Gallus looked left and right to the soldiers surrounding them. He was sure to be careful with his words as well. "Did you hear from Janius that Meesei's awake?" He held his hands behind his back and straightened up. "If things go as they might, there will be changes. I suggest we consult the champion about them while we can. The last thing we need is any more disarray."

---

Fendros had followed Ahnasha quietly out of the healers' tent and strode through the dismal atmosphere of the camp by her side. He took her hand as they walked, for as much his comfort as hers. They didn't say a word as they reached their tent and prepared to rest.

As Fendros began to undo the fastenings of his equipment, he spoke in a low voice. "Ahna, we need to talk about something," he declared. "It needs to be now. It doesn't need to take long."

Although Fendros didn't look at her directly, he spoke in a manner that promised Ahnasha no escape from it.

"It's about what happened today when we were taking the walls. You remember?" Fendros lifted his eyes to hers.

Ri'vashi nodded silently at first. The possibility that they might lose their Champion was one that she had been thinking on since they arrived in camp, but that did not make it any easier to come to terms with it. Finally, she broke away from staring out into the forest to look to Gallus. "Yes, it is a...conversation that needs to be had. We need to be prepared for anything, though since the Champion is awake, Ri'vashi imagines she has been thinking on the very same issue. As long as she is still of sound mind, of course. Do you know if it is a good time for us to question her, or are the healers still working? Regardless, she would at least head over to the tent."

---

Ahnasha had no equipment to contend with, so she simply laid herself down on the bedroll in her and Fendros' tent while Fendros dealt with his own belongings. She closed her eyes quickly, but Fendros apparently had something specific in mind for them to discuss. Ahnasha had her suspicions on what he was referring to, and was not exactly looking forward to any of the conversations she had in her mind. Ultimately, she answered vaguely. "I remember a lot of things happening in the fighting, and few of them were pleasant."

Gallus was already motioning to start walking. "I don't know if the healers would stop working at this rate, but there is unlikely to be a better time than now."

On the quick trip to the tent, Gallus made his tension completely clear in his body language. Despite the intimacy that he and Ri'vashi had shared the previous day, he didn't even glance in her direction. His paces were brisk and his shoulders were slightly hunched. He was a completely different person.

Gallus pat his hand against the entrance to the tent when they reached it, before lifting the flap and stepping through. He hesitated upon seeing Meesei, but didn't shift his face. He stepped aside to make room for Ri'vashi and let either her or the champion begin.

Sabine gave the visitors a curious glance, but she was too engrossed in her alchemy to give them any more notice.

---

Fendros did not dance around the issue as Ahnasha did. "It was the thrall, Ahna. You raised the body of one of our fallen soldiers. It turned to dust and now his friends and family will never be able to lay him to rest themselves." There was a dull thud and ring as Fendros' sword and scabbard dropped to the floor. He continued speaking as the rustling of his leather and padding soon followed.

"Look, I..." He stopped and sighed. "I know you. You're not the kind of person that gains pleasure from the suffering of others, but...I've been noticing things. Since you started researching this..." Fendros raised one palm upward and shook his head. "...This life extension. The cadavers. You may be used to them, Ahna, but the way you speak about it so callously..." Fendros' face softened. "What has changed?"

Meesei's concentration on her own healing was such that she was almost in a trance when Gallus and Ri'vashi arrived. Ri'vashi had held just as serious of a demeanor as Gallus on the walk over, but even she felt nervous in disturbing the Champion. Regardless, after a few seconds of silence between everyone present, she eventually willed herself to speak up.

"Our apologies, Champion, but...there is something we would like to speak to you about." Ri'vashi commented.

Meesei was quite slow to respond, either due to her concentration, or her general weakness. Her eyelids slowly crept downwards until they were finally open, and she took in a breath. "Ah, Gallus, Ri'vashi. Good to see you are both well. I thought you may wish to come by and speak to me. I am sure there are a few who would want to, though I imagine many of the others are rather...distraught right now. Now, was there anything specific you wanted to say first?"

---

Ahnasha's reaction was, of course, defensive. She did not get up from where she was laying, and for the moment, did not make eye contact with Fendros. "No one is going to get to put their friends to rest, Fendros. What, do you think we're actually going to be going back there? No, as soon as we're able to pack this camp up and leave, I guarantee that's what we're going to do. All those bodies back there...all those people we lost, they'll be lucky to get a mass grave. I know it's not pleasant to say, not nice to think about, but it's reality. You know as well as I that can't be denied. The best we can do is honor their sacrifices, and wish their souls well in the Hunting Grounds."

