of electrons. These electrons are captured and an image is seen. Some of these devices use heat which is just a less powerful form of light. A man glowing with his own heat is emitting the energy that is used to see him."
"Could you make this?"
"I will be dead long before this is made." Some of the men exhaled so this technology really frightened them. It also occurred to me that they would simply kill me to keep things the way they were. "The trouble with this sort of thing is that even if I do not make these tools now another country could and would.
"The Frisians have the cannon and the secret of the powder and a great many more devices. To not progress means that in a hundred years the Frisians will simply take over the empire by force. I want to take it over too but all of us will be alive to enjoy what the new empire will bring."
"Do you mean we will be more wealthy?"
"Far more wealthy. Money now is made in trade and tribute. Since the countries that were conquered have little or no say, this had to be seen as tribute not tax. Give them a small voice and it is now a tax. If we pay a man a reasonable amount of money he will use it to purchase what he wishes. That makes the silver move quicker from man to man and it grows. A government now taxes everybody and makes more money but the businessman will make far more money even if he pays more tax."
Crescentius asked, "What does Rome or Constantinople need with more money. They simply have another circus."
"You are absolutely correct. You need good government. If the Senate is elected by the common man they are accountable for how the money is spent. If the Senator is corrupt or inept then four years later the voters will elect another to take his place."
"That was like what it was in the Republic."
"The Republic failed because wars brought slaves into the empire. The slaves took the jobs of the common man and then there was no work for a freeman. The economy collapsed and the people then had to except an imperial government controlled by a very few powerful men."
Julian reminded people of his presence by saying, "My cousin would not like to hear this talk." The men around us were now worried.
I said, "The transition to a republic will take at least a century but probably more. Your cousin had nothing to fear. For the last few hundred years new emperors have come along very quickly. They also came along violently. My way is a gradual change has the majority of the people favouring the changes.
"One fact that you may have forgotten is it is not me that is fighting but those that have directed me to do this."
Most caught on right away. The Augustus represented immense temporal power while the gods had been seen as working subtly; that was until I came along. Gods were now giving tangible gifts and perhaps men were not as strong as they were a year ago.
Gnaeus Trebonius, the man that introduced himself just after Crescentius said, "Politics and change are good topics to talk about but there is also wine, food and women."
I said, "The Gods say 'Wine, Women and Song' are what is needed."
"That sounds even better. Now we need some song and some women. Have you met my niece?"
"I have met very few people."
"Come, I will introduce you."
It took only a short time for Gnaeus to dig into the largest group of males and pull a young girl out. As she emerged, she smiled back at the young men she had left. I saw as she approached that she was a very pretty girl of around fifteen.
Gnaeus stopped before me and the girl smiled radiantly at me. I was not sure if I liked this or not because she looked like a predator.
"Jón of Germania, this is my niece Quinta. Quinta, this is the young man I spoke of. He is the hand of his gods and though he has killed thousands he has put his hand out in friendship now."
Quinta spoke first and said, "I am very glad to meet you. Many people are talking about your book. Have your really talked to the gods?"
"Hello, Quinta. I am glad to meet a girl as pretty as you too. If you do not mind my asking, do you jump from one topic to another all the time?"
"I am sorry, I was just so excited to meet you."
This sounded nice but a bit fake. "Thank you but I think I must be the one to be pleased. I am sorry for being instrumental in taking you from your friends."
"That is fine. We were just telling jokes."
"I am still sorry."
"Would you like to meet them? They were just telling a story about a stupid slave."
The girl seemed sophisticated. She must have been to a lot of parties like this. It was also a sure thing that she had not talked with anybody about my dislikes.
"No, thank you, Quinta. I guess I am a bit too liberal for your friends."
"Liberal? What do you mean?"
"I think you should read the book. It explains a lot."
"A book is so long. Tell me what it means." She said the last with a charming smile and a tilt of the head that must have gotten her a lot of things for it looked very nice."
"Educated people get that way by striving to gather more information. Reading is the most common method. I personally have read thousands of books."
She looked at me oddly and said, "There are not that many books ever written."
I should not have said that. "The land of the gods has thousands of thousands of books. Do you think that I would not take advantage of such a treasure? There are books on every available topic. Whole rooms are devoted to just mathematics. This whole house would not even contain them all if they were put against the walls and rose to the ceiling."
Gnaeus was squeezing Quinta's hand to get her attention. I think she had seen the error of her approach. Quinta said, "I would like to read your book. It must be very exciting to be called to the land of the gods. Will you tell me a bit about them?"
"I could but I am famished. Would you like to see if there is anything to snack on?"
"There is always something." Quinta pulled me along leaving Gnaeus behind.
