THE ELEMENT GUARDIANS

Chapter 13: The Misleading Alliance

As Grossman relaxed in her safe Dark Sky castle, certain that her plan to destroy Element was a blessing from Hell, she decided to initiate its application. To be closer to the people she needed to mislead, she went back to Volga. Like an architect, she prearranged in her mind the steps necessary to keep her psychotic secret from everybody, husband included. Not an easy task, because he was the minister of spying and expert in armaments for Dark Realm’s army. Grossman needed to convince Sax-a-Lar that Trigger Finger needed help to develop weapons comparable to—or better than—the ones that the Guardians possessed. Such help could only come from a man called Reptilious, a well-known scientist in this galaxy. He despised Master Ribbit and was known as a money grabber who required significant compensation for his services.

“Money,” she would tell Sax-a-Lar, “is not a problem, as long as we control Volga’s banks. Your spies will easily locate Reptilious. Then we send Trigger Finger, our mediocre weapons builder, to make him an offer that, greedy as he is, he will not refuse.”

Reptilious, as a scientist and inventor, was second only to Master Ribbit in that cluster of galaxies. His contribution to society, however, was not too generous because his main interest was to maintain his economic status at the highest level. Occasionally, he encountered trouble with taxes or unpaid accounts that forced him to make court appearances. But because of his famous status as a scientist, he always got away with pardons.

Trigger Finger had no problem identifying the scientist because he’d gone first to the banks of Tarra; the tellers all knew he was asking for Reptilious. His reputation preceded him. Trigger Finger found that the scientist was lodging in the best hotel on the planet.

“I understand you were asking to see me,” said the scientist when Trigger Finger showed up at his door. “Who are you, and what do you want from me?”

“My name is Trigger Finger; I’m an engineer working for General Grossman on the planet Volga. My job is to design and build special weapons to be deployed by her soldiers. I’m in a stage of production that the general has approved, but her expectations superseded my ability to improve my armament. She admires you as the greatest scientist of our time. She considers Master Ribbit, another scientist you may know, to be an overrated inventor, too inept to be affiliated with the highest political figure of our galaxy.

“What General Grossman needs from you is your ability to program an existing weapon that never has been used before in any galaxy. It is superior to the ones that Master Ribbit delivered to the Guardians on the Planet Element. Your compensation is yours to define because it comes in the form of an open check. You will be the richest being in any galaxy. I hope to bring good news home to General Grossman so we can start working immediately.”

With just the expression on his face, Reptilious expressed his acceptance as soon as Trigger Finger had completed his request. But to confirm his interpretation without a doubt, Trigger Finger cordially invited the scientist to the best dinner of his life. And of course, Reptilious could not refuse.

***

After settling in the hotel and touring parts of Volga, Dr. Reptilious readied himself for his first meeting with Grossman. He was a bit nervous, because never in his professional life had he been offered such a generous reward for his services. As soon as they introduced themselves, the general presented herself as a victim that had escaped from her unforgiving native planet Element.

“Dr. Reptilious, if you don’t mind, I would like to bring you up to speed on all the issues concerning my position and the project that requires your involvement—and, of course, its compensation,” said General Grossman. “As you may have heard, I have been accused of partaking in the killing of my father. That was a lie; I am innocent of such accusations. In fact, at that time, my husband Sax-a-Lar, the highest-ranked officer in our Dark Sky army, testified in favor of my innocence.

“The truth is that my sister, Queen Frenzy, had been jealous of my beauty since we were kids, so she threatened me when I became a member of the Dark Magic. My mother and father weren’t any kinder to me either. My career in Dark Sky, my search for a new home, was driven by my unselfish support of the weak and old citizens when injustice was applied to them. It should be noted that I’m not wanted by the highest Galactic Justice Authority for any crimes, as the media or the police in Element originally indicated. People love me.

“My advancement to the rank of general allowed me to save this planet from being captured by a handful of genius bankers. Volga was handicapped, for a long time, by an illness known as IQ deficiency. This sickness randomly affected the intelligence of newborns, creating, in time, either geniuses or idiots. To protect them from invasion by interplanetary pirates who would take hold of their wealth of natural resources, I have decided to help this planet by essentially managing it. It should be noted that researchers recently discovered a cure for IQ deficiency, and in about fifty years, Volga will be capable of managing itself. In the meantime, it is highly requested that we continue to manage their affairs.

“At this point, before we proceed with this meeting, I would suggest a coffee break. Why don’t we ask Trigger Finger to prepare his large laboratory and his people for your visit?” Grossman’s speech had continuously emphasized to the scientist her ability to lead a planet. Reptilious didn’t normally care much about who was in charge so long as he was paid, but he listened dutifully, wanting very much to keep her happy.

“Let me put forward to you my ideas, and whatever social issues need to be resolved,” suggested General Grossman. “Dr. Reptilious, I would like to underline how much I respect you and how much you mean to the entire galaxy, for your contributions to science. We are honored to have you here. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the opportunity to work with you before, nor to understand how difficult it must have been to finance your projects without the full support of the scientific community.

