Welcome to FNG I! A few days after Operation Uproot's success/failure, the base has been repaired to a more acceptable state, a new Doll arrives at Station 794, and two sisters reunite, but Ian's mind is preoccupied by the results of Uproot, as well as Scarecrow's words concerning the ever-mysterious M4A1.

I originally planned on taking a break to work on Origin Story but I ended up getting a head of steam for this story after Operation Uproot. Concerning the RPG-43 AK threw last chapter, the grenade has to hit the tank's armor just right to blow up or it'll bounce off, and as it wasn't aimed at a tank, she had to shoot at it so it blew up just right, which gave me the perfect opportunity to introduce her Strike Focus skill.

Finally, I want to do a spin-off set in the Griffin academy days, but that'll take a bit (and permission to use Hsu and Itsuki from their respective fics), plus I'm already trying to do the GFL WW3 fic, so I keep biting off more than I can chew.

Anyways, please enjoy this chapter, everyone!

(To the guy who said my story was cringe just because it was too lighthearted for him, I would both prefer a proper review on why this story is unsatisfactory and Beginning is meant to be like a better-written first six game chapters. If you want a grim war story, the upcoming GFL War should satisfy your taste.)

Station 794, Sector 09

Ukraine, Neo-Soviet Union

July 10, 2062

(Journal Entry)

Whelp, I have officially been a Commander of Griffin and Kryuger for an entire week.

So... to sum everything up since my last entry in this thing, two new Dolls arrived at the base, including the Skorpion I helped save, M1895 got a new body, then we were sent to eliminate the Sangvis bitch, a Ringleader unit named SP65 Scarecrow, that tortured Skorpion in a mission called Operation Uproot. We beat her, but at the cost of FN-49 nearly dying to a fucking Jaeger, and me having to tell an arrogant Terminator-wannabe about my service record just to make her shut up, which I hate doing, because who the fuck wants to be proud of killing a bunch of people?

And about the Jaegers? God, they're like the Japanized versions of those Jackal Snipers from Halo 2, they're so bad to deal with.

Anyways, turns out Scarecrow was indeed after M4A1, and she sent her coordinates to a Doll named Executioner before she gave herself a Viking Funeral. Or rather, she enacted the Cole Protocol. Fortunately, MP5 was able to shield them before the bitch exploded, because even if they can come back, I'm not gonna let them die if I can help it.

In the end, Helian's investigation was put to square one and Sangvis knows where M4A1 is, but unfortunately, she won't give me any jobs to help her out, probably because I lack clearance to know the finer details, or a more experienced Commander is needed.

Once again, fuck red tape.

After getting a hefty sum of rubles and getting our construction supplies, we spent the last three days busting our ass repairing the base, and now, while it still isn't back to its former glory, it's actually a base now, and not some ruin we called a base. Also, M1911, her team, and Kalina were so happy when I gave them beds and a computer, respectively, I thought they'd kill me from how tightly they hugged me. Finally, that new Doll's coming here today, and Grizzly's coming here, too.

Okay, it's time to end this entry, because it's getting too long.

Commander Ian Becker

Yawning loudly, Ian sat up from his bed, rubbing his eyes as he roused himself from his slumber. He had avoided having any nightmares the previous night, and as such, he had gotten good sleep for once, which was especially needed after all the hard work he and his subordinates put into refurbishing their base.

Well, the end result is worth it, at least. he told himself as he tried to pull his blanket off— only to feel a heavy weight keep it in place.

"What the...?" he trailed off when he laid eyes on a certain short blonde on his bed, her jacket, tie, gloves, skirt, and legwear discarded in favor of a sleeveless button-up shirt and black sleeping shorts, the top two buttons undone and giving him a little peek at her considerable assets.

Looking away from the sight with slightly reddened cheeks and a raised brow, he settled for poking the cute Doll's cheek and chuckled when she awakened, her blue eyes slowly opening as they focused themselves, then landed on his own green eyes.

"Uh, good morning, Commander!" M1911 told him cheerily, hugging him tightly, but not as tightly as when he got her a new bed or when he saw her again an hour after the explosion he feared had killed her occurred.

"Mornin', 1911. What are you doing in my bed? I did get you one, you know." he said, pushing the blanket off of him.

"Well, you see, uh... the day after the operation, Kalina told me you were having nightmares about losing us, so I decided to keep you company and try to stop you from having those bad dreams, you know?"

A blush had creeped up M1911's face, which incidentally made her look cuter than normal, and she averted her gaze momentarily before she looked back at him.

