No – I'd had no idea she had feelings for me. So she had to be hi-man – a gynoid is responsive only to her owner's needs. I think – it's hard to tell with the latest, most advanced models.
Touching helmets, I whispered, "It's the only way. Win and we get away. Lose – well, you're no worse off than we were before."
"But I'll be on my own. You and Çrámerr will be dead. I don't want to lose you, Vic, I really don't."
Touching. Through the rain streaking down her visor, I saw tears in her eyes. She looked genuinely upset. I never knew she cared. I held her close, trying to give her what comfort I could. Through the thick layers of our protective suits, I felt her body shake.
"I'll be alright," I murmured. "Few minutes time, we'll be out of here – with Sava's shell."
Meanwhile the pirates had formed a rough circle. Knofahgginarebagz was showing off his strength and skill with his – really, my – diamond blade.
"Chickening out, hi-man?" he taunted.
"No, just giving you a few seconds of extra life." Picking up my knife from the ground and giving Julianna a gentle push back out of the arena, I prepared myself. Despite my air of confidence, my heart was beating fast and adrenalin was pumping through my system. Despite the suit's cooling system, I felt hot and sweaty.
One ape-man appeared to be taking bets. Knofahgginarebagz was the clear favourite. No surprises there as he was much larger and stronger than me. But he was up against Vic Vargo, the best interplanetary recovery agent in Orion's Arm (well, that's what I say and I am currently looking for fresh commissions), and I'd survived situations that would turn the pirate's fur white.
On the other hand, maybe today would be the day I died.
Thrusting that thought from my mind, I prepared myself for Knofahgginarebagz's attack. It wasn't long coming. With a deafening roar that caused electronic feedback through my radio earpiece, he charged. He was probably relying on his size and appearance to terrify me. Big mistake, monkey-man.
It was nearly my mistake. For all his bulk, Knofahgginarebagz was fast. Fast as an intercontinental MAG-lev train at max speed. He barrelled towards me, the diamond blade glinting wickedly under the arc-lamps. I sidestepped, only just in time, and he rushed past me, pulling up just before he crashed into the ring of watchers.
He wheeled around and rushed me again. I guess he was trying to impress his followers with his strength – to stamp his authority on them. But they were dangerous tactics. In this environment, a torn suit was deadly, unless you got it patched immediately. Probably there was a repair kit in one of the trucks. All the same, if I'd been him, I'd have hung back and used my greater reach to my advantage.
I stepped away and accessed another implant to calm my breathing. I'd need all my wits about me if I was to survive this. Crouching, making as small a target as possible, I held my knife out before me. Not a tactic I'd usually recommend but against this ape-man, I figured it would work. I tossed my knife from hand to hand, catching it. Taunting him in other words.
It worked. Knofahgginarebagz roared again and ran towards me. I won't say the ground shook beneath his feet but it might have done. I rolled out of the way and lashed out with my leg as he passed. He stumbled and tripped but recovered quickly. I slashed at his suit but only scored the surface. Not good enough.
All the pirates were cheering on their leader so I muted my suit's radio. I didn't need to be reminded I was the underdog here. Knofahgginarebagz approached, more carefully now, the diamond blade twinkling almost hypnotically in the light. Through the lights reflecting off his visor, I couldn't see his eyes so had no idea as to the focus of his next attack.
But I could guess. He'd go for my torso as one good rip in the fabric and it would all be over. Even as I planned my attack, Knofahgginarebagz was on me. He was deadly fast as well as big and strong. No wonder he was their leader. Using his abnormally long arms, he feinted with his right. I dodged the blow, leaped backwards in alarm and saw the knife was in his left and coming at me a second time.
How I dodged that strike I don't know. The point missed me by bare millimetres. That was too close for comfort and for the first time, I wondered if challenging Knofahgginarebagz was a good idea. But what other choice did I have?
As Knofahgginarebagz recovered, I did a straight-arm thrust. Yes! More by luck than skill, the point pierced his suit, leaving a small hole. Air rushed out allowing some of Sepharvaim's lethal atmosphere in. All around, the pirates leaped up and down and I thought the ape-men were about to rush me but Knofahgginarebagz waved them back.
Stepping away, I held up my own blade defensively, my eyes alert for another opportunity. I swore. Even as I watched, the rent in his suit shrank as the suit repaired itself. Checking my own suit's capabilities on the visor's heads-up display, I saw it had no self-repair function.
A lightning flash brighter than most others – millions of volts of electricity – struck a nearby hill. Lightning leaped up into the storm-wracked air. Taking advantage of my distraction, the ape-man was on me again. One giant gauntleted fist connected with my visor, sending me sprawling while his right stabbed down. Frantically, I rolled away across the wet ground twisting and turning like an eel.
But an eel with teeth. On my back, I doubled up my legs and pistoned them out into my enemy's groin as he loomed over me. I thrust him away but it was only a very temporary respite. Before I could stand, he was on me again. His booted foot caught me in the side, sending me crashing back onto the hard rock. Even wearing a thick protective suit, it felt like he'd cracked a few ribs.
Then the monster was upon me, using his greater size and strength to kick me further away. My suit was thick and layered with insulation but I still felt it. Knofahgginarebagz slashed at me, the diamond blade slicing through the outer layers of my suit. Padded insulation material billowed out, soaking immediately in the downpour. Instantly, he thrust at me and frantically I rolled out the way.
I was out of breath and panting, desperately sucking oxygen into my lungs. I had to concentrate solely on beating this man-monster and not be distracted by thinking about Julianna or Sava's shell. I'd already found that Knofahgginarebagz had a bad temperament and wondered if it was worth taunting him again. If I could make him lose his cool, maybe I'd stand a slightly better chance.
