{"sf1_id":283479,"sf2_id":"P1E6y8De","title":"Favor for a Friend","author":"Philisophical_noone","words":2555,"posted_at":"2011-09-03T17:43:00.000Z","tags":["Dragon","Human","Sci-Fi","Violence","rescue"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/283479-favor-for-a-friend","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/P1E6y8De","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/9a/72/9a72fa90-f241-4f69-8b10-d8aa554d14eb","description":"#4 of Fallen Sky Tales","content":"Titus told Dante all about his sister and why she was in trouble. Apparently, she followed in his footsteps and left the comfort of home to make sure the world felt true justice. Unfortunately, her first target was the biggest crime lord on the planet, who had captured her. Titus had received an encrypted message, or rather a ransom, demanding fifty million credits or she would be put into circulation.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante and Titus were in plain clothes, and as such, they could conceal very little in the way of armor and weapons. Titus was wearing a shirt and pants, so all he could hide was a pistol. Dante was wearing a brown coat and jeans, and as such hid his modified pistol and his desert eagle, \"Remember, we are acting alone. Fallen Sky can't help us if we fuck up, so we'd better do a little research first. You know, talk to the people, get a layout of the land, that sort of thing.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus nodded, \"I understand Dante. I will try and restrain my emotions. I don't want to lose her.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Then we're off. Ratchet, keep an eye on things.\" They left the Albatross and entered the space port, \"Lead the way to town. But stick to crowds. Don't want to stand out as two guys lurking about.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThey walked out into a marketplace, \"Listen Dante. You are the only human I know of that has left Earth. It doesn't matter how much of a crowd we stick to, you're gonna stand out like a ten foot tall dragon.\" He looked to Dante, but couldn't find him, \"Dante? What the hell... where is that bastard?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus frantically looked around, only to see Dante looking at some of the stalls, \"Huh, haven't seen any Bruce Lee since I was a kid. How much?\" The vendor told him, and Dante paid. He was handed a small portable cube, no bigger than the tip of Dante's finger, \"Sweet. Two for one.\" He had just learned a few days ago that humans were a popular topic in the universe, just like how aliens were on Earth. The main difference is that people outside of Earth obtained many pieces of information and entertainment.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What? We're on business!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante put up his hand, \"Quiet, I'm working. You're giving it away. Besides, I need something else to think clearly...\" He walked up to a small stand, run by two young dragon girls, \"Why hello there! How much for that?\" He pointed to a lollipop, but the girls were staring at him and his eyepatch. A human was the rarest thing in the galaxy, and a one-eyed human was even rarer, \"Uh huh, I'm a human with one eye. Now, how much?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"F-five cr-cr-credits mister.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante rubbed his chin, \"Seems a little high, but I'm not going to complain.\" He waved his wrist computer over theirs and took the lollipop, \"Thank you very much, stay out of trouble.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs Dante unwrapped his candy, Titus was furious, \"We're looking for my sister, and you're buying movies and candy?!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe put the lollipop in his mouth, \"Ugh, just not that same. But, not horrible, it'll do. Follow me.\" Dante walked off in a random direction, while Titus was simply confused, \"Here.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThey stopped in front of a bar, \"Uh, what? Now you want a drink, are you kidding?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante smacked him on the back of the head, \"No, this is where that Dymis guy is, and he most certainly has your sister. Open your ears and you'll learn a lot about a place idiot. No wonder Ratchet left you. But enough of that-\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Hey, I'm doing this, okay? I'll go in and free my sister. I don't have the money, but I'm sure I can convince them to at least let me see her. Then I'll act.\" Dante leaned against the wall, put his hands in his pockets, then looked down, \"Are we good?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante smirked, \"Sure. But once that fails, I take over.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus nodded, then walked into the bar. In the main room, there were dragons of all types, from high class nobles to the lower working class, drinking and laughing and dancing. A rather seductive woman slithered up to Titus, \"Hey big boy, I noticed you're checking out the place. Buy me a few drinks and I'll give you the grand tour... and then I'll show you around the bar.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus pushed her away, \"I'm flattered, but I have business with Dymis.\" She gasped and part of the bar went silent, \"Where is he?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe pointed behind the bar, to a door blocked by a large bouncer. Titus walked over, but his nerves were acting up and he was beginning to get worried, \"Yeah?\" The bouncer was a little taller than Titus, but his voice was much deeper.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'm here to see Dymis. The name's Titus.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe bouncer looked at his list, then at Titus, \"You seem to be missing your entry fee. I'm afraid you'll have to leave.