Scaevola's Triumph (Gaius Claudius Scaevola trilogy Book 3) by Ian Miller Page B

continued, "that getting angry's irrational, but the solution's easy. Give us a logical explanation of why we aren't being treated like slaves, or prisoners, or exhibits, and what we have to do to get over this, because we really don't wish to stay in this room all our lives."
    "That is fair comment," the Ulsian responded. "The question is, can you understand?"
    "Not on the present information," Gaius said calmly. He had begun to appreciate what Vipsania had done.
    "The general feeling in some quarters," the Ulsian said slowly, cautiously testing the attitude of his audience, "is that while Ulse must treat you like civilized beings, and help you to get around in Ulsian society, there has to be something coming the other way."
    "Payment?" Gaius frowned.
    "Exactly!" the Ulsian nodded. He seemed almost relieved to be understood.
    "We've got none of your money," Gaius said slowly, "and really we've got nothing to sell. We've got very little from home, so . . ."
    "No, we don't expect you to give up your possessions," the Ulsian said, "but we might ask you to do something."
    "What?" Gaius asked in surprise.
    "You'll find out," the Ulsian said, then added with a laugh, "when the meeting gets to a conclusion."
    "I might have guessed," Gaius muttered.
    * * *
    Two days later, by which time the Romans were beginning to wonder whether they would ever leave this room, the Tin Man suddenly activated himself, and informed Gaius that the Ulsian committee had reached a decision, and had a proposition for him.
    "Yes?" Gaius asked. The group had discussed this issue almost to death. They suspected that they would be asked to do something that effectively made them exhibits, objects for the Ulsians to look over. Something not very much different from being zoo exhibits. The question was, for how long? Perhaps they should go to almost any reasonable length to get out of this room. Which, of course, left open the question of what was reasonable. Nobody had a good answer to that.
    "You will be asked to complete your engine," the Tin Man said.
    "What?" Gaius asked in surprise. Of all the things he had thought of, this was the last, although later, when he came to remember the prophecy, a chilling thought came over him that this had been pre-ordained.
    "You heard," the Tin Man replied calmly.
    "Yes, I did," Gaius conceded. "It was just that I didn't believe it."
    "You should know by now that I do not lie or make frivolous statements."
    "Of course," Gaius agreed. "I just don't see why?"
    "Ulse wants you to make it." The Tin man said this without emotion, as if it were self-evident, and this annoyed Gaius, although as Vipsania pointed out later, since the Tin man had never yet shown emotion, now was hardly the time to expect to see it. "They will make a program on what you do."
    Gaius stared at the Tin Man for a moment, then realized that what he was asking, bizarre though it was, was another version of what they had discussed. And it was by no means the most unpleasant option they had suspected might be requested. "A strange form of entertainment," Gaius shrugged, then reflected that it might be no worse than the rather dreary stuff he had already been watching.
    "What the programme will be about will have nothing to do with how an engine works," the Tin Man continued, "but rather how inventions are made. You will have to make all your trials, and have all your failures."
    "Suppose I can't?" Gaius asked with a frown.
    "Can't or won't?" the Tin Man responded immediately, and although there was no emotion in the question, the rate at which it had been delivered seemed to be laden with irritation.
    "Can't!" Gaius replied. "You see, I have never made a bolt. I have no real skill at working with metals, and I always got someone else to do it for me. I . . ."
    "You are entitled to any skill you could have obtained in your civilization. As a reward, if you succeed, you may learn whatever technology you can."
    "Or anything else?" Gaius asked.
    "Anything you