by S. J. Bryant
"Yes, you damn can! It's your place," Lucas replied angrily.
"'I'd lose half my customers doing that. They like him because he's a sure win. I can't kick him out without evidence."
"That's bullshit," Lucas said.
"I agree with that," George said from outside of Nova's vision.
"Could you fit her suit Honey?" Silver asked.
"I don't think so boss, she's too short," Honey replied.
Nova's brows drew together. She tried to put the pieces back together. Tate had stabbed her, but there was no way to prove it. And then, Honey… Honey was going to…
"No!" Nova said. This time she did manage to sit up although she swayed. Jonas placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady.
They crowded around her, blocking her view of the far corner where Tate was sure to be.
"Glad to see you're awake girl," said George, his mouth lifting.
"She can't go out there," Nova said sluggishly.
"Neither can you," Silver said. "And I've got at least three more rounds to fill if I'm going to stop a full riot."
"I can do it," Nova said.
Cal hovered over to her and his internal systems scanned her eyes and then the rest of her body. His processors beeped, but he didn't say anything.
"I don't think so," Jonas said, putting more pressure on her shoulder in an attempt to make her lie down. "You nearly died on me back there. You've lost way too much blood for this nonsense."
"So get me some synthetic," Nova said. "I know you've got stacks of it down here."
"Nova, I'm sorry I pushed you into a fight, but you really shouldn't do this. Tate's not going to go easy just because you're hurt. He'll try to kill you," Silver said, rubbing his forehead.
"You're forgetting that I also have a bet on this match," Nova said. The effort of staying upright and talking was making her head swim. She took three deep breaths to settle herself.
"Screw it; you can still have your five hundred," Silver said. "Just promise not to sue me for damages over this." He gestured to her stomach with a weak smile.
"I have to take him down," Nova said. "If I can just prove that he's cheating, then everything will be fixed."
"It's not as easy as that," Silver said. "I've been trying to pin him for years."
"Yes, but you didn't have me."
"Look, my girl. You don't have anything to prove. We know you're a bad arse and you would have won that fight if that bastard hadn't cheated," said George. "Don't hurt yourself more just for an ego boost."
"It's not just my ego. He has to learn and it's my lesson to teach," Nova said stubbornly.
"Nova—"
At that second Nova caught sight of Tate through the press of bodies surrounding her. His visor was up and he sneered at her across the arena. An icy cold settled over her racing heart and a sudden calm spread through her. She clenched her teeth.
"Patch it up," she said.
"You can't be serious," Jonas said.
"I said, patch it."
Jonas glanced at Silver who sighed and threw his hands into the air. "Do it."
Jonas pulled a canister from his medical kit and sprayed it through the gaping hole in Nova's mech suit. The sudden pressure sent a new wave of agony through her and stars danced across her vision. She blinked hard and locked her gaze on Tate. So long as he was sneering, she'd stand and fight.
"Here," George said after Jonas had finished. He held a metal panel over Nova's damaged side.
Cal hovered closer and extended the welder from his central panel. With great care he attached the spare panel over Nova's wound.
"Is it sewn up tight Doc?" Nova asked, wrenching her eyes away from Tate.
"Good as I could get it," he said.
"Good," she said. "Get me a bag of blood, A neg. How long have I got before it's a forfeit?"
"The crew still have to come out for a dance, you've got time," said Silver.
Nova nodded. She breathed in shallow gasps to reduce the pain.
"Here," Cal said, holding out a square of Parapem. Nova took it with a nod.
Jonas ran off to find the blood and Nova stayed sitting, trying to collect herself.
"Damn your stubbornness," George said.
Nova shrugged and smiled. "I learnt from some of the best."
"Let her go, George. If she wants to throw her life away then let her, we've all got to go some time," Honey said.
"Oh, I'm not worried about her. I was speaking on behalf of Tate. He's a dead man walking, you know," George said with a smile.
"That bastard did a number on your suit, Nova," Honey said.
"Ten credits say he's going to go for that place again."
"I'd agree with you there."
"Here we are," said Jonas holding up a bag of synthetic blood as he walked back into the arena. He went to Nova and inserted a needle into her arm. He attached the drip and held the bag up high.
Nova grimaced as the needle sunk in and looked away. The sting persisted up her arm, joining the rest of the pain that coursed through her body.
It took a while, but eventually the blood bag was empty and Nova felt much better. Jonas pulled out the needle and Nova stood. Bright lights flashed in front of her vision and she wobbled, arms spinning for support.
Honey grabbed hold of her shoulders and held her steady while Nova leant forward, resting her hands on her knees. Her crunched side burst with new pain, but she couldn't risk passing out, so she waited until the stars cleared.
"One last time. Are you sure you want to do this?" George asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You bet," Nova replied.
"Okay. Give 'em hell, girl."
Nova nodded at each of her friends and pushed down the green button on her collar. The helmet slid into place and the others hurried out of the arena.
The dance crew was out in full force. They were very attractive men and women who had had multiple modifications, their bodies carved and shaped to exactly match the perception of beauty for this month. When the fashions changed next month they would no doubt go and get new mods and upgrades to keep up.
