Roy had stopped listening to the excited voices over the voice channel, focusing on their target instead. The frigate was still far away, but he could see it moving in odd directions, turning at what seemed random, until he saw the other two Arrowheads twisting around it in attempts to stay parallel. They spun around the frigate in what he assumed was them presenting whichever side held recruits ready to attempt hooking onto the frigate. He couldn’t see the individuals from this far away, but he could see a long trail of dim red lights that blipped every now and then. He gulped, hoping against odds that he wouldn’t be joining them, waiting for someone to come save him as he held no grasp of up, down, left and right.

His dread filled thoughts were interrupted as the excited chatter in the background was suddenly silent before being followed up by the commanding voice of Squire “__”

“Alright, listen up everyone. We’re about to enter boarding distance, you have about thirty seconds to disengage from manual locking but hold on until I tell you to otherwise. It’s going to be hard and you might shift around a lot, but by all that is holy you better hold on as if your life depends on it. Remember your group numbers and jump when I say.”

Sweating, Roy swallowed hard as he adjusted his limbs inside his suit. He felt the familiar dampness run down his neck and armpits, his nervousness showing through despite his earlier bravado. And who could blame him? He was not meant for space, much like a fish wasn’t meant for land. But here he was, about to leap from a fighter ship onto a frigate like some kind of space pirate and all fuck could happen in between. But there was no moment of paralysis, just sheer terror and the automated movements his body was going through in preparation.

“Suit: Release.” What was assured safety and a feeling of comfort was now gut wrenching fear as his chest was released from the ship, only remaining attached by the tight grip of his magnetically enhanced gloves and boots. He screamed for a good while as they approached the frigate and began to turn, avoiding other Dregs that were floating behind or the Arrowheads of the two competing Squires.

“Group one, jump!” No longer screaming, Roy panted heavily as he grew hyper alert and his eyes darted back and forth above him, twisting his head in all directions to get as much information absorbed into him as possible. The amount of activity going on was making him sick, the nasea rising as he could see glimpses of the huge frigate when they turned. If the Arrowheads were the size of a modern bus, then the frigate must’ve been the size of a fifteen story office building. And he’d heard that some of the larger ships, like battle-cruisers, could be the size of cities and the thought of such a thing hurt his head.

“Group five, jump!” A second after the Squire gave another jump order, the vessel twirled around, chasing after the maneuvering frigate. Roy could see a group of four or five recruits falling above him for just a moment before the ship disappeared. Three of the recruits missed completely, another by just a few feet and the last one had landed but improperly, bouncing off of the frigate and joining the others in May Day. Roy could feel his panic rising but did his best to clamp down on it as he strained his ears for the inevitable.

“Group six, jump!” The words went in one ear and travelled down to his feet as he automatically jumped. The frigate was heading in his direction, but if it turned hard enough he would miss it. Blood was pumping so fast that his ears were ringing at a quiet roar and felt like he was staring at his body from the outside. That was until he crashed into the side of the frigate. Snapping back to reality, he rolled across the side, banging against rectangular objects that made up the outside of the frigate. Eventually, he got both hands wrapped around an edge and his feet underneath him. Breathing fast and hard, his vision zoomed around above him as the distant stars danced erratically and Arrowheads breezed by, dropping off fresh recruits. The results were mostly them missing the ship, banging against each other or landing too hard without getting a decent enough grip.

When his breathing calmed down and he felt confident he wouldn’t get tossed out into space, he realized that he’d done it. Well, not completely anyways, but he successfully hooked onto the frigate. Even if he’d been clumsy about how he made it, he still did it and that was an accomplishment all in itself. Now, he just had to board it and he’d make the top ten, he hoped. But now that he’d hooked, he realized he had no idea how he was supposed to board the damn thing.

Was he supposed to blow a hole somewhere and crawl inside? Maybe there was a smaller version of the hanger door they’d left out of. He didn’t remember seeing any hanger doors on the sides, so his options were to crawl around and search for it, not optimal when recruits were slamming into the sides like space junk. Not too long into his slow crawl, two more Dregs hit the ship hard in front of Roy but were able to skid and get a grip before they drifted out. They were looking around frantically and when they saw Roy below them, the one on the right waved at him while the one on the left gave him the thumbs up. They couldn’t tell who he was and vice versa, but seeing as he wasn’t alone in this made him smile and wave back.

