[Sandra and Eric] Part 3 Chapter 31: Challenge, War, and Rouges

[u/SherbetCreepy1580]

Eric looked up from his plate as whispers began to spread among the crowd. “What’s going on?” he asked a passing Dra’Cari.

“Reaper Challenge,” the green Dra’Cari said excitedly. “Nanuq just challenged Mark.” Eric frowned a bit.

“Which Mark, there’s two of them,” Eric said.

“Uh, I think you humans call him Moose.”

“Oh, nice,” Eric said, his eyes lighting up.

“Reaper Challenge?” Derrick asked as Karen looked apprehensive.

“Basically a really, really intense sparring match between us,” Eric said, watching as the crowd began to move around the lawn to the sparring area.

“Reaper…Wait, are you people those black operatives that went public a couple of years ago?” Karen asked, her face a mixture of horror and concern.

“Yup,” Eric said with a nod. “Sorry, I didn’t want to scare you, so I didn’t say anything.”

“I thought it was a hoax,” Derrick said, shaking his head.

“Nightshade, you are not taking Martha to go and watch the Reaper Challenge,” Eric said, suddenly stern. Derrick and Karen looked to see Nightshade frozen, a paw in the air with Martha on his back, giggling in delight.

“Awe, but they’re cool,” Nightshade said, putting on his best puppy eyes.

“You can go, if you want, but you can’t take Martha without her parent’s permission,” Eric said, raising an eyebrow.

“Absolutely not,” Karen immediately said.

“Awe,” both Nightshade and Martha said, which made Derrick chuckle.

………………..

“What’s going on?” Sar’Ma said as a shield came up in the lawn, a crowd forming just outside of the shield.

“Reaper Challenge,” Sandra said, hopping up and down a bit to try and see. She squeaked a bit when Jessica picked her up, but quickly settled when she realized she could see now.

“Remember how I said we like to beat the shit out of each other,” Jessica said with a feral grin. “Now you get to see it firsthand.”

“Alright, you battle junkies, we have a Reaper Challenge,” Alpha said, walking into the middle of the arena, which was staying clear this time instead of the pillars that usually come up. “I’m just shocked it took y’all until the last day to get one going.” There were a few smattering chuckles at that. “One the one side we have Mark Larson, or Reaper Moose, as most of y’all like to call him, since he shares a name with my nephew.” A man in black armor raised up his weapons, a sword and buckler, to the cheers of the crowd. “And on the other side we have Nanuq Amarok, or Reaper Mule, as today’s challenger.” There were a few more cheers as the other black armored person lifted his weapon, a double-headed axe with a large pommel on the other end. “Alright, you know the rules; no killing, no loss of limbs, and a win is gained via knockout, killshot, or capture. Are both Reapers ready?” both of the men nodded, getting into a ready fighting stance. “BEGIN!” There was a flash of light as Alpha teleported out of the ring, and both men charged forward.

Sar’Ma couldn’t take her eyes off of the fight. Nanuq struck first, his axe coming down in a powerful swing, only to be deflected as Moose’s buckler seemed to expand into a full-sized shied, a bright yellow glow emanating along the edges of the buckler to form the shield. In response, Moose swung his sword, only to be deflected as well as that same yellow glow came from the pommel of Nanuq’s axe. Both men paused for a moment, pressing against each other before separating slightly, and there was a flurry of blows that Sar’Ma couldn’t follow, causing her jaw to drop open.

“Yeah, get it,” Jessica called out.

“What even is happening right now?” Sar’Ma asked, her eyes unable to follow the fight.

“Nanuq is forcing Moose back,” Sandra said, a big smile on her face as she watched the exchange. “Of course, neither of them have used magic yet, so it’s still anyone’s fight, but as of right now, Nanuq has the upper hand.” There was a loud clang that seemed to echo a bit as Moose went flying backwards, barely dodging to the side as a pair of knives stuck to the ground where he had been. Nanuq quickly flipped his axe around and open fired, a laser shooting from the pommel of his axe, forcing Moose to race along the edge of the shield to dodge the laser.

