Reformation (5 page)

As Hastelloy rode
his mount down the flawlessly paved streets of Florence he calmly took in the scene around him.  Considering the recently sacked city of Rome lay only two hundred miles south, he expected the city to be in a frenzied panic.  Instead of seeing bolstered defenses and the conscription of every able-bodied male into the army, it was business as usual.

The gladiator arena was standing room only
, and deep cries of delight rang out across the city periodically as one combatant bested the other for the crowd’s enjoyment.

When Hastel
loy led his horse past the half-moon shaped amphitheater he observed the schedule of performances was uninterrupted by the calamity to the south.  The masses seemed completely oblivious; as if their lives wouldn’t be affected in the least by the city of Rome’s downfall.

From a narrow point of view the people were right of course.  From an individual perspective it made little difference.  Whether they paid taxes to a far off Roman Emperor or a local Mayor did
not matter to them. On a grand scale however, the fall of Rome made all the difference in the world.

The loss of a central, unifying government meant it was every tiny territory and city state for itself.  Specialization of labor would be lost, replaced by a society focused on survival rather than advancing the arts and science that drove cultural and technological
advancement.

Once again the crowd roared with excitement from the gladiator arena.  Hastelloy envied them the luxury of living in the moment rather than always peering toward the future.  None of them were constantly tested by an adve
rsary who never slept or ate.  Goron’s entire existence was dedicated to thwarting Hastelloy’s plans.

Hastelloy had proven time and again that he was the better man.  He had the unparalleled advantage of existing for over ten thousand years and could draw upon that experience.  As the centuries and millennia passed though, that advantage was fading.  Goron was no simpleton.  With every failed scheme he learned
; growing in ability and cunning.

Goron’s growing lethality aside, the law of statistics all but demanded the Alpha captain succeed at some point over the thousands of years.  The
situation was not unlike the prospect of Hastelloy losing a chess match to the village chieftain. The man was an inferior player, but if they played enough times, eventually Hastelloy’s attention to detail would waiver or the opponent would get lucky.  Either way, the result was defeat. 

Even
tually Hastelloy came to a freestanding building two stories tall just across the river from the city’s center.  The first floor displayed signage advertising a currency exchange while the second story served as living quarters for the proprietor.

Hastelloy tied his
mount next to three other horses on a hitching post and stepped to the door.  Since it was after business hours he rapped his knuckles on the door three times.  Moments later heavy footsteps drew closer on the other side of the door until it swung open to reveal a silhouetted figure against the golden glow of a table lamp.

He gave his eyes a moment to adjust and then looked at the figure once more to see the clean shaven face of Gallono staring back at him.  It had been decades since the two last crossed paths back home in the Egyptian village.  The moment did not require words or tears.  The bond forged between the two soldiers over thousands of years transcended all.  The two men simply embraced and let the moment speak for
itself.

Eventually
, Hastelloy clapped Gallono on the back twice to bring the moment to an end.  As Gallono ushered his captain into the room, Valnor, Tonwen and Tomal rose to their feet and acknowledged the entry of their commanding officer. 

Hastelloy waved off t
he military protocol, “Sit, sit.  You look ridiculous; now sit.”

With that, everyone took a seat around a long rectangular table with benches along each side.  Hastelloy looked past the table and saw the only other amenity in the chamber was a desk at the rear next to a steep set of stairs leading to the second floor.  Completing the
sparse decor was a stone fireplace with a roaring flame providing warmth to the chamber.

Hastelloy let his eyes wa
nder to each individual seated around the table.  It had been over two hundred years since all five of the Lazarus crew members were even on the same continent, let alone seated around the same table for a meeting.  “It’s great to have the whole family together again.”

The comment drew all smiles while
Gallono pulled out a letter and set it in the middle of the table.  He pointed to the last line with raised eyebrows.  “I got your reply to my letter; we all did.  I don’t know about everyone else, but mine said to drop everything and get to Florence
immediately
.  Yet here we all sit waiting for the author of these letters to arrive.”

Hastelloy chuckled softly while he crumpled the letter and tossed it into the fire. “You had the benefit of
traveling by land.  Try finding a ship’s captain willing to sail anywhere near the city of Rome while it’s under attack and see how quickly you make the trip all the way from Egypt.”

“Likely story,” Gallono quipped
, but then allowed his demeanor to harden and address the situation with the intensity it deserved.  “You went to a lot of expense and effort to arrange this reunion, Captain.  I take it you suspect the Alpha have a hand in the fall of Rome.”

An affirmative n
od prompted a frustrated huff from Tomal.  “We rid that rabid dog of his hands a long time ago.  How does he still manage to cause trouble?”

“He f
inds new hands belonging to those he manipulates,” Valnor countered.  “You ought to know,” he concluded under his breath but still audible around the table.

The arrogant and rebellious Tomal of old would have continued speaking as though the cutting words had no effect.  This new man took the shame of falling victim to Goron’s control five hundred years earlier to heart.  He was functional again, but the mere mention of his epic failure back then made the man revert to a child content with not
speaking until spoken to.

Sensing the insult induced silence linger
ing for too long, Hastelloy spoke again, “Our searching for the Alpha relic has consistently pointed toward him hiding in the northern barbarian territories.  Plus, a group of people don’t just up and leave their homeland to invade a well established empire on a whim.  They need a reason, a divine reason most likely, and we all know how fond Goron is of presenting himself as a deity to further his designs.”

“I really don’t see what the big deal
is here,” Valnor chimed in.  “The Visigoths sacked the city of Rome, so what?  They’ll have their fun with the inhabitants no doubt, but in the end they can’t hold the conquest.  Eventually Roman legions will boot them out and order will be restored with relatively little lasting harm done.”

