The Eternal Empire

by Geoff Fabron

  "In future," Exanzenus went on, "all vessels from outside the Empire will have to pay for the privilege of using the trade routes around our borders. All ships travelling along the Rhine or Danube, passing through the Oceanus Britannicus, the pillars of Hercules or the Bosporus will pay a duty based on their tonnage."

  It was a tribute to the acting skills of the fifteen men present that they all managed to keep their faces impassive in the light of this news. However behind their neutral expressions they were all calculating the effect of these new policies on the businesses for which they were responsible.

  Cross border trade had increased a hundred fold in the quarter of a century since Philip III had deregulated the imperial economy. The companies administered by the men around the lower table had steadily built up their own cross border trade during this time. Any tariffs imposed by the Empire would be matched by the other nations and their goods could be priced out of markets that had been painstakingly built up in a tit for tat trade war.

  They knew that it was a recipe for disaster. Combined with the unilateral imposition of tolls it would raise international tension to levels unknown for a generation.

  The men around the table loyally applauded Exanzenus again and congratulated him on his 'brilliant' new vision for the Empire.

  Chapter Six

  2nd April 1920

  Minden, Saxony

  It was late on Friday evening and Cornelius was busy reading through the latest reports on Saxon army movements when the phone on his desk rang. Tired and angry at being distracted he answered the phone with a curt "Yes".

  "Cornelius, is that you?"

  Despite the lack of sleep he immediately brightened up, "Katherine! How are you? It's lovely to hear from you."

  "I'm fine. I've just finished a large piece of work at the university and I'm free this weekend. If you can get away we can visit some of the historical sites out in the countryside."

  Cornelius looked at the pile of reports on his desk. The trade negotiations had taken up most of his time and it would take most of the weekend just to read through them.

  "No, I'm not doing anything," decided Cornelius. He needed a break and could always work late every night next week to catch up.

  "Great," said Katherine "we can stay at my brothers hunting lodge in the forest. - can you be ready by eight o'clock tomorrow morning?"

  "Yes, no problem," said Cornelius.

  "Great – pack a bag and I'll pick you up outside the embassy. See you then. Bye."

  Cornelius replaced the receiver and leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face. After all the long hours and late night sessions hammering out agreements with the Count, he felt he deserved to spend some time with his sister. Back in Milan it was unheard of for a woman to invite a man to spend the weekend anywhere other than with her parents. He knew the Count was spending the next two days with the Saxon King and would not be at the lodge. No chaperone? Were Katherine's motives honourable? Cornelius laughed inwardly at the thought and decided not to think too deeply about it since he rather hoped they weren’t.

  He went to see the ambassador to tell him that he would be away for the weekend and arranged to go directly to Count Maleric's estate on Monday morning to continue the trade talks. As a result Cornelius would not be around when the news of the new trade laws promulgated by Demetrius Exanzenus arrived at the embassy on Saturday morning.

  2nd April 1920

  Imperial Assembly, Constantinople

  The imperial assembly looked more like a gambling hall than the debating chamber of the Empires most important elective body. Scores of representatives were on their feet shouting and waving papers demanding to be heard. The chairman of the assembly banged his fist on his desk in a vain attempt to instil some order but to no avail. Behind him, on a raised platform was the Emperor Alexander IX. He sat quietly drumming the fingers of his right hand on the arm of the throne, waiting for the noise to subside so that he could continue his speech. Demetrius Exanzenus was standing behind the throne to the Emperors right. Those who noticed such things recalled that he seemed very comfortable in that position.

  The Emperor had started by reminding the assembly of the unrest that had occurred throughout the Empire since the passing of the Austerity Law in January. The riots, demonstrations and the revolt of Tarraco had convinced him, he told a hushed and attentive audience that the Austerity Law was too great a burden for the people, ‘his people’, he emphasised, to bear. In the light of this he was repealing the Austerity Law forthwith. There were murmurs of unease at this from the assembly. The Austerity Law was not popular, and no one was going to stand up and defend it. However the financial straits of the Empire were clear for all to see and the money was needed. The murmuring around the room was primarily concerned with speculations on this point. It was when the Emperor stated that since the Austerity Law had been linked to the package of laws passed by the four party alliance and that these laws were also being repealed that all decorum in the assembly broke down.

  It took nearly five minutes for the shouting to subside and the chairman of the assembly to restore order. The Emperor sat on the throne separated from the angry representatives by twenty-four lictors with their fasces. The fasces with their bundles of rods around an axe tied with red leather thongs were the oldest symbol of Rome still used within the Empire. They dated back to the time of the Roman Republic and were probably assimilated from the Etruscans. Now the lictors accompanied the Emperor on every formal occasion as the official symbol of his authority, but they were not body guards. That function was performed by the Praetorian guards, a century of whom were stationed around the assembly hall.

  When the shouting had died down, John Phocas signalled to the chairman that he wished to speak. Interruptions during a formal address by the Emperor were generally frowned upon but Alexander indicated that the chairman should allow the leader of the Modernists to have his say before he continued with the rest of his speech.

