Embassy of the Empire Read online

  Acton sniffed a pit. “Yeah. Even though it was a private jet, I still always like to freshen up.”

  “Fine, I’ll drop you off there, then you can let me know when you’re ready. I’ll come pick you up and take you to the dig.”

  “Oh, that’s not necessary. We’ve arranged a rental. It’s waiting for us at the hotel. When you insisted on meeting us here, we had our travel agent rearrange the pick-up.”

  Cao shook his head gently. “Ahh, to be rich.”

  Acton grinned. “It does have its perks.”

  Cao jabbed a finger into Acton’s chest. “You’re paying for all of our dinners.”

  Acton laughed. “You have a deal, as long as we get that private tour.”

  “My friend, I’ll have you down on your hands and knees digging in the dirt with the rest of us.”

  Acton smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  11 |

  South China Sea

  Corpsman Kidd swam toward the survivors, their life jackets doing their jobs, though to classify them as survivors might have been premature. Some were definitely alive, though others he wasn’t certain, as they merely floated in the water, unmoving. He reached the first and grabbed the man by the shoulder, turning him over, and gasped. The face revealed was charred from the explosion, a piece of shrapnel embedded in the forehead. He checked for a pulse, knowing it was of no use, yet he had to be sure, and as he had feared, found none.

  Gunfire continued to erupt in sporadic bursts, though none for the moment appeared aimed at him. All of the RHIBs sent for the rescue mission, from what he could tell, were now out of the area, and the gunfire was directed at the waters between the two ships, likely to act as a deterrent from sending any more. As he swam toward the next possible survivor, the Chinese ship continued to sink, yet the crew still remained on board.

  “Help me! Somebody, help me!”

  He reached the moaning victim floating on his back, his life jacket saving him from slipping under the waves. “I’ve got you, buddy.” He came up to the man’s side and the survivor reached toward his voice. Kidd suppressed the urge to gag. The man’s eyes were burned shut. Kidd took his hand and squeezed it. “I’m here. You’re going to be okay.”

  “I can’t see!”

  “Don’t worry about that right now. You’ve got some burns, but you’ll be fine. What’s your name?”

  “Seaman Scott.”

  “What’s your first name?”

  “Jay-Jason.”

  “Nice to meet you, Jason. I’m Doc Kidd. I’m a corpsman. I’m here to help you. How’s your breathing?”

  Scott inhaled then nodded. “I-I think I’m good.”

  “That’s great news. Okay, Jason, your life jacket is in good shape, so you’re going to float here no problem. Does it hurt anywhere besides your eyes?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Lift your left hand for me and wiggle your fingers.” Scott did and Kidd had him repeat the process with his other hand then kick both legs. “Good, you’re in good shape. You’re going to be fine. I’m going to leave you now and check on your buddies, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Kidd scanned the water, spotting another body floating nearby. He swam toward it and gunfire erupted once again, tearing up the water in front of him. He shrugged out of his life jacket to dive below the surface when the 30mm Bushmaster II cannons of the USS Somerset opened fire. Lead tore into the side of the Chinese vessel, engaging whatever gun crew was firing upon him.

  And as he slipped below the waves, he was forced to ask if his foolish act, one that had forced his crewmates to defend him, had just started a war.

  12 |

  Hyatt Place Luoyang Luoyang, China

  Acton toweled dry as Laura showered. Normally he would have joined her, however a stern finger and a tapping of her watch had put an end to any hanky-panky he might have desired. His phone vibrated with a news alert about an incident in the South China Sea. He stepped into the bedroom of their suite and turned on the television, tuning it to CNN International where he could always be sure to get one side of the news.

  Four talking heads greeted him, and they were soon replaced by a map of the South China Sea. Apparently, there was an ongoing incident between a US Navy vessel and a Chinese one. Details were sketchy, though that never stopped the bobble heads from making up the relevant facts. He switched over to BBC World News where at least the reporting was more balanced than anything he had found back home, and found no mention beyond a headline on the scroll.

  In other words, nobody knew anything yet, so why waste the viewer’s time with opinion.

  His phone vibrated with a text message from Milton.

  Check the news.

  Acton chuckled, firing off a reply.

  Is that your way of saying I told you so?

  His phone immediately vibrated.

  I’d tell you to get back on the plane right now, but I know you’re going to ignore me. Just be careful.

  Acton replied.

  Always.

  The shower turned off and he tossed his phone on the bed as he dressed. “Greg just texted me. He’s in a tizzy.”

  “Why?”

  “Apparently, there’s some incident between the Americans and the Chinese in the South China Sea.”

  “Oh? What happened?”

  “Not sure. It looks like nobody really knows yet, but of course our news back home is reporting all the spun facts until they can correct them later.”

  “Let me guess, Greg wants us to turn around and come back?”

  “Yep.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think until we know more about what’s going on, we continue with our plans. Something tells me we’re not going to war yet.”

  She chuckled. “That’s the twenty-four-hour news cycle for you. They sensationalize everything, including a stubbed toe, just to fill the time.”

  “Yep, the day CNN launched was the death of true journalism.”

