Pompeii's Ghosts (A James Acton Thriller, #9) by J Robert Kennedy Page A
Authors: J Robert Kennedy
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tent.
For as
far as the eye could see into the hold, which was at least several dozen feet
deep, sat stacks of gold bars. The estimate of thousands definitely correct,
tens of thousands most likely so. As Laura zoomed in on the gold, the assayer’s
brands of the Vespasian seal were obvious.
“It
appears that all of the gold is from Emperor Vespasian’s rule,” she said for
those who weren’t familiar with the history. “He ruled from about 69 AD until
79 AD.”
Acton looked
at the picture, standing only a couple of feet from the television, off to the
side. A quick glance at the gathered throng suggested they weren’t very
impressed by the historical significance of Vespasian. “Fun fact,” he said to
the room. “Vespasian built the Coliseum in Rome.” A round of “Ahhhs!” had him
satisfied they were sufficiently engaged. He turned to Laura. “I saw a partial
skeleton, farther down the left side. “Can you zoom in on it?”
She
nodded and manipulated the image. Soon they were looking at the enlarged
skeleton, the bones mostly collapsed into a pile. “What’s that?” asked somebody
in the crowd, stepping forward and pointing at a round disk sitting to the
right. Laura zoomed in some more, and Acton’s heart raced.
It was
an Imperial crest, worn by senior officers to identify their family, along with
their unit and the emperor at the time. Acton looked back at Laura, a grin on
his face as the implications of what they had discovered sank in. “It
identifies this man as a member of the Roman Navy, stationed at Misenum under
the Admiralty of Pliny the Elder!” The excitement was evident in his voice, and
as he looked about the tent, only Laura was as excited as he was.
“Don’t
you see?” he asked the room, his hands and arms opened wide, begging for
someone to get it. “Misenum was a city on the Bay of Naples where the navy for
that area was stationed. Pompeii was on the other side of that bay. Pliny the
Elder was the Prefect who sailed the Roman Navy to Pompeii to try and rescue
the citizens. His nephew, Pliny the Younger, provided the written accounts of
the eruption.”
Silence,
then finally Tucker spoke up. “Meaning?”
“Meaning
if this man’s uniform says he was under Pliny’s command, then this ship could
very well be from Pompeii!”
“Pliny the Elder” Residence, Misenum, Roman Empire
August 25 th , 79 AD
Gaius grabbed his mother, Plinia, holding her tight as the ground
quaked beneath their feet. It was approaching morning and none had slept, the
terror across the bay now spreading quickly. The stars overhead had been blotted
out throughout the night, the hint of the morning sun normally expected at this
time lost in the orange glow pulsing against the bottom of the dark cloud from
Vesuvius now covering the entire sky. A steady accumulation of ash, drifting down
like a heavy snowfall, had begun hours before and was now several inches high
already, with no sign of abating.
And then
there was Herculaneum.
Hundreds
of evacuees had already reached Misenum, telling of the horrors they were
seeing, fewer still with word of Pompeii farther to the south. But if
Herculaneum was as bad as described, Pompeii must be an absolute nightmare.
Most of the household that remained after their master Plinius’ departure sat
or stood on the veranda overlooking the bay, watching the calamity on the other
side as if some great Greek tragedy were playing in a theatre, the characters
an angry, erupting mountain, its true nature long forgotten, several towns
built ignorantly in its shadow the victims, and Gaius and the others the
audience, the orchestra provided by nature herself, rumbles and booms the
percussion, the trumpets creatures fleeing in terror, perhaps wiser than their
human counterparts who instead watched in horrific fascination.
“Are you
two mad!” exploded a voice from behind that had Gaius and his mother spinning.
Gaius smiled as Barbatus stormed in, his usual
For as
far as the eye could see into the hold, which was at least several dozen feet
deep, sat stacks of gold bars. The estimate of thousands definitely correct,
tens of thousands most likely so. As Laura zoomed in on the gold, the assayer’s
brands of the Vespasian seal were obvious.
“It
appears that all of the gold is from Emperor Vespasian’s rule,” she said for
those who weren’t familiar with the history. “He ruled from about 69 AD until
79 AD.”
Acton looked
at the picture, standing only a couple of feet from the television, off to the
side. A quick glance at the gathered throng suggested they weren’t very
impressed by the historical significance of Vespasian. “Fun fact,” he said to
the room. “Vespasian built the Coliseum in Rome.” A round of “Ahhhs!” had him
satisfied they were sufficiently engaged. He turned to Laura. “I saw a partial
skeleton, farther down the left side. “Can you zoom in on it?”
She
nodded and manipulated the image. Soon they were looking at the enlarged
skeleton, the bones mostly collapsed into a pile. “What’s that?” asked somebody
in the crowd, stepping forward and pointing at a round disk sitting to the
right. Laura zoomed in some more, and Acton’s heart raced.
It was
an Imperial crest, worn by senior officers to identify their family, along with
their unit and the emperor at the time. Acton looked back at Laura, a grin on
his face as the implications of what they had discovered sank in. “It
identifies this man as a member of the Roman Navy, stationed at Misenum under
the Admiralty of Pliny the Elder!” The excitement was evident in his voice, and
as he looked about the tent, only Laura was as excited as he was.
“Don’t
you see?” he asked the room, his hands and arms opened wide, begging for
someone to get it. “Misenum was a city on the Bay of Naples where the navy for
that area was stationed. Pompeii was on the other side of that bay. Pliny the
Elder was the Prefect who sailed the Roman Navy to Pompeii to try and rescue
the citizens. His nephew, Pliny the Younger, provided the written accounts of
the eruption.”
Silence,
then finally Tucker spoke up. “Meaning?”
“Meaning
if this man’s uniform says he was under Pliny’s command, then this ship could
very well be from Pompeii!”
“Pliny the Elder” Residence, Misenum, Roman Empire
August 25 th , 79 AD
Gaius grabbed his mother, Plinia, holding her tight as the ground
quaked beneath their feet. It was approaching morning and none had slept, the
terror across the bay now spreading quickly. The stars overhead had been blotted
out throughout the night, the hint of the morning sun normally expected at this
time lost in the orange glow pulsing against the bottom of the dark cloud from
Vesuvius now covering the entire sky. A steady accumulation of ash, drifting down
like a heavy snowfall, had begun hours before and was now several inches high
already, with no sign of abating.
And then
there was Herculaneum.
Hundreds
of evacuees had already reached Misenum, telling of the horrors they were
seeing, fewer still with word of Pompeii farther to the south. But if
Herculaneum was as bad as described, Pompeii must be an absolute nightmare.
Most of the household that remained after their master Plinius’ departure sat
or stood on the veranda overlooking the bay, watching the calamity on the other
side as if some great Greek tragedy were playing in a theatre, the characters
an angry, erupting mountain, its true nature long forgotten, several towns
built ignorantly in its shadow the victims, and Gaius and the others the
audience, the orchestra provided by nature herself, rumbles and booms the
percussion, the trumpets creatures fleeing in terror, perhaps wiser than their
human counterparts who instead watched in horrific fascination.
“Are you
two mad!” exploded a voice from behind that had Gaius and his mother spinning.
Gaius smiled as Barbatus stormed in, his usual
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