A noise sounded, but I didn’t know if it was a gong or not. I didn’t even know what a damn gong was supposed to sound like. I sat there in uncertainty for a minute, wondering what to do. Finally, I got up and crept over to the door and peered through. There was a tunnel leading to a bright, sandy area. I'll be honest, I didn't want to go out there in front of all those people, or leave the relative cool of the changing room.
I could just make out a Torax, standing on a sandy surface, staring down the tunnel back at me, and thought fuck it! Let's get this show on over with. I strode purposefully out of the room and down the tunnel with all the confidence I could muster. The Torax I was about to fight, stood like a statue watching me. I noticed he was a few inches taller than me when I finally made it to the center of the arena. And he was stacked with athletic corded muscles.
“You are not what I expected from a Fystr. You are a runt. It seems I may not be leaving this planet as I hoped.”
I was taken aback by his stinking attitude, but perhaps this trash-talk should be expected. So I went along with it, “I’m not a fucking runt. I'm a six-foot-four man!” I replied, then realized that was not a trash-talk reply, and I just sounded like a whiny dick.
“Oh, wow. Congratulations! Are you really a Captain? Or was he too scared to face me and sent a pathetic little proxy?”
“Don't be too much of a dick dude, or I'll have you scrubbing toilets on the Uprising for the entire time you’re serving under me.”
He raised an eyebrow at me, and a very vague smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, “So, there is a spine in there. Good, I will enjoy breaking it over my knee.”
“Big words. I’ll remember them, when I’m squirting out the undigested remnants of a chicken vindaloo in my private toilet,”
He looked at me with complete confusion.
“It's a spicy Earth food that makes your craps extra soft and stinky. You'll know what I mean when you're scrubbing away with a kids toothbrush and…”
I was disturbed from my verbal diarrhea by an uproar from the crowd.
I looked around to find out the cause of the commotion. Another Torax had come onto the sand and was striding over. This fucker was closer to seven-foot. As he approached, his voice boomed out, deep and commanding.
“Calparr. I also wish to serve this captain. Since I am the undisputed champion of Torax, I challenge this weakling instead. Now, leave us. The results of our battles are known.”
The Torax, known as Calparr, turned back to me and said, “I am sorry, friend. I would have taken it easy if it was necessary and I would truly have liked to come with you, but Maukarr here is the best warrior in our land. His ruthlessness is well known. I cannot dispute his claim to fight, though I doubt his motives are true.”
“Quiet whelp and be gone. You are not worthy to stand here,” Maukarr snarled.
Calparr had one last thing to say to me before he went, “He is Dolegg’s man. He is here to kill you.” With that said, he walked away, leaving me to the mercies of this monster.
There was further uproar from the stands. I looked over to see that Calegg, Moulagg and Koparr were all shouting at another group Torax, mainly elderly and seemingly in positions of power to my eyes. They included in their number an extremely smug looking Dolegg. I caught sight of Ember, who was visibly overheating, but who remained as cool as a cucumber. She smiled her beautiful smile, and I felt confidence surge in me once more.
I felt a calm descend. I felt better and more focused. I had come out to face someone who was intending to throw the fight. I didn’t dwell on why that would be, or why it had made me more nervous than I felt now. I turned to face my new opponent. Of course I could beat this guy. I didn't always need Havok, did I? I'd beaten Rodger with one blow, I'd beaten the Gro-bar in Ipsis with one blow, and I snapped that other guy's neck with a little jerk of my arm. I was strong as hell, and I fucking had this.
We stood waiting for the commotion to die down and get a decision on whether the contest should be allowed to go on, when I thought, ‘Fuck this. Let's get on with it.’ After all, it didn't really matter who I fought. We were here for a reason. “Hey! You big, ugly bastard. Let's fucking dance.” I raised my guard.
His face stretched into a feral grin. Without hesitation he came at me with a series of well-aimed, controlled blows. I wasn’t shocked that he was fast and strong, but I was surprised by his discipline. I blocked all of his blows and was now very aware the big bastard had a lot of experience fighting.
