Annales Imperii - I. Ostiia

by Ted Mayes

  And she had been helping with that, she knew it! Part of her was scared silly, looking back at what Michael had been having her do. She knew he couldn't and wouldn't have done it without the emperor's approval, and now, trying to face facts, she was awed by the trust that those two had placed in her and her abilities. Serving as a virtual executive secretary and advisor to the second most powerful man in the empire! That, somehow lead her to think about how much she'd changed in such a short time – from a somewhat spoiled society girl playing at reporter to … whatever she was now.

  Recalling her first days at Ostia, another memory came crashing to the front of her consciousness. Michael, being whipped, for his 'crime' of giving her access to imperial secrets. Somehow she could understand his actions better now. It was the 'right' thing to do – and at that she couldn't help but remember some of the things Dr. Harrison had said in class. It was 'right' to take responsibility for your own actions, no matter what the personal consequences, rather than scheming and trying to evade what you had done. If that was the case, she thought with some satisfaction, then her unthinking decision to side with the empire was also right. She would wait for the emperor's pardon rather than trying to run off.

  But while all of that was interesting, it wasn't the most important thing. She'd been eager to return to Michael. She'd thought he was handsome from the very first, and she had felt … something … a number of times in the past months. She had to admit to herself, at least now, that she liked Michael, a lot.

  It might even be more than that, but that raised a whole new problem. She knew enough about imperial society that it was crystal clear to her that there would never be a chance to find out what a relationship with Michael would be like as long as she was his slave. She remembered Dr. Harrison mentioning that the ancient Roman empire had been awash with sex, and that the sexual exploitation of slaves was normal and expected. Because of that, the emperor had strictly forbidden sexual relationships between owner and slave, as well as rape and sexual harassment of any kind.

  After all, that was the reason that Jon and Beth had come up with the idea of 'dating rings,' to find a way that would allow for 'normal' relationships amid the restrictions of imperial law. Any hint of 'impropriety', however that was defined, and Michael could lose everything he'd worked at for years. So, imperial law guaranteed that nothing would happen between her and Michael for the foreseeable future. That was frustrating, because she had discovered she was intrigued by the idea of a relationship with him, but also comforting, because the whole idea was so new to her that she was a little scared by it.

  Eventually, she came back to current reality, and, glancing at a nearby clock, she was somewhat surprised that she'd only been thinking for ten or fifteen minutes. It had seemed like a longer time to her. The reception was still going on and there were still people lining up to talk with Michael. So she stepped forward to Michael's side, this time with a really genuine smile. The small talk and questions continued as they had begun. Then there was a meeting she hadn't expected, though she should have. “Hi, Dad.” She surprised him, and herself, by leaning forward to kiss his cheek and give him a hug.

  “You could have been free,” he said very quietly.

  She gently shook her head and responded just as quietly, “No, I would have been running away from my responsibilities.” She turned slightly and continued, “Dad, this is the Imperial Consul, Michael Baxter. Sir, this is my father, Arthur Ochs.”

  The two men didn't quite glare at each other as they briefly shook hands but it was close. “So, you're the man who thinks he owns my daughter,” her father began.

  “According to imperial law, I do own her,” Michael said quietly.

  “Well, this is the United States, and slavery is illegal here.”

  She broke into the conversation. “He was born and raised here in New York City, Dad. I'm sure that he knows that perfectly well.”

  “How can you keep her here?” her father demanded with some heat.

  “Did we 'try to keep her here' a half hour ago when the Gravino family tried to 'rescue' her?” Michael said much more calmly than her father.

  Her father looked slightly surprised. “You mean that Amanda could leave right now?”

  “What I mean is that the ship to Ostia will leave here later tonight. No one will be forced to get on that ship.”

  Her father blinked, then grabbed her arm and said, “Come on, Amanda, we're leaving now.”

  A second or two later, he was gasping in pain as Amanda had his hand in a very painful grip. She was tremendously surprised herself because she hadn't been aware that she knew any kind of hand-to-hand tricks. However, all she said, as she released the grip on her father, “As I said back at Ostia, Dad, let me handle this!”

  Her father looked at her with confusion for a moment, but then nodded. “All right, Amanda, but I'm ready to help whenever you ask.” He gave a brief nod to Michael and left without saying another word.

  “I didn't realize that I knew any martial arts moves,” she said quietly to Michael, before the next group of people came into range of hearing.

  “The emperor is of the opinion that every woman should know self-defense.”

  “Even when she doesn't know she knows?”

  “If you're interested in learning what you know and how to control it, I'd suggest talking to the females among the youngsters. They've been through it already and can give you some pointers.” Other

  people had moved forward by that time, and the rest of the evening was filled with the normal small talk and repeated questions.

  When it came time to leave, though, Amanda was surprised how willingly, maybe even eagerly, she followed along with the praetorians. They retraced their steps to the top floor, then the roof, and climbed into the transport. As it took off to return to Ostia, she could only feel that she was returning home, seated next to Michael. It felt very right.

