Copyright 2025 Randolph & LaFond
A Casting Darts Publishing Original
Written by LaFond & Randolph
Chapters 0-11 of 14 to be published as free open content at jameslafond.com. Chapters 12-14 to be published on substack behind Jeth Randolph’s paywall.
Digital and print galleys edited, designed, prepared and proofed, by Jeth Randolph, with assistance from Bran M Morn
Cover design by Jeth Randolph with assistance from Bran M Morn
Cover artwork by Sonja Rogatino
The Complete Work to be Published in sample proofs for the portfolio of the Casting Darts Staff, with copies signed and sent to Paul Vunak, the subject of this martial arts adventure, who has, since the 1980s, been a leading innovator in the arts of personal combat, a martial arts guru of genius who has forged on under the pal of controversy.
All Commercial PDF, Print, Audio, Audio-Visual and Stage Rights assigned to Mister Paul Vunak and his assigns, who has not been contacted about this project, but is it’s pirated protagonist, so therefore with apologies. We Sir, have burglarized your character, with the aim being to tender our respects to your contribution to Combat Methodology.
…
Dust Cover
Renegade martial arts instructor and controversial Jeet Kune Do Guru, Paul Vunak, innovator of the Vu Scale combatives matrix, instructor of the Vunakers, who has challenged the Grays to combat by way of innovating a practical combative approach to resisting their alien abduction, has been invited to instruct at a regional Modern Gladiator Convention in Joliet Illinois. What Paul had, in good faith, accepted as path back into the Jeet Kune Do Concepts brotherhood has turned sour by the first morning hour.
Still fit, still possessed of innovative combat wit, Paul repairs to the men’s room at the local high school to consider life anew in a sink back mirror. There, he comes face to face with his misunderstood and slandered plight, as reflected in the very dust of the inter-galactic light.
…
Dedicated to the inspirational writing of Kenneth Bulmer, writing as Alan Burt Akers in the 53 Dray Prescott novels between 1973-78. Upon the fictional world of Kregan, in the star system Antares, in the constellation of Scorpio. Bulmer’s excellent mythos is not encroached upon here, and simply stands as an example of the type of “Sword and Planet” adventure which the author’s have chosen to place Paul Vunak, as literal martial arts master to the intergalactic stars.
…
Inspirational Quotes
“What, are you crazy? You want me to send one of your crazy novels in which the hero usually dies in a terrible way, starring Vunak, to HIM? I don’t need you two fighting on my deck while my daughter makes you lemonade and wonders why Santa Clause and Patrick Swayze’s ghost are knocking over her mother’s flower pots!”
-Erique, holding the author’s backpack, in the middle of a Baltimore City Street, October 30, 2024
…
“Ah, I see. No one has ever accused Paul of not being able to fight. For my part I was beaten shit out of by Hoch [Hocheim] for five hours as his “stunt man” at a seminar where I had a terrible hangover. He was very respectful of Paul, and said training with him was “interesting.” In that light, I reckon your mate, Electric Dan, who thought this was such a good idea, I nominate that fine fellow for bag man—he does seem to hale from a heavy gravity planet, now doesn’t he?”
-Thursday, November 14, 2024, via a skype call framing the knavest sword and planet novel ever written.
…
Contents
The Entire Story spans a day, a night, and a day.
Part 1
-1. Like Water
Morning: Soul Searching, Vunak is Accosted by an Agent of Cruel Eternity.
-2. Stardust Express
Morning: Vunak is Transported to Planet Antares to Train Gladiators Snatched from Earth’s Violent History.
-3. The Galactic Fix is In
Noon: Vunak is Assigned “The Dirty Dozen You Wish You Had” to Combat the Best Warriors from History.*
-4. Your Captain!
Dusk: Team Vunak Must Chose a Captain by Word… or by the Sword, each Gladiator, other than the Captain, to enter his Lot into Fate’s Blue Cup.
