by CAPTAIN ZAMMO
Somewhere near the Oort Cloud, that spawns the comets that careen through the solar system, a vast space ship wavered into being. The ship was several hundred feet in length, and almost as tall and broad. A grinning death bird was painted as a figurehead on the prow; the symbol of the house of the commander.
Inside this vast vessel, the commander moped in his chair. Not really projecting the image of a fearless and gallant space captain, he sat in the commad seat sideways, legs hanging over one arm of the chair. Nearby, two small scutters cleaned up the debris and made the necessary repairs to the ship and to each other.
"Is there NO way to stop his infernal machinations?" muttered Xammo. (for that was the name of THIS space commander.) "Seven years straight Enzov has trained the better champion and for seven years straight, I have lost lands, titles and in influence in the court of the champions. I must find a way to defeat him this time, I MUST!"
Beside him, a scutter clicked impatiently. Xammo snapped ot of his reverie and looked down at the robot. "Well? Have you found something?" he asked.
By way of an answer, the scutter's little dome light blinked a response. From deep inside the machine, Xammo could hear the sound of the printer warming up. A flash of light and a whir brought a photgraph of the third planet.
Alongside the image, a commentary on the inhabitants and several possible champions were printed.
"By the planets of the sixth sun! A whole realm of likely champions!" crowed Xammo. He nearly jumped out of his seat, then caught himself and returned to his slightly bored look as he orederd the ship Earthward.
"I had better make my preparations. After all, this is likely to be the LAST contest of Champions I can ever compete in." Xammo thumbed a small button on the side of his seat and the ship winked back out of sight, slowly moving in the vast void toward Earth. A soft, very high frequency, distress call also aprroached earth, at a more rapid pace. The contest was about to begin.
In the state of North Carolina, Becca emerged from Old Main with several other students. Their cries of "Good bye!" and "See you next year!" echoed across the Duke campus. Becca hugged two of her friends, and said, "I plan on spending the summer as quietly as possible. Maybe I'll take a trip. In any case, you can bet I'm not going to be here!"
"Aww Becca, you really need to go somewhere exotic!" said Chris, as he walked along beside her. "After all, most people already think you're dull. A trip to Paris or Tahiti couldn't hurt your image!"
"No, but it certainly would hurt my bank account," replied the gorgeous redhead, with a twinkle in her eye. "Not all of us are living on trust funds. I still have to get the second half of my grant before this fall. As it stands, I'll have just enough to make it through the summer." Becca had returned to school following the discovery of her super powers. She had discovered a meteor while on a camping trip the previous summer. This meteor had bathed her in a milky white glow. Fascinated, she watched until the glow had faded and the meteor was gone. When she turned to return to camp, she had nearly flown back! Additionally, she had grasped trees to help her climb out of the ravines and managed to crush several.
Becca could only reach one conclusion. the meteor had brought her a very valuable gift. She had a costume made and had become Supergirl, a crusading crimefighter and defender of the poor and helpless. Her powers were roughly equal to Superman's, including his unfortunate weakness to Kryptonite radiation. Becca couldn't explain it, but somehow the meteor had transformed her from a mere earthwoman into a Kryptonian.
As she neared home, Becca's super ears picked up what sounded like a distress call. She scanned the heavens and decided that she must have been mistaken. She wheeled her Cavalier into the driveway and went inside to her computer. She carefully unpacked her bookbag for the summer, and hung it in the closet. Her hand caressed the Supergirl costume, and Becca decided to put it on, feeling an overwhelming need to investigate that distress call.
She shrugged out of her blouse and jeans, then stretched hard, rippling all the muscles in her well toned body. She reached in the closet for her costume when a bright light flashed behind her in the bedroom.
Whirling, holding the costume in front of her to preserve her modesty, Becca was stunned to see a man with blue skin and blonde hair studying her.
"Who the blazes are you? And what are you doing in my bedroom?" demanded a suddnly angry Becca.
