---Break---

I walk through the Gym, towards what, until recently, was just called ‘Victor’s section’, becoming known as the ‘Terran section’ after the arrival of the rest of Triple M.

It consists of specialised equipment that can stand up to the raw power of an exercising deathworlder, an arena, complete with combat droids to spar against, and, behind it, a gunrange where Victor has recently been giving firearms training to Krish, Jennie, Msia, Hasiakh and Kas.

Tuun and Brunhilda are both fully proficient in firearms usage, already, from being a qualified Auxilliary Security Officer and Security Officer respectively, Ms. Hunter is qualified from being a bodyguard, Xon and Emiko are military and former military respectively, so none of them need training from Victor but, from the sounds of it, they train together and advise eachother on improvements, anyway.

Hatathli and Phan both declined to receive firearms training, on ethical grounds, and Petrikov because she ‘can’t be bothered learning that skill, and won’t be on the excursion party so doesn’t need it!’.

The reason I’m heading to the gym’s Terran section is that Twila ‘helpfully’ informed me that there was something interesting going on there… then refused to elaborate…(!)

I walk in on a scene of all the members of Triple M as well as a few of the, more intrepid, gardenworlders of my crew, sat around the arena.

On the mat is Victor, currently engaged in a vicious [hand-to-hand] bout against a combat droid.

As I approach, Twila’s holographic form materialises in front of me and says “That’s far enough, Captain. The gravity in the ring is turned up to 3x galactic standard for Victor and I to fight. It’s dangerous for you to go any further!”

I cock a browtuft and answer “Twila, you are correct in your apprehension that I was unaware of the crushing gravity differential… However, I can’t help but be somewhat insulted that you think so little of my intelligence that you believed there to have been any chance of me stepping in that arena, with [110kg] of deathworlder and [65kg] of combat droid fighting so viciously that my brain is only able to apprehend whirring and jerking(!)”

She smiles “I’d rather warn you and not need to than need to and not warn you, Captain…”

I fan my flight feathers in concession “Fair point… caution is what deathworlders do best… even if you are a computer who was constructed in orbit around a gardenworld(!)”

She laughs.

I glance around her, to the ring “So that’s you, is it?”

She nods “The rounds weren’t even so I said I’d possess a combat droid to even it out. Sucks that I got Victor first. Though, I don’t think I would have won, no matter what!”

In confusion, I ask “Rounds? What are you…?” but am broken off by Victor grasping the droid, (causing me to realise that that’s what he has been trying to do the entire time I’ve been in the room) lifting it off the ground and slamming it down, hard enough to utterly destroy it.

“Damnit!” says Twila with an affected snap of her holographic fingers, indicating mock frustration.

“Did you lose because you were distracted by me?” I ask, concerned.

She feigns indignity “Captain!? It’s my turn to be insulted! You think so little of me that you believe I can’t have a conversation and a fight at the same time(?) I’ve still got processing power to spare, I’ll have you know(!)”

I chitter “Sincerest apologies, dear girl(!)… So… what’s going on? You mentioned ‘rounds’?”

She smiles “Come to the stands and we’ll explain…” and then leads me to the bench on which sit Emiko, Tuun and Xon all giving Fluffy a hearty scritch.

“Welcome to Consolation Corner, Captain!” smirks Emiko.

“Is someone going to explain what’s going on?” I ask, quizzically.

“We’re having a tournament…” answers Tuun with an angry purple bruise at her left eye “…Twila getting knocked out marks the end of the first round. I got beaten by Kas, Emiko got beaten by Samus, Thran beat Xon and you saw Victor turn Twila into scrap metal, just now. We’re in the Semifinal now, it’s Thran vs Kas and Victor vs Samus, then the winners will fight in the Final… I’ve got a bet with Xon… I’m betting on Victor to win… she’s betting on Thran…”

“So both of you think your partner is the biggest and scariest fledgling in the school canopy(?)” I quip.

“You’re right, Captain! We might be a little biased(!)” laughs Xon.

