A soothing voice entered his ears, and the hand started rubbing his back through his armor.

“It’s ok sir,” the voice said. “This happens to everyone the first few times, it’s nothing to be ashamed of… Owl two, this is Owl five. Owl one is down, I repeat Owl one is down… shhh calm down sir, it will be ok. It will be ok.” Distantly, through his own dropped helmet, Ronin heard the voice of Owl two.

“Copy Owl five, stay with Owl one on protection detail. Owl three and I will clear the mine of hostiles. Good work shadowing Owl one, just keep him safe while we finish the mission.”

“…N… No.” Ronin managed to gag out between his hysterical sobs. “Non…non… non-lethal…on…only.” He managed at last.

“Owl two, this is Owl five. Owl one has ordered that the mission be changed. We are to use non-lethal only. Over.” There was a long pause before Owl two answered.

“Owl five, did I get that right? We are to use non-lethal force only?” the mechanical voice sounded annoyed to Ronin.

“Yes Owl two, non-lethal only.” Owl five replied, as calm as ever.

“Acknowledged.” Owl two finally answered.

After that, Owl five crouched over Ronin, slowly rubbing his back and shushing him. the whole time, her side arm, was held at the ready. Aimed rock steady deeper into the mine shaft. She only relaxed when the enormous form of Owl three strode past her into the tunnel, his side arm held in a two-handed grip. The gun practically disappeared in his massive hands. Owl two was right behind him. he stopped long enough to check on Ronin’s condition, then followed after Owl three deeper inside.

Time passed slowly for Ronin. he felt trapped and he couldn’t stop sobbing. All he could do was sit there as the images of withered bodies exploding into bloody messes, played through his mind over and over again. Owl five sat with him while he cried. Slowly rubbing his back and crooning to him. after an eternity, the visions began to lose their power over him. he was becoming numb to the sight of blood, and his sobs slowly subsided as well.

He didn’t know how much time passed before he calmed down, but he felt more drained than at any time in his life up to that point. Looking into Owl fives helmeted face, he could see his own reflection. It was a pathetic sight. his eyes were bloodshot, his nose swollen. He started to wipe it away, but was stopped by a small hand on his.

“I’ve got you sir,” Owl five said. She’d pulled a cloth from her bag at some point and, wetting it from her canteen, cleaned his face. Ronin was too tired to feel embarrassed at her ministrations. Instead, he just took the gesture for what it was and waited for her to finish. “All cleaned up sir.” She said at last, putting away her cloth and canteen. Then she offered a second, much smaller, canteen to Ronin.

“Thank you,” he said accepting the canteen. Taking a drink of the nutrient and nanite enhanced water, he felt better almost instantly. he didn’t drink any more than that however. They couldn’t make more of the water without the drop pod, and he didn’t want to waste it. handing it back to Owl five, Ronin stood up.

Accepting his helmet and rifle, Ronin suited up. doing his best to put the incident behind him, he turned his back on the dead goblin woman and marched deeper into the tunnel.

“Owl one, this is Owl two.” the monotoned voice of his assistant entered his helmet com as he walked. “Reporting the complete capture of all hostiles. We questioned one of the prisoners to determine that we have them all, over.”

“Thank you, Owl two. We are inbound and should be at your location shortly,” Ronin replied. he hadn’t been here before, but there was an arrow in his vision pointing him in the right direction. A map marker that Owl two had no doubt left for him. as annoying as the android could be, he was at least efficient.

Rounding the last bend, Ronin walked into a large cave. Looking at the walls, he determined this was a natural cave the miners must have tunneled into by accident. There was another natural tunnel leading off, deeper into the earth. That one was covered by a metal grate, which had been worked loose from the stone, creating an opening just large enough for the goblins to slip through. Seeing Owl two and three, Ronin walked over to them. tied up at their feet were a total of seven goblins.

A cursory scan told him there were three males and four females in the group. Each was just as gaunt and filthy as the one he… shot, had been. They were also dressed in poorly tanned and half rotten rawhide sacks. Most of them were the standard four feet tall, but one of the males was closer to four and a half feet tall. a veritable giant for a goblin, it glared up at him as he approached.

“Sir,” Owl two said as he arrived. “We have captured the prisoners. What are your orders regarding them?”

Ronin looked down at the small goblins. Not sure what he wanted to do with them. he just hadn’t wanted to kill them, and now, with them tied up and helpless like this he really couldn’t do it. looking back at Owl five, he thought about how she had cared for him in the tunnel. she was half goblin herself. if she could act so caringly, then didn’t it stand to reason that these goblins could too if given the chance? Turning back to Owl two, Ronin said.