The crowd was wild, cheering every blow. I chanced a quick glance at my friends. The arguments had stopped, and everyone stood transfixed on my battle. I continued to defend against Maukarr, without returning a blow. I could have but I thought I should test him out a bit first. He kept coming forward, throwing kicks and punches, all of which I deflected. He began to speed up, his frustration becoming apparent as his form began to deteriorate. This was actually going to be easier than I first thought.
Finally, I decided to make a move because of the heat. Without Havok, I was going to tire fast. I slipped past a right hand from him and fired off a lightning-fast jab of my own, catching him cleanly on the jaw. I could see the speed and force of my blow had completely shocked him as his head rocked back. I followed up with a right hook, which sent him sprawling backwards onto the dusty floor. I was annoyed with myself a little for not respecting my own abilities enough. I should never have been so nervous; I was a bloody good fighter. With all the strength and agility I’d built up, with my new physiology, I was kind of a big deal.
Maukarr got up quickly, rage now tempered with respect as he brought his guard up a little higher. Moving towards me again, there was a wariness to his movement this time. Not giving him a chance to press for an advantage, I threw a weak jab at his head. He blocked it easily with his guard, but it was never intended to do any harm. Next, I faked a straight right to his midriff. He reacted to the bluff quickly, dropping his guard to cover up low, and leaving his head wide open. I whipped out a full strength, lightning-fast left hook, connecting sweetly with the side of his head. It was a near perfectly executed blow, the only problem being that I caught one of the horns on his head, which was much harder than expected. While he went stumbling off to the side, I gave my hand a little shake out, ‘cause fuck me that hurt.
Bringing my full attention back to Maukarr, it was a relief to see he was seriously rocked from the blow. While he did recover more quickly than I’d have liked, I could tell the fight was now won as he changed his tactics for a third time, probably realizing that I was quicker, more skilled and far stronger than expected. He now focused on using his sheer size and brutality to overwhelm me.
He threw a left, missing but pressing relentlessly forward with it and managing to score a glancing blow on me with his giant right hand. He seemed to be renewed from that small success. Unfortunately for him, it was part of yet another small play from me. I fell back from the blow, but it was intentional. As I moved backwards, I jumped and pushed a straight kick right through his guard, crushing his nose to smithereens. He fell to the ground, clutching his face. I would argue the fight was over at that stage; I had completely outclassed him. However, the cheating motherfucker began glowing as he unsteadily got to his feet.
I looked over to find Moulagg and the others shouting again. Dolegg smirked. But, not as wide as Ember as she tapped her temple at me. I nodded back over to her. She was right, I'd beat him like a drum in the physical matchup, now I'd strum his fucking nervous center like a damn guitar. Looking back at him I saw for the first time what happens when a Torax goes supernova. It was a fucking terrifying sight. A heavy covering of flames coated his entire body. I could only see a vague shadow of the alien inside.
He started walking towards me, raising an arm, then the bastard shot a damn fireball at me. I rolled out of the way and backwards to give myself some time.
I’d spent too long goggling at his transformation and put myself on the back foot. I jumped as far back as I cou
ld, while simultaneously going into my Mindscape. Once there, I levitated my body ten-feet away from him. I quickly went into Maukaurr’s Mindscape, directly in his nerve center, and I dove on his nerve bundles, instantly paralyzing him – and hoping he wasn’t burning me alive outside. With that done, I relieved his internal organs and his mouth. Afterwards, I morphed into my own Interface Room to see my handiwork.
He was frozen to the spot. I raised the piece of shit off the ground for dramatic effect, before I went back into his mind, “You went too far with the fire, you fucker,” I said. I saw the shock on his face, and smiled.
“Were you supposed to kill me?” I asked, while looking at his mental display. I saw him imagining killing me in multiple ways and Dolegg coming to see him. There were no words, but one thing was certain, he had intended to kill me. “You’re fucked now, mate.”
