by Ron Francis
“You can’t do that,” he bellowed.
“Oh, but you can have your pets attack me? If you didn’t want stones to be picked up, you shouldn’t have brought them into the arena.” He laughed, mocking his foe’s outrage and drawing more ire from the pirate side of the stadium.
“You have no idea how much I hate you, Marcos. If I could flay the skin from your body and burn you alive at the same time, I would. All while making you watch those you love suffer.”
“That’s the difference between you and me, I just want to kill you and be done with it. Then, I’ll never give you another thought. You’re not worth my time.” He smiled as much for the crowd as for his opponent. “You’re just a two-bit thug that’s never been man enough to face me one-on-one in a fair fight. You’ve rigged this whole event, and I’m still winning, how sad is that?”
“I will kill you, and everything you hold dear.” He began moving towards Jesse as he spoke.
“Well, at least I found the treasure.” Jesse kept backing up; he knew that comment would enrage his enemy. He was purposely moving towards his contestant tunnel because he knew he wasn’t going to be getting a ride back when the horn blew. He hoped the horn would blow soon. His comments had their desired effect as Garrinoras let out a loud scream, and charged as fast as his battered body would carry him. Jesse ducked his swing and hit him hard in the back of the head with his staff. He picked up the rock he had hit him with earlier, hoping for another shot. He threw the stone as a distraction, scoring another shot across Garrinoras face, which by this time was a mass of cuts and bruises. He followed up with a knee to the face that took the Zinnebailan off his feet. He scored another hard shot on his opponent’s elbow and followed by stomping hard on the injured joint. Garrinoras cried out in pain as Jesse went back to work on the injured knee. The exo-skeleton was all but destroyed and each hit caused a great deal of pain.
Garrinoras swung his hammer causing Jesse to step back as he tried to rise. Jesse met that attempt with a full uppercut swing of his staff into Garrinoras face. The pirate hit the ground and lay motionless while Jesse slowly ventured towards him. He could hear the sound of Commando and Shadow fighting two more of those beasts and the thought hit him that Garrinoras had brought more than the agreed upon five. Garrinoras began to stir, causing Jesse to stop his advance. He didn’t think his opponent had anything left in the tank, but he wanted to be sure. He had the upper-hand going into tomorrow and he knew the horn would be sounding soon. Maybe I should just wait it out without risking further injury, he thought as he paused. He decided against it and purposefully stalked towards his injured foe. Both crowds were on their feet, but for different reasons. He had just about reached his enemy when the horn sounded and Jesse slowly began to back away, not wanting to turn his back on his opponent.
The announcer was back on the system announcing the second session had ended when Garrinoras slowly rose to his feet and threw his sledgehammer at Jesse, just missing. The pirate crowd cheered as their hero charged. Jesse was able to hold onto his staff and got it up into Garrinoras’ midsection, using his momentum to launch him three meters past his position as he fell backwards. Garrinoras landed awkwardly on the ground as Jesse began to get back to his feet. By that time, there were several guards in the arena separating the combatants. A couple of them began to get rough with Jesse. One of the overzealous guards shoved him to the ground and stood over him in a menacing manner. Suddenly, Josiah and Kimi showed up with Sergeant Rivada and ten of her mercenaries. Josiah hit the guard that had shoved Jesse and stood defiantly over him as he tried to rise.
“You wanna hit someone? Try me!” He yelled. By this time, Commando and Shadow were by his side, bearing their teeth with a rumbling growl.
The crowd was getting rowdy, and the situation threatened to degenerate into a melee as several guards were now interacting with Jesse’s crew. As events began to spiral out of control, the announcer called out; “Today’s events are finished. I would advise the contestants to save their aggression for tomorrow. Colonel Marcos’ men are to remove themselves from the field immediately.”
Josiah turned to the nearest camera and replied. “We’ll remove ourselves when Garrinoras thugs have cleared the area, NOT before.” The pro-human crowd was back on their feet, while Josiah heard his first boos of the day from the pirate side.
Once Garrinoras had been loaded onto his cart, Jesse let his men help him off the field, and into the contestant tunnel. The crowd was still howling and throwing things from the stands, which were hitting harmlessly off the protective barrier around the combat zone. Thankfully, his team had a hover cart ready for him to lay comfortably on for his ride back to the ship. As they gently helped him onto the cart, Kimi sat next to him, holding his hand and reassuring him that everything was going to be all right. For the first time that day, he wasn’t afraid to let his guard down because he knew his team had him.
