10 Big Fig Wasp

The Narikesh-Ni, a humanoid bird race known for their intelligence and tactical procedures, they helped in the ancient Garvasken war back in the 1202nd quadrant years. The Lelenta, a race of beings, their bodies comprising of metal objects formed on their planet, giving them consciousness and life. Their body is purely mechanical with a foggy membrane underneath to keep it stable, the Lelenta are the same race who have created the Quiz'heir Mazak which all races in the galaxy are in a contract with, the Lelenta being a mostly peaceful race who can even survive in outer space without any sort of suit or oxygen.

The connection between both the Nankesh-Ni and the Lelenta is purely from the solar system they reside in, or resided in before their own subsequent space ages, conveniently, the Lelenta were the ones who helped the Nankesh-Ni go into their own space age. The Lelenta in the Tysono Markis solar system on planet Ub'aradee, the Nankesh-Ni in the same solar system on the planet Yulbeph.

Ub'aradee lays in orbit farther away from the sun causing the Lelenta's odd evolutionary process while the Nankesh-Ni evolved to be the way they are through pure convenience, like how Humans almost become aquatic-based mammals before staying on the surface, they evolved to be bird people since it would help their evolutionary chain in survivability but instead stayed that way, continuously evolving until they finally became the Nankesh-Ni. A few years after the Nankesh-Ni had come to become the Nankesh-Ni, the Lelenta, in their own space-age, encounters the Nankesh-Ni's planet, collaborating with them, and bringing them as well into the space age.

Combined, they have become one of the more powerful star nations within the National Pientris.

Commentaries from the Abyss, Ludis Minor, Commander of Terra.

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The Gambler, after thinking for a while, comes up with a game, "Let's play a simple game where we bet on money, is that fine?"

Terris nods, "Why not? Let's do it, what's the game?"

"We'll go really simple for this one, Blackjack!" The Gambler, with a flick of his wrist, does a magic trick, a deck of cards appearing seemingly from nowhere.

Terris grins, "That really is simple."

Ren leans towards the Gambler, "What's blackjack?"

"Blackjack is a game wherein you go over twenty-one with the cards you have, you lose, but if you get twenty-one, you win, if you get lower than your opponent, you lose." The Gambler explains as Terris leans over the table some.

"Want it digital or do you want to use your deck?"

The Gambler puts away his deck by flicking his wrist again, "I don't want you to suspect I'm cheating so I'll put these away. Does the digital one not allow you to cheat, that is the question?"

Terris nods slowly, "It does not allow anyone to cheat, if they do they will automatically be penalized, including me."

The Gambler turns to the drone over his shoulder, "Is he lying?"

The drone bleats, "No."

Terris is slightly confused since the Gambler stopped speaking Terrian, "Okay!" The Gambler immediately goes back to speaking Terrian. "Do we put the cards on our Pauldrons?"

Terris shakes his head, putting thoughts of suspicion to the back of his head, "Yes, we will plug it in... here!" Terris presses a button on the table and a massive tablet emerges, USB plugs on the side of it, "Just plug your Pauldron in here and it should be fine."

"Alright." The Gambler plugs his Pauldron in and Terris does the same.

"On your Pauldron, you'll get your cards and some of them will appear on the screen here," Terris points to the massive tablet on the table. "Of course, your first card will not be visible while the other will." Terris claps his hands together, "Shall we? What are you betting first?"

The Gambler takes some time to think, "Is ten million credits fine?" Ren looks to the Gambler, astonished.

"Ten million!? Gamble-"

"It's gambling, you have to bet a lot if you're facing someone this big after all, plus the money I'm using isn't mine, it's from others I've already won a bet against."

Ren immediately goes to a blank expression as if realizing what she said was stupid, leaning into the couch they're sitting on. Terris smiles, "You ready? I'm betting ten mil as well." Terris snaps his fingers in realization, "Actually, wouldn't it be better if we accurately log all of your cash?"

The Gambler nods, "We can see how much money we have in total and can bet through the screens if we do this?"

"Yes."

Loa goes over to the Gambler's bag, grabbing it.

"Loa, bring that to the scanner in my room."

Loa nods, lumbering out the room, "It'll register through my computer."

The Gambler nods, patiently waiting. After a few minutes pass, Loa returns with the bag, all of the chips the Gambler gained still in it. "You didn't remove the chips?" The Gambler asks, examining the bag.

"No need, we could just take what was needed after the game."

The Gambler gives an impressed expression, "Shall we start?"

Terris nods, chuckling lightly, "Yes, let's pass the cards."

"Can I have my drone look over the game?" The Gambler asks, stopping the game from starting.

"Sure, why not."

"The drone will be the dealer then."

Terris nods as the drone plugs itself into the tablet, immediately passing the cards to both of them through their Pauldrons.

What the Gambler sees: On the cards are unique designs compared to Earth's but it's the same concept. The first cards that the Gambler got was a king of spades and a two of hearts, making his number fifteen. The king of spades is faced down on the tablet wherein they can both see each other's cards. The gambler examines the tablet as two cards appear in Terris's deck, one faced down, while the other which is faced up is a seven of diamonds. The Gambler thinks about his next decision, tapping the Pauldron to call for another card. A two of spades, the Gambler clicks his tongue and folds.

