Chapter 2: Unexpected Assignment


"I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"You're not." I say, getting from my seat and giving a small bow as Henrietta enters the room. I already had asked her about customs here so I can better blend in, so doing things like bowing now in private will help for when it's time to actually do it in public.

"Ah, I see." Henrietta says as I sit back down in my chair while she makes her way past the stacks of books littered about the room. It's been about three days since I was summoned here, and while we wait for Agnes to round up all of her musketeers for the meeting, I've taken to learning as much as I possibly can about this world's capabilities, its history, and what technology we have available.

Perhaps the most important thing is that we don't have communicators, or at least, dedicated ones. Magic has generally filled the gap here, as there appears to be a spell that actually lets you communicate across distances. And due to the higher up positions such as army generals, heads of states, and so on being primarily filled by nobility and thus magic users, they have had no reason to innovate technologies such as telegrams or any other communication devices. Based on the world's capabilities, I would also say that my initial guess of medieval times is slightly incorrect. Architecture wise, definitely. Technologically speaking, though, they are perhaps just behind the Renaissance era, as again, magic has largely filled that gap. There is a great deal of stagnation, though, based on what I've read.

"—aker?"

I shake my head with a start, finding Henrietta standing in front of me.

"Ah, sorry. I had a thought pass through my head." I say, trying to assure her I'm fine.

"Mhm. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Not really. Oh, hold on." I say, getting back up and offering her my chair as I sit down on the table. "My apologies."

"Oh, thank you." She says, sitting down.

"Well, I suppose the only thing I would really need is more capital, haha. It would open up a lot of options compared to running this on a shoestring budget."

Henrietta gives a small, but sad smile. "Please forgive me for being so weak…"

"You don't need to apologize for it. At least not to me. Besides, I'm no political master, I wouldn't know the struggles you go through to keep everything here running."

Speaking of capital and budgets, communicators will have to be shelved for now. Innovating them will require time and money, with a lot of the latter, I assume. For now, I'll have to work with the fact that we at least have some chemistry work, meaning that the most I have to work with is colored flames in order to signal, along with "signal bombs" as a way to use gunpowder for signalling. Nothing subtle like a communicator just yet.

"Mhm… but it would still be easier to win if we had resources, right?"

"Well, it never really hurt. What's our current situation?"

"Right now we're in a bit of damage control with the Tarbes incident and of all the lies and slander being spread about. My informants have also identified a high value target in the area. As your first mission, I'd like for you to seize him before he can make a move."

"Hmm, got it. A night time operation would be for the best for the element of surprise, but it's going to disadvantage our own troops if they're not used to fighting in night conditions."

"Perhaps you should go over it with Agnes when she returns."

"That would probably be for the best." I say as Henrietta then looks at a piece of paper I have on the desk.

"Ah, is this a list of equipment you'd like? I'll see what I can do." Henrietta says as she looks over it.

"I've organized it into what I believe is necessity and what is a "nice to have" based on what Agnes told me about the musketeers. However, I think they're already well equipped, so please don't think too much of it."

"Alright, Oliver."

"So, tell me about this high value target." I say, leaning back against the wall, still seated on the desk.

"Well, he is a cardinal within the church here. He's also a mage, so please be careful. My informants have told me that he plans to use this war to increase his own political standing. Due to the fact that there is a religious component to this 'Reconquista', by joining with them, and by pushing the church to give a formal acknowledgement to their movement, he might be able to advance himself within the church as well."

"I see. So, use this movement's apparent religious fervor to boost his own ranking. Sounds fairly standard. Not to mention if he manages to help hand your kingdom over, he'll likely be rewarded."

"Mostly likely rewarded like a traitor, though. Unless, of course, he was never truly loyal to me in the first place."

I nod in agreement to Henrietta's statement.

"May I ask if you're religious, Princess?"

"I believe in the religion of the Founder, yes, but I would not like to push the kingdom to war over it. My citizens are free to believe or not, I won't hold it against them."

