New Civilizations Rome ( IC, OPEN)

[Republic of the Cristo]

For you, the year is 2100. The world is a Utopia! War is now obsolete, interplanetary travel is a norm amongst the public, famine no longer exists, nuclear weapons are obsolete, and every major disease has been cured - including cancer- thus causing man to be immortal! Yes, the world is a paradise. However, there is one problem... it's unbearable boring! No wars to fight, no charities to shed tears for, no new goals to strive for; just the whole human race experiencing leisure time all the time... you got tired of it very quickly. Then you formulated the most brilliant idea! Time travel, was a relatively new invention and was seldom ever used. It is an incredibly well guarded invention and only the most prestigious of individuals are allowed to use it for historical reasons. You however, being a bored and mischievous person, decided to use it anyway. After sneaking past all the guards, cameras, lasers, and deathbots, you have made your way to the time machine. You have brought with you three pieces of technology. They were three things that you thought that you would need for where ( or rather, when) you are going. Before you can rethink your actions, you hop through the time vortex and materialize a few seconds later in the year 100 A.D.... bearing with you modern technology.... and a knowledge of every future event for the next 2,000 years... and your mischievous...

[Republic of the Cristo]

ROME, 100 AD

Mark had never tried drugs before ( as humanity had lost use of them long ago) but he imagined that using them was a lot like this. For a time, he did not exist, he became incredibly dizzy as colors and lights and sounds flashed all about him for a seemingly endless amount of time before finally, everything became deathly silent.

It was a few moments later until Mark realized that things were not silent, indeed, he could he quite a lot. He opened his eyes, only after realizing that he had been squeezing them together for quite some time. He looked about him - it was a beautiful summer day. He could here song birds calling to each other from all around. A breeze was moving the tall horizontal trees side to side. Their were few clouds in the sky, allowing one to clearly see up into the blue. Mark also realized just how hot the air was. It was a dry and burdening heat which caused him to tug at his jump suit.

Mark looked down at his cloths. He wore a singular dark grey jumpsuit that fit tightly against his skin. It was supposed to be tear proof, water proof, stain proof, and fire proof... and incredibly comfortable. On his back, he felt the strap of the gun. He pulled it off of his shoulder and inspected it. An 1893 Winchester repeating rifle: unloaded. He cocked the lever a few times to make sure it was not damaged. He felt on the right of his pocket to see if the case of bullets he had brought along with him was still there. They were. He wrapped the strap of the rifle back around his shoulder.

Mark took a moment to think about his situation. " I did it." He said aloud to himself. He did not say it with joy, rather, with the realization that he actually had traveled back in time, and that there was no going back. He looked down at the ground for a while, thinking about the things that had brought him to this point ( boredom mostly, and his disrespect for people telling him what to do). He had also thought of going back to an age before Utopia... when things were wild, chaotic, and most of all fun! He had not come to the conclusion that he would do so until his girlfriend ( ex ) decided to leave him; calling him a creep, and a loser. That had struck Mark hard. After a two days of drunken blurriness, Mark had found himself in his now destroyed house ( drunken outrage of his) and come to the realization, " I am a loser." He then decided that the best method for which he could fix this disposition was by following his dreams... and that dream involved him time traveling.

Mark knew quite a lot about Roman history ( owing this to the incredibly amazing education system of the world he had recently left behind), so he decided that this would be the ideal time for him to go back to. Although at first only wishing to be apart of their history, he had soon come to the conclusion of making this a journey of self realization; to turn himself from being a loser, into the ruler of the world. He would study Rome for the next 3 months of his life while simultaneously planning the way in which he would break into the Time machine facility. After gathering the materials he thought he would need ( a gun, some bullets, and a watch) he executed his plan with surprising precision. Now, all of that planning has led him here... standing in a grove 2000 years ago with a rifle and intent to impersonate God... it was a hard break up.

Mark began walking through the grove towards a white bricked road he saw nearby. He stepped out onto it. He looked both ways before realizing something " This suit is going to make me stick out like a sore grey thumb with a rifle on his back." As he was thinking this a wagon full of hay and being pulled by an ox came rolling towards him from the left. On it sat a large young man holding the reigns to the oxen. Mark stepped out in front of him and held up his hand " Adolescens prohibere momento vis? - Young man, you want to stop a moment?" The boy stopped the cart and looked at Mark questioningly. " What is it that you need sir?" mark walked up closer to the boy; he was slightly smaller than him, but close enough. " I am in desperate need of proper wear for a gentleman." He gestured down at his grey suit. " In my current state, I look like a barbarian." He could tell the boy was eyeing the gun on his back. " A hammer of sorts." Mark said, " Anyway, in exchange for a few Drachma," he pulled out two of the bullets from his pocket and showed the boy their backs, which were golden circles form behind, before putting back into his pocket, " would you be willing to help this citizen get into Rome?" The boy's eyes had been caught by the bullets, which he had been tricked into believing were drachma. Common sense told him that this man was strange and possibly dangerous, but greed told him that that was a lot of money. " For a citizen, of course. Hop in!" Mark went around the side of the cart and pulled himself up next to the boy. " Excellent. Onward, to Rome!"

[Reatra]

"Alright," Riley said with new doc open on his computer. "First things first, convince people here in Genua that I'm a good person to get behind... Done." The little town was small enough that everyone knew each other but large enough that it was a significant trade port, and Riley had done well in making friends and showing off his skills... Keeping his use of the nanites to a minimum, though, as to not freak everyone out. "Next... to go around Gaul proclaiming my abilities and then... to assassinate the Emperor." Riley said as if it would be an easy task. If he was to take advantage of chaos in Rome, he would need to create said chaos. As he typed the fleshed out list into his device he began to look at his nanites' box.

"Okay, time for this to work." He said, programming his very interactive and user-friendly nanites to create a sort of gun. It wasn't anything like those of his era, more like those from the 1800s, but it would get the job done. After the nanites finished turning wood and iron into a firearm he loaded in charcoal, saltpeter, and sulfur and had a neat little package of gunpowder. He wondered how his ancestors managed without the nanites. After creating several little aerodynamic bulletballs, he tested out the gun... And it was alright. He'd have to practice, though.

Now it was time to hitch a ride north. Getting the money was incredibly easy, as Riley just made nice looking objects with his nanites and sold them. He managed to have enough denarii to sail straight to Massalia, where he continued to sell things, get money, and buy a home, even meeting with the governor and going over potential jobs in the government. Then after that he organized a trip through all of Gaul's major settlements by paying the caravan-leader a metric ton of denarii. Along the highways he travelled, meeting people, learning customs, having dinners, and paying government officials for "no reason in particular", until he arrived at Parisium.

Parisium. Where Riley would begin his empire.

He petitioned the local governor to be appointed the civil administrator of Parisium. Riley sent the letter with a sizable amount of denarii, and the governor accepted, because Parisium was hardly an important area anyway. The governor also resettled some hundred or so families, horses, swine, and cattle from the rest of the province to start the city. Riley greeted them with respect and made a point to meet every man in the group. While he was doing this Riley had his nanites build hundreds of tools out of steel and wood and such. He had three-bladed ploughs, hoes, true pickaxes, and saws. Things that the Romans never used yet made the land incredibly productive. He used his computer to organize all the people and calculate the necessary resources and such.

And then he introduced his GMO seeds.

The farmers protested at first, because these seeds were unlike anything they'd seen. But Riley, now Praefectus Riley, assured them that he had access to more than enough funds to feed everyone in the new town even if the crop failed. And the farmers agreed to try the seeds. "If only they knew," Riley thought, "how much these seeds would create."

As for the generic laborers, well Riley took full advantage of his nanites. Steel shovels, picks, hoes, any sort of tool that men could need, were produced at a reasonable pace for his village. And Riley being able to buy raw materials from more developed places allowed him much leeway. Carts full of concrete, ores, logs, bricks, stone, anything really, were brought to Parisium. Riley also brought slaves to Parisium, but immediately freed them and offered them places to work in the town. Most accepted, but those that didn't were allowed to go elsewhere.

So, only a couple months after arriving, Riley was on his way to being a leader.

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

Samantha didn't know what time travel would feel like; she didn't know it'd have a feeling at all, so when she went back in time, she was caught off guard by the sensation. The last thing she remembered was rushing into a time machine while someone was calling out to stop her. She had slammed her hand down on the button and slowly the world started spinning, and the spinning would just get faster, and faster, and faster and Samantha thought she was going to puke. The next thing she knew, everything has went by like a blur. It showed random points in history as she went back in time. She could practically count down the years in her head as she saw the events unfold. 1918...1777...1677...1000...867...500...300...100...

As the year one hundred was reached, everything went black and Samantha was worried that something may have gone wrong. Where did she even land? She didn't know. Slowly, her vision started to come back and the first thing she noticed was that she sun was in her eyes and sand was making contact with her skin. Sand...beach sand...beach sand in the sun- ow that's hot! Get up get up get up!

Samantha cursed silently as she scrambled to her feet and then walked towards the nearest tree for the shade. Once under the tree, she did a quick inventory check for the things she had brought with her. A reach into her left front pocket confirmed that her MP3 player and headphones were in there. Good. If she couldn't get through these years without some tunes, she'd be bored very easily. The headphones were so she could listen to things in private, and also maybe use them for some type of lie. Feeling the handle coming out of her right pocket confirmed her gun was there. She pulled it out with her left hand and looked at it. No damages. Great. She then pushed back the cylinder of the revolver.

Six bullets, right where they belong. Brilliant. She then took five of the six bullets out of the gun and put the five bullets in her pocket. Perfect set up to play Russian Roulette, no? Fabulous. The gun wouldn't be useful for much besides maybe threatening people. It'd be a long time before bullets are made, so she'd have to use them wisely. Now it was time to look at where she was and where she had landed.

Samantha looked around and took in the scenery as quickly as possible. The sun was shining and right above her, giving off a wonderful warmth throughout the area. Maybe it was just a bit too warm for the girl, though. She was at a beach, and she couldn't see much vegetation on the beach besides this tree she was under. Further inland, though, she saw forests and small mountains in the distance. It was a nice sight, but nothing she'd call beautiful or thought provoking. It wasn't anything that'd give her a new appreciation for a non-industrial world, and it wasn't anything that'd turn her into a tree hugging hippy. She had better things to do now, anyways.

First of all, she needed to know where she was, and to do that, she'd need to leave the protective shade of her tree. With a sigh, she slowly put a foot out of the shade and onto the sand. As long as the sand didn't get in her shoes, she would be fine. Though, this was sand, and sand had a tendency to get in the places you would never want it to be. So, she set off to walk down the coast line, looking around as her surroundings as she did.

After a bit of walking, the redhead found herself at what appeared to be a small village. Ah, wonderful. She'd be able to know where she was. In fact, someone was walking outside right now! Samantha then started to walk towards the person, shouting out all of the variants of "excuse me" that she knew. When she said it in Greek, the boy had stopped and looked at her. Ah, so he speaker Greek? So she must be in Rome. Some of Rome spoke Greek at this time.

"Excuse me, but where am I?" Samantha asked as she approached the boy. Well, she couldn't say boy, really. This person looked to be a young adult. He had short black hair and had a tanned skin tone. He looked like he'd recently been working, and he also looked like he'd been working for years now. He looked rather strong and might be intimidating if it weren't for his size.

