Please note that all standard disclaimers apply.
The Warrior Princess
by Kyle Marvis
Part One : A Meeting with Danger
Kravis lay still on the hard, permacrete floor, the blow to his head knocking him out
momentarily. Then, groggily, he opened his eyes and became aware of his
surroundings once more.
A small moan issued from his lips as he felt a throbbing ache in the back of his
head. Turning slowly to the right, his eyes took in the strangely shaped ship, the walls
of the docking bay, and a pair of tan coloured, lizard skin, knee-high boots.
For a moment, Kravis lay and stared at the boots. He noticed the curved contours of
the slender legs that they adorned, the scratches of many wearings, the steel plate
inserted craftily into the toe and the solid, black heel that he estimated to be about two
inches high. Normally, Kravis wouldn’t take any notice in people’s shoes, but he was
a little dazed from the hit to his head.
He suddenly became aware that there were a set of legs that joined on to the boots.
He traced his eyes up the tall, slender figure of a young woman. As he did this, he
smiled. She was quite attractive, in a dangerous sort of way. But when his eyes
reached her face, his smile faded. Her angular features were totally serious, and as he
looked into her cold eyes, he felt a shiver run up his back. There was a certain air of
deadly calm around the mysterious woman, and he quickly dismissed any thought of
her attractiveness.
Then, the strange woman spoke in a smooth, icy voice. “Get up.”
Kravis noted the sleek, lethal wooden spear in her hand, and realised that it was
her who had hit him. He decided not to go against this warrior-looking woman’s
commands, and rose to his feet with a slow painful motion. The throbbing in his head
was greater now, and he could almost feel the lump forming.
Now, as he stood, he realised that the woman was more cunning-looking than he had
first thought. She stood in front of him, with her hands on her hips, and a stern look
on her face. Apart from her boots, she was wearing a brief lizardskin shorts and
crop-top set, in numerous patches of different greens, and a vest-like top, with no
sleeves, that reached down to her ankles. Around her waist was a brown leather
weapon belt, and there were a variety of weapons hanging from it. There were two
small handmade knifes, one larger handmade knife, and a single, medium-sized
blaster. But further inspection revealed that a knife also sat in a pocket on the inside
of the woman’s left boot, and on the inside of the woman’s right boot, a very small
hand blaster sat snugly in another pocket. The overall appearance of the young
woman was one of a warrior. He wondered what world she came from that had made
her the way she was.
“What are you staring at?” she suddenly snapped. “Get moving or I’ll blast you to Dagobah.”
With her right hand, she motioned towards the blaster slung from her
waist.
Kravis started moving toward the strangely shaped ship, the woman’s spear poking
harmlessly yet threateningly in his back. The aching in his head had subsided
somewhat, but now that he was moving, it had started to throb even worse than
before.
He glanced behind him, and noticed the woman walked in a confident, catlike gait.
He had expected her movements to be more butch, considering her muscular, athletic
body. Yet, she walked with a sleek graceful stride.
“By the way,” Kravis commented, “the name’s Kravis and, if you don’t mind me
asking, what is all this about?”
“I wouldn’t ask that if I were you,” she bit out menacingly. Her strong voice had a
razor sharp edge to it, that warned Kravis to cease any further conversation.
Once aboard the ship, Kravis was left in the leisure area of the ship as his capturer
went to the cockpit and took off smoothly.
Within minutes, Kravis felt the familiar jerk of the ship as it entered hyperspace.
One of the doors slid open, and the woman entered the leisure room. She walked
around the room, fiddling with switches and valves. Her long red hair hung loosely
down her back, which strengthened the exoticness of her looks.
“So,” Kravis broke the silence. “I’ve told you my name, now you should tell me
yours.”
“You don’t think I already know your name?” came the cold reply. “And don’t order
me around, I could terminate your life in a second.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
The woman turned, seeing through his lie. An amused smile lightened her angular
features. “Oh, really?”
“So what is your name?”
The woman seemed to consider Kravis’s question, then almost reluctantly, she
answered. “My name is Jalla Krydin, and this,” she patted the side of the ship, “is the
Iradium Fire.”
“Well, Jalla,” Kravis began, “I’d say ‘pleased to meet you’ under other circumstances,
so—”
The ship suddenly lurched. Jalla amazingly kept her footing, as Kravis was sent
sprawling to the floor.
Under her breath, Jalla muttered, “Not again. I don’t need this.” And with that, she
ran to the cockpit of the Fire.
To be continued . . .
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