Triumph of Venus - Chapter 3

Devnum

`It was too cold to be out here,’ Lucilla thought as she strolled up the small, protected garden along the center of the right wing of the palace where she and Ky had spent so many hours together.

Gaius had practically pleaded with her to stay inside where it was warm, and where, coincidentally, he could have more scrolls and documents for her to read and approve, but she’d had enough. The meetings, audiences, and conferences were, if anything, getting worse. She’d been inside for almost thirteen hours today with barely a break to eat. She needed fresh air, no matter how cold it was.

She did feel a little guilty, looking over at Modius as her guard stamped his feet in a futile gesture for warmth. Still, if she could stand it, so could he. She’d just started another lap when a chime sounded in her ear.

Trying to keep it subtle, she looked around to see if anyone else was in the garden and made a motion for Modius to give her space. She was pretty sure they’d worked out she was talking to... someone when she asked for moments like this, though she doubted any of them would guess the actual truth. At least this time the wind was moving a bit, the noise helping to drown out her conversations, which could be whispered and Ky would still hear.

“It’s late there,” she said, chastising him.

She knew, vaguely, that the sun set faster the further east you were, but living in such a small region her whole life, she was still adjusting to the fact that it was much closer to the middle of the night where Ky was than it was for her, and that daytime would arrive almost a full hour there before she experienced it here in Devnum.

She also worried about how hard Ky was pushing himself, getting the legions ready to march in a month and a half’s time.

“It’s not that late,” he said. “And I keep telling you I don’t need as much sleep as everyone else.”

“Less sleep is not the same as no sleep,” she pointed out.

“I know, and I’ll be going to bed soon. We haven’t had a chance to talk in days, and I missed you. I just wanted to hear your voice once before I turned in.”

“Okay... well, then. You’re forgiven,” she said, smiling to herself.

She could see Modius exchange a glance with Cynwrig, and could only wonder what they thought she was doing, muttering softly to herself and smiling a silly smile that normally only Ky got to see. She had to be the Empress with everyone else, but with him, she was still Lucilla. Well, him and her guards when she talked to him in the open like this.

“How are you?” he asked.

“The same. Tired, restless, wishing I were there.”

“You’re in the courtyard?” he asked.

“How... did Sophus tell you?”

“I do not report on your activities or whereabouts without permission, unless it is an emergency or critical to either your or the empire’s well-being,” the AI said.

It had taken Lucilla a long time to convince Sophus of the need for privacy, even from Ky, and why she’d want to at least have the choice whether she told him things or not. It wasn’t until she threatened to remove the transmitter and hide it in her rooms until she needed to talk to Ky that it finally acquiesced. In a show of its gaining... humor, she guessed, it now threw that back at her every chance it got.

“My implants are better than the earpiece when it comes to picking up sounds, and the device in my head also allows me to separate the sounds better. I could hear the wind and rustling trees.”

“You know that sounds like a lie, right?” Lucilla said.

“And yet, it’s not.”

“Fine. Yes, I’m in the gardens. I couldn’t stand another minute indoors. Gaius is constantly at my heels with more work, and I’m starting to see reports in my sleep.”

“Heavy lies the head,” Ky said.

“What?”

“Nothing. A write that may never be born,” he said, sounding wistful, like he did every time he thought about the future, or what he saw as the past.

“How are the preparations going?” Lucilla asked, changing the subject.

“There’s still debate among the legates, and I can’t get a consensus. Bomilcar argues we should consolidate our gains this year before attempting an invasion of Africa. But delaying risks losing momentum and straining already stretched resources. Marcus and Vibius argue we should charge headlong into Greece with two legions, while the rest march into Italy, attacking the Carthaginians everywhere to keep them from concentrating and attacking us in the rear. Aelius and Auspex both side for a more limited approach.”

“But you agree with Aelius and Auspex. That’s the majority of you, why not do that?”

“Because it’s better if I let them come to a consensus and guide them. True, I could just tell them how it will work, but I want their buy-in. Subordinates function better if they have an active role rather than just following orders. I need them to make decisions and think for themselves if I detach them, and limiting them now might make them hesitant to make a decision when it comes to it.”

“Surely you don’t need to treat Bomilcar that way. That man is never unsure about his decisions as it is.”

“No, he doesn’t need hand-holding, but he’s also a different case. With him, I need the others to see me treating him as their equal. He’s generally accepted by the men, but that acceptance is still fragile. It would only take a little doubt on my part to make it something else.”

“So you’ll continue to argue all winter?”

“If need be. They are keeping to the training schedules, and the men are coming along well, so allowing this to drag out a bit won’t delay us from marching as soon as the roads thaw. Thinking of preparations though, what did you decide about Hispania?”

Lucilla paused, taking a moment before responding. “I’ve decided to send Cormac to Hispania.”

“Cormac? Are you sure that’s wise after everything with Medb?”

She could hear his dismay through the comms.

