Outside, the sun shone down on him. The small moon of Phobos hurtled by, a small satellite that was a smudge in the salmon-pink sky. It was hot outside, though Rick wasn’t sure why. It was the first time he’d truly been out of his suit for any length of time, and he realized he’d never felt the heat and dryness before. His uniform clung to him from the heat and sweat. The crowd cheered louder as Ceb walked into the circle. Rick took a deep breath as he entered the circle himself to a chorus of boos. The Golgoro he faced looked tough; his tribal whorls and body paint had been reapplied to contrast his red skin with the black of the body paint. He held a knife almost twenty centimeters longer than the one Rick held. Ceb also had a leonine grace as he moved through a few practice thrusts that caused Rick’s heart to hammer against his chest. This is going to be fun.

Cal’Bain himself stood on a raised dais before one set of bleachers. He held his arms out, and the cheers and jeers died down. His green eyes swept over Ceb and Rick. “Before us is Wandsman Ceb Delsen. His opponent is Rick Tavish of the Space Rangers.” Cal’bain waited a moment as jeers filled the dry air. He then quieted them with a wave. “This is a trial by combat. Let the Twins that watch over us settle this with blood. On my signal, begin.” He raised his hands, and a bell the size of his helm hovered above his head. It was made of the same glass-like material as Rick and Ceb’s knife. There was no clapper inside that Rick could see, but when he struck the air below the bell, the loud, clear peal of the bell rang out.

Rick charged forward at the signal. Ceb waited, holding the knife pointed down. Ceb brought the blade tip up at the last moment as Rick came in for a low stab. The slash from the Golgoro would have hurt had Rick not lunged to one side, allowing his Earthman muscle to send him ten feet from the attacker. He landed, smiling. “Well, that is one advantage,” he said to himself as Ceb sneered.

His opponent snarled and rushed Rick, holding his arms parallel to the ground. Rick waited, holding his ground. When Ceb reached him, he dropped his long blade from one hand and caught it with his other hand. Rick’s eyes tracked the knife, so he missed the heavy punch coming at the side of his head from Ceb’s now-empty hand. Rick staggered under the blow and dropped to the ground, coughing at the dust and sand that puffed up when he landed hard. His head rang. He tried to stand, shaking his head. A shadow fell on Rick. Out of instinct, Rick rolled to one side and missed getting struck by the heavy blade’s point.

“Stay still, Earthman,” Ceb growled as Rick continued rolling to one side again and again as the Golgoro stabbed down repeatedly, trying to land a killing blow. As he rolled, Rick lost his own blade. Hitting the edge of the circle, a small raised wall that arrested his movement, Rick was trapped. Ceb smirked, seeing his opponent caught. He brought the blade down, hard.

Rick’s hands shot up and caught Ceb’s thick, corded wrists. But the leverage wasn’t there, and Ceb was stronger than Rick thought. The blade moved closer and closer to Rick’s chest, centimeter by centimeter closer to the sigil of the Space Rangers and his heart.

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Struggling against Ceb, Rick saw one slim hope open up. He had dropped his knife, but it was still close enough to grab. However, he needed both hands to keep Ceb’s knife from stabbing him, as the Golgoro was pressing down with all his weight. What am I going to— He stopped when one thing about knife fighting that was rigorously drilled into him at the Academy hit him hard. “When it comes to knife fighting, always remember one thing. You are going to get cut.”

Rick twisted his body toward his own blade, and his opponent slashed down, cutting across Rick’s exposed back. Yet, Rick’s hand wrapped around his blade’s hilt, and he plunged it deep into the wandsman’s side. The stab was deep, and the wandsman grunted, trying to pull away from Rick. Rick’s blade dragged at the man, cutting deeper, tearing open the wound. Hot, dark red blood poured from the wound. Rick didn’t let go as Ceb struggled feebly for a moment before stopping. There was a spasm from the wandsman, then he coughed blood into Rick’s face and went still, dropping his head on Rick’s chest.

The crowd roared. Rick blinked, and Al’Kara was there. Another psi-blade came to assist Ceb with a device like Al’Kara’s, but the wandsman had succumbed to his wounds.

Rick stood up with the help of Al’Kara. He looked to Cal’Bain, whose face was a raw mask of anger. He took a long breath, trying to relax his features. When he opened his all-green eyes again, Rick suspected he and Al’Kara were doomed.

“You have proven that Ceb was the one in the wrong. Congratulations. However, you have spilled blood at a Moot. You and Al’Kara are expelled from the Moot, and Al’Kara is banished from her clan, from the Temple, and the planet.”

Al’Kara sagged for a moment but took the verdict in stride. Rick wanted to say something, but he stayed quiet.

“May you always find water and shade,” Al’Kara said to her uncle.

“May you find rot and ruin,” her uncle whispered back.

The words stung Al’Kara; Rick could tell. She bit back an oath and helped Rick secure his suit and then return to the skimmer. Once they left the Moot, Rick wanted to ask Al’Kara about what had happened, but instead was quiet. He piloted the skimmer toward his rocket, feeling like he was headed home.

After an hour of standing alone at the controls, Al’Kara was next to him. Her face was damp from tears. Still, she looked at Rick and grinned.

“Why do you look happy? You were just expelled from—”

“I have free rein to do what I wish, beloved.” She rested a hand on his as he piloted the craft closer to his rocket. “To journey with you, wherever you may go.”

He nodded, happy to have her as a companion. The rocket itself looked none the worse for wear. With a little creative programming, he was able to edit some of the worst out of the automatic reporting. Rick mentally cataloged all the regulations he was breaking by bringing her along. All the rules that had been a part of the Space Rangers. He didn’t care. She’d helped him and saved him more than once. And he cared for her; he wanted her to stay with him.

“In that case,” Rick said, stopping the skimmer and gesturing to the rocket, “Let’s get aboard and dust off for Callisto.”