Alcrose - Chapter Eight

Story by Zynnis on SoFurry

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#8 of Alcrose

Ok, last one for tonight, then going to get started on chapter nine and ten. It may be a week before I get them up, as I've lost my starbucks time until Wednesday, but I'm going to try and not be distracted by everything else going on. I'll get some sex up in it soon enough, just be patient if that is what you're waiting for. I like to get some background and character progression down before I start messing with their lives.

As always, please rate, fav, and watch if you enjoy it. Also, please leave a comment, they really make my day when I read them.


Zynnis smiled as the next round of drinks were sat in front of Styrr and him. He picked up his shot glass, filled with a noxious looking green liquid, and slightly steaming. He raised his glass, nodded to the dragon, who had since taken his shirt off and was sitting in the bar like Zynnis, shirtless. They book took the shot quickly, the dragon cringing, obviously not used to the Alcrosian drinks being given to him.

Zynnis laughed, "It takes a while to get used to them if you've not had them for a while, or ever in your case."

The dragon coughed and closed his eyes tightly, he had new found respect for the hybrid sitting in front of him, not only was the commander a surprisingly good negotiator, and knew much more than he was letting on about the business ventures of his company, but the he could drink an ox under the table. The hybrid looked unfazed, while the liquor was starting to give the dragon quite the buzz.

"Oh lighten up Styrr, ain't a damn thing wrong with getting a few drinks in you." Zynnis was smiling as another round was set in front of them, which instead of downing, he sipped happily.

"It's not the getting a few drinks in me that is going to be the problem Commander, it's the keeping up with you that is. I can drink just fine, believe me, but whatever this is, it's painfully strong."

Zynnis smiled and nodded, "It's a concoction of mine, a few Alcrosian liquors and a mix of some green shit that they cooked up in the lab for me, "He chuckled and quickly drained the rest of his shot glass, "My techs said that it had some sort of healing ingredients in it, that I can ingest without any of the allergic reactions that normal modern medicines give me. The only downside, is that it doesn't have any pain relief, and when the healing process starts, it starts to hurt, a lot. So I mix it with my booze. I've not been back aboard in a while, so I was out until today it seems."

The dragon grimaced as another was placed in front of Zynnis, he himself had still not even touched his current one, "I suppose I can see the usefulness of such a horrible tasting drink, at least for you that is. I wont ever say that it will be my beverage of choice anytime soon, or ever that is."

Zynnis just shook his head and smiled, motioning to the bartender, "Josey, do me a favor, why don't you get Mr. Kinster one of our teas."

The bartender nodded and walked away to the back, Styrr raised a brow towards Zynnis, "Which one?"

Zynnis looked towards the dragon quizzically, "What do you mean which one?"

The dragon grinned, "I was on Alcrose quite a long time ago, before the planet became unstable, actually, probably well before you were even a thought in your parents heads. It was probably one of the finest tourist attractions in the universe."

Zynnis shook his head and sat back, sipping on his drink again, "I don't remember much of it actually. I mean, I've seen the pictures, I've read the books, I've heard the stories and the lore, but of the few years I lived there, that's really all a blur."

"That's a shame, it was beautiful, I'm sure it still is. The atmospheric makeup only changed slightly when the planet went up, just enough for us higher life forms to not be able to live on such a place, but most of the foliage as well as animals would still be able to survive. The temperature may have deviated, but only slightly. Our last drone images showed that most of the planet itself was left unharmed. Granted, that was years and years ago, and it could have since become unstable, but I highly doubt that."

Zynnis looked at the dragon with a skeptical, if not unbelieving look, "And you know this how?"

"You forget, it's my job to know a little bit about everything. You seem to underestimate me, more than you should. After you had that little beating the hell out of me match in your office, you should have realized that there is more to me than meets the eye." The dragon smiled and accepted the new drink sat in front of him. It was golden in color and served in a tall glass.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I know you are far more than meets the eye. That still doesn't account for some of the things that you've said to me that are odd, and it raises even more questions about you that I'm not sure I want to know about," Zynnis sighed and finished his drink, and then sipped on the one that had been sitting in front of Styrr left untouched, "You know, I will find out eventually, so you might just come out and let me know what it is before I find something I don't like."

