Starbound - Book 1

Chapter 3 - Bloodbath

The crowds yell in excitement, as the scent of blood and fire raise the of a large stone coliseum. August sneezes as he sits in a dank room, the floor is covered in dust, and there are multiple contestants sitting, waiting for their turn in the ring...Some slaves. He sits back against the wall, and looks besides him to the person next to him. Then, goes dead silent. Besides him stood a girl...A human girl. She had long brown hair, and light blue eyes. She wore the same kind of jacket August did, and a red t-shirt. August couldn't help but to stare...she was the only human he had seen since he had awoken on the metal floor of his ship. What would he say, so many questions!
August taps the girl's shoulder sheepishly, "Excuse me?..."

The girl turns a bit, and when she sees August, she bolts onto her feet, pulling a gun from her holster, and aiming it straight towards him. August in reaction bolts two his feet, putting his hand on the handle of the sheathed sword, in which he had stolen from Dreadwing's ship.
"Who are you!" she shouts.
"It depends, who are you?" August replies, keeping calm, despite the loaded energy charged MK-4 aimed at his face.

"I asked you first!"
"I asked you second."
The girl takes a moment, staring August in the eye.
"Are you USCM?"
"Do I look like a monkey to you?"
"..." The girl lowered her gun, putting it back into the holster. "You're human."
August lowered his hand from his blade and smiled, "So are you."

The girl puts a hand on her hip and stares at August. "...My name is Lily...Lily Winston..."

August holds out a hand, "August Stratos."

Lily doesn't bother shaking his hand and stares right at him still, "What're you doing here, humans were wiped out to those who didn't join the USCM.."
August took a moment to process what she had just said...Wiped out? What did she mean by that?!

"What do you mean, the humans were wiped out?"

"...I'd prefer not to remember it...August. You're up," Lily motioned to the match's autoboard switch into, "August Stratos v. GLA-40."

August covered his eyes as he enters in the bright arena. The sun hits his eyes and the loud cheering pounds against his ears. "Full house..." he mumbles. He looks towards the two people walking to him.

"Hello there!" a voice rings out, as the dust clears out. In front of him, an Apex Scientist, different to the one he had met at the Outpost the other night. It was female, with brown hair, that grew into mutton chops, and tied back into a ponytail. Her eyes were dark black, and had shining gold glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She straightened her lab coat and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stratos, you may call me Delilah...This is my creation...Glados. Or, GLA-40."
August eyed the robot besides her, it's head was like a gladiator helmet, with two shining blue eyes.

"Well, it's a pleasure Delilah," August smiled, "May the best one win!"

And so the fought. The beginning of the match was quiet to August. He had tuned out most of the sounds, and locked his breathing with his heart beat. The two circled each other. Slowly drawing close. And then, sparks fly. Their blades clashing against each other's shields. Glados could take plenty hits...But one powerful blow to August, and he'd be done for.

A slash to the right, and parry, a block. The arena's dust stung August's eyes at this point, he withdrew and stabbed towards the robot, slashing into it's arm's opening. Just before the robot could counter and bring down it's blade against August, a gong sounded. The match was over, time was up. So it would be called a draw, and towards the end of the bracket, it's all or nothing.

The two fighters returned to the back room, staring, and awaiting them, was the black armoured robot. With the same red eyes, staring directly at Glados. August looked at the robot, and back at Glados curiously. He seemed, almost afraid.
'A robot that feels fear? Now I've seen everything...' he thought aloud. He walked to his seat again besides Lily, Glados had seemed to follow him, and sit besides him. Lily turned her head to him, "Who's your new friend?"

August didn't know what she was talking about, and turns to the seat next to him and sees Glados.
"Er...Glados. He's a robot."
"No he isn't, he's a member of the Glitch civilization... You don't know anything do you?"
August blinks at Glados, who stares at him for a moment, and waves shortly. August waves back, with a slightly bewildered expression. Glitch civilization? Was she trying to say, these...robots, weren't built, but born?

