The Shadow Order: A Space Opera

by Michael Robertson

  ***

  As Seb stepped into the dark bar, he looked around the large space. It seemed better for the lack of clientele—especially that oaf Mathusa. The barman had his back to the room as he cleaned the shelves. Seb cleared his throat and walked toward him.

  When the long, green barman spun around, he stared at Seb, his bloodshot eyes a sign that he hadn’t slept all night. His already heavy frown deepened and he pointed a stick-like finger at him. “You.”

  “Me?”

  The barman pulled out one of his blasters and aimed it at Seb. “You were with that little rat yesterday. Where is she?”

  As Seb focused on the barman’s shaking hand, he drew a deep breath to settle his nerves. “I was hoping you’d be able to tell me that. The little rodent stole my necklace and credit card.”

  Some of the tension left the bar owner and he lowered his blaster slightly. “She blew my electrics. I don’t know how she did it, but I know it was her. I should have kicked her out the second she walked into the place.”

  “So you’ve not seen her?”

  “If I’d seen her, she’d be pinned to the wall by now with a hole in her forehead.”

  “Damn it.”

  Without another word, Seb spun on his heel and left the bar.

  ***

  The cold saline wind burned Seb’s eyes when he stepped outside again and kept his head raised. With tears streaming down his face and a squint that encouraged the collection of salt at the edges of his eyes, he scanned for signs of Sparks. She might only be small, but when Seb caught up with her, he’d destroy the little vermin.

  As Seb passed the cargo ships in the port, he looked at each one, searching the shadows of their docking bays. The guards that saw him stared back. Some drew their blasters and pointed them at Seb. Whatever they had on their ship must justify their aggression, but Seb didn’t want to know.

  He’d walked from one end of the docking bay to the other and saw no sign of Sparks. Despite the time he’d spent with her the previous evening, he had no idea where she was staying on Aloo. She wouldn’t have told him the truth even if he’d asked, the devious little rat.

  Once out of the docking bay, Seb walked down the alleyway that led to the fighting pit, with his hands dug into his pockets and his shoulders raised to his neck. The tight space funnelled the fierce wind and turned it into an intense blast of cold and wet salt. But Seb rode out the pain and pushed on. With most of the beings on Aloo in the pit the previous day, maybe Sparks would be in there now.

  The sound of the commentator came out of the open-fronted building and ran up the alleyway towards Seb. “Whoever beats Mathusa will earn three thousand credits.”

  As Seb walked, he shook his head. He’d promised his dad. No matter how skint, there had to be another way. But three thousand credits …

  Seb stared at the large pit, and the hairs lifted on the back of his neck to hear the roar of the crowd. A look at the clear, blue sky and Seb grabbed for his necklace, his fingers closing around empty air. He’d promised his dad.

  Chapter Seventeen

  If for no other reason than to get out of the sharp wind, Seb walked into the fighting pit. Although, he had plenty of other reasons to go in and he knew it. Like an addict presented with his vice, Seb couldn’t resist the call of violence.

  The guards watched Seb as he entered. They probably watched everyone who entered, but there seemed to be an edge to their glare reserved only for humans.

  A smile at the closest security guard—a porcine creature with yellow eyes, orange skin, and an odour like a cesspool—and Seb glanced down at his blaster before he looked back up and winked at the thing. “My, my, that’s a big piece you have there.”

  The side of the guard’s face swelled and rested as it clenched its jaw. Despite the unease Seb felt in the guard’s presence, the fighting pits were his church and he knew the moves well. It would take a lot for a guard to justify shooting a punter. Their own delicate ego and bad temper wouldn’t wash with the big man in the suit who ran the place.

  It took until Seb reached the top of the stairs at the very back of the pit before he escaped the guard’s smell. Maybe the reek didn’t vanish completely, but it certainly got lost to the stench of blood and sweat that Seb associated with the fighting pits. The heady funk of pain and victory swirled through Seb’s senses and his head spun. Most people would have turned their nose up at the smell, but for Seb it had the aroma of home. In a world where he had no place, the reek of combat grounded him and calmed his nerves.

