"I remember old tales my grandmother had told me, tales about how earth used to be a world of peace. That was until aliens we call the Reptilian Reapers arrived out of nowhere. No one had known where they came from or why they had come, but we knew one thing, they almost wiped out the entire human race," A female voice recalled.

"We thought we'd be done for, that was until "they" arrived. Mechanical bots that called themselves Tecncars, they were what saved us, however they needed a human to pilot them so they could stand a fighting chance. They called this an Autonetic Connection and those who formed one were connected to their Tecncars for life. To me it was like they had become siblings, and I've always dreamed of having one of my own one day. Thanks to them we survived and the human race could live on, however every few years or so more Reapers would come, much more dangerous than the last. My father was one of the many brave soldiers who had made a connection with the Tecncars, but had lost his life in battle. Now I want to carry on his legacy and become one of the grates, to fight for my planet... to fight for our feature, I'm Nebula Eravina," Nebula declared as she finished recalling the story.

Nebula looked at the screen pad that used to belong to her dad recalling the tale of how this all began. It has been around fifty years since the Reapers first arrived on earth and she couldn't believe that so much has happened. "Don't worry dad, I'll make you proud," Nebula promised as she turned the screen off and looked out of the window she was sitting next to. Her green eyes peering out to the land scape of clear grass field's and roads, she pushed her blond hair out of her face as it fell on her face.

Right now she was in one of earth's many training centers where the new generation would train for battle and bound with Tecncars for when the next wave of Reapers would arrive. Nebula worked there as a mechanic who helped out with repairs on the machines there. However it wasn't what she wanted to do as her true dream was to be a flier like her dad. Flyers was the destination given to those who formed a bond with Tecncars, and that was her dream.

"Hey Nebula! I need you at ground base! A flier just came back from patrol with his Tecncars and the bot's in need of repairs!" A voice called out to her.

"Coming Zim! I just need a moment!" Nebula responded, slightly annoyed.

She looked out the window again and watched as the Tecncars started coming back with their flyers. Watching them gave her hope that it could be her one day arriving back with her own Tecncars just like the current flyers. Nebula sighed as she got up and went down to begin helping with repairs. She walked up to the elevator, stepped on it, scanned her card, selected the down button, and finally the elevator lift took her down. Once she reached the ground floor she saw the Tecncars and their flyers settling down after a long patrol.

"Hehe, never gets old doesn't it kid?" A voice asked. Nebula looked and saw one of her coworkers/friend who was a few years older standing next to her with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah Terry it does not... wish that could be me though," Nebula said while looking down sadly.

"Hey so what, you flunked the flier exam, you'll pass the next time you take it! I'm sure of it! You've been working your but off for the past several years in order to pass it!" Terry exclaimed, trying to cheer her up.

"I know! But failing it meant I had to start all over again from scratch! And Mom isn't making things any easier for me with how much she's been nagging me to drop the whole flier thing!" Nebula exclaimed as she got off the elevator and grabbed a nearby tool box.

"You can't blame her though, she's just looking out for you as losing your dad made things hard on her," Terry explained as he followed Nebula with his own tool box in hand.

"I'm aware, but she doesn't need to baby me! I just want to be like my dad! I want to be a flier and defend earth from the Reapers! Is that so much to ask for?!" Nebula asked in a slightly angry tone.

"No but it is a risky job, after all we don't know when the next wave of Reapers will come or what they'll bring. So with the whole unknown thing, we're not sure who will come back from battle and who won't," Terry explained.

"Ugh!... let's just get this work over with so I can go home!" Nebula stated, now upset after thinking about how her mom has been trying to talk her out of her dreams.

Terry sighed as he knew that when she got like this, Nebula would be pretty tough to deal with. So the two immediately got to work on repairing the Tecncars who were damaged during the patrol. Thankfully the damage wasn't too bad and was just an easy fix with a wrench and some oil drips. The Tecncars who didn't need any repairs were just given a slight polish by Terry, Nebula and their other coworkers, then put into their recharge stations.

