The Wings of Mercury - Chapter 2

Three hours later, Ky sat at the head of a long table, Lucilla at the opposite end, and a collection of whatever leaders they could get together on such short notice. Bomilcar, Aelius, Ursinus, Ramirus, Medb, and Cormac were seated along the sides, along with representatives from Scandi, Gaul, and Germanica, all of whom happened to be in the city at this moment, working with Lucilla on a new trade deal that would have the Scandi give up their insistence on dominance of the trade lands in Mere Seubicum.

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Ky began. “I’m afraid I have grave news. We’ve received reports that Port Amicitiae has been destroyed by a fleet of strange ships that we believe to be the same easterners who supplied Carthage during the war. The same ones Valdar faced in the Sea of Reeds five years ago.”

A murmur of disbelief and concern rippled through the room. Ky held up a hand for silence.

“This is clearly an act of war, Consul. One we cannot ignore,” Bomilcar said.

“I agree,” Ky said with a nod. “But we need more information before we act. We don’t even know who these people are, let alone what their capabilities are or what they want. It leaves us very blind, which is a bad place to find yourself at the start of a war.”

“Perhaps we should send a large, armed fleet to the east to investigate,” Ramirus said. “I know we have had other, unsuccessful attempts to open communication with these people, but we haven’t sent a significant force yet, for fear of provoking a reaction on accident. That is, clearly, not an issue anymore, so we could ensure our men are able to return, and find out why they attacked us.”

“No,” Medb said. “If this was their opening move, with a fleet nearly as large as our own, then they knew exactly what they were doing. They were prepared for this. Blundering into their seas with the bulk of our fleet would be a mistake. It doesn’t matter why they attacked us, just that they did.”

“She’s right,” Ky said. “We can’t risk our fleet on a blind mission into their territory. Not only do we not know how large of a force they have, but we have no way of knowing how advanced their military knowledge is. They demonstrated at least an ability to make gunpowder and cannons, probably before we gained that ability. From Valdar’s report of the battle, and based on the weapons we found with the Carthaginian army after their final defeat, the quality of the cannon was inferior to ours, but that doesn’t mean it stayed that way. From the descriptions given to us by Valdar and now by the ships that escaped Port Amicitiae, they have made significant advances in the shipbuilding capabilities, possibly drawn off what they learned from our own ships, by the descriptions the captains gave me. There is no reason to believe those advancements are limited solely to their ships. If we sail our entire navy into a larger fleet with comparable weapons to our own, we will lose most of our Navy before the war, if it comes, ever truly starts.”

“Which might be why they attacked us the way they did,” Med said. “To draw us out.”

“Possibly. Either way, we can’t risk it. Besides, seaborn attacks aren’t our only concern. We have to also begin to prepare for possible landward invasion as well. If this is the first move of war.”

“You think they’ll attack through Persia?” Aelius asked.

“Maybe, but also through Anatolia or even out of Sarmatia. We know they used caravans from Asia all the way through to Persia and into Egypt during the war, so the route is known to them. Look back at the maps I made for you after the war that show the rough outlines of Asia. It is possible to go south, along the Hindu Kush and into Persia, the middle, through Anatolia, or up and around the Inhospitable Sea, as the Greeks call it. Although my people always knew it as the Black Sea. Either way, it’s very possible they come up, over the Caucasus mountains and through Scythia. This is our biggest problem. There are literally hundreds of ways they can come at us, and until we know which, we won’t be able to prepare for it.

“We need each of you to talk to your people and at least begin probing your eastern fringes, especially you,” Lucilla said from the other end of the table, directing the last at the representative of Germania. “If they come the northern route, that would bring them directly into your territory. I will send word to the Greeks and the Ptolemys to have them begin scouting their eastern fringes as well. The sooner we get an indication of where they are coming, the better.”

The Scandi representative still looked doubtful, but the Germanic’s attitude shifted noticeably when it became clear his lands were a likely point of attack, if war was coming. Reality had a way of sobering up even the harshest critics, after all.

“Good. Aside from that, we also need to pull back on all civilian works projects. I know there were still a lot of works in the planning stages, many being counted on by all your governments to help continue the growth and expansions in your lands, but if the enemy has matched our technology, then we need to begin focusing on our military tech again. We also slowed down most of our military production for civilian production or the production of muskets. While our gunpowder production stayed the same, everything else has fallen behind. It’s time to refit our factories for war.”