The boy looked at Samantha and frowned slightly before saying in Greek, "You're on the island of Rhodes," he said, looking the woman up and down. That clothing style, that red hair, and those looks in general were nothing like he had seen. This was an interesting woman. "And where exactly are you from? You are not like anyone I have seen."

Samantha chuckled and grinned at the boy. "I do hope that is a compliment," she said, her hand going to her left pocket. "If not, then that is no way to talk to a lady." Honestly, you think they would be a bit more polite to a lady. Oh well, some people just were not gentlemen.

The man nodded. "Oh, yes, my apologies." He said before giving her a respective nod. "I meant that in the best way possible, but please answer me, where are you from?" He asked.

"Apology accepted." She said before patting him on the cheek. "As for your question, I come from a place that the Romans would call Britannia, but In your native tongue it's called Vretanía." Her Greek was luckily rather accurate, or else conversation would prove to be difficult.

"You're from Vretanía?" The boy asked with a curious tilt of his head. "And you speak Latin as well? What else can you do?" The boy was curious about this mysterious woman.

Samantha laughed and shook her head. "I can do many things," she said, leaning down just a bit to get on eye level of the man. "And I plan on doing a lot more, but until then, what's your name?"

"Alexander," he responded, staring into Samantha's eyes with his own blue. "Alexander Demos." He seemed to puff out his chest upon saying that, as if he took pride in the name.

"Alexander Demos," Samantha repeated, a grin spreading across her face. "Alexander the Great, the Greek conquerer of Persia, and Demos. It might not sound like much, but it's one letter away from Deimos, Greek god of Terror."

Alexander frowned just a small bit and tilted his head. "Why are you telling me this?" He asked. "I know who Alexander was, but I did not know of Deimos, nor do I need to know."

"Oh, I just thought you needed to know." She said, patting him on the cheek once more before going back to her full height. "So, if I may ask, who's the one in charge?"

"Of the island? That's Aesop Colonomos. He has at least some control of the island. The emperor of Rome controls the entirety of the empire." Alexander answered, touching the spot where Samantha had touched him. This woman did not seem to fear physical contact, but she seemed rather nice, at least.

Samantha nods. "Ah, right. Where can I meet him, exactly?" She asked. She needed to know this ruler and get to know him personally to finish her plans. Once her beginning plans are finished, then the real fun begins.

"He lives on the northern end of the island." Alexander answered before pointing a finger in a direction Samantha could only assume would be north. "The very tip of the island. You'll meet a town larger than this, and he lives there."

Samantha nods. "Thank you. I will leave for there tomorrow." She said. She then reached into her left pocket and pull out her left earbud. She put it in her left ear and then put her hand back in her pocket. She turned on the MP3 and smiled as music started to play. "Is there any place I can stay for the night?" She asked.

Alexander stared at the earbud as Samantha put it in her ear. He followed the wire and noticed it went to her pocket. What in God's name was that thing? What was it used for? Was it some weird Vretanían cultural thing or was it one thing she needed to do to stay calm or alive? Deciding not to voice any of his curiosities for now, Alexander just gestured around the small village. "Someone here would be willing to house you, I would think." He stated.

Samantha nods before ruffling the boy's hair. "I'll go ask around. Thank you, Alex." She said before walking deeper into the village. It took a while, but after talking to a few of the villagers, followed by the questions of who she was and where she came from, she had found some place to stay. It was the house of some old man whose wife had passed away. Samantha didn't bother to remember his name. She only managed to stay in the man's home due to a bit of womanly charm.

Samantha didn't eat that night, finding that it might be a bit rude to eat the man's good as well as take up a room, and the fact that she wasn't hungry. The day passed on and she listened to music the whole time, happy that the MP3 player wouldn't be running out on her soon. Neither would the music. She has a huge amount of songs on that thing. She'd rather not stop and try to count.

When nightfall had spread to the island, the air had gotten a bit chillier and Samantha found the village not as comfortable. She made a mental note that when she got in charge to not go too far up north; she'd never be able to withstand the cold. It took a while, but eventually she fell asleep as she thought about her future plans.

The plan wasn't going to be simple, no. She never thought it would be simple or easy, but she knew she could pull it off, and that was all she needed to know. As long as there was some chance of success, she was content with the idea. So, Samantha had fallen asleep in the old man's house, waiting to wake up the next morning and start her journey. A new world awaits, yet it's an old one as well. An Old New World. Yeah, that sounds good. An Old New World...

[Porcupinous]

In the dark, damp and dust of a travern's cellar appeared suddenly and quietly a man.
Unseen by anyone hidden in isolation and dark of the cellar, populated only by wine casks.
The man rose to his feet, bowed and released the contents of his stomach onto the clay floor.
His entire body seemed to rebel against him, yet in his mind and heart he was satisfied with himself.

As punishing as time travel seemed to be to his senses. The discomfort companied his victory for the first plan had been a success. Months of planning had brought him here. If only his family could see him now.
What kind of man succeeds into breaking into one of the most secure miliarty bunkers of his time?
A successful one, all those who doubted him will surely eat their words as his name makes up the history books.
He activated a light located in the center of chest. That illumated the room revealing barrels upon barrels of wine. Roaches and rats ran for his sight. His first attempts to walk failed him, his own muscles clumsy and weak from his travels. He fell into his vomit with a clang of metal.

Laughter arrupted from the man who's features were hidden by his artificial exoskeleton. Such items were common in his native time. Though, his was the envy of many for it was the latest and greatest of military technology. Surely, one could not break into a secret laboratory and not pick one up. At least he couldn't pass up such a thing.

Not only would he rewrite history to his will, but he could do so as a god.
No mortal man had any authority against him. Swords and bows would break upon his suit.
No, government restrictions, no internet, commercial and spam.
Of course reality had its own restriction, he felt he was making a decent trade.
Does not a god of realiliy beat that of a virtual one?

Though, reality was foreign to him he had learned everything from vitrual reality. This fact seemed to be an advantaged for it has got him this far. It was how he knew to adjust the suit so it would walk for him without the aid of his muscles. He switched the suit to camouflage and turned off the light as not to spook the "local wildlife".
Before climbing a stairwell into the base floor of the tavern.

Laugher, dim lightning, the smell of wine and natives dressed in sheets filled the room.

[Imperial Idaho]

RUN! It was all James could think, since his own lack of stealth had got him in this situation. He had been attempting to sneak around the countless guards and security systems to reach the machine, somehow he had made it as far as he had. James started muttering curses as he sprinted past several guards, with more following him. He reached the machine, and quickly entered it. Sweat running across his forehead, he panicked and hit several switches, hoping he would be lucky and land in his destination. James slammed the final button just as the guards entered the room. James immediately became sick to his stomach, and around him he could see history being made before his own eyes. "Red October, Gettysburg, Continental Congress, Black Death" James silently said to himself. When James was about to pass out, it was over, James was in the year 100.

Londinium, Britannia, Roman Empire

James came to his senses and started jumping up and down in joy, shouting as well. Once he finished his dance of appreciation, he noticed a short farmer carrying a tool, staring at him like he was a mad man. James approached the man with a smile on his face and asked where he was. "Londinium," the farmer replied, with a curious look. James thanked him and picked up his rifle and backpack, still smiling and now thinking about his next steps. James continued to think as he walked towards the city center, where people noticed him because of his height, and not his clothes which he acquired from a merchant. He figured if he were to do jobs around the city than he could earn enough money to go to Gaul, and then on to Rome.

He walked into a store, and asked the shopkeeper if they knew of any work that needed to be done."Some farms are looking for some new hands, I hear some private ships need some more deckhands as well." the shopkeeper said "You're not from here are you?" "Ha ha, no definitely not. I come from a place across the sea." "Gaul? Italia?" "No no, even farther. Anyways thank you for your help."James walked out whilst the shopkeeper watched him with a curious look.

[Republic of the Cristo]

Rome, 100 A.D.

Mark noticed very quickly that as they traveled farther down the road that the density of people in the area increased rapidly. Where once only a few houses were about, now he began to see dozens of white stoned and brilliant Latin estates. Dozens of people and carts walked down the streets, whilst casting odd stares at mark; he even saw the occasional horse. Then, finally, he saw the eternal city - Rome. Thousands upon thousands of buildings bunched together, with thousands more people walking all around. He had seen models of the ancient city back in his old world, and was surprised with their accuracy.

He was also surprised by the stench! It reached to high heaven! It was by far the most ghastly thing he had ever smelled in his entire life. Mark began to tense up, he was terrified of filth. He gulped hard, but the boy to his side did not seem to notice. Eventually, they made their way into the city itself. Mark had instructed the boy to make a stop at the Plaza di Nike. Once there, the boy stopped the cart. It was less of a plaza, and more of a wide alley, where one could hardly see the light shine from the sun over the tall buildings. Mark breathed out deeply. " Ahh, thank you very much. With out you I would not have been able to get here." Mark looked up at the roofs of the houses surrounding the two. The boy looked Mark hard into the face, trying to relay to him that he wished for his payment. " Well, it was worth it." Mark began to take the Winchester off of his shoulder, " Indeed, which is why I am terribly sorry about this."

" Sorry about -" The boy was not able to finish his sentence before being hit in the side of the head with the butt of the Winchester. His torso hang over to the left of the cart, almost falling over before Mark caught him. He pulled the boy off of the cart and onto his shoulder where he then threw him on top of the hay in the back of the cart. " Now, to be fair," Mark said to the boy's unconscious body, " I did tell you it was a hammer of sorts."

5 minutes later...

Mark walked out of the Plaza di Nike wearing the boy's white Toga, and with the gun strapped around his back. The bullets and the watch he kept hidden in the folds of the toga. He pulled the watch; it was 12:30 p.m. Mark walked through the streets of Rome cautiously. Although he knew that he was immune to their diseases, he was still incredibly scarred of the possibility of failure. He was tense the entire way, and avoided direct contact with people at every opportunity. Despite him being so uncomfortable, he was still able to appreciate the magnificence of the Ancient city in it's prime. Fountains and statues that he had only seen as ruins in the old world, were now bright and new to him. Ancient temples that he had seen in postcards, he could now smell the incense coming out from them.

Mark continued to walk until he made it to the circle of Ajax. He had told the boy to go to the Plaza di Nike so that he would never figure out where Mark actually wanted to go. Among the houses in the circle of Ajax was one with a 1 horned bull displayed on the outside of it as a bronze insignia. This was the home of Hector of Mario, son of Heron of Alexandria. Now, the reason for which Mark had come to Hector's home was for several reasons: 1. despite not being nearly as well known as his father, he was still without a doubt just as much a genius as he was, 2. he was the only Roman inventor of this time which he was aware lived.

Mark knocked on the door of Hector's home. There was no answer, so he knocked again. Mark looked up at the one horned bull before looking back at the door. He decided that he would forgo common courtesy and simply open the door. He pushed the door open to reveal a surprisingly Spartan hallway with two door ways on either side and which lead to an opening at the end of the hall. He could see candle light at the end of the hall and he could hear some one talking and working on something metal. Mark walked slowly through the hall until he finally reached the opening into the next room. It was a small workshop with numerous work tables and diagrams strewn about all over the place. Tools were thrown about carelessly as if by an animal. The animal which had done this was facing away from Mark currently and at a massive bronze ball which was held up by two bronze columns on either side.