After a few hours of hard work all the Tecncars were fully repaired and operational. Nebula lifted her head up, taking a couple of large steps back in order to fit the whole of Tecncars in her vision. They tops touching our garage's roof and width that could occupy a parking space of five cars. Nebula turned to look at the reflection in the mirror. She was in no way comparable to them. They could crush her with a lift of a mechanical finger. Despite all the differences, they are working with humans.

"Some day... someday I'll be up there with my own Tecncars, fighting Reapers and protecting earth!" Nebula promised herself with determination burning in her heart.

"Haha! Yeah right loser!" A snarky voice called out.

When the voice and comment reached her ears Nebula let out a long and angry groan. She turned around and saw one of her tormentors in the academy who wore the orange and red color suit of a trainee. "Hello Milo what do you want?" Nebula asked, irritated that he was already bothering her.

"Oh nothing, just wanted to let you know that when I become a flier, I want my Tecncars to be so smooth and shiny, I can eat off of it and see my reflection!" Milo commanded.

"... Really? Ugh! You do know this job is incredibly dangerous right?" Nebula asked.

"Um yeah! But I'll be able to take down Reapers like it's nothing!" Milo declared in a cocky manner.

"Oh I'm so sure you will," Nebula commented sarcastically.

"Why thank you Neb's and I know you'll do all the repairs of my Tecncars after I heroically save millions of lives from a Reaper in battle!" Milo declared in the same cocky tone.

"I'm gonna laugh my butt off when you run away screaming like the true coward you are once you're face to face with a real Reaper!" Nebula exclaimed angrily before storming off. Nebula growled and kicked a discarded bucket as she left the training center full of annoyance and anger.

"Ugh! He's so annoying! And he doesn't realize that this job isn't about fame or glory! It's actually life threatening and dangerous! After all, many had lost their lives in the line of battle so it takes a large amount of bravery and guts to actually be a flier!" Nebula shouted before she kicked a rock.

"Did Milo give you a hard time again?" Nebula heard someone ask. She turned around and stood stiff when her eyes laid on the person as he was a very important figure in the training center. The man was much older than her but still held a good posture, he had black hair that was now mostly white, his brown eyes warmly gazed at Nebula as she stood staring at him in shock.

"AH! General Raven the first! Engineer and soon to be trannie again, Nebula reporting for duty!" Nebula exclaimed, calming down and saluting to Raven.

"Ahaha! Kid you don't need to be so formal with me, just call me Rave, you know you can," Rave explained.

"B-But I cant sir! You're a legend! Y-You were only a teenager when you fought in the first battle with the Reapers! You started this whole training center! Y-You're the reason any of this is even possible!" Nebula explained.

"I know I know, but I'm still a person and you don't need to be so formal with me all the time kiddo," Rave explained.

"I-I'm sorry, b-but you and the other greats are the reason I'm working so hard to become a flier!" Nebula exclaimed.

"Hehe, I know after all your father was one of them," Rave said as he looked up at one of the many statues of flyers and Tecncars who died in battle. Nebula looked back and saw that the statue Rave was looking at was that of her dad.

"Your father was a great man, he was brave, strong, and just like you," Rave said as he walked up to Nebula, and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"... I miss him so much," Nebula said as she felt a pain in her heart.

"I know you do kid, he wasn't just a flier, but a father, and that was the best part of him," Rave stated.

"I remember how he and his Tecncars took me out for flights and told me tales about their battles with the Reapers... speaking of which, has there been any news about the next wave of new Reapers?" she asked.

"Nothing so far, but don't let your guard down kid, for all we know they could be planning their next attack, so if you find or see anything that could alert us of their next attack," Rave instructed.

"Alright, I will do sir!" Nebula declared before she went to her scooter. She pulled it out of its holder and drove home.

Rave smiled as he watched the kid drive off, she was just like her father. She had his attitude, his thought process, his eyes, everything he had. All of that combined she could one day be a fantastic fighter in the battlefield, of course she first had to become a trainee and pass all the tests. However Rave had hope that Nebula could become a strong, brave flier just like her father. Meanwhile Nebula looked out to the sky as she drove on her scooter, the sun was almost fully set so the sky was currently bathed in orange, purple, and mostly black. It was quite enchanting to see as it just brought an almost harmonious atmosphere to her.

