The Fifth Element

5

PICTURE, IF YOU WILL, A SHIP AS LARGE AS A SMALL CITY, entering a star system to which it has been granted access.

At the controls are the Mondoshawan elders, those who have taken it as their sacred trust to guard the Universe against its greatest Evil—which manifests itself every few milennia.

The Mondoshawan are a race so serene, so philosophical, so untroubled by small corruptions and infelicities that their appearance, while it might seem ungainly or even ugly to some, has a soothing effect on all they encounter; for underneath their rude exterior shines the demeanor of a fully evolved race that has made peace with itself and with the Universe.

The Mondoshawan ship reflects the grandeur of its builders. It is large, a little ungainly, but stately in its movements and steadfast in its purposes.

But the ship is not alone. Following it, a little above and behind, are two nasty looking warships that look like killer jellyfish.

Mangalore warships.

Now imagine, if you will, a race of beings so ugly that evolution has provided them with temporary shapeshifting powers, so that they can look in the mirror without suffering the shock of seeing themselves.

The Mangalores have developed their evasive genius to a high art, and are using it to hide from the Mondoshawan space ship. They are following above and behind (behind in time as well as space, and above in space as well as time), and closing fast.

The Mangalore at the controls is about to experience his race’s greatest joy. Total destruction. For the Mangalore, there is no greater pleasure than to destroy something more beautiful than itself. And that includes everything in the Universe.

And this time he’s even getting paid for it!

This is a plethora, a cornucopia of delights. He is going to hit the Mondoshawan ship from behind, without warning. Sneakiness is its own reward.

He hits the controls with an almost sexual thrill (sex among the Mangalores is intimately linked with killing) and pulls down.

A blast.

A hit.

Confusion reigns aboard the Mondoshawan ship. For while the Mondoshawan are reconciled to their own deaths, they are fully aware of the importance of the weapon they are delivering to a defenseless Earth.

The Mangalore fires again. And again.

And again.

Another hit. This one fatal.

The Mondoshawan ship veers toward a tiny nearby planet.

The Mondoshawan commander locates an uninhabited area, and locks the controls.

The blast shakes the sky…