"xggrtyqs...esoy s nuburw, kwr nw sfkdy..." he fiddled with a small nob on his belt, "There--much better! I am Xammo, of Orne and I seek and train champions for combat contests. You are about to become my next champion!"
"I am NOT!" said Becca, defiantly, hands on hips. Her breasts jutted forward nad she quickly realized she was stil hoding and not wearing her costume.
"I am sorry, you have no choice," declared Xammo. "You are now chattel and goods, belonging to me. After all, capturing you is a mere formality." He pointed a small, pencil sized gun at Becca. She laughed at him until he fired it. A blue green beam shot across the rom and hit Becca square in the chest. A second later it shut off.
"Is that your best effort?" asked Becca. "Because if it is, I'm not impressed.
Xammo responded, "No, that merely calibrates the weapon. I islolated and analyzed your DNA for possible weaknesses. The next shots will be the ones that determine which weakness inducing agents work best." He fired again. A powerfully hot beam of white scorched Becca's clothing. As her bra burned away Becca got really miffed.
"Hey, you just can't waltz in here and expect to capture me at gunpoint! I'm Supergirl. Nothing can hurt me."
Xammo was unfazed, although he was more than slightly distracted by Supergirl's near nudity. Becca decided to not worry about her modesty and strode up to take a punch at this azure interloper. Her punch fell short however, and she wound up in the closet, tangled up in her cape.
"Adjustment made. Attempt two." said Xammo impassively. This time a beam of bright glowing green plasma fired from the gun. The beam hit Becca in the back as she attempted to extricate herself from her closet.
"Unnnnhhhh!!!" she groaned. She knew that feeling; it was kryptonite radiation. Somehow that gun had analyzed her most potent weakness and now she felt the life energy leeching from her body as the green Kryptonite beam intensified.
Still, she turned toward Xammo, defiant. She staggered toward him, and attempted to punch him one more time. Again her swing went wide for some reason and she wound up face down on her bed, weakened and unconscious from the Kryptonite.
Xammo kept the gun trained on the unconscious heroine, and picked up her costume from the floor. Somehow, despite all the intensity of the heat blast, it was intact. He studied the pentagram in the front, the large red letter that identified this champion to the world.
"Yes, this is the one for me. Her fire and passion will make her the supreme Champion on Orne. Enzov has no one to match her. Soon I will agan be supreme among the council of Champions."
Xammo turned back to the still weakened Becca. He rolled her onto her back and studied her face. His hands traced her body, pausing briefly as they stroked her firm, round breasts. He could see the traces of a smile curling in her pained face. as his hands moved lower, he pulled aside Becca's briefs and fingered her. Again the traces of a smile were apparent. "Interesting," he said.
Xammo dressed Becca in her costume, preparing her for the journey to Orne. He slid the top over her arms and head, affixing the cape to the back. Then he slid the short red skirt over her long legs, feeling the muscles as he did.
Xammo found Supergirl's boots and pushed them into place as well. Then he stood back to examine his work.
"Something missing, I think--but what?" He thought a moment, tehnhis eyes widened. I know! He slipped a chip from his pencil sized gun and atteached it to a collaring device. He slipped around Supergirl's neck and turned it on. Almost immediately, a mesh of kryptonite plasma circled the helpless heroine.
Xammo grabbed Supergirl's costume by the back and dragged his unwilling victim toward him. He then tapped the console on his belt and reality reversed.
When Supergirl felt it was safe to open her eyes again she found herself in a strange place. A huge spaceship greeted her, but it was devoid of any life except Xammo.
"I lost my crew in the contests. No one wishes to serve with a "loser" like myself. But the Death Bird is a good ship and practically runs herself, especially with the scutters aboard." Xammo dragged the still bound Supergirl to a large door that looked for all the world like a walk in refrigerator,
"This is the Cryogenic storage. I need to keep you here until we return to Orne. But you'll pass the time asleep and the things you'll need to know will be implanted." Becca's eyes widened at this thought. She tried to resist but the Kryptonite radiation increased with each attempt and she found herself weaker.