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus didn't budge, \"I know I don't, I'm just here to make sure my sister is safe. You can let me do that, can't you?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n..............................\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOutside, the various people passing by couldn't help but look at Dante. He was human after all, but he was a scary looking human. They slowed down as they walked by, but they didn't stop, as this one-eyed human could been dangerous.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSuddenly, the doors flung open and Dante watched as Titus hit the ground hard, \"Have fun? Now watch how the adults play.\" He stepped over Titus' body and entered the bar. He got a lot more attention than Titus, but he ignored that and asked, \"Where's Dymis? I have a delivery for him.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe was directed the door behind the bar, where the bouncer was surprised, \"Uh... name please?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante smoothly pulled out his modified pistol with his left and and put it to the bouncer's stomach, \"Yeah, I'm not on that list.\" He fired twice and the boncer fell to the floor, \"I'd get out of here if I was any of you.\" He kicked down the door, pulled out his desert eagle with his right, then pointed both straight ahead of himself, \"Hello, how are y'all?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe proceeded to mow down everyone in the back room with a smile on his face and a lollipop in his mouth. While he was shooting, he noticed a lot of guys in suits. He couldn't help but laugh when he realized he was killing criminals. In a few seconds, nothing moved. Dante holstered his pistol, and reloaded his desert eagle just as Titus ran into the room, \"What the hell happened?!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Dymis! You there? Sorry I couldn't find the doorbell, but this is just as good.\" A tall dragon walked out of yet another back room, holding Titus' sister with one arm and holding a gun to her head with another, \"Wow, uglier than I thought. Even Titus is better looking than you, and he just faceplanted onto pavement.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDymis spoke with a dignifying voice, \"A human? You hired a human to save your sister? It would have been cheaper to just pay me.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWhile Dante examined his gun, Titus yelled at Dymis, \"Let her go you sick bastard! Take me instead! Kill me, torture me, I don't care, just let her go!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Ha!\" Dymis lifted Titus' sister, \"You have no value! She is young and cute, not to mention, broken in. She will a fortune for me!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Broken in? You... you evil...\" He felt the butt of Dante's gun slam into the back of his head, then he fell to the ground.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You are a terrible negotiator. Just shut up and watch.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus rubbed his head as he spit blood, \"What?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante held his gun by the barrel, \"You had to expect this, even though that doesn't take away the sting. So tell you what Dymis, we're both civilized. I have a proposition: this gun for a promise that you won't harm the girl.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDymis was unimpressed, \"That? That gun is worthless up here!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus' sister spoke through tears, \"It... can get over five million credits easy. More if you find a collector.\" Dymis knew that the girl was an expert on Earth weapons, and lying would mean her death.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe nodded, \"Very well, I accept.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Catch!\" Dante winked (or blinked, as that would be more appropriate) and threw the gun towards Dymis. Being a man who treasured money over everything, he briefly let go of the girl to try and grab the gun. Titus' sister was smart though. She took the opportunity to jump forward, grab the gun, turn, and then proceeded to empty the clip into Dymis' head.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe kept firing even when the bullets stopped flying, and Dante gently removed the gun from her hand and lifted her to her feet. As he reloaded, she hugged him and cried, \"I appreciate the thought, but you should be hugging your brother. He needs it a lot more than I do.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe looked up, \"Oh, sorry!\" Then ran over to her brother, and smacked him on his head, \"Idiot! If it wasn't for Dante I'd be dead!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante turned his head, \"You know my name?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe stood up and wiped away the tears, \"Yes, I know all about you! You're my hero! Oh! My name is Serenade, but you can call me Sere (Sair-A)! I've watched all of the videos I can find and looked through all of the engineering books I could find about Earth!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus slowly rose to his feet, \"It's true. She had posters of you all over her wall.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Wow. I'm flattered and creeped out all at once... get behind that table!\" Dante shoved the two behind a turned over table and then crouched down while readying his gun, \"Identify yourself!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe female voice was suspicious, \"I'm Officer Cratis! Lower your weapons and come out with your hands up!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Uh, no. I need to see a badge.\" There was the distinct sound of sliding on the floor, then Dante saw a badge, which he quickly grabbed and showed to Titus and Serenade, \"Is this legitimate?\" They nodded, \"Alright, I'll come out, but I won't put down my weapon.