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MARYAM,
I THOUGHT SOME MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID IN THE HOSPITAL, AND GIVEN WHAT HAS HAPPENED I THINK I IT WOULD BE GOOD TO WORK TOGETHER.
UNFORTUNATELY IT SEEMS THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE TRYING TO FIND THE BOOK. THERE IS A THRIVING BLACK MARKET AMONG BIBLIOPHILES FOR ANYTHING AS OLD AS THIS. IT IS VERY VALUABLE AND IF THE BOOK DISAPPEARS INTO THE SHADOWY WORLD OF PRIVATE LIBRARIES WE MIGHT NOT SEE IT AGAIN FOR CENTURIES SO IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT WE GET TO IT FIRST.
TACITUS CLEARLY WANTED TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO ASSEMBLE THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT, SO HE HAD IT HIDDEN AT A NUMBER OF SITES AROUND THE ANCIENT WORLD. THE BRITISH LIBRARY DECIDED TO SEND SOMEONE TO TRY TO FIND ALL THE PIECES. THEIR EXPERTS FIGURED THE CHAPTERS WERE LIKELY TO BE ENCRYPTED TOO SO, GIVEN MY BACKGROUND, THEY ASKED ME TO GO. THEY WERE RIGHT OF COURSE, THE FIRST CHAPTER WAS DISGUISED USING A CAESAR SHIFT AND THE SECOND BY A SCYTALE CIPHER, AND I AM BEGINNING TO WONDER WHAT OTHER CIPHERS TACITUS MIGHT CHALLENGE US WITH. AS FAR AS WE KNOW THE ROMANS WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THAT MANY TO CHOOSE FROM. I SUPPOSE HE MIGHT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT SOME FORM OF THE POLYBIUS CIPHER.
THE DOCUMENTS I HAVE FOUND SO FAR (TACITUS LAST TESTAMENT AND CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO OF HIS HIDDEN BOOK) EACH GIVE A CLUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE NEXT ONE, AND AS SOON AS THEY LET ME OUT OF HOSPITAL I PLAN TO TRY TO LOCATE THE THIRD CHAPTER, WHICH TACITUS TELLS US IS HIDDEN ON THE ISLE OF THORNS. THERE ARE SEVERAL PLACES IN THE ANCIENT WORLD THAT THIS MIGHT REFER TO, BUT I HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHERE IT MIGHT BE.
IF I THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE I WILL GET IT TO YOU, AND AS REQUESTED I WILL COPY IN YOUR FRIEND HARRY. I SUGGEST WE TIGHTEN SECURITY A LITTLE. MAYBE IF WE BLOCK OUR CIPHER TEXTS LIKE THE EXPERTS IT WILL PUT OFF CASUAL INTERCEPTS. THE PEOPLE WE ARE UP AGAINST ARE UNLIKELY TO BE DETERRED BY MUCH, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO INVITE EXTRA INTERLOPERS TO THE PARTY.
BY THE WAY, MY FRIEND IN THE SOUK TOLD ME THAT HE MET ONE OF YOUR AGENTS WHO WAS ASKING IF HE KNEW WHERE I WAS, WHICH SEEMS A BIT ODD GIVEN THAT YOU KNOW I AM STUCK HERE. WAS THAT JUST TO THROW OUR RIVALS OFF THE SCENT?
