Ellensburg

There wasn't much to Ellensburg anymore, even after the battle that burned the town to the ground no one had seen fit to rebuild. A row of half working wind generators slowly turning in the breeze seemed to be the only motion in the area, not even hell bugs wanted anything to do with the burned out town. Xanthiana killed the engine at the city limits, her memories of events there still raw.

"Ellensburg?" Elly asked like the child like entity she was.

"A human settlement, mostly refugees at the time, my commander suspected there was a militia force inside the town, we had it surrounded. The people tried to tell us there were no soldiers here, but we did not believe them."

"And then a fire started?"

"We set the fire, it was the optimal solution, burn the town down, kill everyone trying to leave, I was the one put in charge, Rushard had plans somewhere else, he told me for every soldier we lost I'd get a lash on my back. I didn't want anymore wounds, so I chose the route that put no one at risk. Well no one from our side anyway."Xanthiana made her way from the car to a small graveyard, she had acquired a shovel along the drive and began digging at the grave marked "Quigley".

"I'm still at a loss as to why this caused you to stop using sniper rifles."

"It was my last battle Elly, at the time, I figured I wouldn't be needing it again."

"That can't be it, you've killed several people when I've been with you, didn't seem to have a problem doing it either." Xanthiana sighed, the little EGO device just loved to pry.

"I haven't killed a child since I've been with you Elly. And that's what I did here, there was a mother running with her son, she made it pretty far before I got her, the boy couldn't have been more than three didn't even try and run, he just sat their crying at his dead mother, I killed him too, one right through the head, figured it was better to kill him than leave him to the ravages of this planet. I didn't know their names, but the mother had a dog tag of 'Quigley.' And so I buried my rifle and defected. I left the military shortly before the conflict ended anyway, in a way I've been doing penance ever since." She dug up the rifle, it seemed to still be in working condition. Down the side she had inscribed until peace in irathient. Sights were off, but she could adjust them.

"Wow that's horrible."

"I know, but I was wrong, the war never ended, it just changed it's focus, its now us against this planet, and I assure you Elly, I play to win." She took the rifle and ammunition and left the grave dug up, someone coming by might think bad thoughts, but Xanthiana didn't care, she had a mission, and she planned on fulfilling it, one high powered bullet at a time.