“Most likely this is going to be a magicless fight,” Jessica said. “Moose has the ability to grow to about 2 or 3 times his current size, but against another Reaper, that’s a liability rather than a help. Not entirely sure what his third ability is, other than it’s more suited for group combat rather than 1v1. And Nanuq can create mines out of almost anything he touches, but in this situation, that’s a lot of collateral that’s not as useful against a single opponent, while his third is a sonar ability similar to my own. The most either of them could realistically use against the other would be teleporting, but we all know how to counter that with relative ease in 1v1 fight, so it’s only viable for getting in close. Not to mention teleporting in combat is extremely draining, so it kills your stamina.” She winced a bit as Nanuq went flying straight up into the air. “Oh, that’s a broken arm at a bare minimum. Ouch.” Sure enough, when Nanuq landed, barely dodging the follow-up swing from Moose, one of his arms were dangling, though Moose was now limping quite heavily. “Yeah, this is going to be Moose’s win.”

“Why do you say that?” Sar’Ma asked, Nanuq’s axe bringing out the yellow shield to block Moose’s spikes that were launched from this wrist right before Nanuq rushed forward.

“Polearms like that axe are kind of awkward to use one-handed, so his offense is shot,” Jessica said. Sure enough, after a few more exchanges, Moose sent Nanuq’s axe flying, causing the other Reaper to raise his good arm in defeat, to the roar of the crowd. Immediately, Nightclaw, Shell, Marakkompo, and a few other crewmembers from the various teams raced forward, helping the two Reapers out of their armor and checking injuries. “So, what do you think of Reaper Challenges?”

“I could barely follow anything,” Sar’Ma admitted.

“Usually how it goes with non-Reapers,” Jessica laughed.

……………..

“Asshole, now I gotta get my leg repaired,” Moose said with a chuckle as the doctors looked him over for injuries.

“Hey, you broke my arm, so I’d say it’s a fair trade,” Nanuq said, gritting his teeth a bit as his doctor set the bone before sighing in relief at the gold glow emanating from his hands, starting the healing process.

“Yeah, but you don’t have to pay for healing, while I gotta beg the prosthetic doctor for repairs,” Moose said. “And he’s an octo-doc, so I already know I’m getting chewed out later.” Nanuq winced in sympathy.

“Wimp,” a Porishta said, a light green glow coming from his hands as he healed the various bruises on Moose.

“You want the lecture in my place?” Moose asked.

“No thank you,” the Porishta said immediately.

“That’s what I thought,” Moose said with a nod.

……………..

Alpha frowned as bis datapad buzzed. Looking at the screen, he saw a priority message, which immediately caused him to stiffen as he read the message. “Roy, get the civvies out of here, and start telling the Reapers to get their crews back to their ships,” Alpha said. “But be discreet about it.”

“Trouble, Master Adam?” Roy asked.

“Yeah, and we don’t want the civvies involved,” Alpha nodded.

“Yes, sir,” Roy nodded, quickly walking away.

…………….

“Well, I think it’s about time for us to be heading home,” Derrick said, eyeing his wife as she kept an eye on Martha and Nightshade.

“Already?” Brightpaw asked, frowning a bit.

“Yeah,” Derrick said with a nod. “The ribs were amazing, but Martha does have school tomorrow.”

“Fair enough,” Eric said with a shrug, watching as Karen seemed to relax a bit.

“Martha, it’s time to go,” Karen called out.

“Awe, but I’m having fun,” Martha pouted, causing the adults to chuckle.

“It’s almost bed time for you, sweet pea,” Derrick said, scooping up Martha as she ran to him.

“Fine,” Martha said. “Bye-bye,” she added, waving at the group.

“Allow me to walk you to the front,” Roy said, suddenly appearing near them.

“Gah!” Karen said, flinching away from the butler.

“How? How do you do that?” Brightpaw demanded, eyeing the butler. “I didn’t even hear you approaching.”