“What are the rules?” I ask, unsure if I’ll like the answer.

“You lose if you’re thrown from the arena, concede or aren’t able to continue, no hairpulling, no eye gouging, no crotch shots (at Victor’s insistence), try not to send your opponent to the medical room…” lists Twila with unnerving matter-of-factness (but for the wry smirk she gives at Victor’s rule).

“That latter is less a rule, more an advisory…” I observe.

“Yeah… it wouldn’t be any fun if we had to hold back that much!” answers Xon, gleefully.

I turn to Hasiakh, sitting with the others not in ‘Consolation Corner’ “You didn’t wish to participate?” I say, raising my voice a little, even though it’s slightly unnecessary as my translator detects who I’m directing my speech at and makes sure it reaches her.

She answers “I’m realistic(!) Tuun got knocked out in [15 seconds] and she’s deathworld raised(!) I know how likely it is that I’d win and how likely it is that I’d be really hurt… best if I sit out…”

“Hey…!” says Tuun with mock indignation “…I lasted longer than that! I hit her 23 times before she got me!”

Xon smirks “…and… how many times did she need to get you to knock you out?”

Tuun looks embarrassed before saying “…once… but, in fairness to me, she used to box semiprofessionally!”

Xon cocks an eyebrow, smugly, seeming to be satisfied that no more needs to be said about that.

At this point Kas and Ms. Hunter step into the arena and a hush comes over the spectators.

“How likely is it that Kas beats her?” I ask Twila while giving Fluffy a scratch between the ears in an attempt to calm my racing hearts (the absurdity of touching a deathworld predator, for comfort, not lost on me!).

“I calculate her chances at substantially less than one percent.” answers Twila “She may be a boxer, she may be a strong woman… but Thran is the strongest there is and is a professional bodyguard.”

“She’s also surprisingly fast! You wouldn’t think so, looking at her, but Neanderthals are natural sprinters. Her stamina isn’t quite like that of Victor’s or Samus’ but I don’t think this match will last long enough for stamina to come into play!” opines Xon.

The two women take position and bow briefly before Twila declares the match started.

They both raise their arms to guard their upper portions and approach eachother.

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Kas has a full [25cm] of height advantage but, I have to remember, Hunter is the strongest woman in the galaxy!

Kas throws a punch and, faster than I can resolve, Hunter has caught it. Kas answers with a second punch, thrown with her other hand, and Hunter catches that as well. With both her fists now apprehended by the other woman, Kas struggles to pull away, then seems to give up on that and instead settles for kicking and headbutting Hunter… which she barely reacts to.

Kas is forced to the ground, her face a mask of pain before she screams “I GIVE! I GIVE UP!!!”

Uncertainly, I ask “What just happened?”

“Thran was crushing her hands to make her concede.” answers Tuun.

Remembering the solidity of Kas’ hands (which she demonstrated the night we met by rattling a hardwood table just by poking it) makes the thought of crushing them hard enough to force her to yield terrifying!

Her hands now released, Kas offers her right to Hunter who hesitates uncertainly before taking it, allowing the two women to shake, conciliatorily, before Kas makes her way over to me and the four who’ve already been knocked out.

“Condolences…” smiles Emiko as Kas takes her seat.

“Ah, it’s alright, I didn’t think I’d beat her!” says Kas with a wave of her hand and a shake of her head “I’m more interested in the next two matches! I’d say Victor has the edge on Samus… but I don’t think it’s clearcut and either of them might be a match for Thran!”

Confused, I ask “They could? Isn’t she stronger than both of them?”

Kas smiles the smile of a deathworlder who’s about to explain something they know and you don’t, before answering “Yes, Captain, but strength is not the only strength!”

“You’ll have to forgive my gardenworlder brain for being addled by that contradiction. How is ‘strength not the only strength’? Surely, by definition, ‘strength=strength’, doesn’t it?” I respond, my natural eyes narrowed.

