/ Duel Universe
/ Author: The Cowboy of Oklahoma
/ Ch 26: Meetings
/ word count: 1982
Monster World:
High in orbit over the monster world, human and monster crews worked 10hr shifts to construct the device that would be used to suck up the goo off the planet's surface. Humans would normally help adjust the components into position, then mechanical monsters would come in and weld them together with ultra-precision. Occasionally there will be a spot where the machine clan just cannot reach, so the smallest and well-trained humans would go into these areas. In the first month of construction, the core was assembled next to one of the platforms, as the platform was slowly gutted and taken apart piece by piece. Human crews were nostalgic towards the impressive piece of Earth hardware, but the machines pushed to hurry and to get the job done.
"Hey man! Show some respect! We built this baby in under two years, something no other human space engineer has ever done before. So try to show some compassion before you just rip her to pieces!" A male engineer stated.
"I'm sorry, but I thought time was of the essence. Should we not get this over with and hurry to build the device?" A machine asked. "It's not like we're harming the materials." It added.
Those were the start of the fights between proud human engineers and machines with wires and circuitry, but no feelings. The engineers were given a choice: take the vessels apart or be left out of the construction effort. They chose to stay. So, with heavy hearts and with a purpose they understood but still regretted, they tore through the platforms and some carriers in short order. The monsters brought material from their world up to build the majority of the interior and to reinforce the housing around the black hole generator. Then the human material was added on to the outermost exterior to support the monster material. Since the monster world was currently immune to the goo, it was decided that the interior would be lined with supercharged monster world materials. Using what materials the humans had, it was going to be just short of the very last bit of the device's outer cover. They would need more material from other ships or utilize extra monster material. The council would need to be informed and the final decision would be theirs.
Dual World Council:
"So let's take apart the cruisers and be done with it!" Chun Zhang said.
"We can't be so rash as to throw away our last line of defense so carelessly Zhang sir!" Noah Williams said. "The cruisers are to be used as transports to place our now highly trained duelists in strategic positions to help push the goo back as we are sucking it up!"
"Well, we can't just do nothing with what we have!" Zhang stated. "More material is needed and the cruisers are the only remaining large pieces of equipment we have left."
"We have the fighters and the much smaller transports we could use instead." Edith Davies added in. "That way we can finish the device and still keep the cruisers."
"No, no, no, fighters and small transports are far too small for components needed for device." Anastasia Angela noted dryly. "Sure there should be enough material, but they would have work even harder than they already are to readjust, reform, and wield together each tiny piece to make work." She said.
"But we can't lose the cruisers!" Williams said.
The debate seemed to want to carry on for hours until a gentle pulse of energy was let loose on the room and got everyone's attention.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Dark Magician Girl said warmly, "I suggest we take a break from these talks and resume in the morning, once all parties are well-rested." She motioned to the sleeping General Gregory Marcellus in his chair.
Many around the table shared the sentiment and agreed that getting some sleep would do them all some good. She raised a hand and his body slowly lifted from his seat until he was floating in midair. Everyone soon began to file out, still giving hushed small talk about the situation, or inviting another to eat with them. Dark Magician Girl lowered the General into the waiting arms of his personal entourage and they carried him to a transport outside. When the last finally made it out and the doors gently shut behind them, Dark Magician Girl slumped in her chair with a heavy sigh.
"What will we do if we should fail?" She asked, seemingly to nobody in particular.
"We will endure, as the human race has always done throughout our history." A mystery man walked up beside her and leaned down to her cheek, giving it a loving peck. "Besides, we'll pull through. Somehow, someway, we've always pulled through. Even when the odds were against us, humanity has survived many world-ending dangers. Floods, ice age, famine, super volcanoes..." He went on and on.
"Yeah, I guess." Dark Magician Girl held a hand to her face and yawned deeply.
"My, aren't we tired tonight." He said playfully.
"It's your fault! You kept me up all night and I had to be up early this morning for important meetings and a couple of training duels! Which I won by the way!"
"Congratulations." He said warmly. "So how are they coming along with their training?" He asked.
"The recruits are getting better, but they're not adjusting their strategies to make it past the second obstacle." She stated.
He just chuckled and wrapped her in his loving embrace. Then he suddenly lifted her out of her chair and carried her towards another doorway that led to a spiraling staircase and her private chambers.
"What do you think you're doing?" She asked in an innocent tone.
"Taking in a nightcap before bed. Château la Dark Magician Girl!" He said with a broken French accent.