Mark could hear Hector speaking to himself as he bent down to what appeared to be a cauldron and a fire underneath the Bronze ball. " Pigs fat is the answer I swear it!" The rest of the mutterings Mark could barely hear. He had recognized the invention that Hector was working on was the Aeolipile that his father had invented, only much larger. Mark simply leaned a shoulder against the door way and watched the man do his business. Eventually, Hector caught on a roaring fire which Mark could even feel from back here. A minute later, the unmistakable sound of evaporated water could be heard traveling through the bronze pipes. It was a hollow and deep sound, much like a ship tearing in two. Hector pressed both hands together and put his face up almost directly to the ball. On the ball were two pipes protruding in a curve from either side of the ball. Mark stood up straight now and was also peering deeply at the Aeolipile, curious as to what would happen.

A plume of steam rushed out of both pipes to the aeolipile... and nothing else happened. " irrumabo damnant stercore gallus lactantem et ad inferos" Hector cried out, throwing his hands all about in the air before turning around and spotting Mark. " You know, it's not so much as how hot you get the fire, rather, how long you can keep it burning." Hector looked as if though he were absolutely mortified by this stranger seeing him fail. " Who-who are you? And why are you here?!" Mark unstrapped the gun form his shoulder and answered his question. " I am Mark, but you can call me Santa Claus, because I have come to give you a present." He threw the gun through the air and into the genius inventor's hands.

[Reatra]

"... And, sir, that is why it would be in the best interest of the province to appoint me as officer of the men at Parisium."

Riley sighed as he shook his hand out from the rapid writing. There were five hundred men at Parisium, and they would be a vital workforce for his growing town if he only had access to them. This wasn't a full legion, but if he could establish his own little garrison independent of the legionary structure that the rest of the country abided by... Then he would have full control over this land. Riley hoped his rapid development of the island coupled with his great amount of spare denarii would convince the governor. But for now he would wait.

On one of his trips to sell nanite-made tools and items for denarii, Riley met with the Praefectus of Lugdunum. He was surprised at the advancement of the city despite its distance from Rome. And hopefully the Praefectus would have some... Tips...

"Good morning, Praefectus Caelinus." Riley said with a smile, slightly bowing his head before the much more powerful man.
"Good morning, Praefectus Riley." Caelinus responded. "Why did you wish to meet with me?"
"Well, Praefectus Caelinus, as you know I have very recently been appointed as Praefectus of the new town of Parisium. Previously I was a wealthy man who made money selling my expertly crafted objects, my skill in crafting has helped me quickly develop the town. But I was wondering if you could direct me in a direction? I'm not terribly experienced in politics. Do you know where I could hire surveyors and engineers to help, for example, connect my new town to the highways or establish the settlement on the imperial scene?"
"Ah, I see, Praefectus Riley. Well, I would be happy to have a scribe hand you a list of suppliers and engineering schools. As for making the place noticed... Well... I've heard of how you've rapidly turned that marshy camp into a true urban area. I'd say continue to grow like that until the next census, because the Senate will surely notice thousands of citizens suddenly appearing. If you want, we can go over the specifics of usual management of cities today, I've little to do right now." Caelinus said.
"That would be wonderful, Praefectus Caelinus, thank you very much."

Riley travelled back to Parisium somewhat more enlightened on governing in the Roman Empire, and having made a friendly acquaintance in Gaul. "A productive trip", Riley thought. Good thing he'd managed to amass wealth so quickly, that way it was easy to convince people he was just a young patrician who'd inherited his father's wealth and looked to make something of himself. The latter part wasn't entirely untrue, just the origin story.

He returned to Parisium and noticed that, in his short absence, some things had gotten done. Seeing that the city was relatively autonomous at this point, that any excessive development would catch too many eyes and too much attention, Riley let the town grow naturally. Still, of course, encouraging the governor to send families there and buying supplies to make the island better to live on. So Riley instead focused many hours on his new project… A steam engine. A true and useful steam engine. Thanks to the information stored on his computer’s encyclopedia, his wondrous 22nd century education, and his fabrication nanites, Riley knew what he had to do.

Use nanites to create a sort of rotor, fixed to a steel piece.
Have a boiler, basically just water in a metal container.
A pipe from the boiler to the top of the rotor is next, with a nozzle to make the gas faster.
A nice long charcoal fire to keep the stuff boiling for a long time, after some hours the nozzle would be opened and the gas would escape, turning the rotor.
If Riley did it all right, the wheel would turn… and that would be the true game changer.
Then if he could recreate that system, attach the wheel to a bellow… he’d also completely revolutionize blacksmithing in the Roman Empire.

So he got to work.

---

---

“What is it?” Danae, centurion and therefore leader of the troops in the camp at Parisium, asked. Riley had gravitated towards him due to his natural intelligence and general charisma, and the fact he controlled the small army in his city.
“This, Danae… is a fucking furnace, Danae. A steam-powered grinder-fed puddling blast furnace.” Riley said.
“Ry, I have no idea what any of those words mean.” Danae responded.
“Alright… Danae, I have something to tell you. We’ve known each other for a little while now, and… I’ve been lying. I’m not the child of a patrician, I didn’t come from Rome, I’m not that.” Riley said.
“What.”
“I’m going to tell you something very hard to believe and it’s going to take some time for you to think I’m not trying to fool you.”
“Okay…” Danae said.
“I’m from the future, a year far in the future.”
“Oh.”
“It’s currently year 66 AP? Well I am from 2066 AP.”
“Oh... holy shit.”
“Yeah.” Riley said.
“Huh. I believe it.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah, look at what you’ve done in only a few weeks here in Parisium, no man from this era, even the most educated patrician.” Danae said.
“Jesus, Danae, this is why I’m friends with you.”
“What’s Jesus?”
“Tell you later. Anyway, this thing… It’ll make life so much easier for us, here. So you know I have that machine that can make expertly crafted tools somewhat quickly, no?”
“Yeah, the nanite thing?”
“That. Remind me to explain how it works later. Anyway, this… this turns iron ore into steel, and it does it very fast and very efficiently, far more than anything we have even in Rome.”
“Oh? Well, how does it work?”

((THIS IS THE LAST POST ABOUT RILEY IN GAUL, I HAVE SWITCHED TO CHINA))

[Reatra]

“Good thing the Han coins are bronze, something the Chinese practically worshipped anyway.” Riley thought. His production nanites had been hard at work for hours turning the coins he stole in the night into intricate pieces of art, unmatched in beauty by the standards of the day. A dragon, a chariot, a horse and rider, an eagle, such beautiful things that any wealthy man would pay many more coins to have. Then that bronze would turn into even bigger statues and shapes. It was a cycle that led only to Riley’s wealth… Until he stopped it of course and he’d stop when he had enough funds to pay some thousands of people to get on some boats. It shouldn’t be long, news of “talented” artisans spread fast along the roads and canals, soon even the Emperor would want Riley’s products. He’d be famous, and then buying the iron ore and charcoal for his boats wouldn’t be an issue. Sure his vessels would be primitive compared to those he was sued to, maybe only reaching speeds of fifty miles per hour. It wouldn’t matter, he’d gladly spend a week travelling the Pacific in order to have his plans work. To buy the food, and mercenaries, and families… ugh. He’d have to gain the support of the governor, maybe being appointed as a prefect. Then he’d have more space to store his Maxim Gun and robots and nanites. He’d have the money to pay mercenaries to bring their families with him. He’d effectively be a ruler in his own right. Even if under the de jure lordship of a Cishi.

Some hours later the nanites had finished and retreated back into their cage. In their wake was the most amazing little thing he’d ever seen outside of a museum. Only about half a foot tall and a few inches wide… but the detail in the eyes of the horse, the almost individual hairs in its mane, the veins in the hoofs.

Now he had to find a wealthy man to buy it.

Riley set his nanites to continue work when he was gone, this time they’d fabricate a bronze eagle perched on a bronze branch. He wandered around Suzhou in a half-purposeful half-accidental manner, going a few miles inland in order to find the wealthier parts, as no one near the docks would be rich enough to buy such a thing. Eventually he found the market for the rich folk, and the low-level administrators of the region were all over it. He found an exceptionally well-dressed fellow looking at some gold decorations, and decided to talk.

“Excuse me, honorable sir, but I am an aspiring artisan and I wonder if you would be interested in purchasing my main project?” Riley asked, bowing rather heavily.
“Ugh,” the rich man grunted, sure that a young craftsman would have some low-quality goods. “Very well, let me see it.”
And Riley complied, pulling the statuette out of his bag and placing it carefully into the hands of the rich man. “Here, honorable sir.”
The rich man stood and stared at the masterpiece in his hands for a long moment. “My, this… this is… oh my. You made this, young man?”
“Yes, honorable sir.”
“This is, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! I will purchase it! I will give you… fifteen hundred coin for this, if you would be so kind as come home with me and visit my estate.”
Riley’s eyes widened. This was obviously no local administrator… this might actually be the administrator of Suzhou himself, or some other equally important man. Fifteen hundred coin was the monthly salary of some counts, so this was incredible! “I would be immensely honored to be invited to your home, honorable sir.”

And so the two left in a horse-drawn carriage with pillows and silks abound. The two men sat facing each other, and the ride was somewhat quiet, but only until the rich man spoke up.

“So, young man, tell me your name.”
“I am Riley Soto, honorable sir.”
“A unique name, I’ve never heard it before.”
“It is, sir.”
“I am Taishou Wang, and I control the Kuaiji commandery.”
“I did not know, Taishou, it is humbling to be in your presence.”
“Good, then I am doing my assignment well. Where are you from, Riley Soto?” The taishou said.
“A far away land. Thousands of li to the east. I was wrecked here with no funds, and now am trying to find my way back home, preferably with soldiers and colonists to recreate my realm.”
“You are a ruler?!” The taishou exclaimed.
“I was, yes, Taishou.” Riley responded.
“And what was your realm?”
“I was the Impirren of the Impirrenship of San Francisco, but it was destroyed by barbarians from the south. I look to gather funds through my skills and then return to my lands.”
“For a sovereign you are very humble, Impirren Riley Soto.”
“That is because I am no longer a sovereign, Taishou.”
“Well, with hands as skilled as yours, and with the experience of a ruler, I have no doubt that you will be funded. If you continue to create works such as these,” the taishou said, holding up the horse statuette, “then you will find your necessary resources.”
“I can only hope and work, Taishou.”
“What a diligent young man. I would be too, if I lost something like a nation to barbarians.”
“Thank you for the compliment.” Riley said with a smile.
“You know… I will continue to buy your sculptures if you produce them, and I would gladly tell of your amazing works to the Cishi of the province. All of Yang’s nobles will know of you, I can assure you.”
“You are truly an honorable and kind taishou. I cannot thank you enough! I would be glad to continue to work and sell until I am ready to regain my territory in the east.” Riley exclaimed, full of excitement.
“Well, you will need boats. If you are wealthy enough you can buy them, and I should expect that mercenaries could be bought and brought to your realm. Until then, we are almost at my estate, and your fifteen hundred coin await.”

