Page 5 of Argurma Warrior (The Argurma Chronicles #1)

K aylar stared down at his prey, a feeling of triumph swelling within him despite being dampened by a sensation of something entirely foreign to him that pinched his heart disconcertingly. He shouldn’t feel any such sense of discomfort. Not when he had accomplished his goal quickly.

Perhaps that was the problem, and his dissatisfaction was due to the hunting concluding too soon. He could process that. He had prepared for a lengthy hunt and had come across the female quickly, capturing her with less effort than he expected despite his cousin’s interruption mid-hunt to question him regarding his mother’s standing in the household. If he had not discerned his cousin’s trickery in his attempt to hide the planet from him and managed to work out the correct route, he might not have been quite so receptive to private communication to waylay his cousin’s concerns. It certainly had cost him valuable time that forced him to hurry his hunt along quicker than he would have liked but perhaps it was just as well given his current concerns with the experimental biotech creature on board his ship.

The biotech, species designated Experiment 302 from his cousin communique, was growing at a rapid rate and had been impervious to his recent attempts to sedate when he noticed that the creature had begun strategically striking its containment habitat, searching for a way out as it snarled hungrily at him. No matter how much food he replicated for it, an action which could potentially exhaust his protein matter far more rapidly than was wise over a mere matter of a few lunars, its hunger never abated for even a moment. Every ounce fueled its insane growth and energy usage to the point of being worrisome. He was half tempted to eject it from his ship when he left except that he had already informed the council of his acquisition and they were eager to receive it.

That this hunt was at very least going to plan and without incident was a small provision of good fortune from the gods as far as he saw it.

His vibrissae puffed out as he cocked his head, his eyes cataloging the female’s features in order to store the details of the species capture in his database to transmit to the council. He wasn’t inclined to send it just yet, but they would eventually be expecting this information. The cybernetics in his left eye zoomed in, recording measurements even as the data system tied into his nervous system took readings from the air around him. As an elite warrior class Argurma, his cybernetics were exceptional, a few of them even experimental since his last update in the labs three revolutions ago, rivaling only those of the trained assassins.

The one attached to his nervous system, for instance, was implanted in him for a five-solar trial period while their scientists recorded its effectiveness and how well it integrated with his system. It had caused some minor discomfort at first but after it faded, he understood the advantage of it. At any given moment, he knew the temperature and could isolate compounds in his environment that he wouldn’t otherwise have been fully aware of, making him an even more efficient hunter and warrior. It was part of what helped him track the human female subject so easily once he caught her pheromones in the air.

Kaylar crouched down next to her, the warm scent of female under those of dirt and sweat filling his nose. She was quite small, smaller even then his cousin’s mate, her shape possessing more pronounced curves, and the dark fur on her head clung close to her scalp. Did humans have variance in fur length and hue? He should have collected data about human biology from Veral before their parting. This was information that the male would likely have known. His gaze dropped to follow along her nose to the plush curve of her lips and the gentle roundness of her jaw. This too was shaped softer, the hue of her flesh slightly darker. Argurmas tended to be more uniform with only slight variations in their coloring, though he had noted that other species could possess degrees of differences among them that varied from species to species. How far did such variance extend for humans? He wished he had a larger pool to collect initial data from, but this would have to do. It likely did not matter anyway since it was more a matter of his own curiosity.

And he was curious, more so now than ever with his subject laid out vulnerable before him. He certainly was not feeling anything else. The pinch in his gut was inconsequential. Probably a digestive issue he should have checked out in the medical unit.

He turned off his data recording system upon completion of his scans and reached forward to run a claw lightly against her jaw. His closely layered scales were far more sensitive than other species suspected and for a moment he allowed himself the tactile enjoyment of touching her skin. She was incredibly soft.

A soft sound to his left made his head snap around, his vibrissae lifting as he glowered at the skinny predator that immediately hunkered down in response. Its build reminded him faintly of a dorashnal though its muzzle was elegantly tapered, and it was covered in a thick pelt rather than scales and the series of shorter vibrissae that protected Argurma companion beasts. Did this bedraggled creature belong to the human?

