Beeggo's feet thudded on the pavement. He had to keep running. He couldn't slow down; he couldn't pause for rest. He looked over his shoulder. The Nexu was bearing down on him, its massive white paws bounding out in graceful movements.
There was nothing he could do. Beeggo would be pounced upon any second, thrust onto the cold concrete, and devoured. He knew it. Looking up, the towering buildings seemed to lean in towards him, forming a trap. All of a sudden, despite the long road ahead of him, the young Rodian felt quite claustrophobic.
The Nexu leapt. It squatted back, its matted fur rippling as its leg muscles tensed. With a screeching roar, it shot forward like a coiled spring let loose. The monster sailed through the noxious air. Beeggo looked over his shoulder just in time to see its unnaturally broad maw of fangs open wide…
Beeggo Cha'zac sat up abruptly in bed, drenched in sweat. He shook his head. "Where am I?" he wondered. Suddenly, the last vestiges of that nightmarish world with the ferocious black skyscrapers and ravenous Nexu left him. The empty space in his brain was promptly refilled with his memories of reality. He was in his apartment, near the pit fight arena.
Beeggo was a pit fighter, a gladiator, who participated in a menagerie of blood sports for the enjoyment of the crowds of Ord Mantell. The lawless world was the perfect place to go to watch violent battles pitting gladiators against beasts, gladiators against gladiators, beasts against beasts, and beasts against slaves and prisoners.
Checking his schedule, which was hanging on the wall above his simple bed, Beeggo found that today he would fall into the second category. "Good," he said quietly to himself. "I don't think I could handle a beast fight after that dream!"
The Rodian fighter looked at his clock. The radioactive phosphorous in it was apparently quite old due to its fadedness, but he could still see pretty well that it read: 3:34 AM. There was still a lot of time open for sleep. Beeggo happily obliged.
***
Ploku's Pit was a compound situated past the glitz and glamour of the semi-legit casinos, past the junkyards and scrap heaps, around the far edge of the ten-mile plateau, and down in a valley surrounded by tall rock spires. It was a very out-of-the-way place, but it had to be. However, if you knew where it was, you could get there with no problems.
There was a sign on the main gate that clearly read, in several prominent languages:
No one admitted with a price on their head.
Ord Mantell was notorious for its bounty hunters. They flocked to the crime centre, where there was always a bounty to be collected. Several big criminal organizations and syndicates frequented the masses of ritzy casinos in the more populated areas.
"Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, and asexually reproducing creatures! Prepare to witness boundless entertainment in the pit!" boomed the announcer. The crowd of mixed aliens screamed and waved their arms. Some of them held signs and banners displaying support for their favorite gladiators.
"This morning, we will be having a special guest. Meet the biggest, baddest, meanest predator in all the galaxy! The… Rancor!"
The roar of the crowd intensified exponentially. A large gate against the southern wall of the pit opened, allowing a dazed and angry bull rancor to lumber out. The "pit" was a deep-set stage of stone covered in sand in the center of the ring of seats. Guards stood at the ready with light repeating blasters in case any of the wild monsters escaped, which was very infrequent. It did not take long for the arena manager to ban fights with flying creatures.
The arena manager is also worth note. He was a somewhat wealthy Gran who delighted himself in three things: watching blood sports in his venue, earning money, and then gambling away that money. His name was See-yees Ploku (pronounced SEE-YEEZ Plo-koo), and he had horrible luck.
Back to the pit fight… Beeggo Cha'zac sat amongst the other gladiators, mostly Trandoshans, Gammoreans, Nikto, and Rodians. Much to his discomfort, Beeggo was wedged between a particularly malodorous Gammorean and a boisterous Trandoshan whose filed teeth were stained with what appeared to be blood. The latter's reptilian face was also scarred from countless strikes of vibroblades and force pikes.
Below, the spectacle was starting. The gladiator, who stood on a waiting elevator at the top of the northern tower, was a well-built Nikto. Instantly, bets were being made, amongst the fans and the gladiators. Beeggo put in 200 credits for the Nikto.
The elevator began its arduous decent to the roll of hidden tympani drums. The crowd began to chant, "five… four… three… two… one…"
The elevator touched the dirt and the chains around the rancor's arms and legs dropped with hefty clanks. The fight was on.