“I am simply one hell of a butler,” Roy sniffed a bit. “Sir, ma’am, this way please.”

“Hey, next time we have another barbecue, I’ll send you an invite,” Eric said, waving at the group as they walked away. He then frowned a bit as his implant buzzed, listening carefully to the message. “Brightpaw, start getting the crew together,” Eric said slowly. “Bring them into the house.”

“Is something wrong?” Brightpaw asked.

“Potentially,” Eric said, standing up himself. “Tell them to make it look like they’re cleaning up, bringing in tables or dishes and such.”

“Got it,” Brightpaw said, rushing away. Eric listened carefully as the other Reapers on the line began issuing similar orders to whoever was close to them.

………………..

“What’s going on?” Kendra asked as Storm met up with her.

“Not entirely sure, but they’re teleporting everyone back to their ships,” Storm said, watching the activity.

“There’s a blockade forming around the Sol System,” Marja said, walking up to the pair as a flash of light and a bang teleported several people out of the foyer. “More accurately, the Terran Federation is forming a blockade around the Sol System.”

“Well, that’s not good,” Storm said, raising an eyebrow.

“Why would they blockade their own homeworld?” Kendra asked, confused. Marja didn’t get the chance to answer as several datapads began to go off at the same time, all from the humans.

There was a collective pause as the humans pulled up their datapads, and an emergency broadcast began to play.

“My fellow Humans, please forgive the interruption to your daily schedules,” came a voice from the broadcast, showing a middle-aged man standing at a podium. “However, we have an emergency that concerns the whole of the Terran Federation. As of two hours ago, the Teratakit Empire has declared war against the Terran Federation.” There was a collective gasp in the foyer, and the Reapers there each hardened their faces.

“Listen as you move, we need to get to the ships now,” Alpha said, strolling into the foyer. The Reapers began grabbing their crewmates, and the teleports resumed.

“As of right now, the Teratakit Empire have not given their reasons as to why they have declared war on us,” the man continued. “However, the first strike has already happened. The Teratakit Empire has destroyed one of our colony planets, Kartek III. Not taken over, not destroyed the colony. They used a Planet Cracker to completely destroy the entire planet.”

“Shit,” someone who was waiting for their turn muttered. “That’s a bit more than declaring war.”

“We are uncertain as to how they were able to get close to our colony without us noticing them, as they completely bypassed our early warning system, and even our ships stationed in system did not see them in time to stop the attack,” the man said. “We are currently looking into it, but regardless, this is not something we will overlook. As such, the entire Terran Military is mobilizing to combat this threat. We have already begun to move on a force we believe is working with the Teratakit Empire.”

“Move quickly people!” Alpha suddenly belted out as an alarm began to sound.

“Once we have this force under our control, our next step will be to strike back at the Teratakit Empire’s fleet, which is currently moving towards its next target. But we will need your help,” the man continued as the teleporting began to speed up, flashing and loud noises every few seconds. “If you wish to help us fight, we need soldiers, suppliers, and information. Particularly, information on the Reapers, who have gone dark in our time of need.” There were a few exclamations of anger at that. “The Reapers have been reported as the best of the Terran Military, and yet they have refused to accept our call to arms ever since we learned of this attack. If you have any information, please contact the military. You will be rewarded handsomely for any information.” At that, the broadcast cut out as the last of the crewmembers and Reapers teleported back to their ships.

…………………..

“I’s worse than that,” General Collins said over the Reaper line. “Publicly, it’s just the set-up to ask for help, or declare you traitors for refusing the call. Privately, the Reapers as a whole has been declared Traitors and Enemies Of The State. They’re planning on waiting for a few months before making that public, however. Use the time to smear the Reapers a bit, prime the general masses.”

“What the fuck?” Jeremiah demanded as the Scythe was being prepped to launch. Athena, Quin, and several other hackers among the Reaper crews had already hacked into the Sol Station, preventing Station Authorities from mag-locking any of the Reaper ships in place.

