by Edward Lake
I glanced at him. “How do you figure?” I didn’t feel lucky. My family was trapped on a battle station, and there was nothing I could do about it. Although, it was nice to see the young ones playing. Yet, in the back of my mind, I wondered why Saros had separated them from Declan and Grandma Petra.
“You have love.” He stepped closer and looked me over. “You have love for others, and they have love for you. I can see it in your eyes. I saw it on the faces of your eldest brother and grandmother, too.” He stepped backwards and turned around. “Most people in the galaxy don’t have love.”
It was sad to hear him talk like this. He sounded so alone. Like he didn’t believe anyone ever loved him. “So…now that I’ve shown you proof that your family is alive and safe, I need you to prepare for the fight the GGC has planned.”
I was ready to do anything to save my loved ones—but afraid to take an innocent man’s life. “Okay. Let’s begin.”
Jax took me back to the building and trekked through the clutter and the rest of the camp. We moved past a large, rusted metal blade that looked like it once belonged to the wing of a spaceship.
Beyond the blade, Jax led me down a narrow pathway. He found a door and went through it. On the other side, I saw Ada, Evander and Taft standing in the center of the room, staring me down.
I moved ahead with Jax and spotted burning logs that had been placed along the walls. What is this? The fire gave the room just enough light to see clearly.
“Is this a test? I’m trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do.”
“No test, Zena. Just training,” Evander said. “I asked Jax to give me a chance to help you prepare for this fight. He kindly agreed.”
The fire also made the cold manageable. I removed my gun and gear and set them down on the floor. “The last time we fought, you put a good beating on me.”
“I know.” He waved me forward.
Taft and Ada walked over to Jax and stood beside him. “You can do this, Zena,” Taft said. He was a great friend. Evander was, too. I was lucky to have them with me at a time like this. I was anxious to hear their thoughts on my impending death match. I wondered if Jax had told them why the GGC wanted me to fight.
I lowered myself into a fighting stance and faced Evander. I inched closer to him, scanning his every move. In my head, I thought of my family. All I had to do was kill a man, and I would finally have the help I needed to save them.
“Attack me, Zena!”
I quickly closed the distance between me and Evander. I struck his leg with a swift kick, then moved back before he could counter.
“That was good. Do it again.”
I went back to him and delivered the same kick. But this time, he blasted me with a stinging jab.
“You didn’t anticipate my counter-attack. Always be ready, Zena. Keep your arms up high. Block with your elbows and forearms.” He came closer and threw a soft punch at me.
I raised my left arm and blocked his strike.
“Very good. Always anticipate. Always be ready.”
Evander pushed me backwards. I stumbled a bit and put my arms up. He rushed forward and peppered me with relentless punches. I lifted my arms high and backed away, blocking his attack as he ducked and weaved.
To respond, I went right after him with my own attack. But Evander was too good. He easily evaded me and even managed to trip me up with a blazing kick to my shin.
“I’m not going to take it easy on you, Zena. This is a death match.”
I waved him on. “I know.”
He came after me again, his eyes sharp and fiery. He leaped at me with a flying punch. I blocked it with my right arm, then, as fast as I could, I blasted his groin with a knee.
Evander hollered and grabbed his genitals. He ducked his head and spun away from me. I chased after him and kicked at his legs. I made my way to his head and popped him with a fast elbow. He tackled me to the ground and jammed his forearm into my throat.
“Nice move, Zena.” He pushed down hard, glaring deep into my eyes. “Come on, show me you’re tough enough.”
Saliva oozing from my mouth, I reached up and grabbed his face. I dug my nails into his skin until he bled. Evander shouted and slapped my hand away. I tried to push him off me, but he was too strong.
“Fight back, Zena!” Ada yelled. “Find a way! Break free and get back to your feet!”
