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T wo months later, in the Five Systems…

Benet stood in the access tunnel of the arena, listening to the crowd.

He was ready for action, in his standard uniform, red cloak thrown over one shoulder, breastplate gleaming, sword and shield ready.

There was another event first, however, and he edged forward to watch.

Marushka was in the House’s box in the stands, with Elara and the other mates and he wished he and his mate could share this moment in person.

He settled for sending her a pulse of affection through the mate bond.

The gate across from him opened and trumpets blew a welcoming blast as Dmitri swept into the space.

He was driving a modified chariot, drawn by a troika of three horses—a bay, a black and a pure white—and he wore the standard uniform as well.

His silver hair streamed in the wind and he looked like a demigod at the very least, as if he could shoot lightning from his fingertips.

Handling the reins with one massive hand, he waved at the cheering crowd as the chariot embarked on its first circuit of the arena.

At the end of the circle he climbed onto the rim of the chariot, which had been specially modified in a way invisible to the crowd and as they screamed their appreciation, he stepped onto the backs of the two outside horses, one foot on each.

The harness to the chariot severed, with arena stagehands rushing out to move the vehicle out of the way but the audience’s attention was on Dmitri, making his second pass around the sands standing on the backs of the galloping horses.

He dismounted with a complex tumbling move and ran to face off with ten of Kyden’s best intermediate gladiators for a mock battle in Outlier style.

Benet had choreographed the entire thing, which was one of his skills Kyden prized highly.

He had an ability to train the men to do elaborate stunt routines which appeared dangerous to the paying customers but which were really safe as long as everyone hit their marks and knew their cues.

Dmitri had been adamant he didn’t wish to engage in real combat ever again and Kyden had honored the request. Dmitri’s ability with the horses was an extra plus—this trio had been among the six highly trained steeds the Empress had sent into exile with Dmitri and Marushka, along with her two dogs.

That wasn’t all she sent. Kyden had rented a massive storage space for all the crates which had been loaded onto the Vasclavian ship and Marushka had spent days sorting through the contents, with help from Benet and the other Badari mates.

The cargo was an insane mixture of household furnishings, dishes, priceless works of art, fabulous jewels dumped in willynilly, delicate statues wrapped hastily in Marushka’s billowing court dresses for which she now had no use, books, several carpets…

it looked to Benet like someone had ransacked the estate house and her apartment and scooped up whatever they could.

Marushka pounced on her veterinary instruments with glee.

Elara was helping her deal with the stodgy Five Systems bureaucracy to become licensed as a veterinarian.

Kyden had already hired her to care for the six horses the empress had sent.

Benet found Marushka weeping in the storage space one day and when he sat to comfort her she showed him a scribbled note.

“It’s from Vlada, the housekeeper,” she said between sobs.

“She wishes us well but she’ll miss me. She was like a mother to me—I wish I’d been able to say goodbye to her at least.”

“So she packed all this?” he asked, waving at the piles of items and the as yet unopened crates still to be sorted.

“I’m assuming so, yes, with the help of the staff.

Ekatereen must have given orders to send as many of my things with me into exile as they could in the hours we sat in the dreary cell.

And they sent a lot of family heirlooms as well.

I suppose Vlada included those because the empress was declaring the estate forfeit to the crown.

I hope Ekatereen left my poor father a pittance at least but he wasn’t in good favor with her.

And he’ll gamble it away if she did. I suppose I sound like a terrible daughter but Dmitri is the father of my heart—my own parent used me for collateral and sold me to Vasili. ”

Out of all the incredible bounty so far Marushka had only moved a few things into their quarters at the House of Badari.

She’d taken a small painting of her mother and a few knickknacks.

Benet planned to build them a house soon but even then there’d never be enough room for all the items the loyal servants had pillaged on Marushka’s behalf.

Kyden had been buying up land around the House with plans for his gladiators to build their own homes when the time came and Benet’s was to be the first. Kyden was adamant the pack and his extended ‘family’ at the House of Badari would remain in close proximity. Benet had no issues with the decree.

The crates marked for Dmitri were packed more neatly and encompassed the entire contents of his apartment at the imperial palace.

All his furniture, books, paintings, clothing and other possessions had been sent.

Benet privately assumed the empress had planned all along to send him to the Five Systems with Kyden.

There were also several of the messily packed crates from the estate for him.

Dmitri had been thrilled to find the entire contents of his kitchen, from spices to utensils to specialized cooking vessels.

He and Arinna, the Admin who ran the physical plant of the House of Badari were at odds over the kitchen right now in fact because Dmitri wanted to set himself up there and cook, while Arinna argued he couldn’t be allowed to upset or displace the actual cook they paid an exorbitant salary to feed the Master, his mate-wife, the gladiators and the staff.

