Traveller Probo

Osborne always loved local food, especially for breakfast. Much to the Turkish proprietor’s delight, the ten men packed the cluttered pavement as they sat at the rickety tables outside the small cafe. There, the grey-haired Turk with the bushy moustache worked feverishly with his family to prepare copious quantities of food and drink. Tiny cups of mud-like Turkish coffee steamed, accompanied with the obligatory cube of Turkish delight, as platters of food packed the tables. Much to Professor Taylor’s obvious relief, tea was also served from an impossibly ornate pot into diminutive Turkish tea-glasses.

Following his morning run, Osborne spent the day playing tourist. Joined by old Traveller team mates Parker, McAlister and McFee, he visited the major Istanbul tourist attractions that had relevance to the project. It was inevitable but no matter how he tried but Osborne felt ever more envious as his companions’ excitement rose. He knew they would soon visit some of these fabulous monuments, not as piles of rubble but as part of a civilisation at its peak.

Professor Adrian Taylor nursed his tea as he watched the others excitedly. Having taken a more administrative role in previous Traveller projects, with the decision to be part of this Traveller team he looked like he could barely comprehend the consequences of his own initiatives.

Beside him sat a short, portly academic introduced as Professor Kemal Askar of the nearby Boğaziçi University. His luxuriant, grey moustache bristled in anticipation of the ground-breaking project, which was a project of enormous significance to Turkey.

Osborne met two fit young men who were obviously Turkish military. He suspected they were from Special Forces Command, Turkey’s own elite Maroon Berets. As he shook their hands, he smiled and then spoke in fluent Turkish, “Ah, wonderful to finally meet you brothers. You have been my minders at the hotel, yes?”

One of the young men’s eyes narrowed in brief annoyance, then both laughed in good humour. “Lieutenant Osborne, finally we meet. You are most admired here in Turkey. With your comrades from Saxon Traveller we welcome you and are honoured.” Right hands were placed on hearts and they gave a respectful bow.

Osborne returned the gesture and replied, “Your hospitality is most appreciated.”

The other British members of Saxon Traveller; Lieutenant Cameron McFee, Sergeant Chris Parker, Sergeant Andy Poxon, and Sergeant Ian McAlister were also there. Their faces were well known in the media, though thankfully their exposure had diminished over the past months. Their dramatised images still graced toys, t-shirts and even a Traveller video-game, so it was with little wonder that the café owner’s family were enthusiastic at their presence. As they ate and joked, Osborne immediately felt a fondness and reconnection with these old comrades.

The only other new team member at the table was a familiar face, an old friend from his Australian SAS Regiment. Sergeant Brian (Chuck) Norris was a veteran of numerous conflicts in the Middle East and was known for his indomitable spirit and wry sense of humour. Never one to mince words, Osborne knew that with Chuck as part of the team, the Turks would soon be inundated with plain, old fashioned Aussie swearing that was set to have their ears burn. His presence had Osborne frown in curiosity. As they shook hands they smiled together. “Ozzie! You old prick!” cried Chuck happily, “How’s ya bum for grubs mate? Haven’t seen your ugly mug for ages.”

“Yeah mate,” Osborne replied, “Had a few things to sort out.”

Chuck nodded slowly. “Yeah mate, so I hear. You look good though. It’s bloody good to see you.”

“So, what the hell are you doing here?” asked Osborne.

Chuck scratched his chin a moment and then shrugged. “Oh mate. You’ll know soon enough. I’ll be training this lot I think, you know, get them as fit as last time you blokes went way-back-when in England.”

Osborne struggled to hide his intense disappointment, for he had secretly hoped he would fill the role as team trainer. His presence might be to offer support for Chuck, for old-time’s sake. He had to take some consolation in that at least he was there.

When Professor Taylor welcomed everyone, Osborne noted that the academic kept mainly to his tea and dried fruits and looked to have lost some of his pot-belly. Despite Parker’s critical assessment, Professor Taylor looked in better health than when they had known him in England. He still doubted the wisdom of including the academic as a Traveller. How could he possibly keep up with the demands of the mission?

As breakfast progressed, Osborne noted a white van parked opposite. It had the look of an official vehicle and, though unmarked, almost certainly contained a surveillance detail. They were being carefully watched and guarded. When he rolled his eyes in the van’s direction, Chuck placed a finger to the side of his nose in confirmation. They soon settled with their post-breakfast glasses of apple tea as Professor Taylor stood to speak. “This location might be considered a little low-security, I know,” he exclaimed, “but we have been assured by our friends in the Turkish Government that we will be as safe here as in any other location. We decided on comfort and wonderful Turkish hospitality, so here we are!” He beamed, as did Professor Askar.

Chuck was soon introduced as the chief trainer, with one of the Turkish soldiers who had been watching Osborne, a man simply known as Baki, as his assistant. He waved as the men acknowledged him. He looked tough and capable, which was what this team would need if they were to avoid any of the violent injury experienced in the last Traveller mission.

Professor Taylor continued, “One significant issue we must stress is the importance of making sure our Travellers look to be either Byzantine Roman or of nations with which there was a close affiliation. This might include the Kievan Rus, more specifically the Vikings, who were allies of the Byzantine Empire and eventually became the elite Varangian Guard. These were the Emperor’s own guard and could be best described as the Special Forces of the time.”

Professor Taylor paused a moment and glanced to Professor Askar who nodded and replied in cultured English, “It’s okay Professor, we have our agreement on this, please proceed.”

