by T. R. Harris
Strong Human hands were on the alien’s body a moment later, pulling him off. Pierre and Billy pummeled the beast, breaking arms and legs before tossing his limp body out into the compound. A second attacker was thrown out of the shelter by others, creating his own small dust eruption as he hit the ground. Creatures in the compound raced forward to remove the bodies, plus that of the purple being with the spiked tail.
Andic swung his head from side to side and snorted, like an irritated bull, challenging any others test him. The third alien landed on Manny, slicing the skin of his bare left shoulder. Pierre and Billy rescued him, as well, and dispatched the third alien much as they had the other one.
Adam sat up, blood soaking his ripped uniform. Pierre looked down at him, an almost insane look on his face.
“You have to make an example out of the attackers. The word gets around and they leave you alone.”
“That was leaving you alone?”
“Some are just stupid.”
A shadow passed over the shelter. Adam got to his feet and stepped out into the daylight. A large craft was hovering over the compound. All the creatures stopped what they were doing to gawk at the silent craft. It was about two hundred feet high and moved until it was right above the jungle tree line.
“Attention players!” A loud voice boomed out from speakers on the hovering craft. “Attention players. I am Game-Master Daric (416) Kallen-Noc of the Nuor. I am the leader of the invasion force that has taken you captive. I have only now arrived on this world, and will now provide an explanation of why you are here and what is expected of you.
“First, I must apologize for the current conditions of your holding area. We do not normally treat our immunity players as such, preferring strong and healthy opponents for the games. Unfortunately, your sheer numbers, along with the surprisingly swift success of our retention program, has us behind schedule in providing adequate shelter, food or facilities for you. That will change with time. I ask for your patience and request that you do not kill each other in the meantime. It is our intention to help you stay alive, at least until the time comes for the games to begin.”
Daric had their attention. The compound was deathly quiet, all eyes looking skyward.
“As to why you are here…. You will be ranked and then made available for combat challenges by members of my race. This is how my species survives and prospers. It has been our way for thousands of years. As you can tell, there is no avenue for escape and rescue is not an option. As I speak, the Nuor are consolidating our presence in your galaxy. We cannot be defeated. This is a fact you must accept.
“Now I will explain more concerning the ranking system for our challenge matches. As you can imagine, the more highly-ranked species will carry the most immunity points. These beings will be held in reserve until members of my race can work through several lower level combatants. We save the best for the relatively few challenges at the top.
“Species will be ranked by combat skill and tactical expertise. I am the entity who will determine such rank, yet with our recent arrival in your galaxy, I have not had the opportunity to observe each race individually. Fortunately, having all of you in one area gives me and my staff this opportunity. Remember, only the strongest will be saved for the later challenges. All others will be made available for challenges much earlier, even before the formal combat arenas are complete.
“I ask again for your patience as we upgrade the compound to better provide for our honored players. The Nuor have taken great measures to bring you together. We do not wish you to suffer during your containment.
“That is all.”
The Humans looked at each other. “Did he just do what I think he did?” Billy Kring said.
Adam nodded. “He sure did. He just set every damn alien here against each other in the ultimate cage match. You thought it was bad before, hell you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
********
A few minutes later Andic excused himself to search the compound for others of his race. He told Adam he regretted leaving the Humans, but if species were to be evaluated individually, he owed it to others like himself to help them if he could.
“Perhaps an alliance, if they agree?” Adam offered. “There could be strength in numbers. Right now survival seems to be the order of the day.”
“I will discuss it them, if they exist. If they do not, I will return and help the Humans. Adam Cain, you have saved us before. If anyone could again, it would be you.”
Adam turned the other three Humans. “What’s it like in the jungle? Are there more resources, more cover?”
Pierre nodded. “There’s both, but also a lot more threats, as well as a lot of creatures better suited to living there. Some climb like monkeys, others are chameleons, able to blend into the foliage undetected. I’ve seen some things with six-inch long fangs that can run on all fours and jump twenty feet.”
Grimacing, Adam scanned the area around the small covered platform. “Okay then, if we’re going to stay here, we need weapons and more cover than we currently have. We also need to establish a kill-zone around the shelter. Did you see any plants in the jungle with large fronds or any bamboo in the forest?”
“Both,” said Billy Kring.
“Good, let’s gather as much as we can before things get too bad,” Adam said, taking command. “We go out only in pairs. We’ll make weapons from the bamboo and cover the shelter with frond sides. We don’t want to remain out in the open. We need a defensible shelter. I’ll go with Pierre to the forest; I need to get a lay of the land, and he seems to know it pretty well. Manny and Billy, you guys stay here and guard the shelter.”
The compound was rapidly devolving into a chaotic, deadly killing field. Aliens rolled on the ground, scratching at each other, while others ran past the two Humans with creatures on their backs, anchored by sharp claws impaled in bloody flesh. A few approached Adam and Pierre, before realizing who and what they were. The smarter ones backed away, content with seeking out weaker beings.
A few well-placed fists and feet sent the not-so-smart creatures scurrying away, nursing injuries.
