Chapter 18

• AERA
• I had taken my search to the west end of Iron Valley. The sun had just reached midday when I stumbled on tracks that I desperately wished had not arrived here. Muttering curse words under my breath, I noticed the trajectory they had taken. I looked in the direction of Iron Valley. A string of curse words erupted from my lips.
• "This isn't good," I looked around the place.
• I understood better than most what Serpions could do. Their needs would have to be met. Water. Food. Shelter.
• Their lives had always been in a vessel. Floating in space. They wouldn't understand invisible lines that divided borders and personal lands. They wouldn't understand that livestock was not for the taking.
• They would only understand the basics that kept living organisms alive.
• Abandoning my task of tracking down the bandits. I turned back toward the town. I didn't want to react out of fear. That would do nothing. I needed to act accordingly. Getting to the heart of Iron Valley was more important. They needed to understand why taking shelter mattered.
• "Aera, you are back sooner than I had thought." Nora stopped as she studied my posture. "What is wrong?"
• I looked at her children, then back to Nora. "When can a town meeting be arranged?"
• "My dear, only an elder can call for a meeting. It takes time."
• "Nora," I placed a hand on her shoulder. "I need a meeting to be called. Before the sunsets it is preferable."
• Nora studied me a bit longer. Noticing that my words were calm, but my expression was worried. "I will see what I can do?"
• "Make sure the children are not there. They don't need to be scared. This is an adult affair."
• "Scale of one to ten. How bad is the situation?"
• "Deadly. This affects Silver Viper Territory as well. Please hurry."
• Though it had been late, the Castellan (kuh·steh·luhn) had agreed to listen to me. However, the residence had not been informed. The conversation would be held between me, the Castellan, and advisors.
• "Aera," the Castellan forced a smile. "Nora told us that you have something to share. I am assuming this has to do with the four criminals?"
• "No."
• "Than. What are we doing here?"
• "You remember several days back. The green light in the sky?"
• "Yes. Nothing to worry about. Space matter enters our planetary system all the time."
• "That wasn't regular space matter. It was a vessel. SS Babylon to be exact."
• The Castellan hummed for a moment, thinking about his next response.
• I continued, "The vessel was owned by Emperor Arion. From the information we gathered, it was a science-run organization. I already know that you believe that nothing could have survived the impact. That is where everyone is incorrect. The elders were, at the time of my departure, taking care of the situation. Settlements were under a strict curfew. Movement restricted."
• "What survived?"
• "Serpions."
• "They had been destroyed twenty years ago. Emperor Arion had seen the danger and had put an end to their existence."
• "That is what Emperor Arion wanted everyone to believe. After the last attack, word had spread that the anomaly had been taken care of. What no one knew was who had released them."
• "Child, my dinner is getting cold. Speak plainly."
• "I will speak in words of transparency. The Serpions are not dead. The Serpions are here. The elders placed strict restrictions because the crash had brought them to our lands."
• "How is this possible?"
• "If I speak, your dinner will get cold."
• "Speak."
• "By the notes and files my dad had collected. Emperor Arion is behind the creation of the Serpions. Evolution didn't make them; labs run by scientists did. The emperor wanted the strongest bioweapon ever known. The Serpions are that.
• Twenty years ago, Emperor Arion wanted to test his creations out. He had time to adjust his bioweapon. They are stronger. Faster. More resilient. All of them are male. At least to the emperor's knowledge. "
• "If they are all male, then how are they created?"
• "In the last twenty years, how many females have been reported missing?"
• I watched as the Castellan and his council began to understand.
• "What do we do now?"
• "Implement the same strict curfews here as the elders did. The Serpions don't have a leader to tell them what they can and can't do. That makes things unstable for them.
• As I told the elders.
• The Serpions don't understand. We will perceive them as soulless. But that isn't true. Soulless kill while understanding. The Serpions from the vessel. They are unknowing.
• They will attack because they don't understand our ways. "
• "What did the scientist feed them?"
• I blinked several times. Recalling what my dad had written down. "There are only male Serpions for a reason. They only have the strongest for a reason." I had prayed and prayed that the males could read between the lines of what I said without me having to say it plainly.
• "This is. This is disturbing news."
• "It is. On one hand, they throw the ecosystem off balance. Yet, how can anyone blame them when they are unknowing? It makes it hard to decide what to do.
• My recommendation. Strict curfew. Head count. Neighbours checking in on each other. Avoid going out past the town limits. I need to evaluate the situation. IF they are aggressive, I will kill them. But I will not kill a frightened animal. If that is the case for the Serpions. I will treat them with the respect that the creator demands. "
• "And what if the Serpions eat our livestock? What if…"
• "They don't understand why a fence is up. They will only see available food. They will not understand the social structure of a society. We are taught that at a young age.
• They only understand one thing. Kill or be killed. In my opinion. They are as much a victim as the females that had gone missing. If they are intelligent enough to understand my words. I will relocate them. As the elders had stated.
• It isn't their fault. The emperor is the one to be blamed. "
• “And what makes you think these creations are reachable?”
• “I don’t know. But I do know that an attempt needs to be made.”