Publica Section 1 Part 3
Part 3
“I apologize for my haste,” Jacobi said as they strolled through the market grounds. He wore a senator’s sash but his other clothes were plain and drab. The senator appeared a common person owning no great estate or accumulated wealth. Instead, he dressed as a pleb but yet still showed his status.
Hasitus did not immediately reply. He always wished to think before speaking with his uncle. Intelligent words were worth more to Jacobi, and it earned him a more informative conversation. “Why marry me now and who is this Lavendi?”
“She is a sweet girl,” Jacobi described, the words hinting at the undesirability of the situation. Arranged marriages were a custom unknown to the republic, but politically powered ones were not. “Although, I cannot vouch for her personality in the house, or in bed. I am sure you will understand what I mean when you meet her.”
They stopped in front a merchant waiting for the man to display bolts of foreign silks and cloths. He was clearly pleased with Jacobi standing at his shop and offered him discounts on every item. For nearly every price spoken, it was far too low to accept in good faith. However, only Hasitus of the three that stood at that shop held such faith.
With a bolt of silk dyed purple underneath his arm, Jacobi continued through the shops. They were wonders of the Publica or the Rim barbarians, yet nothing came from the worlds toward the galactic core. It was to be expected. The Federation would destroy any space lanes they discovered, steal from any trade ship they passed and put any world they captured to the fire or sword. It was the Terra-born way.
“Lavendi is from a common merchant family,” Jacobi continued describing the unknown figure. “She possesses an intelligence far beyond common, I find. Her dark eyes, brown hair and well proportioned frame should suit you just as well.”
“Ah, you found someone I would like to bed,” Hasitus joked lightly with his uncle. “I grow fonder of this woman every second. Would you care to tell me why you had this marriage arranged? My friendship with you is such that I would find it unpleasant should you leave me ignorant to the politics of anything.”
“Very well,” Jacobi sighed. Politics mixed well with him but it still took him effort to speak of it to Hasitus. “It might concern you in which the manner of the last Imperator rose to power. I speak nothing of treason, but there is a certain disturbance amongst the senators.”
“Snakes?” Hasitus whispered lightly as they pushed through a throng of hawkers.
Jacobi smiled as he always did and kept silent, never laughing. “I am sure you are aware of Julian’s reputation. He was a popular man amongst the military.”
“Any man who’s been to Durus province more than once and yet still lives is a popular man in the military,” Hasitus replied. “He has a certain trait in which he is always the sole survivor of an obliterated unit. It’s rumoured he’s invincible.”
“Now, he’s dead,” Jacobi said in a quick conclusion. “The Serpens had relied on him to become Imperator. They were strong as plebs being wealthy merchants, and they were strong in the senatus with their educated. Julian had been their sole chance at power in the military as well.”
Jacobi stopped to pick up a wood carving claimed to be from a renowned crafter on a planet whose lands were all desert. Being a foreigner, he had no intention of giving Jacobi any discount except false ones. Still, his uncle managed to bring the price down to a reasonable level.
“House Lupus controls a third of the senatus with members of their blood, marriage or loyalty. They now control the Imperator but they do lack the plebs. Other than a few wolves in the curia, there is no real like of them in public. There is a certain struggle for control,” Jacobi continued.
“What has this to do with my marriage?” Hasitus asked patiently. He knew the answer was still many words away, his uncle appreciated the long winded approach in giving an explanation.
In a strange change of expression, Jacobi said “All men are born equal.”
“But only some become senators,” Hasitus replied immediately, remembering the old saying Jacobi had taught him. For this he earned one of Jacobi’s rare soft chuckles.
“Yes, those in power want to stay in power and they’ll use any means to do so,” Jacobi said. “The senatus serves the people’s will and it so happens that senators are also people. It remains to be seen if the Imperator leads only the military and not the nation.”
Hasitus shook his head, “No one would value an empire, the military would defend the bene principes.”
“The military may,” Jacobi replied. The old man mused about some fruits with his wrinkled hand before taking in a final slow breath. “The Serpens will ask for your support in their endeavours, and you will accept it. I do not wish for anything ill to befall on the battlefield. I almost lost you when your campaign before last that took you to Londimin. The Serpens will ask things that will be benign, yet it will benefit them somehow. They want the Imperator. As for House Lupus, they may not make a move until they know of the Serpen plans.”