The tree line was about three hundred yards from the shelter, and a lot of other creatures had the same idea as the Humans. They were gathering up every loose stick and rock they could find. Adam was relieved to find a type of bamboo plant in the jungle, yet like vegetation on most light-gravity worlds, it was of humongous proportion. Adam couldn’t use the two-foot thick sections for weapons, but he could the young growth at the base of the giant sprouts.
The two Humans began tugging at the four-inch diameter stalks, but even with their extra strength, they wouldn’t break. Then Adam knelt down close to the ground and cupped his hands. Moments later, a sparkling light appeared in the space between them.
“What the hell?” said Pierre, his face animated, lit by the dancing light. “What they’ve said about you is true. You do have powers.”
“Not powers,” said Adam. “Just a little alien technology I can call upon when needed. Cover me. If the Nuoreans are watching, I don’t want them to see what I’m doing.”
The static electricity balls Adam was able to conjure up with his ATD already carried a substantial amount of heat in them, but not enough to cut through stubborn foliage. Yet if he compressed the ball into a smaller space, the heat increased exponentially. In a few moments, the light was brighter and more-concentrated into a single point. Adam then commanded the tiny point of light to slice through the bamboo sprouts. Soon he had four sections of hard, segmented bamboo, each about six feet long.
Turning next to the wide, green fronds from neighboring palms, the pair was soon ready to begin the trek back to the shelter. Pierre pulled several bunches of fronds behind him, while Adam carried the bamboo shafts, along with a few smaller branches he found.
“Hold up,” he called out after a few minutes. “Watch these.” He set the bamboo on the ground and then raced off after a couple of nearby aliens.
He reached them seco
nds later and grasped both by the collars of their shirts. They fell to the ground, dislodging the precious cargo they carried in makeshift pouches made of the curled up fronts of their garments. Four rocks rolled out, each with at least one sharp edge. Adam scooped up the stones.
“Thanks,” he said to the startled aliens. “I need these.”
The much smaller creatures didn’t protest. They could recognize a Human when they saw one.
A few minutes later, Adam and Pierre returned to the shelter. Manny had a fresh cut on the side of his face, and two more aliens lay dead on the light-colored soil outside the shelter.
“The bastards never learn,” he said, swabbing the blood with the sleeve of his shirt.
“Take the frowns and drape them along the edge of the awning. They’ll form walls.”
“Not very secure walls,” Billy commented.
“Yeah, but the aliens won’t be able to see through. They won’t know what’s waiting for them on the other side. It’s more psychological than defensive. In the meantime, let’s start shaping these shafts into weapons.”
Adam sat on the edge of the platform and took one of the bamboo sticks. With a sharp rock, he managed to split one of the ends into four segments. Next he placed two of the smaller sticks he’d collected in the splits, pulling them into the shaft, separating the four sections even more. Next, he took a few strips from the palm fronds and tied the branches into place so they wouldn’t slide out.
He examined his quick handiwork. “Now we sharpen the four ends into needle-sharp points using the rocks.”
The weapon was six feet long, with four deadly tips spread out over a radius of eight inches.
“Make your own,” Adam said, grinning. “This one’s mine.”
********
An hour later, half the shelter was lined with a wall of green fronds and the four Humans sat guard with their imposing shafts of bamboo. Dozens of aliens filtered past, eying them with evil intent, but none challenged.
Adam cautioned Pierre and the others about mentioning his trick with the static electricity ball. It was about the only thing he could do with his ATD, yet it could be their ace-in-the-hole.
When night fell, that’s when things got really intense.
The nightvision of Humans isn’t very good, not compared to hundreds of other species in the galaxy. This soon became apparent as the compound filled with stalking beasts of nearly every shape and size, moving confidently in the gray gloom. Fortunately, the planet had two small moons, one nearly full and the other in a bright crescent. The night wasn’t completely dark, but it was still extremely dangerous.
The Human slept in shifts, with only one resting his eyes while the other three covered the shelter. Adam still had his glowing watch, so they switched every hour. They were all so tired, hungry and thirsty that even an hour was enough to fall into a deep sleep, at least for a few minutes. It helped, but wasn’t a routine to be sustained. Eventually bodies would give out, needing more time to recover.
They made it through the first night with only a few harmless skirmishes. At this point in the game, there were plenty of more-defenseless species to prey upon other than Humans.
As dawn brightened, Adam began to contemplate which of the species nearby would make the best meals. The Nuoreans would use the food drops as another means of grading species for their base instinctive impulses. Over the days and weeks, the drops would become bloody feeding frenzies of unbelievable carnage. Adam reasoned it might be better for the Humans to avoid the drops altogether and instead hunt from within the thousands of species in the compound for food.
Adam knew Daric wasn’t interested in preserving any of the species he’d gathered here. They were for testing and grading was all. If eventually they killed themselves off, at least the Nuorean would have his list. Then the homeworlds of all these creatures would be raided to acquire the best players for their games. Everyone here was expendable, including the Humans.
Adam moved out a few feet into the compound and placed a small stack of twigs and tender into a small pile. Next he took a couple of sticks and began to rub them together. He wasn’t really trying to start a fire this way; rather, he hunched over to cover what he was actually doing and created another hot ball of electricity. The fire caught and he let the ball evaporate. He leaned back and surveyed his creation. A small fire was going, into which he placed more wood to grow flames.