Together, the three of them climbed in unison, searching for a way to board the frigate. They had spread out in order to cover more ground, communicating with gestures and lots of enthusiastic pointing until they saw a bit of light coming from somewhere ahead of them. Invigorated, the three of them began to climb rapidly, all while ducking and dodging the recruits that passed by. Roy was slower and wound up behind the two recruits ahead of him, but he didn’t mind. He was being honest with himself when he believed that just making it inside would be reward enough, though the money definitely couldn't hurt.

It could have been a number of things that went wrong that led to the next few moments. It could’ve been the lack of proper instructions on how to form local comm channels between users, it could’ve been the lack of experience in general or even plain old distraction. But when the pair of recruits made it to the edge of that light, someone smacked into the right figure hard. The pair became entangled and Roy watched in silent horror as they floated above him, still very much alive though.

Of course, there are many objects that exist outside a spaceship, including sensors and antennas. It was one of these long, metal antennas that became a brutal weapon when the frigate passed by the floating pair. The antenna slammed silently into the helmet of one of the recruits before bashing open one of the mechanical arms of the other, sending vapor rapidly into space and exposing pink flesh that quickly discolored against exposed vacuum. Their forms quickly drifted away along with spinning, shattered glass and bits of metal. Their forms were locked in muted agony as Roy watched them quickly disappear. Shocked, Roy looked around for anyone else that would be in-bound, feeling much more vulnerable.

When he turned his head to his unknown partner, he was on his knees, banging his fists against the ship, the noise absent but just slightly felt through his boots. Not entirely estranged from death, Roy walked forward and stopped them from banging their fists and possibly damaging their suit as well. They tried to resist him, but Roy was prepared and had them held tight. After a moment, they sagged in his arms and with Roy supporting the other, they walked towards that elusive light that was supposed to be their signal for victory.

When Roy got to the edge, he could see what looked like a much smaller version of the hanger they had originally left from. Heaving, they both fell through the thick barrier that separated space from inside and felt the pull of gravity take hold of him slightly as they tripped and fell onto the floor. In Roy’s case, he got up and blinked a few times while the other remained on the floor, screaming audibly now.

“Mike! You fat, fucking bastard! How did you manage to die when you’re always the one looking out for me? God damnit!” Fist pounding on the metal floor, Roy recognized the voice of Jerry though muffled from their helmets. He blanched as he realized that one of the recruits that died was Fat MIke and he fell on his knees. Dumbly, he stared around and saw hundreds of human sized objects on racks all around them. The light gleamed off of their black shells, the white letters on their sides faded. One of them lit up nearby, a red light shining from a lens and making a whirring noise. It then shot out of the rack and through the barrier in less than a second, followed by a few more that must’ve activated while Roy was watching it fly off.

Turning back around, he saw a door open and several people in slimer, less durable suits walk hurriedly towards them. Their suits were white and seemed more malleable, though more fragile. He couldn’t see through the large visors on their helmets, but a series of voices bounced off of him as they approached. He couldn’t make out the words, as blood pumped loudly through his ears. In a series of flashes, he and Jerry were in some kind of break room with four other Dregs with their helmets off. They all had their helmets off save Roy and he fumbled with his until he got it removed. With regained vision, he took in the others while giving Jerry a little space who was crying at the end of the table, away from everyone else.

“Hey guys, how long have you all been here for?” Roy asked. Bear was the first to turn and begin answering while Bones was busy massaging his temples and Billy was busy flirting with the last person whom Roy didn’t recognize. She was young, similar to Roy in age and had dirty blonde hair that didn’t go below her shoulders. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment from Billy’s intrusive questions, making her freckles stick out.

“Well the young lady was here before me and I been here for about fifteen, twenty minutes or so. Bones and Billy got here about ten and ya’ll just got here. What happened to Jerry? Where’s Fat Mike? Them two or always thick as thieves.” Bear raised an eyebrow while taking a sip from his steaming cup of what must’ve been coffee. Roy had never been a big coffee drinker but he’d be lying if he didn’t think it smelled like the best thing in the world at that moment. But then he grimaced and got closer, whispering to the rest of them.

