Time on My Hands
Chapter 63: 415-430 CE: Chaos Games

The Operation Harmony preparations included the Corvo Christian Church and Corvo University preparing thousands of priests, scholars and educators. They would be the primary contact people for newly acquired populations. Utilizing the Corvoian alphabet, based upon the Greek and Latin alphabets, they would record the local language while establishing a lexicon. From this they could teach the locals to read and write. They would record their legends, faith, beliefs and deities. Clan Corvo Christianity would be presented as the standard faith of the Clan Corvo. The members of the Clan Corvo would provide living examples of the morality and honesty that hopefully would encourage the conquered to adapt Corvo Christianity. The priests of the conquered would be sent to Corvus University to educate them on Corvo Christianity and it’s antecedent, Judaism plus any other faiths as the info came into Corvo Christianity. The recorded info would be sent back to Corvus University where the historians and theologians would eke out their wisdom and theology. One thing that would not be done is to force those conquered to accept Corvo Christianity. The conquered would be allowed to continue practicing their faith with the exception of human sacrifice.

Corvus University also prepared Clan Corvo administrators and teachers to establish civil administration and teach the laws and codes of conduct of the Clan Corvo. Thousands of engineers, master masons and master carpenters were to be readied as well as civilians to assist in all areas. They would evaluate and record local building practices, farming techniques and medicine and blend them into Clan Corvo techniques while re-educate the locals as well as learning from them. They would also share the local knowledge with the wider Clan. One of the most critical areas would be people trained for population transplantations to escort and resettle those to be moved, usually the elite 5%, to be known as the Corvo Assimilators. All these people would follow behind the Raven Raider armies to begin the assimilation of the conquered peoples.

When the fighting was over and peace enforced by the Clan Corvo, all conquered peoples would initially be required to disarm. However, as new members of the Clan Corvo, they were automatically drafted into the Clan Corvo Militia. Everyone age 13 and older, both male and female, would attend a 2 month boot camp followed by 2 days per month continuing training. The training schedule would be alternating so businesses, farms & families were not unattended. The militia trained in hand to hand, archery, sling, sword, spear, and javelin use. Once trained they could keep approved weapons. Failure to participate in the militia would be punished by enslavement. The militia training would force the new peoples to interact with the Clan Corvo, learning the basic language and morality of the Clan Corvo as well as getting them accustomed to working as a team and taking orders. The Clan Corvo would be the only source providing a sense of stability, belonging and help. The lack of oppressive wealthy landowners, selfish nobility and arrogant religious leaders would free people to benefit from their own work. The Clan Corvo Militia cemented that comradery. The vast majority of displaced, disconnected and conquered peoples would easily slip into the Clan Corvo.

The Raven Raiders trained the militia. The youth who excelled in the training would be offered the chance to train as Raven Raiders. The Raven Raiders would teach the recruits further discipline instilling an unshakeable esprit de corps while assimilating them into the Clan Corvo. The since the period of assimilation would be 25-35 years, these recruits of the Raven Raiders would grow into adulthood under the Clan Corvo. No one who was older than 10 at that time of conquest could join the Raven Raiders. In addition, no more than 2 people from an assimilated tribe, clan or group could serve in the same squad. Those of the newly incorporated peoples who spoke the languages of their unassimilated neighbors were used to teach the Raven Raiders the languages of those they were about to encounter so generous offers of surrender could be made and the futility of resistence explained.

While primary families would be allowed to stay together, none of the societal elite would be allowed to remain where they lived. The elite would be relocated but not relocated together, thus breaking up and disrupting national, regional, clan and tribal loyalties and dependancy. The often haughty wealthy and upper classes would be stripped of their wealth and possessions, relocated and placed into unskilled manual labor. Once their arrogant spirits were broken, they would be allowed to move into skilled labor positions.

