Hunter Prey

A high-stakes squad crash-lands on a harsh desert planet while transporting a dangerous prisoner who must be recaptured alive. Commander Karza and Centauri 7 lead elite commandos into the wreckage. The hostile terrain and the prisoner’s presence set the tone for a perilous mission.

The team tightens its formation around the prisoner as they push deeper into the desert. The alien captive remains calm, hinting at a calculating mind beneath the facade. The mission depends on keeping him alive until extraction.

The prisoner proves a patient, lethal foe, laying traps that claim the squad’s numbers. One by one, the commandos fall to his planning and the desert’s hazards. Only Karza and Centauri remain to press on.

With the others slain, Karza insists they capture the prisoner alive, prioritizing duty over vengeance. Centauri argues that mercy may be a luxury they cannot afford. The two commanders confront the fragility of loyalties as the mission collapses around them.

A sniper’s shot kills Commander Karza, throwing the mission into chaos. Centauri is suddenly left to decide whether to honor the original mission or pursue survival. The balance of power shifts as the desert wind carries away the last signals of command.

The prisoner finally reveals himself as human Lieutenant Orin Jericho and ambushes Centauri, disarming him and stealing supplies. Jericho leaves Centauri for dead, turning the chase into a personal vendetta. The desert becomes a chessboard for a dangerous game of capture and betrayal.

Jericho tries to breach Sedonian computer databases using a stolen communications device, but is initially denied access. While immobilized, he and Centauri talk, peeling back years of brutal war: Earth was destroyed after it accepted Sedonian refugees, casting a shadow over both sides. Their dialogue seeds distrust and a grudging, uneasy alliance.

A bounty hunter descends on the scene, intent on delivering Jericho alive to whoever is paying. Centauri moves to intercept and recapture Jericho, reigniting the chase. The fragile stalemate is forced back into a chase as multiple factions close in.

Centauri succeeds in recapturing Jericho, dragging him into a perilous stalemate. The human’s resolve tests Centauri’s caution as they balance capture with negotiating terms. The desert becomes a shifting boundary between loyalty and necessity.

Jericho gains access to the Sedonian database and uses it as leverage to convince Centauri to reveal the ship’s coordinates. The ruse hinges on deception, not force, complicating the mission’s moral lines. Centauri begins to realize their fates may be tied to Jericho’s agenda.

Disguised in Centauri’s armor, Jericho eliminates the Sedodian extraction team and climbs to a hidden hatch. He loads a bomb-ship and pivots toward Sedonian targets from a distance. Centauri, watching from afar, notes the dangerous escalation and unmasks how far Jericho will go.

From a distance, Jericho uses a salvaged comms device to monitor whispers of mutiny among Sedonian higher powers. He coordinates a strike that would spell catastrophe for the homeworld, all while manipulating Centauri to stay the course. The alliance fractures as the truth of their shared past comes into sharper focus.

The Sedonians demand decisive action against Jericho, but Centauri asserts that Jericho is already en route to their homeworld. The political stakes intensify as the one-time ally becomes the primary threat. Suspicion and fear drive the next moves.

The alliance between Centauri and Jericho deteriorates into a fragile pact as each man pursues his own ends. Centauri focuses on locating the bounty hunter’s ship to end the threat once and for all. Jericho’s presence forces Centauri to accept a shared, unstable future.

With the wreckage battered by wind, Centauri steels for the next encounter that will decide worlds. The path ahead is muddled by deceit, loyalty, and the memory of a destroyed Earth. The stage is set for a showdown that will crown a survivor or doom them both.