"Oh, in case you were worried, I didn't do anything uh, scandalous to you."

Ian merely chuckled in response, affectionately patting the blonde's fluffy head with his hand. He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't do such a thing to him. Even then, they were only friends.

"H-Hey..." she said embarrassedly, although her tone was amused.

"Come on, this isn't too bad compared to the other things I could do~" he teased. "In any case, you ready to go to work, 1911?"

The HG nodded enthusiastically, snagging her clothes from a spot in his room to put them on, causing him to look away respectfully as she changed, and go for his own clothes, which he had laid out on his bedside table.

For a minute, only the sound of fabric slipping onto skin could be heard, with the Commander only then realizing what his main work for today was: doing the paperwork that had built up from six days' worth of operations and base repairs.

"Son of a bitch."

"What is it, Commander?" M1911 asked, slipping her dark blue coat on.

"I forgot about the paperwork from the last few days, and it's all built up now." he groaned, attempting to tie his necktie but failing. Fortunately, the Doll that slept in his bed had noticed, her still-ungloved hands going for the garment.

"Here, let me help." she chirped, correctly doing his tie for him.

Inspecting her handiwork in his mirror, Ian then put his gloves on, then grabbed his coat and slipped his arms through the sleeves, buttoning the heavy coat up, then putting the belt and armband on. Finally, he put his beret on and M1911 tied her boots' laces, and the two went forth and opened the door- only to see a tall, busty Doll with honey-colored hair and violet eyes standing in front of it. Upon seeing the duo, her lips curved up into a smirk and M1911 paled.

"Oh, God..."

"I thought you said you didn't like him that way, sis~" Grizzly MkV told her cheekily, turning her face red in an instant.

"I-It's not what it looks like, Grizzly!" the older HG protested embarrassedly, causing her younger sister to laugh at her expense. "What're you doing here, anyways?!"

"Well, I wanted to pay you guys a visit, but it seems that you don't want me here..." she replied in a faux-hurtful tone.

"W-Wait, I'm thrilled that you've come by, but you've got the wrong idea about us! Help me, Commander!" M1911 told him, and it was the desperate, flustered request that got the dark-haired man to finally stop spectating and say something.

"We're not a thing, Grizzly." he told her firmly. "She was in my room because she felt that after Operation Uproot, I'd be stuck dreaming about losing her to Scarecrow's little parting gift, so uh, you get the idea, right?"

Grizzly nodded in response, seemingly understanding him. He hoped she was briefed on Operation Uproot or at least knew about it.

"Oh, so it's just 1911 being 1911. It's fine. Oh, uh, congratulations on landing the job here, Mr. Becker!" she added hastily.

"Thanks, although it's Commander Becker now. So, uh, I need to do a fuckton of paperwork, so why don't you and 1911 go do sibling stuff?" he asked, earning a nod from both of them.

"Got it. Oh, don't try to hide it away, because G36 will find it." Grizzly warned.

"Yeah, Prokhorov always did that, so she knows every hiding spot one could use to hide paperwork." M1911 added.

"I had no intention to do so." Ian told them evenly. "Anyways, there's a new Doll coming here today if I'm not mistaken and she's a 5-Star as well, so please give her a warm welcome if she arrives."

Without saying else lest he get distracted he walked past the two Dolls and toward his office, intending to get his menial office work done as fast as possible so he could spend more time around his subordinates and get to know them better.

"Oh, Commander Becker."

He turned his head to see Grizzly looking right at him.

"Yeah?"

"After you get that paperwork done, you wanna go on a ride 'round the base with me?" she asked.

He had never left an area quicker in his life— outside of combat, of course.

Tactical Doll Grizzly MkV

"Aww, but we aren't in danger of being arrested out here..." Grizzly pouted as the newly-assigned Commander Becker quickly left the hallway and entered his office, her little tradition of driving the new Commander of the base around shattered. Doubly so given that this one was pretty good-looking— to her and M1911, at least.

"Well, you kinda gave him a bad impression of your driving skills, Grizz." M1911 sensibly replied. "Oh, you should see the new dorms!"

The honey-brown-haired Doll yelped lightly as her blonde sister grabbed her hand and pulled her with her, perpetually leaned downward slightly due to her short height as she traversed the long hallways, passing by a newly-refurbished Café in the process, the door ajar.

"Oh, you got the Café fixed?" she asked hopefully.

"Yup. AK plans on being a part-time barmaid there."