“And if we’re wrong?” Ramirus said. “We will have a lot of unhappy allies out there who were relying on us if war doesn’t emerge.”

“I know, but it’s a risk we have to take. I don’t think we’re wrong, though.”

Ramirus just ducked his head in response. Ky knew the old spy didn’t think he was wrong but was playing devil’s advocate, as the saying went. Ky appreciated it, but it wasn’t needed this time.

“I will begin to work on new plans for Hortensius. I know he was excited about the new textile works we’d just started, but that isn’t critical and can wait. In the meantime, have the legions begin to prepare and start no training regimens with the equipment they have. Even if we start now, it will take months, maybe longer for any new weapons to be available, and I strongly suspect we don’t have that kind of time.”

“Probably not,” Bomilcar agreed.

At least, in the interim, they’d finished the reorganization of the legions from the old Roman way, which worked when legions were essentially their own operation, run independently from the rest, but didn’t work in a world where command was a telegraph away. Now, each legion was essentially a corps of an overall army, still broken into ten by ten cohorts and centuries. The main change was above that, with four legions being an army with an overall commander, allowing for more centralized control and coordination between the legions.

After seeing the weapon that emerged at the end of the war, Ky knew the next fight would be larger and bloodier and had at least gotten the military structure in place for it. That had taken longer than he would have wanted, more than two years to get the senate to agree to the change, promote officers up to their new positions, and replace all the cohort and century commanders to replace those who’d fallen in the war. Another year to train them all.

It was a good start, but Ky was almost certain it wasn’t going to be enough.

“I want the existing legions brought up to strength as much as possible. Any scattered units on public works detail are to be brought back together immediately. We can’t afford to have our forces dispersed right now. I also want you to call up the veteran reserve, those still in shape enough to fight. We’re going to need every able-bodied soldier we can muster.”

Bomilcar glanced at Aelius, who gave him the same look in return and said, “You’re still in charge, Legate.”

“I know you were looking forward to retiring, old friend,” Ky said. “But I need to ask you to hold off, at least until we know what we’re facing here.”

“I suppose a quiet retirement was too much to hope for. You can count on me, Consul.”

Thank you. I’ll talk to Valdar as soon as the admiral is back from Carthage. The Navy will have to begin looking at its situation, as well.”

“We should send an expedition to the Port Amicitiae and see what, if anything, is left,” Medb said. “It might also give us some further idea of the enemy’s strength.

“Agreed,” Ky said. “I’ll bring that up with him as well.

“I’ll send word to Conchobar and Talogren, let them know what’s coming, so they aren’t surprised by it,” Lucilla said.

“I know this is frightening,” Ky said to the table as a whole. “And we’d all hoped this conflict, if it had to come, waited longer. The important thing is to not let it overwhelm you. Stay focused, and remember we survived the very edge of destruction. We can survive this as well. I’ll have more for you in the coming days. Till then, may the gods smile upon us all.”

***

“Would you two please follow me,” Lucilla said to Ramirus and Medb as the council wrapped up.

The two looked at each other but said nothing, just following in Lucilla’s wake as the empress led them to her private study. As soon as she closed the door behind them, she rounded on the pair.

“How did we let ourselves get blindsided like this,” she demanded. “I rely on you two to be the eyes and ears of the empire. To learn we are blind is troubling, to say the least. Was there any kind of warning, even an inkling, that an attack like this might be coming?”

Medb returned Lucilla’s angry expression with one lacking in affectation. Ramirus, on the other hand, looked away when she turned her eyes to him, looking to the ground.

“No, your majesty,” he said. “You were right to say we were caught completely off guard. All I can do is apologize for my failure.”

“Your majesty, I have been pushing for more aggressive intelligence gathering to the east for months now, but I haven’t had much success. If you recall, I’ve sent you several reports to this effect. Hopefully now someone will listen to me. The easterners are an existential threat that demands our full attention. We cannot afford to prioritize anything else.”

