Saber's Novel

[hollowsaber]

((Criticism: This thread is simply for my Novel. If you have anything you'd like to say about the story or anything, please say it here. Just so I can keep this thread purely for the story.))

Prologue

Giggling with a huge smile on his face, Jake held both of his hands on the transparent glass and pushed his face against it, looking out to the stars in enjoyment. He didn’t know their names, or even what they were, but the shining lights in the blackness fascinated the young boy. His imagination spun in his mind as he thought of himself going out into the stars himself one day. Piloting his own craft and exploring the twinkling lights on his own. Space was one place Jake always wanted to be.

“Jake, hunny.” Behind him, Jake’s Mother softly rubbed the little boys back to get his attention. She got an unwanted reaction as the boy frowned at her, unable to see the stars anymore.
“Would you like something to drink my dear?” With a happy, glossy smile, Jake’s mom pointed out the Transport Craft’s attendant standing in the path between the chairs.

Jake looked at the woman and got on a slight pout face as she smiled brightly at him. His mother made a face, telling to to decide and Jake nodded lightly, suggesting that he did in fact want a drink. Though, instead of saying anything, he just turned back to the window and looked back out to the blackness. His mother sighed and looked up at the attendant, but before she could speak, Jake’s father peaked over the old-style newspaper he was holding up.

“Jake...” He said, and the child instantly froze.
“What kind of drink do you want?”

“Water please.” Jake spun around and smiled brightly at the attendant. Jake’s sister began to giggle across from him.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” The attendant smiled and moved away from the family, heading towards the middle of the craft.

Jake started to turn back to the window when his eyes locked with his father’s. The stare from the bulky ex-marine sent chills, not only down Jake’s spine, but all across his body. He couldn’t help but feel paralyzed by the look, and sat completely still in his half-turned position. The two remained locked by eye-contact for a few seconds before Jake’s mother leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

“You know it’s rude to ignore someone, my little baby...” She played with Jake’s short hair and rubbed his back. Jake pouted the smothering and growled at her lightly. He narrowed his eyes on her and she just smiled at him.
“Go on back to your stars.” She kissed him on the tip of his nose before leaning back in her seat.

As Jake began to turn back, he noticed his dad was no longer glaring at him. Though, he also noticed his mother’s heel digging into the man’s foot. Jake smiled as his father adjusted some, feeling relief as the heel was removed. He coughed and turned the page of the newspaper just enough to see the smiling face of his wife. Jake noticed that unlike his mom, his dad was on the brink of tears from the sheer pain.

Jake giggled to himself and turned his head out towards the window, though instead of the stars, he only saw a black silhouette filling the window. Pawing at the glass, Jake sniffled and tried to look around the shadow. To no avail, he tugged on his mother’s sleeve to get her attention. She looked at him as the attendant returned with their drinks.

Pointing out the window, Jake whimpered and teared up. His mother leaned down in question and looked out the window where her child pointed. The moment she did, the slight tan in her skin turned to a ghastly white. She gulped hard and pulled Jake close to her as she looked to her husband.

“What’s wrong?” Jake’s father asked, closing the newspaper as the look of pure fear in his wife’s eyes showed nothing good.

“It’s them...” She whispered, choking on the words as a loud bang shook the ship. The attendant stumbled and spilled the glasses of water onto the floor.

Out of reaction, Jake was immediately covered by his mother, and his father stood up in the hall. Around the craft, four others just like Jake’s father did the same. All were friends of his, as it was a family trip so to speak. The five men looked to each other, than Jake’s father looked out the window. The grimacing look over his face made Jake fearful.

“Get down...” Jake’s father whispered as he kissed his wife.
“Hide the children as best as you can.”

As Jake’s father stood up from his family, gunshots and rifles echoed in the forward rooms. People all around began to freak and screams echoed from all around the room they were in. Jake’s mother covered his ears as she huddle him and his sister under her arms. She covered them up and kissed the two on the top of their heads. Whispering a soft prayer, Jake watched his mother cower in fear, one thing he had never seen before.

“Fisher! Get open the compartment!” Jake’s Father called to his friend in the back.

“Got it.” The tall man pulled open the overhead compartment and pulled down a heavy case. Thick and easily hiding something important, the marking on the outside of the box was blatantly military.

Flicking the two latched, the man opened the case to reveal five submachine guns and multiple clips. Upon doing so, a man on his left shrieked loudly in fear. Fisher looked at him blankly and pulled up his sleeve, showing the tattoos of the UNF wrapped all around his arm. After reassuring that they were on the same side, Fisher lifted the rifles and passed them forward and across, tossing out ammunition as the group loaded up.

