We are the hunted, but we once the hunters. We are the prey, but we were once the predators. We were once the Reapers, but now we are the ones who sow. All that we’ve known ripped away, all that we pledged to be, destroyed. With our destinies now combined, and our future unknown, we search the stars, for what we do not know. Our one objective now, survival. All we have left is each other…

Episode 3

The battle laden soldier just leaned up against the large basin wall and let the scalding hot water pour over him. Steam plumed from the shower confines and the water was almost boiling, but Czerell just stood there, unflinching to the extreme heat of the water. His years of training as a Reaper made him almost impervious to any form of torture, including extreme heat. His muscled frame silhouetted in the steam, his cold green eyes just pierced the empty space, almost transfixed to a certain point. Than his eyes break their trance prison and snap sharply to the right of him as if he suddenly senses he is not alone. Brief but very vivid images of a beautiful woman in the shower with him run through his mind. Her smooth tanned skin, her long dark drenched hair, her full breasts and shapely legs race through Czerell’s mind at a rapid speed. A sudden fragrance of sweet aroma starts to fill the room and the Reaper can almost be sure that there is someone else in the shower with him.

Derelic stands poised and ready with a bizarre spear like weapon in his hand. With fluid and grace the young Reaper executes a series of complex battle movements. Suddenly images of another warrior in the room race through his mind. The same fragrance of sweet flower pedals now assails his own nostrils. The imaginary warrior lifts its cybernetic helmet and Derelic catches a glimpse of a very lovely opponent, with plump glossy lips and sparkling eyes.

Valen stands in the galley compartment a works diligently to prepare himself a meal. A long metal tray lay in front of him and the older Reaper carefully places a column of spindly dough strips inside the tray. He than places the tray with the dough strips inside an oven like device. While he waits for the meal to be complete he senses that there is someone behind him. He feels a gentle breeze in his ear that feels like someone or something is blowing into it. The sensation is very pleasant and Valen is for a moment lost in pleasure. He snaps out of his trance and whirls around to see who is behind him and finds no one. The silence is almost eerie when the loud alarm of the oven like device sounds off and startles Valen. His chest heaves up and down and he slowly extracts the tray from the device. A faint whisper blows across him and whispers “Valen!” This unnerves the warrior and he drops the tray to the floor. He looks around in a nervous manner, when a low rumbling seizes his attention. Czerell stands drying his curly, jet black hair that is mere inches from covering his eyes. Suddenly the rumbling catches his attention as well.

The loud rumbling is now at critical levels all throughout the ship. Derelic runs through one corridor with his Scythe Four Rifle in hand when he meets Cale, who is just emerging from his room.

Cale in a very sleepy, drowsy voice says “What’s all the shaking about?”

“I don’t know, that’s what I’m about to find out.” says Derelic in an urgent voice.

The two young men make their way through the corridor and into docking tier one, where they meet up with Valen who is simultaneously arriving. Czerell follows close behind still drying his hair and with no shirt on.

In an irritated voice “What the hell is going on!” shouts Czerell.

He grabs two plasma pistols from a glass weapon case near the entrance of the docking tier. All four of them stand in the middle of the tier, when the fierce rumbling suddenly stops. The quartet of confused warriors stand in circle, all of them facing outward.

Derelic scans the large open dock with a few movements of his head and he senses something isn’t right, “Oh I gotta bad feeling about this.”

Suddenly out of nowhere, heavily armed soldiers of unknown origin drop in on the unsuspecting Reapers. Fifteen to twenty of these fiercely garbed soldiers descend from the ceiling in a graceful manner. Each soldier descends on some kind of metallic rope, upside down with their feet holding onto the rope. Their arms outstretched as they fluidly fall. All of them come within inches of their heads crashing into the ground, when their decent stops and all of them hang upside down for a few seconds. Than with military like precision they let go of their decent rope and flip to land right side up- all at the same time. The scene had played out almost like a well rehearsed play. With all the theatrics to go with it.

The four Reapers just stare on for a second in awe at what they had just witnessed, when a split second later, they draw their weapons and point them at their unwelcome visitors, each of them aiming in a different direction.

Valen stands poised with his pistol outstretched in front of him “Well I’ll tell you this much, they sure do know how to make an entrance.”

The soldiers respond with their own guns being drawn, substantially outnumbering the surrounded Reapers. One of the invading soldiers steps out with it’s sleek rifle aiming straight at Valen. The soldier is within a few feet of the older Reaper when it stops and removes the its helmet. To Valen’s utter amazement the face underneath is not at all what he expected. The soldier is not a “he” but a “she”. Her features are of a mature yet very lovely woman, about Valen’s age. Her hair is a fiery red and her eyes bright blue. Valen is captivated and instant recognition of her floods his eyes. He slowly lowers his weapon. Time stands still for a second when the woman speaks.

“Valen?” she asks in a hopeful voice.

Valen just stares back and hesitantly “Rea?”

Rea comes closer and gently touches Valen’s face “I thought I would never see you again.”

Czerell stands with both plasma pistols pointing in opposite directions “Um, Valen I hate to interrupt this tender moment, but in case you’ve forgotten, we have about twenty rifles pointed straight at us”.

Rea gently pulls her hand away from Valen’s face and shouts a command in some strange language and the other soldiers immediately drop their weapons. Than they remove their helmets and to the astonishment of the other Reapers all of them are female.

Derelic just stands with his mouth wide open “Holy shit.”

Czerell turns his head slightly to address Valen “Is there anything you’d like to tell us, now would be a very good time..”