“I know it’s a risk, but Cormac wasn’t directly involved in Medb’s scheming. And he’s eager to prove himself.”

“The boy is headstrong and foolish,” Ky said bluntly. “He’s likely to cause more harm than good. We need someone with experience negotiating alliances. Besides, have you forgotten you nearly had to execute his wife for treason two months ago?”

“I very much have not forgotten,” she said, taking a more stern tone. “I understand your reservations, my love. Cormac is indeed flawed and foolish at times. But he is also eager to prove himself. More importantly, we must give him that chance eventually, or risk straining relations with his father. There were reasons I didn’t execute Medb for what she did, reasons you agreed with at the time, and none of them have stopped being true. I understand the risk, but he wasn’t involved with that. In fact, when he heard what was happening, he worked with us to stop it. Yes, he is susceptible to her charms, which is why I am not sending her with him.”

She slowly paced the garden path, realizing she’d stood still for too long, and others might be watching, “Our relationship with the Ulaid is still fragile, and Cormac is Conchobar’s only living son and heir. Keeping him here under the pretense of ‘studying’ under Llassar cannot continue indefinitely. It has been a year already, and Conchobar is starting to become impatient. His hope in sending Cormac to us was for him to get real-world experience and learn what he needed when he’d be king, especially in the new world we’re building. He isn’t getting that by watching senators argue.”

“Which does not mean he won’t fail,” Ky pointed out.

“Everything is a risk. Yes, he might fail, but he could also rise to the occasion when given real responsibility. The only way to know is to test him. Llassar will be there to advise, and Cormac knows the consequences of failure.”

“I still think this is too much responsibility too soon for Cormac,” Ky said. “Why can’t we start him off with something less critical? Hispania is as close to us as Gaul, and is going to be important in how the continent shapes up in the future, once the war is done.”

“I wish we could, but the truth is, there are no ‘less critical’ assignments right now. The empire is stretched thin fighting this war. We can’t afford to waste resources and manpower on giving Cormac a pretend command just to test him. Besides, there is an upside to sending him over someone else. Like him or not, the way the empire was set up, he’s in the line of succession, should something happen to us before we have a child, and assuming Talogren continues avoiding legitimizing any of his. There is diplomatic benefit to using a member of the ruling house, even one by extension, over a bureaucrat or unconnected diplomat. It will give his words more weight than those of anyone else we could send.”

“It really depends on what those words are,” Ky muttered.

“I heard that, and you’re not wrong, which is why Llassar went with him. He’s shown a talent with the boy, and he has Conchobar’s trust. It’s the only real option I could see available to us. Unless you have another? One of your legates, perhaps.”

“No. Even if I leave a legion behind, which is still being discussed, to guard our rear and function as a source of reinforcements, sending a soldier would almost certainly convince them we’re no better than the Carthaginians.”

“I agree, which is why I ended on Cormac. Because we have precious few other options.”

There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the comms before Ky said, “I concede the point. I still think it will cause us problems, but you’re right, I don’t have any better suggestions.”

“Good. Hopefully, next time you won’t doubt me so much,” she said in a playful tone.

“I’ll try not to,” Ky said.

She was pretty sure she could hear him smiling when he said it.

***

Lucilla took a deep breath of the crisp winter air as she stepped outside the palace gates, glad for the temporary reprieve from the seemingly endless audiences and meetings that had consumed her since she’d been elevated. Though crucial affairs of state waited for no one, not even an empress, they had begun to wear on her. Which is why she’d been so thrilled to receive Hortensius’s note to meet him near the outskirts of town, to go over the newest addition he’d be adding to the capital. She was certain what he had to show her was critical, but she was just as happy for the change of pace.

As Lucilla’s guards cleared a path through the bustling streets, she watched the daily life of the city around her. Merchants hawked wares, workers hauled loads, children played tag through the market stalls. The rhythm of the city felt comforting, even rejuvenating. She worked hard to see her people through the war and its hardships. To see them thriving was proof that she’d done something right, and a reminder of what all the long days were for.

She forced her guards to hold a steady, leisurely pace, to let her enjoy seeing her city. Sadly, she couldn’t stretch the time indefinitely. Before long, she arrived at the snow-dusted field on the city’s outskirts where Hortensius eagerly awaited her. Seeing him also made her smile. Even from a distance, and with his simply standing there waiting, she could still feel the nearly endless energy rolling off him.

He bounded over to Lucilla, his arms waving excitedly, as soon as she got close enough to make it not unreasonable, “Your Majesty! Thank you for coming out to see me.”

“Of course. I’m always happy to make time for you. So, what is this mysterious invention you failed to mention in your note?”

“Did I?” he said, scratching his chin and looking off momentarily. “I hadn’t meant to, and it’s not so mysterious. I believe we have the engine designs for the... train the Consul told us about ready. Since we’re starting to build it soon, I wanted to talk to you about the first line we’ll be building, from here to Factorium. Please, this way.”

