Ox and Snake: The Improbable Empire, #1

By Richard R Lockwood

Two young men decide to risk the uncertainties of time travel, rather than fall in line with the expectations of others. Their journey runs into trouble in the first minute and things get worse from there. They discover a situation so bad on a 15th century Earth that they are both tempted to time slip again and leave the death and horror behind. The Earth is under attack, strikes on the planet have set off massive volcano eruptions and the resulting ash and vapor clouds are causing an ice age. The population has been murdered, leaving less than a percent alive and clinging to an ugly struggle for survival. Can anything be done to help them? Or should sensible young men start over elsewhen?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard R Lockwood
• Release date: Apr 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215317747

Richard R Lockwood

Was born in Miami FL. Worked for the University of Florida until I retired. Been married to the lovely Cecelia for 40 years now, proof that I'm a lucky guy. Now living on the Nature Coast in Citrus County. Enjoy all kind of wildlife, especially reptiles and insects, so I'm pretty sure I'm in the right place. When I'm not writing I enjoy wood carving. Both of the heads beside me in the picture are cedar from the Chassahowitzka Forrest. I also love to walk my dog Bark Anthony. Probably need to go do that now. A Chronology of the Twins Alternate Universe novels and some thoughts and rationales - https://www.ricklockwood.net/Chronology.html My Books on Books 2 Read - https://books2read.com/ap/RaZ9Br/Richard-R-Lockwood  

Book preview

Ox and Snake

1

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Marineland was created by the Warlord Karl Pieszczoch when he was General of Marines. It was a place on the Kamchatka peninsula for his men to keep wives and girlfriends and whores. Over time it grew to be more than that when children arrived.

Ox and Snake were both sons of the Warlord. They did not share the same mother, though that did not matter in Marineland where there were hundreds of women ready at any time to give them care and attention.

The sons and daughters of marines raised in Marineland grew up in a pleasant environment and had plenty of activities to keep them busy. There were classes in useful subjects like math and history. They learned other languages like French, Russian, and the Common Tongue. They competed at athletics and contests of strength and speed, and of course they fought.

The contests that resembled and prepared them for combat were many and varied. They fought individually to train the body and mind, and fought in teams of various sizes to train their community spirit. Ox and Snake recognized early on that their talents complimented each other and became friends, often choosing each other for teams where that was permitted. Their sense of brotherhood was strong, even when they competed against each other on the rifle range or as leaders of teams it was a friendly rivalry.

Boys or girls could choose to join the Marine battalions keeping order across the planet and among the stars at sixteen. If they would not enlist they were required to leave Marineland at eighteen. In discussing their future both young men recognized the strong allure of joining the premier military in the galaxy, but agreed it seemed a limited future. This sense that something else was their destiny grew as the time approached for their decision. Ox was not afraid of exile, he was ready to meet any future and told his friend they were as well prepared as any young men on Earth. He was not afraid of becoming a Terran Marine either, he could judge himself against others as well as anyone and knew he could succeed, but both young men were reluctant to commit to that future. Snake decided to seek the counsel of the General in charge of Marineland in order to be clear on his choices.

General Zlotorzek granted the interview and at the appointed time admitted Snake to his office atop one of the towers north of Marineland proper. Snake was no longer a cadet and was not required to assume their formal postures, he still showed respect to the man. It would have been foolish to offend him when his advice was sought.

Good morning, sir.

Good morning, Stanislaus. What’s on your mind?

Snake ignored the mis-name, his mother refused to call him Snake as well. My 18th birthday is next month, sir. I was wondering if there are any options for me besides the Fleet or exile from Marineland. I’m sure you’re aware we hear rumors on this subject, sir.

Zlotorzek took a breath, Normally the answer would be no. The Twin Thrones don’t like to lose people who are born to the Fleet, but... You have to promise to keep it secret.

My brother Ox is also interested, sir.

Ox? You mean Octavian? He took another breath, The problem is, if we offer it, your time is up. You have to leave immediately so you don’t contribute to more rumors. Your reluctance could spread and we don’t like to put all this effort into training and then lose a man or woman who could be an asset to the Fleet. You understand?

You don’t want others to resent a choice they are not offered.

