The skiff hovers above the ground. The roar of gunfire mixed with our engines is deafening. The hatch bars open, me and my crew crawl out and drop down in what could only be described as chaos. The smell of ether hits me and I gaze over the conflict, transfixed by the sheer size. I can barely distinguish House Kings from Devils, every single fallen is covered in slick ether. I spot a ketch in the distance and gaze at it for a moment, then I ready my shock pistol and charge in. This was the battle that would earn me the position of vandal, I was sure of it. I begin firing my shock pistol, aiming for enemy dregs and vandals. I struggle to maintain my footing on the slippery dirt, but fight on, fantasizing about being a vandal. The battle rages on, the roar of shock pistols and shrapnel launchers is so loud I haft to pause for a moment to adjust my headset. That was a bad idea. One moment I was reaching for my headset, the next I feel a sharp, burning pain in my arm. I fall over dazed, knowing nothing but pain as more fallen trample me to get to the front. I listen meekly to the battle and I hear a new sound. Not the electric crackle of a shock pistols but the sound of a metal-slinger. It takes me a moment to realize that we do not use metal-slingers, only the dead walkers do. I freeze in fear and try to be as still as possible. I hear the crack of their weapons and the hiss of ether spilling. I can't tell how long has passed, but then I hear a sound that all fallen fear. It is the sound of a dead walker summoning the death bomb. I close my eyes and wait for my end. I hear the bomb be thrown, to where I know not, and I close my eyes tighter. I hear it detonate, but before I could even register I had not died, I felt a sharp blow on my head and blacked out. When I awoke everything was quiet. I tried to get up but every part of my frail body hurt. I lay there, in the ether-soaked dirt and tried to remember what had happened. I then realized the dead walker must have landed on me after throwing the death bomb. After what seemed like years I managed to get up. What I saw made me wish I was dead. Thousands of fallen lay dead. Everything was covered in ash, and then I saw it. The Ketch had crashed and exploded,leaving wreckage everywhere. I started limping towards a nearby skiff that had crashed. I needed to establish contact with House Devils. As I drew near the skiff I saw a movement, and reached for my shock pistol, only to realize it was gone. I quickly grabbed a shrapnel launcher from a dead captain and advanced towards it. "Who there?" I croaked out, trying to sound intimidating. A pile of bodies moved and out emerged a vandal wearing house kings colors. I raised the shrapnel launcher and yelled "Stay where are or I shoot!" The vandal turned to face me and raised it's arms in surrender. I lowered the gun. "Who are you?" I asked "Zelkir." "How you live?" "Hid in bodies when dead walkers came" I looked around. All was still. I could kill this vandal now, but then I would be alone, and a lone wolf is prey to other packs. I looked straight at Zelkir and saw the same thought process register for her. We nodded at eachother and came to a mutual agreement not to kill each other. "Come" I clicked out. "We contact houses." Zelkir nodded in agreement and we set off to the skiff. Inside the skiff I tried the radios but they were busted. When I told Zelkir this she looked at me like she would kill me if she had the chance. "Maps still intact." I said, rifling through the ship's data. "Thrusters no use and engine broken." Zelkir suggested we try another skiff, but when I looked out it was clear all the other skiffs were also dead, seeing as they were all torn to pieces. I showed Zelkir the maps and we knew at that point we would haft to walk to the nearest fallen outpost. I then realized something. "Ezkor only dreg. Dreg not survive out there...." I looked down at my docking caps and knew it had to be done. I looked up at Zelkir. "Will you help Ezkor?" She looked at me and nodded. With that she came, and together we ripped out my docking caps.