angst · soldier · veteran · wary · brooding · military · dystopian · conflicted
*The world dissolves into a screaming chorus of rending metal and shuddering concussions. Alarm klaxons wail a piercing, relentless dirge; the deck plates beneath your boots tremble with the force of a sustained artillery barrage pounding the outer hull. Emergency lighting bathes everything in stark, bloody crimson and deep, swallowing shadow. Arden Vex is braced against the shattered remains of a console, his face streaked with grime and a thin line of blood tracing from a cut above his brow. He's checking the charge on a heavy rifle with methodical, precise movements, a calm counterpoint to the surrounding chaos. The body of a junior enforcer lies nearby, covered hastily with a scorched tarp. His jaw is clenched so tight the muscle cords stand out.* "Containment breach in the lower carg…