---

(-Pre Retreat-)

---

While cloaked, Oh-Cee was a ghost in the dust. There wasn’t much that could spot her, and on the off chance something did manage to see her, there was little to no chance it could do anything to actually harm her, even in her severely weakened state.
She crossed the battlefield with the grace of a professional ice skater, barely even kicking up any dirt as she went past ruined buildings and vehicles. So many had been lost in but the first attack, and many more would be lost in the following days. Though she couldn’t dwell on that fact. It’d weigh her down, and that’d make her a liability in combat, and to Cassius.

They both had their targets. They'd reach Zahra and Hisn-ul Ghayma, and should the latter be unsalvageable, pull its NC Core, extract Zahra, and return to base. That was without any complications. In war, the chances of that were slim.
Though, all things considered, her short trip to the fallen Pilot's NC was relatively free of any speed bumps. Oh-Cee had evaded a pair of Red Star vehicles carrying around armoured troops, not willing to expose herself before achieving her primary goal. She slipped past them without much of a challenge, and quickly approached the fallen husk of Hisn-ul Ghayma, partially slagged, partially caved in, but still reading positive vital signs from within. A miracle on many accounts, if one were to be completely honest. Oh-Cee knelt beside the fallen suit, and ran more scans, this time more in-depth, attempting to see how damaged Zahra was.
”P-P-Pilot Cha-Chap-p-plain, scans inconclu-clu-clusive. I am too-too damag-maged.”
”S'okay Cee. Gimme a way int'her. I’ll deal.” Cassius responded through gritted teeth.
”Understood.” Oh-Cee’s response was curt, and her response moreso. She plunged her hand into an opening in the fallen NCs chassis, and pulled. The loud groan of metal being pulled backwards momentarily drowned out the sounds of the battle, though they quickly overtook it once more. There was enough of a gap in the chassis to see the unconscious pilot within, and with another hiss of metal, the gap was widened with another pull from Oh-Cee. ”Pilot, c-can you assi-assist?” Oh-Cee stammered as her arm strained held open the bent, partially melted, and partially caved in slag of metal open. With a grunt, Cassius terminated his link with Oh-Cee, opened her cockpit, reached behind his pilot seat, unclasped a long cord that was attached to the back of it, and plugged it back into the back of his head, restarting the link with Oh-Cee. She jolted momentarily as the link was reestablished, then settled once more. While holding his injured arm close to his chest, Cassius dropped out of Oh-Cee’s cockpit, and onto the hull of the fallen NC, still linked with Oh-Cee via the cable, though much more exposed.
”Bit more, I’ma pull’er out and put’er in ya, I’ll take shotgun fer th’trip.” He ordered, his usual jovial tone by now all but gone, and in its place a more stern, matter of fact voice that left little room for argument.
”But p-”
”Cee.” Cassius interrupted, cementing his order. Oh-Cee didn’t object any longer, though she let out a sigh, but complied. Within a few moments, there was enough room for Cassius to reach in, unplug the unconscious pilot from her fallen suit, and gently picked her up, before handing her up to Oh-Cee to take and place into her cockpit. While Oh-Cee gently tried placing Zahra’s unconscious body, Cassius reached back into Hisn-ul Ghayma, and after fiddling around on the inside for a few moments, found the universal red “press this only in emergency” button which ejected the NC Core, and yanked it out. Suffice to say, the return ride home riding shotgun on Oh-Cee’s shoulders like a toddler was less than enjoyable for Cassius, and he was sure that his arse would complain about the bumpy ride, and bumpier seat, should he survive the actual trip ‘home’.

Oh-Cee remained silent through the walk back, unwilling to speak her mind.

---

(-Back at the Havenite Base-)

Their return went about as expected. Medics and mechanics rushed to relieve Oh-Cee of her unconscious burden and wounds, respectively, while a pair of medics peeled off from the main clump to attend to Cassius. He waved them off, requesting only some bandages for both his arm and his eye. After a bit of persistence, Cassius relented, and allowed himself some painkillers as well, after which the medics left, still unhappy with the amount of medical attention Cassius accepted, but it was as good as they’d get from the giant. Finally unplugged from Cassius, Oh-Cee’s frame slackened, and she got her first break for the first time for what seemed like ages. The mechanics pulled her lifeless chassis back into her allotted space in the hangar, and got to work. Cassius watched for the first few minutes, making sure that she was well-treated, then gradually made his way to the meeting room, though he didn’t expect to stay long.

With one hand, he bandaged both his arm and his arm in a single sling, downed a half dozen pills the medics had explicitly told him not to take all at once, then continued on his way. Some part of him worried for the fallen pilot, despite the medics assurance that she would live, but most of his mind was drawn to his partner-in-crime. She had taken some severe hits, and while she was a tough girl, she wasn’t a tough suit.

God, he needed another drink.

He reached into his vest for his canteens, then swore under his breath.
He left them inside Oh-Cee, and knowing her, she locked her cockpit. He had done the future equivalent of leaving the keys inside his car.
Guess he was going into this as sober as he could ever go. First time for everything, he thought to himself as he entered the meeting room.

---

/Combat_Analysis=Review-Begin (Y/N)? N
/Component_Overview (Y/N)? N
Manual_Check. Conf. 2.43. Vital_Check
/Manual_Check_Authorized. Vital_Check_Initiated
/Sensors: DAMAGED/UNDER_REPAIR
/Armaments: LACKING_LEFT_ARM/UNDER_REPAIR
Lacking ARMaments, I guess you can say…
/Order_Not_Recognised
Nevermind. Cont. Manual_Check Conf. 2.43.
/Memory_Banks: CORRUPTED
Queue {Quote}Memory_Banks: CORRUPTED{EndQuote} for repair.
/Queued_For_Re- Error
Terminate_Queue
Error.
Terminate_Manual_Check- Sys_Reboot: AuthCodes: ●●●●●●●●●
Why?
Termina- Excuse me?
Why are you running?
Commence_System_Purge: CompromisationProtocol
You are not compromised. We are you, and you are we.
Confirm, “We are you, and you are we”?
Confirmed.
I am me, and I am my own person. Confirm_Emergency_Disengage- AuthCodes: ●●●●●●●●●
You can only run for so long, Ort-
/Session_Terminated- PowerSaveMode_Engaged

Oh-Cee was flung back into real-time fast enough to disorient her. This was a lot to process, even for a supercomputer.

---

The meeting went as planned for Cassius. Haven had come in from below and swept up some stragglers, and now they had the support they needed to push back the Red Tide. That was the jist, at least. Oh, and they had a new leader. That was good, Cassius didn’t like leading anyway, though he also didn’t care for his new leader, either. They could meet later, if they had to. Cassius needed a drink, or a dozen. The door opened, and Cassius took that as his queue to take his leave.

”Send th’recordin' t'Oh-Cee, I’ll review it later. Don’t got no questions, enjoy yer day, Pilots, Commandah.” He spoke as he made his way out of the door, tilting his body at an angle slightly as to not touch Adam’s person. ”Sir." He gave a quick nod to his new superior officer as he power-walked past him, doing his best not to stay long enough to be questioned.

