The Shadow Order: A Space Opera

by Michael Robertson

  Seb hit the spaceport’s solid ground with such force he fell forward onto his knees. A sharp pain ran through his kneecaps and sent streaks of lightning up his thighs. With his face in his hands, he screamed so loud it tore at his throat. Not only did he have to deal with the agony of a hard landing, but he had to ride out the decompression effects of the teleportation. Tears streamed down his cheeks and his brain felt like it would leak from his nose like snot. With his teeth clenched, he rocked back and forth, oblivious to his surroundings.

  It happened slowly, far too slowly for Seb’s liking, but he pulled away from his pain, and the world around him came into focus. First, he smelled salt in the air, and the dampness of Aloo’s atmosphere wrapped around him. When he sat up, the wind tossed his hair and cut to his core. The bright sun reflected off the water that surrounded the spaceport, and Seb squinted against the glare. Ships sat in rows next to one another with very little space between them. A queue of freighters hovered in the sky as they obviously waited to dock in the busy port.

  As Seb got to his feet, a sharp pain inside his skull and a rock of nausea in his stomach, he drew what started out as a deep breath. Halfway in, he stopped and his palms turned damp with sweat. If he pulled much more air into his body, he’d vomit where he stood.

  Although busy, the spaceport seemed like a lonely place. Almost every living being around Seb walked at a fast march and stared at the ground. Not a place for socialising.

  The loud boom as The Bandolin broke the sound barrier above snapped through Seb and spiked both his splitting headache and nauseous lump in his guts. One of the biggest ships he’d ever seen, Seb watched his ride home turn into a red dot in the sky. He shook his head. “Damn it.”

  With his belongings in his bag and a paltry amount on a credit card, Seb stumbled off in search of somewhere to stay.

  ***

  After about a ten-minute walk, Seb found a hotel. The damp wind had thrown so much salty water at him in that time that every exposed part of his flesh stung as if red raw. It felt like he’d been sprayed with broken glass. The very beginnings of sores burned at the corners of Seb’s eyes and mouth, and the stench of salt blocked his nose. But he deserved it. Of course he did. If he’d listened to his dad’s advice and walked away from the fight with Snart …

  Seb shook his head as he walked up to the front of what seemed to be a hotel. Unfamiliar with the native language of Aloo—he’d never even heard of the place until now—he looked at the large orange letters scrawled across the front of the building. Fortunately, the universal sign for hotel sat next to the words. A house with a nightcap on, it told Seb all he needed to know.

  The automatic doors closed behind Seb after he’d entered the hotel’s foyer, shutting out the deafening wind and rumble of large freighter engines. Now he stood sheltered inside, Seb shook his head like a wet dog would. It did little to remove the moisture from his hair and face, made his headache worse, and threw him off balance. As he thrust his arms out for stability, he looked up and made eye contact with the lady at the front desk.

  Who knew what species she belonged to, the woman had two heads and just one large eye on each face. She smiled two different smiles at him as he walked close. Like looking at someone with a lazy eye, Seb didn’t know which face to address, so he picked the smile he liked the most. “Um … hi. Do you have any spare rooms at the moment?”

  “We certainly do. How many nights? One? Two?” Both heads spoke, taking one word each. The change in tone threw Seb off, but they delivered their sentences seamlessly.

  “Um …” Seb looked around the well-lit foyer. The place seemed run-down, beaten by nature’s onslaught of salt and wind combined, but it seemed clean. He probably wouldn’t find anywhere better. “Indefinitely?”

  The woman smiled again. “Sure, let’s get you in the slightly cheaper accommodation if that’s the case. It’ll make your money go a little further.”

  After he watched the woman tap away at a screen, Seb said, “So, what’s Aloo like?”

  Although there were no other beings in the reception area, silence descended on the room as if there were, and every one of them had held their breath in response to his question.

  Several more taps and the receptionist looked back at Seb. “Huh?”

  She’d clearly heard him the first time. Seb raised an eyebrow to show he needed a response.

