"They were hoping I wouldn't be here. Or be younger or stupider or tireder."

"Could they not have retreated when they realized you weren't? I guess tanks make that hard."

"And also we kinda didn't want to, y'know, let them."

She sighs. Good old wars of attrition. 

"All right, well, I've brainstormed for five minutes and I have zero idea how to contact home, so I guess I'm waiting for them to contact me."

"That sounds like it kinda sucks!"

"Just a bit! But I daresay I'm not having the worst day out of everyone in a one-mile radius right now. D'you mind me asking - if the Compact doesn't care about this place, and you guys don't care about this place, and it's not really strategically relevant in any way, is there, like, a reason to be fighting over it? Surely you could find less lethal ways of practicing."

"Well if we just give things up without even trying that's a- bad habit? to be in. And there's only so much you can learn in theory if there's not even a little danger."

Sigh. "I guess if they're gonna go for it then you gotta defend it. Must lead to a lot of bombed-out planets, though."

"There's lots of planets. And you can always rebuild cities."

"I guess. What're the casualty numbers on something like this?"

"Usually in the thousands or so."

"Ah. Can't rebuild people. Unless I'm super mistaken about your tech level."

"Well. No."