Xammo laid her against a board and strapped her tightly to it. Then he rolled the board into the Cryo tube. The door slammed shut with an icy finality.
Becca felt sick to her stomach as the Kryptonite plasma net continued to sap her strength, poisoning her. The table where Xammo had secured her was made of a very cold metal alloy, and it was proving too strong for her to break it. Additionally, because of the radiation sickness raging through her body, Becca was feeling the cold. Her costume was drenched with sweat, freezing to the table beneath her, and her short gasping breaths were steamy in the dim light of the Cryogenic tube.
A red light began glowing in the cryogenic tube and Becca felt her powers decrease by another substantial factor. Apparently, Xammo's little device had discovered that the light of a red sun made Becca weak; perhaps even more effectively than Kryptonite could. In fact, Becca now felt exactly the same as she did the day she discovered the meteor that gave her superpowers.
The collar tabs around her neck began glowing and a soothing sensation ran down Becca's spine. She felt her legs relaxing, her spine adjusting to the table. Perhaps just a short nap...
Becca's eyes opened with a snap. She had to escape this trap. After all, Xammo had made her a slave. While the ship was still in Earth's orbit there was a good chance of escape. She pressed against the plasma net and was burned. The pain was a reminder to Becca that her power had finally been tapped out, perhaps for good. And all the while, the soothing vibrations continued on her neck and nervous systems. It was all she could do to keep from falling asleep.
Her eyes closed. Becca could feel the soft thrumming of the engines beneath her, and sensed the increase in power as the ship moved out to the jump zone. Her body relaxed even more and soon she was deep in sleep.
It was not a resting sleep however. From inside the collar tabs, two small electrodes extracted themselves and attached themselves to either side of her head. A voice sounded in her brain.
"Greetings, Champion! I am Instructobot 74732x and I am programmed to download information regarding your new life. Rest assured the instruction will be thorough and at the end of my programming, you will be able to handle most social, commercial and combat settings. You will be informed of all the rules of the bloodsport and trained in legal and illegal moves. In short, by the time I finish, you will be the champion of Xammo, and almost ready to compete in the great contests. Glory to the house of the Death Bird!"
The rhetoric continued like that daily for two weeks. Supergirl was unaware the passage of time in her frozen slumber, but she was gaining a new language, new skills and a new culture. She had learned that Orne was originally filled with several warring clans, but a philosopher king named Locisep convinced them of the foolishness of war. A great contest of champions was formed in order for each clan to determine its rank among the families of Orne. Only one house would succeed as the Imperial family, the other clans wrestled for the positions of power and glory. Apparently Xammo's family had been the family of the Prime Minister seven cycles ago. But an upstart clan, led by Enzov had gained in popularity and victories while Xammo had suffered losses annually. Enzov had a champion named Vlazhtar who's prowess was already gaining legendary status.
Xammo was desperate, for he not only lost at the contests, but he gambled heavily. His losses were substantial. At present, he had one space ship (from a fleet that had been forty at one point) and a small estate (which had once covered an area the size of North Carolina) His retainers, servants, crew and wife had all left him. Xammo's status was only slightly better than commoner, because of his birth and his skill as an explorer. He hoped beyond all measure that Supergirl would be the key to restoring his fortunes.
Apparently, gambling was required during the Great Contest. Xammo had next to nothing left to wager. This contest would either restore his fortunes or reduce him to poverty.
There was a further, more insidious part to the Instructobot. While it was teaching Supergirl the language, skills and customs she would need in order to make a passable transition to Orne, it was also working on masking her memories of Earth, her previous life, and any goals she may have had. It was also instilling in her a sense of doing as she was instructed, or facing serious consequence. These included more Kryptonite, and punishment even more severe should she fail. The reverse was also true, however. If she served her master well and won him glory, then she would be rewarded.
The Instructobot introduced a sample of each into Supergirl's neural receptors. The pleasure stimulants caused her to feel extremely heady-but only for a brief moment. Conversely, the pain stimulus caused her mind to shrink back in revulsion and fear.
