While Cadet deals with Jodie in the forest… Terra makes an entry in her diary.
As we approach the onset of a campaign I have been planning since I first discovered my superiors’ betrayal, I am beginning to feel a certain reluctance. I sit here in a peaceful cabin surrounded by forest and I wish fervently that I did not have to do what I must do. Those I honored, served, and above all, trusted, took my body as their own and removed tissue to create what they believed to be perfect soldiers. Of all those created, I have recovered but one, and she is wounded in mind and heart.
It is so strange to look into her eyes and see myself somehow incarnate, but without the benefit of the love and care which I was given as a girl. I do not know what male part went into her, but I see the parts which came from me, twisted by cruel fate. I wish I could undo all that has been done, but it is too late for that. All I can do now is help her to adjust. One day, perhaps she will be happy. For the moment, all I can offer her is a form of revenge in helping to free the last of our line.
Securing freedom for the last soul trapped by the manipulation of my genes is important to both her and I, but I cannot forget that it could come with a price much higher than I would like.
Cadet is of most concern to me. I have seen many young soldiers go to war. It’s true that tens of thousands have come to maturity on the battlefield. For reasons I cannot entirely explain, I am reluctant to expose her to the worst of what is to come. She has taken to her training well, though her natural empathy and sense of fairness continues to cause her trouble.
How can I best describe her? Continue reading →