I reached up with both hands and jammed my fingers into Evander’s eyes. He moved his head around and applied more pressure to my throat. With his head up, I spotted his neck and punched his throat. Evander coughed up a blob of spit. His grip on me weakened, and I quickly capitalized and pushed his arms back. I scooted away and kicked at his chest.
He tried to come after me, but I escaped him just in time. I hurried to my feet and moved backwards. Feeling the pain on my throat and neck, I knew I needed time to recover. I took a deep breath and slowly paced the room.
Evander stood up and gestured at me, daring me to come forward and fight. “You’ve done well, Zena. Now, finish the fight.”
I took another deep breath and shook off my aches and pains. I bent down low and inched closer to him. At first, it seemed like Evander was taking me lightly. He kept his hands down and casually moved from side to side. But something told me he was trying to bait me.
I maintained a safe distance between us, tracking his every move. Sweat dripped down my face and onto my chest. Evander was sweating heavily, too. He wiped his eyes and waved me on again. But I refused to fall into his trap. He grumbled and finally got into a fighting stance.
“I was going to give you a chance. Now, I’m going to end this.” Evander closed the distance and grappled with me. He used his strength to overpower me and wrestle me to the ground. He wrapped his hulking arm around my neck and squeezed. “You did well, but you’re still not better than me.”
I grabbed onto his arm and tried to pull it off. I ripped at his skin, then wiggled my head, doing whatever I could to break free. But I had nothing left. Evander had squeezed out all the fight left in me.
At last, he let go and shoved me to the ground. “Clean yourself up. I want you prepared for our next round as soon as possible.”
Jax stepped in, waving his hand at Evander. “Until Master returns, I’m in charge of Zena.”
Gasping for air, I looked up and watched Evander. He was clearly upset, staring at Jax with seething eyes.
“You agreed to let me train her for the fight.” He threw his hands up. “I don’t like to brag, but I’m the most skilled fighter in your army. If she has any chance to win this fight, it’s with me training her.”
Jax chuckled and looked him up and down. “Is that right?”
Evander nodded.
Jax paced the room, his eyes following him. “Very well, then.” He removed his weapons and gear and threw them to the ground. “The time has come for me to put you in your place.” He grinned and waved Evander forward. “Attack.”
7
Evander
My frustration with Jax and the rebels had reached its peak. They were nothing more than an arrogant bunch of failures who followed a madman wearing a black mask. My loyalties were with God. All around me, I felt the Holy Spirit’s presence. In my blood, in my bones and in my mind, I felt God’s strength. I saw visions of my mother’s beautiful smile, and I prayed that I would see her soon.
I believed Zena could win her upcoming death match, but she needed someone with the skills to properly train her. Jax was not qualified. Even looking at him made my skin crawl. I wanted to kill him, and I easily could. Yet, because of his standing, doing so would put me at risk of retaliation from the other rebels.
Still, he asked for a fight. So I bent low and went after him. I caught him with a jab that sent him stumbling backwards. He responded with a walloping punch to my side. I buckled and slowed my pace a bit. He was stronger than I thought. Much stronger than I thought.
Jax ran up to me and hit me with a barrage of punches. I covered up and backed
away. But he stayed on me and rocked me with a punch that sent me crashing down to the floor.
“Get up, Evander! Get up!” Taft shouted.
Zena rose to her feet and threw her hands up and down. “Stand up, Evander!”
Jax grinned and danced around me. “I must say, I’m not impressed.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ada staring down at me with a wicked smirk. She strutted around like she knew this was going to happen. “Come on, Evander! You said you were the most skilled fighter in this army! Prove it!”
I screamed and stood up. I shook off his hard punch and went after him. Jax backed up and waited for me to engage. I faked a punch to his side. He kicked his leg out, trying to stop me from taking him down. I delivered a swift kick to his leg. But it did nothing to him. I dove for his leg, and before he could back away to evade me, I grabbed his ankle and pulled him down to the floor.
Once more, he used his strength to overpower me. Something is not right here. Jax beat me down with ease. Within seconds, my eyes filled with blood. I covered up and rolled to my side, doing my best to protect my head.
