Revenge: (Space Outlaw 3)

by Dominique Mondesir

  "Yes!" yelled the crowd.

  "I don't think you bastards are ready. Not if this is what you class as making some noise."

  Feet began to stomp, and drinks were banged on the tables as the crowd tried their best to please the announcer.

  "That's more like it. Ladies and gentleman, ten people enter, only one exits. You know what that means. Get ready for a battle royale!"

  Liquid rained down from the rafters as drinks were thrown up in the air. The small cage went back up the way it had come, and Phoenix could see that there were indeed now ten competitors in the pit.

  All of them were empty-handed, and the other nine were a lot bigger than Saoirse. She backed away from the crowd and allowed the others to size each other up. She remained in the shadows, stalking her prey. She didn't pose a visible threat, so she was ignored.

  The tension in the pit rose slowly. The crowd was silent. The fighters didn't dare make a sound. They watched each other, waiting, wondering.

  Phoenix could feel it on the hairs on the back of his neck. He licked his lips, eyes only on Saoirse.

  She moved in the shadows while the others stayed still.

  A foot in the pit moved an inch, a hand curled into a fist. And still no one moved, until the tension was too much and one of the competitors screamed, running towards another competitor, fist swinging.

  Like a bubble floating on the wind, the silence popped and sound returned like the rushing of the tide.

  "Fucking have at it!" screamed someone in the crowd.

  Bodies collided with bodies, as nine competitors rushed at each other. There was one remaining competitor that lurked in the shadows. Phoenix could see her smiling from where he stood.

  A big red brute broke from the pack and came rushing towards her. He obviously thought she was an easy target, but he thought wrong. Kicking out his kneecap, Saoirse allowed the red brute to run past her. She grabbed the back of his head and smashed his head into the wall--once, twice, three times--before his body stopped moving.

  "That red guy isn't...you know?" L said.

  Phoenix looked towards L and simply shrugged.

  "In the name of Soul and everything that is holy. This is truly...this," Kai hugged himself and shook his head.

  "I am afraid this is society. How do you appease the masses? How do you stop the riots in the streets? By giving them blood sports," said Freyan.

  "Hold up a minute," Phoenix said. "Yes, this is violent, but this is what these people love to do. Why take that away from them, because it upsets or unsettles you? I see no crime taking place here. If what Plowstow says is true, allow them to do what they want to do. If they could not do it here, then these same people would find somewhere else to do it."

  "Not everyone does what's in their best interest. Sometimes they must be shown," said Freyan.

  "That sounds very much like a dictatorship," Phoenix said, turning back to the action.

  There were five competitors left, including Saoirse. Blood coated her hands and forearms, a wicked grin was still plastered on her face; she stepped out of the shadows as if they gave birth to her. The remaining four competitors had seen the damage she caused and were now wary.

  She walked towards them with her hands down. Her shoulders were relaxed; her footsteps had the grace of a lioness. The four remaining competitors spread out before her. Bodies lay unmoving in the pit. Broken bone poked out through flesh. Blood pooled in corners.

  Still Saoirse came.

  Two competitors who could each have passed for any tattooed human came towards her. They attacked as one, but they couldn't pin Saoirse down as she battered away their attacks. But their goal wasn't to attack her; their goal was to distract her.

  Competitor three sneaking up from her rear swung a severed leg her way.

  "Watch out, Midnight!"

  The warning did more harm than good as Saoirse looked up towards the crowd, distracted. The leg caught her on the side of the head, knocking her forward. Falling towards the floor, she landed on her hands and knees.

  She tried to move but wasn't quick enough, as a kick caught her in the ribs. It lifted her up and dropped her back into the dirt. She rolled forward, trying to rise to her feet, but she got caught with a punch to the jaw.

  The blow staggered her. They kept pressing forward with attacks, till she was pinned against the wall. As all three competitors threw whatever blow they could, Saoirse covered up.