In the command center of the Death Bird, Xammo was losing at chess to a scutter for the seventy second time. "Bah!" he said, scattering the pieces all over the floor of the bridge. The poor scutter retrieved a broom and dustpan and patiently cleaned the floor for the seventy second time. (Xammo was a poor loser.) A telltale light blinked and Xammo gawked in astonishment.
"Two weeks already? Amazing! I'd better prepare to land. And then there isn't a moment to spare. I need to get Supergirl prepared for the Great Contest of Champions. I only have six weeks.
The ship set down gently near Xammo's estate house. No servants came to greet him, no children capered at his feet. Even the canines were gone-the spoils of his recent reverses of fortunes. "Still, it's home!" He muttered.
After landing and securing the ship, Xammo thought of his chilly passenger. He entered the cryogenic unit and saw the automatic devices had already begun the revival processes that would bring Supergirl back from her frozen slumber. He watched as the automedics monitored his newfound champion's respiration, heart rate and blood pressure. He saw Supergirl take a deep breath and her eyes flutter. She looked around in some confusion, then sat up slowly on shaky legs.
"I greet you Noble Xammo!" said Supergirl, crossing her arms across her chest and bowing to Xammo. "Command me, for I am prepared to die for you"
Becca hoped her attitude was servile enough for XammoÕs taste. Shebowed low and prepared to kneel before Xammo, but hewould have none of that.
"This is your new home Supergirl! And it isyour training camp as well. You must be ready for theContest of Champions. Enzov will be training his Champion aswell, and we must be ready." Xammo stoked BeccaÕs hairand helped her straighten her cape. "Tonight we feast and then wesleep. After your transit in the cryogenic tube, youneed nourishment and a normal rest. Tomorrow we begin your training inearnest."
Supergirl nodded, taking in the alien landscape around her. A bright, yellow sun glowed in the sky and she felt itsenergizing rays giving her strength. She felt heavierthan she had on earth however, and realized that Orne must have a stronger gravity."IÕll have to compensate for that to escape and tobattle," she thought.
She followed Xammo complacently, prodded by her slavecollar. Xammo led Becca into the small manor house andinto a clean, comfortable room. A large bed was in the corner, alongwith a toilet, table and large metal ring in the wall.Glowing chains were attached to the ring and Becca eyed thesesuspiciously. Xammo motioned for her to sit on thebed. She was hesitant but complied. Suddenly, Becca felt herself getting weak asXammo snapped a chain to her slave collar. This chainwas made of Kryptonite!
"What are you doing?" she asked in fear."This will kill me!"
"DonÕt worry, Supergirl! ThisKryptonite is a limited dose. While it will weaken you, it is my hope that itwill also help you build a tolerance to theradiation," Xammo explained. "And if youÕre stronger, then youÕll be harder todefeat."
Xammo left the weakened heroine anddisappeared for a few minutes. Supergirl felt her insides turning due to theradiation burning inside her. She felt weak, nauseatedand unable to move.
"I must break free," Becca thought. "I need to get away fromhere."
She reached up and found that while Xammo hadattached the chain to her collar, he had neglected to fasten it.She yanked hard and the chain fell into her hands. TheKryptonite felt like molten lava in her hands and Becca almost screamed inpain. She flung the lethal chain from her as far asshe could. The effort cost her, though and she fell to the floor, still inanguish from the radiation.
"CanÕt let him win!" shesaid to herself. "I must move, must get free!" Slowly she dragged herself to herhands and knees then clawed her way to the doorway.She pulled herself to her feet using the doorframe and stood braced there,catching her breath.
Slowly she felt some of herstrength returning. Becca grasped the knob of the door and pulled. She felt theknob turning, then heard it break in the latch. Thedoor swung open and Supergirl staggered into the hallway.
There was nosign of Xammo. Feeling her strength growing with everystep, Supergirl made her way to the entrance of the small manor house.She reached the door and scanned with her telescopicvision.
