Syber turned his back to Wicket and ran towards Razr. Geist leaped in front of him, plasma dripping from his mouth and his one eye wide with concern.

"Friennd?!" Geist asked.

"I...I'm fine. Razr's the one who needs help." Syber nervously replied.

Geist shook his head and pointed towards Razr, saying, "Nah! You...he-he-helllp! St-st-stay!"

"I don't know how!" Syber replied.

There was an agonizing scream from Wicket's direction. Syber and Geist turned in the direction of the noise to see that Wicket had torn off the silver intruder's left arm.

"STOP!" Syber screamed.

Wicket turned to glare at him.

"After what this invasive SCUM did to her he doesn't have the right to live!" Wicket shot back.

"He didn't do it!" Syber yelped.

It was too late. Just as Syber spoke, Wicket had delivered the final blow.

"Y...you killed him!" Syber whimpered, his eyes wide with terror. "Geist, why didn't you stop him?"

Geist shook his head solemnly and turned back towards Razr.

"He didn't do anything wrong!" Syber protested.

Wicket snarled and kicked the husk of the intruder.
"Well so what? The one thing he did wrong was being forged on THEIR side!" Wicket snapped.

"I thought war was about justice and standing for what was right!" Syber said, falling to his knees.

"This is the sweetest taste of justice you'll ever get out here, kid." Wicket replied.

Syber clenched his fists and shakily rested his head in his hands. "No it's not!" he said. "That warrior was hardly my age. He was just as new to all this as I was. He was only following orders. You...you killed him! You killed him while the one who hurt Razr got away. The one who should be there on the ground is...is Cordak!"

Butch walked up behind him and stooped to his knees. He placed a hand on Syber's shoulder. Syber looked up into Butch's face, desperately searching for an answer, for a hint that maybe he was right. But instead what he got were four of the coldest words he had heard in his entire life.

"Welcome to the war." Butch said.

"Is..is Razr gonna be okay?" Syber sniffed, tears streaming down his face.

"She's had worse." Butch said.

"Why did they...why? They attacked the camp for..for no reason!" Syber sobbed.

Butch sighed. "They're rogues. Nomads. Never staying in one place too long and raiding every camp they come across to weaken their enemies and pilfer supplies."

"If it weren't for Razr screaming at them not to hurt you she could've been killed this time." Wicket added, keeping his distance.

"I tried to fight back! I...I really did! But I'm just so useless." Syber said.

Wicket replied with, "At least you're honest about yourself kid."

"He has potential!" Razr coughed out as Geist helped her to her feet.

A long scar ran across where Cordak had sliced her chest. She staggered forward. As Geist helped her limp towards the entrance to their cave, Wicket held up the beaten husk of the enemy warrior as said, "This is for you."

"I don't want it." Razr replied, shooting him a deadly glare.

"I even got my hands dirty this time! And I saved your little pet. What more can you ask of me?" Wicket pleaded.

"You disgust me. You would have left Syber for dead if I wasn't injured. And the one time you actually have your team's back in a fight you don't even go after their leader?! I don't want the husk of an innocent kid. I want you to suffer for what you did." she hissed.

"What I did?! I didn't do anything!" Wicket yelped.

"Exactly! You just sat and watched it happen." Razr shot back.

"You're bringing up something that happened three cycles ago! And besides, I didn't know Geist needed backup. You can't blame me!" Wicket said.

Razr flexed her claws and Wicket leaped away in fright. Geist narrowed his eye and grabbed Razr's hand with his free arm, pushing it down.

"What the?!..." Razr started.

"Nah! Nee est..blame! No blame! No blame! No...more! Pah...pah...Pahleesse!" Geist said, struggling with ever word.

"Oh please. It's not like you're even in there to hear me. Not since what they did to you!" she snapped, pulling herself free and stumbling into the cave. Geist reached out a hand to stop her, while Syber looked on at the scene before him with wide eyes.

"Razr, he was just trying to help!" Syber called after her.

Inside the cave she cursed through her tears. Syber stepped forward, desperate to console her, but Wicket and Geist stepped in front of him, blocking the entrance.

"If the rogues don't gut you alive she will if you go near her while she's upset!" Wicket said, his voice edged with what sounded like genuine concern.
"But...but why? I mean, she's injured! Why can't we go in there? She needs us! She needs our help!" Syber protested.

Wicket sighed. "She's spent the past three cycles nursing her own wounds in the dark. We've all found our own ways to survive in the war. It's time you learn our ways, if you are really going to be joining us..."

"Wounds...core...hardest...heal!" Geist interjected.

"Tch. If you can't speak properly Geist, then you really shouldn't speak at all." Wicket commented.

"He's trying his hardest! I mean, well, why c-can't he speak normally?" Syber asked.

Wicket lowered his eyes. Butch suddenly stepped forward and clapped Wicket on the back between his shoulders. Wicket let out a little yelp before he turned and looked up at Butch with surprise.

"The outcome of that mission couldn't have been better. It was for the best that Wicket never laid eyes on the butcher queen. And I am certain he has learned his lesson since then, of leaving his team behind." Butch said with a knowing grin.

Wicket swallowed hard and gazed off into the distance.