Chapter 8

That night I looked for one of the king's advisors. There were a lot and I was happy that none of them were actively against me at least not to my hearing.

I asked, "Who is the woman here that is most like a man in the way she acts?"

I had to go through three until I found somebody that might know and he had to go and ask others.

It was getting late and I was directed to a large tent near Sapor's. apparently his sister AsA was too outgoing for most men. She had not been invited to the meals with me either, so perhaps she was abrasive

A man was not supposed to call on a single woman without a chaperone. I made do by waiting outside the tent and in full view of anybody that chose to look my way. A woman about forty five came to the tent and asked sweetly, "I am AsA. My brother is not here at the moment."

"Hello, AsA. My name is Jón. I came to talk to you."

"Me?"

"I am disrupting the camp with my ideas. I think women and girls are as intelligent as men and boys. I need a way of showing this."

The woman said nothing to me and it was as if I had not spoken.

"I asked people if there was a woman that was intelligent enough to voice her opinion of this. I was given your name."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Half of the people in the world are women. They should have at least half of the good ideas. They should have half the voice in what should be done. They should also have half the say in how a child is to be educated. I thought you would help me help the women of your race."

She thought for a moment and said, "Come with me," as she opened the tent wider.

"I will if that is your wish but I was told that a man does not do this."

This time she smiled and said, "Come."

I walked in and found four more women sitting around a circle with two oil lamps burning. I stopped and bowed the way the priests did and said, "Good day, ladies." The term ladies in this case meant marriageable women and these women were all as old as AsA.

They laughed or smiled at my comment. AsA said, "Please sit and tell me what you said again."

Instead of telling her this I repeated my talk with Sapor's family relating to the area where each gender was usually working from. I then explained about Frisian women and what they did. Women all worked hard but Frisian women were more outgoing and this was part of why Rome called them barbaric. Finally I mentioned my talk with Anoushak and how I got her to reply angrily.

The women tittered at what I had done then talked among themselves very quickly and I could not understand much of what was said.

None of the women treated me much different than they treated each other. I was asked a great many questions but most dealt with what I was trying to accomplish. It was a lot later that I had to talk about the game of soccer and how it involved a lot of kicking of the ball and a great deal of running. I talked about substitutes and how the boys did not use them while the girls might do this to their advantage.

My own children had played soccer and then so had my other children in Germaia, Gaul and now Lebanon.

AsA finally said, "We will help."

Again I was up bright and early. I stretched and did a few exercises and started breakfast. When the men got up I told them about the grudge match that may or may not happen. The men may favour the boys but would help me with the girls because I asked it.

As soon as possible we worked with the boys that came early to our campsite. I worked with the boys too but there were soldiers now coming to me for help. I did what I could for them and wished for the hundredth time that I had my team of dentists here to help me.

Wounds were very common and some of them were ghastly. I had seen the same on the Romans and did as good of a job. Before I knew it though I was called out and met with AsA and her team of women that now numbered eight.

"Tell us again the rules of this game."

I went over them and again on some that could favour the ones that were smart over the ones that just had brawn.

"You talked of a uniform. This sounds like they have to be similar."

"To make the match fair then the boys and girls should wear similar clothing. This happens in the future and in the land of the gods."

"Do you have another ball? We would like to practice for a few days first. Is that fair?"

"I do have more balls. I think the idea is more than fair."

I gave my two spare balls to the women and ran through the major rules with Mithridates so the women would not have any misunderstandings.

When the women left, Mithridates said, "They are going to teach the girls?"

"I hope so. We have a few days until the first game now."

After the noon meal I went back to our camp and found two older women in the line for help. They kept their place in line and the men did not begrudge them coming. When they finally got to me I said, "Hello, ladies. How may I help you?"

The women tittered at the term I used and one said, "My sister is feeling weak recently. Will you cure her?"

"I will see what is wrong and see if I can." I sat both women down on a bench and interfaced with the woman. For some reason the woman was more difficult than usual to connect to. The two women were holding hands and I attributed it to this. The woman did have rheumatism in her hands and her hips were in bad shape. I worked a long time on her and even more because there seemed to be a resistance to me doing this.

