The Cleopatra Crisis

“What do you mean by that’?” asked Lucas.

“I’m coming to that.” said Travers. “Caesar didn’t want to revivethe ancient Roman kingship, because the people equated that with tyranny. sothe title he chose for himself was dictator, like Sulla before him. This way,he could be periodically reappointed to the post. which at least gave thesemblance of senatorial control in a republican government. But recently, he’shad himself made dictator for life, with the title of Imperator. That wasalmost the same thing as naming himself king. A lot of people didn’t take itwell.

“Back when we first returned to Rome and he celebrated a triumphhonoring his victory over Pompey’s sons, it made him more than a few enemies.”continued Travers as they warmed themselves around the fire. It’s one thing tocelebrate victory over barbarians or foreign kings, but when you destroy thechildren of one of the greatest men of Rome and honor it with a triumph, you’regoing to upset a few people. He realized that and tried to make up for it byordering Pompey’s statues put back up after some of the pro-Caesar mobs, mostlycomprised of Caesar’s soldiers, tore them down. He held public feasts,distributed corn to the masses, and staged chariot races and gladiatorialcombats. His old bread and circuses routine, playing to the masses. It workedfor him before and it worked for him again. The only difference was, now hecould afford it.

“He established a number of new colonies, in Italy as wellas in Carthage and in Corinth. He settled thousands of the soldiers who’dserved with him during all those years. rewarding them with land in theirretirement, as well as many of the city’s unemployed. Which means that if heever has to raise an army quickly, all he needs to do is call on the colonies.Men who once had nothing but are now landowners, thanks to him, will remainunquestioningly loyal. He gave out consulships and praetorships left and rightand increased the Senate rolls from six hundred to nine hundred. installing hissupporters so now he virtually controls the Senate. He even pardoned some ofhis enemies. notably Brutus and Cassius. He gave them praetorships, despitetheir opposition to him in the civil war. He told me he did it so he could keepan eye on them. After all, the oracle told him to beware of them. The way hesaid it. I couldn’t tell if he was joking or if he was serious. He tendsto have mood swings and he can be hard to read sometimes. He’s also used someof the wealth he acquired from the wars to construct the Basilica Julia and theJulian Forum, as well as the Temple of Venus Genetrix. the goddess of hisfamily. And beside the statue of Venus. he’s set up a gilded bronze statue ofCleopatra. which has raised more than a few eyebrows. She’s in Rome now, withher son, Caesarian. He’s set her up in her own house, complete with slaves andall the luxuries. He visits her every day. He’s talking about divorcingCalpurnia and marrying her.”

“But I thought Caesar never married Cleopatra,” Andre said.

“No. he didn’t,” Travers replied. “But he’s mentioned it tome several times now and I think he’s serious. The people will overlook hiskeeping her as his mistress, but if he divorces a woman of a wealthy andinfluential Roman family in order to many a foreigner. they’ll turn againsthim. But Caesar doesn’t seem to care. Cleopatra exerts a powerful influence onhim. She’s the one who was behind a lot of the autocratic changes that he’smade and she caters to his ego, feeding it and his ambition. Why not surpass Alexander?Why not become a monarch, the ruler of the world? Busts of Caesar are beingdistributed all over Rome and throughout the provinces. He’s had coins struckwith his own image on them and the slogan. ‘DICT. PERPETUO’-perpetualdictator-the first time the portrait of a living Roman has ever appeared on thecoinage. And now he’s talking about raising legions once again to invadeParthia and avenge Crassus, then pressing on into the Orient. as Alexander did.”

“Only he was assassinated before he could accomplish allthat,” said Delaney.

“Yes,” Travers replied somberly, as if the thought disturbedhim. “He was. History says that he grew careless and disregarded all the signs.Some historians have even ventured the opinion that he actually wantedto die, because his health was failing and he couldn’t bear the thought ofgrowing old. But I’ve lived with him for years now and I know that man as wellas I know myself. he suffers periodic fits of epilepsy. but he’s lived withthat for years. He doesn’t want to die. He wants to be immortal. He’s fifty-sixyears old and he wants one last hurrah. The only reason he ignored the rumorsof conspiracies against his life was because his ego simply wouldn’t allow himto believe that anyone would seriously want to kill him. he had restored peaceand prosperity to Rome and introduced a stable government. Without him, he wasconvinced that it would all fall apart As he once said to Cleopatra, ‘I amRome.’ And so he didn’t take proper precautions. Only now, all that ischanging. And Cleopatra is responsible.”