Just so. Your father has made this choice available only for his sons. Fortunately for him he has over 80, so he can afford to lose one or two.

Snake waited and gave the general a pleasant expression to encourage him to get to the point. Everyone living in Marineland knew about rank and its privileges.

You’re aware the Warlord and his brothers are time travelers.

Aye, sir.

If you accept the offer, he’ll provide a gunship capable of time slipping. You’re part is to promise not to make your father ashamed of you, if he were to ever hear of your activities in another timeline.

It seems to me that the only thing I could do to shame my father is to be a coward.

Or to abandon your family.

I’m sure my mother will be honored and well cared for, sir. She has other sons and daughters here.

Yes, well, that’s the offer. You have one hour to accept or refuse. If you refuse your time in Marineland is up, but we would still accept you into the Fleet.

Can I use that hour to convince my brother to go with me, sir?

No one else but him can hear about it.

Then I will accept the offer and bid farewell to my mother.

The clock is ticking, young man.

Aye sir.

2

Snake had little trouble convincing Ox. The two were both confident of meeting almost any challenge and the prospect of having their own world and timeline empire was more temptation than either had ever resisted. They both packed a few items and favorite personal weapons in a bag and bid farewell to their mothers. Snake led his brother back to Marineland HQ.

Zlotorzek had a few more words as he took them to the landing stage near his office. Once you start slipping, the time engine is set to rest in unclaimed timelines only. The convention among travelers is to set up beacons at the L1 and L2 locations near Earth. We have ours set to ‘Private, visitors not welcome’, but you can do whatever you want. Once you reach an unclaimed timeline, all restrictions on the ship and the data archives go away. There’s a basic factory seed in the storage hold. There’s a tutorial on basic time traveling but we don’t care if you watch it. Are you ready?

Any last advice, sir? Ox asked, feeling some anxiety at the last moment and wondering what his brother had now gotten them into.

Don’t assume anything. Time travelers are a mixed bunch.

We’ll fit right in, said Snake, ready to start the adventure and already seeing himself as a Time Lord.

Your hour is up, declared Zlotorzek. He sent an order to the gunship hatch to close.

Ox and Snake sat in the front seats of the small cabin.

Can we go  back an hour and think about this a bit more? asked Ox.

Why not? Snake replied. Seeing himself as the captain of their expedition, he had set it in motion after all, he spoke to the gunship. Slip back one hour.

Activating time engine, the gunship responded. Parameters set. Engaging.

Ox looked out the forward cabin screen, wondering how different it would be. After a moment Marineland disappeared around them. The volcanoes were still in view towards the west, but instead of resting at the tower landing the gunship now hovered in the air above a snow covered landscape.

Is this an unclaimed time? asked Ox.

No signals from claiming beacons are detected, answered the gunship.

Looks like we lost the Twin Thrones and Marineland, said Snake. A whole world to ourselves.

I’m gonna be pissed if there are no other people, said Ox.

Warning! announced the gunship. Missiles are inbound.

What! Move! yelled Snake.

There was a crash and the gunship was rocked.

Timeslip! yelled Ox.

What time? asked the gunship.

A century! yelled Ox, the first time interval that came into his head.

Precision cannot be guaranteed, replied the gunship. Our time engine has lost calibration from the impact.

The gunship was rocked by another explosion against the hull.

Execute anyway! yelled Snake.

Executing, replied the gunship.

A moment later and the view out the forward screen went black.

3

Snake, said Ox, What the hell?

They both looked at the view again and realized it was a star field as the pinpoints of light registered on their vision.

Snake was at the pilot’s station and began gathering information. You don’t like peace and quiet, brother? We’re out in the asteroid belt.

Sol’s asteroid belt?

Looks like it. Navigation is triangulating the planets’ positions for a time calculation.

Snake rotated the ship to get something else in their view. A brighter light was now visible and both took a breath. That’s Saturn, Jupiter is over on the other side of Sol.

After another moment the gunship announced, We have slipped 347 years into the past. I recommend against slipping further until the time engine is recalibrated.

The year is 1497, said Snake, reading the details from the control panel.

Why are we in the asteroid belt? asked Ox.

The spatial calculations were affected by the temporal imprecision, replied the gunship.

