Chapter 4

In spite of her approval, it took several days working with Lurio — the Imperial treasurer — to build out a budget for the rail project and go through all the details to make sure she understood exactly what Hortensius was planning. She didn’t really need the permission of her council of advisors for the project, but she wanted to run the idea past them.

Lurio already knew about the project, naturally, but Ramirus and Llassar were both brilliant in their own areas and could predict a lot of complications they might run into. More importantly, Taenaris was part of the council, and they needed his help to make this project work.

Finally, she was ready to assign the budget for the project and only had her council’s thoughts left to get, which is why she was at the long meeting table she’d sat at with her father so many times, now at the head of the table, instead of in the chair to the right, which was now occupied by Lurio.

“Thank you all for coming. While we have a lot of business to cover, the main thing I’d like your attention on is our new rail project. I know we have previously discussed the steam engine prototype being built, although at the time, it was more of a curiosity than a major topic of discussion for this council, but we’ve entered the point of needing to build out the infrastructure for this new transportation system the Consul has been introducing. This means buying large areas of land and a building program significantly larger than either the semaphore or telegraph projects.

“Surprisingly, the largest expense of this project isn’t constructing the lines or building the endpoints at either side for loading and offloading cargo and passengers,” she continued. “The largest cost is buying all of the land needed for the rail line to cross. All but a small fraction of the land is in private hands, and we’ve decided to purchase it rather than just take it from the landholders. Considering the unrest, mostly supported by the large landholders in our recent past, we want to avoid additional problems that would almost certainly come from just taking the land outright. Lurio has been good enough to find four million denarii for the land purchases and initial construction material for this first line, not counting the engine itself.”

“Yes,” Lurio said, stepping in. “That should be enough for the twenty mille-passus line between here and Factorium, and be sufficient for supplies, labor, land acquisition, station construction, and other associated costs. Minus the engine and developmental costs, as the Empress said. We anticipate needing seven hundred thousand for...”

“I’m not sure we need a part-by-part breakdown of the individual costs, although I’m certain Lurio will be more than happy to provide it to anyone who wants a full accounting. He has assured me, however, based on his conversations with Hortensius and the estimates Ky left the last time he was in town, that it should be enough to cover what is needed.”

“Correct,” Lurio said, stepping in again. “Although I do believe I can come up with five hundred thousand more if absolutely necessary, although that will take from the funds available for other projects. I would like to point out that, having looked at the numbers, I believe that the reduction in labor costs alone for the near-constant stream of wagons and barges down the river, not to mention the time savings of getting goods to market, will allow the rail line to pay for itself in under ten years, even with additional maintenance that might need to be made.”

“Exactly so,” Lucilla said. “Although I think we should also recognize that this isn’t just about money. More importantly, the rail line will free up vitally necessary manpower for other industries or even the legions, since we won’t need nearly as many people transporting goods back and forth and reduce the four-hour round trip travel time many of the workers undergo every day. However, we need to get it built first. Which is where you come in, Taenaris. I know you’ve been helping Hortensius acquire the needed land. How is that progressing?”

“Well, actually. While it did look like there would be a few holdouts early on, we have already been able to convince most of them to see the benefit of selling. There are a few left to convince, but they are leaning toward selling now. I believe we should have the required land in the next few weeks.”

“And they’re happy with the agreement, or are we making new problems for ourselves down the road?”

“While I wouldn’t describe them as thrilled, they are generally accepting of the value they’re being offered,” the senator said. “I believe we may need to find other ways to work with or compensate a few further, to ease some still ruffled feathers, but I have some thoughts on that. Although I think we should wait, so as not to make the situation purely transactional, which might limit the credit and goodwill those efforts will generate with these landholders.”

“Excellent. I’ll leave the timing to the council’s suggestion, as long as none of our delays slow the rail project itself.”

“Is this really the smartest thing the Empire can be doing with its limited resources?” Medb broke in. “Weapons production lags dangerously behind what the legion requires, and just two weeks ago, Ramirus reported to this council that our tribal allies are asking for more muskets and gunpowder than we can provide, and this is with the campaign seasons having ended. In a few short months, we will have legions marching across Germania, fleets in the middle sea, allies more actively engaged in everything from supporting our combatants to hunting, and my own husband in Hispania attempting to work with local tribes to secure that region as an ally. With all these demands on the Empire’s large but limited resources, is this the best thing that we can do with them? And yes, I understand there are potential logistical benefits down the road, but there is talk of this being the last year of the war, if everything goes well, meaning by the time we see those benefits, we will no longer be in as much immediate need of them.”

Lucilla had to fight everything inside of her to repress a frown. She’d added Medb to the council as part of her promise to help the former queen in return for the end to her plotting, and in hopes of finding a use for the otherwise wildly intelligent woman. At the time, it had seemed like a reasonable option to Lucilla, since the other option was to execute her, which would have almost certainly caused some kind of backlash in segments of the Ulaid populace. Her reasoning had been that, since the council was a more or less unofficial body without real authority, but with real power due to its influence over Imperial policy, Medb would find enough satisfaction for her ambition to come into the fold.

