Salvage Conquest

by Chris Kennedy

  “I am sorry little Admiral. It must be bad, but I do not need to know. Go in.”

  Some might have taken it as an insult to be called little, but El’Jyiurma didn’t. Compared to the hall guard Boa, she was puny in comparison physically. At only 20 feet, and slenderer, she was indeed little, though much more intelligent, and her fangs carried venom so potent, it could fell the largest Boa. Besides, they had known each other for years, and she often felt sorry for Bo’Szazsa that he simply didn’t have the mind to keep up with her.

  He shifted his bulk to the side enough to allow her to slide through the door, which parted to allow her through. She reminded herself to stay calm, and avoided coiling any of her length, which could have been taken as a threat. She raised her head to just below the level of Fleet Admiral El’Syaaso’s and waited for him to finish whatever he was dictating to the human, Susan, sitting at a desk to the side, who she ignored.

  There were human cities around Strorix Prime. They had arrived on the planet over a thousand years ago, after the system finally received a transit gate from the Bith, who controlled all gates. Over the centuries, the humans had become more and more integrated into the Serpentes society, and now, while not equals, many had gained respect.

  The Serpentes had overcome the challenges of not having hands through ingenuity, even getting so far as building their own fleet of starships. When the humans arrived and agreed to be their subjects—after a short conflict—even the Elapidae had to admit that some tasks were more quickly and accurately done by the humans. One of them was typing, rather than dictating to the computers, which sometimes made mistakes.

  El’Syaaso finally stopped and turned his attention to El’Jyiurma. “Good afternoon, Admiral. Your message conveyed some urgency.”

  “Yes, Fleet Admiral. Destroyer Squadron 3 is missing.”

  “Missing?”

  “As soon as we lost contact, I sent a squadron of Ashika to investigate. They contacted the gate and were informed by the Bith controller that DESRON 3 transited out of the system.”

  El’Syaaso coiled and rose up higher as he spread his hood. “Did they have permission for such a transit?”

  “No, sir. They were supposed to be patrolling the emergence point.”

  Susan, who had been typing, understood everything thanks to the Universal Translator she wore in her ear, and filled in the details. “DESRON 3 consists of five Nava-class destroyers, under the command of Captain El’Taja.”

  El’Syaaso lowered himself and collapsed his hood. “That name sounds familiar.”

  “He was a rear admiral but was demoted to captain after he ate the human who was assisting with maintenance on one of the Praya-class troop transports,” El’Jyiurma said. “He was assigned to emergence patrol as further punishment.”

  The only reason an Elapidae would be assigned to something as small as a destroyer would be as punishment. Anything below a carrier was typically left to a Viperidae, who were their primary fighter pilots and manned the navigation and weapons stations on every ship.

  “Do we know where he went, and how he paid the fees?”

  “Personnel failed to remove his access to the gate account when he was demoted, so he paid using our account. According to the gate, their destination was registered as coordinates in the Gieliv system.”

  “I see,” he hissed. “And those responsible have been dealt with?”

  “A squad of Lampros are on the way, with a Dendro escort to make sure there is no…difficulty,” she said.

  She knew there would be no trouble with a Dendro along; they were the most fierce and dangerous of all Serpentes, short of the Elapidae. Most of them had attitude to spare and often went too far, but it was a price they were willing to accept from time to time. Especially since the personnel department was manned purely by the puny Thamno with humans to help. They had no use other than menial tasks, breeding livestock, or maintenance.

  “Very good. Well done, Admiral. You may just get command of a Szuraar yet.”

  El’Jyiurma did her best to contain her excitement at the very mention of commanding a Szuraar. They were the largest ships in the Serpentes Navy, classed as dreadnaughts with massive firepower. For that reason, they only had two, because they were so expensive to build, though a third was being built in the primary shipyard.

  “What do we know of that system?” He turned his head toward Susan.

  El’Jyiurma was glad he had not asked her. She hadn’t had time to look that up, and he likely knew that. Perhaps he liked her more than she thought. None of their race mated for life, but mates were selected based on strength and position, and it was breeding season.

  Susan had apparently already pulled up the data, since she answered immediately, reading from her computer screen.

  “Gieliv is a single-sun system, with one habitable planet. It is inhabited primarily by humans, though other races have passed through. It is on its way to becoming a strong trading system. Several of the uninhabitable planets in the system hold resources that are used for ship and weapon building, as well as various industrial uses for manufacturing. Transit time is only three hours.”

  “Humans. He does have a taste for them, which has been documented, and it’s worse. He has the prototype venom missiles,” El’Jyiurma said.

  “How did he get those!?” He rose high and spread his hood, coiled to strike.

  “We are still following the trail on them, but I wanted to get this information to you quickly.”

  “We must stop him, permanently. We are running low on space and resources, and we must not be seen as aggressive if we are to find trading partners. I will consult with the king, and my advice will be to hunt him, and everyone who went with him, down and eliminate them. Assemble a fleet to go hunt down our wayward brother. An example must be made. I want his hide brought back…alive or dead; it does not matter to me. All the crews will pay the same price. Once I have the approval, you will go.”