In the forward area, gunshots echoed again, followed by more screaming. Though, this time the gunshots were answered. Jake didn’t know who, as his father was still standing in front of him and his mother as a shield. Though, the shots put the man on edge, and he flicked some sort of switch on the weapon. Looking back to his friends, Jake’s dad nodded to them all and turned to his family.

“I’ll be right back.” Jake’s dad said, kissing Jake and his sister on the head, than Jake’s mother passionately. She teared up and tried to hold him back, but the marine lightly pushed her hand away.

She began to cry as Jake’s dad waved the men into the forward compartment. Gunfire ensued immediately, with orders and yells echoing over the firefight. Jake’s mom held onto her children tightly as she listened to the fighting. The gunfire lasted only a short thirty seconds before it all fell silent. All Jake could hear were the quiet screams of awoke babies, as well as his own heartbeat.

The loud and quick thudding of his heart against his chest began to hypnotize Jake as he anticipated something to happen. Time seemed to slow, and it felt like eternities were passing as the silence continued, and continued, and continued. He felt the hand of his mother across his back, swiping back and forth as she made sure her baby was still there. Jake looked up into the eyes of his sister, who was also crying. Jake didn’t understand why, but when he looked to his mom, he saw a shadow appear behind her.

Suddenly, screams filled the room and his mom clenched him tight to her. Gunshots rang loudly in Jake’s ears as the Boarders unloaded on the occupants, slaughtering everyone who stood up or made a sound. The automatic and semiautomatic weapons of the six men rattled through Jake’s bones like shockwaves. Jake shut his eyes and covered his ears to try and hide himself away.

Then he felt his mother’s hand shake and freeze. Four single shots echoed loudly through Jake’s hands and into his ears like explosions. Opening his eyes, he saw blood drip to the floor beneath his mother. Looking up immediately, he saw his mother smiling brightly, blood dripping through her lips as she looked back and forth between both of them. The man with blonde hair and a tattoo on his left cheek of a dragon raised his pistol. The jet-black weapon steadied and kicked as he pulled the trigger.

Blood splattered into the air and across Jake’s body as his mother slumped at his feet. His sister screamed loudly as Jake simply froze. He watched as his sister screamed and lunged at the man with the gun, just to get shot thrice in her chest and again between the eyes. Jake stared, silent as a stone as everything unfolded like a dream.

Adjusting the pistol’s aim, the barrel leveled between Jake’s eyes. He looked up as the image of the man in front of him burned into his mind. His ears rang loudly still from the gunfire and weapons, but a faint order seemed to echo in the distance. The man sighed and talked, but Jake didn’t hear a thing. He watched as the man lifted his pistol and slammed it down on his head.

Then it all went black...

[hollowsaber]

Chapter 1: Rifles and Water

The beating sun from the middle of the system beatdown on Mars viciously, blazing its dusty surface. The heat was intense, causing waves of warmth and sizzle into the air and towards a low flying ship. The long, sleek transport craft hovered nearly a thousand feet off the ground, shielding a hole in the desert below it. The dark shadow cast perfectly over the small camp below and the people walking freely within it.

With a terraformed atmosphere, the people walked without suits but also without shirts. Men marched about with their chests puffed out, their tools over their shoulders, and boots tied tightly to their feet. The women wore small tops and knee-low pants to keep themselves cool but covered. Though, a few men stood about the camp with high powered rifles in hand and equipment around their waist that included grenades, trackers, cuffs, and extra ammunition.

In the middle of the camp, a massive hole had been dug out. Scaffolding reached and extended down all the way to the depths of it. The hole was only 150 meters deep, but the 50 meter diameter of the hole and walkway that spun around its edges, made it seem much deeper. All inside, men slammed their pickaxes into the dirt and rocks, splitting the ground violently. The women carried water and extra tools back and forth on the walkway to the miners.

At the far bottom, six men all dug into the ground aggressively. The pinging of the steel picks on the solid ground echoed loudly around them in a sort of rhythm. The guards that stood around them simply leaned against the edge of the hole and watched the six dig for them. Rifles in hand, they watched the six very cautiously, even as a woman came down with several bottles of water.

“Gentlemen.” The woman smiled, walking to each man with the water.

“Why thank you my dear.” Dan smiled through his dusty and sweaty lips, taking a bottle. He raised it and tipped his head before taking a swig.

“Aye, thank you.” Frederick smiled, his thick accent making the woman giggle as he took a drink from his bottle.

She walked to all of the men except for one, who simply kept swinging his pickaxe. The others watched him swing over and over as the woman stood behind him. Even the guards watched, but they didn’t just stand. The closest guard moved over and clicked his rifle to let the man know he was trying to get his attention. The miner held his swing and stood up tall, his thick muscles drenched in sweat and weariness.

