KUVO BANE
My rise to squad leader of the Drackon battalion on Mooreah was not an easy one. There were lots of missions that went wrong, but yeah, I survived. I was always the one to survive when I saw my brothers fall beside me. It was always a hard thing to face when a squad of twenty special operations Drackon went out into the field of battle for a stealth mission, and only one or two of us came back. I was always one of the two. It made me feel as though fate was on my side, but not in a good way. Fate was making me outlive my comrades, fate was making me watch them suffer before my eyes over and over, mission after mission. Fate was not on my side. It was mocking me. Therefore, I had to get away.
I could not give up my responsibility as a warrior and protector. It was in my blood. It was something that I needed. I could not stay idle for long. Any amount of time that I took off in leisure drove me insane. I needed to work. I needed to have a mission. I needed someone to protect. I needed to feel useful and needed. It was just part of who I was as a warrior in the alien race of Drackon. What use what is it to have these abilities to transform into a dragon and use my speed of flying and my extreme strength, without a purpose? It would be abilities wasted. I could not have that.
Yet after years of working on the battalion as the squad leader, I could no longer handle the sight of Drackon warriors falling to their death all around me. I could never help all of them. Even when I managed to drag a few wounded Drackon warriors to safety, only a few of them would make it out alive. It was a cruel time to be on Mooreah. There had been a rising of a radical group known as the purists within the last few months in the outlands, away from the capital city of Cerista. I knew that eventually it would spark into a massive civil war in another year or two. I did not want to be around for it. Perhaps that was cowardly of me, but I knew that I could not handle a battle in which I would have to watch many Drackon warriors die. I had reached my limit on those numbers.
So when my sergeant said he had a special assignment in the private sector on Earth, I took it. I didn't care what it was. All that I wanted was to get as far away from the Drackon race as possible. I took it without knowing exactly what it was, but it did not matter: I would take any assignment to get me out of Mooreah, and to keep me busy.
But I was not expecting to be assigned to such an ungrateful, spoiled brat of a human female. Ambassador Representative Andrene Novan was my main assignment. Her father was a very powerful and wealthy executive ambassador on the Earth Council. He had hired me to guard him and his daughter, with a focus toward guarding his daughter.
At first, it seemed easy enough. These humans were easy to defend against other humans. They were nothing compared to the size and strength of a Drackon army. This would be simple and it would keep me busy. It paid well, and kept me from going crazy from doing nothing. But that was before I met the subject of my assignment.
Ambassador Representative Andrene Novan, was unlike any human female I had ever seen. The moment her father flashed her holographic photo in front of me, I felt a stirring deep within. Her long black hair and big blue eyes pierced my soul. She was beautiful, but after I rescued her, she turned out to be not so beautiful on the inside.
She was brash, aggressive, and she whined a lot. She was not what I was expecting. She was an unbearable pain, and I had only known her for a few minutes. But from the moment I tried to rescue her when she jabbed her elbow into my scales and fought against me, fought against her own rescue, I knew that she was a force that I did not want to deal with. But it was too late, I was already on Earth, and I had already taken the assignment.
So I was glad when her father was utilizing me in the emergency services as well. I was more than happy to help with the rescue at the bombing of the embassy; it was busy work after all. It was busywork that was keeping me away from the prying eyes of Andrene. I caught her looking at me; her gaze landed squarely on my crotch and I knew exactly what she was thinking. She was sizing me up against human males. It was obvious that she was not a friend of the Drackon race. The way she looked at me, it was obvious that she despised the Drackon weredragons. All I could do was smile at her judgmental perusal of my body. The spoiled brat was going to be a pain in my ass. Great.
But something happened when I went out to the embassy gates to lift the car off a government official. I saw something that I was not expecting. I saw weaponry that was unmistakably Drackon. I knew the Partaba sect of humans orchestrated the attack, but why did they have Drackon weaponry? Something was going on here. When I returned to the emergency bunker, I moved immediately to Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan.
"Good work, Kuvo Bane. No one else could lift a car like that in the circumstances out there. You saved his life,” Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan said to me.
"Just doing my job sir,” I said to him. Then I leaned in and quietly said, “I saw something out there. Something I'm not proud of, but I must report.”
"What is it, Kuvo Bane?” he said.
"I saw weaponry that is Drackonian. There is no mistaking blasters like that,” I said to him.
"Where would the Partaba get Drackonian weapons?” he said to me.
"I do not know, sir. I can start looking into it immediately, if you wish,” I said to him.
