Counting Down The Days

Nearing the end of her second contract she can only count the days.

Deployed to the outer she is rotating back to her Sector for one week prior to being released from her contract.

Young, fit and healthy she was considering staying on for one more contract term but a few niggling injuries have caught up with her.

Injuries accumulated through some gruelling missions.

During the Apex wars and Mallera Deep she was deployed to peripheral operations. Some lasting days with little to no rest or sleep.

That's where the mistakes happen.

After holding the same position, physically watching an entrance at the ready to fire for over 18 hours. Concentration dancing, hallucinating. Tired, headaches, out of supplies she was ordered to another position straight into a firefight.

Into the insanity in a dazed state firing into the dark she slipped, twisting her ankle. Her and her surviving comrades would eventually be withdrawn but the niggle in the ankle from that remained.

During the shadow sector incidents she was in a firefight again where a unit next to her was hit, falling onto her hard knocking her down but also straining her neck.

Her squad got it over the few shadow sector units they were up against, luckily for her.

Many nights of sleeplessness, pain and discomfort followed.

The last injury came in the outer, slipping into a wall after coming under fire from Marauders who were taking pot shots or "shooting and scooting"

The impact point was her right knee, resulting in her limping the rest of the operation. Transferring weight to account for the pain resulted in only more pain bringing everything into the forefront of her mind.

Not once has she ever complained to anyone, why would she? No one would listen. But not only that, she loves being a Standard.

But she is worried she wont be able to perform and she doesn't want to be found hiding an injury.

So its a return to the real world, young rich and ready to move on. Memories of serving the Mistress. The victories and the defeats.

Contemplating letting go of serving the Mistress, what does it mean. For so long she walked empty corridors waiting for the fight. Expecting to be expended.

No she can move on, eat chocolate again, walk on the beach.

But it wont last long. The real world is boring.

The abyss calls always.

Just give up and join again.

March in lock step, lose your face.

Give yourself to her.