by Tanya Allan
I felt the body of a naked male. I hoped it wasn’t Trajan. I felt his face and it was a much younger man with a small nose; the secretary, probably.
“Trajan, where are you, you infidel bastard?” came from someone not too far to my front. I could see nothing. I slid my foot forward, and almost fell over the edge of the pool.
“Sir, I have the light ready, just give me the word!” said another voice a little further away than the first, again, in Arabic.
I then heard the slightest sound, coming from the water. Trajan was in the pool. How unconsciously sensible, as gunshots deaccelerated rapidly when fired into water, particularly low velocity handgun bullets.
I slipped into the pool as silently as I could. The water was remarkably warm, considering how cool it was outside. It came up to midway between my belly button and my chest.
Hugging the side, I slowly made my way towards where I thought the first voice was.
“Shakir, now!” said the voice from just above me.
A flare was lit. It was a home-made one, probably with the gunpowder that was used in their weapons. It was not brilliant, but sufficient for their purposes. The holder was illuminated, so I simply shot an arrow into him. He fell, dropping the flare onto the ground. It stayed lit, giving an unreal quality to the surroundings.
In a split second, I saw someone in the pool close by me. It was Trajan.
Then, the man with the gun cried out with a cruel glee.
“I have you now!” he said, and pointed his weapon at the naked and wet emperor.
I had no arrow ready, so simply launched myself into the air to intercept the bullet.
I felt something thump me in the chest, knocking the wind from me.
I fell into the water, and struggled to reach the surface. As I came up, in the light of the flare, I saw Gaius slice the assassin’s head clean off with one might swipe of his sword.
I looked to see the emperor was alive, and then felt the pain.
Gaius shouted, “No!” and leapt into the water.
I felt him pulling me out and placing me on the side.
The emperor was also out and wrapping a large towel around his naked body.
I didn’t feel like moving, and could feel the blood from my chest wound.
So, this was it, was it? I wondered how it would end.
“No, Layla, you can’t die!” Gaius was saying. I looked up, wondering why it didn’t hurt more.
Several soldiers appeared, including senior officers. They attempted to get the Emperor to move to a safe place.
“No! The enemy are all dead and this valiant woman sacrificed herself for me,” Trajan said, shrugging them off.
“Gaius!” I said, and he knelt low and put his head close to mine.
“Destroy the guns, bracelets and powder. None must survive; promise me!”
“I swear, but you can’t die!”
“My job is done, my love. I must go. You will find someone and farm that farm. Someday, we may meet again in an afterlife.”
“No! I will get you to the doctor, stay with me, please!”
I smiled, but already things were becoming faint.
Gaius was crying now, and I glanced at the Emperor of Rome who stood next to him, the man who had led his legions to a great victory. He, too, was crying over a mere woman. It made me smile.
It was the last thing I did; apart from think that the Emperor had an exceedingly big nose!
Epilogue
“Ah, back already?” said Michael.
“I suppose I must be,” I said, scratching my shorn head, and going through the familiar feeling of not remembering anything.
It was not a fun experience, but at least it was a familiar one and one I knew would improve.
“You made it then?” he asked.
“If I’m here, I rather think I must have done, unless you tell me otherwise.”
He chuckled, holding a hand out, so I allowed him to assist me off the couch.
“The time-line is intact. Trajan lived out his days and died of natural causes as per the history books.”
“Any chance of a drink?”
He passed me a familiar bottle of beer, nicely chilled.
I drained the lot in one go.
“Ah, that was nice. So shall we debrief?”
“If you feel you are ready?”
“Why shouldn’t I be?”
“Last time was rather traumatic.”
“So?”
“Well, I don’t want to rush you.”
“Don’t be an ass, let’s get it over with.”
We returned to the same place as last time, and, as before, he led me through it slowly releasing my memories.
This time, I was less emotionally involved, so it was much faster. Also, it had been just a few years instead of a lifetime.
Harry popped his head round the door just before the finish. He grinned at me.
“No kids this time?”
“Not this time,” I replied.
“The contraceptive program must have worked.”
I nodded.
“Well done!” he said as his head disappeared.
“How did Armes get away?” I asked.
“No idea. They use the bracelets to locate their people, but obviously have a back-up method of retrieval. Armes managed to kill himself before we got him back here. Soames chose to stay and help us, but he’s been of limited use.”
“I keep having to kill that bastard. There has to be some way of putting him down for good!”
“We’re working on it. The first lot were trying to create a French Empire, and this lot wanted to undermine the Romans and thereby the Roman Catholic Church. The Arab connection is worrying, as they could threaten several different key areas of history. It seems the Middle East is a hotbed of trouble in every epoch.”
“What happened to Gaius?” I asked.
Michael played with his terminal for a moment.”
“Remember Iona?”
“Yes, what about her?”
“Trajan promoted Gaius to Tribune. She took over as commander of the Women’s Corps under his command and she ended up marrying him.”
“Iona?”
“Yes.”
“But she wasn’t into men.”
