"Very good. Very good indeed General." The voice of President Gorran rang through the central loading platform in the cavern of Sol. "I am very pleased with your Conduit Portal. It is a fine work of modern technology."
"Thank you, Mr. President, that means SOOO much to me," the big man replied.
Gorran looked at him. "Do not mock me, General Dorrel. I control your life and your career in my hands. Upsetting me would not be wise." Something in his voice must have made Dorrel take note of the threat and he stopped smirking behind his beard.
President Gorran sighed. Ever since the Emperor had visited the site of the Conduit Project a few weeks ago, General Dorrel had been increasingly disrespectful and sarcastic in his reports and in the tour that he just took. "Are you having much resistance on the other side?" the president asked.
"Um...I don't really know. You could ask Colonel Berut about it. He is coming this way." He looked toward the man coming toward them. A little younger than Dorrel, Berut had been in the PSI military ever since it was created. Plus, he had also been in the Eridani militia before that.
The Colonel at least did not keep them waiting long before he arrived at their position on the walkway.
"Ah, my good Colonel Berut, how is everything going on the other side?" inquired President Gorran.
The Colonel looked up calmly at him; "We are expecting a good deal more resistance then we thought. The warriors on the opposing side, though not as technologically advanced as we are, they are far superior physically then our troops are. You might want to consider requesting the Emperor for some of his elite troops."
"I will ask him next time I meet him. I doubt he would let us have some of his troops, he likes to keep them for himself for some reason or another."
"Well, though they would be helpful, I believe we can take it over by ourselves. It will just take longer."
"That is fine Colonel. Unlike our friends over there, we have all the time in the world."
When he opened door he wasn't surprised to see Faith standing there. What he was even more surprised at was the gift she carried in her arms.
"Well?" she asked, "Are you going to let me in or not, you big galoto."
"Sorry", Duncaan answered sheepishly, "Come on in." He opened the door wider to let her in.
As she stepped through the door she took a look around. It was a useless gesture after all, nothing in Duncaan's dojo ever changed. In the middle of the floor he had a training mat for practicing free-style moves, punching bags, and a variety of weapons. Off to one side was his meditation chamber and behind that was his kitchen, small living room and bedroom and bathroom. It was all the same.
He had had this place on Los Juegos since he had become a fighter and was very proud of it. If this visit is about me picking up my underwear again she can just forget it now, thought Duncaan. But luckily her reason for coming was nothing of the sort.
"I brought you a gift Duncaan," she said quietly, almost shyly.
"What is it?" he asked her gently.
"I just wanted to wish you a happy match next week. It will be your last in the tournament and if you win this one you will be champ."
"That's right. After this next match, I will be the undisputed king of fighting."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah whatever. Anyway, I just wanted to give you this."
Duncaan took the box from her and opened it. Inside was a pair of brand new Iron bump gloves. Leather gloves with small bumps or mounds of iron sewn into it. He started to laugh. "I don't need these to win. I don't need anything." He looked at her and immediately knew he had said the wrong thing. There were tears brimming in her eyes.
"Well you didn't have to be so mean about it Duncaan! Here I come bringing you a present to use in your last match and all you can do is laugh at the gift and at me?" With that she ran toward the door, crying.
"Wait, please come back Faith," he called to her and he chased her, "I am sorry about that." He was outside his dojo now and had lost Faith in the street.
Cursing to himself he went back into his house. Why the heck did I do just do that? She has been my only real friend.
He raised his eyes toward the sky. Me and my stupid ego. Well, the least thing I can do for her is give the prize money I will win next week to her and her family.
As he went back to training inside his dojo, working harder then ever little did he know that his next match, was also his last.
She looked down at her hands and almost started crying again. I just don't understand why he did that. Haven't I always been there for him? Haven't I always supported him when no one else would?
She looked back up as Duncaan came up to her. He probably wants to apologize. Well, I won't let him!
"Faith, I a.....,"
"Did you hear something Elaina? I think it was the sound of hot air rising past my face."
Duncaan was a little surprised at that. But Faith could also tell that it hurt him.
Duncaan turned to go back to the ring, and Faith noticed that he was wearing the gloves that she had given him. Well I hope they hurt him instead of help!
He finally went back on the offense rocking Beal's head back with a one-two punch combo to the head. He followed up on that with a roundhouse kick and a jumping uppercut. If Beal had been hit by all of that he would have been knocked out. But he wasn't. He was waiting for Duncaan as he came down from his jump and hit him in the back of the knee. Duncaan went down on his one good leg. He felt a snap, as his left ankle was broken.
Duncaan was picked up from the ring floor and pushed back into a corner. It felt like forever as the blows rained down on Duncaan's body. Finally he stopped and Duncaan fell down onto the ring floor.
He looked up as he saw Faith call his name and run for him. He smiled at her just as a very hard and very sharp pain hit him in the back of his head. Then he knew no more.
Faith reached the ring the same time Duncaan looked at her; then Beal kicked him in the head. By that time she was in the ring with him and holding Duncaan's bloody head on her lap. "Someone call an ambulance, med. unit, something!" she screamed between tears and sobs. Elaina reached her then.
It was a painfully long 8 minutes till the med. team arrived. Faith went with them in their med. vec. She was still crying as they drove to the hospital. She looked at him, at his broken and bruised body. I did this to you Duncaan. I am so sorry. She put her head on his chest and simply cried as the equipment monitoring his heart stopped beeping.
