Boss

It was the next morning when Zek came back. The camp was quiet that night as he offloaded Hizo's body. We buried it that same morning.

Zek never spoke a word.

I didn't blame him.

The body was buried by noon. Nobody had any words to say. There was nothing to say.

Logistically, we were better situated than ever before. We had one less mouth to feed, our tank was in perfect condition, we were loaded on fuel, and the Citadel garrison had donated food and water in the name of "helping the Fire Nation in its time of need." We had a chance of making it now. We had everything we needed to survive the rest of our trip.

So it came down to the question: Was it worth it?

At any other time, I would have said "no." In that time, however, we would have had the safety net of the Fire Nation logistic corps. We would have had a well-supplied army at our backs, and we would have been secure in every sense.

Now though, we needed everything we could get. And we had gotten what we needed. We received food, water, fuel, everything we would need.

But we lost a man. Two if you counted the state Zek was in.

It was a loss that would likely go on to haunt us for however long we lived, and it made me wonder: was this just the beginning?

We drove off that evening. We had lost another day, and another man. First it had been Haz, then Chez, now Hizo. We were down to 4 men and I was starting to doubt myself now more than ever.

I wondered how the hell I could keep my men alive amidst all of this.

Luke had known, if not exactly, the spirit of what awaited him within that city, and he had made the right choice. I hadn't. And I lost a man for it.

I'd lost men before, but it had been to combat. I had never sent a man to his death before. Today had been a first in that regard.

I had been presented with a decision, and I had no idea if I'd made the right choice. Time would tell. If we made it, it's possible I would have. If we didn't, well, at the very least, I wouldn't be around to remember the first of what was destined to be many hard decisions.