"Yes, do that,” he said as he moved to the middle of the room and shouted, “Representatives! Gather around! My special guard Kuvo Bane has just informed me that there is Drackonian weaponry on site. As soon as all the wounded have been taken to the hospital, I call a meeting! We must figure this out now and prevent another attack from happening by taking action immediately!”
There was commotion over the room about the news of the Drackon weaponry. I looked over to Andrene; her eyes were narrowed in anger and she was staring directly at me. There was suspicion in her eyes and I knew that she thought I had something to do with the attack. It wouldn't be such a stretch to think that. Suddenly I, a Drackon warrior for hire, show up and then there is an attack with Drackon weaponry. It would make sense. But it would be a lie. But she was looking at me as though she had already made up her mind and in her eyes, I was guilty. I felt myself growing angry, as well as a sudden need to prove her wrong, just for the satisfaction of it. I wanted to shove her suspicion in her face. That would make me feel good.
Hours later, the wounded had been taken care of and the chaos was under control. All Representatives and officials had gone back to their apartments and it was now time for the evening meeting to discuss why Drackon weaponry had been found.
I knocked on the door and Ambassador Andrene Novan opened the door.
"Yes, what is it?” she said with her tone of smugness that I was already getting used to.
"Your father sent me to escort you to the meeting,” I said, looking straight ahead past her while standing at attention.
"I do not need an escort; I will be fine,” she said, turning her back on me.
"I have orders, and I will obey those orders. I suggest you do the same,” I said, finally looking at her directly in the face as she turned around with her mouth open. I knew what she was thinking: how dare I speak to her that way. I could see it all over her face, her spoiled, beautiful face.
"Maybe you didn't hear me. I said I do not need an escort. Please leave. I will go to the meeting on my own,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"No, your two options are to allow me to escort you, or to be thrown over my shoulder. It is your choice. The executive ambassador has given me permission to do so if you put up a fight. Clearly he knows you well,” I said with a smirk.
She huffed in anger and said, “Just a minute while I get my things,” as she stomped away from me. Why did every single action have to be a struggle with her? It was frustrating, and something that I was not used to, especially from a female.
"Fine, I'm ready,” she said as she shoved past me and walked ahead of me. I rolled my eyes, trailing behind her. I knew that she had grown up with security detail, and she knew that security went before the person in order to make sure it was clear. She was walking fast on purpose as her heels clicked in the hallway. She was being defiant and letting me, and everyone, know that she did not need security.
But at least from this angle I got a little treat, I could admire her full hips and ample ass in tight, black pants that were tucked into riding boots. Her black jacket and her black hair up in a bun let me know that at least she was dressed for a possible attack. It was much more sensible than the suit and high-heeled boots she wore earlier in the day. This was an outfit that would keep her camouflaged in the nighttime darkness as well as make her able to run if needed. I joked that it was part of my job to make sure she was sensibly dressed, but really I was just admiring her from behind.
I felt that familiar stirring once more as I looked at her. As she moved in front of me I caught something that I knew I had caught before when I had carried her to safety, but did not realize it until now. Earlier in the moment of the attack, there was little time for me to think of anything else other than focusing on my mission to get her to safety. But now that she was walking in front of me, I caught her strong scent, trailing off of her body and hitting me in the face. It was thick and alarming to me. Us Drackon were able to pick up this type of scent stronger than humans. This one particular scent was driving me wild.
"Hurry up, will you,” she shouted over her shoulder at me. I restrained myself from throwing her over my shoulder and taking her to the meeting, just to humiliate her. It wasn’t easy to do. I was not used to being spoken to in this way by a female. It was new. It was annoying. It was frustrating, but it was also challenging and stimulating. It was very different from the battlefields of Mooreah and watching my squad die around me. I would take a sassy human female over that scene any day.
"Thank you, Kuvo Bane, and now that Ambassador Representative Novan is here, we can get started,” Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan said as we walked into the meeting room.
The room was filled with male humans all in a position of power. As I looked around the room, I wondered if this was why Ambassador Representative Andrene Novan acted the way she did? She was the only female of high rank and that must not be easy, even on Earth. Suddenly it started to make sense to me, her defiance, and her need to prove that she did not need security detail. She was trying to be equal to the men that she worked with. I felt a bit of guilt for thinking otherwise; if anyone knew about working in political circles, it was me. It was not an easy feat amongst my own race of male Drackons; I could only imagine how difficult it would be for a one and only female.