There was still no sign of Xammo and Supergirl breathed asigh of relief. She stepped over the threshold of themanor. She was immediately assaulted by a heavy dose of greenKryptonite radiation beginning at her neck. The painwas so intense! Supergirl clawed at the collar around her neck as it constrictedtighter and tighter around her neck. The greenKryptonite radiation made her weaker. Gasping piteously for air she dropped toher knees then pitched forward on her face, unable tomove. Her hands twitched at the collar, tearing at it, but unable toaffect it.
A familiar pair of boots made its waytoward her. She knew that measured step; the Instructobot had filled her mindwith it. Equally vivid was the ingrained memory ofwhat was going to happen next. The pain intensified and with a finalhowling gasp, Becca sprawled onto the ground unable tomove.
"Tsk, tsk my dear," said Xammo. "Such a pity that you tried to run.Still I expected it. YouÕd hardly be a worthy championif you didnÕt make an attempt."
Xammo bent down and lifted thehapless woman over his shoulder. Becca felt more likeBecca and less like Supergirl now more than at any other time. As sheflopped, head down across XammoÕs back, she realizedthat her chances of escape were poor, with out some sort of aid. Sherealized that even the strongest woman on Earth mightnot be enough to face all the terrors of the universe. Never had she felt soweak and helpless.
Xammo returned Becca to herchamber, and she saw that the Kryptonite chain had been restored. Xammoagain reattached it to her collar. This time, however,he secured it. Then he stepped back to admire his handiwork.
"Hmm, no.SomethingÕs not quite right." He snapped his fingerswith a sudden burst of inspiration. "The costume has to go! You arenÕtSupergirl anymore, youÕre my champion, my slave."
Hestepped toward Becca and began undressing her. In her weakened state,Becca could only mount a weak protest. Xammo removedher boots and belt first, then her cape and skirt, leavingSupergirl with only her bodysuit. Moments later, Beccawas stripped even of that.
The Kryptonite had continued to weaken her and shefelt the chill of the room. "Here, put this on," saidXammo, handing her a one-piece coverall. It was in a light cream color andexpanded to fit BeccaÕs body like a glove. "This is atraining outfit, worn for its durability and comfort. Slaves all over Ornewear such items, itÕs how we know who is property andwho is just visiting," he explained.
Becca felt much weaker from all theKryptonite poisoning that day. Xammo removed theKryptonite chain and replaced it with one made of duranium. Becca knew,however, that any attempt at escape would mean more ofthe Kryptonite punishment from the collar. She lay on the cot andtried to sleep.
Morning broke andSupergirl could hear the twittering of the birds inthe field. A shaft of sunshine filled her room, warming her. She stirred,never having been one who enjoyed getting up in themorning.
The loud SLAM of the door was enough though. Supergirl got outof bed swiftly, and stood nearly at attention as Xammocame into her room. Xammo spoke gently to her and she calmedquickly.
In the three weeks since sheÕd arrived onOrne, Xammo had been challenging her. After the first week, she had beentrained on champions belonging to other holdings.Becca had defeated them all easily and she felt her confidence returning.Xammo was pleased. For the first time in a long whilehis fortunes were being reversed.
However, Xammo did not look so pleased thismorning as he fed his Champion. "It seems your famehas spread too far, Supergirl. Too many people have heard of you andno one will duel with me until the Contest itself. Wemust finish your training somehow. Unfortunately, the only personwilling to duel me is Enzov and his champion Vlazhtar.Are you willing?"
Becca felt herself nodding before she realized howsubtly she had changed. Her waking desire was nolonger escape, rather it was Victory. She shuddered when she realized what shewas becoming.
"This afternoon, you will meet Vlazhtarin combat. Be warned, though, he is sneaky and powerful. But I donot think you will lose. In fact, IÕve wagered myentire fortune against Enzov. And this is only a preliminary!"
Supergirlnodded, but was secretly worried. If she lost, Enzovwould own her as well. She did not wish to be a slave for anyone, but sheknew that with Xammo at least, she still had a smallchance of escape.