\" He showed his weapon, then slowly stood up.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe was shocked, \"A human? Here?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante didn't hesitate, \"So why the quick response? You on his payroll or something?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I don't know how things work on Earth, but here an officer of the law has honor and dignity! We would never stoop so low!\" She looked at the bodies, \"You did all this, didn't you?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus and Serenade stood up, \"He was helping my brother save me, don't arrest him please.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante walked over to the private back room bar and sat on the counter near the officer, \"Do what you want. If you liked perverts and criminals running around, you should have said something when we arrived.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe officer waved, and ten more officers dressed in black and carrying bags entered the room. She leaned on the bar next to Dante, \"I just wish you would have invited me. Now, who are you human?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante looked over at Titus, who nodded, \"Fallen Sky, commander of Zero Unit and the Albatross. Name's Dante, and that beaten dragon over there is Titus, my second in command.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Huh, didn't think Fallen Sky would send such a small crew to do so much.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus stumbled over to the bar, \"They didn't. I asked Dante for help. We acted as private citizens.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOne of the officers in black spoke out, \"Damn, he got them all! Chief! This is the entire Above Crime Syndicate!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe Chief was impressed, \"Wow. Just... wow...\" She typed on her wrist computer and waved it over Dante's, \"You've earned it human, I'm serious.\" Dante checked, and saw a transfer of five hundred million credits, \"If you are interested, we could offer you a spot in our police force. Less pay, but you'd have complete freedom to do as you wished.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante smiled as he pulled out the lollipop, \"Flattered, but no thanks. Fallen Sky offered me too much, and I always see my contracts through. This thing just isn't cutting it. Sure, I don't mind the taste of tea, but it just doesn't satisfy my sweet tooth.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe chief looked at him, \"Humans have a tooth made for sweets?!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante sighed, \"Just a saying, don't get your panties in a twist. Hm?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"No! I forbid it!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Fuck you!\" Serenade walked in front of Dante and stood up straight, \"Commander Dante, I request permission to join Zero Unit!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante looked at her, \"I do have permission to add whoever I want, but... what are your qualifications?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'm an engineer, I specialize in weapons, armor, and ships! I can also cook, and I am good with a handgun.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante leaned his head back, \"Well... eh, why not? Welcome aboard. It may not be the safest, but it's better than getting sold as a sex slave. Titus... walk it off! Take her home and get some of her things for her. I'll meet you back at the ship. Chief, nice making your acquaintance, but I'm off.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n...........................\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLater on the ship after Serenade had left to put her things away in her new room, \"Dante, this was a bad idea. She needs to stay home, where it's safe.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"She'll run away again, and next time you may not be so lucky. There may not be an ransom. Just a used up corpse.\" Titus was about to throw a punch, \"It's true. But right now, she needs you by her side. I've seen some things... she may be okay now, but she will break down. Be there for her, comfort her. Make sure she's alright.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTitus looked away, \"We aren't on good terms, she wouldn't want me-\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Dammit that's an order! Comfort your sister, now! Besides, she may hate you, but you are still family. Now get moving!\" Titus ran off towards Serenade's room.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nRatchet peeked out from behind a corner, \"Hey Dante, you alright? Haven't seen you yell like that before.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe smiled, \"Yeah, I just needed to get my point across. He's got a thick skull, both metaphorically and literally. I just don't want to see that girl fall apart and become another mindless zombie after what she's been through.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nJill and Angel casually walked onto the bridge, \"Dante, we have a new mission, but we can't open it. It's keyed specifically to your DNA.\" She transferred the file, and Dante quickly read over it, but his eyes stopped suddenly, \"Dante?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You appear to be under stress Dante. I recommend a warm drink and a nap.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMiss Star popped out of nowhere, \"Hey! What's wrong my sweet?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDante grumbled something unintelligible, then wandered off. Jill could just barely make out, \"She will fucking pay for her crimes...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Fallen Sky Tales","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/282255-an-angel-and-an-idol.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/284124-turning-point.json"}}