Fiach also realized the minimal and mostly informal government that currently that kept the Clan Corvo running smoothly could not accommodate the massive expansion. Thus she put a great deal of time an effort into devising a plan for governing the Clan Corvo. The planned Government would consist of 6 levels; with local, county, state, region, continental and world. She was adamant that the SOLE purpose of government was for the benefit of all the people. Those who oversaw government would do so to serve the needs of the people. Government was NEVER to be for the benefit of those running the government. Just as in Corvo Christianity, laws would be enforced according to the spirit of the law, not the letter. All laws were to be simple and easily understood with no double talk and hidden meanings.

The wages paid to government workers and executives would be more than adequate to support themselves and their families. In addition, anyone in the government who used the government for their own benefit would be committing treason. Accepting ‘gifts' of any kind or asking for a bribe was treason. Offering a bribe or ‘gift' was treason. Punishment for treason was harsh and swift: confiscation of all property and enslavement for a minimum of 5 years.

Government was to be minimal consisting of legislative, judicial and executive branches. All those who served in the government did so in triumvirates. Terms were for 3 years with a limit of 2 terms. In each triumvirate, 1 person completed their term each year. This insured a steady turnover while preventing the development of a good old boy hierarchy hopefully avoiding the need to drain the swamp of entrenched bureaucracy. This also insured the triumvirates remained in touch with the common people while preventing governmental workers from establishing an elitist mindset.

This raised another issue. So far most of the Clan Corvo worked on a barter system. Roman coins were used when a currency was needed. The barter system could continue for local needs, but a system of currency would be needed to pay workers and government employees as well as allow commerce to flourish. To avoid inflation and deflation, wages and market prices would be tightly controlled, designed to give everyone wages and buying power of the middle class. Everyone would have the chance and ability to make a middle class living.

The triple demons of humanity would have to be addressed: gambling, alcohol and mind/mood altering drugs. They were part of human nature and could never be excised. That meant there would be some people who would cross the line of acceptable behavior. Those who crossed the line would not necessarily be bad people, they an illness and needed help. It would be important not to condemn such actions but to treat them like any other illness. The worst thing to do would be to treat the person like a societal leper. The Corvo Christian priests, physicians, and nurses would all receive training in dealing with these illnesses. To do this, as part of their education and reeducation, all priests would receive advanced medical training. All physicians and nurses would receive theological training. The 3 occupations were entwined siblings since faith and health issues were intertwined.

Corvo Christianity would handle social welfare, taking care of those who, for whatever reason, could not take care of themselves, either temporarily or life long. The crippled, the elderly, the intellectually challenged, the ill, the injured, all would be assured of a comfortable living situation. This would eliminate the poor and societal outcasts.

Another consideration was that Corvoian would become the language of the world since all trade, business, education, religion and government would be conducted in Corvoian. Corvus Scriptorium would only publish new works in Corvoian. The myriad other languages that had developed throughout human history would be rendered obsolete and archaic by Operation Harmony. Yet while those languages were fading into history, they would also be preserved via thorough certification. Each of the numerous native languages would be meticulously documented along with their legends, history and faiths. Then those legends and histories would be translated into Corvoian. For each language a thorough dictionary would be created with a corresponding thesaurus and a pronunciation guide. Of course that meant the construction of a comprehensive universal pronunciation guide for consonants, vowels, dipthongs and other sounds.

After each 2-3 year warfare stage of the Operation Harmony process was completed, the assimilation stage would last 25-35 years; the Raven Raiders who had fought would age out of the active fighting force. While aging out they would transition from super efficient warriors to super efficient engineers and other skilled workers while still providing security. They would retain their military prowess and discipline acting as a Clan Corvo wide police force as well as emergency response teams during natural disasters. As engineers they would take over infrastructure building and maintenance as well as sanitationsuch as the Rat Patrol. Paved roads would be built connecting all regions. Stone arch bridges would be built across rivers and streams. Canals, locks, aqueducts and sewers would be built along with wetlands to naturally process sewerage. They would also establish environmental protocols to insure that pollution was minimized and controlled. Trees and grasses would planted to control erosion. Forests, open areas and wetlands would be preserved.

