Chapter 13

Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
Freedom Theater, Lyran Commonwealth,
January 15, 3068

The dark, stuffy, unkempt backyard of Ground Control stable had been Amber's favorite place to practice Wu Shu. Nobody visited the place after hours, so Amber could clean her mind while concentrating on her breathings. Sometimes she just daydreamt, thinking what she could have done and what she should do in the future.

Amber had been practicing Wu Shu since she was little, and it was the only thing that kept her sane in a dangerous world like Solaris VII. Its ancient Chinese philosophy kept her from straying toward 'dark' path that Mac relentlessly seduced her to do. Its breathing routines kept her composure inside a mech cockpit. Its physical training regimen kept her body in a picture of health, and helped her enjoy prolonged intimate sessions.

But today the backyard was occupied. Somebody was jumping up and down like a maniac in the backyard. Curious, Amber tiptoed to see who it was, and she was befuddled to see Jeremy. Amber hadn't seen him since he lost the ugly match at Marik Tower. She heard what happened between Jeremy and Mac, and she understood if Jeremy became traumatic. Mac tried to stomp on him after he was ejected. Amber could imagine how it felt: the helpless feeling of a dispossessed mechwarrior, watching a battlemech coming at him to squish him. She wouldn't be surprised if Jeremy needed some time to recover from that experience.

Intrigued, Amber took peep to see how Jeremy was doing. It turned out that Jeremy was not actually jumping around. He was practicing some martial art techniques with his katana. His movement was fluid, focused, efficient, and sharp. Each movement reeked death. But once in a while Amber could sense disturbance when Jeremy streaked his blade. His grace was replaced with wrath and bloodlust, and his movement was loaded with urgency. A second later, he calmed down, and went back to his subtle movement.

The murderous beauty of Jeremy's movement captivated Amber, and she didn't know how long she stood there watching him. The next thing she knew, Jeremy let down his guard and shot her with a curt snarl, "What?"

"Eh… nothing, just watching you," Amber stammered. "Nice moves, by the way."

"Thanks," Jeremy replied unenthusiastically, then walked away to get a towel. "What do you want?"

"I don't expect to see anybody here at this hour," Amber murmured awkwardly. "This is my usual practice ground. But since you got here first, I guess I'll just leave you alone."

"You want this place?" Jeremy suddenly snorted. "Why don't you fight me for it?"

"Err… what?" Amber frowned. "What are you saying?"

"You need a place to practice, I need to spar," Jeremy walked slowly toward her with fire burning in his eyes. "Maybe we can help each other out."

It sounded like a good idea. Amber had been practicing alone for a long time, and it would be nice to see if she could still do real fighting. It would be good for Jeremy too because it gave him a chance to blow off some steam. Amber knew how good it felt after swinging her sword around.

"Alright, if that's what you want," Amber said as she unsheathed her dadao. She swung it several times, creating heavy whooshing sound that she hoped would intimidate Jeremy. "Do you want to take some rest? You're spent and I need some warm up."

"I don't need rest," Jeremy hissed, assuming an attack position, "I'm ready if you are."

Amber took her position while watching Jeremy's legs. He had a good posture, and although he had been at it for some time, he didn't seem to fatigue. Only his breaths gave away the fact that he was not as fresh as Amber. She decided to hold back a little and see how far Jeremy could handle her move.

Shifting her weight to her front leg, Amber took the first swing. It was not a serious swing, just to gauge Jeremy's reaction. Against her anticipation, Jeremy blocked her attack and heaved a nasty swing. His katana blasted her dadao with a loud clang, and she almost lost her grip it was so hard.

"Hey, easy!" Amber yelled as she jumped back to safety.

Jeremy answered with another attack. He jumped and made a thrust at Amber's midsection. Amber strained her arm muscles to block it, and the second clash echoed throughout the stable. The power of his thrust almost gave her a twist in her wrist.

"Jeremy! What's wrong with you?" Amber gritted her teeth.

"What's wrong with me?" Jeremy raised his voice. "You tell me what's wrong with me! Your boyfriend tried to kill me!"

Amber suddenly realized that Jeremy never intended to spar. He needed to beat up somebody to feel good, and she was there. Beating her up might feel special because of her ties with Mac. But she didn't want to be Jeremy's punching bag. "What Mac did was wrong, and I do not condone what he did to you," Amber fumed. "I know you're upset, but you can't vent off this way! If you want to spar, fine, but if you keep this madness, I will have to hurt you!"

