It seemed that while her proposal was not fully-accepted, the idea of her teaming up with at least a pair of others under her command was possible. The reason for this, although unspoken, was due to the loss of Zahra in the last battle. NC Ursa Nova had gone right for the mecha giving every one support-fire, and - whether or not the operator even knew she had been coordinating their movements in the field - silenced it. To Terra, this meant that they were attempting a somewhat-decentralized form of organization to keep the enemy from compromising their command structure. It was possible for them to succeed, although the main thing was to be certain that everyone was properly ready for the next assault. Hisako and Tabris had to be ready, without question. Grand Sword Star needed to have all remote access by Red Star removed, and as much defense from Osamu as possible, where possible. The artificial's abilities were uncanny and difficult to handle. But in any case, Terra's response to Theodore's answer had been...

"Very well, Commander. I will coordinate with all others, as needed."

The meeting continued and, among other things, another Denver-Vegas volunteer was among them, it seemed. Funnily enough, and...this actually caught Terra off-guard for a moment, she seemed to have...a similarly-energetic way of being to Kxeyun. She looked from Anna to Kxeyun and back again, wondering if this was just how people were in Denver-Vegas. She had no idea. Kxeyun had been sort of a benchmark based on her being the only 'sample' from the area. This made Anna something of a corralation. The only difference that Terra could see was that Anna probably didn't have the same traumatizing escape that Kxeyun did. Perhaps they should talk. Perhaps they should all talk...

While a few of the introductions were taking place, Adam Philips wanted the room. They couldn't exactly say 'No', and he cut the holo-link to the room. He umm...actually forgot that Terra was IN the room, as Commander Narra had asked her to show up in person. No big deal. The only thing was that he seemed somewhat red with impatience or irritation being barely contained. It seemed to show when he spoke, but Terra could not see why. She left with the others, and then proceeded to walk nearby to Anna Mustang.

"Commander Narra has said it's important that we all know each other to some degree, and I felt my last meeting with someone of Denver-Vegas went well, so I might as well. I'm Terra Laedo."

She extended a hand for shaking.

Haven Base

Theodore was not as young as he looked; if anything, he was chronologically older than Adam, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he had not been berated this way for a long time. It was almost refreshing. But a reply had to be made to his Field-Captain; the latter deserved one.

The response was, "A digital copy is being sent to your commlink; paper copies are being sent to your quarters. As for Ms. Terra Laedo being given so much leeway, that's because I've spent the past month keeping her under 24/7 surveillance; closed-circuit security cameras, though primitive, are hard to decieve or spoof. I've also had a human agent, the Barista Joey Glory, as well as the nurses and doctors and other personnel she interacted with, reporting her activities directly to me; I'll give you their reports as well. Unlike Alexander, I am in a position to continually watch Terra and I've been doing so since day one.

"I have also been collecting corroborating evidence to confirm her words, and of course, conducting medical tests in order to ensure that her brain does not carry any traces of Red-Star programming or brainwashing.

"In short, Terra Laedo is clean and less of a security risk than expected because I and the Counterintelligence Department have spent a lot of time and effort ensuring that was the case," Theodore paused for effect. "But yes, I set a bad example by granting her request without so much as consuting you while you were present. I acted rashly and with my thoughts on the price, not realizing that others won't share my perspective."

A frown. "But here's what I could share; Terra Laedo is a human weapon, but one which Red-Star made the mistake to enhance mentally instead of just physically. She is someone augmented and trained to recognize long-term benefit versus short-term efficiency, yet has a strong moral compass that put her at odds with her Corporation of Origin almost as soon as she was deployed. A blend of emotion and reason, intuition and logic working together in one whole, yet because of that cannot be easily enslaved."

Theodore let a silence linger after that last phrase. "And yet... Even the smartest, most reasonable, most efficient human needs information to act, and I know how to govern the flow of information."

Facing Adam, Theodore said, "You may have a different view of Haven than I have; Field-Captain, but all things are relative, including the merits of Nation-States and Corporations. The risk I am taking is based on this claim: That Haven is a better option for Terra Laedo, and the humans she has included in her life, than Red-Star can ever be despite its superiority in material wealth. That Haven is the long-term prospect for her and the rest of Humanity and its victory is a worthy cause for her to invest her gifts in."

A breath, "And finally, Terra needs social connections with humans who are not her slaves, social connections that activate her protective instincts and the natural desire for friendship that all non-sociopaths have. I've seen it; Red-Star did not augment a sociopath - They gambled that a thinking and feeling human being would be a better fighter, only to realize that their cause is inadequate for said better fighter."

Yet another pause. "But just so you don't think my argument is purely on faith and emotion, Terra's dossier also carries medical scans of her brain and brainwaves; both her story about being augmented yet having a stronger capacity for social connections than others in Red-Star - other normal people - is real. And with that, I rest my case."

@AzenExile@FalloutJack@Metatrooper@Selvariabell@Senhara@ArmorPlated@Psychic Loser@Ubermensch

Seamus was about to further socialize with the queen until he and Encarnacion were cut short by the dismissal. "I'm sorry your royal highness." After they were to be moved, Seamus then resumed when he can. Under a different environment that is. Sometimes it'll be a bit difficult without the power of Guinness.

Assuming the other socializing team were in the same page as he was, he'd tell others about himself only at the right time. "I'm a child of an agent NC pilot. Inherited the position all the way from Ireland too. For now, I'm just here to get the job done." He looked to see if there was a fridge near by. He could use a drink. So far, the queen looked like she could hold her liquor. Guinness was his main form of socialization, true to his roots.

So far, the queen seemed like an ally of convenience. While he has no intention of betraying his people, enemy of the enemy is the friend. They could easily discuss things over a drink. Though he wasn't a total drunkard, it would take more than just one pint to get Seamus plastered for a good time.

The Queen chuckled at the apology of the Irishman and she shook her head, telling him curtly

"No! It's fine. There's nothing to forgive, dear."

Then when he told them about himself, she nodded to this and told him "Ireland, huh? I once paid a visit there but I can no longer remember anything from it. I do know that you still make great potatoes too. That and alcohol." She then stepped to him and asked quite innocently

"Fancy a Guinness?"

"A Guinness would be lovely! That's me favorite." His Irish heritage was slipping. Seamus always was so fond of the drink. In fact, he felt like he could not resist his mojo! This would fuel his social prowess.