  She lowered her head in a respectful bow and left the room quickly, glad to have escaped with her life.

  * * *

  Captain El’Taja had himself coiled onto his command pole on the bridge of the ship. The journey to Gieliv would only take two more hours. It was his first time going through a gate, and he was both thrilled and nervous. He looked around the bridge at his crew. Some had tried to disobey his orders…and they had been consumed. All of those who controlled the ship now were loyal to him.

  It had taken a month of planning, but he had finally gotten the Serpentes he wanted assigned to all the ships in his squadron. They would travel to this human-controlled planet and feast. He had made sure he had the missiles he had helped develop as well. He only had ten and had distributed them so that each of his ships had two. They would penetrate the atmosphere of the planet and unleash raw venom from the air. Any human who encountered it would die.

  * * *

  El’Jyiurma glided onto the bridge of the SRN Parya, the Iderith-class large carrier she commanded. The ship was a bit much for this task, with its 50 fighters and other weaponry, but she meant to get the job done as quickly as possible. She had also included the SRN Eca, a Vatta-class troop transport run by Captain Bo’Ritesyo, loaded with antivenin and human doctors in each of its 30 transports, in case El’Taja was able to fire the weapons.

  She knew from the records of the development and testing of the missiles that the venom would be incredibly deadly to humans. It would only take a few hours to a day, at most, to kill after contact, depending on the dose. She determined it was important to take humans because she knew from their own humans that Serpentes were universally feared by them as there were smaller, less intelligent, similar beings on their home planet of Earth.

  Those responsible for the development had already been dealt with. The weapons were illegal and could cause the Bith to close their gate, permanently, which would be a death sentence for the Serpentes. Somehow, El’Taja had been able to use his rank and station to have them created without anyone else
finding out until it was too late. The records showed they had been destroyed, but a human who had been involved finally came forward and admitted that they were on the destroyers. That human had been fed to a Boa.

  Knowing the mission was important, and would be approved, she started her ships toward the gate and prepared the coordinates and payment for transmission. Not long after, she was hailed by King El’Xakelu, himself.

  She accepted the transmission and bowed her head low. “My King, you honor me.”

  “Please rise. Admiral, El’Syaaso has informed me of the situation. Proceed at best speed to destroy the traitors. Also, inform the Bith of their actions and your mission to destroy them. Once you arrive, you are authorized to initiate contact with the human leadership, explain the situation, do anything possible to assist them, and compensate them for any losses. This is a bit ahead of my schedule, but you are also authorized to initiate diplomatic contacts with the humans.”

  “My King, I have loaded antivenin and humans into the Eca’s transports, in case the traitor is able to launch his missiles. We are already on the way to the gate.”

  “Very good, Admiral. Very good. Serve me well in this mission, and there will be many good things in your future.”

  The signal was cut, and she hissed in relief.

  “Eight minutes to the gate, Admiral,” Vi’Hrartala, her navigator, reported.

  “Record a message for transmission to the gate with the coordinates and payment.”

  Vi’Zsuto rattled her tail to indicate she was recording.

  “This is Admiral El’Jyiurma of the SRN Parya. We are pursuing five destroyers which recently departed for the Gieliv system. The ships are controlled by traitors and are in possession of illegal weapons developed by the traitor. King El’Xakelu disavows any actions taken by those ships, and I am on orders to destroy them at all costs and assist the residents of that system with any consequences of the traitors’ actions.”

  “Message sent, Admiral.”

  She wondered if they would get a response from the Bith, or if it would just be recorded in case there was an investigation. She found out just one minute prior to entering the gate.

  “Recorded message from the Bith, Admiral. Message follows,” Vi’Zsuto reported.

  “Admiral El’Jyiurma, we are in receipt of your declaration and understand your position. If an investigation is necessary, it will be taken into consideration. Good luck.”

  “Transmit that back to Strorix Prime, quickly.” She snapped her jaws together with an audible click.

  “Already done, Admiral.”

  Three hours, she thought, and he has an hour lead on us.

  Seconds later, the Parya and the Eca translated through the gate into the alter reality that existed between the gate and their destination.

  * * *

  Just as the countdown clock on the bridge hit zero, Captain El’Taja’s destroyer squadron emerged from alter reality into the Gieliv system.

  “Lay in a course to give us the best angle to launch our missiles at the planet,” El’Taja said immediately.

  “Course plotted, Captain. One point five hours to launch point at best speed; until then, other planets are in the way,” Commander Vi’Abhat reported.

  “Contacts! There are two vessels of unknown origin or type approaching,” Lieutenant Vi’Scasi reported from the weapons console.

  “Incoming audio-only communication from one of the vessels, Captain,” Lieutenant Vi’Uszorri said.

  “Accept it,” El’Taja said.

  A human voice came over the speakers on the bridge, translated, as El’Taja had never seen the necessity of learning their language.

  “Attention incoming vessels, this is Admiral Gallagher of the GSS Ravager. We have you on sensors. Please identify and state your intentions.”

  “This is Admiral El’Taja on the Adma of the Serpentes Royal Navy. We have come searching for nourishment. The situation on our planet has become difficult, and we are starving.”