Xammo thrust a small package into her arms, and Beccalooked at him with question marks appearing over herface. "Open it," Xammo prompted. Becca did as she was told. Inside thebox was her costume. The red "S" in the pentagramshowed up at her.
Becca was so moved she nearly cried. "I thoughtyou would feel more comfortable battling Vlazhtar inyour own body armor." Quickly and without shame, Becca changed infront of Xammo. He stood mutely and watched as shedonned her regalia.
As she adjusted her costume she felt a surgeof power, almost invincible. She stood back andsmoothed her skirt. "IÕm ready now Master, " she said.
An hour later the two ofthem were at the arena. A small crowd had gathered onthe word of mouth that XammoÕs champion was about to battleEnzovÕs. The betting was furious and Xammo wageredmore on Supergirl. "Win for me, lass or all is lost."
Becca was broughtinto the arena and stood at one end. Directly acrossform her was a mountain of a man. Eight feet tall and powerfullybuilt. "But IÕll bet he canÕt match me in superabilities," thought Becca.
She was quickly proven wrong. Combat on Orne is verystylized and has many rituals attached to it. Butafter the formalities are observed, it becomes a bloody contest of wills withboth contestants hammering away until one falls intotal defeat. Supergirl knew that with his height and mass, Vlazhtar wouldlikely be sluggish, even more so than she felt. Shefelt that a series of quick, relentless assaults would allow her to carry the day.And despite her size, she knew she was swift andpowerful--the rigorous workouts Xammo had forced on her had made her bodyeven harder and more powerful.
"BEGIN!" Came the cryfrom the official. Supergirl strode confidently toward Vlazhtar, then dove to one side as the giant swung both mightyfists at her. Wheeling, she turned and kicked savagely at his knee.Vlazhtar howled in frustrated anger, and lashed out atSupergirl, clipping her on the jaw. She rubbed the sore spot, then hereyes narrowed. She dove toward him, but Vlazhtarrolled away at the last second. As Supergirl sailed past him, VlaztarÕsmassive hand reached out and caught her cape.
"Urrk!"said Supergirl as Vlazhtar pulled her back toward him. He swung the capearound his head, disorienting Supergirl, thenreleased her. Becca hurtled through the air and crashed into the concreteand steel wall of the stadium. She lay dazed againstthe rubble for a moment and blinked, trying to get the blurry imagesout of her eyes. Vlazhtar moved in quickly and pickedthe dazed heroine up. He tossed her over his shoulder like a sack ofpotatoes and swaggered triumphantly across thestadium, listening to the appreciative roar of the crowds. He lifted Supergirlhigh over his head, then drove her feet first into thepacked soil of the stadium.
The ground buckled and Becca found herselfburried up to her waist, her hands stuck uselessly ather side. She struggled to get free but Vlazhtar was on her, kickingand punching her like a heavyweight in training.
Witha mighty effort, the battered heroine shrugged herself free of the soil,and renewed her attack on Vlazhtar. She jumped intothe air, level with Vlazhtar and kicked him in the jaw. The giant laughedand pointed to his chin again. Supergirl kicked again,and Vlazhtar caught her leg, pulling Supergirl toward him.
She struggledand fought in his powerful grip. Vlazhtar clapped hismassive hands around BeccaÕs petite waist and squeezed.
"Auuugh," groanedBecca as the air was driven from her lungs. Themassive giant squeezed harder, tighter. Sweat broke out on BeccaÕs foreheadas she wiggled and squirmed in VlazhtarÕs grasp. Shepulled furiously on VlazhtarÕs fingers, trying to get him to break hisgrip.
With a Herculean effort, she slammed her headback into VlazhtarÕs forehead. He howled in pain, dropping Supergirl to theground and grabbing his forehead.
"No, you fool, thewoman, get the woman," yelled Enzov from the sidelines.
Becca lay onthe ground, trying to recover her breath. She saw theshadow of the man-mountain falling on her and she scrambled to herfeet. With both fists she plowed into Vlazhtar and hithim repeatedly in the stomach and chest. He groaned and staggeredbackward with each blow until he had his back againstthe wall.
