planet."
"Are you kidding me?" I asked. Drababan frowned, I'm pretty sure. I should know better, a comedian would easily starve to death on his home world. "Death is death Drababan I take no solace wherever it happens, but it will be nice to see my home one final time."
He nodded his head and stepped out.
CHAPTE R TWELVE
“Is everything ready?” Paul asked , never looking up from his desk.
“Yes , ” Major Salazar answered.
Paul placed his pen down and looked Frank straight in the eye. “It had damned well better be.”
Frank saluted, turned and walked out.
CHAPTER THIR T EEN - Mike Journal Entry 4
The trip to E ar th went a lot smoother than my last venture . Drababan and I sat on opposite sides of the transport ship . I was completely focused o n my opponent, he seemed to be rapt in meditation. Except for the shifting and bustling about of the fifty or so Devastator troops the journey was exceedingly quiet.
Drababan had told me that the invasion of Earth would start the day after his defeat of me, I sat dumbfounded as I looked over at the troops who knew that this was their last easy day of duty, tomorrow they would begin to earn their keep with a full onslaught on my home world. They were confident , but they weren’t stupid, you don’t take over a planet without casualties, and each one would fight to the death to protect his comrade while also praying to whatever comforted them to make sure they weren’t the one to have their life ended. Drababan gazed in my direction , but he had the glazed over look of someone on quality tranquilizers , his eyes reminded me of my own on some nights at school. I involuntarily snorted a small laugh, if anyone , including Drababan , noticed no one reacted. Drababan was deep in his private thoughts, he most likely wouldn’t even kn ow i f I tried to kill him now. T here was a thought , I could end this thing before it even started. Although I knew the fifty or so troops would have something to say about that.
We landed with little fan fare. I don’t know what I was expecting, a welcome committee perhaps or maybe a rescue party — now wouldn’t that have been a surprise. Half of the guard detail exite d the shuttle first followed by Drababan, myself and then the rest of the Devastator troops. The shuttle took off the moment the last troops ’ feet hit terra firma, but it didn’t go far and why I was to learn soon. It hovered about a thousand feet over our heads, most likely to guard against any insurgents, but also to be able to broadcast the proceedings, and another surprise that it bestowed upon us. Almost instantly the giant crater began to take a new shape , blurred at first. The effect was dizzying . I gazed about and could not get a fix on anything, but as the image became clearer, I was at once awed and terrified. The image became that of the old coliseum in Rome, it was amazing but unlike the changes that took place on the ship this was more of the hologram type. This was clearly only an overlay of the land with which we stood. It was very disconcerting, what appeared to be the solid ground of the stadium did not take in to account the actual pock marked land which we actually stood on. If I looked hard enough I could see the real ground beneath the illusion, but I was not going to have the luxury of being able to concentrate on the ground I was stepping on, Drababan would make certain of that. He would have the same handicap, somehow I did not think he cared.
The guards took up a perimeter defensive position around our newly formed battle field. T he game was drawing near. I took in a great draught of air, hoping upon hope that this wouldn’t be the last time, but who was I kidding ? Dr ababan turned and walked a short distance and picked up a shield and sword, what I had thought were just more props were in fact the weapons of choice for th e event.
Where had they come from? I wondered . I didn’t see any of the guards carrying th e
"Are you kidding me?" I asked. Drababan frowned, I'm pretty sure. I should know better, a comedian would easily starve to death on his home world. "Death is death Drababan I take no solace wherever it happens, but it will be nice to see my home one final time."
He nodded his head and stepped out.
CHAPTE R TWELVE
“Is everything ready?” Paul asked , never looking up from his desk.
“Yes , ” Major Salazar answered.
Paul placed his pen down and looked Frank straight in the eye. “It had damned well better be.”
Frank saluted, turned and walked out.
CHAPTER THIR T EEN - Mike Journal Entry 4
The trip to E ar th went a lot smoother than my last venture . Drababan and I sat on opposite sides of the transport ship . I was completely focused o n my opponent, he seemed to be rapt in meditation. Except for the shifting and bustling about of the fifty or so Devastator troops the journey was exceedingly quiet.
Drababan had told me that the invasion of Earth would start the day after his defeat of me, I sat dumbfounded as I looked over at the troops who knew that this was their last easy day of duty, tomorrow they would begin to earn their keep with a full onslaught on my home world. They were confident , but they weren’t stupid, you don’t take over a planet without casualties, and each one would fight to the death to protect his comrade while also praying to whatever comforted them to make sure they weren’t the one to have their life ended. Drababan gazed in my direction , but he had the glazed over look of someone on quality tranquilizers , his eyes reminded me of my own on some nights at school. I involuntarily snorted a small laugh, if anyone , including Drababan , noticed no one reacted. Drababan was deep in his private thoughts, he most likely wouldn’t even kn ow i f I tried to kill him now. T here was a thought , I could end this thing before it even started. Although I knew the fifty or so troops would have something to say about that.
We landed with little fan fare. I don’t know what I was expecting, a welcome committee perhaps or maybe a rescue party — now wouldn’t that have been a surprise. Half of the guard detail exite d the shuttle first followed by Drababan, myself and then the rest of the Devastator troops. The shuttle took off the moment the last troops ’ feet hit terra firma, but it didn’t go far and why I was to learn soon. It hovered about a thousand feet over our heads, most likely to guard against any insurgents, but also to be able to broadcast the proceedings, and another surprise that it bestowed upon us. Almost instantly the giant crater began to take a new shape , blurred at first. The effect was dizzying . I gazed about and could not get a fix on anything, but as the image became clearer, I was at once awed and terrified. The image became that of the old coliseum in Rome, it was amazing but unlike the changes that took place on the ship this was more of the hologram type. This was clearly only an overlay of the land with which we stood. It was very disconcerting, what appeared to be the solid ground of the stadium did not take in to account the actual pock marked land which we actually stood on. If I looked hard enough I could see the real ground beneath the illusion, but I was not going to have the luxury of being able to concentrate on the ground I was stepping on, Drababan would make certain of that. He would have the same handicap, somehow I did not think he cared.
The guards took up a perimeter defensive position around our newly formed battle field. T he game was drawing near. I took in a great draught of air, hoping upon hope that this wouldn’t be the last time, but who was I kidding ? Dr ababan turned and walked a short distance and picked up a shield and sword, what I had thought were just more props were in fact the weapons of choice for th e event.
Where had they come from? I wondered . I didn’t see any of the guards carrying th e
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