Oracle took in a sharp breath as a medic cleaned the gashes with a wet cloth, cleaning the blood from around them.

After the severely wounded had been cared for they had moved to those who had more minor injuries. One of the medics had seen gashes and had insisted on treating her even though she said she could wait.

She watched as the medic reached for another cloth, the one she had been using stained red with her blood.

Oracle was glad to see that the gashes didn't go as deep as the thought they had. She could still fight, and that's what mattered.

The battered group of soldiers were hunkered down in a damaged building. Sunlight filtered through cracks in the ceiling above them, filtering through the dust in the air.

She looked around them, at the destruction. This was only the beginning of the war, this was only a battle. They had lost a little under half of the men deployed in the attack.

Oracle has lost two of the soldiers in her squad, and she couldn't help but blame herself. She knew it wasn't her fault, there was nothing she could do, but she still felt guilty.

Every soldier gathered in the building tensed as they heard fighters overhead, bracing for the worst. When Oracle heard the sound it triggered a memory, a memory of the first war.

Of fires and screams, of soldiers and destroyed lives. Of losing all of what she loved.

Of losing who she loved.

Oracle was snapped out of her reverie when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, seeing Desertfox kneeling over where she sat against the wall.

She welcomed his reassuring his smile, his carrying a sparkle even when things seemed dark.

"I see you got yourself into some trouble," he commented, looking at where the medic had finished bandaging her arm.

"Yeah," she said, flexing her arm.

"You know me, always getting into some sort of trouble."

Desertfox chuckled softly, helping her to her feet.

"Mirage sent ten extra medics down here so we could help, it seems like you got beat up pretty bad," he said, looking at where men were lined up against one wall, all with serious injuries.

"Four hundred or so have been wounded or killed, at least a hundred are confirmed dead." She said, her voice quiet.

"I asked one of the Captains,"

Desertfox nodded, looking at the men around them.

"That is the price of war. Not everyone can make it out alive, no matter how hard we try."

Oracle looked over at him, seeing the man she had come to know. He was only 19 but he seemed much older. War had made him much older.

As Oracle watched Desertfox go over to the wounded who still needed care she saw why he had become a medic. He cared about every person, he cared about wether or not they came home.

She saw it in the way he cared for them, and she saw the respect adults several years older than he was gave him. They trusted him without a doubt, and Oracle would gladly trust him with her life.

She turned away from him and heard the remaining Captains speaking with one another.

"We can't retake what we lost without more men," said one, "we can't lose anymore of them."

"How long will reinforcements take to get here?"

"An hour at the most, they aren't far."

"How many men can be spared? The Command Post still needs to be guarded. If Reclaimer gets word that there's one set up he'll go for it."

"We have enough to get us to our original numbers."

"With our pilots guarding the skies it will be easier to take and hold this area."

They were all quiet for a moment, thinking, and then one of them made a decision.

"I'll ask Mirage for reinforcements, and we can try this again." Said the leader of Alpha Squad.

"We can get the wounded back to the Command Post where they can be moved to our bases' medical centers. Once they're there they can get proper care."

They all agreed and split off to tell their men the plan. Oracle stood in the middle of it all, listening to the men talk about what happened, spotting those who were resting uneasily in the corners of the room.

She suddenly felt tired and she walked over to where she had been before, sitting down. Oracle leaned her head against the wall, settling into a light sleep.

Her sleep was blessedly dreamless, allowing her to recover her strength. When Oracle woke they had moved most of the wounded and reinforcements were arriving.

Movement had picked up as men moved in and out of the building, Captains catching others up on what needed to happen and what they were planning.

Oracle listened, grabbing her rifle and standing. She heard Desertfox's voice through the chatter, saying something to another medic.

She went over to where he was checking his medic pack, making sure he had everything.

"Are you coming with?" She asked.

"Yeah, Mirage said me and a couple others are staying with you. The others are accompanying the wounded back to the Command Post."

Desertfox looked over his shoulder, scanning the room, and upon seeing another medic called to them.

"Do you have my extra bandages?" He shouted over the din.

"Yeah!" Said the other medic.

She jogged over to where the other medics were, opened her medic kit and came up with bandages.

"Here!" She called, throwing them across the room.

Desertfox caught them and put them in his bag, and Oracle couldn't help but be a little impressed.

"Nice catch," she commented.

Desertfox smirked, checking to make sure he had everything. Oracle hadn't realized how much stuff medics had to carry, Desertfox had an extra pack that he had to carry that contained everything he needed.

He then carried everything else they did, weapons for if he needed to defend himself or his patients, extra ammo and ammo for himself and grenades.

It was a lot of weight for someone to carry but the medics had gotten used to it. Oracle turned when someone said her name and saw one of the Captains.

"You and your remaining squad members will be joining Alpha Squad," he said.

"Desertfox will be as well, he's out medic."

Both Oracle and Desertfox nodded, exchanging a look. Oracle slid her helmet back on and so did Desertfox. Captains called to their men, getting everyone ready for a second try.

Oracle prayed that this operation was successful, or they could all be dead by nightfall.

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I might as well change the update schedule to Wednesday. Anyway, hope you like the chapter as always! Make sure to vote and comment, feedback is much appreciated!

~~Nightfury107