The Trumpets of Mars (Imperium #2) - Chapter 3

Ky had to leave the camp the next morning and return to town for his final meetings with Hortensius and the other business leaders before he left town. If it was up to him, he’d stay in the field with the soldiers where he was comfortable instead of returning to deal with civilians. Even separated by millennia, the basics of a soldier’s life had not changed, which made staying with the legions an almost nostalgic experience.

Of course, it might also be that soldiers were used to following orders, which made it an all-around simpler experience getting things accomplished. Even with the authority he had as Consul, he expected most of his last day would be wasted listening to complaints from businessmen who felt they were being asked to do too much or who still didn’t like the idea of paying taxes back to the government, regardless of the wealth of new ideas and technology they were given.

Of course, what Ky wanted didn’t really matter. The changes needed to get Rome up to industrialization had only barely begun and there was still a long road before they got where they needed to be.

Instead of traveling around town meeting with the different people as he’d been doing, Ky had brought them all to him, although this time it was in the largest room of the Collegium Medici, which was the only other place, save the coliseum, that had enough room to gather everyone together while the palace and forum were still under reconstruction.

The meetings were necessary, but dragged on all day and mostly consisted of Hortensius parading factory, mill, and foundry owners up to talk about where they were on their assigned projects and what they thought their timetable looked like.

The hardest thing giving everyone problems was adjusting to using the new 'uniform measurements' that Ky had introduced. It didn’t matter so much for the crossbows and other equipment, most of which needed the new steel which presented enough of a bottleneck that the craftsman's approach didn’t slow anything down any more than it already was.

Ky knew this was going to be a problem and had worked it into the schedule he and Sophus had devised. Even with the rapid escalation in technology, some of the leaps needed to go through technological steps to get to the next stage. They couldn’t jump from swords and crossbows straight to muzzle-loaded rifles. Canon would come first, since they were easier to cast than rifles, but even that was too big of a direct leap.

Even with the improvements Ky had put in so far, Roman foundries were fairly simplistic and couldn’t be used for either the precision casting needed in rifles or the larger scale casting needed for canons. Had he shown up in some later period, he might have been able to draw from the technology used in casting church bells, but Rome wasn’t at that level of technology yet.

Once they were past the coming battle and they had enough of the new crossbows, Ky would have to talk a few of the foundries into shutting down and retooling. Of course, metallurgy was just one problem.

Rome had some knowledge of chemistry, but it was fairly basic and tied as much into mysticism as it was to actual science. Most of the people who knew even the basics of chemistry were either philosophers or alchemists. Unlike the working of metal, which was an already established industry, Ky needed to build up a chemical industry out of whole cloth before he could even start the steps of creating gunpowder in quantities to be useful.

Those were all plans for the future, however. Right now he had Roman industry focused on gearing up the legions for the coming fight and didn’t want to distract them from that.

For now, Hortensius had everything in hand and Ky was happy to leave it to him. In the long run, Hortensius would probably end up as the single richest man in the Empire. He could see how things were shaping up and he’d started convincing as many rich friends as he could to invest in new factories to supply the government with everything it needed. Even when the war came to an end, he’d figured out there would be a lot of demand for new technologies and he seemed determined to corner the market on being able to supply that demand. In the short term, that means that Rome was still increasing capacity every week. It might not be soon enough to get to the actual supply numbers Rome needed in the next few months when the Carthaginian army showed up, but it would get close.

The meetings ran all day and Ky was wiped out as they left the meeting to return to the remnants of the palace complex. Ky found himself riding next to Carus with a small buffer between them and the other men. Ky had a question that had been floating around the back of his mind and now seemed a good time to address it.

He actually wasn’t sure who to talk to about this, since other than Lucilla, who he clearly couldn’t talk to about his questions, he wasn’t particularly close with anyone. At least, not to talk about personal things. He’d opted on Carus simply because they’d had the most conversations, since Carus was as much spymaster and intelligence expert as he was guard commander. Although they’d never spoken in any way except as commander and subordinate, he was as close to a friend as Ky would find to have this conversation with.

“I have a question,” Ky said, still working through how to go about asking what he wanted to know about. “I’m not sure how to ask this, but there are cultural things I do not understand about your people that I’d like some insight into.”

“You should talk to Lucilla about it. I’m pretty out of touch with art and the like and she’s about as connected with the culture as anyone I’ve met.”

“That’s not the kind of culture I meant, and I can’t talk to her about this.”

