The Grand Battle S2G1! [Round Six: Eddelin City]

Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.

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The Mayoress' office, for a prison, was rather nice. In lieu of a roof, it sported a geodesic dome of thick amber glass, each tile embedded with a glittering lodestone to adjust its light-filtering properties. Xadrez supposed they were responsible for cloaking the office as well, seeing as such a structure would've been more obvious atop the civic building than the apparent state of absence it had when the tactician had been standing out in the plaza.

The Mayoress herself was a very amicable creature; she manipulated the various machinations of running a floating city with a well-practiced efficiency (and yes, they were actual machines, their tubes and cables and strange, chirping signals carrying to the neighbouring rooms and executing things on a minutiae Xadrez could only fantasize about). Her sleek, millipedean core was thoroughly coiled up within the machine, her mandibled features peering down at the tactician even as a swarm of Sk'va's best doctors scurried back and forth to the rear of the contraption.

The air, filled with an ambient golden glow from the windows and the constant ticking and clanking of the bureaucratic machine, was a little tropical for Xadrez's tastes, but he declined the katydid manservant's offer of a cold drink. He floated impassively as the Mayoress clamped his chess piece into a stand and brought it up to eye level.

"Oh, this is beautifully made, Ambassador. The resemblance to your queen is truly striking." Xadrez waved an insubstantial hand as she attempted to return it, the millipede finally comprehending it was a telepathic conduit. Flustered, several forelimbs thrashed around, prompting a clerk to stick his carapaced head through the door and shoot Xadrez a suspicious glance. The Mayoress waved him away cheerfully, before apologising to the still-silent spirit.

"I do apologise for the rather shambolic state I'm in, it simply seems that everything is happening at once... I suppose you understand what wars are like, Ambassador."

Never as tidy as history would lead you to believe

"Oh, but of course," the millipede continued pleasantly. "And it seems like rather a lot is coinciding with the invasion this war... the Triannual Terrestrial Embargoes, the elections... I'm just relieved we convinced Cyk'nl to front the invasion before negotiations stalled... and, of course, my pregnancy. How's it looking, boys?" she asked the surgeons.

"Not good, ma'am. One's definitely a surgeon; not sure about the other two. I fear one of them is looking a lot like an academic."

"Not a problem," chirped the Mayoress. "We've got this gentleman as a stand-in, if the worst comes to worst and we're looking at a butcher, baker, and pyrokinetic."

Pardon

"Oh, that's why the Queen of the Place sent you, Ambassador. We've had an abominable run over the past six years, and considering that's the longest string of defeats to date we don't want to make it a seventh. And we've heard you're the finest tactician the the Place and its outreaches have ever spawned. The Queen's recommendation was quite glowing."

Xadrez was, not for the first time since being thrown into this battle, left stunned by how seemingly anyone, from an anomalous rock to an unremarkable little female human, had more control over this whole debacle than he did. It was really, really starting to annoy him. The Mayoress chittered sympathetically at the seething tactician, surreptitiously flicking a few switches.

"Yes, I do realise the posting was rather sudden, but it was extremely gracious of the Queen to offer your services. She was under the impression you found this kind of thing rather enjoyable?"

The spirit didn't notice the prickling hum which started up in the office, until the lodestones in the ceiling flashed in unison, inscribing a glowing circle of binding on the floor beneath him. It took two seconds for Xadrez to flick through all his options. Five seconds later, he decided to just ignore the ring despite the itch of it on his spectral substitute for skin. yes

Tactics, resolving conflict, I do find these

enjoyable

albeit by preference I would be well-distanced from where they are being undertaken

The Mayoress shuddered involuntarily. From the rear of the machine one of the doctors called, "We right right, ma'am, it was a surgeon!" The spirit watched with some interest as a sizeable grub was swaddled up and carted out a side door by one Sk'van. Looking up at the recovering Mayoress questioningly, the tactician shifted his Battler pieces aside as he considered the logistics of this upcoming fight. The millipede was still for a moment longer, before picking up her levers and switches and getting back to work, a little unsteadily.

"Oh, no, Ambassador, you won't need to put your own work aside. You'll have this whole office at your disposal."

Your machine-

"-Will be shifted out once I'm finished. Unless one of the last two is the general we so desperately need, this entire office is yours. Sk'va needs to win this war, Ambassa-"

The millipede seized up again, more violently than before. A purplish goo, colour drained to black beneath the golden ceiling, dripped out from under some kind of data bank. "Mayor!" barked a doctor. Xadrez didn't miss the implication, and glanced hopefully up at the giant, dying millipede.

"He won't be fit for office for at least ten years, Ambassador. And even then, Sk'va would've fallen to that Cyk'nl filth-"

Liar

your architecture shows no sign of recent restoration

your people are prosperous, aware but unconcerned at this war

you have the capacity for sabotage to cripple this constant foe outside the field of battle

yet you do not

explain clearly to me the nature of this thing you call war before I run your chattering city to the ground in spite or ignorance I'm beginning to care little which