“Hey! Wait up!”

Running out of the command tent, Nicole caught up to Jerry, who was walking back to his tent quickly.

“I need some time alone.” The response was cold and distant. Jerry realized it as well. Chris was responsible for all this, not Nicole. She didn't deserve to have harsh words thrown at her. Jerry wasn’t feeling the best, but he did his best to reassure Nicole. “Look, I am really tired. I need to go to my tent and lay down for a while. If you want to talk to me, we can do it another time.”

He walked into his tent, but Nicole came in as well. The two militias at the door turned the other direction.

“It’s ok to feel angry.” Nicole said.

“I’m not angry!” Jerry turned and glanced at Nicole, slightly surprised. He quickly denied. “I am just...annoyed. Chris is starting to do more harm than good.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “You should really go. I need some personal space.”

“Yes, you are angry.” Nicole pushed forward without any hesitation. She ignored the obvious bad mood Jerry was in. “You’re angry and you’re afraid, just like the rest of us. It’s ok.”

Jerry hissed. He turned to Nicole, wanting to prove her wrong, but his words never came out. Nicole was right. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he was angry and he was afraid. If he was truly void of emotion like he tried to convince everyone, including himself, he wouldn’t be pissed off at Chris. He would simply think of a way to solve the problem back in the command tent. Even bursting out and leaving for his own tent was a sign that he was no longer able to control his feelings.

Nicole saw Jerry was shaken.

“It’s perfectly normal to be afraid. We just lost half of our men, and the enemies are at the gate. Anyone will get scared in a situation like this. There is nothing bad about this. You don’t need to hide it...”

“I don’t have time for this.” Jerry finally snapped. “The Sullivans are taking a break now, but we have no idea when they will strike us. I don’t have time for a pep talk.”

Before Nicole could say another word, Jerry turned to the entrance of the tent.

“Guards!”

“Sir!” Two militias walked in.

“Escort Commander Nicole outside.” Jerry turned around and turned his back to Nicole. He knew Nicole meant well, but he really couldn’t afford to get all emotional right here, right now.

“Yes sir.” The militias turned to Nicole. “Please, commander.”

Nicole sighed before walking out of the tent.

Jerry groaned and sat down on his bed. He tapped his forehead, trying to think, but he simply couldn’t get what Nicole said out of his mind. It was like one of those songs that get stuck in your head. No matter how important the situation was or how hard you try, you just can’t get that thought out. Likewise, what Nicole said kept on echoing in Jerry’s head.

Perhaps letting his mask down and embracing his fear wasn’t so bad of an idea after all…

As Jerry was doubting his creed, chaos was growing inside the camp.

A group of liberated slaves walked up to where most of the teens were. They were stopped by a line of militias on guard duty. They exchanged a series of looks before one of them finally stepped forward.

“I want to speak to your commander.” He demanded.

Patel frowned when the militia reported what happened to him. What could these people possibly want?

“Let them through.”

“Yes sir.”

“Commander Patel.” The head of that group walked up to Patel. He lowered his head slightly to show respect. “Commander, my people and I have noticed the Sullivan forces have reached the gate of the camp. Your forces seemed to have underwent combat, and casualties seem...to be high.”

“Ya think?” Chris commented with slight annoyance. He was already having a bad day. Having to listen to some random guy wasn’t helping.

The man continued.

“Commander, my people want to know, and trust me when I say I don’t mean any ill intent, if you can defeat the Sullivan forces.”

Patel frowned. He wasn’t a fool. The freed slaves were wondering if the Alliance could keep them safe from the Sullivans. They weren’t mindless NPCs. They knew what was going on and they had their own interests in mind. Before, they helped the Alliance set up the ambush because they thought the Alliance could keep them safe. When that wasn’t going on so well, they thought of fleeing.

“I assure you that we will do all we can to defeat the Sullivans.” Patel replied to the best of his abilities, but the man wasn’t satisfied.

“I admire your courage and dedication, commander, but our people are made up of criminals, deserters, and those who the Sullivan Empire want dead. If we are captured again, we may not even be put into the mines again. We will all be put to the sword.”

“As if we can get a free pass.” Chris once again commented rudely.

A few teens nodded in agreement.

“What do your people want?” Patel frowned and asked. He really didn't like where this was going.

The man avoided Patel’s gaze.

“We want to leave this camp.”

“How dare you?” Chris’s face turned red. He wasn’t the smartest man in the camp, but even he knew what the man was suggesting. He and his people would leave the camp from the back door and flee into the mountains, and the teens and their forces would be left in the camp to delay the Sullivans and keep them from pursuing. “You ate our food and enjoyed our protection, and now you want to run? I should have you killed right here!” He drew his sword.

Both the man and the other teens were shocked. Sure, leaving now was a betrayal, but neither side expected to see blood. What they didn't know was that Chris has already had enough. He was afraid and he was furious. He needed a way to unload those emotions, and what was a better target than a group of unarmed, defenseless men?

Militias that belonged to him readied their spears. His followers hesitated, but they complied nonetheless.

