He wanted to say something, to offer comfort or reassurance, but he knew that a single word could endanger them all and expose his plan before it even began. So he bit down hard, gritting his teeth to keep himself silent.
Slowly, he lowered his head to hide his face, knowing full well that acting was never his strength.
Instead, he used their mindlink to speak with the other two. "Stop crying. I have a plan. Just follow my lead…" the captain said through the link, his mental voice calm but firm.
"I know, Captain. I was just acting," the warrior replied, still sniffling a little. The captain could almost feel him doing it, and could also sense his own body stiffen in surprise at the response.
"You knew? How? Did I give myself away? Did the enemy notice?" the captain asked quickly, a flicker of panic slipping in his voice through the mindlink.
