Star Trek: Atlas

8: Arena

Anasazi Zeriah worked furiously as he attempted to hotwire the force field generator. So far, everything was not going according to plan.

"They're coming!" Brahms hissed.

"Almost got it..." Anasazi twisted a wire and removed a iso-node from the main control board. It shorted the force field.

"Charge them!" Anasazi yelled. Brahms and Anasazi ran forward, tackling the guards before they got to the cell. A few swift, well-aimed punches and kicks later, and the guards were out.

Anasazi then went to the control console of the cell, deactivating Draconis's restraints while Brahms relieved the guards of their weapons. Draconis fell to the floor, weakened. He pushed himself up, forcing himself onto his legs.

"Come on!" Brahms snapped. He threw Draconis a polaron disruptor, who caught it sluggishly. Brahms then went over to help Draconis walk, bug was pushed away.

"I can walk by myself!" Draconis growled stubbornly.

"Then hurry up, Jre'kkon!" Anasazi snapped. "We don't have much time before reinforcements show up!"

The three proceeded to run down the brig hallway as fast as they could go. That was when Anasazi realized something was wrong.

"This isn't father's ship!" Anasazi snapped. "Brahms! What's the last thing you remember!"

"A transporter room... Then I was knocked out. Why does that matter?" Brahms asked.

"Because we're no longer on that ship!" Anasazi said. Suddenly, it dawned on him! "...This is the prison arena! We're in the bloodworks area!"

"Tell me you're joking..." Brahms sighed.

"I wish I was. But I've been down here before. This hallway leads to the main arena. This is where prisoners are escorted to fight for their possible freedom."

"You mean to tell me we're going to be going up against prison gladiators?!" Brahms exclaimed.

"Just pray I'm wrong, though it may not matter."

They continued to run down the hall and sure enough, it opened into a wide arena, full of spectators!

"Oh crap." Brahms cursed.

"LADIES AND GENTELMEN! CITIZENS OF JARVANIA! WE NOW BEAR WITNESS, FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT OF WRAITAN ZERIAH, THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURIES! THE FOUL LEADER OF THE ENEMY, DRACONIS SKY'THONAR, AND HIS ALLIES WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH AGAINST SOME OF THE DEADLIEST PRISONERS OF OUR WORLD! FIRST UP, THE DREADED BRAINSWASHED JEM'HADAR PLATOON, OMEGA SQUAD! OPEN THE GATES!"

Brahms looked around. He saw Wraitan seated on a platform above the center of the arena, watching the action. Around him were spectators, filling the arena's many seats. And to his left, were opening gates, and a charging platoon of deprived Jem'Hadar troopers!

"Watch it!" Anasazi took his stolen Polaron pistol and fired, saving Brahms from being tackled! Brahms had no choice. He fired the polaron disruptor, and took out a few more of the squad. Draconis grappled with the last one, slapping another aside with his lizard whip-like tail.

"Oh, how entertaining!" Wraitan laughed. "Prepare the Orion prisoners next!"

"You won't get away with this, father!" Anasazi shouted, grabbing a fallen Jem'Hadar's dagger, which looked more like a sword in his hands. He then took the polaron pistol, and fired at the platform which held Wraitan! It split, and fell apart, Wraitan jumping down and landing on his feet.

"People of Jarvania, hear me!" Anasazi yelled. "This treachery is far-reaching, as my own father has used this opportunity to try and rid me from the picture! A picture of change, a picture of progress, stolen by this being that orders prisoners to try and kill for him! But no more! Wraitan Zeriah, it is time to pass the throne! I challenge you, in a one-on-one first-limb -lost duel, for the crest and the crown!" Anasazi pointed his dagger at Wraitan. The crowd murmured, and then cheered Anasazi, chanting his name.

"Very well, whelp! I shall not let anything jepordize my absolute retribution! not even you, my son!" Wraitan got out a dual blade that appeared stained with silver blood! Draconis recognized it as the same blade that had killed his father all those years ago!

"Watch it!" Draconis warned. "That thing is deadly!"

"I know..." Anasazi said. He then charged Wraitan, and the blades clashed! Clang! Clang! Clang! Continuous, repeated clangs and grinds of metal on metal filled the air as Anasazi and Wraitan swunng, parried, and clashed as they jumped, dove, and ran around the arena with much greater speed then Brahms expected from them!

"Aren't you going to join in?" Brahms asked Draconis.

"He said it was one-one-one." Draconis said. "And I shall honor those terms. At least until Wraitan loses. And so will you."

Brahms was in little position to argue. All he could do was stay out of the flurry of blade clashes as he watched Anasazi and Wraitan duel. So far, all they had done to each other were scratches and small cuts at the most! This was a very tight duel!

They clashed blades again, as each struggled to overpower the other!

"You're still too weak, boy!" Wraitan said. "I still stand!"

"You think you are so tough, yet what good does strength and grit do you..." Anasazi took one hand off of his blade, and thrust one of his clawed-fingers into one of Wraitan's eyes! The clawed digit broke into the socket, drawing blood. As Anasazi retracted his finger! "...When you are blinded by your own ambition!"

Wraitan was left clucthing his bleeding eye, dropping his dual-blade! He screamed in pain as he clutched the bloody hole where his eye used to be!

Anasazi saw his moment, and took it! He lobbed off one of Wraitan's arms with the stolen Jem'Hadar blade! Wraitan then fell to his knees! He had lost, in more ways than one!

Anasazi then bent down, and tore Wraitan's amulet off of his neck! He then held it up for all to see!

"The challenge is complete! By this crest, I declare that Jarvania has a new leader!" Anasazi's voice boomed across the arena! He was triumphant!