Before the human race was established on Earth, the rest of the Universe was united under the banner of the Intergalactic Planetary Republic. Several galaxies were not included in the unification, and this led to conflict between those planetary systems. Some of those territories, despite not becoming members of the Republic itself, maintained a friendly relationship, while others did not. In the 91st year of the Republic, a massive war broke out between the IPR and another unified planetary alliance known as the Black Star Federation.
The Black Star began the war with a quick strike to each of the outlying planetary capitols, eliminating all resistance on Kalakk, Ben-Orda, Ytui, and Hindaus. The Republic retaliated rather swiftly for being caught off guard, and Ytui was retaken. However, a collective group of raiders was able to take a base on the third moon of Tondas, an important agricultural planet. With their position, travel to and from the planet was neutralized, and eventually the entire planet system fell.
With the Black Star forces moving closer to the Republic capital of Centua II, panic began to rise. Out of the eleven galaxies in the Republic, three were currently being fought over and one had fallen completely. Hope was fading in the hearts of politicians and senators. Many believed it was useless to resist the takeover, and surrender was imminent. Some planets even followed the advice, and two more galaxies were conquered instantly. The once mighty and prolific union was disintegrating in fear. Then one man stepped to the helm and pulled it around.
Captain Malcar Hvoni was third in command on the starship Centua Grand when they landed on Ubari for an attempt to liberate it. The Marines charged out of the cloaked gunship, taking on a mass of Star Hunters twice their size. However, the speed of the attack was enough to allow for a surge that pushed back the Black Star forces. Malcar single-handily took down twenty Star Hunters in the first assault before both armies broke to take cover. That night at military council, he suggested a wide flank attack, but no one agreed. The next day, battle resumed slightly after noon and conditions changed. The Black Star countered the Marine attacks very efficiently and sent the troops into a retreat.
That night, Malcar spent hours trying to figure out how the Star Hunters fought their attacks so well. Then he realized a connection between this attack and another failed attempt to secure a planet. The General on this mission, Orso Cavrilli, was the same man that led two other squadrons of Marines to their deaths on Ytui and Tondoras. He was the only survivor from both, coming back to the Republic and claiming he had learned so much from the Star Hunters’ tactics that he knew there was no way he could lose again. Malcar confronted Orso that night in his quarters that night. This is his account as recorded in his diary:

I was nervous that my deduction was wrong, but I knew there was no way to find out unless I asked him myself. I approached the cabin door and pressed the compad beside the door. He called me inside, and I took a deep breath and entered. He stood behind his desk, a diagram of the planet’s current battlefield laid in front of him. I saluted, announced myself, and began my assessment.
“Sir, there was something I needed to talk to you about.”
“What is it Captain? Are your quarters not comfortable enough?”
“No, sir. I was wondering if, and I’m sure I’m wrong sir, if there was any coincidence in your escape from the Ytui and Tondoras campaigns. It seemed oddly convenient to me, sir.”
He scowled. “Well now, Captain. I don’t think I like what you’re implying. Are you calling me a traitor to the Republic?”
I shifted uneasily. “Not in so many words, sir. I just wanted to know if there was any explanation that made sense.”
“I don’t need to explain myself to you, Captain. So leave it at that!” He was becoming really angry now, and I wanted to leave quickly.
“Yes, sir. But wouldn’t you be proud to tell a story like that? All I want to hear is your story.”
“Fine, Captain. I’ll tell you. The battle was futile, so I decided to leave with my life.”
“In both cases, sir?”
“Yes, in both cases.”
“But your flight log says you didn’t leave until an hour after the battle had ended on the final day on Ytui. And it was a full day before you left Tondas.”
With agility I didn’t think he had anymore, General Cavrilli unsheathed his saber and lunged with a brutal down stroke. Even more amazing to me, however, was my ability to pull out my own knife and parry the strike. I jumped backward and reached behind my right shoulder, searching for the saber that was normally kept there. In despair I realized that my weapons were back in my own cabin, and I began searching the room for anything to defend myself with. All I had was the eight inch blade of my officer’s knife against Cavrilli’s three foot sword.
He noticed my look of anguish and grinned, instantly turning into a man I had never seen before. Someone obsessed with blood and violence. “The battle is always futile if you fight on the wrong side, Captain,” he cackled. “And right now, you’re on the wrong side. It’s too bad you had to be curious, but you would have died eventually anyway.”
He lunged again, and this time I tried to slip away from the blade, but he switched his angle at the last minute and caught me in the thigh, leaving a gash three inches long. I shouted in pain, hoping to attract some attention. He laughed at my attempt and swung at me again. This time, however, I decided to play differently.
I caught the attack on my knife and twisted it until it rested on top of his saber. With a quick thrust downward I was able to move the sword into an open position. He was stunned at my speed and even more surprised when I brought the knife into his heart. At least, it was one of his hearts. I remembered almost too late that he had another heart behind the first one. Grabbing his sword from the floor where he dropped it, I plunged the blade into the wound I had just made and through his back, piercing both organs. He stared up at me in awe, and then slumped down his desk in defeat.

When he told his story to the troops, they all voted for him to take Orso’s place as General. He issued his idea of a flank attack, and the next day it was the Star Hunters running from battle. After four successful assaults, the Black Star army was diminished and Ubari was liberated. Half of the remaining Marines stayed at the base, and the rest returned to Centua. Malcar was promoted officially to General, and continued a conquest through the galaxies. All of the conquered galaxies were liberated under his command, and Black Star was sent back to the galaxies they came from.
But Malcar wasn’t done. He took the entire Republic force into the Iodun galaxy to find and defeat the Black Star Federation’s General, Ivarok Undas. Malcar detained Ivarok and sent him to the Intergalactic prison on Mogdaros VII.
Before Ivarok was able to arrive on Mogdaros VII, his transport was destroyed by a group of Black Star mercenaries. Ivarok was taken safely to nearby Pluto, where he hatched a revenge plot of massive proportions. Secretly, he traveled throughout the Universe and captured some of the most horrific creatures known to the Republic. When he found a planet that was weak or that lacked the knowledge to defend itself, he released some of the creatures. Soon, he had infected eight galaxies, only two of which belonged to the Republic.
Malcar, who had become a senator by then, urged the Planetary Council to create an elite group of hunters to clean up the leak Ivarok created. This was approved, and the Reaper Corporation was established. Charged with the mission of either capturing or killing any alien creatures in the infected galaxies, these soldiers trained for twenty years before receiving their assignment. Because of the enormous task they had, the Council granted them four extra lifetimes, allowing them to serve for a thousand years if they were not killed.
There were eight galaxies, with an average of ninety planets per galaxy, and ten reapers per planet. The number of reaper agents skyrocketed, but eventually they diminished. Training has only just begun again for the next wave of reapers. We have to hold on until that wave comes. We are hunters of the creatures that don’t belong, but we too are hunted by Star Hunters, Black Star survivors, and Ivarok’s personal assassins known as Grim Terrors.
My name is Agent 81-Gamma. I am stationed on planet Earth in the Gerro Sector. My name for the mission is Connor Fisk, freelance reporter in the town of Kerrington, Kansas. Nine reapers came with me, only six still breathe. This is my account of my own war against Ivarok.