leftenant Commander Keanu Vance had been briefed on many things during his time serving in the intergalactic Peace Corp how to diffuse a gamma core detonation in under 20 seconds the delicate etiquette of dining with the photosynthetic Aristocrats of the gr dominion and most importantly what to do when confronted by an enraged heavily armored 12-ft tall Alien dragon in a confined space none of those briefings had adequately prepared him for his current situation he sat hands flat on on the control panel before him heart hammering in his chest the room around him was dimly lit by
cold blue light strips lining the curved walls the air thick with the scent of sterilized metal and faint ozone monitors on either side of him flickered with indecipherable data scanning frequencies and one particularly insistent screen displaying what he could only assume was a threat assessment labeled an enormous flashing alien script extreme termination probability across from him crouched and looming was the Alien dragon in question Vance had seen a lot of terrifying things he had once watched a singularity engine collapse an entire moon in real time he had spent three Sleepless days being hunted through an
abandoned space station by a sentient carnivorous fog he had even attended a diplomatic Summit on pricky Prime where the appetizers were very much still alive and capable of biting back none of it compared to this the creature in front of him was massive its scaly hide laced with glimmering cybernetic enhancements neonblue data veins pulsing beneath armored plating two Wicked curving horns framed its reptilian face and its eyes sharp brilliant and disturbingly intelligent fixed on him with unsettling intensity its tail adorned with serrated metallic ridges idly coiled and uncoiled like a cat that had just spotted
something it very much wanted to play with and eat Vance swallowed hard he did not speak the alien's language that much had been made painfully clear to him during his short violently interrupted briefing before this meeting but he had been assured assured that the dragon also did not speak standard galactic which was why he was now sitting in a cold sweat listening as the dragon spoke freely and understanding every single word this insignificant flesh sack has no idea what's about to happen to him the dragon said voice reverberating like distant Thunder through the chamber it's
more Twisted into what could only be described as a smirk perhaps I'll start by removing his limbs one by one or should I be merciful and simply reduce him to a smoking husk immediately decisions decisions Vance inhaled sharply through his nose and forced himself not to react this was a test it had to be his job was simple sit look confident do not betray that he understood the moment the dragon suspected that he could comprehend its threat things would escalate very very quickly it is truly a wonder how these fragile creatures managed to persist across
the cosmos the dragon continued its tail flicking perhaps their tenacity is some kind of biological compensation for their glaring inadequacies such amusing little Apes Vance fought the urge to roll his eyes he had heard worse the Diplomatic officer a weedy bureaucrat with the survival instincts of a concussed squirrel had explicitly warned him that this particular species the drao thrived on intimidation their warriors were raised from birth to dominate in battle and their leaders especially this one high warlord zarth operated on a strict doctrine of strength and fear and yet here was the mighty zarth monologuing
like a third rate villain in a hollow drama Vance felt his initial Terror slowly giving way to something far more dangerous annoyance the dragon exhaled sharply the sound like a furnace igniting well then zarth rumbled perhaps I shall keep you alive long enough to amuse myself do you scream in interesting ways I wonder that did it Vance blinked turned his head just slightly and very deliberately let out a soft unimpressed sigh zarth froze the dragon's eyes narrowed to razor thin slits its nostrils flared its massive head tilted just enough to indicate suspicion interesting the warlord
murmured far too quietly for Vance's comt Comfort did you just understand me Vance had approximately 2 seconds to make a choice he could feain ignorance play dumb hope that the dragon dismissed his reaction as coincidence or a slow dangerous grin spread across his face you're not nearly as scary as you think you are he said in perfect drao silence absolute deafening silence for the first time in what Vance assumed was a very long time zarth looked completely utterly stunned the monitors around them flickered somewhere in the distance an automated system made a very concerning noise
