Hey everyone,
In this chapter I'm just going to let there be contact between Radiant Garden, Disney Castle and their moon, convince the Moonlanders that there is no need for an invasion (sorry, slight spoiler), and then finish everything up.
Nothing more,
Venquine1990
PS. Because there won't be an invasion, the chapter will, for the rest, remain spoiler free when it comes to the 2017 series.
Chapter 51
Easing Tensions
30th of May 1996
Master's Office, Radiant Garden
Lea's POV
I phase into the corridor leading to the Master's office. And while I take the last few steps to the office door and knock, I make sure to call Mickey.
The king, thankfully, picks up the phone right as Master Ansem tells me to come in.
I put the Gummi phone down on the master's desk, the man and the king instantly realizing that this is a very serious situation.
And because I don't have any idea what these strange, disrespectful beings might be up to, as I hadn't expected to find anyone other than Della, I instantly get to the point.
"I found Della."
Those three words seem to floor both men. Both of them stare at me with wide eyes and Mickey even has a bit of a slack jaw.
I quickly explain the situation, the impression I got off of Donald and Uncle Scrooge the other day, the tale they told me and how I remembered Axel's findings and how he was always told to ignore them and how I decided to use them.
Yet right as I want to tell them about how, when I found her, she wasn't alone, Tron interrupts me. And yet his words surprise only the Master and the King.
"Master Ansem, someone is attempting to hack into Lea's Gummi phone and disrupt the call with his majesty. I cannot entirely trace their location, but they seem to desire to replace the current phone call with one of their own. What should I do?"
The man reacts instantly and barks: "Transfer both calls to the Main Computer and split the screen, Tron. Lea –."
But before the man can finish, I've already grabbed his arm and phased us both there.
And when we arrive, Mickey and his office, the wall behind him being covered from top to bottom with bookcases, is on the right of the screen and the two aliens are on the left.
What intrigues me is that, somehow, the room behind them seem to be made of solid gold from top to bottom as well. I wonder if I should consider this wasteful or if that's just due to my own lack of knowledge about these people.
The urge to inform Axel and have him, Roxas and Xion do recon on these people grows.
"AHA! You thought you could escape our grasp, did you? Thought that we wouldn't be able to –." The blue-skinned alien sounds more arrogant and overconfident than I think the situation calls for, so I decide to interrupt him and state:
"The spell I cast only works for a few minutes. It's merely meant to keep someone frozen in place for a short amount of time, it's how it was designed.
Also, before you start trying to promote your incredible disruption skills or something, take another look at the area around me – and the screens shown in front of you.
And keep this memorized; your planet is not the only one with technological marvels."
The man seemed to have expected me to be worried, scared or shocked or something. He, at the very least, didn't seem to have expected me to be unimpressed with his attempt to threaten me or make me feel insignificant or something.
"You dare to –."
But I really don't feel like listening to a female alien who sounds as arrogant as her male partner and just interrupt her as well.
"Interrupt someone who left another living being to survive on a barren bit of land and who thinks they can claim another person as a pet.
Yeah, I do. And I doubt he (I aim for Mickey on the other screen) would fault me for this."
"And who is this –?"
But before the man can insult Mickey, the anger the Mouse obviously felt explodes:
"THE KING OF THE DUCK WHO YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME RETRIEVE FROM YOUR PLANET OVER THE LAST 2 DECADES!
NOW EXPLAIN TO ME THIS INSTANT WHY, INSTEAD, YOU NOT ONLY ABANDONED DELLA TO THE BARREN PART OF YOUR WORLD, BUT KEPT US FROM FETCHING AND RETRIEVING HER!
AND YOUR ANSWER BETTER BE GOOD OR YOU'LL EXPERIENCE THE MORE POWERFUL AND HURTFUL MAGIC OF THE KEYBLADE, YOU HEAR?"
This angry rant actually impresses me as I rarely ever saw the Mouse lose his temper like this. I share a look with Master Ansem and can't help but think:
"No wonder Master Yen Sid chose him as a pupil and taught him to become a Master."
"Now what is going on here?"
An unfamiliar voice comes from the side of the screen. The two turn to look at the being that is standing off screen.
Their eyes widen and while the woman exclaims: "General Meridian!" The male intrigues me as she declares: "Father, you've awoken at last!"
"Xemnas really should've sent Axel out to do recon on that rock." I think to myself.
A man who looks quite a lot like the man on screen appears from the right side of the screen and states: "Yes, and it seems you both made contact with outsiders and managed to offend them. Care to explain how and why you did so, son?"
Instantly all the bravado the younger male previously felt is nowhere to be seen. Yet the woman seems determined to be stubborn in her ways – or perhaps she decided not to take Mickey's warning seriously – as she declares:
"Sir, about 2 years after you started your Long Slumber, an outsider from that meek Disney – whatever –."
Yet Mickey is obviously still feeling enraged that these people are the reason Della was kept away from her family.
He jumps up on his desk and summons his Keyblade as he shouts: "I dare you to say that again, young lady.