"No matter how many times I've seen something as incredible as the Tecncars or watched the sun setting, I always feel the same way. I just feel so relaxed with the sky and motivated by the Tecncars, it keeps me going somehow," Nebula said out loud to herself as she drove on the road.

After about an hour and a half she soon arrived at a fence that was connected to a dirt path. Nebula slowed her scooter down enough so she could turn onto the dirt road. She drove down the long path that had apple trees on the left side while the right side had strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and many other berry bushes growing. Five or more minutes of driving later, Nebula soon came across a three story house that was painted white with some flowers growing near the doors and front porch. Nebula could see an old swing set with a slide and swings resting peacefully on the left side of her house.

The swings only move slightly because of the light breeze blowing through. At the back of the house was the back porch as well as the animal farm where the pigs, cows, sheep, and chickens were all kept. Nebula's family has owned a farm/rancher, where they would sell the produce from the crops, and whatever they could get from the animals on the farm. The farm allowed them to make a good amount of money and live a very cozy life.

However this wasn't the life Nebula wanted despite her mothers persistence on joining the family business she continued her pursuit to become a flier. Nebula stopped her scooter and got off the set, she then started pushing it to the garage for storage. When Nebula got to the garage she saw a large blue van parked inside sitting right next to her mom's white Ford Explorer. Nebula groaned as she knew who the van belonged to, as it was her mom's current boyfriend Ivan.

She didn't really like Ivan all that much, not because he was a bad person but because she didn't want him to take her fathers place in the family. Even though it's been around ten or eleven years since his death Nebula wasn't ready to move on.

"Oh great, I wonder how long this guy is gonna be here for?" Nebula asked sarcastically as she put her scooter where it belonged. Once making sure her scooter was secured, Nebula placed her helmet on a hanger on the wall and went inside the house through the garage doors.

When she entered the house the smell of chicken soup entered her nostrils. Nebula's mouth started salivating when she smelled the soup, her hunger and desire for the food zapped away all her frustrations. Nebula made her way to the kitchen and when she arrived she saw her grandmother cooking, her aunt and uncle baking sweets, her younger cousins playing tic tac toe, and her mom, and Ivan sitting at the table chatting.

"Hey everyone I'm home!" Nebula called out. Her family looked over to her and everyone gave her a warm smile and waved to her.

Ivan smiled, got up and walked up to her, he then opened his arms hoping for a hug from Nebula. However Nebula backed up with her arms crossed across her chest, Ivan frowned as he understood she didn't want to hug him. So he just offered a handshake and that was something she gave to him. After shaking his hand Nebula walked up to her mom and sat down next to her. Ivan looked back at Nebula with his blue eyes, showing sadness as she still didn't want to talk to him. He sighed and brushed his brown hair across his face as he decided to try again next time, hoping Nebula would at least accept him soon and not be to cold.

"Hey Neb's you should be a little nicer to Ivan," her mom said.

"Mom! You know I don't want to move on from dad!" Nebula explained, slightly annoyed, as she glared at her mother's hazel, her long blond hair covering them partially.

"I know you don't, I miss him too, but you know that he would've wanted us to be happy," her mom explained.

"But that doesn't mean I want this guy to take his place! I just miss him so much and you know how close we were!" Nebula exclaimed.

"I know that but no one ever said that Ivan will replace your dad! I just fell in love again and Ivan knows about your dad and what happened to him," Her mom argued.

Nebula just rolled her eyes and didn't argue any further as she didn't want to discuss the matter any further. Ivan sat back down on the other side of Nebula's mom and tried to continue on with the conversation they were having previously. Nebula didn't pay much attention to it and just pulled out her screen phone, put some earbuds on and started playing some music. After some time, dinner was ready so Nebula's grandmother served a bowl of soup to everyone. Nebula smiled down to her bowl and began eating up the warm chicken flavored goodness, with some carrots and celery cooked right into the soup. After sometime Nebula and almost everyone else was finished with their soup. Now her aunt and uncle brought out a fruit pie with some of the berries they grew in the field.

