(no subject)
Tomorrow we go down into the dark. Split from our allies among the crew and sent deep into the black, crumbling ghosts of our own past. An unsettling and hazard-ridden place; nervous and extremely hazard-laden people. If trouble breaks upon us tomorrow, I don’t expect it to come from our shadow.
Everyone is wary, though battle isn’t part of the plan. My crew knows it better than the rest. Night falls, and I watch my pair of loose cannons transform themselves into warriors.
They unpack and check their weaponry with meticulous care in what light we have. Quietly, away from the others. Not to cause alarm. They drink lightly and clean the dust out of their joints, joke and growl about our contingency plans in low voices. They don’t count on serious action; the extra preparation is a sign that they’re bored. It’s part of the entertainment tomorrow’s work will bring them.
Easy to forget what they really are, when they’re crippled by regulations and social etiquette. When they’re only thugs, loud, trouble-seeking, purposelessly violent. They haven’t even practised while we’ve been with this crew - not openly. I haven’t wished to make the others nervous.
They’re much more impressive when they’re working.
I have my own preparations to make. I have concerns of my own, five layers deep, extraneous issues that have nothing to do with this mission. It’s time for me to set them aside. I must focus on the dangers at hand. I won’t be killed by a moment’s inattention now.
Not when I’m so proud, watching the warriors my brothers have become. Even the gathering storm of intrigue above our heads doesn’t intimidate them. They’re excited, yes.
But it’s not danger they scent. It’s opportunity.