“With this in mind, I guarantee to you that from now on, you will never be humiliated as a mendicant again when you endeavor to complete difficult projects that other scientists have the opportunity to accomplish because of their high political affiliations, gained by kissing the feet of those above them. For example, we both know how much Master Ribbit manipulates the media, using his political power to fool both the great minds and the average population. He, in my opinion, should be given the award for the greatest liar of all time.

“He started the false rumor that Dark Sky, under my command, wants to occupy the Planet Element, kill their Guardians, and subjugate the rest of the population. An absurdity, because I was born in Element and still have many relatives there. Furthermore, my sister and her husband Dan, a Guardian himself, all reside on that planet. Unfortunately, because I have been wrongly accused of killing my father, my reputation as a good human being has never been restored. Quite the opposite, in fact. I had to exile myself in Dark Sky where, fortunately, my successes caused me to become the most admired female on the planet.

“In that position, I have to make very severe political decisions, one of which, I’ve decided, is to end the fake news that claims Dark Sky will invade Element. Not an easy task, because Element is arming itself with potent weapons while our side, Dark Sky and our ally Volga, is peacefully concentrating on providing better economic conditions to both planets. It’s come to a point where many political experts think that Element will become the invader, and Dark Sky the victim. Something has to be done to stop this situation. Not long ago, perhaps the Angel of Peace may have given me the answer for a peaceful solution to the aforementioned problems.” The general took a breather, regarding Reptilious placidly.

“Dr. Reptilious, assuming it was the Angel of Peace who triggered the peaceful solution, they also included you as the major player in achieving it. To prove how powerful this solution is, let us go back in time and land on Earth, an old beautiful planet in the Via Lactea Galaxy that was engaged in constant wars that threatened its existence. It came to a point where many nations had at their fingertips the power and ability to destroy another nation by deploying an elementary weapon—the atomic bomb.

“If they were triggered in space above a series of electrical grids, these same weapons would cause tremendous damage to the entire population of a planet because neither clear water, food, transportation, nor utilities as we know them could be available until the grids were repaired. In short, people would die.

“A worst-case scenario where this kind of attack would be justified would require a large number of atomic weapons, but let us not forget that technology has advanced since scientists on the planet Earth figured out how to destroy an entire continent. You, Dr. Reptilious, as a member of the Atomic Commission, are aware of that situation because the use of that power has been prohibited in all known galaxies.”

“True, but today our new technology is providing us alternative weapons that are much more powerful than the old atom,” remarked Reptilious cautiously. Grossman nodded sagely, but did not immediately acknowledge his comment.

“Going back to the Angel of Peace, they whispered to me the following solution,” she said. “Destroying the entire planet Element would cause, and rightly so, retaliation from all the other galaxies, thus making it a suicidal plan that no one would want. Instead, I’d like to give a warning to Element by destroying a small electrical grid somewhere in suburbia where the damage would not kill anybody because repairs could be completed in two or three days. Show this event on Element televisions, as a special, a fictional situation where the capital of Element and other big cities are attacked, and the result would be devastating.

“Dr. Reptilious, to make this concept a possibility—a reality, even—and build such a weapon, I brought you here today. You are the only person in the galaxy who is capable of making it functional. The beautiful thing is that this small, deadly device, utilized outside the cities perimeter where no one will die, will never be deployed in a metropolis, but Element’s government will still surrender at the warning of its merciless consequences.

“Element’s military force, composed of very intelligent personnel, will themselves recommend the surrender. This plan will satisfy even its harshest critics because the conventional war, if active, will be stopped, and the one that would terminate the existence of Element as planet will be avoided simply by a fictional presentation on their television.”

The most dangerous woman in the galaxy rested her case. Overselling her false plan, she wanted to ensure that the scientist agreed with her.

“You, Dr. Reptilious, with your immense intelligence, could utilize the latest technology available to trigger this weapon that does not kill. The military marketplace, as you know, prohibits merchants from selling any technology that could cause the death of humans or the destructions of property. Being that you are a scientist, to fulfill the potential of your inventions, you have permission to examine whatever loose components are needed to assemble a newly developed gadget. Also, as a member of the Galaxy Defense Arms Agency, you can argue to your colleagues that the gadget produces air turbulence similar to an atomic device that has existed in our galaxy for millennia.

“To provide you with transparency about this project, I have appointed Trigger Finger as my weapon designer. He will be known to the public as the designer responsible for any invention that results from this alliance. He has limitations as a producer, but he is great at keeping secrets—partially because he has no idea about the true nature of this project. As a matter of fact, only two people are aware of this scheme: me and you, Dr. Reptilious. Not even my husband Sax-a-Lar knows what I intend to do.

“To conclude this meeting, or should I call it a secret chat, about my plans to prevent war with Element, I’m offering you a place in history by respectfully asking to help these two planets, Dark Sky and Volga, retain their peaceful alliance and shield themselves from the invader planet Element. Should you not accept my proposal, the alternative would not be as practical, but our respect toward you will last forever.

“And please don’t divulge this secret plan to anyone, in any way, shape, or form. To give you an idea of why only you and I can be cognizant of my plan, I have some tapes to show you. The doors in this room are securely closed and will remain closed until I electronically reopen them. No other eyes but ours will ever look at these two tapes again, because they will be disintegrated before the doors are opened. Now, let the show begin...”