by Edward Lake
Norv slowly rose to his feet. “That’s not a man, son. It’s Zena—a slave woman from District Four.”
“Round three! Fight!”
Norv shoved Ray back even farther and stumbled forward. “I won’t hesitate to kill you!” His speech was slurred, blood and spit oozing from his mouth. “Fight me!”
“Fight him, Zena!” Jax shouted. “You can’t save him! So save yourself!”
I ignored Jax, glaring at Norv. I know what I have to do.
My time was up. Norv’s slow, wobbly fist was headed for my face. I ducked and struck him with a swift punch to his gut. He buckled and wheezed out a glob of blood. He coughed and crumpled to the floor.
The crowd chanted, “Finish the fight! Finish the fight! Finish the fight!”
All around me, it felt like everything was moving in slow motion. The buzz from the crowd seemed slower and quieter. Ray’s crying and screaming appeared to have faded, too. Behind me, humming shouts from my group crept into my ears. I was frozen. Unable to think or feel anything.
Norv crawled to me and grabbed my leg. He yanked at my pants, then tried to use my leg to pull himself up. I looked down and watched him, feeling sorry for myself and even worse for him.
“Zena?” Jarvis said as he walked to me. “The esteemed members of the GGC are getting frustrated with your antics.”
I glanced at him, seething.
“Kill your opponent, or you will be shot down.”
Jax marched to Jarvis and shoved him back. “Relax, oaf. Give me a minute with her.”
Jarvis stepped back.
Jax groaned and bent his head low. “I can see that you’re having a hard time with this. Just think about your family and finish the fight.” He reached up and gripped my shoulder. “My word is good, Zena. You do this for me, and I will do everything in my power to help you save your family.”
I didn’t need any extra motivation from him. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to see my family again. But Norv and Ray, they didn’t deserve this. I thought I could do this fight and be okay after. Yet I feared killing Norv would leave a deep scar in my mind, a scar that might make it difficult to look at myself in a mirror.
Jax went back to the others. Norv was still trying to use my leg to stand. But by now he was barely hanging on. I knelt and wrapped my arm around his neck. Norv gradually reached up and tried to pull my arm down. I squeezed hard until I felt his body go limp. I applied more pressure and heard him squeal. I held on until his face turned purple. Finally, when he died, I tossed his body to the ground and stood up.
“That’s it! It’s over! Zena Ezra has killed Norv Krane!” He cheered and danced around. “Which means a woman has defeated a man!”
The crowd booed and threw chairs, cups and utensils at me. Most of them missed, but a few of the cups caught me. Then a chair and several utensils.
Jax ran to me and grabbed my arm. “Come on, Zena! We have to get out of here.”
“No!” I wrestled my arm away from him and stumbled towards Ray. I held my arms out, weeping. “I’m sorry for this! I didn’t want to kill your father.”
“Leave me alone!” the boy cried. “When I become a man, I will find you, Zena! I will kill you for what you did!”
Jax grabbed me, then Ada came forward and helped him pull me back. They dragged me away from the falling objects. We hurried to the ship and dashed up the pathway. Fritz and Que came in after us and quickly closed the ramp.
Ada sat me down in a chair and knelt. She carefully checked my wounds. “They got you good.” She snapped her fingers at one of the naked women strolling around. “Bring me some cold rags and bandages.”
In no time at all, the servant came back with a tin case. She set it down next to Ada, then went back to her post.
Ada grabbed my face and turned my head. “Hold still.” With the rag, she gently padded my bruises. “You fought well.”
I ignored her praise and looked on with a blank stare. Ray’s crying voice was still fresh in my head. My mind was scarred, and all I could do was ask myself if I could have done something to save Norv and his son. Deep down, I figured the answer was no. But it didn’t make me feel less guilty. I was afraid to see my own reflection, not sure if I would be happy with the person staring back at me. The pain was numbing, and I wondered if I would ever feel like my old self again.