Terris folds as well, not changing his hand by adding another card. After they both folded, the down-facing cards flip over revealing what they had. The Gambler, seventeen, Terris, seventeen, his card that was faced down being a queen of hearts. A draw.

The Gambler sighs as they begin the next round.

What Terris sees: The instant the next round starts, Terris is both disappointed and happy at the same time, staring with a faced down two of diamond and a face-up three of hearts. Disappointed by how low his beginning hand was but happy that he could possibly turn it around, including how he would technically have a lesser chance of going over twenty-one compared to the Gambler, who's card which is faced up is a king of spades, unlike last round, it is the card which is faced up rather than faced down. Terris taps his Pauldron, another card coming in, starting with five and now having a solid thirteen through an eight of hearts.

Terris resists the urge to click his tongue, annoyed by his chances. Thirteen, being an odd number, could ruin his entire game because the instant he gets a high number, he'll lose, but if he gets a number too low, he can lo-

The Gambler clicks his tongue as he automatically loses, going over twenty-one.

Terris chuckles in relief, "Well, looks like the ten mil that you have is mine now."

The Gambler stares at the tablet, disappointed. "I want to double it."

Terris raises his eyebrows, "Really now?"

"Yes."

Loa leans in to whisper in Terris's ear, "He-"

Loa is cut off by Terris, "I'll bet double as well then."

Loa sighs, going back to standing in the corner of the room.

The game starts again. The cards that are flipped upward, the Gambler's is a five of hearts while Terris's is an ace of spades. Terris begins thinking, 'I'm unlucky, I don't have a ten so that renders my ace of spades useless, stuck as a one so now I have eight.' The card faced downward being a seven of spades.

Terris taps his Pauldron, getting a queen of hearts. 'If I turn my ace into an eleven now, I'm fucked.' Terris folds, waiting for the Gambler to make his decision. The Gambler folds, losing again. Terris had eighteen while the Gambler stayed at fifteen, his downward card being a jack of clovers. The Gambler curses under his breath, Terris chuckling to himself. 'Was this guy just a dumbass who got lucky?'

"I'll give you eighty mil."

Ren looks over to the Gambler, "That's all the money we'd have left! Gambler!"

"It'll be fine!" The Gambler sneers as Terris nods.

"I will respond in tandem," Terris says chuckling, "Actually! I'll double what you're giving me, I'll bet one hundred and twenty million credits! How about that?"

"Then I will do the same, I bet eighty and one of my drones which equals your one hundred and twenty!"

Terris nods as the game begins again. The end result, the Gambler wins.

The Gambler had gotten a perfect twenty-one through a jack and ace combination, folding in the first few seconds of starting while Terris had a nineteen. The Gambler jumps up in excitement, earning his money back, Terris chuckles. "You willing to leave after that?" Terris says, provoking the Gambler. "You got lucky once, wanna try it again?"

The Gambler sits back onto the couch quickly, "I'll bet more if you want!"

Terris sighs, 'He'll never be able to do that again, the other rounds, he kept losing when he could've won, he's too stupid to get another win.' Terris thinks to himself. "I'll bet thirty percent of this casino's earnings. You know very well how much that'd be."

The Gambler chuckles, taking it in, "I'll do it, I'll bet my life on it."

"What!?"

"I'll become your slave until I pay off a debt of your choosing. I can't give you my ship and if I give you too many drones... well. I just can't do that, I also can't give you this suit either, it is as necessary to my survival as my ship is, so I'll become a slave."

Ren chimes in, "Don't do that... I..."

The Gambler pats Ren on the back, "It'll be fine!"

Terris chuckles, "I accept the bet."

The Gambler smiles, "Another round then!"

One card faced down - the second card, faced up. Terris chuckles to himself, shaking his head. 'This kid doesn't know what he's getting himself into.'

"I fold."

Terris looks across the table to see the Gambler staring back at him as the abyss would. A massive wicked smile coming across his face causing Terris to recoil back into his chair, blinking, seeing the Gambler's expressive face once again, worry, happiness. Terris shakes his head as he looks to the tablet, thinking that what the Gambler had said was just a bluff, that he didn't actually fold. He did.

Terris assumed that he had a good deck so once Terris had gained twenty in total and folded, he expected he'd win. It took Terris too long to realize the cards set in front of him by the Gambler, again, twenty-one. An ace of hearts and a jack of cloves. Terris looks over to the Gambler, staring back at him was an empty expression that was on the brink of disgust. Terris felt a chill run up his spine as the Gambler leaned across the table. "Are you a liar Terris?"

"No...?"

Immediately, a smile appeared back onto the Gambler's face, "Great!"

"How did you...?"

"Luck. I did nothing to influence the game, it was just luck."

"Shit..."

"Do you want to go again?"

Terris bit down on his lower lip, "Why don't we play another game as a rematch?"

"Sure!"