With a wave of his arm, he was off again, leaving Lucilla to follow in his wake. She bustled through the snow to where wooden stakes marked out a large rectangular area.

“Here is where the main terminal and rail yard for Devnum will be built! It will have loading docks for freight and platforms for passenger trains. For now, the platform will be simple, just to allow people to board and get off the train easily, but we can expand it as time goes on, which is why there is so much area allotted for it.”

“The large space on the other side is for loading and unloading freight. We’ve also begun laying out the building of warehouses and storage areas further back, some of which will be reserved for imperial use, but some that can be leased to business interests. Especially those that do a large business with Factorium.”

“Is that why we’re so far outside the outskirts?”

She’d wondered as they walked up why they’d passed the small buildings that sat at the edge of town by hundreds of paces, leaving a large open set of fields, almost reaching some ground currently used for farming.

“Partially. We wanted adequate space for the facilities needed to support the, I believe the Consul called it a rail yard, but we also needed room for tracks running off the main one, to allow the engine to turn around and make the reverse journey without having to lift it off the tracks, as well as additional tracks that would allow us to take a train out of service but leave the rail yard empty. For now, we will only be running one train, but since the plan is to extend the line beyond just Factorium, we will eventually be running multiple trains. We have to get this right because it is almost certain the city will expand to encompass this area once it becomes a central hub for commerce and freight in the city. I expect some of the existing buildings on the outskirts that popped up to service the wagon trips back and forth will be subsumed and replaced, but that almost certainly won’t be enough space for the businesses that move in to take its place. Which is why we’re overbuilding as much as we have.”

“I see,” Lucilla said, impressed as always at the inventor’s ability to project forward and account for the future.

“We’ve also included buildings around where we’re laying out these service lines, as we’re calling them, for various repair and service shops. It’s unclear what forms those all will take, but it’s certain we’ll need them. We’ve also staked out a continuation of the thoroughfare through to the platform and around to the various warehouse streets. That’s the other reason we chose this, since it’s the largest road east out of the city, it will be able to accommodate the traffic this will surely generate.”

“And the rail line itself?”

“It will follow the path of the river, although angling away from it to make a more direct line, so it won’t be exactly along the road to the city. It will require buying land from farmers in between, which is something I’ve been working with Taenaris on. He believes that it’s best if the empire doesn’t take land from the people in between, but we’ve had some holdouts not willing to sell, even at steeply inflated prices. He continues to negotiate with them, but it is... proving inconvenient.”

“Do we have an alternative if they don’t sell?”

“A more roundabout path, yes. It will increase travel time while being slower, section by section, because of the increased number of bends. If it comes to that, we’ll make it work, but I’m hoping it doesn’t.”

“Why haven’t you asked for my help?”

“Frankly, because we don’t want to use... what’s the Consul’s phrase for that, ‘the big guns,’ on this. A strange phrase that only made sense once we started working on the first cannon. It makes me think...”

“Hortensius?” Lucilla prompted.

While she could see the inventor gearing up for a full-on tangent and had wanted to stop it before it started, she also preferred if he limited his thinking in that direction. While it would have been obvious to him, now, that Ky wasn’t just coming up with these ideas, the less he considered where Ky was from, the better it was for all of them.

“Right, well, Taenaris thought having the empress come out to pressure farmers to sell their land might seem a bit too strong, and wants to continue trying less aggressive measures first. While you know I look forward to any chance to work with you, I tended to agree with him.”

“Taenaris is smart when it comes to this, so you probably made the right decision.”

“Thank you,” he said, giving one of his fractional bows. “Even once we have the tracks down, it will be some time before we can fully start running them. We have the Consul’s estimations, but considering how the wagons and carriages have fared on the land between here and Factorium, I want to be sure we don’t cause too much damage if we miscalculate. It will slow our initial use of the engines, but safer in the long run.”

“I leave this to your judgment, as always,” Lucilla said.

“Thank you. I’m just excited to get started. Once we prove the capabilities of this, we can expand well beyond Factorium, to Londinium and other major points, and then setting up similar networks in Ulaid and the continent.”

“So when do you anticipate beginning construction on the station and laying the tracks to Factorium?”

“Soon, I hope. The only thing standing in our way is finalizing the acquisition of a few parcels of land the rail line will cross.”

“I will speak with Taenaris and see what can be done, behind the scenes, to speed that process up.”

“Excellent. We already have the crews prepared and equipment stockpiled. We can begin work on the station here, since the empire owns the bulk of this land. From there, it will probably be a few months, at a minimum. The distance isn’t overly significant, not compared to running a line all the way to Londinium, but I imagine even with the Consul’s directions, we will encounter a few surprises along the way, since this is the first line we will have laid. Assuming we have your approval to start work.”

“Consider my approval given. I look forward to seeing this finished, if it’s everything Ky said it would be. I also look forward to never having to ride a carriage to come see you again.”

“Then we will move with all haste, Your Excellency,” he said, giving her an uncharacteristic full bow.

She just shook her head and laughed.