  * * * * *

  It had been three weeks since the Chiefs game, and Beth finally had to admit to herself that she'd been trying to avoid Jon, which, admittedly, made no sense at all. She had been so scared. No, let's be truthful, she'd been terrified about a 'permanent relationship', and that she seemed to be the one to think of it first with her 'we'll solve the problems.' So she'd pulled back from Jon, first unconsciously, and then with some awareness. It still bothered her some. Regardless of imperial law saying that she was an adult, regardless of Amanda's rhapsodies about her self-assurance, she still felt like a 17 year old girl in high school.

  But she'd finally realized that panic was not the appropriate response, if not for her sake, then certainly for Jon's. At the very least, he deserved to hear from her how scared she'd been, and why she'd been avoiding him. She'd finally come to that conclusion in Monday afternoon study hall, listening to some of her friends talk about their boy troubles. Paying only half attention to the talk around her, she skimmed through Amanda's latest article, this time on imperial security. It made her realize why those who had 'criminal tendencies' were not pleased with the empire. It not only described in general the security system that was normally 'rented' by businesses (and like the one the school now had), but Amanda had also described the process by which imperial 'recordings' had been accepted in law courts as legal proof. It seems to have come about because of certain tests, devised by police and judges. The tests had demonstrated that whenever the recording showed someone touching something, there was a fingerprint there, or some other rock solid forensic evidence.

  It was a fascinating story, but the worst part about it was that she felt an urge to talk to Jon about it and suddenly became aware of how much she had missed talking things over with him. She couldn't wait for school to end so she could get back to Ostia and see him. She was sure she had a lot of apologizing to do, but the least he deserved was an apology.

  On the way back, she asked Molly to find out if Jon was close and was told that he wasn't. It wasn't until she was coming through the undergate that she realize
d that something was bothering her about Molly's reply. “Molly, can you tell me where Jon is?”

  “No, I can't, Beth.”

  She stopped dead still in surprise. “Well, can you ask George where Jon is?”

  “I'm no longer in constant communication with George.”

  “What?” she almost shouted.

  “For the last three weeks, you have been trying very hard to stay away from Jon. Even though you still wear the dating ring, you would only ask for Jon's location in order to avoid him and were reluctant to talk with him. The whole situation was causing too much confusion in our programming, so George and I decided that we had to treat you as non-dating in order to function efficiently.”

  “Well, where is Jon? I have to apologize for my behavior and explain to him, and I guess to you and George, why I did it.”

  “George and I would appreciate the explanation, although I doubt we'll be able fit it into our programming. Unfortunately, I really do not know where Jon is. All I can tell you is that he currently is not in Ostia.”

  Panic rose in Beth at that news, but this time she ruthlessly suppressed it. Panic had gotten her into this situation and it was doubtful that it would help resolve the problem. “Does anyone know where he is?”

  “George informed me that it was to be kept secret, but that Jon had been allowed to talk with his parents and your father.”

  “My father?” For some reason, that did not sound encouraging. Beth quickly emptied her tool bag and equipped herself, then took off for the elevators at a dead run, aiming to get to Jordan's as quickly as possible. She slowed down enough that she didn't crash into anyone, but she certainly burst into the coffeehouse, ducked behind the serving bar, and grabbed her father, quietly demanding to talk with him, now.

  Calmly, her father turned the serving bar over to someone else and led her upstairs to her parents' apartment. At the quiet question of 'what's the matter', words burst out. The Chief's game, her comment of 'we'll solve them', Jon's offer to talk about a 'permanent relationship' whenever she wanted to, and the following panic that had led her to avoid him. She ended up by saying, “I realized this afternoon how much I've missed him. I came back to apologize and ask for his forgiveness, and Molly tells me he isn't even here anymore.” Then, to her total surprise, she burst into uncontrollable tears.

  Her Mom came and sat down beside her, holding her while she cried. Her Dad simply sat calmly, waiting for the storm of tears to be over. Finally she calmed down and said disgustedly “Some Marine I make, breaking into tears like that.”

  Her Mom said, “Honey, you may be a Marine, but you're also a young woman.”

  Beth smiled and looked at her Dad. “Molly said you knew where Jon was.”

  Her Dad nodded. “Before I tell you what I know, I have to tell you that, although the information isn't exactly secret, it isn't to be shared with anyone else. Jon said he was only supposed to tell me, but I checked with Dr. Harrison. He and his wife know the facts and the three of us can know, but not even his siblings are to be told. Okay?”

  When both Beth and her Mom nodded, he went on. “Jon came in to see me about a week and a half ago, right before he left on a 'special assignment.' He told me the same story about the Chief's game and told me, in his words, 'he'd scared you by talking too serious too soon.' I do have to say, daughter, he seemed really hurt by your …, can I call it a 'disappearance'?” Beth nodded again, too full of emotion to really say anything.

  “Anyway, the consul assigned him to a special assignment that will last months, possibly into April.” Beth was shocked. If she was missing him after three weeks because of her stupidity, how would she last through most of the rest of the school year? “As to what he's going to be doing, he couldn't say, but it was a slow time and there was no one downstairs, so I convinced him to put his uniform coat on so that I could get a picture for you. Jeffrey, display the last image of Jon and send a copy to Molly, please.”