  When the crowd erupted, Seb looked down to see Mathusa. The smug fighter strolled into the ring like she owned it and walked circles around it as she stared at the crowd like she’d fight every one of them at once. Three thousand credits would go a long way, especially now that he had nothing.

  As the commentator introduced Mathusa, Seb searched the gathered crowd for a small Katan with broken glasses and large purple eyes. Maybe Sparks thought she could hide out in here. Maybe she’d come here to gamble Seb’s money away. Just the thought of it lifted Seb’s heart rate as he searched for the little snake. However, he couldn’t see her.

  When the crowd fell silent and they all sat down, Seb looked to see a creature had remained on its feet, ready to fight Mathusa. Everyone looked across at the suited man in the box for his approval. The emperor of this pit, he stared at the challenger: a tall, but slim creature that looked agile and fast. He then gave a thumbs-up and the crowd erupted into raucous approval.

  The challenger rolled his shoulders as he made his way down to the ring with the roar of the crowd behind him. Those on the benches didn’t necessarily support him, but they supported the fight. Touts sprang up from the seated masses and flitted around as they took bets.

  One of the lizard creatures who swept the floor of the pit came over with a ladder, but the tall challenger ignored it and vaulted over the side down into the ring. He’d clearly meant to land with grace and agility, but he caught his foot on the way over and fell to the floor like a rock.

  Even at the back of the pit, Seb heard the crack of the creature’s leg as it landed awkwardly. The crowd drew a collective intake of breath and the challenger screamed and grabbed its shin. Every tout in the pit sat down and ignored the angry calls from those around them. All bets were off.

  Seb saw the fight announcer glance at the pit’s boss. The suited creature rolled his hand through the air to signal that the fight should go on.

  “Beings of the galaxy,” the fight announcer called out, “it looks like the challenger has picked up an injury. But once you agree to fight the mighty Mathusa, there’s no backing out.” The creature looked almost embarrassed when it said, “Let’s see what the challenger can do with a broken leg.”

  With a grip still on its shin, the tall being with the broken leg shook its head. “No, no, no.”

  As the commentator backed out of the gap in the pit that Mathusa had entered through, he said, “Let the fight begin.”

  The gap closed off, shutting the fight announcer away, and a loud bell rang through the place.

  The normally noisy crowd watched on in near silence. The main sound came from the challenger. “Please, I’ll come back when I’m healed, but please don’t make me fight now.”

  While most faces pointed toward the fight, Seb looked at the creature in the suit. Impossible to read, his dark eyes watched things unfold below with what seemed to be a cold detachment. Not that he could look any other way; his obsidian glare left little room for compassion.

  Mathusa crossed the ring at a jog, and the seats that surrounded it shook. Three heavy steps and the fourth one came down on the challenger’s head. The stomp ran through the pit like she’d dropped an atomic bomb.

  Silence descended on the pit. Although Seb couldn’t see the downed creature from where he sat, he saw the splattering of blood and brain matter that coated the walls of the ring. A stick of lit dynamite in the challenger’s mouth would have made less of a mess.

 
With her huge arms raised, Mathusa spun on the spot. The crowd jumped up as one, and the large creature drank in the adoration as she continued to turn. She then roared so loud it shook Seb’s vision.

  To beat her would see Seb right for at least a year. Without thinking, Seb grabbed the space where his dad’s necklace should be. After another quick scan of the rowdy spectators, he saw no sign of Sparks. As the rest of the crowd sat down, Seb turned to leave. He needed to get his dad’s necklace back before he did anything else.

  By the time Seb had reached the stairs at the back of the pit that led to the exit, the voice of the fight announcer echoed through the large space. “Our esteemed host, Moses Deloitte, has just upped the purse for anyone who wants to fight Mathusa. For this next fight, and this next fight only, the prize has been raised to four thousand credits.”

  Seb stopped and looked down at the crowd. Most of the beings gasped, but none stood up. And why would they? They’d just seen a contender so utterly destroyed, it would hardly fill them with confidence to have a go themselves.

