Presently, the only patient would be Bassai. SIR Bassai, that is. Tekki sits in a nearby chair, while his master slowly regains consciousness.

The Ringneck archaeologist drifts slowly towards awareness. It feels like a long, slow slide down the throat of the Great Serpent, or perhaps out of it. Sensation returns as the images of twisting golden scales fade from his mind. He flicks out his tongue as he awakes.

A Naga life mage is picking up his candles and cleaning up the colored sands used to form the circle. He nods his head, and makes a serpentine 'smile' as he sees that his patient is returning to the land of the awake. "Good, good. You have been greatly honored, archaeologist!"

Three garter Nagas sit up straight, lined up against a wall. They shuffle through their book and papers. By their attire and equipment, they are lawyers, all three of them.

"Yess," Bassai hisses, "I feel this honour will remain with me for quite some time. How long have I been unconscious?"

Tekki's ears flick hopefully.

The physician pauses after sweeping the colored sands into a pouch, and says, "Only for a day. You're a strong one. That's good. It makes my work easier."

"I am most grateful," the Ringneck Naga replies, slowly looking around the room, focusing finally on Tekki, and then the three garter lawyers.

There is another momentary pause, as he gathers his thoughts. "I see my Ministerial duties already await me."

The physician bobs his head. "Good day, archaeologist. They have been waiting here several hours. I will take my leave of you, now, so you may begin your work." Without allowing any moment for protest, the mage slithers out of the chamber.

The musician keeps playing, just in the doorway. In addition to providing background music … it helps to drown out any conversations taking place inside from prying ears outside.

The lawyers start hissing, all at once, as soon as the physician has left. "Have you considered the ramifications of a sudd – " "Are ALL Savanites to be freed, or only – " "What do we do about refugees from the outside?"

Bassai tries to get more comfortable inside his cast and sling, then looks at the garters again. "Please, please. Yess, I have thought of some of these things; they must be dealt with in order, and in a way that causes minimal disruption to the Empire."

"Of course!" "Naturally!" "We never thought otherwise, Sir Bassai!" the garters hiss.

"For the moment… " The Ringneck lets his voice trail, as he considers his first action. "… I think their status as citizens should be implemented as swiftly as possible, to bring about the greatest benefit."

The garters hiss, "Swift! Certainly!" "Swift?!?" "AHHHHHHH!" The snakes simultaneously lose their composure, babbling incoherently and flipping through their papers as if they might prove that Bassai really said something else.

"Wait, you are failing to consider things," Bassai lectures. "They are no longer to be considered a slave-race, but citizens. However, you will remember that citizens presently can still become slaves through misfortune, and as minor criminal punishment."

"Citizens?!?" one garter squawks. The other two echo him in short order, and they all three look at each other, the one stuck in the middle alternating as he looks from side to side, and is then forced to return his gaze back to Bassai, as he squeaks, "Are you quite well, sir?"

"Physically I may still be enjoying the honour shown me, but I assure you my mind is quite sound. The Emperor-Potentate would not have approved this measure if he thought it was unsound." The Ringneck hisses, "Let me explain how this will have minimal effect."

The garters shut up and duck at the mention of the Emperor-Potentate, realizing the implications.

"There will be some rather far reaching consequences. The only Savanites who will be able to enjoy their present new status, are the wild ones, and those whose masters are generous to release them from service." Bassai shifts his head to look at Tekki momentarily, then returns his gaze to the three garters, "and of course, the unborn. Oh, there is the side benefit of increasing our claim on all the land presently occupied by our new citizens."

The garters look at each other, as if they share a common thought … and then, in a page-flying flurry, start buzzing through their books.

"Ah yes!" pipes up one. "Quite so!" adds another. "So, in effect … no slaves have to be freed at all?" "Ingenious!" says the first, bobbing his head in approval.

"A question… " says one snake, but the other jumps in to ask one of his own, "Provided any are voluntarily freed, how to we distinguish free from slaves, on sight? Must they present paperwork?" The third one just nods.

Bassai shakes his head, as much as the cast will allow him to. "Some will be, all the ones recently captured from the wild, and not fully trained will have to be sent back. This will allow us to inform the wild Savanites of their new status, and the protection that gives them from the Empire. Yes… I am considering that question."