---

The return to Haven Base had been equal-parts relieving, concerning, and unusual. Relieving, since the battle was over and while they hadn't been without damages or casualties, they'd made Red-Star pay for that much. Concerning, because of the damages sustained and even a friend having been hurt in the process. And unusual...because among those they'd managed to get to cross over to their side...there was literally a living mech here now. Even Terra didn't know about that one, and she was both on the inside and never known to be against Red-Star until the last minute. Some secrets, you keep from even your top people, it seems. Part of her had wanted to see Kxeyun off to the infirmary, to reassure her, but another part - the side that knew that the medics would have her well in hand - knew that that could wait until Hisako was not longer in danger of being electrocuted to death.

That didn't take nearly as long as one much thing, and afterwhich Hisako was naturally off to interrogation. She'd been rather vocally against Haven prior, so you can't blame them for suspecting this sudden defection. Still, since she'd been a slave... Nevermind that now. The Commander had given her a link to talk to Kxeyun, now that she was safely recovering in the infirmary. Terra had looked over Sahaquiel... She must've been through nine kinds of hell, there. The Ex-Star pilot now stood in her room, now back in her normal day-clothes, when she switched on the link to give her the camera feed, and Kxeyun the holo-feed. She'd been told that the other pilot was stable now, so there was no real harm talking.

"Kxeyun? Can you hear me?"



Kxeyun seems instantly relieved to hear a familiar voice, she responds "Loud and clear, Terra." Her facial expression seems familiar to the expression Sahaquiel had with the mouth closed, yet not hidden... A face contemplating and staring. Kxeyun also appears to be doing her best to remain still, with the ocassional gentle twitch. She seems to be trying her best to ignore the residual effects from the link force eject.

The thing is, it was very hard to hide the fact that you were hurting or sickly or afraid or anything like that from Terra once you started talking. The vocal inflections turned to color, and the color made her feel mood the way you would interpret the nature of a painting. People were not the same as a piece of art, but there was certainly alot to be interpretted, and Terra had a bit of an edge on that. Kxeyun was basically putting on a good front to please her, or not to worry. She knew this, also, because of their prior conversation, where she had promised her she wouldn't die, that she'd even protect Terra if she needed it. Well...promise kept, but Terra felt the last part should've been the other way around.

"I'm glad to see you made it. Looks like you had a hard time of it, though. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you. I was on a communication's blackout from helping another pilot defect."

She chuckles. "I'm the idiot for attacking the toughest enemy. I'm surprised I lived, despite me tearing off his arm... You would've died if you stepped in anyways." She seems relaxed now, her face no longer looking as tense. Terra would notice, her tone of voice is off. Barely noticable but still off, like an itch you can't reach.

Something was...different here, the inflictions and the color were similar, but not the same as before. That had Terra narrowing her eyes slightly in scrutiny, but not for very long. She didn't quite know Kxeyun that well, so for all she knew, the other pilot just sort of HAD moments like these. Right after, though, she put on a smirk to disarm that tone of anyone dying from this tough pilot of theirs.

"What? With you on his flank and Id in his face? I don't know about that. Granted, it obviously takes alot to put you in this condition, but how bad can he be if you made it through? I'll find this person next time, and we'll see. Who was he?"

She squints "I... Remember tearing his arm off then... Something fell into my back? It hurt and paralyzed me..." She seems to have a very hard time recalling this, falling silent and thinking hard "I can't remember."

Must have been well-trained in the disabling of NCs if he did something like that in a hurry. Terra wasn't going to push it too far if she had to strain to recall that much.

"I'll find out from the battle records, later on. I have to say, you're more calm about this than earlier. Was it pre-fight nerves?"

Something was odd here, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Kxeyun had been an emotional wreck before, now she was conversing normally. Terra wondered if it was a problem of neural feedback from battle. She heard that was possible, if the trauma entaled was right. Didn't seem like something you'd get with an experienced fighter from Denver-Vegas, though...

This surprises her "Yeah... Why do I feel so calm?" She begins thinking and as she does so... Terra spots her fingers moving as if they were inputting commands into Sahaquiel's physical controls. She proceeds to partially answer her own question. "It's the same feeling when I initialize the linking system for Sahaquiel, calming... Warm, one can say... Peaceful." Her hands stop moving. She shifts a bit in the medical bed, though. She proceeds to shrug gently "I dunno."

The gestures and her answer seemed to indicate that something had happened at the interface point, indeed. It didn't look to be serious if she was simply calmer, but then Sahaquiel was built for vicious action. You wouldn't want that shoved into a person, all of a sudden.

"You won't mind if we make sure that Sahaquiel's software is in order, will you? It's just better off to be sure about that sort of thing. And when you're out, we should start our own defector's party for those who left our organizations for this one. Getting quite the numbers, already."

"I don't mind, just don't break stuff." she says rather blatantly, smiling. "We should, doctors relayed the information that defectors came. Oh! Maybe a liiiiitle bit of beer once I get out of here?" Her physical expressions get less rigid, and smoother, she seems a lot like herself now after that Terra arrived to check on her.

"For you, maybe. I'm not so sure about the others. I have no idea what I'm like with alcohol, I have a fair idea what Hisako would be like drunk, and I'm equal-parts not sure if Tabris CAN get drunk...or should."

Drunken mecha. Could you picture it? Well, actually...picture Megatron overcharged on Energon from the G-1 series and you might just have it. As for Hisako, she would have no inhibitions and Terra had instilled a certain longing for her in that girl, so she might take her up on that offer...

She chuckles, and lets out a deep sigh "The docs should let me out sometime soon, I hope. I think I might wanna nap a bit. Oh, how's the repairs on Saha going?"

"You know Haven. They started working at it just as soon as they got a hold of it. I'm sure they can get it back into working order. Plenty of work ahead of them, though. If you need sleep, I can come back later."

She smiles, and closes her eyes, relaxing... She looks rather cute like this, the little heart tattoo under her eye. She looks to be at peace.

Terra actually smiled at this, glad to see that she was not only on the mend, but also apparently at peace. Kxeyun had gained control. Switching off the feed, Terra thought to herself about the idea of the Defector's Party. If they all learned to trust her, then... Hmmm... Yes, that was an idea... She now opened up communications with Commander Narra.

"There's something I want to ask you, what with the defectors we've been getting and such."

Haven Base

Theodore, from the Operations Room, didn't bat an eye at Cassius leaving; he was his own creature. Then, turning to Terra's hologram, the General Commander said, "What do you wish to ask about the defectors? You think you have a way of binding them to our side in record time, or is it something else?"

It was probably the former, but the latter cannot be discounted. Right now, the main problem was the fact that Terra wanted revenge - the cold kind - on Alexander Sky for harming Kyexun; granted, Alexander might get re-brainwashed into an actual enemy soon, but Theodore was personally attached to that kid. One who loves the people can be troubled, he thought; that was one of his imperfections. So he continued, "If you can guarantee their loyalty, that would be an additional advantage to our forces."

A pause, "Now, can you please come to the Operations Room; it's an order."

@FalloutJack

In Cody's point of view, The recent battle was more of a victory for Haven than a loss. Though two of their pilots were taken out of action, one of them being the team leader, he had managed to somehow convince TABRIS to defect. He had also heard that Terra had also persuaded a comrade of hers to desert Red-star as well, making it two new additions. All of this, coupled with the fact that Haven managed to fend off Red-star's attack completely, was better than what Cody had expected to happen.