“Like I said before, we are here to build a civilization. We’ve just gotten our first seven builders.” He said, making up the words as he went. “I will now accept suggestions on how to bring them under control.” He finished, deciding to turn the problem over to Owl two. the android didn’t answer for a long time, simply standing still while he processed the problem.

“Ok I think we can do this.” he said at last, “Goblins are like dogs, or chickens, they have a pack order and always follow the strongest member of the group. So, if you will allow me to use one of the drone parasites on the big guy there, I think we can make this work.” They had been speaking over helmet coms, so the goblins couldn’t hear them. the big one bared its teeth at Owl two though when he pointed at him.

Ronin had to think about that for a bit. The idea had merit, but the drone parasites were also valuable. He only had six of them, they were single use, and that was all he was likely to ever have. An interesting biomechanical bug, the drone parasite borrowed into the host’s skull and essentially turned them into a slave. They would follow any orders given by the mother parasite, the parasite that Ronin had nestled in his own skull right now. Even better, they had a telepathic ability. Meaning they could be controlled at a distance of up to fifty miles.

“Alright,” he said at last. “But I want to use one of the nanite injectors on him too.” He said, deciding that if he was in for a dime he was in for a dollar.

“…sir” Owl two said, reluctance plain in his voice. “The nanite injectors are invaluable, and we only have four of them. to use one on…”

“I understand your feelings, Owl two” Ronin interrupted. The nanite injectors really were an incredible piece of technology. Once injected, it would rapidly improve the body to its optimal condition with an extended life span. It was very similar to what had happened to Ronin’s body when he was crystalized. Only, it was much more painful, and required the injected to eat as much as they could for days to fuel the process.

“But if we don’t, the goblin will die of old age within a decade. It would be a waste of the parasite to use it on such a short-lived host.” He reasoned with his assistant, wondering if he would cave or not.

“Understood sir,” Owl two said eventually. “Let’s get the prisoners back to the base then, Owl five and I will get them cleaned up and start the process. While you take the casualty back to the town with Owl’s three and four… the town is half empty right now, maybe you can get some clothes for the goblins while you’re there.” Plans made, they set to work. Ronin and Owl two each carried two goblins, slung over their shoulders. While Owl three carried the rest all by himself. Owl five’s hands were left free to defend the team as they moved.

Upon reaching the cave system, Ronin was shocked to see how much work Owl four had managed to do. The cave mouths had been covered with large rocks, only leaving small openings. That alone went a long way to disguise the tunnels from view. once he entered the tunnel, Ronin found his movement being tracked by a small ceiling mounted turret. There was a camera and a small gun attached to the turret, alerting Owl four to their return. They only had a handful of those turrets, and they only held five rounds, but it should be enough to slow any attackers down long enough for the team to respond.

Reaching the domed cave, Ronin noticed that the sixth pod had been removed. the final pod was entirely filled with gear, and it lay open on the ground while Owl four went through everything. the heavily muscled man was meticulously looking over every piece before putting it back again.

“Welcome Back sir,” Owl four said when Ronin entered. “Upon Owl two’s orders, I fabricated a few manacles, and attached them to one of the parachute ropes over there.” Looking over to where Owl four pointed, Ronin saw the braided steel rope affixed to the wall. seven sets of manacles hung from it, each spaced out enough that the goblins couldn’t reach each other while shackled.

“Great job Grush,” Ronin complemented as he carried his prisoners over and locked them up. he saw three more of the ceiling mounted turrets placed equidistantly around the dome. They only had five of them in total, so Ronin assumed the fifth was at the mouth of the northern tunnel. Owl two and three joined him in locking up the goblins they had carried back. All of them, with the exception of the leader, were still unconscious.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Sir,” Owl two said once Ronin had been unburdened. “Don’t forget to recharge your rifle, sir.” Ronin looked at him quizzically.

“I only shot one bullet Owl two. that leaves me with forty-nine, I don’t think that I need to worry about that yet”

“With respect sir, you never leave on a mission less than fully prepared.” The words didn’t come from Owl two, but rather Owl five. Ronin looked over to her, only to find her plugging the taser rounds they had shot into the pods to charge. Ronin had been prepared to argue with Owl two, but if Brie felt the same way he couldn’t argue with them both.

“Ok,” he said simply before walking over to his pod and opening the door. the pods held an array of functions and equipment, one of those functions was recharging and reloading the mark V railgun from the reactor and fabrication unit hidden inside the main shape of the drop pod. Clicking the rifle home, Ronin waited the one minute it required to replenish the spent round and the energy it took to fire it.

As he waited, he looked at the lockers that flanked his coffin sized pod. They held even more equipment. Reaching behind the unit, he pulled out a round shield and a short sword. The round shield was thirty inches in diameter and the short sword had an eighteen-inch double-edged blade. Despite his argument with Owl two, the android’s warnings on the shortcomings of the rifles had gotten through to him.

