(Author’s Note:

Thanks to OHH for the Edit and D.X for the exciting Tol Bot Action! Also the formatting is a little messed up, error in the transferring form e mail to email…)

Waking up with a hangover was one thing Darren Avery was no stranger too. There was a tale or two in his repertoire that could hold a crowd’s attention, such as the time he got so drunk he pissed down the cold air exchange duct, or the time he went to bed drunk as a skunk, and woke up eight hours later just as drunk as when he went to bed, turned up for parade in the wrong platoon and marched into the side of truck and ended up in the infirmary.

Life on base was full of such stories, but last night could top them all, and then some. It wasn’t that Darren couldn’t remember what had happened, in fact he remembered it all too well, but it was all so hazy and blurry, most of it seemed like he had watched it on television, or in front of a movie screen, rather than actually living it himself.

“Mmmm, my head.” Darren groaned as he pondered the possibility of perhaps getting up. Of course he felt so heavy and weighed down that there appeared a very real possibility that he was paralyzed. Now that was a prospect he didn’t quite want to consider! Paralyzed in a world of giants, doomed to be handled and tossed around like some sort of pocket vegetable, the last shred of freedom he had taken away from him, just the thought of it made Darren shiver. Of course, he wasn’t quite sure if he could feel his legs or not, his whole body felt still and numb, and his head was throbbing so badly he could have been a floating head in a jar and he likely wouldn’t have noticed.

‘Ok, think…what is the last thing you r’member.’ Darren thought to himself, afraid to open his eyes lest the headache cause his head to implode.

As Darren ran through the previous night’s events through his head, starting with the Tol Bot match and running through their time at the club, and everything that had transpired since, he remembered lots of talking, laughing and drinking, of course some things that were better left to memory, but as his mind reached the later events of the night, he felt a distinct feeling along the right side of his body. More importantly he felt that something move.

‘Well, looks like I ain’t paralyzed.’ Was the first thing that went through Darren’s mind. Of course, when the something moving along the right side of his body made a noise, Master Sergeant Darren Avery’s eyes opened immediately, and moving much faster than he had any right to move with such an unforgiving hangover, he panicked and shimmied back, causing the something, or rather someone to jolt awake, and groan as her head went from resting on Darren’s chest, to the soft brown surface below.

“Oww.” What Darren realized was a human female, grumbled as she was forced awake, platinum blond hair in a natted mess in front of her face, and completely naked, and not very happy looking. There was no mistaking her, the thin, fragile frame, the platinum hair, and the surly disposition.

“Tapp?” Darren spat out, shimmying back along the soft brown surface they were both laying on.

“Gorram, lower your voice, do you have any idea what time it is?” Tapp muttered, pulling herself up and brushing her hair from before her face.

“What are you…how did we…what’n sam-hill…Tapp?!” Darren ran his hand over his face and rubbed his eyes, just to be sure he was actually awake.

“Shhhh, you’re going to wake the others!” Tapp hissed, motioning to the three silent sleeping titan’s that were positioned all around them, creating a long endless landscape of titan bodies, which only made Darren all the more uncomfortable, as he realized what, or who the long soft brown landscape he was on belonged to.

“What’s going on, the hell happened?” Darren crab-walked back a few more feet, until a change in the landscape caused him to tumble backwards as the ground below him was much more soft and giving.

Tapp groaned and took a moment to shake off the sleepy feeling before sending Darren another plain and impatient look. “Will you quit screaming, shaka it’s too early for this dung!”

“What’s going on, why are we…where are we, what…what’s going on?” Darren stammered as he struggled to catch his balance, the soft uneven surface of who he figured was Bedra’s stomach however made that nearly impossible to do.

Tapp shook her head, she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to be amused or offended by Darren’s behaviour, however she decided on amused, and after taking a moment to stretch, she laid herself back down and nestled into a comfortable position. “My but our memory is short, have you forgotten yourself already?” Tapp said in a smooth but confident voice.

Darren looked down, then he looked back to the naked sleepy Tapp, then off into the distance where there were two other sleeping Titan’s alongside Bedra, then back to Tapp, who looked as if she could fall back asleep on a moment’s notice, how was she so calm right now!?

“I mean, I can see how you might want to forget. Had I been the one acting like a horny primate I think I’d choose to forget too.” There was a clever ring to Tapp’s voice as she nestled into the soft, warm flesh.

“I didn’t, I mean I wouldn’t…no way…not with all the moonshine in Texas!” Darren shook his head, desperately trying to remember the part of last night’s events where he agreed to what appeared to be the strangest orgy of his life

“It only took a few sips of soda, and you hardly drank enough alcohol to blame it on that.” Tapp laughed, then shifted positions so she was looking at Darren, laying on her stomach with her head resting on her arms. “You know what I think, you just needed a bit of a pipe cleaning.” Tapp purred, then rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Suppose we all did, but that’s beside the point, all you need to know is, yes you did, and you hardly needed convincing.”