Well, shit.

We can still get to Earth, Ox. I’m not sure how long it will take, the estimate I’m getting is a range. Engines were affected some as well.

Ox looked over his brother’s shoulder to read it for himself. Two to three days? You know, Snake, it might have been a good idea to do a couple of days planning first.

Now we have the time, brother.

I’m ready to work the problem, brother, but this ‘Look on the bright side’ shit is not helping.

Alright, Ox, I’ll stop trying to cheer you up and stick to the facts. Life support is good, navigation is good, your appreciation of my leadership is not good.

That’s better. Can we detect any time travelers? Do you think they’re the ones who shot at us?

We didn’t detect any claims beacons.

"They sure as hell detected us, Snake. Do you think they were expecting us?"

If they weren’t expecting us, they have one helluva fast reaction time.

And missiles.

Yeah. Well, the ETA range is stabilizing, 41 hours now. Ship, how bad are the engines?

The impellors are out of coherence on the port side engine. ETA estimate is calculated from using the starboard side engine at half speed to reduce further damage.

May as well get started towards Earth, said Snake, reaching to input a destination on the control panel.

Wait, replied Ox. Is that our best course?

You want to live at Saturn? Or head for the system gates and move to Prontima?

Now that you mention it, if there’s no one at Saturn we could plant our seed on one of the moons and produce an undamaged ship.

Snake checked the navigation, Saturn is farther than Earth, ETA would be almost four days, then we’d have to wait while the seed installs and then produces a ship. At least eight or maybe ten days.

We could make cruisers, brother, arrive on Earth in style.

The leadership has considered your plan, brother, and smiles upon it.

The leadership still worries me, Snake. Can we do rock paper scissors if we can’t agree?

If we’re not under fire.

Alright.

4

Nine days later the two brothers were thoroughly sick of each other’s company but the nose of their first cruiser was emerging from the factory mouth they had planted on Titan. They had chosen the moon for its distance from the radiation around Saturn. Its possession of an unbreathable nitrogen atmosphere was both a plus and a minus in their choice. Ox felt the atmosphere might provide more cover than the near vacuum of other moons, Snake thought it might make flying with hand fans possible. It did, but the standard battle suits the gunship made for them were not capable of warming them for more than a few minutes in the extreme cold, which the atmosphere was very good at transmitting to their senses. They still went out regularly just to provide a reason to enjoy returning to the cramped gunship interior.

Most of their time was spent studying. Their archive had shed its limits when the two brothers had pointed out they were now the highest ranking people around. The gunship was still listening for signals, but there were no traces of radio or navigation beacons in Sol System.

I’m starting to think most time travelers are anti-social, said Ox after reading another time traveler report.

Plenty of them are, agreed Snake. So are most explorers and pioneers.

Ox didn’t care to explore the subject further. They spent far more time discussing the Earth they might find in the year 1497.

The Europeans may just be discovering the Americas, Snake.

They’ve got a lot to learn, Ox, and I’m not interested in teaching them. I want to have some fun for a bit. We’ll go for the prettiest girls, unless you disagree.

Can we agree on who are the prettiest girls? This was not a new argument between the brothers.

Snake smirked, Obviously the Han girls.

Some of the girls we grew up with were blond, Snake. I managed to taste a couple. They were delicious.

I’m unable to perceive a disagreement here, Ox. We can have palaces wherever we want, and have harems of whatever pleases us.

Ox had won the rock paper scissors to decide who would own the first cruiser. We will inspect Scandinavia first, brother.

No problem.

Twenty hours later they transferred their few possessions to the cruiser, instructed the factory to begin making factory seeds, and set out for Earth.

5

To sum up, said Snake as he leaned back in a seat on the bridge of Bào, Panther. We now have a better ride, more knowledge about time travel, and we have a brilliant plan.

I’m not interested in more time travel, replied Ox from the commander’s chair. Or letting people know we’re time travelers. We likely got a hostile reception last time because of our arrival method.

Can’t disagree, Ox. So, we’ll scout for a day, then go back to Titan to pick up the new seeds, and be back on track.

I’m going to assume from now on, Snake, when you talk like that the universe will take aim at you with something disagreeable.

