Fight for the Future Part I
Posted on Thu Oct 2nd, 2025 @ 10:22am by Lieutenant Junior Grade Jack Hunter
Edited on on Sun Oct 5th, 2025 @ 8:28am
1,313 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
All Our Yesterdays
Location: USS Aquarius
Timeline: Five Days Prior to Arrival at Empok Nor
The lights in Cargo Bay 3 flickered as the crowd pressed in. Their voices a chaotic hum of excitement and tension. The lower decks of the U.S.S. Aquarius rarely saw anything this entertaining. On most nights, Cargo Bay 3 was used as a place for small gatherings, card games, tinkering with side projects, etc. It was sort of a leisure place. But tonight was different. Tonight, there was a fight. The space was set up for a poor man’s boxing match.
Word had spread fast. Lieutenant JG Jack Hunter versus Marine First Lieutenant Radek. The reason? Ensign Brill. Ensign Brill, a very young, scrawny engineer, had become Radek’s latest target. Brill was mocked in the mess hall, shoved around in the corridors, and humiliated in front of his peers. When Brill stumbled into engineering with a bloody lip and teary eyes, Jack knew it was Radek and it was time to act. No one messed with his team.
Radek, a brute of a man, and a bully among the crew, hadn’t backed down when Jack first confronted him about messing with his team. Instead, he’d grinned and issued a challenge: a fight. No weapons, no ranks, just fists. It was the ultimatum Radek gave Jack to resolve this, and Jack accepted.
The makeshift ring was nothing more than an arrangement of cargo crates, with rope to mark the boundaries of the ring. It was crude but functional. The immediate area surrounding the ring was packed. Junior staff, some of the engineers, a few of Radek’s friends from the marine barracks, and even an off-duty Lieutenant Commander who optioned to hide underneath his thick hoody rather than showing his face publicly. A marine field medic was present to clean up any injuries. They couldn’t report any of this to sickbay, it would have created more questions than anyone had time to answer.
The air was thick with sweat and anticipation, and the dull hum of the starship’s engines only added to the tension. Jack Hunter stood at one edge of the ring, wrapping the final layer of tape around his knuckles. His sharp blue eyes scanned the crowd, lingering briefly on Brill, who stood near the back, looking anxious and guilty.
Jack gave him a small nod.
This wasn’t about proving anything to Radek. It was about making sure Brill and the rest of his team knew that someone had their back. Jack had no regrets.
A voice came from behind him, “Got your head in the game, Lieutenant?”
Lieutenant JG Jax Renar, his closest colleague on ship, clapped him on the shoulder. He continued,
“Radek’s no pushover, you know.”
Jack smirked, rolling his shoulders to loosen up.
“Good. It’ll be more fun that way.”
Suddenly, a ripple through the crowd as Radek stepped into the Cargo Bay and walked toward the ring. Radek was almost triple Jacks size in both height and body mass. He walked slowly, like a tank, eyeing his audience and then into the ring, towering over everyone around him. He had thick arms, broad shoulders, and fists that looked like they belonged to a heavyweight champion. He grinned and flexed his arms as a few of his marine buddies cheered for him from the sidelines.
He locked eyes with Jack, his grin widening.
“Didn’t know you had it in you, Hunter,” he said, cracking his knuckles. “Hope you’re ready to bleed.”
Jack’s expression remained neutral, calm. “Hope you’re ready to mop it up.”
Jack knew he might not win this fight but kept his head in the game. He had to stay mentally strong. He had to show he wasn’t backing down.
A loud whistle cut through the chatter, signaling the start of the fight.
Radek wasted no time. He charged forward like a bull, throwing a powerful right hook aimed directly at Jack’s jaw. Jack ducked just in time, the punch whistling past his ear. He rolled to the side, light on his feet, and jabbed twice at Radek’s ribs. They were quick, precise blows designed to sting. Again, Jack wasn’t going to win this with strength. Radek was far superior in that category. But he knew he could win in speed and agility. His goal was to reduce Radek’s energy and tire him out. But something told him that that was easier said than done.
Radek grunted, clearly annoyed, and swung again, this time aimed for Jack’s midsection. Jack twisted, blocking the punch with his forearm, but the force sent a jolt of pain up his arm.
Radek pressed forward and launched a barrage of heavy blows.
Left.
Right.
Left again.
Jack dodged and blocked as best he could, but Radek’s power was undeniable. One solid punch to Jack’s ribs knocked him backward, forcing him to stagger into the ropes. The crowd roared with excitement, cheering for brutality. There was a quick 20 second break.
Round two.
Jack bounced off the ropes, his ribs aching, but his mind clear. He needed to fight smart.
Radek grinned, advancing again, eager to finish what he’d started. But this time, Jack didn’t wait. He feinted left, drawing Radek’s guard in the wrong direction, and delivered a sharp hook to the larger man’s jaw. Radek stumbled, surprised by the speed and precision of the hit.
Jack pressed the advantage, driving a fist into Radek’s stomach with a satisfying thud. Radek doubled over, gasping for breath, but Jack wasn’t done. He followed up with an uppercut to the jaw, snapping Radek’s head back and sending him staggering toward the ropes.
The crowd erupted in cheers and shouts. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Was the momentum of the fight suddenly shifting?
Radek was angry now. Very angry. His pride had been wounded. He then fought with a reckless fury. He threw wild punches in a desperate attempt to regain control. Jack dodged most of them, but one heavy blow caught him across the temple, sending him reeling.
The world spun for a moment, stars flashed across Jack’s vision. He shook his head, forcing himself to focus.
“Come on, Jack, you got this!” Jax said in his corner.
Radek charged at Jack again. This was it. Jack knew he had to end it now. Or Radek would.
As Radek lunged forward, Jack pivoted sharply to the side, using the larger man’s momentum against him. Radek stumbled, and in that split second of vulnerability, Jack struck a devastating combination of punches, one to the ribs, another to the jaw, and a final, powerful uppercut that sent Radek crashing to the floor.
The crowd went wild. The noise deafening as Radek lay sprawled on the floor, dazed and defeated. Jack, tired and hurt, knelt down with one knee next to Radek as he spat blood out onto the floor. Jack breathed hard, his knuckles throbbed from the impact.
“Stay down, Radek,” Jack muttered, his voice low but firm. “This fight’s over.”
Radek groaned, rolled onto his side, and started to get up. Jack couldn’t believe it and didn’t know what to do next.
Jack got up as well and stepped back. He had nothing left for this fight, but he held his ground and was ready for whatever came.
As Radek got up and readied his death blow, the doors to the Cargo Bay doors opened. The ship’s Executive Officer, Marine CO, four security officers and two marine guards, both as big as Radek, walked in. Armed.
A Post By
Lieutenant Junior Grade Jack Hunter
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
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