  The pit had gone so quiet, Seb could hear the scuff of the fight announcer’s feet as he turned circles in the middle, looking for someone to challenge Mathusa. “Anyone? Four thousand credits will make life a lot easier.”

  “So will staying alive,” a large brute of a creature called out. All hair and claws, it sat close to the pit and shook its head at the announcer.

  While the announcer tried to find a challenger, Mathusa limbered up behind him. A smug smile spread across her wide face as she looked at the crowd. Her superiority complex oozed from her. When she made eye contact with Seb, she stopped her surveillance and laughed. A full-bellied laugh, each bark of it went off like cannon fire.

  It didn’t take long for everyone in the pit to look up at Seb. The only person on his feet, Mathusa must have seen him as her next challenger. A laugh here and there, and then the entire pit burst into hysterics at the perceived challenge.

  Heat flushed Seb’s face when he looked around. Even the announcer laughed at him. The only being who didn’t seem amused by the misunderstanding sat in the box in a suit. Instead, he stared at Seb. The beast’s thoughts were impossible to read because of his dark visage.

  Something inside of Seb snapped. He’d chosen to walk away, but by mocking him, Mathusa had just signed her fall from grace. With his attention still on the creature in the suit, Seb said, “All right then, I’ll fight her.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Seb stared at Moses, and Moses stared straight back. Eyes as dark as the bloodstones on Danu, Seb searched them but found Moses impossible to read. Near silence descended on the huge pit. Even the fight announcer remained quiet.

  With his heart in his throat, Seb waited. Now he’d made the choice, he wanted this fight. Hell, if Moses didn’t give it to him, he’d go down there and take it. “If you’re worried about my size,” Seb said, his voice echoing across the quiet space, “then don’t be. Trust me, I can hold my own.”

  The slightest twitch of a smile pulled on Moses’ wide mouth and he tilted his head to one side.

  After a glance down at Mathusa, Seb looked back at the creature in the suit. “You should be more worried about her than me.”

  The pit exploded into laughter. Even Moses smiled to reveal his mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Despite his smile, his cold eyes still showed no sign of emotion. The glare of a psychopath. Not that psychopath meant anything to any species other than human; being a psychopath could be the highest achievement among Moses’ race for all Seb knew.

  Before Seb could say anything else, Moses smiled again, broader than before, and gave a thumbs-up. The crowd screamed so loud Seb had to clap his hands to his ears to shut out the pain of it.

  With what felt like every pair of eyes on him, Seb walked from the back of the pit down to the ring in the centre. A long and lonely march, he felt the derision aimed at him from everyone in the place. How could such a slight human take on the mighty Mathusa?

  Once he arrived at the pit, one of the lizard creatures pushed a ladder up for him to climb down.

  “Make sure you don’t slip,” the announcer called out, and the pit filled with laughter again.

  So calm, Seb had slowed his heart rate down to a resting pace. While he climbed down the ladder, three of the lizard creatures rushed around the ring to tidy up the mess left from the previous fight.

  By the time Seb had descended the three metres into the ring, the creatures had cleaned the place. There remained no sign of Mathusa’s destruction of yet another one of her challengers. Seb walked over to his side of the ring, turned around, and stared at Mathusa. Now he’d climbed down to her level, her foul stench of rotting meat smothered him.

  Mathusa’s breaths rolled inside her chest like thunder and vibrated through the ground. Huge arms and legs, she stretched them out as she paced back and forth while she maintained her focus on Seb. With red eyes too close together, she watched him with more malice than he’d seen from her before; the challenge from such a small being clearly got under her thick hide.

  “Now, if we can have your attention,” the announcer called, his voice echoing through the pit. “This is the big one. Never seen before, our gracious host, Moses Deloitte, is offering a four-thousand-credit purse to …” The announcer looked at Seb.

  “Seb Zodo,” Seb said.

  A shrug and the announcer laughed. “Not that it matters, he’ll be mush within thirty seconds.” The crowd giggled again. “But for the sake of consistency, let me introduce you to Seb Zodo.”

