Gabriel woke up the following morning, sore and a little stiff. He probably pulled a muscle in the last jump while dodging the riding animal. He sat up and groaned.

"Rough night?" Deana asked, she sat up and stretched her neck.

"You were there, you should know," Gabriel said.

"Not used to battering Kriks into the ground?" She asked.

"Is that what they are called? No, not really. Not that I'm more used to sword fighting." Gabriel said as he tried to get his spine in order. After a couple of satisfying cracks, he felt much better. "So what now? When's the next fight?"

"I don't know, three, four days I suspect." She shrugged and leaned back against the wall, her legs crossed. “But we can always hope for more.”

“Agreed, I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” Gabriel said and walked over to the bathroom to wash his face. Breakfast arrived at the same time, along with a fancy dressed male Roniean Gabriel had not seen before. Gabriel walked out toweling off his face. “What a pleasant surprise, a guest. Are you joining us for breakfast?”

“Not quite, I was just interested in seeing what my money has bought,” he said and raised his crest. Gabriel noted that it was a bright purple color but didn’t understand the significance of the gesture.

“Satisfied?” He asked.

“Maybe, tell me, how did you jump out of the way of the Krisk that fast?” he asked, looking nonchalant.

“I have strong legs, good for short bursts,” Gabriel lied.

“I see,” he said. He studied Gabriel for some time before squinting and nodding to himself, “Hmm, I’ll have to try harder next time it seems,” he said and left the cell. Gabriel gave Deana a confused look and got a shrug back.

“Who was that?” Gabriel asked after he heard the door at the end of the corridor lock.

“He owns this arena, I don’t know his name. All the guards just call him boss.” Deana said. “But I’ve only seen him on the stands, preaching to his guests.”

Gabriel frowned, “He didn’t know how strong I was,” he said scratching his head. “Hmm,” Then the realization hit him. “Of course my seller would lie to him,” Gabriel said.

“What do you mean?” Deana asked, Gabriel heard shuffling and saw Sen at the other door.

“He means buying an alien that has taken down ten armed Igris pirates with a metal rod is likely a bad purchase. Too difficult to control.” Sen’Chakar said. “That would be my guess. Most believe the rumors are just a ruse to keep Gabriel away from trouble so confirming that would make sense.”

“Right,” Gabriel said. “Not to toot my own horn or anything but I crushed all the physical tests they had on US 535.”

“I’m assuming toot your own horn means bragging,” Deana said. “And that was a bad attempt. But I see your point, he seemed to think you would be weaker.”

“Yeah, and he accepted that I could only run in short bursts,” Gabriel said.

“...So that was a lie?” Deana asked.

“Yeah, humans are...persistent hunters, I think. Or I mean not in modern society.” Gabriel said. “We don’t run around chucking spears at mammoths anymore.”

“Ignoring what mammoths are, how long can you run?” Deana asked.

“Full speed? not that long, I’ve only run 400 meters in a sprint. Well, it’s called a sprint but I can’t run it maxed out. I guess I’ve only done 200 meters.” He said.

“And how long is a meter?”

“About this,” he held his hands apart in the best approximation of a meter he could.

“That’s...what would you guess the arena is?” she asked.

“I don’t know, long side maybe 100 at most.” Gabriel guessed.

“I see,” Deana nodded, “Yes, that is far, but a fit Roniean can do the same, although just about I would guess.”

“Same with Igris,” Sen’Chakar said.

“And how long can you run, at whatever speed?” Deana asked and seemed to compare Gabriel’s legs to her own.

“Uh, I mean I’ve run marathons, which usually involves some walking but mostly jogging,” he jogged a little in place.

“And how long are those? In arenas?”

“Shit, hold on,” Gabriel said, quickly doing the math. “The OS, that’s Olympic sport is about 42,200 meters so 422,” Gabriel said.

“You can run, I mean jogging 422 lengths of the arena?”

“Yeah, I mean I’m out of practice so maybe not but with some more walking.” He shrugged.

“And all that while weighing more than Sen,” Deana shook her head. “How is that possible?”

“Gravity?” Gabriel ventured. “I mean like I said, my planet had higher gravity. I blame my weight on that. Wait, would that even help? Actually, with the lower gravity, I might do better, but that needs more testing.” Gabriel rambled on.

“Right, back to the previous subject, you believe you were sold with false information right?”

“Yes, the first time I was sold as some monster that they thought would kill and eat Madeline, this time I can only guess but as Sen said, I assume he wanted a strong but not too strong fighter,” Gabriel confirmed.