The Irishman waited for others to join in on the drinks. Not fair if he and the queen had all the fun! After all, he only got plastered to have a good time. Not to just get by. The Irishman can brag that. Seamus also chuckled, "God invented alcohol for a reason. In victory, we deserve it. But in defeat, we need it."

While the Irishman loved his Guinness, he wasn't above other drinks. Irish whiskey can also be good in a pinch. Just about any drink of Irish origin he'd guzzle down, but even he had limits. Seamus was no Leprechaun and it was in his best interests to stay sober before a big fight.

A collaborative post between @Metatrooper and @Selvariabell

---

Cody stared at the newcomer, and to say the least, she was setting off some red flags. Perhaps it was just that she was more cheerful or childlike than most others, or maybe it was the way she talked, he couldn't really pinpoint what. Nevertheless, when she held out her hand to shake, he returned the gesture, he should at least give her a shot. "Alright." he said, "Welcome to the squad." He would then start walking away from Anna and towards the door, planning to go back to his quarters to finish his meal.

This is when he crossed paths with Len, still happy with the new NC and wedding proposal. Unfortunately, her mood changes when she sees Cody.

"Well hello there, Judas? How are you doing?", she greeted him with a passive-aggressive sarcasm.

He would look up to see a woman he didn't recognize at first. But after she hurled a passive insult at him, he recognized the voice as the pilot who was assigned to cover him earlier on during the mission. He would then let out a sigh before replying: "Pilot Trillanes, what do you want?"

"I'm just wondering, why would you betray your fellow Chinese? You are basically at the top of the Red Star hierarchy.", she asked, and then continued, "Or could it be that you didn't betray them at all?"

She has her hand on her holster, ready in case of a betrayal.

Cody gave her a cold, dead stare through his helmet for a few seconds before maneuvering around her and walking towards the exit, staying silent. Seeing her hand moving towards her holster, he knew what she was trying to do, and didn't want any part of it.

"Is running away really what you Chinese do when chips are down?", Len asked as she lets go of her gun.

Fortunately for Cody, Maman also just walked in the corridor. As a veteran officer, she is aware of such drama uncovering. She promply intervenes.

"Stop bullying your comrade, Lieutenant.", Maman warned with an uncharacteristic seriousness.

"Comrade? I am no comrade to a traitor. A Chinese will always be a Chinese.", Len replied with a serious tone, trying to suppress her rage.

"Sacre bleu, Lieutenant! You don't judge people by their race or ethnic origin. Every person has their own opinion, own will, regardless of where they came from. Is this not clear with you?", Maman replied with a more serious tone.

Cody turned to face the woman who had just arrived and scolded Len. Though he did not recognize her as well, he was grateful that someone else had arrived. He then said: "Thank you pilot, but you do not need to waste your time trying to convince her. I can tolerate her presence, unless she would rather resolve this violently.", looking back at Len as he does so.

"Non mon ami, it is my moral duty to make sure that everyone would settle their differences. I have seen myself how bitter rivalries tear apart the morale and cohesion of a unit, up to the point of sabotaging their own comrades to their deaths. I don't want to see that tragedy be repeated again.", Maman replied.

"Anyways, may I ask your name, mon ami?", Maman asks Cody.

"I am pilot Cody Ang. May I ask what yours is ma'am?" He replies.

"Marianne Solenn Trudeau, but you can call me 'Maman' instead.", she replied with a smile.

"Now shall we talk it out, and apologize to monsieur Cody, mademoiselle Len?", she turned to ask Len.

"Why do you have to be like an overbearing mother? It is quite annoying to be honest.", Len replied bluntly.

"And there is no way in hell will I ever compromise with a Chinese. Have a good day, ma'am.", Len continued before leaving.

Cody turned back to Maman as he watched Trillanes walk away and said: "I thank you for your efforts once again Pilot Trudeau, but you should not waste your time with her. Good day." He would then walk past her and head towards the exit. Cody knew that people like Len, who possessed seething hate that they couldn't help but express, couldn't change their ways. But he didn't care, as long as they didn't shoot him, they could do whatever the hell they wanted.

"Have a good day as well, ma cherie.", Maman smilingly replied before parting ways.

Haven Base plus Red-Star Floating Supercarrrier Kuei-Ren - The Next Day

Theodore had the International Volunteers' alarms call them awake; once they had dressed and arrived at the Operations Room, the Volunteers would see the General Commander's face drawn and taut; the expression of a worried man. But his next actions stated that this worry was not because he feared losing the battle; no, it was a more personal concern. Once they were all in, Theodore would gesture at the table, and a hologram of the Red-Star Political Officer and de facto leader of the enemy forces, Osamu Akiyama, manifested in response. He was on the deck of the Red-Star Floating Supercarrier Kuei-Ren along with two dozen guards... And Alexander Sky in grey prison clothing and a shock collar.

"Helloo there, Havenite Rebels!" Osamu was cackling madly like a twentieth-century cartoon villain, "Guess what?! I caught this little birdy spying for you guys! Yes, that's right, the infamous war criminal, Alexander Sky, spying with Haven in this dirty little conflict." He laughed again. "And yes! I have proof!"

The deranged artificial human then took out a standard Red-Star commlink and said, "This belonged to Alexander, and carried a dozen illegal virtual private networks and forbidden encryption programs; they were only broken just today! Just like this guy will be once I am done with him."

Another dark laugh as Osamu took out a miniature holographic projector and broadcast the contents of the commlink into the air.



"HAHAHAHA!" Osamu laughed. "Can you believe it? You're all saps! You, General Commander Theodore Narra are the sappiest, most sugary person I ever met! And Alexander here is the worst spy ever; blowing his cover to save a crybaby from her well-earned self-destruct, and being so defensive of that ungrateful child when she began attacking Terra! By the way, Terra Laedo, I know you have augments that prevent you from being making inefficient decisions, but you still have emotions, right? How does it feel to be distrusted by the person you've given love and trust to? How does it feel to have sacrificed your parents only to be met with skepticism from the little lady you supposedly opened up to?"

It was then that Alexander interrupted, "Stop it! Stop it you brat - ARGH!" Sparks of electricity can be seen from his collar as the young man curled up in pain, screaming loudly. Osamu Akiyama shook his head with mock sadness.