The good news made the Grizzly bear's smile a little brighter, and it only got brighter when she caught sight of Springfield standing behind the counter in her barista's outfit, preparing hot coffee and other things with a warm smile on her face.

"What else did you fix up?"

"Uh, we got some of the dorms fixed, the Data Room got upgraded, we got the training simulator partially repaired..." M1911 listed off, only stopping when she went down a flight of stairs and reached the dorm complex. "Oh, we're here."

Even from the outside, the complex looked as if it had gone through a complete makeover, the dirty, bloodstained floors now immaculately cleaned and the doors and lights brand-new.

"Okay, time to meet the renewed Echelon One!" the blonde told her younger sister, opening the door with a retina/Doll optic scan and revealing the room within.

They clearly spent a lot of time fixing this dorm... Grizzly noted as she laid eyes on the dorm room's interior. The metal walls had been expertly covered up by what looked to be treated oakwood and an artificial fireplace had been installed, while a handsome brown carpet covered the floors. In place of the ammo boxes and cardboard boxes she saw on the last three visits were five beds on box-springs and wood frames, each one topped with a theme matching the bed's owner; an American flag for M1911, a Soviet flag for AK-47, a red, black, and white flowery theme for MP5, a British flag, and a Belgian flag-colored sheet with poppies adorning it.

While the first bed was obviously empty, the second one held a fully conscious AK-47, who was clad in a tank top and sleeping shorts while running her nimble fingers along a worn photograph, the third one had a sleeping MP5, her dress replaced with white/pink polka-dotted pajamas, the fourth had both a blonde Doll with a red nightgown and, to her complete surprise, the same Skorpion she pulled out of that hangar in a similar one as the slept peacefully, and the fifth one had a young woman with light brown hair and green eyes sat on it as she put her clothes on, unaware of the new arrivals as she changed from her nightgown.

AK-47 noticed the two first, setting her photo down and standing up to greet the two, temporarily taking her mind off of Skorpion.

"Privyet, Grizzly." she greeted, waving at her. "Like the new dorm?"

"A lot... wait, how much work did this take?" Grizzly asked curiously.

"For both the dorms? A day and a half." the AR replied. "It was a pain in my ass, but it's all worth it."

The brunette HG nodded appreciatively, her eyes falling onto the new Dolls in the room as the young woman noticed them, a blush creeping up her face thanks to her half-dressed state.

"Oh, this is FN-49, our resident rookie." AK-47 explained before M1911 could, causing her to pout at her. "The other new ones are Sten and Skorpion. Heh, if they keep this up, I'll start thinking they're dating." she added, pointing at the two in question.

Chuckling in response, Grizzly's eyes fell onto FN-49, who was now fully dressed and heading her way.

"A-Are you Grizzly MkV?" she asked somewhat nervously.

"Yup. Nice to meet ya." the HG replied cordially, holding her hand out and shaking the timid Rifle's hand shen she took it. "Are any of the others awake?"

"No." M1911 said quietly. "I'd wake 'em, though, because we've gotta roll out the red carpet for a new Doll. Word is, she's a 5-Star."

"5-Star?" both AK-47 and FN-49 asked. "When was IOP so generous as to give us 5-Stars?"

"I think Helian had them do it as a reward for our service in Operation Uproot. I guess that's why we got so much money to use on the base, too." the blonde HG replied.

"Huh. Oy, Sten, MP5, Skorpion, time to get up!" AK-47 yelled, awakening the Dolls in question. One by one they got out of their beds and looked up to see Grizzly, Sten's brows raising in confusion but a look of recognition registering in Skorpion's eyes as she booted up.

"Wait, Grizzly, is that you...?" she asked tiredly, coming up to the tall HG.

"H-Huh?" the other SMG vocalized tiredly.

"Yup. What're you doing here, Skorpion?"

"I was assigned to this base to help them catch Scarecrow." she replied, her clearer tone pointing to her being fully booted up. With that explanation out of the way, the HG's violet eyes fell onto MP5.

"Ah. Oh, MP5, good to see you."

The white-haired SMG looked up at her and waved, a smile on her face as she retrieved her clothes.

"Good to see you, too, Frau Grizzly!" she replied warmly, quickly changing to her normal clothes.

"Wait, you're M1911's sister?" the Sten asked once everyone else was done talking, with M1911 murmuring "good, she's starting to drop the 'Miss' crap."

"Yup. Lemme guess, she told you guys all about me?" Grizzly asked nonchalantly.