The group of thirty or so has already grown ten fold during the time the man and Patel talked. Most of them were consisted of people that wanted to leave as well. When the Alliance showed some force, some of them faltered, but others stood their ground. A few former soldiers even raised sticks and clubs.

“We don’t need to do this!” The man’s expression changed. He turned and shouted at Patel. Knowing Chris was in no good mood, the man was sure Patel was the only chance for peace. “Killing us won’t do you any good! Save your strength for the Sullivans!”

“Patel!” Holding her spear, Sophia turned to Patel. Her men didn't raise their arms. Sophia was fine with being a stone cold killer on the battlefield, but there was no way in hell in which she would strike down these defenseless people who were their fellow slaves several days ago. “Let them go! This won’t do us any harm!”

Patel was dead silent.

“Patel!”

“Perhaps your people will be more compliant...when they see what happens to ungrateful sons of bitches.” On the other side, Chris tilted his head and smiled wickedly. He took a step toward the men, and his militias took a step forward as well. The group of freed slaves took a step back almost immediately. As much as they tried to look tough, they knew they would be no match against the army with uniform weapon, training, and formation.

Sophia turned to Chris.

“Don’t do this! Chris!” She screamed.

Chris glanced at Sophia. The two have fought side by side on the battlefield, but even that wasn’t enough to change her mind.

“You want to keep your hands clean, Sophia, fine, but don’t stop me from teaching these cowards what honor means.”

“Chris! That’s enough!”

Patel finally shouted. Chris turned around at Patel in shock. He took the man’s silence for permission to proceed. Patel’s sudden words shocked Chris. The man tried to continue on, but when most of the teens and militias lowered their weapons, Chris finally signed and jammed his sword into the soil below. He turned and walked away in anger.

Patel turned back to the leader of the freed people, who had a small victorious smile on his face.

“What’s your name?”

“Edward.” The leader replied.

“Well, Edward,” Patel spoke slowly. “Chris was a little rude, but he said one thing right.”

“You can’t leave.”

Edward’s smile disappeared and his face turned pale. Behind Patel, Sophia stared at Patel in disbelief. She couldn’t believe her ears.

Patel continued.

“Ok. Let’s assume you and your people make it into the mountains. And then what? You can’t farm. You can’t hunt enough game to support all of you. You can’t even get any necessity because they are all sold in Sullivan controlled cities. If your people get sick, they will die because they don’t have any medicine.”

His words were slow, but they were ten times stronger than Chris’s sword. The men looked at each other as they started to doubt the decision of leaving. Inside the camp, all the food and other necessities came from the Sullivan storage. If they fled into the mountains, they would starve.

“Commander,” Edward knew he couldn’t let Patel continue. “if we flee into the mountains, we may die, but we may live. If we stay, we will certainly die.”

Patel suddenly smiled.

“Edward, what were you before you came here?”

Edward frowned. It was a totally unrelated topic. But he didn't dare to refuse to answer.

“I was just a farmer.”

“Why were you imprisoned.”

Edward sighed.

“A Sullivan captain saw my wife...and...and he wanted her. I tried to stop him, but…” The man paused. “the captain had me arrested and sent here for trying to assault an officer.”

“And you’re not angry?”

Edward rose his eyebrows, but Patel has already turned to the entire crowd.

“You were innocent people! Civilians! You have done nothing wrong, and yet you were forced into a life of slavery! For what? Why? Because you were weak! You lost everything because you didn't have the courage to stand up against those who seek to rob you of your wealth, your family, and you freedom!”

He pointed at the Sullivan camp.

“And now, those robbers have came again. They have taken away your money and your land and your wives, and now they’re coming for your lives! It’s your decision, your choice!” He pulled out his sword. The sound of the metal clashing with the sheath formed a brilliant metallic sound. Patel handed that sword to Edward.

“If you want to make a stand here, or if you want to turn and run like you have done countless times before.”

Edward glanced at the sword in his hand for several seconds before raising it into the air.

“Kill them all!”

---

“What did you do?” Inside the command tent, Sophia faced Patel with fury in her eyes.

After the speech, the freed slaves were completely mobilized. No one talked about running away anymore. Everyone picked up the weapons and armors of Sullivan soldiers previously killed in battle, and they got ready for war. The spirit was high.

But Sophia saw it differently.

“You have seen what happened in a real battle with the Sullivans! The Sullivans are trained, experienced, and highly disciplined. If those people out there really fight the Sullivans, they will be crushed instantly. By calling them to war, you have sent them to their death!”

Patel sighed.

“You think I don’t know that?”

“Then why?”

Patel’s words suddenly turned ice cold.

“Because we have no other choice. We need them.”

“What?”

“Look,” Patel turned to Sophia. “If we have nine hundred men, even if most of them are untrained civilians, we can still hold off the Sullivans for a while. One thousand vs nine hundred, and the Sullivans will think twice before they strike. If we let them go...it will be one thousand vs four hundred. They will overwhelm us in a heartbeat.”

“So you decided to manipulate them to stay?” Sophia stared back at Patel without any hesitation. “It’s manipulation! Saying you have no other choice can’t justify this!”

“I don’t need to justify anything,” Patel’s answer made Sophia cringe. “because this is war.”