In the Clan Corvo, Fiach had already established that starting at age 5, youth were required to attend local primary schools up to age 14 where they learned to read, write, do basic math and learn the history of the Clan Corvo and by extension the world. In addition they learned life skills like how to cook, clean, sew, basic first aid, basic agriculture, basic animal husbandry, and basic morality. At 14 they could join the work force as unskilled laborers, as an apprentice in assorted disciplines or continue their educations by attending county wide boarding secondary schools for 2 years. Completing secondary school at 16, the students could join the Raven Raiders, apprentice in technical disciplines, or continue education at a state level campus of Corvo University for 2 years. The courses at each campus would be coordinated to make sure they were covering the same material. Each state university also did research and had laboratories to conduct experiments. With the expected territorial expansion, the established educational template would grow with it. Corvo University would shift focus to become the focal point for faith, medicine, government, history and literature. The Corvus Scriptorium library would shift to be a part of the Corvo University becoming the center for historical studies and preservation of the past. A multiple building museum complex {similar to the Smithsonian Institution} would collect art, music, culture, natural history, geological formations, science, and history.

Corvo University would establish at least 1 campus on each of the six inhabited continents. Sanitation and environmental responsibility were mainstays of all development. The metallurgists at Corvo University and the scientists had the full support of the Clan Corvo as they researched ideas and technologies. One of the cardinal aspects of the university was to avoid practices that fostered dogma. They wanted to insure ALL ideas were investigated. Religion was not allowed to limit ideas. All ideas were welcomed and research encouraged. Ideas were pitched in brainstorming sessions and discussed openly. The research engineers and scientists were continually developing new technologies. This resulted in the rapid advancement of science and technology.

Steam power was developed. In the first century BCE the writings of Vitruvius mentioned aeolipiles. "Æolipylæ are hollow brazen vessels, which have an opening or mouth of small size, by means of which they can be filled with water. Prior to the water being heated over the fire, but little wind is emitted. As soon, however, as the water begins to boil, a violent wind issues forth." In the first century CE Heron gave instructions how to make a primitive steam-engine. From those primitive ‘toys’ steam engines were built that operated pumps to take the water out of mines or to fill canal locks from a lower source. Steam engines also operated windlass lifts to raise and lower platforms in mine shafts. During the next 50 years, these primitive steam engines would matured into steam locomotives and steam engine powered ships. Iron mining increased thanks to the use of explosives. Simultaneously the iron industry would be able to produce steel and iron rails upon which the locomotives could run. Rail lines would be laid across Europe with plans to expand into Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. With steam power, ships would travel 400 miles in 24 hours.

Smokeless gunpowder, cordite would be developed which allowed the use of smaller bore bullets and brass cartridges with built in primer charges. Nitroglycerin would also be developed. The safety and speed mining and tunneling would be greatly increased allowing deeper mining. The refining of metals was improved as well as new alloys were developed.

One of the most significant developments was 3 separate advancements that came together. Papyrus, vellum and parchment had been the main mediums for writing. Both were labor intensive to produce and expensive. An accidental discovery was made at a sailmaker in the main Clan Corvo port of Zarbam. The shredded virtually powdered remnants from cutting and trimming canvas had been dumped into an empty bucket. The bucket had been partially filled by rain creating a soggy mess. The soggy mass was knocked over spilling over a discarded piece of canvas and left until the next day. Most of the water seeped away and the remaining moisture evaporated leaving an irregular sheet of paper. Once discovered, it took a lot of experimentation to create paper. In addition to cloth remnants, saw dust and other finely shredded cellulose organic materials were used to create uniform sheets of paper. The invention of moveable type and the printing press emerged from the humble beginning of wood block printing, where pictures and sometimes even words were carved into a block of wood which was inked and pressed against paper or even walls. The development totally changed the world of scribes. Corvus Scriptorium began printing books.

Another development was flat glass produced by the float glass process. Molten glass was poured onto one end of a molten tin bath. The glass floats on the tin and levels out as it spreads along the surface, giving a smooth face to both sides. The glass cools and slowly solidifies as it travels over the molten tin and leaves the tin bath in a continuous ribbon which is then cut.