"Wait, but he's a robot?"
"Yeah, I they are," Lily replied, "Created, but then evolved. They have DNA systems. Grow up. Don't ask me how it's done, it just is."
August was fascinated. Had science evolved that much? Then again, he did wake up in a model XV starship, and just witness a floating warship, sneak up on a pirate ship without a sound...a flying pirate ship on that note.

Delilah walks over to them with the same clipboard under her arm, "That was great match," she smiles. August stares at the scientist, "What are the Glitch civilization, Professor?"

The professor adjusts her glasses, "The Glitch, at first was an experiment for the perfect soldier...But, it evolved. They grew human like...It was a huge step to the science world. A robot, that can think, feel, and choose their path, from right or wrong."
"Kinda like that movie Chappie I saw back in 2014...that was a great move," August commented.
"What?" Delilah asked.
"Nothing, human thing..."
"Anyway," she continues, "For reasons unknown a faults in the Glitch original data caused the Glitch to become stuck early in the simulation, where they now remain. The experiment long abandoned, the Glitch are unable to shake their medieval values and beliefs. They're entirely unaware of their origin and are built to experience feelings and desires, like all other sentient organisms...It just, worked that way. And the Glitch population shrunk drastically. To a point where there were smaller civilizations across the galaxy. It scares me actually to think Glados' people shrunk drastically..."

August stayed silent and turned to Glados, who was staring at his feet the entire time. It almost looked like he was going to cry. Well..if a Glitch can cry.

"Pathetic..." a ear-piercing old voice was heard. August knew that voice. The professor from the outpost. Delilah glared at the goggled eyed ape.
"Igor."

"Glitch are just fighters, they are weak and allow themselves to be controlled. Just like my Knight...And outdated Gladiator model like yours shouldn't deserve to be active today...They're weak, and old, I'm surprised some are still left!"

Glados grips his hands around the end of his blade. Delilah couldn't contain herself much longer.
"The glitch are more than just slaves to serve to our entertainment purposes! Apex governments are no longer just, and use these people as soldiers, that are 'disposable' when they aren't even bothering to build more!"
Glados himself, couldn't take anymore of the yelling, and finally spoke in a metallicity human voice, "Enough!"
Thats when Igor snapped at Glados, "KNI, attack this outdated trash!!"
The black robot launched forward, slashing its medieval like blade towards Glados' face. He tumbles back into a locker. The other fighters and slaves get up quickly out of the way of the battles. August got up to help Glados, but Lily grabs his arm to sit him back down.
"Stay out of this..."
"But...!" August begins to protest, but Lily shakes her head.
"This battle isn't to see who's best, August...They may be robots..." She sat back in her seat, "But they have feeling."
August understood...This battle was for Glados. For his pride.

The two fighters stared right at eachother. Blue eyes and red eyes locked onto each other, circling each other like birds of prey. Glados went in for the first strike, slashing his cleaver down towards the black knight. In return, the knight, lifted his shield, blocking against the cleaver. He pulls back, stabbing his broadsword forward into Glados' chest wiring. Glados strides back from Knight. And covers the wound, a black substance leaking from the stab wound. Knight steps forward, slashing his blade, Glados ducks from the attack and encloses his arms around Knight, knocking him to the ground. Egor growls as he watches the fight.
"Get up you useless pile of bolts, before I decide to scrap you to the Fungarian!!"

Knight kicks his feet up, sending Glados off of him, and gets onto his metallic feet. Glados smashes through the benches on the floor, and the dust rises from the chalky floors.
August coughs and tries to fan away the dust so he could see. But what he saw was, something he did not expect. Lily's eyes widen in surprise. Glados and Knight both stop fighting, to see a bug eyed Apex Doctor, fall to his knees. Delilah, holding a bloody dagger, shaking and looks at August, afraid.

"Wh..What did I...just..do..?"