CCC #132 - Voting Thread

Master of Teras Kasi

The hooded figure stood on the gantry watching as flashes of red and silver illuminated the hanger far more brightly than the small iris of light that entered the space. Sneering he watched as the figure in black body armour blocked the aggressive strikes from the blood red blade of his chosen assassin, the animal he called Maul. Striking aggressively Maul looked like he was going to overwhelm the defence of his training partner, Thull Wulain, the leader of the hooded figure’s Sun Guard, a man descended from some of the best fighters in the galaxy.

Blades hissing, the force pike Wulain was armed with finally broke under the burning power of Maul’s lightsabre, leaving the Sun Guard defenceless. Sneering, his yellow eyes glowing in the darkness, Maul held the blade against Thull’s neck, confident in his victory. That sneer faded as Thull grabbed Maul’s hands and slammed the blade into the neck of his own armour before kicking Maul backwards, the assassin using the Force to stop him from falling backwards. In that split second, Thull was back on his feet, Maul’s lightsabre thrown over his shoulder, rolling under the speeder bike, which two pit droids were working on.

Lunging towards his opponent, rage filling his heart, Maul reached Thull, his wrath making his strikes fast and hard but not fast enough, Thull had decades of training on his opponent and was fast enough to catch most blows, his armour strong enough to absorb the ones he couldn’t block. Twenty seconds after being disarmed, Maul was reeling, his anger leaving a path for Thull to land a blow to his throat, causing the assassin to wheeze and splutter.

With a roar, Maul was about to lunge back into the fight, only for a stream of lightning to strike him, the source emanating from the hooded observer.

"You have anger, and hatred, my assassin, but if you want to become my apprentice, you will need finesse and patience." The hooded figure stated as Maul convulsed in pain, with only the occasional groan leaving his lips. Turning to Thull, the hooded figure gestured for him to leave, with the Sun Guard bowing before walking out of the hanger.

"Master, what can I do to serve you better." Maul growled, his voice masking the pain as the lightning continued to rack his body. Smiling under his hood, the figure stopped the flow of lightning and gestured for Maul to stand. Following his master’s instruction, Maul reached out for his lightsabre with the Force, only for a stronger presence to grip it, the blade diverting course to the hooded figure.

"You rely on this too much." The hooded figure growled as they removed their own lightsabre and cut through their apprentice’s blade before releasing it two charged halves of the weapon and hitting the hanger floor. "I have another target that needs eliminating; on Rattatak you will find the greatest living master of Teras Kasi, Rask Parys. My allies are looking to hire him, I can’t risk them using his skills, and knowledge against me or my Master. Eliminate him, and I will consider if you are worthy to be my apprentice."

"Give me my weapon, and I will see it done." Maul snarled, his anger seething at the accumulation of defeats and disciplines he had received.

"The Force is your weapon, if that is not enough for you, then you will never be worthy of being my apprentice." The hooded figure chuckled before turning and walking away from Maul, the iris in the hanger door constricting completely, leaving the two yellow pinpricks of Maul’s eyes the only illumination in the darkness.

**

Maul’s personal star courier The Scimitar touched down on the rocky platform outside Rattatak’s grandiose gladiatorial arena. The planet itself was barren and rocky, the gladiatorial arena was the only reason anyone would come to the world, particularly for those in search of assassins, muscle, and mercenaries. Raising the hood of his black cloak over his horned head Maul, the assassin left his ship and walked towards the rocky wall of the arena, his approach noted by a pair of HKB-3 droids flanking a dog faced individual dressed in flowing white robes overlaid by a bronze breastplate.

"Greetings traveller, Lord Sidious informed me of your arrival, follow me." The figure in white stated, bowing slightly to Maul, even as his droids remained unmoving. Not returning the gesture, Maul glowered at the figure until he turned and led the way, the HKBs following the pair, their camera like heads scanning the area.

"Take me to Rask Parys." Maul ordered as the quartet entered the arena, his host moving to a platform recessed in the internal wall. Stepping onto the platform, the lift rose to an empty gallery with two benches cut out of marble that overlooked the gladiatorial arena. Looking down, Maul watched as a Rodian armed with a spear battled a massive black and orange three eyed frog creature in the ring. Reaching out with the Force, he felt the presence of the dark-side coming from the creature, similar to his master but far reduced in power and scope.

