Six Months Earlier

"Alright, one minute until we're ready to board. Get moving." Captain Eris didn’t look up from her computer display at Lieutenant Jol Maxov, the leader of the boarding team. She didn't need to. The prim and proper commander of the 2-B7 Jani had managed these sorts of operations a hundred times before. She was the only one in the room wearing a navy blue uniform, compared to the combat suits the other twelve men in the room were.

"Let's go," Lieutenant Jol said, leading his men to the boarding zone. He'd be the first man to board the Sulus Neqil Gir II, a stranded Naseef Empire-turned-rebel supply ship. It was adrift in space, far from help to the knowledge of the crew of 2-B7 Jani, a boarding ship named after a 'bitch of a drill sergeant' if the ship's captain was to be believed. The boarding hatch connected with the docking door of the stranded spaceship.

Inside the small room, Jol sized up the twelve men. Each of the assaulters wore thick, dark blue overalls, helmets, and thruster kits on their backs. Most of them were veterans of the Royal Raider Regiment, an elite unit that conducted high-risk boarding actions. The only new man on his team was Barris Wri, nephew to the king. One of his fellow Raiders patted him on the back and said, "Nervous, cherry?"

"What? Need company?" Barris retorted, to which the others chuckled. Jol smiled, glad the newest member of his crew could handle every bit of hazing thrown his way.

"Thirty seconds," Eris said.

"Alright, men. This is a simple in and out job. It's been a few hours since the Sulus Neqil Gir II made a request for help, but we should have plenty of time," Jol said.

"Yes, sir," Barris said, and one of the others repeated it in a mocking tone.

"Boarding Team, you have connection," Captain Eris said.

Jol looked to his twelve-man squad and shouted, "Execute, execute, execute."

One of his men placed the breaching charge on the door for anyone who might be waiting behind it. Thermite burned through the door, taking about a minute before finally melting through the lock. This was followed by the detonation of a loud blast that would blow the eardrums of anyone behind the door. The cargo bay, Jol found, was empty. He moved to the next door; his Swift Override Device — called SWORD — easily overrode the old door’s security protocols.

The door opened into a passageway. There, Jol was met by two rebels, both of whom leveled Scrapper Guns at the Raiders. The crude, air-compressed scrap launchers were little match for the liquid body armor in Jol's suit, but he fired all the same, his rockets punching through the chest of his target. The other rebel fell to the shots of a Raider, so Jol continued forward.

As more of his fellow Raiders followed him, a turret sprung from the roof, so Jol fired another burst of rockets. The projectiles plowed through its armored shell and fried its internal electronics. With no more threats in the way, Jol continued to move down the passageway. He and his team had practiced their maneuvers for years and years until they were second nature. Jol stacked up on a door with another Raider, who nodded at him to activate his SWORD. The doors unlocked in sync, so Jol threw a stun grenade. Once it went off, he followed his fellow Raider into the empty room. Others had more luck, with brief gunfire erupting from various rooms.

That's when Captain Eris radioed, "We have an enemy craft on radar."

Suddenly, a railgun round punched through the hull, turning the man next to Jol into a gory mess. More high-caliber rounds blasted through the ship as Jol's suit automatically activated its oxygen tank, allowing him to breathe in the vacuum of space. Then again, breathing was one thing, but the oxygen he had would only last for so long. He allowed himself to be sucked out before activating the thruster pack on his back, which carried him underneath the ship as it was turned by 2-B7 Jani to put herself between Sulus Neqil Gir II and her attacker.

Underneath the ship, Jol grabbed onto a part of the emergency landing gear. Once he had his grip, he watched Barris fly toward him, having also escaped the damaged ship. Jol reached out for him so Barris flew closer before grabbing onto his hand.

Tapping his radio, Barris asked, "Lieutenant. Do you have a plan?"

"I'm thinking. Just stay calm," Jol replied.

"This is Captain Eris. Our missile guidance systems are being spoofed. ETA thirty seconds before we get it resolved."

Another round ripped through the ship above them, causing it to shake. Barris lost his grip with one of his hands, to which Jol shouted "Hold on. We're almost out of this."

Barris looked up, reaching for Jol right before another railgun projectile went low, ripping through Barris' pelvis. His eyes went wide as his internal organs spilled out of what was left of his body. Jol winced, before looking away and letting go of Barris. At this point, he was dead weight.

"Eris, we're dead if you don't do something right fucking now," Jol radioed.

Suddenly, a missile popped out from below Sulus Neqil Gir II. Jol's eyes went wide before its thrusters activated. A wave of concussive **** hit Jol as his knuckles turned white. The rocket then flew into space, racing towards the enemy craft.

"We've got a lock on the target," Captain Eris radioed.

He waited an anxious second as another railgun round passed through the ship. While Jol looked out into the distance, he knew he'd likely never see the ship that killed most of his fellow Raiders. The only confirmation he’d ever get was Captain Eris saying, "Hit confirmed. That fighter is done, Jol. Get back here."

Jol activated his thrusters to climb back into 2-B7 Jani, not wanting to walk through the aftermath of the raid he'd just led. When he arrived at the bridge, he was greeted by the Captain. The somber look on her face told him what he already knew, but he still asked, "Captain, do you have anyone else's life signals?"

"I'm sorry, Jol. You’re all that’s left... We need to get out of here. There might be more enemy craft in the sector."

Jol merely nodded before dragging himself to his quarters as the guilt sank in.