“Why would they wish the position of Imperator so much?” Hasitus said. “It has no power over the republic.”
“Under Couratus and his predecessors, it has not,” Jacobi said, finally picking a ripe yellow fruit to eat right in the market. He waved his cashless card and gave the woman the coins. “However, under each new Imperator in this war, there has been a subtle shift. The word of an Imperator carries strength in the senatus now. Thracus is known to be overly bold and it may be that the next Imperator leads more than the military. The republic grows more against its founding bene principes each year. The wolves raise you to a hero, and the snakes will turn it against them by using you.”
“Lavendi will protect me?” Hasitus said incredulously, before finally noticing they had been standing in front of the fruit stand for some time. He looked at the merchant woman, noticing her dark eyes and brown hair. Her breasts were large yet her frame slim and full.
“Which fruit would you like?” the merchant woman asked politely.
Hasitus could not recognize a single one of the oddly shaped fruits lying in front of him. Each was a shade of a different colour, creating a vibrant rainbow of confusion for him. He stood confused for a moment.
“Maybe you should pick the one that looks the best,” she said.
“Choose something based on appearance alone?” Hasitus replied. She smiled as she picked up an orange fruit and offered it to him. He picked the thing up and peeled the skin. A fresh but stinging jet of juice escaped it. The smell was pleasant as it entered his noise but the feel was painful as it washed over his eyes. He rubbed his eye but bit into the citrus just the same. The juice filled his mouth and he did find he liked it.
“That’ll be five coins,” she said with a wink. Jacobi waved his card again.
Hasitus grunted, expecting the offered fruit was a sample. Then he turned to his uncle and asked, “What have I to gain from all of this struggling?”
“Why, what do you ever do in war, Hasitus?” Jacobi asked. “You survive.”
Suddenly, lips touched the side of his face and arms wrapped around his body. He turned to see the merchant at his side smiling. “Lavendi,” he said at once. She smiled sweetly enough that he could not even tell it was true.
“I apologize for my haste,” Jacobi said as they strolled through the market grounds. He wore a senator’s sash but his other clothes were plain and drab. The senator appeared a common person owning no great estate or accumulated wealth. Instead, he dressed as a pleb but yet still showed his status.
Hasitus did not immediately reply. He always wished to think before speaking with his uncle. Intelligent words were worth more to Jacobi, and it earned him a more informative conversation. “Why marry me now and who is this Lavendi?”
“She is a sweet girl,” Jacobi described, the words hinting at the undesirability of the situation. Arranged marriages were a custom unknown to the republic, but politically powered ones were not. “Although, I cannot vouch for her personality in the house, or in bed. I am sure you will understand what I mean when you meet her.”
They stopped in front a merchant waiting for the man to display bolts of foreign silks and cloths. He was clearly pleased with Jacobi standing at his shop and offered him discounts on every item. For nearly every price spoken, it was far too low to accept in good faith. However, only Hasitus of the three that stood at that shop held such faith.
With a bolt of silk dyed purple underneath his arm, Jacobi continued through the shops. They were wonders of the Publica or the Rim barbarians, yet nothing came from the worlds toward the galactic core. It was to be expected. The Federation would destroy any space lanes they discovered, steal from any trade ship they passed and put any world they captured to the fire or sword. It was the Terra-born way.
“Lavendi is from a common merchant family,” Jacobi continued describing the unknown figure. “She possesses an intelligence far beyond common, I find. Her dark eyes, brown hair and well proportioned frame should suit you just as well.”
“Ah, you found someone I would like to bed,” Hasitus joked lightly with his uncle. “I grow fonder of this woman every second. Would you care to tell me why you had this marriage arranged? My friendship with you is such that I would find it unpleasant should you leave me ignorant to the politics of anything.”
“Very well,” Jacobi sighed. Politics mixed well with him but it still took him effort to speak of it to Hasitus. “It might concern you in which the manner of the last Imperator rose to power. I speak nothing of treason, but there is a certain disturbance amongst the senators.”
“Snakes?” Hasitus whispered lightly as they pushed through a throng of hawkers.