"It is not that simple, Lord Maul," The host sighed as he lowered himself onto one of the benches. "Parys only fights those he believes are worthy of his time. As current champion of the arena, he wouldn’t stoop to fight an unknown, untested fighter." He explained as down in the arena, the Rodian dodged a bite from the creature he was fighting.

"Then I will draw him into the arena." Maul stated as the Rodian jabbed its spear into the creature’s flank, the tip getting stuck and snapping off embedded in the flesh of the beast.

"Well, I can arrange a match with some of our best fighters in the arena, and as the challenger, you can choose who you fight." The host stated as he removed a holo-projector from the folds of his robes, the lens flaring to reveal the head and shoulders of a Falleen.

"I will fight all of your best at the same time." Maul answered as the Rodian in the arena backed away from the creature, only for it to open its mouth and shoot its tongue out, grabbing the Rodian and dragging it down its throat.

"All…all of them?" The host asked as he turned the holoprojector off before stuffing it back into his robes. "Open handed or..."

"Let them bring whatever they want." Maul replied as a flight of probe droids emerged from the wall of the arena, the drones firing stun bolts into the creature, knocking it unconscious so that the team on the ground could remove the creature back to the holding cells underneath the arena.

"I will let them know." The Host stated as he got to his feet, the colour drained from his face as he walked to the platform, the HKB-3’s falling into step with him. "I will fetch you when we are ready."

**

It was only an hour before The Host returned to where Maul was meditating, the Force whispering to him about the people who attended this arena. He found the fighters, their arrogance swirling around them, much as their flesh-and-blood sycophants did. Sneering, he got to his feet when he felt the Host’s presence ride up on the lift to the gallery, he was sitting in.

"It is ready, my lord." The Host gulped as Maul got to his feet and stalked over to him, the camera heads of the HKB-3s tracking his every move.

"They have assembled in the arena." Maul stated, the Host gulping as Maul looked him in the eyes. Nodding, he breathed a sigh of relief as Maul turned and ran towards the viewing port in the gallery, leaping out and falling the three floors into the Arena, right in front of the eight fighters who had been waiting for him.

In a moment, Maul had analysed those opposed against him and none of them impressed him, not alone and not together as a group.

Silently, Maul lunged towards the fighter at the front of the group, a Falleen, the reptilian fighter was old and experienced. Throwing a blow at the Falleen, Maul was surprised that his opponent was fast enough to block his strike. Trading blows, Maul and the Falleen spent five seconds before Maul got a feeling for his opponent. The Falleen was old, riddled with healed injuries, and nearing the end of his career in the ring. Gritting his teeth, Maul threw a punch, his opponent blocking the blow, before throwing Maul backwards. Using the momentum from the throw, Maul cartwheeled and landed a kick, one empowered by the Force into the Falleen’s throat, the strike crushing the reptilian fighter’s throat.

If he wasn’t dead by the time he hit the floor, then he would be before the fight was over. Looking down at the dying Falleen the other fighters glowered at Maul, some shared camaraderie within the ring filling them with anger. With a collection of hisses and roars, the fighters swarmed Maul, forcing the assassin to spring amongst them, catching them off guard. Clustered together, those with a wide sweeping fighting style were limited, reducing the effective number of combatants. Picking the seven fighters apart would be akin to being surgical, callous, and efficient.

The next of Maul’s targets was a Twi’lek armed with a pair of stun batons, her scantily clad outfit revealing her blue skin. Catching the first swipe of the Twi’lek’s baton, Maul felt another attacker move behind him, looking to strike his unprotected back. Using his superior strength, Maul pulled the Twi’lek forward, the stun baton striking the ambusher, a Kaleesh dressed in bone-white armour, its face covered in a skull mask, electricity running through his body.

Getting himself unentangled from the Twi’lek and Kaleesh, Maul lunged towards an ASP Labour Droid, the machine reprogrammed and armed with blades at the end of its hands and jutting from its kneepads. Its electronic reaction cutting in the ASP slashed out with its blades, the weapons cutting through Maul’s robes, revealing red skin tattooed with sinister black symbols from the most ancient and heretical Sith texts. The ASP didn’t react to this revelation, and the other fighters were too enraged to even consider what this may mean. Instead, the droid carried on its onslaught, its programming pushing it forward as Maul dodged and ducked backwards as thundering footsteps echoed behind him.