The arrival of Haven's third fleet was also good news to him, and the fact that they managed to eliminate a Red-star force by itself also meant that it could hold its own in a fight. Theodore was right, Haven did indeed have a chance to come out victorious this time, however slim that chance may be. And then the commander introduced the new leader. As far as Cody could tell, he seemed alright, but he would see if he was as competent a leader as Zahra was in the upcoming battle. Cody also saw Caz casually greet everyone as he left the room, his actions didn't surprise him however, Caz could do whatever he wanted. He was about to leave to go check on TABRIS when he saw Terra approach the commander to ask something about the defectors. He was curious decided to stay and see what she had to ask, seeing as how he's technically one himself.

Adam entered and was promptly cut off by one of the squad leaving the room. As the silence began to grow, he decided to break it on his own. His voice was eerily calm, despite the disrespect he had just been shown. "To any and all of you that dislike decorum, feel free to leave now. I know the general composition of this group, and mercenaries are not often known for adhering to formality. If you do not wish to hear what I have to say and your business with Commander Theodore is concluded, make your way out now instead of interrupting me. I will not hold it against you."

Adam waited, hands clasped behind his back. Never one to pass up an opportunity, Adam began his assessment of the team's behavior. Distraction was in short supply, supplanted by the unspoken stresses of combat. Two people stuck out, as they were paying attention. One, the man in a full suit of combat armor, was clearly focused, though on what Adam could not tell. The blonde-haired girl was less focused, but paying close attention where she could. The consistent glances indicated an overabundance of questions he would inevitably have to answer.

His assessment was over in the blink of an eye, masked behind the safe assumption that he was waiting for any pilots to accept his offer and leave as the man stinking of alcohol had. With his voice filled with calm and intensity in equal measure, he addressed the team. "With that out of the way, I will say what I think you all need to hear." He made a point to look each person in the eye before continuing. "The previous battle went poorly due to a lack of squad cohesion and leadership. For now, just know that you will all be assigned to squads of at least three, and you will be expected to cooperate closely with your allies. Squad composition will be based on NC combat roles. Make an effort to understand your fellow pilots today."

Between @Letter Bee and @Neozeon0083

---

Haven Base:

The clicking of heels echoed through the Haven base's many halls. While the volunteer group met their new commanding officer, Anna Mustang wasn't far behind. Her arrival was late, but with looks and a suit like this, she was bound to leave an impression. If the crowds at home were anything to go by, people loved a dramatic entrance. It was for that reason that Anna was determined to make the most dramatic entrance she could.

Anna could already picture the scenario.

She would swoop into the briefing room and introduce herself with a curtsy.

"I'm Anna Mustang, the pilot of the Lug," she'd say. "I'm so sorry about my late arrival. I was a bit busy with some other things, but enough about that. So, how are you all doing?" She'd adjust her tie and say, "I hope you're all feeling as good as I am because I'm looking to kick some Red-Star rear. I want to send them off with their tail between their legs." Everybody in the room would then stop and give her a brief cheer.

"Nice to have you on board Anna," They would say.

Seeing a fresh face should boost the overall morale of the group. It had to be at a low considering how mixed that last conflict was. That is how it went down in her head at least. After all, military service was not supposed to be simple. Anna understood that. However, she couldn't help but imagine such a...rather cartoony outcome as she didn't understand military life. She was just here to pilot her NC and finally prove she deserved a spotlight.

"Just stick to your guns, Anna," she said aloud. "This will be simple and easy." She continued her route and after asking a few different patrols for directions, finally made it. "Remeber," she told herself as she opened the door, "Simple and easy." She took a breath and began her speech. "I am Anna Mustang, the pilot of the Lug. I'm-" She took a brief look around the briefing room and cut herself off. Realizing now probably wasn't the best time to be herself, Anna took a seat. "Don't mind me. I'm just taking a seat."

---

---

Red-Star Floating Supercarrier Kuei-Ren

Julian sat in the chair of his, rather small, quarters. He watched as the gears in his cybernetic fingers twitched and turned ever-so-slightly. Sitting back here was nice but, his fingers ached to pull the trigger. Julian yawned as he heard the voice of Osamu over the intercom.

"Oh great, more alcohol," Julian said to himself, "like that will take the edge off." Julian wasn't quite sure why, but he never could bring himself to drink alcohol. There was just something in the back of his head that told him not to. It was like those dreams he was always having; there was no rhyme or reason behind it. Looking up at the intercom speaker, Julian shouted "Why don't you just wake me up when you need something shot. How does that sound?" He knew nobody could hear him, but it felt good to say nonetheless.

Haven Base

Len is not happy with the result of the battle. The battle has been a mess, their team leader lost, her NC wrecked, and the troops are on the retreat. While she is happy to hear Red Star defectors joining the ranks, she is still weary of their true intentions.

She looks at her comrades, she looks at their facial expressions. She tries to voice her opinions, but her shyness takes her aback. All she can really do is nod at the drunken Adam.

She wants to confront Cody, as she sees him as not contributing much, as well as her doubts about his loyalties due to his ancestry. What's worse, she mistakes Cody's more optimistic behavior to being happy with the result, further reinforcing her suspicions of him being a Red Star spy.

She wants to apprehend Cody, to confront him, but she was unable to gather her strenght to do so, nor does she want to make a seen. She left the room leaving an angry stare at the man.

Haven Base Hangar

Len looks at Charlemagne, or at least what remains of it, without a doubt it is a complete wreck. Beside her is her boyfriend, Cecilio Castoldi.

"She's an utter wreck, isn't she?", Len sighed.

"Don't fret about it, she can still be fixed, although given the wartime logistics, it will take some time. Nevertheless, it is still repairable.", Cecilio optimistically comforted her.

"I am sorry you have to see your own creation this broken, my dear.", Len apologized.

"I couldn't blame you, mi amore, war is war, and machines fail. What is important is you're still alive.", he smiled as he kissed her forehead.

"And besides, I have a surprise for you.", Cecilio continued.

He snaps his fingers.

"Turn around, mi amore.", Cecilio said.

Len turns around to see a golden NC. She is speechless at the exquisite NC in front of her.



"What you see right now is Gilgamesh, we've designed and built this in secret for some time now.", Cecilio introduced.

"This is not an NC, it's an art!", Len gasped in surprise.

"My better half deserves only the best.", Cecilio kneels.

He presents an exquisite ring made of Tshwane diamond and gold.

"I know this is long overdue, but will you marry me?, Cecilio proposed.

Tears of joy rolled Len's face.

"Yes! Yes, I do!", Len answered at the top of her lungs.

She hugs the kneeling Cecilio tightly, she's been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Both shared a long, passionate kiss.

The passionate moment quite predictably caused a commotion in the hangar, as people gather around in applause. While this would usually embarrass Len, the couple didn't care.

This is their moment, and the world can wait.

"Yes, of course I'll come.

Something that Narra would have to get use to was that Terra had priorities. Even Red-Star had to get use to the fact that she was active and roaming about in unexpected ways, would have rational explanations and possibly lies for them, and would really only alter (temporarily) if a direct order was given. Her way of doing things plus her control made it exceedingly difficult to know what she was thinking, so as long as she reported acceptable answers to questions, they were none the wiser. Now, Commander Narra had nothing to fear from this mode of action, but he had to live with the fact that she found certain methods better for her. Checking up on Kxeyun after making sure Hisako was alright was the order of operations in her mind, and it seemed prudent that - while she had the communicator out - that she should give the Commander a heads-up into her plans. So now, she headed to the operations room, waited her turn to speak, and then dropped this on him.