There were some small tumours and I cut off the flow of blood to them. Because the sister was already holding hands, I worked through this boundary to help the other sister. She too had rheumatism but it was not as bad. Here the woman had a weak heart and I did what I could to get the heart to replace some of the dead cells. Both had bone loss and I guess this is what was called osteoporosis. The condition was apparently triggered by menopause. I did not know how to treat this very well but tried my best.

When I was done, I let both women feel the surge of endorphins and I had to move quickly to keep the second sister from falling.

When they recovered they had bright eyes and I think they may jump me. It would not be in anger either.

I said, "I did what I could for both of you." I turned to the sister that had done the talking and I said, "Come back in three or four days. Your heart was weak and I want to make sure it is healing properly."

"My heart? There was nothing wrong with my heart."

I smiled and said, "You must be one of Asa's friends because you like to argue." Her eyes got very big so I must have been right. I added in a quieter voice, "You did have a weak heart. I would not lie to you."

She reached up and touched my cheek and I felt a tingle myself. The woman smiled and said, "I know you would not."

The next patient was in a hurry and I saw blood in his hand so I had him sit and interfaced quickly. I stopped the blood and removed most of the pain. I got the man to lay down on the bench and I examined what the trouble was with my eyes as well as my mind. I was surprised the man was even alive, never mind waiting in line for me.

When I finished with the man I found the line even longer than it was before. I went down the line now interfacing and telling the body to heal as I had done in Lutetia. None of the men were as serious as the man I had just treated so I went back to first come, first serve.

I had a meal that night with Sapor once more. Anoushak was very polite but seemed to have a superiority complex now. This may not be good but it was better than it was before.

Sapor asked me, "I heard some disturbing words about you."

I hazarded a guess and said, "Am I accused of treating woman harshly?"

"That is true."

"Some times it is good for a confidence to be shaken. If you are right then it makes you stronger. If you are wrong then you have a chance to re-evaluate."

Sapor's son came into the tent now. He was the one that had questioned me before. He stopped once inside and performed a small Zoroastrian ceremony and then greeted his family happily but didn't seem pleased to see me.

The father greeted his son and introduce me. Ardeshir was his name. He had been out on patrol and gave his report to his father but I could see he was hiding facts because I was here. Sapor just asked the man to sit and eat.

Ardeshir left soon after the meal. Sapor said, "Jón, tell me about what you are doing to the women and tell me why?"

"I have a different viewpoint than what you do. I am a barbarian from Germanica. I deal with the Gauls and other races that have different customs than we Germans. I have tried to understand the Romans as best as I can and now I have a chance to see your people.

"If this were not enough, I have many years in the land of the gods and in a possible future for all people. There are a great many improvements could be made in everybody's lives.

"One has to do with women of every race. Men like to go to war but want their families safe at home. That is good but it leads to the women not treated as if they have a mind of their own. Women are confusing to us but that does not mean that they do not have good ideas. I want women to do more than they do now.

"I have cadets in Germania. Most of them are girls now. They know how to use a sword and in a few years I would match them against most of your men. Those same girls helped me kill thousands of Romans and many more thousand Gauls. I do not say that your women should fight but I would like them to know how. If the men go off to war then a few of the enemy can have their way with your families.

"If I do what I wish then you will hate me when the women talk at you to get you to change your mind about something they think you are doing wrong. You will thank me with all of your heart when you find out that the women are right some of the time and you could not see it because you see things only as a man."

Sapor said, "Our culture has been set for a thousand years and now you are disrupting it. It has worked fine all this time."

I replied, "Are you claiming that your culture is so good that it can never be improved?"

"I do not want the women to disturb what we have built."

"This is your country and your people. I know you try the best you can for them. I have to ask another question. You have followed the teachings of Zarathushtra for at least a thousand years. Do you honestly believe that I am the Hand of the god Woden?"

I could see that he did not want to answer and said, "It looks like you are."

"Is there some proof lacking? I can heal with my hands. My mind has many of the images from the land of the gods and the future. Could an educated man do as I have done without being the Hand of Woden?"

"I already said it looks that way."

"I want an answer, either yes or no."

"I am not a child to be treated this way."

"You are a man that has to make decisions that will effect all of your people. You have to make decisions all the time. You avoid answering me."

"All right, you are the Hand of Woden."

"Thank you for this admission. By my own words in the last few weeks I mentioned that I am not always right. One fact I know, is that Woden is real. Other religions may have real gods or their gods may be sleeping. The possibility is that they are also weak when compared to Woden and the rest of Asgard.

