Unholy Star, Beyond Faith

Silent combat

The crew of the Ascent watched, weapons ready, as one of the Knight Templars ejected into space. They ping-ponged between the hulls of the joined ships and then flew off into the darkness amidst debris from the blast that had opened a hole in the base of the Abaddon's boarding plank.

"Surprise!"

Sam could imagine the smirk under Honi's helm, "Focus. Two knights remain, and they are more than a match for us."

Honi gestured to the white spot spinning into space, "It's official--space sucks."

Another knight flew from the hole, but this time, a lightning-fast arm shot out and grabbed a handhold from a jagged slice of material at the edge of the blast hole.

A third, spear-wielding, Knight ejected. They caught the hand of the second who thrust their catch forward into the local gravity field that the Ascent's crew had established on the shiny black hull of the Ascent. The hanging Knight thrust themselves up into the gravity field, drawing an energy sword as they landed with the dexterity of a cat.

Without a second's pause, both sides joined in silent combat.

Energy blade's sparked blue and repelled as molecular edges met. Honi used the blade's momentum to carry the weapon into its next slash which was met smoothly by the Templar who followed through with an upper thrust. Honi jumped back and levelled his blade, but there was no quarter given by his opponent and the two skilled warriors exchanged a series of swift strokes ending with a hack into the pauldron over Honi's left shoulder. The blade stuck with an electric hiss but didn't make it into the pressurised inner fabric below. The reformer kicked his opponent away. With mutual respect for the other's ability, the pair circled, each waiting to take the advantage.

Spears thrust forward and were knocked away. The white Templar and silver Protector also circled. Sam knew that young Lucas was at a severe disadvantage against the seasoned Kingsley whose career had involved an uncountable number of hand-to-hand conflicts. Even with Lucas' promise, given the Templar's genetic enhancements, the odds were against her. To level the stakes, Sam, wielding a short sword in each hand, kept a position behind their assailant, she knew he knew the death dealer was hanging back, her silhouette merging with space like a black panther slinking in the shadows. To manage two attackers, every move Kingsley made would need to incorporate a way to handle a strike from either of his attackers. Few fighters in the Galaxy were up to such a task, but Kingsley was one of them.

A sudden feigned thrust from the Templar was met by Lucas with a full parry, opening a gap in the relatively inexperienced Knight's defence. But, Sam was all over it. Kingsley had anticipated a strike from her at his thigh, but Sam instead threw herself forward to catch the spear in crossed swords at its head. She held the weapon tight allowing Lucas to recover and take the offensive. Lucas stabbed, but the blow glanced off the Templar's ribs.

Kingsley pulled Sam in close, then kneed her away. He then somersaulted backwards to face the young Knight Protector with a slap to her side, then a flick and a thrust to her head. He jumped forward down the shaft of his weapon to dodge cuts from Sam and thrust the tip of his spear forward catching the Lucas' helmet visor slit. The charge fizzled with energy and Lucas' headgear, a projected model, flashed out. Leaving her startled head completely exposed to icy space.

Kingsley's strike was no accident, he had anticipated the disabling of the helmet and the instant boiling of his adversaries blood and freezing of their skin. But he didn't know that his combat partner was a beamer, genetically modified to tolerate the brutality of open space. The split second of surprise he projected as Lucas' second eyelid to snapped into place, was enough time for Sam to commit the tip of a blade into the section of Kingsley's armour that Lucas had damaged a moment before. The sword slid in under his ribs and into his heart.

Sam dropped the Knight's body and rushed to Lucas's aide. But the beamer shook her head and rushed forward with her spear. The tip of the long weapon piercing the lower torso of the second Knight who had launched at Sam from behind. Sam finished the fight with a thrust into their new attacker's armpit. Within the span of seconds, two Knights Templar had died.

But, the exhilaration of victory instantly turned to terror as Sam spied the fallen form of Honi. He lay closeby, a sword projected from his unmoving body.

As Lucas retreated into the ship, her immunity to open space only a temporary resistance, Sam screamed into her helm and stumbled over to the body of her friend and lover. Honi, Sam's friend and lover, had passed forever into the realm of God's mercy.