"Um so what do we do with him?" Willow asked looking at the tied up and embarrassed Paul. "Law dictates any and all traitors we captured and taken before military court for execution" Katie said as Paul's face dropped and he looked over to Thomas.
"Tom! What the fuck did she just say. Execution?! You can't be serious, come on your not going to tell them I'm a traitor right?! Come on man no you can't do that. You fell in love with my sister down there but before then, up here! Up here you and I were boys, I looked up to you like a big brother man. That's why I wanted to be a soldier man...to be like my big bro. Come on you can't bro, please dont..." Paul said breaking down into a whimper.
"Paul stop. Brothers don't sell each other out for money, booze and hookers" Thomas said looking over at the disheveled Paul. "What..." was all Paul could mutter as Thomas looked back to his gear putting his flak jacket and helmet back on.
Breathing a deep sigh Thomas continued getting dressed as he spoke to Paul. "Paul, I can't help you, there's rules to this, we have to follow certain guidelines here I can't be a good leader if I don't lead by example for my troops" he said holstering his pistol and placing it on his hip.
"What...what?! No no no come on man your not about to do this to me okay. I'm family-" Paul no sequence of words you come up with is getting you out of this!" Thomas barked growing increasingly tired of the conversation. "look look if not for me do it for Stacy!" Paul said in a nervous panic as Thomas's head snapped looking at him with an incandescent glare. Looking on in confusion and horror the troops watched as Thomas stared a hole through Paul's head.
"I...I mean not like a threat or anything but it's not really fair that she has to go from thinking I'm dead to thinking I'm a traitor. You know how people in Lux get, a Jaran woman with a brother being executed?! Come on that would be hell for her so you should...you should just let me rejoin you" Paul said in a whimpering tone as Thomas's furious glare softened into clear pity at Paul's plea.
Sensing Thomas ease up Paul continued "Yeah I can help strength in numbers and stuff we can say you rescued me and I helped you vanquish the Jarans that's a great story, think of the headlines think how happy that would make everyone, including Stacy. I can save face and I'm sure they'd give you a medal so what do you say big bro for fami-" Paul said as an emphatic BANG from Thomas's hand pistol sent a bullet straight through Paul's forehead splattering his brains on the jungle floor.
Looking at his unmoving corpse Thomas turned to adress his shocked and horrified troops and stood at attention. "I'm sorry troops, like Katie said law dictates traitors be captured and brought to justice in court but..." Thomas said as his voice cracked. "But he was right ans you couldn't have him ruin Dr Williams life" Willow said looking on in shock.
"Yes" Thomas said as his face dropped. "He...wasn't the only person who abandoned the military, are we supposed to do something about the villagers?" Jude asked nervously. "I mean they helped us here...I don't want to turn any of them in" Katie said looking around.
"Maybe a bit of humanity, they aren't hurting anyone. Maybe we have a bit of discretion about this, doing something bad gets punished. Self preservation gets left alone" Kosi said shrugging as his stomach continued to turn seeing and smelling all the casualties of war they'd already encountered two days in.
"Blue. No time to let any of this sink in we need to keep moving, if you stop and let yourself feel you're gong to break" Thomas said to a visibly distraught Kosi. "Yes sir, sorry sir..." Kosi said in reply. "Alright" Thomas said nodding as he signaled for the team to walk down the trail laid out by the Jaran soldiers they'd just defeated.
Walking back to back keeping keen eyes on every section of the forest attention was drawn by an explosion off to the north west. Stopping dead in their tracks everyone facing west looked as one of them noticed smoke emanating from that direction. "You don't think they got jumped like we did right?" Willow said as gunshots began sounding throughout the jungle.
"Oh fuck it's coming from all over" Kosi said listening to the gunfire ring throughout the deep forest from all angles. "There's no use radio-ing them they got their hands full...all we can do is go down this path and take that hill" Thomas said as he walked down the trail and hos team begrudgingly followed suit.