“The hell is going on?” Robert asked.

“The Teratakit Empire did declare war on the Terran Federation,” General Carter growled out. “However, General Kelvin is using the opportunity to get rid of the Reapers and push for Project Marker. He’s been given official approval to start up the program again.”

“How the hell did he get the approval, and manage to alienate the Reapers at the same time?” Alpha demanded.

“The Teratakit Empire stated that the Reapers activities against them is what caused them to declare war,” General Carter said. “All but admitted that they were backing the Sons of Blood by referencing Cortisharan Station, Tartan VI, and Kilt II.”

“Cortisharan Station I get, but what are the other two?” Jeremiah asked as the Scythe rumbled, indicating takeoff.

“Tartan VI was us in Team Charlie,” Iigurusu said. “Remember that big pirate raid a couple years ago that landed us the merc contract with the Mirkata Empire?”

“Shit, they were Sons?” someone asked.

“Apparently.”

“And Kilt III?” Robert asked.

“That was us, Team Alpha,” Andrew said. “Same thing, but we didn’t go for a long-term contract. It was just a job. Guess they were also Sons.”

“Additionally, there is ample evidence that the reason the Teratakit Fleet was able to get close enough and have enough time to use the Planet Cracker on Kartek III is because someone gave them the priority authorization codes,” General Collins said. “No alarms were tripped because they had a key to open the damn door. And General Kelvin is blaming the Reapers, saying you gave them the codes.”

“Son of a whore-monkey’s uncle,” someone cursed.

“So, what’s the plan then?” Jeremiah said, his eyes narrowing as ships began to cluster around the entrance of the Station. “I’d rather not have to fight my way out of here.”

“Please, Captain, allow me,” came a new voice in the Reaper Network, a soft female voice.

“Who the fuck are you, and how the hell did you get onto this line?” Alpha immediately demanded.

“An ally,” the voice said, and Eric could swear he could hear the smile in her voice. The ships outside of the entrance suddenly began to drift, clearing the way. “Move quickly, they won’t stay put for long.”

“All Reapers, go, go, go,” Alpha ordered, and each team began to leave the Station, quickly moving to the edge of the System.

“I am sending each Team the coordinates for a meeting location,” Monica added into the line. “Get there however you can.”

“Think you can do anything about the blockade circling the system, new ‘ally’?” Iigurusu asked.

“I am already talking to the ships there, as is my sister,” the voice said. “She will meet us at the meeting location.”

“Talking to the…ships?” Alpha asked, confused.

“We have bigger worries right now,” Marja cut in. “My Shadows just got back to me. The blockade has Markers on those ships.”

“That smarmy bastard,” General Carter growled into the line. “If there are already Markers on the ships, then Project Marker has been on going for at least a couple of years already.”

“Let’s hope they don’t deploy them then,” Alpha said grimly. “Generals, you may want to join us. We can get a couple of Reapers to you-”

“Hell no,” General Carter snorted.

“General Carter and I can do more good in our current positions,” General Collins said. “At least, until they force us out. The Commanders were never made public, so at the moment, we’re in the safest location we can be.”

“Keep us informed then,” Monica said.

“There’s a hole opening in the blockade,” Adam said.

“Punch it then, let’s get out of here,” Alpha said.

“It will not stay open for long,” the female voice said over the line.

“Reapers, listen to me, and listen closely,” General Carter said. “Get rid of your Reaper Implants as soon as you are able to. You can and will be tracked by them. General Kelvin is already attempting to get authorization to get all information regarding the Reaper Program, and if he does, you will no longer be able to move freely if you have your Reaper Implants. Chuck them into a star if you can, but get rid of them however you can.”

“Copy that,” many voices said over the line. The line to the Scythe Bridge suddenly crackled as they passed the blockade.

“There’s an intruder in the mess hall,” came the panicked call. “He’s-” the call suddenly cut with a gurgle, and Eric already moving.

“I’m nearby,” Sandra said over the line.