and then what it wasn't a question it was a statement of pure existential disbelief Vance leaned back in his chair folding his arms as if he hadn't just intentionally shattered the illusion of control in one of the Galaxy's most feared Warlords did I stutter he asked still in perfect drao sarath's tail thumped against the floor hard enough to send a visible shock wave through the reinforced metal his claws flexed his cybernetic enhancements hummed how Vance Shrugged I have very good ears impossible well clearly not because here we are having a lovely little chat about how
you're terrible at threats for one Blissful moment there was no reaction and then the room exploded into motion zarth lunged Vance dodged the monitors on either side of him exploded as razor sharp claws tore through the control panels like paper Sparks erupted in violent Showers of Light bathing the chamber in flickering blue and red as alarms blared in frantic Wing warning tones Vance hit the ground and rolled just in time to avoid being turned into a fine paste the warlord snarled his massive form coiled and ready to strike again you have made a grave mistake
human Vance wiped a smudge of dust from his sleeve and grinned no he said you have and then he activated the emergency protocol with a single tap of his wrist console the entire room dropped into zero gravity Zara's Roar of Fury was cut off mid snarl as his 12-ft bulk was suddenly and violently yanked upward limbs flailing as the ship's artificial gravity shut down Vance who had been expecting this spun gracefully in the air catching himself on the ceiling and kicking off toward the nearest exit I would love to stay and chat he called over
his shoulder but you see I actually enjoy being alive so Zara's tail lashed out Vance Twisted narrowly avoiding decapitation as the reinforced metal door hissed open before him he shot through the corridor the sounds of enraged alien screaming and the distant crackle of security turrets activating in his wake somewhere deep within his very Soul he knew this was going to be a very very long day Vance had precisely 4 seconds to appreciate his Escape before the the entire ship violently protested his existence B the overhead lights flashed red blah the alarm system launched into full-blown
apocalypse mode and somewhere behind him high warlord zarth let out a roar that made every cell invance his body strongly reconsider being alive the good news he'd gotten away the bad news he was still on the ship and the ship judging by the way every door in the corridor slammed shut ahead of him had just entered lock down great Vance muttered spinning midair in the zero gravity Corridor he reached for his wrist console flicking through ship schematics faster than a gambler flipping bad cards come on give me a a horrifying metallic Screech cut through the
air behind him Vance did not turn around he absolutely did not need to see what that sound was he knew it was zarth clawing his way toward him which was absurd zerog gravity was supposed to neutralize things like sheer brute strength but of course the warlord had claws didn't he and those claws were currently sinking into the walls ripping through metal like wet tissue paper Vance took a deep breath and then he did what he did best he improvised aggressively he aimed his wrist console at the nearest ventilation hatch and hacked it open with a
single override command the panel hissed a blast of pressurized air erupted outward Vance grabbed onto the edge of the hatch and shup yanked himself inside just as Z arth's claws swiped through the empty space where his face had been coward The warlord's Voice boomed from the corridor Vance's laughter was mostly adrenaline buddy he called over his shoulder wriggling through the tight metal duct I prefer the term strategic thinker the ventilation shaft was cramped dark and probably filled with enough questionable particles to shave at least three years off his lifespan but it was also a temporary
safe Zone emphasis on temporary because two things happened at once first the ship's security system figured out where he was second zakath stopped being mad and started being smart a terrible silence filled the corridor and then a low calculated growl you do not know what you're dealing with human Vance had exactly zero interest in finding out he kept moving crawling faster sweat beating at the back of his neck he needed an exit a way off this ship before things got worse his wrist console pinged Escape pods detected oh hell yes Vance Twisted kicked open the
next duct panel and dropped into a cargo bay the room was big bigger than he'd expected massive steel crates were stacked High against the walls secured with high tension straps the floor was lined with impact resistant plating and across the bay lined up like metallic lifeboats were the Escape pods Vance's feet barely touched the floor before the alarm escalated to critical levels the ship's automated defenses activated turrets unfolded from the ceiling security drones word to life and the exit hatched to the Escape pods locked down with a hydraulic hiss because of course it did Vance