Jacobi smiled as he always did and kept silent, never laughing. “I am sure you are aware of Julian’s reputation. He was a popular man amongst the military.”
“Any man who’s been to Durus province more than once and yet still lives is a popular man in the military,” Hasitus replied. “He has a certain trait in which he is always the sole survivor of an obliterated unit. It’s rumoured he’s invincible.”
“Now, he’s dead,” Jacobi said in a quick conclusion. “The Serpens had relied on him to become Imperator. They were strong as plebs being wealthy merchants, and they were strong in the senatus with their educated. Julian had been their sole chance at power in the military as well.”
Jacobi stopped to pick up a wood carving claimed to be from a renowned crafter on a planet whose lands were all desert. Being a foreigner, he had no intention of giving Jacobi any discount except false ones. Still, his uncle managed to bring the price down to a reasonable level.
“House Lupus controls a third of the senatus with members of their blood, marriage or loyalty. They now control the Imperator but they do lack the plebs. Other than a few wolves in the curia, there is no real like of them in public. There is a certain struggle for control,” Jacobi continued.
“What has this to do with my marriage?” Hasitus asked patiently. He knew the answer was still many words away, his uncle appreciated the long winded approach in giving an explanation.
In a strange change of expression, Jacobi said “All men are born equal.”
“But only some become senators,” Hasitus replied immediately, remembering the old saying Jacobi had taught him. For this he earned one of Jacobi’s rare soft chuckles.
“Yes, those in power want to stay in power and they’ll use any means to do so,” Jacobi said. “The senatus serves the people’s will and it so happens that senators are also people. It remains to be seen if the Imperator leads only the military and not the nation.”
Hasitus shook his head, “No one would value an empire, the military would defend the bene principes.”
“The military may,” Jacobi replied. The old man mused about some fruits with his wrinkled hand before taking in a final slow breath. “The Serpens will ask for your support in their endeavours, and you will accept it. I do not wish for anything ill to befall on the battlefield. I almost lost you when your campaign before last that took you to Londimin. The Serpens will ask things that will be benign, yet it will benefit them somehow. They want the Imperator. As for House Lupus, they may not make a move until they know of the Serpen plans.”
“Why would they wish the position of Imperator so much?” Hasitus said. “It has no power over the republic.”
“Under Couratus and his predecessors, it has not,” Jacobi said, finally picking a ripe yellow fruit to eat right in the market. He waved his cashless card and gave the woman the coins. “However, under each new Imperator in this war, there has been a subtle shift. The word of an Imperator carries strength in the senatus now. Thracus is known to be overly bold and it may be that the next Imperator leads more than the military. The republic grows more against its founding bene principes each year. The wolves raise you to a hero, and the snakes will turn it against them by using you.”
“Lavendi will protect me?” Hasitus said incredulously, before finally noticing they had been standing in front of the fruit stand for some time. He looked at the merchant woman, noticing her dark eyes and brown hair. Her breasts were large yet her frame slim and full.
“Which fruit would you like?” the merchant woman asked politely.
Hasitus could not recognize a single one of the oddly shaped fruits lying in front of him. Each was a shade of a different colour, creating a vibrant rainbow of confusion for him. He stood confused for a moment.
“Maybe you should pick the one that looks the best,” she said.
“Choose something based on appearance alone?” Hasitus replied. She smiled as she picked up an orange fruit and offered it to him. He picked the thing up and peeled the skin. A fresh but stinging jet of juice escaped it. The smell was pleasant as it entered his noise but the feel was painful as it washed over his eyes. He rubbed his eye but bit into the citrus just the same. The juice filled his mouth and he did find he liked it.
“That’ll be five coins,” she said with a wink. Jacobi waved his card again.
Hasitus grunted, expecting the offered fruit was a sample. Then he turned to his uncle and asked, “What have I to gain from all of this struggling?”
“Why, what do you ever do in war, Hasitus?” Jacobi asked. “You survive.”
Suddenly, lips touched the side of his face and arms wrapped around his body. He turned to see the merchant at his side smiling. “Lavendi,” he said at once. She smiled sweetly enough that he could not even tell it was true.
posted by Ultrapunk at 12:11 AM
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