A garter hisses, "What will this do concerning the slavers? Surely we won't be collecting taxes from them anymore… " The next interjects, "Yes, yes! In fact, I suppose we'll have to send them away entirely! We can't risk them abducting citizens!" The third hisses, "But think of the expense in enforcing it! We'll have to put patrols out there! I'm CERTAIN there will be confrontations… "

"Obviously there will be much paperwork, I am thinking some kind of mark that cannot be removed… will get around the problem of papers being lost, or stolen if the slaves are outside our borders." Bassai flicks his tongue out, he nods, "The slavers will have to be dealt with in some manner, let me consider… "

A garter hisses, "A mark that cannot be removed? But what if… " "… a Savanite commits a crime?" The other retorts, "We could simply have all crimes punishable by death, of course!"

Tekki shudders, and fingers his collar.

"No," the Ringneck flicks out his tongue again. "They are to be treated as if they are Jingai, all the laws that presently cover them will now cover Savanites as well. There has to be no adjustment in those laws, beyond what is required to accommodate their inability to vocalize."

The garters collectively gasp. One ventures (It doesn't really matter WHICH garter… ), "But … it would be so easy for a slave to escape now!" Another hisses, "Just by removing his collar!" The third laments, "No longer can a Savanite be sent out unsupervised. He might never come back!"

"In addition, this means that some abuses they receive as slaves will end, as they are no longer considered animals, but instead proper citizens who have become slaves." Bassai watches the three garters. "Yes, that is true… they must be given something that indicates their new status."

One garter hisses, "Identifying papers!" Another hisses, "Registration of spot patterns?" The third hisses, "Why not just a new collar?"

"I am considering a new collar, though it might not convey the message it should." Bassai looks to the lone Savanite for a moment. "Have you any suggestions Tekki?"

Tekki's eyes widen in alarm as all faces in the room turn to gaze toward him. He fumbles as he signs, "I am overwhelmed as it is, master. I do not know what to suggest."

One of the garters muses, "Well, if we simply conquered the rest of the globe, we could force them to all recognize … " He looks to the stares of the other two garters, and then amends, "Never mind."

Another garter hisses, "The implications! If some Savanites are free and some are not, and if they are all citizens … how do we justify slavery of those who have not committed crimes?" His jaw drops at the horror of it all. "Beasts treated as people! We have all gone mad!"

Another garter turns to him, "The Emperor-Potentate is not mad." He gives him a scolding look.

The other one just nods. The garter who made the outburst sinks down a few inches.

"Hmm… " The Ringneck Naga inhales the incense and thinks a moment longer. "I think several of those methods will have to be used; Papers and spot… please calm down. They will be simply treated as if they were citizens who fell into slavery, and soon we will implement a method for those presently slaves to work towards their freedom."

The first garter hisses, "But what if bold slaves are not content to work toward freedom?" "Yes," hisses the second, "they have lived their lives accepting their lot as mere beasts … but if they are told they are not, and if they CAN think on their own … what might they reach for a conclusion?" The third hisses, "Trouble! Trouble all around… "

A garter pipes up, "A freedom tax! We can charge a fee for the necessary paperwork in becoming free again. That way, it is only reasonable, you see, that until they can pay… " He looks to the others for support.

The two other garters instead look to Bassai for support.

"Yes, that is a matter I wish to address soon, but not now. I am still trying to make a decision on how to mark the free Savanites," Bassai hisses. "There will be a short amnesty, where slaves may be made citizens for free. Their masters will already be suffering an investment loss, and it would not encourage them if there was a penalty on top of that."

The garters nod in unison. "Quite so!" "We wouldn't want that." "Certainly not!"

Bassai says, "Also advise anyone releasing their slaves, that they should negotiate some sort of work contract, and re-hire them. The pay should be at least the upkeep they presently require, note also that the contract will have to be renewed yearly. This will prevent slaves… "

The garters lean closer, listening intently.

The Ringneck Naga shakes his head, "… citizens I mean. This will take some getting used to. It will prevent the new citizens from agreeing to a contract that essentially puts them back into slavery."

The garters nod in unison. One of them hisses, "Maybe we could just encourage all slave collars to come with locks that are too complex for simple-minded Savanites to pick… " Another garter hisses, "Yes, and the official collars could be manufactured by the Imperial Craftsmen! For a modest fee, of course… "

A new Naga slithers into the room, one of a glossy dark brown color, hooded as a cobra, a fancy velvet jacket with metallic-gleaming decorations of rank and merit about his shoulders. "Ah! My apologies for being late," he hisses. "I had not suspected that my… colleagues… would be so eager to badger a convalescent patient of your rank, Sir Bassai."

"I think citizenship papers, and spot registration would serve best as a slow and permanent record. Already many of the slaves are registered that way to prevent their theft, it would simply be a transferal of records." Bassai decides, "Also, they will require a more immediately recognizable mark, such as a pattern died in their fur, or a piece of jewelry which incorporates their spot pattern and citizen number."