"Oh, I love it when you talk like that!" She said with a mournful moan.
He leaned in and pulled her close so they could share a kiss, then it turned into a French kiss, tongues wrestling. Dark Magician Girl pulled away and gave a faint groan.
"I'm going to lose sleep tonight too, aren't I?" She asked while laying her head on his shoulder.
"Yep." Was his simple reply as the door was magically closed behind them. "I sure am happy you didn't listen to your own rules of no intercourse between our species." He added as he climbed the stairs to her chambers.
The following morning, a few hours after sunrise, the Council members all made their way back to the castle. Having received a message that after they had eaten and fulfilled their morning routines, they came to the castle to restart the prior night's discussion about the device's final missing components. They filed in one at a time, a few coming in chatting with each other. They all sat down at their preferred seating arrangement; some of the monsters not directly involved with training or the device's construction, attended as well. The room was filled with hushed murmurs to the events weeks before when there was that storm that gave a powerful pulse of energy. Others stayed on the subject of the device and what they would need to finish it. The room suddenly went silent when the doors at the opposite end parted with a faint creak and a very determined-faced Dark Magician Girl came stepping into the room. Out of respect that she is the ruler of this land, all attending stood as she approached the table and took her place at the head of it. Once everyone was seated again, she cleared her throat to speak.
"Thank you everyone for attending today. As you have noticed, a few of the monster world representatives have also decided to join us." She motioned to the few extra attendees. "As much as this is mainly a human matter and must be fully agreed to by the human leaders present, they have decided that they may have a solution to our current predicament." She explained.
"And what is this solution, may I ask?" Edith asked.
Cyberse White Hat sat forward, placing his forearms on the table, interlacing his fingers. "We are suggesting that we take a very small part of your Oceanica, specifically the very top of it, and use that as the final component we'll need to finish the outer layer of the device." He explained.
There were hushed murmurs between some of the humans present, but one flat out decided against the motion.
"No!" Angela stated flatly. "No! We all agreed that Oceanica was off-limits when comes to device being built! Now you want to discuss possibility of needing to dismantle it!?" She asked with a stern look on her face.
"Not the whole thing Commander Anastasia," Cyberse White Hat said, "just about the very top 10, maybe 15% of it. That way we can finish the device and still not bring any harm to the species living inside the Oceanica."
"But what about control center, and primary filtration functions?" She asked. "All those are in top of Oceanicas' design. Nothing but sea life at bottom, and all mechanisms at top."
"What if we only take the hull plating and the girders holding them in place but we leave the skeleton of the ship in place to hold the mechanics and control center?" Abanoub Aten suggested. "If we can only use the bare minimum of resources, we may be able to skirt by with just barely enough material."
Everyone thought about this idea, if it worked, it would leave the majority of the ship in place to keep holding and housing the animals and ocean waters inside safely.
"I suggest we get the engineers and some of the better machines to calculate the process and see just how much material from the Oceanica we can take and leave behind," Marcellus suggested.
Words of agreement came from a few of the humans and monsters present.
The machine clan was good with number crunching and squeezing out the best from little resources. So Cyberse White Hat sent a message to his fellow clansmen and they got to deliver the message to the machine clan.
"Until such a time as the machines can decide exactly what is needed and what can be spared, I suggest we recess until they are done. Agreed?" Dark Magician Girl asked the council.
Everyone nodded their approval and moved on to do other things or to watch the duels unfold until the word was given.
Human Encampment:
The Russian Commander and the Oriental Ambassador walked along together holding hands, they moved away from anyone else so no other could hear. They looked all around to make sure they were alone, then pulled each other into an embrace and went nose to nose so everyone that saw from a distance would think they're just one of the many couples developing here.
"We are almost to the crucial moment of decisive action!" Zhang said in a hushed tone.
"Yes, and these monsters do not suspect anything to our betrayal!" Angela added. "When Earth is cleansed of filth, we will take over and Earth will be remade in our image! A united world!"
"Yes," Zhang looked down her front a moment, wondering if she'll...
"Hey! None of that Chinaman!" Angela warned. "We agreed to appearance of coupling, not actual actions! I only accept real man as my man, not wimpy Chinaman!"
Zhang raised his eyes and straightened up. "Of course." He affirmed. Clearing his throat, "the Admiralty of my men and the rest of the ones from my platform are preparing to do battle. How are things on your end?" He asked.
"Same. My most loyal of followers will lead the troops in the battle ahead! We kill American filth from Earth, then we kill all that oppose our will!" Angela added.