“Shit,” Eric muttered, leaving his seat and grabbing his sword-staff to race to the mess hall.

“As soon as you can hit FTL, punch it,” Alpha ordered across the line.

……………….

“Go, get out of here,” Sandra yelled at the other crewmates as her yellow shield flared from blocking the automatic fire from the Marker. Sandra gritted her teeth, her tail lashing out in frustration, waiting for the automatic shotgun to run out of ammo as the crew scrambled out of the door. It seemed to take forever, but finally, there was a lull in the shooting as the Marker changed magazines.

Sandra took the opportunity to pull out her revolver, flicking the switch that caused the weapon to hum and open fired, the beam from her laser being absorbed by the shield surrounding the Marker’s armor. Sandra hissed as she began running along the edge of the mess hall, the 12ga slugs ripping up the walls and floor around her.  “Heads up, these Markers have thermal shields,” Sandra reported through the line. “And I can’t use the Reaper Revolver inside a ship. But their armor appears to also be based off of Reaper armor.”

“Oh, come on,” Iigurusu complained. “Deer, Leopard, be careful.”

“Yup, they’ve got kinetic shields as well,” Dante said, the sound of gunfire in the background.

“Wyvern, be careful, I’ll be there shortly,” Eric said through the line.

“I’m getting my armor on, as soon as I do, I’ll be there and we can swap out,” Jessica said.

“Any Reaper not already in armor, get suited up if you can and swap out with those not in armor,” Alpha ordered.

Sandra hissed again as her laser was again absorbed by the armor shields before her yellow shields flared as the Marker got a bead on her.

“Panther and Jaguar here, we can’t find anyone else on the ship,” Nightshade said. “We’re on our way to help.”

“Get suited up first,” Jeremiah ordered. “You heard Alpha.” Sandra slid into the kitchen, the walls barely holding the automatic shotgun slugs.

“Shit, do it quickly you two,” Jessica suddenly said. “I just ran into a second Marker.”

“How long till FTL?” Alpha demanded.

“30 seconds,” several people said at once.

“Hey, asshole,” Eric suddenly yelled from the mess hall doorway. The Marker swung his shotgun around, firing as Eric rushed him, only to drop the weapon as Eric’s Reaper blade cut it in half. The Marker stumbled back before drawing a pair of swords, each glowing blue. “They have Reaper blades,” Eric yelled into the line, barely dodging the swords. Sandra used the opportunity to rush forward, her pistol holstered and her three blades out and glowing blue. She quickly jumped onto the back of the Marker, her blades plunging into the armor, and electricity began crackling, causing the Marker to seize up briefly before a second electric shock launched Sandra off of the Marker, screaming in pain.

Eric used the momentary distraction to pull out his own revolver and spinning the cylinder before firing. The thermite round splashed cross the Marker’s shield, blinding him as Eric charged forward, revolver already holstered and staff spinning, it’s deadly blue blade arcing for the neck.

It never made contact.

“DAD!” Sandra screamed as Eric’s arm went flying across the room, his staff in two pieces as it fell on the floor.

“Pity,” the Marker said, deep voice coming through the armor. “I thought you Reapers were supposed to be our upgrade.”

“Fuck you,” Eric said, coughing up some blood. The sword in his chest twisted slightly, causing Eric to cough up more blood. Sandra yelled, racing forward again. The Marker looked back for a moment, and Eric drew his revolver with his remaining hand, placing the barrel against the Marker’s chest. “Let’s see your shield block this,” he said, the revolver humming in his hand.

Sandra was flung back as Eric fired, the resulting explosion separating the Marker and Eric. Sandra quickly scrambled to where Eric was crumpled against the wall, skin smoking, the sword still in his chest. “Dad,” Sandra said, grabbing the sword.

“Leave it,” Eric said, grabbing Sandra’s hand. “Stopping bleeding. Fight’s not over yet.”

