Day 1: July 7, 2062 | 2024 Hours | Base S09 Debriefing Room

After a long day of touring the base and going over piles of paperwork, Juno's first day as commander of Base S09 was coming to an end. She stood quietly next to Kalina while all the T-Dolls on the base made their way into the debriefing room for her introduction. The room wasn't particularly big and only meant to fit three echelons comfortably. So, the seats were placed tightly next to each other to make sure all thirty-two dolls could fit in the room. Seeing the growing crowd before her, Juno bit the bottom of her lip.

Kalina leaned over to her and whispered. "Bite down any harder, and you'll hurt your lip."

Juno relaxed her jaw and took a deep breath to help ease her anxiety. "Sorry. I'm just a bit nervous."

"Awww, the Commander is nervous?" Kalina cracked her knuckles. "Do you want a massage to help you relax?"

"No, I'm fine," Juno said without shifting her attention to the adjutant.

"You sure? From my experience, loosening up helps ease the nerves quite a bit."

"I said, I'm fine." Irritation lined Juno's voice.

Kalina noticed her irritation and lowered her hands. "W-Well, I think everyone is here, Commander. I'll settle them down and then hand it over to you."

The adjutant walked up and started to grab everyone's attention. As she spoke to them, Juno looked at the dolls sitting in the room with her. Everyone in front of her was going to depend on her, and she was going to be taking care of all of them.

During her time in the academy, Juno didn't hesitate to sacrifice T-Dolls when she had to do combat simulations. It was hard to develop any attachment to bits of data in a simulation. After World War III, countries around the world turned to T-Dolls to fight so humans wouldn't have to die on the battlefield. That sentiment comforted her throughout her training. She didn't worry about how T-Dolls felt because they were nothing but killing machines with their sole purpose being to live and die on the battlefield. So, she felt it was going to be easy to take command.

But now it was different. Even though at the end of the day, dolls are bits of data in an artificially made construct, her encounters with Grizzly, MP40, G36, Springfield, and even the conversation with M16 made her see that they were just like her. They had distinct personalities and lives outside of the battlefield. They seemed so… human, and it terrified her.

"Now, if the Commander could step forward and introduce herself." Kalina moved aside to let Juno come to the front.

Clearing her throat, Juno placed herself closer to the crowd and began her introduction. "Hello everyone. I am Commander Juno Itsuki. Now I know everyone has been sitting around doing busywork for the past few weeks, but that will all be changing now that I am here. Mr. Kryuger and Miss Helian expect operations to begin by the end of next week. I will be arranging echelons starting tomorrow. If you have any requests, please relay them to Miss Kalina, and I will do my best to fulfill them. I will also be setting up a training routine for everyone on base to prepare for our operations. You can expect them to be handed out by the end of tomorrow. I look forward to working with all of you in our fight against Sangvis Ferri. We have a busy week ahead of us, so I expect everyone to be working, is that clear?"

"Yes, Commander!" All the T-Dolls answered back.

"Good. Then you're all dismissed."

Once Juno's introduction concluded, the T-Dolls all returned to their own devices. Most of them followed Springfield to the dining hall for something to eat, while a few stayed behind chatting amongst themselves.

Kalina scooted her way next to Juno. "Good speech, Commander."

"Thank you, Miss Kalina."

"So, you want to grab a drink and some food at the bar?" Kalina asked.

"I'm not hungry. Besides, I still have some paperwork to sort through."

"C'mon, Commander! After a long day like today, there's no way you're not hungry." Kalina was about to grab Juno's hand, but she quickly moved it away, "What? Handholding too lewd for ya?"

"Miss Kalina." Juno made sure her voice wasn't too loud since there were still some T-Dolls in the room with them. "I find your behavior quite inappropriate. I'm not your friend nor am I looking to become one. I'm your superior officer, and I expect you to treat me as such, is that understood?"

"Y-Yes, Ma'am." Kalina spoke quietly. Her peppy demeanor gone without a trace.

Seeing the cheery adjutant so dejected made Juno feel bad for what she said. However, in her eyes, it was necessary to keep herself at a distance from those under her command. "Now if you need anything, I'll be in my room."

2128 Hours | The Commander's Room

Juno's violet eyes emptily stared out the living room window. Darkness surrounded her, but her pale skin shimmered under the moonlight coming through the window, giving her an otherworldly appearance. On quiet nights like this, she could hear a small voice calling out, not to her, but to someone else.

Mommy… Daddy… Anyone…

A knock on the door disturbed the quiet and still atmosphere. She turned around to face the door. "Come in."

The door slid open to reveal Kalina carrying a tray of food. "Hello, Commander. I brought you dinner."

"I thought I told you I wasn't hungry," Juno said.

"Tell that to G36." Kalina placed the tray on the dining table. "Didn't you say you were going to do some paperwork?"

"I did."

"Then why is it dark?" Kalina walked over to the light switch and flicked it on.

Juno's eyes squinted behind her glasses before adjusting to the light. "I haven't started yet."

"It's been twenty minutes since you came in here." Kalina pointed out in the access log next to the door.

"I was just… thinking." Juno removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

Kalina stood across from her, and once Juno's hands no longer covered them, the adjutant noticed a pained look in her eyes. "Are you… ok, Commander?"

"No…" Juno's voice trailed off, "Just tired that's all."

The answer did little to convince Kalina. "Commander, can I tell you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"I'm fully aware that it can come across otherwise, but I do take my job seriously, and one of my duties as adjutant is to support you, whether it be on official business or on more personal matters." Kalina told her.

A brief silence grew between the two before Juno looked Kalina in the eye. "May I ask you a question, Miss Kalina?"

Kalina nodded. "Of course, Commander."

"Why do you act the way you do around me?"

Kalina stood quietly as she thought of an answer. "I think it's because we're around the same age, I feel more comfortable being myself and stuff."

"I'm going to be honest with you, Miss Kalina." Juno looked out window again. "While I care about everyone under my command, I prefer to maintain a professional relationship with those I work with."

"I understand, Commander."

"Do you know why?"

"Because you're our superior officer." Kalina answered.

Juno slightly shook her head as she pressed her right hand against the cold glass. "Emotional attachments are a weakness that can be exploited by the enemy. I can't afford to become emotionally compromised when leading an operation. I must be able to make the hard choices if the time comes."

Kalina felt like there was more to Juno's motives. "It's not just that is it? I mean, unless you isolate yourself, it'd be impossible not to develop some sort of attachment. That's what makes us human. We become attached to those we care about."

Juno didn't respond and chose to remain silent. The adjutant slowly approached from behind and could still see from the reflection that the pain remained in Juno's eyes. Sure, Kalina could look up Juno's past in Griffin's database, but she didn't want to learn who the Commander was from a sheet of paper. Kalina wanted to hear it from her.

She reached for Juno's left hand and much to her surprise Juno allowed her to gently hold it. "Listen, Commander. If you need someone to talk to, I'll be right here."

Juno turned around and looked at the hand Kalina held. A faint smiled could be seen on her face. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Well, you better eat up before G36 comes in and feeds you herself." Kalina giggled as she let go of Juno's hand. "I'm going to head to the bar. M16 owes me a couple of drinks."

Juno nodded. "We still have work tomorrow. So, don't drink too much. That's an order."

"You got it, Ma'am."

"One more thing." Juno said before Kalina could leave. "I apologize for what I said earlier."

"It's alright. My behavior has been inappropriate, and I promise to make it up to you."

"It's fine. All I ask is to tone down the casual attitude a little bit."

"Of course." Kalina nodded with a smile, "You have a good night."

Juno waved goodbye. "You too."