“Take a drink, dirt.” The Guard barked, spitting at the man’s feet as he waved his gun towards the water.

“It would be a smart idea, Jake.” Dan said, taking another drink from his bottle.

Jake looked at the guard and then at the man’s gun. With a scowl on his face, the Guard motioned for Jake to take a drink again. Jake turned and held his pickaxe in one hand as he looked at the woman. She smiled at him and held up the water. Suddenly, the vision of another woman flashed in her place. He shook his head and blinked several times to erase the image, then quickly took his bottle of water.

Turning back to the wall, Jake lifted the bottle high, chugging the water. The others watched as he quenched his thirst all in one go, emptying the bottle. When there was no more, Jake threw the bottle at the ground and lifted his axe. Dan shook his head as Jake started to slam his axe into the ground again. Frederick frowned and finished off the last bit of his own bottle, but he held it. The woman picked up Jake’s bottle and retrieved the empty ones from everyone before heading back up the walkway, leaving the men to their work. As she walked up, one of the guards lifted his gun to her back and prodded her up.

“You should relax more man.” Dan said, referring to Jake, who didn’t even acknowledge the comment.

“You’re going to kill yourself.” Frederick sighed and grabbed his own axe. Jake paused his swing for a moment.

He thought about saying something and stood still for several seconds. Jake shook off the thought and continued to rain hell on the rocks. He didn’t care for the mining, but he kept going. For with every swing, he pictured the face of the guard standing beside him as the rock and dirt below.

“Hey! Rivet!” The call for one of the guards echoed down from three floors above. All of the Guards looked up to see who was calling, but only one answered; the one beside Jake.

“Who’s calling?” Rivet responded, looking to the silhouette that leaned over the walkway.

“Bring up your miner! Boss wants to see him!” The voice came back. Rivet cursed and kicked the dirt some as he looked over at Jake. The guard watched a few moments and was about to let him keep mining, but orders were orders.

“Hey, dirt. Put down the pick. Looks like the big dog wants to see your ugly face.” Rivet prodded Jake in the side with his rifle and Jake quickly halted his swinging.

Digging the end into the ground, Jake left the axe behind as Rivet threatened to shoot him. Jake slapped the rifle out of his side and walked across the bottom of the hole for the path up. Rivet stayed close behind as they both started to ascend upward. The long winding path creaked beneath Jake’s feet as he marched passed the women with water and past other little notches where several other prisoners dug. Though, the higher they went, the less men there were, but there were many more guards by the top. They made sure no one who didn’t need to, got out.

Leading Rivet the whole way, Jake had no problems with the long walk. His thick legs easily holding his body upwards. Yet, the tiny guard behind him who did nothing but stand with a gun, was exhausted by the time he reached the top. Jake looked down at the man as he bent over for air and to stretch his legs. He gave Rivet a few seconds before turning and heading for the large modular building on the other side of the camp.

Rivet moved quickly to catch up, but the tiredness in his legs didn’t go away. Jake shook his head and moved between the tents and small modular-buildings for the larger, three story, black building that had guards posted all around it. He cracked his neck at the thought of killing them off, but kept his face still as to not show the joy the thought brought him.

Marching through the patrols and guards at the door, Jake walked right inside the building. Rivet moved in behind him and took a thankful breath when the air conditioning hit his face. Jake made no adjustment to the cooler air, and simply walked up the stairway that was next to the door, not even looking at the scenery of the room. Rivet growled at the haste in the prisoner’s step, but followed him anyways up the stairway.

Reaching the final floor, Jake burst through it and immediately looked to his left as the guards that stood on each side of the door at the end of the hall flinched. Jake didn’t wait for Rivet who was pulling himself up the stairs by the railing. When he reached the door, the two guards waiting there held up their rifles.

“Halt.” One of the guards barked, causing Jake to stop.

“He was called by the Boss.” Rivet wheezed, bending over some to rest.

The two guards looked at Rivet, then at each other in question. The one on the left shrugged and the two lowered their rifles. Opening the door for him, the guards let Jake through, but forced Rivet to wait outside as they shut the door in his face. Rivet raised up his hand in agreement, and slumped down against the wall.

Inside the room, Jake stood up and looked into the blackness towards the naturally illuminated desk. A woman sat at the desk, leaning back in the executive looking chair with her boots kicked up on the desk. Jake could tell she was pissed, as from her position, she hadn’t moved for a while. Her head was fixed on Jake, and her fingers locked on her stomach out of anger. From the way the sun hit, Jake could only see a small part of the woman’s face, but enough of her eye to tell that just part of her stare was enough to make a man like himself feel inferior. She truly lived up to her name ‘Hawkeye’ with just that look.

“So... Do you know why you’re here?” The woman asked, and Jake stepped forward, stopping in the middle of the room.

