Chapter 3
Dramkick received the news that there had been intruders at the Rala fountains and laughed and said in his usual way, "I hope there's more, it's high time for another crushed revolution. The men who broke in though, I'll need to feel their craniums crushing in my hands. Appearances and all," Dramkick said snidely and then Vor Me soldiers were dispatched door to door to find the culprits (and told to look for the pure Praem and ingest none of it). Government Praem was much thinner for a reason.
Tonight begins the annual meeting of the Caspear-it is comprised of Dramkick and all of his assorted Benbres. The Benbre Khalex-of the planet Drear-is unable to attend due to an unfortunate meeting with a trash compactor. The other Benbres fear it was less accident and more Dramkick, but none dared even a whisper.
The meeting is to take place at the Rerich Manor (long known to be a favorite getaway retreat for Dramkick). It is an enormous castle made entirely from mahogany logs. It was built on Lake Maas and has a large deck that stretches a half mile into the water. Dramkick commissioned the castle be built after the mysterious disappearance of his first wife Olexis Reign. She had fallen asleep beside Dramkick and when he awoke there wasn't a trace of her anywhere.
Dramkick is sitting on the deck at Rerich shooting Silby skeet. The Silby are a duck like bird which can only fly a few feet at a time. The Silby would be launched into the air with a slingshot. And then Dramkick would blow it into oblivion with his laser rifle-he relied upon his Hapman laser rifle for all skeet shooting.
"Pull, Infidel, pull!" Dramkick shouted angrily as he steadied his Hapman.
The Silby launched high into the air and a moment later Dramkick sent a shot through its body. It exploded into a ball of feathers and blue blood. Dramkick stood up and shouted, "Two at ah time, make haste you fools!"
His servants loaded up 2 Silbys and slung them high into the air. Dramkick fired his Hapman and hit both Silbys with a single shot and said proudly, "A keener shot does not exist, nor a wiser soul. That's enough for today bring me a drink! Make it stiffer than Dormaline or it's your skull's last breaths."
Dormaline being a toxic fuel used in the Talz warships. It is highly combustible and would burn through skin and bones.
His two servants hurried away while Dramkick sat down on his deck chair with his Hapman across his left leg. It was nearing night and lights started popping up all over the shoreline. Dramkick loved this time of day and his thoughts were on his father Emasip. Many a day he thought of those summer nights the 2 had sat on the deck and told wild unbelievable stories to amuse themselves. His heart still ached for his father and he missed him dearly. He sat there and his thoughts of Emasip caused a tear to run down his cheek.
Behind him he heard a board creek that could only be a person's step. He grabbed the Hapman, dove, and rolled at an angle. And as he did a gun blast demolished the chair where he had just been sitting. Dramkick spun around and saw his attacker. It was a thin man with orange skin wearing a white robe and a black helmet. He had in his hand a Morneck-a small hand canon that could blow through a man leaving only specs of flesh and blood behind. It is a pistol with 4 barrels that can fire simultaneously. It also has a laser scope, but it is rarely used because of its wide spray.
Dramkick knew instantly it was Doe Sides. He fired his Hapman piercing Doe's chest and knocking him backwards. A second later Doe fired his Morneck, but stumbled as did, causing the shot to barely miss Dramkick. Instead the shot blew a gaping hole in the deck. Dramkick meanwhile took dead aim and blasted Doe right between the eyes. It shattered his black helmet of Trasom and created a stream of blood pouring out of his forehead. Doe wasn't dead yet, he staggered back and forth and raised his Morneck. Dramkick fired a 2nd shot into his throat. This caused more blood to gush from Doe, but he still wouldn't die. Dramkick respected this. Dramkick walked over to him and said snidely, "This death will be your last I assure you dear, Doe Sides, he ha."
Dramkick put his hands on either side of Doe's head and popped it like a balloon. Doe's lifeless body fell to the deck and Dramkick adjusted his shirt.
"GET off my deck!" Dramkick yelled as he kicked Doe's leg. And then he said jokingly, "Don't dally I can't have you basking in the sun he Haw hee hee. Look at the mess you've made you insolent child! Don't you look at me that way, WHAT!" Dramkick shouted as he started to kick the dead body even harder now.
He tossed Doe into the whole in the deck and waved both his hands over the hole like a magician. He calmly watched the body float away and then made for the castle with great haste.