"I would like to preach about the word of Woden to your people..."

"The people do not believe in Woden. Woden is a god for barbarians."

"Woden treated your people. He allowed me to give goods that would not be invented for thousands of years. Did you not notice that what Woden teaches is very similar to what Zarathushtra taught? It is as if Zarathushtra was taught by Woden or one of the other gods and Zarathushtra did not have the means of carrying the word to the people exactly as it was intended. He used what he thought best but he did not have paper. Wodenism is just the next logical step for your people to take to come to know their god better."

Sapor was now very quiet as he thought and I just leaned back and waited him out. Finally Sapor said, "Your religion is very much like ours. You care for the weak and those that cannot fight for themselves. Zarathushtra did much the same thing. I believe that Zarathushtra was a prophet sent to us but I also know that you are one too.

"I am worried about change. A small amount I can take but you are changing the world in so many ways. You take on a century of Romans for fun and kill none of them. You kill a leopard in your bare hands and then you save the life of a deer. You are attacked by hundreds of pirates and you almost take all of them by yourself. If that were not enough you give me things of such high quality that nobody can do as you have done. Then you give me plans for a mighty ship as if all I have to do is snap my fingers to get it built."

I was quiet now but in a moment I said, "I bring change to the world. For good or ill, you have to follow. Rome and the barbarians will gain so much power that you will be like a simple village to deal with. I do not want your people hurt. I want you to join with those others that are taking what I have to offer. Soon India and then China will join us. They too have to change as does Rome and my people."

Sapor said, "This I understood long before you showed up on our shores. I have read your books many times. You do not force these changes. You treat those that do not know of you, with kindness but they are the people that are going to be left behind."

"I said that I do not want the Persian people to be left behind. You will have to hold onto the tiger's tail much the same as I did. When the Tiger is finished running you will have no reason to fear him then."

The next day I gave my first sermon. It was in many ways much like what Zarathushtra would have done. I healed people after and men that had been healed before came up and told how they had changed since meeting me.

Mithridates could not read very well or at least not Latin. He became another of my acolytes and spoke for me on many occasions. After the sermon I talked publicly with the priests and discussed more of our similarities. I found a reason to heal one of the old men. His admission that he had felt Woden cemented my position much more. That fact that his joints would ache less in coming days would help even more.

The next day we had our soccer match. I blessed each of the participants and showed them two kites I had made. Silk was plentiful here though still expensive. The wining team would get the large kite and the losers would get the smaller one. There was very little difference between the two.

The boys had to play in the same clothes they would normally walk around the camp in. It was hot and the girls had to do the same thing. Sapor came out to watch his three daughters play and cheered with us. The girls changed on the fly and were fresher usually. The boys did win five to three but it was a well fought match.

This time Sapor was the one that presented the kites to the captains of the two teams. He was good about the girls playing and gave a speech about how girls had to do more than just tend to the family.

AsA and the other women were behind him and the girls didn't seem to be very disappointed in losing this match. Both teams were invited over to our area and we had a donut break.

HidA and Mehrnoosh were the two women I had treated. I got to check their hands and they appeared a lot better but not perfect yet. Now while holding a woman by both hands I worked again to make her as healthy as I could. The other woman was done next. This time I did not have any difficulty interfacing.

Mehrnoosh was the woman I had spoke to last and this time she asked, "I heard that you wish to teach the children. Besides how to play a game, what do you intend to do?"

"I want all children to learn to read and write their own language. I want them to learn to read in the new Latin that is in the books I wrote. They all have to learn the language of science. This is the numbers that I speak of in my books."

Now with a wink to the women I added, "It was proved today that girls are as good as boys. Perhaps they can learn mathematics. There are only ten numbers and a few symbols to work with them. Women make good teachers. Would some of you like to help me?"

HidA now spoke for the first time. Her eyes still sparkled and I felt that she would still like to jump my bones. "All we have to do is learn the way you count?"

"I will tell you honestly that in the far future, men and women that are very good at numbers work all their lives to learn more. Only the very best can do this. At the beginning, the numbers are simple but they get harder and harder. Your king will need to have people record how much crops are planted and the amount that comes from each farm. He may build great ships and numbers help there too. The empire will grow tremendously and the people that understand numbers will help as well as a warrior."