The garters nod at Bassai's suggestions, but shrink back upon the arrival of the cobra. At once they hiss, "Perhaps we should go now." "We have much to study." "I will prepare a full report in the morning!"

The Ringneck Naga twists, trying to see the cobra who has entered, "Yes, they were swift to strike once I awoke."

The cobra glances at the garters in turn, holding their gazes until they look down. "Perhaps to save our dear Archaeologist the trouble, you should give your full report to me? The Potentate's Chief Attorney?"

The garters almost shrink into themselves. "Of course!" "Naturally." "Why, it was exactly what we intended!"

Bassai hisses, "I wish to stay informed on the matters I am making decisions on. I am sure you will be able to create a copy for anyone who needs it."

"I'll work on it right away!" hisses a garter, as he gets up, grabs his books, makes a quick bow … and slithers out the door. He is quickly followed by the rest in like fashion.

The cobra smiles thinly. "Then you may begin now." He slithers about so that Bassai need not twist about to see him, then bows to a fellow official of the Emperor-Potentate's government. "Greetings, Minister Bassai. I am Saphot, and as you may know, I serve the Emperor-Potentate in overseeing the laws of our fair Empire. It is so easy," he whispers. "For a critical word or two to go missing, or be written in not quite the appropriate fashion to serve his will… "

"Then I will greatly appreciate your assistance in proofing these changes, and ensuring the intention will not be lost in the letter of the law." The Ringneck Naga replies, "I am sure the Emperor-Potentate did not issue his consent to see only superficial alterations."

Saphot slithers to one side, still before Bassai. "Of course, my dear Archaeologist. Such grand sweeping changes as you have proposed requires bold leadership. Energetic leadership. A leadership that shines before other, lesser Nagai as does the Procession, lighting the way for them to follow." He adjusts tiny spectacles over his nose, hooked on by a clever wire arrangement.

"I will endeavor to be more energetic as soon as motion returns to my body. I presume you have some legal aspects I may not be aware of, that I should consider along with the improvements I am attempting to bring about?" The Ringneck asks, keeping his gaze on the cobra, and flicking out his tongue.

Saphot leans closer to Bassai and whispers softly, "Such leadership requires of course, Sir Bassai, a good example. Have you considered the question of whether you will free your slave, Tekki?"

Tekki sits bolt upright at the mention of his name – and the context.

"Yes," Bassai answers without hesitation. "It was something I wished to discuss with him in private. Also, I did not see much point in freeing him before the laws existed to protect him from being seized as a runaway. I feel it is an example I should make, and I will let him be a citizen."

Saphot smiles thinly again. "A worthy decision, Sir Bassai, and one that I feel will make a good impression upon the many lords and nobles that you will soon be visiting." He rubs his hands briskly. "You see, many a law will fall through even though they are enacted from a well-placed sense of fairness and usefulness to the Empire, simply because others do not care to enforce them. Or they do not pass them on to those who would most benefit. Or they violate them, plain and simple."

"I understand there will be some reluctance and resistance to change. I would not have asked it if I did not think there were tangible benefits to the Empire. We shed our skin many times throughout our lives, and it is not extreme to believe the Empire may need such occasional renewal; It will be uncomfortable for a time, but I fully believe a stronger Empire will emerge." Bassai hisses, smiling in response to Saphot.

"To that end as well," the cobra hisses. "It is wise to consult those most affected by such laws, in case one's ideals cannot be reasonably implemented without, shall we say… Some compromise. It is better to have some advances of the rights of Savanites, is it not, than to have all fail? The Empire is not given to rapid changes, my friend." He glances over at Tekki, then back into Bassai's eyes. Saphot's gaze is cool and analytical.

Tekki sits heavily on the floor, ears askew. Somehow he hadn't applied Bassai's bold words to himself.

"I have not known cobras to be hesitant in their strikes." The Ringneck replies, "Obviously I am not advocating turning all the slaves free and into the streets overnight. This disruption would serve no purpose. My suggestions so far have been for a rapid, and complete change in areas that least effect Nagai, and a more accommodating change in areas where it will. However, I see no reason to draw out a process, when a decisive move will make the discomfort pass quickly."

"It is the difference between a moment of pain, and prolonged torture," he adds.

Saphot's tail flickers. "Excellently spoken, Minister," he says. "Then you will understand when I say that I have already arranged to retain the service of an excellent life-mage, Sephira, to speed your recovery along. She will be in shortly. Once you are fully recovered and invigorated, then we may proceed with the campaign to familiarize and impress upon the Empire's finest your plans and proposals."