“No idea.” He spat, answering the stupid question with a stupid answer. Her hands moved.

“I’ll be frank with you then. You’re one of the few miners that’s lasted the time you have here. I was told from those above to gather the youngest, and best miners we have. Initially, I wasn’t even going to think of speaking to you. But it seems someone else wants me too, seeing as I got a letter saying to put you down on the list.” She turned her head towards the dim light, her full face now visible to Jake. She wasn’t happy.

“You and three others are going for a trip in the morning. Not sure for what, but it seems you aren’t needed here anymore.” The words were like a wave of relief to Jake that lasted only a few seconds as the realization that he could be going someplace worse crossed his mind.

“And where am I going?” Jake asked, and the woman responded with a heavy sigh. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking to herself as she picked her next words carefully.

“You, and three others, will be leaving this planet and will be going to Jupiter’s moon; Io.” She looked back at Jake, this time her entire face being blacked out by the shadows of the room.
“Get your stuff. You leave in three hours.”

Jake grimaced at the thought, for he knew exactly why he was going to Io. There was only one reason to go there, and it wasn’t mining. It wasn’t anything but hell itself, but he had no choice. He simply nodded to the woman and left the room. Rivet stood up at the sound of the doors opening and got ready to follow with the woman from inside called to him.

“Rivet, please, come inside.” She called.

Rivet and Jake exchanged sharp glares to each other before going their separate ways. Jake headed for the stairs, and Rivet disappeared behind the door. When Jake reached the door, he heard Rivet yell for mercy. His yell was followed by a single gunshot. Silence engulfed the floor as Jake held his hand for the door knob. The sound of the shot echoed in his mind as another memory surged through his brain.

Forcing himself to move, Jake grabbed the knob and twisted. Storming through and down the stairs, Jake almost galloped all the way down to the first floor, and wasted no time getting through the two doors and getting outside. He ignored the eyes that followed him as he left and just walked from the building. Pausing in the middle of the road, he looked up at the glass on the third floor to see the Woman now standing on the other side, looking down at him.

Jake stared into her cold eyes, then turned back down the street. She was not worth the anger in his soul. He was looking for someone else amongst these Rebels. After the few years on Mars he had spent, he did not see the person he was searching for. Maybe Io would be a better place to search. It got him off this place at least.

Entering his tent, Jake walked in as his two roommates were laying with one another. The two women looked at Jake with irritated faces and held what little cover they could over each other. Jake shook his head and started to pack his things, pulling up his duffel bag to do so.

“Where are you going, big boy?” One of the women asked, Jake did not answer at first and continued to pack his things.

“Hey, she asked you a question, Jake.” The other asked, and threw a bottle cap at him. Jake shut his eyes to keep himself relaxed and sighed.

“To Io.” Jake answered, stuffing the last pair of pants into the bag before he started to pull his bed apart.

“Io? Really?” The second woman asked, sitting up as she held the sheet to her chest.

“Yes. Or I wouldn’t be here.” Jake muttered, using the fact that he rarely came into the tent to shut the women up.

Pulling the bag shut tight, he tied the straps to make sure it would stay closed. Hefting it over his shoulders, Jake turned in the direction away from the women and headed for the opening of the tent. The two women stared as he marched to the opening, lifting the flap just to be stopped.

The moment he went to exit, a pair of shadows moved from each side of the entrance and slammed their rifles into his face. The butt ends bashed Jake’s skull hard, sending him down onto his back. The shadow to the left wasted no time and hit him again, knocking Jake out cold. Two others appeared from each side of the tent and helped as they tied him up and put a bag over his head.

A truck backed up from the side of the tent and right up to the group of Rebels as they finished tying Jake up. One man threw the duffel bag into the back of the truck as the other three lifted the heavy man into the bed of the truck. One climbed into the back and sat on a tool chest that was right against the window as the other three shut the back, then climbed into the truck. It wasted no time and sped off, kicking up dust into the tent and around the entrance.

[hollowsaber]

Chapter 2: Axes and Allies

Blackness enveloped Jake as he finally began to regain consciousness. As he opened his eyes, he could see nothing but dim light coming through the fabric of whatever was covering his face, causing his heart to pound. The last thing he remembered was being bashed in the face, and now his vision was blocked and he could feel something moving beneath him. Jake growled and attempted to sit up, but four hands game down on him and slammed him back down.

“Don’t move dirtbag!” A voice yelled to him as a boot was fixated onto his chest.

He thought of resisting, but when Jake pulled on his hands and feet, the bindings that held them together bit at his wrists and ankles. There was no way out even if he tried, and even if he did get out, he had no idea where to go. Choosing to remain still, Jake closed his eyes and relaxed, using his hearing to attempt to figure out where he was.