"You know, I really am throwing away an opportunity here; brainwash Alexander for real, milk him for information, and sow doubts as to Terra Laedo's loyalty and the actual abilities of your 'General Commander'," the redheaded Artificial Human smirked at that. "With just a few words, I can destroy your group's cohesion by implying that Terra is indeed our spy."

A pause. "But I won't. Because as long as Terra, Hisako, and Tabris are genuinely on your side, you're going to win no matter how much confusion I sow in your forces. And nothing I can say can change the fact that they are. So I give up on winning... But not on inflicting as much pain and misery on you guys as humanly possible."

And with that, Phoenix Inferno, clearly no longer piloted by Alexander, rose up from a hidden platform on the Supercarrier's deck. It had an evident modification; a tail that can move by itself and had a spike at its end.

Osamu continued, as a few other NCs and a large number of drones plus lesser war machines rose up from platforms all over the Supercarrier. "As you can see, even with Phoenix Inferno's new Pilot, you outnumber us in NCs; demoralizingly so. So I wish to make a deal: My superiors have strapped Terra Laedo's parents onto the pilot seats of two of the self-propelled guns of Red-Star, two self-propelled guns set to full auto-fire on your lines and rigged to explode should one tamper with their electronics. If you can find and explode them, not only will I give Alexander back to you," he shocked Alexander once more, causing the young man to yelp, "But I and the entire Red-Star Armada will leave."

He laughed again, "Doesn't that sound like a deal? Kill Terra's parents for me so we can depart!"

@AzenExile@FalloutJack@Metatrooper@Selvariabell@Senhara@Neozeon0083@ArmorPlated@Psychic Loser@Ubermensch:

Repairs were finished, at least. No upgrades yet. She sighed as she checked her PDA and her communicator, speaking to her AI briefly. She was able to confirm it before she turned her attention away from the funny but friendly Irishman. She gasped as she realized who she was looking at and who the prisoner was.

Throughout the entire time that the Red Star cerdo was talking, her blood boiled and boiled and boiled. It reminded her of how ill the treatment of Paragon towards prisoners, towards her and most of all, towards her own people, the Spanish people. She remembered Madrid. She recalled Barcelona, Seville, Granada and most of all, Valencia! Valencia!

How wonderful it would be to crucify the bastard who did this. Who threatened this. Who planned this.

Immediately, when Osamu was finished talking, she lifted her right hand and cried out. "¡Asesino!" She turned to the volunteers and spoke out. "What's the plan?"

---

The Day Prior:

Anna grabbed Terra's hand with a bright smile.

"It's great to meet you!" Anna said with enthusiasm. "You know, you don't have to greet me so formally like that."

The former Red-Star pilot tilted her head.

"Formally? I don't understand."

This is how Terra spoke, most of the time. It was functional, but not overly-social.

Anna shook her head.

"Let me guess, you didn't talk much as a kid." Anna shook her head again. "Just talk to me like you know me. Talk to me like a friend. Is that too much to ask, Terra?"

Anna wondered how she'd react to that. She hadn't met someone so...stiff before. It was a bit unnerving, to say the least.

"Don't let all that military junk scramble your brain too much."

Here, Terra allowed herself a smile.

"I didn't have much in the way of friends. Talking to people socially is a new thing for me. I will say that I've had success, but it's still a process I have to work on. I thought I'd ask you about Denver-Vegas, since you're from there, as is a new friend of mine. Maybe there was something you wanted to know, as well, things you might have missed out on."

Anna tightened up a bit after hearing that. Anna hoped she didn't ask anything too personal. They didn't need to know the reason she actually defected from there in the first place. If people did, she probably wouldn't pilot another NC in her life. Anna was supposed to be a soldier now. They couldn't find out that she never could...

It was best if she kept the answers as brief and basic as possible. That was the only way she would be able to see combat. It was that or she could just keep Terra talking.

"Well," Anna said with a chuckle, "I didn't really pay too much attention to my briefing. Could you bring me up to speed a bit." Anna was sure that would keep herself from having to answer anything.

"There's a lot on our plate."

It wasn't that Terra had any problem talking. it was just that Commander Narra's desire to have people get to know each other had been the greater battle, in her eyes, than ones she'd actually had.

"Our basic layout is that we have the Darwin area protected by a shield wall against any heavy bombardment from ships, but that they can be passed through physically...though that can be a difficult situation for the enemy, as Haven just trains all of its guns on any craft of NC trying to step in. It is, essentially, why we get are the defenders against whatever remains, because whatever does can either take a beating or is skilled enough to survive that gauntlet. The last battle, we lost some of our people, we managed to gain more defectors, and the command structure was terrible. That's why we're organizing into small squads. A de-centralized force can't be thrown askew."

This was a fair and important sum-up of what was happening now, though it wasn't going into huge specifics because not only would that take too long, but Terra didn't know everything. Specifics were for follow-up questions, like this one.

"What sort of NC are you piloting, by the way? My squad has some long-range options, but Id, Grand Sword Star, and Sahaquiel are heavy into killing at closer ranges."

Anna blinked. That was quicker than she expected.

"I pilot the Lug. It's an armored sniper," she answered.

"Ah, then your cover fire will be exceptionally important. There are two things that I think you should know, specifically. The first is that one of our NCs was taken out by an enemy whose machine excelled in fire and close-range brutality. Hisako called it Ursa Nova. It's a huge bear mech, vicious and dangerous like Sahaquiel."

Hang on. She mentioned this NC, Sahaquiel, and that there was a Denver-Vegas pilot here already. Wasn't there such a person from the Reality Game who'd gone AWOL?

"I've heard that name before," Anna shot back. "Sahaquiel. I recognize the name from home."

Terra nodded.

"Kxeyun's NC. She was the one using the holo-link, injured in the last fight."

There was a pause from the woman, then...

"I rather like her, and I respect what she's been through, and what she had to do to get out of it. She needed a friend even more than I did."

"Wait. She's the pilot of Sahaquiel?" Anna asked. "The rogue Reality Games participant? That Sahaquiel?"

Here, Terra's eyes narrowed a bit.

"The same, but the 'forced Reality Games participant' is more accurate."

"Oh..." Anna took a sheepish step backward. "I always wanted to participate in those."

