"Rassi - the Elusive Friend" by Evgeny Veltistov, summary Automatic translate

This children’s science fiction novel was written in 1970. A robot boy named Electronik designs an invulnerable mechanical dog named Rassie, who can change shape and quickly analyze data. The mechanical dog confidently saves rare animals from ruthless poachers.

The book is part of the popular "Adventures of Elektronik" series. It is the second installment in the series. The other stories in the series are "Electronik — the Boy from the Suitcase," "The Conqueror of the Impossible," and "The New Adventures of Elektronik." Based on the first two stories in the series, director Konstantin Bromberg made a celebrated musical television film in 1979. Screenwriter Yevgeny Veltistov received the USSR State Prize for it.

Clash with Baron von Krug

Wealthy Dr. Manfred von Krug owns the Western European zoo "Animal World." He creates perfect mechanical animals to entertain curious audiences. His artificial creations are completely devoid of genuine emotion, moving like lifeless robots. The Baron covets the unique designs of Professor Gel Ivanovich Gromov’s emotional circuits. The Baron’s assistant, Mick Urry, arrives in the inventor’s hometown. Urry plans to secretly steal the boy’s unique electronic model. Mick makes an unforgivable mistake. He brings home a living eighth-grader, Sergei Syroezhkin, in a locked suitcase. The boy desperately resists his captors. He painfully bites von Krug’s finger, infuriating the Baron.

A black, shaggy terrier immediately rushes to Sergei’s aid. This is Ressie. The strange name stands for "Rarest Electronic Dog, Ostrich, and so on." The dog was crafted by Elektronik using Professor Gromov’s new mathematical formulas. The dog possesses incredible physical strength, incredible running speed, and complete freedom of action. Ressie infiltrates the luxurious mansion, fiercely defending his frightened friend. Professor Gromov and Elektronik rush to the enraged baron. They safely take Sergei home. Elektronik manages to discreetly embed a miniature transmitter into the baron’s massive computer. Now the young cybernetic genius intercepts all of the villain’s secret radio messages.

New classes begin at an ordinary school for young cyberneticists. Math teacher Taratar Taratarych appoints Elektronik as his personal assistant. The electronic boy amazes the class with his profound knowledge of complex theorems. He easily quotes great scientists. Sergey Syroezhkin is very proud of his talented double. Meanwhile, Rassi continues his long journey across Africa, continuously sending signals to Elektronik. The genius dog independently masters the languages of various animals and birds. The dog eavesdrops on the secrets of the savannah, carefully memorizing every rustle of the wild inhabitants. The mechanical brain constantly complicates its algorithms, quickly adapting to the harsh African environment.

African expedition

The friends unravel von Krug’s cruel plans. The baron’s hired "sleepy shooters" mercilessly hunt the most valuable animals in the African wild. The poachers make extensive use of radio-controlled bullets, which keep the unfortunate victim alive. At the slightest attempt to escape, the electronics inflict severe pain on the captured animal. The villain wants to single-handedly control the entire animal kingdom from his remote control. Rassie quickly heads off to the hot savannah. Electronics precisely directs the dog’s actions from an ordinary school math classroom. The terrier unfurls its transparent wings and easily breaks into a fast ostrich run. The dog sensitively analyzes scents, hears the alarm cries of predators, and promptly warns the herds of danger.

A squad of experienced hunters led by Commander Penn is constantly losing their prey. Rassie cleverly sabotages the expensive radio direction finder in the commander’s vehicle. Frightened by the gunshots, the animals flee into the dense tropical jungle. The electronic dog successfully leads dozens of rhinoceroses, towering giraffes, and fearsome lions away from pursuit. The hunters hopelessly lose their fresh scent. Tragically, one beautiful herd of antelope perishes. Driven by the constant dull pain of the radio bullets lodged in their bodies, the animals panic and plunge straight into a deep chasm. This tragic event deeply upsets Electronic. He attempts to thoroughly analyze the logic behind the machine’s strange behavior, turning to complex theorems.

High above the Earth and deep underwater, specialists stand vigilantly. Space Controller Astronaut and Ocean Controller Commander frequently exchange the latest news. They discuss the mysterious events constantly occurring on the planet. The Commander tells his colleague about a strange mechanical dog that performs veritable miracles daily. At first, the Astronaut doubts the existence of such a machine, calling Earth robots boring. However, the Commander sincerely believes in Rassi’s noble mission. The two experienced controllers closely monitor the movements of poaching ships. Their global communications system helps scientists coordinate complex rescue operations in the most remote corners of the world.