Darren’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates, he too was totally naked, which he only now took notice of, when he went to cover his member, however Tapp let out a loud shrieking laugh.

“Right, hide it, hon, after what I did to that thing last night, I think I have it forever etched in my memory, but go on, hide it if that makes you feel better.” Tapp rolled her eyes and gave her head a shake.

“What happened?” Darren asked, deciding that covering himself was likely a lost cause by this point.

“Where would you like me to begin, before or after the begging?” Tapp grinned.

“Begging?” Darren asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Yes, I believe your words were…ahem…’yippie-kah-yo-kah-yay! Yeehaww and blast me skuppers, I’m as horny as a rooster’n a hen house…ah haven’t had me some cooch in forever, gat’danget woman, don’t make me beg’.” Tapp giggled a little, then let her head roll to the side lazily.

Darren shook his head then looked around. Bedra was breathing heavily, he was sitting in the pit of her belly button while Tapp was a bit above him near her chest. He couldn’t tell it was her precisely, as her heaving breasts obscured her face, but her skin tone was a dead giveaway. Unless he had met someone else last night, either option didn’t settle well with Darren. “And…did….they?” Darren motioned nervously to the titan trio asleep around them.

Tapp laughed and shook her head, “Naw, just us lover boy, though you did give them quite a show…I had suggested we take it to a more private locale, but you hardly seemed willing to wait. Good thing you had some soda in you, I think it made you last a bit longer than you might have otherwise.” Tapp purred with a bit of a mocking tone.

“Damn hell.” Darren gasped, giving up on his struggle to free himself from Bedra’s belly button. At least it had just been Tapp, a multi species orgy was a bit too much to handle.

“I’m not sure what I’m enjoying most, seeing you beg for sex, or seeing your reaction the morning after. Darren you sure do know how to give a gal a good time, I’m not going to forget this night for a long time, trust me!” Tapp said, rolling her head to the other side, and grinning ear to ear like a predatory feline.

The whole night’s events had slowly started coming back to Darren as soon as he woke up, however the shock of waking up naked in a pile of sleeping bodies had distracted him enough to keep him a bit hazy, but now that he had a moment or two to think about it, and with Tapp’s eagerness to fill him in on the blank spaces, it was all starting to come back to him. Korye had agreed to let him drink some of her soda, and even after a brief explanation as to what may happen, he took a drink, and then another, and before long he was hitting on everything with a vagina. Tapp, had been all too eager to oblige of course, having been loosened up a bit herself after a few drinks. Korye found his flirtatious advances amusing, as did Bedra and the others, while Eyrn had been too out of it herself to realize what was happening. Midway through the night she had to be taken to the bathroom to evacuate the contents of her stomach, leaving Darren, Tapp, Degu with Korye and Jorm. Loo had left shortly after her spat with Tapp, and the mood of the night had picked up afterwards.

But everything Tapp was eluding to was true, he could remember it in bits and pieces of course, but it was true.

“Tapp….look….see…the thing is…I ain’t normally like this and…well I just wanna say ‘m not the kinda guy what normally….I mean the thing is generally I handle myself with a bit more restraint…gat’danget…I didn’t force m’self on you did I?” Darren asked, looking positively terrified of the answer.

Tapp let out another highly amused cackle and shook her head, “Darren, I had you eating out of my hand like an obedient little…what is it you call them…puppies?” Tapp rested her chin on her arms and licked her lips suggestively, “Naw, you didn’t force yourself on me big boy, I had you under complete control. Don’t worry, that soda made you one weak minded, horny little sop…I think I could have made you do whatever I wanted, so long as you thought you were getting sex afterwards.” Tapp’s brow raised, “and you did…lots of it too.”

Darren closed his eyes and let out a quiet groan, there was of course a thousand things on his mind now, if they had made love then there was a chance of course he may have gotten her pregnant. He also had to figure out what would come next, after such behavior he did still have to live with her, and Bedra of course. Who while he may not have had sex with, he was laying naked on, while she herself was naked too.

Bedra, Korye and Jorm had engaged in a bit of fun themselves, while Eyrn had been left to sleep off her hangover. Kel had passed out as well, and was likely somewhere around where ever it was they were.

“Tapp…I…well…I ain’t the sort to sleep around’n run ya know…if anything happens….ya know I’ll man up.” Darren said at last, looking to Tapp as he said it.

