Claudius was already out the door before I could fasten the first button on my tunic, both young women in hand. Looking back, I caught a flash of their golden locks before the trio disappeared into the sparkling hall.
I’m guessing he expects me to follow him. Who the hell are these people?
Still looping through my onyx buttons, I chased after the young man. He was near to the grand windowed room before I caught him. He looked back, eyes dropping below his raised chin, and said, “Are you not dressed yet? You can’t show up to the dinner in this state. Take a second and collect yourself.”
His comment struck a chord, but I held my tongue and fastened the last of the buttons, ensuring he noted their deep black hues. I detected a slight wince in his expression. But like a true aristocrat, Claudius never lost composure, jutting his jaw toward the sky in a vain attempt to peer down at me. The young man turned and led the two women in his arms through the glass-encased room and through the same door Augustus had left through. We entered another gilded hallway, nearly identical to the last. Claudius stopped before a set of double doors—silver and gold roses raised out of the deep red cherry wood, meeting at the seam.
“The dinner will be starting shortly. I’ll leave these two with you. I need to have a word with my father and will return.”
“Claudius,” I called after him. “Please, I’m just trying to figure out what’s happening.”
Claudius, chin raised, glanced around to ensure no one was in earshot before replying, “In time, I’m sure. Or maybe next time. I suppose that is not up to us.” He paused, his eyes narrowing momentarily before softening. “For the time being, you’re an honored guest. Act accordingly, Master Jack.” Claudius finished and took his leave.
Maybe next time? What is that supposed to mean?
The double doors opened, revealing a lavish ballroom with a table in the middle. Delicately crafted wood designs accentuated every available surface. A chandelier glistened overhead, projecting colored light fragments across the walls. Already seated were several figures, all equally dressed in the same crimson and gold as Clausius. Behind each guest sat their own two young gorgeous women. The room bustled with conversation, but my presence killed the high drone. Faces from one end of the table to the other turned, studying me like a foreign life form. I understood why, but I was uncomfortable nonetheless.
“Master Jack. I believe you were assigned the seat next to me,” a cheery rotund man bellowed. His voice carried weight, reverberating off the crystals hanging above us. I smiled and hastily walked around the table to the empty chair. Once I arrived, the two young women pulled my chair out and gestured toward the seat. They pushed it in and took their places behind the table. I looked back in bewilderment. Their eyes wore an icy glaze, staring off into a distant realm only they could perceive.
“Master Jack, it is such an honor to make your acquaintance. I was beside myself when I found your name place next to mine,” the man expelled from the depths of his protruding diaphragm.
“The pleasure is mine—.”
“Oh, of course. My manners are out of practice. You see, we don’t get many visitors in the Capital District. I am Hadrian, minister of the Sciences and Technology.”
“It’s a pleasure.”
Could he–
Hadrian clasped my shoulder and leaned in, his meaty fingers gripping tightly. “You must have so many questions. As do I. When your craft was discovered, the Directorate Navy notified me immediately. It was a fascinating view into the past. I was overjoyed at the prospect of inspecting the station for myself. But alas, the vessel has yet to be released for my research.”
“Your Navy is holding my station?”
“Yes, unfortunately. And if they had it their way, they would retain possession indefinitely. I have already begun my petitioning of the General Secretary. I do expect results shortly, rest assured.”
“My colleagues. Do you know what became of them?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes. The deceased aboard. Ghastly matter. I heard they were given a burial at sea. With full Directorate Naval honors, of course.”
“They were jettisoned into space?”
“With full Directorate Naval honors.”
“I see.”
“I still can hardly believe my eyes. You, Master Jack, sitting here next to me. Centuries my senior, and yet here you sit.”
“It’s hard for me to fathom as well. Was this the intention when you sent the signal?”
“Signal—,” Hadrian pondered momentarily, brushing his bristling mustache. “Oh yes. The journal. The program’s corpus. That’s what you are referring to, is it not?”
“There was mention of the signal in the journal, yes. It was the reason for the mission.”
“Yes. Yes, of course. You set off to find the origin of the signal. Like a true pioneer of old.”
“The signal you sent,” I directed, looking for confirmation.
“No. Not us, I’m afraid.”
He’s lying. He must be. But why?
Before I could protest, the double doors opened, and Claudius walked in. He stood to the side and belted, “Rise for his eminence, the General Secretary.”
At once, all the guests ceased what they were doing and stood. Augustus closely followed, gracefully treading across the room to the head of the table some ten seats from me. The guests bowed their heads until Augustus was seated. At this point, they resumed their places.