"Oh really," The dragon chuckled as he let the straw fall from his mouth. In all honesty, he wasn't liking where this conversation was going, even with the large amount of alcohol that had been served to him running through his system, "I do know that a lot of your records are sealed, both universally, and within the various contractor and interplanetary agencies, so it looks as if you have just the same amount of secrecy about you. Something that people like you and me need. If we didn't keep our anonymity, then what would happen to our credit as beings. Sometimes, the moral right isn't the main goal for people like us."

Zynnis smiles as he continued to sip his drink, "You're absolutely, right. My files are locked for that reason, but, when our contract goes through, a lot of that will be unlocked for you. I can't say the same for your files, which is what bothers me. You and I, we aren't who we appear to be, my worry is that your secrets are dangerous."

Styrr nodded, "They are. Which is why they don't exist on any database that either you or I could get into."

Zynnis rolled his eyes, "There is always something, I'll find you, you know that to be true, otherwise you wouldn't have stopped drinking your drink."

Zynnis smiled and ordered another shot as he finished his, leaving Styrr to mull over the truths of the matter in his head. When the dragon had, he quickly spoke up, "You'll find out in due time my friend, just don't act too surprised when you do."

They both looked at each other, laughed, and continued their drinks. Zynnis was actually enjoying himself, even with the chat that they had just had, he knew that just like any deal that was going to happen, all of the dirt and horrible doings came out in the open for both parties to mull over, so the stress was not even a factor in his life, he knew Trip would have a different outlook on it, but compared to him, Trip was a saint.

"I don't think I will surprised about much when it comes to you. I have my thoughts, but I think I'll keep them to myself," The hybrid took a sip from his glass again, "Actually, I think we'll talk about one thing first."

The dragon raised his brow and looked at Zynnis, now very interested in the conversation, the Commander was quite outspoken about his opinions, but never once has he brought up anything that has to do with his own background or personal life, "Do tell?"

Zynnis chuckled, "Well, your military experience, we've already come to terms that it does indeed exist, but to what extent is what I would like to know."

The dragon responded with a long drink from his glass, motioning to the bartender for him to start mixing another, "I don't think we're going to go into that Commander. I'm going to have to politely ask you to mind your own business with that one."

Zynnis could only laugh, "Now, this is where it get's a bit fun. What if I were to tell you that I already knew?"

The dragon coughed, spraying a mist of his tea on the bar, "You what?"

Zynnis smiled and nodded, finish the green liquid in front of him, before also motioning for another drink, this time, a beer was placed on the bar, "I've studied abroad, did most of my training on several different planets, with with many different instructors. I'm well versed in the arts of combat, and I can pinpoint, almost down to a science, which planet or corporation it was learned at."

The dragon scoffed, "Doubtful, but go ahead and give it a whirl."

Zynnis smirked, "You trained on Alcrose itself. I had my suspicions, but until you seemed to be familiar with the drink that you're drinking now, it wasn't quite solidified."

Styrr could only continue to drink on his tea, not wanting to give the hybrid any help, or any hints to what his origins were. He nodded and shrugged, "Continue."

Zynnis sighed, "Just admit it, I'm right, and we both know it. Lets go back about two to four hundred years, and have a bit of a history lesson." Zynnis took a long drink from his beer and leaned back on the bar stool, "Back when we Alcrosians first started to leave our planet and make contact with other individuals, we started what is known now as 'The Dragons of Alcrose.' It was an elite squad, with about one hundred total members part of that starting unit. The unit itself was comprised of several fire teams, much like how we restructured the ARMC to be soon after I was handed my Commander bars."

Zynnis took another drink before continuing, seeing the Dragon listening intently, looking somewhat flabbergasted, "The men and women of these teams were trained in all aspects of our military and each member had one specialty. When sent on a mission, usually a first contact one, they would find the best team prepared for it, and send them. I hate to say it, but usually, first contact failed We Alcrosians aren't known for our diplomatic relations, we're warriors, born and bred. Very rarely did someone not have basic military training before the age of eighteen, and at that point, their professions were chosen for them based on their strengths and skills."

