by E. D. Cask
Josh dropped his face into his hands, “Duumai, can you help me out here? What is going on?”
The Natix were a fighting culture when they left Urth. It does not seem to have changed. Hangar Seven would be a good place to fight. There are no ships there and we can place seats, if the customs are the same as before.
“Duumai, please have Master Ku join us here. This is important.”
He is already on his way.
A few moments later, Master Ku showed up and Josh explained what had happened.
“This is the main reason that we sent them away.”
Josh said, “Yes, but what can we do about it? It’s stupid to focus on this while we need to be preparing for battle.”
Master Ku looked around. “Perhaps you should speak less rashly, if you don’t want to fight more battles. We tried to modify their behavior in the past, but were unable to. They have led this danger to our system and, if we wish their help, we need to accept their culture at this time.”
Sergei and the others came back in at that moment. They were telling each other jokes and laughing until Sam noticed the tension in the room and asked what was going on. Josh tried to explain, while the Natix huddled on the other side of the room.
Sergei asked, “Did you challenge him, Josh?”
“I didn’t challenge him. I raised my hands, like—“ Josh looked around and put his hands back down quickly.
A different Natix approached.
Josh blurted out, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t challenging you.“
The Natix laughed, “You are already under challenge. You cannot be challenging another. It is not our custom. I am here to teach you the rules of the fight. I am your first. You may call me Ton.”
Josh said, “I am so confused, Tom. What do I need to do?”
Ton narrowed his eyes, “I have told you that you cannot challenge me and you misspeak my name anyway?”
Sergei started to raise his hand to calm things down, but Josh slapped his hand down quickly before anything could happen.
Ton looked at Sergei, “You allow him to hit you like this?”
Sergei looked at Josh and shrugged carefully, “He was just helping me, correct, Josh?”
Josh nodded. Ton looked at each of them and smiled, “Oh, you are mates or sanfrat?”
Sergei smiled and started to talk, but Josh recoiled. “No, no. You should remember that this is a different culture. We do not take offense at things like you.” He carefully placed his hand on Sergei’s shoulder. “We are friends and friends allow for misunderstandings. Doesn’t your culture allow for that?”
Ton shook his head, “Only mates and sanfrat are allowed this misunderstanding you speak of. But this is not the time to speak of such things. You must understand rules of Mortbatalo.”
The clan looked at each other with concern.
Sergei asked, “What is Mortbatalo?”
Ton stood up straighter and puffed out his chest, “Mortbatalo is the ancient custom of settling insults by mortal combat.”
There were more concerned looks, but the guys were careful not to raise their hands.
Sam asked, “You fight each other to the death because of an insult?”
Sergei broke in, “In small spaceships? How are you still alive?”
Ton narrowed his eyes again, “We treat each other with honor and respect at all times. Are you insulting us again?”
Josh stopped Ton, “Please, Ton, we have very different customs here and need a careful explanation of your customs. You seem to be highly honorable and knowledgeable about these things. We would be happy to learn from you.” He looked at his clan meaningfully and tap coded them to shut up and stand still.
Ton gave a short bow, “I thank you for your respect and will teach you all I know. As I said before, Mortbatalo is an ancient means of settling insults. It can be to the death or unconsciousness. Only then is the honor of the insulted one resolved. The one who accepts the challenge chooses the weapons, so that is your choice…” Ton looked uncomfortable and bowed again. “I apologize, but I was not introduced to you properly. You may call me Ton and I may call you?” There was a pause as he looked expectantly at Josh.
Josh spoke, “Please call me Josh.” He started to move his hands, but gave a short bow instead.
Ton nodded, “Thank you. So, Josh, you may choose the weapons. The choices are usually battle mace, sword or knives, but since we are on a planet, you may choose any kinetic weapon as well.”
Josh blinked, “Do I have to choose a weapon? Can we just fight hand to hand?”