Hastelloy shook his head with disappointment at
his helmsman’s thoroughly incorrect assessment of the situation.  Valnor had come a long way in his abilities.  He was even a key architect in shaping Rome into the long standing cultural and political icon that it was.  Therein lay the problem, however.  He had an unshakeable faith in the resiliency of his creation, and it shrouded his otherwise sound judgment.

“The preeminence of Rome has been shattered,” Hastelloy instructed.  “The few Romans ruled the many peoples of the world because everyone believed Rome could not be beaten.  Now they know differently
, and every ambitious governor and foreign power will line up to have a try at casting off the yoke of their oppressor.”

Valnor looked insulted enough to draw a blade and challenge Hastelloy to a duel. 
“Oppressor?  Rome is a noble institution that brought law and order throughout the Mediterranean to keep the peace.”

“It i
s a hard peace,” Tonwen interjected, “Enforced at the point of a sword against the will of the many.”

“A hard peace is preferable to anarchy,” Valnor
countered.  “We should reinsert ourselves into Roman affairs to root out the incompetence and corruption to set this ship sailing on a proper course again.”

“The sudden empowerment of Rome’s enemies aside.  The Visigoths scorched half the empire on their way through Greece and northern Italy to reach Rome.
  There is no longer an empire to piece back together.”

Valnor threw his arms out wide in exacerbation.  “
I guess we just sit here then and let Goron’s barbaric anarchy wash over the civilized world we worked so hard to build for these people?  Let all the technological and social advancements regress back to square one?  I’m sure that will get us home sooner!”

Hastelloy felt all eyes on him.  Va
lnor had a valid point and the entire crew awaited a retort.  A sly grin crossed his lips before laying out his new plans.  “Of course not, but Rome is not the answer.  There is another unifying force among these people.  One unencumbered by borders or nationality.”

Hastelloy paused to look at his science officer.  “Tonwen, former apostle to Jesus, would you care to venture a guess as to which entity I am referring?”

“The Catholic Church,” Tonwen answered with glowing pride.  “It universally guides the moral compass of society.  It has the potential to carry unparalleled influence over both the working and ruling classes.  Most important of all, the Catholic Church, if managed properly, will have enough wealth to encourage the arts.  It can establish libraries to shelter and share the collective knowledge of mankind.”

Valnor eagerly jumped in with his objection.  “As you said earlier, Goron has a knack for hijacking religions to serve his purpose.  Are you sure we want to promote a theocratic society that is even more vulnerable to his way of doing things?”

Hastelloy nodded his head slightly to commend Valnor’s argument.  Now the young man was thinking straight again.  “It’s certainly a risk, but considering the heavy hand we had in the widespread adoption of that faith, I think we can manage that risk.”

Valnor’s doubtful glare caused Hastelloy to raise his voice and
steel his tone.  “I know you gravitate toward a secular solution, but for crying out loud, Gallono and Tonwen were there at the start.  Tonwen was declared a saint and posthumously named the first Pope of the Catholic Church.  We have this religion under control.”

“No,” Tonwen interrupted.  “We are only caretakers of his church on earth.  It flourishes only by God’s divine design and consent.”

Hastelloy could clearly see the centuries since the death of his friend Jesus had not dampened the flames of Tonwen’s faith.  The former atheist and diehard scientist did not just speak the words; he was now a believer through and through.

“Christianity enjoys some prominence in the regions along the Mediterranean Sea, but not
many other locations,” Hastelloy went on.  “Various pagan beliefs dominate everywhere else, and we need to change that.  I am putting each of you in charge of a particular region. Your key objective is to proselytize as many as possible.  Keep an eye out for Goron and his influences, but hunting him now is only a secondary objective.”

Hastelloy pointed toward Gallono.  “I need you to manage the northern regions, particularly the Germanic tribes.
Keep in mind, Commander, that’s also where all our evidence points to Goron holding the most influence.”

Gallono silently nodded in agreement allowing Hastelloy to move on to
the next crewman.  “Valnor and Tomal, I need the two of you to convert the British Isles.  Tonwen, you will own the regions of Northern Italy, Gaul and Spain.”

“And what about you?
” Valnor asked in the way a sibling might complain about chores being handed out unevenly by a parent.  “What will you be doing while the four of us toil to spread superstition about the land?”

Hastelloy watched Tonwen’s hands resting on top of the table turn into fists.  Before the deeply religious man could explode in an extremely rare display of anger, Hastelloy spoke first.  “The same as I have been for the last
few years.  I will be in Egypt coordinating communication.”

Looking around the table Hastelloy could plainly see everyone except Tonwen was very uncomfortable with their assignments.  They did not even know where to begin in order to accomplish their missions, and that made Hastelloy very happy.  After hundreds of years spent fruitlessly searching for Goron, having the men step out of their comfort zones to confront a new challenge would be a welcome change of pace.  Still, they looked
completely lost on where to begin.

“I will not micro
manage your efforts,” Hastelloy went on.  “You are all completely free to employ any tactics or methods you deem most effective to spread the Christian faith and enhance the influence that the Catholic Church carries over this continent.”

“What about Alaric and
his army?” Tomal asked.  “If he’s under Goron’s influence he’s likely traveling with the relic.”

Hastelloy looked at his engineer with a stern face.  He understood the man’s need to prove himself once more to the crew
.  He had a certain determination to fight Goron at every turn, but he went about it in reckless ways.  “No, that would be too obvious to fit Goron’s mode of operation.  He avoids our detection by doing the unexpected, not hiding in the most obvious location like with Alaric’s army.”