by Cheree Alsop
Rise of the Gladiator
Book 1- Forbidden Planet
By Cheree Alsop
Copyright © 2020 by Cheree L. Alsop
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN
Cover Design by Dean Samed
Editing by Sue Player
www.ChereeAlsop.com
To Robin Hobb, my favorite author-
Thank you for the time you took
To write me back when I was young.
This Universe is for you.
To my children-
Thank you for making life
A true adventure filled with
Laughter and love.
To my husband-
We will always be two drifters
Finding adventures in our
Amazing world.
Chapter One
KOVE
I was no stranger to death. She and I had danced to her melancholic tune more times than I cared to count. I had become hypersensitive to the notes of her lullaby. The tiny hairs on my arms stood up as the song began again. A knot of dread formed in my stomach at the knowledge that people were going to die. I could lay there on the hard bed and stay uninvolved. It was safer that way and less likely to land me among the slain. But there also might be a chance for escape. At this point, either option looked far more inviting than the red walls laced with lithonium to keep us sedated.
I shoved the door to the side and stepped out into the corridor. A few inmates whose hearing was far more acute than mine had poked their heads out as well and looked toward the visitation room.
“They’re taking over,” Fenham, a pointy-eared Canoid, told me.
I nodded. “It might be safer to stay inside.”
“Is that why you’re going?” he asked in a wry tone.
I walked past him and made my way down the hall.
I had never been to the visitation room. Nobody had been by to visit me since my confinement on Roan Seven. It put me at a disadvantage. The layout would be foreign. I would have to guess at the exit’s location. A feeling of uneasiness welled up inside of me. I knew to trust that feeling, but I also knew if I had to spend another month on the prison planet, I would truly go insane.
The sound of gunshots echoed down the hall; a scream followed. Voices reached me, pleading in unfamiliar dialects. I wished I had a translator in my ear, but they had taken it from me. It didn’t matter. I didn’t care what was being said; all I cared about was escape.
A man staggered through the doorway at the end of the hall clutching his stomach. He took two more steps, then collapsed to the floor. I didn’t have to check his pulse to know he wasn’t breathing. Nobody survived a wound like that. His red footprints led from the room beyond. More screaming ensued. Three men argued. Another voice stopped me in my tracks.
It was a woman’s voice, soft and pleading. I could hear the fear in her tone. I remembered her voice from the mess hall. She was one of the few who didn’t pull a club every time an inmate was around. She had even smiled at me once. My heart sank.
Don’t do it.
Which part? Don’t be an idiot and walk out the door while I still can? Don’t give up on the only chance of freedom I might have? Or don’t use my last skull beetle to save the girl?
Idiot.
I reached the tangle of guards and inmates in the visitation room in four steps. I put my hands on the first two tan-shirted shoulders and yelled, “Fortun!”
The fire tattoos on my forearms flared red and I threw the men backwards as though they weighed nothing. Both crashed against the far wall and fell unmoving to the ground. I tossed two more to the right and another man into the ceiling before I uncovered her.
The woman was huddled against the wall with her arms over her head. Her lip was bloody and her hands shook. She didn’t appear to realize that the men were off of her. Others still fought, but those who had seen me quickly backed away. Several guards lay unconscious or dead near the door I had entered. Their weapons were nowhere to be seen. That didn’t bode well for any of us.
“Halt!” a man barked in Tecotian from the opposite door.
Four guards stood behind him with enough firepower to stun the entire room, though I had the distinct impression that they were loaded with steel rounds instead of electric. The sound of guns cocking made everyone pause.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of metal in the poor lighting. Any hope I had entertained that the fight would stop without a shootout vanished. The gun lifted. I took a steeling breath.
“Batun,” I said as I threw myself over the woman.
The familiar heat flared in my stomach. The guntler skull tattoos on my upper arms flared orange. A tremor ran over my skin. Gunshots rang out. I closed my eyes and felt the impact of the bullets as they struck the shield across my skin, then fell to the floor.
The woman screamed, but I didn’t move. An inmate dropped beside us. His bloodshot eyes stared up at the ceiling. Green blood poured from the wound in his throat, confirming that the guards were using real bullets. The woman screamed again. I huddled closer over her to shield her from the view.
My arms shook as more bullets struck. My tattoos faded from orange to yellow. The skull beetle reserve in my stomach was burning out. The yellow dulled and then the tattoos faded entirely. They wouldn’t return to their regular black for quite some time. I had run out of ways to protect her.
“Buzz whoever’s left. We’ll sort out the trash later,” a voice commanded.
Two shots struck my back. Electricity jolted through my limbs. Black spots danced in my vision. I fought the need to pass out. My arms gave way and I fell on top of the woman. She let out a muffled yell.
“Get him off her!”
There was nothing I could do as they grabbed my shirt and yanked me to the floor. My eyes refused to open. Pain continued to course up and down my body from the electrodes in my back.
“He saved my life.” The woman’s words were weak and shaky.
