This is another writing contest entry. This one is an excerpt from a novel I’ve been writing. I modified it a bit to help it stand on its own for the contest. I hope you enjoy.
Captain Enoch was not happy about the change in venue, but since the idea had enamored the entire ship, he decided to go through with it. The rocky terrain, stone pillars, and harsh environment did not allow for an actual arena on the planet’s surface. This was set to be a main event battle that would attract many spectators and generate a lot of revenue. Without the ability to set up a proper arena, the ship’s technicians and to come up with another way to bring the battle to the spectators. Of course all battles were recorded and transmitted all over the galaxy, but this was a unique situation requiring an intuitive approach.
To ensure that spectators got a proper view of the action, several drones were fitted with cameras that would send a live feed to screens all over the ship, as well as to gamblers all over the galaxy. The live feed would be recorded and archived along with the rest of the battle records. The captain assigned a team of technicians to monitor the drones and oversee the smooth operation of the broadcast.
Though nothing like this had never been done before, I was confident and excited. Not only was it a chance to battle, it was a chance to test my limits outside the confines of the ship. My opponent, a well-known fighter named Owen, seemed to feel the same way. We both trained with elements of the unpredictable. I worked with others to randomly throw objects at me during a session, create loud noises in the middle of a rehearsed moved, and other random events designed to break my concentration. As I continued my training, my battle dance was honed to the point where I could keep my concentration on my opponent without losing sight of my environment. By the time we went down to the planet, I felt that I was ready.
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The day of the battle arrived. Owen and I took a shuttle to the planet’s surface while everyone else stayed aboard the ship…watching from afar. The flat, barren surface was littered with dozens of towering stone pillars. The occasional sink hole opened randomly, sucking in surrounding, sand, rocks, and pillars. Here and there, a pillar had tumbled to the ground leaving the outline of death in its wake. I couldn’t imagine what kind of natural phenomena could create such a monstrous looking landscape.
The drones were set up in a clear area between several pillars. Owen began the battle with a head-on rush. It seemed clumsy and pointless…until I tried to dodge. I found that the terrain was too difficult to navigate. There were pillars behind me, and the soft sand made it difficult to get footing elsewhere. All I could do was brace for the impact. The force of his body forced me back into the rock pillar, momentarily knocking the wind out of me. I knew then that ship training would do me no good. The sand was far too soft to get good footing in, so I went up onto the balls of my feet. If I can’t keep my footing, I’ll have to stay in the air. I used the pillar to brace myself, then launched into a side kick. Owen was able to push the kick away from his sternum, but it still landed with partial force in the left part of his rib cage. That set him off balance enough to allow me to land a left jab. Before long our battle dance was in full swing. Owen was an admirable opponent. His strength and agility came together to produce a wonderful battle dance that rivaled my own. It seemed as if our dance could go on forever until I felt something deep within the planet. I stopped and held up my hand saying, “Did you feel that?”
“Stop stalling, and let’s end this.” He started to lunge, but the tremor was more intense this time. I saw fear flash across his eyes as the tremors started coming one after the other. We started for the shuttle, but it seemed as though the entire planet was trying to shake us off. It took all of our strength just to hold our position. Then I saw the unthinkable…the rock pillar was collapsing. It would destroy both Owen and me if I didn’t do something, fast. I did the only thing I could think of and pushed Owen out of the way of the falling debris.
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I awoke to find myself in a stasis field in the infirmary. There was a solemn air in the room, but I was not alone. The Captain stood there with a bruised looking Owen by his side. Owen’s right eye was covered with a patch. Captain Enoch looked toward Owen as he said, “Your classmate has something he wants to say to you.” Owen looked down at his feet before proceeding to say, “Ayden, I went into this battle with the intention of hurting you.” The confusion must have shown on my face, because the Captain gave me a small, reassuring smile. Owen continued, “I believed the rumors that you were some sort of trader. I know now that I was wrong. You risked your own life to save mine, and I will never forget that.” With that, Owen left the room without allowing me to respond. I looked at Captain Enoch and said, “I never considered the idea of risk. I saw the falling rock and knew that I had to do something.” The Captain smiled and said, “I know, that’s what makes you such a good leader.”
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My left leg had taken quite a beating in the rockslide on the planet. The main issues were a crushed femur and knee joint. The Captain’s technicians were amazing. They were able to replace the joint and the bone, while leaving the rest of my leg intact. The metal replacement for my femur was a bit heavier than my normal bone, but not enough to cause any major balance issues. The joint made a perfect transition from the prosthetic femur to my natural tibia and fibula. The extra weight was just enough to put me up into the next weight class.
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After the battle on the planet, Owen and I became close friends. One day while eating lunch he asked me, “Why did you save me? You could have saved yourself, and claimed victory at the same time.” I shook my head and replied, “Victory through cowardice and deceit is no victory at all.”
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