BLUE-HEART BATTALION
OBJECTIVE 1: Unfinished Business
ALLIES:
Adenn Munin
Sinestra
Tavius Muuaji
Strain Isaiah Dax
Stepping away from the last of the dead Kaleesh warriors, the Lord-Major flicked the blood of the third and final creature off his scalpel before returning it to the toolbox under his arm, then passed the metal container back to his adjutant to stow away for another occasion. After trading the toolbox for the spying-devices he'd pulled from the roofs of his captive's mouths, Erskine then lifted the lens to the front of his own face, muttering
,'You've seen some of my work, expect the same treatment.', before crushing each and every device under the heel of his boot. All the officers around him, though still fiercely-loyal to their Lord-Major, were taken completely aback by Major Barran's sheer lack of remorse for his actions; the strongest stomachs among them had turned by the end of the torture on their captives, so every subordinate was a touch paler by the time Erskine had stomped on their enemies' devices.
'Are we expected to torture our captives like that in the future, milord?'
'It's expected of you now, Josie.', Erskine replied calmly, leaning in as he pointed out the pensive looks on the faces of the other commissioned subordinates. Before the Lord-Major was done pointing out the pale, silent majority, he whispered,
'Look at them, you can tell that every one o' them still has their own struggle with that fact.', as the young Leftenant tried his best to see the faces of the others. Silently dismissing the pale-faces, Major Barran held a cautionary hand up in front of his Leftenant's face, keeping Jorie on the spot as the others returned to standby in their vehicles. Waiting a moment longer, Erskine quietly looked to the night sky above them, before continuing,
'You're the only one among the officer class who hasn't had to torture for information yet, but the day will come when there's nobody but you around to engage in it. And when that day comes, you'll be in the same pensive state as your commissioned peers; anticipating the day you'll have to inflict cruelty for a second time, whether it be for your own sake or for that of whoever's left of us by then.'
'Thought I'd have at least a few years before that would be required of me-'
'-If I were in your shoes, I'd be making note of how long you've been with us already.', the Lord-Major interrupted, putting the idiocy to one side so the real matter could be settled without any joke or quip getting in the way. Almost sneering at the childishness, it took Barran a moment to compose himself before making his final comment on the matter; this did not escape the Leftenant's notice, though Jorie knew his Lord-Major was correct in his near-grimace of disdain. Looking to the sky one last time, Erskine inhaled a hard intake of air through his nostrils, watching the moon with a sense of finality as he muttered,
'Now,"A few", in my eyes, means,"Three", an' you're two years inti yer commission awready. Time ti step up, Leftenant. Yer obviously a fu'-bird noo, nae excuses next time around.'
'Aye, and where's the nearest Galactic Torture-Wholesaler to Oben? Surely the QM doesn't issue interrogation-tools like yours, let's be real here....'