All was silent aside from distant yelling and the sound of the vehicle that was carrying him. It sounded like some sort of truck or car, but without seeing what it was, Jake was unable to distinguish it. Within a few seconds, the boot lifted from his chest and movement started to scurry around him, but no one touched Jake.

“Get the gate open, we’ve got one more!” A man barked from Jake’s left.

“They’ve already started the ceremony!” A distance voice answered, the man groaning at the work that he knew he was going to be forced to do.

“Shut up and open the gate.” The closer man yelled again.

“Fine, fine...” The answer was short, and was followed by the sound of a large object being moved. As it moved, light started to flare up and filled Jake’s eyes, even with the cloth over his face.

Several shadows moved on the other side of the cloth, then he was pushed onto his stomach. The rope holding his hands and feet together were cut and the bag was removed from his head. Immediately, a rifle was stuck in Jake’s face as he was ordered out of the truck bed. He held up his hands and complied, moving carefully off the back of the truck to the ground. Dressed in only in his pants and boots, Jake stood and towered over the Rebels that pointed their guns at him.

In front of him as he got off the truck, a long black tunnel back inside wherever he was cut off any thoughts of running. The large number of Rebel fighters all around him also would make that difficult, especially since many of them shook from fright. Jake smirked and chuckled at their fear. They all had rifles and submachine guns, but feared a six-foot-three miner from Mars who only had his bare hands. Talk about a fierce army.

“Move!” The Rebel standing in the bed of the truck prodded Jake and forced him to walk.

A man walked up and closed the bed as Jake was guided around the passenger side and towards the two large, opened doors. The bright light from the room made him squint to the point he almost had to fully close his eyes. Keeping his hands up in the air, he walked through the doors and several feet out when he heard thousands of screams and hollers echo from all around him. He opened his eyes some and did so slowly, letting his vision adjust to the light.

Slowly, the room came into full view; it was a coliseum, and from the windows all around the top of the building, he wasn’t on Io. Jake cursed to himself as he looked around, seeing thousands of people filling the seats around the room. When he turned around, he saw the blackness of the tunnel being closed away as the two doors were pulled shut. Jake sighed and looked away from the doors to his front, accepting that he was now stuck here.

Fourteen other men, three of which had the marks that Jake had, dignifying that they were from Mars. The bright red dot with the interlocked initials FG, for Fenius Grace, was stamped into their right shoulders. The others also had markings very similar, but with varying colors and initials. All of them were slaves at one point it seemed. From the looks of them, they also had different jobs at their places.

As Jake moved over to them, he fell in line and faced where they were facing; towards a sort of throne. The men all watched Jake walk to him, but the only ones who felt at ease around him were his brothers from his same camp, who each relaxed at the sight of another one of their own. Now they outnumbered any of the other groups with a solid Four, and were much bigger in size.

“Nice to see another familiar face...” The man to Jake’s left whispered.
“I’m Raspher. Next to me is Redsont, and then Seven.”

“Seven?” Jake asked, keeping his eyes forward so he wouldn’t get in trouble.

“The number of men he killed back on Mars.” Raspher said. Jake looked down at him then over to Seven, who stood proudly. The man flexed his right arm slightly, showing Jake the seven tally-marks on his arm made from cutting himself with a knife.

“Well then...” Jake said, looking forward again.
“What are we doing here?”

“Ever read History? About the Romans?” Raspher asked, cracking his neck softly as the person in the throne spoke up. His words boomed across the coliseum, but Jake didn’t listen. Raspher seemed to know more about what was going on.

“Yes. Why?” Jake asked, listening as eight panels appeared out of the walls below the stands. Each was full of an assortment of weapons and tools, all used to wound and maim others. Or kill if used correctly.

“Remember the gladiator part?” Raspher gulped, and Jake looked down at him with a keen look in his eye.
“We... Are that gladiator part.”

Jake’s eyes opened wide as everyone began to scream louder. He looked to the throne and saw as the leader of the event held up a pistol. The man pulled the hammer back and looked to the fifteen men standing in the center of the large building. He grinned widely, the pink lips on his face seeming to stretch from ear to ear as he placed a finger on the trigger.

“Let the battle! BEGIN!” The man pulled the trigger and fired the pistol. The crowd erupted into a bloodthirsty roar as everyone around Jake split up and dashed for the weapons.

“Come with us!” Raspher yelled as he and the other two made their way towards the panel to the far left.

Jake turned and sprinted as fast as he could for the panel, closing the gap between him and the other three easily. To his left, he already saw two men getting into a fist fight. They fought viciously, swinging and thrusting both fists and feet at each other. Jake narrowed his vision and looked forward away from the fight as they reached the panel.

