“Tap them together to deactivate the web,” Tsi suggested.

  He did and started over again.

  “My grandma used to knit all the time,” Washington said. “She taught me when I was a kid.”

  “You know how to crochet?” Caleb said.

  “What? You think that isn’t masculine?”

  “No judgment intended.”

  “Gimme the sticks.”

  Caleb handed them to Washington. He tapped them together, and quickly made a net with the energy, offering Caleb a smile of superiority.

  “Show off,” Caleb said.

  “I always knew learning to knit would come in handy someday. I can also make beanies and sweaters. I can teach you, Sarge.”

  “There isn’t enough time,” Tsi said. “We only have a few more minutes.”

  Washington handed the xix back to Caleb, who spent a couple more minutes toying with the weapon. He managed to make a simple web, thick enough that it could probably block an attack.

  “Don’t do it in here, but if you flick one of the xix toward your opponent, it will send the energy out at them like a whip.”

  Caleb could sense how that would happen based on the feel of the weapon. “Roger that, Sergeant.”

  Corporal Kizi spoke to her in Inahrai. She nodded.

  “It’s time.”

  Chapter 22

  Tsi and her squad led Caleb and the Guardians out of the barracks. Caleb lowered the mantle as they left the building, feeling slightly self-conscious as they moved across the compound. It seemed all of the Inahri in the community had heard about the challenge already, and they had all dropped whatever they were doing to come and watch.

  There were dozens of them in the street, and they stopped and moved aside to let their group through, staring at Caleb on the way past. He wasn’t only interesting because he was on trial. He was an Earther. An alien to them. A visitor many of the Inahri had yet to learn were on their world. They gawked at him as he passed, pointing and commenting.

  He felt a little less self-conscious when he realized more of the attention was going to Washington. Not only was the other Marine bigger and broader than Caleb, his skin was also darker than any of the Inahri they had seen so far, and the Inahri fabric around his neck only served to make him more interesting. A few of the Inahri tried to touch him on the way past, drawing angry barks from Tsi and her soldiers and forcing them to step back.

  Washington smiled at the attention, seeming to enjoy it.

  It took a few minutes for the entourage to cross to the center of the compound. There were already hundreds of Inahri there, in a sea of green uniforms and blue and purple robes. They gathered in organized chaos, calm and polite to one another, finding a position to see the proceedings and giving way to allow others a spot. A set of rafters had appeared on top of the guarded building in front of the CIC, and Caleb noticed General Goi and the other Esteemed perched on it, awaiting the trial.

  “Is there always a crowd like this?” Caleb asked.

  “No,” Tsi replied. “But you are special.”

  “Because I’m from another planet?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you already knew about Earth, even though we didn’t know about you?”

  “Yes. But none of us had seen a live Earther before today. With your level of technology, we never expected you would come to us.”

  “How come you never came to Earth?”

  “It is illegal to interfere with any species before they have developed the technology to discover their place in the universe on their own.”

  “Didn’t the Axon interfere by taking your ancestors from Earth?”

  “If that is how we came to be, then that would be a violation of the laws. But the Axon wrote the laws.”

  “Meaning they’re allowed to break them?” Caleb laughed. It seemed some things were true no matter the species or the planet. “I can relate.”

  Tsi brought them to a stop on the east side of the rough circle, where a small area was reserved for them. A similar space was reserved on the west side, though Caleb’s opponent had yet to arrive.

  “What are the rules for this?” Caleb asked.

  “No fighting outside the circle,” Tsi replied. “If you get pushed out, the trial is reset. No deaths. If you kill your opponent, you will also be executed.”

  “What about injuring them?”

  “As long as it is not immediately fatal, we can treat most injuries.”

  “Any other rules?”

  “No.”

  “So in terms of the fight itself, anything goes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Roger that.”

  They reached the side of the circle. There were no lines to mark the area, leaving Caleb to assume as long as they weren’t in the crowd they were in play. It was a large space, close to a quarter-kilometer around, maybe a little more. Plenty of room to maneuver and fight.

  “Also, be careful not to hit a bystander with the xix,” Tsi said. “That will also lead to failure of the trial.”

  Caleb nodded. “Understood.”

  He heard a controlled commotion on the other side of the open ring, turning his attention to the opposite area. His opponent was moving into their space. They were wearing Inahri battle armor, marked with a black cross to show they were in trial. Their helmet was on, face concealed behind an opaque plate.

  “Why is their faceplate opaque?” he asked.

  “We have had trials where Inahri have battled their sibling. This prevents them from knowing who their opponent is.”

  “They can see me.”

  “Only because you removed your mantle.”

  Caleb grabbed it and pulled it back on. Not that who he was probably meant anything to the Relyeh defector.

  “Does the loser of the trial lose their place in the community?” Caleb asked.

  “No. The outcome isn’t as important as the challenge.”

  Caleb didn’t expect to lose, but it was good to know how he looked out there was more important.

  He looked across the circle again. His opponent was holding their xix, ready for the trial. He realized now how much he had given away by choosing the Intellect Skin. His size and gender and the fact that he wasn’t Inahri. But maybe that last one would make his adversary nervous. He was confident they had never fought an Earther before.