"As most of you know, it has come to our attention that Drackon weaponry was used in the attack earlier today. Not only are the hostilities of the Partaba a shock to us, but now it is mysterious in that there seems to be a connection with the Drackon of Mooreah. We must figure this out as soon as possible. I believe that one of us should go to Mooreah and meet with King Caspin Rykor. It is better to do this face-to-face than to leave it to long-distance communication where much can be misinterpreted. Who among us will volunteer to go? You would leave immediately,” Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan said.
There was much commotion in the room as everyone began to shout and debate the actions that Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan was taking. But there was one voice that stood out, and my heart fell to my stomach when I heard it.
"I will go! I, Ambassador Representative Novan, volunteer to go!” Andrene shouted amongst all the voices. One by one, the voices quieted in the room and everyone turned to look at her, including her father.
"What?” Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan said, moving over to her.
"I volunteer to go. I will be the one to go to Mooreah and discuss the incident with the king. I will be the one to find out exactly what is going on and report back to the embassy,” she said with confidence and without any fear in her voice. Clearly she did not know how dangerous Mooreah was at the moment. But I had to admit that her bravery and her appetite for adventure impressed me. It was not what I was expecting from a spoiled rich girl, and she managed to surprise me.
"No, I will not allow it. Now, who volunteers to go to Mooreah?” Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan shouted to the room. There was commotion once more, and another representative spoke up and said, “Perhaps we should allow Ambassador Representative Novan to be the one to go to Mooreah. It makes the most sense, if you think about it. She is a woman, and it will be seen as a message of peace and not one of hostility if a woman is sent."
There were murmurs of agreement in the room as everyone nodded their heads yes to the statement. I had to admit that he was right. King Caspin Rykor would be more agreeable to a female, especially because his mother was a human female. It made the most sense to me that a female be sent to figure out the matter of the weaponry used in the attack, but her father did not think so.
"No, I will not allow that action to take place and Representative Novan will not be going to Mooreah,” Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan said.
"Will you not allow her to go because she is not up to the job, or because she is your daughter? You cannot play favorites in the council of the embassy,” another representative shouted. There were shouts of agreement as it began to grow heated. I looked over at Andrene. She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled; she was getting her way, and the entire council was behind it. They would make her father look like a biased Ambassador if he did not allow her to go, in which case he could lose his position. She played it smart by volunteering in front of everyone for a job that no one wanted.
"If that is your wish,” Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan said to Andrene.
"It is. I have grown up in the embassy and I have been an ambassador representative for years. I am more qualified for this job than anyone in the room; let me go,” she said, standing up tall.
"Then you shall have Kuvo Bane beside you as your personal security detail; that is the only way,” Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan said.
I heard Andrene suck in a sharp breath of air in frustration. She looked over at me and narrowed her blue eyes. Through gritted teeth, she said, “Then it is settled.”
"It is settled then. You leave first thing in the morning. The rest of you, gather all your reports to be transferred to Ambassador Representative Andrene Novan's data files. She will need all the information available on this attack, including maps, destruction list, wounded list, and a list of the weaponry found. Flight control, ready our fastest ship with a crew of four to depart at first light!” Executive Ambassador Cavell Novan shouted giving orders.
The room erupted into action, everyone taking on the responsibilities. Then I saw Andrene's father walk over to her and quietly say in her ear, “Do not fuck this up. It is not only your position riding on this, but mine as well. I will not have your incompetence ruin a career that I have held for more than twenty years. Stick to the agenda and say exactly the speech I give you to say to the king, verbatim. Do not go off script. Do as you are told and all will go as planned. You will be in and out of Mooreah in forty-eight hours so as not to linger long enough for you to mess it up,” he said sternly and without any tone of respect or concern for a daughter that was about to go on a mission to another planet, a very dangerous planet with only me as her guard. He walked away without as much as a hug or a word of good luck or support. Andrene’s eyes followed her father with hate, and I noticed her fists clenched at her sides.
Then she stomped across the room and out the door. I followed her, not giving up on my responsibilities to protect her.
"Where are you going? You should not leave the room without informing me,” I said trailing after her.
"Come if you want. I am going back to my apartment. I have communication calls and arrangements to make, and to get my affairs in order before we depart,” she shouted at me without even looking behind her.
I followed her across the courtyard of the damaged embassy back to her apartment. When she got to the door, she looked at me and said, “Stand guard out here if you want to. I need my privacy." She went inside and slammed the door in my face. I sighed in frustration. There was no point standing outside her door when we were leaving in a matter of hours. I would need to make arrangements of my own to make sure that the ship was well equipped with everything that I would need to make sure she entered Mooreah safely and returned back to Earth and to the embassy. But mostly, I just needed to get away from her scent. How was I going to deal with it in the close confines of a ship, and constantly trailing her for her own protection?