“Going forward, I don’t want anyone leaving the base without their melee weapons, in addition to their rifles.” He said, waiting for Owl two to remind him that it was protocol to always be fully equipped at all times. Surprisingly however, Owl two didn’t say anything. Only retrieving his own short sword and shield, which were identical to Ronin’s. without a word the others followed suit. Owl three grabbed a long sword and a tower shield, Owl four pulled out a two-handed war hammer and Owl five strapped two long daggers to her waist.

Each of the weapons was formed from advanced technology and contained nanites just like the armor they wore. As long as it wasn’t completely destroyed, the items could self-repair if provided with adequate raw materials. Everything Ronin had loaded into the stealth pod had been top quality. Unfortunately, the unit wasn’t very big. No matter how good the quality, they were still limited on hardware.

Ronin moved to stand next to Owl two, who had opened a small case to reveal six glass vials. Each held a small spider shaped drone parasite. Taking one of the vials from the case, Owl two gently closed it and tucked it away safely. Next, he pulled out another box. This one held four, forearm sized syringes that looked like they were filled with liquid metal.

“Got everything covered here, Owl two?” Ronin asked, looking at the precious items the android held in his hands.

“Yes, sir.” The android replied. “I will administer the injection and the parasite and clean the prisoners, while Owl five hunts the surrounding area for food to fuel the transformation. While we do that, you along with Owl’s three and four will retrieve the casualty from the mine and return with it as proof the goblins have been dealt with. Hopefully getting some clothes for the newly cleaned goblins while you’re there.” He added pointedly.

“That sounds about right.” Ronin said with a nod. “But I also want you to give each of the other six goblins a canteen of nutrient and nanite rich enhanced water, I think it will go a long way to restoring them to working condition.”

“Sir,” Owl two said. “The pod can create new enhanced nanite water, but we will have to feed it some of the raw resources we brought with us to do so. Since we haven’t discovered a native source for them yet, every dose used is a dose that we won’t have in case of an emergency.” Ronin was aware of the problem, and Owl two had a valid point. Ronin had designed the enhanced water himself after all. he’d read a sword and sorcery novel that had magic healing potions, and did his best to replicate them.

“I agree with you Owl two,” Ronin said at last. “But we should be safe for the time being, and without the enhanced water it will take weeks for the goblins to regain their strength. If we give it to them, however, with a lot of food and some rest they should be in decent shape in a day or so. It’s a gamble, but I think it’s a gamble worth taking.”

“Understood sir,” Owl two said, clearly not in agreement. “I will divide up what we have and give it to the prisoners.” Ronin thought to correct him on the goblin’s status, but decided it didn’t really matter. After all, until their leader was implanted and brought the rest under control, they really were prisoners.

“Thank you, Owl two” he said instead. handing his assistant his canteen of enhanced water. Turning to Grush and Steady aim he signaled to them. “Let’s go guys.” He looked for Owl five, but she must have already left to hunt. The two huge team members handed over their canteens to Owl two before following Ronin back out into the forest.

The trip back to the mine was more eventful than any previous trip. Without Owl five to scout for them, the team kept running into small groups of dinosaurs. One encounter was particularly close. they had been running at full tilt when Grush literally ran into an Ankylosaurus who had been hidden behind a large leafed bush.

The dinosaur bellowed with rage as the small creature bounced off its armored hide. Ronin gaped at the thirty-foot-long beast. it was squat and wide, sitting low to the ground on thick legs. Its head, back and tail were heavily armored. It looked a little like an armadillo. Except that its tail was long and had a huge club of bone like growth attached to it. swinging its whole body around in a rage, the Ankylosaurus tried to crush Grush for his impudence. Thankfully he was able to move away in time, the tree that had been behind him however wasn’t so lucky.

With a boom and a spray of splinters, the tree toppled to the ground. Owl three raised his rifle towards the dino, but Ronin told him not to fire. this was a game preserve at the end of the day, and killing randomly could irrevocably damage their populations. Instead, the trio ran for it with everything they had. the beast chased them for a while, but they were able to lose it in the end.

Arriving at the mine, the three took a moment to catch their breath. Ronin took the large pink leaf that he had rolled up and stored, out of his pack. He intended to use it to wrap the gobliness in for transport. However, now that he had arrived, he didn’t want to go back into the mine. He just stared at the hole in the cliff for several long minutes. After an indeterminate amount of time, Owl three moved over to him.

“Sir, I can do it for you. there’s no need for you to go in there personally. I know Brie already told you this, but this reaction really is normal in the beginning.” The Kaldarr spoke gently, but his voice still reverberated around inside Ronin’s helmet. Still, the care his teammates showed him over the incident did a lot to restore his confidence.

