We've got Another One

"We've got another one over in the southernmost area of sector eight." There was a pause in transmission.

"Understood. You know what to do Ranger One-One-Seven."

"Understood." Unfortunately Ranger One-One-Seven did know what to do. Drop offs had been happening frequently in sector eight with the southwest section a hot spot. The genetic radar showed the intruder and could never mistake it for another species.

As the ranger neared, a new voice came into the conversation. A 'bing' to announce he entered the chat and then, "Are you positive, Ranger?" It was the Commanders voice. Why he was interested in pest control was troubling. Pest control is routine for a ranger, even if there had been more occurrences. Commanders never troubled themselves with matters of pest control.

"Affirmative, Commander. My genetic gun received a fresh sample this morning to cycle in."

"Hmm. Proceed with caution Ranger."

"Yes, sir." Ranger One-One-Seven was honing in. "I see it, Sir. Can visually confirm." As the Ranger landed, a key difference was noted. "This one has been bound and gagged." A sample for visual evidence was taken with the blink of the Rangers right eye and sent over to the Center. A tone was heard to announce the Center received it. "And it is awake- a sacrifice maybe?" This was unusual. The Vermin the Rangers found had never been bound or gagged. They were usually in a deep sleep- found in logs or in the crooks that the forest grows. But this specimen was in the open. A small clearing that could be seen from any ranger flying above. Off a short distance were large trees. 'Why not sleep at the base of one for more coverage?' This did not seem right. It had to be a sacrifice but the Vermin never gave one before, they usually held their young dear. Ranger One-One-Seven landed next to the sacrifice and looked around. They were alone. Bending down the Ranger used the rope to pick the specimen up from the ground; it squirmed. It made small squeaking noise as it tried to escape. "Young, looks like an offspring." At least that was normal, most specimens caught were young as they hadn't mastered the art of hiding. The pungent smell came in waves from the little Vermin. The outermost layer of it's skin was soft and pink. Rangers had to be careful not to break their skin when collecting. If they did, they could get the plague- a deadly disease that human blood caused. A feeling of disgust came over Ranger One-One-Seven. The Vermin were the opposite of their species: wet, warm and always oozing out of one of their orifices. The Ranger's upper lip lifted and his long rows of canines showed. "I hate humans." The Ranger growled in the human language. The sounds came out short and choppy. It was a different language that used a lot of tongue and difficult to learn but all Rangers were required to know some human language for battle tactics. The vermin's eyes widened as it understood.

"Ranger! Disregard the situation! Fly away!" It was the Center calling him back. Confusion made the Ranger slow to react.

"Do you want the specimen as well o-" Loud squeaks came from the forest. The ranger looked as hundreds of vermin came running from the woods.

"Get the dragon!" The one closest squeaked- a male. Still holding the specimen, Ranger One-One-Seven bent low and used his tail as a lance. The male flew into a few humans and they crumbled, but more vermin took their place in the stampede.

"Leave the specimen and get out of there!" It was the Center. The Ranger dropped the human an opened his wings.

"No! Bring the specimen for questioning!" The Commander roared. The Ranger furled his wings closed so he could bend over to pick the tiny, squeaking human child.

"It's trying to fly away!" They were on him now. A couple used clubs that broke against his scales. Using his tail, the Ranger swept them off into oblivion. Opening his wings to make his ascent, an arrow pierced his wing membrane. Roaring with pain, Ranger One-Once-Seven instinctively used his claws to rip a humans flesh open. Immediately his scales felt the moistness of the human.

"I've been infected!" He cried to the Center.

"You will be fine. Get that specimen to headquarters NOW!" The Commander roared.

"It's got a Communicator! Hit it's head!" The first male was up again, giving orders. "Nets! Fly!"

'Nets?' They were going to trap him?! Two more arrows pierced his wing as he tried to fly. He lifted from the ground and fell once more. The human vermin began throwing rocks at his face. Roaring with anger, the Ranger used his tail and claws to make a path. There had never been this many humans in the Restricted Sector.

"It's a Cluster!" He cried to the Center before a rock took out his communication device. The Ranger watched a net appear overhead and then he was forced to the ground. The child was taken from the net and clubs beat his wings. The arrows stung his left wing and the clubs broke the descending arch on his right.

The male human came up and stood over him. "How does it feel, dragon?" He put his claw-less paw on the rangers face. "We got one!" The male yelled, and all the other Vermin cheered.

- - - - - - - - - -

Two weeks the dragon had been held captive in the camp. Why they hadn't killed him, he was unsure. They kept him bound: his wings were bound and his claws bound to each other as well. His tail was wrapped in a crude cloth so if he swung it, the scales would not rip the human's pink colored flesh. Not that he could move it if he wanted to- the humans had used their primitive rope to tie his tail to a large boulder. Primitive, but did it work? Yes. He could not move his tail in either direction more than a foot. The first week, they left the carcass of a dead animal in front of him. A rabbit. Perhaps they meant it as a threat- what they had planned to do for him? Once the body had begun to rot, they removed it and replace the animal with a larger dead animal. When that scare tactic did not work the humans removed that animal and cooked it over a fire. Then they ate it! It was grotesque. The Ranger did not know how long he could stand this torture but the worst was yet to come.