  "Come on, Midnight! You can do it."

  Saoirse's shoulders shook as laughter escaped from her defensive shell. Phoenix couldn't see her face, hidden behind her arms, but as he edged closer towards the pit the laughter acted as a wave of silence, eliminating all sound that the crowd emitted.

  Her laugh wasn't one of joy. It echoed of deep sorrow.

  The three competitors backed away and looked at each other, but it was a mistake. Saoirse uncurled from her position and punched the first one in the throat. Blood erupted from his mouth. She delivered a palm strike to the nose of another.

  Both dropped to the ground at the same time. Their arms twitched, but they didn't get back up. Seeing this, the third attacker turned tail and ran. The boos from the crowd were deafening.

  That left only one.

  The last competitor ran towards her, screaming at the top of his lungs. She ducked his first few punches, rolled with the rest, and delivered one crushing blow to his solar plexus. He dropped to one knee, gasping for breath. Saoirse grabbed him by the back of the head and brought her knee up towards his face.

  Phoenix could hear the sound of breaking bone from where he stood.

  The knee strikes were delivered again and again. Blood, flesh and bone matter covered Saoirse's knee, but still she kept on striking the poor competitor's face.

  The blows were relentless. Blood flew about and covered Saoirse from head to toe. The crowd fell silent, and the only sound that could be heard was the pounding of flesh and bone.

  "Enough!" said Phoenix.

  Saoirse let go of the bloody mess she held and turned to stare at Phoenix. He held her stare, refusing to look away.

  She walked towards him and uttered a roar that made Phoenix take a step back. Then she was gone, walking towards the now open door of the pit like a demon returning to its lair.

  13

  Phoenix found Saoirse in one of the back rooms of the fighting pit. He didn't recognise her at first. She sat on the floor, shoulders slumped forward, her hair covering her face, which was a mess of blood and other bits of body matter.

  The room was bare. Overhead, floating light orbs flickered. The only piece of furniture was a small coffee table, which had a bottle of alcohol with a ribbon tied to it and a stack of credits by its side.

  Phoenix stopped in front of Saoirse, but she still didn't lift her head. He grabbed the bottle and looked around the room, but he couldn't find any glasses. Uncorking the bottle, he took a swig.

  "I believe that is mine."

  "Well, enjoy it. You sure have earned it," Phoenix said, passing her the bottle.

  Head still bowed, she snatched it out of his hands and brought it to her lips. She drank and drank, till Phoenix thought there would be nothing left. He went to grab it from her, but she slammed the bottle down next to her and continued to stare into space.

  "Guess you were an only child," Phoenix said, sitting on the table so they were face to face. "Care to explain?"

  "Not really."

  "I was choosing to be nice. But this isn't really one of those times that you get to choose if you answer or not," said Phoenix.

  "So what will happen if I choose not to?" Saoirse asked, lifting her head to meet his stare.

  "I will need to call the crew together and discuss what the best course of action is. After witnessing...that, in the pit, you may--"

  "May what?"

  "Be a danger to the crew or, more importantly, to yourself."

  "You believe that I would harm one of you?" Saoirse asked.

  "What I believe is b
eside the point. It's what I see in front of me that I deal with. Back in that pit, it was as if someone or something had taken you over. This wasn't dealing with an enemy in the heat of battle. This wasn't attacking someone who had hurt or abused your family, who had wronged you in any way... This was...it was something far worse."

  "Like?"

  "Joy."

  Phoenix reached over and grabbed the bottle, bringing it to his lips. He savoured the flavour on his tongue before handing it back to Saoirse. The silence stretched out before them, while they passed the bottle back and forth.

  "Joy... I almost forgot what that felt like," said Saoirse.

  "You sure?"

  "That wasn't joy you saw in there. Yes, I enjoy the pleasure of battle, but no more than the next warrior. I enjoy hearing my enemies whimper when they know that I am near. I enjoy staring death in the face and knowing that it shall not have me this day--"

  "Still not helping your case," Phoenix said with a chuckle.

