The Plot to Save Socrates (Sierra Waters Book 1)

by Paul Levinson

  "Archimedes of Syracuse said, give me a lever big enough, and I can move the world."

  "Yes."

  "That is wondrous," Jonah said. "But it is also cold." He shivered a little.

  "I am surprised to hear you say that," Ampharete responded. "I would think, as a student of Heron--"

  "There is much more to my mentor than mathematics and mechanical gadgets," Jonah said. "For him, those are paths to the cosmic soul."

  Ampharete nodded. "Our mathematical machines house and convey libraries bigger than Alexandria's, available to anyone in the world who wants them -- any writing or image or sound, any time. This, we hope, has made those holdings indestructible. Some say we help preserve and extend the soul of the cosmos, in that way."

  "If you are so happy with your world, why are you so eager to change it by undoing the death of Socrates?" Jonah asked.

  Ampharete regarded him.

  "I am sorry," he said quickly. "I sometimes get cross when I have too much wine."

  "Is that the only reason?"

  Jonah peered up at the sky. "The storm is obscuring the stars.... There is much in the way of my knowing you."

  "I have told you far more about myself and what I am doing here than I had intended."

  Jonah breathed in the wet, salty air. "I believe you...." He opened the blanket that he had wrapped around him. "We can continue this in the morning. In the meantime, you are welcome to stay next to me in this blanket for the night, in case the sea turns cold."

  Ampharete obliged, and soon drifted near sleep. "It is very dangerous to play with the past," she murmured, "but it is already being played with...."

  * * *

  The sea had turned not only cold but black and brooding by morning. Melqat confirmed Ampharete's misgivings. "We are south of Crete, and the winds are hustling us along in a southeast direction towards Africa, as you no doubt have noticed. My oarsmen cannot counteract that."

  Ampharete nodded understanding.

  "The shipmaster explained to you the terms of your passage?" Melqat asked.

  Ampharete nodded again. "Yes, no refunds. But money is not the issue--"

  "I know what you want," Melqat said. "We will do the best we can. But our arrival in Piraeus may take a week or longer than expected. And longer than that if we have to stop in Africa for provisions."

  Ampharete thanked him.

  "Does the delay matter?" Jonah asked, after Melqat had left.

  Ampharete looked up at thick grey clouds that buffered the sky. "You think the heavens are unclear?"

  "I know," Jonah responded. "The heavens are nothing compared to the future."

  * * *

  The Lux narrowly avoided the sands of northern Africa. "But we are badly off course," Melqat explained, the next day. "I expect we will make first port in Sicily. After that ... I am not sure. We might well get better prices for our cargo in Rome than in Athens. I am sorry, but, money moves the world..."

  "An interesting definition of Archimedes' lever," Jonah said, almost below his breath, as Melqat nodded and left.

  Ampharete decided to confide in Jonah, at least somewhat more. "There is a device in Athens, near the Lyceum, that journeys through time. I suspect that is where Heron might have traveled."

  "Will not the device be there, regardless of when you arrive? .... Are you are afraid Heron has taken it?"

  "I am not sure who has taken it," Ampharete said. "All I know is that it will no longer be there, some time late tomorrow evening...." She shook her head. "I should not have stayed so long in Alexandria, but your Library was irresistible .... I wanted to arrive near the Lyceum shortly before the device was taken by Heron or whomever. If I had arrived too early, and my presence in the city became known, that might have scared away the interloper.... But that might have changed history, too .... I did not want that to happen."

  "What are our choices? There are always choices," Jonah said. "I know of no ship or other device that can get us to Athens any faster -- do you?"

  "No. Not in this age."

  "What else, then? Should we return to Alexandria? Seek our fortunes in Rome? Does either have a special connection to time? Heron never mentioned that they did."

  Ampharete shook her head and took his hand. "Not that I know of. But there are two others places on this Earth where there may reside such devices."

  * * *

  Melqat knew of both places. "Phoenicians have been sailing to them, on and off, for centuries. My own brother has been to Britannia several times."

