He had twenty-five, he would have lived up to another ten, maybe fifteen, but had not yet found a suitable woman for him just because of his mixed descent, both women of Gallic origin, both of Umbrian origin feared retaliation by their families, if it were coupled with the handsome young man who lived on the hill. Moreover he held us to independence and would definitely not mixed with the newcomers, the Romans, who had recently crossed the river and were descended Sentino dell'Esino the valley to begin to base camp from which they launched the assault on the Gauls. On that beautiful autumn day, while preparing their fields to receive the seeds of wheat, he saw the camp of the Romans on the hill opposite to where he was working, beyond which, further downstream, the river flowed. The camp, in a few days had taken the typical form: under the guidance of two consuls, had been traced to two main roads that crossed at right angles to each other at the top of the hill, the Cardo Maximus and the Decumano Massimo. Turning his gaze to the right man in the clear day, he saw the outline of the Apennine mountains silhouetted visible against the blue sky. He recognized the highest mountain, the typical form, for traveling several times to his feet, facing two days of hard walking, in order to provide an excellent food that some of his distant relatives Umbrian derived from milk of sheep raised in the green mountain pastures . The mother and father had taught him the way when he was a child of just over ten years. The last time I was there, his cousin had talked about the Romans, who founded an important settlement beyond the mountains, on the banks of a river which they had devoted to their God Janus. The Romans had bronze weapons, but also in another metal, hitherto almost unknown, which made them almost invincible even before an incredible numerical superiority of the enemy. Due to the important presence of that metal in areas adjacent to the river dedicated to the god Janus, who was then the god of war, the valley in the mountains had become a major source of manufacture of iron weapons by the Roman smiths : thus, the settlement had taken the name of Faber Janus. Samnites, Etruscans and Umbria had coalesced to try to stem the advance of the Romans, who had now conquered the entire Lazio and tried to extend their supremacy to other regions of the peninsula.
"We will fight alongside Gellius Ignatius." Kakini told his cousins \u200b\u200bpastors. "We forces at least three times higher than those of the Romans. We will not allow their advance across the river Sentino. "
" Beware the Romans have weapons capable of defeating armies numerically far superior to theirs. Your swords will break under the blows of their own, made of a metal that makes sparks when it hits the rock, and will only bodies under their shots. "
When, in late summer, early Romans saw Kakini come along dell'Esino banks, he realized that his predictions were right, that his cousins \u200b\u200bwere certainly dead and that he would no longer enjoyed the taste of that delicious food called Kase. The Roman consuls, Quintus Fabius and Publius Decius Mus Rullianus, knew that the troops survived the battle of the Samnite Sentino had gathered with the Gauls, a few dozen miles north of that place, and that the battle against this army would be much tougher than that recently won, there was also the possibility that the Gauls themselves were particularly aggressive, to launch the offensive. Therefore decided that the settlement founded on the banks dell'Esino nearly nine hundred years earlier by King Esio, a mythical king of Greek origin, it was difficult to defend. Much better, though more cumbersome, had found a new camp on the hill, south-east dominated the river, along the valley down to the sea, while to the north-west allowed to cast his eyes towards the lands settlements occupied by the Gauls and Samnites. Quintus Fabius Rullianus laid a foundation stone square on the highest point of the hill: the elongated ridge of the same, relatively flat route would be from the Cardo Maximus. The Decumano Massimo would cut perpendicularly, and at the crossroads of two major roads would be built the Forum. Publius Decius Mus, who was a strategist than a technician, he decided instead would arise where the amphitheater and the theater would be built and where the large cistern for water supply. Then, if the settlement had been inhabited, despite its strategic role, they would have constructed the baths, temples and houses of the noble patricians.
For the Romans, Kakini the hill on which he was working the earth was half a mile away and was one of their first strategic objectives. For its part, Kakini was used to calculate distances in a different way, standing, steps, and days of walking, but he understood well that the Roman quell'accampamento so close as the crow flies was an extreme danger not only for his freedom , but for his own life. Not averebbe never tolerated to become a slave of the Romans, and must cultivate his land up having to sell their olives and wheat, and grapes, leaving only to get some fruit, barely enough to survive better to die with honor lose their freedom.
