After escaping from the prison, Mirov was talking to the other soldiers in the place where they were hiding. The base was in Sector 13, in the depths of the Mutant Forest. Although they knew that Mirov was unscrupulous, the soldiers put in his ideas the hope of getting out of there and returning to their families. To participate in a rebellion in which he took power and rid them of the condition of fugitives was a dream for which it would be worth fighting.
"What a terrible place this is! Wasn't there a better place for the military to do their training? Everything around is dead and what exists alive here are mutants, ready to devour anything." Mirov commented with contempt as he looked around.
Mirov had arrived just a few hours ago and didn't want to rest. In prison, he said, he had rested enough.
"Sir, when choosing this site to build a base of training, the purpose was precisely for the officers to learn to fight in adverse conditions. It was Merko himself who chose it," replied Captain Fizard. "The most tenebrous creatures on the planet live in this region. Gigantic reptiles, resulting from laboratory experiments, were abandoned here, but they not only survived but managed to dominate the environment. By their voracity they can adapt to any wild ecosystem."
"I don't like to hear this name, Merko..." Mirov continued, ignoring the officer's explanation. "He will pay dearly for having betrayed me. As for this place, we won't stay here for long... And about the creatures that you speak so much," Fizard nodded, "who knows, they might be useful to me someday." The ex-counselor smirked maliciously; his head filled with evil thoughts.
Radof simply listened to him, his face serious, not knowing what to think.
***
Mirov got rid of the identification wristbands he and Radof used in jail as soon as possible. He ordered the military to destroy them so that there would be no possibility of being tracked.
Now that he was safe, it was time for Mirov to put his revenge plan into effect.
"Fizard, I want you to invade planet Life's government defense system and steal ten war robots. I will need them to help me master the king's military forces. I want you to kidnap two Robotics experts, one Nuclear Energy expert and one Physicist, for I will force them to put the latest weapons and technologies on the attack robots. Make sure you also bring all the necessary materials for the job."
"Yes, sir. I'll take the six soldiers with me. But I think I'll need more men to accomplish this mission effectively."
"I can get you more military men. I'll get in touch with a soldier who has always been faithful to me. He can help us. I believe he's an officer now after all these years. I myself recommended him to the King to serve the defense forces when I was Counselor at Court. I think he'll be useful to me now."
"That's good news, sir." Fizard retorted.
Immediately, Mirov got in touch with the man he had in the Air Force of planet Life. He was now captain and commanded a ship with a crew of fifty people. His name was Zidrone. Upon learning of the rebellion, he promptly agreed to take part in the actions in favor of the former adviser. He chose twenty men of complete trust and subordination and put them at Fizard's disposal.
Mirov continued his orders:
"I want you to bring Croiff, too. When you approach him, say that you will take him to where his friend Radof is and he will accompany you here without any major problems. Go fast! Be discreet or better, invisible!"
Later, Mirov ordered Radof to contact Croiff so that his servant's friend would carry out a mission for him. Radof sent a message to Croiff informing him of the success of the escape and his friend celebrated:
"I cannot believe it all worked out! You're free, my friend. I would like to see you as soon as possible."
"If the master's plans work, he will be the new king of the planet Life. But I need you to do something for me."
"Sure, Radof. Just ask me; if it's within my reach, I will do it."
"I want you to go into the palace systems as you did to find out where Captain Fizard's ship was and the communications coordinates. Then, unplug the security systems from the Scientific Building and send us the locations of these engineers that I am transmitting to you by file right now and, lastly, turn off the monitoring system of the Center for Nuclear Studies.
"What are you trying to do? Explode everything?"
"No, Croiff. It's all part of the boss's plan. You will be well rewarded."
"You can leave it to me, friend, for I'll do my part."
"Later, Captain Fizard will contact you to catch you. One more thing: I want you to scan an object that is in the room of King Zador."
"Yes. You can trust I'll do it. Send the picture of the object to me. I look forward to hearing the next steps."
