You made it to the briefing with minutes to spare, which is a vast improvement on the ‘nick-of-time’ or ‘slightly-late-sorry-sir’ that has been a little bit too regular lately. You’re not the first though, the other ranking Sergeants of the 77th are here even earlier and judging from the sounds picked up by your enhanced hearing as you approach the tent they are having one of their usual tiffs.

“Have faith, my sister of the black.” That’s the deep voice of Prophet Squad’s resident madman, Sergeant ‘Heavenly’ Hutu. “We are doing God’s work here.”

“Don’t you fucking ‘sister’ me, I swear to the voiddamn voidmother that you are one ‘calm down’ away from a shiv to the neck.” And those icy tones would be Banshee Squad’s frosty witchqueen, Sergeant ‘Casket’ Irons.

“And perhaps that is God’s work too. We will not know until you try.” You wince, ‘descalation’ has never been part of Heavenly’s vocabulary. Neither has fear for that matter, and damn near everyone you know is scared of Casket.

“Alright, so explain to me how dying here on the sticky arse end of Planet-Fucking-Nowhere is ‘God’s work’?”

“It is God’s work for a long as He says it is God’s work, and not a fraction of a moment longer.”

[4/5]