Chapter six
______
Josiah and Kimi quickly brought Jesse into med-bay. He was in a good deal of pain and looking forward to the recovery pod. Josiah could tell how much the day’s events had bothered Suzy, even though she was trying not to show it. Cassie almost dying had taken a toll on her, even though it had turned out all right thanks to Enso and Collin. Now she had to look at her oldest friend battered and in pain again. She had to be strong because she knew everyone was watching, but when she saw Jesse’s bruised and battered body, she almost lost it. She ran the portable diagnostic unit over him and it turned out that his injuries weren’t quite as bad as she thought. He had a lot of bruises and lacerations all over his body that the recovery pod would easily heal but the only real problems were a broken cheekbone, a fractured tibia, the punctured thigh and two cracked ribs. He also had a deep laceration on his neck from that terrifying beast that would probably still need to be closed up after he was out of the pod. She marveled that he was able to stand on the leg at all, let alone fight.
“Hey Suzy,” Jesse started weakly. “Is there any way that I can keep some of these cuts on my face?”
“Why would you want to do that?” She asked with a kind smile, thinking he was just delirious, as she cleaned his wounds.
“I don’t want Garrinoras to know I’m healed when we fight tomorrow.”
That actually made sense, so, not delirious. “I’m sorry Jesse, but not really, the recovery pod needs to heal your broken cheekbone so the lacerations on your face will automatically be taken care of as well.” She continued wiping the blood off his face and neck as she prayed that the wound on his neck had not been infected by the disgusting creature. She could smell the remnants of the beast on Jesse’s clothes and couldn’t wait to get them into the incinerator.
Jesse looked up at her and tried to smile. “No problem, just have Josiah put a couple back on my face while I’m sleeping.”
“That’s not funny, Jesse,” she said a little bit louder than she intended. I’m barely keeping it together here, how is he able to be making jokes right now?
“I don’t think he’s kidding, Suzy,” Josiah said with an expression that said he was sorry. “But it is a sound strategy; with the way these people are cheating, they could somehow come up with a rule that disqualifies him for using the pod if they find out our medical technology is this good. We can’t take the chance. I’ll wait for you to leave to do it if you want.”
A deep sigh left Suzy’s body as she replied. “No, I may as well be here to close him up when you’re done.” She felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders and missed the days of just seeing patients with normal injuries. She was clearly upset by this strategy, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. It made sense and it might wind up saving him from some more pain tomorrow. I just really wish I didn’t have to keep treating the people I love for such painful injuries.
“How long will I be under?”
“About twelve minutes in the recovery pod, so six hours. But
you’ll probably sleep at least eight or nine after the day you had.”
“No, Suzy, don’t let me sleep more than seven. This way, I can be awake for three or four hours and then sleep another four hours right before I go fight. This way, most of the sluggishness from the pod will be gone by the time I have to fight.”
“Alright, Jess, as long as you get that extra four hours later. You’ve been through a lot today and you really need rest.” As she slid him into the pod, he winked a swollen eye at Kimi and she smiled at him, but Suzy could tell that Kimi was just as worried as she was.
When Jesse was out of the pod and lie sleeping comfortably on one of the med-bay beds, Kimi cautiously approached him and sat down by his side. She took his hand in hers and just held it. Suzy could tell she was not happy about the day’s events either.
“Do you regret it?” Suzy started as Kimi looked up. She hadn’t even changed out of her battle suit yet. “Do you regret talking him into it?”
“Every second he is out there I hate myself for my part in putting him there.” She replied with a look that almost resembled self-loathing.
“Me, too.” Suzy replied with her own pain evident in her eyes. “He would have never asked me to do something like this, Kimi.”
“At least you tried to talk him out of it. I added my weight to the discussion, knowing it would push his opinion to that of the rest of the crew. Whether or not this is the right course of action for a galaxy of strangers, it was not the right course of action for him. If anything happens to him Suzy, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Me either, I may have tried to talk him out of it, but I eventually gave my approval, Kimi. All of us are to blame if anything happens. I’m certain she could have been rescued without war breaking out. Tensions might have been high for a while, but it’s not like they are ever likely to be low, not to mention that this war might happen anyway. What then?”
“I do not know, Suzy.”
“So,” Suzy began, trying to change the painful subject. “Are things between you and Jesse moving in the right direction?”
“I believe they are. I am going to tell him I’m ready after he recovers from tomorrow’s injuries. Believe me; I will still actively be seeking your advice once he knows how I feel. Is it alright if I sit with him for a while?”
“Of course. I am going to finish up a few things here, take as much time as you’d like.”
A few minutes later, Cassie walked into the med-bay. She was starting to feel better, but she was still in a good amount of pain. She noticed Jesse asleep with Kimi sitting by his side holding his hand. She was still wearing her battle suit from when she and Josiah had gone out to collect Jesse after the day’s disturbing events. She didn’t look up when Cassie walked in the room. Suzy did look up when Cassie walked in the room, but Cassie could tell she was not really happy to see her up and about. “What are you doing up, Cass, you need to be in bed. Are you alright?” She picked up her scanner as she approached.
“I’m still in a lot of pain. The base of my skull, it’s like a dull consistent throb. Not excruciating but enough to keep me awake.”