Machinery would be developed ushering in the age of machinists who could drill, tap, bore, lathe, and machine various metals. The metallurgists working with gunsmiths and machinists made tremendous advancements. Breach loading cannons and rifles were developed. Mass manufacturing would be developed allowing the fabrication of interchangeable parts and assembly line production. Even electricity, a phenomena described by the Greeks, would be explored and harnessed.

Fiach would appoint top Raven Raider officers to be the initial triumvirates of leadership of the assimilating populations. The officers, usually 1 female and 2 males, would seek a local spouse to give them a foundation in the local populace. Promising intelligent teens would be sent to Barmaz and Corvo University. Race, gender, gender identity and ethnicity were not factors in the selections. There they would be educated in history, sociology, economics, engineering, agriculture, science, sailing and train as Raven Raiders. Humility and respect for others would be inculcated in them. Between the ages of 14 and 16, the cream of the crop were to be gathered for a Grand Tour of the Clan Corvo led by Fiach. They would travel the world, visiting the schools, governments, ports, cities and other significant sites. The Grand Tour would consist of 100 Corvo University students who distinguished themselves in leadership, ingenuity, morality, and humility. The students would get to see the global extent of the Clan Corvo as well as seeing Fiach in action as a judge, mediator and the ultimate leader. With her ability to sense human emotions and derive an inkling of a person's thoughts, Fiach easily sorted out those students who met her strict standards. Those abilities also enabled her to sense those in positions of leadership and responsibility who were corrupt or self centered rather than public centered. Her Grand Tours would teach the prospective leaders and simultaneously monitor the current leaders. The youths would be slotted into leadership positions of the various Clan Corvo regions. This would provide changing local and regional leadership who were invested and trained in the Clan Corvo ethos.

Fiach knew she would need to continually travel throughout the Clan Corvo world to prove to each succeeding generation that the Demon Slayer was real and unchanging. Fiach been raised to respect the wisdom of her elders. For most people around age 55, if they were not beaten down by life and could still laugh and love, they naturally achieved elder status. Fiach was certainly well past the age and experience to be considered an elder. In her wisdom she understood she still needed to listen to other elders. Yet in the end the critical decisions concerning the Clan Corvo were hers alone.

For the years 415-418 the Colonists were split, Iceland and the Faroes continued to receive 1000 colonists a year. In the American colonies, Cheticamp on Cape Breton Island received 1000 colonists. The 4 bases on the Gulf of Mexico each received 2000. The 19 bases established for colonization each received 1000. Nantucket, Hatteras, Panama and the Bahamas each received 10,000. Cancun received 20,339. By 418 the Cheticamp Colony of 40,424 spread throughout Cape Breton Island and south into Nova Scotia. The Nantucket Colony of 85,880 included Martha’s Vinyard, Cape Cod and New Bedford to Plymouth in Massachusetts. The Hatteras Colony of 63,784 included the area between the Chowan River in the north and the Pamlico River in the south. The Panama Colony of 166,813 expanded along the Gulf of Panama. The Cancun colony of 1,895,546 had assimilated the entire Mayan culture and spread into the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains occupying the Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo as well as the eastern portion of Oaxaca, the southern portion of Veracruz and all of Guatemala and Belize. On the Pacific they established a town and Pacific Ocean port at San Marino {GM 13.924560, -90.784732} in Guatemala. A base port was established at Puerto Carillo {GM 9.863281, -85.482567}, Costa Rica, 458 miles to the south, halfway to the port of Panama City, 553 miles to the south. In the process they incorporated 90,000 natives a year into the colony. The Bahama Colony of 281,565 spread through and occupied the main islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico incorporating their native populations into the colony at the rate of 15,000 per year.

In 417, at the urging of Honorius, widowed Galla Placidia remarried. Her new husband was the implacable enemy of the Goths, Constantius. Northeastern Gaul became subject to even greater Frankish influence, while a treaty signed in 418 granted to the Visigoths southwestern Gaul. Honorius issued the Edict of 418, which was designed to enable the Empire to retain a hold on the lands surrendered to the Goths. This edict relaxed the administrative bonds that connected the western Seven Provinces of southern Gaul with the central government removing the imperial governors and allowing them to be a dependent federation to conduct their own internal affairs by representatives of the towns meeting in Arles.