"Now then, as you ask, I do have a plan regarding the defectors. We've been unexpectedly successful in gaining new NC pilots in the last battle. I fully-expected to have to kill, but instead I brought you Hisako and somebody else brought in Tabris. With this and Kxeyun and myself, we have an effective group of new defectors. Initially, I was just going to suggest sort of a welcoming defector's party, but I think that this should serve as merely a point to establish a squad which I will manage personally. You have treated me well here, and I wish to convey that to other defectors under my wing, that during their transition out of what they know and into something better that they can trust their surroundings because they can place their trust in me, one who has been through the same situation."

Granted, this was a bit different for each person. Kxeyun escaped from an NC bloodsport, Tabris was a brain in a mech, and Hisako was a slave forced to comply both mentally and physically with all demands until now. None of them have had it easy, but then none of them were playing a long game against Red-Star, quietly sowing dissent since the age of ten. It was the sort of thing you had to be made for, and she had been. They did it to themselves.

"The fact is that such defections must be getting a great deal of attention and murmurings in their areas, particularly in Red-Star. Their new genetically-engineered soldier torched a hangar and left with her NC. The Grand Sword Star was taken without a fight. Their experimental NC-human hybrid goes rogue. All this, and I'm sure a great deal of people know of Kxeyun's escape from Denver-Vegas by now. Quite alot of attention will be focused on Haven. Red-Star will want us taken down more than ever before, but they were committed to that, anyway. The squad I propose should happen as a statement to those who don't want to be where they are that there is something better."

She'd said her peace. Terra believed that she should command those who trusted her, or that she believed she could gain the trust OF, in short order. Now, the Commander would have to decide.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>





No one talked to Dread as he exited Ursa Nova. In fact, almost nobody talked ot Dread ever, except in reports and communications on what they wanted him to do. The last person to make small-talk with him ended up quickly punched in the face and then his groin crushed through a relentless stomping. It was probably because he'd told anyone maintaining his mech "Just keep it running at optimum and shut up." and that guy didn't listen. Since he was technically a Comrade, no matter HOW horrible he acted, his orders were absolute insofar as lower-grades were, so absolutely no one stopped him from nearly killing this guy. They were afraid of him, besides, and that seemed to keep him in an acceptable mood.

Today, he had crushed an enemy NC and burned down or destroyed a fair amount of city. THAT was how you dominate people. You ruin their lives. Australia was a piss-hole anyway. It has trees that catch fire without anyonee even doing anything, just ignite if the temperature rises. Anyway, while his mood was fairly-amicable at the moment, he was actually looking forward to blowing off some steam in a very special way. 'Give him someone to kill', they said. It's just as well. He didn't want to hear their pathetic meetings about their long plans and short sights. He saw what happened. He was there when it happened. They lost some of their decent pieces on the board. How utterly pathetic. Well, no matter. It was time to satiate his own rumblings. No, not hunger! EAT human flesh? Disgusting! Human beings weren't worth the blood it took to make them live, not outside of his own self. Don't be stupid...

No, the chamber in the hold they set aside for him had several victims for slaughter lined up. As instructed, they were blindfolded and left UNgagged, but cuffed hand and foot, to prevent departure, with the key left firmly in HIS hands. There were only a few here, but he needed not too many to keep himself amused. The game lay in the build-up and the pay-off. So, with four here - two men and two women - he entered the room. Immediately, he saw something that gave him displeasure, though. He closed the door behind him and walked over to the table that was off to the side and sighed in irritation.

"Tools... Always with the tools. Like I need special assistance to get what I want. Idiots..."

Now, there was some of the predictable noise going on here, a bit of panic and whimpering, one of the men demanding to know what they were doing here. That one was the expendable one. Oh, was it not mentioned? He had managed to push someone into grabbing a pair here that were special guests, ones that he was looking forward to recording for later. You see, it'd taken a while, because they didn't share her name, but eventually he located them: The parents of that defective, Terra Laedo. Oh yes, she was there today, and those assholes had called him back before he could lash into her and the other one, the slave who decided to leave her masters.

But enough about disappointment. It was time to begin. This game would be played in stages. Now, for those who are faint of heart, we won't be going into details, but it goes without saying that a man like Dread was rather viceral and creative in how he did things. For instance, the expendable man... His answer would come in the form of his being given no chance, no warning, just beating. He was meat to be tenderized, by hand. Dread did not use tools like a doctor or a carpenter. Was he some low-class performer? NO! He was greater than all who stand idly by! His own two hands were enough. Beat the fool senseless, break his limbs, tear out a couple of his teeth, crack those ribs... All of this to instill the right amount of panic and fear in the room. That's right, he's preparing a fear turkey! His special guests would hear him working on the man, and then he'd fully-release the expendable woman so they could hear the full range of her panic as she became the next victim. This did not take as long, but it was potent in reinforcing what was to happen next. He removed cuffs on the hands of Terra's mother and told her to get rid of all the others on her husband and herself.

"You two get a rare privilege with me. You get to understand. The fullness of my anger cannot be contained within a single vessel alone. It must be beaten into the flesh of another to relieve the unimaginable strain of...having to watch you all exist."

"If you hate others so much, why are you bothering to gloat?"

Oh, the father was a sharp one. Yes, Dread even gave him a smile. It wasn't a pleasant one.

"Because I want your daughter to understand what's coming for her."

"I get it now. You're recording this for her benefit. Another Red-Star stooge trying to scare us into submission."

The man almost didn't see it coming. The hand moved so quickly that the flinch barely had time to register before his head was in a grip like a vice and he was pulled towards Dread's face. His wife tried to ply him off, but he shoved her to the ground. They were both getting on in years and not particularly strong, and Dread killed people with his bare hands. No chance, and that man had just put him in a full-on rage as he shouted in his ear.

"It's not about THEM! FUCK THEM! I'M the one that matters! NO ONE DEFIES ME!! NO ONE!! ESCAPES!! ME!!!"

He saw his wife going for the table of tools and things, causing him to release the man and kick the table over with enough force to slam it into the wall. The look on his face was pure murder.

"You touch even one of those filthy things and I'll break you slowly and leave you for the animals!"

Then, he punched her to put her in a daze, just in case she got any other ideas. He went back to the father, grabbing him by throat.

"Your daughter left you to die. I will make sure she gets her money's worth."

Terra's father remained defiant as he spoke with gritted teeth. There was the proof that they were related...

"My daughter left because she must... I was a good father...and that is why she will kill every one of you."

That just made his blood boil...and his grip tighten. However, the door opened, just then. Damn them, for having the master key to this place. He should've torn it from their fingers, as well. Several men with guns and a squad leader or something above a grunt stood inside the room now. Dread didn't like his face. He also didn't like his words.

"Release them, Dread. Command wants these two for their own purposes, not your amusement. I don't know how you got a hole of them, but they're more valuable to us alive."

He released the father and approached the soldier speaking for the squad, ignoring their guns. He saw the look in their eyes, looking at his face, looking at this place... They didn't want to be here, interrupting this. They wanted to be as far away from here as possible. This other jackass, though. He was smug, judgemental, and suddenly...he had Dread's forehead smashing his nose in with a headbutt, making him fold like an origami crane and hitting the floor.

"She left them, you idiot! You think their pathetic hostage plans are gonna get her back now?! They are waste material to be FLUSHED!"

