Neptune's Bounty
In the centuries following the destruction of old Rome, a great deal of refugees escaped from Sicily, heading eastwards. Wanting no more to do with the West which had forsaken it, the Romans landed in Montenegro, Greece, and Egypt. When the Hittite lands were seized by the Russians, so too a large Roman population came under Russian control. While under Grigori this might have been a welcome change - for Grigori held a special admiration for Roman culture - under Ilyivich this was not so. The Romans, like so many others, were foisted into the camps at Bucharest. Here, their kind toiled for many centuries controlled by an iron fist.
However this was not to be their home for eternity. Roger Bjorn, the foreman for the Swedish work camp at Stockholm, was informed of the plight of the once proud Roman people. He immediately set about a plan to rescue their population, a plan which will now be regaled to you in this special edition issue of Neptune's Bounty.
Roger Bjorn sat in a vodka house on the docks in Stockholm Central. Outside the shouts and clamor of boats unloading Neptune's bounty could be heard. Fish was the main commodity here. Almost everything was based around fish. Fishing boats, fisheries, fishing supply stores, there was even a short-lived "fish-based vodka" which ended up being better employed as a liniment than a drink. These days Bjorn was rather sick of fish, spending his days rather as a connoisseur of fine drinks (the fish vodka disturbed him greatly), a trafficker in human resources, and a Zeus enthusiast.
Of these things, especially the last, Bjorn knew much. Of Zeus he was an expert, and is generally credited with spreading the religion to much of Scandinavia. He read many a book on the Romans and their ways, and considered it a crime that their kind should have been wiped out so shamelessly. He made a vow to make good on the ancient 'Petrov's Proposal' with Rome and the supposed "conversion" to Zeus religion. One day he hoped to found an official church of Zeus.
His ascension to Foreman of Stockholm was a great step forward, granting him control of one of Russia's seven provinces. Sweden was perhaps the most liberal of all the provinces, with the native Swedes enjoying a great deal of freedoms. Leastways, compared to the laborers in Region 7... Apparently they were worst off. Rumors pervaded the empire of terrible things happening there, indignities against humanity. But the region was tightly controlled by the Foreman of Bucharest, Josif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvilli. A man of Russian ethnicity born in the region of Georgia, the man has been called cruel, heartless, and cold beyond all reason. These fail to describe his actions, however, which were purely clinical and all done in the name of Ilyivich.
Bjorn shook his head sadly at such backwards foremen as he, but generally stayed to the back of most issues, not making waves. This was to change one day.
Into the cafe Neptune's Bounty walked a man with a large red beard. He scanned the room and saw Bjorn sitting near a window, the salty breeze blowing in and out. The man made for Bjorn quickly.
"Roger, by God, you'll want t' hear this, I'm shore," sputtered the man with the beard.
Bjorn looked up at the bearded man. "Eric! By golly, sit down and have yourself a drink, I'll get another mug of vodka."
"At this hour in the marnin'? By god, y- now wait a minut', don't you go and distract me now!"
"Why I never, Eric my man."
"Jus' lissen closely. My sco'ts, they have reparts comin' in sayin' the long lost Rohmans 'ave been 'ere in Russia all along," said Eric in a low voice, bringing out a piece of parchment from his garment and showing it to Bjorn, "We've reason t' believe they arr in Region 7."
"Region 7... by the gods," breathed Bjorn.
"Ya, 'n those'r the same sco'ts that've tald us abo't all the atrocities bein' committed in thar," continued Eric, "It's no good, if'n you ask me. Thar's no way we'll get 'em out, secyarity's too tight and we'd never get a transfar approved, not with you on probation what with Ilyivich's new palicies 'n all."
"Well, there's no conventional way, to be sure," said Bjorn slowly, "But there's always a backup plan. There's always Neptune's bounty."
"Neptune's bo'n- what're you goin' on about..." Eric's eyes followed Bjorn's out the window, and suddenly a small smile appeared on his face.
"Yeah, I like that. That will work."
Stay tuned for Neptune's Bounty, part 2...