"Hey Nebs, do you want any dessert?" her aunt asked.

"No thanks, I'm full but thanks for asking," Nebula said as she was about to get up, but was stopped when her mom gently grabbed her arm.

"Wait Nebula! I want to talk to you about something," Her mom said.

"Mom if this is another attempt to talk me out of being a flier and joining the family business then again it's no! I want to become a flier and not be a part of the family farm! It's not me! It won't be me! And it cant be me ever!" Nebula exclaimed, slightly annoyed with her mothers constant attempts to make her stop training to become a flyer.

"Honey I know you want to become a flier like your dad, but I don't want to lose you like him! I just want you to be safe, and while you say that being a farmer isn't you, it could be your thing. Also it's not what I wanted to talk to you about," Her mom explained.

"First of all, I did try last summer and I was so bored mom! And second, what did you want to talk to me about?" Nebula asked.

"Well, me and Ivan had talked and we want to tell you all that, we're getting Married!" Her mom declared as she showed her hand that had a new ring on her finger.

"WHAT! YOU AND IVAN ARE WHAT?!" Nebula asked in shock as the whole family smiled and congratulated them.

"Nebs I know it's shocking to you, but I hope that you'll understand. Ivan is a good man and he's not trying to replace your father," Her mom explained, trying to reassure her daughter.

"No! Mom! Why?! Why remarry! I-I don't want a new dad! I never wanted a new dad!" Nebula screamed as her shock and slight fury clouded her thinking.

"Nebula! I know you don't want a new father but I know that he would've wanted you and me to be happy! So I'm sure he'd understand if I want to remarry someone," Nebula's mom tried reassuring her daughter.

"Yeah cous! Uncle would want Auntie Mollie to be happy!" Nebula's younger female cousin exclaimed.

"Yeah! He would, and he would've wanted you to be happy as well!" Her younger male cousin pointed out.

"I know that! But I don't what to replace him in my life! And Mom! If you and dad wanted me to be happy you would stop trying to convince me to be a flier and encourage me to continue on training!" Nebula cried out angerly as she griped the table tightly.

"I just want you to be safe! You're my only child and I can't have any other children because of health problems. It was also hard enough to deal with the loss of your father so the idea of losing you as well! I-I just can't stop thinking about it! I'm worried that one day when the next wave of Reapers come and you're fighting you could die just like him!" her mom explained.

"Mom! I know that but... but I want to be just like him! And I don't want Ivan here to be my dad in any way shape or form! He's not my father and he won't be my father ever! I-I just can't accept that! I loved dad too much and he was the only father I ever had! He was just too important to me and the idea you're remarrying! I-It just feels like you're trying to replace him!" Nebula exclaimed letting everyone know how she's feeling.

"Nebula, I-I," Ivan stuttered before Nebula stopped him with her own words.

"I'm going to my room! No one bothers me please! I-I just need to be alone!" Nebula explained before she stormed off to her room. The room fell dead silent as everyone heard Nebula's footsteps upstairs before the creek of her room's door opening and slamming shut.

"Huh... that went well,'' her uncle commented.

"Sam not now please," Mollie asked her brother.

"Why was cousin Neb so angry?" Nebula's younger female cousin asked.

"She's just dealing with lots of emotions right now. When it comes to grief it makes your emotions all kinds of confusing. It doesn't help that she's still very upset and angry over failing her test five years ago," Nebula's grandmother explained. The grandmother looked to the stairway her agate colored eyes expressing concern for her eldest granddaughter.

"Mom, you don't think she... hates me do you?" Mollie asked, worried about her child's feelings towards her.

"No dear, I don't believe she does, like I said Nebula is just dealing with a large amount of emotions right now. Just give her time and we can all try to talk this over when she's had the time to cool down," the grandma explained.

Mollie nodded and hoped that she and Nebula could talk later, she loved her daughter so much and didn't want to lose her in any way shape or form.