  * * *

  “Serpentes?” Admiral Gallagher muted the comms and looked over at Commander Brock.

  “Galaxy Network indicates they’re a reptilian species in the Strorix system. Huh, only three hours transit away.”

  “How have we never met them?”

  She shrugged. “Well, sir, they’re snakes, and they’ve had nothing to offer. They have no trade products to speak of.”

  “Right.” He shuddered. “Damn, I hate snakes. Okay, let’s see what assistance we can offer. No need not to be a good neighbor.”

  * * *

  El’Taja hissed as the line went quiet. No doubt they were discussing what to do. Weak humans, so indecisive.

  “Admiral El’Taja, a pleasure to finally meet the Serpentes. What supplies do you need? I will contact my superiors to see what assistance we can offer. I’m sure my government will look forward to meeting you and determining what sort of trade agreement could be set up.”

  “That would be most agreeable, Admiral. We have set a course near your planet. Our nutritional needs are…rather specific, you see. We must consume living flesh to fully absorb it, and our herds have become critically low due to planetary conditions beyond our expectations.”

  El’Taja flicked his tongue out as he imagined consuming the very person he was speaking to. Nothing he had said was true, of course, but the humans would be too stupid to figure that out. They were sentimental and would never expect the reality of his plan.

  “I see,” Gallagher’s voice came back. He sounded more hesitant than he had before.

  “Forgive me if that seems barbaric; we cannot control how our bodies work.”

  “Oh, of course. I will pass your needs along to my superiors. Maintain current course, and please keep weapons systems powered down.”

  “Of course, Admiral. Thank you.”

  Once the channel closed, he hissed and spread his hood. “Even pretending to be nice to those walking snacks makes me sick!”

  Several of the vipers on the bridge rattled in agreement.

  * * *

  “Living flesh?” Gallagher said once the communication was ended.

  “Nothing on the GalNet about that, sir,” Briggs said. “There’s actually very little, overall, about them. They seem to have a fairly closed society, based on the lack of details. They do have humans on their planet, who live alongside them peacefully. Data says they have a monarchist government, always with cobras in charge. The ‘El’ prefix on the Admiral’s name indicates that he’s a cobra.”

  “Cobras? Holy shit! Okay, get me headquarters. They’re not gonna believe this.”

  “Sir…should we up our posture?” Lieutenant Gilmore asked.

  Gallagher rubbed his chin as he considered. “Yes. Get all weapons and defensive stations manned and ready, but don’t go hot yet. I’ll talk to headquarters in my office.”

  * * *

  “Why do we simply not kill them?” Vi’Scasi asked as his tail rattled steadily.

  “Because they may have more in hiding, or that larger ship might be a carrier. We have only five Navas,” El’Taja snapped.

  He lashed out and slapped the Vi’Scasi with his tail as he turned to expand his hood and show his three-inch-long fangs which dripped with venom.

  “Likely a heavy battlecruiser, sir, with enough missiles to take us all down in one salvo,” Vi’Abhat added.

  “Thank you for actual useful information, Commander,” El’Taja said while still staring at Vi’Scasi.

  He relaxed his hood and turned back toward his command displays. “Load two of the rear launchers on each ship with jammers. It is certain the king will send someone after us. We must stop them from communicating with the humans.”

  Vi’Abhat sent the order to the four other ships in the squadron. “Two minutes for ammunition change out, sir.”

  “Very good. Maintain course.”

  The Nava-class destroyers, like all Serpentes ships, were a departure from most space vessels, in that they were s
pherical in design. They came to an edge around the circumference of the ship, allowing for weapon mounts 360-degrees around the ship. Fusion plants were located at the top and bottom of the hull, with an engine in both locations. The bridge was in the center of the ship for high survivability and was in a self-contained armored sphere which was built to survive if the rest of the ship were destroyed. It had its own fighter-sized fusion plant to provide life support and had thrusters for emergency maneuvering.

  Hallways in Serpentes ships were all tubular, rather than square, and surfaces were the texture of tree bark, to allow for easier movement through the ship. The bottom of the tubes were flattened, to make it easier in case there were human crew members.

  “One hour to weapons range on the human ships, based on current closure rate,” Vi’Abhat reported.

  * * *

  “So, you’re telling me that a race of snakes, led by giant cobras, is running out of food, and needs food. Not just food, but living food?” General Stevens, the leader of the Gielivian military, asked after Admiral Gallagher explained the situation.

  “Yes, sir. That’s what they have requested,” Gallagher answered.

  He could hear Stevens sigh.

  “Okay, I’m going to have to brief the president. I’ll get back to you when I have something.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  He rose and walked back onto the bridge and sat in his command chair. “Lieutenant Mosley, raise the Adma please.”

  He waited a moment while his command displays turned back on, and the connection was established.

  “Yes, Admiral Gallagher. You have news for me?”

  “Admiral El’Taja, I have spoken to my superiors. They are going to raise your requests to our president, and I should hear something soon.”

  “Very well, thank you, Admiral.”

  The connection was cut abruptly, and he frowned. “Something doesn’t feel right here. Five destroyers to retrieve resources. No freighter?”