7. What is left when the fighting ends

7. What is left when the fighting ends The end of The Killing Stroke is a mess for both sides. Kurtzmann is dead. Pyro kills him rather than let him fall into enemy hands. Whatever else Desert Sword accomplishes against Freedom Force, the scientist they wanted is gone. Veil is dead too, and Arabian Knight is critically wounded. Freedom Force's losses are even worse: Super Sabre is dead, Crimson Commando needs urgent medical help, and the survivors are separated. Avalanche gets the Commando to the helicopter. Blob and Pyro do not make it out with them. With the rescue becoming more dangerous and Commando running out of time, Avalanche leaves them behind. They are captured. It is an ugly place to stop because nobody gets a clean victory speech. There are people who escaped, people who were abandoned and people who will never leave at all. The fighting has settled the immediate pursuit without making the outcome feel good. Desert Sword earns its place in this run of team posts through those consequences. Five characters are introduced as an opposing force, and the encounter is substantial enough to tear apart a team that already has a long history in the X-books. For now, that is where I'm leaving them. This covers the roster and the mission I've reached, through X-Factor Annual #6. Anything beyond that can wait until the reading gets there. https://t.co/wDV1ivCJnP