“Is that it? What else have you got!”

  Mokvel looked from one Blue to another and neither betrayed any actual response to Young’s demand. “Are you satisfied? He’s tough. I have the scars to prove it.”

  “As one of our tributes, we need to know what his weaknesses are. Once we know them, we can eliminate them. By the time we’re done here, he will be unrecognisable as a Terran.”

  Mokvel took a step back and didn’t know what to make of that. “So that’s his people’s future, sending them into the meat-grinder for the home world’s shallow entertainment.”

  The Blue to his left, Agrivel let his hand hover over the buttons. “Shallow? Tell me what was your plan, Mokvel. When we found you, the Terran almost had the ship under his control. Had we not shown up when we did, you would all surely be dead.”

  Mokvel clenched his hands but refused to rise to the bait. “The point I’m trying to make is that the Terrans are rugged and durable. Using them for sport is such a waste of their talents and potential!”

  “On the contrary, this is the safest way for us to gauge their strength. We’re barely getting started. If the Terran proves itself, we will find many uses for them. The War Games are just part of it.”

  “What, you’ll put them on some frontline in the distant quadrants, or put them to work in near inhospitable conditions of some far-off harvesting colony? Now that is a dangerous game.”

  “How so?” asked Agrivel, finally moving on to the next stage of testing.

  “You said it yourself; had you not arrived when you did, the Terrans would be in control of my ship. They may not fully understand how it works, but they can learn. They’re intelligent, and unlike the other races you’ve probably captured. They are far more resourceful and unruly. What’s stopping them one day from turning our weapons on us?”

  Both Blues appeared to laugh at the thought, Agrivel began scratching his long chin with his free hand while pressing another button. “We will stop them. Unlike you, Greys, the Blue Warbands have dealt with far bigger and more intimidating prey than what stands before us. They are so weak that their skin has no resistance to our needles. We could blind them all and there’s nothing they can do. Remind me, Mokvel. Why should be afraid?”

  “Urlak sounded just like you, and he paid the price. Push them like this and see what happens. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Mokvel said while rejoining them. The light panels in the holding cell shifted a bleak red, casting an ominous light across Young’s haggard looking face. The piece of wall behind him began moving down, revealing another entry point. Mokvel had to lean to look past the Terran and see what stepped out. He had seen footage of this animal previously while studying the planet’s surface. His giant oval eyes widened, and he blinked. Do they think he can take this thing down alone?

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Young turned to face the darkness and heard the low growls of the beast lying in wait. He, on instinct, put his hands up into a guard, even if the act was futile. That was the sound of a lion. Alongside fellow hunters, it would be easy pickings, but alone. It almost makes me wish I was fighting a Grey.

  The first part of the animal to be bathed in red light was their short, but bulky head. Young backed up as its yellow eyes met his. It stopped once fully in the room and stood waiting for him to show any sign of vulnerability. Like any predator, it aimed to attack once its prey showed any amount of complacency. He would have only one to chance to survive this encounter and it would be all in the timing. The creature let out a low growl, baring its large canines and rows of jagged teeth. Sensing the opportunity, the two of them moved in tandem as if reading the other's intentions. Young was moving to the right and low to the ground while the lion put all its energy into its back legs and leapt at him. He avoided its vicious claws narrowly and the animal met the window of the observation hard enough to stun it. It was his turn to pounce. The animal was strong, but so was he, and getting on top of it allowed him to pin it down. He grabbed a hold of its head and jaw and delivered a series of punches that kept it staggered. It took all his remaining strength to twist the animal’s neck until he heard the snap and the struggling ceased. He had been so caught up in keeping it from getting on top of him that he failed the notice the thin trails of blood running off his arm where the lion had tried to find some purchase. He stared at it, feeling dizzy, and clenched his now bloodied fist. Like any man possessed by remaining adrenaline, he resumed punching the reinforced window until the pain became too unbearable. The smoke returned, but this time it muted the pain and blurred his vision. He collapsed not long after, close to his kill and wondered if this would be the end of him.

  The hologram appeared before him and showed the Grey and two of his fellow Blue aliens. They had an update for him regarding their new, determined captive. Despite the impressive feat with the Greys, the vast array of Terrans planet side had failed to leave a dent in his forces. They might have their tactics and look formidable, but they were still only prepared to face other animals. They had no way of countering his people. It was as easy as he hoped it would be, and given time, the Terrans would be moulded into the perfect tribute for the Wargames and once potential clients witnessed their potential, there would be calls from across the galaxy demanding he take more. He had no doubt this would be a profitable enterprise.

  “How is the testing going?” the Chieftain asked.

  “As well as we hoped,” Agrivel answered. “We used a lion to begin and despite being outmatched, the Terran used their natural intelligence to put themselves in a position to kill it. Once they have recovered from their wounds, further testing will be continued. We have time, don’t we?”

  “Yes, but the journey isn’t a long one. Use this time wisely. I don’t want us to lose any investments.”

  “Understood, chief, we promise not to disappoint you.