  She poked her head out the bathroom door, giving him a look. “You don’t just blame them, do you? They’re all guilty of it.”

  He slipped on his pants. “No, of course not. I just blame the advent of the all-day news channel, not CNN specifically. There used to be a time when you’d sit down and watch Sam Donaldson or Tom Brokaw or the other guy, get your news in thirty minutes in the evening, and then read about it in detail in the morning paper. It was all boiled down to the facts, and any opinion was left for the editorial pages. Now, because they’re trying to fill twenty-four hours and there isn’t enough news to do that, they fill it with opinion, and then over the past decade, blurred the lines to the point you can’t tell what’s fact and what’s opinion. You can’t have reporters giving opinions. You should have reporters reporting, and pundits opining. What we’ve got now is ridiculous. And with the major networks making editorial decisions based upon political leanings, they’ve helped divide our country like no one ever has since probably McCarthyism.”

  She groaned. “I knew I shouldn’t have asked.”

  He laughed. “You know me. Get me on a rant with a captive audience, and there’s no stopping me.”

  She stepped out of the bathroom as naked as the day she was born. “Does this help take your mind off problems with our media?”

  He grinned as he undid his pants. “Absolutely.”

  She wagged a finger. “Good, but don’t get any ideas. Cao is waiting for us.”

  Acton groaned, staring down at the half-mast that had sprung up. “Sorry, buddy, denied again.”

  13 |

  South China Sea

  Kidd continued to drop below the surface of the water as the men and women of the USS Somerset opened fire, shredding the gun positions of the Chinese vessel. His lungs protested and he was forced to kick to the surface, grabbing the life jacket he had freed himself from only moments before. He threw a fist in the air and cheered as the guns on the Chinese ship fell silent, the weapons now smo
king wrecks. His crewmates had his back, allowing him to ignore the threat that continued to sink so close by, and he fit his life jacket back in place to resume his efforts.

  He heard something behind him and turned, spotting several RHIBs rushing back toward his position. With the guns silent, he heard someone call for help on the other side of the wreckage of the destroyed RHIB. He swam around it, finding a woman floating in the water, one arm raised in the air, burned beyond recognition. He reached her and took her undamaged hand, squeezing it. She turned her trembling face toward him, her eyes wide as she slipped into shock.

  “Just hang on, help is on the way.”

  She barely acknowledged him. “Why did they shoot at us? We were trying to help them.”

  “I don’t know, but don’t worry about them anymore, our guys took care of them.”

  “But I just wanted to help. Why did they shoot at us?”

  It was clear there was nothing he could do for her that couldn’t be done in the next five minutes, the RHIBs all upon them. He heard screams and shouts from the Chinese ship and turned as the final death gasp of the stricken vessel groaned through the lonely seas. The crew finally ignored whatever ridiculous orders they had been given and leaped into the chop as the frigate slipped under the waves, leaving behind nothing but a furious gurgling in the water and a massive belch as the last of the air was forced out of its innards and sought freedom above the ocean waves.

  And he had no sympathy for them whatsoever.

  They had caused this. They had rammed his ship. They had fired upon those helping them. As far as he was concerned, every single one of them deserved to die, though if they did, there would be no witnesses from their side as to what had indeed happened here today. And with the state of relations between his country and theirs, the paranoid communist regime would never believe the truth, and would claim any proof the Americans produced was fake, as their corrupt regime wouldn’t hesitate to do the same.

  He waved as the first RHIB reached him. The engine throttled down and half a dozen of the crew rolled over the side, joining him in the water as the other boats spread out around the wreckage, retrieving the wounded and dead. He was hauled into the RHIB and he flopped on the deck, gasping for breath for several moments before sitting upright and returning to his job. All around him the living and dead were being retrieved, and he turned to see the Chinese crew that had survived swimming toward them. The coxswain gunned his motor, turning them back toward the USS Somerset.

  “What about the Chinese?” asked Kidd.

  “Screw the Chinese.”

  “We’re just leaving them?”

  “We’re not. We’re saving our people, then we’re coming back for them.”

  Kidd nodded, agreeing with the decision that wasn’t his to question, then turned his attention to the woman with the burned arm, and wondered what the coming days might bring after the most serious act of violence between America and China since the Korean War.

  14 |

  Imperial Palace Luoyang, Han Empire 166 AD

  Lucius’ eyes shot wide as his head darted up and he stared at the princess that had dominated his thoughts since the moment he had laid eyes upon her. “You speak Latin?”

  Jieyou smiled slightly. “This surprises you?”

  “Frankly, it stuns me.”

  “We have been preparing for your arrival for years. I was chosen among the family to learn your language should a union between our two empires become necessary.” She waved her hand, indicating for him to rise, and he did so.

  “If that is the case, then I am the wrong person to be meeting with. I am but the son of the ambassador, and of no importance. If you would like, I can arrange a meeting with my father.”

  She sat and pointed at the other end of the couch. He perched on the edge of it, his heart still hammering, still uncertain as to why he was here. “If I had wanted to meet your father, I would have had my lady-in-waiting bring him instead.”