I moved away from her apartment to the flight control preparations. It was good to get my mind off of the human female that frustrated me so and to do some work. I had to make sure that the ship was equipped with firepower on the outside as well as artillery on the inside. It needed to have survival kits as well as perfect navigation and communication lines.
When I went back to the apartment building to check on the progress of my new client, something caught my attention. Being a Drackon warrior made you very aware of all spaces around you, including the roof of a building. I stopped and looked up and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Was she absolutely nuts? Was she trying to make my job harder on purpose, out of spite? I quickly shifted into weredragon form and then flew up on top of the roof landing next to her.
"Holy crap! Are you trying to scare the shit out of me, you stupid creature?” she shouted at me.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed by sitting up here?” I shouted back at her.
Her eyes widened and she got to her feet and came directly at me. She was petite, but most humans were to me. She tilted her head back and looked at me with glaring eyes and said, “Just because you protect me does not mean you can tell me what to do! I will sit up here if I want to!” she shouted.
"Yes, sitting on the roof of a building is a very smart thing to do hours after being bombed,” I shouted back at her.
"Well… I can't leave without seeing them! And not you nor my father will stop me from that,” she said as she pointed away from the embassy.
"Seeing what?" I asked as I followed her finger to where she was pointing. She was pointing over the tall cement walls of the embassy out into the safari range fields. There in the darkness, I saw large beasts moving slowly, and then they made loud noises, sounding like trumpets or horns.
"Are those…” I asked as I took a few steps toward the edge of the roof.
"They are elephants. They are everything to me. They are beautiful and majestic and I am sorry to be leaving them. The one solace I have being stationed here is the beautiful wildlife that surrounds us. We hardly deserve to be in their presence,” she said, taking steps toward the edge of the roof. Her eyes became watery, and I was seeing a different side to her. I never would have thought that a spoiled, arrogant brat would care anything about creatures of the wild on her planet, yet here she was showing me that she cared. Here she was alone on the roof watching them when no one else at the embassy was doing the same.
"You will see them again when we return,” I said, trying to comfort her.
She looked at me startled, and then said, “Yes, I suppose you are right. But just in case, I like to be prepared. You never know what could happen on a mission; this could be the last time I see them,” she said with her voice trailing off quietly.
I looked at her. I looked at the elephants. I look down at the courtyard of the embassy noticing that it was very quiet.
"Do you really want to see them?” I asked her.
"What..?" she asked, but before she could finish asking the question, I picked her up and flew off of the roof. I flew over the fence of the embassy and took her out into the fields, flying above the majestic, large beasts.
I expected to hear her protest and shouts, but instead she was quiet, and then I heard her giggle slightly. I held her tight in my arms against my body, and although it was hard for me to keep some sense of composure and not flip her around to kiss her, it felt good to give her this gift.
"They are absolutely beautiful,” I heard her whisper as I flew her over the herd of elephants in the dark of the night. She was thoroughly enjoying the moment and I heard her take a deep breath of air, as though relieving a lot of stress. It was fun, even for me. I had not done such a simple flight for fun in a very long time. Flying had always been part of a mission for me; it reminded me of simpler times as a youngling before my training for the battalion began.
After ten minutes of flying, I took her back to the embassy, landing near the front door of the apartment building. I set her down on her feet with her back to me. Then, we both just stood there. Her body was still pressed against mine and I couldn't seem to unwrap my arms from her body. With her back to me pressed against the front of my body, her breathing grew heavy. I could feel her heartbeat racing. She said nothing. I said nothing. With her hair up in a bun, her long, elegant neck was exposed to me. I lowered my head just above it, my lips aching to press against her flesh. But just when I was about to place a kiss on her, she took a step forward. I immediately snapped out of the hypnotic hold she had on me and stood at attention, remembering that she was a client.
"I will see you in the morning for departure,” she said with her back still to me, only a few steps in front of me. She did not turn around. Instead, she walked directly toward the door of her apartment and walked inside.
"Fuck, Kuvo... get a hold of yourself. She is an assignment and nothing more. You must reel it in for the mission tomorrow,” I said as I flew straight up into the air and out of the embassy. I needed to blow off some steam after being so riled up by her closeness to my body. I flew hard and fast over the savannas. I could hear the roar of various large predators hunting in the night. It was good. It was primal. I felt in my element, a creature amongst creatures.