We began training with energy beams and deflectors because we knew that the energy beams were Demarin’s favorite weapon of choice. When in training, you could set your weapon to training mode, so that the energy beams were just simulations. First, we began to spar using the energy beams. I was amazed as Jessie jumped over me, doing a somersault in the air and charged me. I blocked every one of her beams and moved to one side. Then, I picked up a deflector to send the beams back at her. Every time I did, she managed to move out of the way in time or deflect the beams with an energy shield. Finally, I managed to hit her with an energy beam.
“Pretty good, my dear, but you will have to train even harder if you are going to defeat Demarin,” I said as I pulled her closer to me.
"Come on dear, we have no time for that. There is still so much training to do," she stated. I ignored her wishes and began to kiss her neck. Her training helmet fell to the floor and her long, brown hair fell all around her shoulders. I could not resist her. I jumped on top of her on the training mat and began to kiss her from head to toe. She pulled a wrestling move on me and soon flipped me around so that she was on top of me.
"Very impressive!" I said as she smiled down at me. We took a break long enough to make love as Jessie pinned me down and rode me like a stallion. Afterward, we pondered our next phase of training.
“You need to work with the fighting discs. Let’s give it a shot!” Fighting discs were small, oval discs that could shoot lasers and return to the person throwing them. We went to the fighting disc simulator and I watched from behind the glass as she deflected almost every one of the discs that the computer simulator threw at her, ducking and jumping out of the way when it shot lasers at her. I taught her to manipulate energy, and soon she could handle the discs thrown at her change direction and even began to learn how to throw the laser beams back in the direction of her simulated opponent. The first few times, the computer simulation won, but eventually she was able to advance to the highest level and defeat the computer. She was making rapid progress in her training.
We trained with more primitive weaponry. Soon, Jessie was able to match me in speed and strength when fighting with swords and spears. She learned to throw the spears and daggers with great accuracy. I fell deeper and deeper in love with her as I watched her gracefully master each and every weapon that she would have to choose from. She was not only gorgeous but she was also becoming a formidable opponent. Next, she moved on to the obstacle course, a simulated challenge that put together almost all of the challenges that she had been faced with before. In the simulated training, she would go up against an opponent that she would reach after going through an obstacle course. The course included monsters, large pits that had to be leaped over, mountains that had to be climbed and even pools of water that had to be crossed. She advanced up through the levels as the days went by until she faced the most challenging part of the simulation in the computer.
She managed to cross a mountain, hang glide across a valley, swim across a deep channel with monstrous fish and then face her opponent on a portion of land that was experiencing an earthquake. She grabbed a fighting disc nearby as her opponent, a huge Sarceastian fighter grabbed an energy beam. Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet began to crumble and break apart. She had to jump across the cracks and keep from being swallowed up while dodging the energy beams that the simulated opponent directed at her. At first, the opponent had the upper hand, making contact with Jessie, twice with his beam. Luckily, they weren't fatal blows. Jessie got to her feet and began throwing her fighting disc as hard as she could. The opponent dodged every one of her throws until the last one. Jessie tricked the opponent by deflecting the disc off of the wall. It ricocheted and bounced right at her opponent, making a direct hit in his chest area. This was a fatal blow that managed to defeat the hardest opponent in the training program. The opponent vanished and a message appeared on the wall:
Congratulations! You have mastered the top level of training!
“You did it! You’ve mastered the program!” I shouted as I entered the chamber. The simulated landscapes vanished as I threw my arms around her.
“I couldn't have done it without you.” We began to kiss, but we did not have long to celebrate. The next day after Jessie completed her training, we began our approach to the dreaded colony of Dweardon. Although, we had been in dangerous space colonies before, this one was known for being a haven for escaping prisoners. Sometimes, rich citizens from all over the universe would make huge bets on duels between prisoners or fighters that spent years training for such events. I had been told that the duels were similar to what the Earthlings knew as Roman gladiator fights. To me and my Karkastian perspective, the whole practice was brutal and unnecessary. I could not get my head around why beings would want to engage in such a level of barbarism.
Soon, the colony came into view. The first thing that captured our attention was a huge, round stadium that was located in the dead center of the colony. Also, there was a sharp contrast between the side of the colony were the commoners dwelt, and the side where the rich visitors stayed. To the east of the stadium, there were tall, gleaming hover hotels that looked to be fairly new structures. We knew this had to be where the rich visitors stayed. We could see several marching patrols moving like ants back and forth between this area and the most run-down parts of the colony to the west. There we saw structures in various stages of decay, crowded together not unlike what we had witnessed in Sarceastium.
I looked at the navigator to see which landing site we would use.
“According to the navigator, duel participants are to land at the port, just to the east of the stadium,” I said, as I began the landing sequence.
“Let’s get down there. I’m ready to begin this duel!” Jessie remarked, confidently.
“This is Private Jessie of Earth and Yahn of Karkast requesting permission to land,” I stated.