I asked Quinta about her choices and filled a plate for her and for me. Apparently this had not been done for her before. We sat in a quieter corner and she started to talk like a girl her age. This was more refreshing in its honesty. A young man of eighteen or nineteen came over to ask if Quinta wanted to look at the stars.
Quinta was instantly angry and started to berate him then suddenly quieted and said, "No, thank you. I was just talking about the stars."
The young man looked at me and said with a snicker, "With him?"
"He... he..."
I said quietly, "You should go and see the stars. It is not that long that a person is young enough to really enjoy the night."
"But... I..."
"It is ok. There are a lot of differences between our ages anyway. You are a beautiful young woman and the young men want you with him."
"I want to stay with you."
The young man said, "Come on Quinta. You heard what the boy said. We are only young once." He bent over and took her hand and pulled her away. Her plate fell to the floor and broke.
When the two had disappeared I bent over to pick up the pieces of ceramic and put them into my plate. A nice thigh attached to a small foot was right beside me. I looked up to see a good looking girl of about the same age as Quinta staring down at me.
She said, "I have to do that or I will get in trouble."
"Then bend down and help."
The girl did quickly and we both started to find shreds of the ceramic. I said, "My name is Jón. What's yours?"
"Appia, if it pleases you, my lord."
"It pleases me. Now you better run along before you get in trouble.
The girl took the plate and with a small quick smile said, "Yes, milord," before hurrying off.
It felt good to have met Appia but I still had important people to talk to. I was in a discussion on strategy when Gnaeus Trebonius said, "I thought you were going to be spending the night with Quinta"
"She tried to stay but she was taken away by a young man. She is young and has to enjoy life while she can. Adult life lets a person know exactly what burdens they have to bear."
"She has to grow up sometime."
"That is true but party life may not teach her about responsibility."
"What do you suggest?"
"I suggest nothing. I just said that responsibility had a way of making us grow up."
"I was told you are just twelve."
"That is true but I am nearing my next birthday. You have to admit that I am a special case though."
We continued our talks on strategy then I shifted the conversation to having educated officers. This directly related to training them in their youth. I did not go for universal education but just for officer material. I had to get them to accept one ideal at a time.
The sit down meal was not in the Greek style with couches though there were a dozen sitting in another room I had noticed. The meal was much fancier than Julian had served and a bit hard to take. German tastes were simple and the Romans I ate with did not go into anything exotic but the host had the cousin to the Augustus and had to impress him. Julian had simple tastes and I wondered why the host had not made a simpler meal.
A very subdued Quinta sat near me and seemed to think hard on everything she did. She was far from spontaneous now. Dinner guests were supposed to talk to their neighbours and I did not give Quinta more time then the others.
One man across from me asked if the gods raced horses.
"Yes they have lots of races. A small man or woman sits on a special saddle and they race for up to a mile. There are races where the horse pulls a small cart for a rider. It is made of very strong metal and wood that is light. There is no attacks on each other and as a result there is few deaths.
"The gods race in steel vehicles poured by an engine that burns a liquid fuel like the oil in your lamps. They go over two hundred miles an hour in the straight sections and the noise is horrendous. The vehicles move in and out trying to get into a good position. When an accident occurs the vehicle breaks up into small pieces. This can cause other vehicles to be destroyed. These races last a few hours and they will have travelled five hundred miles."
During my talk every other conversation at the table had stopped. Quinta was open mouthed and said, "Do they have other races?"
"Yes, in the cold parts of the world they gather strong dogs to pull a sled. They go for days over the snow. Another race is with a machine that they sit in that has an engine that pushes it over the snow and ice at a very high speeds." I thought of bicycles and now smiled because here was another invention to make.
"Some men ride a device that has only two wheels and an engine. You can stay upright on it easily once it is moving. They have races across the land where mud, water, rock and hills have to be passed. On larger machines they go very fast on a smooth surface of bitumen that has been flattened by a very heavy machine. There is another type that have men push down on pads with their feet. The power from the pads make the back wheel turn. This is a wonderful way of travelling. A man without a horse can travel faster than a man with a horse if the roads are smooth. I would like to make these devices but there are just too many small parts made of steel to make."
Julian asked, "Could the army use them?"
"Yes they could. Instead of riding they can put all of their packs and supplies on the devices. They require a flat surface to ride on but they can carry three or four times the load and none of it is on their backs."
"Would you make this vehicle for us too?"
"I have to improve your roads first. I have to change the empire to what it would be in fifteen centuries from now."
"Can you do this?"
"Yes, a little at a time. I just have to make machines that make better machines until I get a good machine. An example of that is the very flat surfaces that I was able to put on the iron products I made. The same is true for my one armed smith that can swing a five hundred pound hammer." I imagined that everybody but those in the know saw a giant in their minds that could swing a hammer like that.
