It's been a long time since I blushed, but I'm convinced my cheeks now clash with both my robes and my hair color. That's also a talent, I think.

'Let me go,' I hiss, struggling off Zandr's lap.

His laugh rumbles through his body and because I'm still half on top of him, I get something from it too. 'I only saved you from the floor,' he says.

'Yes, yes,' I grumble. I pat myself down extensively and refuse to look at him. Fortunately, things outside our cube have become a lot more interesting just now and I'm starting to hang over the fence again. I move a bit to the left so as not to give the annoying Boltrunian a chance to bully me further.

The robots have stopped marching and they finish their song with a salute to me. I carefully look around, where I see a large part of the audience staring at me. I'm not mistaken. So I let the pride wash over me and I wave back excitedly. I turn proudly to the three behind me, although I try to ignore Simix and Firj: 'Did you see that?'

Zandr looks at me like he doesn't know what to do with me. He has one eyebrow furrowed higher than the other, just as one corner of his mouth is slightly higher than the other.

I feel put on the defensive. 'What?'

He stands up without answering. With a polite gesture, he holds out his hand to the light blue Yrach'kwa, who places two tentacles in it, then uses the other four to hobble along with him. Her three mouths are all arrogant. If she had had a head of hair, she would have swept it back with a haughty gesture.

'Puh,' I mumble. I don't get more time to react, because Zandr pushes me out of the way with his hip, causing me to stumble into the side of the cube. I angrily watch as the cyborg and the Yrach'kwa gracefully cross the last step to the fence and start waving from there.

'Zandr, Zandr, ...' the crowd starts shouting. Softly at first, but then so loudly that I see the cube gently staggering through the wall of sound.

I demonstratively hold my hands to my ears until the noise finally subsides. Once that is the case, I can no longer contain my curiosity. I push away from the black wall and peek around.

Nearly all the aliens I see have their upper limbs raised in adoration toward our lodge, swaying back and forth as if a gentle breeze is passing through the ranks.

'What have you done to them that they adore you so much?' I say, doing my best to put a sneer in every word.

'Not much,' Zandr answers. He doesn't even have the courtesy to look at me while he gives the rest of his attention to his fans. 'I only saved the planet from destruction by making life possible beneath the surface.'

Oh, I think and nod. Then his words slowly dawn on me.

'Hey, wait,' I say. 'That's a pretty big thing, right?'

I'd probably brag about it for the rest of my life if something like that happens to me.

Firj answers in Zandr's place, while giving me full attention. She looks at me from the top of my glued-down hair to my sea-green painted toenails, and her whole attitude indicates that she doesn't like what she sees at all. 'Of course that's a big thing. Everyone here owes his life to him.' If she had eyes, she would have rolled them.

This time I don't feel offended as I return my attention – now filled with awe – to the great cyborg. He just turns his free hand towards the crowd. He holds the palm down, which is universal for 'calm down, sit back down' and that is what they all do.

'Thanks everyone,' Zandr shouts. Due to the silence in the gigantic space, he must be audible everywhere. 'Let the fighting begin!'

He waves again and then turns to his chair. His gaze passes over my face – I take the opportunity to close my hanging mouth – and because the corner of his mouth is still turned up, I get the feeling as if he is laughing at me.

He straightens his face again and then guides Firj back to their seats.

Much less elegantly, I finally plop down between him and Simix and I immediately notice that I can effortlessly see the circle from which the robots are currently marching from this position.

The Yrach'kwa leans forward slightly, looking around Zandr at me. In a tone as if she were talking to a toddler, she says, 'The fighting will begin in several rounds in a moment. The winners of each round then fight each other, leaving one victor. Do you understand what I'm saying, or should I describe it more clearly?' All three of her mouths are very triumphant.

Next to me, Simix chuckles along with her.

Steam almost escapes from my ears, the only thing that's holding me back is because I am physically unable to do so. The moment I want to start a fight with her on my own, Zandr interferes with our bickering. He places his left hand on my thigh, while he signals Firj with his right to stay where she is.

His full attention is now on me and I suddenly realize that it is very intense. His irises are almost as black as his pupils, so I can't read his intentions. Without instructing my body to do so, I swallow. I try to blink my own eyes, but nothing listens to me anymore. Never before have I felt so trapped as I do now, now that my own body is betraying me.

'Calm down,' he says. 'Don't worry about Firj. She just wants to protect me.'

I sniff against my will and that is the signal for my body to belong to me again. 'As if you need protection.'

'The more powerful someone is, the more enemies they have,' he ornates. He doesn't say it afterwards, but I know what he means. It looks like I've suddenly ended up with the most powerful lord in Serail.

During our conversation the first round of fighting started. Since the warriors almost immediately form a large pile of bodies, I can only guess how many humanoids the mountain consists of. I assume about ten, and the number of survivors from that pile is getting smaller by the minute. The crowd cheers their favorites so loudly that I can't hear any noise the fighters make, but I don't care. I blend into the sensation-filled atmosphere with a big smile. This is what I live for.

If Zandr decides to throw me in like that, I'll sell my skin dearly. If I perish, I will take as many with me as possible. No time to sim. "Hell" should be my middle name. I will gladly show my enemies the way there.

After a few violent moments, one alien emerges from the pile of soulless shapes. The winner is of course big, but he's also very round and there's a shiny layer on his green skin. It seems he won because no one could keep a hold on him. He also has three eyes and that's why I point to them and say sweetly to Firj: 'Look, you match with him.'

The Yrach'kwa has no eyes of its own – it seems that her kind sees with their subconscious – but she understands very well that I am referring to her mouths and again Zandr has to intervene before we can get into each other's throats. I smile at him sunnily, life is good now that I have the upper hand over her. The cyborg shakes his head slightly, but he doesn't look angry, so I think he doesn't find my behavior too annoying.

The dead are taken away, the winner walks behind them with a strange hop and then it's time for round number two.

I see Malahkii entering the battlefield. My memories suddenly fill with images of our last fight together and my heart aches as my thoughts insurmountably turn to Ray, who did not survive. My carefree nature often ensures that I successfully push such unpleasant events to the background of my brain, but when a trigger brings it up again, intense pains shoot through my entire body in an almost paralyzing way. I shiver slightly and I hug my arms tightly across my chest. Out of the corner of my eye I see Zandr watching my position, but all I can do is stare at the circle where my best friend is fighting for his life.

'Come on, Malahkii,' I whisper. My mood has completely changed. Please, my friend. Win these battles.