"That is satisfactory, I will appreciate some advice, and I am sure they will require some convincing. In the meantime would you like to offer opinions on what I have already discussed with the other lawyers?" Bassai tries again to shift in his cast, and is again unsuccessful.

Saphot waves a hand in dismissal. "One could go on forever about such trivialities as whether the Savanite slaves of another nation that visit our own would become freed upon entering our borders, for instance, whether brought by an owner or escapees, or what recompense should be offered masters who are deprived of their labor force… "

The cobra leans closer to Bassai, almost eye to eye. "You must consider more immediate problems, my fellow minister. The Emperor-Potentate has agreed in principle – but in practice, you must win the support furthermore, of the land's most powerful, who are also all slave owners. And you must convince them to side with you."

"As you are the Chief Advocate of the Empire, I would expect such trivialities to be things you would be concerned about. I understand that law requires the most flexibility in navigating the details." The Ringneck's stare remains fixed on the cobra, "however, you presumably have some suggestions on the larger issues. What do you recommend for winning support of the powerful land owners?"

"It is very simple," Saphot says with a thin smile.

The cobra continues, "If they stand to benefit under your scheme, then they will support you. If they will lose… Then they will not."

"What other motivation besides Imperial benefit do you think I have?" The Ringneck hisses, with no hint of a smile.

"To that end," Saphot murmurs, "since you wish the support of those who are most influential, you play one against the other, or all against the one. Let there be penalties then, to the effect that the slaves of those whose masters do not faithfully inform them of your new laws, and who do not then offer them some suitable indenture contract, shall be released to more proper contracts, and the faulty masters shall be fined. These indenture contracts, to some suitable default amount, are then held by the State and may be given for some minimal fee to those who do support you." The cobra whispers this last.

"You must crush those who would stand against the Potentate's desires, and reward those who support you in this mission," Saphot concludes.

"Yess," Bassai hisses slowly, "That would seem to be a successful approach. I foresee some difficulties in determining what is considered acceptable contracts. For many that will be the status quo, and it simply is not. There must also be some perceived benefit from a free slave. Otherwise they will just be shuffled around. Hmm… "

A pretty Naga slithers in the door, her scales a pattern of gold edged with blue and green about the eyes, trailing down to become increasingly blue-green until they become emerald at her tail-tip, around which a golden circlet set with emeralds has been set. She wears a vest and several belts with pouches dangling about her waist, and her manners suggest one high-born. "Lord Saphot?" she hisses. "Sir Bassai? I am Life-Mage Sephira."

Saphot nods to Bassai's statement, then smiles. "Ah! Magess Sephira. So good of you to free up your appointment schedule for us."

"Greeting Life-Mage, I appreciate your attendance to my needs." The Ringneck Naga tries to see Sephira, with his limited motion.

Sephira slithers before Bassai and surveys his condition. "Goodness," she murmurs. "You have been well honored by the Emperor-Potentate, haven't you, Sir Bassai. Tell me, does it hurt when I press against your ribs, like this?" She reaches out with a warm hand to feel the Archaeologist's scaly side where it's exposed in the cast.

The cobra lawyer glances with amusement toward Sephira. "Well, I'll come back with my aides to discuss your proposals further, Minister. For now, it's best that you recover quickly."

It is impossible to flinch and pull away while in a full cast, though the effort was present. "It is tender, yes." Bassai hisses, after flicking out his tongue.

Sephira tsks! "Well, we shall have to see what we can do about that." She nods to Saphot, and then clears a table of vases and flowers and begins setting out her tools and materials.

"I look forward to further discussions, Lord Saphot," the Ringneck hisses.

The cobra smiles and bows to Bassai, then slithers quietly from the room.

Bassai flicks out his tongue again, unable to do much else as he lies in the sling. "Tekki, assist… please assist Mage Sephira in any way she may need." He waits, staring at the wall in front of him, and wondering.

Tekki blinks at the 'please' and signs, "Master?" His tail flicks behind him as the Savanite slowly gets up.

"Yes Tekki, please. It is something you will have to get used to hearing," The Ringneck replies. His voice becomes a whisper as he relaxes and waits on the Life-Mage's attendance. "Something we will all have to adjust to."

Sephira looks surprised at first and then flickers her forked tongue between small fangs. "Well! You are certainly good to your… aide, Minister." She immediately begins busying Tekki with make-work before setting about laying out a ritual circle.

Tekki signs, "Thank you, Master… Bassai."