"As for myself, nothing's changed, Fendros. I've always been a...how would I say it? A pragmatist. You shouldn't be so concerned about the dead that you'd sacrifice the living. Back on the walls, that lycan's body was able to help us, even after he died. He killed our enemies, he helped break through our lines. He might have saved some lives. Don't you think that's what he would have wanted? To keep his friends alive? I know I would. So, he was reanimated, but what does that really mean to the dead? Sure, his soul was drawn back to Nirn for a few minutes, but what is that next to eternity? A body is just meat and bones, even a person's body. The only thing that matters is the soul. Burial rites don't actually do anything; they're just...traditions. The soul will go on its way regardless, so why waste the body?" Ahnasha argued.

"Well," Gallus started off, quiet enough to at least give the effort of tact. "We heard that the odds are not in your favour tonight. There are a few things to discuss, but...I think it's most important that we arrange the matter of your succession." Gallus' eyes flicked from Meesei's face to her ring. "Normally, as far as I'm aware, the ring either disappears back to Hircine or it's fought over until someone else claims it. The second option isn't something that we need right now."

---

Fendros tried to say "You don't know that," after Ahnasha tried ruling out retrieving bodies, but he was spoken over as she continued.

"Ahna, you can't just speak for them," Fendros responded, pausing in packing away his armour. "I may not be the most orthodox Dunmer, but tradition matters to me, okay? Burial is important. You don't just let the body walk around, wave goodbye to the soul and pretend nothing has happened. There's grief, there's respect, there's...haven't you ever had a loved one die before?"

Meesei gave something of a huff. "Hmm, straight to business I see. I do intend to at least try and survive this night, you know?" Meesei commented, though she quickly moved past it and let out a short sigh. "I suppose I have not made my plans very well known, but I planned for succession years ago. Lorag is my second, and has been for many years. He is a strong, capable warrior, and an experienced leader. He is...rough around the edges, but I am more than confident in his abilities. If anything ever happens to me, he will become the alpha of my pack, and he will bear the Ring. Of course, I cannot simply confer to him the title of Champion. The Ring of Hircine is a powerful artifact, but it is still essentially just a magical trinket. Merely possessing it is not enough to make one Hircine's Champion. Hircine may choose to grant Lorag that title, if he finds him worthy of it, but otherwise, he will bear the Ring and act as my successor until such a time as a new Champion is chosen."

---

Ahnasha did not directly answer Fendros' question. No one truly close to her had ever died in her memory. There was her grandmother, but Ahnasha was very young at the time, so she did not experience the full weight of it. Regardless, she did not think it to be relevant. "Those are things that benefit the living not the dead. Sure, I understand why people go through all those rites. It helps calm people's minds, give them closure. I am fine with all of that; it makes sense to me, but it still does nothing for the person who died. And, personally, I would rather deny a few of our allies the ability to bury one of their friends, than to have a few extra bodies to bury after the fight. They didn't like it, I know, but would you really rather them be dead than just angry?"

Gallus gave Ri'vashi a sideways glance and then gave a nod to Meesei. "Good. I was hoping that it would be Lorag. He can take good care of it."

Though he didn't move from where he was standing, Gallus blinked towards the floor briefly and let out a small breath. "Something a bit more short term, now," Gallus continued, raising his face again. "I have been thinking about the gas and the remaining forces in the ruined stronghold. Our morale is low in camp, as you can probably tell. I have been trying to think of ways to improve it and...well, far be it from me to disrespect the ring, but we might have a use for it." Gallus tilted his head slightly. "I would hear both your opinions, but if we can scout the fortress with someone immune to the gas, check for hostiles, there is a chance that we could organise an effort to retrieve bodies. They might have gone into full retreat, what's left of them. And that gas that's already there...it ought to disperse eventually." Gallus gestured to Meesei. "It's something you could do when you get back to health or...otherwise."

---

Fendros leaned back onto his hands where he was seated and let out a sigh onto the top of the tent. He curled his lips and closed his eyes for a short moment, before turning his eyes to Ahnasha again. "If I fell in battle, would you raise my corpse to fight? Even with the others watching?" Fendros looked determined to drive the point home, no matter Ahnasha's reaction. "Would you raise Rhazii?"

