Offworld

Nafaria stood in the middle of the fighting ring looking up at the tinted box that was suspended there before each one of his fights. It had been almost a full rotation of the planet around the outermost sun since he had been given the name Nafaria. He hated it. It meant 'male fairy'. He had preferred it when he was just called 'breeder'.

In the box Col'en was looking down at him. She knew he couldn't see her. At the beginning of their inprisonment he had telepathically searched for them and checked that they were ok. He hadn't done that for ages now.

"Why doesn't he check on us anymore? Why does he just stand there?" She asked as she did everytime they were there.

C'lin and Sim'n didn't bother trying to answer her. They were more worried about if they were ever going to be free again. They were being treated well, Nafaria had never let the Nakarda hurt them, but it had been almost a year. Their parents were going to kill them!

The arena started to fill with warriors. Everyone enjoyed Nafaria's fights, he was good but very different to other warriors. He wasn't the strongest but his telepathic ability was much better than any Nakarda.

Another Nakarda warrior entered the ring. He smiled at Nafaria then walked over to the other side of the ring. His name was Karnafa, he was one of Nafaria's training partners. This was the fourth time he had fought with Nafaria in the main matches, Nafaria had always won.

Nafaria turned away from the box.

"Every fight I win my mistress watches. Everytime I stand here my mistress watches. I fight and she is kept safe when I win. I do not want to fight for her any more. After I reduce Karnafa to a crying child I will fight one of my mistress' equals to fight for my freedom."

The crowd cheered.

"You look like a girl." Karnafa snarled walking closer to him. "I will make you beg for mercy like I make my women beg."

"I have heard you with your women. I have never heard them moan." Nafaria said outloud, then he spoke directly to Karnafa's thoughts. "But I have heard you with the breeder's and I know that it is not the women whom you enjoy."

Karnafa turned to hit Nafaria in rage. Nafaria ducked laughing as the referee reprimanded Karnafa. They walked back to their corners. Their trainer walked over to Nafaria.

"It is good that you are ready to fully join the Nakarda. Which Offworlder will you fight?"

"Sim'n. He is the strongest."

"You know Karnafa. You know his weaknesses and strength. And he also knows yours. Stay alert and be fiesty."

The trainer sent a messenger up to the box and then went round to give the same pep talk to Karnafa.

A guard went into the box and pulled Sim'n out of the box. Col'en started banging on the side of the box.

"Breeder!" She shouted in distress. Everyone looked up at her except Nafaria. Nafaria paced the ring waiting for the match to start.

The bell rang and Karnafa advanced on Nafaria. Nafaria didn't move, he started to probe Karnafa's mind tentively. Karnafa had blocked his mind and it would take Nafaria a while to break through the defenses. Nafaria gave up searching his fighting tactics and started searching his personal thoughts.

"Stop it, Nafaria!" Karnafa said as he reached out and grabbed both of Nafaria's arms.

"Fighting is not the only reason you want to be holding me." Nafaria said as he gripped Karnafa's arms and pushed himself up, running up Karnafa, flipping over and setting himself free. He kicked Karnafa in the chest. Karnafa grabbed his foot as he fell back. Nafaria fell on top of him.

"You would prefer it if you were on top wouldn't you?" He said as he stood up. He extended his hand to Karnafa in order to help him up. Karnafa took his hand and pulled himself up. The crowd appluded Nafaria's fairplay.

Karnafa pulled Nafaria towards him by his hand.

"One day, fairy, I will have you."

"One day - maybe but not today."

Karnafa kicked Nafaria so he landed on the other side of the ring. The crowd gasped in shock that Nafaria hadn't seen this coming and dodged it. Nafaria didn't stand up instead he waved his hand towards Karnafa. Karnafa went flying to the other side of the ring. Nafaria jumped up and landed on top of Karnafa.

"My gosh, Nafaria! What was that?"

"That was a telepathic blow. You submit?"

"To you? Never!" Karnafa threw Nafaria off him. Nafaria spun in the air and landed on his feet. The crowd cheered again.

Karnafa got to his feet and lashed out at Nafaria. Nafaria dodged each blow by performing backflips around the ring. Then he flipped himself over Karnafa's head and kicked him in the lower back. Karnafa fell to the floor. Nafaria quickly turned him and sat on him, he pulled a small knife from a small pocket on the back of his trousers. He put it to Karnafa's neck.

"Submit Karnafa, just submit."

"I am not yet beaten!"

Nafaria hit him in the neck with his elbow.

"Submit!"

"Next time you will submit."

