Serpents and Vipers

by Donald Nicklas

  “I have been asked to report directly to a meeting of the full Senate. They have also asked that you accompany me and help Hatch speak to them on behalf of the serpents.”

  Tavia was stunned. She was new to the Romani way, having only been with them for three years, but she did know that it was rare for anyone to be asked to speak to the full senate. She stammered a little as she responded, “I…I will do what is need, Consul.”

  “Ever the trooper, Tavia. I know you are nervous. I will be next to you the entire time while I give my report. After my report is finished, I will take my seat on the Curule chair next to Consul Strabo, who will be presiding over the meeting. They you and Hatch will be expected to answer any questions. You will be the interpreter, rather than another serpent. This way we know the translation will be accurate.”

  “I am not sure I can translate every word, but Hatch and I have been working hard to understand each other in serpent language. I think I can do what is asked.”

  “Excellent, my dear. Try to get some rest. We will be called to the Senate as soon as we dock. They are aware that time is of the essence.”

  After some talk with the Consul about the correct way to address the Senators, Tavia was dismissed and returned to her quarters. Hatch had been with her and they discussed what they would tell the Senate. After getting six restless hours of sleep, Tavia rose, put on her best uniform as a member of the scouting service, and went to the bridge. She did not really have an assigned station aboard the ship, since her ship was destroyed by the serpents. When she entered the bridge, she could see the star port filling the view as the ship made its final approach and docked.

  The ship pulled into the slip very slowly and at the last second, Paul had the retrorockets fired for a split second and the Invicta came to a stop. The docking clamps came out and locked onto a slight ridge that ran the full length of the vessel. Once clamped, the Invicta pulled against the slip such that the floor of the dock was level with the floor of the landing bay of the ship. Once this was done, Paul ordered the landing bay force field shut off, and the floor of the landing bay and the dock were continuous.

  Consul Lorenzo left the ship along with Tavia and Hatch. His Lictors stood on the platform awaiting him, and fell into line ahead of him. All activity on the dock stopped as everyone snapped to attention. The docks for military vessels were separate from those for commercial and private craft, so only military personnel were present. As soon as the Consul was gone, work commenced at a feverish pace to resupply and refuel the Invicta for immediate departure. By now, word of events in serpent space had disseminated throughout the military.

  Lorenzo, Tavia, Hatch and the Lictors boarded a shuttle for the trip to the senate chambers. Tavia looked out of the windows, as the shuttle entered the atmosphere and flew over the capital. Tavia loved the capital of her new home world. When she grew up in Penllyn, on New Wales, she thought that city was the best. To a child it was impressive. Then, at age 15, she came to Nova Romae, her new home world and saw Roma, the capital. The Romani value beauty over function, and have married the two into a functional beauty that exists nowhere else in human space. The city was a mixture of nature and man, a balance of natural and designed beauty that astounded Tavia every time she saw it. Now her heart began to beat faster, with a combination of anticipation and anxiety. The Senate house was not in the city but rather on an escarp at the eastern end of Roma. It occupied a plateau that overlooked the city. It was large and built along the lines of a classical Greco-Roman temple. The Romani had surrounded it with gardens and citizens could come up at anytime and walk through beautiful garden paths flanked by flowers resurrected from earth through strains the corporations had kept alive. With these were native flowers. Nova Romae was a paradise of natural flora and fauna. Citizens reached the plateau by a long walking path intermixed with flights of stairs. It was often seen as a nice place to picnic after a brisk climb. The shuttle was heading towards a landing pad that was for official purposes only. No private crafts were allowed and others could only land with permission from the Senate itself. The landing pad was situated between the rear of the senate hall and a curve of administrative buildings housing all of the bureaucracy that goes along with government institutions. Several thousand men and women worked daily on the senate plateau and lived in housing at the foot of the cliff marking the western edge of the plateau. The eastern part backed up against a mountain that was part of a range to the east of the city. Since the rotation of most planets is west to east, the sun of Nova Romae rose in the east and set in the west. This meant that the senate house was in shadow during the early morning hours but in sun for the rest of the day. At the end of the day, when people looked up at the senate house, it would blaze red with the sunset.

  The senate house itself, was surrounded by three story high columns with Corinthian capitals. These, along with internal walls, held up the great gabled roof. The building was made of white marble, except for the cornice and architrave, which were made of deep purple granite found in the mountains of Nova Romae. The frieze on the front, told the story of the exodus from corporate space and the discovery of Nova Romae. The continuation of the story wrapped around the building to detail how the Romani went from fugitives and outcasts to a great civilization. The tympana on both ends of the building contained scenes from old earth that were meant to link the Romani with their classical ancestors. The roof was covered with the same purple granite that made up the cornices and architrave. Tavia did not know the names of architectural elements. All she knew, it was the most beautiful building she had ever seen in her life. She often would look at it, ablaze in the setting sun, whenever she was in the capital.