As these thoughts crowded his brain crude, Kakini began to hear a strange noise, like a hissing sound and its intensity increased even more, causing a major nuisance to the ears. He looked up at the sky and saw a huge ball of fire which was falling from the sky at an incredible rate. What was it? He had never seen anything like this in his life. The object, continuing his relentless trajectory, casts its shadow on the figure of Kakini, which never saw the light of the sun. The fiery object impact with the ground was devastating: a cloud of earth, dust and rock debris is lifted for at least three hundred feet, while the object with a diameter of about two hundred cubits, sinking into the ground until it reaches the aquifer. The earth trembled noticeably and the shock was felt for miles and miles. The contact of the hot water with ground water did go up from the bowels of the earth by a strong jet of water vapor, which flowed from the newly formed hole. The mass of earth and debris which had risen to the top part fell into the same abyss, partly to cover the object which led to the opening, in part to a radius of around one quarter of mile. Kakini had been completely buried by debris. The Romans who were building the camp were shocked by what they saw, after the earthquake, many had fallen to the earth and the works that were building were partially collapsed. The two consuls, Quintus Fabius and Publius Decius, they emerged from their tents when they heard that sneeze wheezing, were appalled at the spectacle occurred in the other hill: a new destructive weapon of the enemy? What the hell had come up with the Gauls? The next fireball would hit Aesis? The two consuls chose a handful of trusted men and they walked up the hill opposite to where they were building the camp, to go in person to realize what had happened.
The outer layer of titanium and iridium had protected the interior of the capsule from overheating due to contact with the earth's atmosphere. When the sensors of the sophisticated equipment board show that the internal temperature was lowered to acceptable levels, the brainy began a series of central command and control of the disibernazione Alpha and Beta. The two cells were opened, and hibernation in a few minutes, two strange people came and began to move with a family inside the shuttle. Alpha and Beta had clammy skin, similar to that of frogs, and a lean body with long legs that ended in hands and feet away from fingers prehensile. The head was disproportionately large compared to the body instead of the ears were gills, nostrils as they had two holes at the center of the face, two huge eyes and a mouth without lips. Were amphibians, which could act as a respiratory both in the water, using gills, both in oxygenated atmosphere, thanks to the lungs of which were provided. They did not use language as communication between them was purely telepathic, and could communicate with the computer by typing weird symbols on a keyboard. Others who hibernated by Gamma Omega, were what remained of the population of a remote planet, the limits of the galaxy, two thousand six hundred light years away, in search of a new planet to uphold them, where the climatic conditions and the cultural level conducive to the integration of the population, in order to perpetuate the species, which had no hope in that planet which was dying. The sun of this solar system had in fact already exhausted its energy, the planet was plunged into total darkness and in the cold and the only hope was to go from there. The few survivors had observed the good planet Earth, a planet surrounded by an atmosphere rich in oxygen, where there were large bodies of water and land settlements there, the city more or less large, artificially illuminated during the hours of darkness, inhabited by people with intelligence equal to their own, but that's pretty close. According to their calculations, if they had not been seen from Earth as a threat, would be well received, had the opportunity to use their technology to take on the appearance as close as possible to the native inhabitants and would also had a chance to mate with them to ensure its progeny. The exchange would be beneficial for both of them could have been reproduced, while the land could benefit from new technologies hitherto unknown. So they had planned the trip, the cells were prepared from hibernation and were given necessary instructions to the brainy board. Alpha and Beta were left up to the control console manual removal of their old planet from orbit, then were on autopilot and were placed in their cells. Once the process of hibernation, the brainy airship had given the command to extreme acceleration: in a few nanoseconds, The capsule was launched into hyperspace at speeds a thousand times greater than that of light, covering an incredible distance in a relatively short time. Basically the aircraft had traveled in a time corresponding to what they were three years in his home planet, a distance of two thousand six hundred light years.
Alpha and Beta test their first environment in which they were at the moment, the capsule was immersed in water, but the pressure was not such as to suggest the ocean depths. He was a thin layer of water above the atmosphere which was oxygenated. In any case had to go outside to use the sealed chamber, in order to prevent the liquid enters inside, ruining irreparably equipment electronic equipment. Ascended, breathing through gills, until the water surface, from which a lot higher, they could get to see the light. With the aid of hands and feet, like flies, they began to climb the vertical walls of the well, artificially dug by the fall of their own aircraft. As we climbed, the light that came from the hole that opened up it became increasingly evident: the circular hole, the Alpha and Beta could see a blue sky, something in their lives had never been able to admire. While looking up saw some heads protrude into the opening, is flattened against the walls of the cylindrical shaft, and a bucket tied to a rope and climbed down inside shortly after full of water.