I snapped out of my miserable daze and glanced at Ada as she continued to nurse my wounds. I wished I could be a friend to her. But something told me that wouldn’t be enough for her. It was a shame, because I believed she could be a better person. I wanted to save her from the rebels and show her that she didn’t have to be like them to survive.
Fritz walked to me, applauding and smiling. “Zena, I must say. I thought you had no chance of winning that fight.” He held his hands out. “However, I was wrong, and I couldn’t be happier for it!”
Que brought me a beverage. “Your win has made us much richer!”
I waved off the drink. “No, thanks.”
Jax beamed and gently touched my shoulder. “You should be celebrating! This is a win for all of us.” He exhaled and turned to the GGC leaders. “I hate to speed things up. But unfortunately, we must return to Cato.”
“Nonsense,” Que said. “Surely we can celebrate tonight and worry about your payment at dawn.”
Jax grabbed him and pulled him close. “Listen to me, old man.”
“Guards!” Fritz yelled.
From down the hall, troops dressed in shiny gold armor marched to his aid, armed with guns, aiming at Jax’s head. But they weren’t Holy Army soldiers. They appeared to be personal guards.
“Call your men off,” Jax ordered. “If you kill me, Master will report you to the High Priest.” He chuckled wickedly. “What do you think Pastor Saros will do to your precious organization when he finds out you’ve been arranging secret events with his enemy?”
Fritz and Que snuck a quick look at each other.
“He’ll slaughter both of you,” Ada said, then glanced up at them.
“Stand down, men,” Fritz said.
Jax grinned and shoved Que. He cracked his knuckles and scanned the room. “Where’s my money?”
Fritz signaled to his servants. The naked maids quickly got to work and pulled out four large metal canisters from a storage compartment that was well hidden in the walls. One by one, they rolled them over to Jax.
“Happy now?” Que asked, his head held high.
Jax knelt by the tubes and slid his hand across the many fingerprints the servants had left. “Yes. Very happy.”
11
Zena
Fritz and Que had their pilots fly us back to our ship. Once we got situated, Jax and Ada counted every golden chip in the canisters. Finally, when the counting was done, they gave each other smiles.
Jax stood up and sent a message to Master. “I have good news, sir. It’s all here. We’re ready to move forward.”
It didn’t take long for the mysterious rebel leader to respond. “Well done, Commander Jax. Return to Cato and prepare the troops. When they are ready, travel to our location on Agholor. I will meet you there and deliver further instructions.”
“Right away, sir.” Jax hurried to the cockpit and prepared the ship for takeoff.
Ada came back to me and prepared another bandage for a cut on my arm. “You’ve got a lot of heart, Zena. You should be proud.”
Her constant praise upset me. Did she not understand the depths of what I had done? “An innocent man is dead because of me. Two young children, Ray and his sister, will have to go on without their father. And their mother is now left to care for them on her own.”
She wrapped the bandage around my cut and made sure it was secure. She sat down next to me and let out a deep sigh. “It’s awful, I know. But this is the galaxy we live in. There is no mercy in Starlight. No hope for the weak. That is why we must do all that is necessary to win this war.”
I grumbled and looked the other way. “You don’t understand.
I will forever be haunted by this. That boy’s cries…forever stuck in my head.”
Slowly, Ada reached out and took my hand. I looked back at her and saw the same concern in her eyes that she showed me during the fight. “I’m sorry, Zena. If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m a very cold person. Society made me this way.” She paused and stared at me for a moment. “There can be no peace without suffering. You can be a victim, or you can be a taker. That’s what I’ve learned as a member of the Rebel Army.”
Victim? Or taker? I was tired of being a victim, but I could never be a taker. It wasn’t in my nature. I had seen so much pain and sorrow in my life, I never wanted to be responsible for the pain and suffering of others. I just wanted to get away from the fighting and danger. I needed to be free from the war, with my family, and Sadie, and my friends.
