[ The answer to that is difficult, mostly because it had been a complicated situation from the start, the kind of situation only a war like theirs could have produced. Had they made any progress? There's a part of him that wants to say no, but it's the cynical part. The part of him that he likes, the part that he wants to be, had seen that bar owner almost kill himself to apologize for his inaction, had seen the bravery of the barmaid in doing what she could to save the town from bombardment. Had seen the people put down their arms, the mayor give his life, and the people thank them for freeing them from their own fear. ]

I was shot and spent most of the time there delirious from fever. But I think we left it better than it was when we got there.

[ ...things he's not mentioning: that he's the one who took down the main source of fear that was affecting the town, a massive armored train that surrounded it much like the woods and the fence here. He's not mentioning it because he was not at all proud of it, whatever the results. ]