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Stories from the Verse
A Dozen Verses
Chapter 14: Slade 255
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Kondor 260
The flying car had been repaired, and the mechanics said there were clear signs of tampering. Slade had paid attention when they mentioned simple checks to make sure such did not happen again, or if it did, it was detected before it became a problem. This and other thoughts had him on edge as he walked to the arena.
Some of the co-sponsors for the Subsector Tournament wanted a parade through the area on foot. It would create attention if the warriors walked in a crowd to the fight, was the argument. Others pointed out that they were already getting hints from the local criminal element that their anti-corruption efforts were unwelcome. So Slade, who was on the fence, had decided to walk the route himself just to check it out.
A cry of fear came from off to the right, and Slade looked. Between two market stalls, in the shadows, he saw three aliens with knives menacing another alien. Charging to the rescue allowed him to put aside considerations of whether the route was too exposed so that snipers could target the athletes. Now, it was simple. War.
“For Thor!” he cried, and drew his blade. The three in front faded back to the sides, and taking advantage he charged right through them, shoulder checking one into the ground, and spun about to put the victim to his back. He menaced the two still standing in front, a Chlorophyte and a Chombito, probably tech and muscles while the yellow skinned Darvast, who were known for their quick reflexes, bounced back to his feet. Hey, wait a second--
A vibroblade spun up and pierced his back even as he turned. The laughing Chlorophyte in the role of ‘victim’ and now ‘ambusher of would be hero’ stopped laughing right before Slade cut his head off. Turning back, he faded back enough to miss the dagger pierce from the front by the other Chlorophyte, but the Darvast sliced open his arm with a head snap with its huge ears. The Chombito bull rushed him and lifted Slade up, and was carrying him down the alley behind the market stalls when Slade hammered his hilt twice into the alien’s skull.
Both fell, and Slade could not dodge the knife in his back so he got jabbed again as the Chombito landed on him. Not waiting for anything, he pulled himself out, and was ready, even if bleeding down his back, to face any more. But the alley was empty except for the dead. Even the Chombito was dead, his skull having been crushed. The Darvast and the other Chlorophyte had beat feet.
He found one of the quads of Blue aliens, but they were not medics, nor messengers. But upon seeing his wound, at his request they quickly, for them, moved into action as they got him comfortable on a bench and summoned help. Ten minutes later, he was patched up, and a bit poorer. The robots came and took his statement, but said that the dead aliens had no identification. This was not truly unusual as the Throne World Empire was an anti surveillance state.
Slade thanked those who had helped him, and decided that going home to his apartment and getting some TLC from his wife was the thing to do.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with eleven other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #525: Character Battles. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