Deana shook her head, “This is getting too confusing for me, I need some sustenance,” she said as she grabbed a plate of breakfast. Once the boring breakfast was eaten she spoke up once again. “We don’t know what the ‘boss’ has been told, but eventually he’s going to believe the rumors floating around about you. The ones Sen heard.”

“I told you to call!...” Sen’Chakar started from the other cell. “Nevermind Dee, I suppose I can handle being called Sen for the time being.”

Deana scowled at Gabriel, “Coming here and ruining my fun…Oh well, we should try and escape before the boss figures you out if you still think that’s possible.”

“I do and yes, I agree,” Gabriel said. “Do you think we can talk our way into the armory between matches?” He asked.

“Not really, but it’s worth trying,” she said and rubbed her crest. “Sen, any ideas?”

“We can ask to practice in armor, otherwise I do not have any ideas at the moment...Dee” He said.

“Thanks again Gabe,” Deana sighed and scowled, but it quickly turned to a chuckle.

“Speaking of nicknames, does Gabe mean anything?” Gabriel asked.

“Not in Roniean,” Deana said.

“Not in Igris, but gabend means something similar to someone that does not think, or in other words, idiot.” He said, gabend was pronounced with a short a, but still quite similar.

“Oddly appropriate,” Gabriel murmured. “But now that I’m done bragging and we are done talking about theories we can’t solve at the moment, I think you have a story to tell Dee.”

She looked up from trying to scoop up the last of her breakfast, “I do?”

“Yeah, last night you said you would tell me how you ended up here, I told you my tale.”

She sighed, “You told me what happened after you ended up in space. But, I suppose I did. I can’t claim it to be a story or tale but I can tell you about it.” She put the plate away and got comfortable. “So, where do I start?”

“Wherever you want, we got time,” Gabriel said and sat down on his bed.

“Alright, what brought me here, in the end, was my work in the Roniean military as an intelligence officer. I looked through captured information, drives, recorded conversations, and the like.” She started. “I’m going to assume you know little about my society but stop me if you have further questions.”

“Will do,” Gabriel said.

“Before the military, I studied to work in communications, on FTL tech preferably but I planned to take whatever was available. But I was recruited to the military and went that direction instead. Roniean society is based on a strong military and almost all public services are provided by them. And most large factories also belong to the government and the military.”

“Almost?” Gabriel asked.

“Yes, it is difficult to compete with the prices of the military, whether it is food, clothes, housing, appliances, or the like. But there are always many willing to pay more for custom stuff, or different brands, handmade stuff you know. And so, almost all private companies deal in custom wares.” She paused for a moment, seeming to gather her thoughts after the tangent. “And because of that, many top students in their field get offered further education in the military. It’s a way to get a good education for less money but comes with a two-year contract after the studies are finished.”

“Forced service?”

“Sort of, but in many different sectors, and none in direct conflict. You can get recruited further to become a soldier or pilot or whatever but for most, it is an employer like any other. I worked testing some new communication unit that was meant to work instantaneously over light seconds. Different ships would be able to talk with each other in the same system.”

“You said would?”

“Yeah, never got it to work during my time there. After those two years were up I was offered my current...well I might be replaced now, but my last assignment which was as I said to gather and sort information.” she looked down at the floor.

“That sounds like a desk job to me,” Sen said from the other cell.

“It was, for the most part. I found some leads that suggested a large criminal organization operated in our capital, where I lived. They both smuggled and sold illegal stimulants and I suspected they also dealt in trafficking. And foolishly I thought if I could just get a little more information I could make sure the gang left the capital altogether. But I was stupid and got captured with enough information to be seen as dangerous and I got sent here.” She finished and looked at Gabriel. “And that’s my story.”

“Thank you for telling me,” Gabriel said and smiled. “I’m sure the information in this place will put many behind bars. After we get out that is.”

Deana chuckled, “Maybe I can convince my boss that I was deep undercover”

“It’s always good to stay positive. Sen, do you want to share?” Gabriel asked.

“I was captured doing much the same, except my position was in Security. Before that, I was studying to go into Security. Before that general school, and before that I did nothing that affected me ending up here.” He somehow managed to fit into one breath.

“...Thanks for sharing,” Gabriel said and shot a questioning look to Deana. She grinned and shook her head. “Did you practice that?” Gabriel asked Sen.

“No?” He said and walked off to do whatever.

“Ok then,” Gabriel turned back to Deana. “An Igris of few words was it?”

