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This event happened many many years ago… The Galra Soldier Program was something most families would be proud to have their children be apart of. Being a part of Zarkons feared army should be an honor but for some…
“Mama! Papa! Look what I found!” Sendak said running over to his parents with a huge smile across his face. Eyes wide with happiness and purity. Sendak’s parents turned to look at their son and they smiled back at him.
“What is it Sendak?” His mother, Padra, asked picking up the boy and walking over to wear he was pointing. Harken, his father, wasn’t to far behind. They lived in a decent sized house in the middle of a huge field, so Sendak was always out and about playing with whatever he could get his hands on.
Once they were close enough, Sendak jumped down from his mother's arms and bent down on the ground to show them what he had found. It wasn’t good… An old beat up Galra helmet? Out in the middle of nowhere? Sendak’s parents stayed stiff, smiles fading.
“Where did you find that son?” Harken asked with a stern tone. If this was here, then they shouldn’t be too far behind… Sendak’s expression dropped. “Did… Did I do something bad?” Sendak asked with a shake in his voice, tears about to fall.
“Oh no! No sweetheart… It’s just…” Padra trailed off while thinking of what to say. “You know the stories we told you? About Zarkons army? Well, this belonged to one of his soldiers. A long time ago…” She said looking up to her husband. Harken had tightened his grip remembering the awful things he had seen… Things he had done when he was there.
“Oh… Well I don’t want this then!” He said tossing it as far as he could. “Stupid army! They make you and papa so sad… I hate them.” He said furrowing his brows and looking down at his feet.
Just then, the ground began to shake. Sendak grabbed on to his mother and Harken bent down to grab on to them. Peaking out of the clouds was a ship of Zarkons… A recon ship.
Harken looked up with wide eyes and sadness washing over his face. “They found us… Quick! Take Sendak into the house! Now!” He said pushing them up to hurry them along. Padra picked up Sendak and ran for the house. She opened the door and shut it, quickly locking it.
“Mama… Why are they here? Why were they looking for papa!?” He asked tears falling down his cheeks out of fear. Padra looked at him and bent down to his level, wiping the tears away. “Hey, it’s going to be ok Sendak. Papa is going to be just fine.” She said pulling him into a tight hug. She knew he wasn’t going to be ok… Her tears began to fall.
Outside, Harken stood his ground and didn’t move. The ship landed with a loud bang that shook the ground beneath him. One by one, soldiers started piling out of the aircraft armed to the teeth with weapons. “Harken! Traitor! You have nowhere to run anymore! Turn yourself over to Zarkon or suffer the consequences!” One of them said, most likely the squadron leader.
Harken stood tall and shouted back. “Never! I would rather die than serve under his name again!” Harken silently told his family goodbye… Knowing he wasn’t going to ever see them again. The soldiers aimed. “So be it then! Fire!”
Padra heard the laser blasts and slapped her hands over Sendak’s ears, trying her best to prevent him from hearing them. “Mama! They are hurting papa! We have to help him!” He said yelling out. Padra cried harder with every word Sendak said. Soon, there was a beating on the door. “Open up! We know there are galra in here, open up! If you don’t open the door, we will beat it open.” The squadron leader shouted on the other side.
Padra turned toward the door and whispered. “Go hide in the back of the house! Do NOT come out for any reason! Go!” She said as quietly as possible. Sendak nodded and ran to his parents room, jumping under their bed. He left the door open so he could still see his mothers feet when he was under the bed. That was a mistake.
Padra had no way of defending herself so she stood there waiting for them. They hit the door a few times, each time sending a shock wave to Sendak’s chest, he was terrified. The door broke down and everything felt like slow motion. The second they broke in, Padra braced herself. They shot her point blank and Sendak had watched her lifeless body fall to the floor. He screamed when he came out from under the bed. “Mama! MAMA!!! NO!” He said running toward her.
The soldiers took aim but stopped when they realized it was just a child. The squadron leader smirked at Sendak and gestured to him. “Take the child. We will put him through the training program after the druids wipe his memory. He won’t come willingly so restrain him.” Sendak tried to run but the soldiers were too quick. They pinned him to the floor and restrained him quickly.
“NO! GET OFF ME! MAMA!!!” Sendak yelled out looking around frantically. Sendak looked up and saw the butt end of a gun then everything went black… “That will keep him quiet while we transport him to the druids. Let’s go.”
Hours later, Sendak had awoken with a funny taste like copper in his mouth and no memory of what had happened. “Where… Where am I…?” He asked rolling his head from side to side to see his surroundings. That’s when he realized he was restrained to something like an operating table. “W-what!? What is this!? Hello!?” He called out terrified.
“Don’t worry child.” The dark figure said, “Everything is ok now. You are with the druids of Zarkon.” They said resting a hand on Sendak’s leg.
“Z-zarkon? Isn’t he a bad guy?” Sendak said with a scared tone.
“No child… He is good. You shall be a formidable soldier for him in the future. It’s a great honor you know? Do you know what we say to him child?” Sendak shook his head no. “We say Vrepit Sa.”
“V-vrepit sa? I’m going to be a soldier?” He asked with a smile on his face.
The druid smirked at him, “Yes… Something tells me that you shall be a great one at that.”