  John Phocas stood up and bowed towards the throne.

  "Your Imperial Majesty, we all know that you have the best interests of your people at heart, but the laws you wish to repeal were passed in accordance with the constitution by both this assembly and the Senate. They can only be repealed by another law."

  There were mutterings of agreement from around the assembly. The reactionaries might not like the package of laws fostered upon then in January but they were in favour of maintaining the assembly, and their own influence, as the prime instigator of legislation.

  Phocas sat down and waited for the Emperor to reply.

  "You are quite correct," said Alexander, who had been anticipating this question, "another law would be required, under normal circumstances!" The emphasis on the last three words was heavy and deliberate. Alexander learned forward as though to be closer to the four hundred representatives seated before him.

  "However circumstances are not normal. Everyone has been telling me what a disastrous state the Empire is in, the Austerity Law even states this in its preamble."

  Alexander relaxed back into his throne to deliver the next shock.

  "As of midnight, the Empire will be in a State of Emergency as a result of the serious economic situation. As you are no doubt aware this gives me the power to rule by decree and the Austerity Law and the other laws that went along with it will be repealed by decree."

  Again a commotion broke out in the hall, this time it only lasted for a couple of minutes. The elected representatives of the people were becoming overwhelmed by the series of blows to their authority. When the noise had subsided sufficiently to allow him to be heard, the Emperor resumed his speech and that was when he told them of the cross border trade tariffs and the unilateral imposition of duty on non-imperial ships.

  They were so shocked by the announcement that at first no one said anything. Then John Phocas quickly jumped to his feet and started to speak without asking the chairman's permission.

  "This is madness!" he shouted, "trade w
ith our neighbours has been the basis of our economic growth for the past twenty five years. The largest economy in the world cannot simply close its doors and refuse to deal with everybody else."

  There were cries of support from around him, the few jeers from the ranks of the Senatorial and Traditionalist parties were easily drowned out by every other parties in the assembly. Phocas continued.

  "You can't arbitrarily start imposing duty on ships travelling around our borders. Even if such an action could be justified, it must first be discussed with those states whose ships will be affected!"

  More people started to get to their feet to speak, but Alexander rose from his throne and followed by his chief minister left the assembly. His lictors were taken by surprise by the swiftness of his departure and had to follow him out instead of preceding him as was their duty. The noise from the assembly followed Alexander as he walked down the corridor towards the underground tunnel that connected the assembly and senate buildings to the palace.

  Without turning his head or slowing his pace Alexander spoke to his chief minister.

  "It went much as you said it would Exanzenus," he said, "I hope that you can follow through and deliver what you have promised."

  "The Empire will be rejuvenated by a return to self reliance your Majesty," Demetrius Exanzenus reassured his Emperor, "and there will be no more economic problems to distract you from the more important matters you have to deal with."

  The more important matters were the wife of the commander of the Rhine armies waiting expectantly in the Emperors bedroom at this moment. Exanzenus knew this but Alexander assumed he was referring to other political problems that required his attention.

  "Good," said Alexander, his mind already on Stephanie and the carnal pleasures she had intimated would await him on his return from the assembly, "I leave everything in your capable hands."

  3rd April 1920

  Minden, Saxony

  The clock in the city square struck eight as Cornelius walked past the legionary guards at the main entrance to the embassy. There was a chill in the air, but no frost this morning and the clear blue sky promised warmer weather later on. Katherine was waiting in her motor carriage and Cornelius smiled at her in greeting before putting his bag on the back seat and climbing into the passenger seat beside her and giving her a kiss.

  "Right on time. Again," she said as she started up the vehicle.

  "I do like to be punctual," Cornelius replied casually.

  "I know, I bet you really irritate some people," she said with a smirk on her face as she turned the motor carriage into the road that ran south out of the city along the banks of the river Visurgis.

  "Yes," agreed Cornelius, "some people see it as a reflection on their own time keeping. Fulvia is constantly scolding me about it."

  Katherine took her eyes off the road for a brief second to look at Cornelius. "And who's Fulvia?" Her voice had acquired an icy edge that informed Cornelius that she wanted to know not just who this Fulvia was, but what she was, how old, how pretty, how long he had known her, when had he last seen her and what exactly his relationship to her was.

  Cornelius thought quickly. It had been a mistake to mention Fulvia in the first place, other women always seem to misunderstand their relationship!

  "Fulvia is a very good friend whom I have known since childhood," said Cornelius, "my mother has been trying to marry me off to her for the past ten years.'

  "Oh," said Katherine, "if she's such a 'very good friend' why haven't you settled down with her? Is she ugly?"

  "Good heavens no!" exclaimed Cornelius, "Fulvia is one of the most classically beautiful women I've ever met," and instantly regretted what he had said. It was not the brightest thing to say to the person who had just invited him away for the weekend.

  But it was fairly typical of Cornelius. He did not have a natural flare with women and often found himself tongue tied or saying 'the wrong thing'. If there was any natural talent with the ladies in the Petronius gene pool, it seemed to have been inherited solely by Titus. For as long as Cornelius could remember, his younger brother had effortlessly attracted every eligible young girl he met.

