It didn't take long for James Pierce to notice something about all of the other soldiers. All of them seemed tense-nervous. Each one of them was more than likely wondering what they were getting themselves into, with this whole Bottle Ship thing. Then again, they knew next to nothing about what the distress signal was about. They only knew where it was coming from. If he knew as little as they did, he'd be nervous too.
Brown eyes slowly scanned his team. Lyle and K.G. were chattering idly, probably to fight off the tense air in the area. Adam was working on something. Maurice was watching him.
Thankfully, the visor hid James' grim expression. Had anyone asked, he'd blame the headache. He'd say that he wasn't feeling too sure about this mission. Both were very true, and it's not like they had to know anything else.
"Not too long until we get to the Bottle Ship. You doing all right, James?"
He jerked and turned to face K.G. Well, he could assume it was K.G.; it was definitely his voice. The expression on James' face didn't change, but he gave a firm nod. His tone had a cheerful edge to it as he replied,
"Yep. What do you think we'll find there?" He leaned against the wall, folding his arms in front of his chest. Look relaxed.
"Hopefully, survivors," K.G. said. Even with the helmet on, James could tell that K.G. was smiling. The pair chuckled, and then K.G. walked off. While his comrade seemed at ease now from the simple conversation (if one could even call it a conversation), James' mind was racing. He tried to push the thoughts away by double-checking his plasma pistol.
Would they find out about the biological weapons the Federation tried so hard to conceal? If they did, he'd have to kill all of them. He was fine with destroying evidence; evidence wasn't a person. It couldn't feel.
A part of him honestly despised being named the Deleter for these sorts of missions. More often than not, he either grew attached to his team or he respected the hell out of them. Sometimes, it got to the point where he was barely able to do his job.
He had already tampered with the communication systems, though. In a way, he had already started his job. This would help just in case the …
Stop assuming the worst. Doubt they'll find anything, anyways.
For a moment, his gaze averted to Adam Malkovich.
James barely knew the man. Yet, he had a strong amount of respect for his commanding officer. He was a decorated soldier, and it was no surprise. He always seemed to have the perfect plan, his rationale was damn near unmatched, and he respected and trusted his soldiers. No wonder people looked up to Adam; James would, too, if he was a rookie.
His heart wrenched. Hopefully, not too many people would have to die on this mission. Actually, he hoped no one would have to die. It wasn't just an issue of killing Adam; while that would be incredibly difficult to do, that wasn't the only factor that made him regret taking on this mission.
The ship was docking.
There would be no more time for musing after this. James furrowed his eyebrows and stood, holding his pistol tightly. His team was already to go. The silence was almost deafening to him, and not even K.G. tried to relieve it. What he wouldn't give for a quick joke, or a 'Let's do it!'
The bridge lowered, and the soldiers rushed out onto the Bottle Ship. Their footsteps echoed throughout the room as they progressed. James was lagging behind, but he didn't seem to care much.
While everyone else disappeared through the door, James took a moment and looked back at the near-abandoned landing strip.
No turning back now. It was time to work.
He proceeded to dash ahead to catch up to the group.