ALL THE BEST,
JODIE
Volumen III, A broken cipher
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Correct Answer
WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT SUETONIUS SET UP THE FINAL BATTLE WITH BOUDICCA AT WATLING STREET HE HAD NEITHER THE TROOPS NOR THE TACTICAL ABILITY TO OVERCOME THE HUGE NUMERICAL DISADVANTAGE FACED BY HIS ARMY. WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF AGRICOLA AND HIS TALENTED SCOUTS, DEFEAT WOULD HAVE BEEN INEVITABLE, AND WITH IT THE LOSS OF BRITANNIA. HAVING REALISED THAT THE ICENI WERE READING HIS COMMUNICATIONS, AGRICOLA ARRANGED TO PLANT FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLANNED DISPOSITION OF TROOPS, SETTING A TRAP INTO WHICH THE ICENI FELL. IT IS STILL UNCLEAR HOW THE SAVAGE TRIBES HAD LEARNED TO DECIPHER OUR ARMY’S COMMUNICATIONS, AS THEY HAD NO WRITING OF THEIR OWN. HOWEVER, EVERY ARMY HAS ITS TRAITORS, AND IT SEEMS LIKELY TO ME THAT ONE OR MORE OF THE LOCAL TRIBESPEOPLE TURNED SOMEONE’S HEAD. LOVE OR MONEY, IT IS ALL TREACHERY, BUT THIS ACT THREATENED TO UNDERMINE THE EMPIRE’S ENTIRE SYSTEM OF SECURE COMMUNICATION. THE CAESAR CIPHER, PERHAPS MORE THAN ROADS, HAD ENABLED THE EMPIRE TO FUNCTION SECURELY, AND ITS LOSS WAS A DISASTER. TURNING THAT LOSS INTO A VICTORY ON THE BATTLEFIELD DESERVED MORE RECOGNITION THAN IT RECEIVED. PERHAPS SUETONIUS NEVER KNEW, OR PERHAPS HE FAILED TO UNDERSTAND THE CUNNING OF THE PLAN, BUT EITHER WAY, DESPITE THE VICTORY, AGRICOLA AND THE NINTH LEGION REMAINED IN DISGRACE.
ON HEARING THIS NEWS CLAUDIUS CAESAR AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS NERO, EMPEROR, ISSUED A SECRET PROCLAMATION ESTABLISHING A CIPHER SCHOOL TO DEVELOP A NEW SYSTEM OF IMPERIAL CIPHERS. IT WORKED IN SECRET FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS DEVELOPING NEW METHODS TO SECURE COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS THE EMPIRE. STUDYING THE WORKS OF THE GREEK SAGES, EUCLID AND HYPATIA, AND EVEN OLDER WORKS FROM ANCIENT BABYLON, THE SCHOOL DEVELOPED NEW WAYS TO SAFEGUARD COMMUNICATIONS FROM ROME’S ENEMIES. THESE NEW SYSTEMS WERE WRITTEN DOWN AND DISTRIBUTED IN THE CODEX OCCULTORUM, PERHAPS THE MOST STRICTLY GUARDED DOCUMENT IN ALL HISTORY. WHEN IT WAS FINALLY COMPLETED MANY YEARS LATER THE EMPEROR DOMITIAN ISSUED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER WHICH PREFACED EVERY COPY OF THE CODEX, THAT IT WAS TO BE GUARDED BY EVERY LEGION TO THE LAST MAN.
THE DEFEAT OF THE ICENI AND THE SUICIDE OF BOUDICCA PERHAPS PROTECTED THE NINTH LEGION FROM DISSOLUTION. AGRICOLA WAS LARGELY LEFT TO HIS OWN DEVICES IN THE PROVINCE, THOUGH IT WAS MADE CLEAR TO HIM THAT TO RETURN WOULD MEAN AT BEST, DISGRACE, AND AT WORST, DEATH. IN A BREAK WITH TRADITION, THE NINTH RAISED A NEW STANDARD. THE LEGION WAS EXILED IN DISGRACE TO ENDURE THE HARD AND DANGEROUS WORK OF SUBDUING THE CALEDONII IN THE BLEAK WILDERNESSES OF CALEDONIA. SUETONIUS ORDERED THE NINTH TO MARCH TO EBORACUM WHICH THEY WERE TO MAKE THEIR BASE FOR RAIDS INTO CALEDONIA. THE UNSPOKEN REASON FOR THEIR EXILE WAS THAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS SUGGESTED THAT THIS WAS WHERE THEY MIGHT FIND THEIR LOST AQUILA.
THOSE WHO WOULD READ ON MUST FOLLOW MY FAITHFUL SLAVE TIRO, WHO FACES A GRAVE TASK, PERHAPS THE LARGEST TO DATE, AS HE TRAVELS TO CONCEAL THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF THIS TRAGIC TALE.