Tapp this time looked a bit confused, and tilted her head to the side, it took her a moment to realize what he was getting at, once she did however she simply laughed and waved her hand at him. “I’m fine, believe me, my last owner made sure I couldn’t get knocked up by the first halfwit sod I coupled with.” Tapp shrugged, being forced to use birth control was degrading and humiliating, but it had some advantages too. “Honestly, don’t people have casual intercourse where you come from?” Tapp rolled her eyes and let out a yawn, stretching her arms and legs out like a waking cat before finding a comfortable position once more.

“Don’t worry big guy, I don’t want to wear your necklace, bracelet…earring…whatever it was you said Earth men make earth women wear!” Tapp laughed.

“So. What yer telling me is…that was just….”

Tapp took a deep breath then slowly forced herself up. Lazily she crawled over to Darren and assisted him out of the situation he thought he was stuck in. “Just sex Sarge, nothing more, nothing less.”

“And you’re ok with this?” Darren accepted the helping hand, and while he didn’t try to hide his modesty, he did feel uncomfortable looking directly at the naked Tapp, which she took notice to and rolled her eyes.

“Why wouldn’t I be? Shaka, I can’t even remember the last time I had a good, repeated orgasm! Who was I to let opportunity pass me by?” Tapp shrugged, then lazily crawled back to where she had been laying down.

Darren shook his head, he almost laughed, but didn’t. “Did we…I mean…right here? Like this?” Darren asked, motioning to Bedra’s stomach.

“No.” Tapp yawned. “Mostly over there…and there….and a little bit over there.” Tapp motioned to a few other spots along the naked Bedra landscape. “I’m cold, come back here and warm me up!” Tapp grumbled, turning over on her side and resting her head on her hands.

“Goddam.” Darren chuckled. “They’d never believe this back home….”

Darren had no chance to accept or decline Tapp’s request however, they were both startled by the familiar quakes and tremors of a Titan walking about. Only this titan was moving quite fast.

“Someone’s in a hurry.” Darren grumbled, rubbing his bloodshot eyes.

“Eyrn.” A voice above them mumbled. Given that the whole landscape around them vibrated when she spoke, they could tell it was Bedra, who was likely trying to pretend she was still asleep herself.

“Your friend doesn’t handle her alcohol well.” A masculine voice a bit to the right softly mumbled in a baritone volume.

Sure enough the unsettling sound of a Titan’s forceful vomiting could be heard, followed by coughing and more forced heaving.

“I told her to slow down.” Bedra groaned.

“Is she gonna be ok?” A sleepy female titan off to the left spoke up next, likely Korye.
Eyrn’s continued hurling, followed by coughing and groaning, and no shortage of crying could be heard.

“I suppose I should go check on her?” Bedra moaned, reluctantly.

“I’m dying…I really think I’m dying guys…is it supposed to be that color…oh fuck why does it hurt…oh…oh…oh not again….” Eyrn whined, and followed it up with another vomiting fit.

“Ok, ok, I’m going.” Bedra sighed, and absent-mindedly deposited Darren and Tapp onto a naked Korye’s stomach. “Watch the odd couple for me eh?” Bedra took a moment to gather the willpower to stand, then lumbered off sleepily towards the hotel room’s bathroom.

Korye smiled, looking down through the valley of her humble but still large in comparison, cleavage, and waved almost gleefully to the two little humans. “Good morning love-birds, did you sleep well?”

Darren’s face turned cherry red and he quickly went to cover his nudity. Tapp groaned and rolled her eyes, then shoved Darren which caused him to lose his balance and tumble down the slope of Korye’s belly, eliciting a giggle fit from the Titan.

“Are all Earth men this hilariously bashful?” Korye asked as she sat up, watching Darren tumble even more from her sudden position change, landing right between her pressed together thighs.

“I’ve no idea.” Tapp said, landing on Korye’s offered palm. “But it’s kind of annoying. It’s like they’ve never heard of sex before, or seen another person nude.” Tapp shrugged.

“Aww, I think it’s cute, kind of innocent!” Korye simply watched Darren as he flailed and struggled to stand on the uneven surface; fumbling, apologizing and excusing himself the whole time.

“He was so much more fun with soda in him.” Tapp said, tilting her head and watching Darren, mildly amused herself.

“I kinda feel bad, maybe I shouldn’t have given him any?” Korye winced.

“Meh, he was warned. Besides, I didn’t hear him complaining last night.” Tapp winked, then motioned down to Darren. “Might wanna give him a hand, poor sod’s gonna have an aneurysm.”

***

Breakfast was a grand affair. It turned our Jorm and Kel were both extraordinarily talented when it came to ordering breakfast via hotel room service. It was agreed upon by all involved that the best thing for a hangover was greasy, heavy foods, which everyone was more than happy to scarf down, nobody really did much talking, save for Korye and Bedra, who both seemed bright eyed and chipper in the morning.

