The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) by Gwyndolyn Russell (e reader txt) 📕

still have issues relying on a girl to hold her own, or to watch their ass."

"Is that why there are so few here? Women are just as strong as men! I've met plenty that have kicked my ass without a sweat."

"Humans aren't built like you. Women take care of children and homes. They don't do much fighting." He waved his hand. "The doctor could tell you more about it. I just know that women are weaker than men. It’s genetics."

"That's why you like her, huh?"

"She's fucking gorgeous when she's kicking my ass." Ruby laughed.

Reaper, as Captain, was never truly off duty. Still, there was a set schedule for operational hours. When the shift was done, he usually ended up in his office to complete paperwork. It was easy to find him that way in case something came up. Every so often he met Jackal in the mess hall for a couple drinks before retiring to bed. He honestly hated being in his quarters. While he never had company in this particular room, it still felt empty. Didn't feel like home. Despite it being years, waking up without her by his side was still painful. An empty void.

That's why he had the course set for Solstice. He knew if he could find her, he could convince her to come back. Fight with her and the Black Wolves. Maybe then she could settle down for a more peaceful life. Retire from war fighting. If she were still around and had the time, she would be at the Solstice Club, her favorite place to get a drink.

At least for now, his loneliness was filled with playing that strategy game with Fenris. The valkyrie was good. It took a match for it to understand how the game worked, and after that; it was as if it had played the game its entire life. Reaper could not beat Fenris. No matter what army he used, what units he built, Fenris won each and every time. Instead of worrying about a clean victory, Reaper studied the valkyrie's tactics. Threw twists he hoped it had not encountered before.

They did not talk much, at least in the beginning. After a couple of weeks, Fenris opened up. Answered questions it used to be silent for. Reaper shared as well whenever Fenris answered.

Valkyries were soldiers with a higher purpose. Reaper interpreted it as a holy purpose. Fenris mentioned something about ascension, but did not dwell on the topic even when pestered.

Fenris was a misunderstood creature. Feared by all, even its own siblings. It expressed some of its history. The chains that bound it were put there by one of its siblings who, out of fear and jealousy, attempted to bind it and cage it for life.

Reaper wasn't sure what to think of it. Was Fenris uncontrollable? It seemed tamed. Calm and quiet. Even if it wasn't, no living creature deserved to be chained for life. Maybe it was power.

Oh, he was getting somewhere. Learning a little at a time, and he had a chance to further hone his tactics. That strange creature, that valkyrie, while unnerving in its mysteries, was not half bad. Reaper got the sense of a good heart. Fenris wanted to uphold its duty.

After far too long of a night playing the game, Reaper lazily slumped into his Captain's chair on the bridge.

"We've made it to the relay, Captain!" Apelu announced.

"We've already done a full systems check. We're routed and the Watchers should be ready any minute to open the stasis pods." Willis turned around.

"Fantastic! We'll be able to take a good reprieve once we get to Solstice. Then we will head straight to B-58." Reaper smiled and sipped on his cup of coffee.

"About that, sir…" Willis began. "We will need to upgrade the Syndicate in order to withstand the gravitational pull of the stars and planets. Our hull and stabilizers will blow out if we enter that system."

"We can upgrade them while we are at Solstice. We need more supplies as well."

"Captain, we're ready. All of our systems are green." Came a voice over the radio.

Reaper held down a button on the arm of his chair. "Go ahead and start the signal."

After a moment, all the lights on the ship shut off. They flashed yellow, forming arrows that blinked across the floor and walls that helped guide everyone from their rooms and through a maze of halls to the stasis pods.

Civilians were always first into the pods, with families remaining in the same row.

The stasis rooms were a collection of massive, cylindrical towers in the middle of the ship. Cased in an outer shell of lead, a Faraday cage, steel supports, then steel panels. A center tower acted as an elevator that held the rows of pods. Each row feathered around like flowers, blossoming open from the tower when on the ground level, then closing like a bud to move again. Nine pods on each row, two Watchers for each cell. They had their work cut out for them.

Vitals were checked upon entry into the cell. Checked once more once they were inside a pod. Wetsuits were zipped up over their clothes. They were sat into the pod, laid down. Rebreathers hooked to oxygen tanks were on electrical receptors. The doors were shut, locked, sealed. Vitals were monitored as the pods filled with a thick, transparent liquid. If any issues were going to show up, it would happen now.

Luckily, save for a handful of stasis shock cases, everyone was loaded up safely. Those that suffered shock were given a dose of narcotics to ease them into a deep sleep.

Once all the civilians were in stasis, next came the workers. Security, logistics, engineers. Officers were loaded up randomly and separated as far as possible in case of a malfunction. The last ones in were the bridge crew and the Watchers.

Reaper profusely apologized to Fenris for not having a well-sized pod for the valkyrie, but Fenris insisted it would be all right. It did not need to