---

---

---

Riley slammed the door to his tiny place, getting off the carriage ride organized by the taishou. He was excited. Very, very excited. A fucking bag of strings of coins was brought into his new tiny home. He had, in the course of one day, become richer than the majority of people in the province, and, probably, the entirety of the Middle Kingdom. He came home to another sculpture, too, and quickly took several hundred coins, set them aside, and put the rest into the nanites’ cage. A trillion upon a trillion of the little money-makers rushed out and began making more.

What a great exponential cycle this was.

Riley went to bed, thinking of what he’d do tomorrow. Buy a mattress, some shelves, a place to hide money, maybe another house, or maybe he’d just buy some land near the docks, and see who sells iron ore in the Yang province… because once he had the money, and ironclad would take shape in the drydocks.

[Deramen]

Crete | Rome

---

Jenn was prepared to hike it to the machine. She sighed and ran. The beeping got louder as he ran into the machine, until suddenly a flashing washed over her eyes as she felt her brain melt. Jenn woke up on beach. She kept her eyes closed and felt the water flowing over her legs. Until she remembered her A.I unit she had. "Ah, Fuck." She got up and sat on a rock. She pulled the unit out and waited for it to charge. While waiting she noticed something in the corner of her eyes, it was a person. "Hey! Who are you sir?!" The person came out and raised a spear. "Who are you?" the man responded. Jenn realized that the man spoke in Greek. Her Greek was rusty but she slowly remembered. She shouted back. "Where is the bathroom?" The man looked at her oddly. "Uhh, what? never mind, Who are you?" Jenn blushed. "Yea, yea mister. Its Jenn! whats yours?" "Its Andreas, nice to meet you Jenn." Andreas moved over to Jenn and looked at her. "You're really pretty." Jenn rolled her eyes. "Its not important right now. Help me up." Jenn raised her hand and Andreas took it. "Let me lead you to my village." The two of them moved until Andreas village appeared.

[Republic of the Cristo]

Rome, 100 A.D.

" Finished!" Hector yelled out. Mark had been jerked awake from a nap he was taking on the stool, nearly knocking him to the floor. He wiped away the drool which had been forming at the side of his mouth and looked bleary eyed over at Hector. " You mean, your finally -"

" Done with all the diagrams? Yes I am!" Hector held up proudly in his hand a scroll. Mark and Hector had spent the last two days in Hector's house going over the design and makeup of the Winchester. Hector had been absolutely enthralled by its complexity. He had asked on several occasions as to where Mark had gotten it, but Mark dodged the question with, " In due time, you will understand." Now, after two days of hard work, Hector had finally made a full diagram of every part of the Winchester and how it fit together ( as well as the bullets which it fired).

"That's great Hector." Mark yawned, then stretched out. Hector was rabbling on to himself about the implications of such a device. Mark found that Hector did a lot of rabbling. He walked over to Hector and placed a hand on his shoulder, which caused him to jump. " Now that we know how to build it, we are going to need more." Hector looked up at him as if he had spoken in a foreign language. " More?... for what purpose?" The two were alone, yet regardless Mark looked around. He faced Hector, and spoke in a low voice ( again, despite being alone), " Hector, I will become emperor. And in order to lay claim to such a title, I will need a powerful army to back me. The Zarotan" this is what Mark told Hector it was called " will make the weakest of men stronger than 100 men. Hector, we need more of them." The mad genius looked down and away from Mark, deeply thinking the matter. Mark recalled that Hector was a citizen of Rome, so he realized that his patriotism may get in the way.

Mark looked behind Hector and began to walk past him towards the Aeoliphile; Hector turned to look at him. " You know," Mark began, with his hands behind his back and facing the Aeoliphile, " it really is a brilliant design. It possesses only a few flaws... which I know how to fix. And, when I become Emperor, I could give the resources to fund not only the Aeoliphile research... but any other project you might have." Mark looked back at Hector now, giving the most devilish smile he could muster. Hector kept looking down at the floor. " Well... I mean..." Mark wrapped his arm around his shoulder, " Think about it!" He waved his hand across the air in front of them. " Hector of Mario, the prodigy of Minerva, master of steam, builder of the Zarotan, mind of the empire, and greatest Roman inventor of all time..." he paused for dramatic effect before he said the next part, " Greater than your father."

Hector's head shot up towards Mark's. Mark knew... he had won. " I will do it! I will! I know just the smith to do it too!"

A few hours later...

The Fiery Coal

Mark stood alone in a corner of the large and incredibly hot smith shop. He felt, uncomfortable, being alone in the shop while he watched Hector speaking to the bawdy and large blacksmith. They were leaning over a table and over looking the diagrams of the Zarotan. Hector had advised Mark to stay back while he talked to the Smith. He said that he was a bit... rough. So, Mark stood in a corner, being watched by the numerous other smiths in the room looking at him occasionally... while two ancient natives over looked the most dangerous weapons ever introduced into their world... and the ticket to his power. He gave a nervous sigh.

After several minutes, the two walked back to Mark, whom was extremely relieved to finally be back in the loop. Hector is smiling widely " He'll do it!"
Mark gave out a sigh of relief. " Great"

" He will build 50 of them in exchange for his being named Imperial Armorer once you are Emperor."

Something in Mark snapped at that moment. " YOU WHAT?!" He was unaware until he had said it, that he had screamed at them in English. Everyone in the room looked at Mark with a look of confusion. Mark reverted back to Latin and spoke more quietly now. " You told him about the plan?!" Hector nodded vigorously, " Well of course I did. He was incredibly intrigued by the design and what I would be used for. Figuring that he would figure it out sooner or later, I told him. Don't worry Mark, Gaius is a good friend and he can be trusted." He motioned over to the stinking and sweaty lump of meat that was named Gaius. He gave a toothy smile.

Mark was at a loss for words. " Jus... just- build my.... Just build the damn things..."

[Reatra]

The last few weeks had been a mix of terrible living conditions and wonderful advancements in Riley’s ability to control his nanites. On one hand he slept on hay, on the other he was undoubtedly the richest man in the city. He had a stash of statuettes ready to sell to the highest bidder, whether that be a merchant, a cishi, a taishou or even a representative of the Emperor himself. At this point he gave many gold statues to Taishou Wang for free, as a show of gratitude. Riley thought it was about time to start gathering materials for his ships. He bought a warehouse at the docks and had envoys reach the resource rich parts of the Great Han. An order was placed for eleven thousand dàn of coal from Nanyang province, costing two thousand coin. Only two thousand out of the immense funds he now had. If he had excess money after he was ready to leave he’d just give it to the people of the city, anyway. Invest it in drydocks, maybe, or something to make Suzhou a much better city than it was. And that way his influence would be felt even after he left, and maybe if he ever returned he would be remembered as a saint. A much better legacy than “that guy who made statues and was rich”. In addition to the coal, Riley ordered nine thousand dàn of iron ore from Henan and three thousand dàn of lumber from Nanhai.

But all that was secondary to the man Riley was soon to recruit as a second-in-command/friend.

Zhang Heng was a young, similarly aged, man in 100 CE. He was currently working for administrators and being educated in mathematics and astronomy in the capital of Luoyang. Riley, through his newfound connections, had discovered where he lived and had sent an envoy to get him to come to Suzhou right when he had the money. Soon he should be arriving at Riley’s new-ish yet still humble home. Hopefully the young man was open-minded enough to accept Riley’s origin and knowledge. Hopefully. On the day of Heng’s arrival, Riley was tending to his robots, both visible and invisible, which were fabricating new works to be sold. When Riley heard the carriage pull up, though, he rushed out to greet his guest.

“Ah! Mr. Zhang! What a pleasure to see you’ve actually made it all the way here!” Riley exclaimed.
“Um, yes, the ride was smooth thanks to your silks… Mr. Riley Soto. Sir, excuse me, but why am I here?”
“Mr. Zhang, come inside, please.”
The two went into the home and Zhang was surprised at the decorations inside compared to those outside. “Well, Mr. Riley, this is pretty, I will say.”
“Mr. Zhang, first you must know I am not Han, that is obvious, but if you could be so kind as to use Riley as a given name and Soto as a family name, I would be very happy.” Riley said.
“I will respect your culture, Mr. Soto, but, I still have the question, why am I here?”
“Because I know you are gifted, you are a genius in math, engineering, astronomy and even literature. You are truly on of Han’s future greats, and I am sure you will go down in history!”
“Kind words, Mr. Soto. Alright, but why do you want me?” Zhang Heng asked.
“Because… this will be hard to believe, but I have more knowledge than anyone in the Middle Kingdom. And I mean this in the most humble way, not to be cocky or brag, but it is true. And I want you, someone who is naturally intelligent, to learn too.”
“That is an incredibly rare thing to hear… smartest in the Middle Kingdom. What makes you think that?”
“Because I am from a far away land and time where the fields of math, science, and engineering are taken very seriously and are very important. It is ensured by my former government that all citizens, men and women alike, are educated efficiently from a young age. It lacks the personal relationship aspect of your education, but it gives me far more knowledge.”
“You say a different time? I don’t believe it.” Heng said flatly.
“Like any good skeptical scientist, you don’t. I will prove it to you but only if you promise to keep this a secret, or else you will have none of the knowledge I promise.”
“Alright, Mr. Soto, I will see your “proof” of your claims.”
“Well, Mr. Zhang, if you would come into this room…” Riley said, leading him into a room in the home that housed the 31 pound M1919 Browning Machine Gun, more than an antique to Riley, but a futuristic marvel to anyone else in the world. “This, Mr. Zhang, is my Ryloninator.”
“What… is it?”
“It is a… repeating crossbow of sorts, it is a weapon. A weapon that makes a single weak man equal to a thousand of the strongest warriors, so long as it has ammunition. Ammunition I have been making on my off-time. I am sure you’ve heard of my wonderful sculptures? Well it is machines like this that make them possible, as the finesse needed for my statuettes is not matched by even the most careful of hands. Would you like a demonstration?” Riley asked, and Zhang Heng nodded.

So Riley carried the gun over outside, he’d set up a bunch of melons on the far side of the courtyard in anticipation of this very experience. He set the gun down about 200 feet from the melons. “If you would be so kind as to hold this,” Riley said, handing Zhang the line of bullets, “that would be nice.” Zhang complied, kneeling next to the weapon with the bullets in his hands. Riley sat cross-legged behind the gun and put his hands on trigger. “Now, Mr. Zhang, this will be very loud, so cover your ears.” And he shrugged his shoulders in anticipation. “3… 2… 1…”

DPADPADPADPADPADPADPADPADPADPADPADPA

“AIYA! What the hell was that?!”
“That, my friend, was gunpowder!” Riley exclaimed. “And that is just a little piece of the things I can make possible, and I want to teach you. Only if you are willing to accept hard truths that I know to be true due to my people’s great advances.”
Zhang thought, he looked at the carnage that was the dozen melons, and figured that had there been people in place of them they’d all be dead… in the course of three seconds. “Alright, I will be your student.”
“Wonderful, Mr. Zhang. May I call you Heng?”
“You may, may I call you Riley?”
“You may. Now, now in exchange for your promise to keep this a secret for now, I will show you what I think is even more incredible than this machine.”