Eyrn stared at what appeared to be some Archavian version of a breakfast burrito, only it was smothered in some sort of sauce, and the ‘bread’ portion was made of meat, with the innards consisting of the egg of some sort of fowl, with breading and vegetables in the middle.

“Eat up!” Bedra chimed in. “It’ll make you feel better.

Eyrn simply glared up at Bedra, her complexion was greyish white and her chocolate brown hair was matted with grime, vomit and sweat. “M’not hungry…just let me die.” Eyrn whined, resisting the impulse to use her strange inverted burrito as a pillow.

“Eat up.” Jorm suggested, sounding sure of himself. “Nothing for a hangover like a heavy breakfast.”

With a full mouth, Kel, whom everyone had now learned was in some sort of relationship with Jorm, but not in as much as she didn’t mind being absent while he slept with two other Titans, said something in agreement, that wasn’t quite understood, then went back to her breakfast.

“Right, what she said.” Korye commented with eagerness, still quite naked, and also somehow involved in the trio’s affair.

“So, them two are together?” Darren motioned to Kel and Jorm.
Tapp nodded, mouth full.

“But she don’t mind him sleeping wit’them two?” Darren pointed to Bedra and Korye, swallowing what was in his mouth.

“Only because Korye was there, she is also with Jorm and Kel.” Tapp said, taking a drink.

“So, Smiles is also wit’em now?” Darren asked, looking to Bedra.

Tapp shook her head. “No, again why do you always jump to that conclusion, sex does not automatically equate to a relationship. They were drunk and had some fun. Isn’t that enough?”

Darren shook his head and shrugged. “Jus seems strange’t me.”

“Kel is obviously not so interested in the sexual aspect of their bonding, she’s likely here for the emotional and financial security. Some titan’s pair off for reasons other than intercourse, and with multiple partners.”

“So, Kesha over there don’t like sex?” Darren asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Tapp scoffed and slapped Darren aside the head. “No, dumby, I didn’t say that…I said she clearly wasn’t interested in their little group session….that doesn’t mean she isn’t a sexual person…pay attention.” Tapp shook her head.

“Ok, so they can screw whoever they want?” Darren asked. “No consequences?”

“Of course not, they likely have an agreement, if they felt comfortable including Bedra it’s likely the three of them are in an open relationship.”

“So, they’re all bi-sexual?” Darren took a bite and swallowed.

“Urg. Again no, Titan’s don’t really have just one sexual orientation like Earthlings…not really. Some prefer men, some prefer woman, most are just…well they are…they just are. Why is this so hard for you to understand?” Tapp laughed.

Darren sighed. “Buncha hippies the lot of ya.”

***

Without much need for convincing, Bedra had decided to watch the game with Jorm, Kel, Tapp and Degu, while Darren and Eyrn had found a clever reason to leave, as their presence was required in order for the game to happen at all. Koyre of course had work to do, but did not leave until contact information had been exchanged, and Darren was almost sure he caught her sneaking Bedra a quick kiss. Of course he couldn’t use that against her, as he had woken up naked and sticky on her naked chest, somehow he felt she had enough dirt on him now to last into the next century.

“You gonna be ok Twat?” Darren asked, from his secure perch on Eyrn’s side cardigan pocket.

“Mmhmmm.” Eyrn responded, though she still moved sluggish and her mood most of the day had even Darren walking on egg shells.

“Guess that booze didn’t settle well with you, eh?” Darren asked, more trying to find conversation than anything else.

“I didn’t wake up in an orgy, I think I handled it better than you.” Eyrn of course sounded annoyed, though there was enough jest in her voice to secure Darren’s safety.

“Damn hell kid, I’m never touching that green stuff again!” Darren swore, he felt fine, as the better half of one Archavian day had given him more than enough time to walk his hang over off. Eyrn’s metabolism on the other hand had not been so kind to her.

“I dunnnno, you’re funny when you drink soda, I may need to drop you in a glass time and again…” Eyrn winked, or at least Darren assumed she had through her thick shades covering her bloodshot eyes.

“I didn’t…well I don’t think I did…but tell me I didn’t…not to you….” Darren winced.

Eyrn chuckled and shook her head. “Not like that no, thankfully. But you did tell me you loved me a few times. Of course you made sure to remind me that it ‘wasn’t like that’ and repeatedly referred to me as, ‘your numba’one’…the Riker to your Picard?” Eyrn grinned.
Darren groaned. “Damn…that stuff…Punky should’a warned me…”

“Hey, you’re lucky she has a sense of humor, you repeatedly asked her if she died her carpet to match her drapes!”