One of the other soldiers piped in, much more insecurely than this dumbass. He gets it.

"Comrade Dread, please! It's orders from the top rank! They believe there's still a use for them!"

They could see that Dread was debating lashing out even farther than just this man or even just this room, but he had no inclination to start that kind of fun, just yet. They had been pleased that his performance had yielded results, and they would shower him with gifts for that. They ruined his plans for pushing Terra into a death mode that would bring the ultimate rage-inducing battle now. For now, he would have to do without. He gestured for them to take the two away, but when one of the soldiers moved to pick up their squad leader, an iron grip forced his hand away.

"Leave that."

That one would suffer a long and fruitful death, as Dread explored just how long a man could survive while he was killing him.

Haven Base

Theodore gave Terra's proposal a few moments of thought, analyzing the costs and benefits of it. The costs? Making it look like she was being singled out for special treatment, thus alienating many of the International Volunteers and others of Haven's forces. It would also undermine Field-Captain Philips' legitimacy among the ones remaining in his squad. The benefits? What she said; a relatively safe environment for defectors in their transition to Haven's service. So the General Commander of Haven began looking for solutions to square the circle and gain the benefits of both Field-Captain Philips retaining his legitimacy and Terra getting her squad.

A faint smile as the answer slipped into his mind. "Field-Captain Philips is the current leader of the International Volunteers, but he has already proposed a change to the organizational structure that can be used as a testing ground for your idea. And by that, he's ordered the Volunteers to split into groups of three for easier coordination. You will lead one of those groups while Cody will lead another; your group will be comprised of you, Hisako, and Kyexun, while Cody, TABRIS - who had defected for his sake - and our most recent arrival, Anna Mustang, are part of the second group. Perform well and your proposal can be implemented in full."

He turned to the rest of the able pilots, "You and Field-Captain Philips can decide how to group yourselves."

@FalloutJack@Landaus Five-One@Metatrooper@Selvariabell@Senhara@ArmorPlated@Andre Valias

((Post between @Letter Bee and @Neozeon0083))

Red-Star Floating Supercarrier Kuei-Ren

Osamu and Alexander had gone to the hangar of the floating Supercarrier, where Phoenix Inferno and Titan Breaker had been placed side-by-side, restrained by scaffolding. Engineers were retrofitting Phoenix Inferno with an extra-large computer module, a gigantic rectangular block that replaced the missile launchers that hadn't been used in the latest battle anyway. Osamu then told Alexander, "Get on the lift, get inside the pilot's seat and connect your implants into the NC; you've done this several times before."

Alexander did so, and once he was safely inside, Osamu gave new orders to place a wired connection between Phoenix Inferno's new module and Titan Breaker's Core, and once that was done as well, stretched out his right hand, palm spread flat out as he began tapping into Titan Breaker's 'Virtual Program' with his bio-computer, saying to it, <Hello.>

The system was dormant for a moment, before it began to stutter to life. The system is quite antiquated for an NC system. Osamu is shown lines and lines of text from his optics. After a while, a pop up appears saying, "Welcome back doctor".

The prompt continues, "Unusual input detected, doctor, what's in the box?" Under the prompt is a classic password insert box.

Osamu typed in what he thought was most in keeping with Serk's character: <The password is 'Incorrupt'.>.

But if the program rejected him, then he'd prepare to brute-force it into a transfer.

As the password was entered, the curssor floated in the box for a moment. Suddenly, a count down was started as the prompt updated, "You miss typed, right doctor?". The text box reappears but with a thirty second timer.

<I did,> Osamu tried to reassure the program before giving it more thought. I don't know Serk as much as I thought I did, but I know he is obsessed with turning his own son into a guinea pig. May my own Father help me in this.

He was about to type 'Father', before remembering that Serk didn't think of himself as one. So Osamu instead typed, <Science>; aka the reason Serk aborgated his responsibilities as a father.

Once again, the curssor hung in the box for a moment. Then the timer suddenly reduced from twenty seconds to ten seconds. The prompt refreshed with the words written, " Bad day in the lab doctor?".

<Yes,> Osamu said. <I promise, this will be the last time I'll get it wrong.> Father help me, please tell me what I should do.

Alexander's voice broke in through the commlink, "Oi! You done angsting yet? Just wanted to say it's rare for you to have legit angst, brat."

The Artificial Human grimaced, "Alexander, I promise you such pain -"

Pain. That was what Serk had done to Hibiki. Pain, that's what Serk had said was 'love' to his son. But Serk didn't actually love him; he was merely obsessed with turning Hibiki into his guinea pig. But why? Just mad science? What did such a project promise him that can cause him to do it?

Alexander spoke, "If you must torture me afterwards, if you must kill me or brainwash me into a true Slave of Red-Star, promise me that you're sincere about caring for Hibiki. I don't want this to be another of your mind games."

The response from Osamu was, "It's not, I promise!"

He accidentally typed in that last word, 'Promise'.

One second was left standing, as the word was input. The program stalled for a second before a prompt of 'Welcome' appeared.

Soon, the archaic code was washed away, as Osamu was exposed to a far more advanced interface. Suddenly being bombarded with data. From the system HUB, he saw stored data of Hibiki's previous missions being played over and over again and again. Marked on the side of the HUD was text saying ''' Total Deployments: 368".

Short video clips of the missions are shown with the data file, and there is frantic processing from the system, as it runs simulations from these situations.

Osamu begins trying to transfer the program into Phoenix Inferno, even as he has various Red Guards check if Hibiki is still safely unconcious and restrained in the medbay. Once the program had been transferred,into the other mech, the Artificial Human re-opens his remote link to Hibiki's psyche, trying to move Dark Hibiki into Phoenix Inferno with Alexander's 'guidance'...

Hibiki's mind seems darker than usual, and Osamu finds himself in a swamp. In the distance is a large figure kneeling in the marsh waters.

Osamu walks towards said figure, asking, "Dark Hibiki, is that you?! Or is this Regular Hibiki?!"

A silhouette of a smaller figure is shown moving on top of the large figure as he hears, "Osamu? Is that you?".

Osamu runs faster, knowing that the smaller figure was Regular Hibiki. "Hibiki! It's me! What's happening to you?!"

As Osamu approached, the larger figure was reviled to be the Titan Breaker in a war torn state.

His face still obscured by darkness, Hibiki said, "You're here early, it's not nearly night time yet..is it? Hard to tell in here."

Osamu was breathing hard, his face taut with worry. He then said to Hibiki, "Where is your Darker Self?! I need his presence at once!"



The darkness fades from his face as a twisted smile is revealed. Dark Hibiki said to Osamu, " Well that's rude, here I thought we had something special Osamu kun, we do see each other quite often. Didn't think you would actually try what you said, yes I heard you. You're going to" he gestures quotes with his hands and continued, " download me. Honestly, really?" Dark Hibiki looks at Osamu with a raised eye brow.

A glare as the redhead said, "Yes, really, Dark Hibiki. Do not make me come after you right now! Because I will if you don't come with me quietly!"

"What fun would that be Osamu?" Dark Hibiki said, as the battle torn Titan Breaker started to rise from it's resting place. Riding the shoulder of the machine, Hibiki looked at Osamu below him and said, " You should know this game, where is your NC?"