Ton frowned, “I do not know if that is an option, but I will check. It is very unusual. The only unarmed Mortbatalos that I have heard of were long and drawn out. Most Mortbatalos should be short. There will be displeasure if it is too long. Stelokap Galaknovo would not like to prolong the fight. It would be an insult to his position.”
Josh asked, “So that is who I am fighting, Stelokap…”
Ton nodded, “Stelokap Galaknovo is the leader of his ship and a great fighter. You should be honored to die by his hand. Many have had that honor.”
Sam quietly sank to the floor. Nick nudged him with his foot.
Josh tried to swallow, “Many?”
Ton nodded, “In his youth, he had over one hundred Mortbatalos. That is also one way to advance in our society. He started out as an engine washer, but moved up to Stelokapo. He is a great leader of his ship.”
Sergei asked quietly, “Josh, are you good? Is there a way to get out of this?”
Josh wrinkled his face and then looked at Sam, “Ton, could you please teach us what not to do when interacting with your people? We do not wish to cause insults and I do not want my people to fight. We can tell them how to act around you, so we do not offend.”
Ton nodded, “Yes, that is probably wise. We have trained for this from youth and it would be good to focus on the enemy. You must not raise your hands or feet to another. When you are in the presence of a superior, you must not stare into his or her face. Never contradict the words of a superior. Do not touch another person without their permission. This is difficult on a stelosipo, but very necessary. These are the main customs.”
Josh nodded, “I thank you, Ton, for your excellent teaching. Now would you excuse us as we confer about how best to teach this to our people?”
Ton gave a short bow and walked back to his group.
Sergei grabbed Josh, “Are you crazy? You can’t go through with this.” The others agreed.
Josh shook his head, “Listen guys, it is more important that we work together smoothly. I want you to take Sam and go back to the barracks and talk to the rest of the guys there. We can’t have our people making stupid gestures or remarks, like I did.” He looked at Sergei. “You need to keep these guys in line, if anything happens to me, okay?”
Sergei started to talk, but Josh held up a hand. “You are not going to contradict your superior, are you?”
Sergei grinned ruefully, “Well, you just held up your hand to me, comrade.”
Josh frowned, “I know. We will have to learn new customs if we want to survive with these people.”
Nick spoke up, “I can see why the Lytix didn’t want them around.”
The guys left and Josh turned and tried to get Ab’s attention. She raised her eyebrows and came over.
“You should be preparing for battle, not talking to me. I have enjoyed our time together, but it is not our custom to mate before battle.”
Josh blushed. “That isn’t why I called you over. Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to prevent this?”
Ab frowned. “Are you so weak that you fear an honorable death?”
Josh sighed. “It just seems pointless to kill or maim two warriors just before a real battle. This is really not my culture. I’m trying to find a way to resolve this peacefully. I want to help defend you from the Svarmo, not fight a pointless duel.”
Ab looked daggers at him. “I retract my offer to mate. You are obviously t
oo weak if you fear death so much. Death comes to all, but honorable death only selects a few. If you do not know this, then you are not what I thought. I thought you were a great warrior.” She turned with her head held high and walked away.
Josh sighed again and dropped his head. This was crazy. No wonder humanity was in crisis. Two extremes were at play here. One was dying out and the other was probably killing itself out. He wondered what had ever happened to the philosophy of moderation. He tried to think of anything that would help, but he kept on returning to the fact that his life wasn’t as important as saving his clan from embarrassment. He also wasn’t going to back down. He knew that the Stelokap would have to kill him to win.
Ton walked back over. “The Stelokap wishes to wait for a few hours to allow his ship to arrive. Is this acceptable to you? If you allow it, he will concede to unarmed combat.”
Josh nodded, unable to speak. This was becoming more real all the time. It was really going to happen. He had enjoyed watching cage fights with his buddies in high school and had even wrestled a bit, but had never fought seriously. Then he stopped and remembered. In a sense, he had fought for his life, or at least his virginity, at that truck stop in Alabama. He had tried to forget about the pot-bellied man’s advances in that bathroom. He had fought with everything he had, unable to get to his knife. As he thought about that incident, he balled his fists and got mad. Okay, that would help get him ready. Just look at this guy as a pervert, who wants his way with him.