At the last moment, Maul reached out with the Force, catching the ASP and slowing it before leaping backwards over the charging figure, his spear ramming into the carapace of the droid. The spearman, one of the Ubese, a hateful race whose world was bombed into a radioactive wasteland, spun around just in time to see Maul sweeping a leg to topple him. Taking the blow, the Ubese went down hard, his hand grabbing Maul’s leg as he did, causing the assassin to be fixed in place momentarily as the Kaleesh fighter returned, wrapping his arms around him in a throat hold.

It was almost comical, Maul mused as the Force welled up inside him, channelling it into the Ubese’s hand, the bones shattering as he put pressure on it. Enduring the pain, the Ubese surprised him with their grip remaining ironclad.

"Jedi!" The Ubese hissed, the hatred in him rising, as Maul headbutted the Kaleesh, the horns on his head embedding the eyes of the fighter, causing him to reel backwards.

"Jedi, no I am no Jedi." Maul snarled as he turned to face the Kaleesh, the Twi'lek, and a human woman dressed in white robes armed with a light foil, the weapon a poor mass-produced reflection of the lightsabres used by the Jedi and the Sith. Reaching out with the Force, Maul pushed the light foil down in its user’s hand, the beam of superheated plasma burning the flesh and bones as it was dragged to the floor.

Staggering at the brutality, the Twi’lek let her guard down for a split second before Maul descended on her, delivering strikes empowered by the force into her chest, shards of bone stabbing into her heart and lungs, sending her falling to the floor, choking. As the Ubese got back to its feet, Maul saw the last two fighters form a loose ring around him, one was a massive Besalisk, his four fists balled up ready to strike, the other was a Mustafarian, the ceremonial armour she wore covered in lit flames that made her seem like a towering spire of fire.

"Jedi or not, you will pay for what you’ve done here!" The Mustafarian hissed as she threw a pair of throwing axes, their blades red hot from the armour she wore. Reaching through the Force, Maul sent one soaring up over his head and the other to his right into the head of the Kaleesh, flames burning through his body until he fell to the floor with a thud. A second later, another thud hit the ground as the Host fell the three stories and hit the arena floor, a burning axe embedded in his chest.

The next moment was a blur of flame and fury as the Besalisk threw himself into the fight, striking with open palmed strikes, looking to drive Maul back into the clutches of the Mustafarian. Maul brought his own strikes, matching each of his massive opponents with ease while catching the wave of thrown axes coming at him behind and throwing them into the Besalisk. With one last effort, the Besalisk mustered all his strength and slapped Maul backward before falling to his knees, blood leaking from the wounds across his neck and chest.

"Not Jedi, Si..." The Ubese hissed, his words cut off as an invisible hand wrapped around his throat and that of the Mustafarain as they were both lifted off the ground, before they were slammed face first into the rocks, their necks breaking upon impact.

"Rask Parys come out and face me!" Maul roared, his words echoing around the arena as, one by one, the lights in the viewing galleries went out, the pundits and gamblers making their escape while they still could. On the opposite side of the arena, a figure dressed in blue robes, long beard like tendrils and a staff in his hands. Maul recognised the race, a Gungan, pathetic creatures known for their clumsiness and stupidity. Anger and pride filled the assassin, he had bested eight combatants easily to face this one figure, this one figure who thought he had the right to call himself master.

"Yousa have come to kill me." Rask stated his voice was one of a being who knew one-day somebody was going to kill him. One of a being who had made their peace with being killed. The dead or dying gladiators may have treated Rask with respect, but Maul had nothing but rage and hatred in his heart. Reaching out with the Force he pulled Rask towards him, only for the Gungan fighter to use the momentum to fly towards Maul and lash out with his staff, leaving a cut across his right cheek. Not wasting any time, Rask pushed Maul back with his staff before bringing the polearm down on Maul’s head, the blow surprised Maul.