Lucilla had regretted that decision ever since. In every single meeting the council had held since Medb’s inclusion, the former queen had questioned every single decision Lucilla had made. Always with the utmost respect and always seemingly being reasonable, but Lucilla wasn’t fooled. If it was anyone else, she would have found ways to excuse it, or if it had only happened once or twice, but the constant nature of it belied any good intent on Medb’s part.

Lucilla knew Medb was pushing, looking for an opening to exploit, and had yet to decide what to do about it, because the questions were just innocent enough to be explainable. Medb wasn’t wrong; they were being pushed for both material and manpower from allies, the fleet, and the legions, which the queen would almost certainly hide behind when questioned. In spite of that, Lucilla wasn’t sure how much longer she’d accept Medb’s attempts at influencing the Empress’s supporters.

Still, killing the woman outright was out of the question, so she’d have to be diplomatic.

“I appreciate the input, and I understand your concerns. However, we have looked closely at the overall impact of this project, and I do not believe the expenditure will significantly hinder our war efforts,” Lucilla said, pressing her hands together under the table as a physical reminder to play nice. “The largest restrictions to our war production aren’t financial, but production capacity. We need rifles and gunpowder, neither of which will be overly delayed by the supplies the rail project is taking, especially the gunpowder. Since the biggest delay in increasing our production is manpower at the factories and raw material, which is slowed by manpower in the mines, just spending more money will not increase the supply of those weapons.”

Lucilla could see Medb about to break in and held up a hand, anticipating the queen’s rebuttal. “Yes, the rail line requires some additional manpower, but Hortensius has specifically allocated workers in Devnum already tasked for domestic building projects. Legionary ranks and the number of factory workers and miners will be unaffected, and even if they were, the manpower use is large for a single building project, but small when compared against one factory, let alone a legion.

“Further,” Lucilla continued, “this project has strategic value beyond logistics. It provides a valuable test platform for implementing new technology that could have a significant impact on dozens of new industries, both civilian and military. I believe the benefits outweigh the costs.”

Lucilla held hard eye contact with the queen for several seconds, daring her to respond. Medb knew she was being challenged and knew if she pushed too hard, she would make things worse for herself. After a moment of returning Lucilla’s focus, the queen looked away. A victory, of sorts.

“Any other questions or comments?” Lucilla asked, looking around the table at her other advisers.

She was certain some might have had a comment or a question, but Medb had successfully taken the wind out of the sails for that, to use an adage Valdar was fond of. She would pull the others aside one-on-one later and get their take individually, giving them opportunities to voice their concerns privately.

“Good. Moving on to other business. Lucan, you had some concerns about the current batch of caravels under production,” Lucilla said, moving on, but not forgetting the confrontation.

“If there is no further business, this council is dismissed,” Lucilla declared forty-five minutes later, rapping her knuckles on the wooden table.

As her advisors and ministers began collecting themselves and preparing to leave, Lucilla held up a hand toward Medb, who had hopped up almost as soon as the meeting ended, making a line for the door.

“Medb, a moment please,” she called after her sharply.

The former queen halted, turning back with eyebrows raised, “Yes, Your Majesty?”

Lucilla waited until the last of her subordinates had filed out before speaking, “I wish to continue our prior discussion in private. Come to my office.”

Medb’s mouth thinned briefly. “As you command.”

Her words may have been polite and proper, but Lucilla didn’t mistake the woman’s eyes, which painted a very different framing of the words.

Lucilla walked past, leaving the queen to follow in her wake. If it was just them, Lucilla would never turn her back on the woman, but her guards would make sure Medb didn’t act out too much and corral her if she decided to try and avoid the confrontation they both knew was about to happen.

At her office door, Lucilla entered first, moving behind her desk and pointing to the padded stool across from it, directing the former queen to sit.

“Please shut the door,” Lucilla instructed her guard, Modius.

She couldn’t help but notice that, while her guard followed her command, he did so while staying inside with them. While she would have preferred to have this conversation in private, she couldn’t fault him for his caution. She also wasn’t sure it was unwarranted. Either way, she didn’t want to distract herself with an argument of etiquette with him, so she let it be, turning her attention to the woman in front of her.

“We need to talk about your behavior in the council meetings,” Lucilla said, trying to keep her tone cool yet authoritative, instead of how she really felt. “Your constant questioning of my decisions is becoming disruptive.”

“My apologies, Your Majesty. As a member of this council, I only wish to provide constructive advice on matters of state.”

While her voice was polite and deferential, Lucilla wasn’t fooled for a moment.

“Of course, advice is always welcome when offered in the spirit of cooperation. However, your ‘advice’ often seems intended to undermine my authority, not strengthen it.”

Medb opened her mouth to object, but Lucilla held up a hand.

“Do not try to deny it. In every meeting, you find some way to subtly criticize my decisions. Framing your insults as ‘innocent objections’ does not change their purpose.”

“I deny nothing,” Medb said. “I can only defend the words I say. If you feel there’s something in my heart, I can’t control your interpretation of that, unless you are claiming some powers granted by the gods. You submitted a massive new building project, and I simply pointed out that it would tax our capacities. You asked me onto this council to offer my long experience ruling a kingdom in my own right, before your war destroyed my home.”

“Let’s speak plainly. I brought you onto this council in hopes it would satiate your need for power and put an end to your plotting and scheming. I did not elevate you to this council to obstruct or delay. If you wish to contribute, do so constructively, not by implying incompetence in my administration.”