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 [i]know[/i] 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 [i]proof[/i], 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 [i]whatever[/i] 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 [i]until[/i] 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. [color=ed1c24][i]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...[/i][/color] 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 [i]hawk[/i]. 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 [i]apparently[/i] strapping them into a pair of heavily-armored support-fire weapons were a [i]much better[/i] 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 [i]entrapping[/i]. He knew that she would [i]still[/i] 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... [i][color=ed1c24]Rescue?[/color][/i] 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- [i][color=ed1c24]NO, THIS IS WRONG! YOU HAVE TO END THEIR SUFFERING![/color][/i] But if he wants them alive, then he trusts- [i][color=ed1c24]WHAT ABOUT ALEX? THEY TRUSTED HIM TOO![/color][/i] But if her parents were safe- [i][color=ed1c24]IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! ADAM DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY OPERATE![/color][/i] It's a direct order- [i][color=ed1c24]HE IS WRONG! LET ANNA TAKE THE SHOT![/color][/i] They were making her choose between two very important lives- [i][color=ed1c24]ALEX IS MORE IMPORTANT.[/color][/i] Can't they take them both, if Adam was telling her to go on this rescue- [i][color=ed1c24]THEY WILL KILL ALEX ON THE SPOT.[/color][/i] They out-numbered them, though. [i][color=ed1c24]THEY STILL HOLD THE CARDS THAT MATTER. THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THAT.[/color][/i] 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. [color=00a651]"You were about to remind him about on-board triggers, weren't you?"[/color] [color=ed1c24]"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 [i]made sure[/i] the prisoner can't escape."[/color] [color=00a651]"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."[/color] [color=ed1c24]"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."[/color] At this, the other Red-Star defector [i]smiled[/i]. [color=00a651]"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?"[/color] Terra just [i]stared[/i]. It could work. [i][color=ed1c24]I may have to give you what you want of me, after all, Hisako.[/color][/i] She hadn't even [i]considered[/i] the equipment aboard GSS. The unique sensors could get every detail of the tank machines and disable any part of it, yes even [i]surgically[/i]. 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. [color=ed1c24]"I'd abandoned hope of getting what I want without supreme sacrifice. Kxeyun, thank you for believing in me. And Hisako, thank you for [i]this[/i]. 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."[/color]