Congress of Periodica - Essay Example

Congress of Periodica The Congress Of Periodica was confronting a crisis. For the last four years the Republic of Periodica had been governed by a coalition of metals. Prime Minister Scandium was a member of the Transition Metal Party. The Minister of Finance was Beryllium, leader of the Alkali Earth Metal Party, and the Foreign Minister was Lithium, leader of the Alkali Metal Party. Their coalition consisted of the 40 members of the Transition Metal Party, Lithium and the five other members of his party – Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Cesium and Francium – along with Beryllium and the five other members of the Alkali Earth Metal Party – Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium and Radium.

The Alkali Earth Meta Party and the Alkali Metal Party were both to the left of the Transition Metal Party and members of the coalition government. However, the coalition only held power because they had the support of the Other Metal Party and the Metalloid Party. Their leaders, Aluminum and Boron were threatening to withdraw their support from the coalition. If that happened the Metal Coalition government would lose its Parliamentary majority. The second largest party in the legislature was the Lanthanides and Actinides Party.

Their leader, Cerium and her deputy-leader, Promethium had been actively courting the support of the right of center Other Metal and Metaloid parties. There were even suggestions that Cerium and Silicon, were involved in some extra-marital hanky panky and spending nights together, putting further pressure on the Metalloids to abandon the Metal coalition. At the same time the Lanthanides and Actinides Party had formed two working groups to extend feelers to the other parties in the legislature.

Americum, Curium and Berkelium were quietly talking to members of the Halogen Party. The three were relative newcomers to the Congress and it was felt amongst the Lanthanides and Actinides that they would have the best chance of gaining the trust of the Halogen Partys members. Lawrencium, Yttebium and Mendelevium had been detailed to negotiate with the Non Metal Partys leaders Carbon and Oxygen. They felt strongly that the historic animosities between the metals and the nonmetals would see them quickly agree to join the congressional rebellion.

The most problematic was the Nobel Gas Party. Unofficially known as the Moral Majority it was felt that they would not welcome any crass or crafty approaches offering personal gain. Their leader Helium and the other four members of the party – Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon and Radon – all prided themselves on their ethics. Rather, a subtle campaign of insinuation had been initiated. Rumors, passed through the press corps, were reaching their ears that members of the Transition Metal Party Osmium, Rutherfordium and Roentgenium had been using their positions on the Congressional Procurement Committee for private gain.

It was hoped that if the Noble Gases could be convinced of financial improprieties on the part of the Transition Metal Party they would support a change in government. A wild card in the equation was Hydrogen, ostensibly a member of the Non Metal Party it insisted in sitting on the far left of Congress, aligned with the Alkali Metal Party. Inside the Congress of Periodica the individual elements were obsessed with their internecine quarrels and individual struggles to increase their own power.

However, outside the the hallowed halls of government the wider word of molecules was terrified. If the Congressional struggles resulted in a change in government the seating pattern in the house would change. The Lanthanides and Actinides Party would replace the leading member of the coalition government, Transition Metal Party in the center of Congress and be forced to assume the seats now occupied by the Lanthanides and Actinides Party. This realignment in Congresss seating pattern would result in chaos and the end of the world as we know it.