The academic nodded, “Gentlemen, this mission differs in that the people with whom we are to assimilate were later conquered by the Muslim Ottoman invaders of the fifteenth century. The Byzantine Empire we’ll visit will be a Christian empire of Greek-speaking peoples who call themselves Romans or Romiosi. What is important to remember is these people look nothing like most of the people who now inhabit Turkey. The people of Byzantium, especially the traders, the ruling elite, and the military were essentially Caucasian and included red-heads and blondes, were pale skinned and to all intents and purposes differed from the stereotypical Turk of today. To make this issue more complex, the peoples of the Byzantine Empire were, in the world of the 11th Century, in a terrible conflict with the Bulgars, the inhabitants of modern Bulgaria to the north. Modern research suggests that the Bulgars were a racial blend of Turkic nomads and Slavs and these were devout enemies of Byzantium until they were finally destroyed as a military force by Emperor Basil II. The Turkic peoples, or as the Byzantines sometimes called them, the Scythians, were known to be short, dark-haired and, most importantly, had a more tanned complexion, as against the pale skin of the Greeks and Romans and their allies of Viking descent of the time.”

“To put this bluntly, we can’t have a team where half of the members are brown-skinned with today’s Mediterranean complexion, because they may look too similar to Bulgars. As you know, we aim to be essentially unnoticed as we journey into Byzantine Constantinople, blend into the population, and examine the culture for as long as we can before we safely leave. So, we regretfully advise that the racial mix must be predominantly light-haired and pale skinned which, though Turkish for many, differs from many of the citizens of modern Turkey.”

“Where does that leave me then professor?” asked Parker, with a frown. Having been omitted from the Saxon Traveller mission because of his darker, Mediterranean complexion, he was distressed to hear he might miss another mission to which he had been invited.

Professor Taylor promptly replied, “Sergeant Parker, I reaffirm my promise to you that you’ll be part of the Transported team for Byzantium Traveller. As an experienced Traveller, your skills are invaluable, so we can develop a story to cover your presence. Our issue is that the majority of the Turkish Special Forces fit into the racial mix that we can’t use.”

“But Professor, what does this mean to Turkish participation in our own project?” asked Baki. He looked hurt, rather than angry.

Professor Askar spoke up for the first time, “This has been a contentious issue that has caused us much concern. The government has not fully agreed with some of our decisions to date but on the issue of appearance we stand firm. Our team members need to be pale-skinned, which is on the Fitzpatrick Scale of one to three. We have to prepare should any of our Travellers be approached by a Byzantine patrol in the field. I concur that any stereotype of what is Turkish is utterly ridiculous, because you can’t limit a Turkish look to any racial belonging. Thankfully, we have a core of Turkish elite military personnel from whom we can select team members who meet up to our exacting selection criteria.” He paused a moment and then frowned, “This has been a most difficult item in our mission criteria, especially when it comes to the exclusion of some of our best and most promising soldiers but you must understand our rationale.”

Professor Taylor nodded and then resumed, “There’s one more issue we must address, and for this we have requested the presence of Lieutenant Tony Osborne. As you know Lieutenant Osborne was part of the original Saxon Traveller team and was badly injured in the Battle for Giolgrave. In fact, he was the most grievously injured of the Travellers, and only through sheer will has recovered sufficiently to be included into our team. However, we regret to advise that he can’t be included as a Traveller but suggest another important role.”

All eyes turned to Osborne as he sat and tried not to look hopeful. It took every effort to force his expression to be neutral.

“Lieutenant Osborne,” continued Taylor, “it is the desire of the academic and Traveller team members that you fill the role of Byzantium Traveller Project Manager. Remember this is essentially a civilian contract position but requires that you work within the military framework. Look at it as a rebranding exercise similar to the role Murdoch filled in the Saxon Traveller Project. You’ll be responsible to overseeing the project and making sure the needs of the team are met. All trainers and educators will answer to you and you’ll be expected to take a role in designing the best training schedule for each of the team, including me.” Professor Taylor paused a minute and looked at the stunned Osborne.

“This role will also include close liaison with the Turkish Government,” suggested Professor Askar. “I’ll be the most logical contact point.”

Osborne continued to sit silently.

Professor Taylor continued, as if fearful Osborne would object. “Lieutenant, this is a sensitive command position. But in the end you have to make sure each of our skills are razor-sharp. We’ll be thrown into a civilisation of which we confess we know far too little. As educators, we’ll do our best to teach each of you what we know but in the end it’s vital that we have the skills to find out all we can, return the data we hope to access, and make the mission a success through our safe return.”

He paused, uncharacteristically lost for words.

Osborne simply nodded and exclaimed quietly, “You bastards! You knew of this and thought you’d let me stew,” as he turned to look at his old comrades. Chuck exploded into laughter and pounded his shoulders in congratulation.

Professor Taylor continued, “I apologise about this all-too-public appointment but your ex-Saxon Traveller comrades suggested this process would suit best. They were the ones who interviewed you, by the way.”

Even as the men welcomed him on board, Osborne began to run through a mental checklist as to how he would implement training for the Byzantium Traveller team that would differ to Saxon Traveller. Finally, no longer jobless, Osborne felt as if his heart would burst with relief. Despite his injuries, he would be an integral part of this most exciting mission.

Now, he had a job he could finally sink his teeth into.