I nod again, as I was just confirming my suspicions on what her stance was.

"May I ask what your opinion is of this 'Reconquista' is, Oliver?"

"It seems like a power grab. In fact, based on what you've told me, it does seem much like what's happening here. Lack of a central governance left the monarchy weak, allowing several nobles to conspire together in order to seize power. However, unlike you, your citizens had a far higher opinion of you, from what I've heard, which is what really allowed them to spark the movement. The religious angle to me seems tacked on, likely just meant to garner sympathy for their movement. It's a wise move, I would say, strategically."

"Hm?" Henrietta then sits up straighter, paying rapt attention.

"It allows them several things. One, that they can claim anyone who doesn't resist is not for the religion. By resisting, they can slander you by saying you're not a true believer, as they make claims about taking back your holy land. But if you do capitulate, I doubt they will allow you to remain in power. You'll become either a puppet leader or they'll just straight up remove you. It also means they've put ah…"

I pause, flipping through some of my notes.

"Ah, right, this Romalia, the kingdom of the church or something, in a tough spot. Why would they not want to take back the holy land? But if they give their approval, they risk backlash due to the all the lives lost so far and the fact this war is unpopular. Additionally, why didn't they call for one earlier, if they so obviously approve of a united front? If they don't give their approval, then their legitimacy will be called into question. It's a good move, honestly."

Henrietta gives me a bigger smile. "And you say you're not a political master."

"This is all hindsight, of course. It is very easy to analyze how things went after a battle and figure out your blunders, much like any other battleground."

She laughs. "Perhaps I shall also have to appoint you to my cabinet as a political advisor?"

"Heavens, no. I'm not brave enough for politics."

We both share a small laugh at that.

"Can I ask what you intend to do with this high value target?"

"I have all the evidence ready, so I intend to have him arrested, bring him to trial, and expose his deeds. Additionally, I wanted to show you the evidence beforehand, as I am sure you have hesitations about arresting a man without being at least confident in his guilt."

"Yes, I'd like to see it, just so I can be sure."

"It will also serve as a good test run before the trial, and I believe all of this will rouse the populace."

"It could also demoralize them. Someone up so high working against you? It might have the opposite effect of what you intend."

"I am well aware of that. It is why I must choose my words carefully. Given the right circumstances and words, they will fight. They have to fight."

I put a hand on Henrietta's shoulder as she looks down and clenches her hands, her nails digging into palms. She looks up at me, and I quietly nod.

"Relax. It's only a possibility. I'm sure you know what to say."

"T… thank you, Oliver. But with the attack on Tarbes, the fact we were able to turn it around, and exposing the enemy within our midst… I do believe that the people will be roused to fight. By focusing the evidence more on his political motivations, it might also serve to discredit Reconquista's religious argument as well."

"Solid plan. Ah, well, I'm mostly done for now. If I could see that evidence?"

"Oh, yes. Right this way, Oliver."


"Attention! Line up, rank and file!" I hear Agnes yell as Henrietta and I approach the courtyard in the palace. I glance over at Henrietta, who only smiles as if this is completely normal. "We have two VIPs, look sharp!"

I count the amount of musketeers as we enter the courtyard, verifying it with the information I was given about two days ago, as Henrietta gave it to me along with the evidence against that cardinal. Eight groups of four, lined up according to the band on their sleeves. At the head of each line is a musketeer with two bands on their sleeves, likely denoting the leader. All of them are dressed like Agnes, though I notice the one heading the team with red bands seems to be eyeing me with curiosity. Something about her seems familiar.

"Sara!" Agnes barks.

"Sorry, ma'am." The leader of the red bands says, apparently caught staring. I note her light brown hair and green eyes. Something about her seems… very familiar. I can't quite put it together just yet.

"Hmph. Princess, they're ready." Agnes says, yielding the center of the courtyard to her.