"Thank you."
After a few hours, Croiff forwarded the files to Radof advising that the access to the requested areas was now free.
It's time for action.
Fizard appointed Dargan to take a team of soldiers to the Scientific Building by teleportation and to remain hidden for some time, monitoring the activities of the engineers. Mirov had listed the names among the best professionals on the planet and their images with IDs appeared on the visors of the assault team's helmets. That way it would be easier to find them. Twenty soldiers from Captain Zidrone also volunteered to assist in the mission.
In order to disguise themselves, they took the shape of some workers from the building, after immobilizing them and collecting samples to transmute themselves. The soldiers entered the Nuclear Engineering sector; invaded the office where the engineer was, and as they aimed weapons at him, a soldier put a collar around his neck.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
There was no time to receive an answer. The artifact placed on his neck was able to control the mind of its wearer. Three other soldiers entered the room where the physicist, who was also a nanotechnology specialist, was, and imprisoned him. On the way, the invaders fired paralyzing bolts at the security guards and at the people who frequented the building, all of whom were momentarily immobilized like statues. Dargan took four more men with him and kidnapped the Robotics engineers. The approach was swift and coordinated so as not to catch the attention of the government's defense forces. With the submission collars, the engineers began to act like slaves. The rest of the soldiers gave cover to the action and surveyed the vicinity of the building. Meanwhile, Captain Zidrone temporarily shut down the defense radars to prevent the escape of the robots from being detected.
Then Dargan, accompanied by his soldiers, ordered the engineers to take them to the section where the robots were. As they opened the door, they saw the giant war machines lined up, motionless, but ready for activation at the simple command of the chief engineer. They had great military power.
Dargan looked at the monsters in amazement. The metal creatures were about 13 feet tall. Their head imitated that of humans, a little more rounded, and their eyes turned red as they launched their powerful laser beams, which were their main weapons. Rockets with great destructive power were attached to their shoulders. They were made of iridium, the main material used to make the extraterrestrial ships, because of its high melting point. This highly stable metal could be found in meteors and comets. It allowed them to travel close to the stars.
The strength of their arms and legs completed their warlike and destructive power. The fuel used by them was hydrogen, imitating the fusion of stars and, at the same time, generating a powerful and constant energy.
They then took all the tools, software and parts needed to upgrade the war machines, and Dargan ordered the engineers to program the robots to fly to the hideout at Sector 13's base.
***
The mission was almost complete! While the engineers were kidnapped, Fizard performed an extra, highly confidential mission. He went to the security headquarters of the complex.
The area security and tracking system had already been turned off by Croiff. Thus, Fizard was able to go to the Center for Nuclear Studies with ease, with the help of the access card, stolen from an employee. His mission there was almost fulfilled.
Fizard entered the radioactive materials research lab without fanfare, taking advantage of the time the staff would be having lunch. The main room had several cylindrical shaped equipments with the highest technology in nuclear physics. It had thick glasses, covered with plumbiferous material, hermetically sealed. According to Mirov, there was a safe tucked away in one of the rooms that led to the lab.
Captain Fizard calmly walked to this room passing through the corridors, entered and with heavy metal detectors, was able to pinpoint with accuracy the position of the safe that was embedded in the wall. Inside it was a box wrapped in a material that looked like lead. Fizard pressed a button on his bracelet and a hologram appeared in front of him, with its access password. He typed it and the safe door opened, showing him the cause of his curiosity. Then he remembered Mirov's orders:
"Take only the box that's hidden in the safe. However, under no circumstances, open it. It contains a very dangerous substance..."
The material that Fizard sought was the result of some secret experiments under royal orders, which resulted in the discovery of a chemical element with a high concentration of radioactivity.
Mirov knew the contents of the box. The father of King Zador had confided to him that they had created a silent weapon... The old man wanted to avoid possible risks, so he asked the counselor to keep the material in the safe and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Poor King Zador I... How could he know that he had told his secret to the wrong person?