  There was no fanfare leading to the trial. No announcement from General Goi. Tsi squeezed his shoulder and leaned in toward him. “Go ahead.”

  He glanced at her and then back at his opponent, who was moving into the ring.

  “Good luck, Sarge,” Dante said.

  “Kick his ass, Sarge,” Washington said.

  “You can do it,” Paige said.

  “Good hunting,” Kiaan said.

  Caleb stepped into the circle. The crowd of Inahri fell silent, quickly leaving the echo of his opponent’s heavier feet as the only sound in the compound.

  They walked toward one another, closing the gap. Caleb tapped his xix together, activating them. His challenger did the same.

  Showtime.

  Chapter 23

  Caleb intended to take measure of his opponent. To circle them in a battle-ready crouch and take quick shots to see how they reacted.

  His rival never gave him a chance. They charged forward, taking three quick steps and launching into the air, quickly creating a web of energy between the xix and flicking it out toward him. Caleb’s Intellect Skin flashed a warning a split-second ahead of the attack by placing a white outline around the xix, to which Caleb reacted too slowly. The energy lash snapped into his xix, sending a shower of sparks up from it and knocking one of them out of his hand.

  “Shit,” Caleb cursed, rolling away as his opponent’s battle armored feet came down in front of where he had been standing. He got to his feet, surprised to find his opponent had already pivoted to follow him and was in the middle of a hard punch. Caleb barely got his weight shifted to take the blow off his shoulder before he was hit hard enough to go reeling backward.

  He let himself fall again, tumbling onto his back and somersaulting back to his feet, his momentum still taking him in the wrong direction. The challenger threw another lash of energy from their xix. Caleb heeded the warning of the Skin more quickly this time, still moving backward and bouncing to his left to get his footing and digging in. He found his other xix a few meters behind the oncoming battle armor and shifted his remaining rod from his right hand to his left.

  “Come on,” he said softly, crouching into a defensive stance and closing his replacement hand into a fist.

  His rival didn’t slow, continuing the hard charge. He moved at the last second, breaking to the left and driving his replacement hand hard into his opponent’s abdomen. Metal crashed into metal, and he felt the strain of the battle armor resisting the punch, the impact throwing the armor to the side and taking him off-balance with it. He rolled in the air, twirling like an acrobat and somehow landing on his feet. The battle armor turned and hit the ground hard, sliding to a stop.

  Caleb heard small murmurs through the crowd, impressed with the outcome but so much more contained than any Earth spectators would ever be. He eyed his opponent, already getting back to their feet. He had a half-second to choose between pressing the attack and going for his lost xix.

  He went for the xix, sprinting across the field and bending to grab it before spinning back the other way. His battle armored challenger was up and walking toward him unhurriedly.

  Caleb tapped the rods together, reactivating them. He made a quick web and threw it at his opponent. They didn’t even try to evade it, letting the energy hit the armor. It left a mark on the alloy but didn’t cut through.

  “I chose wrong,” Caleb said. His challenger was creating a web of their own, their motions smooth, as though they had been using the weapon for years. Hadn’t Tsi said his opposition had no experience with it?

  He followed the Skin’s warning more astutely this time, already moving by the time the lash came out at him. He dodged it easily, charging the battle armor as his challenger took two more quick strikes at him, missing both times. Caleb closed the distance, getting a feel for the Skin and becoming more confident.

  Their xix met one another, moving together in a quick cadence of strikes that showered sparks all around them. They clapped together again and again, a furious dance of strikes, blocks, counterstrikes, and moves that sent them angling across the circle. The crowd seemed to sense there was something about the fight, and their excited pitch started to increase.

  The melee lasted almost a minute before whomever was in the battle armor broke it off, taking a few steps back to reset. Caleb could hear the buzz among the onlookers, and he spared a glance to the Esteemed, noticing that General Goi was leaning forward with intense interest.

  He put his attention back on his opponent. He didn’t need to win to pass the Trial. They had already put on a good show. Probably good enough for both to get in. His challenger was skilled. Very skilled, and able to match his moves as though they knew what was coming even without an Intellect Skin. Not that it couldn’t be worn beneath the armor, but wouldn’t it be cheating to let his rival have both?

  They faced off again, circling one another toward the center of the field. Was this former Relyeh representative of all the Relyeh soldiers? If they were, both the Deliverance and the Free Inahri were in deeper trouble than he had thought.

  “Come on, Sarge!” Washington bellowed from the sidelines. “Finish him!”

  Caleb smiled, turning his head toward his Vulture but keeping his attention on his opponent. They took the bait, rushing toward him to take advantage of the distraction.

  Caleb let them come, dropping at the last second and thrusting forward with the xix, certain he was going to get a substantial hit on his rival.

  He didn’t.

  Instead, the person in the battle armor slowed and shifted, a heavy foot swinging toward Caleb’s head. He had only an instant to call for a shield in front of his face, fortunate that it came up in time to catch the attack. It absorbed most of the kinetic energy, but not all, the force pushing him down onto his back.