Gallus' next question took considerably longer for Meesei to consider, particularly with the focus she was having to place into her own healing. Nevertheless, she tried to give something of a smile. "You certainly did not come to me with only easy questions." She commented, quickly turning more serious. "That...is not an easy decision. Do not doubt that I understand the importance of morale. I do not need to see the camp to know how our warriors must be feeling. Recovering those bodies would help to give them closure, but if the enemy is still present, and they find our scout...we may only be adding another body to the grave. Even if there is no resistance, it is not something we can do quickly. If my memory is correct, we lost many soldiers, some within the keep. And, we do know that enemy reinforcements may be returning to their fortress from their failed ambush to the west. The group that reinforced them during the attack could not have been a full ambushing force. There would be value in returning, both for the morale of our soldiers, and in terms of the valuable equipment we could salvage, but it would force us to stay close by for longer, and put us in more danger. We must decide if that is worth the risk."

Ri'vashi was looking at the ground, involuntarily clenching her teeth as she tried to at least decide on her own opinion. "It...is an awful risk."

---

With Fendros' last question, Ahnasha sat up on her bedroll. It was unquestionably clear what Fendros was doing, and she certainly did not appreciate it. He was trying to make the argument personal, to force her to feel guilt over it. But, just as he could bring family into the argument, she could do the very same thing. She looked him dead in the eyes and maintained a deadly serious tone. "I would raise your corpse to save Rhazii's life. I refuse to believe that you would not want me to bring your soul back for one last chance to defend his life if it was in danger. Look at me. Look me in the eyes and tell me that you would rather me let our son die than to bring you back."

While there was pause for thought, Gallus added. "I'll mention that we might send a scout simply to see if the gas has gone. If it still lingers there is no point the the exercise at all. One person with the ring retrieving bodies is infeasible."

Gallus cast his eyes to Ri'vashi again. "It's just a guess, but with how the gas was used in the assault...in barrels hefted out instead of those flasks that they had the suppression gas in, it might be the case that they have none left to use. If we go out in force, they would have to be completely insane not to run away immediately." His head turned to Meesei again. "They're outnumbered, outmatched. However, they would expect us. And they may still have Do'rhajul."

---

Fendros didn't flinch. He wasn't going to let Ahnasha make him lie for the sake of winning an argument. He did not look away as he spoke. "You know that I would do anything to protect you and Rhazii," he said as he angled his head forward. "But this isn't about me, Ahna. Meesei warned you against going down a dark path. You knew what that meant, didn't you? Look me in the eyes this time." Fendros turned his shoulders to face Ahnasha better. He spoke quickly, trying to get a handle on the conversation before it could escalate further. "Tell me you won't go down that path. You might know it better than I do, but I'm scared that if we're not careful, you'll end up treading upon it without knowing. So tell me. Please, just promise me."

"It is true that they likely used the majority of their supply of the gas in forcing our retreat." Meesei conceded. "But, even a single barrel could inflict terrible casualties on a formation. Granted, it would not be as effective outside, but from what I witnessed, it does not take much to kill. I...personally would feel more comfortable getting everyone to safety as quickly as possible. Especially since we know enemy reinforcements will be returning to their fortress at some point in the future."

Ri'vashi's approach to the situation did not outright dismiss Gallus' idea, but she was cautious. "Perhaps we should try to learn more about this gas before we make the decision to head back in? We recovered notes from their alchemy laboratory, correct? We should have our own alchemists read over those notes to try and learn more about what we will be dealing with."

---

Ahnasha was not one to quickly back down from defending her own position, but the argument was at least not escalating at the moment. She crossed her arms and maintained eye contact with Fendros, not showing any sort of doubt in her expression. "I can't promise anything like that when I don't really know what you're talking about. What does a 'dark path' mean to you? You can't just give me some vague warning, then get angry when I do something you don't like. Be specific; what did Meesei's warning mean to you? Because to me, using corpses to protect our allies is not what I would call dark."

"Of course, moving the encampment is a higher priority," Gallus clarified with a nod. "And finding out more about this gas is important as well, though we do not know how long that will take. Especially with many of the alchemists busy healing. Apart from sending a scout to look from a distance, it may be a better idea to defer action until the encampment is moved."