The fatal element, capable of causing so much fear, was produced to create something that generated clean energy on a large scale. Merko's mother, who was named Sheneva, one of the planet's leading scientists, was one of the creators of the weapon. Called element Y39, it had the shape of a blue stone. It was the stone which was now in Fizard's possession. In fact, Mirov thought that it had been the radiation of the element that had changed Merko genetically since birth, giving him the power to absorb cosmic radiation and dominate gravity, called telekinesis. His mother died of radiation exposure before she knew what she had caused to her son. Not even Merko knew the origin of his power that now also extended to his son Nicholas. The genetic transmission probably occurred by a miscegenation between the genes of one being from the past and another from the future.
This secret was a weapon that Mirov had in his favor and would certainly use in a timely manner to destroy his enemy, Commander Merko. Perhaps engineers experts in electromagnetic energy could build a weapon that would override this power of his.
The captain took the insulated box with lead and teleported to his ship, immediately. He placed the box in a well-hidden place, following Mirov's instructions. Then he communicated with Croiff and teleported himself close to him in his quarters. The royal cupbearer was already waiting for him. Fizard put his hand on Croiff's shoulder and, within seconds, they both materialized on the ship.
As Mirov and Radof stared out into the forest's immensity through one of the windows of the military base, the robots started to arrive, settling on the ground, near the hiding place. They heard the big bangs caused by the landing of the metal monsters on the ground.
"Very effective this Captain Fizard! He will be my commander, no doubt," said Mirov, looking at the immense machines that had just arrived.
"Sir, these robots are real machines of destruction!" Radof said, listening to his master's daydreams and worried about the possible consequences. "Is it really necessary to use such force? And the engineers will install more guns on them, making them even more dangerous!"
"Even if we don't use them, they will be very persuasive for everyone to submit to me." Replied the master.
Radof stared at him, nonconformist. He didn't mind the fact that he had been arrested serving his boss, or participating in the rebellion, but he cared about the other people in the kingdom, and still he was silent. He knew he would never be treated well by Mirov, but if he left the ex-adviser, to where would he go?
The captain then landed with the engineers who would begin to work as soon as possible in order to increase the firepower of the murderous robots. Croiff got off the ship and Radof was already waiting for him.
"Hello, Radof. It's good to see you in freedom. Why did you call me?"
"First, I wanted to thank you for the great favor you did to me. When you need me, I will always be ready to repay you. But, I called you here because my master Mirov wants to talk to you. He has plans to return to the government and needs your help. You will be very well rewarded."
Mirov saw them talking and came walking toward them:
"Croiff, I have another mission for you."
Radof was silent when his master began to speak.
"Of course, Your Excellency. I am ready to serve you." Croiff said.
"Come with me."
Croiff and Radof accompanied him to a room with lead-coated walls. It was a laboratory built for chemical and physical experiments, including radiation control. One of the engineers was assigned to look after the lead-lined box, which had just arrived with Captain Fizard. Through a transparent wall made of anti-radioactive material, the three watched the work of the scientist, who put on a special glove and took the stone that was inside the box. It emitted a blue light, so bright that it almost blinded all who looked at it. He placed it inside a compartment that was in a miniature statue that was the perfect copy of Princess Isadora. King Zador had an equal at the head of his bed and it had been scanned by Croiff, who sent the file to Radof. The computer built a model identical to the piece using physical printing technology through three-dimensional holographic images.
"I want you to take this statue and hide it in the King's room, next to his bed, right at the headboard. Replace it with the original, which you will destroy next. Don't let anyone see you. The replica will go inside a box. You should handle it carefully and try not to hold it too long because the radiation it emits is harmful." Mirov instructed Croiff, handing him the receptacle.
The material emitted a very strong radiation and the intermittent exposure would certainly sicken and kill anyone who was exposed to it. Croiff said goodbye and promised to fulfill his mission.
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