The commander allowed a small ghost of a smile to flit across his face as the Legionnaires grinned and nudged each other gleefully at the announcement.
“Now then, as to the assignment itself,” he continued, raising his voice slightly, to which the company responded by falling silent, “I guess it can best be described as good news/bad news. The bad news is that we’ve drawn guard duty again, which I know will be a disappointment to those of you who were hoping for some kind of combat assignment.”
Phule paused for a moment, and, as he had expected, the now-traditional voice from the back of the room piped in.
“What’s the good news?”
“The good news,” he responded, working to keep his voice and face deadpan, “is that what we are being assigned to guard is the Fat Chance Casino on Lorelei, which I think you’ll agree is a step up from standing duty in a swamp. To quote Headquarters directly, it’s `easy duty in paradise.'”
There were a few heartbeats of silence, then the room exploded. The Legionnaires crowed and cheered, thumping each other enthusiastically on the back.
Phule noticed, however, that not everyone was joining in on the festivities. Several of the company’s members, specifically the older, more experienced Legionnaires, seemed unmoved or, in some cases, even wary and thoughtful at the news.
“Excuse me, Cap’n,” Chocolate Harry called, heaving himself to his feet, “but exactly what is it we’re supposed to be guardin’ his casino against? I mean, it occurs to me that we’re a bit overgunned to be doormen.”