Ky had always been impressed with how smart Carus was and the man once again showed how clever he was.

“I see. So you need advice about women.”

“Yes, well, not exactly. Where I come from, social interactions are very different than they are here, and I don’t want to run afoul of any of taboos and embarrass … anyone.”

The sentence had been going well until the end, when he realized he didn’t want to directly reference Lucilla, even if it was plain as day. He had picked up on that social taboo at least and knew Lucilla wouldn’t be pleased if she found out he was talking to someone she might consider to be in some lower level of society. To her credit, she’d never actually talked about those less fortunate than her, which was just about everyone considering who her father was, but some of it was so built into their very DNA that she couldn’t avoid it.

“I see. And what specific social interaction are you wondering about.”

Ky hesitated. Asking for help was different than actually asking the question, but he needed, or at least wanted, to know the answer and he was already somewhat committed.

“How do people here, meaning men and women, get to know each other better. I mean if one of them is interested in the other as something more than a friend or associate?”

“Do they not date where you’re from?”

Dating wasn’t even really a word that existed in his world, although Ky had come across it many times when looking at some of the records Sophus had collected for him. The problem was, depending on the time period the record covered, the word could have a lot of different meanings, and very few of the records he found related to Rome as it was in his world.

“No. Things are very different where I’m from.”

“Clearly,” he said, and then paused. “Sorry, this is one of those things that sort of everyone just learns growing up, so it’s kind of hard to try and explain it to someone who has no concept of it.”

“I understand this kind of subject is not typically talked about between people who are not …” Ky paused, trying to find a way to say the next part of that sentence without offending Carus.

Thankfully, the man was not easily offended and finished the sentence for him, “Social equals. No, not normally but it’s fine. We are both soldiers first and this question would be considered very tame indeed in most soldiers' camps I’ve ever been in.”

“Although that isn’t true for the barracks I grew up in, your point is well made. I guess my question is, how would a person start to go about dating someone else.”

“Well, it depends on who those two people are. For someone like me, if I found a lady I fancied enough, I would corner her in a dark corner of a tavern and whisper poetry to her until she agreed to go on a walk somewhere dark with me, where things might get more, interesting. You, however, are targeting a somewhat higher station of women, I believe, so that probably wouldn’t be the same. As far as I understand from what I’ve seen among the people at your level, you let it be known that you are interested in a match and wait as senators and businessman offer up their prettiest daughters for you to marry. Words are exchanged and vows are made, and you’re married.”

“Ohh. I wasn’t … I didn’t mean …”

“You weren’t looking to get hitched to some random man’s daughter,” Carus finished for Ky. “I’m not sure wooing a noble lady and sweeping her off her feet is something that happens outside of poetry.”

“So it isn’t done.”

“As far as I know, not normally. You have to keep in mind, the high and mighty are always looking for ways to better their family, and marriage is usually seen as a part of that. They don’t normally leave such a valuable bargaining chip to the whims of who their sons and daughters fancy. Most of the time, the kids don’t really get a say. You exist as something of an anomaly, not having a family to better. I’m honestly surprised you haven’t had fathers throwing their daughters at you, what with your being the first Consul in a hundred years and all.”

“I don’t think I’ve given them enough time to get comfortable with me, what with armies marching on the city, my freeing the slaves, and an insurrection to distract them.”

“Give them time. Those who’ve decided you’re not going anywhere will start sending agents with proposals for ‘advantageous matches’ any day now.”

“That’s not what I’m looking for.”

“Of course not. Some will realize that and keep away, but I’m sure there’s an equal amount who won’t care and will take their chance anyway, since being the father-in-law of the Consul and architect of this new Empire your building would come with all kinds of benefits.”

“So if there is one person I’m interested in, there’s no way to do anything about it?”

“Well, I do believe I’ve witnessed her making moves of her own a few times, so I believe you don’t have to worry much about that. I’m not sure you should bother yourself much about what tradition has to say anyway. Everyone knows you’re not one of us and you’ve clearly shown that things operated differently where you came from. I figure just do what you like. They’ll get used to it or they won’t. That’s on them.”

“If it were just me, I would, but I don’t want to make … this other person feel uncomfortable.”

“I see. I think maybe the best thing to do is ask her about it directly. I know that’ll be a weird conversation, but I’d bet she won’t have a problem with it. This other person probably has a good idea of how different you are and is clever enough to see what you’re getting at. This person also has a better idea of how people in her circle will react to whatever you two decide.”