The dragon nodded, he knew all of this already, and it was apparent to Zynnis, the only problem was that the dragon couldn't hide it, "And where do I fit in to this great history lesson Zynnis?"

The hybrid raised a finger, "I'm getting there, be patient," He took another drink of his beer and put his hands on the table to help diagram his thought process, "These teams, they were the best of the best, and they had special training not the same as our regular citizens. You already know that the reason our planet was attacked with chemical weapons is that the invading party couldn't continue the ground war, they were losing far too many men. The rigorous training of these special 'Dragons' was beyond the best in the galaxy, trust me, I've been through it. My father was part of this elite unit and was intrusted with Haven to take as many people we could to safety."

The dragon sighed, "And surprisingly, even now, this ship is a masterpiece, and even being as old as it is, it hasn't faded with time."

Zynnis nodded, "Yes indeed, this ship is our final masterpiece for the universe to see, and unfortunately, with our enemies, doesn't get to be seen as often as it should." The commander sipped from his bottle again, "But back to where I was going with this conversation. When the planet was abandoned, the teams were split, each one going it's own separate way. Most of those leaders started their own groups, most of which are gone now unfortunately."

The dragon sighed, "You're saying a lot Zynnis, but you've yet to get to the point."

Zynnis chuckled, "I'm about to right now, and here it is: all of these groups changed their training, and their fighting style, improving on it to better the strengths of their own units. There is only one person that I have ever come across who has ever fought with that style of combat, without any variations." Zynnis took the time to let his observation sink in, and started to focus on his drink, silently.

"You're quite the observant fur commander. Now that you've come to your conclusion, what do you think of things now, and what is going to change?"

"Nothing. The way you fight is the reason I so quickly came to an agreement with you. If anything, it has strengthened our relationship, rocky as it may be still." The hybrid ordered two more shots, placing one in front of the dragon, "So, a toast to old Alcrose."

The dragon closed his eyes slightly and laughed, picking up his drink and clanking it against Zynnis', "Indeed, to the Alcrose that was, and still is."

The two drank the shot's quickly, the dragon coughing as he set his glass back on the bar, Zynnis sipping from his beer to wash it down, "Yes, the Alcrose that still is, when are you going to tell Trip?"

The dragon shrugged, "I'm not."

Zynnis chuckled, nodding approvingly, "That's a good idea actually. He would be equally pissed off at me, and right now, we're actually on good terms."

Styrr laughed heartily and continued on what he decided was going to be his last drink, "Now, a question for you, since we're obviously brethren from way down the line, where is your elder?"

It was Zynnis turn to spit his drink over the bar, "Our what?"

"Don't play coy commander, I know who is on this ship, or at least was. But even if he is no longer, his descendants are."

Zynnis shook his head and frowned at the dragon, "He's alive and well actually. He keeps to himself, and I like it that way."

The dragon chuckled, "I bet you do. What if I told you that I know him, and we used to be quite good friends."

Zynnis shrugged, "That wouldn't surprise me, he's a friendly guy."

"No he's not."

"You''re right, he isn't, but that is beside the point. You two would meld well together."

The dragon smiled, "When do I get to see him?"

"Probably never," Zynnis looked at his watch and held out a paw to shake the dragon's, "He's in the middle of his sleep cycle, and I aim to not disturb that. It's time for me to head out, Trip and I have some business to take care of before we have you sign the contract."

The dragon shook the hybrid's paw shortly, nodding, "Then I'll see you later then yes? We can have a few more talks about things. It's been a while since I've been relaxed enough to have a conversation about the past." He looked around the bar and happily noticed it was still empty but for them, "Don't think that just because I was part of Alcrose back in the day we had a planet, I have very much love for things that were. Those days were horrible, and I'm quite alright with things being as they are now."

Zynnis waved the dragon off, knowing bullshit when he heard it, and walked his way out of the bar, "I'll see you in a few hours, it was good having this talk."