[Deramen]

Crete | Rome

---

Jenn sighed. "Now we're here, take me to your leader." Andreas laughed. "No, Halius is probably busy. You can relax in my home while I see if Halius is available." Jenn nodded and was led to Andreas home. "Stay here and don't break anything, understood?" Jenn raised her hands, surrendering. Andreas looked at her funnily but left. Jenn walked over to Andreas 's bed and sat down. She put head down on the bed. She remembered that she carried an A.I. She opened it up and it loaded up the Remo Corporation logo. She smiled and remembered it. It turned on. "Hey Jenn, what the fuck has happened." Jenn closed her eyes and spoke. "Paul, I need info on Crete, I can tell im in Crete." Paul rubbed his virtual eyes and spoke. "Rome controlled Crete in 100 A.D had farming. But it was a somewhat backwater land. It held luxury resources-" Jenn stopped listening. Luxury? She needed some luxury and so she stormed out of the hut and looked around. She found a blacksmith and rushed over. "Sir! Do you mine gems?!" The smith looked at her and said no. Jenn moved somewhere else. She noticed some plants being grown. She pulled out her A.I and asked for info on Crete's plants. "Crete grows olives which are used for oil. Timber was also an important material." Jenn covered her face. "Of course its wine." She felt a tap on her back. Jenn turned her head and it was Andreas. "Oh hey Andreas, whats up?" Andreas smiled. "The sky, but besides the point Halius is available." Jenn sighed but followed Andreas to a big building.

[Republic of the Cristo]

Somewhere in China

A minor earthquake occurs for several seconds. In the home of the richest man in the city, a marvel of the distant future knocks about carelessly until falling onto the ground and shattering...

[Greater Utrecht]

Black Forest, Germania
Shvartsnegger arrived in Germania with his Light Machine Gun and Machete ready..... like a badass

He soon wandered around the area and found nothing but forest. We wasn't ready to give up yet and tried and tried to find a settlement for 4 hours. He was exhausted and rested on a fallen tree. He wondered about his time in the Army and soon got up and got back to finding a settlement.

After 2 hours, he finally found one abeit burned down. He scouted it and found dead bodies, slain, and women crying. He walked towards a barely conscious man and tried asking him where the next nearest settlement was in german. He forgot that these people still spoke Ancient Germanic. Then he saw the man draw his last breath.

He looked around the surrounding are and found a teenage girl, hiding inside a hole covered by barley. He walked up to the girl and tried communicating with her using hand language. She didn't understand Shvartsnegger and he tried several more methods, all of which failed. He finally remembered a Proto-Germanic word for settlement from an archaeologist in Dresden. He said "Settlement" in Proto-Germanic which the girl understood a bit. He uttered the same word to the girl several times before she pointed in the direction, South. He left the girl and headed south, after he got some supplies from the ruined settlement.

[Cuprum]

North west of China near the borderline

“All bow! The third son of Marquis Zheng Hue, Inspector Zheng Qing Li, arrives!”

The court was already bustling by the time Qing, his wives, and Joaquín arrived. Word of the Inspector’s appearance this day seemed to have spread quickly throughout the palace as the various slaves, eunuchs, and maids scrambled to dress themselves in their finest silks and jewels. As Qing strode into the room all dropped to their knees, bowing low so that their foreheads touched the ground, repeating the gesture three times, once for each repetition of the announcement of the Prince’s arrival.

The hall was a large one, and lavishly decorated at that. The floor was made of smooth black marble which seemed to shimmer in the light of the torches and lamps which hung from the walls. The walls bore many great tapestries and portraits depicting breathtaking mountain ranges and fertile valleys. The woodwork of the hall was painted a dark shade of blue, silver trim lining it, outlining the bases of the many columns that filled either side of the room.

It was between these columns that the house’s residents had found places for themselves. From the highest ranking Eunuch to the newest serving girl, all had jostled to try and find a space nearest to the Prince’s throne.

The throne itself was more a giant futon? than anything else, the fine blue silk covering the lavish amounts of pillowy down that filled it. The frame of the seat was gilded in silver, multiple gems studded into the framework, many lanterns and blue-coloured lights hanging about the throne, suspended as if by magic as they gently rocked back and forth on the almost invisible string that held them up.

Large golden dishes of sweet smelling incense slowly billowed smoke up about the throne, filling the air with the sweetest of scents, decreasing the visibility in the room ever so slightly, so one would have to peer to see the throne’s occupant clearly.

Qing had changed into robes of the finest blue silk, silver stones glinting along all the edges of the garment and a rearing tiger etched in silver thread detailed along its front. A white sash studded in glinting crystals with holy words written along it was wrapped about his waist. His hair had been done up into a tight bun atop his head, upon which was placed a golden crown fashioned into the like of a phoenix arising from the flames, bright rubies glittered about its base, pale diamonds edging the bird’s wings, and a set of purest black onyx stones making the creature’s eyes glint coldly.

Chang walked arm-in arm with the prince wearing a dazzling dress of sky blue silk with aquamarine gemstones sparkling in waves like the rolling tide, making her azure eyes pop. Her dark hair fell in tiny braids, bedazzled with fine opals and sapphires, blue jade dangled from her ears in the shape of tiny dragons, and a string of moonstones around her neck, shining in the sunlight pouring into the room. On her right hand, on her middle finger was a ring made of lapis lazuli, almost as big the finger it rested on.

Qing was keenly aware of the many eyes that followed his beautiful wife. Most of the people filling the court were mere Eunuchs who were no threat at all, or serving girls hoping to garner insight into the prince’s tastes from the way Chang was dressed and how she held his arm, no doubt hoping to find a way to impress him enough to one day share his bed. But there were those who were uncut in the court, diplomats, merchants, even a general or two. Qing made a mental note to have close watched kept on them, and to prepare the school of Eunuchs for new inductees should they act in any way displeasing to him.

He glanced back at Hua and Tai who followed close behind, Hua wore a more modest looking gown, robes of dark midnight blue with a black lion stitched onto the dress, onyx and kyanite were scattered, much different than the gaudy and showy outfit that Chang wore. Her hair was tied up in a bun, pinned together by indigo chopsticks, and the only jewel she had on was a white pearl, hanging just above the breast. She sat still, glancing at the room with a calm and critical look.

Tai Mei wore robes of turquoise blue with images of lotuses and lilies in a pond, few gems glittered on the dress but silver thread made it shine. Her long brown hair was held upwards by a lily comb, made purely of diamonds, tiny little studs pierced her ears, and jade rested around her soft neck as she shifted nervously. The girl had not been in court before.

Joaquín Soria followed closely behind the Governor and his wives as the party entered the court. Hundreds of faces were turned down, kissing the floor before the son of the deceased Marquis. Soria shuffled into place next to the lavish throne that was ten times bigger than the bed the Chancellor had to sleep in each night. He dropped instinctively to his knees and bent his forehead to the carpeted ground, remaining as such until the Marquis had finally settled himself and bid all others to rise.

Soria’s appearance was modest to say the least. He was afforded silken robes as to signify his place above the common eunuch and the jewelry and lavish headdresses that some of the lesser nobles wore. His long black hair was pulled back in a tight braid, his silken robe of deep royal blue tucked and tied by meticulous hands. It was not often that Guozhi was permitted at court, an honor he only just recently earned. He had made sure that nothing was amiss about his presence, despite how little splendor he possessed with which to adorn himself.

Qing smiled over at Chang as she pressed against him on the comfortable throne, her blue eyes wandering the packed room. “There are so many today…” She said in a tone just barely audible to Qing. “...There must be something exciting going on!” Qing shrugged as he motioned for Soria to unfurl the schedule and call forth the first supplicant.

Two weeks ago

The large heavy oak doors swung open as the Marquis was addressing the court.

"Who dares interrupt my audience?" exclaimed the Marquis.

"Forgive the intrusion my lord," replied a man dressed in all black from the back of the hall.

"Who are you, sir? That you think you can barge in on the Marquis while we are entertaining our court?" said the Marquis.

"Just a humble high ranked statesman who was sent it by the master of ceremonies to assist you as your chancellor and to do your bidding if you will have me," replied the man.

The Marquis dismissed the court but ordered the man to stay. She looked at the man and ordered him forward. As he approached the throne she took stock of him.

He was tall, and well muscled, from what she could see of him through the skintight outfit he wore. He wore a black silk shirt that was open down the front to the middle of his hard stomach; his chest was covered with rippling muscles. Black leather pants so tight she could see every sinewy inch of his well muscled legs. She unconsciously ran her tongue across her lips, just thinking about it. When he got to the thrown he knelt on one knee and bowed his head and said, "I am yours to serve, my lady. I already know about your situation but don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your lack of manhood."

Her excitement was growing quickly. She told the man to rise, with a slight blush at hearing her own words. The Marchioness blushed a deep red and licked her lips again, at that moment she decided on how this noble graduated from the Imperial academy could be of service to her.

"So, how can I be of service, your majesty?" asked the Maestro.

"Well, you seem to be a high born, a smart one since you are a graduated from Taixue and you have discovered my hidden identity. You are very young so It wouldn't be strange that those old geezers at the capital sent you to this horrible place to avoid competition. Anyway I hope we can have a strong and professional bond in the future. I'm saying all the things that I know you'll like to hear youngster, making good conversation, I gotta handle you just right... You know what I mean... There's nothing left to talk about unless it's horizontally." claimed the Marchioness as she gently touched his shoulder.

[Imperial Idaho]

Londinium, Britannia, Roman Empire

James walked around the harbor in search of work, he came across a small one-mast ship that looked as if it was about to leave and began to look for the captain. "You there, where is the Captain?" James asked a deckhand. "That would be me actually, what do you need?" the man replied "We're about to set sail to Lutetia so make it quick." "I need to go to Gaul but I am short of coin, would you take me there if was to work it off?" James replied, hoping he would agree. "If you were to work more than one trip then yes, otherwise I would find someone who would take you." "Aye, I guess i'll have to work multiple trips then" James said, disappointed. "Alright then, welcome aboard! I am Hyginus, if i give you an order I expect you to follow it, and don't cause any trouble." Hyginus said, eyeing James's gun "What is that anyways?" "Its a uh, um, a farming tool. Yes it's a farming tool" James replied. "Wouldn't take you for the farming type, look more like a soldier to me, but doesn't matter to me. Now come on we are about to leave." Hyginus said to James.

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

Samantha had slept well that night and had actually almost overslept entirely, which would have been awful considering her plans needed to be exact. Like it has been said before; the idea was not going to be easy, nor would it be something that'd be done very quickly. She needed to think about this, and she needed to make sure everything went perfectly, which was why she woke up in a rather bad mood despite her peaceful sleep. "Stupid sleep making me late..." She muttered as she left the old man's house, not even leaving a thank you or saying goodbye. As she exited the house and went north, she ran into Alexander, who seemed to be waiting for her at the village exit.