“Gat’danget!”

“Which…apparently she does, as we all saw this morning.” Eyrn said, with no shortage of awkwardness.

“Ya’saw that too eh? Lotta nudity.” Darren clicked his teeth against his tongue and sighed.

“So much nudity.” Eyrn sighed.

“I’m not sure’m gonna be able to look at Bedra the same way again.” Darren said off handily.

“Heh, I think I vomited on her a few times, and I distinctly remember telling her, ‘I’m too young and beautiful to die’.” Eyrn groaned.

“Not our finest moments eh?” Darren sunk into Eyrn’s pocket.

“I dunknow, you seemed to come out of it with a story to tell. I mean, you had wild sex with an exotic foreigner on the passionate steamy hot bodies of three giants while they engaged in wild and passionate Alien sex…I mean…that’s sort of cool?” Eyrn shrugged.

“And you took yer shirt off and danced under a waterfall, then puked on the DJ’s shoes.” Darren chuckled.

“So, see! We both have something to write home about!” Eyrn chuckled.

“Ibanez can never know!” Darren insisted.

“Better hope she doesn’t check her voice mail though…you may have sent her a few drunken texts…sexts rather…”

“Damn hell!”

There was a longer silence as Eyrn signed in, then retreated to her dressing room. Tonight’s game was under such hype, the check in procedure was more like something out of a Men in Black movie, she was almost expecting Agent J to come out and ‘flashy thing’ her.

“So, what’s the plan for tonight?” Eyrn asked, depositing Darren on the vanity, then collapsing into her spinney dressing room chair.

“Don’t lose?” Darren offered, watching her closely, Eyrn was amazing both on and off the field, but tonight she looked like hell.

“Ok, sounds good.” Eyrn smiled weakly, then began to ponder the thought of getting up and getting dressed.

“You gonna be ok?” Darren asked, sceptically.

“Nope, I’m fairly sure my liver has staged a protest and my stomach is threatening to go on strike. And my eyes feel like they are threatening to stab one another.” Eyrn groaned and stood quickly. “But the show must go on…and I stood up too fast!” Eyrn quickly took hold of the vanity, the vibration nearly sending Darren to a tumble.

“Lucky fer you I do all the thinking, but kid. Maybe today you wanna think about laying off the theatrics?” Darren smiled, shaking his head a bit.

“Hogwash, I’m fine.” Eyrn insisted, as she made her way to the vanity mirror, only to cringe. “Dear lord I look like ass!”

Darren chuckled. “Smell like it too, might wanna consider a shower before you get dressed?”

“But we need to practice before the match, will we have time?” Eyrn asked, the level of disappointment she felt in herself was units huger than she ever felt on Earth. Yet Darren didn’t look the least bit phased.

“We’ll be fine, go shower…go on get! That’s an order kid!” Darren grumbled.

“Always looking after me, even when you’ve every right to rip my throat out.” Eyrn sighed.

“Aww, don’t get mushy on me Twat! I’ve had enough strange shit fer a lifetime!” Darren moaned, turning away from her and crossing his arms.

“Yes sir!” Eyrn saluted, then shuffled off to clean up before dressing herself.

Eyrn had managed to defy all odds, and pulled herself together in good time. She looked the part, sounded the part, even if she didn’t feel the part. Darren too had thrown his costume on, and once their makeup was done, Eyrn began the careful process of stringing Darren up into his cords.

“So, I was thinking,” she began, “if it comes down to it…I mean if you need me to…I’ll fight her for you.” Eyrn said, keeping her eyes on her fingers as she tied the tiny delicate knots.

Darren chuffed and nodded, he hated being strung up in this get-up, but he hated being man handled in it by anyone else even more. It was strange how safe he felt with Eyrn, how far he would let her go where none else could. But hearing her say that made him feel strange inside, it felt sort of the same as it had when he was on tour of duty, knowing his platoon mates had his back, it felt the same with Eyrn, the same as sitting behind a stone wall with mortar rounds going off all around. Knowing the man sitting in the dirt next to him would take a bullet for him, just like in turn would for them.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, ok?” Darren said at last.

“But if it does…I will…ok? Don’t worry, she doesn’t look that tough anyhow.” Eyrn nodded, and finished the last knot, then strung Darren up before her face.

“Ok?”

“Yea.” Darren said with a grumble. “Never doubted you would though.” He added, trying to ignore the waving and dancing motions Eyrn was forcing him to do using his puppet strings.

“Ever tell you how much I love this thing?” Eyrn teased.

“Every dang chance you get…he’ll yer just like a kid sometimes, a hunnerd and fourteen foot tall kid!” Darren sighed.