I nudged Hadrian and persisted, “You sent the signal. That’s why I’m here.”
Hadrian raised his hand slightly to push off my advance, but I was determined.
“The fusion calculations and designs. That came from here.”
“There was mention of a novel reactor aboard your station. I couldn’t believe it until it was confirmed. From what my contacts at the Directorate Navy tell me, your civilization cracked the fusion code.”
“The designs were sent to us in the signal— from here.”
“I’m afraid not. How wondrous it would’ve been to have fusion technology these past centuries. Much bloodshed and famine could’ve been prevented. Imagine limitless energy to desalinate the oceans. To light our cities. How wondrous it would’ve been.”
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I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The thought had crossed my mind that this man was a fool, a bureaucrat heading a ministry he knew nothing about.
“Where did the signal originate from, if not here and now?”
“That is a thought-provoking question indeed.”
Hadrian’s attention was drawn to the head of the table and away from our conversation. Does he think I’m lying? I found it strange that he wouldn’t be more inquisitive about a man who traveled four hundred years in the future with technology that his own ministry had yet to develop. I followed the minister’s eyes and watched as Claudius directed another from their seat to be closer to his father at the head of the table. Augustus called back the shamed man and booted his son. Defeated, Claudius, with two different young women in tow, shuffled down to an open seat near the middle of the table.
“Always trying to climb, that one,” Hadrian noted.
“Can’t blame him for wanting to sit closer to his father, I suppose.”
“In that sense, one can. He’s not unique. Augustus is the father to us all.”
“Metaphorically?”
“No, quite literally. His blood runs through all of us.”
“Everyone here— they’re all his children?”
“Yes, exactly. His seed is used to generate dozens of offspring. The cream of the crop, as they used to say, rose to the stations you see here.”
“There’s only a dozen or so here.”
“Fourteen, to be exact, yes.”
“What happened to the rest?”
“Oh— they were sent to the lower city. Only those who excelled were given ministry posts. It’s harsh but fair to the peoples of the world.”
“Fair?”
“Yes, of course. Only the best receive posts.”
“What post did Claudius receive?”
“Claudius has still yet to prove himself. If he can, he will supplant an existing minister.”
“And Augustus decides?”
“With great consideration from his ministers, yes. See there, he’s already poisoning the ear of my brothers and sisters. Conspiring against one of our poor siblings.”
In hushed tones, Claudius drew the attention of the ministers around him. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he’d captured the minds of those in earshot.
“How was Augustus chosen to be General Secretary?”
“He was elected.”
“The people democratically elected him?”
“You seem surprised. But it’s worth keeping in mind there is a high bar to qualify for voting rights.”
“How does one qualify?”
“Qualification comes from direct societal contributions. The more you contribute, the higher your voting qualifications. Those residing in the lower city vote for local magistrates and governors. The ones who call the towers around us home, they have the privilege of electing the General Secretary. Granted, these posts are mostly ceremonial. The GCS controls most–”
The double doors opened, and a line of black-clad servers poured in, each carrying platters of assorted foods. They were followed by pitcher bearers, who filed around the table, handing their vases to the young women waiting behind us. The girls stepped forward and filled our cups. Claudius stood to give a toast but was cut off by the General Secretary at the head of the table, rising to give his own.
“I want to toast our honored guest, who traveled some ways to be with us tonight. I hope every one of you has the opportunity to speak with him and learn all he has to offer. I assume, Hadrian, my son, you’ve already set to the task.” The table erupted with laughter, with the minister beside me nodding in approval. “Nights such as these are too few and far between. So, be sure to enjoy yourselves. Now eat!”
The guests wasted no time slurping down their cups and digging into the veritable feast before us. Every time a cup ran dry, a woman lunged forward to refill it. Pitcher bearers continuously filtered in and out of the room, replacing empty vessels with fresh wine.
It had been some time since I’d had a meal that didn’t come from a vacuum-sealed packaging. The food looked exquisite. I salivated at the sight of so many meats and sides but could only stomach a small plate.
“Not hungry?” Hadrian noticed.
“I can’t eat like I used to.”
“More for us then! Figuratively speaking, of course. The food will never run out.”
I watched from behind my empty plate as the ministers devoured course after course between chugs of wine. The servers brought golden buckets and placed them in the young women’s hands. I was confused at first, but soon, the ministers began calling the women over. They would present the bucket, and the guest would vomit profusely into it. Once done, they would return to their feast, washing out the taste with a freshly poured cup. This went on for some time, each minister emptying the contents of their stomach several times before refilling it. A sour, acidic smell hung in the air, turning my stomach. Even if I had more room to eat, my appetite was stolen.
