As Jake was still sitting in shock from the Emperor’s answer, Ming took the conversation in a different direction: “We would like to hear more about your perspective on the Black and Red Emperors.”
The Emperor began with history:
“Under my grandfather, the planet was unified. As is our custom, the Emperor’s first child becomes the next Emperor. When the eggs are laid in the breeding pool designated for the Imperial family, the whole hatching process is recorded and the first hatchling to come out of the egg is separated. This time, though, was unusual. The first egg to hatch actually had identical triplets in it. The whole world was waiting for the Emperor to decide which one would be his successor but he died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage during a speech. The imperial court decided to divide the Empire into three. Every other time the planet was divided, there was a war. This time it was done peacefully. The goal was that whichever of the three had a child first, that child would become the next Emperor of the world. In reality, once each monarch had a taste of power, they would not give it up and wanted to leave it to their descendants. The palaces of the Red and Yellow kingdoms are identical to the Black kingdom’s because their owners were identical. It so happens that, though the Black Kingdom was where the royal family is from, I was the first born of my generation and I am rightful ruler of Replin. My uncles, however, left their Kingdoms to my cousins, the Red and Black Emperors.”
“Though our energy problems were solved centuries ago, we have other problems with natural resources. My grandfather recognized that our centuries-long agricultural practices were unsustainable. His minister of science detected that molybdenum was being depleted from the soil at an alarming rate and that within a few centuries, crop failures would begin since the mineral wasn’t being recycled. The Red Emperor and Black Emperor’s fathers figured there was no need to recycle because they could always mine more in their large continents. My father was more prudent and he began expensive recycling techniques to ensure that none of the precious molybdenum was lost to us. Now, the Black and Red Kingdoms have fully depleted their soils and they are in trouble and blaming us here in the Yellow Kingdom for their food shortages.
“The Red Emperor foolishly appointed his childhood friends to the position of the High Minister of Science and Minister of Agriculture. These incompetent ministers have convinced him that the crop failures are due to the bad luck of natural weather variations instead of long term mismanagement.”
“The Black Emperor is much smarter. He only appoints the brightest people to his positions. You have met Skepre who in addition to being the High Minister of Science is an accomplished scientist himself. His former Minister of Agriculture was well aware of the molybdenum crisis too and together they recommended the Emperor to take the isthmus that he just conquered from the Red Empire. The mountain range at the end of that isthmus contains one of the last heavy mineral mines left in the world. The Black Emperor took it from the Red Emperor so he could develop the mine and end the food shortages. It wasn’t going to be a quick enough plan though so he had the Minister of Agriculture executed as a scapegoat for his own mistakes and his fathers. He has a credo: ‘Recognize mistakes, correct them, but never, ever admit to them.’”
“Now there is a problem we share. While you were asleep, the Black Emperor publicly announced your presence. He claims that you are spies on a mission of conquest and that we should capture you, study you and dissect you. He showed footage of your robots killing many Black Kingdom guards. He says that I am harboring you and that if you are not turned over to him within two days, he will be justified in starting a war to wipe out the Yellow Kingdom. If you leave, this planet, he will attack and I will be killed. We would definitely loose the war since my Kingdom has a much smaller military and many fewer soldiers.”
“My intelligence officers also report to me that the Black Emperor is completing the final stages of fueling a series of anti-matter warheads, each one of which has the power to destroy an entire city. He certainly will use them to destroy me and the Red Emperor and unify the planet. Your arrival provided him the perfect excuse.”
Jake immediately stood up. “We will definitely help you. The Aye said we can’t interfere but it looks like our presence is the proximate cause of war. I will teleport in and we’ll use the orbs to teleport the antimatter bombs out.”
Riojme interrupted. “That isn’t sufficient to stop the Black Emperor from invading the Yellow Kingdom. I propose that instead we detonate the bombs where they are. It will do enough damage to keep the Black Kingdom from starting a war and it will look like an industrial accident.”
The Yellow Emperor agreed. They decided that the following day, they would cloak the vacikarce and Jake and Riojme would take it back to the coordinates of the fusion plant that Riojme and Jang had originally started at. That was where the antimatter bombs were being fueled. Attendants would provide the firepower to overcome the guards. Jang asked the Aye if this plan was acceptable and it agreed that it was.