“That’s enough!” Zena ran over and used her body to shield me. “That’s enough, Jax! You’ve proven your point.”
Finally, he backed away. He faked a crying sound as he looked down at us with pouty lips. “So sad, Evander.” He laughed and kicked dirt at my face. “Next time, think twice before opening that big mouth of yours.” He walked to the doorway with Ada. “Clearly your former Holy Army captain has failed you, Zena. But don’t worry. I’ll have you ready for the fight in no time.”
Jax and Ada left together, snickering under their breath.
Zena lifted me up and rested my head in her lap. “What happened? I thought you were going to beat him with your eyes closed.”
Even hurt, I managed to smile. “So did I.”
Taft hurried to us and knelt. “Evander? Are you going to be okay?”
“I hope so.” I coughed up blood and grabbed my chest. I wheezed and panted, trying to figure out how Jax defeated me so easily. “Zena…let Jax train you. Maybe he will reveal his secret to you.”
“What secret?”
Even talking about the beating he had given me made me ache. “The secret to his overwhelming strength. His punches were unbelievable, like his hands were made of stone.”
She wiped the blood out of my eyes. “Okay. I will, Evander.”
Thankfully, Jax had enough decency to send a caregiver to me. After she cleaned me up and mended my wounds, my friends carried me to the other room and set me down on a cot. Zena covered me with a sheet while Taft gathered a bucket of water. In that moment, as Taft helped me drink, I felt the three of us growing closer.
We were trapped in the Rebel Army, yet no matter what Jax and his radical band of followers threw at us, so far, we had prevailed. I was proud of my friends, and as long as we stayed together, I believed we would make it.
“Why do they want you to fight, Zena?” I asked, then coughed. “I can’t make sense of it.”
“Jax told me it was about money. Something about the GGC cashing in on my fame. He told me that if I agreed to do the fight, he would help me save my family.”
Taft looked at her, his eyes narrowed. “Fame?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Apparently, the whole galaxy knows about me and Sadie.” She winced, her chest quivering. “Saros has my family; I have to do something. This could be my only chance to save them.”
It was saddening to see her like this. Yet the glare in her eyes was exactly what I wanted to see. “If we make it to Sodus, I must search for my mother and rescue her. However, once she is safe, I will help you save your loved ones.”
Taft reached out and set his hand on her shoulder. “So will I, Zena. We’re in this together, until the end.”
I paused for a moment and thought about the death match. Money? I suspected there was more to it than that. Maybe it was a test to see if Zena was strong enough to serve Master. Perhaps all the women in the Rebel Army had to prove they could kill a man. Regardless, it felt like we were losing control of the situation. We needed to come up with a plan, and fast.
From across the room, I saw a few rebel soldiers staring at us. Others walked past me, shaking their heads. It seemed Jax had wasted no time in telling the others he had beaten me in a fight. I wasn’t surprised. He appeared to be the arrogant, boorish type.
Ada emerged from the crowd of strolling troops and walked over to us. I had never seen a woman as brawny as her. Without the long hair, she would easily pass for a man. All the same, her looks matched her personality: stern and headstrong. She bent down and tapped Zena’s arm.
“Hey, blue eyes. Can I show you something?”
She yanked her arm away. “Not right now.”
Ada set her hands on her hips. “Look, don’t let Jax’s antics get to you. He wasn’t going to kill Evander. He was only teaching him a lesson.”
“I don’t care what he was doing. It was uncalled for.”
Ada shrugged and turned around. “Okay. Be mad about it. And whenever you’re ready to see your precious Sadie, come find me.”
Thank God, Sadie. She was my friend, but there was still a part of me that wanted more. I wondered if it would always be that way with me and her.
Zena’s eyes grew wide. She trembled and turned her head. “What did you say?”