This actually...surprised the former Red-Star pilot. Kxeyun had indicated a situation that she literally couldn't walk away from alive, save for the manner in which she did it, and there was not much likelyhood of her lying about that. And yet, someone had wanted IN? Terra found this...odd, and didn't actually know what to say for a minute. She eventually settled on...

"It may not be a good idea. If you were unaware that Kxeyun was a prisoner, then perhaps they don't always tell the truth when they report things over there. I don't know. I lived in Japan-controlled Red-Star territory my entire life."

She shook her head.

"Her escape was more daring than my own. Her suffering was much greater than my own In that respect, I guess that makes me no one special, though I haven't been without..."

She stopped, just cut herself off there.

Anna didn't pry into it. Instead, she opted to go back to the next mission.

"So...you want me to do cover-fire?"

"Well, I'm not your group leader, but I assume you'll be trying to pick off as many opponents in the most efficient manner possible. There is something you can do for me, though. The second thing I mentioned before..."

Anna nodded, signaling her to continue.

Here was when Terra became serious. And if you have to ask what that sounds like, take what you thought felt formal and crank it up a bit.

"When I left Red-Star, I did so with the understanding that my parents would die because of me. In order to deny them the benefit of the capabilities they spent literal years and a number of resources creating within me, plus that of my NC, I had to be willing to do what they believed I would never do: Sacrifice my family, the people who I cared about more than anything else. This was the reason I was allowed to keep them, I believe, so I knew their demise as punishment was inevitable."

She paused, then continued a bit more humanly...

"That said...I began to wonder whether they did so or not, if they had maybe something else planned for them, something to use against me, to test my resolve, maybe. This is heartless, I know, but I had already accepted that they would pay the price for my freedom. You are a sniper, so I believe you would be able to react the fastest. If something happens and they are there, I may ask you to take the shot, to end whatever predicament they are in. It is not fair and it's not right, but it may be necessary..."

Anna gulped.

"You'd want me to do that for you?"

"Only if necessary, only if I am busy or unable to. Id has a plasma rifle, but that's limited in ways. It may fail where your weapon does not. So, if the situation is beyond Id's immediate capacity or it's an obvious trap to draw me in close, we can't risk losing people to it, anyone to it. Haven must win against Red-Star because Red-Star's methods will ruin the world we live on. If they attempt to use them against me, they must be denied, even if that is the price. I have to be willing to pay that price, and their suffering must end if there is no other solution."

"I-I think I can do it," Anna replied. "I'll do it if it comes down to that."

"Thank you, Anna. I don't want this. I just had to...accept it."

---

Haven Base Present

Anna had to think that over. Osamu had said they strapped Terra's parents to guns. Anna swallowed hard. She stood by as Mariano addressed the volunteers.

"What's the plan?" she asked.

Anna raised her hand and took a step forward. Anna bit at her lip. She needed to sound strong for everyone's sake.

"I need to take out those guns. You can't tell me no."

Osamu looked human to some, but there was something off about him. Besides from his behavior, Seamus saw...imperfections. these didn't seem natural at all. But it didn't seem like a robot either. The Irishman saw nothing more than an abomination that was excreted out of a syringe. The mutant wasn't even born properly, let alone raised properly.

Seamus was the new arrival, yet even he could see wrongness in all levels about Osamu. The more he looked onto the vat-grown being, the more he didn't want to see. This was an affront to the laws of nature! After Osamu stopped talking, Seamus had to take a minute to recover his composure. His will to fight was bolstered from a desire to eliminate the mutant once and for all.

"I am not to be bargained with..." Seamus himself was familiar with the use of terror. Not negotiating with terrorists, the lad curtly shot down the offer and didn't even think that the artificial human would hold up his end. Turning to the Spanish queen, he said with a roused tone, "We're taking down that shit-from-a-syringe!"

Osamu should not have talked rot. While Seamus indirectly insulted his own leaders, he had bit of a disdain for artificial humans. Transhumans and posthumans were one thing to him, but vat-born beings? That was a horse of a completely different color in his opinion. God made men, but science made them equal. It's NOT the other way around!

Hibiki: New World

The mess hall was empty as everyone was scrambling for the oncoming battle.

Hibiki sat at one of the tables, accompanied by a few unattended trays of food, tensely tapping his foot on the ground.

“Why did it end up this way?,” the boy exclaimed as he placed his palms on his forehead while slamming the table with his elbows. His eyes welled up as his face quivered; then he screamed, “Every time, EVERYONE IS TAKEN FROM ME!” He pounded his fists on the table, resulting in a few containers jumping in the air to land back on the trays.

Teardrops began to thud on the metal surface as Hibiki crossed his arms and buried his face into his arms. “Surrender to them, Osamu-sama said”, his whisper was muffled by his arms. Hibiki raised his head back up, his short black hair shifted back from his arms and his eyes red from sobbing.

“He said something about Terra as well...is it her?”, Hibiki lost himself in thought for a second. “Does she even remember me? Would anyone even care on that side?”, He shifted backward. After a short fall and a thump, Hibiki found himself looking at the ceiling.

He reached out towards a flickering halogen light, “Mom, what should I do? I can barely remember your face - Am I meant to lose you? Why can't I hold anything in this place?” He dropped his arms to his sides putting himself sprawled out like a T, “Father, the love you gave me caused me to cry, but what is happening now… If this is what pain is. It is far worse than anything you have done”.

Feeling a pang of hunger, Hibiki staggered up and entered the pantry then took an apple. As it sat in the palm on his hand, a memory struck him. “This is where I first talked to Alexander isn't it. It seems to be so long ago. What will become of him? Feels like none of us have control over our fates, and it's just cruel”. A fit of frustration overwhelmed him, as he hurled the apple at the porthole causing it to be scattered all around. His breathing grew taxed, as he screamed, “ They are tearing down everything! But why? Why can't I hate them!? I can't seem to hate Osamu, Alexander or Terra for doing this! I can't even hate this feeling!”

Hibiki broke down into tears once more and collapsed onto the ground, “It would be so much easier if I could just…” His tears continued for a while before he could regain composure. With presence of mind, Hibiki made his way to the entrance of the mess hall. Before shut off the lights he whispered, “For once, could I actually keep my happiness?”

He then exited the room; not even Osamu’s good graces can keep him from being called to pilot Titan Breaker for long.