Talk about disagreeable. You weren’t such a grump in Marineland.

I plan on cheering up in the near future.

You and me both.

They crossed the orbit of Jupiter, sped over the orbit of the majority of asteroids, then slowed down as they crossed the orbit of Mars before approaching Earth.

Still no sign of any other technology, pointed out Snake.

Excuse me if I’m a bit gun shy, replied Ox, but he was less anxious by the minute as they got close enough to visually perceive features on Earth. But then, It doesn’t look right.

A bit too much ice, brother, agreed Snake.

Bào went into orbit and began scanning at various wavelengths. The geology and terrain was close to their home Earth, but the temperature was about 25 degrees on average colder.

"What’s the exact date, Bào?" asked Ox.

October 20, Captain.

Late fall, Snake observed. Looks like the girls will be better clothed than we expected.

Liu Jing looked pretty hot in her cold weather survival suit when we did those Antarctic exercises last year.

I remember, Ox, but I’m not going to hurry the ladies here into one, and besides, Liu Jing looked good in anything.

I saw her in nothing, brother.

So did I.

"Well she’s gone, Snake, let’s get to work. Any concentration of life signs, Bào?"

Europe and the Mediterranean were beneath them as the gunship replied, Some traces in southern Italy and North Africa, Captain.

Even southern Europe was under heavy snow cover. The population levels were less than a per cent of what the archives predicted for the time. They continued traveling eastward. When they were over eastern Asia Ox ordered a geostationary position for more precision scanning. Looks like your plan wins, brother, said Ox. Scandinavia is an ice cube. Canton might have enough population to produce some pretty girls.

I hope you won’t suffer too much, brother, replied Snake.

Ox gave a slight shrug to agree with his brother. They continued to examine Earth and mapped most of the tiny populations along the equator. When they were over Africa Bào mentioned the next greatest anomaly in her survey so far; an excess of volcanism along the Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia. They examined the region more closely.

A meteor strike? suggested Snake.

Looks that way, said Ox. Do you think it’s natural?

Let’s put that question high up on our list, brother.

They discussed it as they rode in Bào back to Titan.

Aliens have struck the Earth in several timelines, said Ox.

True. Some of the time travelers fled from such strikes, and some of them caused them to other worlds.

I believe the question is, Snake, do we time slip again, or do we try to help these poor bastards out.

If they don’t have any pretty girls they are already in Hell, brother. I vote to timeslip again in that case.

Ox thought about that for a few minutes. He could see no good reason to disagree.

They headed back to Saturn, a three hour trip by cruiser. At Titan the factory had produced six factory seeds. They placed one in the crippled gunship and sent it to orbit around Earth to serve as a backup escape vehicle, then loaded the other five in the hold of Bào.

6

On the way back in to Earth they decided to plant two locations with two seeds each, leaving the fifth one as a reserve in storage in Bào.

This is all different from when we went on exercises, said Ox.

Do you miss the adults, brother?

Not much. If we wanted one, we could summon a persona. We have several dozen in our library.

If we wanted one, agreed Snake.

If we intend any climate engineering then a builder persona would make sense.

Have we decided to adopt this world, Ox? That’s a bit more work than I was looking for.

It’s a better purpose than you were looking for.

True. Let’s see how it goes.

They returned to Kamchatka and the location of Marineland on their home Earth. It was under fifty meters of snow except where the volcanoes had melted the ice nearby. Small glaciers were forming where the water had refrozen. 

Looks perfect, observed Snake.

Bào burned away the ice over a stable area inland. They planted the two seeds a hundred meters apart and initiated them.

The second pair was initiated in the middle of a vast empty ice field north of Lake Baikal. Their main tasks finished they lingered over the lake and stared at the solid ice covering it. Bào estimated it to be an average of eight meters thick.

Most of the fish must be dead, brother, said Snake.

And anything else that lived here, brother. I’m not seeing any human signs at all.

I wonder whether it was enemy action or bad luck, Ox.

Ox was quiet for a few moments as he examined those bookends of the problem. If it was enemy action, then I’m pissed.

You favor that explanation then, but it’s bad luck either way. We have a cruiser with a working time slipper. It doesn’t have to be our problem.