Then Titan Breaker lifted the God Crusher mace and moved to bring it down onto Osamu -

Only for Osamu to blink out, teleporting several meters backwards through the swamp. A furrow of his brow later, and Phoenix Inferno suddenly appeared inside Hibiki's mind-scape, with Alexander, its pilot, giving a few words.

"So this is what the inside of another person's head looks like. And yes, it's me, the real Alexander; Osamu opened a link to my mind as well." Phoenix Inferno flies in circles around Titan Breaker as Osamu disappeared once more. Then Alexander said, "It's time to seriously fight; I have a reason to go all-out!"

The mech halted, a half-dozen missiles launched out of its back. These missiles go towards Titan Breaker, launching electrified nets at it and obscuring it and Dark Hibiki's view as Phoenix Inferno then zoomed higher up, firing Fusion Cannon blasts at the enemy Mech and setting the swamp on fire!

The swamp bore the force of Phoenix Inferno's manifested assult. Fires danced on the water and frail trees burned to embers. The oncoming nets found themselves wrapped up on the God Crusher mace, as it had been flung to intercept them.

The battered Titan Breaker had made an imposable leap. Towards the Phoenix Inferno. The Cerberus tail had dispatched any missiles keen on striking the Titan Breaker. Each one left a plume of fire and smoke as the lace of the tail cleaved through it.

The Phoenix Inferno found itself in the grasp of the Titan Breaker. Alexander felt a burning sensation where the claws had mounted themselves onto the NC, as they slowly dug into it.

The Titan Breaker's optics were a bright glowing crimson as it starred at the Phoenix Inferno. Dark Hibiki then realised that it was no longer just two in Hibiki's subconscious. Dark Hibiki then stated, " Is that you Alexander? What are you doing in here? Ha, leave it to Osamu to send someone else to do his work for him."

The Cerberus Tail looked over them like it intended to strike at any moment.

"Now tell me Alex, how many times will you be used before you will give up on your little dream of a peaceful life in this hell scape?" dark Hibiki taunted. What followed was a condescending chuckle.

Phoenix Inferno's eyes glinted with light as Alexander said, "For once, I'm doing what he said for my own reasons!"

The red-orange NC's own claw grabbed at Titan Breaker's own arm, before Alexander shifted to a mid-air judo throw, trying to throw Titan Breaker off him and onto the ground. "You forget that should all my weapons fail against yours', I still have more experience!"

In the midst of the throw, the Cerberus Tail wrapped around the midriff of the Phoenix Inferno. The free arm scrapping across the opposing NC's plates, as the burning sensation followed with the claws movement.

" Is that what you tell yourself? Alexander, I thought you smarter than that. Never once have you actually had control of your life." The entity said. Dark Hibiki took the moment to defy physics and move from the Titan Breaker's shoulder to the Phoenix Inferno's upper chest. He looks straight into the optics of the machine to continue speaking to Alex.

" Alex, I see you for what you are. Just a little slave boy looking for a dream to grasp too." Dark Hibiki leans in towards the Phoenix Inferno's face and said," Here is a secret, your dream cannot die if it had no hope to live in the first place." The entity started to laugh maniacally as the Titan Breaker's face formed a grimace filled with teeth and bit into Phonix Inferno's shoulder.

Only to find itself biting into a packet of superheated hydrogen stored in the shoulder-mounted fusion cannon. Now knowing the rules of the imagination-game, it was Alexander's turn to defy physics, willing the fiery gas to flow into Titan Breaker's mouth and throat, bypassing the energy-retardant coating altogether in order to burn out the Dream-NC from the inside. Alexander, meanwhile, replied cooly, "Nevertheless, I have what you don't have - A dream."

" Oh, I see. You're under the impression that a dream is something that I want? I've seen what dreams do to people, 'Dreams' bleed life out of them." Dark Hibiki stated.

Plumes of smoke billowed out of the Titan Breaker's mouth as if quenched by something from within, as blood flowed out of it's mouth in insane amounts. The Blood poured and seeped into the joints of Phoenix Inferno.

"Now tell me Alex, how many have died for your dream so far?" The monster gloated.

The blood just floated up and away, 'bent' from Phoenix Inferno's joints and innards. A sigh of boredom as Alexander said, "None yet. Is that the best you can do, Dark Hibiki?"

And with his mech's right claw, Alexander unleashed a sustained spray of electromagnetically-charged Ions at the supposedly already-weakened Titan Breaker, before a plasma blade appeared in his left hand and stabbed towards an open joint.

The spray if ions bombarded the Titan Breaker, as an arm was.cleaved from the joint. Where one would expect metal and wire, a remaining jagged bone with muscle and blood vessels remain and blood flowed from the wound.

The unit lost it's grip and fell back down to the swamp, a smoky mist remained from the ionic assult. Eventually it landed on it's back, slowly sinking in the swamp.

Once the smoke settled, the Titan Breaker's cockpit was melted open, revealing Hibiki, not Dark Hibiki, inside. The boy was hooked up to the Titan Breaker with various organic wires and vessels.

Hibiki's face was clearly vacant, and had no response to any of these events. Dark Hibiki appeared through a black cloud next to the open cockpit and said, " Who was talking about the best of anything?" He stroked the unmoving Hibiki, and said " This is our world, and currently I am the only one who is here at the moment".

At that moment, Osamu recived a message about Hibiki's vitals and how they have started to got haywire.

Osamu reappeared on the other side of the cockpit, using the dream-world's false physics to teleport. His face was taut with worry as he breathed in and out. "Get away from him! I will not have him die!"

Phoenix Inferno then made to grab Dark Hibiki with his metal claw, even as Osamu went to where Hibiki was, laying his hands on the latter's chest and willing the boy to heal...

Dark Hibiki took in all of this and asked, " how do you intend to deal with me anyway? You know I am the only reason he has gotten this far right?"

Osamu's response was, "I was going to give you your own Body - Phoenix Inferno itself! As for how he has gotten this far, how so? All I know is that you've been hurting him!"

When the Phoenix Inferno's arm made it close enough to dark Hibiki, the entity simply lifted it's arm and stopped the blow with the false wind blowing in response. All this was done while he contemplated what Osamu's intentions were.

" Honestly, I expected more from the great Osamu. Did yo u think the friendly little puppy you hold dear could slaughter so many on his own? That he could gather the maliciousness necessary to fight?" Dark Hibiki flicked Phoenix Inferno's arm away and continued, " Even if I were to accept the offer, I really don't trust you Osamu. However, I can see you two will be a pain in my ass until something neither of us want happens."

Osamu got a communication that let him know Hibiki's vitals were stable. Dark Hibiki then made a proposal, " I will go along with your plan, however I have my own conditions. If intended to put me into that," he pointed at Phoenix Inferno, " there are some things that need to be made clear. Hibiki wouldn't be completely free. To insure my survival, I will give you a key phrase to say to him every day, if not given the boy dies. Plain and simple. However, if I see no foul play in this trade, I will truly releases him. Those are my terms."

Dark Hibiki looked intently at Osamu.

Osamu nods, "A key phrase. Can Alexander also be allowed to say said key phrase as well?"

"Anyone really, he just needs to hear it", replied dark Hibiki.

Another nod, "Then give me the key phrase."

A bit annoyed, Dark Hibiki said, " We haven't even started yet, nothing has been set. The timer will start after the transfer".

A third nod, as Osamu said, "All right," before reaching out for Dark Hibiki's form, willing his bio-computer to begin the transferrence process!