Ton looked at Josh carefully. “Yes, I see that you are getting ready. This is good. You honor the Stelokap and you honor us.” He bowed.
Josh glared with narrowed eyes and dilated pupils.
Ton said, “You are young, but do not waste your energy now. Wait for battle. There will be enough rage there.”
Josh tried to calm down. “What are the rules? You said to death or unconsciousness. What happens to the unconscious person after they lose?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Arena
As Josh entered the hangar, his senses were assaulted. Where before everything had a palette of dull grays, now there were colored lights and banners and sound. He stopped in the lift, not wanting to move, but Ton lightly took his arm and steered him forward. There were over a hundred Natix in bleacher-style seats beside a square floor. They seemed a rowdy crew, but in an odd stratification. The higher the benches, the rowdier they became. The officers on the front row were sitting peacefully, but as Josh looked up the rows, the colors and noise grew louder. The Natix at the top row were waving banners and chanting something.
On the other side of the ring, the Ducks staring in amazement at the spectacle. A few Lytix sat stoically in the first row. The contrast was shocking. They were all in gray coveralls and sitting quietly. They didn’t seem sure what to do.
They were probably staring at Natix, too. All the Natix, hairless and short, looked about the same height, which Josh knew to be about four feet.
Josh turned to Ton, “I thought you said there were rules about raising hands and stuff?”
Ton laughed, “Most of those don’t apply here. You can even get away with touching and even taunting an opposing team in the arena.”
“Team? What do you mean team?”
“Each fighter will have his or her backers. They form a team to support them.”
“What happens when that team loses and they have to continue working with the victor?”
“There can be problems, of course, but the arena remains…sacred. It is our way.”
Josh tried looking around, but he was starting to get tunnel vision. He gave a quick shake to his head. “Are there any more rules or customs I need to know? Anything you haven’t told me yet?”
Ton said, “You are a fighter, Josh. I can see it in your eyes. You must fight. Fight hard. Do not run. If you step out of the ring after entering, you will be executed and shame and dishonor will fall upon us all.”
Josh tried to swallow. He looked down at the floor. His fingers were tingling and he had a hollow feeling in his stomach again. Anger and rage; focus on that. There was a roar from the crowd. He looked up quickly. His opponent had entered.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Clash
Sergei sat in stunned disbelief at the spectacle of it all. He couldn’t figure a way out of this. He had told his clan and then spread the word that they needed to be very careful from now on about how they interacted with the Natix. But now he wasn’t sure. They were acting crazy over there. He had been to a couple soccer games where hooligans were drinking and rioting. This reminded him of that. After months of interacting with the dull Lytix and then the few quiet meetings with the Natix, he couldn’t believe this was happening.
When he saw Josh enter, he was amazed at the difference he saw. Josh looked focused and feral. He was dressed in boxers shorts and that was all.
“Are they really going to fight to the death?” Sam asked.
Sergei grimaced. “That is what they said, or unconsciousness. I wish there is something we could do. It is dangerous.”
A Natix approached from the other side. “My name is Wim. May I join your team?”
Sergei stared at him. Then, realizing that might be offensive, he looked at the floor. “I am sorry, Wim. We are not familiar with your customs or culture. Can you teach us?”
Wim laughed. “You may look at me. I am not officer. And in the arena, things are different. This is a sacred place for us. We choose a team and are permitted to shout and chant. It is always a great release after many months of order.”
Relieved, Sergei said, “Wim, please join us. We are happy to have you here with us. Maybe you can help us understand.”
Wim sat with them and proceeded to explain, “The arena is the only place we can let our true emotions show. We have lived on ships for years; decades. This is our only outlet.”