"Yes, we have been expecting you. Request granted," the answer came. As soon as we touched down, a host of Sarceastians dressed in the fancy robes we had used to gain access to the military complex, surrounded us. At first, I thought that we were going to be captured, but soon it became apparent that this was a welcoming party of sorts.
"This way, Private Jessie," one of the Sarceastians stated. They escorted us to our quarters, high up in one of the gleaming glass, hover buildings. They showed us to our room. It was perhaps the nicest room that we had ever stayed in together. There were sofas, chairs, all sorts of food and drink, and even a training simulation room.
“Wow, they really treat you nicely. I suppose they feel that it’s the least they can do if they are going to make you participate in a fight to the death,” I remarked. Jessie smiled at me and went straight to the simulation room. She wanted to get in all of the training that she could before the duel.
Chapter Forty
Jessie
We were treated surprisingly well, resting and eating our fill in the room that we were given. For a moment, it was easy to forget that I would face a deadly challenge the next day. The first thing that I wanted to make sure of was that my parents were, in fact, being kept in the colony and that Demarin was going to be true to his word. I didn't have long to wait because Demarin contacted us on the same afternoon that we arrived. Our screen communicator began to light up, indicating that someone was trying to speak with us. I switched it on. Demarin's hideous face appeared, wearing the same insipid grin.
“So, I see that you have arrived. Tomorrow, we shall face off in a duel to the death!”
“We will once my parents are released!” I insisted.
Demarin laughed a deep, full-throated laugh. “Not to worry. As soon as you arrive at the stadium, my men will release your parents.”
“They must be delivered safely to Yahn’s care. He will be with me at the stadium. Only then will I go forward with the duel.”
"Yes, of course. I look forward to getting rid of you once and for all. I can finish what should have been completed ba
ck on Sarceastium, but no matter, I am a patient Sarceastian." He switched off his screen communicator.
I was unable to sleep very well that night in anticipation of the duel but finally I managed to get some rest in the early hours of the morning. Once I woke up, Yahn did the best he could to encourage me and wished me the best.
“Just remember everything you learned during your training. If you handle yourself half as well as you did with me and the computer simulation, it will be hard for him to defeat you!” Yahn encouraged.
“With you cheering me on, I know I can’t fail!” I said with a smile, though secretly I doubted I had what it took to defeat Demarin.
We arrived at the stadium accompanied by Sarceastian guards. It was quite ironic receiving such treatment from guards that we had so recently attacked, invading in Sarceastium. Once we got to our quarters, we looked out on the crowd that was seated at the stadium. It was completely packed with spectators. There was a small training area, water and food, and a viewing area closed in with glass that afforded us views of the playing field and the crowd. All around our area, there were mostly humans with a few other aliens sprinkled throughout. On the opposite side, Demarin’s side, there was nothing but Sarceastians, some of them were yelling out my name. I soon realized that on one side of the Sarceastian area, there were the commoners and on the other, there were the more well off Sarceastians who were cheering for Demarin.
“It seems that word has spread to common Sarceastians on this colony about our efforts to liberate them,” Yahn expressed. “You have fans on both sides.”
I did not respond. I was more preoccupied with the challenges that awaited me. What seemed odd was that the playing field was completely empty. There was a large, field-like expanse, but no weapons or obstacle courses.
“I don’t understand- it’s just an empty field,” I said.
“They will program specific conditions for you to face once you are in the playing field. There are programmers up there, in the main tower on Demarin’s side. I once had a cousin who was captured by humans and forced to duel in this place. I heard that he didn’t make it through alive, but you, my dear will make it!” Yahn stated, kissing my cheek and clutching my hand tightly.
I went into the training room and pushed the button on my communication screen. Demarin immediately appeared and I could clearly see my frightened parents standing behind him with Sarceastian guards on either side of them. They looked to be unharmed.
"Well, Demarin as you can clearly see, I am ready. I need you to bring my parents to me this instant before this duel begins!" I demanded.
"As you can see, they are completely unspoiled. I will send them your way right now. I look forward to a rewarding duel," he said with a sly grin. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. A Sarceastian guard appeared with my parents behind him .They ran inside and I immediately hugged my poor mother. She was shaking with fear and the tears streamed out of her as she looked upon me. My father came over and hugged me as well.
“Did they treat you alright?” I asked.
“Yes, we were fed and well taken care of. I can’t let you go through with this duel, Jessie,” my mother pleaded.
“Mother, I have to. Otherwise, those guards will come and take you away and I will never see you again,” I insisted.
“Jessie, if you are sure that you must go through with this, I wish you all the best,” father said.
“She has trained for a month. I wouldn’t want to go up against her, that’s for sure,” Yahn said, as he smiled at them. A second later, the announcer began to discuss the duel and asked the participants to approach their gates.
