Voyagers! of the Golden Age
by Chris Canniff, ©July, 2002
Two Voyagers, Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey
Jones, dropped from the sky. "Why'd you omni us out?" Jeffrey asked, getting
up from the street.
"It was a green light," Phineas said, dusting himself off.
"Still, it was the first Olympics, how many times…"
"We'd seen enough…"
"Bogg, look!" There were soldiers everywhere. They tried to run for cover
but it was too late. They were surrounded.
"Les mains, les mains!" the soldiers shouted.
"What was that?" asked Bogg.
"It was French," said Jeff.
"I know that," said Bogg, sneering. "What did they say?"
"I took some French in school," said Jeffrey. "Sounded like they wanted our
hands up, you know, regular soldier stuff. Where are we, anyway? With these
cobblestone streets, it looks like we're somewhere in Europe."
They both had their arms in the air. "Vienna, Austria, 1816. Red light.
Any ideas?" he asked, his omni raised with his arms in the air. The two voyagers
were being marched down the street. The streets were barren and all of the
shutters were closed. They saw no one else besides the soldiers. It was no
wonder they were apprehended so quickly.
"The Treaty of Vienna was signed, I think last year, between France and Austria,"
said Jeff.
"Yeah, so? What are all these soldiers doing here then? And why are they
speaking French?" said Bogg.
"Vit, vit!" said the soldiers.
"They want us to hurry," said Jeff. "They could be keeping the peace but
something's not right. There's too many of them."
"Well, what is it? You're the history book in pants," said Bogg
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking."
"So," said Bogg, beginning a dialogue with one of his captors. "You guys
caught a lot of people today?"
"No, just you!" the soldiers said, laughing. Bogg laughed along with them.
"Just us," Bogg said to himself.
"I thought the Treaty of Vienna was signed last year," said Jeff to the soldiers.
"Treaty, there was no treaty," one of the soldiers said.
"What about Napoleon Bonaparte's exile? What about the Russian resistance?"
asked Jeff.
"What? Napoleon the First wasn't exiled, he's still in power. And we found
no resistance in Russia," the same soldier said. The soldiers laughed again.
"Bogg, this is all messed up," he said.
"We lock them up now, as British spies, asking all these questions," said
the commander, "and interrogate them later."
~*~
The two voyagers were thrown into a prison cell below ground. The commander
insisted that no soldier talk to them until they reached their cell.
"Hey, can anyone hear us?" shouted Bogg after they were locked in their cell
and the soldiers had departed.
"Hello?" he heard a voice say.
"Hey, I'm Phineas Bogg."
"And I'm Jeffrey Jones."
"I'm Ninel, Ninel Bolescu," the voice said.
"We're just trying to find out what happened. I thought there was supposed
to be peace here," said Jeffrey.
"Not here, not anywhere in Western Europe. Not with Napoleon in power," said
Ninel.
"But Louis the Eighteenth is supposed to be King of France. And Napoleon
the First was supposed to be defeated at Waterloo," said Jeffrey.
"You're wrong, son, Napoleon's still in power," said Ninel.
"Is it Louis the Eighteenth, kid? Maybe we have to help him…" Bogg asked
Jeff.
Jeff interrupted. "Not sure yet," he said to Bogg.
"What about Russia?" Jeff asked Ninel. "They were supposed to total the French,
outside of Moscow."
"France is occupying Russia. They're using it as a base to attack Finland,
and they're spreading east."
"What about Catherine the Great?"
"I've never heard of a Catherine the Great. After Peter the Great, Peter
the Second was in power but he was given the guillotine, just last year."
"That's it, Bogg!" said Jeffrey.
"What's it?" asked Bogg.
"Catherine the Great was a German Princess who married Peter, the Russian
grand duke. He became tsar Peter the Third in 1762 and she plotted a coup
against him, six months after he became tsar. It led to the Golden Age of
the Russian Empire. She must have kept France from invading Russia. That's
what's wrong."