  Cornelius moved quickly to recover from what he feared Katherine may take as an unfavourable comparison. "Fulvia's like a sister to me," he continued, "we're just good friends, that's all. We write to each other occasionally, but since we're rarely in the same place at the same time we don't see each other that often."

  "That's a pity, I would like to meet her" said Katherine, who sounded like she was satisfied by his answer. Cornelius decided to move the conversation on. He was always uncomfortable discussing Fulvia with other women. They never seem to be convinced of the platonic nature of their friendship, and those who had actually met Fulvia were even more sceptical.

  Cornelius talked about the trade negotiations in general terms only since many of the details were confidential. He also told her that he liked her brother and how well they got on, but he did not mention the conversation that they had had a few weeks ago. He was unsure of how she would react and was determined to avoid anything that might be controversial.

  They stopped at a small village and had lunch at the local inn. It had warmed up enough for them to sit outside, and whilst they ate their meal of freshly baked bread and cheese they discussed their plans for the weekend.

  "We can take in the museum at Pheugarum, this afternoon," said Katherine pouring over a well used map, "and then drive on to the hunting lodge for the night."

  "Sounds fine," said Cornelius, "what do you have in mind for tomorrow?"

  "You mentioned that you liked walking," said Katherine, "did you bring your boots?"

  By way of reply Cornelius twisted round off his seat and lifted one foot above the table. Katherine laughed. "I'll take that as a yes." She finished off the chunk of bread in her hand and washed it down with a mouthful of ale before continuing. "Near the lodge there's a trail through the Teutoburgwald. I thought that we could pack a picnic and spend the day walking in the woods."

  "I love walking," said Cornelius, "and to spend the day walking with you would be perfect."

  Katherine smiled at that. Perhaps, thought Cornelius he was getting the hang of talking to women after all.

  The museum at Pheugarum was much like the one they had visited in Minden, but on a smaller scale. The region had played a critical part in the campaigns that had halted the Ottoman jihad against the Christian States of central Europe. Cornelius was pleased to see that the contribution of Imperial Roman armies noted and acknowledged, even if not that prominently.

  “Well it is a Saxon museum Cornelius,” Katherine pointed out when he mentioned it. “It’s fair to recognise that the Empire helped out, but the ‘Crusade’ to liberate Europe from the Turks is regarded as primarily a German affair. The German and other countries suffered terribly and Imperial armies rather took their time in joining in.”

  “I’m sure the thousands of Roman Citizens slaughtered in Pannonia and Moesia would have a slightly different view,” countered Cornelius.

  Katherine kissed him on the cheek. “I’m sure they would,” she whispered in his ear, “but not here.”

  It was beginning to get dark when Katherine turned off the main road onto a well kept gravel track, marked only by a wooden board with the Maleric coat of arms painted on it. After a few hundred yards they came to a large stone built cottage with some outbuildings beside the track.

  Cornelius commented that her brothers hunting lodge looked like the perfect place to stay. Katherine burst out laughing.

  "That's just the servants quarters," she said. Then as they turned sharply in front of the cottage she gestured with her head towards a three storey mansion that rose out of the forest. "That's the hunting lodge."

  Cornelius stared open mouthed at the enormous building as Katherine brought the motor carriage to a stop at the entrance. As they got out of the vehicle, the main doors opened and half a dozen liveried servants emerged from the 'lodge' and
descended upon them. Their luggage was collected, taken inside and the motor carriage driven away to be parked. The major domo and housekeeper reported on the state of the lodge and the cook presented the menu for the evening meal for Katherine's approval. And this was all before they had managed to get further than the entrance hall. Cornelius hung back and watched Katherine. She effortlessly took charge of the servants, giving orders and making a few minor changes to the menu.

  A few moments later the servants all disappeared and Katherine and Cornelius were left alone in the hall. He looked around at the pictures and stuffed hunting trophies that lined the walls, and the tapestries and old battle flags that hung from the spiral staircase that circled up above him.

  "This is some hunting lodge," he said to Katherine.

  "It is rather pretentious," she said, "it was built by my great grandfather who was devoted to his hunting. He spent nine months each year hunting, so he decided to live out here in comfort."

  "It certainly looks comfortable," agreed Cornelius, "not at all what I imagined a Saxon hunting lodge would be like."

  "I suppose," said Katherine, giving Cornelius a disapproving look and her voice becoming slightly chilly, "that you envisaged a romantic little cottage just to ourselves, with a roaring fire, where we would sit on a bearskin rug sipping hot spiced wine and you could seduce me. Is that what this 'honourable' Roman had in mind."

  Cornelius turned bright red at Katherine's forthright and, he had to admit, accurate summary of how he had hoped the weekend would develop. He tried to say something, but nothing coherent came out.

  Katherine silenced him with a gentle kiss. "Don't worry," she said, the frosty expression being replaced by a mischievous grin, "the drawing room does have a fireplace which I have instructed the servants to build up, and the cook makes an excellent spiced wine."