[color=gold][h3]Silver[/h3][/color]
The APC jerked from side to side, swerving around a large pothole in the centre of the road. Inside, Silver was hunched over, his hands locked onto his thighs to stabilise himself as he performed a systems diagnostic. His HUD lit up with reading after reading, analysing both his suit and the internal systems that kept him functioning. According to the reports he had spent half a cartridge of rifle ammunition trying to take out the bioconstruct and the puncture he had received in their crash landing had been repaired/healed without issue.

With Silver’s focus elsewhere, Jerry was keeping a watchful eye on the cyborg's surroundings. The AI was running a behavioural analysation program in an attempt to predict any hostile action before it materialised. The little robot recorded every scrap of information it could, from the subtle nature of body language to the obvious utilisation of tone and discourse.

[i]“Host, Silver,”[/i] The AI’s innocent robotic tone reverberated around the voidhangers helmet, quiet enough that only he could hear. [i]“The humans have engaged you in dialogue, their tone and demeanor suggests they are attempting to offend you.”[/i]

[i]Ugh, humans.[/i] Silver thought, rolling his eyes. [i]You always can count on them to be the most close-minded species in the universe. So quick to project their issues onto everyone else. [/i]

“Their words are meaningless,” He said out aloud. “Just let me know if you pick up any hostile actions. Otherwise I’m not interested in their bullshit.”

[hr] 

Some time later the APC ground to a halt. Silver opened the door to see they had reached some sort of facility but couldn’t be sure if this was their destination or just a spot to resupply. The look of things didn’t help either, war torn buildings surrounded them, left to rot as nature slowly enveloped everything. The troops around the group began to fan out, scanning all around for any signs of movement. Despite the silence, tension gripped the air with only a nearby waterfall daring to make any sound.

Silver slowly eased off the front line, taking up a position behind a large contingent of well armoured troops. Several figures began to materialise from a treeline far away from the buildings, leaving the cyborg certain that had he still possessed a biological gut, it would be twisting a large knot. Everyone’s rifles swiveled to meet the emerging group as they cautiously moved forward. From the looks of their armour they weren’t Sect troops but hostiles wouldn’t have given away their position either.

[i]So who are they?[/i] Silver thought before being tapped on the shoulder. It was one of the tarrhaidim troopers who had been riding in the same APC.

“Don’t you think it’s a little odd their scouts simply hailed us like that?” He asked, his tone distance and with a hint of a quiver. “No radio signals, nothing? They just popped up out of the woods and rolled in, not even in their APC’s.” 

Silver shrugged, looking over the new group before returning to meet the soldier’s gaze.

“This whole damn mission is off to me. Just do your job and I’ll do mine.”

Suddenly the cyborg’s radio crackled to life with the comm chatter revealing it was another team working for the Sect. The word spread quickly among the troops and everyone began to ease up, taking stock and resupplying. 

Silver, on the other hand, still wasn’t at ease. Why had they not seen anyone from the Sect? Why were they not receiving any direct communication for themselves? It wasn’t adding up and this new group were just more puppets, dancing on the strings for who knows entertainment. The commander of the mountain base introduced himself via the comms but the cyborg was done for the moment. They had been made to be pawns, sitting ducks waiting to be taken out and Silver was close to cracking.