Read Online 3. A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jodi Taylor
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our objective – the city of Troy and its surrounding areas. Situated on the coast of north-west Turkey and flanked by the two rivers Simoeis and Scamander, Troy’s position on the major east/west trade routes and guarding the entrance to the Black Sea has ensured it has become the most important and richest city in this part of the world. Troy has accumulated massive wealth by collecting tributes and tolls and generally skimming everyone’s profits.
‘The ruling family is headed by King Priam. He has a large family, mostly sons, nineteen of whom are legitimate. His official wife is Queen Hecuba and the most notable of their offspring are Hector, Paris, Deiphobos, Helenus, and Kassandra. Hector is Priam’s heir, favourite son and hero of Troy. His wife is Andromache and their infant son is known as Astyanax, Lord of the City. So that’s Team Troy.
‘Shortly to be ranged against them – Agamemnon, high king of Mycenae, leader of the Greeks. His brother is Menelaus, king of Sparta and husband of the supposed cause of all the trouble, Helen. Then there’s a whole host of followers to be identified – that cunning bugger Odysseus, Big and Little Ajax, the tedious Nestor – and Achilles, of course. Forget the tall, blond hero – he’s a cross-dressing psychopath. Achilles is the first warrior to wage total war. Not the traditional, familiar, ritualistic fighting of the time, but all-out-slaughter-everything-in-sight-in-a-berserker-rage war. Not that anyone ever complains – either because they’re happy to be on the winning side, or because they’re too dead.
‘I shall refer to the attacking force as Greeks, even though this is long before Greece actually existed as such. Homer gives them many names – you’ll find them referred to as Hellenes (nothing to do with Helen) or Achaeans or Argives. The Trojan forces also consist of Thracians, Phrygians, Lydians, Carians, Lycians, and many more. For simplicity, we will be calling them Greeks and Trojans.
‘Any questions so far?
Nope.
‘Right. This is the last great Bronze Age struggle. A struggle between east and west. But, whatever the cause – and we’ll be identifying that – Troy will fall. And we’ll be there to see it.
‘There will be two parts to the assignment. The first part is pre-war. The city of Troy existed for a good long time before the war and for a good long time afterwards. So the first visit is the control visit. We will familiarise ourselves with the city – getting to know it well will enable us to evaluate the impact of the war. That done, we return ten years later, to witness the end of the Trojan War.
‘The Pathfinders will establish the dates. Dr Peterson will oversee this part of the mission. We’ll be looking at the period between 1250 and 1180 BC. All co-ordinates will be worked out by the IT section and laid in by Chief Farrell. Once we have the dates sorted, we’ll make a quick pre-visit to select locations for the pods. That team will consist of me, Chief Farrell, and Major Guthrie. We may be there overnight while we suss things out, but it’s unlikely.
‘There will be two sites, designated, with startling originality, A and B. Site A is to be inside or as near to the upper citadel as is deemed practical and Site B will be in the lower town. Miss Van Owen will supervise Site A and Miss Schiller will supervise Site B.
‘The Rule of Threes, people. Three pods on each site containing three people who will each spend three weeks on site before returning for one week’s R & R. There will be no more than nine people on any one site, of whom at least three will be security.
‘Pods Four, Six, and Seven will be located at Site A and Three, Five and Eight at Site B. One and Two will operate as shuttles, ferrying people and supplies under cover of darkness. Our transport pod, TB2, will not be used on this assignment.
‘Our second visit will enable us to record the end of the war and assess the impact
‘The ruling family is headed by King Priam. He has a large family, mostly sons, nineteen of whom are legitimate. His official wife is Queen Hecuba and the most notable of their offspring are Hector, Paris, Deiphobos, Helenus, and Kassandra. Hector is Priam’s heir, favourite son and hero of Troy. His wife is Andromache and their infant son is known as Astyanax, Lord of the City. So that’s Team Troy.
‘Shortly to be ranged against them – Agamemnon, high king of Mycenae, leader of the Greeks. His brother is Menelaus, king of Sparta and husband of the supposed cause of all the trouble, Helen. Then there’s a whole host of followers to be identified – that cunning bugger Odysseus, Big and Little Ajax, the tedious Nestor – and Achilles, of course. Forget the tall, blond hero – he’s a cross-dressing psychopath. Achilles is the first warrior to wage total war. Not the traditional, familiar, ritualistic fighting of the time, but all-out-slaughter-everything-in-sight-in-a-berserker-rage war. Not that anyone ever complains – either because they’re happy to be on the winning side, or because they’re too dead.
‘I shall refer to the attacking force as Greeks, even though this is long before Greece actually existed as such. Homer gives them many names – you’ll find them referred to as Hellenes (nothing to do with Helen) or Achaeans or Argives. The Trojan forces also consist of Thracians, Phrygians, Lydians, Carians, Lycians, and many more. For simplicity, we will be calling them Greeks and Trojans.
‘Any questions so far?
Nope.
‘Right. This is the last great Bronze Age struggle. A struggle between east and west. But, whatever the cause – and we’ll be identifying that – Troy will fall. And we’ll be there to see it.
‘There will be two parts to the assignment. The first part is pre-war. The city of Troy existed for a good long time before the war and for a good long time afterwards. So the first visit is the control visit. We will familiarise ourselves with the city – getting to know it well will enable us to evaluate the impact of the war. That done, we return ten years later, to witness the end of the Trojan War.
‘The Pathfinders will establish the dates. Dr Peterson will oversee this part of the mission. We’ll be looking at the period between 1250 and 1180 BC. All co-ordinates will be worked out by the IT section and laid in by Chief Farrell. Once we have the dates sorted, we’ll make a quick pre-visit to select locations for the pods. That team will consist of me, Chief Farrell, and Major Guthrie. We may be there overnight while we suss things out, but it’s unlikely.
‘There will be two sites, designated, with startling originality, A and B. Site A is to be inside or as near to the upper citadel as is deemed practical and Site B will be in the lower town. Miss Van Owen will supervise Site A and Miss Schiller will supervise Site B.
‘The Rule of Threes, people. Three pods on each site containing three people who will each spend three weeks on site before returning for one week’s R & R. There will be no more than nine people on any one site, of whom at least three will be security.
‘Pods Four, Six, and Seven will be located at Site A and Three, Five and Eight at Site B. One and Two will operate as shuttles, ferrying people and supplies under cover of darkness. Our transport pod, TB2, will not be used on this assignment.
‘Our second visit will enable us to record the end of the war and assess the impact
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