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.
Servius brought Caesar’s mind back to the present. “If you
won’t be needing anything else, General, I will take my leave.”
Caesar’s head twitched up. He waved a dismissive hand. “Of
course, old friend. Go join the men. You’ve done well.”
Servius snapped to attention for a moment before giving a
quick nod and disappearing through the curtains. When he was gone, Caesar’s
eyes returned to the little bronze box. He had already decided he would keep
the truth about the Eye of Zeus to himself. He hadn’t lied to his friend; the
device could be used to navigate the seas, and he would certainly use that to
his advantage in the naval battles to come. However, Caesar knew the real power
behind the relic, and he did not intend to let anyone else obtain that information.
He ran his fingers along the outside of the metal case and
shifted one of the levers. The gears inside moved a little, rearranging the
symbols and how they lined up with those on the exterior edge. Caesar took a
step back from the relic and admired it. “An absolutely brilliant creation,” he
whispered to himself. “To think I have the power of a god at my fingertips.”
The ship
would reach the main harbor in less than two days. Once the mechanism arrived
in Rome, there would be no one on Earth who could stop him.