Lucilla studied the former queen. It was clear that Medb was attempting to cover herself by shifting the blame to Ramirus, but she had, in fact, sent reports arguing against Ramirus’s choice of strategies. At the time, Lucilla had sided with Ramrius. There hadn’t been any word of the easterners in more than four years, when the argument happened, and Ramrius made good points that unrest in Italia and Carthage and keeping a closer look at Persia, which was in chaos nominally under the control of the Ptolemies, took precedence.

So in reality, the fault was as much hers as theirs.

She was also right that Ramirus had always been cautious, at least when compared with Medb’s own, much more aggressive approach. That had made sense in a time of peace, but now … maybe something else was required.

“Enough,” Lucilla said, cutting off further protests from Medb. “We cannot change what has already happened. All we can do now is learn from our mistakes. Ramirus, you have been a loyal and trusted advisor to both my father and myself for many years and I will always cherish your counsel and friendship.”

“What are you saying, your majesty?”

“We’re facing a new threat and must find new ways of dealing with them,” Lucilla said, and then paused for a long moment, the words having trouble escaping. “More aggressive way. Which is why I am appointing you, Medb, as the head of our intelligence gathering moving forward.”

To Medb’s credit, she maintained her stoic front, refraining from showing any pleasure at Ramirus’s replacement and her own elevation. That alone gained the former queen some respect in Lucilla’s eyes.

Ramrius nodded firmly. She could see the hurt in her old friend’s eyes, but he understood. Or at least she hoped he did.

“You’ve earned this,” she said to Medb. “You proved yourself in the war with Carthage and in the years in between. I am putting my faith in you to see that this is done.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” Medb said, bowing.

“If you will please leave us, although don’t go far, as I’m sure Ramirus will have things to discuss with you. While you may be taking this duty, I do suggest you use Ramirus to the best of your ability. Aggression is good, and a needed trait, but it should not come at the expense of experience.”

“I will, your majesty,” she said, bowing a second time.

Medb gave an odd look to Ramirus before she turned and left, giving him a look of not pity, but something closer to apology. It was an expression Lucilla hadn’t thought the former queen capable of.

After Medb left, closing the doors behind her, Lucilla took Ramirus’s hands and said, “Please do not take this as judgment against you or your abilities. You know I respect and love you as one of my oldest friends, and if there was another way to handle this, I would have.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me, Lucilla,” he said, using her name for the first time since she ascended to the throne. “Medb has a lot of... let’s say less than desirable qualities, but a lack of intelligence isn’t one of them. She was right, and I was wrong. I fear I’ve grown too old. You probably made the right decision. If this new enemy is as better prepared as they seem to be, this will be a harder war than the one we faced against Carthage. It’s best to have younger people fight it.”

“Don’t get maudlin on me,” Lucilla said in a faux-chastising tone. “I will still need you. You will remain one of my most valued advisers, and I will require your attending me just as regularly as before, if not more, now that you do not have to travel to meet with one of your little spies. I may not have my father to guide me anymore, but I have you, which is as close as anyone short of the gods themselves can get me.”

“Thank you, my dear,” Ramirus said, patting her hand. “I best catch up with Medb. If she is to do this, she needs access to my full network, to have as many options as possible. Although I might keep a few, just in case her old tricks resurface.”

He smiled at his own cleverness, patted her hands again, and left. Lucilla’s heart ached, watching him step out the door. He seemed to have aged ten years since walking through just a few minutes before. He had, in his own mind, become lesser, and it was her fault.

The realization made her almost cry. Sometimes, she hated what responsibility asked of her.

***

Ky stood on the docks, watching the Bellona as it made its way into port. It was a beautiful ship, one of the first caravels they’d put into the water. It was also now a relic of the past.

While everything was conjecture at this point, Ky could feel a change coming. While they’d made great advancements in military technology in their war against Carthage, each of those had been designed to widen their lead against their enemy, to overcome the manpower advantage that nations had.

This was going to be a very different war, if it came. These ship designs had Ky very worried. They showed that these easterners were able to, at least to some degree, copy Britannian technology. If they could, that would mean a whole new kind of war. An arms race where new weapons would have to continually be developed if they wanted to stay on top.

They also had some significant production capability, if they produced as large of a fleet as it sounded like they had.