The crew jumped over each other and spun through the air, performing summersaults and backflips in quick succession. They danced to an upbeat song which was almost contagious. Even Nova in her near-dead state and encased in metal, felt the need to move her head in time to the music.
The song came to its end and the crew jumped up over one another to create a towering human pyramid. The crowd went wild, cheering and stomping their feet. The crew smiled and layer by layer came down from the pyramid and left the arena. Nova nodded at them as they walked past, whether they had bided time for her of their own accord or because of Silver's instructions, she didn't care, they'd done her a favour.
"Give it up again for The Pit's Crew!" Silver said from the speakers. The crowd cheered, but a lot of their attention was now focused on the two fighters.
"I apologise for some technical difficulties but these have been resolved and we can return to the main attraction. Here they are, ready for round two: Tanker Tate and Smasher Sam."
The crowd erupted. Nova stepped into the arena. Tate did the same on the other side. As before the scantily clad woman stepped into the ring and walked around the edge, holding a metal plate with the number two printed on it.
"How's your side?" Tate asked.
"You know blades are forbidden in this arena right?" Nova said.
"Wasn't my blade girl. I guess your cheap-arse armour must have broken or something."
"That's a good story, you should stick to it." Nova spared a glance for the girl; she was halfway around, still some time. "Rest assured, you are a dead man."
"Hmm, I don't feel very dead," Tate replied, his tone mocking.
Nova didn't respond. The gate clanged shut and she lunged, catching Tate by surprise. Her metal body slammed into his and they both fell to the ground.
She didn't stop for breath, pounding into Tate with all of her force. It only
took three hits before she was exhausted. Her muscles ached, her vision was hazy, and the world started closing in on her.
Tate pushed her off and they both struggled to their feet. She couldn't let up now. Ignoring the stars in her vision she rushed forward, arms swinging, until he was against the fence. She refused to show any weakness, even when her whole vision blacked out.
"Oh girly, didn't you learn from last time?"
Nova smiled inside of her helmet.
Tate swung his right arm up and a blade shot out of a slot on his forearm. It shone red with blood and bits of flesh dangled from the serrated edge. As Tate swung his blade up towards her ribs, she turned to her side so that her back was against the fence next to his.
The blade sailed up through the air, missing her entirely. She was ready for it and lashed out, slamming her fist into the thin blade so that it snapped clean off.
The crowd watched as it sailed through the air and clattered to the gravel arena. Everything went silent. Many in The Pits knew that Tate cheated, but to have actual proof was something else entirely. The knife slid a few feet across the ground and came to rest.
Unlike the rest of the arena, Tate and Nova didn't stop. As soon as the blade snapped, Tate smashed a button on his other arm and revealed a second knife. He slashed at Nova, aiming for her injured side and forcing her to move and twist. The motions pulled the stitches in her wound and she felt her skin pull apart. Blood seeped out between the gaps.
She watched the knife wave in front of her face and then stomped forward. The sudden movement put her inside Tate's reach but the knife was on the wrong side. He tried to turn it around to stab Nova's back, but she was too fast. She slammed her open palm up into his head. Her metal casing smashed into his green face shield and a crack ripped up the centre.
With her other hand, Nova lashed out at Tate's shoulder. She aimed straight at his pressure point and with the force of her blow his arm went limp. Nova lifted up her right leg and kicked out with full force. Her foot collided into Tate's stomach and he flew backwards, crumpling to the ground near his broken blade.
Nova smiled, even though her abdomen hurt more than anything she could imagine and she felt as if she was going to pass out at any moment. Tate was down and they had proof of his cheating. She grinned and waved up at the crowd, her breath coming hard and fast. Her ears were filled with the sound of cheering.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we have a winner. And what a win it was too! The champion is Smasher Sam. Make sure you show her your appreciation, she's an off-world visitor and we want her to come back," Silver said.
The crowd cheered.
"On a more serious note, I think it's safe to say that after tonight Tanker Tate will not be fighting in The Pits again. We may evade the law ladies and gentlemen, but we have our own honour code and I think it's pretty clear that Tate's been spitting in the face of that for quite some time."
Most of the crowd cheered. There were a few boos and hisses, but they were drowned out by the rest. Some of Tate's staunchest supporters slunk out of the stadium. Nova grinned at their retreating backs. Let them cower.
She stood in the centre of the arena, while workers dragged Tate's body off to the side. They pulled him and his metal suit from the arena through the gravel, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. He was still conscious, but only barely. Nova's kick had been a good one, and he'd landed with a deep thud. Probably his head had smashed against his helmet. He wouldn't be the first one to be felled by his own suit.
Nova nodded up at the crowd for a few more moments and then disappeared up the corridor to her own changing room. She managed to walk upright until she was inside the tunnel at which point she crumpled to the floor with a groan.
She tried to breath, but it was too painful, each gasp cutting into her side like a hot iron. She rolled her head to the side and saw her friends running at her down the tunnel, silhouetted by the bright lights of the arena.
She sunk in and out of consciousness, barely aware of her surroundings. Her friend's faces came and went, but Cal hovered above her throughout. She tried to talk, but her words died in her throat with new waves of agony.