Bogg removed the omni from his belt.
"I think it was 1742, when they were supposed to marry," said Jeffrey.
"Thanks!" said Bogg to Ninel.
"Ya, thanks, bye!" said Jeff to Ninel.
"Where are you going?" said Ninel.
Bogg set the dials of his brass time machine and Jeffrey grabbed his arm.
They disappeared from sight.
"Take me with you! Hello?" said Ninel to the empty cell.
~*~
An explosion sent the voyagers reeling through the cosmos. They dropped from
the sky, landing through a hole in a large tent, which looked like a classroom
with slate desks resting on a dirt floor.
"This doesn't look like a Russian classroom, and not in 1742," said Jeffrey
as they rose from the floor.
"Must've…" said Bogg.
"I know, stuck in automatic," said Jeff.
"Lu province, China, 479 BC," said Bogg, looking at his time machine. "Red
light."
"Confucius!" said Jeff. "I think he died in 479 BC."
"Maybe he's still alive and that's what's wrong," said Bogg.
"I wouldn't bet on it," said Jeff. He looked around and found a book buried
under piles of dirt. It was titled The Analects of Confucius. Inside
the front cover was written the date, 479 BC.
"Look at this, Bogg!"
Bogg opened the book and read out of it. "Study the past, if you would divine
the future." He smiled. "I like that," he said.
"That book influenced over 2000 years of Chinese history. Confucianism, it
was called. It was published after his death." said Jeffrey. "You think we
have to help it get published?"
"Could be," said Bogg. "Let's get out of this tent." Bogg had to stoop beneath
its roof, the tent entrance was so low.
They immediately saw a young woman running. She was being chased by several
men in traditional Chinese army gear of the day, all with spears, shouting
at her to stop.
"Come on, kid," said Bogg, running after her. "Come on, this way," he said
to the woman, grabbing her hand.
They ran past a wall and encountered more soldiers. Bogg bowled them over
and Jeffrey jumped atop another. The woman kept running. The voyagers ran
after her, Bogg grabbing a spear and keeping soldiers at bay with it for
a moment before taking off after her.
They ran through a large field and were walking towards a small knee-high
brick wall in the distance.
"I am most grateful to you," she said, realizing she had evaded capture.
They had slowed to a walking pace through the field. "My name is Kim," she
said. "I am a disciple of Confucius."
"I'm Bogg, this here is Jeff."
"What were those guys after you for?" asked Jeff.
"They claim I destroyed my master's work. It is a crime punishable by death."
"Is this what they're looking for?" asked Jeff, showing her the book.
"Where did you get that?" she asked. "It must be delivered to Mao Chi
immediately. Only he knows what will be done with the great book. And only
then will I know freedom."
"Where is this Mao?" asked Jeff.
"He lives on the opposite side of the province," said Kim.
"Great," said Bogg to Jeff.
They continued walking until they approached the knee-high wall. They all
started to climb over it.
"There they are!" said a soldier, appearing from nowhere. The voyagers helped
Kim over the wall and then distracted the guards. None of the guards pursued
Kim, as Bogg again kept them at bay with his spear before running away from
them.
"Kid, we'll meet over there!" said Bogg, indicating a small rocky protrusion
in the distance.
"See you there!" shouted Jeff, running away, Bogg taking his lead.
~*~
The voyagers met at the protrusion fifteen minutes later. They realized they
were standing atop a cliff.
"Great meeting place, Bogg," said Jeff, looking at the cliff bottom.
"It's not the Taj Majal but let's get out of here. All we have to do is get
that book to Mao, and…"
"Halt!" the voyagers heard. They were cornered by a dozen soldiers that had
followed them.
"No way out, Bogg," said Jeff. "So hit it, hit the omni."