Ky could make out Valdar standing on the deck of his ship, leaning on the railing, his blond hair whipping in the breeze. The admiral, seeing Ky, probably thanks to the small gaggle of guards around him, waved, standing up straighter as they pulled into dock.

“Consul,” Valdar greeted him, hurrying down the gangplank. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I know, but I didn’t want to have to wait until you were settled. I have some unfortunate news that you needed to hear as soon as possible.”

“What’s happened?”

“Port Amicitiae has fallen.”

“Fallen? To whom?”

“That’s still not completely known. There were strange ships, unlike any we’ve seen before. Massive vessels with odd sail configurations, with a chain of horizontal ribs down a large square central sail.”

“How many?”

“Reports indicate a fleet of at least a dozen, probably more. We only have word of it because the port commander got several civilian ships out, sacrificing the one schooner that had been in port to do it. They were armed with cannons, for sure.”

“That sounds something like the ships we encountered in the Sea of Reeds, during the closing days of the war with Carthage. They had cannons, although inferior, and a similar sail plan.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought. We’ve already started responses based on that assumption.”

“Are you sure they were the size of our caravels?”

“From what the witnesses who escaped the port’s destruction said, larger. Maybe a third bigger.”

“But otherwise looked similar to our own?”

“Again, based on the survivors’ descriptions, yes. You’re right to be worried,” Ky said. “I think they’ve managed to modify some of our technology. It seems unlikely they would come up with a similar design on their own, or that they would have been able to design cannons, but didn’t work up a larger, more efficient boat design until after they met us.”

“In five years, that’s pretty fast. If they’re able to incorporate our designs so quickly, it suggests they have significant shipbuilding capabilities and resources at their disposal. Especially if they were able to put out dozens of them.”

“Agreed. I believe our only real course of action is to again focus on pushing our naval technology forward. We’d allowed it, and so much of our other military technology, to go stagnant for too long.”

“You sound like you have something specific in mind.”

“I do, although it will take time. There is a way to, instead of using wind, use steam power like the trains to move the ship. It allows larger ships capable of much larger payloads, which would include armoring the ships, to allow them to withstand cannonballs. It’s not one hundred percent, and some will get through, but the armor could both deflect and slow any cannonballs that get through.”

“I can’t see how you would use something like a train to move a ship, but you’ve shown many times over we shouldn’t doubt, so I will wait to see what wonders you create. If I do have to face ships armed with cannons again, I do like the sound of armored sides.”

“There are other changes. For instance, instead of cannons like we have now, cannons that fire shells much like a rifle bullet but filled with explosives, so that they burst when they hit the target. It will be deadly in land combat, but at sea, it will be devastating.”

“That sounds great, right up until the enemy copies it.”

“I was just thinking that,” Ky said. “If they were able to copy our ship designs, this will be a new kind of war. We’ll be constantly trying to move to new weapons, to stay ahead of an enemy that can copy them.”

“Considering how long it takes to make a ship, that will be difficult.”

“Yes. It will,” Ky said.

“Which means, we will have to move fast on these developments. If they have dozens of ships, I would have to clear out most of our warships just to match them one for one. I would not be surprised if they sail around and come for our remaining port in Africa. Especially if they believe their technological advantage is temporary.”

“I know, but you should temper your expectations. We will not be able to do this quickly. In fact, we will almost certainly first do a smaller version for rivers, probably for use in Germania, as an in-between test platform.”

“Damn,” Valdar said, and looked off to the south, clearly working through ship deployments. “I’d like to assemble as many warships as I can, that would not weaken our security elements, and sail south. If they are coming, I want to face them far away from our home waters, to give myself room to retreat.”

“You don’t want to wait until we can gather more ships?”

“No. Most of our ships that aren’t here are already needed elsewhere, so what we have here is all we have for this. Besides, waiting just gives them more time to reinforce themselves and take out more of our assets. I’m hoping they wouldn’t expect us to come at them, and have some element of surprise. Although I would do it even if they knew we were coming.”

“I see. Okay, that makes sense. Request whatever supplies you need and make sure you keep in contact. I need reports of whatever you find, even if it’s nothing. The more we can find out about these people, the better.”

“I will, Consul,” Valdar said, saluting in the new fashion.