The panel was full of an assortment of swords, axes, and daggers. It also had a cleaver, machete, two tomahawks, a sharp and poisoned spear, and a scythe. Two shields were held up by the wall on the floor, positioned there by someone before the fight. Though, when Jake looked around, he also saw that three other panels had shields. He frowned at that but shook it off.

“Stick together for now.” Raspher said as he pulled a short sword and dagger from the wall.

“I don’t think this is a team-fight.” Redsont muttered, yanking off a scimitar from its position before grabbing one of the shields.

“If it comes down to it, I’d rather it be us in the end than one of these other guys.” Raspher said, looking at Redsont as he pointed out to the carnage that was beginning to ensue.

“He has a point.” Jake pulled up a sword and made a makeshift holster out of his pants by cutting a hole through them.

“Alright, fine. We take them one at a ti-” Just as Redsont began to speak, Seven pulled one of the tomahawks off the wall, turned, and threw it to their left. The weapon spun, end over end for nearly twenty feet before wedging itself into the spinal cord of a man who was in combat. The man dropped to the dirt below, causing the other fighter to freeze.

The scene caused the crowd nearby to pause their screams as Seven pulled the second and last tomahawk off the wall. He cranked back and threw it hard. The wrapon soared and closed the twenty foot gap in only seconds before lodging itself into the skull of the still stunned fighter. The second man feel on top of the other dead. The crowd cheered with excitement as Seven pulled off a pair of battle axes from the wall.

“Welcome to the Arena, Gentlemen...” Seven spoke deeply as he started to march for his next target.

“H-...Holy shit...” Raspher stuttered, staring at the scene in disbelief.

“Now that was awesome!” Redsont laughed, gripping onto his shield and scimitar before jogging after Seven.

Jake grimaced and pulled the spear from the wall and the shield from the floor before stepping from the panel. He stomped through the sand with relative ease and followed behind Seven as he made his way to another pair of fighters. Raspher followed behind, but continued to stare at the two dead men as blood pooled beneath the bodies. Jake gripped the spear and marched up beside Seven, who spun the battle axes on their centers of gravity. The long spins cut at the air and caused a slight wind to Jake’s legs as they closed on the pair.

Seeing the two hulking men come towards them, the two fighters paused and raised their weapons to defend themselves instead, forgetting completely about their own fight. Jake growled and lifted his spear to the man on the right as Seven began to charge the one on the left. Jake lifted and jabbed, the tip of his spear being knocked to the side with relative ease as the smaller man used his sword to deflect the jab.

Jake suddenly sprinted forward, lowered his shoulder and rammed the man with his shield as hard as he could. The loud thud from the strike made Jake swing his arm up, propelling the man a few inches off and ground and backwards.. The man yelled in pain and fright as he was sent airborne, then grunted as he slammed onto his back. Jake stepped forward and held his spear tight, slicing it to the left. The man brought up his sword to hold off the strike, but Jake’s power and the momentum of the spear overwhelmed him. The tip of the weapon carved through his stomach, filling his system with the poison at the time as well as cutting open his internals.

In agony, he dropped the sword and went to grab his stomach. Jake reared back, and finished the man swiftly, putting him out of his misery with a stab to the heart. Blood splattered out from the wound and started to pool under the dead body as he pulled the weapon back out. Feeling the blood rush and the will to kill, Jake stood up tall with his spear and shield as he looked for another man to kill. There were eight left now.

The moment Jake was about to go pick a fight with someone else, a loud shriek of horror echoed from his left. Glancing over, he saw Seven pin his man to the wall. The fighter was without a left hand and only had a dagger in his right. Seven grinned wickedly and punched his right axe forward, using the sharp tip to pierce the man’s forearm, immobilizing it. The trapped fighter yelled in agony and the sound of death radiated from his lungs. Crossing his arms with the axes held tight, Seven opened his eyes widely. With simultaneous swings, the battle axes tore the man into three pieces. The fighter’s rib cage and up separate from whatever was lower than his stomach, and his head popped off the top of a champaign bottle.

“Jake! Behind!” Redsont called from Jake’s left.

Instantly, Jake brought up his shield and spun about. Bringing his spear to bare, he caught sight of a man jump into the air like a rabbit. Armed with a scythe and a scimitar, the man yelled loudly and started to bring his weapons down on Jake. Crouching and stepping beneath the man, Jake brought his spear upwards. As the two weapons dug into the bronze shield, Jake’s spear pierced through the ribcage of the man, breaking through flesh and bone. The spear dug deep, cutting all the way through the left lung of the fighter.