Cody tensed up as he watched Red-star's holographic presentation. He recognized his former student, now a prisoner of the army he once served. You could've just run when you had the chance, why did you throw away your life doing this... Cody thought to himself. He didn't approve of Alexander's method of detection, which was being a double agent, as he knew he would get caught sooner or later. Although one would think that Cody was simply staring at the screen blankly, watching the events on the hologram unfold, his facial expressions said otherwise as he clenched his teeth when Alexander was electrocuted. Bits of anger and fate swelled up inside him as he watched, but it didn't surprise him, based on how Osamu was described in the briefing and the fact that he's a Red-star official, this was to be expected.

His attention then turned to Terra however, as Osamu revealed his plan of using her parents as a bargaining chip. Although simply killing her parents would end the conflict immediately, it was very likely that Osamu wouldn't keep his word and there was no telling how Terra had would react to this. The decision however, ultimately relied on general Narra and their new field-captain, Adam Philips. He was again surprised when his squadmate, the newcomer from Denver-Vegas, volunteered to take down the guns where Terra's parents are strapped to. Her sudden seriousness and conviction was a surprising turn from her original demeanor, but that left him to wonder: what made her change like this. Cody was 90% sure she talked to Terra herself beforehand, there was really nothing else that could have convinced her otherwise. Whatever the reason was, he thought it was important, he would ask her later when he got the chance.

---

"I sent all that? Doesn't sound much like me..." Kxeyun mutters, a finger scratching right below her lip. Her eyes glance up, looking at the modified Phoenix Inferno. Gentle muttering continues escaping her lips "A tail? Self-moving too... I might just steal that from when that thing gets torn apart." Notably, she doesn't treat Phoenix with respect now, teeth clenching seeing Alexander in that collar. "I have a bone to pick with him, not whoever is in that..." An exhale escapes her, eyes closing gently. She relaxes, then promptly saying "I can't disagree, a sniper would be good against those guns, disabling them would be a very good idea. I'm not the group leader, but I think we all know Osamu is dragging us into a battle of morals versus harsh necessities..." Her hand raises higher on her head, thumb and index finger above her eyebrows. "As much as I hate to say this, I think saving Terra's parents is likely a secondary objective, destroying Red-Star comes first. Despite saving them being secondary, it is still very much important."

Her gray eyes glance over the room, a sly smile forms. "Our squad is all capable of melee combat, I think we should go out and hunt in a pack, ganging up on one enemy NC at a time. Overwhelming them with numbers and firepower will quickly rip their remaining forces to shreds, quite literally so." She glances over to Terra "I hope you approve of that idea." Her eyes shift back to Osamu, sliding back into muttering "And now you're next..." She steps to the hologram, then talks directly to that monster of a person. "Osamu, an artificial human. Yes, I am the one Alexander protected. Yes, he was a bit much defending me while I, regrettably, talked down on Terra. Battles change mindsets, I did not mean it. But you want to know exactly why he defended me so much? It was because he believed in me and Haven. He believed in us, he was willing to fight to protect us. I nearly defeated him in battle, something that is uncommon, if not rare." She chuckles a tiny.

"Impressive, is it not? You're lucky I didn't bail off and tear another NC to shreds. I see you've made upgrades to Phoenix, Red-Star does not fail to design. However, you..." She pauses and takes a quick breath. "You, on the other hand, are the worst design I've seen so far. You're giggling like a little schoolgirl, you should get back to kindergarten." The smile spreads across her face "Did you try and get to Terra because she likes me? Darlin, she's tougher than that, you should know this by now. A defector, known better by her new team rather than her old master. How humiliating it must be, right? Are you even a person, being born from a tube and so dumb? If I didn't know better, I'd call you a child, rolling around throwing a tantrum because you lost your forces and your victory. With that, I'm done with your childish attention seeking game." She turns on a dime and walks back to where she was, letting out a large exhale. "That felt good to do."

Adam watched the enemy commander gloat like a child with someone else's toy, playing with Alexander and taunting all of Haven. A weak play at best, and a catastrophic mistake at worst. Adam looked around the room, his subordinates staring in shock or disgust at the counterfeit-human's sadistic display. The man wearing a suit of combat armor, Cody, had turned to look at Terra, his helmet's field of view limited. His gaze turned towards Commander Theodore, shocked into inaction through his personal connection. Theodore would be unable to capitalize on this. Things fell into place in Adam's mind and he reached for his belt, lifting an antiquated radio to his mouth.

Both a boost to Haven's morale, and a massive blow to Red Star, all thanks to one cocky self-centered psychopath.

"Companion Adam to Team Exile, rebroadcast this on open frequency, wideband. I want all of Red Star to hear this. Over."
"This is Exile, we copy. Rebroadcasting on open channel, ETA seven seconds."

Adam's stare locked onto the hologram image of the enemy commander, playing in realtime. His radio crackled twice, a signal from his people. The predatory look in his eyes was plainly visible to everyone in the room, but he only had eyes for his target.

"This is Haven International Volunteer Battalion Field-Commander Adam Philips broadcasting on an open frequency. This message is addressed to Osamu Akiyama. No one in the last thousand years has made the mistake of negotiating during a hostage situation. You have provided Haven with no reason to trust you, and the fact that you are falling back on such tactics reveals your desperation and incompetence. Red Star, if the best commander you can put forward is a sadist that reveals troop strength deficiencies and wastes time with theatrics like this? You are unarguably pathetic. Over and out."

Without skipping a beat, Adam's finger released the button on the radio and he was addressing his team. "We have been afforded a massive opportunity thanks to our enemy's mistake. Primary objective is to repel the invading enemy force. Secondary objectives are as follows: Recover the Hostages, Recover captured allied asset Alexander, and capture or terminate enemy asset Osamu." His sharp gaze turned to Terra "Squad Leader Terra Laedo, you and your team are assigned to recover the Hostages. It appears the enemy commander forgot that vehicles can be physically disabled. Make sure your team brings a wide-band radio jammer to prevent a remote detonation. Take the center path, the other squads will cover your flanks and provide supporting fire."

Adam turned to the rest of the team, his voice carrying force and energy restrained by discipline. "Those of you not in Terra's squad, you will form two teams. Cody, Anna, Marianne and TABRIS will be the first team, and will take the North. Cody will take the role of squad leader. Advance carefully and do not overextend." Adam took a deep breath, his plan cemented in his mind. "Maria, Encarnación, Seamus. You are with me on the South route."