  Jonah nodded. "There are detailed accounts in the Library about some of the voyages to the other place."

  "It is all a question of time and money," Melqat continued. "If you are willing to wait until we complete this present voyage, to everyone's satisfaction, you can then have a conversation with the shipmaster. He is empowered to charter the Lux to you, outright, for sufficient compensation. He is an authorized agent of the merchants who own this ship. He pays me. He would likely agree to a voyage to Britannia. But, for a voyage to the other place, he would need something more -- the Lux, after all, might not return from such a long voyage. We know, alas, of several voyages across the great sea that did not return. And, truthfully, I would need something more for such a voyage, as well -- much as I love, personally, sailing to the ends of the Earth." Melqat's eyes twinkled -- more from the enticement of a long voyage than the money, Ampharete thought, but she could not be sure.

  "The money is no problem," she said. "But I will need to think about the time."

  "You mean, how long are you willing to wait for the Lux to be available for charter, or how long might it take to reach the other place, compared to Britannia? The longer voyage could take several months, according to the logs I have read."

  "I am concerned about all possible sources of delay," Ampharete replied.

  * * *

  "You might try to charter another ship," Jonah suggested to Ampharete, later. "Surely the Lux is not the only one available for such voyages."

  "I would not trust any captain other than a Phoenician," Ampharete replied. She looked at the sky and the sea. The storm had washed the world crystal clear. Everything glinted in the sunlight, free for now of its grey captivity. "It is beautiful," she said. "If only our journey could be restored as fast as the sun." She sighed. "I suppose we could look for another ship in Sicily, captained by a Phoenician, and avoid waiting until the Lux discharges all of its cargo, passengers, and obligations."

  "Melqat does seem a very capable captain," Jonah allowed.

  "Yes, he is a good gubernatore of the sea."

  "How crucial is it that you reach the new destination, whichever it is, at a particular time? Is it ... like Athens?"

  "I am not sure. I have only seen one of them, in Britannia, in this time period."

  "You did not arrive at Athens, when you came to this time ... our time ... in the first place?" Jonah asked.

  "No."

  "Of course not -- you arrived in Britannia," Jonah said. "You mentioned Hadrian's Wall."

  Ampharete nodded.

  "So why do you not just return to that place ... your time location in Britannia? Surely that trip is easier than--"

  "The time device is gone in Britannia -- it was set to be self-returning .... do you understand?" she asked, sincerely.

  Jonah slowly nodded. "I think so … You mean it went back to the place -- the time -- from which you departed, in Britannia in the future? As would a door that closes after opening, or a bird that returns to its nest? One of my mentor's greatest passions are devices that operate of their own accord, like living things."

  "Yes."

  "But why? Would it not make more sense for the device to stay--"

  "And leave the device in a place where unknowing people might discover it? No... You see, near Athens, there is an excellent hiding place. But not in Britannia now. The hiding place there is very vulnerable to discovery. Ironically, very populated areas -- like Athens today -- can make excellent hiding p
laces. Who cares about another closed door... But in emptier areas, new devices can stick out like wounded thumbs. Of course, in places with no population at all, hiding is not necessary."

  "I think I understand," Jonah said. "And the place to the west, across the vast sea?"

  "That place is so thinly populated, at present, and with people so primitive, and so unconnected to the rest of the world, that the device would likely be safe there. It is hard to imagine how any discovery of the device there, if it happened, could do any long range harm. But I cannot even be sure any devices will be there...."

  Jonah considered. "Some think Simon Bar Kochba -- one of my people who led a brave but unsuccessful rebellion against Rome -- may have sailed there. I dismissed it as just another Atlantis tale. But now..."

  "Your mentor may know more than he has told you," Ampharete said.

  * * *

  "The breezes beyond will be cooler," Melqat said to Ampharete, as the Lux neared the western coast of Sicily. "You will require heavier garments for that voyage, whether to Britannia or the West, regardless of who captains you."

  She regarded him. "I do not like waiting."

  Melqat smiled. "I can appreciate that emotion."

