~~~~~
"Are you ready, Guards?!" Holak's roar split the air like a warhorn, his voice booming across the basin with such power that even the hardened commanders outside the pit would have shivered.
"Yes, yes, Captain!!" Hundreds of young men and women stood at the bottom of what once had been a great lake, now drained until only cracked stone and hardened mud remained. Their voices rose together, echoing like thunder rolling inside a canyon.
"Good!" Holak's eyes burned as he lifted his chin proudly. "Today, a new leader shall be chosen. Today, one among you will become the Captain of the Space Guard Unit—the one who will stand above the rest, the one who will answer to me directly, the one who will shoulder the weight of responsibility for all his comrades!"
He stretched out one massive hand, pointing toward them like a judge passing sentence. "Crush each other! Prove yourselves! The last one standing will wear the mantle of leadership. Begin!!"
