/ Duel Universe
/ Author: The Cowboy of Oklahoma
/ Ch 49: Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!
/ word count: 2241
Human Encampment
Another four days had passed since we had our doctor visitors come and go. My guess is they figured we weren't going to stop with our extra activities. So nice of them. It was after one of our latest rousts when I caught Ka'an messing with some cards and working on a deck. He was concentrating pretty hard when I asked him about it.
"What ya' workin' on?"
"Just an idea I was having about a deck that might be useful against the goo," he explained, "if I can get it to work that is."
"Useful how?"
"If it works, I can summon a god card in the first turn, but then I have to keep them there. The goo is powerful, and even a god card might struggle if it doesn't have the right support."
"I see, but don't worry so much, I'll be there too with my god card to help ya'."
"Well, I don't have all the cards needed to finish it, and without them, I can't be sure it will work. All I know is that, if it does work, I could be holding back the goo while the Device sucks the gunk off the planet."
"That's good, but what cards do ya' need to finish it?"
"I can't say for sure, but when we get back to work, I'm going to go see what Dark Magician Girl has to say about it. It does sort of depend on how she will take the idea if I am able to get it off the ground."
"Well, okay then, if ya' say so."
The doctors sent word that Ka'an was doing better and should be able to handle some light duty for a few more days before full active duty. Thankfully they didn't say anything about our extracurricular activities. We packed up everything and loaded onto the transport we had waiting for us, then made our way back to the main area of the encampment. Offloading and taking our stuff back to our home, it feels so good to be able to say that again, we met up with Akiza and Moonie sitting at the dining table enjoying some coffee and whatever monsters drink in the mornings.
"Sis! You're back already?" Aki sat up from the table in surprise.
"Master! Welcome back. Is there anything I can help with?" Moonie hurried to go see.
"Sure Moonie, there are still a few crates to grab," Ka'an noted as she went outside.
We carried what we had into the sleeping area and kitchen space. Aki watched as we finished but took notice that we moved, everything in, and nothing of Ka'ans was left out.
"Wait. Are you moving back in, Ka'an?"
We both looked at each other for a second, then I turned back to Aki with a sheepish grin on my face.
"No way! You're back together again?! Wait! Did you do it? You did it! You totally did it! Didn't you?!" She leveled an accused finger at me.
My face turned red with embarrassment and she got a scorned look on her face. "You mean to tell me that you sent us away just so you could get into bed with him by yourself, didn't you?!"
I didn't get to answer before there was a crash of a crate on the floor behind us. We all turned to see Moonie standing there with a shocked look on her face. Her hand went to her mouth and I could see tears begin to fill her eyes.
Ka'an moved to approach her but she actually took a step away from him, "Moonie?"
"No…," she squeaked, holding back tears.
Suddenly she turned and rushed out of the home and disappeared outside. The sound of wing beats could be heard coming from outside.
"Moonie!" Ka'an rushed after her, but returned almost immediately, "she's gone."
Now there was another problem to deal with, but later, "Ka'an, we have to report in. We can go look for her after that," I suggested.
Ka'an looked torn, but relented in the end, "yeah, I guess you're right," he agreed.
Human Encampment Command
Walking to the command area within the encampment, we showed our identifications and were allowed in. The Encampment Commander wanted to see us after we reported in, and we made our way to her office.
"Wonder what she wants to see us for?" He asked me in a hushed tone.
"No idea, I hear she's a 'no-nonsense' type and sends people to the brig for supposed insubordination," I mocked.
"Oh, har, har," he mock laughed.
We stood outside her door as voices inside could be heard and at best guess, someone was receiving a new asshole.
"Who told you to leave your POST?! You were ORDERED to stay at the supply shed and make sure NOBODY got in and steal more than what they were to be given for research!!" The Commander screamed.
Uh, oh. No matter what has happened, losing some of our precious few resources is not good. I know we have near-unlimited resources now while we're here in the monster realm, but we have precious few natural resources left from when we left Earth. Seeds, natural bacteria, h2o gel packs, some frozen eggs, and egg sacs for birthing new animals in the world. Mammals, reptiles, and fish. Whoever left their post and whoever stole whatever materials are in for a very rude awakening.
"Get out! Sergeant! Take this piece of shit to the brig!" She commanded.
"Aye, ma'am!"
Some rustling noise came from within, then the door opened, and a young male Private and a stern-looking Sergeant who was holding the Private by the arm and leading them away.
The secretary stationed outside the Commander's office told her that her next appointment was here and was told to let us in. When we entered, A woman in her late 30s and with a strong build sat behind a mediocre desk spilling over with paperwork and barely afforded us a finger wave as a salute to our entrance. We stood at attention before her for a solid minute before she even spoke as she was looking through papers and tapping on her computer screen and then finally acknowledged us while still staring at her screen.
"So, you two decided to go ahead and do the deed. While you," pointing at Ka'an, "was supposed to be on medical leave and ordered to not do anything strenuous. While you," pointing at me, "decided you couldn't wait until after our world was cleared of its invading entity to play the hokey pokey." Commander Cobb pointed out.