exhaled sharply through his nose all right fine he could work with this step one don't die step two steal an escape pod step three get the hell out of here the first problem arrived immediately her voice crackled through the ship's intercom interesting zarth mused sounding almost amused you truly think you can escape human Vance rolled his shoulders Define escape a brief pause and then softly you are already dead Vance tensed because that was not a threat that was a statement of fact and it was not directed at him it was directed at the Escape pods
Vance's stomach plum hair cold sinking realizations slammed into him the pods weren't locked down to stop him from escaping they were locked down because they were rigged to detonate his fingers clenched all right new plan he wasn't escaping in a pod which meant he needed another way out his mind raced what did he have a cargo bay a hostile alien warlord and a ship full of things that exploded his pulse steadied okay okay maybe he couldn't escape just yet but he could absolutely make himself a problem Vance's fingers flew over his wrist console and then
he hacked the cargo locks the straps securing the heavyduty steel crates snapped free the ship's artificial gravity was still offline which meant the crates launched upward a wall of several tons of unrestrained cargo shot toward the ceiling the turrets tried to adjust they failed several crates collided midair sending cpel ricocheting across the bay the drones helpless in the chaos were smashed to pieces and in the middle of it all Vance ran he bolted for the opposite hatch skidding across the floor dodging the falling wreckage pulse hammering the intercom crackled again clever zarth admitted but it
will not save you Vance didn't stop because he wasn't trying to be saved he was trying to level the playing field and he had one last trick left the cargo Bay's manual override was right ahead and Vance with zero hesitation slammed his palm against it the ship shuddered a deep metallic groan filled the air and then the cargo bay doors opened every unsecured crate drone and piece of debris was violently sucked into the void Vance who had very wisely secured himself to the nearest safety tether watched as the chaos erupted outward into the abyss of
space for a fraction of a second he caught sight of Zak's reflection in a flickering monitor the warlord stood in the corridor beyond the cargo bay watching calculating and then softly he smiled and Vance knew this wasn't over not by a long shot but for now he had bought himself time and in his experience time was all he ever needed the cargo bay was eerily quiet now the debris had been swallowed by the void and the only thing left was the distant hum of the ship's systems struggling to compensate for the loss of mass Vance
hung onto the safety tether breathing heavily his wrist console flickered as it recalibrated from the shock wave of pressure loss for a brief fleeting moment he thought just maybe he had gained the upper hand then the intercom crackled that was amusing zarka's voice came through laced with something dangerous not anger not frustration Amusement Vance's stomach dropped zakath had enjoyed that there was no rage in his voice no threats just curiosity you are not like the others the warlord mused the ones who came before you were predictable weak but you a pause you break things Vance
exhaled sharply through his nose yeah well I have a gift indeed there was a click a sound too subtle to mean anything good Vance's wrist console pinged violently his entire suit locked up his limbs seized Panic flooded his mind as his muscles refused to respond the safety teest that had just saved his life was now an anchor did you truly believe I would not plan for this Zar cath's voice was closer now too close Vance tried to move his fingers twitched uselessly his boots felt welded to the deck the safety tether retracted pulling him slowly
mercilessly back toward the corridor and then zarth stepped through the hatch unscathed unaffected and smiling Vance had never truly understood the meaning of power until that moment not in the way arth radiated it the dracoth warlord wasn't just a brute he wasn't some Savage with cybernetic implants he was a tactician one that had just played Vance like a fool did you know zarth continued that humans have a peculiar reputation among the dominions he crouched eyes gleaming in the flickering emergency lights you adapt you survive but most importantly Vance gritted his teeth you refuse to accept
the reality in front of you zarth pressed a single clawed finger to Vance's Temple and then everything collapsed the memory was not his it slammed into him like a ship breaking apart in an atmosphere a vision no an intrusion it wasn't human it was dracoth the air was thick with Ash and smoke a battlefield the sky burned with dying Stars a younger zarth stood at the edge of a ruined City his blade dripping with human blood and At His Feet bodies soldiers diplomats civilians Ian a massacre but not at his hands not at any draco's
