Galaxy Garrison- October 2109
"HOLT! Pay attention."
You slowly turn your view from the window back to the man standing before you, hands resting on his hips. "If you keep daydreaming, you'll never actually get into space like your father." You lean back in your chair before sitting up straight. "My apologies, Mr. Harris. I was just doing calculations regarding the problem on the board. The answer is 4.367, isn't it?" The older gentleman looks back to the equation and huffs. "…Try to keep your eyes forward." You give him a salute, grinning. "Aye sir!"
The bell took far too long to ring in your opinion. You were out the door, book under your arm and a gleam in your eye. It was sloppy joe day and you'd be damned if you missed it for any reason. A voice called out, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. "Matt!" Turning to see the approaching figure, you immediately stop in your tracks.
"Still sporting the front man bun?" Shiro playfully punched your arm. "At least I keep my hair combed." You rubbed your arm, walking alongside him. "I overheard Mr. Harris' complaints." You shrug and look up at him. "It was a beautiful day outside. And I did the equation already." Shiro shook his head, pushing through the cafeteria doors with a smile. "Don't go heading off to launch too soon. We stick together remember? Now let's enjoy some mystery meat on a stale bun. You know they won't last forever when Iverson comes around."
Shiro walked through those doors and you followed, taking two sandwiches and sitting down with a warm feeling in your chest as you ate. And it was definitely not because of the meat.
-Galra Battle Arena: ? 21?-
Between the constant wails of anguish and the cries for mercy, you couldn't hear your own thoughts. Where to even begin with the previous events when everything was a blur? You wait in your cell, alone, cold, and starving. You were thinking about those sloppy joes back at the Garrison. Which made you think of Shiro. Which made you think of how confident he was, how kind he had been to you since you were just a freshman. Hell, your father even said he was like a trusted family friend. And now you are brought to thinking about your father, and his last words to you as your ship was ensnared by a tractor beam.
"Give the thrusters an extra boost! We must pull away!" Samuel cried while you exerted all your upper body strength into those control levers. Shiro groaned in frustration as he worked in tandem on the controls beside you. "They won't…budge!" You grit your teeth, knuckles turning white under your gloves as you try without success to pull the ship out of the Galra ship's field of attraction. But it was useless. The last visage of your father and best friend were their faces twisted in defeat as you were swallowed by the darkness.
A smack against the wall next to your prison gate snapped you out of the flashback. "Hey, Earth scum! Be prepared to stand for your turn." You swallowed hard and ran your hands through your hair with both hands, as they were currently restrained. The gate was dropped and a Galra soldier stepped in and detached your cuffs, dragging you like an animal to the growing line of other despairing souls captured. You felt so hopeless, devoid of emotion upon realizing your death was near.
"What…no smile?" That voice. It was his voice. Your head shot up and before you stood a tall male with black hair, sharp jawline, and a self-satisfied smile."You're…here…" You managed to whisper so as not to alert the guards escorting your group toward the ring. Shiro was pushed behind you, before he replied in a hushed tone. "Yeah. Glad I wasn't the only one who made it out." You bite your lip, afraid to ask the obvious question because it was clear from Shiro's previous reply. The bitter taste found its way to his mouth once more.
They came to a stop after what seemed like a half hour of walking down corridors. You moved your head to the side to get an angled view of how far from the action you really were, intimidated by the larger variety of guards that stood at either side of the entrance. Which was right in front of you. Factoring in the volume of the crowd and the interval between screams of agony from before, you came to the bone-chilling realization that you had maybe 10 minutes left to live. What could you even do in that time that wouldn't be a fruitless effort? Half of them looked like they would keel over if they walked ten more feet, so a riot was out of the question. You were stripped naked of your gadgets and left with nothing but your underwear and the rags on your back. Even with the knowledge that Shiro was behind you literally and figuratively, you still felt the empty feeling in your gut grow, your mind a frantic race for any scrap of sanity that could lead to you staying in one piece.
The soldier before you pointed his blade right at your head. You were at the front of the line. You were the first one picked to go out. "I'll never get to see my family again." Your muscles tensed up and you stood frozen, all color draining from your already pale complexion. Of course, fate had other plans.
"This is my fight!" Before you knew it, Shiro was standing over you, the Galra's sword in his hand and a shooting pain in your right knee. But that didn't compare to the weight of a larger person crushing you, hands pinning your arms down as a terrified expression claimed your face. "I want blood!" He shouted, loud enough for everyone, even the audience to hear. And still, that didn't compare to what would happen next.