Gallus looked down and rubbed under his collar, lowering his brow with a thought. "On the note of the reinforcements...Ri'vashi?" Gallus turned to the clan leader, "Do we still have the numbers available to ambush them? Should we try at all if they are potentially equipped with more gas?"

---

Fendros pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and ran his hand up his face and through his hair, facing forward again. "You have to know! It's..." Fendros cut himself off and huffed. He took a breath to try and calm down so he could think about an actual answer. He eventually opened his eyes and resumed.

"Call me an ignorant fool if you like, but I've heard plenty of stories about necromancers in Morrowind from my parents." Fendros brought his knees up to lean his elbows on them. "They start off wanting to do something important to them, like gain immortality or bring their loved ones back from the dead, but...something changes them. Something drives them to -- maybe it's out of desperation -- they end up disregarding the lives of others. They start by taking people that are inconsequential to them, like slaves or criminals. As they go, they take the lives of the criminals' families, innocent strangers...even their own servants." Fendros sighed and shook his head. "It sounds hysterical, I know, but the insidious thing is that it happens so slowly that they never realise what they become. It's like those people from the Molag Bal cult, in that Xanmeer. They were so callous, so...uncaring and selfish around other lives. Most, if not all of them, I'm willing to wager, started off as fine people."

Fendros raised his head and looked to Ahansha again. "Up until now, Ahna, it's been quiet acceptance of what you have been doing." He looked down and up. "Now, though, I guess I feel like I need to know where your boundaries are with this. When is your research going to start impacting bystanders? At what point will you need resources that you can't get without doing something horrible? If you want to know about what I think the 'dark path' is, I just don't want to see you become...detached."

Ri'vashi stood, arms crossed and in deep thought. She lightly shook her head as she let out a sigh. "At this point, this one is going to assume that every enemy force we meet has access to this gas. As powerful of a weapon as it is, it would be too dangerous not to. Our focus needs to be on getting home, learning more about this gas, and trying to work out an antidote. Until we do that, nothing we do could stop Vile from turning this war in his favor. We will not be able to defend our clans, or attack their strongholds...we will be at their mercy."

"Marcaille, is it safe for Ri'vashi to assume that our alchemists are busy with the wounded?" Ri'vashi asked.

Marcaille nodded. "Afraid so, ma'am."

"Well, then we need to focus on getting our wounded well enough to move. We can move some of our supplies out of the carts, but we have nothing that can move a Senche-raht. Ri'vashi will go make sure the healers are tending to the Senche, and find a scout willing to return to the fortress." Ri'vashi said before turning to leave.

---

Ahnasha huffed, then slowly brought herself back to laying down on the bedroll. "And how many necromancers have you known, personally? That cult in Black Marsh was a cult of Molag Bal. You know, the lord of domination, rape, enslavement, and any number of other atrocities? Do you really expect that anyone in that place was going to be anything remotely good, necromancer or no? Mages in general get a bad reputation in a lot of places in Tamriel. People fear what they don't understand. From what I understand based on what I've learned so far, all I'll need for the actual process of extending my life are strong souls. Maybe some alchemy ingredients as well, but I doubt that's going to cause you any ethical problems. I just need to learn enough to be able to actually be able to perform the rituals. Nothing about that is going to make me into some sort of power-hungry madwoman. Have I done anything of that sort yet?"

"Understood," Gallus said as Ri'vashi left. He turned back to Meesei once more. Without making eye contact, he mumbled to himself, "This is all going to oblivion by the hour..."

For the first time since he entered, Gallus displayed a chink in his stern expression. He sighed heavily and scrunched his eyes shut. "Meesei." He paused and opened his eyes to look at Meesei directly. He took a slow breath in. "I am...sorry for being insensitive right now. I'm just..." Gallus trailed off and glanced at Sabine and Marcaille. They did not stop their work. That at least made Gallus feel more comfortable expressing himself.

Gallus walked up to Meesei's bed and placed a hand on her upper arm. "I've lost someone dear to me today. One of my closest friends. For as much as you can control it..." Gallus stopped to chuckle at the absurdity of his request, but assumed a tight frown afterwards. "I would rather not lose another any time soon. But, if I do, I want you to know that it has been an honour and an experience travelling with you and your wonderful pack. You...inspired me to go out travelling this far. You continue to inspire me. I've learnt a lot. I'm grateful."