hands they had arrived after too late because the humans and the same ones that had pleaded for peace had sent envoys had begged for negotiations had turned on themselves they had destroyed their own colony rather than let it fall to dracoth control women children their own military leaders all wiped from existence not out of fear out of defiance and zarth the Fearsome War Lord the nightmare of the galactic Frontier had stood there blade in hand staring down at what he had come to conquer and realizing he had never in all his years seen anything more
terrifying than Humanity's capacity for self-destruction Vance's mind snapped back to reality like a rubber band he gasped choking on air his limbs were free the memory was gone but it wasn't it was still there buried in his skull embedded into his thoughts his perception of zarth shattered the warlord wasn't just a conqueror he was a witness to something far worse than himself do you understand now zarth asked softly and for the first time Vance did the warlord hadn't spared him out of arrogance he hadn't toyed with him for amusement he had been watching learning Because
deep down he feared humans not their strength not their weapons their willingness to burn their own house down if it meant taking their enemy with them and Vance had just proven proven him right his stunt in the cargo bay his improvised destruction it had been exactly what zarth had expected Vance felt sick because For the First Time in his life he wasn't sure if he was the hero the ship systems rebooted a deep mechanical hum vibrated through the walls zarth stood towering over him you have a choice Vance the warlord gestured to the ship around
them how you can try to kill me destroy everything as your kind always does a beat or you can listen Vance's throat felt dry he should say something he should fight but for once he hesitated and zarth knew it the warlord's grin widened good he stepped back letun talk and just like that everything Vance thought he knew about war survival and Humanity itself collapsed Vance stared at zarth the weight of everything settling into his bones like a slow inevitable gravity well the warlord had played him again not just with brute strength not just with cunning
but with understanding and Vance hated it because now for the first time he wasn't sure who was actually winning this encounter let's talk zarth had said which are coming from a genocidal apex predator sounded suspiciously like the leadup to an elaborate execution ritual Vance licked his lips his mouth was dry he needed time a plan a way to we don't have much time zarth added casually flicking a claw against his cybernetic vamis your stunt in the cargo bay destabilized the ship's main power core Vance froze Oh you mean I zarth tilted his head yes Vance
SED of course I did because of course because why wouldn't he have accidentally turned the entire ship into a ticking Time Bomb I assume you had a contingency for this Vance asked naturally and I assume it doesn't involve me dying zarth worked oh it absolutely involves you fantastic the situation the dracoth warship was on a collision course with a nearby moon thanks to Vance's very enthusiastic attempts at survival the main power core was failing catastrophically the emergency protocols had activated meaning that instead of ejecting and letting the ship explode in peace the ship had very
kindly decided to lock down every possible Escape Route and to make things worse a distress signal had been sent to every dracoth Fleet in the sector meaning if Vance and zarth didn't solve this very soon they were going to have company company that would not be in the mood for negotiations you see zarth said as they sprinted through the failing corridors I had no intention of letting you leave alive but now that our circumstances have shifted I propose an alternative solution oh please tell me more about this alternative solution Vance grumbled sidest stepping a violent
burst of Spong Sparks from an overloading console you will help me stabilize the core zarth said matter of factly in exchange I will allow you to live Vance snorted wow that's so generous and in return do I also get a lifetime supply of not being flayed alive zarth grinned if you perform adequately I might even let you keep your limbs lovely the plan reach the core chamber without dying fix the power core before it rips the ship part not get murdered by zarth immediately after Vance had serious doubts about three the power core chamber was
unsurprisingly a nightmare massive energy conduits hissed and crackled the stabilizers were completely shot and the control interface was currently on fire right easy fix Vance muttered zarth glanced at him can you repair it Vance rolled his eyes oh absolutely let me just reach into my pocket and pull out a miracle zarth stared that was sarcasm zarth nodded ah yes humans do that when they are terrified oh no that's just me all the time zarth grunted unfortunate Vance cracked his knuckles and got to work here's the thing about repairing an alien warships main power core while
