I Fought Lore

It was quiet. Something queer was afoot. Lore poked their head over the trenches’ lip. Nothing. Their enemy had seemingly taken the day off. Satisfied with their assumption, knowing it to be true, they returned to Rhy’fel’s briefing.
“They will be preparing to attack our western flank here so we need to be ready.” Rhy’fel turned to Lore as they joined the meeting. “They’re lining up aren’t they?” Lore shook their head. “What?” They checked their war torn Breacher. “They should be nearly done lining up at this point.” They ran to the closest lookout point. Carefully, they poked their head over the walls. “What?” They shouted.
“Nothing. It’s like they’ve decided to take the day off.” Lore smirked, knowing what was going on; Char and Piper’s absence worried them somewhat but they knew that it was probably necessary. The rest of the day was surprisingly uneventful given the locale. Rhy’fel’s troops enjoyed the downtime until they realised what that could mean, then the anxiety set in.
“Day eleven. I honestly never thought we’d see the day. We can’t let our guard drop. We have to remain vigilant, we have to be ready for whatever they’re planning. Remain alert and victory will soon be ours.” Rhy’fel was playing with fire as they gave their speech stood in the no-man’s land above the trench. There was a resounding roar from the gathered men. It echoed through Lore, their eyes closed and when they opened, they were back on Quatarr.
“Are you sure about this?” Silus jabbed at their shoulder. “If we do this, it’s going to play to their strengths too.”
“But if we don’t, we’re the only ones who’ll see the end.” Allana countered.
“We’ll put it to the men.” Lore turned and exited their foxhole. They gave a quick glance over the battlefield. The fighting wasn’t to start for another few minutes. They climbed the sandy embankment and stood as Rhy’fel would. “As you know, we are fighting this war in a timeloop. As you know, not all of us are going to make it back. We have some new intel that may bring about an end to this; just outside of the barrier, the Western front has diverted three short range attack craft and enough firepower to take them down. We can accept these gifts by expanding the boundaries of the loop but there is a cost.” A murmur crossed the crowd. “If we expand the loop, the East gain access to a small scale munitions depot. We have reason to believe it is there that they are developing their new line of rejuvenation weaponry. If we expand the barrier, they gain access to their second munitions factory and potentially, a devastating new weapon. Gideon’s predictions still put us on top but we thought it best to put it to a vote.” Lore’s officers nodded. “Raise your hand if you believe we should expand our borders.” It was no contest. Without properly counting, Lore could see that over ninety percent of their troops were in favour. Lore tapped at their Breacher and it was done. The decision that eventually won them the war. It was the same field, the same planet, the same people but the small differences had a resounding impact.
There was a clicking that drew them back to reality. “Lore? Lore? Are you ok?” Rhy’fel was checking their pupils. Lore flinched.
“I’m fine. I was… Here I suppose… I was years away.” Loneliness suddenly crossed them with a swift jab to the throat and gut.
“We’re meeting to discuss tactics for tomorrow, I want you there. After all, you’ve done this before.” They smiled as they turned to make their way back to the dugout. Lore waited for a moment before following.
It had been a productive session but more than anything, Lore aimed to inspire Rhy’fel and their officers. Ten years of fighting had taken its toll. While to their troops they were efficient and emotionless killing machines, Lore saw them for what they really were, broken and burnt out survivors. No matter what any of them said, they needed help. Lore only wished they had arrived sooner.
“Rhy’fel, you’ve been on this battlefield for nearly a third of your life. You can’t honestly say that you’re the same person you were before.” The others had eventually made their way to bed. There was a certain serenity to the moment.
“I’m not the same. I would never try to argue I was. I came here to make sure this planet didn’t fall into the wrong hands and not a day goes by that I don’t thank Crait for that mission.
“Crait sent you to save Quatarr?”
“No. They sent me to ensure the war ended with genocide. I changed the mission. The look on their smug face when they see this planet unify against The Guild will be worth it.” Lore didn’t know what to say. They were expecting a more ‘them’ response but there were bound to be psychological differences. They spoke for a few hours, comparing war stories and greatest hits before Rhy’fel realised they should probably get some rest.
The next day couldn’t have come sooner. Unlike usual, the Easterners had done away with their morning rituals. Their attacks started twenty minutes earlier than they should have. Rhy’fel managed to mobilise their first line but they soon lost contact. The reason why quickly became apparent. Bold as the brass on their shoulders, wave after wave from the Eastern shores washed up on the West. They were claiming land and quickly. Their new Rejuvenator cannons cut swaths through the Western Front but the drawbacks were becoming apparent.
“Sir, they’ve stopped.” A confused private radioed through. “There’s something wrong with them sir, it’s as if they’re drunk.” Guided by the heavy ordinance fused with their arm, an Eastern soldier stumbled towards their western counterpart. The weapon discharged tearing a hole in the ground below. The soldier visibly withered as the blast ceased.
“Capture or kill. Same as always.” Rhy’fel was beginning to get suspicious. They poked their head out and watched as the attacking army split. The rear half retreating while the fore continued in a stumbling lurch. They turned to Lore. “What have you done?” Rhy’fel’s Breacher was awash with casualty reports. They echoed their sentiment.
“We set history right.” Lore spoke without remorse.
Rhy’fel had no words; only a growing redness. With the redness came shaking and with that, a metal rod crossing Lore’s face. Lore didn’t retaliate. They took the hit. “You came here to end this, not make it worse!” Rhy’fel punctuated their hit with a shattered scream.
“Your vision is flawed. I’m sorry you can’t yet see what is to come.” Lore shook their arm off, unsheathing the energy whip beneath it. “If I must show you by force, I will.” It was an empty threat. There was a considerable distance between them. The Lore Won.