Continuing the motion, Jake pushed the man over him and into the sand onto his back. Jake growled and released the spear as it was too deep to pull out and still be useful. The poison was also most likely gone. Instead, he drew his short sword. Stepping on the chest of the man, Jake pinned the barely moving fighter down, then drove his blade deep into his skull. Wiggling it around to cut up inside a little more, Jake made sure he was dead before pulling the sword free.

As he turned around to face the remaining fighters, Seven walked up next to him, gripping his bloody pair of axes tightly. He nodded to Redsont and Raspher as the two were engaged with two other fighters. He then raised his axe and pointed at the four in front of them. Two had shields while the others were armed with swords and maces.

“Let’s finish this...” Seven muttered as he started to march to the four men.

“Sounds good to me..” Jake flicked his sword, getting the loose blood off before marching forward as well. The four men shook as the two hulking beasts moved for them.

Lowering his shield, Jake held up his sword beside it and started to sprint forward. The two in front of him held their own shields up and seemed ready to fight, until Jake got close. To their right, they watched as Seven tore through their two allies, ripping through the weapons and their bodies with ease. When they looked back at Jake, the man was already on top of them.

Using his shield, Jake bashed through the man on the right, sending him stumbling backwards. Spinning right, he brought his sword down, clashing it loudly against the other man’s shield. Standing up, Jake yelled loudly and brought up his boot, kicking the bronze shield hard. The man on the other side stepped back from the force, then used the step to get his footing. The man yelled loudly and lunged, sword first, forward right into Jake’s shield as he lifted it to guard himself.

At the moment of impact, Jake opened his shield arm left, causing the man to keep coming because of his forward motion. The sword sparked against the bronze as it sliced passed harmlessly. Bringing his own weapon to bare, Jake buried his blade into the chest of the other man, killing him instantly as the blade pierced his heart.

Wasting no time, he kicked the dead man off and turned right as the other man lunged forward. He recovered faster than Jake expected. To focused on freeing himself up, Jake was too slow to guard himself, and the sword pierced his right shoulder. Jake hollared in pain and recoiled. Full of adrenaline and now anger, Jake gripped his blade and bashed his shield into the other man’s again. This time, Jake dropped his shield.

Jake reached out and grabbed the other man’s, spinning him around so his back was exposed. With a red face of rage, Jake drove his sword into and up through the spine of the fighter. The end of the sword cut straight through, and burst out the other side through the man’s sternum. Pulling the sword free, Jake watched the body collapse to the floor. The sword dripped with blood as Jake held it down by his side. He stared at the back of the head of the man beneath him and breathed heavily, still pissed that he dared to strike him.

The crowd all around Jake cheered loudly as the other three moved in on him. Seven held his battle axes in the air, blood covering his body by the vicious strikes up close he dealt. Redsont and Raspher breathed heavily and weren’t as bloody, but were victorious as their two opponents lay dead. Standing in the middle of them, Jake looked up to the leader of the event and snarled as he began to stand.

The man walked into the light and smiled down at Jake and the others as they basked in their glory. As he held up his hands, the crowd gradually calmed and respected his wish for silence. He waited until everyone was seated before he lowered his hands. Moving up to the podium in the middle, and looked across the coliseum at the dead bodies strewn about.

“Well done, you men from Mars! I had high hopes for you all!” The man spoke loudly, causing the men to all direct their attention forward.

“That was a wonderful show! Now please, continue through the gate of the victors!” The man raised his right hand, directing them to a pair of doors that opened on the other side of the coliseum.

The crowd cheered “Men of Mars” over and over as a squad of armed rebels appeared. Jake dropped his swords, and the others released their weapons as well. The cheers continued to echo as they were lead towards the gate. As they started to walk, the man at the podium called out loudly for the guards to halt. They did so and the group all looked up to him again, and the crowd silenced.

“Make sure he gets tended to!” The man pointed to Jake, noting the wound on his shoulder that was starting to make his arm go numb. One of the guards gave a thumbs up and the group disappeared through the doors.

The group walked for nearly a quarter of a mile before a three-way fork appeared. Jake was separated and brought down the left hall while the rest were sent to the right. With three guards surrounding him, he was brought upstairs and towards a well lit area. He squinted some, as the shadows of the tunnel had already readjusted his eyes. Unlike the first time, his eyes adjusted much quicker.

The area wrapped around to the left, circling with the coliseum and off into the distance as it seemed to go fully around the structure. All along the tunnel, what looked to be spectators, all bought and traded from the stalls on each side of the area. Once Jake and the guards were off the stairs, a gate slammed down from above, blocking off the way down.

Jake looked back for a moment to see the gate shut, but was prodded to keep moving. The crowd in front of him split and stared as the man was marched towards a large room on the left. Inside, behind a door and thick glass, a bright white room shined in the dim light of the area.