Eyrn stuck her tongue out, then set Darren down in the palm of her free hand.

“We’re gonna have to be careful eh, Felltree’s a clever one. She plays with her mind, the way the game was meant to be played. She can’t be intimidated, so blitzing her is out, she’s too careful to fall for cheap parlor tricks, and she’s a beast when it comes to attrition, so waiting her our is suicide. Felltree plays like her life depends on it…she plays like she’s got everything to lose, and she sure’s hell won’t let our momentum or the media affect her.” Darren crouched and began to slap his chest, never had he wanted a cigar more than now.

“Are you sure you’re not mistaking her for Iron Maiden?” Eyrn asked sceptically.

“Wish I was, thing is Iron Maiden doesn’t worry me, Felltree does.” Darren glanced up to Eyrn for a moment then back down. “Now, if it comes to it, a fight with Felltree won’t be as simple as you think, you’d almost stand more of a chance against the big dope than her, she’s clever Eyrn, real clever. You don’t expect it, which is exactly what she’d bet on.” Darren narrowed his eyes.

“You talk as if you know her or something.” Eyrn half laughed.
Darren was silent.

“So, what’s the plan?” Eyrn asked, after a time.

“Don’t lose.” Darren said at last.

“That’s it? No clever witty plan, no last minute surprise Statue of Liberty play?” Eyrn asked, now she was starting to feel a little concerned.

Darren shook his head. “Nope…wouldn’t matter…she’d know em all anyhow.” Darren chuckled. “If I wanna win this one, I gotta play for my life Eyrn, I gotta play like everything I got is riding on this.”
Eyrn nodded. “Right, not lose it is then!”

***

The crowd was among the largest either Darren had seen yet, the sheer presence alone was awesome, but the thundering bass roar from the stomping feet and the low chanting that gave hint to the fervor and excitement emanating from the people gathered left both Darren and Eyrn speechless.

“Are you ready for this Serge?” Eyrn asked, peeking down to Darren who was perched at her side, strapped in a loop on her belt.

Darren could hardly make out Eyrn’s words, which said something about the noise level in the grand arena with which they sat at the center of.

Darren simply nodded.

“Well Pel, we have quite a crowd gathered today. Nobles, common folk, men and women of all species, and a few remarkable individuals as well.” The announcer turned to his co announcer.

“Yes, Her Royal Eminence Ranjief the Sixteenth, High Dronung and Queen of Juntuneim and Empress Consort of Archavia and All Its Possessions, as well as his mighty Lordship Grand Alpha Pok, Conqueror of Nations, Crusher of Rocks and Grand Vox of the Ler People!” The co announcer Pel shouted, showing due respect, as one never whispered when announcing Ler Alpha’s.

“Royalty isn’t the only VIP’s in the audience either, media darling Pryvani Tarsus, Davros Kop, and Minister of non-Titan affairs for the people, hails from Homeworld of the Avartle people.”

“You know Pel, Senator Tarsuss’ is said to own a majority share in Bellona and has often been known to attract more media attention then the Emperor himself.” The announcer commented, as the overhead projection panned from the image of the Empress standing and waving to onlookers, to a shot of the senator sitting in a strange looking neon outfit, with a sullen looking giant of a body guard standing stiffly next to her. Of course, the media darling appeared to be soaking up the attention.

Pel chuckled as the camera lingered on Pryvani for a moment, then cut to a grand beast of a Ler, gesturing proudly and beating his chest.

“Of course, Alpha Pok is not one to turn down a chance to flex his glands for the camera either.” The announcer laughed in turn, as the overhead projector turned back to them.

“So, what are we looking at here tonight Pel?”

“It’s going to be quite a show Lum, we’ve never seen two rookies make it this far since Lord Black’s second AMBO championship back in 2068. Regardless of the outcome however, the winner of tonight’s match is in for the fight of their life!”

“That’s right Pel, with Iron Maiden’s impressive 5th round win over Dibilique, we’ve clearly seen the champ is both present in mind, and able to destroy her opponent physically should it come to it.”
As the announcers discussed the statistics, an image of Iron Maiden in combat with Dibilique was shown on the overhead. The fighting was intense, but in an impressive round house kick that was played back over and over again to display Maiden’s K.O victory over her opponent.

“Well Lum, I don’t see Felltree or Puppet Master lasting long against that.”

“Iron Maiden has always been a terror in the 5th round, there are not many who have the gall to force a tie breaker when Maiden is concerned. But neither Felltree or PuppetMaster have given us any reason to doubt their perseverance this Tribute. I doubt either would throw the match, even with Maiden waiting for them in the center ring. ”

***

“Titans, Avartle, and Ler, welcome to the 106th Grand Tribute Semi-final!” the announced called, as 50,000 people sprung to their feet. “This is our second semi-final; the winner will compete for the title against the defending champion, Iron Maiden.”