As he spoke, Adam pointed out starting positions and general paths the squads would be taking. "Each team is more than capable of handling an enemy NC attack, but the squads should be in close enough proximity for our pilots with long-range weaponry to provide fire-support. If the enemy tries to concentrate their NCs to attack a single squad, all squads will converge. If Osamu successfully takes control of an allied NC, you are to disable or restrain it immediately."

Haven Base plus Red-Star Floating Supercarrrier Kuei-Ren

Osamu grimaced, "How dare you. How could you? Kyexun Armati, or Amarati; whatever, do you not realize who you are talking to?! Win or lose, I can and will have my pound of flesh!"

Pressing another button of his holographic projector, Osamu caused Alexander's shock collar to spark anew, causing the young man to scream and twitch in pain once more, as the guards escorting him began to kick him strongly enough to hurt but not enough to break anything. Laughing maniacally again, Osamu had one unusual thought: Hibiki, surrender and live. I'll cover for you; I will focus attention on myself.

A glance at Julian, the captured Paragon Agent now brainwashed into one of their own. Osamu felt pity towards a third person for the first time; a realization that came too late for him. I am beyond redemption. My path in life was set ever since my father, my creator, was found out and killed.

Seeing that Adam had already closed off communications (after yet another sign of disregard for his threats), Osamu realized something: He was betraying Red-Star, and doing so for similar reasons as the others. For Hibiki, so he can be safe. A pause in his thoughts before they resumed with this statement, So the person literally mind-screwed to join us is the only truly loyal member of our NC Force.

Why was that? Why didn't Red-Star send a force of Comrade-Pilots to reinforce the Slave ones? Oh, wait, they did; that's who Haven's 'Third Fleet' had wiped out. The Havenite Third Fleet, a surprisingly battle-hardened force tempered in previous conflicts against Red-Star.

It was then that Theodore recovered his nerve. "Osamu Akiyama; Adam is right - You are an incompetent moron put in here only because of intrigues beyond my information-gathering skills. For what you did to my people - all of my people, you are going to pay. Now get out."

He then closed the holographic link for good, activating a jammer just in case Osamu attempted another hail. He then said to the team, "Begin deployment; you are already acquainted with the directions to the hangar. Once in your NCs; make for the Kinetic Barriers; I will deactivate them for a few seconds in order to give Haven's own artillery and missiles time to fire. Do not rush the Kinetic barriers at supersonic speed before I turn them off; we don't want any accidents. The Havenite Third Fleet will also be moving to engage the enemy in a surprise attack right now; pinning down their own logistics and supply craft and forcing them to split their forces."

A faint smile, "Coordination is essential in this battle; move out and I'll join you shortly."

------

The hangar of Haven Base was once again buzzing with activity, with TABRIS already freed from its makeshift scaffolding/restraints. It was time for the International Volunteers to get in their mechs and begin the final battle!

@AzenExile@FalloutJack@Metatrooper@Selvariabell@Senhara@Neozeon0083@ArmorPlated@Psychic Loser@Ubermensch:

Time had passed and developments had not gone well.

Well, her talk with Anna had. It allowed her to get the young woman up to speed, and to get to know each other a little, all while smoothing over a few issues there might have been, getting along with Kxeyun. Potentially, there could have been confusion between the two, since Kxeyun was an escapee from the Reality Games of Denver-Vegas and Anna didn't know that she was a prisoner. Even stranger had been the fact that Anna had wanted to be IN those games. Taking from what she knew about it from Kxeyun, Terra couldn't imagine any reason why Anna would want that, unless she was not being given the full picture of what it was like when she watched them. In the end, Terra was able to clear up confusion regarding Kxeyun's departure from Denver-Vegas and she had entrusted the woman with an important task, though she hoped that it would not become necessary.

When the broadcast from the Red-Star carrier began...THAT was when it all went bad.

Osamu had made contact, and stated that they had caught Alexander Sky spying for Haven. This had seemed like a transparent farce, at first, given what Alex had done. She use to know Alex, a while back, and he was nothing now like he was back then. Then, as the recording started, Terra had to suppress shock as it turned out they had proof, an actual testimony between him and...Kyeyun?! It was hard not to show surprise as her eyes darted from the pilot of Sahaquiel to this display of Alex revealing information he couldn't have gotten unwillingly, and Kxeyun acting very strangely for a moment, before starting to act normal again. It actually hurt a bit to hear that the trauma-sufferer questioned her loyalty at some point. She could understand how most people at Haven would think that she was a potential double-agent, at least at first. When she failed to do anything devious and was go for missions, Terra took that as a vote of confidence. She hadn't even pushed for it. She just figured it would happen eventually and that would close the matter. Apparently not, however. Kxeyun was, perhaps, her first friend outside of any acquaintence in Red-Star. She'd promised to help the Denver-Vegas woman get control of herself. Even after that...

Osamu capitalized on this, but Terra only stared at the floor as he exposed not only one wound...but two that she was trying to conceal. She expected this latter one about her parents, but with the distrust suddenly emerging from Kxeyun or whatever that was, Terra wasn't in the mood for banter at the moment. She'd kept the business of her family or even their real names out of it all, never mentioning them until she had spoken to Anna. She had done so because she suspected that Red-Star would make their move against her, and that it would leave her open, bloody and exposed, to all who watched. She'd asked Anna to do what snipers do best, for her sake, to show where all loyalties lie and make damn certain that nothing more can be done to her that hasn't been done already.

Her suddenly grim composure didn't change when Alex protested Osamu's actions, but...deep inside, she was just slightly-pleased to hear him taking a stand instead of being the domino waiting to fall, as he had been when she first met him. Even still, this wasn't good. Alex wasn't her enemy, but her ally, and now she couldn't kill him for doing what he did to Kxeyun, because...he'd actually tried to straighten her out and he was just a man in a cage now. Had everyone she ever sowed the seeds of descension been put through hell now? Even the boy she'd known when she was ten? It seemed like she was responsible for as much suffering as Red-Star, but in a twisted and backwards sort of way.

