Tom and Bob were living on the planet of Druleij when it was captured by the heinous agents of the demagogue only known as “The Monster”. A number of insurgents were able to gain control of one of the enemy’s spaceships and sent Tom and Bob in a surreptitious escape in it. They were able to extricate themselves from the web of Monster space-radar, and had to make a crash landing on the vapid desert planet of Urkuf. They came across a hermit (who they came to call just “Hermit”), who was quite brusque. They decided to stay with him, but were overcome with ennui, and when they heard (by radio) that there were no autonomous planets left, they contrived a plan. They left the planet, with the seemingly megalomaniacal plan to free the universe from the fetters of the Monster.
      On the trip, there was the fractious Bob, the sedulous Tom, and the brusque Hermit. Also along was the rather erudite B-8, who was an excellent mechanical mind, and often a philosopher, but lacked the quality of being affable. Soon after they left, they inadvertently went through a wormhole which happened to come out right at The Monster’s headquarters. They crashed into his office, and came face-to-face with the scourge of the universe. After castigating his empire severely, Hermit began exchanging aspersions with the beast. B-8 began arguing the axiomatic nature of democracy, but was switched off by Hermit, who preferred comments about The Monster’s bizarre, sepulchral, and sleazy appearance.
      Meanwhile, Tom and Bob were making their ways behind the monster. Unfortunately, The Monster had eyes in the back of the head, and when Bob got behind him, he grabbed him, and threatened to eat his spleen. B-8 tried to remonstrate with the monster, but it was no use. Just as it seemed that the heroes would have to retrench their plans to save the universe, Tom came from behind and whacked the creature’s amorphous body, causing him to drop Bob. Suddenly, it occurred to the monster to call in his armored guard, who bore the very weapons which made life in the universe so transient. Fortunately, when the first guard walked in, Hermit gave him a scathing blow with his walking stock, causing him to drop the gun. Then, holding the gun to the monster’s uppermost section, Hermit ordered him to declare the autonomy of all the planets. After this was accomplished, the heroes decided to grant an amnesty to The Monster. They decided to let him join the heroes in doing things salutary to the universe and it’s people.
    When we left off, the heroes had just saved the universe from the reprobate clutches of the imperious Monster. After accentuating how censurable Monster’s actions were, B-8 was able to convince him to help them fix the problems in the Universe which were the results of his deleterious actions. The heroes decided to set up a coalition government and go on their way. Soon after they left, they received calls for help from several denizens of the new republic. These requested assistance in areas ranging from economic development to rescuing a contingent of sheep drawn by the specious possibility of finding the Land of the Ever-Green Grass. They benefited from the perceptive insight and gratuitous munificence of Monster.
      After many years of this, the heroes saw the first sign of a dark and inimical power arising. While coasting through space, the heroes inadvertently went through a wormhole. They came out somewhere in space, they did not know where. Suddenly, they intercepted a radio signal, which sounded clangorously over the ship’s radio. B-8 was able to enhance the sound quality, and they heard this:
      “…success in the Forsúa Universe. It is contingent to the Emperor’s domination of the Multiverse. Please contact the Duke of Geruin. Oh, and do you have my socks? The spaceship ones? I thought…”
      “The signal is fading,” said B-8, “ it’s too far away.”
      “Domination of the Multiverse by an emperor!” exclaimed Monster, alarmed.
      “We must take action to disseminate this Emperor’s power!” cried Bob.
      “I used to have spaceship socks,” muttered Hermit.
      “I have just made a data scan corroborating what we have surmised,” said B-8, “This will certainly have deleterious and even pernicious effects.”
      “What is the Multiverse?” asked Bob.
      “It is a very recondite concept,” said Tom, “Basically, it is the collective term for all the universes together. Some theories say that it is a motley collection of many universes existing in different dimensions.”
      “So we all will become subjugated?” asked Bob fearfully.
      “I don’t think we will,” said Monster, “Isn’t being an oppressive emperor quite gauche now that I’ve stepped down?”
      “You’ve got a point there,” said Tom, “Such a thing would be frowned upon in our universe. But I thought you were the one who wanted to inculcate the fact that we must decide what to do based on how it will effect all people. In other universes, oppressive tyrants and heinous demagogues are probably quite popular.”
      “Right,” said Monster, “Onward to stop the Emperor!”
      They decided to go back to their universe and ask the coalition government for help. They went back, found the wormhole, and went through. Bob commented on the fact that this was the second time they went through a wormhole just in time for an important event. It couldn’t be just fortuitous. Hermit agreed, saying that Bob was very perceptive and incisive.
      They arrived at the coalition headquarters and spoke to the representatives. They made a politic response in which it was implicit that they felt absolved of any duty towards another universe. Indeed, the gist of it was that they had come to the same conclusion as Monster had. Suddenly, B-8 announced that he had received a message.
       “It is from the Emperor!” he said, “He wants to speak to Monster.”
       But before Monster could speak, Hermit seized B-8’s communication attachment. He began yelling provocative invectives at the Emperor, calling him a dowdy reprobate who supported an antediluvian form of government and put peanut butter on raisin scones. A state of bedlam ensued, as they tried to wrest the communication attachment from Hermit amid shouts of anger from the coalition’s Commissioner on the Rights of a Peanut Butter Scone. Soon they were able to, and Monster got on, speaking with much more equanimity than hermit. Suddenly, he realized who it was.
       “Arsinon!” he shouted, “What’s going on with you? Trying to take over the Multiverse now?”
       Soon they found out that Arsinon was an old friend of Monster. According to Monster, he was a debonair guy with a scintillating personality. They made plans to try to get together with the gang as soon as possible. Arsinon said he would turn control of the empire over to Hermit.
       “I’m sure it will really get him,” said Arsinon, “Considering how anathema he considers emperors.”
When he heard this, Hermit said: “Just tell him that if anyone finds any spaceship socks, they’re probably mine.”
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