Page 107 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol 2
“Oh, sure. All that macho Srebat stuff. And yet the guy standing in front of me is pissed that Sam chose me.”
That’s all it takes. Rage ignites. My fist flies—fast and brutal. He dodges, barely, the air from my punch grazing his temple. He stumbles back, then counters. A high kick sweeps toward my ribs. I block it. The force pushes me half a step back.
I drive a punch into his gut. He folds, surprised by the impact, but straightens with a pained smirk.
I press forward, unleashing a series of blows. He blocks, ducks, returns fire. He’s fast. Too fast. But I’m heavier, stronger. Every strike forces him back.
He weathers the hits, never falling. Tenacious bastard.
He wipes blood from the corner of his mouth and meets my stare with something like respect.
“You hit hard, Noviosk. But you still don’t know why you’re hitting. Unless it’s just to shut me up for saying what you can’t admit.”
I charge again. He dodges—but the move throws him off-balance. I sweep his legs, and he crashes to the floor, gasping.
“That’s the best the Confederation’s got?” I sneer.
We freeze.
I should never have said that aloud. Not here.
The fight ends abruptly. We separate without another word, his eyes burning into me.
After a moment, I speak again.
“What’s your plan, Ayden?”
“To get out of here with Sam. To love her madly, as long as she’ll have me.”
I grit my teeth and curse him silently.
“I thought you had a plan.”
“What makes you think I don’t?”
“Then maybe act on it. Tomorrow, you’ll die in the arena. Not that I care much—but what happens to Sam if you and I are both gone? Nothing good. Your Confederation pals... can they even be trusted?”
“Shhh! You want to make a public announcement? Maybe rent a billboard?”
“You didn’t answer me. Can we trust them—yes or no?”
He sighs, scanning the room. No one’s listening. Still, he lowers his voice.
“I haven’t had contact since arriving. What do you expect? I came straight here when I heard Sam might be in danger. I don’t know where my team is. In case it slipped your mind—space is big.”
I grind my teeth.
“So you’ve got nothing. You’re just winging it.”
“I’m counting on the same luck that’s kept me alive this long. Everything’ll be fine.”
“Such naive faith. The stars turned their backs on me long ago.”
“Humans call that karma,” he says dryly.
I think of all the lives I’ve taken. Maybe he’s right.
Suddenly, footsteps. Guards. Armed. Not just for Ayden—for me, too.