  An image of Jon appeared and Beth was almost overtaken with tears again that she'd turned her back on him, even for a little while. Then the changes to his coat registered and she said in amazement, “Permanent decurion. And temporary tribune!”

  “Yes. He said he was on the way to Mars, and the next day the news announced that a flotilla of ships, under the command of a centurion, had departed, taking a tribune to be the temporary governor of the Mars colony.”

  Beth was amazed, delighted, dismayed and terrified at the same time. Amazed and delighted that Jon had been given such a rank and opportunity, even though it was only temporary. She was equally, if not more so, dismayed that Jon was so far away for so long, and terrified for his safety, since this was only the second group to head to Mars. She found herself quietly crying and her Mom gathered her into her arms again.

  “The good news” her father said, “is that I talked with Praetor Harrison earlier today. He said that they'd heard from Jon yesterday, and that, apart from being a little sad, he's fine and the assignment is going well.”

  When Beth could finally stop crying, she sat up and asked, “What do I do now?”

  “Correct me if I'm wrong, but you should be getting over to your job soon. As far as Jon is concerned,” her father smiled, “when you calm down a little, I'm sure that 'Wonder Woman' will think of something.”

  “Okay,” Beth said, shaking herself, “I do need to get to work. While I fix my face, Dad, will you get a tall cup of your strongest coffee ready for me? I think I'm going to need it tonight.” Dad's hug as he left to go back downstairs, a few whispered encouragements from Mom, a few minutes in the bathroom and Beth was about as ready as she could be to face people. She grabbed the coffee from her Dad and headed down to the street to work, thinking furiously. She definitely needed to talk with Molly about how to repair the dating relationship. She needed some other input as well, but the girls at school were out. She'd talk with Shawna and Maria, her codjits and roommates, since they knew Jon as well, and see what they had to say.

  When she got to work, she was sent upstairs immediately. To her surprise, a quaestor informed her that she was going to be assigned to a new section, dealing specifically with the large number of scientists, who at times seemed to be swarming the University. She was told that she'd be second in command to decurion Eloise Carnot, with whom she sat down to talk. Eloise was pleased that she knew someone in the latest Mars mission, curious that she was the famous female Marine of Amanda's story and absolutely thrilled that she'd already been to the moon twice. It turned out that Eloise had more than a little touch of agoraphobia, and was happy to immediately delegate all liaison duties dealing with the moon's scientific colony to Beth.

  Her head was spinning by the time she got home that evening. She and Eloise had started laying out the details and difficulties of their task and Eloise said that she would start the head-hunting in the morning. Shawna and Maria were there when she got home and she grabbed them immediately for a sharing session. Both of them were happy to be involved in the 'intervention' and were cheerful in reaffirming for her how stupid she had been. One of Shawna's questions had really struck home - “Do you want some other woman to grab Jon for her own?” The question was easy to remember from the surge of blind possessiveness that it inspired. Jon was hers, and that was all she needed to remember.

  After some discussion, it was decided that Beth needed to write a letter to Jon, explaining what had gone on and apologizing. It seemed a little silly, but Molly had insisted on a 'clearly discernible sign' of some kind. Certainly the Public Post would deliver the mail with the next delivery of supplies, so she spent the rest of the evening composing that letter to Jon and trying to explain the whole situation to Molly. She wasn't very successful with the latter, and by the time she went to bed, she wasn't sure that she understood why things had happened.

  The next morning she dropped the apology off at the Post building before she went off to school. She was told it would be delivered by the end of the week, so she spent the next few days
in a state of uncomfortable nervousness, wondering what Jon's reaction would be. Thankfully, the new job at Foreign kept her pretty busy. Understanding the different scientific fields, discovering the personalities in each field was absorbing to say the least. Even more striking, if she understood the imperial professors correctly, there was a big difference between the first-rate minds (and second- and third-) in each field, and the scientists who were 'popular' and whose names were best known. Even more interesting, she discovered that the 'popular' scientists were often the most difficult to work with and seemed to have the biggest egos.

  By Friday she was really on pins and needles, anxious for Jon's response. She really couldn't wait for the end of school, especially when Molly told her, near the end of study hall, that she'd heard from George. But then, Molly refused to say anything more until the actual end of school. She'd almost run to the car, climbed in and then demanded that Molly give her the message while the interior of the car was warming up.

  “George says that Jon is very sorry that he made you feel uncomfortable and he hopes you forgive him. And he asks if you'd like to talk face-to-face this evening? 2000, if that's okay.”

  “Yes, yes, yes! Tell George to tell Jon 'yes,' I'll be looking forward to talking to him at him at 2000!” She was so giddy that Molly refused to let the car move until she'd calmed down some. She'd hurried back to Ostia and waltzed into Jordan's to share the good news with her Mom and Dad. Then she'd almost danced down the street to get back to setting things up with Eloise. Even the fact that Eloise had decided she should travel out to the Moon tomorrow for her first meeting with the scientists at Copernicus Station didn't dampen her excitement.