"Ah, you finally arrived," said the boy, quickly standing up and smiling at her. "I was thinking you wouldn't show up. What happened?" He asked with a curious tilt of his head. He was dressed up in new clothes, but it still looked similar to what he was wearing yesterday. Not only that, but a dagger was at his side in a sheath, and he looked like he was ready to fight anyone that jumped at him.

"I overslept," Samantha muttered, almost forgetting to speak Greek instead of English. "Anyways, what are you doing here? Are you going to say goodbye or challenge me to a duel?"

Alexander chuckled and shook his head. "You're a funny one," he said before turning around and looking north. "I'm here to take you to the capital of Rhodes. You said you needed to go there, and I doubt you know the way over there completely. I'm here to help you find the way."

Samantha smiled just a bit at this before nodding. "Ah, great," she said in a pleased expression before gesturing for Alexander to go on. "Well, let's get going. Also, how long do you think this will take?" She needed to know how long it would take to travel all the way there. She knew it would probably take more than a day.

Alexander just shrugged. "It depends on how fast we go. You're not in a hurry, are you?" He asked before walking forwards, and Samantha was quick to follow him. "Besides, what do you plan on doing when you get here?"

"I plan to have a chat with your ruler, that's what I plan on doing." Samantha said as she looked around at the flora that they started to walk past. It was just a few flowers and bushes, but it still looked nice. "What I plan to talk to him about is none of your business. Now I have to ask you a question; why are you leaving your village?"

"Maybe I want to go to the capital?" Alexander asked, looking back at Samantha and giving her a small shrug. "I have plans for what I'm going to do while I'm there. I'm going to join the army. They missed our village when it came for conscription, but I'm going to join the legions of Rhodes and help fight for Rome."

Samantha laughed and shook her head. "Good luck with that." Samantha said, finding humor in that statement. Fighting for Rome? Yeah, that will work out so well. "I know you have would have no knowledge of this, but Rome is going to fall eventually. This mighty empire will collapse."

Alexander stopped in his tracks and turned around to fully face Samantha. "And how would you know that?" He asked, his voice taking a sudden case of hostility. It seemed this boy was very patriotic for Rome, or at least where he lived. "How could you possibly know that?"

Samantha grinned. "Let's just say that I know a lot more than I should, alright?" She asked before walking over to Alexander and petting him on the cheek. "I suggest we keep going. I might just tell you more on the way. When we stop to rest, that is."

Alexander, though now suddenly wary of this woman, nodded slowly and continued walking. "Okay..." He muttered and continued walking. What did this woman mean by saying that Rome would fall anyways? That didn't seem to make any sense. Rome was such a huge empire; how could it fall to the hands of anyone? Well, maybe the woman was just mad, but still, Alexander would love to know why she had thought this would happen.

Hours passed and the sun had started to set. Alexander had suggested that they stop where they were and rest for the night, and Samantha had agreed. Even if it meant sleeping outside for the night, she didn't care. What was the worse that could really happen? So, soon afterwards, a fire was made and they were both sitting by the fire. The first one to start up a conversation was Alexander. "So, what did you mean when you said you know a lot more than you should?" He asked.

Samantha chuckled and shook her head, staring into the fire, a knowing smile on her face. "I don't think you would believe me if I told you." She responded. Who in this silly world would believe her anyways? Not like they'd believe anyone who said that, much less a woman, who didn't have very much say in things back then.

"I can have a very open mind." Alexander said, leaning in just a small bit so he could hear Samantha a bit better. "So please, tell me what you meant when you said that."

Samantha nods. "If you insist." She said before clearing her throat. Well, time for an explanation. "You see, I actually come from the future. Two thousand years ago, to be exact. I came back in time because I got bored of the future and I decided to screw around with time. I went back to the days of the Roman Empire to see what I can do, and I brought this wonderful device that plays music without any instruments and a device that can kill a man very quickly from a distance."

Alexander stared at Samantha and tilted his head as she explained where she came from. "Alright..." He muttered, still staring at this woman.

"You don't believe me, do you? That reaction says it all." Samantha said, knowing what Alexander was thinking just by his simple reaction.

Alexander nodded. "I think you are a mad woman, that's what I believe." He responded, now looking from her and at the fire. It was just as red as this woman's hair. Well, no, not really, but it was still red, and so was Samantha's hair. "I can't say I believe you, and I believe you are a mad woman, and I think we should stop talking about this before one of us gets frustrated, but it would be rude to ignore the opinion of a lady, so what do you say?

Samantha chuckled and nodded. "If you insist. Then again, I am a mad woman, so what do I know?" She asked before her chuckle turned into a giggle. She then laid down next to the fire and closed her eyes. "You can go to sleep now if you want, and the next morning we'll be leaving towards the capital." She said, and soon afterwards she heard Alexander lay down and she assumed he was soon asleep.

Only hours later, Samantha was quick to wake up and shake Alexander until he was awake. "Wake up, boy." She said, shaking the male around wildly.

Alexander soon woke up and turned towards Samantha. "What? We haven't slept for that long." He muttered, looking around. The sun was just rising up, and they certainly had enough time to sleep.

Samantha, however, disagreed with this and shook her head. "Yes, yes we have. Now, we must get doing. The sun waits for no one, after all." And with that said, she quickly walked northwards, but Alexander quickly caught up to her and went ahead of her so he could lead the way.

Eventually, the two had actually reached the capital of Rhodes, and Samantha could immediately tell by the size of the settlement. It was big compared to the small fishing village Samantha was at a few days ago, and even then there were still ports for fishing and a few boats were present on the shores. A nice sea breeze blew through the town giving off a nice warmth to everyone outside. Yes, this was very nice. "Now, where does your ruler live?" She asked Alexander, turning to look at him as she did.

Alexander looked around before shrugging. "I could only assume the biggest residential building around here," he answered. "I could be wrong, though. I do have to find the house as well, though, so we could both look for him if you wish."

Samantha smiled a small bit at this before nodding. "Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea." She answered before walking down the street that led deeper into the capital, Alexander quickly following after her. Looking through all of the buildings, Samantha was a bit impressed with how they all looked. They were so neat and tidy. They even looked like they could withstand quite a bit, which was a nice thing to see. Eventually, though, Alexander had stopped her and pointed at one of the larger houses.

"I think he would live here." He said before moving towards the door, not waiting to see if Samantha would follow him, but she would. Alexander knew more about the lay of the land than Samantha did, and she needed to stick to him to be able to know where to go and whatnot.

Alexander walked to the door and gave it a knock. After about a minute, a man had opened the door. He looked middle aged and looked fairly nice. He had short blonde hair and blue eyes with a skin tone that looked similar to Alexander's. "Who are you two?" Asked the man, looking between the two visitors. "What do you want?"

Samantha smiled and curtsied to the man. "Hello, my name is Samantha Maxaman, and I am looking for the leader of the island of Rhodes."

Alexander also have the man a formal gesture and bowed. "And I am Alexander Deimos, and I am here for the same reasons as my companion; I seek the leader of the island of Rhodes, as I wish to join the Legion of Rhodes"

The man looked between the two of them and smiled. "Well, I can ensure you that you have found the right man. Now, as you were, please." He said, gesturing for them to stand up. "I am Augustus Herminus, leader of Rhodes and commander of the Legion of Rhodes itself. Now, please come inside and tell me what you need." He said, stepping to the sides.

The two of them entered the house and looked around. It was nice, looking like what you'd expect a house of a ruler to look, with nice, most likely expensive decorations littering the house, and Samantha couldn't help but grin. With a little renovations done, this place would be great.

"Now, about what you want," said Augustus, interrupting Samantha's thoughts. "I think I'll let the young man, Alexander, speak first. So tell me, what do you want?" He asked.

"I wish to join the Legion of Rhodes, of course." Said the young man in question, putting out his chest to try and look intimidating, but Samantha stifled a chuckle, which didn't help him look any more intimidating. "Um, I believe I can be of use to the Legion, to the island of Rhodes, and to Rome itself."

Augustus stared at Alexander and looked him up and down, humming in thought as he examined every detail of his body that came to mind. "Well, an extra man never hurts an army..." He muttered, still seeming to be rather deep into his thought process. Afterwards, he clapped his hands together and smiled. "I don't see why we can't at least put you through training, see if you are worthy of it."

Hearing this, Alexander couldn't help but smile and nod rather eagerly. "Thank you sir! I cannot wait to start my training." He said, obviously looking rather pleased with the outcome.

Augustus nodded. "Well, perhaps you don't have to wait." He said before pointing to the east. "There is a small training center to the east of here. Tell the man in charge that I sent you. I know him personally. He should let you in after you explain this to him." Alexander nodded eagerly before running out of the house and to the east.

Samantha watched her companion leave before looking back at Agustus. "So, where is your protection?" She asked, looking around the house. "You must have bodyguards, correct? You are a very imprints the figure here."

Augustus chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, I don't believe in protecting myself from my people. I am rather well like, after all." he said before giving Samantha a friendly smile. "Now, do tell me, my lady, why is it you're here?"

Samantha grinned just a bit and took a few steps over to him. "Well, you see, I thought that controlling a whole island must be difficult, right?" She asked, giving him a friendly gaze and her voice taking on a more persuasive tone. "It's such a big job and I was wondering if I could possibly help you. You know, leave some control of the island over to me. It wouldn't be that hard, right?"

Augustus stared at Samantha before he started to laugh. "Give control of the island to you? A woman?" He asked before laughing once more, which caused Samantha to frown. "I'm sorry, but I cannot do such a thing. My reputation would suffer greatly if I were to give you control of the island. That is not a woman's job."

Samantha's frown increased at that and she reached her hand to the gun that lay in her pocket. She pulled it out and pointed it at Augustus's head. "Look, I'm not the kind of girl that takes no for an answer." She said, not putting the gun down. "Do you know what his thing does?" She asked him.

Augustus stared at the gun and then at Samantha. Due to not knowing what the revolver did, he was not startled or alarmed in the slightest. "No, I do not know what that does." He answered before looking right down the chamber of the gun. Judging by the way Samantha was holding it, it could be a weapon, but it shouldn't be hard to disarm her if it was. "Care to explain?"

"This thing is a gun. It has gunpowder in every chamber, and what is also in ever chamber is a bullet." She took out a bullet from her pocket and put it in one of the chambers. "When I pull this trigger, the hammer of the gun will hit the bullet. The gunpowder ignites and the bullet is sent out at high velocity. It's very painful if the bullet hits you. So, I ask you again, give me some control over the island, if not complete control."

Augustus laughed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe you. That is a ridiculous idea and it couldn't work."

"Well, I'm not joking." She said before aiming the gun at the man's leg and pulling the trigger. A loud bang echoed throughout the village and startled everyone in the area, which was understandable. They never heard a gunshot before, but they probably heard thunder, which could have been what they compared it to.

Agustin felt a sharp pain in his leg and fell forward. When he hit the ground he clutched his knee. The pain was a lot worse than he had thought. He cried out in pain and shook his head. "You are a devil..." He muttered through the pain.

"You flatter me." Samantha responded with a roll of her eyes before crouching down next to Agustus and putting the gun next to his head. "Now, I will only ask one more time. Give me control over the island, and you won't die, and you get to keep your position as legion commander."

Augustus chuckled weakly. "My life or a title. You drive a hard bargain." He said before looking up at her. "I choose my life." He admitted reluctantly.