"Yousa may be bombad with the Force," Rask stated as Maul lunged to grab the staff only for the Gungan fighter to trip him with the staff and deliver a stomp onto his hand, "but I am not afraid of yousa."

With a feral growl, Maul let loose a shockwave with the Force sending the bodies and weapons of the gladiators flying away. For his part, Rask dug his staff into the arena floor, sparks flying as he countered the push backward. Springing to his feet, Maul reached out for the laser foil, sending the weapon flying towards Rask from outside his peripheral vision. Not even indicating that he had even detected the weapon flying towards him, Rask spun his staff, cutting the weapon in two.

Using the flourish, Rask lunged towards Maul the tip of the staff stabbing into the assassin’s chest. Kicking Maul down, Rask removed his staff and rested it against the assassin’s neck, before taking a deep breath before raising his weapon to deliver a blow that he hoped would sever the head from the neck. Before he could swing down, Maul lunged forward and slammed her hand into Rask’s chest, the blow causing the Gungan to drop his staff. Following the staff, Rask’s liquidised heart oozed out of the wound in his back, before his body fell to the floor.

Standing as the only living being in the arena, Maul heard clanking as the two HKB-3’s entered from one of the doors, a small holographic figure held in one of their palms.

"My master," Maul stated before bowing, "it is done."

"Master?" An unfamiliar voice asked, causing Maul to look up and see, not Darth Sidious projected by the droids, but a Munn, his mouth covered in a ventilator, his eyes projecting an air of cold indifference about him. "My apprentice found you and raised you to be powerful in the dark side, but you are not a Sith. He has betrayed me, as is the nature of our order." The Munn stated as the hologram shifted and Maul saw a choking Sidious, blood streaming from his eyes, old wounds opening and oozing blood.

"You are a disciple, a useful one, but there are magnitudes of power, and you are not even my apprentice’s equal." The Munn stated that as he released his hold on Sideous, the hologram panning back onto him. "Victory over the fighters here was to be expected, if you wish to serve the Sith as our agent, you will have to do better." He stated as Maul felt pain course through his body, pain beyond any he suffered in battle, pain beyond what even Darth Sidious could inflict on him.

"Your first task is to construct a new lightsabre, the Jedi are sending an envoy to Illum for the new generation to retrieve their kyber crystals." The Munn stated as Maul bowed his head, not daring to meet the true dark lord of the Sith’s gaze. "Wipe them out, all of them, and bleed their crystals so they may serve us."

"It will be done my Master." Maul replied as the hologram collapsed and he got to his feet. Picking up Rask’s staff Maul walked to his ship, the anger raging hotter then ever before.

My Grandfather vs Sheriff Jones

The United States of America

February 1942

We were living in a small, rural farming village out in the desert. For the most part, things were quiet, and uninteresting. We went about our days, in peace, and went home.

But then, the Sheriff came with the bad news. He went to our part of town, the neighborhood of farm houses owned almost exclusively by the 5 or 6 Japanese families of the town, to tell us the news we had been told to expect but hoped wouldn’t.

“ATTENTION ALL JAPANESE!” Sheriff Jones shouted. “I’m here to inform you that you have 72 hours to settle all your affairs. After that, you will report to Casa Azul Relocation Camp.”

“What?” My grandfather asked. “This is an outrage. We have done nothing wrong. We had nothing to do with the attack on Pearl Harbor.”

Not many men in the county had what it took to stand up to the Sheriff. Sheriff Jones was a man you did not want to mess with. He may not have looked it, being at least 40 years old & quite overweight, but he was a skilled fighter. His weekend hobbies were boxing and wrestling. He was known to settle his disputes by challenging his enemies to fights (and he’d rarely if ever lose).

“Doesn’t matter.” The Sheriff said. “I have my orders, and you will either comply, or I will make you.”

He got back in his car and drove away. My grandfather, the community’s unofficial leader, turned and said “You heard the man, time to get ready.”

_______

My grandfather and I drove into the city to sell the last of our crop for the season. We truly had no idea what would become of our family farm while we were gone, but at least we could get one last batch of our pistachio crop to the market.

After dropping them off, a group of local young men approached us. Those three assholes were known for starting trouble, but generally stayed out of our way. But today, probably emboldened by the Sheriff’s news, they were even worse than normal.