  The shuttle flew over the building and landed on the assigned pad between the senate house and the administrative buildings. As soon as the engines were shut down, the side door opened. First, the Lictors came out and formed a double row of six. They immediately moved towards the senate house. Next, was Consul Lorenzo, dressed in his Consular armor; it was still showing the battle damage. Since his dress uniforms and civilian clothes blew up with the Draco, he had nothing to wear. It is true he could have sent a message to have clothes brought to him, but decided the report would be more graphic if the senate saw the damage. People like show and tell, especially when they spend all their time behind the lines. Behind the Consul came Tavia and Hatch. The party processed around to the front of the building, with salutes for the Consul coming from all sides. Since Tavia was coming up the rear with Hatch, she could see how people were remarking about the battle damage on the Consul’s armor. They also appeared more than a little concerned at how their Consul had been treated. When the Lictors reached the two story high bronze front doors of the senate house, they formally asked permission for the Consul and his party to enter the chamber. The guards granted permission and pressed a button that caused the doors to open inward automatically. The Lictors entered and the others followed. They first entered a reception room and Tavia could feel her heart starting to beat faster. The Lictors came to the next door and again requested entrance for the Consul and his party. This was granted and the guards manually opened the doors outward. This time the doors were only the usual height and the Lictors passed through, as did Lorenzo and his party. When Tavia entered the senate chambers, it left her breathless. The walls were three stories high, ending under the roof of the building. The tops of the walls were not visible due to an ethereal mist that formed a translucent cloud on which was projected the Romani eagle surrounded by all of the stars making up the systems of the Nova Romae Republic. On the walls of the chamber hung all of the banners of the various systems, aligned over the seats of their senators. The senators sat on tiered seats five rows deep. The flags sat on the wall behind each row, tiered to match the senators’ positions. Tavia later found out that the senators sat from top to bottom in the order their systems came into the Republic. The home planet itself was represented by the primary consul, who also held senatorial rank. This was the
Consul Strabo.

  The seating ran along the right and left walls with a raised platform along the wall opposite the door. There were 386 senators, both male and female, from the member systems. With the support personnel, there were just over one thousand men and women in the room and yet it seemed it could hold many more. There was a lot of room for expansion. On the raised platform sat the Consul Strabo. To the right of him was an empty chair having crossed legs and no back. He sat on a similar chair. These Curule chairs represented official magistrates in ancient Rome. They were also symbolic of power in the New Rome. Lorenzo walked between the senators and stopped in the middle of the room. The floor contained a mosaic showing the Romani eagle standard in a circle set into the marble tiled floor. Lorenzo signaled Tavia and Hatch to come up and stand with him. As they approached, a herald came from his position next to the Curule platform.

  He began to speak in an amplified voice, “The Senate and People of Nova Romae welcome the return of Consul Juan Lorenzo and ask that he report to us on the events of his visit to the serpent home world. Consul the floor is yours.”

  “Thank you, Senators. Ours has been a harrowing experience, but I am here not to discuss that but to discuss a request for help from our allies. Let me first show you what is at stake.”

  Lorenzo then took a small projection device from his belt and activated it. The device removed the star field and eagle projection above the senators. These were replaced with footage taken by the Draco showing the highlights of their trip. The senators voiced approval when they saw Tavia’s trick with the mining probe. The rest of the footage came from helmet cams that showed the battle in the cave and the battle in the serpent city. They were impressed with the electronics in the cavern and realized the extent of the task, when they viewed the eggs in the hatchery. The floor was then opened to questions. They had few for Lorenzo, but they did commend him and his people for acting valiantly. They were told the Slones and Centurion Marshal stayed behind and would need retrieval no matter what was decided. The Consul was then allowed to take his place on the platform and Tavia was left standing alone with Hatch at her side.

  The senators’ purpose was to get information, and not intimidate a 17 year old girl. To put her at ease, they decided to have their newest senator, Tavia’s uncle, Ian MacDougal do the questioning. He stood up in the rear row and microphones in the chamber amplified his voice. “Primary Scout, Tavia MacDougal,” Her uncle began. “The Senate recognizes your valor and commends you on your service to the Republic.”

  Tavia turned to face her uncle. “I greatly appreciate the praise of the Senate but all with me did their duty as did I. We all live to serve the Republic.”

  There were murmurs and nods of approval from the senators. They knew a humble warrior when the saw one. Her uncle continued.

  “Primary Scout MacDougal, the senate would like to question the serpent with you. It will take some time to bring in an interpreter.” Her uncle had been briefed by Consul Strabo based on messages received from Consul Lorenzo before the Invicta docked. He knew the answer that was coming, but it would make a massive impact on the senate. “I suggest we adjourn until an interpreter can be called in.”

  Tavia then made a statement that no Romani had heard in their 300 years of contact with the serpents. “Senator MacDougal, that will not be necessary. I speak the language of the serpents.”

  The reaction of the senators was a mixture of shock and disbelief. They, like all the Romani, had been told humans couldn’t master the serpent’s speech. Before others interrupted, Ian MacDougal asked his niece the question on the mind of everyone in the room. “We have all been told that humans cannot master serpent speech, can you prove that we have been told wrong?”

  “I have taught Hatch our language as she has taught me hers. She can understand us better than she can speak our language. I suggest one of you take Hatch out of my earshot and tell her something. She will then tell me and I will repeat it to you.”