"Actually, not too terribly much. What we do know is that you're a notoriously bad driver and that you always tease her."

"Damn it, 1911..."

The brunette shot her sister a withering glare, but said sister wasn't paying attention.

"Anyways, guys, we've got a new Doll coming here, possibly today, so I want you all to be on your best behavior today."

Everyone nodded in understanding and once again, Grizzly's hand was taken by M1911 and she was unceremoniously led out of the room and into the hallway- and towards Echelon Two's dorms.

"Oh, uh, just so you know, we ended finding an IDW, so..."

Grizzly's face instantly lost all of its color. She knew just how many times Commanders ended up with the loud cat-girl when they were trying to get a Grizzly, and it was pretty much torture hearing her loud voice as she requested fish dinners or peace and quiet for cat-naps.

And now Station 794 had an IDW?

"Why, sister? Why did you get an IDW of all Dolls?" the busty Doll asked dreadfully.

"She helped us with an op we ran, so despite his better judgement the Commander... adopted her, for lack of a better word." M1911 replied quietly, opening the door as gently as possible and revealing a room with as many beds as Echelon One's dorm, a makeshift stage complete with a microphone, an attached bathroom, and a literal cat bed that held the dreaded IDW, who was sleeping peacefully upon it.

Concerning the other dorm occupants, Springfield and G36 were absent, but the remaining beds held P38, M1895, and the same PPSh-41 that was in her extraction team, each one clad in nightgowns themed after the wearer. There was also a spot where another Doll had laid on M1895's bed, but it was empty.

"Hmm... I guess FNC's already left." M191 murmured as she looked at the vacant spot.

"Where's G36? I haven't seen her yet." Grizzly asked quietly to avoid waking the demon up.

"Likely paying a visit to Commander Prokhorov before she starts with her duties." the blonde replied, and the younger Doll knew what she was talking about: G36 was still having trouble moving on.

"Oh."

Not knowing what to say, Grizzly looked to her blonde sister for something to say when she looked into the dorms and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Wait, 1911—!"

"Alright, ladies, it's time to get up!"

The results of her callout varied greatly. M1895 grumbled about her "old ears" hurting from how loud she yelled, but she got up all the same, P38 murmured about it "not being showtime yet" and tried to go back to sleep, PPSh-41 sat up and let out a cute yawn, and IDW...

"Huh? Is it time for breakfast, nya?!" she asked loudly as she shot straight up. For no reason but to be loud, Grizzly decided.

"Uh, sure, Betty." M1911 replied. "Anyways, we're gonna be getting a 5-Star Doll assigned here, so let's get up and at 'em!"

"5-Star? Ugh." M1895 groaned. "They're always obnoxious and they have no respect for their elders-"

"Babushka..."

After feeling blue and violet eyes stare through her menacingly and seeing Grizzly's hand go to her holstered pistol, she shut up very quickly.

"Uh, P38, it's time to get up, we've got a guest..." she said instead, gently shaking the German until she awoke.

"Huh? Is Frau G36 in need of aid?" a confused P38 asked, sitting up at last.

"Nyet. Grizzly's here and a 5-Star's heading our way."

At those words P38 shot up with a panicked expression on her face, dread setting into her features.

"Scheiße! There's an Elite coming and I haven't even rehearsed for any kind of performance!" she yelled, jumping out of bed panickily. "Mein Gott, this is awful!"

"I'm sure it'll take a bit. Last time Command sent you guys a new Doll, it took up until sunset, according to M1911." Grizzly told her, remembering what her sister had mentioned in a messaging session.

"But it isn't the same every time!"

"P38, it'll be fine." M1911 told her firmly, preparing to leave the room to let the dorm's remaining inhabitants get ready for work. "Anyways, we've got business to attend to, so unfortunately, we can't stay. Be good, IDW."

"I will, nya!"

"Wait, what business?" Grizzly asked over Zener as her sister pulled her out of the dorm room.

"We were told to roll out the red carpet, remember? We've gotta make sure everything's up to snuff, and I'm pretty sure that 5-Star's transport would like to have a clear path to our base, you know."

As she was haplessly dragged along by her older sister, the taller Doll took note of the last bit of her reply and she grinned.

"I like where your head is at."

Commander Ian Becker

"At least there isn't too much stuff to do here."

Sitting in his office with a pen in hand, Ian carefully regarded the somewhat-small stack of papers sat on his desk with an impassive look. Most of it was equipment forms or requests from Dolls or servicemen for certain items, like certain foods or tools. In other cases, it was reports personally filed by his subordinates concerning past offers or contracts from nearby settlements about bandits or Sangvis detachments they had issues with and needed taken care of.

