“A most fitting request. Make it so. And what is the news of the foul conspiracies?”
“Those that we have discovered and brought before you have been crushed.” Michael glanced sideways at Azrael. Yes, that does mean I am on to you and that I hold your existence in my hands “Those who were led astray by the deadly sin of pride have been arrested. Their leaders have been interrogated and their followers detailed in a camp far removed from the city.”
The clouds around the throne roiled and there was a distant role of thunder. The lightning display was pure white and merely rippled through the clouds. What a pity, Michael thought, it’s been weeks since I managed to provoke a real multi-colored display. Still, at least the mason has managed to catch up on repairs to the walls. Never mind, we’ll have an exciting enough display when I tell Yah-Yah the truth about what is going on.
“Detained in a camp?” Yahweh’s voice thundered across the room. “For defying My Eternal Will? They should be punished for this, they should suffer the agonies of Hell for all eternity for their impertinence. I decree eternal damnation for them with all the suffering that their vile treachery deserves.”
Thank you Yah-yah, that’s the key piece I needed. You are now on record as having ordered what happens to the inmates of Belial’s concentration camp. And when the humans find it, all the Angels in Heaven will be seen as your victims.
To the disappointment of those in the bunker and the delight of those who had stayed outside, the audience was over. Michael-Lan rose to his feet and backed out of the audience hall, genuflecting as he left. That hid any look of satisfaction on his face. His complex scheme was coming to its climax. Now, everything depended on Lemuel and Maion.
Chapter Fifty Two
The Forum, C?saraugusta, Cisalpine Gaul, New Rome, Hell
“Salve, Senator Junius Varinius Pulpo. I would speak to the subject of sending a Legion to fight alongside the Human Expeditionary Army in the invasion of Heaven.” George Matthews had prepared himself carefully for this, his first formal contribution to a debate in the forum. His toga was new and spotless, its carefully-pressed folds draped around him perfectly. For some strange reason he felt it added a sense of occasion, a solemn formality he had never felt before. This wasn’t an election day but their Senator had come on his scheduled visit to hear the opinions of his constituents directly. Matthews drew himself up slightly and held eye contact with the Senator.
“Your words will be heard and valued, Citizen George Andrew Matthews.” Pulpo spoke the formal response in equally measured, solemn tones. The constituencies were small enough so each Senator could make a reasonable start towards knowing the names of the people he would be meeting today. It was expected of him and when Gaius Julius Caesar expected something of people, it tended to get done.
“Senator, I stand in favor of the proposed deployment. To be a nation-state, a country that stands on its own feet with its head lifted high, means that we must take a full part in the affairs of nations. Take part as an equal partner qualified only by our available power and the skills of those lead us. Our legions are forming and are already feared by those they may fight. Our leadership is skilled and experienced. I believe it is our duty to establish the standing of New Rome as a nation state by assuming our rightful place in the order of nations.
“Of all the affairs of nations, none is more important than the war on Heaven. We have already seen on Earth that those nations who first took up arms against Satan and Yahweh have assumed the leadership of the coalition fighting this war. By taking part in the war, we establish our place and affirm our national identity. More than that, more than the pragmatic demands of politics, there is a moral dimension to this. Yahweh lied to us. He promised that those who followed his ways and lived by the rules he provided would be saved the torments of Hell. Yet, all the time, he was condemning us all to those torments. He should be punished for that deception and it is our duty, as honorable beings, to carry our full share of the burden involved in carrying out that punishment. Senator, Yahweh Delenda Est!”
“All the gods lie to us, they all did it all the time.” Senator Pulpo had noted the thunder of applause that had marked the end of Matthew’s speech. He was interested to see how this present-timer would handle himself in a formal Roman debate.
“Yahweh is not a god Senator, if such things as gods exist. He is a creature. A powerful creature certainly, one whose capabilities and strength made him seem godlike to our ancestors. But, now we know he is just another inhabitant of this dimension, no different from the daemons who are now our fellow-citizens and form part of our legions. More powerful than most certainly but still just another creature. The other self-proclaimed gods are no different. Those who dealt fairly with us should be treated fairly, those who lied to us and deceived us should be hunted down and a just, dispassionate revenge inflicted. Yahweh is the start, where we should go from there is something fate will decide. There may be real gods, in dimensions still higher than this. If so, then we should treat with them as they treat with us. Honor for honor, insult for insult.”
“Spoken like a true Roman.” Senator Pulpo spoke approvingly.
Matthews knew the background to his Senator. He had been an early retrieval from the Hellpit, an occupant of the Second Circle. He had spent millennia being buffeted by the great winds that dominated the Second Circle before being trapped by the nets that humans had stretched out to catch the souls condemned therein. From there, he had found his way to the New Roman Republic. He had heard that the legendary Gaius Julius Caesar had formed his new state and wished to be a part of it. He had survived the reign of the Emperor Lucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus only to die in the chaos that had resulted from the assassination of Commodus and the election of the Emperor Publius Helvius Pertinax. To him, New Rome seemed to offer a new chance, one to make a Rome that lacked the faults of the original, one that would be the shining light that Rome always could have been.
The words of approval met with applause also. Pulpo looked at the crowd gathered to hear the debates and gauged their mood. The deployment of a Legion was popular. “Our noble Consuls Gaius Julius Caesar and Jade Kim have proposed that the Third Legion, commanded by Tribune Theophile Broussard Madeuce, join the Human Expeditionary Army. Your words convince me, Citizen George Andrew Matthews, that in this as in so much else, our Consuls display their wisdom. I shall support their proposal.”
George Matthews gave a Roman Salute to Senator Pulpo and took his seat. Behind him on the podium, a daemon had taken his place. Matthews glanced at him quickly, he was disabled and badly scarred and was obviously a survivor from one of the battles in the Curbstomp War. “Salve, Senator Junius Varinius Pulpo. I would speak on the subject of using the revenue generated by supplying food from our farms to the humans on Earth.”