Clearly delighted that I ‘swallowed the bait’ as a Terran would put it, Kas begins “What I mean is that being stronger than your opponent isn’t enough to guarantee you winning a fight… My trainer used to explain it in terms of the ‘Five Ss’…”

Sighing, I ask “And… what are the ‘Five Ss’?”

She holds up her five fingered hand and begins counting “Strength, Speed, Stamina, Skill and Strategy… all the strength in the universe doesn’t matter if you can’t move fast enough to land a hit, the perfect strategy is useless if you don’t have the strength to use it etc.… Of course, it’s not perfect… it doesn’t account for things like Victor’s huge reach advantage, Thran’s mass advantage or barrel chest, but it covers all the things you can work on without gene therapy or augmentation.”

I consider her explanation for a few moments, as Brunhilda and Victor walk into the arena and bow, and Twila announces the start of the match. I have questions but decide to wait until the break between this round and the Final.

The two Terrans circle, both poised in readiness.

Their eyes fly over eachother, seeming to be searching for any vulnerability, their footfalls precise and automatic, their bodies curled to minimise the front facing target.

For a moment, I forget the fact that these are two friends… two sentient beings who’ve, time and time again, demonstrated the fact that they are allies and good people… my mind sees killers… sees monsters.

I shake myself back to reality.

Terrifying as they are, they are my friends and this is a friendly… combat game…(?) Huh… ‘friendly combat ’…(!)

Based on something I could not perceive, the titans decide that now is the moment to initiate the fight and engage eachother.

The fight is a blur to me, as they swing, miss, swing and, if those sickening thuds are anything to go by, hit!

The two of them seem to be a much closer match than either Kas and Hunter or Victor and Twila’s combat droid… steadily, however, Brunhilda is pushed back and back toward the edge of the arena… she redoubles her ferocity in a way that reflexively makes me cling to Fluffy.

Then, around [3 minutes] after it started, Victor’s boot ejects Brunhilda from the ring and the round is over.

She stands and the two of them shake hands, heartily, before she makes her way over to the group I’m sat with.

“Alright… so it’s Victor vs Ms. Hunter for the Final. Now, how would you assess their matchup under your ‘Five S’ model?” I address Kas.

“Hmmm, tricky…” she says with a finger and thumb at her chin “…Thran obviously has the strength advantage and… I think, I’d also give her the speed advantage… as Xon said, Neanderthals are built for sprinting… I’d have to give the stamina advantage to Victor… It’s very difficult to assess both of their relative skill levels given how much higher skilled they are than everyone but Samus and Tuun… I think interms of kinaesthesia and awareness Tuun outdoes both of them but simply doesn’t have the strength to turn that to her advantage in an unarmed bout… is that fair to say, Tuun?”

Tuuns purple bruise is now augmented by purple cheeks as she says “I… I suppose so…” with clear embarrassment at the praise. She then adds “I think Victor would have the advantage there… I don’t know if he has better kinaesthesia than her but she has ASC so I don’t think she’ll read him as well as he’ll read her…”

I’m forced to interject again “[ASC]?”

Xon answers “Autistic Spectrum Condition… my girl’s aspergic and it means she can’t do social stuff as well as a neurotypical. In this case, it means that she won’t be able to ‘see’ Victor’s intentions as well as he can see hers… she’s not shy about it, in case you’re worried that I’ve told you something you shouldn’t know(!)”

Kas considers “So… strength and speed to Thran… stamina and skill to Victor… she has a mass advantage and more solid bones than him, he has a lot more reach than her… I’d say those things cancel eachother out… that means it’ll be strategy that determines this match… I think the best strategy for Thran would be to end the match quickly… proactively close the distance to nullify his reach advantage and win before he can apply his stamina advantage to wear her out… I don’t think she’ll do that, though… she played both of her previous matches quite reactively… she waited to be attacked and then responded… Victor’s best bet would be to try to draw things out to the point where she gets exhausted… it could go either way!”

I decide to get Twila’s opinion “Twila, what would you put their odds at?”

She shakes her head “The same… as good as 50:50. It’s rare for odds to be so even!”

