Something unusual happened once the battalion left the fort. The frequency of attacks on the fort itself dropped, though they did not disappear completely. But that decrease in frequency did not actually make their lives easier as with the battalion gone, a bulk of their fighting force had disappeared.
The remaining soldiers felt somewhat resentful at the battalion for leaving them, but only a few were clearheaded enough to realize that the battalion was not really responsible for everyone's security to begin with. Moreover, going and interfering with the enemy's plan might just allow them to survive until someone finally noticed what was happening here. Although, the fact that it had been so long without any communication was enough to let them know something was terribly amiss. But with no other solution available to them, all they could do was hope.