"I have to go. Just know that no matter what happens, I love you both, and you too, my dear," I said, kissing my parents and then Yahn. Yahn walked with me to the gate that opened onto the playing field. I was wearing a red, white and blue suit that had been provided to me with pads on my elbows, knees and a helmet. There was also a note left behind for me:
On behalf of your sponsors, we wish you the best of luck, Jessie. We are certain that you will be victorious like you have been with every endeavor. Hope that you like your suit.
"Wow, I have sponsors!" I said excitedly to Yahn.
"Yes, contestants that have sponsors get deluxe outfits and accommodations," Yahn answered.
“That would explain the nice room we have.”
“There are a lot of creatures that are rooting for you today,” Yahn said.
“Alright, it is now time for the duel to commence! All participants to the starting gate. The first mission is to survive the obstacle course in order to obtain your choice of weapons. Once you have obtained the weapon of your choice, the duel will begin,” an announcer said.
“You will be victorious. No need to worry, my love,” Yahn whispered in my ear. We shared a kiss and I went to the gate.
"The gates will open in one minute. Participants will make their way westward through the playing field towards the weapons area!" the announcer said. A screen popped up to my right, showing me the direction to go once I was on the playing field. Then, right before my eyes, the playing field took shape. There was a large pit that opened up in the ground and several snake-like creatures that could be seen writhing in it. Several small stepping stones appeared and then disappeared in the pit. I could not see what was on the other side.
The gate opened and the crowd began to cheer. I stopped at the edge of the pit and saw Demarin off to my right, some distance away. He was already making his way across the pit. I jumped onto one of the stones and a large creature came up to bite my ankles. I jumped to the next stone just in time, but this stone quickly disappeared. I managed to make it to the next stone just in the nick of time before it also disappeared. I saw the other side of the pit come into view. I had to jump a distance of nearly twenty feet, hanging onto the edge of the pit. I could hear slithering and hissing below me as I pulled myself up at its edge. What was next looked like a clear path to the weapons area which was high on a platform, but quickly I saw that the path was not as clear as I originally thought. Huge spikes began to come up from the ground here and there. I had to move quickly to avoid being impaled by one. One spike even tore through the back of my uniform, but I made it past this area. I looked over to my right and saw that I was slightly ahead of Demarin.
Now the platform was in view, but I had to climb a tall ladder to reach it. As I climbed, huge insect-like creatures began to swoop at me, attempting to sting me with their enormous stingers. They were red and brown and resembled gigantic wasps. At one point I fell as I lost my footing trying to avoid being stung, but I managed to catch the power rungs of the ladder. The crowd responded with cheers as I recovered and continued to move up the ladder. I looked over at the ladder to my right and saw that Demarin and I were now neck and neck, but Demarin was moving very quickly. I tried my best to beat him, but he managed to get to the top of the weapons platform before I did. As I reached the platform, I saw that he had chosen an energy beam and had moved off to the dueling area that was connected to the weapons platform, high above the crowd. I quickly chose an energy deflector, which I felt was the best weapon of choice under the circumstances.
“As you can see both participants have survived the obstacle course and are ready to duel. Demarin has chosen an energy beam and Jessie has chosen an energy deflector! What a great contest this should prove to be!” The announcer yelled.
I moved into position opposite Demarin and glared at him. Immediately, he came at me, sending energy beams in my direction. I jumped over two of them and managed to shoot another two back at him. He jumped high into the air and the energy beams missed him. He began to send several beams at me in rapid succession. At first, I managed to deflect all of them. I even managed to knock him to the ground with one of them.
"Ahh!" he yelled, clutching his arm. I came closer as the crowd went wild. Demarin went mad and began shooting beams at me one after the other as quickly as he could. I caught them with the deflector
, and sent them back his way. He dodged each one of them. Clearly, anger motivated Demarin. The beams he shot, were threatening to overwhelm what my deflector could take. It began to beep and light up, warning me that it was being overpowered. I wondered if my choice of weaponry had been the right one. Finally, the deflector flew backwards out of my hands due to the fact that the energy was too much for it. I ran for the weapon, but Demarin kept me from reaching it by sending lots of beams between me and the deflector. One of the beams was so close that it knocked me to the ground. Demarin took this opportunity to run in between me and the deflector, blocking my way. The referee had been standing on the sidelines, but now he was over beside me yelling.
“She is unarmed! It is illegal to vest one’s opponent when they are unarmed!” the referee shouted.
Chapter Forty-One
Yahn
Demarin was poised to strike Jessie, so I sprang into action. I looked around me and saw a young man with a jet pack. I didn’t have time to explain him why I needed it, so I took it from him and immediately swooped in towards Jessie. I could feel the wind of Demarin’s weapon as I grabbed Jessie by the hands and lifted off with her just in time. Demarin frowned at us while some of the Sarceastians booed. The majority of the Sarceastians were cheering for us. The Earthlings were going wild.
Yahn: Paranormal Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Alien Mates Book 4) Page 24