Moving to the front, one of the guards opened the door for Jake as the next to moved him inside. Taking position on the door, two guards broke off to make sure no troublemakers followed. The other brought Jake up to a woman who was reading a book. She didn’t look up until Jake loomed over her entrance desk.

When she saw the wound, the signs of battle, and the guards in her area, the woman sighed and stood up. She marked the page she was at and looked up at Jake as he looked down. She checked him from head to toe for any other markings before focusing just on his shoulder. Rubbing her red lips together, she seemed to already know how to fix him as she waved the guard off.

“Come with me big fellah’.” The doctor said, turning and leading Jake into the backroom.

When the Doctor walked through the door, large bright lights in the ceiling automatically came on, illuminating a room filled with different sorts of drugs on the left and rear walls. On the right were several surgical tools, as well as some more violent ones. Though, the front wall had some light equipment as well as a camera set up on the upper middle. Seems like the Doctor liked to review some operations...

“Lay.” She pulled down some cleaner paper to cover the table in the middle of the room and walked to the front of the room to get gloves.

Jake felt uncomfortable as he lay down, and the pain in his shoulder was starting to get to him as he adrenaline rush calmed. He looked up at the bright light above him and blinked several times, trying not to go blind before ultimately just shutting his eyes. He listened to the doctor walk about the room, gathering her tools and the drugs she’d use on him. From her humming and pace, she sounded like she had done this before.

“Now, this will be difficult for you, but don’t move.”

When Jake reopened his eyes, he saw the doctor sitting in a chair beside him. As she leaned over him, she also had a small table beside her with her tools. There wasn’t much there, less than Jake expected. She only had some needles, sterilizers, thread, and a bunch of cloth with alcohol. Simply enough for just a regular old wound.

“Now, from you still standing and being able to breath. It’s safe to assume there was no poison on whatever cut you. Correct?” Jake looked over at the woman and caught sight of her ID; Dr. Victoria J. Harper.

“Yes ma’am.” Jake nodded and turned his head forward, wincing as she began to wipe away the blood that was still pumping from the wound.

“Alright. From the looks, he got you good.. I’ll be able to sow it up and patch it, but you can’t do a lot for a few days. Understand?” Dr. Harper placed the bloody cloth on the table and got another, putting some extra alcohol on it before turning back to Jake.

“What if they tell me to fight.” Jake muttered, squeezing his left hand as he thought about what he did earlier.

“You won’t. Trust me.” Harper chuckled as she started to dab at the wound again, causing Jake to flinch a little harder. She flicked his nose and told him to shut up.

As she worked on the wound, Jake heard some talking on the other side of the door. He closed his eyes and attempted to focus on the chatter and not the needle Harper was stabbing through his flesh. It sounded like it was between the guards, but Jake couldn’t make out the exact words. Only mumbles, laughs, and the tapping of their boots on the ground. They were anxious to leave, and obviously didn’t want to babysit from the movement. Jake sighed and just shook his head a little before looking over.

To his surprise, the Doctor was nearly finished. She was about three-quarters of the way up the wound with crossing stitches, sealing the gash up tight. Blood squirted out a little, but from the pressure of the thread, it had mostly stopped. When she was fully completed with the threading, Harper gave a nice pull to tighten the stitching, then tied it closed so it wouldn’t come undone easily. She knew Jake would be doing some work, so she made sure it would take a lot of stress to reopen.

Just as she finished, a ruckus in the store made the guards silent. Harper glanced over at the front wall and whistled. To the sound of the whistle, a projection appeared on the X-RAY panel and showed what was going on inside of the front room. Two golden armored men with spears and ceremonial looking headdresses had the guards sat in the waiting chairs to the side. Another was in front of the door, and a fourth was questioning the guards. Jake could hear the man asking for him, and the guards immediately pointed to the back room.

“Looks like you’re going to see someone important.” Dr. Harper laughed as she gathered her tools onto a tray. Jake sat up and cracked his neck.

“Better get a move on. I’ll be here if those stitches come undone, but as I said. Don’t do anything stupid for a few days and let it heal.” Harper tossed the bloody cloths into the trash can and put the needle into a cup of alcohol. She turned around just in time to see the guard burst through the door.

“Oh, and Jake.” The woman smiled, immediately getting Jake’s attention as he never told her his name.
“Remember, I’ll be here if those stitches break.” The woman winked and smirked to him as the Guard slammed his staff on the floor.

“You, come with me.” The Guard pointed to Jake and he complied, getting to his feet and walking out of the backroom.

The Guard pushed Jake out into the streets and the others formed up around him. Jake sighed and walked as casually as he could as he was forced to walk. How many places was he going to get moved around too? The least the Rebels could do was give him something to eat. He was starving.