“They’re about an hour away. From what we’ve seen, they’re composed almost entirely of swordsmen, but there are around fifty archers, with plenty of arrows to spare.”
Axton sat there silently as the scout continued his report. As soon as the scout finished, Axton stood up. “Thank you. Take about fifteen minutes to see if you can get a quick bite to eat and then report to your squad.”
“Thank you, Sir!” The scout saluted Axton and walked out of the office. Axton took a quick look at the letter that just arrived from the reinforcements, saying they’d be there within a day. “We just have to be here when they arrive…” He said to himself as he sat back down. However, before he could begin writing one final letter to HQ informing them of the assault, he heard a knock on the open door to his office. Looking up, he spotted Jaylee, who was already walking inside. “So, what did the scout say?”
“Almost all swordsmen with a small number of archers, but they’re well supplied and will be here within an hour. After I send this final letter, I’m going to join my squad and meet the enemy in the forest. We have the element of surprise, so a forest ambush seems to be the most sensible option to me.”
“And to me as well.” Jaylee said, sitting down on a chair opposite of Axton. “You still think that Eric leading a squad is the best idea though?” Jaylee asked, staring at Axton. “I know he’s helped both of us out a lot since we’ve got here, but there’s a reason he was mainly just a glorified postman. In my opinion, maybe one of the sergeants would be a better leader of a squad.”
Axton glanced at Jaylee as he continued writing the letter. “I do acknowledge your point, as I had some doubts when I was coming up with the strategy as to who would be the third leader. However, I figured this would also be a good test to see if he would be an ideal candidate to be third in command. While Dixon and Nend are more than qualified candidates for the position, I believe that all Eric needs is a chance to show what he’s capable of.”
“Why not give those two a chance first though? They outrank Eric and have experience in leading these same troops.”
“They’ll get their chance, I promise you that. After we win this battle, most likely we’ll be in charge of operations in this part of the country. With the reinforcements arriving tomorrow, I can have one of them lead that squad while Eric is a part of mine.”
Jaylee sighed. “You’re putting too much faith in someone who very well may fail us, leading to our capture, or worse. If this plan backfires because of your misplaced trust, I’ll blame you for the rest of time.”
Axton chuckled. “I give you full permission to keep on reminding me about it in hell. However, until then, I am the superior officer, and my decision is final concerning Eric.” Axton stopped writing and looked at Jaylee. “I have full faith though that, should my plan backfire, you’ll be there to bring us out of the fire. You are second in command for a reason, after all.”
Jaylee stood up and walked out of the office, stopping outside the door. “No promises I’ll rescue your ass from your own stupid mistakes.”
Axton sighed and shook his head as he made the finishing touches to the letter. “Give out an olive branch only for her to burn it in my hand…”
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“We’re about thirty minutes away from our destination. Our scout we sent out ahead reported back that there’s no unusual activity coming from the outpost. It’s possible they may not know we’re coming.”
“I have some serious doubts about that.” Kailyn said, as she trudged her way through the snow. “They know civil war has been declared, and as such I’m sure a scouting party has reported our position to them. Though it looks like they’ve focusing more on fortifying their position and preparing for a siege, if the scout is correct. Send word to the rest of the troops: when we arrive, we forgo a siege and immediately assault the fortress. We need to be prepared to march on Norvstrom soon after our victory. Hopefully, what remains of Axton’s forces will see sense and will join us in our endeavor…maybe even Axton himself. The Rileys may be loyal, but they aren’t stupid.”
The soldier was silent as Kailyn continued to march forward. “Commander…with all due respect, I believe we’re making the wrong decision here. This country isn’t perfect, I’ll admit, but restorting to a war is–”
“Out of our control.” Kailyn said, having stopped and looked at the soldier. “When I was given command over you all, my main mission wasn’t to a government that barely even knew of my existence. It was to all of you. To make sure that you were put in the best position to succeed…to live and grow. Even if I had refused, instead of Axton’s troops being threatened, it would have been you guys. I would have made you all a target to be exterminated by a general who would have started a war even with my refusal. I’d rather betray a country that doesn’t appreciate me than betray the troops under my command.”
The soldier was silent as Kailyn looked in the direction of the outpost. “I know full well that what we’re doing is essentially treason, but that’s a risk I’m willing to make if it means you all have the best chance to live through this.”
“But at what cost?! Commander, while I appreciate your commitment to our wellbeing, what happens if we fail? If our side loses the war? We’ll all be branded as traitors too. We who survived will also face the possibility of execution.”
Kailyn sighed and continued walking forward. “There’s no perfect answer to this war. If there were, I would have chosen it. However, all I can do is make the decision I think is the correct one to make and live with the consequences afterwards. Now, fall back into formation and let the others know of the plan of attack.”
“...yes Commander.”
Kailyn watched as the soldier began telling the other high ranking officers about the plan and sighed. “This war is also going to be bloody. I want to do what I can to reduce that bloodshed as much as I possibly can.” She whispered to herself, trying to comfort and justify herself over the decision she had made.
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