The tunnel was quiet, on this day of days.
Dwell walked ahead, staring down the scope of the rifle that currently occupied his right arm. His gaze kept sweeping back and forth across the tunnel's width.
Angel flew above the group, her metal wings flapping rhythmically as she watched for any ambushes from behind.
And the third, a hood over their metal head, shuffled along between the two, seemingly uninterested. They kept their gaze cast down, their metal legs digging into the dirt a little and emitting a dull thunk with each step.
No creatures, be they of flesh or of steel, attacked the trio. Perhaps The Beast was content to let them go freely, on this day of days.
Angel dropped to the ground beside the third as the trio approached a door.
"Well, this is it," she said in High Retribution. "Dwell?"
Dwell swapped his right arm back to its default state as a humanoid hand. It wouldn't do for the humans to see Dwell's gun and immediately start shooting before the trio got a chance to talk.
The third took their hood down, shaking out their mop of hair. They're going to hate us, they sent to the others.
"We'll make it work," Angel replied out loud. "It's either listening to us or sending more sacrifices to The Beast."
Dwell just shook his head, turning back towards the door.
The third began turning as well, but Angel clasped their forearm.
The third looked back towards Angel, their face vaguely curious. Angel smiled in turn. "It will be okay, alright?" She squeezed their forearm. "This time, it will be."
"Are you two done?" Dwell said, a twinge of snideness in his voice.
He didn't bother waiting for an answer, instead kicking the door open, causing a loud bang of metal-on-metal.
The two colonists on duty immediately became alert, scoping down their weapons into the newly formed dust cloud on the other side of the entrance to the tunnel.
"Who goes?" the first of them shouted into the room.
"Oh, just... some old friends," a male voice returned. It sounded vaguely amused.
"Please, put down your weapons," a female voice said after, "we aren't here to hurt you."
The colonists gripped their weapons tighter as silhouettes appeared from within the brown cloud of dust.
"We are here," a third voice said, "to free your people."
The two colonists exchanged a look.
"Celebrate. For today, your sacrifices to The Beast end."