“Well, the three of us had just skidded against the side of the ship, of course not at the same time. I was first, then Jerry and Fat Mike made it soon after, scaring the shit out of me. But I didn’t know it was them, didn’t know how to talk to them. So we came up with a few hand gestures and started looking for a good place to board until they found the entrance to the hanger. They were about to enter it when another Dreg slammed into Fat Mike and they uh...died.” He said. He wasn’t as close to the man himself, but Roy had counted him as one of the few people he’d considered a friend in this new found hell of theirs.

“Dead? What do you mean dead? People were gettin’ banged up and down the sides of this frigate, how could they just die?” Bear asked, a touch too loudly.

“A fucking pole, or an antenna killed them. Smashed through his helmet like an egg and shattered the arm of the other guy. Don’t know if he lived or not, but if he is then I’m gonna kill that bastard. I’m gonna fucking kill him, I swear to god.” Jerry went back to rubbing his hands through his long, salt and pepper hair and sobbed silently as he mourned his friend.

Roy and the others were silent, because they knew whatever they said would never be enough to make it better. No amount of “I’m sorry for your loss” would ever add up enough to fill that gap in Jerry’s heart. So they remained silent, only whispering to each other every now and then while they waited for the rest of the Dregs to board the frigate. One by one, excited recruits were led into the breakroom, only to have their smiles die when faced with the mood in the room. After one group of rowdy people yelling down the hallway before they even made it inside, Roy stepped out and asked if the rest of the recruits could be placed somewhere else.

Eventually, someone with the frigate came by their room and told them that the Knight was ready for everyone to meet back in the hanger. Slowly, their small group left the room, being followed by Jerry who’s face carried a hollowed expression. After about five to ten minutes of walking, they made their way into a bustling hanger where many of the recruits were talking excitedly with one another. Some had turned towards their direction, but ignored them after a moment and resumed their jovial conversations. As they approached the end of the line, Roy noticed Knight Halloway next to Squire Higgins with his helmet off and propped against his side. They were staring out into space and unusually still as they just stood quietly. Roy and his group decided not to mingle and assumed to be at attention, waiting for the next orders. Jerry was assuming the position as well, but his usual happy expression was replaced with grim reluctance, as if he wished to be anywhere but there. And who could blame him?

The loud sound of Knight Halloway’s helmet peeling back into her black, form fitting suit quieted the rest of the recruits as they waited for her to speak. Slowly, she turned around and faced them, her gaze lingering towards Jerry and the spot where Fat Mike would’ve been.

“Today, you all did well. Most of you panicked, but kept your cool long enough to not pass out while floating out there and that’s saying something. Unfortunately, despite the success you all had, two of your fellow recruits are no longer with us today.” The recruits remained deadly silent, but they still turned their heads left and right, searching for the missing recruits.

“They died colliding with one of the sensor arrays, breaking their suits and suffering trauma, suffocation and heart failure. They did not die easily, nor quick enough. But despite the loss some of you are feeling, you can’t let it weigh you down. In a real combat situation, you’d be expected to still complete your mission and return to base for further orders. Only when you are allowed to rest, may you grieve. Until then, cling to life and push through. So, put your helmets on everyone, we have a mission to finish.”

Without waiting to see if the recruits were following her, the Knight’s helmet closed around her head and she jumped through the barrier where one of the fighters were waiting nearby. Squire Higgins gaze followed her before addressing them as well.

“Usually, we practice hooking and coordinating with moving Arrowheads. Due to current circumstances, Knight Halloway is being generous enough to practice on another day. Remember, after today your injections will have finished circulating and you’ll be in prime shape tomorrow for a real workout, so be prepared.” With that, the Squire placed his helmet back on and locked it into place with a loud click before jumping and flying through the barrier. Everyone began to filter back out into the void until Roy’s group remained minus the woman. Seeing them there, Jerry rubbed a tear away.

“C’mon guys, you heard the lady, we got a mission to finish. It’s what Mike would’ve wanted.” Placing his helmet back on, Jerry walked towards the barrier and waved them on to follow him. They were back on the Arrowheads in minutes and while they flew back to Sol Invictus, Jerry couldn’t help but search the stars for the floating remains of his friend.