"Next time we will not be in the ring. Submit."

Karnafa laid his hands down above his head. Nafaria immediately cut his neck and bent down to drink his blood. The wound healed quickly. Then he cut his wrist and held it over Karnafa's mouth. Karnafa drank then licked the wound until it healed.

Nafaria felt Karnafa's thoughts as he drank. Every time he tasted Nafaria's blood he thought the same thing. He thought that Nafaria's blood tasted sweet like his slave's blood. Full Nakarda blood was tasteless to other Nakarda and held no nurtitional value.

"Do not think of me like that." Nafaria said as he helped Karnafa to his feet.

"Can't help it, Nafaria. I think you're hot. I won't do anything though. I just want to be your friend." Karnafa looked towards the side of the ring. "And now you kill the Offworlder."

"I will not break Nakarda rules and kill him."

"I am glad that you have learnt and embraced Nakarda laws so well. You will make an awesome warrior once you are initiated into the Nakarda."

"I will never be a warrior. I cannot be initiated -the poison would kill me whether I was loyal or not."

Their trainer looked up at them.

"Nafaria, you will be initiated and you will survive it. Don't worry."

Nafaria searched through his trainer's thoughts. Then spoke only his trainer and Karnafa could hear.

"So it is all a lie. There is no poison just fear. I am fearful, not all Nakarda will want me to be a warrior, they just like me as entertainment."

"Once you fight the Offworlder they will want you."

Sim'n was pushed into the ring and a forcefield erected around him to stop him escaping. He was shaking and desperately trying to find a way out.

"Are you sure he is the strongest?" His trainer asked.

"They are not a fighting race but he will survive."

"Not because of any strength on his part but because you will honour the laws and you will become an amazing warrior. Karnafa get out of the ring and let Nafaria fight for his freedom."

Karnafa got out of the ring.

"Be fiesty, Nafaria." He said.

Nafaria turned back into the ring. The force field was removed from around Sim'n and placed around the ring.

"You don't care about us anymore do you? Col'en is no longer your mistress and you have no desire to protect her anymore."

Nafaria didn't answer instead he paced around the ring. He preformed a few backflips for the audience then kicked Sim'n between his two arms on his left hand side. Sim'n flew over to the edge of the ring. He lay there trying to get his breath back.

"I am doing this to protect my mistress. After this you will be free to go. Play dead." Nafaria said directly to

Sim'n as he preformed a series of cartwheels. When he reached Sim'n he sat on him and pulled out his blood-letting knife. "Don't be scared, it won't hurt much and you will enjoy the taste of my blood."

Nafaria cut Sim'n's neck and bent down to drink his blood then cut his own wrist and made Sim'n drink his blood. He licked the wound on his wrist to heal it.

The crowd cheered as he walked out of the arena with his trainer and Karnafa.

*

Nafaria stood in the middle of the ring surrounded by the leaders of the Nakarda. His trainer walked in carrying a small glass of green liquid. Nafaria knew it was poison and that it would kill him. If he found a way to prove he was loyal the poison would be replaced with harmless green water. He had no idea how to prove he was loyal.

"Breeder!" Col'en pushed her way to the front of the crowd and threw him a teleportation button. Nafaria immediately threw it on the floor and stood on it.

"You cannot fool me twice with the same trick and even if you did, my people would have rescued me."

"You're happy here?" She asked confused. "Have you forgotten what they did to you? When they thought you were just a breeder? Come with me."

"What happened before will be nothing after today. Where would we go? Would I be your slave on Marock or your pet on Carbina or maybe we'd live a peaceful life of farming on Offworld?"

"You belong to me. It is your duty to protect me."

"I fought for my freedom. Your brother will protect you."

Col'en pulled a taizer out of her protet and pushed it slightly. Nafaria winced in pain and shook his wrists.

"What is that, Nafaria?" His trainer asked.

"Its a taizer." One of the other Nakarda said. "I thought they only worked with the restraints."

Nafaria shook his head as he heavily moved closer to Col'en.

"The restraints are there to stop us doing this." He gasped as he grabbed her wrist. She screamed and dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"What did you do to her?"

"Taizers hurt because they make us release electricity into ourselves. We are unable to get rid of the electricity by ourselves but if we touch someone else the electricity runs through them to the ground. That's why they make us wear restraints. She doesn't know. She's an Offworlder."

"Do you have the ability to release electricity whenever you want?"

Nafaria smiled.

"You mean like in fights? Yes, but I wouldn't."

His trainer passed him the small glass of harmless green water.

"Welcome to the Nakarda."