“So, I just ask her what I should do? That’s what I was hoping to avoid.”

“Can’t be Consul if you can’t make the hard decisions.”

Ky thought that sounded a lot like a diplomatic way of saying ‘sucks to be you.’ Carus’s lack of sympathy didn’t help, but Ky did at least appreciate someone willing to tell him bluntly what he needed to hear.

Ky’s dilemma was partially solved for him when he found Lucilla waiting on one of the stone benches that had survived the fire that had ripped through the courtyard. It was permanently blackened but it still supported her weight.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” Ky said as she stood to greet him.

As with the other times, his lictore spread out, giving the pair some room to speak privately while still being guarded, since they remained out in the open.

“You said you were leaving in the morning and I wanted to see you one last time before you head north.”

“This feels very familiar,” Ky said.

“Not really. Last time I was the one going north and you had to come save me.”

“Who knows, maybe this time you’ll have to come save me instead.”

“That seems unlikely,” she said with a smile. “What time do you leave?”

“Early. It’s a several-day ride and the sooner we get there the sooner we can start making moves. Talogren’s already been waiting for us to return and I’m sure his people are impatient to find out what happened to all the men they sent south. I want to get the Fourth legion marching south as soon as the agreements are signed since they’ll need to take part in the reorganizations as well.”

“How many Praetorians are you taking to fill the gaps along the border? I know in theory the Picts will have agreed to abide by our laws on Roman lands and help guard the border, but it will take time to convince all of the ones not directly under Talogren’s control of that.”

“Which is why I’m going north. We need it pacified and preferably before the spring campaigning season. I’m not taking as many Praetorians as we’ll ultimately need, since I don’t want to deplete Faenius of his core leaders. I’ll be taking a hundred with me and the rest will have to be made up by Pict soldiers. Ultimately, I’d like the border patrolled by mixed units containing people from both regions, but that might have to wait.”

“I see,” she said, running down.

“I’m guessing you didn’t really want to hear about my plans once I get up into the north,” Ky said.

“No. I mean, I do want to know what you’re doing, but that’s not why I’m here. I just wanted to spend some time with you before you left.”

“Good,” Ky said, and he meant it. “I’m glad you’re here because I had some things I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Like what?” she said, sounding suddenly interested.

Ky had to admit when it came to some subjects he was definitely a coward and decided to put that topic until he’d exhausted all other subjects.

“I have some things I need you to do while I’m gone.”

“Ohh,” she said, clearly disappointed.

“I’ve already informed the commanders, but while I’m gone, I am naming you to command in my stead, both in the Senate and the legions.”

“Why?”

“Several reasons. The biggest one being you and I can communicate in real-time, giving you access to the same set of information that I have available. The other major reason is, of all of the people I could assign, you’d have the easiest time getting all of the parties to listen to you.”

“I think you may have misjudged how my people feel about women in power.”

“Maybe, but I think you’re an exception. One, you are the Emperor’s daughter. That alone gives you some level of authority, since you have your father’s ear and counsel. Two, you traveled and spent time with the Picts, so you are at least not a foreign presence to them, and while they don’t generally let women fight alongside their warriors, they have a much more accepting view of a female’s place in society than your own people. And lastly, there seems to be a general belief that you and I share a connection that would give you my confidence and my ear as well.”

“Is it just a belief?” she asked coyly.

“No, it isn’t just a belief. I have something I want to discuss on that as well, but let me finish with this first.”

“Alright,” she said, sounding intrigued and impatient.

“I’ve told the legates, Llassar, your father, Ramirus, and Hortensius too that I had left you detailed instructions and we have had long conversations on how to deal with most situations.”

“Except we will just be able to discuss anything, like you said.”

“Correct.”

“And they accepted this explanation?”

“I didn’t give them a choice. I told them this was how it was going to be and they could accept it or be relieved.”

“And if they still don’t want to listen.”

“You are one of the strongest people I know. You will have to assert the authority that your father and I are giving you and make them listen to you. I believe in you and think you are as capable as any man in a position of power I’ve seen since coming to Britannia. You have to make them see what I see.”

“When you say it like that, it leaves little choice but to succeed, since I wouldn’t want to let you down,” she said, and then paused. “And what about the other thing you wanted to discuss.”

Ky hesitated. She looked so hopeful and he wasn’t sure if he was going to deliver on that hope or crush it. He knew she liked him and even that she wanted to take things farther, he was just afraid that he would misstep and ruin the image she had built of him in her head.