Operations in India and the Ocean

Professor Gromov, Elektronik, and Syroezhkin actively continue the fight against poachers. Gromov flies to a vast Indian nature reserve to meet Chief Inspector Raj Manas. Elektronik personally captures an armed poacher. The criminal attempted to tranquilize a rare Bengal tiger. A brilliant boy lures a huge striped cat into a sturdy bamboo cage. Zamba, the tame elephant, slams the heavy bars shut with a powerful blow of his bone tusks. Meanwhile, Ressi heads straight to Tikhaya Bay. Sergei transmits to his faithful dog the precise coordinates of the enormous blue whale, Nekton. The lone whale has become the target of the high-speed submarine "Tunyets." Ressi is eagerly joined by the cheerful dolphin Belobochka, the pet of the marine keeper, Don.

The electronic dog quickly assumes the form of a fat, comical baby whale. It instantly sprouts long flippers. Rassie and Belochka swim swiftly through turbulent ocean storms. They fearlessly fend off sudden attacks from hungry sharks. The dog shocks the toothy predators with a powerful electric shock. The sea comrades locate the company’s predatory submarine. Rassie skillfully imitates a whale’s desperate cry for help. This sound forces the trusting Nekton to quickly dodge a flying steel harpoon. The free blue whale is utterly enraged. He rams the enemy submarine, saving his precious life. The submarine suffers serious damage and is forced to quickly surface.

Sergei Syroezhkin is grieving the sudden loss of his four-legged friend. The eighth-grader desperately tries to establish a mental connection with his missing dog. He strains his willpower during school lessons. He concentrates deeply, sending silent commands into outer space and the depths of the ocean. Suddenly, Electronik responds to Sergei’s telepathic call. During a verbal response at the blackboard, the electronic boy suddenly transmits a radio signal for Ressie. This accidental radio transmission nearly short-circuits the dog’s complex circuits. However, this is how the devoted friends realize that the dog is alive and continues to operate in the dark ocean depths.

Captivity and rescue

Von Krug suffers enormous financial losses due to his thwarted plans. The Baron harshly orders Urry to capture the elusive electronic dog. The experienced administrator sets a cunning ambush in the abandoned Indian palace of an ancient maharajah. Urry plays a high-quality tape recording of the old Professor Gromov’s voice. Hearing a familiar cry for help, Rassie rushes to rescue his kind creator. The dog instantly falls into a sturdy steel trap. An aerial emptometer carries the slammed cage high into the night sky. The evil Baron completely erases the terrier’s original memory, recording new, rigid machine commands. The dog receives the short code name "Index." Previous attachments vanish without a trace.

A mechanical treasure hunter methodically searches the ocean floor for sunken ancient galleys. Index easily cuts oak ship planks with a sharp drill. He brightly illuminates the seabed with a focused laser beam. Trained dolphins obediently carry heavy sacks of gold to the pirate yacht "Albatross." Ocean Dispatcher Commander notices suspicious activity near the sunken ships. He pursues the speedy Index for a long time in a service boat. The dexterous dispatcher catches the mechanical dog with a strong steel net. Gromov, Elektronik, and Syroezhkin hastily arrive at the shining Center of the World Ocean. The Commander decisively detains the criminal yacht "Albatross" and legally arrests the fiercely resisting Urri.

Urry sullenly asserts that the strange dog is rightfully his. Ressie growls aggressively at the upset professor and Elektronik. The dog has completely forgotten his kind creators. Sergei strides boldly toward the terrier. He confidently pronounces, "I’m Ressie’s friend!" It turns out the arrogant von Krug missed this simple human concept during his complete memory wipe. The forgotten secret password instantly restores the broken old connections in the complex electronic brain. The black dog barks joyfully. Ressie rushes toward the happy boy, unmistakably recognizing him. True friendship confidently triumphs over the sophisticated technology and the malicious calculations of greedy adversaries.

Professor Gromov frankly admits to his friends that he has prepared the terrifying "Forbidding Theorems." They were intended for the mandatory physical destruction of dangerous machines that had run amok. But the wise scientist tears up the sheets of paper containing the precise mathematical calculations with relief. He clearly understands that the original guilt lies with greedy humans, not with perfect machines. Elektronik permanently removes the master’s status from the devoted dog’s machine memory. He joyfully proclaims, "No more masters, only friends!" Free and renewed, Ressie prepares to selflessly protect all the nature reserves of our blue planet. The machine finds a new, meaningful life for the benefit of all humanity.