  The senators thought this a good idea, as one of the front row members signaled the hatchling to follow to the far corner of the room, well out of earshot. He whispered something to Hatch, and then came back with the serpent. Hatch went over to Tavia and all of the senate could hear her speaking to Tavia. To their astonishment, Tavia spoke something in the serpent’s language. She then turned to the senators and said, “Hatch says you told her not to be afraid, the senate and people of Nova Romae are on her side. Is that basically what you told her, Senator?”

  The astonished senator replied, “Yes it is, and you are a remarkable young lady. Could you ask Hatch how long she thinks her clan can hold out and keep their hatchery safe?”

  As Tavia turned to Hatch, the serpent began to speak to her. The senator had apparently forgotten that the serpent could understand human speech. After some conversation between Tavia and Hatch, the human girl turned to the senators and said, “Hatch believes her clan can hold out for two human months, after that there is no more food in the mountain. The attack on her clan was unexpected and there was no time to bring more supplies into the mountain.”

  The senators nodded and looked towards the Consuls, who preside over the meeting. This time Consul Strabo spoke. “Tavia, thank you for your help. We are also impressed with your ability to speak to our allies. We need to take more interest in communicating in their language. You and Hatch may go now, with our thanks, and await our decision in the entrance hall. This should not take very long.”

  Tavia saluted crisply and bowed slightly, to both sections of senators. She turned towards the entrance and saw a symbol of old earth she did not understand. There was a statue of a standing animal unknown to her, above the entrance door. Under the animal were two human babies. She and Hatch then left the chamber and sat in the entrance hall. Less than an hour passed before both Consuls and the senators came out. Tavia stood at attention as they passed. Many of them congratulated her on her mastery of the serpent speech. Tavia was in a daze at the powerful people who were talking to her. Granted, she had a lot of contact with the Consuls, mostly due to her military training on Consul Lorenzo’s ship. Because of her close friendship with the Slones, she also had contact with Consul Strabo. However, this was different. These men and women held the well-being of all of the systems in Nova Romae in their hands. Finally, her uncle came over and stayed with her. He was very proud of the woman his niece had become. He could never have envisioned the future that opened up for them when they decided to help the Romani by bringing the resistance in to help them liberate New Wales. He had asked the Romani to take Tavia with them to keep her safe. Instead, she returned a warrior and in time, New Wales became a republic. Now here they were, him a senator representing his system and Tavia one of the most trusted scouts in the legions. They had both come a long way, in a very short time.

  The Consul Strabo came over just then and Tavia snapped to the straightest attention she could muster. Strabo had to suppress a slight smile. Not even his guards were that straight at attention. “At ease, Scout MacDougal.”

  Tavia relaxed a bit. “Thank you, Consul.”

  “That was quite a demonstration in there. I know it was short, but we had all the information we needed from the combat recordings. The senate just wanted to see if you really could speak to the serpents. They were also very impressed with the way you used that mining probe. We all see greatness in you, Tavia.”

  This was overwhelming for the young girl and she could not help blushing, much to the amusement of her uncle and the Consul. Lorenzo now joined the group and they got down to business. Strabo began, “The Senate will be issuing an order for the Invicta and the Longinus to prepare for immediate departure to help evacuate and defend the hatchery. Over the next month, all available automated freighters will be requisitioned and adapted to keep the eggs warm. Since we now know that the only serpents we ever had contact with were the Sea Clan, It is the decision of the Senate and People of Nova Romae that we do all we can to help the Sea Clan evacuate, but w
e will not become involved in the civil war of our allies. It is, however, the desire of the Senate that we defend ourselves, and the hatchery, depending on what we find when we arrive. They have left it up to Consul Lorenzo how to interpret those orders. All freighters will leave in one month with whatever ships have been modified. The freighters will be escorted by the rest of the legion. Legatus Edmonton has been notified and is en route. She will travel aboard the Longinus and Tavia will travel on the Invicta along with the serpent crew and their ship.”

  All now returned to their commands. Her destroyer and cruiser escorts were with the Longinus. The Invicta would pick up her escorts when they passed through the Rubicon system. An auxiliary relief force was already en route to Rubicon to take up the protection of the system and make sure the Invicta escorts refueled and restocked for the voyage into serpent space. Three days after the senate meeting, official orders were received and the Longinus and Invicta broke orbit and moved out to rescue their allies. They had a long month of travel ahead of them.

  Chapter 7 – Defending the Mountain

  Christopher and Alaya watched the monitors showing near-planet space. They saw one of the escort ships taken out by the enemy. They also saw the escorts pulling the enemy away from the path taken by the ship carrying their friends. They then saw, the damaged second escort come back to the planet and the remaining enemy go after their friends. They tracked the action to distant space and were gratified to see Captain Artok take out one of the pursuers and force the other to retreat. When the Cold Death entered the slipstream, Alaya silently wished her people a fast journey and a speedy return; hopefully, while there was still a reason to return. In the mean time, the most important mission was to protect the hatchery, until help arrived or until there was no one left to defend it.