Planet B

Ch.2

The two walked back toward camp and Chaim assured him the rest would be able to manage the clean-up and care of the wounded. They took a circuitous route back but made sure to stay in the open so as to not walk into an ambush, however unlikely given their scouting of the area.

"I know we talked briefly back at the school, but this isn't the first time you've done something like this and I know that even after this talk it won't be the last."

William opened his mouth to respond but Chaim's stone-faced glare snapped it shut.

"I know it feels like you're invincible. Part of that is your gift, part of that is just youth. I can't pretend to know what it feels like to be able to do the things you do, but I do know what it's like to be young and reckless and I know what can happen to those who are."

They weaved toward some low foliage without either suggesting it. It'd been discovered not long into the invasion that Crytons would go out of their way to avoid damaging any flora. Tactics had quickly changed to account for that. If attacked while walking through shrubbery, they'd have a defensive advantage as the Crytons would have to not only dodge their blades but also the plants around them.

"What you're feeling about the dead back there, I've felt it too," Chaim continued. "I still feel it. You've only had this one war but back in Israel I'd been fighting for longer than you've been alive."

William had heard all this before, but he knew better than to interrupt.

"Loss is hard. Many of my friends died in the service, people I'd grown up with. These people may not be as close to me as my friends were, but we still have a common bond, a need to watch out for each other and ensure we all make it back."

He stopped and turned to meet William's eyes.

"When you go off and act a fool, charging into danger, you risk not only yourself but everyone else as well."

"I was trying to save you," William protested.

"You were, and your motivation is admirable. Your actions less so." Chaim's lips thinned as his jaw clenched. "Tell me, what did Joel do after you ran off to save me?"

William's brow furrowed as he tried to remember.

"I, I don't know. I kind of left her there."

Chaim raised one eyebrow.

"You left her? I assume there were others with her, that you didn't leave someone alone on the field of battle?"

William reddened.

"No," he said softly. "There wasn't anyone else. Everyone else was engaged in the fight."

Chaim nodded and William supposed he'd already known the answer.

"So what did she do?" Chaim asked.

"Well, she came after me," William said.

"She ran after you, knowing you are the faster runner, alone and through a combat zone. That seems pretty dangerous," Chaim said. William said nothing and hung his head. "You risked your life carelessly, you put Joel in a position where her life was in danger, and you entered a situation you had no way of knowing if you could handle, potentially creating a more dangerous situation for those you were trying to rescue."

William felt the guilt start to weigh him down.

As you should.

William grimaced at the voice.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Sorry?" Chaim asked. "I don't want you to be sorry. I want to you understand why it was so foolhardy, why acting as you did was irresponsible on so many levels."