"Soooo good!" She practically salivated.
That was one thing Hope loved about traveling, all the great new foods.
She couldn't be happier that she pulled off the road to the park. The vantage point up here was picture perfect. The weather great. The fog had lifted, and the breeze was pleasant, not too hot yet though it was almost noon.
"Beautiful." Hope reveled debating grabbing her camera. "I have more than enough time to take it all in and still get to the campsite in time to pitch my tent. Maybe tomorrow I'll go visit the big redwoods up at Muir." She decided as she sat on a rocky outcrop and relaxed.
Viper
"Filius Viper, you should consider going back to your quarters." Canebrake, Viper's Second Imperator, suggested in a way that was more flippant than wise given his station.
The male was a good general but Holy Kadru he was overbearing. Why his nidum siblings never shoved him out of the nest was a mystery. This was hardly Viper's first time on a bridge not to mention he'd been fighting the Morbo just as long as Canebrake had, perhaps longer.
"That's Prognatus Viper to you Second!" Viper's First Imperator and friend, Ophidian, corrected the male as he swept through the door and took the helm.
Viper never cared either way which title was used to refer to him. Of course some used his former and generic title as a means of disrespect. It had been nearly ten years since he'd inherited the elevated title of Prognatus. Though some Anguis viewed that he gained it by default.
Viper could still remember the awful day he and his father received the terrible news that Viper's entire nidum had been lost to the Morbo infection.
Viper's father, Adder, the Rex of Anguis, and mother, Hyla, the Regina, had traveled to an outlying planet on a routine diplomatic tour. It was their duty as Rex and Regina to see to the people's needs. At the time Viper had joined them since he showed the greatest prospect for Prognatus among his siblings, but he was still just Filius Viper, one of many sons in his nidum. Nothing had been made official yet. With the tragic sudden loss of Viper's siblings he instantly became Prognatus Viper, next in line to rule Anguis.
His entire life had changed in the blink of an eye. Viper recalled the sense of desolation and anger that filled him as he watched the news feeds of the mounting death toll on both Anguis Prime and Anguis Minor. The meteors carrying the Morbo scourge had struck both of the planets that orbited similar paths in their system. The devastation was insurmountable. Just learning how to fight the nearly sentient plague had taken too long, adding to the body count. All the while he, his sire and mother sat quarantined off planet, forced to helplessly watch as scores of their family and friends perished.
Before that day Viper had never imagined his life would take the course it now had. He was barely out of his youth when the tragedy struck and yet it galvanized him with a purpose that drove his every action. At one time Viper's aspirations to rule his people seemed lofty enough, but now he strove for more. He would see to it that he defended the Anguis and any other race unfortunate enough to cross paths with the Morbo. It was a cause he'd readily sacrifice his life to attain though goddess willing one day he'd see an end to the wretched scourge.
"Canebrake report." Ophidian barked out.
"We've detected the Morbo asteroid. The Siglis is moving to intercept and fire the tormento."
"How close are we to the H class planet?" Ophidian demanded.
The little H class blue planet was covered with water, it was a perfect environment for the nasty Morbo. The scourge would swarm the planet if they couldn't reach that damn asteroid in time.
"We've almost cleared the asteroid belt at the middle of this solar system."
"Dammit!" Ophidian cursed.
They watched the viewer as the Siglis approached firing range. The Siglis was one of their smaller yet faster offensive ships. It was currently the closest ship to the retched asteroid speeding towards the inhabited blue planet. Their other offensive ships were busting tail to join the foray. Viper hoped they'd reach the speeding rock in time.
"Shit the asteroid is separating ahead of schedule!" Canebrake hollered.
"Siglis bank starboard." Ophidian and Viper yelled out simultaneously as they witnessed the asteroid cleaving.
The asteroid fractured into a dozen pieces as it hit the heavier gravity field near the H planet. A large hunk careened at an odd angle directly into the Siglis. The devastation was instantaneous.
Viper punched the wall, his knuckles cracking, blood quickly rising to the surface. Unfortunately there was no time to mourn their lost brethren.
"How many interceptors do we have that are close?" Viper snarled.
"Three with five more hot on their heels." The male at the console replied.