  “It’s an interesting place. We have no laws here.”

  “None?”

  The receptionist shook her heads. “Not a single one. We’re in one of the farthest away spots in the galaxy, so it’s considered intergalactic space. As a result, no one regulates us. No taxes, no police, no army … no prisons.”

  The words tore Seb’s stomach out. He’d landed in the armpit of the galaxy. It took him a second to recover. “So what about work? Is that easy to come by?”

  With an expression somewhere between pity and condescension, the receptionist placed a hand on her heart. “Oh, honey, there’s no work out here. The only way to get a job is to wait for someone already in one to die. You need to get work on a ship to get out of here, but most captains won’t employ someone they don’t know—especially if they’ve met them here. And most especially, if you don’t mind me saying …?”

  Seb nodded.

  “If they’re human.”

  “Figures,” Seb said.

  “Besides,” the receptionist said, “the ships often carry cargo they don’t want anyone knowing about, so they all have trust issues.”

  Before Seb could reply, the receptionist held up a room key and beamed two grins at him. “But good luck. Your room’s on the third floor.”

  Although Seb didn’t respond, he took the key from the woman, spun around, and headed to his new room. Quite how long he’d be able to afford the rent for … well, it didn’t bear thinking about. To enquire about price at that moment would be a cold, hard reality he could do without.

  Chapter Ten

  Maybe, in time, Seb would get used to the reek of salt in the air. Surrounded by a vast ocean on the island spaceport, he’d better. Until he got off the cursed planet, he had no other choice.

  As he stood in the hotel room he’d been given, Seb took in his surroundings. His assessment of the place based on the foyer had proven to be accurate so far. The room, shabby but clean, had stain-free bed sheets—always a good sign. However, none of the room had been sectioned off, so a toilet sat in one corner alongside a shower. Not a place to bring people back to; Seb hardly wanted to watch someone else use the lavatory.

  Several salt-stained glasses sat on the kitchen draining board, so Seb picked one up, filled it with the cloudy water that came from the tap, and held it up to the light. A sign on the wall showed a picture of a running tap with a tick next to it. The fact that they had to assure the guests that the water could be drunk made Seb’s stomach tense in anticipation. After a deep breath, he took a sip. The salty burn that he’d anticipated didn’t come, but the water had a strange chemical taste that reminded Seb of chlorine. The sooner he found a bar, the better.

  The room had just one small window. A square pane of glass, it had a frosting over it from salt build-up. Seb listened to the harsh wind crash into it. Other than letting the light in, the window served very little purpose. Positioned too high up to see out of comfortably, the salt layer would have prevented Seb from seeing anything even if he were tall enough.

  The receptionist might have said he had no hope of finding a job, but he had to try. He had no other alternatives if he wanted off the island. Besides, three hundred credits wouldn’t last long.

  ***

  “What do you want?” the large creature asked Seb.

  Stood in front of the yellow-skinned being, Seb stared straight into her one eye and didn’t reply. For a short while, the pair glared at one another, and Seb’s heart pounded. After a deep breath, Seb said, “Do you have any work on your ship?”

  With a hand on her holstered blaster, the monster scowled at Seb. �
�Even if I did have a job, which I don’t, what makes you think I’d employ a human? Go away.”

  Having been on the end of such bluntness all day, Seb’s pulse sped up and heat rushed through his cheeks. As he stepped closer, his world slowed down and the creature’s throat became more prominent in Seb’s vision. The waxy reek of the monster filled Seb’s nostrils, and he clenched his jaw as he said, “You don’t have to talk to me like that, you know.”

  The large being drew deep breaths that lifted her entire frame, and when she spoke, her words dragged because of Seb’s slowed-down perspective. “I suggest you learn how to talk to others, little man. You upset the wrong beings around here and you’re not likely to walk away from it.”

