Page 1 of Captured By the Dragon Warrior
CHAPTER 1
SERGEANT RAMPON MOLWYNOG
The distribution center’s windows were shattered, the sliding doors stuck half-open, and it looked as though someone had thrown red paint onto the walls. While open windows and doors spoke of theft, I doubted that was the goal at all because these centers gave away their goods to all who asked. No, the purpose for the destruction had been to harm and cause fear.
I directed Specialists Boupha and Munni inside and checked our rear before joining them. We weren’t in full gear and didn’t anticipate a problem from the locals, but we had arrived in a small shuttle that probably hadn’t gone unnoticed, even at this late hour. The last thing we wanted was to stir up any trouble with the humans, and that included scaring them further.
Prince Ye Lena had tasked me with investigating the destruction of several of our distribution centers in the area. Positioned in small business districts and surrounded by homes, the centers we had visited so far tonight had each been broken into and vandalized in similar ways. I hadrecorded symbols and phrases in different handwriting and colors, as well as some disturbing artwork of Ceros like me spewing fire from their mouths. Since fire was one of the single most damaging weapons a combatant could use against us, I counted such depictions as a threat. I also wondered how they knew to draw such a picture.
Goddess, I didn’t understand humans. I knew that not all of them felt the way the Humans First ones did, but so many of them still chose a cause and fought for it regardless of whether it made any sense. They called it dying on a hill. Strategically, one did want to own the high ground during a land offensive, but the goal wasn’t to die there.
Was I using the wrong word? Was the expression defending a hill? English was a very strange language at times and some humans spoke it unnecessarily fast.
Regardless, the causes they seemed to choose to defend on their hills often meant they intended to force their beliefs on others. Some humans weren’t at all inclined to allow their fellows to live their lives on their own terms. They did not mind their own business.
Such confusing creatures.
The ones who had vandalized this distribution center were as bewildering as ever. They had broken as much as they could reach and painted on the rest. Vials of nanobots were strewn about, slicking the floors, and rendering them useless. Why would anyone want to destroy something used to heal? It made no sense.
“Sir,” Boupha said as she handed me a crumpled piece of paper.
I took the thing—paper was such a waste of natural resources—and read the blocky handwriting. It was a checklist.Breaking into and destroying a center was at the top. Halfway down was a directive to capture “an alien” and ransom “it” back to the rest. They wanted to force us to leave by taking our people hostage.
I handed the paper back to Boupha. “We’re leaving.”
Just as I said that, two explosions rang out behind me. A moment later projectiles impacted the back of my right biceps. I cried out at the unexpected pain and dodged to the side with Boupha.
“Are you injured?” she whispered.
“It’s fine.” From what I knew about bullets after the prince consort was shot protecting his future mate, I would have to remove them soon or else my body would heal around them and risk infection. “Are you injured?” I asked Boupha, knowing I’d only heard two shots, but needing to be certain.
“No, sir.”
“Four!” I hollered.
“Seven!” Munni answered, indicating that he was uninjured and concealed.
I could hear someone breathing heavily and the squish of another’s slow footsteps. There was also a strong scent of something I couldn’t identify that was sweet and somewhat flowery. At least two of the humans smelled of the stuff as well as body odor.
Boupha held up three fingers, her claws out.
I nodded. We could easily dispatch three humans, but doing so would only make everything my people were trying to accomplish on this strange planet that much harder to do. It would strengthen support for Humans First if they had martyrs to point to. No, engaging them as an enemy was the wrongway to proceed.
“Two. Ten,” I said loudly and clearly.
“The fuck are they saying?” one of the humans whispered harshly from the other side of the room.
“Two. Ten,” Munni confirmed.
Boupha’s shoulders drooped, and I knew she was disappointed that we were leaving the building. Retreating. I hated to do it as well, but it was necessary.
I encouraged her to move around me and head for the back exit opposite the humans, hoping Munni would go that way as well. Once I knew they were outside, I would leave. Boupha slipped through a doorway, deeper into the darkness of the backrooms.
A shot rang out, and I ducked back down.
“What is it?” one of the humans yelled, sounding like they were panicking. “Why are you shooting?”
“Shut up!” another answered.