Dammit, it wasn't suppose to be this way. I had cut ties, left it all behind so I could dedicate time and effort to those who must succeed. I sabotaged Red-Star in every little way I could think of while they thought I was on their side, destroyed everything I could, but all the people I changed... Did they all turn out thinking as I do, but a mere slave to orders as Hisako was? Alex had to become the enemy just to cover that he was a friend, and now even HE is going to suffer. I wanted to avoid this kind of connection in the wat, but it seems I can't do that at all...

When Osamu then began sabotaging his own apparent sabotage of the trust around her regarding all the defectors, Terra glared at the holo-display of the artificial human with a look that could only be described as 'What the fuck?'. Seriously, what was he playing at, now? If he wanted to inflict maximum pain, he'd already done it, since - like Dread's own scorched earth policy in dealing with Haven - it had done damage that no among of mech combat will fix. It was a severe setback. Now, though...what was he up to? He was revealing Alex's NC, clearly being used by another, and then...and then...

And then, Terra's worst fears were confirmed.

She had always known that if she left Red-Star, the lives of her parents were forfeit. She had spent years coming to terms with that, because she could think of no way to save them that would not endanger her ability to leave. Id had only room in its cockpit for one person, and it was calibrated for her endurance levels, besides. Her escape would never have been able to take place if she had not left them behind, with no attempt to explain and no prior indicators. Red-Star had been watching her like a hawk. Her mother and father had been at the mercy of the people who augmented her shortly after birth, and she had hoped that they had simply killed them, but...that was not the case.

No, because apparently strapping them into a pair of heavily-armored support-fire weapons were a much better fate. It became harder and harder for Terra to retain some semblance of her composure as Osamu offered Alexander in exchange for the life of her parents. He wasn't offering. He was entrapping. He knew that she would still never return to Red-Star, even at the cost of their lives, but he was making them a direct part of the war, and enticing them to kill her parents in order to free Alex...who was valuable and even potentially her friend. This...was an attack. It was a direct assault on her, making her pay for everything. Had they known all along that she had altered those people while she was still theirs? Had they just wanted to see what would happen, then stir up the bee's nest for the same reason? Terra's shoulders slumped. Osamu had indeed made this hurt as much as possible. Even if he didn't know how she and Alex were connected, he had forced her into 'The Deadly Villain Choice', and he already knew which one she would choose.

The people in the room finally reacted now. Anna told the others she was taking out the artillery guns. The way she said it, it sounded like she was doing it not for tactical reasons, but because Terra had asked. That was good, because this was exactly the sort of thing he needed her for. Another pilot was all for killing Osamu directly, which was kind of a sentiment that Terra could get behind, if he was even reachable. In the midst of this, Terra had heard Kxeyun muttering about the whole ordeal. She'd been about as confused as everyone else about the exchange, and the way she spoke at the end of the recording said that something had temporarily hijacked her mind or that even her mental condition was even stranger than imagined. In that moment, Terra was certain that the Kxeyun talking now was not what spoke from Sahaquiel, and that this was the same woman who now seemed to agree that rescue was a secondary...

Rescue?

Terra looked at her. Even though she said 'secondary', Kxeyun even considered it? No, it was impossible... Now, Kxeyun was directly bad-mouthing Osamu. Trying to throw him off of his game? Perhaps. Kxeyun's words felt like an apology. 'I did not mean it.', about how her curious other self had spoken with Alex. She was the same dedicated Denver-Vegas pilot, taking a stand. It made Terra feel a bit better than before. However, things changed after Adam Philips spoke. He publically denounced Osamu - which was fine - but then he turned to Terra directly...with orders. He was the Field Captain, second only to Commander Narra. He said to... No... This time, surprise was on her face, couldn't be hidden, because he blatantly told her to rescue her parents.

She felt happy- NO, THIS IS WRONG! YOU HAVE TO END THEIR SUFFERING! But if he wants them alive, then he trusts- WHAT ABOUT ALEX? THEY TRUSTED HIM TOO! But if her parents were safe- IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! ADAM DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY OPERATE! It's a direct order- HE IS WRONG! LET ANNA TAKE THE SHOT! They were making her choose between two very important lives- ALEX IS MORE IMPORTANT. Can't they take them both, if Adam was telling her to go on this rescue- THEY WILL KILL ALEX ON THE SPOT. They out-numbered them, though. THEY STILL HOLD THE CARDS THAT MATTER. THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THAT.

Terra was about to speak out against the captain's decision, to remind him of why the situation wasn't as simple as he thought, but a hand gripped her shoulder from behind. It was Hisako, who had been cleared for battle, but remained silent up until this time.

"You were about to remind him about on-board triggers, weren't you?"

"Of course I was. The entire thing could blow up in our faces if we so much as scratch the plating. You know how they operate. No, more than that. You know they won't make the same mistake with you or me. They will have made sure the prisoner can't escape."

"It's not a problem. The way we'll be jamming the system, they'll be barely able to aim, much less react to what we're doing."

"Hisako, you know as well as I do that there could be redundant equipment for detecting surges, vibrations, and so forth that are out of line. You would have to know where to cut and how precisely to cut just to keep the detonators from reacting to such an attempt."

At this, the other Red-Star defector smiled.

"Did I ever get around to telling you how Grand Sword Star can scan the entire spectrum in order to map out an enemy's schematics, determine its weaknesses, and outline the best form of attack? Or that my sword can cut through armor and electronics like it's soft butter?"

Terra just stared. It could work.

I may have to give you what you want of me, after all, Hisako.

She hadn't even considered the equipment aboard GSS. The unique sensors could get every detail of the tank machines and disable any part of it, yes even surgically. She will have been trained for similar situations. Terra had saved Hisako Kobayashi from a life of pain and misery...and now she could pay back the favor, yet Terra would still feel as though she were in her debt. Strange... Terra now faced the both off them, pushing back the ambivalant weirdness in her mind to allow herself a smile.

"I'd abandoned hope of getting what I want without supreme sacrifice. Kxeyun, thank you for believing in me. And Hisako, thank you for this. Let's go get all of our equipment set up. We all need wide-range jammers, not just my comm system, and we all need direct-wire communications, just in case. Hisako, you must complete your scan before we engage the armored cannons and begin jamming. I have no idea what effect it has on your equipment. Come on. We have work to do."

