“It’s quite obvious you’re from offworld,” Teebla said, his remark more a judgement than a question.
“We arrived today,” offered Fenli.
The gambler’s brows peaked in interest. “A bad time to come. There was an incident over by the customs building today.”
Fenli nodded. “We escaped it—luckily. A nasty bit of violence. Security people were killed, I gather.”
Gayad cracked his knuckles. “Whoever those boors were who harmed innocent civilians, should be shot.”
Fenli licked his lips with a faint grin.
Teebla looked out over the lake and the blinking city lights seemed to take on a new life. “This place is notorious for criminals and scandals. The first settlers, in fact, warred amongst one another like a pack of snarling hyenas. An epidemic broke out, several were infected. The feistiest rebels fell to the ruling class—let’s just say that under superior fire power, they were relegated to the dregs.” He motioned. “Out there, beyond the lake. They live as exiles. We call them ‘undesirables’, ‘unwanteds’ if you like.” The man sighed and clapped his hands. “Well then, gentlemen, to happier topics.”
The drinks and snacks came with a side plate of nuts and Fenli downed his ice martini and snacks with hungry fervour, as if he hadn’t eaten in a week. Miko savoured his drink, enjoying every intimate swirl of the liquid and crunch of olive in his mouth.
The first glow of daylight was creeping over the lake and the tall smokestacks with wide-brimmed funnels at the top belched out yellow clouds high into the atmosphere, making the air breathable. Towers reared across the sallow skies. A tart, salty dry odour filled the air, even in the casino, and Miko wrinkled his nose. The large water towers added to the cluttered skyline of the city.
Fenli impatiently clicked dials, eager to start the game while Miko munched on nuts.
Ribshot reached out to detain him. “Uh, uh. Once we have verified your goods—”
Fenli shook himself angrily from Ribshot’s pawing grip. “What have you to offer? You blow hard on our collateral, and yet show nothing of your own.”
Teebla bridled at the comment. “Here’s fifty thousand credits!” he bellowed. “Count, if you will.” He lay a sack of fifty golden marbles, each a thousand credits, in the wager bowl in front of him.
“And here’s twenty of my own,” boasted Ribshot.
Gayad pitched in ten glowering blue orbs from his own pouch.
That made 30,000 over their own bid and Fenli grunted with appeasement.
“As you are guests, I give you three choices of the game of play,” said Teebla conciliatorily. “Beasts of the sea, space conquest, finally geopolitical domination—”
“Anything but water!” blurted Fenli.
“In that case—Gayad, can you select—why you rotter! Why did you click on the water battles?”
“Sorry, my hand slipped,” apologized Gayad.
Fenli gritted his teeth.
Teebla smiled genially and cleared his throat. “Let me explain a few things and offer some background behind the game. The avatars of this game are fishes, some from lake Zaol herself. We, as representatives of our own world, play on the theme of survival of the fittest—to the tune of fish. ’Tis a feral dog-eat-dog game, a reflection of real life. Hence the title of the game, ‘LIFE’, though many nickname it ‘Death’. It is most fitting. As games go, it is one of my favourites.”
Fenli shrugged. “I could take it or leave it. My favourite is Spleened. Ever play it?”
“Not recently.”
“I actually prefer Scrabble,” remarked Miko casually.
They afforded him queer looks and Fenli shook his head in wonder.
“Right then!” Teebla snapped his fingers. “Grab your toggle, master Fik! The game commences! May the best man win.”
A virtual gaming board rose slowly from the game stand, morphing out of the metallic material. Four sets of controls, one for each player gleamed before their fingertips. Fenli, his eyes blazing, apprised himself with the hyper-tensile, double velocity-sensitive joysticks. Rows of multi-coloured attack buttons ranged to the side with defence adjustment controls and monitors.
The three pipes rose higher and widened to become one fluid-holo screen; phosphorescent liquid flooded in. Holo-tech took over, and the waters roiled in a dizzying haze of stars and sparkles to dazzle the eye and settle into a majestic underwater terrain. Miko saw sea green-blue waters with coral and weeds wavering in warm currents. The effect was 4D; sound travelled in and around his head.
Miko looked on mesmerized. From where the sound of sloshing water came and underwater whale-sounds ended, he had no clue. Like multi-layered soundscapes of the most hypnotic sense, it appeared to come from inside his skull. But how could that be? He looked around, his head swimming. His eyes blinked. Colours of rainbow light streamed from the sky above down into the seawater.
A menacing array of fish appeared in the foreground. The men selected their avatars. Fenli chose a primitive shark of the Hybodus genus with a hooked nose. Teebla selected a blue killer whale. Its mouth opened with yawning mockery. Ribshot selected an ancient pike with grey-mottled skin and a blood-battered beak. Gayad, finally chose a curious blowfish, oval in shape, with lethal poison sacs hanging from its underbelly and a bristly maze of quills like a porcupine beast on its back. Rumour had it that such a creature could drop a large marine predator, if pricked in the right place.
The green light flashed and the enemy fish circled, eyeing one another with evil intent. They swam forward to confront each other, tails swishing menacingly.
Fenli pulled hard on his command toggles. The shark swam about the others, then Fenli thrust straight down, nose abreast the coral reef. Ribshot and Teebla darted after him, almost colliding with each other.
Fenli led them down, down, toward the bottom of the ocean. His powerful fins and monstrous tail brushed the jagged
