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Blaen checked his communicator and to his relief, things on Terra 5 went the way they’d planned. Korun was only a few feet in front of him as they made their way from their shuttle toward the industrial district of Ecury. The entire planet looked like an industrial park of factories. Rivers of lime green slime oozed around them. Geysers would erupt like bursting pustules on a pubescent face, exploding acidic liquids into the air. Korun hated the planet Ecury.
“Lacey, her friend, and the one from Tummet are on their way to Varcadia. They were rescued and some of the guards are seeking asylum,” Blaen told Korun.
Korun waved his hand at that notion. “Asylum is not my area of expertise. That is up to my father and my father alone.”
Blaen sighed. “They risked their lives to keep Lacey safe. I think it would be wise to at least speak to your father in hopes that he shows some mercy.”
“How about we talk about that when we’re not on Briegrot’s rotting planet?” Korun replied snidely.
Blaen agreed as they made their way toward the first building they saw. There weren’t any particular landing docks for shuttles, which Korun didn’t mind in the least. He wanted to keep his presence on the planet as clandestine as possible. The guards landed their shuttle closest to the largest operating facility they could see. Making their way through the sludge like surface of the planet only forced Korun to admonish himself for not refusing the deal with Briegrot with more conviction. The rhythm of the planet itself was seeping into him. It was as if it were pulling his very life force from his body. He didn’t like it and wanted to get off of its surface immediately.
Approaching the facility, they didn’t have to make their presence known. There was a solitary Ecurian standing at the door with a grin on his face. He was scaled and the same shade of green as Briegrot, but there was a different look in his eyes.
The Ecurian rushed out to greet them. “Oh how wonderful you are here!”
Blaen adjusted the com in his ear to make sure it was translating correctly. “Wonderful?”
“Yes,” the creature reiterated. “Briegrot said that he’d send more Uborium, but I had no idea he’d send royalty!”
“What does Briegrot want with the Uborium exactly?” Korun asked. “That’s why I’m here. He said you’d give me the grand tour to see what our treaty is protecting.”
The creature was giddy with joy as he hurried them into the rusted brown building. It creaked and rattled around like an old train car, but Korun did his best to take in what was going on. The only thing to be seen was a production line moving slower than Pluto around the sun. The creature kept waving for them to go deeper and deeper into the production line, but Blaen stopped Korun before he lost sight of the main entrance.
“This is far enough,” Blaen told him. “Tell us what happens here so that we may fulfill our duties and get out of your way.”
The creature yelled something inaudible as he travelled toward the end of the production line. When he returned, the weapon in his hands was practically bigger than he was. There was a lever with a handle on the top of it that the creature pumped. A series of lights clicked on one after another, from a dark green to a bright teal. He slammed on a huge red button which sounded an obnoxiously loud alarm and dropped a large bag from the rafters. Pulling the trigger, the Ecurian blasted the falling bag out of the sky and into a pile of wafting dust.
“What is that?” Korun asked with grave concern in his voice.
“This is the weapon that will end all wars! Briegrot said that if we build this weapon and run it off Uborium, then his Imperial Lord will buy them all for the Corps. An order that large will take Ecury out of the darkness and into the brightness. Like Saturn or even Earth.”
“May I take this prototype?” Blaen asked moving slowly toward the weapon. But the creature didn’t fight him on it. “Sure, take as many as you like. We’re waiting for word from Briegrot to kick production into high gear so we can start filling the Ubosian order.”
“So, you haven’t heard from Briegrot at all? When was the last time your ruler was here?”
“Ruler?” the creature laughed. “Briegrot is the defense manager for Ecury. He is no ruler. He sells weapons. All factories on Ecury make weapons for different planets, but Ubos is the whale. He’s been trying to land this deal forever. Every time he comes here he says it will be the deal to change the way the galaxy sees him.”
“Thank you,” Korun nodded. “I’m going to have my guards come in and take a crate if you have a full one ready.”
“No problem,” the creature shrugged. “If you’re here, that must mean the deal is close to getting done. I’ll have that crate brought out front now.”
With that Blaen and Korun left the factories of Ecury with a crate full of weapons that weren’t going to be sold to Ubos. As they made their way back to Varcadia, it all started to make sense. The only part Korun was uncertain about was if Briegrot wanted to do business or if he thought he could overthrow Ubos like he did the space station. Either way, Blaen and Korun understood that they had to get back home and fast.