Julian laughed at the other guests and then talked of how he was taken in too. He described the steam hammer to the guests. Quinta had been touching my hand when she talked before but now she was keeping contact. When everybody laughed at being taken similarly, Quinta's hand moved to my arm. In a moment she was rubbing my muscles.
When the others started talking again she said, "You are very strong."
"The Germans are usually big. I have not grown much in height but I work hard to get my body to develop. There is a balance I have to follow. I can put on lots of muscle but then I am too big to move quickly."
She said, "You must be fantastic with the sword." This was done with a smile and probably one of the come-ons she would use. Few men could resist that opening.
"I am not a slouch but it was the hammers at the forge that did most of this. Quite a few times I thoughts of Thor but I had never seen him, only his paintings."
"What does he look like... in the paintings?"
"Thor is usually fighting. I hear he likes that sort of thing. He's riding a war chariot or on horseback but the horse has to be large. He has a sword in his hand and the hammer at his waist. Sometimes it is the other way around. In many of the paintings lightning is seen in the background. I do not think Woden is helping other than to provide light and a suitable way to portray his son. Then again the other gods can throw lightning too."
"Have you seen a god throw lightning?"
I thought of the Ontario Science Centre, electrodes in giant furnaces and the running of high voltage lines across the world. "Yes, I have seen this in many forms. The power is beyond imagination. It has to be done just right or there is death even to the god throwing it. Men too can throw a kind of lightning and they too have to be wary or they too will be burnt to a cinder in a fraction of a second."
"How?" Quinta and the rest of the guests wanted to know this.
"There are a great many steps taken to make a lightning bolt. Lightning is electricity. Electricity is made up of the small particles that surround every atom. They are both solid and energy at the same time. Magnets push the electrons. The more electrons you push the more power you use and the more power that can be taken from the electricity. You can also use a lot of magnets and push a few electrons. If this is done enough the electrons will jump great distances."
"What is a magnet?"
"The planet beneath our feet is a magnet. It is what makes a small piece of iron stick to a larger piece. I am starting schools where this will be taught and I am afraid it is not a simple subject to teach without understanding the steps before it."
"You are going to be a tutor now?"
"That was my task all along. I have to teach the world like a parent teaches his children. It is sad but some need their bum paddled to get them to stop and listen. After that with patients and understanding there will be no problem. The ones that need the most paddling though will be the German and the Picts. They are not used to people giving them good advice and have to be hurt before they will listen."
"Will you fight your own people?"
"Everybody is my people. If you had read the book I wrote you would have learned about how we were formed long ago and changed over the years. Those in one area stayed away from the others and grew tall or short, light or dark and dark haired or light. We are all one people at one time and will be again with just some understanding."
I paused for effect and said, "As we progress we will gain the power of the gods. Think what the world would be like if we did not get along together. Then think of our elevation to the strata of the gods as we overcome that portion of ourselves that is more like an animal than a god."
There was a long silence and I did not break it. Let them think now that there was a lot more to chew on.
When it was time to go, Quinta acted like one of the new converts and not the girl I had first met. She kept her eyes down and acted much more like the way a slave acted. In this case it was not advisable to kiss her. This put us on a more equal footing. She needed a goal and working with me on my goal was superior to anything I could think of for her. At the end of the evening I held her face in my hands and I felt her shiver as if she had been kissed. This may be good for her but did nothing for me except inflate my ego a bit.
There was a lot of thanks given from both sides when it was time to leave. The company was not bad and I was sure they were entertained by our group and me in particular. My team though looked to have worked their usual charm and got a few to consider changing their choice of gods.
It was quite dark when we came out. There was no moon and there definitely were no street lights in Paris of this century. Servants would be provided with torches but we could travel faster and just accepted some of the torches. The bodyguard moved forward to check for danger and to provide light for us.
Julian said, "This night went well for you I think. Gnaeus' niece though would bed you in a minute but she has changed since you first met her."
"She had no direction. She may change her mind in the next few weeks and go back to her useless existence but I could use her services. It is regrettable that none of them would be in bed. She is a sweet child after all."
"Sweet? You should meet her mother. She would sour milk or make an army walk quietly if they were to disturb her slumbers."
"I heard a saying that if you want to find out what a girl will look like in twenty years all you have to do is look at her mother. The same could possibly be true for their dispositions though their husbands can make or break a woman."
The same is true for a woman. They have a power over us males."
"That never changes and to tell the truth I think that is right."
"I suppose you would like to relieve your tensions. There are many women that would love to do that for you."