“Correct, most of the time, he can string together several sentences once in a while,” she said chuckling. “Your turn Gabe, what did you do before ending up in space?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Gabriel stood up and began pacing, “Alright, where do I start?” He said, mostly to himself.

“Wherever you want, we got time,” Deana said.

“Fine, fine,” he said grinning. “I’m going to skip most of my childhood, it’s not that interesting. I was a nerdy kid, always liking games and movies more than many of my friends who dove headfirst into sports. When I started high-school a war started between two foreign countries and our country sent forces to help. My sister that I told you about started military training and after I turned the right age I also joined up. I went through a program that was supposed to last for two years but after a year and a half the war ended and my sister came back. Shortly after I was discharged due to...various reasons,” Gabriel said a bit sheepishly.

“Now I’m interested,” Deana said and leaned forwards.

“It’s nothing too special, I got into some fights because I was young and dumb. And they insulted my sister who came back without some of her friends.” He said and sat down.

“I see, talking bad about soldiers who have fought in battle is seen as bad manners and even punishable in the military. Only with chores and less free time but still.” Deana said.

“I'm not sure if they were punished, but I sure was.” Gabriel leaned back against the wall. “Regardless, after that, I started selling and fixing electronics, our version of com units, and the like. It was at quite a high-end store that served several large companies and not at all a bad job.” Gabriel sighed. “Then, from what I pieced together I was on my way to my parents with my sister and we got kidnapped.” He shrugged and spread his arms. “The rest I’ve told you I think.”

“Yes, I think so, I just have one question,” Deana said.

“Shoot,” Gabriel said.

“What?”

“Never mind, what’s your question?”

Deana squinted at him, “You have to explain that later, but what is boxing?”

“A...let’s call it a physical sport where we put on gloves and fight. With rules of course.” Gabriel launched into a very bare-boned explanation of boxing, explaining the basic rules and weight classes, finishing with an explanation on how matches were conducted. “There are some great human movies about boxing, shame I can’t show you any.”

“I think I understand, we have a sport which is similar but more focused on points and getting an advantage over your opponent. In the past, it was more or less put together so soldiers would train harder to try and win. But it is physical combat, though with more protection.” Deana said, “I was never a soldier so I didn’t try it, never got the training.”

“You don’t get training if you’re not in...let’s say the military part of your government?” Gabriel asked.

“Yes, and no, we get plenty of physical training and some very basics in using both guns and physical combat but no, we do not get any certification for weapons or learn combat as you have.” She explained.

Gabriel nodded, “I wasn’t that good at CQC too to be honest, boxing is not part of the training I received in the military but I was better at it, and enjoyed it more.”

“What was that word, cequce?”

“Oh, C.Q.C, close-quarters combat,” Gabriel said. “We learned to fight hand-to-hand and defend against knife attacks and stuff like that.”

“I don’t suppose you learn how to fight with swords and shields?” she asked.

“Unfortunately, no”

“Shame, I don’t think we can fight without weapons. Or I mean we can, but probably shouldn't.” She said and sighed.

“No, probably not,” Gabriel said, quite aware he could likely break arms with his bare fists, even through shields. But that would hurt his knuckles in the process, or even break a wrist or two if the hit landed wrong. “Is there any, uh, tape or bandages to wrap my hands with?”

“For what? are you hurt?” Deana asked, looking questioning at his hands.

“No, not at all, just to keep me from breaking anything if I do decide to punch someone,” Gabriel said waving a hand dismissively.

“I don’t know, but that can’t be too hard to get. The ‘boss’ does want a good match and bandages will cost him little. It’s all about costs with that man.” Deana said. She stood and rolled her shoulders. “Can you teach me some boxing while we wait?”

“Sure, but what are we waiting for?” Gabriel said and stood as well.

“Food. There is nothing else to look forward to.” Deana said and looked at her fists. “Should we wrap our hands for this?”

“Preferably yes, but we can start easy,” Gabriel said. He showed her how to stand and how to guard and apart from hitting his palms a few times, they spent the next few hours on technique, some shadow boxing, and dodging. It was slow and easy-going so they used most of the time until lunch arrived. Still, they had both worked up a sweat when they broke for food.

“And you are telling me you fight for three minute rounds with only one minute between?” Deana asked as she ate. “Shadowboxing for three minutes was quite a workout.”

“Yep. Is it just me or is this food blander than usual?”

“Just you. And you fight for...what was it, 12 rounds at most?”

“At most, yes, but fights can be over in the first,” Gabriel said.

Deana nodded slowly “I can live with never becoming a boxing champion,” she said and grinned.