  "But what happened in there was just..."

  "Let me tell you what it seems like to me. It seems like you have a lot of anger issues, which you bury. You run into battle without a second thought or hesitation. You seek death. You long for it. I think that's why you and L get on as well as you do. She too is angry--angry at what happened in Dredar--but while she doesn't have the power to do anything about it, you do. So she lives through you."

  "Got me all figured out, have you?" Saoirse laughed.

  "No... There's things in your past you're running from. Things that would be better spoken about. Things I doubt you have even told L about."

  "Maybe because it's no one's business apart from mine!"

  "Maybe so, but as a crew, if we don't trust each other, all this falls apart."

  "Trust! Anger issues! You're one to talk."

  "What do you mean?" Phoenix asked.

  "This thing with you and Holger has left you blind. You can't see anything but him. We were best leaving him alone."

  "I'm surprised at that, coming from someone like you. A warrior," said Phoenix.

  "A warrior's greatest strength is knowing when to retreat. Not every battle can be won, not when his father is involved," said Saoirse.

  "Fuck me! Not you, too. What is it with this guy?"

  "Lord Portendorfer had more children than just Holger. He had an older son and daughter with his wife before they had Holger. It was said that they were the jewels in his eye. He saw himself in them and more. They were to take over the family. They were his special gifts. He adored them--"

  "Where did that leave Holger?" asked Phoenix.

  "He was the runt of the family. He got the treatment that all runts deserve."

  "How humane of you," said Phoenix with a shake of the head.

  "Lady Portendorfer and her children were visiting a class three planet which had been through a civil war. The government had been overthrown by Lord Portendorfer and replaced with one of his choosing. Certain inhabitants didn't like the new regime, and they chose to show their displeasure," said Saoirse.

  "What did they do?"

  "A rebel group from the overthrown government formed, and they kidnapped Lady Portendorfer and her two older children. Demands were made. Threats quickly followed. They wanted most of Lord Portendorfer's fortune; they wanted to ruin him. By taking away his wealth, they would make him powerless on the Council.

  "He replied to their demands and stated that payment would be made. The rebels thought they had won. What they didn't expect was two star ships, which destroyed the planet and everything on it. The ships also destroyed the neighbouring planet, which had been populated by the same species. After the two planets were destroyed, he placed a bounty on any remaining inhabitants of the planet that might have escaped," said Saoirse.

  "He committed genocide at such a level and no one stopped him?" whispered Phoenix.

  "It could never be proven. The official story was that the rebels set off weapons at the core of both planets. What truly happened has become rumours, hearsay."

  "One person can't be that powerful."

  "In going after the cub, beware you don't wake the monster."

  14

  Phoenix and the rest of the crew sat around a table sipping drinks in the first bar they had come across. Colourful drinks littered the table, as L had requested every drink the bartender had.

  "I hope you don't...expect me to pay for all this, young lady," said Phoenix, waving a finger.

  "I do believe you are drunk, Mr Jones," L giggled.

  "Don't...ignore the question," Phoenix said, waving a glass in the air. He went to take a sip from it but found that it was empty. "Hang on! Who drank my drink? This was full, a minute ago."

  "You're wearing most of it," said Saoirse.

  "Oh, what was I saying?" asked Phoenix.

  "You were telling us how you were going to pay the bill. Seeing as we have worked so hard," said L.

  "You sure? That doesn't sound like me," said Phoenix.

  "Phoenix, you're too generous," said Plowstow.

  "I...guess."

  More drinks were served, with another table having to be brought over to place them all down. As the music played a relaxing beat from the overheard speakers, Phoenix was reminded of a little hut on the beaches of the Indian Ocean, where he'd spent a whole month doing nothing but drinking, sleeping--well, sleeping with other people--and surfing.

  Life had been good, then. Life had been simple and carefree, with nothing but the sand between his toes to worry about.