---

"No," Fendros answered softly. "No, you haven't."

Fendros took another few moments of staring down and forward with his knees up. His eyes blinked over to Ahnasha where she lay. "Come here." Fendros leaned over and cupped Ahnasha's cheek so she gently faced him. "I trust you," Fendros conceded. "You're right, I...have been reacting to what I don't understand." Fendros began to shift, straightening out his legs. "I think we both need some sleep, if we can get any."

Fendros laid down beside Ahnasha and put an arm around her, laying a kiss on her cheek. "I love you, Ahna," he said, before resting his head and closing his eyes.

Meesei wished she could sit up to speak with Gallus, but even if she were not in the middle of being healed, what muscles she could actually feel at the moment were weak. "You have done more for us than I could have ever asked for, Gallus. You and your pack deserve the highest honors. When you agreed to this task back in Bruma, you were not agreeing to fight a war in Elsweyr. You have done far more than was required of you."

There was more hesitation from Meesei, which she masked by focusing another spell through her body to keep it numb to the pain. There was something more she wanted to say to Gallus, but it was a promise which she did not know if she would be able to honor. Even so, she ultimately decided to, for the moment, embrace at least some optimism. She decided to speak confidently, even though her own future was very much an unknown to her.

"When I...return to Bruma, I will be sure to mention your contributions to your father." Meesei grinned, trying to generate some measure of good humor, despite the situation. "You did have some flaws, of course, but I believe your father will be proud of all you have done. And...we will find some way to honor everyone who will not be returning from this battlefield."

An amused smile crept through Gallus expression upon the mention of his father. That soon faded to suppressed sadness again when he was reminded of Irenya

Gallus gave a series of small nods. "I'll hold you to that, champion. Don't think I won't." Gallus clapped Meesei on the shoulder and stepped back. "Stay strong."

Gallus looked like he was on the brink of breaking down as he turned around and stepped to leave. He stopped before he reached the threshold of the tent and spoke with his back to the others. "You two take good care of the champion, understand?"

"We are," Sabine said. She neither halted her work nor eluded to Gallus' moment of weakness in the slightest.

Satisfied, Gallus pushed the tent flap aside and walked out of view.

---

Janius had his arms around Kaleeth as he stared up at the ceiling of their tent. He must have been laying still for at least half an hour at this point. His mind just couldn't settle to sleep. He turned to his side for the fifth time tonight and accidentally disturbed one of Kaleeth's wounds to the point of eliciting a wince from her.

"Sorry," Janius said as he stopped his movement immediately. "Are you getting any sleep?"

"I was." Kaleeth groaned, letting out a yawn. The numbing effect of the potion had helped her to get to sleep, though it did not stop the more intense pain caused by Janius prodding her wounds. She carefully turned herself towards him, then remained as still as she could to let her pain settle.

"You having trouble sleeping? I know there's a lot to worry about; I just feel tired enough to fall asleep anyway. Um, what's bothering you right now?" Kaleeth asked, already knowing the answer.

"Everything, really," Janius murmured in defeat. He brought his hands up and drew his fingers down his face. "Meesei, that gas, the fact that the general escaped..." He exhaled. "I think I miss little Newt, too."

Janius ran his hand down Kaleeth's arm and looked down. "With all that's happened, I wish I could just...embrace him and reassure him. Let him know that we're okay. Let him know that everything is going to be okay."

---

Though they were all either asleep or close to it, Gallus visited his pack soon after the last few orders of business he had were taken care of. Both Uthri and Tzirret took some time to grieve and weep for Irenya. It was especially hurtful news to hear that her body would have a low chance of being recovered. Gallus promised to make her a memorial or something similar, even if she could not be cremated as she would no doubt have preferred.

All through the time spent comforting and letting emotions flow near Peiter's unconscious body, Gallus was the only one apparently not crying himself. He put on a strong veneer for Uthri and Tzirret, no matter how he really felt.

Gallus remained with his pack for a long while, but he found it uncomfortable to be amongst their hurt states. Seeing Peiter's missing arm in particular seemed to make him shift in place. After a short time of denying that anything was wrong, he took his leave, citing more tasks to be done. In reality, he didn't have anything to do in that moment. At least, nothing he had the energy to do.