Meanwhile Nebula had actually snuck out of the house from the window of her room, which wasn't too hard as her room wasn't too far from the ground. After leaving the house Nebula went to the nearby woods to go for a walk as she just wanted to be completely alone. Nebula looked up at the night sky, now partially covered by the branches of the tall trees. As she walked she thought over the conversation she had with her family regarding her mom and Ivan's engagement.

"Maybe I was too harsh with my words? But sometimes when mom tries to talk me out of becoming a Flier it feels like she doesn't understand me, let alone cares about what I want. And I do get the farm is a family business, but it's just not me! So I don't understand why she can't just stop trying so hard and just support me!" Nebula exclaimed as she stomped and kicked a rock.

"Ugh... oh dad I wish you were here, you'd be able to help me out and help mom understand better," Nebula said as she clutched onto a locket necklace she was given by her father.

She looked down to the lock, and opened it up to see the picture of herself and her father. Nebula frowned as she was only around five or six years old in the photo. Just before her next birthday the next wave Reapers came by which was the wave that took her father from them. This shook her up but she also didn't let the experience stop her from working to become a Flier.

Nebula was so zoned out in her thoughts she didn't even notice that she had walked to the nearby lake that was within walking distance from her house. Nebula looked up and saw the lake past some of the trees and bushes, the lake was far enough away that the farm couldn't be seen.

"Oh I didn't mean to walk this far out! But I should probably go back home before mom notices that I left," Nebula said to herself and was about to turn and head back when she heard something.

It sounded like an adult male voice that said "When will the next batch of Reapers come?"

Curious Nebula quietly inches to where she heard the voice coming from. When she saw what it was she was horrified by what she saw the source was. It was a Reaper, but unlike the ones that were huge and walked around like insects with their multiple legs. This one was standing on two legs and was much smaller than the reapers but still taller than a human. This one looked like they were as tall as the Slenderman, which Nebula found to be both creepy and odd. However, she stopped looking at what it looked like and swiftly took out her phone to record the conversation it was having.

"Alright, but hurry up already! I want to see them in action soon! We must strike soon before the Tecncars get any sort of upgrade!" The Reaper demanded before ending the call.

Nebula shook in fear, and her heart started beating against her rips like a professional boxer. However, she kept herself together, so the strange human like Reaper wouldn't see her. She then saw two other humans emerging out from the darkness and walking up to the Reaper. She first thought they would attack the Reaper, but when the two humans got close enough to the Reaper they took off a device from their chests that Nebula failed to notice. Once the device was removed Nebula saw something that made her heart beat faster. The two humans then turned into reapers that looked similar to the other one, but the two both had different colors to their scales.

"Well any info about the humans and the Tecncars?" The first Reaper asked.

"Yes we've recorded everything you need to know sir," one of the two Reapers answered then handed the first one something, but Nebula couldn't see what.

The third Reaper then looked in the direction Nebula was in and she froze on the spot and didn't move a muscle. She prayed to god like never before in her life asking him to please not allow any of them to see her. Unfortunately fate was against her and the Reaper that looked in her direction pulled out an alien gun and pulled the trigger.

Next thing Nebula knew was that her phone was broken and she fell back slightly holding her right arm. She looked down and was horrified to see some stinger logged right into her arm and a green pus like mass was leaking out of her injury.

"Sir! A human is there! Don't worry I shot her and that poison will kill her in a matter of time!" The Reaper that shot her called out.

"Get her before she gets away!" The first Reaper commanded.

When Nebula heard her fight or flight response, she got up and bolted away from them in a random direction. Nebula ran as fast as she could to get away from them, however she could hear the thunderous footsteps of the Reapers behind her. This influenced her to run faster to get away, of course Nebula didn't go to her house as the last thing she wanted was for the Reapers to follow her home and kill her family.

The Reapers ran as fast as they could after her trying to shoot another one of those stingers at her. Thankfully because the trees they couldn't hit her and Nebula did managed to get some distance away from them. However she still could hear them shouting at her, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

After running for sometime, Nebula came across a small hole in the ground that looked big enough for her to crawl and hide in. So she quickly dove into the hole, as soon as Nebula jumped in she realized that it was a lot deeper than it looked. She fell about three or so feet and crashed into some bushes and leaves that grow down there. Nebula groaned in slight pain but once she heard the Reapers footsteps she pressed her hand tightly over her mouth so they couldn't hear her.