At this point, Victor indicates that he’s done recovering from the round with Brunhilda and he and Hunter take position in the arena, bowing to one another.

As Twila declares the match started, the best Security Officer in the galaxy and the strongest woman in the galaxy take defensive stances.

Fluffy emits an indignant growl and it’s only then that I realise I’ve been frantically scratching to the extent that I’ve apparently caused her discomfort!

“Sorry, Fluffy!” I say, seeming to satisfy her by my tone.

Those are some nerves I must have had, just now, to cause me to cause an a’Teksian mirkbeast discomfort! I’m probably among only a handful of beings who can claimed they’ve done that and lived… most of whom are in this room(!)

Victor has certainly adjusted his style across the three rounds I’ve seen him fight!

Against Twila, he was ferocity itself; correctly judging that her combat droid posed 0 credible threat (perhaps I should look into upgrading?). In his match with Brunhilda, he was poised but still self-assured… Against Hunter… he’s cautious… he’s actually hesitating to approach her!

She stands perfectly still, only moving to keep facing him and adjust her footing, as he moves left and right seeming to be looking for an angle of attack.

After around [30 seconds] of sizing her up, he commits to an approach but seems much less happy about it than he did when engaging Brunhilda!

Making use of his reach advantage he throws a punch which, judging only by the sound, Hunter seems to have parried with her forearm.

They both move faster than I can follow, Victor dancing, out of range, to avoid her blows, Hunter knocking his blows aside as they come.

Using his much longer legs he delivers sweeping kicks to hers which, while she is thoroughly incapable of returning, don’t seem to bother her all that much.

Everything about this is alarming! The speed and precision which I infer them both to be utilising with each strike, the thuds and booms of their bodies impacting eachother and the mat, the fact that they’re doing this in 1.5x their cradleworld’s gravity, the fact that they’re doing it for fun!!!… or, at least… not out of necessity!

Victor does indeed seem to be attempting to induce Hunter to exhaustion but she appears to only be answering each strike with the minimum effort to deflect it.

Those who are able to follow what’s going on gasp in reaction to developments my brain simply doesn’t work fast enough to allow me to perceive.

Then, all at once the motion stops and I am given a brief glimpse of Hunter, with her hand wrapped around Victor’s wrist, immediately followed by him being knocked several [metres] backward, paired with a sickening *crack*.

Now lying on the mat, Victor emits a horrific strained wheeze which lets me know that something is not right.

I turn to Twila “Drop the gravity back to galactic standard, right now! Get me a scan of Victor! Something’s not right!” then, addressing Brunhilda and Kas “You two, find a stretcher!”

“Gravity is normalised, Captain. Victor Taylor has five fractures across his three, lowermost, right side ribs.” says Twila.

“Odds of survival?” I answer, entering the ring with her following beside me.

“He’s extremely unlikely to die from broken ribs and having the air knocked out of his lungs… he’ll need regen, though. It would be another matter if he’d had a lung punctured…” she answers, all cheer gone from her voice.

I pass Hunter and see her usual blank mask expression replaced with one of terror.

“Send urgent notifications to Drs Gato, Shing, Hatathli and Phan… we need at least one of them to meet us at the medroom!” I say to Twila, entirely in Captain mode now.

I draw up to Victor, lying on the mat gasping to draw air into emptied lungs “Victor… Victor talk to me! Let me know you’re alright!”

“Fine…*hhh*… Cap…*hhh*… had…*hhh*… worse…*hhh*… where’s…*hhh*… Thran?” he answers, through wheezes.

I look around and see she’s disappeared from view.

I turn back, as Brunhilda is laying a stretcher beside him, and answer “She’s gone, Victor… why do you want her?”

He raises his right hand, feebly, and answers “Didn’…*hhh*… shake…*hhh*… hands!”

I give a mirthless laugh before saying “You idiot, Victor…” then, addressing all present “From now on, ‘don’t send your opponent to the medical room’ is a hard rule for all future matches! Captain’s orders!”