Alien Chronicles 1 - The Golden One Read Online Free PDF

tall jeweled collar, and gentle hands reverently arranged the folds of his rill above it.
    He emerged from the bathing chamber to find the chancellor standing in the same spot. The dispatch box, however, was gone. The Kaa spread his rill in satisfaction and gestured for his mirror to be activated. The slaves pressed one of the jewel-encrusted knobs adorning a paneled wall, and a portion of the wall shimmered into a reflective surface. Standing before it, the Kaa watched as his attendants finished preparing him.
    He was very tall, even for a Viis male in the splendor of full maturity, and towered over most of his subjects. Hued a magnificent deep bronze color, with dark green shadings beneath his jaw and across his hands, his skin showed patches of iridescence that shimmered multiple colors in the sunshine. Poets had lauded him for his splendid coloring, claiming in one epic poem that he “could blind his enemies simply with the radiant magnificence of his imperial person.”
    The Kaa did not consider himself a vain male as a rule, although he took great pride in his appearance. Today he studied his reflection as the slaves finished slipping gold tips onto the spines of his neck and jaw rills. He had chosen to wear an elaborate collar of gold, embossed with his name and titles in the ancient alphabet. It was quite heavy, especially in the back, where it supported his rill to nearly full extension. Narrowing his violet-blue eyes, as dark and vivid as the sky where it meets the curve of space, the Kaa twisted and turned his head to see the full effect.
    Satisfied, he stepped back, and his reflection automatically vanished as the mirror became a wall again. The religious procession would not take long, and then he would have his outing with the sri-Kaa. How pleasant that would be.
    Consulting his timepiece, Gaveid frowned.
    The Kaa knew that look. “Are we late?”
    “Very late, sire. It is coming on midday.”
    “Don’t fuss,” the Kaa said without concern. “We are the father of twenty-nine new hatchlings. Our wives are plump and happy. We are blessed.”
    “Blessed indeed,” Gaveid said, inclining his head. “But still very late. There is the processional of thanksgiving to be made, the ritual at the old temple, the banquet, and the meetings with important visiting dignitaries. I think the Imperial Father should forgo his visit to the marketplace.”
    The Kaa had been picking through a tray of rings and bracelets. Now he tossed down the trinkets and swung around.
    “No,” he said sharply. “We made a promise to the sri-Kaa. We shall not break it.”
    “The sri-Kaa is barely two years out of the egg. She will quickly forget her disappointment. The emissaries from Ul-one-two-four have been waiting several days for audience. Their disappointment may be more difficult to repair.”
    Displeasure swept through the Kaa, and his tail stiffened beneath the long skirt of his coat. He faced his chancellor with a glare. “This will be the first public appearance of our daughter,” he said. “It is important that all see she has become chune.”
    “Yes, it is well that the sri-Kaa has reached her second growth cycle, healthy and strong,” Gaveid said. “But equally important are the sivo crystals mined on Ul-one-two-four, and the money they pour into the imperial coffers. Money which pays for the restoration projects planned by the Imperial Father.”
    “Can you not put them off?” the Kaa asked.
    “Unwise, sire.”
    The Kaa’s scowl deepened. He felt torn by these conflicting obligations. He did not wish to make a decision.
    Gaveid watched him knowingly, as though he could read the Kaa’s mind. “Perhaps—”
    “Yes?” the Kaa said eagerly.
    “Perhaps the sri-Kaa could accompany the Imperial Father in meeting with the emissaries,” Gaveid said persuasively. “Combine both events. Please the chune, introduce her to the world, grant these dignitaries a double honor with both your presence and hers.”
    As