  She returned the smile. "I have an idea. What if I chartered another ship, to complete the Lux's voyage back to Athens? It would take far less time to transfer cargo and passengers than for the round trip from here to Athens -- far less time for me to wait."

  "You want the Lux that badly?"

  She retained her smile. "I have grown comfortable with it, and her captain."

  "And what about Heron's devoted student?"

  Ampharete raised a questioning eyebrow.

  "I was just wondering how comfortable he was with the Lux's captain," Melqat said.

  "Let that be my concern."

  Melqat nodded. "I have docking preparations to oversee. Would you consider dining with me tonight, without the boy?"

  Ampharete kept her smile. "Dinner? Certainly."

  * * *

  Jonah and Ampharete looked on as the first of the cargo was transferred from the Lux to the Hermes. The receiving ship was lighter, curvier, swifter than the Lux, but less reliable for long voyages.

  Ampharete leaned her arm over the side of the Lux, and exhaled slowly. "Melqat says it may take a few days to acquire the needed replacements for the crew, and then the Lux will be on it way." Not every oarsman on the Lux had agreed to join the voyage west, despite Ampharete's promise of extra payment, up front.

  "Fortunate that you brought along those gold coins," Jonah said. "I do not think I have ever seen a gold so clear and pure."

  "They were made by a different process," Ampharete said.

  "I understand .... One aspect of all of this which still makes no sense to me is why you did not take your time device directly back to the time of Socrates. Were you afraid you would be unable to find passage, back then, from Britannia to Athens? If so, then why did you not travel to Athens in your own time -- you told me the city endures in your time -- and then journey backward in time from that place?"

  "There are many aspects of this that make no sense, to anyone," Ampharete replied.

  "I know, but I am interested, in particular, in that one aspect that makes no sense," Jonah insisted.

  "You want to know what exactly am I doing here, in this time, your time, when my concern is Socrates?"

  "Yes."

  "We have a description of a time traveller's encounter with Socrates -- if the story in the dialog is true -- which would mean that travel to that time is possible."

  "Yes," Jonah said, again.

  "But I cannot seem to do it. I tried it. But there is something about this time, the reign of Antoninus Pius in Rome, that seems to block our attempts to journey further back in time."

  "Why? What could that be?" Jonah asked.

  "I do not know. Some future historians think of his reign as the height of the Roman Empire -- the time when it best achieved its deepest ideals.... Perhaps the time-vehicles in some future age were purposely calibrated to come to this time, and no further back, and I happened to use one of those .... I am not unhappy that I came back to this time and place, however."

  Jonah turned away from her, and looked out at the sea.

  She decided to pursue this part of the conversation no further. "I still need to learn what, exactly, your mentor Heron has to do with this."

  Jonah looked farther out into the sea. "Perhaps I will see my mentor when the Hermes reaches Athens, and I will learn the answer." He turned sad, brown eyes to Ampharete. "But how can I convey the answer to you? I wish I could accompany you on the rest of the Lux's voyage, but my place is with my mentor, if not in Alexandria, then Athens. That is still the most likely place to find him, even if, as you say, the time device is gone."

  Ampharete nodded.

  "We likely will never see each other again," Jonah continued. "The Lux and the Hermes will be traveling in opposite directions. Although...." He did not complete the thought.

  "Yes," Ampharete completed it for him, "in the future, all roads meet."

  Chapter Three

  [New York City, 1889 AD]

  "Good morning, Mr. Charles."

  "Good morning, Mr. O'Leary."

  The two men shook hands in front of the Millennium Club. They were about to enter for lunch.

  "Have you seen the latest in the papers about President Harrison?" Charles asked. "Every week, every day, we pay the price for how that rascal came to win the election. An outrage!"

  "Chauncey Depew should have accepted the Republican nomination," O'Leary said. "He would have won handily."

  Charles scowled. "This Harrison business is the worst thing that could happen to the American political process. On the hundredth anniversary of the Constitution, no less. It shows the bankruptcy of the electoral college."