“Okay, good,” Suzy replied slightly relieved. “I was worried that there may have been some negative after-effects, but the pain is right where it should be.” She handed Cassie two small pink pills and said, “This should take the edge off and help you sleep. I suggest you go back to your quarters right now and take them with some water and then get right back into bed. You have had a really rough day.”
She gratefully accepted the medicine and stood to leave. “Thank you so much, Suzy, for everything.” She looked back and added, “I know I didn’t deserve your help, but you helped anyway.”
“I’m told that’s what we do.” Suzy smiled kindly as she helped her out if med-bay.
Cassie returned the sentiment as the doctor helped her back to her quarters; she really did need to get back to sleep, but she continued to be amazed at the lengths Endeavor’s crew went for people.
______
Even with everything else going on, Josiah had finally gotten some alone time with his new acquaintance Captain Tanna Rivada. He was definitely interested in her and looked forward to seeing what would happen. She was strikingly beautiful, even more so than Jesse had described since Josiah was unconscious for their first official meeting on Pandara. Since the moment she came aboard Endeavor, Josiah was hoping for some alone time and now he finally had it. She seemed to be as interested in him as he was in her, but even so, it was difficult to find the time to interact. Her soldiers were all enjoying some downtime and they were sitting alone in the galley enjoying each other’s company. She was wearing her standard black military trousers but had replaced the military top with a more comfortable-looking light blue, three-quarter sleeve shirt. She was picking at a piece of red velvet cake that they had been sharing but were both pretty much finished with. Still, it smelled delicious and was worth keeping around.
“So how long have you been in Ginderbar’s armed forces?”
“Actually, it’s only been united for a few months. I was originally recruited and trained by my mom, Admiral Dyson. I’m still with her group, but I’ve always been more of a land fighter than a space fighter, so I never took a commission in her fleet. The fleet is considered safer because the Battle Hammers are so tough, but I’ve always felt I was better suited for land, even though I’m a pretty good pilot. The Admiral recognized this early on in my career and helped me receive the best training available. Before I knew it, I was leading my own unit and now I’m a sergeant.” She began to smile as a thought hit her. “I didn’t actually answer your question. I’ve been in the military for fourteen years, since I was seventeen years old. It’s all I’ve ever known, really. How about you?”
“I went off with Jesse when we were eighteen and joined our planet’s space marines. Jesse led our unit, Collin was in it as well and we all tried to retire a few years back, but then an alien armada came out of nowhere to invade our planet and we were all right back in the thick of it. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to fully retire.” He was amazed that the thought of not retiring didn’t really bother him.
“Have you ever been married, Josiah?”
I hope there’s another meaning behind this question, he thought as he stabbed at another small bite of cake. “No, I’ve never been lucky enough to find the right woman. I hope that it’ll happen, though. How about you?” He popped the small bite into his mouth and looked at the lovely woman sitting across from him to tell her story.
“I was,” she tentatively began, hoping this didn’t ruin any chances she may have had with Josiah. I’m so stupid, why did I bring this up? She let out a breath and continued. “For about five minutes when I was eighteen. One of the older officers was infatuated with me and I was counseled that it would be unwise for my career to turn him down. I finally gave in to the pressure, but I didn’t love him. As fate would have it, he shipped out on a job two days later and was killed in action. I was relieved because I didn’t love him and felt it had been a terrible mistake. Ironically, it was his resources that allowed me to get a transfer back into my mother’s fleet.”
They spent the next three hours getting to know each other before they finally decided to call it a night. As Josiah walked down the corridor towards med-bay to check on Jesse before he went to bed, he noticed he was whistling.
______
Jesse woke up from his recovery pod-induced slumber hungry and tired. As Suzy had predicted, the day’s events had really taken it out of him. He looked in the mirror and noticed that Josiah had done a good job of bruising and cutting his face to match the wounds that were there from Garrinoras’ beasts. He saw Kimi in the galley as he approached and she looked up and smiled at him. He loved her smile and every time he saw it, one thought hit him. How could I have been so stupid? He couldn’t wait for this whole death match drama to be finished so he could sit down and broach the subj
ect once again. I hope she’s forgiven me. I hope she still wants to be with me. Lately it seems like she does. We’ll talk in a couple days.
“Awake, I see, how are you feeling?” She asked as she sat at the table resting her head on one of her arms. She had changed out of her battle suit and into a comfortable pair of sweats with a plain white tee shirt. Even in her comfortable clothing, she looked beautiful and it was hard for him not to take his eyes off of her.
“I am pretty sore, and pretty tired. I’m going to try and stay up three or four hours and then go back to sleep until it’s time to go back to the stadium. How are you doing?” He sat down beside her and noticed she still smelled like jasmine.
She noticed him studying her and shyly looked towards the food storage. “What would you like to eat?” She asked, smoothly breaking up what could have become an awkward moment. She wanted badly to tell him, but didn’t want him to be distracted by it for the second day of the match. They had waited a long time; she could wait a couple more days.