Quintus Fabius and Publius Decius, who arrived, they saw the hole produced by the ball of fire rained from the sky. A little farther on, from the loose soil flowed from the head of a Uro big horns.
"That animal is still alive and soccorretelo pull it out, it can be useful. And dig the earth: there must be another cow and a man. Usually the roosters do these animals work in pairs and the farmer driving the plow furrows in the track. "Publius Decius ordered some men.
Quintus Fabius was concerned instead of looking at what was in the bottom of the hole and noticed the water: did not notice in no way whatsoever of the two strange beings who were going along the walls of the ground. He ordered a soldier to tie a rope and a bucket to collect water.
"That object has dug a well for us: we feel if the water is good!"
ordered one of his men to taste the water. As they drank, underwent a transformation evident: given the skin wrinkled from the sun and scars of battles again became as smooth as that of a boy addicted to the first exercises with the arms, the muscles became vigorous and visible on the surface left uncovered by the robe, the 'sickly air of the soldier, due to an incipient pulmonary emphysema, vanished. Quintus Fabius took his sword and struck the man could not bear that one of its soldiers appeared stronger and more beautiful than him. Then he drank greedily bucket of water until it does not remain a single drop. Within a few seconds, his body of veteran turned in a strong and young warrior. Fifth when he felt like at sixteen, had taken for the first time in his hand a sword of iron and had challenged his fellow soldiers overcame one after the other. While admiring his powerful biceps, the two beings come out of the slimy pit, attracting the attention of the handful of Roman soldiers, seeing them as enemies or as strange unusual source of food, they pounced on them. Every shot they tried to launch with spears, swords, axes or with bare hands, was promptly blocked by an invisible barrier that surrounded the two strange subjects.
communicated telepathically with Beta Alpha.
"These are strange beings, are not as smart as we expected. The environment is totally different from what we had to find based on our observations. "
" We try to capture the most interesting subjects and carry it inside the bus: we will study them and make the appropriate considerations. We take what seems like the boss and the guy who had just pulled out of the earth seem the strongest. Neutralize all others. Better not to have witnesses for the moment. "
pointing the index finger of his right hand to their targets, neutralized one by one, the Roman soldiers, who fell stunned on the ground, hit by an intense laser beam. Would not be dead would be found, but they would not remember anything of the encounter with the aliens. Alfa
Kakini taken, while Beta was loaded on the shoulders Quintus Fabius, who was also rendered harmless by the laser beam, and goes back into the vertical shaft, to be covered nell'aeronave with their prisoners. Both were placed Kakini that Quintus Fabius, stunned, in a special niche, in which the onboard computer had carefully studied their chemical composition and physical, vital functions and the genetic makeup. A wrists and ankles of the electrodes were applied, while the head of the two subjects were placed inside a kind of helmet.
while the computer processes the data from both terrestrial, Beta was quick calculations in his mind. When he came to conclusions communicated to the Alfa.
"While we were hibernating, the shuttle was traveling at a speed a thousand times greater than that of light. We have come a space infinitely great in no time. Considering that our planet is two thousand six hundred light years away from here, we observed how the Earth will be among more than two millennia, compared to the period in which we are now! "
" And so we have no hope of survival here? "
" It is not said. The autonomy of these devices is about two thousand of our years, corresponding to three thousand years on Earth. We can leave our hibernating friends and plan their awakening at a time most suitable. "
" hibernation cells have this autonomy, but not the onboard computer. The procedure must be activated manually by someone. Who will be among more than two thousand years? "
" We must seize the bodies of the two terrestrial train our offspring so that when the time is able to activate the procedures and awaken our comrades. "Beta said, beginning to view the results of the analysis performed by computer on the bodies of earthlings.
on a monitor data flowing in Kakini.
vital functions broken, but easily restorable. Subject
young cells in good condition.
gyrus brain development rather limited.