Her wording was 'hokey' for sure. It took a little more effort than usual to not snicker at her words and keep a straight face at her berating, but my exterior cracked and she noticed it immediately.
"You think this is funny Lieutenant?! You want to inform me of what is so hilarious?!"
"No, ma'am! I don't think this is funny!"
"Oh, but I do! I think you find this scenario very funny! Don't you think that we are having a problem with multiple childbirths right now?! How if we don't get a rein on this problem we will be losing precious resources that we need to keep until we can reseed our own world! That, if we have a number of newborns, born here and before, while we were in space, has severely hampered our resources and then we had to let go of our fleet just to build the Device that is reportedly supposed to save our world! So I don't know what is so funny about this situation Lieutenant!"
I just stood there taking the reprimand and thanks to her not using such ridiculous wording, I could regain my composure. She huffed at my silence and turned back to her screen, wait! She knows! Those damned doctors did put it in a report to command?! Oh man, General Marcellus is going to rip me a new one even more than this Commander Cobb is doing to me right now! That's going to suck big time. Welp, hello brig my old friend, I've come to visit you again…
"Carson!"
"Ma'am!"
"Get out!"
"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!" I heel-turned and left the office, closing the door behind me.
Dammit! Did I space out just now? I moved away from her door and waited for Ka'an to be released from her clutches.
The Commander turned to Ka'an and pinched the bridge of her nose, breathing heavily, "Captain, what in the world do you see in that woman? She has been in trouble for nearly her entire career, and she continues to defy orders. How is it that you saw fit to have her as your second in command and more so? Why do you love her?"
"Permission to speak freely, Ma'am?"
"Permission granted, Captain."
Ka'an took a breath and steaded his stance, relaxing a bit before he spoke, "I'm not entirely certain myself what it was that first caught my eye about her, she tried her feminine wiles on me back at Coronado in the brig, but I wasn't interested then. It may have been when she endangered herself for my well-being when we went to retrieve the Baddeck. Then she began to follow some orders and even helped with getting information about the invaders once we had subdued them," he explained.
"That doesn't excuse her of prior actions, thumbing her nose at the rules we all have to abide by."
"I didn't say they did, Ma'am. I'm just pointing out that she has been, for the last few years, more behaved. But I must iterate that I was also there during these last few days, I also partook in the event of procreation," he pointed out, "and that she has been integral in defending the Encampment during the whole Steve Bensen fiasco."
"Be that as it may, Captain, command does not see fit to punish the Encampment's hero right after their battle, victory, and recovery. So now she will be taking the brunt of the punishment meant for both of you!" She told him.
Ka'an visibly stiffened, shifting in his stance but she cut him off before he could verbalize his response.
"However, seeing as she did partake in the act of reproduction, she will be medically checked for the possible presence of an embryo, and if she is found to be pregnant, her punishment will be delayed until after the child is born and her maternity leave has elapsed. Then she will be spending time in the brig for her crimes."
Ka'an stood still for a moment then straightened up, saluting the Encampment commander, "thank you, Ma'am."
"Don't thank me just yet, Captain. Your part in this will not be forgotten, either! As soon as the world is safe and reformation has begun, you will be serving your own sentence in the brig!" She informed him.
It took several minutes for him to finally exit her office, his was more dignified than my 'git' I got. We walked out of the building and a little ways away from the command area before he spoke.
"We need to make a stop at the medical facility before we head out to look for Moonie."
"Wait, why? The docs already cleared ya' for duty and we don't want her trail to go cold and finding her impossible," I pointed out.
"I know, but the Commander informed me that we have to get checked out before we can do anything else," he said dejectedly.
"Well, shit! I guess she'll have to wait till we're done. Okay, let's get this over with."
We went in, had them do a quick physical, blood work, and vitamin injections, then we were sent on our way. We split up to look for Moonie so to cover more ground. He headed for where the monsters were stationed to see if she had left the Encampment, and I went to see if she had gone back to the house while we were out. I found Akiza washing a few dishes and even had a small pot of food warming on the stove when I walked in. Smelled good.
"Hey, Aki! Seen Moonie around since we've been gone?"
"Nah, she hasn't come back yet and I'm concerned about what this all means for us," she said as she dried her hands.
"What do ya' mean?"
"Well, Ka'an coming back and us getting to be a sot of a family again is nice and all, but how do we handle the fact that Moonie is very much in love with Ka'an and I…,"
No! She better not!
"I think that I'm starting to see him for more than he was."
"More than he was? What's that mean?"
Akiza rubbed at her arm and looked away from me. Dammit! I can't have this on my mind right now!
"I think I may 'like', like him, sis. But I know he has more feelings for you than for me or Moonie for that matter, but I just can't get him off my mind for some reason. And I know you two have already had sex, and technically he is spoken for by you, and that Moonie is trying her hardest to get between the sheets with him too…," she admitted and had a worried look on her face.
Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! What are we going to do about this now?!