  "Ah! This is the life! If my deliverer could see me now," Plowstow said, sprawled on a bench.

  "What do you think she would say, bro? What wisdom do you think she would impart?" asked Kai.

  Plowstow took a sip from a bottle, and looked off into the distance. Taking another sip he shook his head. "She would tell me to stop being a damn fool! And why ain't I doing better for myself? She wasn't one for kind words."

  "You have made something out of yourself, Plowstow," said L. "You are part of this fine crew! The PH1 is always happy to have you aboard, you remember that."

  Plowstow took another swig of his bottle but didn't say anything as he lay back down on the bench, arm covering his eyes.

  Phoenix noticed a familiar face staring his way. A cute blue face stared at him from under long lashes. She licked her lips as their eyes met before turning away. Phoenix lost sight of her as a large group moved into his line of sight.

  "That reminds me, how are the repairs coming along?" asked Phoenix.

  "Before Kai took his little detour, I saw the local ship engineer and arranged for him and his men to go over her. Everything should be firing on all cylinders. I can't wait to see how she responds to the new valves, plus I gave instructions for a new gasket which--"

  "L, L, all you had to say is that the work is going well. I'm happy that the flex-thingy is going to be working. When do you think we can take her back out?" Phoenix asked.

  Audible groans from the crew, and bottle caps being thrown his way, had Phoenix ducking for cover. "Look, I'm not saying that we have to leave right this instant. I have some heart. All I was asking was a rough idea."

  "It should be done in a day or two," said L.

  "Right. That's all I wanted to know."

  Drinks kept coming, music still played, and through it all, the crew partied. One by one they left, till only Phoenix remained.

  "I'm alone again. All by myself," sang Phoenix.

  "Well, isn't that a shame," said a voice behind his ear.

  Phoenix turned again slowly and saw the same blue face as before. She smiled before taking the bottle from his hands and taking a sip.

  "You look familiar," said Phoenix.

  "I wanted you to come play with me, but your friend stole you away."

  "Ah, in front of the store."

  She nodded slightly before taking another sip.

  "So what brings you here?" asked Phoenix.

  "Is that the best you can do?" s
he said with a raised eyebrow.

  "I apologise, this is not my best form. I'm drunk as a skunk. Plus trying to focus on only one of you is hard enough."

  "Only one of me...it's a shame you can't handle your drink; I would have loved to show you all the toys that make our little store so...worthwhile," she purred.

  "It takes a lot more than a little drink to stop me performing. Now how about--"

  "Maybe next time," she said, handing Phoenix back his bottle and walking away.

  Phoenix watched her hips sway as she walked away, and he shook his head before downing his bottle in one. He didn't know how long he stayed at the table, but he allowed the events from the last few months to play out in his mind. He had a lot of thinking to do with regard to Holger.

  Maybe Freyan was right.

  The universe was surely big enough for both of them to coexist. There was still the problem of Holger's trying to obtain another planet, but if Phoenix spoke to Freyan, then maybe they could give their findings to someone on the Council. Someone who could serve Holger the justice he deserved.

  Who was Phoenix, anyway? One man. One lost soul from Earth, who happened to attack the wrong person at the wrong time. His life had spiralled out of control since then, but good or bad, it had been an experience.

  He couldn't complain, and if he wanted the twins to experience what he had, then he would have to stay alive to show them that.

  Leaving the bar, he made his way towards the rooms that they had rented. Everyone was on the same floor. There had been fighting as to who got which room, but it had been sorted out in the end.

  As Phoenix pushed his door open, he saw a sight that brought a smile to his lips.

  "Now what brings you here?"

  A naked blue body was sprawled out on his bed. The woman from earlier gave him a smirk. "Can't I change my mind?"

  15

  "You can indeed," Phoenix said, walking slowly into the room.

  "I thought it wouldn't be fair of me, allowing you to go away without tasting the pleasures I can offer."