The sun beat down on Larry Denton as he walked along the sidewalk in New Qzcivden. As he passed by other pedestrians, he made note of the recent changes to the layout of the city since his last visit. As he walked by, various people turned and looked at him. The Lieutenant wasn’t frequently seen in public. Rumors had been going around that Earth’s Kohstr champion would be returning this year, but his participation had never been confirmed. As the reigning champion, however, he had the option to enter at the last minute.

New Qzcivden was an artificial island in the Atlantic Ocean, intended to be the new center of civilization on Earth. It was the only city in which there were no Earther Peacekeeper forces. It was policed entirely by Armadians. However, it was also the only city in which Earthers who wished had an opportunity to meet Thorlinthians off-duty and could even legally obtain certain Thorlinthian technologies, making it an enticing location for many.

Now surrounded by civilians and Armadians in standard kilted light armor, the Lieutenant stood out as the only person in a Peacekeeper uniform. He looked about at all the people staring at him and spoke into his secure wireless channel. “How are we looking, Mickey?”

From the top of Dragon Neck, the city’s central and by-far tallest tower, Mickey had a complete bird’s eye view of the city. Looking through his binoculars, he spoke quietly into his headset. “Everything looks good from up here, boss. The Texan’s in position, and the Happy Couple is en route. No signs of disturbance yet. You sure about this, L.T.?”

On the ground, Larry walked onward, inspecting every face he passed, every loose jacket, and every Armadian uniform, looking for possible weapons. “Oh, I’m sure. The hraustliger card always has a picture of a drig surrounded by hunters in the mosaic in the background. In this one, the hunters are being encircled by the drig. I’ve seen a card like this once before in my life, and that was at the tournament last year, when I was playing that Armadian, Carden. When I checked the roster, he was enrolled in the competition again this year. This didn’t have anything to do with the Dauntless. Baker’s mark was Carden, and I think he wanted to take out the entire city, which would require much more than one team. I think he wanted to distract us by sending us to the Dauntless while an operation took place here. He knew we wouldn’t intentionally take out civilians.”

“Well, he was right about that!” Colt Tyson, codename Texan, sounded off loudly from his position in the stadium where the tournament was taking place. Many people around him turned and stared, so he added, “You can’t add peanut butter to a tuna sandwich. That’s just no good, Laura.” There was no Laura. He just wanted to explain why he might be yelling so fervently into a headset.

“Way to go, Texan,” Mickey said, his Lancashire accent making for a stark contrast to the Texan’s drawl. “You plan on busting this whole thing wide open?” After a few moments of silence, Mickey harrumphed and returned to his observational duties.

The Lieutenant rolled his eyes in his helmet as the exchange took place. The two were always picking at each other, and it was to the point where no one really cared as long as blows weren’t being exchanged, which did happen from time to time. “Anyway, Mickey, could you check the sky? Someone could be planning an aerial attack.”

“Are you serious, boss?” Mickey scoffed. “If that were to happen, there’s no way I’d catch them with binoculars, is there?” Nonetheless, he turned his eyes to the sky, scanning the scores of shuttles over the city, which were used in lieu of a subway or trolley system. “I’m not seeing anything yet, boss, but you’ll be the first to know if I do.”

“Thank you, Mickey,” Larry said as he reached the competitors’ entrance to the stadium. It was perhaps now that he stood out the most, since everyone here knew that he was, in fact, the famous Lieutenant. His was a household name around the planet, but it was only among Kohstr players where even Thorlinthians would turn heads to see him.

“Excuse me,” he said to the registrar, “I’m here to defend my title. Here’s my identification.” He handed the registrar the card he had been given the previous year. She ran it through the machine, nodded, and handed it back.

“Thank you, Lieutenant. We look forward to seeing how you play this year.” The registrar gave a look that made Larry slightly uncomfortable, so he just nodded back and moved into the practice area.

A hand came against the Lieutenant’s shoulder. “How’s it going, Lieutenant?” a familiar voice sounded off. “It’s excellent to see you again. I loved your performance in the games last year, and I’m sure it’ll be a spectacle to behold again.” Grie Khuda’Mundi was dressed in civilian clothes, but there was no mistaking an Osgordian. His green hair and violet eyes stood out from a mile away. How had Larry managed to miss him?

“Is that the Dragon Rider?” Mickey asked, his voice panicked. “What’s he doing here?”

“He’s here to compete,” Larry said into the private channel before switching to public, which enabled the speaker in his helmet. “How’s it going, Grie? I’m glad you decided to enter this year. I heard from the news that you were the Armada’s best player. I’m hoping it’ll actually be a challenge for once.”

“Well, I learned from the best, you know.” Trash talk like this was common in the hours preceding Kohstr competitions, but it wasn’t often people saw two giants such as these go at each other. “Though I’m sure you’ll make for a decent challenge when we play, and I have no doubt we’ll be playing. You’re deck is very nice. I’ve got one just like it. Would you like to have a practice match before the tournament starts up?” Grie pulled his deck from his pocket, the box an exact match for Larry’s own.

“Sure,” Larry replied. “I have a private room, since I won last year. Would you care to have it there?”

“I’d love to.” Grie’s voice had no enthusiasm in it, marked only by a cold, steely tension. The two headed toward the door to the private room reserved for the Lieutenant and guests.

“Boss?” Mickey asked. “Why would you go in there? You know it’s a black room. If you go in there, we won’t be able to hear what’s–” The signal cut off as the door closed.