Then, with an angry growl he launched a counter attack that wasboth brutal and beautiful to behold. With one mightypunch Vlazhtar gained back all the ground he had ceded to Supergirl.The stunned heroine lay sprawling on the ground,moaning in pain. Vlazhtar lumbered toward her and prepared his knockoutpunch.
Becca rolled over and her eyes focused in timeto see two massive fists come plummeting down onto her stomach.BeccaÕs screams were cut off and her eyes closed inpain. She tried to move, but her muscles would not respond to her mindÕsmessages.
Vlazhtar grabbed Supergirl by the back ofthe neck and pulled her to the center of the ring. With a visciousthrust, he shoved the nearly unconscious Supergirl tothe ground.
"I claim victory for Enzov!" he declared, standing over thebattered woman.
He pulled SupergirlÕs skirt off with aviolent tug. Another tug removed her cape. Enzov waved his prizes high inthe air and the crowd went wild.
He then pulledSupergirl up by her hair and leaned her back onto the firm packed ground. Hestraddled her, preparing to mount her. BeccaÕs eyesfluttererd open and she saw her peril.
"Not today you big jerk!" shethought. Squinting just a bit, her heat vision firedup. No one noticed for a moment, then Vlazhtar screamed in pain.
He droppedSupergirl and danced around, holding his damagedmember. She stood up, feeling the energy of adrenaline and the shift ofmomentum to her side. With several rapid blows andjudicious use of both her heat vision and strength she dropped the behemothto the ground.
Vlazhtar groaned, his eyes rolled upinto his head and he fell unconscious onto the ground. Supergirl stumbledto her feet, then raised her arms in victory.
Thesilence was deafening, then cheers swelled the stadium for the new champion. Theofficial offered Supergirl a sword, to kill Vlazhtar,but Becca declined.
Xammo got a worried look on his face and from hercollar Supergirl heard, "If you donÕt kill him, thebout is a draw. I canÕt afford that.Ķ
Supergirl shook her head, adamant in herrefusal to kill. Xammo moaned. The official saw therefusal of Supergirl to kill Vlazhtar and did indeed call the match a draw.
"All bets are off, no one prospers, no one loses."Supergirl smiled to herself as EnzovÕs crew dragged the beaten Vlazhtarfrom the field.
Then she choked and felt the burningsensation of Kryptonite against her neck as the collar constrictedonce again. "YouÕve nearly cost me my fortune, or atleast whatÕs left of it," Xammo hissed in her ear.
In her pain Supergirlsuddenly felt like Becca again, weak and vulnerable.She was humiliated by having her great moment of triumph snatched away andshe left the field behind Xammo feeling shamed.
Sheresolved silently to escape, regardless of the consequences. Days passedand Xammo did not visit Supergirl, either for trainingor for meals. As she sat in her cell, chained to the wall, Becca drewup elaborate escape plans. Each was swiftly discardedas being either impractical or impossible to implement. ŌSimplify,simplify,Ķ Becca reminded herself time and again.
Still, her situation seemed hopeless. Ten days after her victory over Vlazhtar,Becca heard XammoÕs key turn in the lock. She steeledherself to jump him and take his keys and control devices. But as the doorburst open she was shocked to see not Xmmao butVlazhtar!
Becca opened her mouth to scream, but heard Xammo and Enzovspeaking in the hallway. "Six thousand credits, Xammo.ItÕs a good deal, and will join the fate of our two houses. Mychampion studs yours, and we both reap the benenfitsin the long run."
Xammo sighed. "I suppose youÕre right, Enzov. I cannotkeep Supergirl free from this forever, and she DIDdefeat Vlazhtar."
Vlazhtar entered the room and smiled awkwardly atSupergirl. The door closed and Supergirl could hearEnzov saying that the offspring of this union could be worth the empire.
Supergirl smiled back nervously at Vlazhtar. "I donÕtsuppose I can offer you any coffe or anything," she said.