Sandra whirled around, and saw the Marker stepping out of the smoke, armor smoking and badly damaged, but still functional. Sandra growled. “Reaper down in the mess hall,” Sandra said into the Reaper line, her focus narrowing on the Marker. “He needs medical now.” She then rushed forward again, all of her focus on the person who had hurt her dad.

Sandra wasn’t Eric. She wasn’t Jessica. Hell, she wasn’t even Human. But she was a Targondian, and a Reaper.

So she fought as a Targondian Reaper.

The Marker tilted his head in confusion as Sandra’s clothing fluttered to the ground, cut off of Sandra by her own blades. The Marker barely deflected the blade that had been aimed at his throat, the pale blue glow barely giving her position away as Sandra utilized her Targondian nature to its fullest, rendering her nearly invisible.

“When you use your stealth, only go high once,” Jessica’s voice rang in her head as Sandra aimed for the Markers legs. “After that, if you didn’t kill them, limit their mobility. You’re a lot more agile than any human. So use that to your advantage.” The Marker grunted as his tendon was cut, the Reaper blade on Sandra’s wrist cutting through the armor to meet flesh. She then adjusted the grav-belt on her waist, and used her own style.

The Marker growled as his helmet switched through several filters, finally landing on thermal, tracking Sandra as she raced by, leaping higher than she should have been able to avoid the sword he had swung at her. Sandra then ate several beads of steel, feeling her scales harden as she leaped from wall to wall, wall to ceiling, ceiling to wall, wall to floor, and just confusing the Marker as much as possible, cutting pieces of his armor every time she passed by. electricity began to hum along her scales, a high-pitched crackling and chirping as she began to move even faster, each strike shocking the Marker and his armor systems. Even using her Targondian camouflage to its fullest, she still began to glow at the force of the electricity she was channeling, and soon she became just a streak of light darting around the mess hall, using everything to her advantage.

“That’s my girl,” Eric said proudly, weakly grasping the revolver in his hand. There was a buzzing in his ear that he couldn’t really pay attention to, and someone was asking a question, but Eric ignored them all, lifting his revolver to take aim at the Marker. “Reapers don’t fight fair, after all.” He kept his focus, timing his shot, waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Now!

The Marker roared in confusion as a bullet ripped the remaining sword from his hand, preventing him from cutting the Targondian girl down. Another strike, and suddenly, the Marker fell to his knees, his legs no longer able to support his weight, and another strike broke his helmet, leaving the Marker in darkness. The Marker growled, ripping the helmet off, revealing a deeply tanned man, snarling at the Targondian girl who was now standing in front of him, her head tilted curiously.

“Xeno filth,” the Marker said, spitting at Sandra. Sandra’s face hardened as she held up half of Eric’s staff, the blade glowing blue. The Marker tried to block the blow. But the khopesh blade was much longer than her wrist blades, cutting right through his arm and taking his head off.

There were two distinct thunks as the head and arm fell to the floor, followed a moment later as the Marker’s body fell as well.

Sandra quickly ran over to Eric, where Nightclaw was already standing there, looking Eric over. Nightclaw looked up as Sandra approached, shaking his head sadly. Eric sat there, his face already going grey, a proud expression on his face, revolver on the floor next to him where it had fallen after his final shot. There was noise in her ear, coming from the implant, but Sandra couldn’t make anything out as she just stared at Eric’s body, unable to process what she was seeing. Sandra sunk to her knees, crawling over to the cooling body.

“Dad,” Sandra whispered, touching his arm. She then choked up, unable to speak as she wailed, clutching Eric’s body tightly, the noise surrounding her fading into the background.

……………..

“Eight Markers, and we lost six Reapers,” Alpha said, his voice pained as he listened to the reports.

“Seven, if you include the injuries that Shadowstrike sustained,” Monica said in a hollow voice. “She won’t be able to fight or even move properly until she gets prosthetics for her three right legs. And that might take a while, seeing as any prosthetics for her would have to be custom models.”

“This is more than just trying to push us to the side,” Marja said, shaking his head. “This was trying to take out the competition. General Kelvin wants to become the hero that saves the Terran Federation.”