As he continued to eye it, the animal lowered itself to its belly and licked its chops as it snuck quick, uncertain looks toward the unconscious human. Kaylar’s eyes narrowed. Not a companion then judging by the animal’s salivating. Most likely it was a scavenger hoping for an easy meal. Kaylar snarled, his vibrissae puffing out larger and more aggressively in threat, causing the animal to whine softly in its throat with a pitiful sound before racing off, its sad brush of a tail tucked low between its legs.

He chuffed dismissively and turned back toward the female, scooping her up quickly into his arms. Pressing her securely against his chest, Kaylar straightened and turned back to his ship with a light jog. The smoke from the sedation bomb that he had dosed her with would keep her unconscious for an indeterminate amount of time but at very least long enough so that he could transport her back to the ship as quickly and with as little incident as possible and get her secured in a room on board. He had initially considered putting her in another containment unit but reconsidered. The biotech housed in the cargo hold could needlessly frighten her and it seemed cruel to imprison her like a wild beast rather than permit her some small comforts, though it was not lost upon him that his brethren would not agree with his assessment.

Of course, most of his brethren would have considered the use of the sedation bomb as unsporting when it came to the thrill of the hunt and capture. He might have once, too, but he had long since lost his taste for such things. After meeting his cousin’s mate, that was even more impossible. He had his task to carry out but there was no reason to antagonize her more than necessary. She was unconscious for the capture and for what he knew was a jarring trip back to the ship, and once she was awake, she would be left alone and in peace in a chamber where he could provide her with what she required with as minimal contact as possible. He would do his duty as efficiently as possible until he was able to deliver her. What happened beyond that was entirely out of his control, but he could at least make her time with him as comfortable as possible.

Kaylar barely spared a glance toward the containment cages as he hurried into his ship and made his way to the crew quarters on board. One advantage of being typically sent out as a solitary drone, it gave him plenty of free space. Free in theory since in two of the crew quarters he had his own projects established. One room contained a home brewery system he had devised since replicators failed to get alcohol right no matter how much he tweaked the programming or the grade of his raw materials stocked. They just couldn’t duplicate the effects and taste of home world brew to his satisfaction. The other room contained his collection of various little mementos from his travels. Both rooms were key locked to his genetic signature so that there was little chance of anyone stumbling upon what they contained on the rare occasions he was forced to dock with an Argurma war class vessel or return to the home world.

Thankfully, he still had a room free just in case he needed to be sent in on a retrieval mission—or rescue a relative. It was to that room he headed, his stride only slowing minimally as the door slid open to permit him entrance. Adjusting her weight in his grip, he settled her carefully on the bed, his eyes never leaving her as he straightened once more. She looked peaceful in her sleep and rather docile. It was actually surprising to find her all alone without any of her other species to provide extra protection and resources as smaller and more fragile species tended to do.

Poor female. By his calculations, there was a high probability that he was saving her life and doing the best thing for her. With a thoughtful growl, he glanced around the room to ascertain if there was anything else that she might need. Everything seemed to be in place. He had not hauled any of the standard provisions out since he had chosen to keep the room intact. It was more guest quarters than a secure unit for a captive, but he processed that she would be a frightened little thing when she awoke. An isolated room that she could hide in would be ideal for both of them. He could at least do that small kindness.

He shook his head. There were many tasks that needed to be seen to and required his attention, he could not pass his time staring over an unconscious human.

With one last look at the female’s sleeping form, he headed out of the room and key-locked the room. Whether she awoke in a confused state or on the very off chance that his ship was boarded, his little human captive would be safe. Turning abruptly away from the room, Kaylar headed back to the bridge.

“Degarath, initiate lift off sequence,” he barked to the ship’s AI.

The sooner he was back to Argurumal, the better.