Chaos has broken out at the Chateau. We’re under attack by what I assume are the Prime Minister’s allies. This time it’s not just Phalanx but other Castirian military forces. It’s unclear how widespread this is at the moment, but I’m willing to bet that this will be known as the start of the second Castirian civil war. I’ll let historians decide the starting date later; for now, our top priority is keeping the base safe, and that starts with getting Victor out of confinement.

I didn’t think it would get more chaotic than a civil war, but I should know better by now. Mercury manifested in Captain’s body outside a mech and was in fits of something beyond mania. It was like they couldn’t control their flesh-based vessel. Considering the nature of the mechs they had previously piloted and considered their body, that isn’t too surprising. Their screams while they tried to figure out what was happening were truly haunting. Whatever Judgement did during our fight with it seems to have broken the compartmentalisation system Project White Snake put into Victor’s brain because the De-Association code phrase didn’t work and only made Mercury more panicked.

Mercury wasn’t consistently in control of the body either, which likely added to the stress. Both personas seemed to be fighting for control and asked different things of us. Mercury called out for Instinct, while Victor asked for Gospel in the short gasps he was present for. I thought Mercury meant HPE Instinct, but Vuelo told me it’s also a feature of the Goblin. Regardless, we placed Captain in his GMS and that gave full control back to him. Victor asked 02 for complete trust between all of us, and not following his request felt like a betrayal of that trust we’re trying to build.

Mercury, forgive me for choosing Victor over you. What a cruel joke it is that you came back to us now of all times. I wanted desperately to see my friend again, but the last time I let my emotions cloud my judgement, innocent people died. We needed someone who understood the stakes at play, and that wasn’t you, especially in your panicked state and fleshy form.

I hope I can see you again and explain what happened. Once this has settled, you can ask me all the questions you want, and I will answer them all. You can call me Ithiki, Philosopher, Maxwell, or even traitor. I will respond to any of them. But we need to survive this first.

Vuelo’s new mech feels almost bestial to me. Seeing it in action made me both understand the weight he’s been carrying on a deeper level, and also more concerned for his wellbeing than ever. So much of our time in 02 has been spent fighting his fellow countrymen and union members. And now, he doesn’t get to come home to Elena. Any man going through those trials and tribulations would be suffering. I, and the rest of the team, will have to support him however best we can. Both on and off the field.

Seeing death on the battlefield is getting easier. Not sure how I feel about that, except that I’m glad I’m at least experiencing that feeling still. Just like Victor said about rage, if anyone should be involed in taking another's life, it should be the ones who will think about it after. I think the day I stop noticing a death and it stops impacting me, will be the day my last bastion of innocence is lost.