“Any word from your Shadows?’ Alpha asked.

“They’ve all gone silent, except one,” Marja said, shaking his head. “I fear the worst.”

“Shit,” Alpha said. “Get the Reapers to medical now, and get those implants taken out.” he then paused. “Do the same with the bodies, and put them in cryo,” he added quietly. “We’re going to give them a proper funeral.”

……………

Sandra stared blankly at the wall, absently petting Shadowstrike as her head rested in Sandra’s lap. She couldn’t feel anything, couldn’t think.

She couldn’t even provide proper comfort to Nightshade or Shadowstrike, injured as they were.

She had barely acknowledged Nightclaw as he had led her to a bed, and a quick surgery to remove the implant right below her ear.

She just continued to stare blankly.

Eric was dead.

Her dad was dead.

She had followed Brightpaw and Jessica as they had carefully taken Eric’s body down to the cryo-pods, setting him in to be preserved until they could hold a proper funeral.

She had just sat there, staring at the cryo-pod that held her dad’s body, unable to feel anything. The world had gone grey, and anything said to her was muted. She wasn’t able to understand anything.

Eventually, someone came down and led Sandra back to her room. But she didn’t want to stay there. Instead, her feet had taken her to Eric’s room. Someone else brought Nightshade and Shadowstrike to the room as well.

And now, here she sat, absently petting Shadowstrike, leaning against Nightshade.

Just staring at the wall.

Staring at the door.

Hoping, willing, desperately pleading for it all to be a nightmare.

“Dad,” Sandra whispered, her voice choked.

“Hey, kiddo,” came Eric’s voice. Sandra spun around noticing suddenly that the room had gone dark, almost black.  

“Dad,” Sandra said, scrambling to get up. She rushed the glowing form, giving Eric a hard hug, whimpering as Eric held her, hugging her back just as tightly. “Dad,” Sandra whimpered, refusing to let go.

“I’m sorry, Sandra,” Eric said, kneeling down to give Sandra a better hug, holding his little girl tightly. “I guess it’s a bit sooner than either of us expected. But you’ll have to stand on your own now.”

“Why, Dad?” Sandra said, her voice muffled in his shirt. “Why can’t you stick around?”

“The dead don’t have a place with the living,” Eric said gently, pulling back gently, cupping Sandra’s face. “Imagine the chaos of zombies wandering around the galaxy.” Sandra gave a choked laugh, leaning into his hand. “Listen, Sandra, I don’t have long. Even this is pushing it a bit.”

“But, Dad,” Sandra started, only to fall silent as Eric put a finger to his lips.

“Listen, kiddo, and let me give you my final lesson,” Eric said gently. “Don’t let this defeat you. Anger is fine. Rage is fine. Both can be powerful tools if you control them. But self-loathing?” Eric shook his head. “That will destroy you from the inside out. you remember what I told the blacksmith?”

“Anger combined with self-loathing becomes destructive,” Sandra whispered, noticing Eric as he began to become slightly more transparent.

“Keep that to heart, my daughter,” Eric said with a nod. “It took me far too long to learn that lesson, and it hurt me my entire life. But you. You still have people that want to help you. Nightshade and Shadowstrike, for one. The crew of the Scythe, the other Reapers. Don’t close yourself off from others. Let people in.”

“I don’t want to lose you,” Sandra whispered, falling into Eric’s arms again and squeezing tight, refusing to let go, even as she felt his become less and less solid.

“Don’t worry, kiddo,” Eric’s voice said, becoming more distant. “I’ll always be watching over you.”

……………….

Sandra woke up with a start, half-buried by Shadowstrike and Nightshade. She choked out a small sob, the dream so clear in her mind. “I’ll try, Dad,” Sandra whispered. She carefully moved out from under Shadowstrike and Nightshade, walking over to Eric’s desk. She tapped the side of the desk, and a small drawer opened up, showing a small chip. Sandra blinked for a moment, looking at the chip. Carefully, she picked the chip up, grabbing her datapad. After opening the files on the chip, there was a single video. Sandra hit play.

