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"I think so," Isaac murmured back. "Magus-General Simpson isn't known for his mistreatment of prisoners."
Glad to have someone standing with him, Isaac relaxed just a bit.

Cassandra, not exactly adept enough to recognize the fact she was being hit on, could think of no objection to such a thing. Maybe it would keep her busy. "Yeah, I guess I could do that," she told Ty. "I... have very little sense of direction, I was just planning on wandering, maybe you can find something."

"Should've left him to die..." Rose muttered.

"Rose. Control yourself," Camille snapped. She then addressed Isaac. "You can't be an active part of it, but you...."

"No. They can't be there. They can't view it," Rose interrupted. She dragged Sai along; Camille shook her head.

"Sorry, I guess," she said with a sigh, winking at Isaac and tapping Triton. CL_Triton smiled and walked with them.

GN_Triton emerged from the ship minutes later. "This way."

GN_Triton led Isaac and Carlyle to the primary government building, a huge cylinder at the center of all the city's natural growth. "In here is an observation deck," Triton explained, leading them to a door, "From which you may watch all while remaining unseen.

Carlyle followed; they sat at a bank of monitors that appeared to be recording everything - full color, naturally - inside from several angles.

Joe, in his mana-channeling battle armor - silver with golden edges, with all designs radiating from the mana battery at the center - was unmistakable. The armor was almost as famous as the man wearing it or the sword at his side. The only oddity in his near-archetypal roguish good looks came in the form of a left eye perpetually aflame, providing the room with a light source that easily surpassed the fluorescent lamps on the ceiling.

Paul followed in after; the Director of Operations was a figure almost as respected as he was feared. It was well known that his secretary was hired almost solely so he could take time off to personally hunt down anyone who threatened his wife or children. His secretary had been on vacation for six years so far. His face was more rugged than Joe's, a look enhanced by a scar that twisted up along his jaw, across his cheek, and up through the eye socket, continuing until the middle of his forehead. The eye within looked perfectly like his left eye but it was well-known to be artificial - biomanced. He wore a black tank top and camouflage print pants. He had decided, in his unique manner, to bring his favorite rifle - the cyNet3 Athena LT-9 - to the interrogation. Rose stood behind them, white skin beneath white robes matching her hair, which was now pure white. Her youthful face was marred by her fierce scowl.

"Look at her face, I think we have to be more worried about Rose hurting Dremmeur than Joe. The Director might too, look at that gun. That is a beautiful gun...." Carlyle whispered back.

"Everyone knows about the Battle for Beij-"

"Dremmeur Sai," Joe read off a piece of paper as two guards roughly shoved him into a chair, leaving as the chair's thaumaturgy activated to bind him. Isaac and Carlyle fell silent.

"Aye."

"Leader of the Outlander Secession."

"Aye. Joe-"

"Agent of the Outlander Confederation."

"Joe, enough of this. You know who I am. You know me. And you know the decision I made was righ-"

"Activator of the Lucifex Bomb on board the-"

"Enough! Joe, why are you doing this?"

"You betrayed us, Sai."

"You knew better than to try and stop us."

"We had to," Paul cut in. "We need the angels."

"Do you?" Sai shot back. "They give you a couple of Angelships and go on psychotic, genocidal rampages. Joe, you did the right thing at Beijing. Why do you let them do this?"

"Sai, we have to do what is right for the most people. We need the angels on our side to ever liberate the people of Tyrg, the downtrodden masses of the Coalition, the-"

"Oh please. What about your own? The angels make anyone who shouts a little too much stay quiet forever. We have a term for them, you know. Silencer Squads. The SS."

"The Angels are extreme, yes. But without the strength that they bring, the Coven's justice would not be able to reach the people! They are a... necessary evil." He looked down at the end.

"General, I want you to look me in the eye and call them a necessary evil. Tell me how the overzealous lunatics who were making plans for the genocide of your allies behind your back are a necessary evil." Sai stared at him. "Can you do it?"

Joe stared at the table, at his shoes, at his hands, at Paul's scars or Rose's scars or lights or anything that wasn't Dremmeur Sai.

"Tell me how the goddamn lunatics who attacked me when I announced that I wanted us to peacefully secede are a necessary evil! You think I wanted to use a Lucifex bomb!? I hate those things! I've lost so many of my friends to goddamn Lucifex, I... I...." Tears began streaming down his face. "Damn it, Joe... I can't sleep some nights thinking about... about what happened to Cyrus... knowing I was responsible for it... why did it have to be this way? Why?"

Joe stared at his feet as he slowly stood, pushed his chair back, and walked out. Only Isaac and Carlyle saw the look of pain on his face.

"Do not act like the victim of that incident, Sai. Do not," Rose hissed dangerously. "You got out and I lost the man who meant more to me than anything else in the world."

"Rose, they attacked me."

"You used a Lucifex bomb!" she screeched, slamming her fist to the table.

"I knew they could kill it, I never realized... never thought... no Demon Hunter had ever before sealed a Lucifex. I didn't know what it would do to him!"

"You never cared!"

"Bullshit! I-"

"ENOUGH!" Paul roared over them. "Sai, what did you find out that you wanted to tell us?" he continued in the silence. He never once rose to his feet.

"A Masker. And Madison Grey. Commanding a Tyrgani ship. Bad s**t is going on and your precious angels won't be enough to stop it."

"What makes you say that?"

"Something is at work behind the scenes here. The angels refuse to fight it directly, they just delay, and delaying forever will not work against... against whatever it is."

"Can we just execute him?" Rose asked, her rage barely kept in check.

A moment's hesitation, then: "No. We can't."

"We'll keep him in custody and-"

"Send him back," Joe commanded. He was standing in the doorway.

"What- We can't-" Paul barely knew how to react.

"We are."

"Why? What are we trading him for?"

"For our honor. Come on." He snapped his fingers and the chair released Sai.

Isaac sighed. "I feel...I feel like we should be down there...defending him...I mean, he did help us. He was atoning, right? That's what that was..."