Kragyn (Farseek Warrior Series Book 1) Read online

  KRAGYN

  FARSEEK WARRIORS BOOK ONE

  CLARISSA LAKE

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  Copyright© 2018

  by Clarissa Lake

  All Rights Reserved

  Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Preface:

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Epilogue:

  Preface:

  Kragyn is a spinoff of the Farseek Mercenary series. It covers some of the same events through the eyes of different characters. While it is not necessary to have read the previous series some background information might be helpful.

  Farseek is a backwater agricultural planet in the Sovereign Transtellar Consortium, settled by a race of humans who called themselves Uatu. They supply the worlds of the Consortium with agricultural products in exchange for technology that automates the massive farms on Farseek. In addition to their agricultural products, they also provide a brigade of ten Dreadnaught warships for the combined defense of the Consortium worlds.

  When the long war with the Sargus Empire was over, the Farseek Brigade returned to find their world bombed to ruin. Most of the survivors were taken as slaves to be sold on various worlds. Warrior Kragyn Vermaktu was home on leave when Farseek was attacked. Knocked unconscious by one of the blasts, he was scooped up with the rest of the survivors.

  But Kragyn was no slave. After multiple escapes and killing an overseer, he was sent to the Sargus Empire Correctional Colony on Julconi. There were no correctional programs, no guards, and no rules. The worst offenders landed on the Dezron continent, a semi-arid land mass surrounded by oceans with three seasons: warm, hot, and hotter.

  It was one of five continents on the world that was a dumping ground for Sargan dissidents, and incorrigibles along with the regular criminals, thieves, and murderers. Each continent was ruled by mobocracy where only the strongest survived, which is how Kragyn had stayed alive for the last two years---one as a slave and one as an inmate.

  He became a fighter in the pit in the village of Dezron #2. It had been a mining colony settlement before the Sargans turned it into a prison.

  In the early days, Julconi had been a mining colony. When it was first turned into a penal colony, there had been corrections officers in residence on the planet. The continual influx of inmates overwhelmed the staff’s control, and they fled.

  Glossary of terms and pronunciations:

  Kragyn Vermaktu (Krāʹ gĭn Ver măkʹ too)

  Uatu (Ū ăʹ too) – Farseekan race of origin

  Solmatu (sōl măʹ too) – soul mate, spiritual connection

  Julconi (Jool kōʹ nee)

  Fehiatu (fĕ hē ăʹ too) Uatu martial arts

  Chapter One

  The sun had set and night was falling over Dezron continent on Julconi Prison Planet. Kragyn was on his way to the fight pit at the largest building in the village.

  As the sun sank on the horizon, Kragyn had made the half-hour trek from his secret cave to the old village where the nightly fights took place. His first match was the second of the night, so he paused outside the back entrance of the building to run through his pre-fight stretching routine before he went inside.

  Fighting in the pit served two purposes for the Farseek warrior. He got to vent his rage and frustration at seeing his world destroyed and being sent to this hell planet because he was not slave material.

  The second reason he competed in the pit was that his prowess as a fighter kept the gangs from harassing him. While he won more than he lost, sometimes he took a good beating. Usually, he gave as good as he got. He wouldn’t know until he went inside, who he would fight.

  Kragyn strode in through the back door. The stench of unwashed bodies and smoke assaulted his nostrils as soon as he stepped into the building. It mixed with the stale odor of spilled ale and the fresh ale that most of the audience was drinking. So far, no blood had been shed, but sooner or later that smell would enter the mix.

  The first fight was just starting. Some kind of reptilian humanoid named Dajuk was facing a horned alien from a race Kragyn hadn’t seen before. Both were bigger than he but not as quick and agile. He would be fighting the winner, so he made sure to arrive in time to see them fight.

  The reptilian seemed to anticipate the moves of the horned brute, striking him with a barrage of punches then dancing away. Kragyn learned as the match went on that the horned alien was a Fegandan named Oxiraz from a world he had never heard of at the far end of the Sargan Empire. He was big and tough, but not much of a fighter.

  The Fegandan seemed to rely on brute force rather than skill to stay in the fight. The reptilian’s punches and kicks seemed hardly to faze him, but Oxiraz wasn’t fast enough to land many on the reptilian, Dajuk. Kragyn was pretty sure if Oxiraz connected, Dajuk would have been laid out.

  Otherwise, it was like fighting a punching bag. Kragyn thought Dajuk would be challenging, but he felt he could take him. He could probably pound on Oxiraz all night, and the Fegandan might hardly notice. Even a beast like him must have a weak spot somewhere.

  The only rule was the last man standing won. Even kicking a male in the genitals was not prohibited. That’s why Kragyn had found material to make a shield for his to use when he fought. But not all humanoid males had them in the same vulnerable position as homo sapiens.