Seamus was confident in dealing with aquatic settings. One snippet he learned about terrain is that it could make it or break it for battle. Tundra and water can help with keeping the NC cool. Fomorian benefited heavily from good placement too. What helps is that with heavy weapons, he could vary his ranges. The emergency melee weapon could help too if they get too close.

But good luck is needed for the enemies getting there. This is going to be a tough and decisive battle, but that's something his determination, bolstered will, and the luck of the Irish can easily handle. Hopefully his allies won't call him a leprechaun if it does happen. Fertilizer wasn't required...this time. Following his fellow squad-mates, the queen included, he sang a rebel song of his people.



Whenever and wherever he was deployed, he was ready to provide bombardments on enemy NC pilots. Vehicles were easy pickings in comparison from what he experienced. But NCs can provide quite a wallop. After all, they were a horse of a different color that needed different treatment. But Seamus was done with ruminating on his past engagements and thought he should boost morale with his rebel songs. As soon as he would be deployed with Fomorian, he radioed to Encarnación and the rest of his squad-mates, "Readying my weapons for engagement. I'll show them what the fighting Irish can do!"

Haven Base plus Red-Star Floating Supercarrrier Kuei-Ren

Once they flew or charged out of the hangar, the International Volunteers were in a position to notice that Red-Star was retreating out of the city through the Kinetic Shields; it was clear that as their first assault had failed, the enemy's vanguard was cut off from the rest of their forces for now.

"All right, people!" Theodore's voice boomed out of the comms as his large and elaborate mech; a humanoid figure in an orb surrounded by concentric rings hovered from behind them. "I'm blinking off the Kinetic Shields in five minutes! Time to coordinate!"

A countdown appeared in their cockpits' screens, although those with higher Sync would also see said countdown at the edge of their vision.

If they followed said countdown and kept going towards the Kinetic Barriers, sure enough, the latter would shut down as the countdown turned 'Zero', and a volley of Havenite Artillery shells would fire at the retreating Red-Star troopers, as well as their fleet. Said fleet, composed of numerous hovering cruisers, transports, and support craft, turned their guns and missiles at the city of Darwin...

...Only to be met with railgun fire at their flank as the Havenite Third Fleet, led by the Light NC Carrier Khalid-ibn-Walid* (one of the flagships of the Havenite People's Protection Units), zoomed in close, charging to a near-point-blank range at the enemy Flotilla's left side. Their own complement of NCs shadowed this advance, making it possible by shredding the Red-Star flotilla's heavy projectiles with their own ordnance or projecting shields that nullified their energy weapons.

As the International Volunteers reached the coast of Darwin with their Mechs, they'd find a hovering cruiser** just off the shore, firing missiles at the restored Kinetic Barriers that protected Darwin. Said cruiser was close enough for the Mechs to reach through wading, as well as the guns of their ranged weapons. But Theodore, whose NC had gotten through the barriers' area before they reactivated, had another idea.

"All right, people!" he said, "Those NCs without long-range capabilities or flight systems, board that Cruiser's deck and disable its missiles; it's large enough to use as a platform! Chelsea, please make sure that the crew fails at blowing it up or otherwise scuttling it!"

*tinypic.com/r/2ltssr4/9

**tinypic.com/r/15xpb0x/9

@AzenExile@FalloutJack@Metatrooper@Selvariabell@Senhara@Neozeon0083@ArmorPlated@Psychic Loser@Ubermensch:

Seeing Adam verbally obliterate Osamu in front of both Haven and Red-star seemed oddly satisfying to Cody, though he didn't really know why. He was starting to like the new Field-captain, he acted much more professionally, and Cody respected that. While Adam briefed them on the battle plans, he mentions pilot Marianne as part of Cody's team. He recognizes the name as the name of the woman he met earlier, the one who stepped in and tried to defuse the situation between him and Trillanes. She gave a good impression at least, hopefully she was competent in the battlefield as well. His attention now turned back to the display to see Osamu seemingly screaming angrily, apparently unaware that the communications had been cut. He looked down at the ground as Alexander was electrocuted and then beaten again. If someone were to look at him, they could probably sense a feeling of uneasiness from him, and they wouldn't be wrong. After the link had been closed, and the briefing was over, Cody turned back to the exit and started making his way to the hangar, talking or even interacting with anyone along the way. He was taking the time to quickly read up on his new squad member, Marianne, viewing her pilot information and information about her NC. As he arrived in the hangar, he tapped into a private communications link between him and his squad, and sent a message, hoping that all of them would hear and respond quickly. "Greetings to all of you, this is your squad leader pilot Cody Ang speaking. We will be deploying soon, and I would like to remind you all that coordinaton and cooperation will be essential during the mission. Is everyone ready?". It's been a long time since he had someone else under his command, he hoped that he would be capable enough to pull through.

Adam stepped into the cockpit of All Nerves, others had already brought their NCs online despite his brisk pace. He looked down to the floor of his NC's bay, the black case resting on the ground, ready to be picked up. He turned to the darkness of his NC's cockpit and wordlessly entered, the internal lights responding to his arrival by casting their light over the spartan cockpit. There was no doubt what this NC would demand. He sat in the cramped seat as the cockpit re-sealed with the hiss of pressurization and reached back, wrapping his hands around a single thick cable. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Adam pressed the Link to the contact at the base of his skull and felt the connection. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind. In the silence of his cockpit he relaxed, his limbs going slack even as the pilot harness closed around him.

NEURAL COMBATANT PILOT INTERFACE v1.7.36

Pre-Sortie Check:

Physical Link: Neural Link:
CONFIRMED CONFIRMED

Sync Rate: Structural Integrity: Reactor Output:
100% 100% 100%

NavSat Link: Location Data
LOST Map File Found

Connecting...

Adam barely noticed the change in his senses, his body denied it's natural connection to his brain as All Nerves took control of everything it touched. It was like ice in his head, an unnatural calm and clarity infusing him. He felt memories bubble to the surface, only to be whisked away. He opened his eyes, and saw the catwalk finish retracting. He reached down and felt his hands touch the floor, the case. He felt along the package for the handles and, grasping his cargo, stood in his bay.

"NC All Nerves, leaving the hangar."
Before his voice even finished echoing through the hangar, the NC was marching out of it's bay and down the line painted on the floor. All Nerves's footsteps beat a war-drum's steady rhythm upon the floor of the hangar, a machine of war calling it's brothers and sisters to their purpose.