Warzone: Nemesis: A Novel of Mars (56 page)

“Watch the American; he is a skilled martial artist. Do not underestimate him. Draw first blood and make him doubt himself. You appear to be stronger than he is. A long fight would favor you. Wear him down and finish him off,” counseled the Soviet first officer. Tkachenko nodded and bit down on his mouth guard.

“This could be the the most memorable fight ever fought on Mars,” noted CPT Two Horses.

“COL Tkachenko is a southpaw, and I’ll bet the Soviets assume they can screw up his rhythm with a mirror image stance. Hence the old boxing idiom, ‘southpaws should be drowned at birth,’ ” commented 1LT Pale Rider.

“Then the Soviets are in for a rude awakening. We both know that our commander is ambidextrous and is likely to fight left-handed. This will give him a stronger lead hand as well.”

“The bell has rung, and both fighters are approaching center of ring. The winner will be rewarded by recovering the alloy-x scrap, and the loser will go home with nothing. We’ll show them Kuzka’s mother,” said SGT Butkovsky.

“It looks like the American is going to fight left-handed. Surely he will be at a disadvantage against a true left-hander,” speculated JSGT Pavlov.

MAJ Norsemun was just finishing his sandwich when the bell rung, making him sit upright. His eyes were riveted to the radio as if staring at it would affect the outcome. “Both fighters have assumed a left-handed fighting stance and are now set. Each one is doing exploratory right jabs looking for a weakness,” reported CPT Two Horses.

“What a fight! Each fighter looks about the same height and weight, both athletically built, and about the same arm length-reach, wouldn’t you say, Captain?”

“From here they look like equals, but as you know, heart is what counts. We will see who has heart.” CPT Black Ice moved closer to the receiver so as not to miss any details.

The Soviet was determined to show the American that he was to be feared, early in the match. His jaw was set in a resolute and menacing fashion, looking for an early win. The American was using his footwork and bobbing his head back and forth to keep from getting hit while he looked for an opening.

MAJ Ivanov drained his glass of vodka and poured another. “COL Tkachenko lunged forward with his left foot assuming right-handed stance, firing a stinging left and following by a right cross. The American side stepped the right cross by moving to his left. Our colonel turned his body right to follow his movement, left-handed stance again, and caught the American unexpectedly with a hard left cross to the mouth,” reported SSGT Butkovsky.

“He appears to be bleeding. It is like American movie with James Bond,
From Russia With Love
,” mocked JSGT Pavlov.

CPT Black Ice cursed under his breath at the news of first blood going to the Soviet. “It looks as though COL Tkachenko has made a statement that he is here to fight,” said CPT Two Horses.

“He certainly has, and this may be a long, hard fight,&rdquo injected 1LT Pale Rider. The young sniper rolled up a piece of paper into a tube and looked at the Soviet through the hole.

“Don’t worry, someday your time will come,” consoled CPT Two Horses.

“So close and yet so far away,” the young sniper sighed. “I’ve been looking for this chance ever since I got to Mars. Here is my target less than thirty feet away and I have no rifle!”

“Have patience, my young friend.”

COL Kahless backed up and gave his opponent a congratulatory salute for scoring first blood. The two warriors continued their probing into the other’s weaknesses with right jabs and an occasional left until the bell signaled the end of round one.

“He bleeds. See Yuri, he is quite human. Keep up the pressure and do not let up,” counseled the Soviet first officer.

“He is stronger and faster than he looks,” confessed COL Tkachenko. His medic gave him a water bottle. He rinsed his mouth out and spat into the offered bucket, then bit down on his mouth guard.

“You are more than enough to vanquish him.” The colonel nodded to his first officer in agreement.

“Don’t worry about it, Colonel. So he got off a lucky punch. Keep focused and keep your guard up,” said the American first officer. The American rinsed his mouth out and spit into the bucket. 1SGT Specialist examined the cut on his lip and closed it.

“It wasn’t a lucky punch. He is smart and very strong. He reminds me of one of the lumberjacks back home in Louisiana, not very big in size but hard as an oak. I feel like I’m hitting a tree,” said Kahless.

“Then be the axe, and cut him down,” encouraged his first officer. Kahless’ medic put the mouthpiece back in, and Kahless bit down.

“And there is bell for round two,” SSGT Butkovsky reported.