There is a keen anticipation in the air as you shoulder your assault rifle and survey your platoon. They're loading up into the drop ship with little of the usual chatter, and all around you on the strike deck there is a sense of purpose. The regiment has been grappling with the Cerberus problem for months—long before you arrived—and it seems that everyone shares your opinion: today's mission will finish things.
You nod to Shah and together you ascend the ramp into the drop ship, slipping past your troopers in the drop ship's main compartment and forward into the cockpit. Halliday is already in her seat, helmet on and fingers dancing over her controls. She barely glances up at you as you take your seat. Shah straps in beside you.
"What are your thoughts on today's mission, sir?" he asks.