The crowd roared at the mention of Iron Maiden’s name; they usually did.

“Let us now meet our challenger. Unranked and a novice qualifier playing out of Archavia, the dazzling, the defiant, PuppetMaster!”

The crowd mostly cheered, though there were a smattering of jeers from those who were opposed to the idea of a human playing. Bellona had brought in acrobats to line their route in, and Eyrn swallowed hard, but forced herself to make her customary series of flips into the arena.

“You okay?” Darren said with a chuckle.

“Don’t laugh, shorty, if I lose my lunch it’s gonna be worse for you than me,” Eyrn grumbled.

“And the defender, ranked fiftieth in the universe and playing out of Archavia, the fantastic, the phenomenal, Felltree!”
The pyrotechnic display was much larger, and clearly designed to intimidate. Felltree bounced into the arena, waving her arms, urging the crowd to grow louder and louder. She didn’t look nervous at all. She looked ready. She looked sure of herself. She looked like a winner.

They met at the center of the arena, with the match official and the announcer. “Tonight, we will be playing…a sequential match!” the announcer shouted, and the crowd went wild. Sequential matches built, one round to the next. Win one round, you get an advantage in the next. It made every round matter, right down to the end.

It also meant a long, grind-it-out match. That favored Felltree.

“We will play sea, land, air, space, in that order. The breaks between matches will be short and evenly spaced, and used only to deliver new tactical information. Combatants, do you understand?”

“Yes,” Eyrn and Felltree said.

“Challenger, ready?”

“Yes,” Eyrn said.

“Defender, ready?”

“I am,” Felltree said. “You ready, Marionette?”

Darren looked up at her and grinned. “You know it.”

“Players, to your stations, good luck,” the announcer said. Eyrn took a half-second to turn, though; she was looking down at Darren.

“What?” he said.

“Nothing…just…all righty. Let’s go kick her butt, Sarge.”

“Amen to that, Twat,” Darren said with a laugh. “Amen to that.”

Eyrn set Darren down at the console, and the senior match official told them to stand ready, and the ocean spawned.

There were some advantages to a sequential match; foremost among them was that you got your full objective for all four rounds. Darren was evacuating troops from a planet. Felltree had dropped ground, sea, and air forces, and was attempting to keep his ships from launching. His objective was to repel her initial attack, then to break through her orbital defenses and get his ships into space.

The sea round started, and Felltree’s amphibious assault began. She was trying to get additional troops to meet up with her assault forces; he was trying to deny that.

He moved his carrier group, hoping to cut off her easier path to land. Felltree expected the move, and turned her fleet to the north, toward a less-desirable landing site. Darren took that as an early victory, and turned part of his fleet toward hers, keeping the rest in reserve.

Ship-to-ship combat began, and Darren felt pretty good about his position; he sank two troop carriers, and was about to aim for a third when something began to bother him.

“Ain’t enough ships here,” he said.

“What?” Eyrn said.

“Ain’t enough ships here. Goddamn – take me up there,” Darren said, gesturing for the satellite controls.
Eyrn brought him to them, and Darren looked at them. That frigate that had been moving with the troop carriers was slowly falling off, along with a couple destroyers and the bulk of the troop carriers. It was slow enough he hadn’t noticed it.

They were trying to run the gap.

“Damn it!” Darren said, turning his ships from the sacrificial pawn. He had allowed himself to be dragged out of position, and Felltree had a seam to work with. If he could close it, he’d wipe her forces out easily. It was a very risky move by her. Of course it was.

“Not gonna be that easy,” Darren said, launching his fighters from his carrier. They headed for the seam, trying to secure it through air power – but Felltree pulled another trick from up her sleeve, launching her own fighters and sending them to attack Darren’s forces on either side of the gap, rather than using them to escort her ships. She relied on heavy artillery to defend her fleet while forcing Darren to do the same. She then abruptly turned, and brought the planes slamming in to the center, where they finally engaged in a dogfight.

Darren was kept busy trying to maintain air support and get ships into the gap in time, but he could see it wasn’t going to work. She’d managed to create enough damage that she’d get about half her troops to shore, and win the round. All Darren could do was try to mitigate the damage, take out as many of her troops as he could to keep her from gaining too much of an advantage in the land round.

As it was, Felltree landed forty percent of her forces, and once there, they were able to meet up with their compatriots on land. Darren slammed his fist into the console in frustration. He had no margin for error now. None at all.

“Sea round to Felltree. Combatants, prepare for tactical updates.”