  As he watched the fight progress, Oxiraz was continually turning as Dajuk danced around him landing blow after blow, all in the front. The hulking Fegandan seemed to be protecting his backside. He charged Dajuk a couple times landing only glancing blows as the reptilian leaped out of his reach.

  The mixed species audience was mostly male, and the stench in the room reeked of unwashed bodies and smoke. The crowd seemed impatient for the fight to be over as they were getting bored with the inequitable one-sided action, yelling their displeasure. Oxiraz seemed oblivious, but Dajuk decided to make his move. He managed to get behind the Fegandan and kicked him hard in the middle of his ass.

  Oxiraz howled in pain and turned so fast to slam his fist into Dajuk’s head, that the reptilian couldn’t avoid the blow. He was knocked off his feet and slammed to the padded floor where he lay unmoving. It didn’t look like he was breathing, and Kragyn wondered if he was dead.

  Oxiraz raised his fists in the air and roared in victory. Th
en Dajuk drew in a gasping breath but remained unconscious. The Farseek warrior was relieved to see the reptilian was still alive, and he had an idea on how he might win the fight.

  About fifteen minutes later, he was in the pit facing the Fegandan. Kragyn used some of the same techniques as Dajuk, but he pounded Oxiraz even harder. All he had to do is tap into his rage at what happened to his world and the course his life had taken.

  Punch, punch, punch, punch, dodge, kick, dodge, kick. The Fegundan was solid muscle; it was like punching a side of meat. Kragyn kept at it until he started to get tired. He wasn’t really making much headway, but the activity seemed to be cooling his frustration with what his life had become. Most of the beings surrounding him had fared no better.

  He hit Oxiraz with a new barrage of punches then leaped into an acrobatic tumble that brought him to his feet behind his opponent. Kragyn delivered three sharp kicks to his ass and spun out of the Fegundan’s reach before he could land a massive fist to his body.

  Oxiraz roared his pain and anger at Kragyn as he jumped out of his reach. The Farseek warrior pounded his front alternating with rear assaults until his opponent sank to his knees howling. Kragyn took that opportunity to launch himself feet first to the back of his head. The momentum pushed Oxiraz face first into the mat with Kragyn landing on top of his back.

  He quickly rolled off and stood looking down at the behemoth he had just bested. The beast-man was still breathing. Kragyn grinned and raised his fists over his head in victory. The crowd cheered at his improbable feat as he turned a slow circle to acknowledge their pleasure at his performance.

  With no more takers that night, it was time for a drink of the swill they called ale at the bar. It might take Bardo, the most powerful gang leader on the island continent, a few days or more before he found new opponents to face Kragyn. The next wave of newbies was due any time now. Maybe that would deliver a worthy opponent or two.

  Bardo always found someone eventually, but Kragyn didn’t care about that. He kept hoping that one of the newbies would be someone with news of Farseek to tell him what happened to his world and his family.

  Chapter Two

  The walk to the docking bay of the Sargan Prison shuttle was surreal as Reanne Winter measured her steps to synchronize her stride with the men and women behind and in front of her. They were all strung together with their hands bound in front of them. It was just another indignity inflicted on her since she was abducted from Earth by aliens and sold to an alien pervert.

  She had been working late in the garage she had taken over from her father when he retired. The car belonged to one of their best customers, and they needed it for their daughter’s wedding. So, Reanne stayed late to finish the brake job. She often worked after hours to keep up with the work. Then she would walk home alone even after dark.

  It was something she did with regularity without a second thought. Crime was nearly non-existent in their western Maryland hamlet. Her parents’ home was just three blocks from the garage. Reanne was house sitting while they were wintering in Florida with her Uncle on her father’s side.

  One minute she was walking toward home, and she heard a car coming down the road behind her. Then it was lights out. Her next memory she was strapped to a bunk in her underwear in a dingy room with metal walls and ceilings. Looking from side to side, she could see four rows of beds stacked four high and anchored to the floor.

  At that point, she believed she had been kidnapped by human traffickers. However, she soon discovered that not all the other females in the bunks around her were human.

  They were all young and attractive. Reanne, with her beautiful figure and dark honey colored hair that she kept short, was prettier than average. An auto mechanic would not be most people’s first guess at her occupation. She wasn’t thin enough to be a regular model but maybe in a “plus” size catalog. But she might not be large enough. Not many of them actually looked obese, they looked like normal women.

  They were on that ship for months; it was almost like being in jail without the yard time. Day after day with nothing to do in a barracks with inadequate toilet facilities for eighty women. There was almost always a line. Reanne didn’t think things could get much worse until they did.

  There were nine other Earth women elsewhere on the ship. She hadn’t seen any of them until they were waiting in line to be sold naked. That came after they were examined in the nude by potential buyers, pinched and poked in private places.

