I call this piece "Schedule Slip."
I don't really have any excuse other than I simply kept putting it off, haha. I had stuff come up like getting more serious about learning Japanese and starting to actually try to read stuff in Japanese. Plus, "And How Was Your Day" has started taking up more of my time, but as that's coming to a wrap soon, I might actually be able to put some more time to this one. Also, the day I was planning to post it, I ended up catching a cold which took me out of commission for a bit.
With that, let's get going.
Chapter 13: The Siege of Saxe Gotha
At the very least, our potential was recognized, leaving us away from the main offensive. That of course, was a diversion at best, intending to draw enemy attention away from the side gates.
"Gautier, enemy entrenchment, twenty five meters ahead of our position!" I yell into the communication device as cannonballs rain around us, scattering dirt, grime, and blood into the air.
"Diving in, hold tight!"
A few seconds later, two of his squad mates dive straight down before pulling up out of the turn, using a variety of wind and fire spells to detonate the cannon encampment backed by archers.
"Good kill, good kill! GK Team, move up, move up!"
Sprinting through the cragged blastlands full of dips from all the cannonfire that is littered with arrows, we keep advancing, shooting our way through any infantry resistance we encounter. Strangely enough, the grass appears to be painted or dyed somehow now, as we've gone through red painted grass and now we're in yellow painted grass.
"Sir, we're almost at the wall!" Agnes yells as we take shelter in a ditch. "Now would be a great time to move ahead with the plan!"
"Gautier, you are clear to drop the packages! Come in, fast and low!"
"This better work!"
"GK Team, provide covering fire, prioritize any bowman you see aiming for Gautier's approach, coming in from our eight o'clock! Gautier, advise when you are over our position!"
"Understood, approximating thirty seconds until overpass!"
"Solid copy! GK Team, open fire!"
The roaring of guns breaks through the noise as they shoot out any archers that are aiming down Gautier's low and fast approach. They swoop in, the four of them that weren't diving in earlier dropping two explosive barrels with fuses lit, exploding just around the point of impact on the ramparts.
"Confirmed hit, confirmed hit! Move onto Phase Two! Springfield, PPK, ready up!"
With the explosions taking out a solid chunk of the soldiers manned on the ramparts, it gives us some more leeway. The two dragon riders that didn't drop their payload swoop in, Springfield and PPK mounting them in a high speed touch and go as they barrel straight for the ramparts. And just as quickly as they mounted, they dismount right over the ramparts, relying on their construction to tank the fall.
"Springfield and PPK appear to be making their way up the tower! Gautier, pull back, pull back!"
"Understood! Team, evasive maneuvers!"
Gautier's team blazes through the skies, retreating to a safer position where they can't be targeted as easily, while Springfield and PPK rip through the tower.
"Sir, Springfield's reporting successful capture!" Spectre says, glancing up. "Airspace has opened up a bit more!"
"Understood! Have Springfield bust open those gates and have PPK go for the second tower, double time!"
"Orders transmitted, sir!"
It doesn't take long before we see the gates open up, with the three of us making a mad dash as the second tower that would be watching our sprint goes offline. Linking up with PPK and Springfield, I notice that our soldiers are advancing on this side, too.
"GK Team, sweep the streets!" I say before using the Long Range Transmission Device to contact Gautier. "Gautier, we'll sweep down below, heading for tower number six. Keep us posted on any hostile activity from the rooftops as able."
"Understood, will do. We'll try to take them out, but will alert you as requested. Call us if you need some heavy firepower to hit the ground."
"Copy that. Good hunting."
It's remarkably quieter in our prowl through the city streets as we slowly advance through the alleyways, constantly checking our flanks and up above for the windows. I'd prefer to stay on the roof, but the issue is there's absolutely zero cover up there from air attacks and from those anti-air platforms if they decide to lowball a shot and bombard us.
Everyone stops as PPK holds her left hand up as we're about to break out of an alleyway. She slowly peeks around the corner before pulling her head back.
"Commander, I've got a barricade about forty meters ahead. Fourteen bowmen, three mages, six armored knights. Street's too wide for us to slip by undetected."