“It seems that as both of them adored you, it brought them closer together. Gaius was able to persuade her otherwise. Gaius returned with Trajan to Rome as a hero. They gave you a hero’s funeral at the same time as Decebalus’ head was brought to the capitol and thrown on the Gemonian Stairs. Trajan gave Gaius command of the XIII Legion, and after three years he and Iona retired in Dacia where Trajan gave him an extensive estate. Trajan actually offered Gaius the role of Governor, but he turned it down, claiming he was a soldier and was not inclined to be a politician.”
“Good for him. So, on that note, what happened to Dacia?”
“Good question. Trajan built a new city, Colunia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa on another site north of the hill citadel holding the previous Dacian capital, where your last battle took place. Although bearing the same full name, Sarmizegetusa. This capital city was conceived as a purely civilian administrative centre and was provided the usual Romanized administrative apparatus. Urban life in Roman Dacia seems to have been restricted to Roman colonists, mostly military veterans, like Gaius and his comrades. Native Dacians continued to live in scattered rural settlements, according to their own ways.
“The main effort of urbanisation was concentrated by Trajan at the rearguard, in Moesia, where he created the new cities of Nicopolis ad Istrum and Marcianopolis. A vicus[v] was also created around the Tropaeum Traianum. The garrison city of Oescus received the status of Roman colony after its legionary garrison was redeployed.
“Not all of Dacia was permanently occupied. The Roman province eventually took the form of a gigantic spearhead stretching from the Danube northwards to the Carpathian Mountains and was intended perhaps as a basis for further expansion in Eastern Europe – which the
Romans conceived to be much more “flattened” and closer to the ocean than it actually was. Defence of the province was entrusted to a single legion initially under Gaius’ command - the XIII Gemina, stationed at Apulum, which functioned as an advanced guard that could, in case of need, strike either west or east at the Sarmatians living at the borders.
“Therefore, the indefensible character of the province did not appear to be a problem for Trajan, as the province was conceived more as a sally-base for further attacks.
“Trajan resettled Dacia with Romans and annexed it as a province of the Roman Empire. Aside from their enormous booty (over half a million slaves), Trajan's Dacian campaigns benefited the Empire's finances through the acquisition of Dacia's gold mines, managed by an imperial Procurator of Equestrian rank (procurator aurariarum).
“Agricultural exploitation on the villa model, on the contrary, was poorly developed. Similarly, slave labour in the province itself seems to have been relatively undeveloped, and epigraphic evidence points to work in the gold mines being conducted by means of labour contracts (locatio conductio rei) and seasonal wage-earning.
“The victory was commemorated by the construction of Trajan’s column, which depicts in stone carved bas-reliefs the Dacian Wars’ most important moments. Interestingly, there is a small carving of a female commander being carried by many soldiers away from the burning city.”
“Ah, me?”
“Possibly. It is indistinct, now, as the passage of time has taken its toll, but I have no doubt it is supposed to be of the courageous Layla who gave her life for the Emperor. Little is written about that little episode, as we had to run a damage limitation exercise.”
“Have we any idea who or what is behind the encroachments?”
“No, but this was the first time they’ve been as desperate to break with tradition and be so flagrant. Firearms are a real sign of desperation. We’ve had to increase our patrols of the early church, as more and more attacks have taken place. I sent two agents to watch the Emperor Constantine, as they sent four teams against him.”
“Firearms again?”
“No, you’ve been the only one to suffer from that.”
“I just hope to hell we were able to tidy up.”
“I sent someone in; you remember James?”
“Yes.”
“He went in as a Centurion and met up with Gaius on the day after you died. He was able to collect up as many of the guns and bracelets as he could. Your 2IC, Iona, had done a thorough job, but was somewhat reluctant to hand anything over to our man. In the end she was suitably convinced that James was a good guy and we only have one adrift – one you smashed in the woods.”
“That’s good.”
“Do you want to keep the memories?”
I remembered Michael gave me the choice on the last return.
I stood up.
“There were a few moments that Jane’s memories threatened to overwhelm me, but I coped, and found them helpful in the end. No, I’ll keep them, if that’s all right.”
He nodded, smiling gently.
“I thought you might. Okay, then take it easy for a few days, we’ll chat tomorrow and then let me know when you want to go back and catch up with your old life. I don’t recommend you do another job for a while. This one was quite full-on with a traumatic end.”
“That’ll suit me. It’ll take some getting used to having a knee that’s less than perfect.”
“We could always see if our people can’t do something with that.”
“Possibly, but hey, when something is as bust up as my leg, I don’t think that even your guys could do much. So, can I take a vacation now?”
“I heartily recommend it.”
“Excellent, I fancy an island holiday. I need to try to get my old life back. It’s been years!”
Michael chuckled.
“Yes, for you it has. As I said, take a few days to get some R & R here at the centre. We’ll have another chat about some of our mutual friends, like Armes, and see if there’s anything we can learn.”
It was strange standing in the parking lot by the diner where I first met Michael.