"Hey, were you born ugly or have you been working on it?" I asked, switching on my radio broadcaster. Although I couldn't hear his followers' laughter, from the way some were capering about, I reckoned they were enjoying their leader's discomfort.
"You should get yourself over to a civilised world. Cosmetic surgeons can do wonders these days – you know, shorten your arms. Even a shave would help."
Knofahgginarebagz must have been vain about his appearance. Don't know why as he was one of the uglier characters in the Arm. He charged, the diamond-blade in his right hand. I sidestepped to his left and then – he was so fast, again I didn't see the switch – the dagger was in his left and I nearly impaled myself on it. Only my reflexes saved me but even so, the tip scored down my chest and more wadding ebbed out of my suit.
Back pedalling away from Knofahgginarebagz, he jabbed out and the knife's point connected with my helmet. A star appeared in the Perspex and a crack formed. If the visor gave way, then it would all be over for me and I'd die a horrible, boiling, choking death. Just like Çrámerr not so long ago. I squinted at the crack, willing it to hold.
Taking advantage of my weakness, Knofahgginarebagz launched a flurry of attacks against my head. With his longer reach, there was little I could do except defend myself and our blades collided many times over the next minute or so. But even then, my ordinary blade couldn't withstand my old diamond-blade. Using his greater strength, my enemy forced me down to my knees.
I was losing and we both knew it.
But I had more than one trick up my sleeve as the saying has it. I was glad I'd used some of my last bonus wisely. Implanted within my heart's left ventricle was a capsule of super-super stimulant. Cost a bit and it's not recommended but if you know the right people, then anything's possible. All the same, I had to undergo a thorough medical before the surgeon administered the implant. I sent a coded command from my brain to that implant. It ruptured, spilling its dose of super-super stim direct into my bloodstream.
Within seconds it took effect. The super-super stim had the effect of speeding up my body to the power of ten. At least, that's what they claimed and I had no reason to doubt it. It's like time slowed down for me allowing me to see everything in crystal clear clarity while everyone else was slowed down like they were on the far side of a black hole's event horizon. Cheating? Who cares – all's fair in love and war and this was most definitely war.
Slowly, so slowly, Knofahgginarebagz raised his arm to deliver the killing blow. As he did so, I saw his fang-filled mouth open in a roar of triumph. Faster than the speed of light, I rolled out the way of the thrust as it approached centimetre by slow centimetre. As I did so, I leaped to my feet and plunged my knife deep into Knofahgginarebagz's heart.
He didn't have time to register he was dead before I was behind the ape-man. I swung a roundhouse kick into his kidneys and watched as he began his final fall.
Then the super-super stimulant wore off. It only lasts a few seconds as the hi-man body cannot take more than that without suffering unbearable, life-threatening stresses. As it was, I felt that distinctive bitter taste as the chemical dumped out of system and I knew I'd crash from exhaustion any time soon and sleep for hours.
Glancing around, I saw the overconfident ape-man pirates slow their cheers and victory dance as they saw their leader clutch the knife hilt embedded in his chest and fall, kneeling, to the ground. Knofahgginarebagz looked around – his last sight was of his stunned followers standing still while I stood over him with a triumphant grin. Through his visor I saw him give a disbelieving look before he crashed face down into a puddle.
Stooping, I picked up my diamond blade. I felt drained and I my muscles trembled. I couldn't show weakness – not yet anyway. Trying to appear nonchalant as if killing giant ape-men single-handed was an everyday occurrence, I stood there daring anyone else to take their leader's place. And suffer the same fate.
One pirate stepped forwards from the small crowd. He glanced down at the still form of his ex-leader. Inwardly, I shook with fear. With the chemical after-effects of super-super stim coursing through my body, there was no way I could take this dude as well.
Switching to my broadcaster, I said, "You heard the deal – my friends and I go free." Like super-super stim had been shot into my bloodstream, I injected authority and command into my voice to give it extra resonance. Yes – that's another implant. The pirate stood before me and drew a Maz-Blazter from his holster.
"That deal was with Knofahgginarebagz, not me."
I recognised that voice. It belonged to Ghomatzaki McGraw, the second in command here. Or was before his leader's demise.
"You're the boss. What you say goes. But you saw how easy I killed Knofahgginarebagz."
"You reckon you're faster than a Blazter bolt?" McGraw asked.
It was a good point – super-super stim's good but not that fast – but I was played out. However, I was saved from answering as the rest of the pirate clan jammed the airwaves. Through their distorted chatter, I caught the sense of what they were saying: that Ghomatzaki McGraw should honour their late leader's wager. That bad luck would follow if he broke the deal. Like many spacers, these pirates set great store by superstition. Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, those in hazardous occupations believe in the power of good fortune and that you can appease it. It's probably something inherited from our primitive homo sapiens ancestors.
Anyway, I wasn't about to argue especially as this time fortune was working in our favour. McGraw stepped over Knofahgginarebagz's body – the symbolism wasn't lost on me – and held out his free hand. We shook, each gripping the other's gauntleted hand, and then broke apart.
"Go – before I change my mind," McGraw said.
I didn't say anything. Instead, I radioed to Captain Nanisha to lower the shuttle and take us and Sava's crated shell on board.
We'd done it, we'd made it. But I only allowed myself a little smile once the shuttle had left Sepharvaim's turbulent atmosphere behind and we were safely aboard the President Perseus P. Porter itself. I was too tired to check on Sava's shell, but reassured it was safe now, I lurched to the nearest unoccupied first class stateroom and collapsed in a stupor.
I knew no more.