Retired

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

We took my support battalion prisoner every morning for my first week. On the eighth morning, I walked into the barracks to be greeted by two soldiers on guard duty. As I walked the barracks I saw and greeted each of the fire watch, sitting in their chairs. I left them alone that morning. They had learned the lesson I was trying to teach them and they had come up with the answer themselves.

Our morning run that day was bright and cheerful. All of the soldiers had smiles on their faces because they felt they had gotten one over on me. Today I would start on lesson number two. As we stood in formation after the run I spoke to the colonel. "Who is the bad ass of the group? Which one of the soldiers has a reputation for being able to fight?"

"Sergeant Spassus is an exhibition fighter."

"Perfect," I said, as I turned to the Battalion. "I need a sparring partner, Sergeant Spassus. Would you be so kind as to come forward and teach me how to fight?"

The sergeant ran forward and stood in front of me as he saluted. "Sergeant Spassus reporting for my ass-kicking, sir."

I smiled at him. "If you know how this is going to go, let's make it interesting." I took my jacket and rank insignia off and handed them to my colonel. "Mark me, and you get a three day pass this weekend."

"All I have to do is hit you one time hard enough to leave a mark?"

"Yes."

"It's a deal," he said, as he took a position I did not recognize. His stance was semi-relaxed and his feet shuffled back and forth in what looked almost like a dance.

I relaxed myself and took a knife-fighters crouch. Suddenly the sergeant was a blur of movement. He spun and jumped. He rolled in the air like a monkey having a spasm. I watched and analyzed the style as best I could. It looked like a bunch of random dance moves blended into a fighting style.

I stepped in when I saw my mark. I had his leg in my grasp before I realized my mistake. He twisted in mid-step and spun over the top of his own leg. His foot connected with my jaw and I spun away with the side of my face stinging. I was going to learn from this man.

My next step in was exactly the same as the first. The difference was I pulled down hard once I had his leg. Then I dropped to the ground letting his other leg pass over my head. I then rolled forward bringing him down to earth hard. My roll brought my leg down on his chest with a loud pop and he expelled all the air from his lungs.

Imagine my surprise when he continued the roll and threw me past himself. I felt the strike to my chest as I went over. He had marked me twice. He was so flexible it was like fighting a rag doll -- a very strong rag doll.

I rolled to my feet to see him start dancing again. My smile was vicious. This was the first soldier I had ever faced, in one of these demonstrations, who knew a form of combat art I did not.

I had marked him, and he had marked me twice. I could hear the soldiers cheering the sergeant on.

The third clash ended it. I stepped in and he spun. I dropped below his strike and rose behind it. As he came back around I tapped the base of his throat with the edge of my hand. He knew what it meant and stepped back.

"Fill out your pass request, sergeant, you earned it. What is the name of your style? I have never seen it before."

He smiled as he rubbed his throat. "It is an ancient earth art called Capoeira. It originated in the country known as Brazil."

I spent the next few down times going through holos of the fighting style he named. It was a complex style based on dancing. By the end of the week I would be a master of it. My ability to learn a style by watching it paid off again.

I had been on post for a couple months and the group had adjusted to me. They understood I wanted them in fighting trim. Those two months averted a disaster.

"Your highness, has the investigation into the attempt on your life turned up anything?", I asked the prince, as we were sitting in our morning briefing.

"No, all we have figured out is the men were bought with a very large amount of money. My father thinks it was Duchess Daria. She was second in line to marry me if Asta had not turned out to be viable. He thinks she decided to make Asta non-viable."

"That would make sense. I wouldn't set my mind in stone on it though."

The Princess spoke up at that time. "I need to make a shopping trip into the city today."

"I will form up the guard. Do you have an itinerary or is this just a ladies trip?"

"Just a ladies trip."

I smiled an ironic smile. "I will form up the battalion to carry your packages, your highness."

Asta gave me a dirty look. "I am not that bad."

"As you say, your highness," I said with a smile of pure mischief.

The prince shook his head. "How do you get away with things like that? If I did that to her, she would spank me."

"You are her husband, your highness. She doesn't have to take it from you."