Mirage closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He had just made the hardest decision he had ever had to make. He had just had to say goodbye to the one he loved for what, at this moment, seemed like forever.

Her situation wasn't good and there was nothing he could do. He couldn't foolishly risk men, and like she said, the lives of seven weren't worth the lives of seven thousand.

No matter how much she mattered to him, this war mattered more, a fact that he knew was true, but was still hard to come to terms with.

"Sometimes part of loving someone is letting go."

Her words echoed in his mind over and over again. He knew she was right, he knew he needed to let go, but it was the hardest thing he had ever done. He knew it was the right thing to do, but it stung more than any wound.

Why does the right thing have to hurt so damn bad? He wondered, opening his eyes.

"You've made a hard decision." Said Desertfox, reading his expression.

Mirage nodded, not answering him at first, the words stuck in his throat.

"She told me I had to let go," he said, his voice soft, "she told me to forget they were there, to focus on the war as whole, not just seven men."

He took a deep breath.

"She's right." He admitted. "I can't risk all of these men for a rescue attempt that might not even work. I can't risk it all when I so dearly want to."

"So she's not coming back?" Asked Desertfox, looking up at Mirage.

Those words hit Mirage like several blows to the stomach. He felt like he couldn't breathe, couldn't speak.

"I don't know," he breathed, "I don't know."

Desertfox nodded, washing the blood off his hands.

"I should have made her promise to come back to you alive." He said suddenly.

"She made me promise."

Maybe that would bring her home.

Suddenly both Mirage and Desertfox looked up as the medic tent erupted into chaos once more. Several medics brought in wounded men, brought in on transports.

Several medics got up, moving towards the new patients.

"He's lost a lot of blood!" Called one of them, bringing in a man who lay on a stretcher.

Blood stained the dark fabric of the stretcher, the soldier on it laying limply, barely clinging to life.

Mirage watched Desertfox run over to where the medic was trying to get him to an open bed, helping him get the soldier off the stretcher and up into it.

His neck and shoulder were covered in blood, rivulets of vermillion trailing down his arm. The soldier was still conscious, looking up at Desertfox with a hollow gaze.

"Stay with me," he said, looking the man in the eyes, "you're going to be alright, I promise."

The other medic worked over his shoulder, trying to get the man the care he needed.

"What happened?" Asked Desertfox.

"Fighting for control of a sector of the city and something exploded. Shrapnel caught him across the neck and shoulder."

Desertfox took off the shoulder plate that protected the man's shoulder, seeing the jagged, deep gash that marked his skin. The skin around the wound was inflamed and pus had already begun to seep from the open hole.

The soldier groaned softly as Desertfox wrapped a sterile pressure dressing around the gash, trying to staunch the bleeding.

"We can't get him the care he needs here." Said Desertfox.

Mirage could hear the stress creeping into his voice as he said this, blood already reddening the edges of the dressing.

"How long has it been since he got injured?" He asked, keeping pressure on the wound.

"Ten, fifteen minutes. We used a transport to get him here as fast as we could."

Desertfox's silence told Mirage that that wasn't good news. Desertfox turned as the soldier spoke, his voice a rasping whisper.

"Please tell my wife... and my kids... that I fought for them..." he whispered, "tell them... I love them so very very much..."

Then his eyes fluttered and he lost consciousness.

"No." Desertfox muttered, his voice urgent.

The other medic checked for any signs of life and upon finding none said "he's not breathing, I don't have a pulse."

"No no no no." Desertfox whispered, his voice taking on a desperate edge.

"Keep pressure on the wound." He told the other man, beginning CPR as he attempted to revive the man.

Mirage watched on, wanting to look away but unable to as they battled against death. He watched as Desertfox tried to save a man they knew couldn't be saved.

He looked up at the other medic and they shared a wordless message. They both knew the soldier was truly dead, but Desertfox wouldn't give up.

"Desertfox," he said, walking over to him.

"Desertfox," he said again.

The nineteen year old shook his head, tears sliding down his face as he continued to try to resuscitate the fallen soldier.

"I'm not letting him die," he choked, his voice breaking, "I can't. He has a family..."

"Desertfox, he's gone." He said, his voice taking on a harsher tone.

He ignored him, continuing to try to save his patient.

"Elijah," he said at last, putting a hand on his shoulder, "he's gone."

When he used his name Desertfox stopped, breathing hard, his body shaking.

"Damnit!" He cursed.

He pulled away from Mirage, walking outside, hands behind his head. Mirage followed him out, his own sadness causing his eyes to tear up.

Mirage walked up to the medic, placing a hand on his arm.

"Hey," he said gently.

"I told him it would be okay," whispered Desertfox, "I told him it would be alright... I failed him. I failed him and his family."

Desertfox then did something Mirage wasn't expecting. He leaned against him, breaking down into tears.

Mirage, momentarily shocked by this, didn't react right away. After a moment he wrapped Desertfox in a comforting embrace like a father would his child.

"You tried your very best, you did everything you could. You knew there was only a slim chance that he would live, but you didn't give up."

He looked deep into his brown eyes, reassuring him.

"We all have our breaking points Elijah, every single one of us. You've found yours, and now you need to let it all out. You didn't fail him, you didn't give up when most would have."

Desertfox nodded, not saying anything, his body shaking as he let out the emotions warring within him. The two of them stayed like this, ans in that moment Mirage wanted nothing else but to protect him no matter what.

It hurt him to see Desertfox like this, he was like a younger brother, he had been since they had met. He never wanted anything to happen to him, but he knew that they were both fighting in a war that might end up killing them both.

"Are you ready?" He asked softly.

"Yeah," answered Desertfox, taking a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

Mirage walked with him back to medical tent. Several of the other medics came up to him, asking if he was okay.

He nodded and told them he was, going over to where his supplies were kept. Mirage watched him, making a decision he had been afraid to make before.

A decision that would change this war, one that he no longer shied from.

He left the medical tent, sending someone to go find Nova. He waited for her in the Warehouse, looking at the map of Hyperion.

"You needed me?" Asked Nova ten minutes later, walking up to the table.

"I've made my decision." He said, his eyes determined.

"We're not going anywhere. We're staying here and fighting."

"Even if Paragon won't help us?"

"Yes."

"You're willing to take that risk?"

Mirage nodded.

"I think they are too." He said, referring to the men he commanded.

"They've kept coming back to the fight, and I can't take their hope away. They want to play a part in the fate of their home world and they will."

Mirage looked up from the map, locking eyes with Nova.

"This is our fight and we won't back down."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So they've decided to fight, no matter what Paragon tells them. What do you think outcome will be? Good? Bad? P.S. Merry Christmas!! 🎄

~~Nightfury107