"Qeshir Air IX001, boarding now."
The dry monotone hung about the glass facades and marbled blocks of the Alba Longa international terminal, just one portion of one of Eras' least travelled and oldest airports. Funded directly by the Crown with the advent of the rotary prop, it was the pet project of Caesar's mother. Her untimely demise left a veritable palace of the skies, to be deprecated and derelict under the beginnings of Caesar's reign, marked as it was by internal and external tensions approaching those of the late 1500s.
The announcement was more a facade than anything else, concealing the craft's unusual passenger load and even stranger destination. On the scant information boards, Qeshir Air IX001 was marked as a regional flight to Montani, where it would ostensibly after a layover fly direct to Plembobria - a not unbelievable detour, assuming that Alba Longa was itself a layover from Ilamzat. In reality, Qeshir Air would be redirected at Montani to Yeraennus, carrying no passengers from Ilamzat. Its only passengers numbered six, one being a customs officer who would disembark in Montani under the pretenses of being a vacationer back from Ilamzat - in reality, simply visiting family, and the following week returning to his home in Neapolis to continue his retirement.
The remaining five were to attend to a conference in Yeraennus. Whilst Imperium's government was, as a rule, pragmatic about the needs of academia - Caesar himself having made ample use of documents from across the world in his role as the editor of one of the great academic journals of science - this was for their own safety. The establishment of the August Consular Office, seemingly from the very dust overnight, had brought preexisting political tensions to loggerheads.
At their helm were the two academic staff. The first was the young, plucky Dr. Nestor Viticultius. Originally a linguistician, he had been brought to the study of Yeraennology through his interest in historical trade routes and the development of the Yeraen vowel system. Whilst a reasonably popular course of research outside Imperium, Viticultius had effectively imported the substantial work done abroad, and was therefore the easy selection for this trip.
The second was Dr. Hermius Illustrianius, an archaeological engineer who had pioneered the use of three-dimensional modelling in August heritage planning, and who had been working in the field since the late 1980s. His rank, of Centurion, marked his status as an 'Associate', having achieved the right to lead projects of up to 100 people - including support staff - alone, and to manage lectures of similar such sizes. Above him, a 'Fellow' would take the rank of Tribune Latus, accorded departmental control of up to 500 students and researchers and giving lectures of particular importance. Further still would be the 'Reader', a Tribune Angustus who coordinates interdisciplinary study between two departments as preparatory work for advancement into the prestigious ranks of the General staff, or manages a large department or small facility. Dr. Illustrianius was, by all accounts, worthy of taking promotion to that prestigious general staff position, the Praefecture, which would make him a Professor able to manage an entire school of study. Above him would solely be those primarily taken with administrative concerns, the Legates who command entire universities or the Praetors who manage interuniversity organizations, as well as the Dux - the Scholarial-Magister.
However, Dr. Illustrianius had no interest in administration. In general, one would be heavily criticized for such a move within the reputation-driven society of Imperium - and, indeed, he was. However, the incredible work he had done for August archaeology gave him some begrudging respect, and allowed him to hold to his position as a 'mere' Associate.
And, one of his first students had been a very influential noble. It certainly helped as well. That student's daughter would later secure Dr. Illustrianius a seat on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - conditional on him accepting to be on her thesis board. Her name was Yulia Koussevitsky, writing her thesis on the use of digital photography to record and catalogue ethnographic objects appropriate for ethnoarchaeological methodologies. Like her two remaining comrades, she was an Optio Princeps - a doctoral candidate undertaking coursework and thesis work to complete her doctorate, and entitling her to work in a research capacity both in the Scholarial Service and outside it, as well as to teach classes of around 20 students.
While none of the five were particularly politically inclined, beyond their necessary affiliation with the August Scholarial Service, it had been considered prudent to ensure the additional protections. At any rate, arriving in a Qeshir Air hire would protect them at their destination too, making the role of the Yeraen security services marginally easier.
Qeshir Air XI001 landed uneventfully in Yeraennus, and the five were left to the capable hands of their solid taberna of Yeraen troops.