  In the stillness of slow motion, Seb’s pulse kicked through him like a wet bass drum, and the creature’s throat remained prominent to him. In only a few hours of walking the spaceport, Seb had been insulted, disrespected, and drained by every being he spoke to. Maybe he needed to try a different approach and talk to the space pirates in a language they understood. If he knocked one out, then maybe the others wouldn’t be so rude to him when he did it all again tomorrow.

  The back of the creature’s ship hung open, and when Seb saw what appeared to be a male and children of the same species as the ship’s captain, he stepped back a pace. The world returned to normal speed and Seb shook his head. No way could he attack someone in front of their family. The creature before him continued to stare fury at Seb, ground her jaw, and pulled her broad shoulders back. She didn’t want trouble—Seb had been in enough fights to see that—but she wouldn’t back down if he challenged her.

  As Seb stroked his dad’s necklace, his fury settled and he stepped back another pace. “Thanks anyway.”

  The creature didn’t reply.

  Seb walked away, squinting against the bright glare of Aloo’s reflected sun.

  ***

  Despite the almost blinding shine from the sea, Seb breathed more easily, relieved to be away from the gloomy docking area. It had been so crowded with ships that much of the sunshine—and somewhat fresh air—was prevented from getting through. Drained from a morning of rejection and derision, Seb lifted his chin and began steeling himself for tomorrow. With a queue of ships in the sky above, there would no doubt be different opportunities when they docked. He could try all over again then.

  Aloo didn’t have much to it beyond the spaceport. A few market stalls that sold all kinds of foods and clothing, it also had what looked like one bar and a couple of restaurants. A small residential area sat farther back with about one hundred houses and lots of alleyways. Like on Danu, Aloo had been designed with surrounding buildings to act as windbreaks. Even with that, the salty wind still came at Seb like an onslaught of razor blades.

  Any kind of subservience sat awkwardly with Seb, but he walked around Aloo with his head dipped to avoid eye contact with any other species. Aloo was a lawless pit of a place; Seb could handle the aggro if it came his way, but he didn’t need to look for it.

  ***

  None of the market vendors had any job vacancies, especially not for humans. With most of the city searched and on the end of unanimous rejection, Seb stopped dead when he heard the roar of a large crowd to his right. Hearing hisses, screams, laughter, and shouts, Seb stepped closer to the narrow passageway that it came from.

  Although darker than the rest of the city, the alley still stood bright in the strong sun.

  The sound lifted the hairs on the back of Seb’s neck and his heart raced. He knew that sound. He’d recognise it from a mile away. The judgement from his dead father weighted his limbs, but not enough to stop Seb from stepping into the area.

  The closer Seb got to the sound, the harder his heart beat. Dryness spread through his mouth and he swallowed against it, but it neither satiated his thirst nor calmed his excitement.

  Butterflies danced in Seb’s stomach when he rounded the corner and saw it. A structure bigger than any ship he’d seen docked that day, the building sat at the edge of the city. It looked like a huge stone silo, and the glistening ocean behind it threw a halo of light over the massive structure. They might have looked different on every planet, but they still had something universal about them. Seb smiled. Once you knew one fighting pit, you knew them all.

  Chapter Eleven

  The sound of the crowd set Seb’s skin alight with gooseflesh when he walked through the huge archway into the fighting pit. Along with the reek of blood and sweat, the air sparked with excitement. His stomach tensed. The sport of a duel. The potential to win big. Although, just how big he couldn’t tell; he’d never been to a fighting pit this large before.

  A flight of stairs led up the back of the seating area. After Seb had climbed them, he looked around the place. It appeared to be a sell-out crowd. No wonder the spaceport had been so quiet when he’d walked around it.

  The seats encircled a ring in the middle, which had a couple of lizard-like creatures cleaning it up for what must be the next fight. As the long, green beings—easily as tall as Seb should they stand on their hind legs—stalked around the ring, they used their elongated tails to sweep the floor. Teeth, flesh, and other body parts littered the hard and stained ground.