I follow Henrietta up to the center, remaining about three steps back, stopping when she does and facing the troops.

"Good morning, Royal Musketeers. I've come with some news that I informed Captain Agnes of recently. I deeply apologize for springing this on you so quickly, but times are getting desperate."

"Permission to speak, Your Highness?" Agnes asks.

"Please, go ahead."

"I will say that this was my plan, so I'll take responsibility for it. This wasn't pushed onto me in any way. That is all."

"Thank you, Captain Agnes. Ahem, but as of today, this man, Oliver Penn Baker, a retired field commander who I have coaxed out of his retirement, will be your new field commander. Captain Agnes has performed her duties admirably, but we believe it might be good to have a dedicated strategist and field commander. You are some of the best Tristain has to offer, so I want to make sure you have the best chance out there."

The news, despite Agnes' warning, is met with a bit of resignation.

"Oliver, if you would?"

I nod, stepping forward.

"I know this is likely not a welcome change and that I am a stranger to you all. However, I will endeavor to do my best to ensure you all come home. Captain Agnes is already aware I commanded ground troops, most importantly ranged ground troops. I hope to get along with all of you, and more importantly, defend Tristain. Captain Agnes has informed me you are all a capable bunch, and I firmly believe in that. I'd like to take the time later to all individually talk with you and get to know all of you, but of course, at your convenience. Thank you."

With that, I step back, and Agnes takes the center position again. She gives them some more information and tells them that they'll be moving out in a few days for another assignment as Henrietta takes me off to the side.

"I think you made a good first impression."

"I wouldn't be so sure." I say as she gestures for me to follow. "We'll just have to see."

"I told Agnes to tell them where your office is, so they'll come and meet you."

I pause in my tracks. "Office?"

Henrietta turns around, giving me a small head tilt of surprise.

"Why, is something the matter?"

"I just didn't expect to be given something like that so quickly." I say, catching up with her.

"Well, the musketeers have a small barracks in the castle, so I thought it would be wise to repurpose one of the rooms close to it as your office. It would mean I can discuss things with you quickly, and you can also get to know the musketeers if you'll be working with them." Henrietta says as we walk along. She then holds out a small key and holds it out to me. "Here you are."

"This is rather sudden, but thank you. I just hope no one accuses you of favoritism." I say as I take the key.

Henrietta gives a bit of a bitter, self-derisive laugh. "It would not be the worst of words I have had hurled at me, Oliver."

We take a few more minutes down the corridors before Henrietta stops, gesturing at a door that clearly is for a corner office in this mess of corridors. I nod quietly before going to unlock the door, then step inside.

It's very austere, not exactly decorated. There's some fancy light green curtains and rugs, but other than that, not a lot to make it very 'home'y. There's a desk in the middle with a slightly glossy varnish on it, some cabinets, and the like that you'd expect to see in an office. Or at least, an office lacking modern comforts.

"Thank you." I say, turning around and facing Henrietta. "I'm amazed you put this all together so quickly. I hope it didn't cost much."

"It was the least I could do. And truth be told, I simply had furniture moved from other unused rooms here."

"Ah, of course. Well, it works all the same."

"An—oh, it seems someone is already here to see you. We can always talk later, yes?"

"Of course, your Highness." I say, knowing to use her title when there's other people around. I wait until Henrietta is clearly gone before calling out "Who is it?"

"Pardon my intrusion, sir." Sara, the girl from before, says, entering my office as I sit down in the rather comfortable wooden chair on the other side of the desk. I think it might be the red seat pillow. Regardless of that, though, once again, I can't help but feel like this girl is somehow familiar. The hair, the green eyes, where…?

I try to mentally change the color of her uniform in my mind, but nothing comes to mind exactly. I could swear I've seen something similar… but something's missing from it.

"Sara, right?" I ask, gesturing to the twin red stripes on her sleeves of the musketeer uniform.