"Then let's get it over with," Jeremy growled and fired another swing at Amber. But this time Amber was ready. She let the blade whizzed above her head, then made a small thrust at Jeremy's leg. Jeremy parried Amber's wide blade, but Amber busted Jeremy's wrist with the hilt of her dadao. Jeremy groaned in agony as he teetered backward, holding his right hand.

Amber's intention was just to intimidate Jeremy, to show him that she was not to be pushed around. But Jeremy saw it differently. He stripped his t-shirt and shot a dogged look at her. Sweat streamed down his hard abs, and Amber was stunned for a moment. His muscles were taut, not overly pronounced, just enough to show off his athleticism. Suddenly Amber found herself at the loss of air. Her eyes dried out because she forgot to blink.

Again Jeremy took the initiative. He lunged forward and fired a half swing at Amber's head. Amber raised her dadao to block it, gripping the hilt with all her might, but was surprised by how weak Jeremy's attack was. It was pale compared to his last vicious ones. Before Amber realized it was a trap, Jeremy brought his body low and hammered Amber's toes with his heel.

"Ouch!" Amber yowled as she hobbled. Her right toes throbbed, and they burnt just as she put them back on the ground. She might have them checked up later, but first she had to deal with Jeremy Stewart. She had been giving him a lot of room to move. To beat him, she had to take the aggression out of him.

Ignoring her throbbing toes, Amber charged forward with a series of attack. Her dadao whizzed left and right, aiming for Jeremy's neck. Jeremy was taken aback by the sudden burst of Amber's aggression. His katana blocked Amber's dadao with precision, but she pressed her attack with speed and determination so that Jeremy didn't have a chance to set up a counter attack. Slowly but surely Jeremy backpedaled while dodging and blocking.

Amber was impressed with his ability to match her moves, but she noticed a dark welt on Jeremy's wrist. She made a quick thrust at Jeremy's left leg. Instinctively Jeremy swung his katana to block it, exposing his wrists in the process. Amber cocked her left arm and punched the welt. A muffled groan escaped Jeremy's lips as his face contorted into a painful grimace.

Against Amber's expectation, her upper-hand was short lived. The punch was like a wake up call for Jeremy. He attacked her with new vigor, swinging his blade with the precision and dexterity she watched less than half an hour ago. Now Amber knew what it felt to be on the other side of Jeremy's blade. She blocked most of his attack, but his power started to wear her down. Her wrist became sore, and she was afraid she couldn't hold her dadao in a short time.

In an attempt to reverse the momentum, Amber stepped back and dodged Jeremy's attacks. She then lunged forward with her blade straight at Jeremy's midst. Unexpectedly Jeremy sidestepped her thrust, then raised his knee. As Amber sailed forward, he sank his knee at Amber's leg, just above her knee.

It was a good counterattack, Amber must admit. She just wished she wasn't the one that had to take it. The pain dominated her entire consciousness. She lurched and spiraled several times before crashing on her butts, gasping for air. She quickly heaved her dadao to block Jeremy's next attack, but he didn't make a move. He just stood still, giving Amber a chance to regroup.

"Why?" Amber sighed.

"I'm not Mac," Jeremy replied with a sour tone. "I don't take advantage of this kind of situation."

Amber didn't know if that was a jab directed at Mac or at her. If the situation were reversed, she would've pressed her attack, forcing him to surrender. And if he had to endure what Jeremy had at Marik Tower, her desire to retaliate must've been uncontrollable. But somehow Jeremy showed her that he was a different warrior. He respected his opponent. He was vicious in fighting, but merciful and respectful as a winner.

But no, Jeremy had not won the fight yet.

Slowly Amber got up and took a fighting stance, wincing as her leg trembled. Her tank was all dank and sweaty, and somewhat she felt it grew heavy on her. She wanted to be as fast as possible without the hindrance of her wet clothing, so she stripped her tank top. She almost laughed when Jeremy's eyes grew wide, as if they would pop out of their sockets. His reaction might be a reflection of her own minutes ago. It had been a long time since somebody appreciated her that way, and it felt quite flattering.

Well, it would've been his fault if he got distracted.