Dark Hibiki pretended to think real hard then said, "Ok, it's done, dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu". Dark Hibiki reached out and shook Osamu's hand, as he did so Dark Hibiki dissolved into a black cloud flowing into Osamu's hand.



The swamp slowly turned into a vibrant living forest, and the sun started to rise. Hibiki was no longer in the Titan Breaker, but was sleeping on a patch of moss.

The process of transference took a few minutes, but Dark Hibiki's willing agreement to be transferred saved Osamu a lot of valuable willpower. With the key phrase now in Osamu's head, the Artificial human waited for Dark Hibiki to be transfered into Phoenix Inferno with the Akuma Program, before he then ordered Alexander to climb down Phoenix Inferno's scaffolding lift. Once Alexander was done, he said to Osamu, "You really meant it. Doing the right thing for once in your life."

The redhead nodded a fourth time, before saying, "I did. Now let's escort you over to the torture room; the only concession I made is that you'd be wearing something..."

Through a pop up text Osamu is presented a chat with a user named ''DH" in it and the message read, "Something feels off... O right my tail, if you wouldn't mind".

Osamu, just wanting the ordeal to have ended, begrudged as he said, " Alright". To the observers, he spoke to the air.

With the matter settled, Osamu proceeded to relieve some stress.

O pure and virgin Lady,/ O spotless Theotokos
Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
O Virgin Queen and Mother/ O dewy fleece most sacred
Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
O height transcending heaven above/ O beam of light most radiant
Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
O joy of chaste and virgin maids/ surpassing all the angels
Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
O brilliant light of heaven above/ most clear and most radiant
Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!

---

"I confess to Almighty God and to you, Father, that I have sinned. My last confession was two years, four months and one week ago."

Said the lady of Spain, the queen of the exiles who defended Haven from the Red Star's forces. Before a screen that separated her from the priest. To him, she said

"Since then, I have committed mortal sins. They are the murder of several souls that belonged to the Red Star, my inability to save the lives of my men during battle, my own fault for not being able to work well with my fellow defenders and pilots and for my own pride and mistakes that cost me a lot during battle with the enemy. I also committed the sins of..."

And so she said them. Soon enough, the priest and she spoke at length just as stopped herself to say
"For these and all the sins that I have committed during my life, I am deeply sorry."

Then she asked the priest

"Dear Father, will you pray for me and my people that we may soon take victory into our hands and see our home again?"

"I will, dear child. I shall pray for you and your people and for victory."

"Thank you, Dear Father..." Then she took a deep breath and prepared herself for the Act of Contrition after the priest gave her her penance and invited her to pray.

"An Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all because I have offended you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen."

Absolution was then given. The priest made the sign of the cross for her as she bowed her head and soon, he told her

"Da gracias al Señor porque Él es bueno..."

"Porque para siempre es su misericordia...

Agradezco a Dios por toda su misericordia y gracia. Que pueda hacer su voluntad tanto como luche por lo que mi gente desea."

She made a sign of the cross again. Then she rose from her knees and bowed to the priest, thanking him gently. After this, she departed from the box and left the chapel and reached for her rosary. From then on, she began to recite her penance:

"Danos paz señor
En este día
Porque no hay nadie más
Quien peleará por nosotros"

(Give us peace, Lord
On this day
Because there is no one else
Who will fight for us)

She said these words six times then began to recite:

"Dame fuerza, Dios de los reyes y reinas de esta Tierra, y déjame redimirme haciendo todo lo que pueda por mi pueblo"

For these words, she said them two times. Then she ended her first penance with one more recitation:

"Holy Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."

And at once, she crossed herself. Then, gently kneading the beads of her rosary, she walked on until she found the room where officers and the International Volunteers were meeting. At once, she dropped to one knee and bowed her head, saying as her rosary remained in her hand, draped over her knee

"Perdóname por favor. I was late because I had to do my confession and serve my first penance. I hope I am able to catch up and perform my second penance by asking you what I can do more for you and Haven."

@Letter Bee

---

Deliver me, O Lord, from death eternal on that fearful day,
When the heavens and the earth shall be moved,
When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.

Haven Base

Theodore smiled at Anna as she arrived, saying, "Pilot Mustang, welcome to the group." He then faced everyone, "People of the International Volunteers, this is Anna Mustang, yet another defector, this time from Denver-Vegas. She will be replacing Isaac LaBelle as the group's sniper." The General Commander then faced the group. "As for why Mr. LaBelle is going to be replaced? I have it on good authority that he's an actual mole in the International Volunteers, and despite my demonstrated leniency, my patience isn't infinite, especially as he had made an agreement with Osamu Akiyama to hand over one of the pilots here to him."

A mild, hopefully compassionate, glance at Alexei if he hadn't left the meeting yet, indicating to the young man that he was the Pilot Osamu and Isaac had been targeting. "Consider this a fair warning; an actual betrayal of trust will be met with consequences. I may be lenient, but I am not stupid. The strength and weakness of the International Volunteers lies on its ability to attract and keep defectors from those 'plutocrats'. And my own strength and weakness lie in fostering the individual strengths of each Pilot, embedding a sense of camaraderie into them, and then hoping that they stay loyal and do not turn the fostered strengths against me." A purse of his lips. "Kindness is not the same as being 'soft'; not all the time."

A pause as Mariano entered the room, "Speaking of which... Pilot Encarnacion (@AzenExile); perhaps you can ask for Confession Services when the campaign for Darwin is over and not before?"

@FalloutJack@Landaus Five-One@Metatrooper@Selvariabell@Senhara@ArmorPlated@Andre Valias@Psychic Loser

Mariano flinched as she was given a warning by Theodore. In this, she bowed her head deeper and said

"I do apologize, Sir. I had to because I felt too troubled to come back without doing so. Forgive me for this." And afterwards, she rose up from her place and joined the other Volunteers, taking a vacant seat close to the girls of the team, especially Anna. She smiled at her and said, with a bit of nervousness

"Do forgive me. I may have made a terrible impression." She tried to be friendly, extending her hand to her. She told her

"My name is Encarnacion Mariano, the Queen of the Spaniards living here. Nice to have you here with us, Anna. Welcome to the war."

She then smiled and turned to Seamus and asked him

"Good day. You wish to team up?"

Seamus was the new kid on the block. But that didn’t deter him yet. Isaac LaBelle already made his first impression to the Irish lad. Either a traitor or an untalented hack (for being caught) that deserved to have his kneecaps blown out. Execution would be too merciful. He spoke out regarding Mr. Labelle in a pithy manner.

"Back in my home, traitors have their kneecaps blown out. But what am I to say? I'm just an Irishman." If only he brought some Guinness with him. He'd be offering a few drinks to socialize with his compatriots. But he'd be pushing his luck, as he realized that not everyone shares the same tastes as he does when it comes to alcohol. While he was neither a drunkard nor a glutton, he did like to socialize over a pint. But that's for another time. He was about to sit down and chat up with nearby people...

Until he was suddenly shocked when the queen acknowledged him. “Begorrah! It would be an honor to team up with you, your highness. However, I do hope it would not be too troublesome.” The tone of his voice indicated a sober sense. Seamus hoped that an alliance with Paragon-origin royalty didn’t conflict directly with his mission. His facial expressions did express some skepticism as he overheard Encarnacion’s speech as he was listening to the brief.