Sam asked, “What about the Stelo…”
“The Stelokap is the leader of our ship. He has fought many. He is fierce and ruthless, but I like the presence of this youngling. He looks wild. And unarmed combat is usually not our way. This may favor the youngling. Also, their respective arm lengths are a factor in the challenger’s favor.”
As the roar came signaling the entry of the Stelokap, Wim stood and shouted abuse at him. The clan smiled and did likewise. Then the two fighters stepped close to the ring and the crowd settled down. There was a Natix who seemed to be the master of ceremonies.
He stepped to the side of the ring. “Two will enter and only one may leave. The Mortbatalo begins. First, the challenger, Josh of Urth.”
There were hoots and shouts from the other side and cheers from the Sergei’s side. Josh nervously entered the ring and stood there looking at the floor and clenching and unclenching his fists.
“Next, Stelokap Galaknovo, vanquisher of many.”
Now the hoots and cheers were reversed. The Stelokap strutted into the ring and sneered at Josh and posed for his side. He was scarred from many battles and had a wiry, but powerful, build. Josh towered over him. There were a few moments of shouting and the MC raised his arms. There was silence.
“Honor conquers shame. Strength defeats weakness. Blood covers all. Begin.”
With that, Galaknovo jumped into the air, spun and kicked Josh in the groin. Taken by surprise, Josh fell to his knees. He started gagging and it looked like he was going to throw up. A groan rose from his side and a cheer from the Natix.
Galaknovo proceeded to start beating on Josh’s face and neck. Josh took it for a few seconds and then grabbed Galaknovo around the waist and slammed him to the floor. He started wrestling him around and into a face down position, but Galaknovo began stabbing and scratching him with his fingernails. Josh pulled back and grimaced. He said something, but it was lost in the noise. Galaknovo laughed nastily and said something back.
Josh scrambled back away, but noticed the edge of the ring and stayed inside. He stood up, swaying a bit. There were taunts from the Natix side, but
he was focused on one thing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Rage
Galaknovo grinned ferociously. This was going to be easier than he thought. This youngling was weak and unprepared. He decided to draw this out a bit more and show everybody what a real man did. They would be talking about this battle for years.
“You are a pathetic weakling. The blood of cowards runs through you.”
Josh looked at him dully and then shook his head.
“I will vanquish you.”
Galaknovo laughed. “With what, you inconsequential bug? I have killed greater men than you.” Josh charged him, but Galaknovo laughed and sidestepped and kicked him as he missed. He could have finished him off at that moment, but wanted to drag out the torture. It had been years since he had been in a fight longer than a few thrusts to the heart or neck with a sword or dagger. This was going to be fun.
Josh turned and looked at him. “Is that all you got, old man?”
Enraged, he charged at Josh.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Finish
Ab was furious with herself for thinking that this youngling could be worthy of mating. He was almost defeated already. He looked crushed, standing there swaying, streaks of blood on his shoulders and back. He would be dead soon. Her shame would be over. She had allowed her years of celibacy and his raw masculine scent to overpower her. He was only a child, lost in this new world.
As she was thinking this, Josh roared. Not from pain, but in fury. He flexed his muscles and shouted something at the Stelokap. She sat up. This might still be interesting.
Josh roared again and charged, but again he forgot to account for the lower gravity and bounced too high. Galaknovo easily sidestepped Josh and kicked him in the knee as he continued by. Josh collapsed to the floor, but quickly turned and limped into the center of the ring. He stood there taunting Galaknovo, who proceeded to rush at him. Josh waited until the last second, dropped to his knees and punched straight at Galaknovo’s groin with his left hand. Galaknovo turned sideways easily, but missed Josh’s right fist swinging at his throat. It missed the windpipe, but caught the side of the older man’s neck stunning him. He staggered back. Josh began battering Galaknovo with punches to the body. Welts appeared on his body. Galaknovo jabbed a thumb into Josh’s eye and they both staggered back, away from each other.
