Staring at the bones on the ground, Hudson was rendered speechless. His order had been to "bring them back alive or dead." He hadn't expected that in the end, what they would find were just piles of bones.
With nothing left but bones, it was impossible to determine the identity of the deceased. As the Commander of the Army, Hudson would not disturb the rest of the dead.
"Take them away and give them a proper burial," he said.
The investigation into the missing soldiers came to a halt, but the issue of the Orc infiltration remained unresolved.
A small team, compared to a large force, was the toughest to deal with. A simple camouflage in a bush was enough to fool the Air Force in the sky.
After some hesitation, Hudson added, "Tom, relay orders to have all units clear out all shrubs and vegetation within five miles around the camps. No plant should be allowed to grow more than five inches tall. "
