All four of the onlookers gave Kieran the same blank stares for fifteen seconds before he sighed in frustration and vanished back down the hatch. As soon as he disappeared from view, Yan, Nayla, and Nora all burst into uncontrollably loud laughter. All Luna did was raise one unimpressed eyebrow.
After twenty minutes, with the gladiators' idle chatter and the occasional muttered curse from belowdecks interspersed, Kieran reappeared with a circuit board that was clearly fried and blackened.
He said, "Found the problem," without need.
"What is it?" Nayla inquired.
Kieran answered, "Technical details you likely wouldn't appreciate," with a tone that was slightly arrogant. The main relay board in the power conduit fried itself, to put it simply. It appears to be an outdated design that was most likely created for the ship. No good heat sinks. The drive just overheated and burned out when it was pushed during the final hyperspace jump.
"Can it be repaired out here?" Nora inquired.
Kieran gave a headshake. "Not without a replacement board and the right diagnostic tools, which I don't have with me. Now, the best course of action is to tag the ship's location, report the problem to the rental company, and let them fix it."
Nora let out a sigh. "All right, I can deal with the alert. We are still stranded on the way to Celyra Prime, though. It would take days to ask the agency for a replacement vessel.
Yan shot back, "Way too long," "Why don't the two of you just accompany us? The Kyara has plenty of space. Our kind host wouldn't mind, I'm sure. He looked at Kieran curiously.
After giving it some thought, Kieran shrugged. There were two extra cabins on the ship. "All right by me. Can you move your necessary equipment in less than 30 minutes?
"Absolutely!" Nora smiled. Luna nodded curtly in agreement.
With their necessary gear packed, Nora and Luna boarded the Kyara thirty minutes later. As the Kyara headed back toward Celyra Prime, the disabled Ripple Runner, now equipped with a retrieval beacon, drifted silently behind them. After giving the newcomers the same quick tour he had given Yan and Nayla, Kieran left Nora to try out a program that featured a serene tropical beach. He ended the tour with a demonstration of the simulator.
The five inhabitants of the ship talked about gladiatorial business, tournament prospects, and their plans for their arrival on Celyra Prime later that 'evening,' as they sat around the small table in the ship's mess galley over surprisingly tasty meals prepared by the Kyara's nutrient synthesizer. Eventually, Nora brought up a new subject. "Kieran, ever use that impressive simulator of yours for unarmed sparring practice?"
Kieran gave a headshake. "I've fought the AI in innumerable combat simulations while fully equipped, but I've never engaged in bare-handed combat with a human opponent. No.
Full 'bouts' included armor and live (or simulated live) weapons, while'sparring' usually referred to unarmed combat with standard protective padding on the hands, feet, knees, and elbows, as well as headgear. This difference was important. Typically, sparring was done in casual clothing, such as loose-fitting pants and a basic shirt. Sparring was a less deadly way for fighters to practice their techniques and test each other's abilities in a controlled, friendly setting.
A round-robin competition was swiftly suggested and accepted. Nora and Yan faced off in the first match. Luna refused to take part, cryptically declaring that she would rather not reveal her particular abilities until they were up against real opponents. Nora won the first match, which was not surprising at all. With her superior grappling technique and focused aggression, Nora easily won with a floor hold, negating Yan's charm. For the customary ten-second count needed to win, Yan was pinned. The following matches went through every possible pairing, but the final matchup between Nayla and Kieran was unquestionably the high point.
Despite his size and preference for armor, Kieran was a skilled practitioner of Terran Judo, which placed a strong emphasis on joint locks, throws, and leverage. Kieran's Judo was an interesting contrast to Nayla's fighting style, which was a special fusion of feline agility, predatory patience, and aspects of ancient Terran Ninjutsu.
Nayla launched an incredibly quick roundhouse kick at Kieran's head to start the match off on a high note. Nayla was thrown onto her back on the padded sim floor by Kieran, who deftly blocked the kick, grabbed her ankle, and used her momentum to perform a clean leg sweep.