The Reapers' footsteps soon reached the hole Nebula was in, but they had soon passed and were soon out of earshot. Once Nebula assumed that the coast was clear she let out a breath of relief before she finally felt the extreme pain in her right arm. Now that the adriennale of fight or flight had worn off, the pain was now making itself known by stinging her like a large sharp knife. Nebula looked down to her arm and was horrified to see that it had now turned green, purple and black from the stinger out to the rest of her arm.

"Oh Crap! I gotta find a way to stop this!" Nebula exclaimed as she got up and looked for a way out. As she looked around and walked Nebula saw that the place was huge and there were strange aliens like tech and writing everywhere.

"Wow, what is this place? And how long has it been here for?" Nebula asked as she looked around.

The place was so big compared to her and it was just so unreal that for a moment she thought that the poison was making her hallucinate. After a while Nebula came across a door that was partially open so she walked up to it and pushed it the rest of the way. When she opened it up completely she saw that the room was some kind of lab as old computers where on the walls and on the opposite side of the room Nebula saw a strange liquid inside a pod.

"Wow what is that stuff?" Nebula asked as she walked up to the pod that contained the liquid.

Now very close to the pod Nebula placed her injured arm on a single arm rest as she decided to pull out the stinger that was logged into it. When she saw the stinger clearly she finally was able to see that it was a Reaper stinger. This made her heart stop as Reapers stingers contained a deadly poison that was able to kill the victim in less than three hours.

"OH No! I-I gotta do something before!-!" Nebula was saying before she felt something on her arm.

She looked and saw a clamp coming up instantly. The clamp restrained her arm, and pulled it into a hole that was next to rest. "W-What the hell?!" Nebula asked, surprised and scared.

She tried to pull her arm out but it was futile as the device had a firm grasp on her arm. Next thing Nebula knew she felt a sharp pain in arm as something else was stabbed into it and the stinger was harshly yanked out of her arm. A bright blue light then emitted from the hole her arm was stuck in, she felt something happening that thankfully didn't cause her pain. The light went out after a moment and now Nebula was able to pull it out from the hole. Now free Nebula looked at her arm and was shocked to see that it was now covered by a purple, blue, and green sleeve.

"W-What's this?!" Nebula asked, freaked out by the sudden appearance of the sleeve.

A bright light instantly emitted from the pod, Nebula looked up and saw for a brief moment the stinger of what looked like blood being deposited into the pod. She closed her eyes as the light was overwhelming for her eyes. It lasted for a few moments till it died down and Nebula was able to look at the pod without the risk of going blind.

Looking up at the pod there didn't seem to be a change, but the liquid began to drain out. As it emptied Nebula was able to see something in the pod; what was inside looked to be a Tecncars but much smaller. This Tecncars armor was a light grey with some green and blue colors on her joints, hands, neck, and face Once the pod was completely empty steam was released from it as it opened up letting the strange Tencars go. Nebula cautiously backed away, not sure if the Tecncars were friendly or would attack her.

The Tecncars opened her eyes, looked around the place she was in, then looked down to Nebula. She tilted her heat slightly and climbed out of the pod, stumbling slightly. Nebula backed up a bit more, feeling afraid of this new Tecncars and what she would do.

The sleeve then emitted a green and blue glow, the Tecncars then shot up her head, before looking down at Nebula. She instantly and strangely felt confused but it wasn't her own feelings, instead it came from the Tecncars.

"W-What the?! H-How did I feel what you felt?... Nori?" Nebula asked, but she realized something else that was strange.

"H-How do I know your name?!" Nebula asked, more confused.

"Nebula?" Nori asked as she crouched down to Nebula's height.

The two stared at each other for a bit, not sure what to think or do, Nori slowly showed Nebula her hand. Despite being confused and slightly scared, Nebula raised her own hand to Nori's and placed her palm right onto the others. The two had no clue what was happening but they somehow knew and felt that they were safe with each other as they felt connected.