“Hey, aren’t you guys supposed to be getting ready to get out of here?” One of them, I believe his name was Dwight, asked as he laughed to himself.

“What, you think this is funny?” My grandfather asked. “That we’re being separated from our homes, our whole lives being upended.”

“Yeah, I do.” Dwight replied. “I’m sure once you’re gone, your homes are gonna sell for dirt, and then, we can piss all over your…”

My grandfather then punched him, square in the face. Dwight then said “Looks like grandpa here wants to get hurt. Let’s give him what he wants.”

Dwight then came at him with a haymaker punch. My grandfather evaded it, dove in close, grabbed him by the arm, twisted around, and picked Dwight up only to slam him onto the ground.

Dwight’s friends came running over to help, but neither lasted long. My grandfather kicked one of them in the stomach, and punched the other in the face, knocking out both in just a few moments.

“What, that all you assholes got?” My grandfather sarcastically asked as he put Dwight in an armbar. “What, just a few seconds ago you were talking about pissing in my house, what happened?”

“Grandpa, I think they’ve had enough.” I said, as I started to get scared.

He let Dwight go and we went home.

____

“How did you do that?” I asked.

“I was waiting for the right time to tell you.” My grandfather said. “But I guess it’s now. When I was younger, I was the head sensei of a dojo, in Japan. Taught karate and judo. But one day, the Imperial Army attempted to buy me out, force me to train their army, forced me to get them ready for war. I took your mother, and we left Japan. Ended up here in America, where I put martial arts behind me.”

“Behind you? You need to stop the Sheriff?”

“Excuse me?” He asked.

“If any of us can beat him, you can.”

“Sorry honey, that’s not happening.” He said. “I’m sorry you had to see me fight today, but that’s not something I want to make a habit of.”

“But, you can do something. You can fight him, and you can win.”

“I guess we’ll never know.” He said.

And then, I lost my temper. “Fine, but when we lose everything, just know that you could have helped, but you chose not to.”

_____

On the day the bus came, my grandfather left early to talk to the Sheriff.

“Sheriff Jones, I have a challenge for you.” He announced. “I think you’ll find it interesting.”

The Sheriff’s face perked up like a kid given money to go to a candy store. “What kind of challenge?”

“A fight. Just you and me. No weapons, hand to hand only. I win, that bus turns around and you forget about your orders. You win, we all go peacefully.”

The Sheriff handed the deputy his weapons belt and said “You’re on. Deputy, start our match.”

_______

“In three…two…FIGHT!” The Deputy shouted, and just like that, they were at it.

The Sheriff began the fight by throwing a jab-jab-cross combo to my grandfather’s face. He blocked all the Sheriff’s punches, but then, the Sheriff dove in low and grabbed his leg. He then took him to the ground, and started pounding on him with his fists.

When the Sheriff thought my father was knocked out, he got up and said “Well, glad this was settled. Now, everyone get onto the bus or I’ll…”

However, the Sheriff was wrong. My grandfather picked himself up off the ground. The Sheriff turned and saw him, but it was too little too late; my grandfather had already begun his back leg sidekick, and came flying towards the Sheriff.

The Sheriff practically bent over in pain, giving my grandfather the perfect opportunity to knock him down with a hook kick. He then kicked him while on the ground, but the Sheriff got up, and began throwing a flurry of punches. My grandfather blocked most, but some of them landed, each one being a powerful blow. I could tell my grandfather couldn’t take much more of this.

“Did you really think you could win?” The Sheriff taunted as he continued throwing punches. “I respect your bravery, but just know that all of this will only make it even sweeter to finally evict all of you.”

Just as it looked like my grandfather had no strength left, he grabbed the Sheriff’s arms, and did a miraculous hip throw. Considering the Sheriff had at least 50 pounds on my grandfather, it was a sight that surprised us all.

While on the ground, my grandfather put the Sheriff that dislocated his arm. He then started kicking him, but the Sheriff blocked his foot, raised himself up, and threw a powerful hook that I would later find out broke my grandfather’s ribs.

I thought it was all over. But then, my grandfather summoned all his strength, and threw a roundhouse kick that knocked out Sheriff Jones. I almost felt bad for the Sheriff, I’m sure his jaw took a long time to recover.