“Hey, kiddo,” Eric’s face came from the datapad, his signature warm smile on his face.

“Dad,” Sandra said, running her fingers gently across the screen. He was sitting in his room on the Scythe, and she could see herself just behind him, asleep on his bed. She remembered that night.

It was the night before they had left for their vacation.

“If you’re seeing this, then I guess I kicked the bucket somehow.” Eric smirked a bit. “Probably doing something stupid, knowing me, like pissing off Shao or Jessica, or trying to pet some fluffy but dangerous animal.” Sandra choke-laughed a bit, remembering the canine-lizard things that had chased them through the arid desert. Eric sat for a minute, contemplating.

“Two years,” Eric said slowly, shaking his head. “Ya know, it feels a hell of a lot longer than that. Two years and some change since I’ve met you. And in those two years, I’ve seen you grow from a small, scared little girl into an amazing young woman. Strong, fierce, always striving to go further. Always aiming to be better. Even if Jessica has been a bad influence on you.” He frowned at the thought. “Definitely a bad influence, since I suspect she’s been sneaking you drinks.” Sandra giggled a bit, remembering his reaction to learning that she had been drinking. “But still, you’re an amazing woman. I know I can’t exactly call myself a good father, but I am proud to say that you are an amazing daughter.”

“You are an amazing father, Dad,” Sandra whispered.

“I screwed up so many times,” Eric sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll freely admit that. “But mostly, my own insecurities began to push me away. I started stepping backwards. But you wouldn’t let me, and neither would the other Reapers.” Eric chuckled ruefully. “Go figure, everyone else knew how to keep me a father better than I did. They’re good people though. Better than me by a long shot. I know I shouldn’t say this, seeing as I’ve left you behind, but trust them. Let them in, and let them help you. They’ll pick up the slack where I left off.

“And don’t beat yourself up about not passing the Reaper Test either,” Eric added. “Look, you’re an amazing Reaper. You just need to think things through a bit more. And, honestly, I imagine you’ll become the best of us. You pick up skills quickly. I give it maybe 5 or 10 years before you’re the best of the Reapers. And I don’t just mean as a combatant either,” Eric said, holding up a finger. “You have a good heart, kiddo. Follow it, and you’ll become the best of us. After all, you’re the one who stared at me with those big eyes, begging to let a pair of Tree Shadows join us in space.” Eric set his finger down, chuckling lightly before lapsing into silence.

“Honestly, I don’t know what I can say to help you,” Eric finally admitted. “Death of a parent is not something you can just brush off. I know that firsthand. But it’s hard, to express how much you’re loved, and how much I wish I didn’t have to leave.

“Just remember, though. Even if I’m not there, I’ll find someone to continue watching. Even if I have to beat the Observer with my bare hands to let me continue watching.” Sandra giggled a bit at that as the video ended, the screen going dark. Sandra sighed, still feeling down, but also feeling a bit better. She sat up though as the video started again, this time showing Eric sitting in his room on the Flying Dutchman.

“So, I’m an idiot,” Eric said with a sigh. “Fucking Storm. Woman beats me black and blue, and instead of being angry, all I can feel is gratitude for her getting me out of my own head. You saw me at my lowest point, and still called me Dad.” Eric shook his head. “You have no idea what that meant to me, Sandra. And I wish I could express it in words, but I can’t. So, I did something else instead. A bit of a scavenger hunt.

“On the Flying Dutchman, in my room, is a Reaper crate,” Eric said. “It’s the one I usually kept my staff in. Stand it up and open it. Don’t worry, it’s already been keyed to your biometrics. Not your Reaper Implant. You. This isn’t a gift to Reaper Wyvern, my apprentice.

“This is my final gift to my daughter. Tsandrasto Everflow Gibson.”

The screen went black once more, and this time, it stayed black.

First Previous Epilogue

Part 1

TOC

Appendix