Bogg, dazed for a second, removed the time machine from his belt, a bell
indicating there was still a red light blinking. Bogg set the omni quickly
and they disappeared. The guards could not believe their eyes. "Spirits!"
they shouted. "Phantom soldiers!"
An explosion again sent them reeling through the cosmos. The voyagers landed
in a fountain.
"Can't you control that thing?" asked Jeff, soaked, referring to Bogg's omni.
"I could field strip it, if I had my guidebook."
"I think it's time for its twelve million mile tune-up."
"Its twelve million mile what?"
"Never mind. Where are we?"
"Hold on a second…" Bogg opened the omni. "Russia, 1742. Outside of
Leningrad. On target, this time. Red light."
"In another two hundred years, this place is going to be ransacked by Germans,
everything looted. It's too bad we can't save some artifacts," said Jeff.
"Can't change history, kid."
"Then what are we doing here, Bogg?"
"Ha, ha."
"Got ya, Bogg," Jeffrey said.
They approached the steps of a great palace, huge golden atlases acting as
pillars to support the structure.
"Nyet," said a guard, shaking a finger at the voyagers as they approached
the doors. The two guards stood in front of them.
"Easy, guys. We're just here to see Peter, the Grand duke," said Bogg.
"No one is allowed to see him. He has the measles. He is in quarantine,"
one of the guards replied.
"Can we come back later?" asked Jeff.
"Nyet. Don't come back," said a guard.
"Bogg, we need a plan," Jeff said to Phineas as they started to walk away.
"And fast. These guys won't let us talk to anyone in there."
"Let me handle this," said Bogg, turning back to talk to the guards. "Look
guys, we're just looking for some dry clothes. The kid here and I, we were
just passing through, and…"
"What is all the commotion here?" asked an elderly woman wearing a white
frock. "Who are they?" she asked the guards.
"They want to see the duke," said one of the guards.
"Let's get them into some dry clothes and then we can see about their business
with the duke," she said.
"All right!" said Jeff as they were escorted past the guards and into the
hall with marble floors and elegantly carved staircases, a huge chandelier
overhead. "Thanks, guys," Bogg said to the guards as they entered the hall.
"Are you a doctor?" she asked Bogg.
"Not quite," said Jeffrey.
~*~
Clothed appropriately for the period and dry nonetheless, the voyagers exited
their changing room. The woman they had met earlier was standing outside
in the hall, waiting for them.
"Dinner is being served downstairs. Princess Sophia has invited the two of
you to join her, to see to this business of yours," she said, escorting them
down the main staircase, through a large hall and into the ballroom. Elegant
gold leaf covered several mirrors mounted throughout the room, candles lit
atop each one. Several people sat at an oval table, a pheasant adorning its
center, exotic fruits and pungent cheeses, and cognac at every setting. "May
I present," the woman said. "Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey Jones."
"Welcome, Phineas, Jeffrey, I am Princess Sophia," the princess said to the
voyagers. "Please, take your seats." There were at least twelve others at
the table. Bogg and Jeff did as they were instructed.
"So, Phineas and Jeffrey, those are strange names. And what brings you to
see Peter?" the princess asked.
"It can wait, n'est pas, your grace?" asked one of the guests, a young man
in an exquisite suit.
"Mais oui," the princess said. "Now, we shall eat. And after, we shall discuss
why you need to talk with Peter."
Bogg and Jeff at a luxurious meal. Jeff commented to Bogg that it was the
best meal he had ever eaten, with the exception of the red and black caviar.
"Yuck, fish eggs!" was his comment to Bogg during the dinner. Several guests
sneered, seemingly offended at this. The young man in exquisite attire scowled
at Bogg's refusal of vodka or after-dinner brandy, imported from France.
"Sorry, I don't drink," was Bogg's comment.
"And, may I ask your place of origin?" the woman who identified herself as
Princess Sophie Augusta Fredericks of Anhalt-Zerbst, asked the voyagers after
dinner.
"We sort of…travel all over," Bogg said.
