If you missed the last episode, you can find it [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/220441481/0/0]here[/url], or if you need to find a previous episode, you can find them all in the [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/220441594/0/0]Master Post[/url]. Please give a bump, upvote, or leave comment if you enjoy this and any other chapter! *** The cold of space leaks into my suit, but I forcibly quell my shivers. Looking across the chasm between the floating asteroids, I catch the looks of the Volition crew eyeing me, sizing me up and looking for a weakness. [i]They’re not gonna find any,[/i] I tell myself triumphantly. [i]They’re not looking for weaknesses[/i], the sensible part of me observes. [i]They’re thinking about what they’re going to do to you after they win. Good thing they’re not gonna win[/i], I retort. My conscience falls silent as I turn my attention to the makeshift arena, observing and strategizing. It takes a lot of practice to get used to this arena, with its constantly-shifting asteroid obstacles, sparse cover and weightlessness – but unfortunately for these pirates, I’ve had a lot of practice. I listen to my breathing inside my helmet, thinking warm thoughts to trick my muscles into relaxing. My fingers twitch next to the hand cannon strapped to my thigh, itching to reunite with the cold, hard metal. My eyes meet Seng’s, and he dramatically holds his own weapon up to his faceplate – it turns transparent just long enough for him to mime licking it. [i]Overcompensate much?[/i] I can’t help but think, burying the laugh that rises up. [i]Don’t underestimate them[/i], the sensible part reminds me. [i]But it’s just so hard when they’re a bunch of clowns. Armed clowns[/i], she responds. [i]Still clowns.[/i] Another eye roll within accompanies her silence. I take several deep breaths to steady myself, getting centered, getting steely. Routes and trajectories flash through my mind as I mentally run the arena, remembering and cataloguing every inch, reminding myself of which asteroids the charges have been hidden in. I subtly check the detonator strapped to my belt, making sure it’s secure. [i]Wait until they bunch up[/i], I’m internally reminded. [i]Duh[/i], I fire back. I bury it all as I reach deeper inside, seeking my strength – And I find her where I always do: on the remnants of 115 Rhea, covered in her mother’s blood as she faces the monster. The bloodstained child turns to me, her eyes sharp and glinting with the inner strength that everyone continues to underestimate. The monster underestimated me. The Reef underestimated me. And these pirates will underestimate me. [i]Just don’t underestimate them[/i], the sensible part of me warns. [i]That’s what I’ve got you for. When you listen to me[/i], she responds. The match countdown continues to tick to zero as a warning sounds, signaling the final seconds before we begin. A crackling sound in my helmet precedes the simperingly self-assured voice of Captain Seng. [i]“Last chance, baby. You can still walk away unspoiled.” Unspoiled?[/i] I bury the laugh that springs to my lips. If he only knew… [i]“But then I’d have to steal your ship. Much cleaner to win it outright.” “You really got a thing for my ship, huh?”[/i] Seng laughs. “[i]Don’t worry, I’ll let you sit on my lap so you can pretend to fly.[/i]” The final five seconds tick audibly in my helmet as I bury the rage that wells up. [i]Better to keep him thinking he’s in charge. Agreed,[/i] the sensible part of me says, surprising me. With one mind, I use the last second to plot the next ten – [i]Asteroid four floats across in three seconds – shield bait – asteroid seven ricochets off asteroid twelve – three shots – duck, push off asteroid three, tuck, roll, fire again –[/i] The horn sounds and the match begins. The pirates open fire on me, but I’m already moving, boosting two feet to the right as an asteroid floats directly in my path, shielding me from their shots. I grab onto the back of the asteroid and push off, heading directly for the path between the two approaching – More shots crack the floating rocks, silent in the vacuum as I slip through the small opening between the obstacles, spinning around and bracing my feet against them as I aim back at the pirates. One. Two. Three. I duck and spin off the asteroids as I float backwards toward more obstacles, smirking at the astonished cries of anger that echo through my helmet. [i]“What the hell?!” “Report!” “Three down, Captain!” “Duck and cover, duck and cover!”[/i] I smile widely as I soar past two more asteroids, timing my passage perfectly so that return fire bounces off my makeshift shields. My heart positively soars as I revel in the joy I feel every time I’m in this arena, at the feelings of panic, fear, and confusion I always sense in my opponents. I don’t often play one versus six, but when I do, during the right match… I bury my joy though as I focus back on the remaining three. [i]Don’t underestimate them[/i], the sensible part of me repeats. [i]Yes, mom.[/i] I check my detonator quickly as I hide behind one of the floating asteroids. I can hear the pirates’ cries in my helmet, but can’t tell where they’re coming from. [i]No matter.[/i] I peek around my asteroid, looking for the one with the first charge stuck to its surface. [i]There.[/i] The potato-shaped rock, tagged with the graffiti I marked it with earlier, floats serenely by. I cast around for the remaining pirates, but don’t see them. [i]Where’d they –[/i] I don’t get to finish the thought as Seng as his remaining crew members suddenly float down on top of me, ducking around their own asteroids to fire repeatedly. I spin and flip off to avoid the shots, curling myself into a roll. The universe careens up and down and up and down as I float away, thinking ahead as the sensible part of me jeers. [i]Told you not to underestimate – Oh, shut up and help me calculate the charges’ trajectories.[/i] Together, we focus on the task as I bank and dart from rock to rock, the pirates’ fire missing me by inches. I steal a quick peek around and see the asteroid I’d tagged floating closer to the pirates. [i]One ship, coming right up[/i], I think joyfully, finger on the detonator. [i]Easy as –[/i] As I push the button though, there’s a brief second that tells me something is wrong – the confirmation light on the charge doesn’t light up, and I can’t see – The explosion tears apart the rocks right above me – dazed and propelled away by the blast, my body is hammered with fragments as my back smashes against another asteroid. [i]What the… “Think you’re pretty clever, don’t you?!”[/i] Seng calls over the comm, taunting me from inside my helmet. [i]“Didn’t think we’d recognize a cheater when we saw one?” “Takes one to know one!”[/i] I defiantly shout back. I duck my head around the asteroid, trying to see where they are through the debris. [i]“Colder…colder…”[/i] I hear Seng taunt through the comm. I push off the asteroid, stretching out in the vacuum to float to the closest rock. [i]“Colder….colder….”[/i] [i]Smarmy bastard[/i], I think ruefully. [i]Takes one to know one[/i], the sensible part of me jibes. Burying the voice, I look around, quelling the panic that rises unbidden in my chest. [i]“Colder….warmer….”[/i] I look around quicker as I bounce to the next asteroid, hugging the surface tightly as my eyes roam the dark emptiness. [i]“Warmer….warmer…..”[/i] I look up – and into the eyes of Loren Seng. His visor turns transparent to show his wicked smile of triumph. I look under me and see his two crewmates hovers beneath, boxing me in. “[i]You are going to be a very welcome addition to the crew, baby,[/i]” Seng smirks as he levels his weapon at my head. The sensible part of me falls silent as my conscious mind goes blank – and then the bloodstained child steps forward, preparing for battle. *** Thanks for checking out my second series, and come back every [b]MONDAY, WEDNESDAY[/b] and [b]FRIDAY[/b] for new installments!