"I'm glad you remembered." She says back, a motherly aura emanating from her smile. She doesn't seem like the type to be fighting with a squad of hardened musketeers, though. A bit too… carefree? "I simply wished to let you know that I'm confident you'll lead us to victory."

"You're quite sure for someone you've only just met." I say, narrowing my eyes a bit. "Why is it, then?

"Why, I have only the utmost faith in commanders from Griffin."

Commanders from Gri—

She gives a curtsy as I stand up from my chair, even though her hands grip the back part of her teal cloak due to the fact she doesn't have a skirt on, only the same black shorts that come down to maybe halfway down her thighs.

"T-Doll M1903 Springfield, reporting for duty, Commander Baker. I must say, I'm surprised to have found one of you here. My apologies for being out of uniform, but I'm still blending in."

My words finally come to me as the initial shock wears off.

I quickly move to close the door and then look at Sara, er, Springfield. "Tell me I'm not hallucinating right now."

"You are not, Commander."

"How… how are you here?"

"Things went off the rails on a mission. I believe we were hit with SF artillery fire by their roller artillery units, and when I came to, I was here. My dummies were not present, so I simply attempted to find a relay point. Fortunately, I ran into a kind woman in a carriage full of animals who apparently is a 'mage' straight out of a fairy tale, and was able to communicate with me after casting a 'spell', or so she claimed. After surviving for a few days, I came across Agnes' group. They had just lost a musketeer, and while I am not at the level of using my issued weapon due to etching, I can still fight, and assisted them. With that, I was taken in. Er, Commander, may I ask if this is truly another world, as it seems to be?"

"It has to be, or at least that's what I've been told. How are you still functioning, though?"

"As for taking orders, we are equipped with basic modules so that things like base patrol can be carried out without human intervention. Something like staying 'alive' is still within my grasp without being given orders. As for combat, in an emergency, I can instruct other humans on how to issue orders to me. Captain Agnes views it simply as a 'quirk' of mine, and it is how I was able to fight when I encountered them, by asking Captain Agnes to give me an order. Additionally, for that mission I was on before arriving here, I was given Anti-Human protocols, which have persisted."

"When do they expire?"

"Since I am offline to the network, my internal clock is able to be manually set, allowing me to indefinitely reset my clock time, preventing the protocol from expiring."

"I see. Well, I'm glad that's the case. Why stick on their side, though?"

"I thought it was the best way to preserve myself until I could make a better move. Also, after discovering their history, I did not find myself opposed to continuing to assist them."

"How about energy? Do I need to worry about digging up a power plant here somehow?"

Sa—Springfield laughs. "Of course not, Commander. I don't need to be plugged in to recharge. We're capable of producing energy from consumed food."

"Huh, I thought…"

"Why else would we need to carry rations with us into battle?"

"Good question."

Springfield laughs as I am apparently checkmated while I return to my seat. "Commander, may I ask if you know anything more about our current situation?"

"Likely not much more than you, Springfield. Er, Sara. It would be odd for me not to call you by your name here."

"Indeed, it might raise some questions about our relationship."

"Regardless, no, Griffin is not aware of this situation, so no, I didn't come here as recon or anything. I was apparently summoned by the Princess. I'm just lucky that you happen to be here."

"Well, I am ready to serve, Commander." She says, giving a salute.

"Then, status. Your equipment?"

"My actual issued gun is in working order, although it has been safely stored away and hidden. I have four clips left. As for maintenance, I have managed to run diagnostics recently, and nothing seems to be out of commission. However, a repair facility or even human maintenance would be of great assistance."

"I doubt we're going to find a repair bay out here, so I guess we'll just have to make due. I'm not a mechanic either, though."

"I should be able to walk you through at least basic maintenance, Commander."

"I see." I say with a nod. "Thanks for the update. Anything I should be aware of or anything of interest?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing comes to mind, sir. Oh, actually..."

"Hm?"