"You're right. Being young has its bad points but I think I will try to find some of my own."
"Some?"
"The gods saw fit to make me able to make more than one woman happy at a time. I guess if I could sell this ability somehow I would make all the money in the world."
"I guess you would but then you would have to hear the crying of many more newborns. You said in your book that it is good to limit the numbers of children to the time you could afford to give them as well as the silver you have to feed and clothe them."
"That is true but I already have hundreds of children."
"I heard that you take in strays."
I did not like the term. "That is true but they are people just like you and me. Give them an education and a goal and they will propel civilisation into the future."
It started to drizzle but we would get a bit damp before returning to Julian's home. Many conversations were going on and then we talked to the group to make a joke or two. Here I was superior again because I had a wealth of material from the centuries behind me.
Romans were mainly ethical people but it was ethics the way they saw it. The jokes I could use should not push their boundaries like I was doing in other fields.
There was a lot of laughter and from me too because I thought many of the jokes I was told to be funny. It was during a pause when people were thinking of another joke that I heard horses behind us. Immediately I strengthened my hearing and then my other senses. There was a lot of noise and it took a while to filter out the sounds and put them into the categories of threats or not.
Helvius was nearby and I said, "We are being followed. Laugh like you are drunk but liked a joke."
He did but the laugh sounded false to everybody around us. I had taught hand signals to my people and they nodded one after another and laughed at jokes and talked as if they had just been spoken to.
I moved forward so that all the light was behind me apart from what was leaking from homes. Julian did not come forward but his other bodyguards got closer to him. There were only six of them.
The horsemen behind kept pace and had no torches so I deduced that there must be something ahead. There was only one road ahead that would normally take us to Julian's home though we could go left and take a long way around.
This corner and the road beyond was the natural place. There were no fields or trees in this urban environment so I could not slip up on any enemy like I had before. At the intersection a hundred metres ahead I saw three heads looking our way. Nobody could normally see them in the dark but I could.
I simply stopped and watched and the torchbearers rode by. I waved Curtius over and whispered to Julian and his men. "Three men just past the intersection ahead. I am drunk now and going to go for a piss. You will wait for me. All of you are a little drunk. Let me see what is awaiting us. I think that if we are attacked the twenty three men behind us will attack too."
Julian said, "Twenty three?"
"Two men are large and they sound different."
When it looked right I called out, "Iulius, hold on. I have to piss."
"You drank too much wine. You get that way when it is others that provide it."
He was being nasty and I said, "I was not ogling all the girls the way you were, now hold on while I look for flowers in need of a drink."
I slid off the horse with my sword in my hand. The toga and sandals stayed on the horse because they would trip me. I had a harness with four throwing knives and my k-bar. The rest was bare skin. Underclothes got in the way if a person in a toga needed to take a piss or a dump.
I raced forward and stopped every ten metres to listen. Voices behind me said that they were going to piss to now that we were stopped. I could hear excited breathing just around a corner to my left. There was nothing to push against to give me a faster reaction but could peak around the corner from lower to the ground. The light from behind me would give me away.
There were three. They had swords but I thought them to be the portion of the trap to close behind us. I put my sword down now and crawled around in the muck and got behind the last of them. I heard one whisper, "What is keeping them?"
I stood now and with the k-bar put my hand around the mouth of the last as I stabbed him through the ribs.
As this one fell I jumped over the twitching body to slash the throat of number two that had turned around at the noise. I pushed this one aside as the last one brought yup his sword to slash at anybody there. My knife went in under his ribs and he too was pushed to one side.
I was out of the alley quickly and picked up my sword. I crossed the road in our direction of travel and at the first alleyway I found bowmen. There looked to be three of them. Any more would fill the alley too much. Across the street were more waiting for us to fall into their trap.
I did the same thing again but number three's bow tangled in my legs as he thrashed. It took longer to get out of the entanglement and I heard, "Who's there?"
He was answered with my knife and pushed the body toward number one. He swung his sword now and hacked at his friend. I moved in and used the k-bar to deflect the knife but used my heal to hit his nose and push the cartilage into his skull.
This man fell dying but there was now enough noise to let everybody know that the situation had changed.
I picked up the nearest bow and then gathered the arrows that were ready to fire. I shot across the street as fast as I could and cries of pain or surprise were heard. There was the thunder of hooves now. I had got off more than twenty arrows. With a good many of those as solid hits.
Julian stopped near and said, "To your horse."
"Wait! Throw the torches back the way we came."
Julian said, "Do it."
There were more arrows and I used them to feather men racing towards us in the dark. When I ran out I said, "I am going across the street for more arrows. Swing at any that get through."
Mei
- 04.10.2020
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