  His cheeks flushed. “Why did you ask that I come?”

  “Because I wanted to meet you.”

  “Why?”

  “I caught you staring at me, and you intrigued me.”

  His stomach flipped. “But surely you would get in trouble, just as I would, should we be caught.”

  She leaned closer to him, her face brightening. “Yes, and that makes it all the more exciting, doesn’t it?”

  He smiled slightly. “Yes, I suppose it does. But I doubt you would face the same consequences I would.”

  “And what consequences do you think you would face?”

  He frowned. “I have little doubt your father would have me killed if I were caught here alone with you.”

  “Yes, I have no doubt he would.”

  “And yet you would still have me brought here, knowing the fate I might face?”

  “I had assumed you were willing to face such a fate, considering the display you put on today at the reception with my father.”

  He eyed her. “What do you mean?”

  “It is forbidden to look at a princess unless invited to do so.”

  He gulped, averting his eyes. “I’m sorry, I was unaware of that.”

  “And if you had been, would you have still looked?”

  He met her gaze again, his pulse pounding as it had never before for a woman. She was exotic. She was lovely. She was everything he hadn’t realized he wanted until this very day. “Yes.”

  15 |

  Embassy Dig Site Luoyang, China Present Day

  The GPS indicated they had finally arrived, and Acton found an available parking spot just down the street from the dig site. “That took a little longer than I expected.”

  Laura climbed out and joined him on the sidewalk. “Chinese traffic seems to be every bit as bad as LA.”

  “Yeah, but LA doesn’t have this pollution. My God! No wonder so many people here wear face masks.” He took her hand, and they walked over to the fenced-in area. They peered through the chain link and he spotted Professor Cao down below. He whistled and Cao looked up, smiling. He pointed to their left and Acton spotted a gate. They walked over to it and the guard waved them through, a guard who didn’t appear to be private security, instead official Chinese. Acton flashed the man a smile, but none was returned.

  He didn’t take it personally, as he had made an ass of himself in London attempting to get a rise out of the Queen’s Guards outside Buckingham Palace. He had been unsuccessful, and Laura had admonished him for his efforts, then showed him some video of when the guards did react.

  And he was thankful he hadn’t been provided the opportunity to piss his pants.

  “Use the ladder,” called Cao, pointing. Acton spotted it and he quickly climbed down into the pit, then held it steady while Laura descended the rickety contraption that had seen better days. He took a moment to survey their surroundings, his expert eye roaming over every piece of excavated stone, every indicator of the walls that once were, and how competent those working the site appeared to be. He had no doubts about Cao’s abilities. His friend was as competent as any archaeologist he had met, though sometimes good help was hard to find.

  This site, discovered just a few months ago, was the talk of the archaeological world, and few had seen it beyond pictures. The last ones he had seen showed barely any of the progress since made. Remarkable, large stone columns, still intact, lay on their sides. Walls only a few feet high marked the layout of the structure, and while it was breathtaking, what had him even more excited was what he could only get a glimpse of in a large tent set up to his left.

  Artifacts.

  Buildings were buildings, and fascinating in themselves, though Roman architecture was similar depending upon the period in which it had been built. This appeared to be very typical of second-century Roman architecture, which was confirmed by not only carbon dating tests of artifacts found here, but the few written accounts of the embassy’s creation from the documents of the Han Dynasty.

  But artifacts were somethin
g different. They were personal. They gave insight into the culture and the individuals who once occupied this structure. These were the things that genuinely excited archaeologists. The news always misunderstood when a new site was discovered. They focused on where it was found and what culture had built it, then gushed about the architecture. But what was more exciting was what the media ignored. It was what was within that building, within that structure—the artifacts. Whether statues or carvings, or things as simple as utensils, they gave insight into their ancestors that no building could ever hope to provide. The Egyptian ruins were impressive, but told little of their purpose. It wasn’t until they got inside and discovered the artifacts, that the truth was revealed. It was the mummified remains. The sarcophagi. The hieroglyphics. The treasures buried along with the pharaohs. Those were what revealed ancient Egyptian culture.

  And here, today, he was surrounded by a time capsule of Ancient Rome, in the middle of a city where it should never be, and his entire body was covered in goosebumps.

  He slowly completed his survey when he finally noticed Laura staring up at him, a smile on her face. “What?”

  “I love it when you get like that.”

  “Get like what?”

  “Lost in the moment.”

  He chuckled. “Sorry about that. It’s just so amazing that we’re standing in the first embassy of the Roman Empire in what would become China.”

  She leaned against him. “I wonder what happened here.”

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go find out.”

  16 |

  USS Somerset South China Sea

  Kidd ignored the alarm as GQ was once again sounded, and reached out to steady himself as the engines surged. What was going on above decks, he had no idea. Right now, his only concern was tending to the wounded. Two were dead, but the rest had survived. So far. With all the foot pounding in the passageways and the shouts heard through the bulkheads, he feared those two dead would be but the first of many. He checked the IV bag on one of the burn victims, his brain on autopilot, performing his duty as he had been trained to do.