I glanced at Evander and Taft, sitting across from us. They quickly turned their heads and looked out the window, pretending like they hadn’t been watching Ada and me. It was nice to see them keeping an eye on me at a time when I felt uncomfortable in my own skin.
“I can’t think right now, Ada. I feel…empty, like I left a big part of my soul in that fight.” I covered my face to hide my incoming tears. “Anyways, thank you for patching me up.”
She gently tapped my knee. “We’re a team, Zena. I know you’d do the same for me.” She leaned into me. “Listen, when we get back to camp, I’m going to make you something to eat.”
I uncovered my face and stared at her, curious. “You cook?”
“What? You think a mean old woman like me can’t cook?” She grinned. “I was a maid, remember?”
Even down on myself, I couldn’t help but smile.
Jax boosted the ship into the air. He launched us into interstellar speed, and we reached Cato in a flash. He flew us down into the snowy atmosphere, right into a swirling storm. The ship swayed and thumped as we went on. He put on the boosters and arrived at the camp in a hurry.
On the outside, the entire army was waiting for me, cheering, with their guns held high over their heads.
“Zena! Zena! Zena!” they roared.
When we left the ship, Jax hollered and raised a tight fist in the air. “Yes! To Zena! The most dangerous woman in the galaxy!”
I shook my head and hid my face. It was embarrassing to hear him talk like this. I had killed an innocent man. There was nothing to celebrate.
“Let’s head inside where it’s warm. Before we all freeze to death,” he said.
The camp let the five of us walk past them and head in first. They cheered as we moved along, telling us how great we were for completing the mission.
Inside the building, Ada took me to the room where Jax had beaten Evander. The burning logs were still there, lined up against the walls. “Wait here. I’m going to get what I need to cook.”
My nerves were a mess. I looked down and scratched my head.
“Okay.” I paced the room, anxiously awaiting her return. Being alone wasn’t good for me. All I could think of was the terrible pain I had caused Ray and his family. Replaying the slaughter of the boy’s father in my head made me feel sick.
I sat down and buried my head between my legs. I gradually rocked forward and backwards, trembling, crying softly. Who am I? Someone who would kill to save their family. I lifted my head and stared at the shadowy light emanating from the fire. What does that make me? A monster? No better than the High Priest?
When Ada came back, she asked me to help her with all the things she was carrying. I hurried to her and grabbed the pot and burner she had.
Ada readjusted the food and water she held in her hands. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” I followed her as she moved past me.
She set the food and water down in the center of the room. I set the pot and burner down next to her. I backed up a few feet and took a seat. I reached up and rubbed my shaved head. I watched her closely as she set up the burner and used the laser from her gun to turn it on.
She poured some water into the pot and then set the pot on the burner. “I’m not the best cook in the galaxy. But this will certainly fill you up.” She pulled out a blade from her boot and used it to chop up the meat and plants she had gathered.
“I’m so hungry I’ll eat anything.” I touched my arm and caressed the bandages she had made for me. “You’ve been really good to me, Ada.”
Ada stayed silent for a moment as she continued to chop the food. “I do my best, Zena.” She glanced at me, her face tense and somber. “Jax took care of me when I joined the rebels. Gave me a better life. When this is over, I know that you’ll be better off, too.”
Staring at her, I wondered how she handled her first kill. “What was it like? When you killed someone for the first time?”
She paused and turned a bit. She stared at me for a few seconds. “Goodness, I don’t remember.” She playfully twirled the blade she held. “I don’t think it had much effect on me. At least not as bad as it has affected you.” She went back to preparing the food.
I put my head down and covered my forehead. “I wanted my first face-to-face kill to be Saros. Or an enemy soldier.” I cringed and felt tears run down my face. “Not that poor man…not in front of his son.” I let out a strangled sob and hid my face again.
Ada paused the cooking and dashed to me. She patted my back, then took my wrist and pulled my hands down. “You didn’t kill Norv. The GGC did.”
“Tell that to his son!” I sank into her arms and cried my eyes out. “I feel like an imposter in my own skin.”