“I told you the other night that the way people, meaning men and women, of this time related to each other is foreign to me. I have trouble understanding both that and what I am feeling, and it is taking me time to come to grips with how to express those feelings.”

“Yes, and I thought we agreed that I was in charge when it came to this end of things.”

“We did. My concern is … I am not sure how to move forward on the impulses I am feeling without tripping over some kind of cultural taboos that I might not know exist.”

“Give me an example of what kinds of impulses you are feeling and what taboos you are afraid you might step over.”

“Sometimes when we are alone, or at least only surrounded only our guards, you will kiss me. It’s pleasant. I enjoy it and look forward to doing it again, but I never see other Romans touching or kissing each other on the street or in places where I have found myself. My instincts tell me that there is some kind of cultural taboo that says doing these things publicly is frowned upon, but then I overhear soldiers talking about their exploits and they seem to go several degrees further than the things I think might be taboo. I don’t understand where the line is enough to know if the things I want to do will step over it or not.”

“Ohh. I see.”

“I also know that, the times you’ve come to my quarters and it’s just the two of us, I see looks on my guard’s faces. They’ve never said anything and I’m sure they didn’t even mean to give the looks. These men have never shown anything but discretion and respect towards me, which means whatever is bothering them about you being alone with me like that is very deeply ingrained, so much so they can’t stop themselves from looking uncomfortable, which means I have broken yet another taboo of some kind.”

“Well, I guess I’m the one that’s broken them, since it isn’t normal for a man and a woman who are unmarried to be alone in one of their bedrooms together. You know what, though? I don’t really care what society thinks about what I chose to do or how I do it.”

“You’re not that naive,” Ky said. “I’ve watched you dance through political discussions with grace and cunning, so I know you understand how important everything is when you’re in the public eye like we are. Hell, this whole insurrection was a big sign of how badly things can go if we mishandle things.”

“I get what you’re saying, although I don’t think you could have stopped the insurrection from happening even if you had done everything differently. My brother had already poisoned my father and, according to Ramirus, been in talks with the Carthaginians, before you even showed up. The moment my father didn’t die and we didn’t fall to the Carthaginian army, an insurrection was all but guaranteed.”

“I know, but I wanted to use it as an example of how we have to be careful about what boundaries we push, since there are a lot more changes coming before Rome will finally be safe.”

“I see. So you want to know how we should act in public and how we should act in private?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she looked off, thinking hard. She was a dichotomy really. He’d been honest when he’d complimented her on her ability to weave through social and political situations, but she was also headstrong to the point of foolishness and often didn’t think about the ramifications of a decision even when they were pointed out to her. Ky trusted her and needed her as a guide to this new type of relationship he was experiencing, but he needed the smart and crafty Lucilla, not the charge headlong into danger Lucilla.

“I think it would be fine if we are seen holding hands in public, and perhaps a kiss on my cheek if you’re feeling very rambunctious. In private, I perhaps shouldn’t come to your quarters alone anymore. I think when meeting out in the open, like this, where there is no one around but we aren’t being indiscrete, it would be alright to kiss me. Anything else I’m afraid will have to wait until we’re married.”

“Married!” Ky said, shocked.

“Of course. How did you think this was going to end? You haven’t said it, but I can tell you love me. That’s the feeling you keep talking about, the one you’re so unsure of. For my part, I am in love with you, which means our being married is the only real next step. Ohh, it will take some time. We have so much to do in the next few months, there isn’t time for us to plan anything now, but once the immediate danger is done, I think we should be able to wed. Thinking about it, our marriage would be good both personally and politically since, assuming we survive the coming battle of course, it will give the people something new to focus on. The mob loves nothing more than a spectacle, and our wedding is the only thing I can think of that might rival the failed rebellion.”

“You’ve thought this through,” Ky said.

“Of course I have. Any woman who meets the man of her dreams thinks through what might happen if they fall in love and he sweeps her off her feet, more so when he's a superhuman savior who falls from the sky to quite literally sweep her off her feet. The political ends I’m just starting to think about, but I think my initial instincts are correct. Actually, if we are going to do this, I need to spend time talking to my father and probably Ramirus about the best way to handle this situation, so we get the most out of it. Politically, I mean. I think you and I won’t have much trouble getting what we need out of it, personally.”