Meanwhile in the ocean community of Vanic Bay the Gopas were gathered at a beach house to discuss the findings of Coats and Pleu. The house they were meeting at is in the shape of a piece of pie tilted at a 45° angle. It is covered in an array of gold solar panels and has one large continuous blue tinted window-the window runs along all 3 sides. The tip of the pie piece has a sun shielding black curtain draped over it that extends to the beach below. Behind the curtain there is a sectional circular set of white couches. In the center of the couches there is a black table that houses a hologram projector. The 7 Gopas are seated around the hologram projector including Coats and Pleu. Coats stood up and said strongly, "Brothers, there has been a deception that is beyond forgiveness. Pleu and I were successful in finding the Rala fountains, but that is not all we found, here try this," Coats said cautiously as he passed around the pure Praem tubes and then smiled and said, "This is what we've been missing, Brothers."
Everyone ingested the Praem and they were thrust instantly into Twosqu. Scraft Tams said gleefully, "This is beyond exquisite my dear, Coats. This is heaven beyond my dreams."
Scraft is all of 5 feet 8 and 203 pounds of pure raging muscle. He has long thick blonde hair with blue streaks that tie into 3 pony tails-each ponytail has silver balls attached at the ends. Above each eye and in the center of his head are 3 circles filled with Rosmin-Rosmin is an 89th century shaman notorious for his sexual exploits. Scraft is missing 2 fingers on his left hand that he lost in a bar fight when he insulted a woman he had groped. He has on a blue and light blue striped T-shirt with a 1/16 inch thick monitor over his chest-it scrolls through his favorite jokes. He also has on a pair of black pants with one pant leg shorter than the other and also a pair of ankle high silver Meakers-Meakers are a dress shoe with rubber soles like a sneaker.
Coats and Pleu looked around at everyone's smiling faces and Pleu said starkly, "We've been duped my fellow Gopas…Dramkick's diluting our shipments and we think he's hoarding the rest for himself!"
"That's an outrage!" Scraft shouted as he stood up and then said sternly, "This Dramkick has got retribution coming his way. There is no answer other than death on the stick for dear…Lovely…Dramkick!"
"You are right, Scraft, but this is an easy thing to dream for but a harder thing to hold in your hand," Coats explained as his mind cast a line through different memories of Dramkick killing people. "Trust me Dramkick has fended off many an assassin and his will is powerful, but he is not infallible. Now we can't out fight him, but we are wise and we can out think him," Coats said as he turned on the hologram then continued, "This is his personal transport, pretty isn't she. What we are proposing is sabotage. If we could get an explosive charge attached to the fuel cell. And then detonate it at the opportune time. Then dear…Lovely...Dramkick would end up in pieces and be a distant memory for us all," Coats said as he sat back down.
"Then, we could take control of the Praem supply. And we could feel like we do now forever," Pleu replied as he spun his fingers into a ball front of his mouth.
"This is our mission, but preparation will be the key," Scraft walked among the Gopas and spoke softly. "We'll only get one shot at him like this, and a thousand things will have to go right to pull it off. It's certainly doable. And even old Dramkick could appreciate our courage in trying, and hopefully succeeding, where others have failed, "Scraft said boldly as he sucked on his Praem tube in between sentences.
Back at Rerich castle the Caspear had gathered around a long smooth white dining room table. They were just beginning to eat their split Wistle bloods stew. The Whistle is a 2 headed fish that looks like an Aardvark and smells of death. And when you split its head down the middle it oozes a dark green blood that is delicious to eat with boiled eyeballs.
The dining room has walls that are royal blue and specifically shaped with pockets for each person's chair. In the corner sits a large hat rack with a collection of over 100 old chapeaus that Dramkick has collected over the years. One has a triangular brim with a hand pointed at the wearer on top of it. Another displays random messages on a 14 inch monitor that covers the entire hat.
Each chair at the table is white in color and has built in computers. These computers are capable of relaying messages from chair to chair without speaking. Each chair is also capable of escape as it has escape pod functions-this is where at the press of a button the chair would morph and launch in the atmosphere. Although no one knew of the Caspear's secret meetings, they still took every precaution. Dramkick was meticulous to the end. He even went to such lengths as hiring assassins to trail his rivals on the day the meetings. And if anything happened to them at the meeting, then the assassins were instructed to do away with their rivals as well as their entire families. Dramkick took it another step unbeknownst to anyone. He had secretly been adding a drug known as Gament to the Praem supply. He had given strict orders that upon his death the Gament should no longer be included in the Praem. The outcome of such a thing is in a few days everyone would begin to get violently ill and perish shortly thereafter (which unknowingly their bodies had become seriously dependent upon it to properly function). Dramkick's reasoning was, "if I'm not here to enjoy life, then here will no longer exist."
Dramkick dipped a large piece of bread into the Whistle bloods stew and took a large bite. He grunted with satisfaction. He took a sip of Inso white wine and then surveyed everyone at the table. They were wildly enjoying their soup and paid no attention to Dramkick.