"If you ever find that you have some leverage with Captain Agnes, would it be too much to have her revise the uniform? As good as this one is, I do miss having my skirt from my usual one." Springfield says with a small chuckle, as I suppose this isn't anything serious. "I'm not quite sure how some of the other T-Dolls could handle dressing like this all the time."

"Ah, well, I doubt she'll listen to me right away, but I suppose down the line, I could take that suggestion and forward it to her."

"There's no need to rush, sir, but thank you."

"I'll keep it in mind. If you have nothing else to say, then you're free to leave."

Springfield snaps a sharp salute. "Yes, sir. And might I say… I believe that things will turn out for the better, now that you're here."

I give a small smile in return. "I hope so. Though, I don't recall ever having a Springfield T-Doll serving with me."

"Ah, I never did serve under you, Commander Baker, but I have heard of you as your name came up during galas at times. Perhaps it's fitting that of all the commanders summoned to this place, as you claim, that it would be The Hail Mary himself."

I give a snort to hearing that nickname, which even if I've accepted it, still feels a bit silly to me.

Before I can give a reply, I hear a knock on the door. Springfield gives me a nod and steps off to the side.

"Come in." I say, the door opening to reveal Agnes.

"Ah, there you are, Sara. Getting a head start on the others, I see?" Agnes asks, with Springfield smiling as she folds her hands in front of her.

"As your number two, Captain, I thought it would be best. I look forward to working together, Field Commander."

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, ah, it would be rude just to say your name, so—"

"First Lieutenant." Springfield says, reading into my tone.

"First Lieutenant Sara. Thank you." I say, with Springfield nodding and then saluting to Agnes.

"You're dismissed, Sara."

"Excuse me then, ma'am."

With that, Springfield exits, closing the door behind us. Agnes then pulls out a folder from the bag she had with her and hands it to me.

"Has the princess already informed you of the high value target?" Agnes asks as I take the folder and walk back behind my desk.

"Cardinal, yes. I assume this is the mission details?"

"Along with a map of the city and other relevant documents. I've already circled where we know he's holed up. Some place called the Charming Faeries Inn. There's also a layout enclosed in there, given to us by our informants."

I open up the folder and take a look inside.

"Additionally, there's a form in there to describe in your words what you want for those communicators you mentioned to her, apparently." I look up, trying to gauge Agnes' expression, but I get nothing. "I think having real time communicators would be good, but it seems you know a lot more about them and have a detailed concept in mind."

"I see. It'll help me give you all commands on the battlefield, if things change."

She nods. "The equipment that we can procure should arrive shortly. Thanks for not asking for too much."

"Of course. We are on a budget, after all. Is there anything else, captain?"

"Nothing much. I'll leave the heavy planning to you, just come get me when you want to go over it. While you've been put in charge of strategy, it doesn't mean I'll blindly follow."

"That's understandable. Thank you."

"Excuse me, then."

I give a silent nod, with Agnes then leaving the room. Alright… let's take a look at these documents. Good thing this place functions on a twenty four hour day, it makes it easy to think about timing.

Henrietta's evidence did of course, convince me of the target's plan and intentions. However, due to the high risk nature of the target, an arrest in broad daylight would get a lot of eyebrows raised. A night time attack would be good if we can keep it on the down low. Though, I'm not exactly a fan of the concept, showing up on someone's door in the middle of the night and arresting them. Plus I don't think it'll look nice for our side to be arresting people in the middle of the night. Might scare off any supporters. And while I'm no political master, I do know that as commanders and during my time as staff at Griffin, we had a lot to focus on PR while in the employ of Griffin.

If we do it in the daytime, I suspect that we'll deal with some more resistance from the public when it happens. But if we do it during the night, there'll be public outcry and he'll likely have guards, though having guards probably goes either way.

Though… if we do it in a place big enough, we can lock him in.

I take another look at the map. The inn they're staying at is in a good place for this raid. But there's also a theatre nearby that can serve as another good targeting point. However, the inn might be too small, and based on these city layouts, there's too much room for the target to maneuver. Let alone escape into the alleyways.