The sly smile she gave him as she said the last part suggested there was more meaning in her words than the words themselves conveyed, but Ky didn’t really know what that meaning was.

“Although we don’t have this kind of tradition among my people, I thought for marriages the man was supposed to ask the woman if she wants to marry him. And I’ve been told that here, at least amongst the higher stations, it’s more of a financial transaction between the man’s family and the woman’s family with all sorts of official oaths and things.”

“You’ve been talking to people about me?” She asked, a mischievously twinkly in her eye.

“I … might have asked Carus about how to court you.”

“The big, strong warrior didn’t want to ask me directly?” she said in a coy tone of voice.

Ky gave her a mock-annoyed look.

“Sorry,” she said with a laugh. “I didn’t mean to imply that you were afraid and I am flattered that you have been trying to work this out on your own. Don’t worry about propriety. While there will be official pronouncements and wedding gifts, that is all pomp to feed the masses. I know how you feel about me and you know how I feel about you, or at least you’re starting to figure that part out. We might have to play our roles in public, but none of that matters when we’re alone.”

“I guess I should just listen to your experience and wisdom.”

“I knew you were clever. It’s getting late and you have a long trip ahead of you. We can talk more when you’re traveling and have fewer things to actively worry about,” she said, pushing up close to him and standing on her tip-toes to kiss him gently on the lips.

It was a much more chaste kiss than the one she’d given him in his quarters, perhaps because she was now thinking of how things looked to those around them. In its own way, though, the kiss was still unique. Instead of passion, it held a promise for something bigger in their future. Ky wasn’t sure how that would play out, since marriage was an abstract thought to him, something he’d read about in Sophus’s historical records but never seen in practice.

He looked forward to finding out what that promise would become.

***

A Villa North of Devnum

The door opened quickly, startling the six men gathered around the front entryway of the villa. The hands of some of the men dropped to the swords they carried at their sides before relaxing and releasing them as they recognized the new arrival.

“You’re all very jumpy,” The new arrival said.

“Of course we’re jumpy. Ramirus arrested thirty people yesterday. Half of the true Romans I’ve been in contact with have gone silent, disappeared off the street. Thank Jupiter we only knew of each other from passed messages and not in person, or I’m sure one of Ramirus’s men would have come to my door already.”

“How many of us are left,” One of the other men said.

“I know of a dozen, maybe and I’ve heard those men speak of others who support the cause. There are hundreds of us still in the city.”

“I doubt that,” the leader said. “It would be nice if we had that many supporters in the city, but we don’t. Even before Ramirus began his crackdown I doubt there were more than fifty of us. The initial sweep took too many of us. Thinking there are hundreds of people who support the cause is setting ourselves up for failure. Silo thought the city would rise up and support us when the time came, and it didn’t. We can’t make the same mistake.”

“What do we do then?” One of the other men said.

“We have to be smart about it. We need to cut down on their power and weaken this new alliance of theirs. I don’t know if we will succeed, but it’s all we can do without drawing too much attention to ourselves.”

“If we play it safe, how will we ever be successful? We can’t overthrow the Emperor with just small acts of defiance. Only something major will wake up the people and get them behind us,” the new arrival asked.

“If they didn’t join us when we had two entire legions behind our cause there is no chance of their joining us now. We have a few men still in contact with Caesius, who thankfully escaped the city before Silo’s fate could befall him as well. He’s out there gathering support and strength. All we have to do is keep the Emperor’s forces weak until he returns. He knows about the good work we’re doing and he has assured us we will all be rewarded when the time comes.”

“So how do we strike at them then?” a man asked.

“We’re working on that. Right now, I need all of you to try and get in contact with as many men who support us as you can. Work anonymously and try to keep from knowing the names and faces of the men you work with. I know we’d all like to think we could withhold what we know if we’re captured, but every man breaks eventually under the interrogator’s implements. The only real security is not knowing the information they want.”

“So this is our group then? Are any of you in contact with anyone other groups?”

“No,” the leader answered. “We’ve made sure to only pass notes and not meet or know our contacts.”

“That will make finding more men who support us harder.”

“I know it will, but we don’t have many other options remaining to us. We have men well placed in several of the Emperor’s projects and we are looking for opportunities to strike,” he said, looking across the faces of the men around him.

Some looked tired, others angry, but at the core, all of the men looked determined to do what they must to bring back the glory of a Rome that wasn’t befouled and weakened by foreign influences.

“Don’t worry brothers; soon you’ll all have the opportunity to do your part.”