HidA said, "How can this be?"

"An army goes across the desert. One man needs so much water every day. More is needed for the elephants and the horses. A 'mathematician' will count how much water is needed and compare it to the amount that was to be carried. If it is not enough then this has to be brought to the king's attention. Weak men dying of thirst cannot fight that well. A war can be won or lost on information like this."

"Show me your numbers."

I started a school now. Again I talked about blackboards and chalk along with slates for the students. The Persian numbers and the Indian/Arab numbers were shown side by side. I performed dozens of calculations in each set of characters and it was easy to see that my system was faster.

All of the women and most of the girls came to watch what was being said. I went through the four basic operations. The women were educated and could make some connection to what I was saying.

Mithridates and I were invited to eat the noon meal with AsA and her friends. We discussed education in a broader sense. The meal took a long time because we then had to take each of the major points and expand on them. Mithridates helped with the dialogue but I did not think he was comfortable here.

It had been raining during our talk and later AsA joined us at her brother's meal and we talked more about education. Sapor said, "What is this going to do for me?"

"You slowly start to get an educated population and an educated army. Fighting in the future is very complicated. Men send machines three to five hundred miles above the earth. From that point, men are sent an image of what is below them. It is easy to see a patrol or an army. With the power of the lighting bolt, those looking at the images could talk to their men thousands of miles away in the blink of an eye.

"Machines that travel a hundred miles an hour can destroy a whole army. The bad thing is that the machines take a long time to make and cost a great deal. They also need to be repaired constantly because they wear out quickly. Only an educated man can make the parts and only and educated man can make the machine do what is necessary."

Eventually he said, "That is in the far future. What about now?"

"I have not done so yet but I can make a device that allows your voice to be carried on the power of a lightning bolt. You can listen to reports of men in the field and direct them from here. You could also talk to your people if they have the machine that will receive your voice. I have to have educated people to bring this about. I do not know exactly how to build this, only that I have used this device many times.

"In the future music is played and people listen to it as they work. The information about the war or about flooding someplace can be mentioned. Even the rain today could be told to a central location. This is like how you plan a war. They know the direction of the wind and tell people in that location to prepare for rain. They could also tell about an enemy crossing your land."

"What is this thing called?"

"The part that carries your voice is a radio transmitter. There should not be too many of them. Everybody should have a radio receiver so they can learn what is said."

"That would be good in a battle."

"Yes it would and small machines are made that both receive and transmit. One man in ten or twenty could have this device. He talks of what he sees and his commanders tell him what to do. They are much better than horns and the power goes for many miles."

"Will you make one for me?"

"I will have to make thousands of them. I do not know everything that has to be done because I studied chemistry. My knowledge of radio is limited. It will take many years to build this and I will need many men and women that are educated to help me. It is like the ship I drew for you. I could make one but I would be an old man by the time one was built."

"What do I need to start?"

"People to hunt for minerals. I need some of the machines that are on the Rhine. We need to make glass. We need some running water or one of my steam engines for power. I need a lot of silver to make into wire. I use the wire to make a device that will produce the lightning. The lightning is first used to purify copper. Only the purest copper will work."

"I can provide those things."

I smiled at the man and said, "I see a giant mountain of gold for us."

"How is this?"

"I will make a large very powerful transmitter that can send your voice all the way around the earth."

Sapor was amazed at this and then very pleased. I added, "We need to make radio receivers at the same time. Those receivers can be made so that they only hear what is said to them. We sell these receivers to everybody. They are like magic and they will sell.

"We need an important man to speak on the radio once every week or perhaps even every day at one time. He talks of his country and what it has to go through. The people listening to this will take his word to heart.

"Another man or women talks about the weather or how to clean a dirty child. I want to use the radio to talk about Woden. AsA can talk to millions of people on how to add and subtract numbers."

"Me?" Asa said. Then after a second, "Millions?"

"If every village has a radio and maybe every farm then everybody that could, would listen to your words. You could talk to important people and they answer you. People all over the world will want to hear what is said."

"I cannot do that."

"You have enough backbone to take on anybody in an argument. What is good for your people is that Romans will pay for these radios and then listen to them. Your own people could listen to the Romans though. One of those men could talk about how to allow a man to fly through the air or how to keep a disease from spreading."