Ben Edwards betrayed James Reece because he was involved in a conspiracy where he led Reece and his platoon into a deadly ambush during their mission in Syria. Edwards knew the platoon had been given an experimental drug (RD-4895) without their consent that caused tumors and was ultimately fatal. He chose to betray them and orchestrate their mission's failure for $20 million, paid by Capstone through Oberon Analytics, but with a tragic motive: Edwards wanted to give Reece and the platoon an honorable death on the mission, rather than having them suffer and die slowly in hospital beds. Despite the betrayal, Edwards claimed he had nothing to do with the deaths of Reece’s wife and daughter. His actions were a mix of monetary gain and a dark sense of mercy toward his old platoon, which deeply hurt Reece, who later killed Edwards in revenge.
