by Bruce Marcom
Shadow Dragons are smaller than typical dragons, but they are considerably faster and more agile. They are invisible most of the time, and nearly undetectable. Eve can sense all of them and even see them, which is very unusual. Even Shadow Dragons can't see or detect others of their own kind.
Eve speaks to Keridor in Ancient Dragon. Keridor, I know you’re here. You cannot hide from me.
Yes, I am here. Are you here to kill me, too? His voice comes from a cave where he is hidden.
Maybe, maybe not. Is there a reason I should kill you?
Seems to be the trend you have been setting. Kill me, so you can rule over my herd.
Well, that is because those leaders were brutes. I am looking for more intelligent leaders, ones that use wisdom instead of muscle to lead, Eve says.
Eve hears laughter from the cave before Keridor answers her. That sounds rather hypocritical coming from someone who just offed several herd leaders.
Eve laughs back. Yeah I know. But sometimes in order to affect change, one has to do things one normally wouldn't do.
I don't know you, so I don't know what you would normally do. Hence the not trusting you.
You know I can see you, right? I could just pull you out of your cave with my telepathic powers. Why don't you just come out here and talk to me face to face? I probably won’t eat you if you show some sort of intelligence in our discussion.
I highly doubt you can see me, and I really don't want to get eaten today. I have a date tomorrow, and she said she would kill me if I stood her up again, Keridor says.
Eve bursts out laughing; she cannot hold it in any longer. She changes to her bipedal form and goes inside the cave. She sees him lying there with his head propped up, thinking he is invisible.
Again? How many times have you stood her up? Eve says as she walks up and pets him on the nose.
Keridor is startled and backs up when he realizes she really can see him. He becomes visible and answers her. A few times. I keep falling asleep and well... she is kind of ugly. My friend was trying to “set me up” if you know what I mean.
Don't herd leaders get to pick their mates on this planet?
Well, yeah… I guess. I don't really enforce that rule. I agree with mates being able to mate with whoever they want to mate with. I got my position because I outsmarted the prior moron that was leading us. Wasn't hard; he was a real idiot. You notice how small I am? I have to survive using my brain or I will become a pasted spot on the wall.
Interesting. I think you’re attractive. You should have mates lining up, no?
Well, most females like big, muscled dragons. And that just ain't me.
Not all females are like that. You just need to keep checking around for yourself. You seem to have been doing a good job as a leader. Your herd appears to be content.
I have heard your plans for Space Dragons. It’s an interesting concept, but my herd is fine the way they are. We have the breeding issues that most other dragons have, but that is mostly due to low-quality eggs and a high hatchling mortality rate. I don't know want causes that, and I don't see a solution.
That is what science and doctors are for, to help solve those issues. I have a doctor friend that could help you with this issue. She specializes in Space Dragon medicine.
Really? I have never heard of such a thing.
Yes, one of the things I will be constructing is a dragon hospital and hatchery on each of the major dragon planets. It will have doctors that specialize in dragon medicine. We will also build a Dragon Medical School to make sure that those offering care are the absolute best.
That is definitely something we would be interested in. We have the lowest birth rate out of all the dragon species.
See? I told you there are a lot of benefits for your people in the changes I will be making.
What do we have to do in return?
You would be in charge of Dragon Intelligence Service, spying and scouting, keeping tabs on things happening in our territory and maybe in enemy territory. There shouldn't be any fighting involved. Just information gathering.
Still a risk.
Well, yeah. You are doing that already, though, or you wouldn't have known I was coming. Plus, you are much closer to the border and to the fighting than any of the other planets. You would get military protection as well.
Hmm. Sounds okay to me, but I will have to talk to the Shadow Herd and see what they think.
Great. What do you have to eat around this place? I am starving.
We have all kinds of ore and gems, even dirt if you like that. As long as you don't eat me, it’s all good.
Eve laughs. I don't eat dirt. Gems are like candy to me; they taste awesome but make my teeth and nails brittle if I eat too many of them. I stick to metals mostly. And a few gems, hehe.
Shadow Dragons eat high iron content with some lower grade crystals. We poop out emeralds and rubies. And sometime diamonds.
I poop platinum. Eve laughs again. Diamonds taste so good.
Follow me. There is an ore valley not too far from here where most of the Shadow Dragons feed.
Yeah, I think most of the dragons that followed me here are eating there now.
There may be nothing left then.
Let’s go see.
They fly over to the valley and see thousands of dragons eating the rocky terrain. The planet is just a huge rock and mineral planet, with no other plant or animal life present. There is no atmosphere or sunlight anywhere near this planet.
Eve and Keridor find a spot to eat. There are tons of metallic ores and crystals in the loose dirt. They feed for a while. After they finish, Eve sits down and talks to the Shadow Dragons for a long while. She plays with some of their hatchlings and has a good time flying around the planet with Keridor meeting all of the Shadow Dragons. What feels like much too soon, it is time for Eve to move on to the next planet.