-5. Upon the Scales of Right
Moon: Team Vunak Are Given a Night of Liberty in the Flesh Vaults of Antares. What could possibly go wrong? Yaas, and so it shall. The Red Team, meanwhile are nourished [dossed with galactic roids] and prepped for combat by the gray physicians to the gods of Antares.
Part 2
The malformed, doomed, down trodden, multitude of the damned, enslaved by the Lords of Scorpio, cheer for team Vunak out of the Blue Gate—mostly because they get fed to the venom sloths if they cheer the Royal Team out of the Red Gate.
ALL bouts are to the death.
Lots drawn, and Captain’s lots, are worn as brass neck tags. The Captain’s lot is not placed in the Fate cup.
The lot tags of the slain are thrown to the howling mob.
Survivor’s lots are not returned to the cup, but reserved for thirsty DUSK upon their throats.
The slain have their brains removed to be pureed and sipped from their skulls through straws made of their thighbones by the recumbent Scorpion Lords.
-6. Overture to Scorpio
Noon: Two champions, chosen by lot, are to fight with the Royal Weapons of the Scorpion Lords.
-7. Bloody Antares
Noon: Before the Blood Soaks into the Sacred Sand, each Team Captain leads two of his fellows, chosen by lot, against their foes, armed with their traditional weapons. Once a Captain is slain, a replacement Fate’s Captain is chosen by Lot. A team must have a Captain, as the Lords of Scorpio demand accountability.
-8. Champions of Scorpio
Afternoon: Each team advances one man chosen by lot to fight a Scorpion Knight [a main battle tank with a tail rather than a gun] simultaneously, he who lasts longest gaining for his team… a right honorable salute from their lords and masters.
-9. Naked Fray
Afternoon: After the bodies and weapons have been retrieved, each team advances a man for unarmed combat, chosen by lot.
-10. Knives of Scorpion
Afternoon: Each team advances a knife fighter, chosen by lot.
-11. Swords of Scorpio
Afternoon: Each team advances a select swordsman whose lot has not yet been drawn, or who is the Captain, Blue Gate advancing their man first. His lot is removed to the flames if he is slain. If not, his lot remains in the cup, or upon his neck if he be the Captain.
-12. Fists of Scorpion
Afternoon: Each team advances a boxer, chosen by lot, to fight with the hard leather cestus.
-13. Long Shadowed Sands
Dusk: The remaining members of each team battle to the death. Men whose lots remain in Fate’s cup, using their traditional arms, men who have survived a lot draw affray, wielding a Scorpion sword, as the shadows of the twin suns offsetting the day bring the night. The corner men, all three of them, arm up and participate in this battle.
-14. Redemption by Torchlight
True Night: Before the three moons of Antares streak the sky, the Lords of Scorpio demand a sanguine goodbye.
…
Notes
*The Lords of Scorpio have chosen for their champions, from the best examples of human combat history; chosen first, chosen the best, 9 champions, 1 alternate, a trainer, an assistant, and a lackey. These choices are being made by poling experienced martial artists. Electric Dan, in fact, took James Bowie from the Blue Team and placed him in the Red Team!
However, for the prole mob of Antares who are permitted once a year, as the twin suns set together, to cheer against their alien masters, their trainer, Paul Vunak, has been chosen by the trainer to the Scorpion Lords, hand-picking his own opposing corner. Additionally, Paul has been assigned two complete shitheads to assist him, West Country tradesman Jeth Randolph as assistant and Baltimore ghetto grocer and cult writer, James LaFond as lackey. Having been informed by their Lords and Masters of Scorpio, that they must select team Vunak from history’s rubbish bin [no Spartacus, Leonidas of Musashi for him] these two bearded grunts met by skype and, weirdly, agreed on the very first three picks, without consultation!
Chapter 3 introduces the Red Gate, the most qualified trainer in the universe, and 12 men chosen as combatants or corner men by respected martial artists.
The opponents, out of the Blue Gate, trained by Vunak, now second trainer of Antares and hopeful World Number One, are then introduced before the Lords of Scorpio and the mob whose plight they are meant to embody.