Gabriel chuckled, “Same here.” The rest of the day they trained some more, although it was more demonstrations and less physical and Gabriel tried to remember how CQC worked without resorting to just throwing a punch to the face of his opponent. Before dinner, he had managed to remember some throws and how to twist an arm holding a knife. Though he still remembered the optimal way to fight a knife which was to turn and sprint as fast as you can the other way.

After dinner, they talked about both Roniean II and Earth and even managed to get Sen to join them and Gabriel learned a bit more about Igris prime, the first Igris planet. Roniean II was a forest planet with quite extensive polar caps. Around the equator was a thick band of lush forests that did not get to warm or cold. It hardly ever snowed and often rained. Igris prime on the other hand was closer to earth but with more landmass north and south and less at the warm equator.

Igris prime had many popular locations for tourists with warm weather and good swimming, but further down, or up depending on which hemisphere you were on, it often rained with strong winds. And although they were not hurricane levels it would still be miserable to be out in them.

“So Earth has temperatures in the same range as us?” Sen asked.

“Yes, thereabouts,” Gabriel said. It has taken quite some time to translate temperature but they had gotten close he thought.

“But you live in almost all of them?”

“Yes”

“Are there several species of humans? how can you handle the coldest and warmest temperatures?” Sen asked him.

“We are adaptable I guess, As we produce a lot of heat ourselves we just need to isolate for the cold. The heat is different and while we do sweat to cool down we can easily overheat. Many die every year from heatstroke.”

“I see, while we do send scientists to the polar caps we need environmental suits to handle the cold. But I think we produce less body heat.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Gabriel shrugged, “My knowledge of Xenobiology is severely lacking.”

Deana reached over and grabbed his wrist, holding it for a while and then nodded, “Yes, you are warmer than me,” She nodded. “And we Ronieans have about the same temperature as Igris.” She let go of his wrist and reached a hand towards his chest, but stopped before making contact. “Boundaries, sorry,” she said and withdrew her hand. “Just wanted to check, limbs are usually colder.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t get any ideas,” Gabriel grinned and grabbed her hand and placed it on the back of his neck.

Deana tilted her head, “Your arm was almost cold compared to this. Want to touch me in return?” she asked. “No private place though,” she grinned.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass,” Gabriel chuckled.

“Your loss,” Deana laughed, she walked back to her bed, “I think I would like to see Earth sometime, Igris prime too for that matter.”

“Won't gravity be a problem?” Gabriel went back to his bed, then decided a shower would be a good idea.

“I guess, but I can get an exoskeleton or something,” She said and stretched out on the bed.

“Or something,” Sen said from the other cell, “You could use a powered armor, provided you can get a hold of one.”

“See,” Deana said, “I just have to convince someone to give me one.”

“Good luck with that, I’m going to take a shower,” Gabriel said and grabbed a change of clothes.

“Have fun, and leave it running,” Deana said, waving a hand.

The next couple of days was much the same, breakfast, practice in the training room, lunch, more practice, dinner, and free time. Gabriel tried to convince the guards to let them into the armory but apparently, the boss was away on business and they didn’t want to make any decisions while he was away. And calling was not an option it seemed. On the fourth day, after dinner, they were informed that there would be fighting the next day. Maybe his best bet for escape had been when the boss had visited but that ship had sailed. The guards were always careful when delivering food, always when Gabriel and Deana were at the far wall and they quickly shut the door after pushing in the plates. But if things went on like this he would have to risk it.

“We have to make a move soon,” Gabriel said while they were just about to sleep for the night.

“I agree, but what do we do?” Deana asked.

Gabriel sighed frustrated, “I don’t know, but if we can’t convince the boss we need access to the armory we have to try something. Every time we fight may be our last.”

“Again, I agree but I have been through several matches already,” Deana said and tapped her chest, “I can take it,”

“I’m sure,” Gabriel said, “But I don’t like risking it.”

“I agree with Gabe,” Sen said. “I believe we should try and escape after this next match, it is risky to wait.”

“I’m not arguing,” Deana said and raised her hands defensively. “But we can’t tomorrow, there will be too many guards.”

Gabriel laid down and stared up at the ceiling. “Damn it, I wanted to be out here by now.”

“Sleep, Gabe,” Deana said. “Worry tomorrow.”

“Goodnight Dee, Goodnight Sen!” Gabriel shouted at the door.

Sen chuckled from the other cell, which mostly sounded like several sharp hisses, “Goodnight Gabe, and Dee”

“Goodnight,” Deana sighed.