“Why would he do something like that?”
“We pumped half a dozen rounds into his back,” another voice said. “He used a skull beetle to save her life. It’s the only explanation.”
Silence was followed by, “Cuff him and take him to the holding room. We have a buyer looking for prospects. I don’t need a tattooed Smiren causing trouble.”
I was aware of being dragged away before my thoughts faded to black. I regained consciousness chained to a bench with my head leaning against a wall. The thick cuffs were heavy on my wrists. I kept my eyes closed and listened. I tried to remember what the guard had said. Something about a buyer looking for prospects. What did that mean?
“He’s been here for three months?”
“Give or take.”
The woman’s voice was skeptical when she said, “And he had a beetle for that long? Why would he burn it to save that woman?”
“I’m not sure.” I recognized the speaker’s voice as Brog, one of the wardens at the prison.
“Is it gone?”
“As far as we know,” Brog said. “He would have used it to get out of there. I think that was his plan.”
Footsteps crossed to me. Every muscle in my body tensed.
“Don’t get too close. Gladiators are unpredictable. I don’t normally take his type here.”
The footsteps paused.
“Why did you?” Her voice was firm, bu
t I caught an underlying tremor.
Was she afraid? She was smart to be. Roan Seven was a dangerous place. I couldn’t fathom why she was there.
“His owner owed a debt he was anxious to pay. The Smiren was worth it, but he’s a liability to me. Nobody wants to take a risk on a gladiator, even with his history. You need added security on your ship; I’ll give you a good price just to unload him.”
She sucked in a breath. It was quiet but telling. She may have sounded certain, but she was desperate.
“Done.”
My heartbeat slowed. I opened my eyes to see them shake hands. The woman glanced at me. She had the green cat eyes of a Cadonian. I had no doubt her long dark hair hid pointed ears as well. She was younger than I would have guessed, possibly only a year or two below my twenty-eight years. When she handed Brog the wallet she held, her fingers gripped the leather pouch a moment longer than necessary.
I looked away. There was no chance I would let myself feel guilty for costing her more than she could spare. I had no idea what situation I was getting into. Maybe staying on Roan Seven would be better than wherever she was headed that required a gladiator as a security guard. My gut clenched at the thought.
Just give me one chance.
You had your chance. You burned the skull beetle saving a prison guard. Now look where that’s gotten you.
“I’d recommend keeping the cuffs on. You can remove the chains, but if he gets out of line, press this button and you’ll drop him with enough volts to short out his taste buds for a week.”
I knew it was coming. There was too much anticipation in Brog’s voice. He was fairly level-headed as guards go, but one had to get their kicks somewhere.
I bit my tongue when he pushed the button. My jaw locked along with the muscles of my back and neck. I fell forward and just managed to duck my shoulder so that I rolled onto my back instead of hitting my face on the floor like he had no doubt planned.
“See. He can’t so much as blink when you hold it like this. You have all the power.”
My eyes met the woman’s. Something flickered in her gaze. I could feel my muscles straining and the tendons standing out on either side of my neck. It was impossible to breathe. I was fairly certain Brog had never been electrocuted, otherwise he wouldn’t keep holding down the trigger.
The woman’s chin lifted slightly. “I see,” she said. “But if you destroy his strength completely, what happens if his services are needed to protect my ship today?”
Brog’s eyes widened. He released the trigger and the volts stopped shooting through my body.
I sucked in a strained breath.
“I was just demonstrating,” he began.
“I understand,” the woman replied. She held out a white gloved hand. He set the trigger in it. The woman smiled, but the expression didn’t touch her eyes. “And I thank you. It’s time for me to depart.”
He bowed his head. “A Lady like you shouldn’t be on a planet like this anyway. It was an honor to meet you, Miss.”
“Captain,” she corrected firmly. “Captain Nova.”
If I had any strength left, I would have laughed at the shocked look Brog gave her. “C-captain?” he sputtered.
She nodded. “Do you have a problem with that?”
He shook his head quickly. “No, ma’am. I mean Captain. I will see to it that your new servant is loaded onto your ship.”
“That won’t be necessary,” she replied. She speared me with a look. “I assume you can walk.”
“I don’t think after all those volts he could—”
Brog’s voice cut off when I pushed to my feet. My legs wanted to wobble, but I forced them to hold.
“He’ll walk,” the Captain said with a nod of approval. “Thank you for your service.”
She led the way down the hall at a quick pace. The chains between my handcuffs rattled with each step.
“Hurry,” she said.
I picked up my speed until we were both practically running. We slowed to walk past the security who watched me with suspicion and gave her nods of respect. I could feel the fresh air in the hall and didn’t need any urging to hurry as soon as we rounded the corner. The barred gate was already open beyond.
“Wait!” a voice called from behind us.
Captain Nova shot me a wide-eyed look. “Run if you want to live to see tomorrow!”
That spurred me forward. We slipped through the gate just as it was starting to shut.
