Audio log #9- R&R

After making quite an entrance in my stolen Urag flyer, things had calmed down a bit at the Wolf Den (Thnaks for the name, Rox!).

I had recovered from my misadventures with the Urag Chieftain, and was now going crazy from lack of combat. That is, until today. Some soldiers had decided to start an impromptu 'fight club', in a sandy area nearby. As an officer, it was normally my job to put an end to these illicit affairs. But today, I decided to have a little fun. Sauntering over, I told the (now rather sheepish) sergeant in charge that, "I need the exercise. If you can find someont to beat me, this can go on- for now."

I stripped out of my armor, and was ushered towards the arena, with several hearty slaps on the back. There were some murmurs about my irregular skin tone, which I ignored. From the other side, they ushered in some grunt. He threw a wild swing, and I quickly dispatched him. The same thing happened with the next. God, it was a miracle that these boys could survive combat! Then a real challenge came in. Klip and Cryptid had come to watch. At least Klip had. Cryptid handed his launcher to Klip, and stepped into the ring. However, seeing how I took out the last grunt, he decided to keep his armor on. Offering a quick salute, I adopted a balanced stance. His smile turned to a snarl, and he came at me. He was cautious, only throwing a few feints and jabs instead of rushing in. Good, this guy was a smart fighter. I threw a few jabs of my own, which he easily blocked. He them threw a strange combination, which seemed familiar. I remember my son, coming home after earning a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He was so happy, so young. He proudly showed me a wild combination of punches and chops...

Back to reality. While I was distracted, Cryptid landed a hit on the side of my head. Damn! Just where it was hit by the chieftain. It stung, but I shook it off. His face was a mixture of brief satisfaction, quickly turning into confusion by the easy hit. That look, just like my son's when he learned Daddy was going off to war...

This time, when I snapped out of it, I was laying on my back, in the sand. Cryptid was now looking slightly concerned, again for the easy hit. He began to offer me a hand up, when I kicked my legs up to regain my footing. I was irritated, not at Cryptid, but at my own carelessness. Dodging his high punch, I ducked under his guarding hand, and shoved my shoulder into his stomach. Another advantage of being short. Then using my momentum, I lifted him upward, and back onto the sand. I disengaged, and let him work his way back to a standing position. I dodged several more of his punches, then fired a low side-kick into his stomach. He blocked, but just barely.

Enough I swept his legs, a move which rarely works except for when used by an expert, and shoved my palm into his solar plexus as he fell. This time, he didn't get up. Some money changed hands, and I helped Cryptid back up. "Good fight," I said.

"Indeed it was" said a voice behind me. It was the CO of Silent Wolves, who had been watching in silence. As the spectators noticed him, they slowly began to disperse. I collected my Pulse Sniper from one, and left to collect my thoughts...

Done