To The Land Of The Electric Angel: Hugo and Nebula Award Finalist Author (The Frontiers Saga) by William Rotsler

Author:William Rotsler [ROTSLER, WILLIAM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure
Amazon: B01CV5SE8G
Published: 2016-03-11T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

The wallscreen showed two fighters in the Arena. One was a retiarius: a slim girl who wore no armor – just a leather-like uniform and sandals – and carried a trident and net. The net was edge-weighted for better control ... and she circled the bigger opponent warily, keeping her trident up and the net moving.

"Notice how she keeps the net in motion so that there will be no betraying gesture to show she is about to cast it." Sergeant White stood at the edge of the screen, holding a long pointer. "See how she keeps the trident at the ready. It keeps the secutor at bay, and she can use it to advantage at any time."

The secutor was a broad-shouldered African whom Neva said had been captured while attempting to smuggle some blacks out of the annexed state of Baja California. He wore a helmet, smooth and round, without any decoration that would catch on a net. He had on a breastplate, but no backplate. He wore a greave only on his left leg and his right arm was protected by a flexible armor. He held a small round shield against the jabs of the girl's trident and carried a short, heavy sword in his armored right hand. Blake felt as if he were watching a historical drama.

"The statistics say that if a secutor and a retiarius of equal skill are matched, the retiarius will win 86 percent of the time. But watch this."

The girl cast her net in a smooth overhand motion, using her trident to capture her opponent's sword at the same moment, holding it away from his body just long enough for the net to settle. The big Negro twisted away, entangling himself in the net. The girl released his sword and drew back her arm for a violent thrust of the spear. But the secutor threw himself toward her – net and all – instead of trying to avoid her trident. The three-pointed spear missed him and he swung the sword against her unprotected torso. It cut deeply, and blood gushed. She staggered back, her face in shock, and fell to one knee. She kept the trident up and pointed at the big man as he tore away the net. Contemptuously, he knocked aside her spear. The back of the trident hit the girl in the side and she fell onto one hand. She looked up at the secutor to see the sword falling. He cut through her neck in one slice and the head fell. The secutor placed one foot on her back and raised his sword to the crowd.

Blake did not feel he was watching a historical drama anymore. The tape was silent, but he could imagine the roar of the crowd.

The screen went blank abruptly and Sergeant White started asking questions. "Neva, what did she do wrong?"

"She wasn't prepared for an unorthodox move. She should have been, because getting in past the spearpoint is the best defense-offense."

"Bennett, did the secutor make any mistakes?"

"Well, he won, so he made fewer mistakes than she did.

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