Maybe one of these jobs could be a first mission for the rookie when she gets here. he thought, setting one of the lower-risk contracts aside before going after the equipment requisition forms, thoroughly reading through them and either signing them off or declining them straightaway if they were too ridiculous or the item in question was too expensive.

"Seriously, FNC? You ate all of that chocolate already?"

"MP5, how is milk going to make you taller?"

"That might be difficult to get my hands on, Springfield, but I'll try."

"Hang on, you want rat shot? I'm afraid that'll have to be a no, 1911."

Time seemed to pass by in a flash, with G36 occasionally helping with the paperwork (and dumping older documents onto him,) and Springfield bringing him some of her dishes, and throughout that time, only one thing persisted in his mind: Operation Uproot. It didn't matter that the op had been concluded three days ago and was no longer important, for the interrogation and subsequent send-off explosion kept playing in his head over and over again, which made it very difficult to focus on his work.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the AR Team just had to come up in the interrogation in some manner, which subsequently made the ex-soldier wonder about what they were like once more.

God, I can't wait for that new Doll to come here. he mentally told himself, nearly making an improper mark on a patrol request from PPSh-41 before he stopped himself, the pen a mere inch away from the paper.

Thankfully, a set of knocks on his office door— which was now automatic like the Command Room's door— took his mind off of those thoughts.

"Enter."

The door opened and M1911 entered the office with Grizzly in tow, their mere presence lightening his mood a bit.

"You having trouble with that, Commander?" the blonde asked, hands clasped behind her back as she leaned forwards.

"No, it's fine. Anyways, is there a reason you're here?" Ian asked, knowing that she wouldn't have bothered him unless it was for something important.

"Uh, yeah, we're requesting permission to patrol the perimeter, sir." Grizzly told him. "You could join us if you want."

Patrolling around the base with two very attractive Dolls? Now that sounded interesting. Too bad the dark-haired man couldn't join them on it, thanks to all the paperwork dumped on his lap.

"Uh, permission granted, but I can't come with you." he replied, pointing to the paperwork pile.

"Oh. Hey, you could get Kalina to help you with that, Commander." M1911 suggested. "She's really good at dealing with paperwork, you know, so it should only take about twenty minutes with her help."

While he wouldn't get to do any fieldwork, the idea of having an extra set of eyes and hands was still pretty good, and on the plus side, he had been wanting to talk with Kalina one-on-one for a good bit.

"Thanks for the suggestion. Anyways, good luck with your patrol, you two."

"Alright, sir! Goodbye!"

As the sisters left the room and he made to call Kalina to his office, he then realized just how lucky he was to be the Commander of Station 794.

Tactical Doll M1911

After gearing up for the patrol and making sure nothing stupid would happen in their absence, the sisters quickly left the base and the relative safety of its walls, which were recently upgraded to withstand more punishment from enemy fire before breaking, to start their patrol.

Of course, it was a basic perimeter check to keep enemy contacts away from the base, but for M1911 and Grizzly, it was an opportunity to be able to fight together again without anyone else accompanying them.

Don't get her wrong, she loved her Echelon with all her heart, but there were times when she just wanted to be away from them, and this was a good opportunity to do so.

"Damn, it's been a while since we've gone on a mission together." Grizzly commented, standing a few feet away from the blonde, who was currently taking point with her pistol and her scanner.

"Yeah. Around two years, I think." she replied, waving her scanner over the road the IOP truck would take to get to the base. Thankfully, no IEDs were buried in the part she was looking at. Meanwhile, Grizzly kept watch over her as she scanned the roads for explosives, her eyes on the abundant woodlands surrounding the base.

"So... what happened on that op? The one you beat the Ringleader on?"

M1911 stopped scanning to look at Grizzly.

"Wasn't it declassified after a few days?" she asked dryly.

"Only partially." she shrugged in response.

Sighing, M1911 decided to answer her.

"The end of the op is highly classified, so I can't tell you anything about it, other than Scarecrow passing her torch to someone named Executioner and trying to blow us up."

"But is the actual fight classified?"

"No, but— shit, got a truck heading down the road." M1911 cursed as she jumped off the road, Grizzly following closely behind as a grey truck with IOP's logo passed on the road.

"You think that's the new Doll?"

"I dunno. We ought to get close to it and scan it."