Leaving his Mindscape, I came back to my Normal State in the sand circle. It appeared that hardly any time had passed, so I was satisfied with my work. It had felt like a good minute or two that I was busy. I was still levitating, so I had to think about moving back down to the ground. Amazingly, unexpectedly, I dropped. I had sensed I’d done well, but that was for the audience to decide. I think I’d gotten away with it. The now-extinguished, giant Torax hung suspended in the air, unable to move or react. I left him there while I took in the group of Torax leaders with my gaze. I addressed the now silent crowd.
“Is this enough!” I shouted. “Have I won yet? I beat him with fists. I beat him with powers! Are you all satisfied,” I screamed, “Or do you require his death, as he required mine?”
“You have done enough!” Moulagg shouted back. “We apologize for the criminal actions of the traitor, Maukarr. He should not have used his powers and has brought further shame to our people. And to one who would treat us as equals!” He addressed everyone in the stadium.
I walked over to the barrier where my friends had moved down to greet me, while Moulagg continued his speech. “Not only will 30 of our warriors come with you now, should you ever need the services of more Torax going forward, you need only ask. We are indebted to you for this grievous injustice.”
“Thank you, Moulagg. But I don’t hold the Torax accountable for that abomination's actions.” I thought about him dropping to the floor like the sack of shit he was, and freeing him from the paralysis. Again it worked. I was really cursing not spending every waking minute clearing my mind at every opportunity, now. My control over the powers had been unreal.
“Fear not, Captain Shaun. We will not be lenient with his crimes.”
I looked over to Dolegg, and he was a pale color. I didn’t understand why he seemed to be here in an honored position, but I didn’t give a damn either. I wanted to get my new men and the Suldr, then get the fuck off this oven of a planet. Calegg would tell me anything I needed to know later.
We left the arena, and I refused any offer of celebration, food or entertainment. I wasn’t alone in wanting to get straight back to the ship and out of the oppressive heat. Moulagg came along, as did Koparr, who was apparently coming with us.
We discussed the plans they had in place to discreetly move the new crew off the planet, which madly involved crates being loaded onto the ship. It was weird, and I felt a little uncomfortable putting people in crates like they were animals, but I just let them get on with it. To be fair, I wasn’t comfortable with animals being kept in crates either, but there you go.
By the time I’d had a shower, the Torax and the fire gems had been loaded aboard the Uprising. We were ready to go. Moulagg was here still, so I spoke to him briefly, “Just so you know without a doubt, it was Dolegg who ordered Maukarr to kill me. I hope you manage to deal with that poisonous shit-stain. He’s a curse on your people.”
“Don’t worry, Shaun. He may still roam free at the moment, but that won't last for long. I am onto him now, as are a few others. There are clearly some of the Council members in either his pay or the Empire’s. But I will be sure to root them all out. I also have friends.”
“Well, good luck Moulagg. We’ll be back, and if we can, we’ll offer more aid next time.”
“I look forward to it, Shaun. Ember,” he nodded to her, “look after yourselves. Until next we meet.”
“You too, Moulagg, you too,” Ember replied.
With that, we left Moulagg and Torax. I wasn't sad to see the back of that hellhole.
C5
Caught at Last
We flew away from Torax at a fairly leisurely pace. All in all, it was a job well done, even close to how I thought it was going to go. I just hoped our next plan, to find some Veiletians, would be a little easier. At least this time it was only me in any danger.
We were heading to a Veiletian enclave – as Elyek had described it – hidden on a moon that was habitable only because of the domes that had been erected to stop everyone floating off into space. For once, speed was not essential. It was more important that we got to know our new crew mates.
The addition of the new Torax crew members had certainly added a fresh dimension to life on the Uprising. I was getting to know Calparr and Koparr very well. They were both good guys. We could see great potential for the Torax to be useful members of the crew, so we did some focused sessions with the few laser-rifles we had on board in the training room. They were mastering it all just fine; the rifles were little different from the ballistic ones they had been used to, in the sense of simply aiming and pulling a trigger. Calparr ran training drills with them, which gave Ember and me plenty of opportunity to hone our own skills, although we did join in with them now and again.