  The pit had been quiet when Seb awaited permission from Moses to step into the ring. Now it seemed like even the idea of noise had been sucked into a vacuum.

  When the announcer cleared his throat, it went off like a gunshot. “And the champion, as you all know, the one, the only, Mathusaaaaaaaaaaa.”

  The gathered mass of creatures all jumped from their seats and screamed as loud as they had been quiet just seconds before. So loud, it made Seb’s head spin. When he looked at Moses, he found the man staring straight at him. No expression on his face, the black eyes of the creature fixed Seb with something that could have been curiosity, but who knew?

  As Seb waited for the crowd to calm down, he rolled his shoulders and bounced on the spot. Mathusa, easily three to four times his size, stared at him with contempt. When the sound in the place dropped quiet enough, she said, “Why are you here?”

  Seb didn’t reply; instead, he grinned at her and rocked from side to side in an attempt to loosen up.

  Her voice rumbled when she asked again, louder this time, “Why are you here? Tell me. You obviously can’t beat me, so what do you want to achieve?”

  “Quit talking, yeah?” A few of the onlookers gasped at Seb’s words. “Just fight me and we’ll see, shall we?”

  The ugly Arkint warrior fixed her gaze on Seb for a few more seconds before she shrugged and then focused on the announcer.

  A look from Seb to Mathusa, and the announcer backed out of the ring.

  The calmest he’d been since he’d landed on Aloo, Seb watched the wall close back over before he refocused on Mathusa, her red eyes so close together they nearly touched in the middle.

  The second the announcer shouted, “Fight!” Seb’s world slipped into slow motion.

  Despite Seb’s perception of the world moving slower, Mathusa rushed forward like the wind and closed the space down in a flash. Thankfully, he didn’t have to fight her at full speed. A wall of flesh and limbs, she landed the first blow. The connection hit Seb’s jaw, snapped his face to the side, lifted him from his feet, and hurled him halfway across the ring like a rag doll.

  With the copper taste of his own blood rushing down his throat, Seb lay on his back as Mathusa closed down on him once again. Each step shook the ground, and before Seb had recovered, the huge warrior woman loomed over him as she brought her large fist, easily the size of Seb’s torso, crashing down toward him.

  This time, Seb rolled to the side and
she missed him. The impact ran a shock wave through the hard ground of the pit, and Seb bounced like a pea on a drum. As he scrambled to his feet, his legs wobbly from the first punch and his vision blurred, he drew a deep breath of her rotting stench and shook his head.

  Mathusa came forward again and led with a punch that Seb ducked. She hit the wall above him and the top of it broke away. Before the huge concrete lump could land on him, Seb dived through Mathusa’s legs.

  Having shaken off the effects of the first punch, Seb jumped up and bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for Mathusa’s next move. The brute only knew one way: attack, attack, and attack. Sure enough, she came at him again, her mouth opened wide in a roar and her arms raised, ready to land another punch.

  With the world around him in slow motion, Seb focused on Mathusa’s temples. Either one would do; even a half-decent punch would knock her out.

  As she came at him again, Seb ducked beneath her reach, dodged to the side, jumped up, and landed a punch square on her temple as she passed him.

  Momentum carried Mathusa straight into the ring’s wall, which she connected with head first before she fell into a heap. Seb kept his fists raised as he stared at the felled warrior, but when she didn’t move, he lowered his guard and took in the stunned crowd.

  The call of “Finish her” shook the walls of the place, so Seb walked over to her. Still out cold, he could end the bully’s life. Maybe he’d be doing the galaxy a favour. But to kill her would be to stoop to her level. His mercy would do more damage than any physical blow ever could. So instead, Seb put his foot on her back like a proud hunter with a downed beast, and lifted his hands above his head. The crowd damn near deafened Seb with their celebration.

  The voice of the fight announcer rang out as he came back through the gap in the walls. “Wow, wow, and wow. What can I say? After years of domination, the mighty Mathusa has been knocked out. But can I ask something?”