Nodding in agreement, Grizzly followed the blonde as she crept along the forest, keeping the truck in her sight the whole time and making absolutely sure she didn't lose it, and it soon slowed down as it reached the base's gate, allowing the HGs to reach it and the older one to scan the truck.

She had been expecting to find either a squad of men in worn, drab gear with old rifles, Sangvis Dolls who got clever enough to use a Trojan Horse on them, or an explosive payload, but instead, she detected what looked to be a Doll with long hair and what looked to be a bow on her head, and a deeper scan revealed a lack of a bomb embedded in her or the crates accompanying her.

"Huh, it is the new Doll." she murmured, opening a comms channel to the Commander. "Hey, sir, the new girl's here."

After a moment of silence, her comms crackled to life and the Commander replied.

"Good to hear. I'll go introduce her to everyone, but proceed with your patrol and report any unusual activity." he told them.

"Got it. 1911 out."

Sighing, she turned to Grizzly and motioned for her to follow her, continuing their sortie where they left off at.

Commander Ian Becker

Long, purposeful strides quickly carried the Commander across the lobby, his long coat catching the wind and trailing behind him as he passed through the recently added decontamination hall, the familiar ultraviolet lighting he knew from his Army days washing over him as he passed through the hall and left the building.

Stopping outside the entrance, he watched as the IOP truck got clearance and the gate opened, letting it drive into the base and stop about fifteen feet away from him. Walking up to the truck, he approached the driver and knocked on the window, getting him to open it and letting the Commander talk to him directly.

"I take it you're here on official business." he started evenly.

"Yeah, and I take it you're the crazy son of a bitch who led his forces to fight a Ringleader head-on and won." the driver told him with a thick Slavic accent, chuckling. "Anyways, I was told to deliver this to you after the operation was declassified, and considering that we nearly got ambushed by bandits in Sector 10, you better be grateful."

"Depends on who the Doll is."

"I think you'll like her, Commander. Anyways, she's in the back."

Getting out of the truck, the IOP driver walked to the back of the truck and disengaged the lock on the trailer door, waiting for Ian to reach him before he opened it up, the door folding up into the ceiling of the trailer and revealing the contents within: two red-cushioned benches on the sides, with numerous ammo boxes, crates containing clothes and bedsheets, and a white pod containing a backup body neatly stacked up at the back of the trailer, but the Doll sitting on the right-hand bench was what made the dark-haired man's breath hitch in his throat and his mind freeze up.

Whoa...

Long, black hair with side-bangs styled like somewhat loose coils framed a heart-shaped face with a small nose, and a pair of slightly hooded blue eyes that suggested an Asian descent (or rather design) regarded the two humans with mild curiosity. Her lips were small and soft-looking, and while on the shorter side, she also had a good figure, from what he could tell. She wore a white quad-tie bow on her head, blueish-grey, cropped, and open serafuku over a white button-up shirt with a red tie marked with a white flower, fingerless gloves that left her lithe fingers bare, a black belt with magazine pouches, a greyish skirt with a white interior, red leggings, and black boots. Finally, a Japanese Howa Type 64 battle rifle sat beside her, unloaded but immaculately clean.

Didn't expect the new recruit to be a bombshell huh? a voice that sounded suspisciously like an old squad member asked in his head.

"Okay, 64, this is your new boss for the foreseeable future." the driver told her, holding his hand out for her to take and leading her out of the vehicle when she took it, her boot-clad feet setting down on the dirt as she took her rifle with her.

"Hello, miss. I'm Commander Ian Becker. It's an honor to have you here." Ian greeted her once he rebooted his brain, holding his hand out for her to shake— only for her to make a small bow instead.

"Kon'nichiwa, Shikikan." she told him in her native tongue, and thanks to him taking an interest in the Japanese language (before the Valentines' Bombings, the attack that killed his parents,) he knew what she said. "I am Howa Type 64, but you may call me what you like..."

Remembering the fact that a Norinco Type 64 had once resided in Station 794, he decided to use her foundry name to tell her apart from the Norinco 64 in speech.

"Sure thing. Welcome to Station 794, Howa 64."

The black-haired Doll blushed a little and nodded, looking around the base with a curious glance.

"I'm very new to Griffin, so please forgive me if I'm unused to this place."

Setting his gloved hand on her slim shoulder, he gave her a reassuring smile and began to lead her into the base as the IOP employees in the truck began to unload Howa 64's luggage and ammo, causing him to direct them to where they were supposed to put it before entering the decontamination hall.