“I don’t see where we need that to keep us warm, Mr. Cain,” Billy Kring said as he knelt beside Adam. “Hopefully you’re getting ready to cook some breakfast.”
Adam smiled at the square-jawed Texan. “Great minds think alike.”
He looked out across the compound. “You know, all these creatures are members of either the Expansion or the Union, so they’re intelligent and with a certain level of technological knowledge. They ain’t dumb animals. We can kill them, but it may be a little disconcerting having them for dinner, like eating your family pet.”
“We do what we must to survive, Adam.” Billy crossed his legs and sat down. “Which brings up a point: Why are we even bothering? The game’s been rigged in the Nuorean’s favor.”
“It is here, that’s for sure. But I’ve seen the technology of the aliens. It’s not any better than ours. They may have the means of re-enforcing their fleet, but they’re still just one race. The Sol-Kor had over a trillion of their kind and technology that allowed them to conquer entire worlds. I doubt the Nuoreans are like that. A unified Milky Way should be able to kick their ass.”
“I hope so.”
“It’s still early in the game, Billy—no pun intended. Just wait until we get our footing, then look out.”
“Any chance we might be around to see that happen?”
Adam nodded. “I’ve spent some time with their leader Daric. I don’t think he’d let us get killed in the compound. He has bigger plans for Humans.”
“Maybe for you, but he doesn’t know us from…Adam, now you can excuse the pun.”
“We’re all Humans. I’m no different from anyone else.”
“Not according to the movies I’ve seen.”
“They’re just stories, propaganda really. You put anyone else into the situations I’ve been in and they’d do just as well.”
“You missed your calling, Mr. Cain. You should have been a motivational speaker.”
Adam stood up. “Good. Now let’s go motivate us up some grub. After all, we’re being observed. Let’s not disappoint. Besides, I’m starving.”
********
The alien the Humans had for brunch didn’t have a lot of meat on him, but he was seven-feet-tall, so there was enough to go around. After the meal, Pierre and Manny took a sack made from the creature’s stomach and came back a few minutes later having filled it with warm water. It took a strong constitution to sip from the bag, but as Billy said earlier, you do what you have to do to survive.
Later that afternoon, the Nuoreans swarmed into the compound with stacks of wood planks, and a large metal tank with a gravity-fed watering trough surrounding the base. Once the aliens retreated, it was overwhelmed by thirsty creatures. Most didn’t fight, consumed instead by their immediate need for hydration. Enemies moments before, now buried their heads next to each other in the life-giving liquid.
Adam and Manny rushed to the wood pile and absconded with a dozen planks each, aided by the light gravity of this nameless world. They had no immediate plans for the wood, but it could come in handy, either for the shelter or the fire they were having trouble keeping supplied with fuel.
Another night passed and the fire helped secure the Human’s settlement. They slept in two-man shifts this time, and for three hours at a time. By morning’s light, they were feeling better, stronger and more energized for the challenges of the new day.
And that’s just what it brought—the first challenge.
A hundred Nuoreans poured into the compound and laid out a crude arena about forty feet square. They lined it with a low barrier of p
lastic partitions three feet high, enough to define the area yet not enough to block the view.
Next, a bare-chested Nuorean entered the arena, carrying the three-foot long sword Daric had told Adam was called a ressnel. He also had a net with an edge lined with needle-sharp stars of metal. Another Nuorean entered the field, wearing a solid black outfit with a single yellow stripe running diagonally down the chest.
Moments later, a protesting alien was dragged into the arena by two other Nuoreans. Adam didn’t recognize the species. He was about six feet tall, with long slender arms and an oblong head sitting sideways on top of a thin neck. His eyes were mounted on each end of the head, and a small mouth screamed for mercy.
He calmed down when a sword was placed in one hand and a net in the other. His body now conveyed resignation rather than confidence. This was an intelligent being and he knew what was coming next. His escorts left the arena, leaving only the two combatants and what Adam reasoned was an official of some sort, a monitor or referee.
The alien in the black uniform spoke: “This first challenge is between Nasoc (516) Kallen-Noc and the species Bac’col. It is for immunity points and will continue until termination of the life-force of either player. All are welcome to observe.”
The arena was about a hundred yards from the Human’s shelter and was soon surrounded by hundreds of curious aliens from the compound.
“Go,” said Billy Kring to Adam and Pierre. “Manny and I will watch the shelter.”
Most of the aliens in the compound were taller than the Humans, but the presence of the six-foot long spears in their hands helped clear a pathway for them to the edge of the arena. Adam was curious to see how these challenges worked, knowing full well that one—or more—awaited him in his foreseeable future.
A horn sounded and the action began.
The Nuorean—named Nasoc and obviously a veteran at such competitions—didn’t seem anxious to get it over with. Instead he circled his opponent, content to toy with him at first. The expression on the Nuorean was one of overwhelming glee. He also moved with precise foot-over-foot sideways steps, his body slightly crouched and well-balanced. Definitely a pro.