Ada hugged me and rocked me from side to side. “Use this pain. It will make you stronger. Your family still needs you, Zena. Will you sacrifice your own sanity for them? Can you live in agony for the rest of your life? Wouldn’t you do that for them?” She reached up and rubbed my head. “If Evetta was still alive, I’d sacrifice anything to save her.” She held on to me for a few minutes.
Finally, when I calmed down, she let go and went back to the food. She finished slicing the meat and vegetables and tossed the chopped pieces into the steaming pot. She slapped her hands together, brushed them off on her chest, then crawled over to me. She crossed her legs and set her elbows on her knees. “You’re going to be okay, Zena. One day at a time, you’ll get through this.”
I wiped my eyes and let out a big sigh. “You’re right. I just have to think about my family. They’re all that matters.”
Shortly thereafter, Ada finished cooking and found some bowls and scooping utensils. She poured me a portion of what she had made and brought it to me. Then she got a bowl for herself and came back.
We sat there for a minute or two, blowing on the steaming gup until it was cool enough to eat. Ada was a fast eater. She nearly finished her entire bowl before I took one bite. After I tried some, I beamed and took a few more bites.
“How is it?”
“It’s good. Really good, actually.” I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I gobbled the rest of it and asked for a second helping.
Ada smiled at my approval of her cooking and kindly took my bowl and filled it up again. She got herself more, too. It didn’t take long for us to finish the entire pot. I felt bad that we didn’t save any for the others, but she assured me there was plenty more food for everyone else.
Suddenly, Jax stumbled into the room, a bottle of brew in his hand. “What in the galaxy are you two doing? You should be out here mingling with your fellow rebels!” He laughed as he bumped into the edge of the door. “I was wondering where our golden girl disappeared to.”
“Jax!” Ada snapped. She turned her head, and the look she gave him made him step backwards.
“Okay. I understand. You’d like some alone time.” He winked at her before leaving.
She looked back at me, shaking her head. “Sometimes he can be a real annoyance.”
I chuckled. “You two remind me of my brother and me.”
She smiled. “Funny you say that. I’ve always thought of him as the brother I never had.�
�� Her face became serious. “That’s why I wish you would give us a chance.” She made a fist and softly struck my knee. “We’re a family, Zena, and we are welcoming you and your friends with open arms.”
I turned my head and stared at the burning logs. “Ada…I’ve believed in God my whole life. My mother and father taught me everything they knew about the Holy Spirit. I can’t abandon my faith.”
“The idea of God is dangerous, Zena.” She held a hand up over our heads. “An all-powerful spirit, controlling us from afar?” She put her hand down and shook her head. “But who’s really controlling us? God? Or the men who created God, telling us how we should think and live? You see, smart men like Saros created the so-called Holy Spirit to enslave the minds of the weak. Your mother and father were slaves. Their mothers and fathers were slaves, too. You can be the one to break the cycle.”
“I don’t believe in the God Saros preaches about. I believe in the God my mother and father worshiped, the God that spoke to them in their dreams.” I spun my head around and pointed a warning finger at her. “Don’t ever speak of my parents again! How dare you shame them! Just because someone believes in something greater than themselves doesn’t make them weak.”
She put a hand up. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” She exhaled and reached out to me. She touched my leg and looked me over, her eyes meek. “Can you forgive me?”
I didn’t want to. But it was the right thing to do. “Yes.” I extended my hand and grabbed hers. “I’m sorry for yelling at you like that.”
Before she could say anything, Jax came back into the room. “I hate to interrupt again, but I have some important information for Zena.”
I stood up in a hurry. Has Saros killed my family? “What is it?”
He hesitated and glanced at Ada. He looked back at me, his expression inscrutable. “Sadie has awoken from her coma.”
12
Zena
There was so much I wanted to say to Sadie. So much I wanted to do. She had chosen me over her parents and risked her life to save mine. She was the woman for me, and I couldn’t wait to show her the affection she deserved.