it's actively trying to kill you it's not fun especially when Vance busy Vance still busy Vance Vance finally looked up zarth was staring at a blinking console one that was counting down oh Vance said that's probably not good it is a fail safe Fail Safe For What fail safe for ensuring the ship does not fall into enemy hands Vance blinked wait are we the enemy zarth nodded Vance side of course we are the new plan stop the ship from self-destructing stop the ship from self-destructing stop the ship from self-d constructing Vance worked fast he bypassed
the security locks he re-rooted the power conduits he disabled the fail safe timer with exactly 4 seconds left and then the ship rebooted systems hummed back to life the alarms went silent and just like that they were no longer about to die ha Vance grinned see that's how you do it impressive zarth admitted now about that deal the ship AI crackled to life incoming Fleet detected Vance froze oh come on Zara's eyes narrowed my reinforcements Vance rubbed his temples cool cool super cool except for the part where they're going to see a human on your
Flagship and probably decide to turn me into space dust zarth considered this yes Vance scowled so glad we had this talk Vance needed to not be here when the fleet arrived but with all Escape rout still locked there was only one way out the cargo ejection system oh hell no Vance muttered zarth grinned it is the only way you want to launch me into space correct Vance groaned I hate this I hate everything about this then we are in agreement zarth shoved him into the cargo bay the airlocks hissed Vance braced himself I swear to
every star in the galaxy and then he was launched straight into deep space Vance drifted alone in the infinite abyss of the Void he had exactly 10 minutes of oxygen left fantastic and then a shadow passed overhead a ship a Teran ship his Comm crackled Lieutenant Commander Vance Vance grinned holy hell I am so happy to hear your voice right now uh sir why are you floating in deep space Vance exhaled long story buy me a drink I'll tell you everything a beat does it involve an Alien dragon Vance laughed buddy you have no idea
as the comm's officer waited for an answer Vance let himself float for just a second longer because For the First Time In hours nobody was trying to kill him no alarms were blaring no Warlords were glaring at him and best of all he was going home Vance exhaled sharply finally letting the tension leave his body and then his wrist console buzzed a single incoming transmission not from the Terran ship not from any known human frequency a private encrypted drao Channel Vance hesitated and then he accepted the call the screen flickered and there grinning like a
predatory bastard was zarth human the warlord rumbled I I trust you enjoyed your flight Vance groaned oh sure real five-star service no peanuts though bit of a let down zarth chuckled I have decided you are amusing wow I feel so honored do I get a trophy a commemorative mug zarth smirked no but you will get something far more valuable Vance narrowed his eyes and what exactly is that the warlord leaned forward far you will get to live Vance blinked but I what I have rescinded The Kill Order on your species excuse me zarth grinned old
teeth I have learned something today something invaluable and that is the warlord's cybernetic eyes gleamed that humans are far too entertaining to eradicate Vance stared then very carefully he pinched the bridge of his nose so let me get this straight please do I just single-handedly prevented a fullscale Intergalactic War yes by being a pain in your ass correct Vance tilted his head back staring at the infinite void of space above him unbelievable absolutely unbelievable zarth chuckled do not disappoint me human I expect our next encounter to be just as entertaining and with that the screen
cut out leaving Vance floating alone again staring at his dead wrist console the comms crackled back on Sir uh who was that Vance sighed rubbing his face nobody just a big scaly idiot who's decided I'm too funny to kill a beat sir Vance shook his head never mind just get me aboard before I start to rethink my life choice understood sir preparing docking now the tractor beam locked onto him pulling him toward the Terran ship and as the familiar comfort of gravity took hold again Vance realized something truly horrifying this was his life now somewhere
out there a 12-ft alien Dragon warlord had decided that he was worth keeping alive and worse Vance had the sinking feeling that this wasn't the last he'd see of zarth he groaned I need a drink and with that he finally definitively left that nightmare behind the end