The Captain put a finger to her earpiece. “Get us out of here, Junquit!”
A red ship lowered from the sky. The Captain and I both put up our hands to shield us from the dirt and debris that swirled around us. The loading dock lowered.
“There are fake marks in this stack!” Brog yelled.
I glanced back to see him shake the barred door, but it had already closed.
“Open the gate!” he hollered over his shoulder. He shoved his hand through the bars and shook his fist full of marks at the ship. “You owe me, Captain Nova! I won’t forget this!”
I glanced at the Captain. Instead of looking embarrassed or scared, elation glimmered in her eyes.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she shouted.
The ship lurched. The Captain and I grabbed the supports that lowered the loading dock.
“Junquit?” she asked into her headset.
Whatever she heard made her face pale. She threw me a look. “We’re in trouble, Smiren. Let’s hope you’re worth what I paid for you.”
“By the looks of it, you didn’t pay anything for me,” I replied with a gesture toward the raging warden.
That brought a smile to her face. “You catch on quick.” She drew a gun from her vest. “You might need this.”
I glanced back to see the gate open and guards swarm out after the warden. The ship hit the ground, shuddered, tried to rise, and hit the ground again.
“What was that?” Captain Nova demanded over her headset. “Fiests in the engine room? Vexus in a soap basket!” she cursed. Before I could think of a response for her colorful words, she turned back to me. “It’s in your best interest to keep them from getting onto the SevenWolf.”
I followed her gaze to the prison. Guards in gray uniforms were climbing onto zippers. The ship was limping further away, but at this speed, they were going to catch up.
“Got it,” I replied.
She disappeared into the ship.
I watched the zippers draw closer. The gun felt heavy in my hand. I lifted it and stared down the barrel at the closest land cruiser. The driver’s head was lowered in determination. I couldn’t make out which guard it was. I gritted my teeth.
Squeeze the trigger.
They’re just following orders; they don’t deserve to die.
You’re a gladiator. You’ve killed plenty of people who both deserved it and didn’t. These guys are trying to kill you. Hence, they deserve it. Squeeze the trigger.
The ship lurched from the ground again. It managed to reach about twenty feet before slamming back down. The force threw me from the ramp. I grabbed one of the struts beneath, but the gun went flying.
Bullets struck the side of the ship. Shrapnel splintered against my face. I tried to reach the side of the ramp, but the chain between my handcuffs was too short.
“Kill him!” Brog shouted from one of the zippers. “Shoot him!”
My heart raced. I swung a leg up in an attempt to get it over the lip of the ramp. My bare foot slipped. The ship jerked upward. My fingers slid down the cold metal of the strut. The weight of the cuffs and the chain made it hard to hold on. Another jolt jarred my left hand free. My body spun so that I had an excellent view of the ground far below where I would land. The zippers looked like skitter flies so far below. I wasn’t anxious to join them.
I felt the fingers of my right hand begin to slip. I gritted my teeth, prepared for the drop I knew was coming. I had never pictured my death as falling from the undercarriage of an airborne junkheap; a sword or aronium bullet sound
ed much more appealing at that moment. I wished I hadn’t burned the skull beetle. I searched desperately inside for any trace of it left, but there was none.
My hand lost its grip. Another hand grabbed mine at the same moment.
“Come on,” a voice grunted with a Vestian System accent. “Pull up.”
With his help, I managed to snag the edge of the ramp. My arms strained as I levered myself upward. I rolled onto my back and sucked in a shuddering breath.
A grizzled face with a patch over one eye leaned over me. He glared down with the purple gaze of a Verian.
“Hesitate to use a gun to protect Our Lady again and I’ll shoot you myself.”
He took off up the ramp and it began to close. I pushed to my feet and made my way after him. A glance back showed the zippers fading into the distance as the ship gained speed and height. A few shots fired into the air, reminders no doubt from Brog of what would happen if he ever saw me again.
When I glanced back, the old man was gone. I found myself alone in the unfamiliar belly of some sort of starship. By the looks of things, it had seen better days.
Me, too.
Being electrocuted by the guns and then the cuffs had set my nerves on edge. I willed my muscles to relax; I doubted punching a member of the crew would be welcome.
I walked between boxes of cold storage, a few old zippers, several single-person mech suits, and piles of grain sacks that appeared to be sprouting. The stench of fermented seeds combined with the oil that stained the floor beneath one of the mechs to create a stink that would have been potpourri to terra farmers, but definitely didn’t belong in a starship.
I made it to the door; at my approach, it slid open to reveal an empty hallway that stretched in either direction without anyone in sight. Something felt off. The fine hairs stood up on the back of my neck. I took a step and the chain between my wrists chinked. I grabbed it in both hands and held it tight so it wouldn’t make any noise.
A faint clatter came from the left. I walked silently in that direction. My bare feet made hardly any sound on the cold floor.
How long has it been since I felt something cold? How long was I on that planet?