"Don't worry about being unused to the place, I'm sure you'll come to enjoy it." he told her as they were bathed in the ultraviolet light and sterilizing mists, walking slowly as to make sure any and all radiation particles that may have lingered on them were sterilized before making it into the base lobby, the IOP guys close behind with her belongings.

As the AR Doll beside him took in the clean interior of the lobby, he saw a familiar blonde maid walking up to him, eyes squinted as usual as she took in the new Doll beside him.

"Ah, welcome to our base, Fraulëin." she greeted when she got to them. "I am G36, and I'll be responsible for giving you a tour— no, Kommandant, you're still required in your office." she sent towards the Commander, to his dismay.

"Damn it." he swore, bidding Howa 64 farewell before going to his office to continue his menial work with Kalina, as he hadn't dismissed her at that point. Hopefully IDW wouldn't try to blow the new Doll's ears out while he was away.

Tactical Doll G36

"Where are we going first, G36-san?" the new Doll asked, nervously toying with a lock of her hair as she regarded the maid in front of her.

It had been a while since she personally gave a Doll a tour, especially one that was so new, but such a prospect didn't bother her. Regarding the one in front of her, she could tell that this newbie was well-mannered and kind, although her confusion shone through as she tried to process her new home.

"The Café. I'm sure you'd like something to eat, and Fraü Springfield is a wonderful cook, so follow me."

Watching the Japanese Doll nod at her, she turned around and walked towards the halls, utilizing her vast knowledge of the base to traverse them and reach the Café, but walking slow enough that Howa 64 didn't get left in the dust.

Soon, thouh, they got to the Café and G36 opened the door, watching as Springfield served breakfast to both the base's repair team and AK-47 with her signature motherly smile.

"Hallo, Fraü Springfield." the German greeted.

"Hello, G36. What brings you here?" the Café owner asked.

"We have a new addition to our roster."

Stepping aside, she watched as Howa 64 walked up nervously and sat at the empty seat Springfield indicated, fidgeting nervously as she looked to her left and right at the servicemen and the Russian T-Doll with uncertainty.

"Don't worry dear, they're good people." Springfield assured, picking up a clipboard to get the nervous Doll's order. "Anyways, what's your name?"

"H-Howa Type 64..." she replied, indicating the rifle hanging off her back.

"Alright, Howa, what would you like to eat?"

"Um..." she trailed off as she tried to think of something to order, although G36 figured she'd request a Japanese dish, due to most Dolls liking their home cooking best— although AK-47 loved certain American foods, which was ironic considering her Soviet roots. "I'm not sure, actually. Could I have what they're having?"

Springfield looked at the plates of syrniki she served to the repairmen and nodded, disappearing into the kitchen to make her breakfast.

"So, uh, how new are you?" the lead repairman asked Howa 64.

"Uh... very new...?"

"She just got here today, and as far as I know, she has no prior history." the maid added. "She is very uneasy here as a result, so it's up to us to make her feel at home."

The man nodded her way, then turned to the rookie and offered her a reassuring smile.

"I'm Andrei, the head technician here. I'll be responsible for any repairs you may have to undergo, as well as any kind of regular maintenance." he introduced.

"Don't worry, he might look a bit dodgy— blyat, I think Sten's slang's getting in my vocabulary— but he's cool." AK-47 assured, holding her hand out. "Name's AK, by the way."

"Howa 64..."

Watching closely, G36 was looking for signs of discomfort from the Doll, but as the base's drunk spoke with her, she seemed to be getting along with her rather well, which was a good sign that she'd acclimate to the base.

Faintly, she wondered if the new Commander had done so yet.

Commander Ian Becker

With the somehow-massive pile of paperwork nearly finished, the Commander was thankfully able to rest a little, and have one-on-one talk with Kalina as well. Sure, they'd spoken in the past, but that was always professional talk, and he wanted to get to know everyone at the base better.

"Hey, mind if I talk to you for a bit?" he asked, causing the ginger to turn his way.

"Nah, go ahead."

"So uh, first and foremost, where are you from?"

Ian carefully watched as the ginger made her reply, keeping her voice even as she did so.

"Butovo. My family moved to Moscow when I was four, and I've been here for my whole adult life."

So she is Russian... Eh, doesn't matter.

"Huh. I pretty much lived in Florida for my whole childhood, up until I enlisted, then I spent about thirteen years in Europe." he told her. "Haah, I wonder how the US is doing right now..."

"Um, I don't know about right now, but the American Dolls did say it was in a decent state last time they checked..." Kalina told him, bringing a relieved smile to his lips.