The Germanic tribes that crossed the Pyrenees into the Iberian peninsula in 409 negotiated federation status with the remaining crumbling Roman authorities. The Hasdingi and Suebi received land in the northwest and the Silingi south while the Alans got lands in the west. The Visigoths, who invaded Iberia before receiving lands in southern Gaul crushed the combined forces of the Alans and Silingi in 418. Nearly wiped out, the remaining Alans and Silingi appealed to the Vandal king Gunderic to accept the Alan crown as well as the Silingi crown. In 419 AD the Hasdingi Vandals were defeated by a joint Roman-Suebi coalition. Gunderic fled to the south taking control of the former Roman Province of Baetica. In 422 Gunderic decisively defeated a Roman-Suebi-Visigothic coalition led by the Romans at the Battle of Tarraco. Many surviving Roman and Gothic troops deserted to Gunderic following the battle. For the next five years Gunderic created widespread havoc in the western Mediterranean while wisely not messing with the Clan Corvo.

In 421, Honorius promoted his general as co-emperor, Constantius III. Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, Theodosius, refused to recognize him. Constantius III, enraged, began preparations for a military conflict with the eastern empire but died early in 422. By the time of Honorius’s death in 423, Britain, Spain and large parts of Gaul had effectively passed into barbarian control.

An usurper was raised up as new Emperor of the West but never really had support. He dispatched a general, Flavius Aetius, to hire an army of Huns to come to his aid. Before they could do so troops from the east marched against him and his troops rebelled and turned him over. Valentinian III was elevated to Ceasar in 423 and Emperor of the West in 425 at age six. His mother, Galla Placidia, served as his regent (serving as such until 437) with Theodosius II full support. Felix was appointed as military commander.

The Huns were increasing their pressure on the Eastern Romans. Theodosius II strengthened the fortifications in the Balkans and in 424 agreed to pay 350 pounds of gold a year to encourage the Huns to remain at peace with the Romans. In 425, Theodosius founded the University of Constantinople.

In 425, the court at Ravenna negotiated with the Huns who had accompanied Flavius Aëtius to Italy in support of the deposed usurper. They agreed to leave Italy and to evacuate the province of Pannonia which was returned to the empire. This allowed Felix and the imperial government to restructure the defenses along the Danubian provinces in 427 and 428. In addition, there were significant victories over the Visigoths in Gaul in 426/7 and 430 and the Franks along the Rhine in 428 and 432.

Nevertheless, there were significant problems that threatened the viability of the Roman state in the west. The Visigoths were a constant presence in south-eastern Gaul and could not be dislodged. The Vandals in Iberia continued their incursions. In late 427, Gunderic, an ardent Arian Christian, determined to replace the Catholic Churchs in Iberia with Arian Churches. This proved difficult and he mysteriously died in early 428. Succeeded by his halfbrother, Genseric, in 429, they commenced their invasion of Mauretania {PD Morocco & Algeria} in North Africa. The native Berbers took advantage of the situation to enlarge the area they controlled. The vandals controlled the coasts while the Berbers took the interior areas. The vast territorial losses severely cut into the flow of imperial taxes which seriously impacted Rome’s ability to function and control the Western Roman Empire. As a result the tax burden on the remaining areas increased to intolerable levels as Rome's power decreased. Impaired in consequence the loyalty of its remaining provinces was seriously.

Aggravating this the initial period of Valentinian’s reign was dominated by the struggle between the leaders of the three principal army groups of the west; Flavius Felix, the senior military commander, Bonifacius, the military commander of Africa and Flavius Aëtius, the military commander of Gallia. In 427, Felix accused Bonifacius of being a traitor and demanded that he return to Italy. Bonifacius refused and defeated an army sent by Felix to capture him. Weakened, Felix was unable to resist Aëtius who, with the support of the Regent, replaced him as senior military commander in 429, before having him killed in 430.