Eve chooses to address the crowd in the more modern language; Ancient Dragon seems too restrictive to address the common dragon “It is time for me to go to the next planet. I had a great time here. Thanks for showing me around. Think about my ideas and let me know what you decide.”
“We have already decided. We like you and believe in what you plan on doing. You have our full support, Empress.”
“Thank you. I will be back in a couple of months or so. Promise not to stand up any more young ladies while I am gone, no matter how ugly they are,” Eve teases with a wink.
Keridor laughs. “I will try not to. But I think I will just wait to see those pretty colorful scales of yours instead.”
Eve says, “It’s a date.”
Keridor grins at her. “I will bring lots of diamonds for you to eat.”
Eve just laughs.
***
The next few planets, Eve takes over by force or charm, depending on what the current leadership was like. The last three planets have special issues that Eve has to deal with in a different way than she had been. The first of these planets is Qua, a world that is mostly water. Only 30% of the planet has visible land. Water Dragons live here, along with several other intelligent species. The Salamanders are the most populous of these non-dragon creatures.
The Salamanders are six-foot-tall water lizards that had built cities in many locations above and below water. They had been a space-faring race until their home world was taken over by the Undead Empire 300 years before. This colony managed to survive but lost a lot of information, setting them back a few hundred years in technology development. When Eve first arrives on Qua, there are about 20,000 dragons following her on her journey to Dragon World.
Flying over the ocean just after arriving on Qua, Eve notices a land mass in front of them. She switches into flying in dragon form as her massive wings cast a shadow that covers the entire area beneath her. Eve sees a few hundred dragons fighting each other on the beach line of this island mass, which has a domed city to the south of where the fighting is taking place. As Eve gets closer, she sees small humanoid creatures, which ap
pear to be salamanders firing handheld energy weapons at some of the dragons. Corpses litter the bench. Eve lets out a mighty roar as she lands in the water in front of the beach. The blast of noise stuns all combatants and knocks them all down. The city’s power goes out due to the EMP wave Eve's roar releases.
In a thunderous voice, Eve says in Ancient Dragon, I am Empress Evella Noctu, ruler of all dragon kind. This world is part of the Dragon Empire. You are all now under my rule. Stop fighting at once or be destroyed.
Fear overtakes everyone on the beach. Some begin to flee, while others just stand there on the beach. Eve continues her commands. Who is in charge of this mess? Why are you fighting?
A Salamander stands up and says, “I am King Netran, of the Salamanders. This is Coltrex.” He points to a green sea serpent dragon standing next to him. “He and some of his friends are helping defend our city against Minqz.” He points to another green sea serpent dragon who is trying to slip away unnoticed. His flight is thwarted when he is grabbed by some of the dragons that came with Eve. Thousands of dragons now surround the island and some are still flying around.
Eve asks in a booming voice, “Why are you attacking the Salamanders, Minqz?”
Minqz does not respond, just struggles to break free of the dragons holding him down.
I can read your mind, so it doesn't matter if you speak. You attacked them because you are greedy and want take what little area they occupy just so you can have more feeding area. Area that you clearly don't need. So now you plan to kidnap the King's Daughter to make them farm food for you and your four other bully friends. Let me see what else is in that pea brain of yours. So... you and your four buddies have been hoarding most of the food and just giving scraps to the rest of your horde. No wonder most of them are turning against you.
Eve points at a random Sea Dragon. “Seryi, go get me the princess now.” Seryi freaks out when she calls his name, wondering how she knows it. Seryi looks at Minqz as if he is looking for instructions on what to do.
Eve says in an irritated voice, “Don't look at him! I said go get the princess NOW, unless you want the same fate as him.” She grabs Minqz with one of her four claws and bites down on his body, ripping his corpse in half. She then consumes the rest of his remains. Seryi goes into the water, followed by dragons that are there to make sure the request is done. A few minutes later, a small female salamander is carried onto the beach. She wakes up as she sits on the beach. When she sees Eve's enormous body, she screams in fear.
Eve says in a gentler voice, “It’s okay, little one. No one is going to hurt you.”
Netran runs over with some of his men and hugs her. He is nearly overwhelmed with happiness that she is alive. The men take her back to the city.
“King Netran, you have a beautiful daughter. I have three of my own; I couldn't imagine someone taking them away from me. I would like to speak to you in a little bit if you don't mind. I have to deal with a few dragons first. I will meet you at your city gates,” Eve says as she shrinks down to her bipedal form.
“Certainly, Empress. I will wait for you there.”
Eve turns to the four dragons being held down on the beach.
“So these are the other would-be kings. The punishment you will get for your crimes will be far more severe than Minqz, only because I was hungry when I ended his existence. You maybe be immune to energy and magic, but you are not immune to my powers, nor is any dragon.” Eve lifts them up with telepathy as the dragons holding them release their grip. The dragons back away quickly, because they know what is coming next.
The four dragons dangle in the air trying to struggle. Netran actually stops and turns around along with his men just to see what is happening. Four huge lightning bolts arc from Eve's hands and strike the dragons. Blood curdling screams ring out. She hits them again and again until she releases them and their charred corpses fall to the ground.