To her surprise,Vlazhtar spoke. "No, but then, that is not my purposehere. Nor is my purpose that of my master. I was once like you, a heroto my people. On a rescue mission away from my planet,I encountered a ship that was losing energy and life support. Imoved in and rescued the pilot and rew, making repairsto the ship. And the captain, Enzov, rewarded me with chains and slavery.For eight years I have yearned to return to my planet,Nebulon. For eight years, my wife has mourned her husband and my childrentheir lost father."
Supergirl gasped in astonishmentbut realized that the other champions must have similar stories. "And nowwhat is it you want?" she asked Vlazhtar.
"The same asbefore — my freedom. I want to go home, as I am sure you do."
Supergirl nodded and said, "My name is Becca. And Iwill assist you in any way to become free."
"And I will do the same, Bec cah.My name is Mykal, but as champion of Nebulon I wasBlastarr. Now lets see what we can do about getting free."
Hefocussed his eyes on BeccaÕs collar. He placed hishands on her collar and she felt the polymer and metal dance and move around herneck. When he removed his hands, the hated collar wastwisted and came away with him, smoking and dead.
"ThatÕsastonishing," said Becca. She worked a bit on MykalÕsbut it would not budge. She then turned her heat vision on the metal,but again, the polymer held tightly.
"It is of noconsequence," said Vlazhtar. "Get free and I will get free as well."
Supergirlflexed her muscled and wrnched her door from itshinges. Because her collar was destroyed, there was no alarm.
Supergirl andVlazhtar ran down XammoÕs hallway and were challengedby two skutters.
"Go on, IÕll handle them," said Vlazhtar. Becca madeit to the door and out to XammoÕs ship. Her knowledgeof the language of Orne allowed her to figure out the controls and shequickly set the ship to launch.
Turning, she sawVlazhtar running out the door of the manor. His movements became slower howeverand his body started to ice over.
Becca screamed inhorror as Vlazhtar iced over completely, then shattered into athousand pieces melting on the soft turf of Orne.
Ashout was raised from the house as the alarm bells were ringing. With nomore time to spare, Supergirl launched the Death Birdand sped away into the gathering night. She set the controls for Earthand drifted into a fitful sleep.
Two weeks later, analarm rang onboard the Death Bird. Supergirl awoke and saw the majesticorange of Jupiter hurtle past her. She set the shipÕscontrols for self destruct, and jumped out into space. She watched from a safedistance as the Death Bird exploded, then drifted intothe gravity of Jupiter, never to be seen again.
Supergirl then turnedand flew back to Earth. She collapsed into her bed,not even bothering to change from her uniform.
Becca awoke with a start,wondering what that incessant noise was. Afterregaining a sense of location, she realized it was her phone. She picked itup. "Hello?"
"Becca! About time you got back," soundedthe familiar voice of her friend Chris. "You were serious when yousaid you wanted to get away. I tried calling you allsummer! Did you forget we need to get to classes today? I didnÕt wantyou to oversleep on the first day."
Becca smiled toherself and looked at her soiled, torn, rumpled costume. "Give me a halfhour, Chris. IÕll meet you in the Union and we canfill each other in on our summers. IÕm sure yours was as exciting as mine wasdull.
MEANWHILE, BACK ON ORNE... Xammo surveyed the damage to his house. Everything he had ever dreamed ofwas lost, his ship and the best Champion gladiator hecould have ever hoped for.
Not only that, but he owed debts from thegames to Enzov. Moreover, Vlazhtar had died under hisprotection.
"I believe you owe me something Xammo," said Enzov. "Andsince you have no OTHER way to pay, then this willhave to suffice."
Xammo screamed as the slave collar snappedhome around his neck. "YouÕll make an excellent slaveaboard my pleasure barge," laughed Enzov.
Despite hispredicament, XammoÕs mind was already churning withhatred and plans for revenge. Orne law allowed for this but not forever. Itwould be possible for him to rise again in prominence,and when he did.
"I will DESTROY you Supergirl." The End?
The End?