"They did, huh? Anyways, is there anything you're particularly interested in?"

"Um, I like messing around with old computer stuff, as well as drawing and stuff like that. I also like shopping and making outfits to sell."

Kalina, his chipper and flambuoyant logistics officer, was an illustrator? That was surprising.

"Drawing? Didn't think you'd be the type." the Commander commented.

"Eh, it's pretty relaxing, you know."

"That it is. I haven't drawn anything in over a decade, but I'm fairly confident in my ability to do so."

"Well, if you need any help, I don't mind being the model, even for the spicer stuff~"

The way the ginger worded it, combined with her suggetive gaze and her revealing clothing, succeeded in bringing a slight blush to the dark-haired man's face, even with how good he was at hiding his emotions.

"Wh-what? I'm not gonna do anything like that." he told her, causing the girl to giggle in response.

"It's fine, I was just yanking your chain." she clarified. "Although, if you do need help with a pose or whatever, just get me or one of the Dolls and we'll help."

"I'll keep that in mind. Anyways, uh, do you like gaming at all?"

"Yup! I've got an old Xbox in my room, but as of lately, I haven't been able to use it." Kalina sighed. "Fucking brainlets..."

An angered look crossed her face before she wiped it off her face, changing the topic of conversation.

"So uh, what's your old squad like, sir?"

Ian thought long and hard before responding.

"My squad leader Jack was a bit laid-back off the field, but when it was time to get shit done, he gave it his all. Matheson, one of our grenadiers, was a Grade-A hardass, and was as cold and professional as one. However, he a soft spot for all of us. Seth, our other grenadier, was a... well, we always called the poor guy a blushing virgin becaus he couldn't stay composed around women, but he unfortunately lost his eye to the Russians on our first battle, which made it a lot harder fo him to fight, but he still fought as hard as he could. Jordan, one of our MG guys, was a bit stereotypical, but that didn't stop him from being there for us anyways. There was Shi Jun, one of our team leaders, and he was a badass if I remember correctly, Sophia— God, I miss her— was essentially what kept me going during the war, and it hurt me when she— never mind, let's not talk about her."

"Hang on, Shi Jun?" Kalina asked, catching that one part.

"Um, tall, half-Chinese, glasses..."

"Wait, he's 601's Commander!" she told him, finally making it click in his head.

Now that he thought of it, he was literally the perfect person to be an officer or a Commander. Cool‐headed, professional, strategically adept... He wasn't sure how he viewed Dolls, but if he was in Griffin, then it had to be a positive view.

"Huh. It'd be nice to get in touch with him again. Wonder if he'd remember me."

"I think he would. We haven't spoken too often, but from what I've been able to gather, he's got good memories."

"Yeah..." he absentmindedly agreed. But before anything else could be said, the comms crackled to life and a familiar voice sounded through.

"Commander, come in!"

Sharing a concerned glance with Kalina, he immediately replied to his oldest (second oldest) Doll's request.

"What's your status?"

"Well, me and Grizzly ended up biting off more than we could chew, and we could really use some backup right about now!" M1911 told him, and the unmistakable sound of a pistol being mag-dumped was heard a mere second afterwards.

"Hang in there, I'm sending backup." the Commander replied, shutting the comms channel off and opening a new channel to AK-47, Echelon One's second-in-command, and relaying M1911's message o her.

"Got it, we'll bring the rookie along with us."

"Just step on it. Commander out."

As that link was cut, he quickly activated the projector and activated the regional map (a nifty feature he found on day six,) watching as M1911 and Grizzly's dots appeared near the old outpost— as well as about thirty five red dots, all labelled as Doll units.

"Time to get to work."

I have decided to split FNG I into two chapters, as I felt that it was getting too long otherwise. Anyways, seeing as only Toy Soldiers (as far as I know) features Japanese Dolls in its roster, I decided to remedy that (plus, Howa Type 64 has a dear place in my heart, thanks to her design, personality, and her reliability in-game, not to mention her odd ability, which I have what I believe is the perfect way of adapting.)

Anyway, with Origin Story reaching its last few chapters, I might take a break from this story to finish that one, then I'll resume progress here if I do (God, having no prewritten content to use sucks...)

Also, I'll be writing for both the American and Russian sides of World War 3 in GFL: War, so you'll be able to understand both sides' motivations for the war (and so I get to have a Russian MC in my OC collection.)

Anyways, I'll see you in whatever story chapter I post next!