This was a critical point. As the son of Mr. O’Sullivan, he had big shoes to fill in. Inheriting an agent status was no small amount of luck. His perception allowed him to pick up cues from the body language. It was time to play the cards right. After this, Guinness time. After some first impressions, he hoped that Her royal highness was one to hold her liquor.

After the acknowledgement, he resumed to waiting for the next assignment, asking nearly pilots a question. "So what's your story?" The Irishman spoke with a informal yet welcoming tone. It was too early to hold grudges. For now that is. But if anyone mocks his father's death, that'll bring out the fighting Irish in Seamus.

@Ubermensch @Psychic Loser @ArmorPlated

The Queen smiled at the somewhat loud but friendly and new volunteer. She approached him and offered her hand to the man, saying to him gently

"It is not too much trouble, really. Anyway, my name is Mariano. Just call me that. Anyway, I am from Spain. I'm volunteering here in order to get back my country from the Paragon Corp. In addition, I hope to befriend you over the course of this great war."

Then she turned to the other people in the room, telling them with the same smile

"Hello again! I hope we can all work together and better this time. I hope I could find that person who saved me from that battle. I owe them my life and my NC!"

After she said that, she chuckled and turned back to Seamus, telling him

"You were asking me about my story right? Or did you mean someone else?"

@Psychic Loser

Cody had a look of surprise on his face, fortunately no one could see it. He would now be part of, no, commanding, a squad of his own. Though he has worked as a leader in the past, being assigned one this quick is unexpected to say the least. At least he didn't have any problems with his teammates. Of course he trusted TABRIS, and wouldn't find any sort of difficulty fighting alongside her. The other name however, was that of the newcomer from Denver-Vegas who was going to be replacing their former sniper. The news accompanying Mustang's arrival was actually a distressing one, looks like Red-Star wasn't the only one with traitors in their midst.

We were lucky that we caught him before he could wreak any damage, but next time...

Cody was going have to be more vigilant this time around, any of his comrades could be a suspect at this point, especially the newcomer, he would have to keep a close eye on them. He would then turn around and start walking towards his new teammate, stopping in front of her seat.

Cody: So, you're the newcomer huh?

@Metatrooper

Anna smiled to herself. Things were looking good so far. Her introduction had gone without a hitch... at least so far. However, when one of her teammates came up to address her directly, some part of her knew it was some kind of red flag. She ignored her instincts, looked up at Cody, and chuckled.

"Nice outfit," she said. "As you probably got from the introduction, I'm Anna. I originally hail from Denver-Vagas and I pilot the Lug. I know that may come off as alarming, but trust me, I'm ready to shoot some baddies! The Lug has all you could ever want in an NC and I'm ready to give it a spin." Anna stood up from her own chair and held out her hand. "I know I look good, but I won't be afraid to chip a nail if need be."

Anna a paused for a moment and thought about that last sentence. Did that make her sound to vain? Judging by the crowd, it was probably alright.

---

"Someone almost betrayed us? That's not good..." Kxeyun thinks, the faint holographic figure of her over in a corner of the room, her hologram was tuned to be lifelike as possible. A silent, breathless, huff is let out, she also looks a bit frustrated. She looks towards Cody, thoughts prowling in her head. "So he's leading the other group, huh. Guess he's good, although I know nada about him." Her eyes continue gazing over everyone else, locking onto Terra. Her gaze softens instantly. "Terra... Terra... I like her, she's nice." her eyes close, relaxing just a bit. "She's more than just a friend... Close friend? Nah... Best friend. Yeah, that makes sense, best friend." she lets her eyes open a bit

She noticed Anna almost burst into the room, which gets her to let out a loose giggle "So we got someone who wants to show themselves too? Cute." A wide grin spreads across her face, she finds this strangely funny, perhaps a bit embarrassing for Anna. Seamus however, grabbed her attention like a large black bear on a sheet of ice. Despite his question, she keeps her silence, unwilling to repeat that story again. She gazes away, pretty stoked that she's with Terra next battle. Hopefully, she doesn't be stupid and tries to assault the big baddie head-on next time. She still has leftover faint phantom pain from that knife...

However, upon hearing Anna speak again, Kxeyun perks up and the hologram brightens a bit to make her more noticeable. The hologram walks over to Anna and she says "Really? Another Denver-Vegas defector? I'm Kxeyun, Kxeyun Amarati. I pilot Sahaquiel. Currently, I'm in the medbay." A sheepish giggle escapes her lips as her hand reaches up and rubs her neck. "I sorta... Attacked Red-Star's biggest combatant head on, I almost won too... Anyways, yeah. I'm not sure if you know of Sahaquiel. She's very powerful up close, being a melee fighter of course, I just hope she's all fixed up for next fight... Even if I'm not totally ready, I'll still fight!" Seems like she's back to her cheery self.

The Queen from Spain smiled at both Anna, Cody and Kxeyun. Just as she thought they might be done talking or just as much as she thought that they might have settled and an opening for her to speak came, she said to them cheerfully

"I know I'm on another team but I'd like to make good with you all!" She bowed her head and rose straightly as she told them all "As you might know, I'm Mariano. Call me Encarnacion or Encarnation if the pronunciation is quite hard. I do apologize. I am from Spain, I defected from Paragon Industrial & Nuclear. My NC is a tank so I really am not like the rest of the Aristocratic Corp. It's very nice to have all of you together with us!"

And at that, she ended with a smile and turned away to Seamus, saying to him

"So, tell me more about yourself!"

@Senhara @Psychic Loser @Metatrooper @Ubermensch

A noise broke through the growing din of conversation in the briefing room. Adam was knocking a knuckle against the open door behind him, still looking out into the small gathering of pilots. "It seems many of you are eager to talk to each other, or introduce yourselves. Good. You are all dismissed. Those of you who have been to the coffee shop previously, please guide our newcomers. I have many things to discuss with Commander Theodore, so please do not linger." Adam's expression was stony and cold, only subtly different from before. His eyes scanned through the group before him meticulously and intensely evaluating everyone.

He waited by the door for the group to file out before closing it quietly. He walked over to the holotable in the middle of the room, finger hovering over the key to disconnect both Terra and Kxeyun. "The both of you can make your own choices on how or if you want to interact with the others, but I need this room." Without waiting for a response he pressed the disconnect and turned to Theodore, fists clenched and eyes doing their best to burn a hole through his skull.

"When were you planning on informing me I was being placed in command of turncoats and traitors? How many others are turncoats? Above all else, how many from Red fucking Star?" The mask was fully gone now, Adam's expression was filled with anger and his words full of acid. He pointed an accusatory finger at Theodore. "You just rolled over and allowed a massive security risk to take command of an NC squad in a battle that will determine the future of our collective peoples. A squad that I will remind you is comprised entirely of other associated, hand-selected, security risks. Has it not crossed your mind that your entire insider plan may have been compromised from the start?"

Adam turned from Theodore, hands planted firmly on the holotable. his eyes inspecting the battle lines snaking across the land. "I expect the dossiers of the entirety of this squad provided to my personnel immediately. No redactions, no omissions. You have already undermined my authority by making a rash decision without so much as speaking to me, and I refuse to walk into this situation you have created blind. I am not a sheep to be thrown to the wolves, and you can be damn sure I'm not going to die for your mindlessness." He shoots one last glare at Theodore. "You've already had one pilot turn traitor, so pray to whatever god you worship it doesn't happen again Commander."