"That's not what I asked," she said. "What sorts of places have you seen?
It seems as though a boy as young as your traveling companion would not be
comfortable living in various countries, traveling all over as you say."
"I enjoy traveling, ma'am," said Jeffrey.
"I'm sure you do. But, you must admit, there are certain amenities that can
only be afforded to one that has a stable foundation from which to learn.
The arts, in particular. Literature, the works of Plato and Voltaire, opera
and the ballet, and the works of the Renaissance. Why, it is the very foundation
of our society. You cannot deprive your son of that."
"He's not my father," said Jeffrey, unfretted.
"I'm more of a guardian," said Bogg.
"And, where are your parents?" she asked.
Jeffrey could not respond. "They passed on," said Bogg. "But the kid and
me, we do okay." He paused. "We've been meaning to ask you. Do you know a
lady, by the name of Catherine?"
"My mother, seated at your side, Mr. Bogg, is named Catherine," the princess
said.
"Catherine the Great?" asked Jeffrey.
The princess and her mother laughed. "I'm sorry, Jeffrey. I think you have
just flattered my mother without reason."
"Huh?" said Bogg.
"Princess Sophie Augusta Fredericks, the German Princess," said Jeffrey quietly
to Bogg. "I knew I heard that somewhere before. She's Catherine the Great!"
"Her name's not even Catherine," said Bogg.
"She chose the name, after her mother, when Peter was overthrown," said Jeffrey.
"In our country of mother Russia," said the princess, referring to Jeffrey
and Bogg's private conversation. "That is considered rude."
"Sorry, your grace," said Jeffrey. "We didn't know."
"So all we have to do, is to convince Catherine to marry Peter. Shouldn't
be that hard. If only we could talk to Peter," said Bogg later to Jeffrey,
when they were alone in the hallway.
"Why can't we?" asked Jeff.
"The measles weren't exactly going around back in my pirate days and the
only thing I know about it is you can't get it twice," said Bogg.
"I had it when I was ten," Jeff said, smiling.
"Okay, you talk to Peter. I'll talk to the princess."
"Remember, Bogg. No romance when the omni's red. The voyager code."
"There's no code…"
"Like I said before, there ought to be," said Jeff.
~*~
Jeff walked up to Peter's bedroom.
"No one is allowed to see the duke," said a guard, dressed the same as the
ones they had encountered on their way into the palace. The guard stood blocking
the door.
"How many of these guys are there?" Jeff asked himself. "I just need to see
him for a minute," he said to the guard.
"No one is allowed…"
"Sounds like a broken record," Jeff muttered to himself.
"What?"
"Nothing. The princess said I could see the duke," Jeff said, trying again
as all good voyagers would.
"I received no such orders."
"All right, but I'll be back and she won't be happy…" he said, starting
to walk away.
"Two minutes," the guard snapped, opening the door. Jeffrey smiled and went
in.
~*~
"So, you're betrothed but you don't want to go through with it?" Bogg asked
the princess as they walked through the royal gardens.
"He has so many problems," the princess replied.
"What's wrong with him?"
"He has many illnesses. He is physically and emotionally retarded. He was
raised without a mother and his father never saw him. He has never known
any type of love in his life."
"Maybe that's what he needs."
"Mr. Bogg, I don't understand why Jeffrey is not in school. He should be
properly educated. That should come first in his life."
"He's a smart kid, I know…"
"You're depriving him of the finer things. If you were to stop this traveling
and settle here, I could talk to Peter. He may allow Jeffrey to study with
some of the other children at a school not far from here."
"But we have a job, a very important job, we have to do. I need the kid."
"At his age, you must focus on what Jeffrey needs," said the princess.
~*~
The room was enveloped in darkness. The duke was sleeping.
"Duke Peter?" said Jeffrey.
"Who's there? Identify yourself at once!" a voice rang out.
"Jeffrey Jones, a friend of the princess."