I know, but I’m not ready to leave. We got shot at on our first stop, then we found a ruined world. What are the chances the next will be any better? And if it is better, then they won’t need us as much as this world.

I’m two weeks older than you, said Snake, I should be the responsible adult.

Get going, brother.

Let’s look closer.

Ox sent the cruiser on a hop above the atmosphere and brought it down near Canton. The Pearl River estuary leading up to the city had a channel that was clogged with ships. They went lower and discovered they were all empty. Ox sent an order to Bào to rise again and to display life signs. They saw some scattered among the city buildings, but the biggest concentrations were on the islands south of the river. They came back down for a look. It only took a few moments to decide they were seeing a pair of prison camps.

Worse and worse, said Snake.

Ox sent Bào closer, hovering a hundred meters above the largest camp. Looks like old people.

If there’s a food shortage... Snake began a reply.

They all look thin, observed Ox. Either they’re starving them, or eating them, or both.

Definitely bad luck, said Snake.

You’ll have your own cruiser tomorrow, brother. You can do as you please then.

I might go away, brother, but I won’t run away.

Ox politely declined to mention their abrupt flight away from a missile attack two weeks earlier. I want to talk to someone.

I’ll cover you.

Ox stepped over to the pad beside the cruiser entry, stepped on and floated out.

7

His appearance over the camp on the round white disk caused a stir, but these people were starving and it was not an energetic response. They probably assume I’m a new problem. He floated around for a few seconds, then stopped and floated at head height near a group of elderly men and women who had stood up and were watching him.

Ox had his laser wand in his hand in case he was attacked. He knew Snake would not let anything happen to him, but it was all strange and the wand was too comforting to reholster.

A few moved a step towards him. They were dressed in rags and most wore thin patchwork blankets over the shreds of their clothes. Everyone was skeletal. Ox sat on the pad to give them the same head height and said, Good day, in the Common tongue.

Only one man spoke, Are you a Celestial Person? he asked.

Ox considered the man and his question. I flew down here, would I be believed if I said yes or no? I suggest you blink your eyes a few times.

The man thought that was good advice and did so, as did several others.

What has happened here? Ox continued, wanting to avoid talking about himself.

We are starving, as any fool could see, said a woman.

Your Han is good, said the first man.

Ox was ready to abandon the group after the woman’s petulant words, but reconsidered after the man spoke. If I was starving... What has happened to this world? he asked the man.

The man blinked at him again a few more times before answering, The higher realms are not aware, after all our prayers?

I’m asking you. No one prays to me.

The man swallowed. There was no vitality in the group, they waited and let him speak again, perhaps because Ox was addressing him. Please forgive us, honored visitor, but there is little energy here to pray to anyone.

I didn’t bring any food with me. I’ll go get some and return, he made a quick calculation, sure he could produce a few food machines in a few hours as soon as the factories came online, before sunrise.

Food? asked the woman. We are eating human offal. No one has seen food in a dozen moons.

If you will not answer my questions, I will ask them elsewhere. Ox immediately regretted the words, he had not come down to bully starving people, but the woman was not helping herself.

Three years ago, the man began, the world changed. The skies filled with ash, the waters rose and fell far beyond their normal levels, the earth trembled. Soon after the air began to freeze. The ice and snow falling burned us and destroyed our roofs. Many of us came from the north to escape the burning sleet. In all the Middle Kingdom, no crops can be harvested. We ate fish but there were never enough. Here in the South, we now eat each other. This pitiful group before you is in desperate condition, but others are worse than we.

Are they dead? Ox could not imagine worse circumstances, but the man provided a description.

We are Han. The Kuang Zhou Emperor is Han. Some of us here are parents of court officials. In other camps are foreigners. They are being eaten first by the city. Here we survive on their leftover bones.

Are you Han? asked the woman, You look mixed blood.

Ox was tired of her, If I decide not to help you, it will be because of you.

Please forgive my wife, Celestial Person, said the man. None of us are at our best.

Ox took a breath, Three years ... The air seems clear now.

The clouds have recently parted, Celestial Person, a month ago we saw stars for the first time in years, but the cold remains.

My name is Ox.

"We are honored, Lord Ox. If you are here to convey us to the Celestial