Between the two of them Marushka and Dmitri had so much stuff, they’d decided to open a museum to display the best of the items. Jaine, Rennyr’s mate-wife had been on her way to research Outlier at the time she was kidnapped by pirates and taken to an arena on a far-off planet where Rennyr had rescued her.

She was a highly trained historian with several degrees and published scholarly papers in the Sectors and she’d agreed to curate the museum and the exhibits.

Not much was known about Outlier and the assumption was, when the duo pitched this idea to Kyden, that people would flock to see the art, the dresses, the jewels and other items and learn more about the highly reclusive empire.

Jaine was possibly even more excited about the idea than Dmitri and Marushka.

Another surprise had happened just this past week when a dapper gentleman from the Bank of New Switzerland showed up at the House and requested a meeting with Marushka and Dmitri.

Elara had allowed him to borrow her office and about an hour later when the man departed as mysteriously as he’d arrived, Marushka and Dmitri informed the others in the inner Badari circle an anonymous person had set up an account for each of them at the bank and deposited ten million credits apiece.

The bank rep had assured them there was no way to ascertain the person behind the generous gift but he winked and doodled an imperial crown on a sheet of paper while he was talking.

For now Marushka was allowing the funds to sit and draw interest. Benet wanted her to use them for herself and their children, if they were fortunate enough to have a family.

She was considering donating some to charity and Elara was identifying options for her.

Whatever his mate decided was fine with Benet.

He was wealthy in his own right as a gladiator who won top prizes routinely and then there was also his salary from Kyden for the work he did as the second in command.

Elara was also planning a wedding for Benet and Marushka, to take place at her family’s vast estate in two months.

Being Claimed mates was the ultimate bond for a Badari but Benet had always wanted the human ceremony to tie Marushka to him as well and she was enthusiastic about having a wedding among her new friends and family.

He’d enlisted Elara and Jaine to find out from Marushka what kind of engagement ring she wanted, thankfully not a stone as big and flashy as Vasili had given her, and had proposed to her in the garden at the House not long ago.

Heart full of gratitude for all the good things which had come his way since he last stood in the arena, Benet thought about last night, when he’d gone to the grove of the Great Mother which Kyden had created on the grounds of the House.

The area was off-limits to anyone but the Badari and their mates but Benet had been given access as soon as he returned to his home.

He’d gone to thank the goddess for bringing him and Marushka to safety and a happy outcome, and Dmitri as well.

The grove was unaccountably peaceful and he’d fallen asleep.

When he woke after a few hours, he couldn’t remember any dreams or visions of the Great Mother but he felt tranquil and settled, as he hadn’t truly done since he’d been a free man before, fighting for his original home worlds.

He’d found everything he’d been looking for and more and Benet was eager to experience the new adventures of being mated and being a Badari Gladiator in more than just name.

The spectacle had ended. Dmitri summoned his horses and did a flashy mount to their backs, thundering out of the arena much as he’d entered.

The applause was thunderous. The ten men he’d ‘vanquished’ rose to their feet and bowed and Dmitri drove his chariot into the arena for a final wave to the crowd.

Benet was more than satisfied with the performance and the way the audience received it. He had a few mental notes but nothing major.

Attendants raked the sand hastily and then the trumpet sounded again, with the official fanfare for the march of the gladiators.

Benet stepped out of the tunnel and onto the sands, leading the House of Badari to the ruler’s box for the oath.

Prince Pargen sat there today and Benet would gladly swear allegiance to him.

There was to be a private dinner later that evening for the prince and the inner circle of Badari and mates at the Vasclavian estate and Benet was keenly anticipating his chance to thank the royal for his behind the scenes help in obtaining Benet’s freedom from Outlier.

But for now he was going to fight for the honor of the House of Badari and to show off for his mate, if the truth be told. Marushka sent him a pulse of love through the mate bond as he lifted his sword to recite the gladiators’ oath along with all the other men and women on the sands today.

As he marched to his starting position for the first round of non-lethal fights on the program, Benet knew himself to be unbeatable and content with his life.

Soon enough he’d resign from the arena life as Kyden had and spend all his time on his duties running the portions of the House of Badari which were his domain, but he intended to give his best efforts at every opportunity until then.

He raised his shield and pointed his sword at the highly ranked opponent facing him, who did likewise. The men nodded a greeting to each other and then as the horns blew, they stepped into the ritualized violence that was their stock in trade, their expertise and the audience’s passion.

Benet the Badari Gladiator was home.

Thank you for reading BENET!