"Where is she? Why did she not accompany you?" the duke asked.
"She's out for a walk, sir. I'm here to talk to you about her."
"We are betrothed, to be married. She has just postponed the wedding once
again. I am afraid my illnesses may be too much for her to bear."
Jeffrey's eyes were adjusting to the light and he could now see. The duke
invited him to sit down, first telling Jeffrey he had the measles. Jeff sat
on a chair across the room from the duke.
"If she loves you, she'll see past it," said Jeffrey.
"I'm showing the symptoms of small pox," said the duke. Jeffrey didn't ever
recall having small pox and moved further away from the duke.
"She was telling me how much she was looking forward to the wedding," said
Jeffrey.
"The princess?"
"Yes, she said she made a big mistake postponing it. She wanted me to let
you know that everything was okay."
"O-K?"
"That the wedding is on." Said Jeff.
"Thank you, son, thank you!" the duke shouted. "I shall be married to my
princess!"
"Now it's up to you, Bogg," said Jeffrey under his breath, exiting the room
and telling the duke to sleep well.
~*~
"And what is this golden ornament you wear?" asked the princess. Bogg and
the princess were seated at a bench in the royal garden. She was referring
to the omni.
"It's a decoration, for my belt," said Bogg.
"I've never seen such a decoration. I have a fondness for gold. May I see
it?"
"Yes," he said, handing her the omni. "Please be careful with it, it's very
fragile."
She opened the omni and it was flashing red. Her eyes widened.
"What sort of magic is this?" she asked.
"It tells the date," said Bogg. "It's a calendar."
"Unlike any I've ever seen. May I have it?"
"Sorry, princess, I can't…"
"You would refuse a princess?"
"I need it, it's very important that I have it back."
"I'll keep it for now. My mother must see it."
"But, princess…"
"You cannot refuse my demands."
"Then you can't refuse mine. You have to go through with the wedding."
"He's feeble and weak. I need a strong man, one that can rule by my side."
"He's going to be the leader of all Russia."
"Which is the only reason I ever considered marrying him."
"And why you have to marry him," said Bogg.
~*~
Bogg and Jeffrey met in a hallway to discuss their efforts.
"I convinced Peter that the princess wants to marry him," said Jeffrey. "Any
luck with the princess?"
"I convinced her to talk to Peter but I had to give her the omni," said Bogg.
"You what?"
"Relax, it's only temporary. She wants to show it to her mother."
"As long as we can get it back. We've never had to lend out the omni so we
could complete a mission before."
"Hopefully we'll never have to again." Said Bogg.
~*~
"They're King Frederick's spies," said the princess to her mother. They were
outside a jail cell, the voyagers behind bars.
"We don't even know this King Frederick," said Bogg.
"Twice in one day, accused of being spies, Bogg," said Jeff to Phineas. "We've
got to be doing something wrong."
"They're trying to marry me off to the duke," said the princess to her mother.
"But you're betrothed!" said Jeffrey.
"Perhaps you should reconsider," said the princess's mother.
"Never!" said the princess, storming out of the cell.
The situation looked bleak for the voyager mission. Bogg and Jeff looked
at each other wearily.
The princess's mother handed them something through the bars. "I believe
this is yours. Quite an impressive device. My daughter wanted to keep it
but I insisted we should return it," she said.
Bogg opened his hands to see the omni.
"Thanks!" said Jeffrey.
~*~
The voyagers dropped in, beside the royal garden, nowhere near the fountain.
"We should only use it as a last resort," said Bogg.
"Believe me, we weren't getting out of there anytime soon," said Jeffrey.
"Let's go talk to the princess's mother."
The guards brought them in to see the princess's mother.
"Away," she said to the guards, who immediately left the room.
"She has to marry the duke!" said Jeffrey to Catherine, the Princess's mother.
"She won't," said Catherine, "until he stops drinking. He's only making his
condition worse. The princess won't stand for it."
