Ernest Dempsey
The Grecian Manifesto
For my amazing family and friends;
thank you for your constant support.
Prologue
A gust of wind whipped through Gaius Julius Caesar’s already tousled hair as he stood on the deck of the ship. The long wooden boat seemed almost empty, aside from the rows of oars and the single linen sail that flapped in the coastal breeze. The only people who remained were the emperor and his trusted general, Servius Galba.
“Is everyone off the ship?” Caesar asked, uncertain if they were alone or not. He turned his head around to confirm it.
The day was hot, and he’d removed his helmet, holding it at his side under his armpit. Even though it was late in the afternoon, the bright sunlight seemed to superheat his armor. He wore the legion uniform he’d donned so many times before, through battles, hardships, and scenarios mere mortals could never imagine. Some of the metal plates bore the scars from those occasions, a tribute to Gaius Julius Caesar’s abilities as a skilled warrior, and leader.
“Yes, General. All the men have gone ashore for supplies and to rest for the night,” Servius answered. “They will return in the morning to bring the ship the rest of the way home.”
Caesar had been a consul for nearly a decade, but his friend Servius still called him by his former military title. He didn’t mind. Caesar had adapted to the political arena out of necessity, but his natural domain was in the military field. “Excellent,” he said with a careful grin. “Show me the relic.”
“Right this way, General.” Servius extended his arm, pointing the way to the back of the boat.
The galley was shorter than the trireme ships the Roman navy had originally used when the republic rose to power. Their more modern boats were also lighter, more maneuverable, which helped them establish a strategic advantage over many seafaring nations. Caesar had served in the Roman navy for a short time, and he knew how important controlling the seas was to the country. Rome’s naval power had struggled for decades to establish a strong presence. The Carthaginians had mocked them at first, and beaten them on several occasions. Rome, however, eventually did what it did so well. It adapted.
Now, the navy was as strong as any on the planet. Walking across the wooden planks of the ship’s deck, Caesar was reminded of his days at sea. He’d been captured by pirates once and held for ransom. The story had become the stuff of lore with his soldiers and fellow legionaries. When the pirates asked for a certain sum, he balked at the low amount they requested and demanded that the pirates ask for more. When the ransom was paid, Caesar warned them that he would be back and they would all pay dearly for their actions.
The pirates scoffed at his threat, but he followed through, capturing every single one and punishing them by slitting their throats before publicly crucifying them.
Caesar hated thieves. And pirates were the worst of the sort. Rome needed supplies from Africa and the Middle East, Greece, and Spain. Pirates threatened that supply line, therefore piracy would not be tolerated.
Servius pulled back a red curtain near the back of the boat where a small alcove provided shade from the late afternoon sun. That was the first time he laid eyes on it. The mechanism was unlike anything Caesar had ever seen before. It was a complex combination of bronze gears, wheels, and levers, contained within a bronze box. It stood about two feet high and half that wide, with a depth of maybe eight inches.
Caesar stepped through the curtain, and his friend let the drape fall, concealing them both within the small cabin. Servius stood just inside the fabric, watching Caesar’s reactions.
“Where did you find it?” Caesar asked, moving around behind the pedestal on which the relic stood.
“Exactly where you predicted it would be, General. It had been concealed in one of the ancient temples near the coast of Crete.” Servius seemed pleased to relay the information.
With questioning eyes, Caesar looked up from his inspection of the mechanism. “I trust it wasn’t too much trouble to acquire?”
“We searched for several days before finding the location. Once we found the temple, it was a matter of locating where it had been hidden. As I said, it was right where you predicted. Once we extracted the object, no one even noticed us taking it. I believe the locals had forgotten that it even existed, much less where it was hidden.”
“Excellent.” Caesar raised an eyebrow and smiled. He bent his knees to get a better look.
Inscriptions adorned several gears, and more had been carved into the soft metal around the outside edge of the box. Caesar ran his finger along the grooves, his lips moving slowly as he read the ancient words.
Servius seemed slightly perplexed. “We couldn’t understand what the words mean, General. It’s old Greek, but everything is jumbled. None of us could make sense of it.”
That was exactly what Caesar had hoped Servius would say. He’d taken a risk sending others to retrieve so powerful a device, but he put all his hopes in the fact that his men would simply obey and not ask too many questions. His assumptions had been correct, including the one that no one would be able to decipher the code written upon the bronze gears and its container.
“I beg your pardon, General, but what is that thing?” Servius asked. The hardened commander’s voice sounded like that of a confused little boy when he spoke.
Caesar straightened up and clasped his hands behind his back. “This, Servius, is an ancient relic known as the Eye of Zeus. There are only three known to have been created in history.”
“Eye of Zeus?”
The great leader nodded. “Yes. One of its uses is as a navigational tool for sailors. It works by plotting your position and path with that of the stars.”
Servius seemed more confused than before. “So, you sent us on a secret mission to bring back a navigational device?”
Caesar nodded. “It can only be used at night, but with this object, our navies will be nearly unstoppable. We will be able to outmaneuver any fleet in the world under the cover of darkness, and strike at will.”
“If you say so, sir.”
Servius still wasn’t convinced, which was exactly what Caesar wanted. The real power of the mechanism was something he would have to keep secret from everyone, even his most trusted advisor.
He had served with Servius Galba through the Gallic Wars, and the man had been a good friend. However, Caesar knew Rome, and he knew its politics. Romans in the position of power had a constant tendency to seek more; a trait his friend Servius could easily acquire.
Caesar had stumbled upon the existence of the ancient device from some scrolls he’d discovered after sacking a Greek village, a few hours’ ride outside of Athens. It was by mere chance that he’d found the little library, hidden beneath a crumbling temple. He’d never been a very religious person, finding that he had more influence on the things in his life than a bunch of stone statues did.
He remembered standing in the decrepit place of worship, looking around with cynical eyes. He had laughed at the forms of the Greek deities that occupied the space. They were no different from Roman gods; only the names gave them any degree of uniqueness.
As he’d stepped toward the front of the building, Caesar’s eyes moved to the base of a statue at the front. It was the famed patron deity of Greek culture. Zeus’s long beard, flowing robe, and stern face still struck a chord of reverence, even for a nonbeliever. If there was a deity who had created the world, Caesar thought that god must certainly look something like the image of Zeus. At the base of the statue, he had noticed a chunk of stone had been broken away. Out of curiosity, he’d taken a closer look, only to find that the plinth was hollow and it appeared to contain something within. After a few minutes of hammering away at the sacred pedestal, Caesar had stumbled upon a small cavity filled with three tiny scrolls, stored in separate clay jars.