“How?” asked Lucas.

“In about two weeks, it will be the Ides of March and Caesaris supposed to be assassinated,” Travers said. “According to history, asoothsayer was supposed to have warned him to ‘Beware the Ides of March,’ butCaesar never took him seriously. But now, all he talks about is Lucan’sprophecy. He’s well aware that the fateful day is drawing near. He toldCleopatra about what Lucan said to him. ‘That which was concealed shall standrevealed.’ He believes that statement referred to Cleopatra. She was concealedin a roll of carpet that they use for bedding when she was smuggled into hisapartment at the palace. and when her slave Apollodorus unrolled it, she stoodrevealed. Caesar told her that he knew she was his ‘guiding omen’ the moment hesaw her, and she’s done nothing to disabuse him of that notion. Not only hasshe been encouraging him in his plans for new conquests and greater glory, she’sprevailed upon him to employ a bodyguard, as well. An Egyptian bodyguard, madeup of soldiers she’s brought with her. because the oracle had told him that hewould die at the hands of those he thought his friends. Caesar had once employeda personal guard of Spaniards. but he dismissed them because he thought it wasn’tgood for appearances to have a bodyguard, much less one made up of foreigners.Now he’s got an Egyptian one. That’s an anomaly. They don’t belong in thisscenario. And there’s something very strange about those Egyptians.”

You think they might be agents from the parallel universe’?”asked Delaney.

Travers shook his head. ‘1 don’t know. Either they are, orshe is.”

“Cleopatra?” said Lucas.

“I think it’s possible.” said Travers, gazing at themseriously. “She has a tremendous amount of influence over Caesar. I’ve beengiving it a lot of thought. What if she’s my counterpart from the paralleluniverse? A sort of L.T.O., a mole infiltrated into this timeline with thespecific purpose of creating a temporal disruption. Her mission could have beento seduce Caesar and bear his son. Maybe Caesarian isn’t even his son. Shemight have been already impregnated with a male fetus when she met Caesar. Possiblyone that’s been genetically tailored. What would happen if Caesar didn’t die?What would happen if he added to Rome’s conquests and dramatically increasedits territories? What would happen if Cleopatra prevailed on him to nameCaesarian instead of Octavian as his heir? And Caesarian was someone the S.O.G.could control? It would completely change the course of history. Octavian wouldnever become Caesar Augustus. Tiberius would never become Emperor, nor wouldCaligula or Claudius or Nero. It could change the entire course of civilization!”

“o you have anything solid to base your suspicions on or isthis just a hunch?” asked Delaney.

Travers shook his head. “I tell you. I don’t know, but somethingis very definitely wrong. Those Egyptians simply don’t belong here. And theirpresence has not been taken well. Caesar even brings them into the Senate withhim. It’s increased the animosity toward him, which on one hand is all to thegood, I suppose, but on the other hand, he’s become more cautious, more aloof,and more determined than ever to do things his way, come hell or high water. “

“You’re concerned about him, aren’t you?” Andre said.

Travers glanced at her and grimaced. “Yes. I suppose I am.Funny, isn’t it?”

“You got too close,” said Delaney. “You allowed yourself toget involved.”

“Listen, you study a man for half your life and then livewith him, go through several wars with him. especially a charismatic man likeCaesar. and you try not to get involved,” said Travers. “The man’s become myfriend. You understand that? I’ve made him the subject of my life’s work and I’vegotten to know him as well as anybody knows him. It’s hard not to like a manlike Caesar Yes, he’s ambitious and he’s arrogant. but great men always are. He’salso capable of kindness, and loyalty, and devotion. It’s not for nothing thathis legions idolize him. He’s larger than life. Intelligent. incrediblycourageous, inspirational. One of the greatest men who ever lived-And I have tomake sure that he gets murdered.”

Travers took out his Roman dagger and stared at thefoot-long, lethal blade. “Can you imagine what it’s like to be stabbed withsomething like this? Twenty-three times. Twenty-three times, they’re going toplunge daggers like this into his body. And not only am I helpless to doanything about it. I’ve got to make certain it gets done.”

“No. Travers.” Lucas said. “We’ve got to make certainit gets done.”

“Evening. John.”

John Marshall froze as he entered the dark bedroom of hishouse near the east bank of the Tiber. The voice had spoken in English and itsounded vaguely familiar. He lifted the oil lamp he carried in his hand. He wasable to