  More than once she’d felt like she was sexually molested. Afterward, the Pican fitted all the women with choker chain collars and strung them together like livestock. She had seethed in silence through the whole process.

  Reanne’s situation just got worse from there. She was purchased by the fat green alien who had shoved his fingers into her vagina because he could. Had she resisted, the Pican would be quick to apply the pain stick he had used on her that first day. She would have rather taken that excruciating pain if only they wouldn’t make her go with that green alien.

  As soon as she realized who had bought her, she knew she was in danger. Just the way he looked at her made her skin crawl. She somehow knew his plans for her included pain. But she had killed him before he got the chance with the very rope he meant to tie her with to torture her.

  Now she was on her way to prison for life. She had heard people talking that life wouldn’t be very long on Julconi for a female with her looks. Those that knew why she was going to prison even the humanoid guards on the shuttle didn’t blame her for killing the green Alcranian. They were known for their penchant for abusing females of other species.

  The only way she might stay alive is to find a powerful male and fuck him for protection. Alone she could end up getting gang-raped her first day out. Reanne didn’t want to think about it. If these were the last hours of her life, she wouldn’t spend them in fear.

  She closed her eyes and thought about home, and her parents, who by now thought she was dead. She thought about Jake Martin who had finally asked her out and the summer parties in the country. She had taken it all for granted, and now it was gone forever.

  In less than half an hour later her fate would be sealed one way or another.

  Kragyn quickened his pace as he heard the whine of shuttle engines growing louder as it approached the landing pad. People were streaming toward the fenced off area curious about the new crop of prisoners, but mostly anxious to get their share of the supply drop that came with them. He reached a spot along the fence near the gate that would give him a good view of the exit ramp. While he didn’t wish his existence on fellow Farseekans, he longed to find at least one other person he knew survived.

  Outwardly, he schooled his features into an indifferent mask, watching and waiting.

  The shuttle made a vertical landing and settled to the landing pad. The engines quieted to a low hum, but they were not shut down. The shuttle would stay ground side no longer than it would take to debark the passengers and unload the supplies. Then the gate would reopen once the shuttle lifted off. It was triggered from within the shuttle.

  Fifteen new inmates walked down the ramp wearing identical shirts and pants. Each carried a backpack filled with supplies and a large knife sheathed at their hips.

  Kragyn studied every face, but he recognized none of the four females and eleven males. One beautiful woman caught his eye. Then, he scented her on the warm breeze. Solmatu! She was his soul mate.

  She put on a brave face, but Kragyn could see she was terrified. There were catcalls and indecent offers. He moved toward the point where the gate would open so he could get to her before anyone else.

  The exit ramp pulled up as the last passenger stepped off. The shuttle then dumped six pallets of supplies on to the tarmac and lifted slowly into the air. The gate opened immediately as the shuttle flew away.

  While most in the crowd went after the supplies, Kragyn went to the woman who had moved as far from the influx of the crowd as possible. He couldn’t stop the jubilan
t smile on his face as he stopped directly in front of her.

  She took a step back as he seemed to loom over her but seemed to relax a little when she met his gaze.

  “Solmatu,” he said, “you are probably the last person I ever expected to meet here.” He held out his hand. “Come with me, I will get you out of here.”

  She looked at his hand uncertainly. “Why would you do that?”

  “You are solmatu.”

  “I don’t know what that means,” she said. “It doesn’t seem to translate.”

  “It means I will protect you with my life. I would never harm you.”

  She gave him a long look, then put her hand in his. “That’s the best offer I’ve had in months.” He was also one fine specimen of manhood.

  They skirted the crowd that was trying to get to the supplies and left through the gate. They walked briskly for a good twenty minutes. It was too hot to run. By the time they came to the cave Kragyn called home she was out of breath and drenched in sweat. She shrugged off the back pack and dropped it on the floor because it was heavy.

  “Are you okay?” Kragyn asked, looking concerned.

  “Yes, I’m just out of shape and not used to this heat, she said. “So, what is solmatu?”

  “It means we are soulmates. I am Kragyn Vermaktu of Farseek, a world far from here. What are you called?”

  “Reanne Winter. I’m pretty far from home. I was kidnapped from Earth, not dirt, by the Picans. I killed the Alcranian who bought me to rape and torture for his amusement,” she said. “I never wanted to kill anyone. I thought he was going to kill me.”

  When she looked up at him, her eyes full of tears, he wrapped her in his arms and hugged her. “I am so sorry that happened to you. Those Sargan bastards laid waste to my world. I am a warrior in the Farseek Brigade. I was on leave when they attacked. I didn’t take to slavery so well either. That’s how I ended up here.”