Calegg taught a few of the quicker-witted Torax how to operate the various ships and weapon bays. One of our main concerns, up until now, had been that despite having six weapon bays, there would not be enough crew members to man these, should we be attacked. Ten in all showed some aptitude in learning the basics of the controls, although I could see Calegg becoming frustrated from time to time. Fortunately, Koparr seemed to take to it like a duck to water, and he became a full-time bridge crew member.
By the end of the fourth day of travel, I felt as though we were all getting on well. I’d even remembered everyone’s name – mostly – and obviously there was a much better atmosphere than on the Thoth. Which was really fantastic, considering what happened next.
We were blithely Sunday driving through the stars, when out of nowhere a small fleet of large vessels appeared around us. “Dunno who these guys are, but we should fold the fuck out of here,” I shouted at Calegg.
“Shaun, we have to wait for the drive to power up!” Calegg snapped back at me, clearly frustrated, as he set the folding drive to charge.
“We should keep that thing on standby at all times,” I snapped.
“We have been through this, Captain,” Elyek said calmly, “You can’t have it charged until you’re ready to use it. There is around a 30-minute window…”
“I know that, Elyek. Not now. Can we escape with our standard engines?”
Before Elyek got the chance to answer, Ember shouted, “We have an incoming communication. Shall I let it through?”
“Shit, shit, shit!” I said.
Ember took that as a yes, or didn’t care and wanted to hear the message herself.
A gruff voice came over the communications panel, “Uprising, power down your engines now. This is the Commander Gerdu of the Galactic Empire’s military police. We have reason to believe you are transporting a large number of Torax on board your ship, and that you intend to use them in military endeavors. This goes against article 42837, section 185 of the Galactic Law Mandate. Again I say, power down your engines. Surrender the Torax for re-habitation, and yourselves for questioning.”
“Someone must’ve sold us out,” Ember said, killing the communication.
“It’ll have been my father. An attempt to regain his power, no doubt. He’s already sold his race out once. He absolutely would do it again,” Calegg added, in a state somewhere between pa
nic and sadness.
“None of that matters. What matters is that we stall them long enough for the folding drive to charge,” I said, then pressed the comm to talk, “Hey, Commander Gerdu. We only have Suldr. And one Torax crew member, who’s our pilot.”
“It is not your pilot of which I speak, as well you know. You have exactly 30 Torax warriors on board. Now, power down your engines and prepare to be boarded.”
I switched the comm off. “Elyek, or Calegg. Same question as earlier; can we outrun them?”
“We can outrun their ships, but we cannot outrun their weapons,” Elyek answered, dejectedly.
“Shit! Then if we can’t outrun them or stall them, can we at least fight?”
“They have military ships, Shaun,” Elyek explained, like they were talking to a child. “They are built specifically for space battles. Uprising is an explorer class. While it does have an impressive array of combat systems and could potentially take out one of these juggernauts, it definitely couldn’t take out all four of them. That would be simply impossible.”
“What should we do, then?” I asked the room loudly. There was a part of me that was just furious that all my newfound Mental Clarity didn't give me any help whatsoever in this situation.
I was surprised when Koparr offered what I thought was a good solution, “Let them onboard the Uprising and we will kill them all.”
I was so used to there being just Ember, Calegg and Elyek with me on the bridge, I am embarrassed to say I forgot he was even there. I looked to the others to gauge their response to Koparr’s plan. Ember shrugged, Calegg looked hopeful, while Elyek shot the plan dead with their usual knowledgeable cool head. Unfortunately, I didn't hear what they said, because they spoke at the same time as Havok made his thoughts known, and I couldn’t concentrate.
Condition Evolution 3: A LitRPG / Gamelit Adventure Page 5