The surface of the cerebral cortex may be significantly increased artificially.
can breathe only in oxygenated environment;
ability to withstand long apnea, thanks to a large lung capacity ... no gills.
genetic makeup consists of twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, data from a combination of nucleotide complexes. Beta
two flat electrodes applied to the chest area of \u200b\u200bKakini. The computer sends a series of electrical stimulation at the right intensity and spaced in a manner calculated to bring the heart, after some extrasystoles, a normal sinus rhythm. The chest rose once, twice, then also the breathing became regular. At that point, Beta tried a vein in the arm of the land, you put a needle, connected by a hose to a strange box, then typed the code on the keyboard and looked at the monitor again.
Before injection of nanobots in progress. Inoculation
completed.
nanobots are ready to adapt the genetic codes of the host's body Alpha.
Done. Alfa
lay down beside the body of Kakini and, in short, the two bodies merged: Alfa disappeared inside the Earth, which began to show signs of resuscitation. Second
injection of nanobots in progress. Inoculation
completed.
work on nanobots in the cerebral convolutions and memory manipulation.
Done. All
nanobots will remain on standby in the bloodstream, ready to intervene in the repair of degenerated cells, aged or gone mad.
Process completed.
Kakini Alfa rose.
The same steps were repeated on the body of Quinto Fabio. After having injected the needle into the vein, even Beta lay next to land that would have given his body. A few minutes later, Quintus Fabius Beta lifted from its niche. The two were now also able to communicate with each other and with the land as they would have come in contact, by means of language minutes. Both could speak both the language of the Romans, the Gauls, and their minds had the opportunity to develop those primordial languages \u200b\u200bto make them much more suited to the fluid communication. A new way, never used in their home planet, he was hearing. It was strange, but very interesting, being able to process sounds that came to the strange new accessories of their head, who had ears. Even if they could still communicate telepathically, they could now communicate with each other with sounds. It was amazing how air emitting from the mouth and synchronizing the movement of the throat, lips and tongue could pronounce an infinite variety of sounds. We have spent a few minutes, thanks to their intelligence to learn how to use these two new features: the voice and hearing.
Their bodies would still be aged over time. The nanobots in fact had the ability to repair and replace diseased cells, but had a limited ability to slow down the aging body. In their home planet, the nanobots kept in effect a perfect body for about seventy, seventy-five, which corresponded to about one hundred years on Earth. Alpha and Beta so they knew that every hundred years would have to return to their shuttle to transfer their being and their minds into a new earthly body. But they had plenty of time to think about strategies. Now had to rise to the surface and start their hard life on planet Earth.
Back to sunlight, a sun that warmed their skin in an unexpected way, they divided the tasks to be able to provide maximum protection for the site over time. Kakini Alfa would remain on the hill, he built a brick pit that would have guaranteed access to the shuttle at any time. Would remain in the hills, cultivating the land as if it were the Gallo Kakini and nothing had happened, but would still built of stone fortifications to defend the hill from any curious, ill or well intentioned.
Meanwhile, Quintus Fabius Beta would return with his band of men who did not remember anything except that they had gone to see the effects of the fall of the strange object on fire, would return to direct the construction of the Roman city Aesis. Would apply to its implementation of the concepts of engineering absolutely did not know that the Romans, and within fifty years, the city was one of the Roman colonies of the most flourishing and impregnable, protected by walls, an outpost of the Romans to the territories still occupied by the Gauls. On the upper part of the city was the Forum, where bankers, merchants and landowners met. Nearby is the amphitheater and the spa. The huge water tank, located in the north-east of the city, conveyed by means of an ingenious and hidden subterranean channel, or with the well water portentous located in the hill opposite. Quintus Fabius had failed to kill all the slaves used to build this channel: no one should be aware of its existence.
Five hundred years after the founding of Rome, about fifty years from the battle of Sentino Aesis was still governed by the old console Rullianus Quintus Fabius, who had finally defeated the neighboring populations of the Gauls and Samnites, to open the way for breakthroughs Rome to the Adriatic coast. But the hill inhabited by Gallo Kakini known ally of the Romans and Quintus Fabius, had never been attacked and had always been granted independence, never questioned by any inhabitant of Aesis.