The theatre on the other hand, buys us some time as he will have to exit the building. We can also easily form a perimeter on the rooftops and overlook it. The theatre itself is also in an open plaza. Once we confirm the target has entered, we can quietly clear the plaza, set up a perimeter, and secure the target.

Hmm, I'll need a demonstration for how well their guns work. I'll have to ask Springfield about it later, since if these are muskets, I don't know how accurate they are. But if they're fielding very small squads, it means that they likely have some accuracy to them, rather than requiring the rows of musketmen to actually hit anything.

Based on that information, I'll direct the squads to form the perimeter. I could go for a half and half split, four on the outside and on the inside. A more "shit hits the fan" anticipation would be six outside, two inside. I suspect we'll encounter resistance, though. Maybe I should have Agnes take point, giving them an edge on the inside. Five-three gives a bit more balance though, so I should consider that based on how accurate these muskets are.

Either way, I have a lot to consider. But at the very least, it gives me some confidence that I have a T-Doll here. Even if she isn't at her maximum potential, having someone simply there is going to just help out a lot mentally. Even if she does remind me of what I left behind. But I made a choice, after being summoned. I could've walked away, and I doubt that Henrietta would've stopped me. But I didn't, and so I'll tackle my old demons if that's what's being asked of me.

I stand up and fold all of the papers back into the folder, then take the folder with me. First thing to upgrade should be locking drawers, if only to provide some semblance of security, or a safe. For now, though, I need to go evaluate the accuracy of their weapons. After that, I can begin planning for this operation...


And we'll cover the operation next time. I thought this was a good place to cut it off, slowly just building to Oliver's first mission.

Low key, very surprised by the reception to my initial idea. I hope you guys continue to enjoy this project, as it goes forward. Also, this chapter brought to you by the lore channel of the GFL server along with the wiki page as I tried to make sure things were relatively consistent with the GFL-world in terms of T-Dolls, but if I missed something let met know.

Actually this was also cut off because I wanted to ask you guys a question. With the way I've set up the story, I see two main avenues of approaching it. One, have a sprinkling of OCs that form up the new musketeers, with which I have to juggle all of their "screen time" and develop all of them. A challenge, sure, but something I can try to do, but at the same time, I don't imagine you guys want to read about like 20 different OCs all running around. However, it might be fun to explore all of their reasons for fighting, etc.

Which brings me to the second main path, which is focusing more on Agnes and the T-Dolls. I don't think it comes across as a surprise to anyone that Oliver may eventually command more than just Springfield, especially with that small cut-in in Chapter 1, where Spectre and PPK showed up. This would allow for a more "focused" dynamic, as I can focus a little more on the T-Dolls who are present. Also this saves the trouble of OCs, which can be a mess to handle.

I think there's a slight mix option where I could have like, two OC musketeers, but at the same time, I feel like if I have so few, I might as well just stick with the second one. I know some people are going to say that it's up to me, but you know, figured I'd get some feedback on what you guys'd like to see. I'm here both to entertain you and myself, never hurt to ask.

Outside of that, having Springfield show up was fun to write. I felt she could easily slip in and also had a relatively easy personality to write. For those familiar with Familiar of Zero, I think she also makes a good foil to Agnes, which is mostly why I picked her. Not too much in plot events, I kind of wanted to take it slow here, and get a little more used to Oliver's mindset. Plus, like I said, I wanted to give you guys some time to respond to what you'd like to see.

My usual update schedule usually aims for three weeks, though I used to try for two, although we'll see how things go, really. Maybe this story will be the next thing that really gets me invested in writing again, kind of like Storms Overhead, where I never lost a spark despite like 3 years of writing it. Who knows, haha. If it does get me going, then yeah, I'll be able to put out updates faster.

Edit v1.1: Clips, not magazines, for Springfield. Brain fart there.