Free Fighting Chance by Paulette Oakes

ordered, “Arm her with a weapon.”
    The men murmured and exchanged excited glances while a young
warrior trotted over to a case that displayed several different types of
swords, daggers, and blades of all lengths and sizes. He picked up several
different ones, testing their weight, until he found the ones he wanted. The
blades were identical, curved, and wickedly sharp at over two foot in length.
The handles were worn smooth from use, but still solid. He trotted back over to
Mahoney and presented them to her for her approval. She weighed them in each
hand and gave them an experimental swing before nodding affirmatively.
    “Oh, man. Shit’s about to get real!” Jessica squealed as she
pivoted and trotted to the replicator. “Kitt, access the Earth database and
send the specifications for buttered popcorn and Diet Coke to the replicator.”
    “Accessing. Specifications for snack food buttered popcorn
and carbonated soda have been sent,” he replied in crisp tones.
    Jessica retrieved her snack and took a seat on the
sidelines, her eyes wide and expectant. Mikael didn’t move a muscle. It took
every ounce of his control to keep from storming the floor and whisking his
little warrior out of harm’s way, but he resisted the impulse. His warriors
would not respect her and her skills should he intervene. He reminded himself
over and over that the medical unit was only a few rooms away should she be
wounded.
    When the two men were armed with one lethally sharp blade
each, they faced off against their opponent. Mahoney was calm and still as she
struck a pose with one blade pointed over her head and the other extended from
her waist. With a fierce cry, she darted forward, her blades twirling and
flashing, as she engaged the warriors. Steel met steel with a spray of sparks
as she parried their thrusts and struck out toward their vulnerable spots. The
sounds of battle pierced the air as the men grunted and growled while Mahoney
shouted “Hai!” In a breathtaking move, she bent backward as the two swords
flashed mere centimeters above her face. Before they recovered their swings,
she dropped into Chinese splits and sliced two identical lines across each of
the warrior’s bellies. The cuts were shallow, but it achieved her purpose. Each
warrior stumbled back and hissed as blood seeped from their wounds to run down
their abdomens.
    “First blood: Katsuko Mahoney!” Mikael boomed, pride evident
in his voice.
    The warriors redoubled their efforts to score their own
hits, but they were no match for her speed and flexibility. Jessica sucked in a
shocked breath when one of the warrior’s blades sliced through Mahoney’s shirt
to leave a jagged cut, but no blood bloomed from the site. Within ten more
minutes, both men dropped their weapons, heaving with exertion and bleeding
from multiple wounds, and signaled defeat.
    Mahoney, ever the professional, placed her right fist
against her open left palm and bowed low to each of them.  “It was honor to
train with you. You are fierce and worthy opponents.”
    Their eyes widened in pleased surprise and they clumsily
returned her bow. “The honor was ours, lady warrior,” one said. The other
added, “You could teach us many things, if time allows.”
    With a salute to their commander, they left to join Zandar
in the medical ward. Mahoney trotted over to the weapons case where she cleaned
each blade carefully before returning them to their place. The warriors watched
her every move as if they could determine how she learned to fight simply by
observing her.
    Mikael, feeling his own blood begin to thrum with
excitement, called out, “Lieutenant Andreus, please escort Miss MacGregor to
the cafeteria for dinner. She is under your protection as she would be in mine.
Warriors, you are dismissed for meal break.”
    Mahoney made to follow her friend who was chatting
animatedly to the dazzled lieutenant, but Mikael stopped her with a firm hand
on her arm. “I had hoped you would like to spar