Unfazed, she kicked Kieran's shin sharply from the ground, using the momentary distraction to kip-up back to her feet with ease and be prepared for the next exchange. Kieran skillfully blocked a rapid-fire combination after taking her initial quick jab to the chest padding. Kieran deflected her last overhand blow, trapping Nayla's wrist and dragging her arm across his shoulder at the same time. He locked her into a traditional Judo throw position by hooking his leg behind hers and using his other arm to secure her elbow in the same motion. He used his technique and weight to lift sharply, sending Nayla flying through the air and into the padded wall separating the simulated arena.
With a grunt, Nayla struck the padding and slowly raised herself off the ground. She now understood his tactic: traditional counter-fighting, absorbing or rerouting attacks, and using the momentum and aggression of his opponent to his advantage. That could be exploited, she thought, her eyes flickering predatorily. As she extended the retractable claws on her hands almost instinctively, a tiny, menacing smile appeared on her lips. They weren't technically extra weapons under the loose rules of sparring; rather, they were a natural part of her physiology. Kieran lifted his forearm for a standard block the next time Nayla lunged. The simulated marks of her claws raked across his padded forearm guard, causing him to hiss in sudden surprise and instinctively pull his arm back, exposing four enraged red lines welling with holographic blood. His gray eyes hardened as he gritted his teeth. She wanted to be rough, then? Alright.
After making a high feint, Nayla punched Kieran in the stomach. Rather than blocking, Kieran turned fluidly, allowing the punch to pass his hip while he also used his open palm to forcefully knock Nayla off balance. She staggered back against the cushioned wall once more, but she quickly got up and reverted to her fighting stance. For almost fifteen minutes, there was a constant, intense exchange of throws, counters, blocks, and attacks. After a complicated exchange, Nayla finally managed to catch Kieran off-balance with a well-timed low sweep, tripping him. She landed on top of his chest and pressed the simulated points of her claws against his throat before he could recover. Kieran stopped, admitting he was lost. When the simulator chimed, it meant that Nayla had won the ten-second pin.
With the simulator still showing a crisscross network of bloody holographic gashes across his arms, torso, and legs, Kieran forced himself to stand up in excruciating pain. His simulated gash on his hip looked especially vicious, and he flinched and doubled over for a moment before weakly reaching out to Nayla with a holographically bloodstained hand. With a ferocious smile, Nayla took his hand tightly, her own bloody claw marks temporarily covering his hand's wounds in the holographic image.
Nora rushed over to Kieran as soon as he came out of the simulator, the holographic injuries disappearing, and she saw his real winces. She led him gently to the ship's tiny infirmary and said, "Okay, tough guy, let's get you to the medbay."
Nora muttered, "Holy crap," as she examined a string of quickly developing real bruises beneath Kieran's thigh's skin, where the sim had displayed deep gashes. "Those claws may be physiological, but Kieran, it's borderline to use them that way during a fight. Very close to the border.
Wincing, Kieran sat on the edge of the diagnostic bed and managed a feeble laugh. "Explain it to me. However, in actuality, no clear prohibition against natural weapons was mentioned beforehand.
"You were beaten, rule or no rule. Let's apply anti-bruising gel and synthetic skin patches to these.
Less than an hour later, Kieran was sporting copious amounts of analgesic anti-bruising gel and multiple synth-skin patches covering the worst of the actual scrapes and claw marks (Nayla's control hadn't been flawless). The minor injuries were numerous and extremely painful, but none of them were deep; they were mostly superficial scratches and quickly darkening bruises. After receiving treatment, Kieran, who was tired and in pain, thankfully accepted a mild pain reliever from the medbay's auto-dispenser and withdrew to his cabin. As he fell asleep, a persistent question came to mind: Had he been completely foolish in bringing four professional killers on board his ship, no matter how helpful they might be?