What Gallus ended up doing to occupy himself, at first, was to walk around the camp without aim. Most people were retiring for the night, if not keeping watch or running medical supplies. One such area of activity was with the larger tents containing the Senche-rahts as their wounds were being attended to. Gallus spotted Ri'vashi as she was walking away from them, having finished her business for the night.

Gallus stood in her path until she reached him and fell in behind her wide strides. "How are they?" he asked, "One of my boys is fond of the sister of one of the Senche-rahts. S'nishi, I believe her name is. He might like to know how she's faring."

Kaleeth pulled herself closer to Janius, hugging him out of empathy for the worries they both shared. Even to herself, it was not much of a comfort, but she did at least try to say something to calm some of his fears. "I understand; we haven't been able to see him in so long, but I have to just keep reminding myself that it's a lot better he isn't here. All this suffering...he doesn't have to see it. At least he's probably still too young to really understand what is happening. He definitely misses us, but he probably doesn't know that he should be afraid for us. And...at least we're both okay. We'll still all be a family when we get back."

---

Ri'vashi stopped in place when she heard Gallus' voice sound out behind her. She had done all she could do for the night, so she did at least have the time to talk. At this point, the rush to fortify the camp's defenses were over, so many of those who could were rushing to check on their friends and loved ones, with Gallus being no exception. "From what Ri'vashi knows, there are three Senche-raht survivors, but all are badly wounded. This one has as many healers as possible treating them. The Senche fared better than the Senche-raht, being lower-priority targets, so we still should be able to move all of our carts. But, we cannot move until the Senche-raht are able to move. We cannot carry them, so if a Senche-raht cannot move on their own...we will be forced to leave them behind. As for S'nishi, Ri'vashi does not know anyone by that name. She is assuming that S'nishi is from the Senchal clan, yes? One of the survivors is from that clan, and she is not in the worst condition among the three. You will have to check yourself to see if she is the same Senche-raht you know, though. Ri'vashi apologizes. Just be cautious not to crowd the healers."

Janius smiled and nodded. "I don't doubt that. It's just that we've never left him alone for this long. Well, he's got Jo'rashaad and S'ajira, but..." Janius let out the rest of his breath and frowned. "He's barely two and a half years old. I can't help but be worried. And..."

Janius closed his eyes and swallowed. For the first time in years, and very uncharacteristically for Janius, he began to seem more uncertain and tense than Kaleeth. He held Kaleeth so close that he brought his face to her shoulder. "We're in so much danger now," he mumbled. Kaleeth could feel his tears start to run onto her scales. "Kaleeth. Can you t-...? I need you to tell me we can manage this."

---

Gallus closed his eyes and dismissed Ri'vashi's apology. "I think it will be enough to hear that she's alive. Tzirret can go and see how S'nishi is himself."

Far from letting Ri'vashi get away that easily, Gallus caught up with her to stand beside her so he could talk to her more directly if she wanted to keep walking. "But enough about those matters for now. How are you faring, clan leader?" Gallus managed an empathetic smile. "And how is your pride?"

"We just have to get home now. That's all we have to do." Kaleeth answered. She rested her head against his and ran her hand through his hair. "We don't have to do any more fighting right now; just get back to Orcrest, then probably back home to Bruma. That shouldn't be hard to manage; it will just be a lot of walking. Walking through the forest, then the desert again. It's a terrible place, but...we've managed it before."

Kaleeth kissed Janius' forehead, and for a few seconds, was silent. His fears were quickly rubbing off on her, so she had to convince herself as well as him that they would get away unharmed. "There won't be anymore fighting. We're retreating, away from the enemy, who are hurt just as bad as us. We're not going to be fighting until well after we get back, I know it. You'll be ready to help me through the desert, won't you? That place is just...terrible."

---

Ri'vashi did not make eye contact with Gallus, and even turned her head away slightly. It was difficult for her to even give an answer, though she did regardless. "Ri'vashi lost one of her pride. We will have a memorial for all of our fallen when we have returned home. For now, this one's primary concern is ensuring that there will be no one else for us to mourn when we return. There is nothing more this one can do at this very moment, but she needs to be ready to act on a moment's notice. If there is a counterattack, we will only have a few moments to react. Ri'vashi is not going to rest until we are clear of enemy territory."