Seeing her excitement, I became jealous and clenched my lips. I was tolerant of people like her, but deep down, I believed Sadie should be with a man. It was all so new, and I didn’t understand it. Two beautiful women, loving each other, instead of men? Still, I cared about Zena and Sadie, and I wanted to be happy for them.
Ada stopped and slowly faced her. “Oh…now I’ve got your attention.” She snickered, shaking her head. “The ship carrying Sadie just landed. I thought you might want to know.”
Zena quickly looked back at me. “I’ll return soon to check on you.”
I gave her a nod. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve taken worse beatings. I’ll be fine. You go with Ada. Make sure Sadie’s all right.”
She smiled and gently rubbed my chest. She turned to Taft and tapped his arm. “Take care of him.” She hurried to her feet and rushed over to Ada.
They left in a hurry and headed to the entryway.
Taft bent his head low. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this fight. What if Jax is using Zena? Maybe the plan is for her to lose and die. Perhaps that’s what the GGC wants? And maybe Jax swore to make it happen.”
“I know. But we have to keep our heads up and continue to fight. Zena needs our help now more than ever before. If Jax is leading her into a trap, you and I will have to be ready to stop him.”
From behind Taft, Jax appeared, holding a cup in his hand. “You look like you could use a drink.”
The cup he held reeked of brew. “That is very kind of you. But no, thanks.”
Jax pulled up a chair and sat beside me. “Listen, Evander. I’m not your enemy. The Holy Army is. You and I should be working together.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. “We are working together. I swore my allegiance to Master’s crusade. Remember?”
“We can all see that you two and Zena are not fully committed to the Rebel Army. Which is a shame, considering Master is fighting for true freedom.”
True freedom? “Tell me, Jax. What is ‘true freedom’?”
He leaned forward and set the cup down on the floor. “A galaxy without government and laws. Where men and women can travel the stars as they please—and build a better life for themselves and their families.”
I stared at Jax, my eyes fixed and stern. “What you’ve described is chaos. Men and women need law and order. It keeps us honest.”
Jax chuckled and smirked, showing me his rotting teeth. “Yeah…law and order are working great. Constant war—corruption—millions enslaved.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of dried, strange-looking food. He tossed the tiny, crunchy particles into his mout
h and chomped as he talked. “I hope you live to see Master’s dream come true. Starlight will rejoice—and we shall have freedom.”
His confidence startled me. How could he be so sure? Did he know the identity of the spy? I tried to put all the pieces together in my head, but in reality, I had no idea where this was going. Still, I figured a lot of innocent people were going to die if we didn’t stop Master and his gang.
Jax stood up. “Have a drink, Evander. Or you, Taft.” He turned around and walked away. “Embrace your new roles. This is going to happen with or without you.” From a distance, he looked back at us. “Don’t be on the wrong side of history.”
8
Zena
Before we left the building, Ada led me to a pile of coats, hats and boots that had been bunched up against the far wall. Together, we bundled up and headed outside into the dreadful cold. I wondered how anyone could live on a planet like Cato. Judging from the age of the building where camp was set up, it seemed as if it had been a long time since there was any kind of civilization here.
When we stepped outside, my face went numb. I shivered as I hiked into the snow, which had gotten taller since Ada and I had arrived. Heavy winds from every direction attacked us as we trekked to the rows of parked ships. Flurries of snow whooshed into my eyes, making it difficult to see. I reached out for Ada, my lips clenched, wheezing through my nose.
I sank to a knee and gasped, my eyes shut. “I need your help!”
She spun around and hurried to me. “Give me your hand!”
I patted the freezing air until our hands touched. She gripped down hard and pulled me up.
“I’ve got you, Zena! Follow my lead!”
Moving through the snow was so much easier for her. It made me think that maybe she had been to Cato many times before this. Once we reached the ship where Sadie was being kept, two soldiers opened the ramp and escorted us inside.
I couldn’t tell if it was the cold or my excitement to see her—or a combination of both—but I could hardly breathe. I bent down and panted for air, my body trembling.