“And there you have it.” My grandfather said to the now unconscious Sheriff.

He then turned to the people of his neighborhood and said “Looks like we’re staying home.”

ULTIMATE PLANET FIGHTER!

“Hello, and welcome back to the cosmos’ number one combat show for the last six rotations of galactic centre point ULTIMATE PLANET FIGHTER! I’m your co-host Glargle Oogmargh, and the gelatinous blob of telekinetic energy next to me is Shnort Klendl.”

“Thanks, Glargle, I never know which set of eyes to look at. Anyways, as you the viewer know, ULTIMATE PLANET FIGHTER is a universe wide tournament to find the ultimate fighter. Tonight, we’re focusing on a little blue spec from a pocket of the Milky Way called Earth. Did I say that right?”

“Indeed, you did Shnort. Earth has a population of just over seven billion ape descended bipeds who seem to split themselves along invisible lines called countries. So, we’ve taken these, humans, and we’ll see who comes out on top as Earth’s champion!”

“So, being slightly below the average level of what passes as universal intelligence, we put the humans against each other in their dreams to limit damage and their exposer higher life forms.”

“They make Rhellmar 7 look smart!”

“Ouch, my mother was from Rhellmar 7, Glargle. Anyways. As you can see through the view stream, we took the five billion eligible participants and made a massive tournament bracket system. Two people go through thirty fights to face each other for the title of ULTIMATE PLANET FIGHTER!”

“Let’s look at some of the highlights of the tournament that has happened this cycle, as there are no seeding or favourites, just person versus person. Some bouts were quick and brutal, like Mike Tyson a fifty-six-year-old former boxing heavyweight and ear biter, versus 6yr old Perth boy Harrison Yam who just started judo.”

“Did he just punch that kids head off?!”

“He did! That biped really wants to win! Some other bouts were eventful and lively like movie star martial artist Jackie Chan versus retired boxer and now Ukrainian mayor Vitali Klitschko.”

“Look at that little old man move!”

“And some were total upsets, like Kevin Curley, 2nd Kyu in GKR Karate, against MMA star Anderson Silva, where the Brazilian showboated too much and the gangly glasses wearing Sydneysider advanced to the next round.”

“Now if some of these Earth terms like Kevin, movie, Perth, or glasses, are confusing then just click the hyper-link on your view screen and you’ll be given an info-package to get you up to speed.”

“So, five billion became two and a half billion, and again some upsets, some walkovers, and some surprises like the battle between karatekas Jesse Encamp and Rafael Aghayev which resulted in the rare double knockout!”

“That usually only happens in video games!”

“Now as we weeded them down, the real dark horse here is Kevin Curley.”

“I know. Seems this GKR Karate is pretty good as a fellow practitioner Ashley Fleming defeat fan favourite Conor McGregor.”

“What we can tell from the hyper-link that it was started 39 rotations ago around their central star, which is how they measure time in this area, by Robert Sullivan and has grown into a global franchise.”

“Very interesting.”

“It is. Now as you can see as the dream battles whittle down, this Kevin creature is doing quite well.”

“He’s had a dream run so far. Only one serious battle versus Anderson Silva and the rest have been relatively easy. But as we get clos…”

“Oh, the Great Spaghetti Monster Balls of Meat! Kevin has taken out Sajad Gharib also known as the Iranian Hulk; this biped looks like he’s full of helium. Kevin has kicked the big man in the knees with a nasty kick that has crippled the behemoth and this battle is over! Kevin moves into the next bracket!”

“This little ball of blue is full of surprises! These dream battles go past quite quickly, and we whittle down another level.”

“Now a word from our sponsor, Monster Mister deodorant…the only deodorant you can smell in space!”

“We’re back and if betting and money were what we based our cultures around, I’d put a lazy fifty on Kevin as this man is moving through the ranks quite well. His natural talent, boyish face, and ability to use the dream fight has him heading into the final four!”

“Amazing! The other three who’ve gotten into the quarters are movie star Tony Jaa, a martial artist stuntman from Thailand; UFC Heavyweight champion Jon Jones; and Mossad agent Yossi Dagan. This is quite a quartet. Muay Thai, Krav Maga, MMA, and karate. Let’s see the randomboller choose who versus who and its Tony Jaa up against Jon Jones while Dagan will face Kevin in the other bracket.”