  O'Leary smiled, sourly. "I agree completely about the electoral college. But I wouldn't bet that this is the worst that will happen.... Shall we have lunch?"

  * * *

  "I must say, the food here has much improved since the new chef arrived," Charles said, as the two put pearl-handled forks to their lunch. "This kidney pie is quite good."

  O'Leary nodded, and sipped his claret. "So, shall we get down to business?"

  "By all means." Charles took another mouthful of pie.

  O'Leary opened his portfolio, and extracted a slim manuscript, all in Greek. "Do you expect Mr. Jowett might be amenable to translating this?"

  Charles took the manuscript, looked at it, then at O'Leary. "You know, you look younger every time I see you."

  "Why thank you," O'Leary replied. "And you, as well. For me, it's no doubt the time I am able to spend by the sea."

  Charles looked back at the manuscript. "Mr. Jowett is no youngster, you understand. I can't be sure he'll have the stamina, the concentration, or even the inclination."

  O'Leary sipped more wine.

  "But I do find this story as intriguing as the first time you showed it to me," Charles said. "About Mr. Jowett, I would guess his response would be governed, more than anything, by whether he thinks the account is true or apocryphal."

  * * *

  Thomas O'Leary walked southeast to Grand Central Depot after lunch. He knew that Benjamin Jowett was in Oxford, England. The ever-accommodating Mr. Cyril Charles had promised to send Jowett a letter about the manuscript, but his response could take weeks or longer to arrive. Even though Thomas had all the time in the world in one sense, he was nonetheless impatient by temperament. Sitting around and waiting did not suit him.

  Thomas boarded a Hudson River train to Riverdale. William Henry Appleton, also a member of the Millennium Club and the great American publisher of Charles Darwin, Herbert Spencer, and other notables, had a splendid summer residence up on a hill overlooking the river, and had given Thomas a standing invitation to come by any time he "found himself in the neighborhood". Thomas had tried to reach Appleton via the telephone recently in
stalled in the Club, but the publisher apparently had yet to install one in his summer home, so Thomas decided to find himself in Appleton's lush green neighborhood. Perhaps the publisher could be of help. Thomas had already told him about the manuscript.

  The June afternoon was especially fine, and Thomas relished the walk up the long, winding hill.

  Appleton's man Geoffreys brought Thomas into the study. The publisher was poring over some correspondence, but seemed not the least put out by the interruption.

  "I'm sorry for just barging in like this--" Thomas began.

  "Nonsense! Between the books that I publish and the letters I must read and write, I'm always in the market for some plain, old-fashioned conversation." He brandished a stack of papers. "All of this is from your voluble namesake, Thomas Huxley!"

  Thomas O'Leary smiled. "You have a wonderful spot here. The elms are magnificent, and I've never seen such a clear view of the Palisades."

  "Thank you," Appleton replied, beaming. "The grounds are indeed superb. This house itself" -- he gestured to several of the walls -- "needs renovation and expansion. Shall we stroll outside?"

  * * *

  "I suppose you've come to talk to me about that new Platonic manuscript you have uncovered," Appleton said, as they walked by a tall stand of oaks.

  Thomas nodded.

  "It all depends upon whether it's real or a fake, now, doesn't it? Which is to say, that would determine whether or not I would be willing to publish it -- in English translation, of course, by Jowett if we could get him, and with a suitable preface by yourself -- and, of course, if it were real, I would almost certainly decide to publish it. But I'm sure you know that, already."

  "What if I told you there was a way that we -- or someone in whom we have complete confidence -- could go back to ancient Athens and actually verify the account, firsthand, as an eyewitness?"

  Appleton's eyes lit up for an instant. Then he laughed, heartily.

  Thomas smiled, just a bit. "I assure you, I am not joking."

  "If you are not joking, I would conclude that the very corroborating action you are proposing is itself a work of fiction, and I would recommend its publication as a dime-novel, to a suitable house, which D. Appleton and Company most assuredly is not." William Henry Appleton, the son of Daniel who founded the company, was still smiling, though not as much as when he was sure Thomas was joking.