Samantha grinned widely as she heard rapid and heavy footsteps enter the house. She turned around and saw a few legion men enter the house, Alexander being among them. The boy looked at her in shock, but she only waved at him. She then looked at the legion members. "Alright, boys, there's a change in the government around here, and the ones who disagree get a bullet between the eyes."

Step one: go back in time; check.
Step two: Gain control of some land; check.
Step three: gain a reputation; still needs to be done.

[Cuprum]

Near Guzang - Liangzhōu

The dawn broke but much of the camp was already abuzz with activity. Squires polished armor, fetched water and cared for horses. Cooks and smiths and fletchers all going about their daily activities in anticipation of conflict. It was mere hours from the deadline Soria had delivered publicly to his servants, by way of the , during their parley on the fields between the camp and the Great Wall. What wasn't public was the late night meeting wherein Brynden and Ser Harys rode in the middle of the night, to Harrentown in order to meet secretly with the Septon.

The outcome of the meeting had been infinitely more successful than the previous two meetings of Marquis Joaquín Soria (華金索里亞) and the General Wang Fu, leader of the Border company. What usually devolved into name calling and puffed egos, this time ended in an accord. It is an accord that the likes of China had not seen in over four hundred years, the Marquis had agreed to lead a suicide expedition in the ancestral lands of the Xiognu. In return the Marquis would peacefully take control of the Lands he conquered under the supervision of the three great minister who were laughing at the idea, fulfill his promise to the dying Emperor to restore the Chinese control on those areas and gain priority on what could be a sizable standing army for the defense of his new lands. That is if everything went as planned. The gates of glory could remain closed to him, forcing him into bloody conflict. If the conquest of the most formidable warriors in the steppes is successful, it will likely cost the Marquis a major portion of his men and allies, significantly weakening his position as a future member of the Imperial court unless he finish to fabricate the most fearest and cheapest weapon of all time, the Kalashnikov.

As the canvas of the tent began to glow orange with the rising of the sun Joaquín still lay abed. Conversations, between him and the smith about the project advance, of the night's events and the implications they had on Joaquín's rule carried over from the short ride from The Border to tent. The most pressing concern was of course, how Joaquín could justify his support to his employer the Marchioness? It was about an hour before dawn when the issue was put aside in lieu of adjourning to bed as a lot of other events needed to fall into place first. So with less than an hour of sleep Joaquín was quite perturbed when the young Xiao Yi made his entrance into the commander's tent with a silver tray and a sunny disposition. An uncharacteristic scolding caused the boy to flee after depositing the rasher of bacon, warm bread and boiled eggs on the table at the center of the room.

[Republic of the Cristo]

10 miles outside of Rome

" It's not gonna hurt you, trust me I have done this hundreds of times." Mark had his arms around a blond haired and muscular man wearing a rough skin pair of cloths and holding his rifle. He was German slave whom had bought his freedom, and now found his employ with Mark. He was nearly a blubbering mess as Mark was helping him to fire the rifle. The sound so scared the giant into a stupor that he was scared to hold the gun. " But-but I am scared." he said to Mark.

Mark looked him dead in the eye. " You are the biggest and strongest one here. Not only that, but you are the only one here yet to master this thing. Now either you shot this damn thing or I am going to shoot you with it." Mark had not intention of doing so, but it sufficiently scared the brute enough so he would rest his hand against the butt of the gun again. " Deep breaths." Mark whispered.

Behind the two, a group of about 20 or so sat on stumps and bails of hay as they watched their late comrade attempt to shoot a bucket down a range of around 15 yards. At first, they had all been as terrified as they friend, but they got over it. They were now watching impatiently as the proud German warrior give himself hyperventilation as he was attempting to aim down his sights. After a few more moments a crack pierced the silence. Mark had had his hands up to his mouth and he through them to his sides now. " You grazed it! Good job Hans!" The German warrior was nervously laughing to himself as he lowered the Zarotan. " Ye-Yeah, I did didn't I." His counter parts behind him were laughing silently. " Alright Hans, now go sit with the others."

Mark waited until they were all gathered before him. He still had Hans's Zarotan in his hands. The rifles had been finished about a week ago, and Mark had hired a group of mercenaries to train on them. They were similar to his own rifle, but slightly different. The Roman version was made of a rougher wood, and the metal was a darker iron and not nearly as polished. But it was certainly just as effective. Mark began his speech, " Now then, I have given you all this talk prior, but I will do it one more time so that we are all certain as to what the plan is. I will enter into the games in two days in the Grand Coliseum. You, will spread out amongst the crowd and outside of the Coliseum. Once the Emperor attempts to flee, you will seize him. Kill anyone whom gets in your way! Once you capture him, you will bring him to me... alive! Is that understood?" They all shouted out a " Yes!" Mark nodded, " Good, now, get going. In two days time, you will be known as the fiercest warriors Rome has ever known."

[Reatra]

"So, I am going to tell you many things over the coming months, Heng, that you will not believe. But when these things have to do with astronomy, sciences, or history, I want you to believe me. I have no intention to mislead you, only to enlighten. I will, many times, say outright that you are wrong. But don't feel bad, because so long as you learn what is right being wrong is fine, even encouraged, because it make you learn." Riley said.
"Wise words, Riley. I will keep them in mind."
"Good. Now, I want you to tell me how the Universe began. Your story, how all history started."
"Oh? Well, the Universe hatched from a divine egg, but before the Great Plainness came to be, there was dark limpidity and mysterious quiescence, dim and dark. No image of it can be formed. Its midst was void; its exterior was non-existence. Things remained thus for long ages; this is called obscurity. It was the root of the Dao. … When the stem of the Dao had been grown, creatures came into being and shapes were formed. At this stage, the original qi split and divided, hard and soft first divided, pure and turbid took up different positions. Heaven formed on the outside, and Earth became fixed within. Heaven took it body from the Yang, so it was round and in motion; Earth took its body from the Yin, so it was flat and quiescent. Through motion there was action and giving forth; through quiescence there was conjoining and transformation. Through binding together there was fertilization, and in time all the kinds of things were brought to growth. This is called the Great Origin. It was the fruition of the Dao." Zhang Heng explained.
“Ah, well, Heng. You are right in that the Universe hatched from an egg, but it was a completely different kind. You know that my nanites are far too small for anyone, even a fly, to see, imagine something smaller than that.”
“I can’t, Riley.”
“Neither can I, Heng. But that was once the size of the Universe. It floated in the nothingness, no, not nothingness, because before the Universe grew to its current size nothing didn’t exist, it simply was just there. The Universe was in this infinitesimally small space for… nobody knows how long, but it was. We call this tiny point that would become the Universe a singularity. Now this was the state of the Universe a very, very long time ago. Tell me, Heng, how old do you think the Universe is?” Riley asked.
“I would think, since you say this was a long time ago, perhaps… I don't know… One hundred thousand years?”
“Oh Heng, oh Heng. Can you imagine any number beyond a million?”
“Yes, billion.”
“Well. The Universe is thirteen and eight sevenths billion years old.”
“It… It is…?”
“It is, give or take a few million years.” Riley said.
“That's... I can't believe that.”
“Well I want you to. So, the Universe was this tiny spot that simply was, but at a certain point it… exploded, it expanded. It went from that infinitesimally small point to the size of all of Great Han in a billionth of the time it takes to blink your eye. And it only expanded further. Now it is… very large. So large in fact that even the largest number I can think of cannot express its size.”
“Wow, Riley. How can you prove this to me?”
“I’m working on it, Heng, but I could only bring so many things from my era, and our ways of observing the Universe was not one of them.”

---

“Ah, Mr. Li, good to finally meet you!” Riley said.
“And you too, Mr. Riley.” The head shipwright said.
“Please, Mr. Li, I am from a foreign land, and Riley is my given name. Call me Mr. Soto.”
“I will, anyway, what is this meeting about?”
“Well, as you know, I am a rich man. Famous throughout the Middle Kingdom for my works of craftsmanship. But I look to leave the Great Han soon, on a boat, or several boats, to retake lands I once owned across the sea.”
“I have heard the story, Mr. Soto, and it reminds me of children’s tales about princes and kingdoms. What business do you have with me?”
“Well, I need vessels far larger than any the Great Han have ever produced, likely larger than you have ever imagined. I was hoping, if I could provide the engineering expertise, diagrams, and blueprints, and some technologies, if you and your men could construct these ships for me.” Riley said.
“So long as I am paid, I would be happy to. I just wonder what this ship will be like.”
“Oh, massive, you’ll see for yourself soon.”

---

“Taishou Wang, an honor to see you again!” Riley exclaimed, meeting his first friend in 100 CE.
“And you too, Mr. Soto.”
“I trust you’ve received my gifts?”
“The wonderful statues? I have, and I only show them off to my guests more, I hope you’re getting much business from the advertising.”
“I am, anyway, I’ve a favor to ask of you, Taishou.”
“Oh? Of what kind?”
“Well, as you know, private investors putting money into usually government-run projects is… frowned upon here in the Great Han, to say the least.”
“I suppose.” The Taishou said.
“But you also know I wish to leave this country for my old one, yes?”
“I remember the story.”
“Wonderful, Taishou, but in order to fully utilize the technologies I’ve access to from my old nation for shipbuilding, I would need Suzhou’s drydocks to be expanded… considerably.”
“Oh. Well I’m afraid that could be quite expensive, funds that the administration wouldn’t want wasted, in their eyes, on such frivolous projects.”
“I know, but what if I was to supply you the coin? Could you order to project to begin? It would help Suzhou, in the long-term, become a much greater city, even after I leave. I’ve grown fond of this region, and hope it flourishes after I depart.”
“I… I suppose I could have something of the sort organized… Mr. Soto.”
“I cannot thank you enough for even considering this, Taishou, when you have men ready, I will have the coin to pay and the machinery to lend you.”
“Well I will see you then, Riley.”

[Cuprum]

“By the rights of Gods and Men, the land belongs to me!” The Marquis Soria said with only 4,000 men motivated by the Marchioness gold.

The Steppes - Mongolia

The Xiognu's army was huge. The Marquis had been waiting for any signs for almost two days before the ranks had formed. The Marquis was assembling his own troops together, whilst the Marchioness observed the shining lines ahead with her Lense. Below him, the Chinese lines blazed bronze, whilst his own blazed silver.

"How many?" a captain asked

The Marquis lowered the glass, frowning.

"One hundred thousand, maybe more." He replied.

He raised the glass again, and took in the banners. He noted with satisfaction the Marchioness' huge banner near the centre.

The nomads were causing a ruckus. They yelled and banged their shields. A few insults were thrown back, but mostly their lines were silent. The marchioness' troops knew proper discipline. These Chinese forces knew little battle, and Varyo did wonder about their generals.

A banner began it's way towards them.

"A peace banner," one of his captains exclaimed "we should send them back some arrows, we can outrange them."

"No," The Marquis said with some authority. "We shouldn't give our range away. Dou Wan! Order the archers to fire, but well in front, and inside our range." The woman gave a bow of her head and rode towards the archers on the van. Soon a small flight landed some distance on front of the Xiognu banner. The rider fled, and the Chanyu army began it's move.