I fought against Heartless and Nobodies that would give that angry glare of yours a run for its money. I looked beings that could kill me with only the tip of their claw in the eye and made them blink first.
So again, I dare you to repeat that to the King of Disney Town, a Keyblade Master who is also a Guardian of Light and the Apprentice to the Master of the Universe, Yen Sid."
"Now who's the weak one?" I think as I notice how hard the woman seems to be trying to keep her legs from shaking in fear.
"Forgive Lieutenant Penumbra, Sire. I'm afraid it's a bit of a Moon custom that we often mistake arrogance for pride. Especially among our higher-ranked members."
For a moment I wonder if that is going to be the man's excuse for what these two did to Della, but I decide to give him the benefit of the doubt.
The man tells the Lieutenant to try again. She clears her throat and says: "Yes well, as I said, two years after your slumber, a citizen of the other world invaded our home and disrupted your son's playtime.
We observed them, discovered their tenacity for survival and decided to test it as well as said being's determination and stubbornness.
Unfortunately, our efforts to study this lifeform were often disrupted by aliens from other worlds attempting to invade the Mighty – ahem – our world.
Thankfully, they always seemed to fall for the illusionary forcefield that we would put up upon spotting their vessels approaching our world.
We, as you can probably imagine, grew to appreciate the other life form living with us, so when this one suddenly came, attacked us and took the lifeform, we did not take kindly to that.
Thus our attempt to contact them and demand the return of said lifeform."
The General apparently only needs a single look at how Mickey is still standing atop of his desk, his Keyblade yet to be dismissed and a look of raging fury on his face to, if I had to make a guess, think the same thing I am:
"Either that woman is trying way too hard to be professional – or she's too stupid to realize she just shot herself in the foot and confessed to holding Della hostage, while keeping her distance from the poor duck."
The general mutters the words I see before he turns to the screens and asks: "Would either of you care to share your side?"
I shrug and say: "The king and Master Ansem know more about how it all started, but I'm willing to share what I know, including why and how I traveled to your world and got past your defenses, including that forcefield."
The general nods and I relay the story Uncle Scrooge told me less than an hour ago. About Della and the adventures she had with Donald and Uncle Scrooge, her desire to have one last big one before she became a mother and how that went wrong.
Yet here I'm forced to stop as the General turns to his son and asks: "That comet shower. I sincerely hope that that is not what Lieutenant Penumbra was talking about when she mentioned your disrupted playtime, now was it, son?"
And while I can barely believe my own ears, the man's tone seems enough to scare his son, who actually slightly towers over him. The younger being gulps.
The General's eyes narrow and he mutters: "I really thought you had outgrown that dangerous tendency of yours. You disappoint me."
Yet as he turns back to the screen, the angry father is actually instantly replaced with a professional diplomat and he says:
"You need not speak further, young man. I understand the whole tale, including the truth.
Young Della became an unfortunate victim of my son's irresponsible behavior, my absence brought out his and Lieutenant Penumbra's arrogance and they decided to keep Della hostage, while obviously keeping their distance until the point you arrived to retrieve her.
Is this correct?"
I feel a great deal of the concerns that rose up in me when I discovered that the moon wasn't as baren as we always believed leave me at the man's tone and his incredible deduction skills.
My shoulders lose a lot of their tension, even though I keep my arms crossed in a professional – and somewhat reserved – manner as I say:
"Exactly, General. And I was able to get to your world thanks to a skill that I learned quite a few years ago.
As for why I never used that skill before today, that question has two answers.
One, the ones who taught me this skill ordered me to leave Planet Moon alone. They are no longer among us.
Two, I never knew the tale of what happened to Della Duck until today. And I only discovered about it thanks to peculiar behavior of her family – with which she is now happily reunited."
The General smiles for the first time since he arrived on screen. "I understand and I also appreciate your foretelling skill, young man. Thank you for explaining things.
Is there anything you desire?"
I know just fine that, if this had happened a year ago, I wouldn't have given into these urges to get even with the two beings standing behind the general.
Yet at the same time I wonder if that's really true or if my love for my family simply strengthens this need more than my loyalty to my friends would.
Regardless, I simply state: "Once Della Duck has sufficiently reunited with her uncle, brother, sons and friends, I will contact you.
When I do, understand that this will be the signal that will announce my arrival. And please understand that I will again come to retrieve someone."
The Lieutenant doesn't seem to understand the promised threat hidden within my vague words, yet the General proves that he really is smarter than his fellow room occupants.
He nods and promises me that his son and Lieutenant Penumbra will be ready to be brought before the Ducks for justice and that he will ensure that they will feel the expected regret for their actions.
I nod and then notice it.
The way the General looks at me.
I smirk at him and before I phase home, I say:
"We fathers understand each other. Good day, General."
Head home, Lea.
So yeah, what do you think of this twist to the Della Duck backstory? I'm not sure if I altered the story enough from the timeline created by Ducktales (2017) or not, but I like it regardless.
Let me know what you think,
Venquine1990
PS. Expect one more chapter sometime tomorrow. The one about Braig that I promised in a previous AN.
