He ate with the men. He bunked with the men. Anyone who knew him said they'd go through hell and back for him. He expected everything from them and got it, mostly because he expected it of himself. And still they fought a losing battle, more often falling back than gaining territory. The fighting was worst in the streets of New Rydynn and much too close to the hospital for his tastes. Yes, the Legion of Freemen had captured a Crusader-class tank and yes, the tank would aid in their efforts, but it wouldn't be enough. Not when the Church of the Nuclear Messiah gained converts daily through a routine of reprogramming and inquisition. Not when Sidd Neverr's deathtroopers were so well equipped and the Freemen were left gleaning parts off prewar skimmers. Not when he, Ricohh Mikkaill Gideonn did nothing.
He ranged the encampment. The main bulk of the Freemen force bivouacked in a series of recently excavated caves several clicks down the Bay of Hope. The army had been sectioned off, mostly into divisions based along geographical lines. Most of the army came from the major cities of Sabatt. Gideonn paused to share words with a group from New Rydynn. He shared a cup of glavahh with the men who had taken to calling their battlegroup the Ranger's. He sang a prayer for the dead with the Special Ops crew -- the men responsible for the seizure of the Church tank. He spoke words of encouragement to the team of Syrynykks huddled around a bonfire fueled by a stash of old newspapers and rhetoric in the form of books.
It gave him hope to see their faces light up, to see the gleam in their tired eyes. Despair had been set back at least for another night and Gideonn found himself staring up at the armored flank of the Freemen's prize. The tank had been cleaned, and the markings of the Church sanded away. He stared through the tank, imagining the interior and how cramped it would be. That's when he saw the vision. The tank, the cavern, the men all crumbled away and he looked through the eyes of another at a ruined building at the edge of an angry sea.
"There is where our hope lies." He returned to the camp in an instant, looking for volunteers.