“I was hoping for Kevin to fight Jones but I’m just a co-host.”

“Oh did you see that flying knee! Tony Jaa has split open Jones and he isn’t stopping! The flurry of blows from the Muay Thai expert has this fight over and done in record time!”

“I hope Yossi and Kevin saw that because that’s who is in the final and possibly the ULTIMATE PLANET FIGHTER!”

“So we are underway in the Dagan against Curley bout and ouch, if this wasn’t in a dream Kevin would possibly be dead! The Mossad agent cracked the jaw, throat and temple in a series of quick violent strikes but Kevin, while on one knee, is still in this. He flings out a kick, but Yossi is far to quick and responds with OH MY BLACK HOLE SUN, he’s shattered the knee of Kevin and this bout is over. The GKR practitioner is done!”

“Damn shame, I was hoping for this plucky oddity to go all the way, but sometimes dreams don’t come true.”

I bolt upright in bed, sweat shedding off my forehead, my knee cramping like someone bent it the wrong way, my fists clenched tight like I’m going to hit someone. It’s darkish but II swear something was happening…I take a breath and realise whatever was going on in my mind was just that. My wife stirs next to me and retakes the blankets as she rolls over. I sink back into bed. What a weird…on the bedside table is a small shimmery silver plaque that I’ve never seen.

(Kevin Curley. Karateka. Earth. 4th place in ULTIMATE PLANET FIGHTER)

I reach out to touch it but it fades from view and memory and I’m sitting in bed wondering if all that cheese for dinner hasn’t messed up my brain.

Miss February vs. Blue Valentine

Miss February steps out onto the rooftop garden of her penthouse apartment, dressed in her skimpy red costume and red boots. She admires the clear day, and strolls the brief distance to a few steps that go up the wall that surrounds her garden. Ascending the steps, she steps up to the rail on top of the wall, perches there on her tiptoes, and reaches her arms up, fingers wide as if to feel as much sun as possible on her skin.

Smiling, she stretches her wings to their full twelve-foot wingspan, preparing to step off the rail, when an arrow with a cable attached goes through her right wing, and embeds in the brick of her apartment wall. Knocked backwards off the rail, she falls, and screams as her wing pulls against the cable, holding her up at an odd angle.

The attacker, an archer in a white-and-sky-blue costume, uses her bow to zipline down the cable, breaking February's wing with her boot, and pushing her along the cable as she lands. The Calendar Girls' archer screams as her wing rips free of the cable, and she falls to the ground.

"Aw," the attacker says, poking out her bottom lip. "It looks like Aprhodite Love is facing a Bad Day."

"Blue!" snarls Miss February. "What are you doing here?"

"Proving that I should have been Miss February!" Blue says haughtily.

"No one said you weren't good enough," Love says, reaching for her shoulder as if that will stop the pain in her wing. "You just weren't reaching the right demographic for the group. 'Blue Valentine' appealed more to the lonely people who don't have anyone on Valentine's Day."

"P.R. could have spun it if they wanted to," Valentine says, stomping February's knee.

She screams. "This attack is only proving they were right about you!"

"Well, I guess now they'll have to go with their third pick," she snarls, preparing to fire an arrow at the heroine.

"Don't!" someone shouts from the French doors of the apartment.

Looking up suddenly, Blue Valentine gasps, "Cupid!"

"Don't test me," he warns her. "Aprhodite, are you okay?" When she nods, he looks back to Valentine, narrows his eyes, and says, "You're not going to be a better shot than me."

Just as Blue slackens her bowstring, Aphrodite says, "Or me," and smacks the woman away with her good wing. Blue goes sailing into the red anemone along the short garden path while Miss February struggles to her feet, her broken wing dragging the ground, and making her wince. "You're going to lose, Blue."

Valentine looks to Cupid who still has his arrow trained on her. Snarling, she drops her bow, and springs to her feet, sprinting at February. She tackles her, causing the archer in red to tumble over backwards, but Aphrodite throws Blue over her head with a kick. Both women roll to their feet. February rolls her right shoulder, trying to get the pain in her wing to subside. Despite that, she takes a stance to match Valentine's.

