Dragon Bones

There weren’t always dragons in the valley.

Now, there were thousands. Seeking refuge as they were pushed South, fleeing the destruction of their habitat in the deserts of the midlands and the slaughter of their kind.

Captain Arn and First Lieutenant Bjorn surveyed the scene beneath them, hovering over the valley on their Blitzflyers, the spaceship equivalent of jet skis.

Looking like a pair of dragon flies, the elegant two meter long hover vessels hung motionless side by side in the warm humid air, glinting sliver in the afternoon sunlight, humming quietly.

The vast valley had been created by a meteor impact many millions of years earlier, forming it into an impossibly large, lopsided bowl with a diameter of 400Km. Since the impact it had evolved into a lush jungle forest, bordered at the most Southern point by high snow peaked mountains who’s flows fed the Infinity Waterfalls which in turn fed the rivers of the valley.

The Dragons were everywhere. Perched on the rocky outcrops of the surrounding cliffs and filling trees. Breeding season had just passed and many of the Dragons had their broods with them comprised of a breeding pair and up to two or three young.

They were pushing out the native valley birds and bullying all manner of cave dwellers to take their place in the safety of the rocky tunnels.

Their appetites were insatiable and their needs heightened having to care for their young.

Left unchecked these Dragons would destroy the valley.

First Lieutenant Bjorn couldn’t believe his eyes, these creatures were of mythical wonder. Everything he had ever read about in zoology studies but better. He watched in awe a large dark red male easily over 100 ton, a wingspan of 60 meters, glide effortlessly over their heads.

Bjorn had joined the Department of Galactic Biology as a cadet six years earlier and specialized in zoology with the ambition of joining the Space Ecology Preservation Division. A division made up of specialist units called SEP teams which are dedicated to the study, categorizing and preservation of ecosystems throughout the galaxy as they are discovered.

The planet Bjorn found himself on, designated HP0452 (HP being Habitable Planet) was under threat from pirate mining operators. These pirates were currently plundering HP0452’s Dragon population for an efficient and cheap to harvest fuel source to then sell on the black market.

When a Dragon dies its bones undergo a unique process, instead of decomposing they crystalize. Over a period of about 100 years these crystals undergo another metamorphic process which converts the substance to one that burns slow and releases high levels of heat making them very efficient. High demand for efficient fuel and easy harvesting makes Dragon bones very profitable.

The Preservation Division had been alerted to the existence of HP0452 when a stake was claimed by a middle aged planet prospector named Artemis Maximus. Much like the days of ancient Westerns the frontier of space is an opportunity for anyone with whatever means they have to go out and stake a claim to a piece of land on whatever plant they can inhabit. The only rules are you must officially register the stake through the Interplanetary Claims office for it to be legally recognized and you must obey any rules set by the SEP teams to ensure the preservation of the local ecology.

This claim registration process is the primary means by which the Preservation Division is notified of new planets. They then send out a SEP team to survey the local ecology and set the local equivalent of environmental protection laws for that planet.

Pirate mining operators also learn of new sources of plunder via this system, utilizing a combination of hacking official registration systems and bribing underpaid officials to get a head start on authorities. With hefty financial resourcing the pirates have a huge advantage over the underfunded and slow moving Government division, often able to plunder entire planets before a SEP team can even get there.

Luckily for HP0452 Artemis had been a big believer in protecting the nature of all worlds and had notified SEP directly when he had realized the many wonders of the new planet. Unluckily for Artemis one of these wonders include giant 20m long centipedes, one of which took him by surprise one night and ate him. His claim now relinquished but not worthless, despite his early demise Artemis’s assistance means the SEP team may now have a chance to save the Dragons and HP0452.

Preservation of ecosystems under a SEP team in some cases means the use of force, this was going to be one such case. Another reason Bjorn loved his job, a rare role indeed where he could equally use his brain and his brawn.

‘Captain Arn checking in. Confirming numbers have increased since this morning. Dragons are now occupying the lower levels of the Infinity Waterfalls. Population numbers at the Northern end are now severely impacting fish stocks and vegetation at unsustainable levels.’

First Lieutenant Bjorn looked over at his Captain who was somehow despite everything before him still the most impressive element in the valley.

Captain Arn was not only the best Space Martial out there, her exploits were legendary.

Bjorn could not have been more ecstatic to be posted to her unit, it now the one about to take on the most notorious pirate mining operator in the galaxy.