Inso wine is named after Inso words-from the Kull system-and he makes each bottle of wine himself. He does this by crushing each individual grape with his own hands. He sells only a few hundred bottles a year, but they are very expensive and considered the height of luxury to have even just one.
Dramkick dips his bread again in the soup and asked gregariously as he ate, "What lessons will we teach this year? What concessions will be made? And where will our loyalties reside?"
"I think the people of Tortum should endure financial hardship and a food shortage," Poeragard said bluntly as he rubbed his belly. "I feel this will teach them the lesson of prudence and to not be greedy for sustenance. They've gotten fat and filled with laziness and a swift hand is required, I yield," Poeragard said boldly as he held his spoon facing forward in front of him.
"Your yield is acknowledged and your requests are accepted," Dramkick retorted as soup dripped down his chin and then continued, "Your wage sticks will encounter a glitch and the populous will lose monies for 2 months. As far as the food shortage, the meat supply will be tainted causing a rash of deaths and thusly inciting a panic. This should in due time inspire your populous for movement and curb their lack of motivation. Next speaker be heard!" Dramkick demanded in a serious tone as he continued eating his soup.
"I call for an across the board action on all of our home worlds. The people of gotten too overjoyed with their lives, a reality check is in order, I yield," Benbre Larbell Starke said as he coughed-he was from the planet Tanslem of the Tremur system.
Larbell stalk stands a shaky 6 foot 3 and barely 184 pounds. His shoulders are broad and his hips narrow. His hair is off pink, down to his butt, and so thick it never appears to move. He loves bar room fights (especially the ones where obvious laws are broken). And his face is covered in scars and gashes, some old some new. His nose has been badly broken 3 times across the bridge. It looks like a ski slope with a jump at the end-as the tip of his nose turns slightly upward. He has 5 fingers on his left hand and 6 on his right. The 6th finger being twice as long as he others and his fingernails are naturally blue. His feet, covered by black leather boots, hide the fact that he has all big toes and the word Dravex scorched into each.
Dravex is an all male bar fighting club that he was proud to be a member of. He also has on a yellow T-shirt with triangles for sleeves and burgundy pants with a pair of black stripes down the sides.
"Agreed, the suffrage will begin post haste. Speak up, children, let's keep this meeting moving," Dramkick said condescendingly as he put his large feet on the table.
"I miss war, I admit it. I think we should fuel a planet too planet war between Vexus a Membra, with Membra the obvious victor," Benbre Vield Pas robustly said as he sat back in his chair and put his feet on the table.
Vield Pas is a speck of a man at 5 foot 3 and 112 pounds with narrow shoulders and a small pot belly. His checkered purple and gold hair has a small wooden chair fastened to the top of his head. His eyes are dull purple and have a panicked look to them. His mouth looks perpetually like he is beginning a sentence. And he was blessed with beautiful perfectly straight vibrant white teeth. His gold mustache covers only two thirds of his upper lip and stretches into his bushy purple sideburns. He walks at 30° angles because of an injury suffered during the Zaco Au war 2 years prior. He always wears black wool sweaters and black dress pants. And his black slippers have the number 8 stitched into the heels because of his father's passing on the 8th day of Month 5 years earlier.
"Obviously, a war could be good," Dramkick replied as if no one could hear what he had said. Dramkick leaned forward and said greedily, "I get an enormous thrill out of these epic battles and we all love to see our armies mature and excel. Not to mention another generation gets the power and the ache of war stories he he ha," Dramkick joked as he flexed his massive chest. "O.K. then, we'll set in motion an unforgivable scandal which will have every Talz up in arms with the Vexidians. Something heinous, a baby's death or a senator being sexually violated then murdered. Every war needs a spark and the bigger the spark the hotter the flame. Yes, I've missed my captain's seat on the Debrist Morou. And, the war machine always needs its father for guidance and direction he hee hee," Dramkick said happily as he hit the table hard again and again. Dramkick drank an entire glass of wine then said, "I decree Aovaba war will take place in 37 days and I commend Benbre Vield for his foresight in this matter. I also knowledge Benbre Poeragard and Benbre Larbell, for their contributions and they were small by no measure. I deem that enough life reconstructing has happened and I end this council for one year. Be pure and be vivid, my friends," Dramkick said warmly and he started sucking on a Praem cigarette. He leaned back in his chair and thought what a lovely war it would be.
The Benbres touched their index fingers to the center of their brows, closed their eyes, and said in unison, "For Dramkick, for life, "and the meeting adjourned.