Page 29 of Doom Averted

I didn’t know what was happening when the soldiers started to leave and Da’vi started ushering me to follow them. The gymnasium? Rite of Dispute? What was it? Was this good for us or bad? “Please tell me what’s going on?” I whispered, my hand clutched tightly around the tip of his tail. He had it wrapped around my hip, the tip nestled just below my belly button.

“I will fight Allignon in single combat, the winner of the fight is the winner of the dispute,” Da’vi responded. His purple eyes twinkled with amusement and I could understand why, he was almost a head taller than Allignon and much younger; this wouldn’t be a balanced fight. Da’vi was going to trounce that bastard’s ass.

“Good! That’s good right?” I dared to smile at him, even if it was a little shocking to discover that an advanced civilization settled their disputes with actual combat. Then again, maybe that actually worked? Who was I to judge that at this point, I needed to learn so much about this new universe still.

Akri had been answering all my questions, especially the ones about the many different species on the ship, which had been my first focus. But we hadn’t really talked about culture yet, just physical differences and such. It worried me that we still didn’t know what had happened to the AI, had the power surge destroyed him? That would be so sad.

“Very good, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it. Everything is going to be fine, my Sunshine. When this is over, I am taking you to my quarters and you aren’t leaving for days. Got that?” the grin he shot me was so opposite of his normally grumpy face, so filled with mischief and sexual heat that the muscles in my body relaxed.

The gym was a huge room, with tall ceilings, workout gear set up along one wall, and mats to spar on the ground. As the Kertinal soldiers in their black armor set up around the room, warily keeping their rifles in their arms, the Vagabond crew scattered around the mats. I was relieved to notice that Tori and Aggy with the kids had stayed behind, Noa wasn’t here either, but I saw the Doc come in with his medical kit at the ready.

Was it going to be a fight to the death? It hadn’t sounded like that, but maybe they were going to fight until first blood. A little nervous again, I clutched at Da’vi’s tail when he started to release me. “Let go, Sunshine, I can’t fight this asshole with you hanging from my tail,” the gentle amusement in that low rumble made me unclench my fingers from his appendage.

“Come on, stand with us,” Abigail said, reaching out to grab my hand as soon as Da’vi stepped away. A soldier was between her and me so quickly, it seemed like he’d teleported. A hand closed around my upper arm, holding me tightly, and I yanked. “Let her go!” Abigail yelled, and I heard the growl, and even saw the stream of fire that came from her mate.

“What the fuck!?” Da’vi growled, and I saw that he was standing a few feet away, his hands wrapped around the hilt of his giant sword. He’d shrugged out of the top half of his clothing, his chest bared, all the muscles of his upper body pumped up. He looked ready to charge the soldier holding me, only that soldier wasn’t alone. His buddies had surrounded me, their rifles pointing out like we were an extra dangerous hedgehog.

“Insurance, you understand,” the slimy General said with a shrug. He too had taken off his upper clothing and I was shocked to discover that he looked brawny and strong, even if his middle looked a bit soft. He was accepting two curved swords from an open case a soldier was holding out to him.

Da’vi spun to face the General, chest heaving as he growled, “You would dare to imply I’d fight dishonorably? You are the one without honor, coming here on our ship, threatening our freedom when we are no enemies of the Empire. We even helped it more than once, ask your Spy.”

The General’s maroon eyes flashed to mine, a grin curling his lips. “Oh, I know all about your honor, Ertague. It’s theirs I’m concerned about,” and he waved his hand over the assembled crowd of gladiators. If not for the many rifles, and the easily three times as many soldiers gathered here, I was pretty sure those gladiators would have liked to start fighting.

I’d never seen so many angry, grim faces together. Always cheerful Jakar was a thundercloud, his four arms bulging with muscle as he clenched his fists. Ziame had puffed up all his blades, from the top of his skull to the tip of his tail, with smoke curling from his nostrils. Allignon was crazy to taunt these men like that, without those guns, he’d be minced meat at this point.

“One more thing,” Allignon said as he swished his weapons through the air, carefully testing their balance with practiced moves. “You need to take off those metal gloves, no cheating Da’vi. Unfair advantage, I’m sure they give you extra strength.”