Darren looked over the situation. He was trying to hold an air base long enough to get it evacuated. He’d get some planes free, that was all-but-guaranteed, but it would take time to get the larger stuff away. That would play into the air round; the more advanced airplanes that would be the last to leave were to serve as escorts for his escaping spaceships. The longer he held out, the better chance those ships would have.

Of course, losing the sea round had made that more difficult, but he didn’t have time to lament that. All he could do was dig in and fortify.

This round was a brutal battle of attrition; moving forces here to there, trying to keep enough alive to keep Felltree from breaking through. He got his light fighters away, and refuelling jets, but she broke his lines just as he was getting bombers ready to launch, and she broke through again as he was trying to seal the original incursion. He wasn’t able to get his stealth fighter-bombers into the air, nor his scramjets; those were the deciding factor in whether he won this round. She had won her second. The best he could do was play it to combat.

He looked across the arena to Felltree, who was grinning victoriously. She cocked her head slightly, as if expecting him to surrender. He grinned back at her, despite everything.

“Not a chance in Hades,” he said. She might beat him, but she was going to have to play it out.

The air round had her aerial assault forces trying to blow his escaping spaceships out of the sky before they could accelerate to orbital velocity. He had about two-thirds the number of planes he needed to have adequate coverage, so he improvised. He did have some scramjets and bombers that had made it there already; rather than use them to escort each ship individually, he spaced his fighters evenly along the launch path, using the scramjets to fill space. It was a zone defence, which wasn’t perfect, but it was the best he could do.

He knew she wouldn’t lay back, she’d be gunning for him full out. So he decided to play that to his advantage. He held the ships for a second, trying to draw her in, and waiting for her to attack before he sent any ships up. She did as he expected, bringing her fighters into range and firing on his defenses immediately. Darren grinned. He wasn’t done yet.

He had placed the bombers up high, ostensibly as the last bit of defense before orbit. Now, he had them break out of their holding patterns and head for her bases, dropping a full payload against them before she could get more fighters in the air. He looked up, and pumped his fist as he saw her reaction. She hadn’t expected that; he was able to destroy her runways quickly, forcing her to engage in quick repairs, while he pulled the bombers – now without bombs, but still possessing kinetic guns – back up to their original positions.

Now he launched his first ships through the defense corridor. He had to lead and end with military vessels; the middle of the group was civilian. His initial forces got through, and though Felltree tried everything she could, she was only able to down one of his 18 civilian ships. He had won the round; now, it was just a question of how many more ships he could get into space before she finished repairs.

Finally, Felltree was able to launch her final fighter wings, but it was too late; the last few of Darren’s assault vehicles were destroyed, but that was far better than he’d expected. He was at least in position to draw.

The space battle was simple – he had to open up a spot in her orbital defenses for his ships to slip through. She had three base ships, with a number of smaller ships covering territory between them. Darren thought it was obvious that she wanted him to try to attack an apparent soft spot between two base ships; she’d spread herself too thin there. Yep, that was the obvious attack point.

He had his ships head in that direction, and held the line almost until he could feel her counterattack. Then, once her first ship twitched, he had them race straight into the teeth of one of her base ships.

She was caught off guard; she’d just begun to swing her defence forces away from the base ship to counter him; she had been laying the trap he’d thought she was laying. And he had picked the right base ship to attack; her forces had been moving away from there as his ships turned toward it.
She turned everything on the narrow eye he was trying to thread; he slammed on the brakes with his lead ships and protected a very narrow corridor, and quickly slipped his ships through it.

It was going to be very close. He had to get ten civilian ships and eighteen military ships free. He got the civvies out first, and then began to move military ships out, one by one, as the noose grew tighter and tighter. Ten, eleven – the corridor began to collapse, as she bore down on a weak spot – twelve, thirteen – now it collapsed, and his ships scrambled – fourteen, fifteen, sixteen – his unified defense was now broken, and his ships were scrambling, every man for himself.

Seventeen – he got one final ship clear by sacrificing two others. Now, he was down to one final ship, facing her entire fleet.

He had it dive back toward the planet, burning bright through the atmosphere. She had access to her forces on the ground, still, but she’d all but forgotten them, and so his ship zipped past her air assault team and pushed back up, popping up right where she had set the initial trap. He had three ships on his tail, and they were firing on him. His last ship was taking damage. It could almost break to warp. Almost…almost….

“Eighteenth ship away. Round to PuppetMaster,” the announcer called.
The crowd let out a tumultuous roar, as the announcer cried, “Two rounds to two. We go to combat!”

Darren collapsed, face first, onto the console, laughing.

“We still have to fight her,” Eyrn said.

“Yeah, I know,” Darren said. “But she didn’t beat me. She didn’t beat me.”