A Lieutenant stands on a hill over looking a small settlement. As he peers through his binoculars at the inhabitants below a young recruit, fresh from training walks over and stands beside him. ‘Tell me Private, Look through the binoculars and tell me what you see.’ The Lieutenant hands the binoculars to the Private. A little confused he uses the instrument to watch the people down below. It is dusk and the setting sun makes it a little difficult to spot everything. He sees children at play, old men talking, and women calling out to family members. The settlement seemed peaceful enough, but there were no men younger than fifty or older than seventeen. The young Private wondered where the missing element was when he heard the Lieutenant ask the question a second time. ‘What do you see, Private?’ The Private removes the binoculars, turns to the officer and stands at attention. The Officer waves a hand at the Private and orders him to stand at ease. ‘I’m giving you permission to speak frankly, right now.’ ‘Thank you sir.’ the Private turns to the settlement and relaxes his shoulders, ‘All I see is a peaceful settlement. Surely the Alliance did not send us here for this.’ The Private turns back to the Liutenant and sees that the Liutenants face has become awfully stern. ‘Think again, Private.’ The Private’s face shows his confusion. ‘This is a Browncoat encampment. The Alliance will not tolerate them operating here. They are a threat.’ ‘So we were sent here to….’ The Private’s eyes widen with realization, he suddenly finds it difficult to breathe. ‘We were sent here to eradicate that threat.’ The private finds his voice, ‘But they’re just civilians! Women, children, and the elderly! There isn’t an able bodied soul down there that can even hope to be a threat. It will be..’ ‘A Massacre?….’ The Liutenants words stops the Private short. ‘Yes, I suppose it will be. But it’s for the good of the Alliance.’ ‘They’re making us murderers!’ The Private shouts in anger. The Liutenant raises an eyebrow, ‘Oh? Did you ever think that if we didn’t strike at the very heart of these rebels that an even greater amount of civilians would die? To truly kill an Army you must destroy the source of Morale. With out anything to fight for the soldier becomes a worthless pawn.’ ‘But what if this act only strengthens their resolve?’ the Private interjects. The Liutenant raises his hand to signal that the conversation has reached an end. ‘Perhaps letting you speak freely was giving you too much credit.’ The Liutenant walks around the Private. ‘Attention! Now this order came from the top Generals in this Army….wouldn’t you say it is a brilliant plan?’ The Private stands straight at the command and says through clenched teeth. ‘Yes, Sir.’ The Liutenant allows himself a toothless smile and finishes his chat ‘Good. Now head back to your tent Private, we have a big day ahead of us.’

Later that night…….

A little rustling and a strange sound awoke the Liutenant. He slowly opened his eyes hoping to catch the intruder unawares. When his eyes registered what was in front of him he gasped. A soldier had gotten into his tent and was now pointing his own sword against him. ‘I can’t let you attack the settlement.’ The Lieutenant’s eyes never wavered from the sword point that was in his face. ‘So the Private wants to play the Big Gorram Hero bit, eh?’ He chuckles a bit. ‘You’re much too green to kill me in cold blood. Now put that sword down and I’ll see that all you get is a swift court marshal, instead of the punishment you deserve.’ ‘Not a chance.’ ‘The attack will continue as planned. You’re going to put down the sword, be the good soldier you are and follow orders!’ The Private lowers the tip from the face of the Lieutenant but still holds it in an aggressive fashion. The Liutenant leans up from his cot, laughing a bit. ‘Now go back to your tent. There will be plenty of deaths within a few hours.’ The Private brings the tip of the sword up to the Liutenants chest and says coldly, ‘I know and you’ll be the first.’ Then he plunges the sword into the Liutenants chest. He races out of the Liutenants tent and heads towards the settlement as fast as he can. On the way, he strips himself of the Alliance emblems all the while praying that the townsfolk listen to him.

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He makes it to the settlement a little after daybreak. The Private is met by children heading out for their daily chores, curious onlookers, and the elderly that are following the course nature lays out for them every morning.

He stands in the settlement, getting his breath back when he notices the stares and feels the eyes from people that he can’t see. More than a little nervous the Private shouts out his warning. ‘Citizens of the Settlement! There is an Alliance Army posted not far from here ready to destroy this very settlement! They’ll be coming here any minute, please if you value your life run from this place as fast as you can!’ The people look at him blankly. The stares last so long that the Private begins to feel like a sideshow. Then an Old man walks up to him, smiles and places a hand on the Private’s shoulder, bringing him down to eye level. The man smelled like a wet dog and the wrinkles added to the dog image. ‘Listen here son, The Alliance wouldn’t waste their time on us. We’re a backwater settlement, completely out of the way. Besides, you Independants keep them at bay well enough.’ ‘Independants? But I’m not..’ ‘So which outpost sent you, hmm?’ ‘I’m not a browncoat. I just ran down here from the hill over there. I left the employment of the Alliance Army to warn you people.’ The Old man’s smile fades, ‘So your from the government, huh?’ The old man steps back from the private pointing at him accusingly, ‘This young man is from The Blue Sun Corporation! They’re trying to trick us into leaving our land so they can snatch it up for their own personal use!’ The Private, confused at the sudden turn of events tries to defend himself, ‘No! I’m not from the…’ ‘Shut it you purple belly!’ one of the kids shout. Some of the women exit their houses with brooms, rakes, hoes, and anything else that can be used to run the young man out of town. Meanwhile the elderly people that are awake shout a string of profanities. The Private tries to defend himself from the curses, name-calling, and the potenial beating a few more times before he is forced out of the settlement. The inhabitants of the settlement cheer as he heads away.

Hours later, No longer the Private he once was, Eryn Fallows stands at the crest of another hill overlooking the aftermath of the Alliance forces. The settlement was burned to the ground, bodies lay strewn everywhere. Eryn shed no tears, ‘Fools.’ he said as he turned and wandered away. ‘Better get a move on if I don’t want the Alliance to catch me.’