Elemorts

Chapter III - Zablaron II

Zablaron pulled his maroon, double-breasted trench coat tightly around himself as a chilly wind swept over the docks. The temperature was almost freezing as this half of Metallon had been cooling away since dusk. It was about dawn now.

He wore his trench coat over dark-red denim jeans with gray, calf-length boots. On his hands were warm, cobalt-blue gloves. His VBP was strapped to his right forearm with a black strap.

Silhouettes of ships of all kinds and sizes rocked gently along the quays as the water lapped against the waterfront. Myriad containers were grouped in stacks, some under the open sky, and some under columned structures with upturned roofs typical of Metalloy architecture. Idle cranes towered above like gigantic beasts poised to snatch up everything in their paths.

Zablaron watched as a red-and-gold MagneCar appeared in the distance. Owing to Metallon's powerful magnetic field, these specially designed cars could magnetically levitate over the planet's stainless-steel roadways and even off-road metal-plated terrain.

The MagneCar skimmed between the containers and pulled over a few feet before Zablaron. Ferrina stepped out of the passenger seat, adjusting her grossly oversized shades. As if wearing shades in the dark is going to make you look any less suspicious, Zablaron thought. She anxiously glanced at both sides before walking over to Zablaron.

"Alright, what do you want?" she demanded, looking over her shoulder.

"I care little for your tone."

Ferrina glared at Zablaron but did not reply. Zablaron went on, "Soon, you will be running for President. You should know how to act like one."

"I'm guessing you didn't bring that up for no good reason?"

Zablaron ran a hand through his hair. "Of course not. I have been wondering why you would start this horrendous tirade against me right about the time you decided you want to play President."

"I want the clutter to be cleared up before I take up office. I don't want powerful weapons in the wrong hands."

"C'mon, Ferrina, try a little honesty for a change. Trust me, it feels good. It's just the two of us here except that lout in your car. We both know I didn't supply any arms to King Riplartz. What are your motives, then?"

"Since you seem to think you've got it all figured out, why don't you venture a guess?"

"You want to wage war on the heart of the galaxy," Zablaron said dryly.

Many governments coveted the planet Karomoz since mer first perfected space travel and set foot on each other's planets. It was often called the 'heart of the galaxy' owing to its middlemost position. It had an abundance of natural resources, its climate was moderate, and its strategic position meant that anyone in control of Karomoz held sway on the rest of the galaxy. The Karomozians had certainly exploited all those advantages over the centuries, transforming their planet into a superpower.

Ferrina pursed her lips for a moment. "Do I? Or is it the Karomozians who want to wage war on us?"

"Doesn't matter to me. You wanted my reputation tarnished just as my parents' reputation was tarnished. You wanted my assets seized and brought under the control of the government. Once you took up office, Point Blank would be yours to command. You could order the manufacture of as many arms for the Metalloy army as you wished, minus the cost."

"Very nice," Ferrina said. She then dug into her purse and produced a cigar and a lighter. She lit the cigar up, put the lighter back, and took a puff. "No offense, but I had my own valid reasons for doing so. For all your cleverness, you wouldn't understand."