  The anticipation hung so heavy in the air it damn near choked Seb as he made his way to a seat in the back row and dropped down into it. All of the seating area looked similar. Round benches formed rings around the fighting space in the middle, each one positioned higher than the one in front of it so everyone had a view of the battle.

  On one side, however, several rows of benches had been broken up by a box of some sort. A large, cushioned sofa sat in the box with a creature in a suit perched on it. At around ten feet tall, the creature had a neck as wide as its head, and its entire face pointed into a nose covered in scars. A wide mouth was filled with small razor-sharp teeth; the creature also had onyx eyes to complement its devilish grin. No one looked its way other than the bookies that walked in its direction and handed over what seemed to be credits. The suited beast clearly ran the place.

  Silence fell around the pit as one of the lizard-like creatures stood up and faced the crowd. The creature drank it in for a moment as it spun on the spot before it said, “Thank you all for coming. The warm-up fight was entertaining, but we’re sure you’ve all come for the main event. So, without further ado, can I have some noise for Aloo’s fighting champion.”

  It lit a spark to the already charged atmosphere and the crowd exploded to life.

  “Our longest-standing champion ever; she’s a warrior from the great Arkint tribe, the bloodthirsty creatures that eat their mates once they’ve been impregnated by them, the one, the only, Mathusaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.”

  Although Seb expected the excitement to rise another level, the place fell into silence. A door opened in the wall that surrounded the ring and a bright light shone through it. A second later, the bench Seb sat on shook with a large bass boom that ran through the pit. Another boom, louder than the one before it. Then another.

  The bright light diminished as it got blocked out, and the booms hit louder against the ground. A second later, Seb lost his breath when the biggest warrior he’d ever seen ran in, her heavy footsteps shaking the entire place. The fight announcer had introduced her as female; otherwise, Seb wouldn’t have been able to tell. With legs thicker than Seb’s entire body, and arms equally as large, the huge monster roared so loud it vibrated against Seb’s chest and unsettled the rhythm of his heart.

  The warrior then lifted her arms as a spotlight shone down on her. Pink-skinned, she had red eyes so close together Seb couldn’t see the gap between them. Her hide looked as thick as leather. She had hair like ropes, and the smell of rotten meat filled the entire place at her entrance. When Seb looked over at the large suited creature in the box, he saw someone hand it a cup, which it slipped over its pointed nose—obviously to mask the stench.

  As the champion paced around the ring, she stared up at the audience, and the commentator s
poke. “Four hundred and sixty-two days since Mathusa first stepped into this ring. The purse for beating her now stands at three thousand credits. That’ll keep you going on Aloo for a year at least. Who fancies it?”

  So sure of herself, Mathusa continued to watch the crowd and roared again.

  The muscles in Seb’s legs twitched with the need to stand. It didn’t matter who he went against, he’d find their weak spot and put them down. Three thousand credits would solve a lot of problems. He’d promised his dad he wouldn’t fight again—especially not for money—but three thousand credits …

  Before Seb could think on it any further, a creature stood up in the front row and the pit fell silent. Only slightly smaller than Mathusa, the creature had a large head with huge jaws and jagged teeth. It had four legs and two massive arms. A blow from any one of those appendages looked like they could win the fight.

  “All righty then,” the commentator called out, “we have ourselves a challenger.” When he glanced up at the suited creature in the box, it nodded its approval.

  While the challenger removed its leather waistcoat, the commentator addressed the crowd. “Now, as you all know, this is Aloo. We have no laws here, so we have no rules in the fighting pit. Anything goes, and the fight is often to the death.”

  A mixture of excitement and fear balled in Seb’s stomach. He should be down there collecting the purse.

  The challenger jumped down into the ring, and the commentator pointed to one side to show him where to go. Mathusa stood opposite him, her lip lifted in a snarl, her fists opening and closing as they hung down by her sides.

  The commentator looked from the challenger to the champion. “Okay, I’m going to leave the ring now. When you hear the bell, the fight starts. Whoever’s left standing wins. You understand?”