It felt like days before she stabilised enough to stay conscious, although according to Cal it was only a few hours.
"You've used up six of my blood bags!" Silver said with mock horror. "Do you know how much that costs me?"
Nova smiled and tried to sit up higher on the make-shift bed. "I'm sure you made it back on the fight," she said, her voice rough.
"Lucky for you."
"So, will you be coming back to join us?" Honey asked, smiling.
Nova snorted. "Believe it or not, this isn't exactly appealing." She gestured to her side.
Bandages wrapped around her midsection, hiding the wound.
Despite the agony, she was glad she'd come back to The Pits, and even gladder that they'd convinced her to fight. Defeating Tate was almost worth coming to Tabryn in the first place. Even if the casino job didn't work out, she'd won a tidy profit here which made up for having to come back to the hell-hole which was Tabryn.
"You're mostly patched up," Jonas said. "You can stay here or we can take you back to your ship."
"As charming as this changing room is," Nova said, glancing at the dull walls. "I think I'd rather go back. Cal can look after me from here."
"It was good to see you, Nova," said George, echoed by the others.
Nova smiled and closed her eyes, feigning exhaustion so they wouldn't see the tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Nova took three days on Crusader to rest and recover from her wounds. Cal's tutting echoed throughout the ship whenever she winced or showed any sign of pain. Even so, he took the time to repair her mech suit and return it to the cupboard.
On the third day, Nova hobbled into the storage bay.
"Cal," she said. "Where's my dress?"
"Where did you leave it?"
"Here on the floor."
"Exactly," he said with a huff. "I hung it up in the cupboard."
Nova rolled her eyes as she hunted through the closet. Tears welled in her eyes and she groaned as she pulled the black dress over her head.
Another night 'blending' at the casino. She couldn't think of anything worse.
"Keep scanning those photos, and all the other images we have. I don't want to waste one second more in there than I have to."
"Confirmed," Cal said.
She nodded and strode out of the ship, her movements completely at odds with the tight black dress. She threw on her customary trench-coat as she walked through the night air. The thick material warmed her skin against the chill and hid her from prying eyes.
Once inside the casino, she stopped to look around. She nodded to a couple of guards who had become familiar to her and walked deeper inside the casino. She noted the de-emo who had dealt for her on the first night. Behind the cash counter was the woman who had all but told her to shove off.
At a far table, Nova spotted the elderly man she had sat next to on the first night and she couldn't help but smile to herself. The universe just kept spinning.
Nova took a seat to the man's right and smiled at him. "How's it going tonight?"
The man looked up at her through cloudy eyes. "Oh hello. Not so good I'm afraid." He gestured to the meagre pile of tokens sitting in front of him.
"There's always time to get it back," Nova said, waving for the young man holding the cards to deal her in.
"I don't mean to offend you, but you weren't much luck last time."
"Ah. I'm feeling much luckier tonight," Nova said as she lifted the cards up. "What's your name anyway, friend?"
"Call me Ted. Everyone else does." Ted's tone was bleak as he turned back to his own cards.
"Well, Ted, fingers crossed that tonight is your night."
It wasn't.
Nova played, but her attention was spread out over the rest of the casino. As with the other nigh
ts she could see nothing strange or suspicious. She was so preoccupied that she barely noticed when Ted ran out of tokens.
"That's me," he said with a sigh, pushing away from the table.
Nova looked up at him with a hint of concern. "Already?"
"I told you, you're bad luck," Ted said with a smile.
"Can I give you ten to make up for it?" she asked, holding up a blue edged token. A part of her felt bad for the man. What if that had been all of his life savings?
"Thank you, pretty lady, but a wise man knows when to fold 'em." Ted grimaced and shuffled away.
Nova watched him go before turning back to her cards. As her gaze swept the room her eyes locked onto a cascade of red hair. Vicki. The woman bent over a roulette table, her breasts brushing against the surface. She batted her eyelashes at the ball jockey who flushed red and seemed utterly lost.
Nova sneered at the display and tossed her cards onto the table at the end of the hand.
Despite the pain in her side, she stalked around the card tables, searching for anything suspicious. The first table she stopped at was filled with players. These were the high-rollers. They watched the cards with intense concentration. She doubted any of these stole the money; the high-rollers respected the art of gambling almost as much as Cracos himself did.
The bets at the centre of the table grew bigger until the total was much more than Nova would earn in an entire year. Her eyes lit at the pile of tokens. She imagined what she would do if she could just win that hand. But of course, she wouldn't even try a hand at this table. The players here knew every card counting trick there was, and then some.
Nova wandered to the next table. A lone man played at this table and the de-emo dealing didn't look up as Nova stood off to the side. The man wore a black coat and torn jeans. His messy black hair hung over his face, partially shielding his stubbled face. A part of Nova was surprised that the casino had let such a scruffy man through the doors.
It was then she noticed the gold-rimmed chips. He had money. Nova narrowed her eyes. What was a man who looked like he should be in the farthest reaches of Outer Tabryn, be doing in a casino with that kind of money?
He seemed to be breaking even on most hands, so she guessed he wasn't making money off the tables.