It felt like it had been a long time since I was last here, and as I walked towards my Mustang, it was hard to realise that it had just been the previous evening that I had gone to that shack and started the adventure of a lifetime – two lifetimes!
The sun was shining and the trucks rolled by on the freeway oblivious to all that had occurred to me. I glanced at the diner to see the same plump waitress serving the truckers their breakfasts. I was almost tempted to drop in for a coffee, just to announce my return to the real world, but decided that it would never be as nice as the coffee that I had taken just a few minutes ago in the centre when I said farewell to Michael.
“No rush, old man; just use this to call us when you feel you want to come back,” he said, passing me what appeared to be a normal cell phone.
“Oh, it’s perfectly normal, except my number is already plumbed in and you won’t find it in any of the books,” he said, chuckling.
“What if there’s a rush job that you need me for?” I asked.
“We will know where to find you. Just enjoy yourself, try to forget us for a while.”
I laughed.
“Some hope.”
“We can eradicate your memories of Jane and Layla, just so you can focus on being you again. You can have some or all the memories back whenever you like.”
“No thanks, the memories help keep me sane.”
“Okay, then. Good luck.”
Moments later, through that gut-wrenching experience I had been through before, I ended up in the shack and alone this time.
It took me a few moments to reach the parking lot, to see that nothing had changed in my absence.
The car was as I had left it, with my holdall in the back. I slipped behind the wheel and started the engine. I almost expected it not to start as I’d been away for such an age. But then, I hadn’t, had I? It had been just a few hours for my car.
Minutes later, I was heading south once more with the sun on my face and wind whistling across where my hair should have been, had my scalp not been shorn.
I felt the ache in my knee and knew that I was home, and I wasn’t sure I liked it. Hell, I knew it, but didn’t have to like it.
I wondered what sort of people I’d meet on this little adventure. I hoped they’d be okay, as most academics I met were of a different mentality to me.
I settled down and relaxed, letting my mind rummage through the memories that I had accumulated. I was inordinately pleased that I had chosen to keep them, as most of them made me smile, even if I cried a little too!
End of book 2.
Continued in Book 3.. Island of Dreams.
Appendix
* * *
[i] Roman military ranks and functions:
Legatus Augusti pro praetore, Imperial Legate: The commander of two or more legions. The Imperial Legate also served as the governor of the province in which the legions he commanded were stationed. Of Sentorial rank, the Imperial Legate was appointed by the Emperor and usually held command for 3 or 4 years.
Legatus legionis, Legion Legate: The overall legion commander. The post was usually filled by a senator, appointed by the emperor, who held command for 3 or 4 years, although he could serve for a much longer period. In a Roman province with only one legion, the Legatus was also the provincial governor. In such circumstances, the Legatus was dual-hatted as both Legion Legate and Imperial Legate. The Legion Legate also served as commander of the Auxiliary units attached to the legion though they were not formally a part of the legion's command structure.
Tribunus laticlavius, Broad Band Tribune: Named for the broad striped tunic worn by men of senatorial rank, this tribune was appointed by the emperor or the Senate. Though generally quite young and less experienced than the tribuni angusticlavii, he served as second in command of the legion, behind the legate. Because of his age and inexperience
he was not the actual second in command in battle, but if the legate died he would take command of the legion. This tribunate was often a first, but optional, step in a young man's senatorial career.
Praefectus castrorum, Camp Prefect: The Camp Prefect was third in command of the legion. Generally he was a long serving veteran from a lower social status than the tribunii whom he outranked, and who previously had served as primus pilus and finished his 25 years with the legions. He was used as a senior officer in charge of training a legion.
The rank of centurion was an officer rank that included many grades, meaning centurions had very good prospects for promotion. The most senior centurion in a legion was known as the primus pilus (first file or spear), who directly commanded the first century of the first cohort and commanded the whole first cohort when in battle. Within the second to tenth cohorts, the commander of each cohort's first century was known as a pilus prior and was in command of his entire respective cohort when in battle. The seniority of the pilus prior centurions was followed by the five other century commanders of the first cohort, who were known as primi ordines.
In modern military terms, an ordinary centurion was approximately equivalent to a Warrant Officer that had a junior officer's commission. Whereas the most senior centurion was closer to the equivalent to the rank of a full Captain.
The equestrian, or military tribunes held positions equivalent to the rank of Major, while the Senatorial Tribune and the Camp Prefect were the equivalent of a Lt. Colonel.
The Legion Legate was the equivalent of full Brigadier with the Imperial Legate holding the rank of General.
The six centuries of a normal cohort, were, in order of precedence:
The forward hastati (forward spears)
The rear hastati (rear spears)
The forward principes (forward principal line)
The rear principes (rear principal line)
The forward triarii (forward third line)
The rear triarii (rear third line)
The centuries took their titles from the old use of the legion drawn up in three lines of battle using three classes of soldier. (Each century would then hold a cross-section of this theoretical line, although these century titles were now essentially nominal.) Each of the three lines is then sub-divided within the century into a more forward and a more rear century.