As Amber prepared a new strategy, she noticed that Jeremy's welt had doubled in size, and his grip started to weaken. A few strikes at his katana would dismantle him, and the fight would be over soon. Amber dashed swinging, swerving her dadao like a windmill. Jeremy dodged a few, but as he backpedalled, he was forced to block more. Each time their blades clanged, he cringed. Amber relentlessly struck his katana, and in the end, Jeremy let go of his blade. Her pressure on his wrist finally took its toll.

But when Amber thought the fight was over, Jeremy came back and busted her rib cage. It was not particularly crippling, but it made her double over. When Amber tried to compensate, Jeremy swiped her legs. With both feet facing the sky Amber crashed down, losing grip on her dadao in the process.

Jeremy continued his advance and grabbed Amber on the ground, trying to choke her, but Amber quickly reverse-crunched and leg-locked Jeremy's head. This sudden move caught Jeremy by surprise, and he squirmed hard to release his head from the leg lock. But Amber fastened her lock, restricting him from oxygen. She could hear her breath became heavier, and Amber tightened her legs. As his squirms weakened, she prepared her final blow. That, until Jeremy's elbow smashed Amber's bruised leg.

Amber felt like her leg was stricken by a mallet. Her muscles loosened up, and Jeremy found a room to get the much-needed air. He grabbed Amber's right toes and twisted them backward. The pain was almost unbearable, and Amber opted to give up her advantage. She rolled backward several times, leaving Jeremy gasping for air on the ground.

This was supposed to be a sparring, Amber thought as she nurtured her toes and the bruise above her knee that had grown into a fist-size purple blotch. No one was supposed to get hurt. But now she could barely walk. Jeremy, on the opposite side of the backyard, sat on the floor while regulating his breathing, gagging and retching. This has gone too far. She wondered if it was worth continuing. But on the other hand, she didn't want to be the first one to quit.

"Had enough?" Amber shouted, hoping that Jeremy would have more reason than she did.

"I'm fine," Jeremy strained to reply. "Why? Are you hurt? Do you yield?"

Amber noticed Jeremy's unspoken plea to end the fight, but he was just as stubborn as her not to be the first to yield. "Just a scratch. Not enough to stop me."

Jeremy didn't answer immediately. He got up slowly and assumed his fighting stance. "Then give me your best shot."

Well, he asked for it, Amber thought, and broke into a series of somersault. She was carefull enough not to use her right leg to spring her body into the air. When she got close to Jeremy, she slung her body into the air and extended her left leg like a javelin, aiming her heel at Jeremy's jaw.

But of course Jeremy had anticipated her move. He lowered his body until Amber's body shot above him. As Amber landed, he charged her from behind and grabbed her arms, twisting them in a gridlock. Amber twisted erratically, but she could only frree one arm. She pivoted and clutched Jeremy's throat, but Jeremy quickly caught her hand and pinned it down, thus immobilizing her in an awkward face-to-face position.

Involuntary Amber's palm touched Jeremy's abs. It made her stomach tingle. Her breath stuck in her throat. His ab muscles reminded her of Mac's, and the many nights she got to scrub her skin against them. Against her consent, her mind started to play with questions if Jeremy could use his ab muscles as deftly as Mac. When Jeremy released his grips on her arms, she didn't continue the fight. Nor did she take her palm off Jeremy's abs.

Amber didn't know who came on to whom. The next thing she knew she was pressing her body onto Jeremy's, mashing her lips onto his, matching his hunger with her own. It was not a romantic kiss; instead it was an angry one. She could feel a lot of rage through his lips. Nevertheless, it took her breath away. A shot of thought flashed in her mind, reminding her that Jeremy was on a quest to come back to his woman. But Jeremy didn't act like a man on a mission; rather he was as eager as she was.

"Stop… stop…" finally Jeremy found the strength to pull away. "We shouldn't do this."

"Nobody is here at this hour," Amber had forgotten all decency. "Nobody would notice…"

"Amber, please," Jeremy gently pushed her, much to her dismay. "I'm… I just can't do this."

"Uhm, okay," Amber walked back. "I understand." Her eyes met Jeremy's, and they stared at each other for a long time. Jeremy's wrath had long gone, replaced by lust and hesitation. As much as Amber wanted him, he wanted her, and Amber hoped that he shed his quest for his ex fiancée just for one night. She waited for him to jump forward and took her.

But it didn't happen. Jeremy turned away from her and left.

Suddenly Amber felt very lonely.