The humans led a goat by using a lead in front of him. They looked at the animal and pushed it toward the Ranger. Watching his reaction, the humans then slaughtered the animal and smiled at him. The Ranger had had enough. He roared and snapped at the humans, which made them scurry away. As he goat lay dying the Ranger wept in the way dragons do. He thought of the upmost rule in dragon law and knew it to be true. 'Humans destroy everything they touch. They are vermin.'

One morning the Ranger woke to squeaks. The humans were dragging over a child to the dragon. "No! No!" The squeaks were difficult to understand at first. The Ranger didn't understand what the humans were doing. "It is what will keep the dragon alive! It will only eat human children! We must do what we must!" The male said but was not understood by the dragon. The human child was brought to his knees before the dragon. A knife was unsheathed, its sharp blade glinting in the sun. Realization flooded over the dragon just as the knife was bought down to the Child.

"NO!" Ranger One-One-Seven roared. The humans stopped to stare and all was silent. The dragon was furious. Was no life sacred to them? Not even their own kind? "No! You no kill." The language was lost to him. How could he tell them they were sickening? That they repulsed him with every aspect of their barbaric life? "You kill and destroy everything." The dragon sat back with satisfaction.

There was a pause and then the male stepped forward. "We destroy everything?!" He was angry. "You monsters steal our children!"

"Steal?" The Ranger was confused. Steal meant to take something without permission. The dragons did not steal the vermin's offspring, they were found in restricted sectors and removed. "We no steal."

"Bah!" The man waved his arm. "You do steal! You raided our villages in the North and stole our children!"

Human vermin were allowed to live in the north where the ecosystem was not fragile and could tolerate the consuming demands of their lifestyle. "We do not steal. The Law.. You no live here-"

"The law?!" The man turned in a circle cackling. "You honor no law! We stayed in the north and you came to steal our children!"

"We never stole your children." The man and dragon stared at each other. 'Why would we steal their children from their own sector?' At that moment, there was an explosion and the cluster of humans scattered.

The Center had arrived. Ranger's with tranquilizer guns were able to take down a few adult Vermin. Once the camp was cleared and the captured Vermin were detained, the Rangers made their way to Ranger One-One-Seven to free him.

Back at the Center, the medical examiner found that his wing was broken. As the examiner was finishing, the Commander entered the room. He was a black dragon with red eyes and an almost burgundy wing membrane. As he entered, the examiner gave a stiff nod and left the room. Without a glance at the Ranger, he walked to a window and gazed out to the horizon.

"I hear they tortured you." The Commanders gaze never left the window.

"Yes."

"Terrible. Unfortunate." The Commanders eyes turned to look at the Ranger. "What did you learn?"

That was a battle tactic. One of the rules learned in training. Always gather information. "I learned that the Vermins think that we are stealing their children. They believe that we attacked their settlements in the northern sector."

The Commander looked back out the window. "And if we are? What would you have to say Ranger One-One-Seven?"

Shocked, Ranger One-One-Seven stuttered a choked "W-what?" Invading, disturbing life, that was against the dragon's laws.

"The human scum take and take. You've seen how they treat their fellow ecosystem dwellers. They hold no life sacred or dear. Now they have started breeding past their borders. Their sector can no longer sustained them.. What do you have to say of that, Ranger?"

"It is wrong." The answer came out quick and certain. Dragon law was to uphold the peace and balance of ecosystems. Not dictate what species were important enough to live. "We do not decided who lives or dies."

"But humans do?" The Commander looked at Ranger One-One-Seven with eyes full of hate. "This is not what I thought of you, Ranger. Fortunately, we are able to cover our tracks." The Commander looked back to the window and smiled. "Over the past few weeks, we have placed the human children from northern villages into restricted sectors. Once they're discovered, they are removed by the Ranger force without a trace left back to me."

"Do other members of the Center know about this?" Ranger One-One-Seven's tone drowned in disgust.

"Only the ones that need to know." The Commander turned to the Ranger. "And no one else will find out."

"This is wrong I will tell-!" The Ranger's outburst was cut off.

"No you will not." The Commander's words stung like daggers. "I will make sure of it."

- - - - - - - - - - -

"Ranger One-One-Seven's loss will not be in vain. The human population is expanding beyond their ecosystem's boundaries. Due to this, the species is becoming violent." The Commander looked out over the masses. "Ranger One-One-Seven will not have lost his life for nothing. We will collect data and return the human population to a sustainable state. We owe this to Ranger One-One-Seven."

The crowd began chanting "One-One-Seven!" and the Commander stepped down. He turned his back to the crowd and walked into the center. Slowly, a smile formed. He would restore the human population to a sustainable state- annihilation.