"May I present Mr. Pushkin," said one of the guards to Catherine.
"Show him in," said Catherine. A man in an elegant suit entered the room.
"Alexander Pushkin?" said Jeff.
"Yes and who might you be?" Alexander asked.
"Jeffrey, this is Phineas. Very pleased to meet you, sir." Jeff took Bogg
aside for a moment. "Bogg, this is Russia's national poet, considered to
be one of the greatest Russians to ever live. He was killed in a duel, something
about his wife."
"And what is the condition of the duke?" Alexander asked Catherine.
"Not well and he's drinking again," Catherine said.
Bogg asked Pushkin about the marriage. "They absolutely must marry!" said
Pushkin. "But I don't know how! The bronze horseman watching over our city,
he must see to it!"
"I'm afraid no one can convince my Sophia once she's decided something,"
said Catherine.
"But she's going to lead the Golden Age of the Russian Empire and she can't
while…" said Jeffrey.
"My, what a fanciful imagination you have, for such a young man!" interrupted
Pushkin.
Princess Sophia, later to become known as Catherine the Great, entered. "And,
how did you escape my cell?" she asked Phineas and Jeff.
"I let them go," said her mother, covering for them.
"The duke has stopped drinking," said Jeff. "I just talked to him."
"I don't believe it," said the princess.
"Why don't we ask him ourselves?" said Bogg. "Hope this works, kid," he said
to Jeff.
"Piece of cake," said Jeff. "I hope. I already talked to him."
~*~
The room was dark as Bogg, Jeff, Princess Sophia, Catherine and Pushkin stood
outside the doorway. They would not enter, wishing to maintain their distance.
"Who's there?" a voice rang out. It was Peter.
"It's me, your betrothed." Said the princess.
"Sophia?"
"It is I."
"I love you, my darling."
"And what of you? How does your disease progress?"
"Well, darling. The doctors say I shall recover provided I cease drinking
vodka."
"And, will you?"
"I already have, my darling. I would do anything for you."
"So, the wedding's back on?" asked Jeff later, outside the duke's room.
"For now," said Princess Sophia. "As long as he doesn't start drinking again."
Bogg opened the omni. "Great work, kid," Bogg said to Jeffrey, showing him
the green light. "We'll just have to omni forward and make sure everything
works, that they get married like they're supposed to."
"Your device is lit green, now," said Princess Sophia.
"Yes, your grace, it's the afternoon," said Bogg.
They bid her adieu, and, after the princess departed, they leapt forward
via the omni.
~*~
"August 21, 1745. Green light," said Bogg outside a church shrouded in mosaics,
with golden onion domes. "I guess the wedding today is a success, huh?"
"Not exactly," said Jeff. "She leads a coup against him and kills him to
take power."
"Too bad we couldn't save him. Or Pushkin. They're two of history's martyrs."
"You said it, Bogg."
"Now, we're off to China," said Bogg, taking out his omni.
"Got the book right here," said Jeff.
Bogg set the device and the two of them disappeared. They landed in an open
field. A lone man sat in the field beside them, cross-legged and did not
see them land.
"What's wrong with him?" said Bogg.
"I think he's meditating," said Jeffrey.
"Give him the book, we'll see what happens."
Jeffrey set the book, The Analects of Confucius, on Mao Chi's lap.
Phineas checked the omni. "Green light, kid, we did it!"
"He must be the one to get it published," said Jeffrey.
"Off to our next assignment," said Bogg, "but first, I think we both deserve
a vacation." He was setting the dials on his brass time machine.
"Not after the last one, with all those Hawaiian warriors giving you dirty
looks."
"No, somewhere else. Somewhere special. It's a surprise," said Bogg. He was
taking Jeffrey on a relaxing vacation, to see his grandparents.
The two voyagers disappeared. The Chinese man, seeing their disappearance,
ran to his master with the book. "Two spirits gave me this book," he said.
The rest was history.