I gasped, and I wasn’t the only one. Da’vi had told me how badly hurt his hands were beneath the metal, the nerve damage. Could he even hold a sword without the prosthetics? I didn’t think he could. This should have been a sure win, now I was terrified. “That’s not fair at all!” I yelled, my eyes searching out the green Kertinal that had suggested this damn fight. Was he on our side or not?

Or’tal’s eyes met mine and while I couldn’t read any expression in them from across the room, the minute shake of his head told me everything. He couldn’t stop that, Allignon was going to get away with demanding such an unfair thing. At least I could tell that his soldiers didn’t like it much either, they were shuffling on their feet, sharing looks. This was cowardly and they knew it.

“Enough, take them off Ertague,” Allignon demanded impatiently. Da’vi pulled a deep breath into his lungs and tossed the heavy two-handed blade he’d been holding at Thorin, who caught it. Then he started taking off the segmented metal gauntlets that fit over his damaged hands like a second skin.

There were portions missing from some of his fingers, his skin warped, having an almost melted look to it in places. They were reddish, even pink, with a few straggling lines of purple crossing the tops of his palms. Those did not look like hands he could use to hold a weapon, to hold much of anything. On the inside of his wrists, small ports made it clear that that was where the prosthetics tapped into his real nervous system.

He didn’t say anything, didn’t make objections, though I definitely shouted a bunch while struggling in the grip of the Kertinal soldier holding me. Da’vi shook out his damaged fingers, turning to stalk to the wall with practice weapons, his eyes scanning over them. Eventually, he took a single knife, small, with a smooth handle. It didn’t seem adequate protection against two swords the length of the General’s arms.

“Ready gentlemen?” Or’tal asked, stepping onto the sparring mat between Da’vi and Allignon. This was almost like witnessing an old-fashioned duel, the two of them gave each other a nod, and tapped their weapons together. Then Or’tal leaped off the mat and the two started to fight.

I was steaming inside, furious at how unfair it was that this asshole had been chasing Da’vi and thought he had a right to his skills. He was a big bully, using his power to make people do whatever he liked. I really hated bullies, it made me want to do violence myself. It made me remember the schoolyard bullies that had bothered my brother, and how I’d slapped some sense into their leader.

In a flash, I realized that my brother and my father had been my bullies all my life. I’d let their nasty words, their derision, and mockery taint everything I did. I’d run from them because I didn’t know how to fight them, but enough was enough. They weren’t going to rule my thoughts any longer, just like I knew that Da’vi was not going to let Allignon get away with this.

*

Da’vi

I was fuming over the underhanded way Allignon was conducting this dispute. Holding guns on my Sunshine? That was just such a dishonorable thing to do. That he forced me to take off my prosthetics I could understand, the coward knew he was no match for me, and this was the only way he could level the playing field.

Without my preferred weapon to use, my fighting style had to adapt, my hands were so damaged that it was a struggle to even hold the knife. I wanted something to deflect with, however, so I had to make it work.

As soon as Or’tal gave the signal to start the match, Allignon was on the offensive, hacking at me with his curved swords. I danced out of the way, ducking to avoid their razor-sharp edges, catching some blows with the knife when he got close, and others with the bladed tip of my tail. I couldn’t forget about the knife on my opponent’s tail either, it whipped around slashing underneath my guard.

“Get him Da’vi, you got this!” Arianna yelled from the sideline, and then her voice was joined by the cheers, and yells of my brothers and their mates too. A grin split my face when Allignon faltered for a second and I whipped up my tail, catching him with the blunt side hard on the wrist. One of his swords clattered to the ground and I kicked it so he couldn’t pick it up again.

I took satisfaction in seeing my friends cheer for me, while Allignon’s soldiers remained deadly silent. That wasn’t because they were following protocol, during Rites of Dispute, cheering was very much allowed and expected. It was telling that they didn’t for him; his own guards didn’t care if he won or not.

When he came at me again, it was with renewed vigor, hacking so hard at my knife with his single blade that my fingers went numb. Pain shot up my arm and the scent of blood filled the air, my fragile skin had torn. Kertinal required a diet that contained certain proteins or our tough skin weakened, during my year-long incarceration in gladiator stables across the Zeta Quadrant, my owner had failed to feed me right. My skin was still suffering the effects from that lack, especially on my hands.