“That’s enough. Your provocations end now. I’ve warned you time and time again, yet you continue to insult my honor,” Kal stood up, his expression grim, “I challenge you to a duel of honor.”

  The other five council members around us gasp. The cold black stone walls around us seem to stretch and elongate with the tension in the room and I instinctively swallow. Being in a room with six predators always made me feel claustrophobic, even if I was one of them. The matching gray ceremonial robes worn by all seven of us didn’t help ease my feelings.

  “I warned you to stop antagonizing me and my family. You’ve left me no choice,” He glowers at me, while the others anxiously wait for my response.

  I wait, milking the moment. They all think I’m mulling over the challenge, looking for some way to weasel out. Normally that would be my strategy, retreat and wait for a better moment to strike when the odds would be in my favor. Unfortunately for Kal, this duel was planned weeks ago.

  “I accept. My second, Felix Hoth, will reach out to you by the end of the day to arrange the terms.”

  Kal sits back down in his seat, his body still tense, as if looking for a chance to pounce.

  The meeting ends and we begin preparations…

  Red sand drifts off the dunes around us, carried by a light breeze. Rising over the dunes in the distance is the Spire of Tunitoran. It was at the top of that tower where Kal challenged me two days ago. The sound of Kal and his second laughing is the only noise in the cold desert. About twenty feet in front of me, Kal and his second stand out against the dunes of rust with their bright green skin.

  Felix and I chose this location for the duel to avoid the prying eyes of the capital’s denizens. Tunitoran, as the capital of the United Martian Empire, is now the economic powerhouse of the solar system, and all eyes would be looking there. Never before had two council members engaged in a fight to the death. Division used to be a weakness that could have been exploited by our adversaries. Now that said adversaries' armies lie in ruin, our duel was much easier to orchestrate.

  If any of the other council members knew the truth about today, then my head would be rolling down the chopping block and my ashes spread amongst the sand.

  To my right was Felix, my second in the duel and my closest friend. Other than me, he was the only one who knew the full plan. Right now, he is crouched, consulting with The Oracle, a hyper-advanced A.I. he created that could predict the near future with a seventy three percent accuracy. A floating orb projects a hologram of Kal and me inside the small lantern-shaped container. Our holograms each pace in opposite directions and abruptly turn, laser pistols drawn. I look away before seeing the scene finish. I don’t want to know the images it's showing right now.

  Kalverius the third was a man of interstellar renown. He was born in extreme poverty, both of his parents were indentured servants to Alexander, Potentate of Phobos. Under the Potentate's rule, both of his parents were killed during a failed assasination attempt. Kal inherited their debt and became a trained bodyguard indentured to Alexander. Remarkably he won his first duel at the young age of thirteen against one of the greatest duelists who ever lived.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  When the UMA rebelled Alexander was slain freeing Kal from his slavery. As soon as he turned eighteen he joined the fight. By the time he was thirty two, he became one of the three great generals who defeated the Slavers of Earth. In the past two decades he has won thirty duels, while this was my first.

  For a moment, I stop thinking. All my focus is on breathing in the sun's rays with my pores. My green skin swells and then subsides slowly as I photosynthesize the sun’s energy. I have to remain calm and collected. No matter what happens, Kal will not leave here alive.

  Felix sighs, shutting off The Oracle, “I’m about ready to get this show on the road.”

  I snort, “It’s almost time. This is only the beginning, though. I’ll still need your help with everything that comes after.”

  He was probably thinking about the various other projects and business dealings he has going on.

  “Yeah, yeah, you always need my help. Why are you dueling this idiot again? Honestly, don’t you think killing your opposition in cold blood like this will give the council enough of a reason to impeach you?”

  “Well, Mr. Genius, why do you think I made sure to insult him enough that he would initiate the duel? If I just outright challenged him with no cause, then the council would unanimously vote to impeach me– but if he died after challenging me,” I say glancing over at Felix , “then it was clearly just defense over a civil dispute. As to the reason I chose Kal over one of the others, that's easy. He is the main opposition against allowing Naturalborns to live free. If I can eliminate Kal and install my own ally, then we can add two Naturalborns to the council and create a world of fair representation for everyone.”

  Upon hearing this, Felix rolls his eyes. The man really had no understanding of the finer details of politics.

  Another reason for instigating Kal was that, as the defender, I get to choose the weapon and place. If blades or unarmed combat were picked, I would stand no chance against my opponent.

  “Well, Ms. I-manipulate-everyone, what's the plan if we’re caught, or if you lose?”

  “Excellent question: most likely, every naturalborn will be made a slave, and billions will die.”

  “Don't worry. I never lose.”

  Four phone alarms go off in unison, and everyone goes silent.

  I lead, taking the first few steps towards them, eager to get this messy business over with. Next to walk was Kal, then his second, and finally Felix. Meeting in-between-us, Kal’s second gives his gun to Felix for inspection. Unseen to the naked eye, Felix slips a transparent disrupter onto the laser pistol. Even knowing what he was doing, I couldn’t see any indication of the disrupter. Felix nods and gives it back to him; the second inspects the gun to check if foul play was done and hands the gun to Kal. The two seconds perform the same ritual with my gun, all except for the disrupter, of course. Kal and I make intense eye contact. His eyes are bright yellow and black, the genetic modification clearly taking inspiration from a falcon.

  For the first time today, he spoke to me, “I’ve only dueled a few other women before. I take no pleasure in this.”

  My stomach twists in a knot.

  “The feeling is not mutual. I will enjoy this,” it was the only taunt I could think of, but it felt empty.

  “I hope you’ve already said your goodbyes,” he says, unfazed.

  “Same to you,” I nod to him, trying to keep the panic off my face. We each place our backs against each other.

  Felix shouts, “Start pacing!”

  One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. We wait.

  Felix and the other second spoke at the same time, “Begin!”

  Kal and I turn around and face each other at the exact same time. His pistol is raised a half second before mine. My pistol refuses to go off. He smirks as his first shot rings true and the blast hits me directly in the chest.

  Felix slowly walks towards my unmoving body and places a/his hand on my shoulder, “I’m sorry, friend, but I had no choice.”

  Red sands bury my vision.