  Another foot came down toward him. He got a shield up in front of it to absorb the pounding force of the blow, but it didn’t do anything for the weight of the armor. It pressed down on him, pinning him to the ground while his opponent swung a xix toward his head.

  Caleb threw his replacement arm at the leg, putting enough force behind it to push his assailent off him. He rolled away just in time to avoid the xix. Bouncing to his feet, he swung his xix in one smooth motion, the rod slamming hard into the faceplate of the battle armor. Energy coursed through it, and it cracked beneath the force, a pair of shards dropping away.

  Caleb froze in place.

  “Valentine?” he said.

  Her eyes were narrowed in anger, and she hissed as she used his surprise against him, smashing his chest with an unpowered xix. The blow threw him into the air, cracking his ribs and sending him across the field. He hit the solid ground hard, coming to a stop on his stomach.

  Waves of pain ran through him. What the hell was going on? Where had Riley come from? And why were the Free Inahri about to take her in?

  He pushed himself up. Riley was charging him again. Rushing his position.

  She had taken a ship to search for the Inahri. How had she found them here? What did she want with the Free Inahri? Had she learned they weren’t the dominant race on this planet? Did she know the Relyeh were in charge?

  It didn’t matter right now. She was coming at him, eager to win the fight.

  Over his dead body.

  He pulled himself up, ignoring the pain. He stood in front of her, tapping his xix together to energize them. She was inhumanly angry. Out of control. Her transformation to a human-trife hybrid had continued, turning her into a monster.

  Caleb stood strong ahead of it. He thought about a picture of Harry, Riley’s dead teammate. He didn’t have the exact measurements, but he was hoping just thinking of him would project some kind of likeness.

  It must have, because Riley’s eyes went wide in surprise, and she slowed a step or two. It was enough. Caleb drove toward her, using one xix to smack her arm out of the way, and shoving the other up beneath her arm. He shouted as he used his replacement arm to lift her off the ground with the xix, turning her and throwing her to the ground. He didn’t slow from there, jumping at her and coming down on her chest, putting the end of the xix only centimeters from her face.

  “Surrender!” he shouted.

  She smiled in response. A primal grin that took him off-guard.

  “Screw you, Card,” she said.

  Then something hit him in the side, hard enough that he was thrown away from her again. He hit the floor, his shoulder breaking at the impact as he came to a stop a second time. He laid there, turning his head to see Riley back on her feet and coming toward him.

  “Enough!” he heard Sergeant Tsi shout nearby. Then she was standing over him, her squad with her.

  For a moment, it looked like Riley wasn’t going to stop. She continued marching toward him, tapping the xix together.

  “I said enough,” Tsi repeated. “Stand down, now!”

  Caleb watched Riley’s face through the broken plate. One second, it seemed wild. The next, it was almost normal. She finally came to a stop. She dropped the xix to the ground.

  “Caleb. Caleb, are you okay?” Tsi asked.

  Caleb tried to affirm that he was.

  He passed out before he could answer.

  Chapter 24

  Caleb woke up in the Guardians’ barracks, in his bed at the top of the rack. He remained still for a moment, nervous about trying to breathe in. He remembered the pain in his chest at the end of his fight.

  Valentine.

  The violence of the thought forced him to take a breath. He winced in anticipation only to find there was no pain. He exhaled, breathed in again, and shook his head.

  Inahri medicine put Earther patches to shame.

  “Sarge, you okay?” Washington asked.

  Caleb turned his head. He couldn’t help but grin when he saw Washington. The big Marine had traded his black tunic for a green one.

  Then he remembered Valentine again.

  He sat up. “Physically, sure,” he replied, quickly scanning the room. The other Guardians were nearby, all of them rising to go to him. “Where’s Tsi?”

  “Not here,” Dante said. “How are you feeling?”

  “Pissed off and confused. How long was I out?”

  “From the time they carried you out of the circle? About an hour.”

  “They healed my broken shoulder and ribs in less than an hour?”

  “They aren’t completely healed,” Dante explained. “Tsi told me they’re bound by a calcium nano-scaffolding that’ll be absorbed into the bones over time. Whatever that means.”

  “It means it doesn’t hurt,” Caleb said. “You all saw Riley?”

  “Yeah,” Washington said. “She keeps popping up, doesn’t she?”

  “She does,” Dante said. “And I’ll take bets as to whether or not she’s up to something.”

  “I don’t think any of us will bet against that,” Caleb said. “Pai, where are you?”

  The robot came out from behind Washington. “Yes, Sergeant?”

  “I need to talk to Sergeant Tsi.”

  “You’re no longer in Trial, Sergeant. You’re free to move around the compound as you see fit.”

  Caleb looked down, realizing he was dressed in a green tunic too. A small badge on his shoulder projected his name and rank, the former written in English with the symbol for ‘za’ ahead of it.

  “It’s a good thing we didn’t get executed because you lost,” Kiaan said.

  “I didn’t lose,” Caleb snapped back. “Valentine sucker-punched me after I had her.”

  “Technically, you lost, Sarge,” Washington said. “Sergeant Tsi said no rules, remember? It wasn’t over until she said she surrendered.”