They edge towards each other, and then leap. Blue kicks Aprhodite in her side, and Love catches the booted ankle instinctively as it brushes the rip in her wing. Snarling savagely, she allows herself to fall on Valentine's leg, returning the knee injury that the attacker had given her.

Blue rolls, kicking Love in the face. "Spoiled princess! You'd be dead if it wasn't for daddy's help!" She rolls back to supporting her weight on her hands, and goes to mule kick February with her good leg, but the heroine catches the foot in her hand. Then she twists firmly, and Blue screams in pain as she both hears and feels her ankle snap.

Aphrodite stands, rolls her shoulder again, and the pain makes her angry. She reaches down to grab Valetnine by the front of her costume's shirt, and hauls her up. Raising her off the ground, and holding her up as far as her arm will reach, Blue holds onto her wrist with both hands, struggling to get free, but she is clearly afraid, having never seen the strength being used against her now.

"You should have been 'Miss February?' Please!" Aprhodite fumes. "I am a demi-goddess! The daughter of Cupid- a bonafide god! In what world are you better than me?!" Jerking Blue in close, she seethes, "You dare to attack me in my home?" She slaps the woman with her free hand. "Do not make this mistake again." Then she backhands Blue, and throws her into the roses on the other side of her garden, the thorny vines ripping into her before her head hits the patio, and she falls unconscious.

Just then, a team of policemen run in. As they secure Blue Valentine and take her away, Aphrodite looks to her dad, who is walking her way. "How did you know I needed help, daddy?" As he hugs her, hefting her wing gently, she says, "And don't say 'godly intuition' or I'll beat you too."

Cupid chuckles. "Nothing so fancy." Pointing to her walls, he says, "Blame the cameras that the Calendar Girls' P.R. people put up to catch your morning flights from your garden."

Aphrodite looks to her father with surprise and then a smile. "You watch my Feb Cams?"

He smiles, and kisses her forehead. "Whenever I can," he admits with a grin. "How else can I keep up with my ever-popular daughter?"

"Daddyyy, it's part of the job," she says. "You know that."

"I do," he says. "All the same, that's how I knew you needed help, and I alerted the police on the way over. They knew already too; you have a lot of fans over at that precinct."

"Really?" Aphrodite says bashfully.

Cupid wrinkles his nose. "Except maybe Detective Paulette. I'm not sure she likes anybody."

"Shouldn't you know?" she asks as they head into the apartment.

"Well, I tend to pick up on people's lustful intentions. She's so angry, it covers those up."

"Ah, I see," says his daughter as they enter the kitchen. "Think we can get this wing looked at?"

"Of course. EMT's are on their way as well," Cupid says reassuringly.

"Daddy!"

"So, I made a few calls."

Just then, his daughter's phone rings. She picks up her cell, and answers, "Aphrodite Love." She listens for a second, and says, "Helena! Hi. You won't beli... what?!... Wait, November? Shouldn't she be Red October?... I'm sorry, you're right- not important. Did she tell you that you were 'facing a Bad Day?'... I know, right?... No! Luna and Liberty too?! What about the others?... Okay. Okay, I'll let you go. I'll start calling around too... Okay, love you too. Bye!" She taps the end button on the call, and starts scrolling through her contacts immediately.

"What's happening?" asks Cupid.

"Apparently, the Bad Days are a team. Miss October says that Miss January, Miss July, and herself were all attacked as well. She's trying to check on the others. Daddy, I'm sorry, I've got to help with this," she says, kissing Cupid's cheek. "Talk to you later?"

"Of course, my dear. I'll go meet the EMT's at the elevator."

"Okay," she says, putting the phone to her ear. "And daddy?"

He turns back and smiles her way.

"Thanks for coming to my rescue."

Cupid winks at her, and heads towards her living room.

Miss February suddenly turns towards her garden door as her call is answered. "Hi, Rose? It's Aphrodite. Some of the girls have been attacked today. We're just checking on everyone. ...You were? Well, of course you're okay! You swing a mean wrench! What was her name? ...Rho Sapphire? Get out of here! She thought she should be Miss September? I mean, we're the Calendar Girls, not the Birthstone Girls. Oh, my-- I know, right..."