“Coltrex, spread all the food they had hoarded to everyone in your herd. You are now herd leader, understood?” Eve commands.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Coltrex responds.
“After I am finished talking with the King, I want to meet every member of your herd, and I want to see your homes. Since you are a morphic dragon, change forms and come with me right now to the Salamander city,” Eve says.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Coltrex follows Eve to the Salamander city where the King and his guard are waiting.
Eve begins the conversation. “Sorry we didn't get to meet under normal circumstances, King Netran. Sometimes extreme circumstances require extreme responses. Especially when forming a new intergalactic government. I can't have wars going on inside my domain when I need to be focusing on outside threats like Undead and such.”
“Please call me Netran. I understand what you are saying completely. I never thought I would see a day when dragons follow one supreme leader. I have always thought of them as brutish beasts for the most part. Clearly that is not the case,” Netran says.
“Well, unfortunately it is the case, I am sad to say. But I plan on bringing dragons out of the dark ages of being cave-dwelling brutes and into the future with culture, education, cities, central government, and laws. Also a strong military and home defense. I am also going to include all intelligent non-dragon beings in my territory as equal citizens as well,” Eve says.
“Wow that is ambitious. It would be nice if it works,” Netran says.
“It will take a massive effort on everyone's part. This planet is centrally located in the empire. It would be a good hub for travel, business, and other ventures. I will need your help to develop this planet into a prime location for citizens and our allies to use and to live,” Eve says.
“What can I do? I am just a small king of a small population of Salamanders.”
“You already know how to govern a city. Now I want you to be the king-governor of this planet. You have administration skills, and you understand politics. I read about your history; your race used to be a space-faring race with incredibly advanced technology until you lost your home world to the Undead invaders. Is this your only surviving colony?” Eve asks.
“As far as we know. So much information was lost fleeing from our home world. Only a few ships survived and made it to water worlds. The ships became old, and no one knew how to fix them; we didn't have any engineers with us or factories to make ships parts when we landed here 300 years ago.”
“I plan on upgrading my empire to the latest in technology and education. Let me tell both of you my plans,” Eve says.
Several hours pass as Eve tours the city with the King and they discuss plans for the future. Coltrex also participates in the discussion and even gives Eve some good ideas. Eve decides to stay there overnight. The next day she meets with Coltrex and goes to see where the Sea Dragons live. They mainly live in big caverns underwater. The caverns have many smaller caves that are used as rooms to live in. Eve is dismayed at the appalling living conditions these dragons are living in. Half of them look underfed. She learns the mortality rate of hatchlings is 70-80 percent. Not mention, females have very low egg production.
Eve says, “This is not acceptable. We will change all of this in time, but I want to help all of you now. You eat coral reefs, right? Isn't there plenty of coral in the ocean?”
“Most of the edible coral is buried under tons of sand, which means we have to dig for it. Most of us are too weak to dig for food,” Coltrex says.
“I can help with that. Follow me, everyone,” Eve says.
They travel a short way back to the island beach. Eve goes out and stands on the beach. She starts concentrating, the wind starts blowing outward against the water, getting stronger and stronger. Eve begins levitating over the water. The wind forms into a tornado funnel in front of Eve, getting larger and larger the funnel begins sucking up the water and sand. The funnel is so gigantic that Eve begins emanating a huge yellow force field covering her and the whole island, including the Salamanders. Salamanders flood th
e beach to watch the awesome sight. Eve’s glowing hands become so bright that it is nearly impossible to look at them.
Eve begins chanting in Ancient Dragon as she starts to cast a powerful Dragon Magic incantation. She pushes the water typhoon over to the left, in front of the city. The water begins changing into ice; the whole funnel freezes solid and sinks down into the water. The ice spreads into the water and goes around the island in all directions, as far as the eye can see. The spell is so powerful that it freezes over half of the planet’s water surface.
A two-mile circle in front of Eve appears, made up of just naked coral. She levitates to the center, hovering about thirty feet above the coral. Her hands move as though she were picking up the coral. The earth begins to shake, even on the island. By this time, everyone from the Salamander city was on the beach watching along with the 20,000 dragons that were flying around and landing on the ice or the large island. An enormous chunk of coral in a perfect three-mile circle rips up out of the ground under Eve. She floats back over to the beach, carrying the coral through the air. At the beach, she clinches her hands and the coral breaks up into little pieces as they shower the beach. The starving dragons eat it after praising Eve.
Eve turns to the frozen water funnel. Her eyes light up and two red beams shoot forth into the funnel, punching a hole in the ice. She keeps the beams steady as she steers them around inside the ice funnel. A few minutes later, big slabs of ice begin falling off the heated object underneath the frozen water. All of the ice slides off to reveal a 300-foot tall statue made out of pure magical glass depicting Eve in her bipedal form. The statue glows with magical light.
Cheering roars from the crowded island, and the Salamanders begin playing music and dancing on the beach. Eve flies over the beach and lands.