“Thank you, Steady Aim” he said at last. “But I’ve got this.” without another word, Ronin strolled into the cave. Walking straight to where he had killed the goblin, he looked down at her in silence. Reaching out, he closed her eyes.

“I’m sorry this happened.” he whispered into the empty tunnel. “This wasn’t what I had in mind when I set out to adventure.” Spreading the leaf out on the ground, he gently laid the goblin onto it and rolled her up inside. Securing the bundle with some vines, he picked her up in a princess carry and walked back outside. Owl four took the bundle from his arms at the entrance. The big man gave Ronin an encouraging nod as he relieved him of his burden.

“Alright,” Ronin said. Breathing out through his nose in a long exhale, he recentered himself. “Let’s go.”

They ran the rest of the way back to Valley’s pass. they only stopped when the walls were in sight. Owl three sighted his rifle on the largest goat and with a gentle squeeze of the trigger, the beast toppled to the ground. the round impacted just behind the front leg, passing through the beast’s heart and out the other side, as clean a kill as anyone could for.

when they arrived at the carcass, Owl three simply picked up the horse sized goat and slung it over his shoulder. Ronin could imagine he heard the giant’s carbon and metal fiber bones creaking under the weight, but he bore it without a word.

Reaching the wall, Peters lowered the rope ladder for them and before long Ronin found himself sitting in front of mayor Emil once again. the old leader looked a little livelier this time around, he was sitting up and sipping from a bowl of hot soup.

“Peters tells me that your big friend outside carried a goat back to the wall on his shoulders?” The mayor opened the conversation with a question.

“Yes,” Ronin said with a small smile. He had left the two men outside to watch for danger, while he talked to the mayor alone. “My team is very strong,” he said simply.

“Strong?” Emil asked skeptically. “Son, I’ve been the strongest man in this village my entire life, and I can hardly lift one of those beasts. To say nothing about carrying it for close to a mile.” He stared into Ronin’s eyes for a long moment before changing the subject. “So, this is one of the goblins you killed huh?” he asked, pulling back the leaf to look at the small creature.

“Not really much to look at, are they?” he continued, “but they breed like rabbits. Their gestation period is only thirty days long. They are big enough to breed at six months old and fully grown in a year. They might only live ten years or so, but they can breed the entire time. One breeding female can produce over one hundred offspring in their live time. That’s why they are such a menace, a small family of goblins can turn into a horde within a few years. A horde that doesn’t know how to preserve food. So, they are constantly hunting new prey, while yesterday’s kill rots away in the field.” The mayor looked like he wanted to spit on the dead goblin, but he restrained himself at the look in Ronin’s eyes.

“Point is lad,” he finally said. “Is that we owe you a debt for this, one that we can’t repay. Doubly so, since you brought back an entire goat with you. that will feed the town for some time. Is there anything that we can do to repay your kindness?” he looked earnestly into Ronin’s eyes as he spoke these words.

“I’d like to say no.” Ronin said at last, “but we could use some clothes if you have any to spare. Nothing fancy mind, just something serviceable for when we aren’t wearing our armor around camp.” He added that last part in the spur of the moment. After he saw how much the mayor hated goblins, he didn’t want to risk him finding out the truth.

“Of course, of course. I’ll have Peters ask the women folk to scrounge something up. there are plenty of empty houses these days, so a few sets of clothes is a small thing.” He said, reaching out his big hand for a shake. “Also, you will stay for dinner I trust?”

Ronin shook the man’s proffered hand. Thinking about his offer to stay for dinner. The towns folk were already busy cooking a haunch of meat from the goat, and it looked like they planned to make a party out of it. giving a silent com call to Owl two, Ronin asked for his assistance’ opinion. The pair exchanged a few words and Ronin nodded.

“It would be an honor.” he said with a smile. He was genuinely looking forward to enjoying his first meal made by a beast that he’d hunted. Well that his team member had hunted anyway. it was one of the things he had dreamed of back on earth, and to enjoy that meal with these happy people just added to his excitement.

Time blurred passed in the square of the small town. all the remaining towns people had come out. Sitting on stools they’d brought out from their houses. As night fell, some took out jars of home-made fruit wine, and took turns getting Ronin to sample them. They’d tried to get his team members to drink too, but they’d flatly refused.

Giving up on them, the towns people gathered around an increasingly drunk Ronin. they told him stories of their lives. Told him about their worries that their children might never come home, and how hard their grandkids were taking the situation. Finally, it was time to eat. The mayor had come out of his house to personally cut the first slice off the roast goat and presented it to Ronin himself. Raising a toast in his honor.

“Now this… this is just like the stories said it should be.” he thought drunkenly. He had raised the piece of meat to his lips for the first bite, when a shot cracked out. liquid spattered his face, as the mayor’s twitching body flopped to the ground at his feet.