“Eat, Master Jack,” Hadrian slurred, propagating a gut-wrenching smell from his breath.
“I’m quite full, thanks.”
“This is a privilege. You dishonor it.”
“That’s certainly not my intention.”
Hadrian’s jovial face let out a spurt of laughter. “Master Jack, I only jest. You— you are the guest of honor. Free to do whatever you please.”
The black-garbed servers reentered the chamber, clearing the table of all its plates and platters. They quickly returned with many cakes, pies, and onyx black vases. Each guest received their own corked vase placed in front of them.
“And this is where I shall take my leave. Enjoy. Honor our guest,” Augustus declared from the table’s end. The ministers all stood and bowed until the General Secretary left the room. Once the door shut behind him, everyone uncorked their vase and gulped its contents. Hadrian nudged me and, with a low-lying grin under his waxy eyes, insisted I follow.
“Is it more wine?”
“It is. But of a different sort. A wine that harkens back to the civilizations of old. It’s a rare delicacy.”
I pulled the cork and swigged from the container. It tasted no different than the wine from earlier, be it with a slightly more metallic note. The cakes went quickly. The pies followed, but the guests didn’t eat those with the same veracity. With the meal winding down, I tried to press Hadrian once again.
“If you didn’t send the signal, do you know who did?”
“We were hoping—” Hadrian paused and released a belch from the bottom of his gut. “We were hoping you’d be the one to shed some light on that. You just appeared. Out of nowhere you appeared in the reaches of our solar system. Some of the ministers here called it a miracle. Some declared you a Trojan Horse. So what are you?”
“Neither.”
“Ah, the worst, yet most intriguing, answer you could give.”
“Trojan horse?”
“Yes, from the story of Achilles,” Hadrian said, his eyes gleaming like reflective glass.
“Yeah… I know the story. But a Trojan horse from who?”
“Another time, maybe, Master Jack,” Hadrian replied, tilting the crown of his head toward the wine.
I took another sip from the onyx vase. When I went to set it down, the container melted through the table, taking my arm along with it. Startled, I withdrew my hand, saving it from the open void. The vase crashed against the floor as I flung my chair back, nearly taking out the knees of a young attendant. Hadrian looked up and met my eyes before pushing out a devious cackle. The rest of the guests followed, howling with laughter at my expense.
“Did you see a ghost, Jack?” Clausius jeered.
“No. I don’t know— I don’t know what I saw.”
“Did you know, Master Jack, our ancient forefathers drank wine laced with substances containing hallucinogenic properties?” A man across from me asked.
“No.”
“It is theorized, and some would go as far as to say supported, that all religions and the very foundations of civilization itself came from men who drank such wine.”
“Jack, we are the fires of civilization. And these substances, our kindling. One spark, and we can transform the world,” Claudius proclaimed.
Some guests cheered, while others rolled their eyes. The room around me began to materialize as fractal patterns, shifting instantaneously over one another. I was disoriented but exhilarated. An amalgamation of excitement and fear rose through my stomach and into my chest. The double doors opened again, startling me with the shattering of my visions. In walked the servers, carrying velvet-lined vials that they distributed to the women.
“What’s in those?” I asked Hadrian.
“That’s for them, not us, Master Jack,” Hadrian responded, smiling from ear to ear.
The young women downed the vials and stood from their seats. One by one, they started to undress, revealing delicate bodies beneath hauntingly dead eyes. The guests rose, discarding their attire. The ministers tore at their attendants in a frenzy of flesh and wine. I felt a set of hands trace the seam of my tunic, working through each button as they went. I felt nauseous. A ball of dread and excitement expanded at the base of my chest. I couldn’t tell if I was going to puke or have a heart attack. I have to get out of here. The walls began to breathe, and my mind cratered. I lunged across the table, knocking plates and platters off as I slid to the other side. I bolted for the door. Behind me, I heard Claudius quip a comment, but I could not understand what he said. As I sprinted down the hall back to the windowed room, my heart was set on fire. All bearings lost, I curled up in a shadowed corner, nestling between the matte grey wall and an expansive window.
“Are you all right, sir?” a meek voice pierced the veil of my hell. I looked up to find the young woman who had brought me my tunic earlier.
“I think— I think they laced the wine.”
The young woman nodded. “Let me help you back to your room.”