The marquis clasped back on his helmet at the movement.

"Well, my lords, it's time to see if all our work has been worth it. After they reach the 300 meters shoot at will."

The marchioness took the piece of armour without question, biting her lips in silent apprehension. The girl's face was a milky-white and she was shaking violently, and she realised that this was probably the first time she would see blood shed. And potentially her last...

The marchioness shaked the dreary thought away and placed the lense in front of her eye. The landscape ahead immediately magnified and the Xiognu became unmistakable; a raucous horde of marching warriors and nomads.

She roared, the anger fuelling her determination to crush the nomads' forces. Her host rallied behind her, and roared back in return as they listened to the orders that were given.

After the Xiognu reach the 300 mts, a tragedy fell upon them with ease, the homemade bullets slicing into the flesh of horse and through gaps of armour. Then the fleeting forms reared back, letting the enemy recover slightly before pouncing on them again. 360,000 rounds were shooted after an hour of combat, Chanyu Wanchi Shisuquti demanded for peace after his heir and half of his guli and retainers were dead. The Marquis accepted the offer.

[Reatra]

Hours had gone by and Riley had hardly noticed.

He had spent the whole day picking apart his Ryloninator and detailing every single part and its position in the final product. He had pages upon pages of blueprints, drawn in ink. He and Zhang Heng has been working non-stop, marvelling at the intricacies of the gun, Riley because of how primitive the people that made it were, and Heng at how advanced the machinery was. Finally, long after sunset, the two were done. Before them laid dozens of metals parts, pages of clear designs, and Riley’s production nanites. The plan was to use the nanites to reproduce every part they had, and from there put the gun back together again. The wonders of 20th century mass production meant that, by definition, the gun was easy to put back together, but it was still going to be tough to get it done perfectly. It was a puzzle. If the barrel is a solid piece, and is connected to lock, the spring goes into the indentation on the side and slides into the barrel. They followed their detailed blueprints throughout the night, when a new part was finished by the nanites they placed it into its part. Hours of revelations, one of the men saying “Oh, I get it, it’s automatic because when it fires it pulls the bullet back and places it down, carrying a second with it, and that repeats unti… okay…”. Hours of sweaty work.

By the time the sun rose again, they had an three M1919 Brownings right there in front of them, one in the form of parts and two in the form of a gun. The two men celebrated their victory and retreated to bed. The two woke up some hours later.

“Wow, Heng, I can’t tell you how much this means to me. This is… oh my god. It’s amazing. The fact that we managed to get this right and are now able to make a machine gun if we get the raw steel… this is incredible.” Riley said.
“I don’t even know the full potential of this thing, and I know that this is an event that will go down in history.” Heng replied.
“I’m so glad I convinced you to stay with me. Alright, ready for another day of work?”
“Always. What is it today?”
“An engine, for the ship we will build. A steam engine, like I explained to you last week.”
“Oh, then let’s go.”
“Alright, so, this is going to be what’s called a turbine. It’s effectively a waterwheel, but instead of a stream of water powering it, it is a stream of incredibly fast moving steam. First we need a boiler, which is just a place to boil lots of water, and a tiny nozzle for the steam to escape from, that way the steam is of much higher pressure. Then the steam is directed towards what you would think looks like a metal waterwheel. The wheel, called a turbine actually, then turns and grows faster and faster until is is generating so much power… that we can harness it. I plan to use it to power the ship, but it is also useful for other things, for example, working bellows and firing charcoal and wood in smitheries.”

So the two men spent another day at work. The time in between orders of charcoal, coal, iron and lumber allowed Riley lots of time, hundreds of hours in fact, to work on his machinery and teach Zhang Heng the art of engineering. They went and got fresh water from the Yangtze River, the delta of which Suzhou was built upon, lumber and charcoal, and completed the design in Riley’s plot.

And it worked.

The immense power of the engine was visible even without any machinery to attach it to. Riley, then and there, made a decision.

“We’re going to make a crane, Heng. To lift goods unto the ship easy and quickly. It will be powered by this engine and will use the turbine to move the ropes up and down.”

But, unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to make the entire crane before Riley had business to attend to elsewhere, namely with the now expanding drydocks and the head shipwright of Suzhou.

[Reatra]

Riley had been waiting, making diagrams because why not, in the room for a rather long time. It shouldn’t take too long to make a tiny piece of iron, he thought. But eventually the burly blacksmith came in and checked on him, and asked “Does this look good, sir?”. Riley took the two pieces of metal from his hand and examined them, three little castings, with rings around them, they’d fit in the cartridge, most definitely.
“Oh this is great! Thank you so much, I will have your coin within the day, could you possibly make two more?” Riley asked.
“For the amount you’re paying, sir, I would be happy too.”
“Then do so, please, until then, I will be gone and return with the coin.”
“Thank you, sir!”
“And thank you, smith.”

Riley got home excited. A bullet mold, in his hands, in 100 CE. Oh this was good, this was reaaaaal good. The smith was good at his job, that’s for sure. The hinge he made was as good as you’ll get before the Industrial Revolution… and funny he should think of such a revolution, because that was exactly what he was doing at home.

“Heng! I’m back!” Riley yelled. “I got a mold and made some diagrams while I waited.”
Heng came into the room and examined the contraption. “So we pour the led into… there… alright, oh, yeah that makes sense. How do we make sure that it pops right out, though? The bullets?”
“We burn a candle and let the soot into the mold. And we need some melted candle wax to make the impurities float to the top.”
“Ah.”
“But, remember, lead is poisonous, so wear long clothes and gloves, you don’t want hot lead on your skin, very dangerous.” Riley said.
“I understand.”
“Alright, could you start melting the lead and pouring it while I go back and pay the smith?”
“That’s fine with me, Riley.” Heng replied.

So Riley grabbed several strings of coin and hid them in his coat. He carried a cane-gun for use if someone tried to rob him, too. He had made it during his first week or so here, when he realized that he needed protection as a rich man. He made it safely to the blacksmith, who had completed the other two molds, better than the first. Riley then went back home.

“So I was looking at the diagrams you made while the lead was heating up, Riley, what are they?” Heng asked.
“They’re all very useful machines that would use that steam turbine to work. One is a copper punch to make the casings for our bullets, get the copper disks and punch them with that little steel bit in the middle. It turns and makes a nice casing.”
“Oh? Sounds good.”
“Another is more details for how I think the steam crane is going to work.”
“Alright…”
“And then some ideas for an oil refinery.”
“What’s that?”
“It takes petroleum, you know, black stuff from the ground, and makes it into a very useful fuel. Even more useful than coal, and with it you can make engines even more efficient than steam turbines.”
“Oh? It sounds amazing.” Heng said.
“It is, until we get solar panels, which I’ll explain later. Anyway, until then, let’s make the bullets, yeah?”

---

“And that, Riley, is two thousand.” Heng said.
“A week, and already we’ve got enough ammunition to wipe out a small army.”
“You’re getting me excited, Riley.”
“Anyway, let’s get these boxes down into the basement.”

A week since they’d started making bullets, four days since they built a steam-powered punch. One day since the ship’s double-skeleton had been completed. Four hours since the Taishou had visited him, stating that he was surprised at the incredibly fast construction of the ship. Now it was time to find men who would fill it. Riley travelled around Suzhou, by now he was known, and people knew he’d done incredible things in a short time. Right off the bat several dozen agreed to join him on the vessel with their families. But several dozen families was not enough. So Riley decided to look for mercenaries. Soldiers, yes, but soldiers can work. Soldiers can farm. What did they do before they were soldiers? They were everyday men. Riley offered land and safety and resources to the mercenaries, he offered the same to all families, and soon, he had a growing list of men who would bring their households with them unto the massive catamaran of a ship slowly being raised in the drydocks. The shipwrights were using Riley’s waterproofing formula, his way for compartmentalizing the hull to protect from wayward rocks and other hull breaches. The silk sails arrived folded up. The holes in the sides for, as Riley put it, “defence against pirates”. The massive velociraptor head on the front, teeth visible in its screeching pose, was to be completed by his nanites soon (which is why he didn’t use the nanites to make ammunition). The only thing left was to make the cannon.

Riley travelled back to the smith, only this time he didn’t expect something small, he expected something big, made out of steel, and that which Riley could wrap the bands around. He expected a cannon. And not just one, he recruited several blacksmiths to work on this mini-project. They’d be completed by the time the black powder was.

It was all coming together, all so quickly.

Soon he would leave. Soon he would go east.



Soon Riley would go home.

[Reatra]

It was beautiful.

Four hundred feet long, three hundred wide, two hulls, a bridge between them.

Beautiful.

It’s white sails reached into the heavens, it’s long hull seemed to come to the horizon, and its deck was big enough to hold a hamlet.

It was really two ships, two ships that were giant in their own right, connected by a long and wide deck. Holes in the sides for cannon, currently being transported onto it, in addition to the families. They’d have to deal with six days in cots and bunk beds to cross the Pacific. But once they were there, the construction bots would get to work, as would the people. Their supplies would last them a long time, ensuring that San Francisco would be built up quickly and efficiently. Once they were there, Zhang Heng would command the laborers and families, organizing them and getting them working while Riley would go back and get more settlers. Not just from Suzhou, but from all over China. So long as they spoke Qin then they would be accepted.

Riley spent the next two days gathering his sailors, workers, and colonists. The Impirrenship would begin soon, he assured himself.

And days later they went off. Fresh water in their tubs, rice in their storage units, steam-powered machinery on their deck.

Riley had the captain’s post at where the Ryloninators were, upon the velociraptor’s head. The ship was heavily armed, and ready to fight any pirates.

Oh, and the pirates most definitely came.

The ships were easily visible from the crow’s nest, which was so high above the water that on a clear day one could see the coast from hundreds of miles away. At first the ships were hailed with colored flags, but Riley had no response. The pirates saw that the massive ship full of people had no escorts, and so they decided to strike.

What a terrible decision.

Riley’s ship, the Rylonian Freedom, turned broadside and ripped the pirates apart. Before they were even within archery range iron cannonballs had sunk the majority of the seven ships that approached. Needless to say they fled. Once Riley made it out of the East China Sea, out past Japan, he was in the clear. Nobody would dare venture into the Eastern Ocean, so therefore no pirates would be after him.

And from there it was, quite literally, smooth sailing. The seasons had matched up, not only did the turbine engine power the ship, but the wind and currents helped it along. It would take much more than six days to sail back to China, even if Riley sailed south to Mexico to take advantage of the currents there. But that wasn’t an issue right now, right now what was needed was for the robots to ready themselves. Heng didn’t know how to program them, so they’d need to be preset before Riley left.

Riley was busy working on the robots when the seer at the top of the crow’s nest, a crudely crafted telescope in his hand, screamed down that land was sighted. Riley was ecstatic, it’d been over two months since he’d arrived in the era. He hurried to the captain’s post, he saw the land, he hurried down to tell everyone they would soon disembark. And then he waited on the front of the ship. He waited. Minutes felt like hours, but he was enjoying himself.

He saw the Golden Gate in all its natural beauty.

He saw his home. The hills of Broadmoor.

He directed the ship through the Strait.

He saw the wonders that awaited him here on this continent.



He wept.