"They've got this street on lock down pretty hard, huh? That's a lot of ranged capabilities, too. Gautier might not be able to bust through it. Does it look like the mages are commanding?"
"They look a cut above the rest."
"Mages are likely to be the commanders." Agnes confirms.
"Copy. PPK, draw their fire. Everyone else, line up a mage and open fire."
"Understood."
"Gautier, are you available?"
"What's your position?"
"Near waypoint four," I say, looking around the street for a name, thankful that Henrietta was able to give me the ability to read their language when she slapped me with that translation spell all that time ago. "We're on the left side of Dresser Street if you're going towards the center of the city. We've run into a blockade, heavily armored."
"Standby… I have visual. That does indeed look like a heavy street blockade."
"It's got mages and bowmen. We'll take out the mages, I just need you to launch an attack to confuse them. No need for a precision bombing."
"Understood. We will execute high speed, low altitude fly-by on your mark."
"Copy that. Standby. PPK, on three."
"Yes, sir~ On your command."
"GK Team, ready?"
A mumblings of "Yes, sir"s fill the air before I start counting down.
"One, two, three!"
PPK sprints out, moving to the other side of the street while also advancing towards the blockade, immediately gathering attention. The bowmen start opening fire, with the mages not seeing any reason to start chanting.
"Go."
It's amazing how fast PPK is, as if she could dodge bullets, these arrows are basically no issue for her as she weaves back and forth, throwing off her non-automated attackers while the rest of us line up a shot. In a manner of seconds, the mages are already shot to pieces, with PPK retreating.
"Gautier, they're all softened up!"
"Payload incoming."
There's several flashes of green that accompany the splintering of wood and cries of pain as two brown-golden blurs whiz on by, likely being Gautier and his wingman utterly decimating the barricade. While they didn't take out everyone, the enemy is stunned enough for us to easily mop up.
"Thanks for the assist."
"Be advised though, you're getting a little too close to the anti-air tower. We won't be able to support you actively."
"Understood, that was to be expected. Please continue to provide overwatch for the rooftops as able, and stay safe out there."
"Your concern's appreciated, but watch out for yourselves, too. Gautier, out."
I nod as we continue to advance forward, our guns tearing through anyone who would get in our path. Except of course, for the occasional—
"Fall back, fall back!" I yell over the roar of muskets, having to put some space between us and a charging ogre. An disturbing sort of creature, with hunched back, hulking frame and plenty of sagging fat, are armed with a bloodied club and grotesque face. It roars, charging for PPK who dodges swiftly with deft acrobatics.
These damn things are stored in houses, where they apparently are waiting for fresh meat. They're a real pain in the ass, considering how they take a lot of firepower to down if we're just going to shoot them.
At the very least, they make for easy targets considering their size, but we're learning.
"Springfield, Spectre, aim for the legs while PPK's got its attention!"
"Copy, sir!"
Two blasts later and it stumbles.
"Enfield, go for the head!"
Another pinpoint shot takes one of its eyes out.
"PPK, finish this!"
"As you… wish!"
Getting a good headstart, she then leaps into the air, pushing off a still-standing house to gain more height before landing on its head and using a knife to stab its other eye. Wailing in pain, it drops its club while PPK continues to stab into its brain, blood spraying and soaking her maid outfit.
After a few seconds, the beast sinks to the ground, with PPK rolling in line with its momentum before she stands up.
"Commander, please make sure I have a warm bath at the end of this." PPK says, squeezing the frills of her uniform to force the blood out. "And perhaps a change of clothes."
"I'll do what I can."
"Mhm~"
"Regardless, we're getting close to the objective. At this rate we just have to keep our heads low and get closer to the tower."
About three of these ogre-infested houses later, we make it near the base of one of the towers. By sticking to the shadows of the houses and peeking carefully, we were able to get in close hopefully without having been spotted.
"The real question is how do we want to take this… the front door's probably locked. We don't have access to any big explosives that could breach it, assuming it isn't enchanted by magic." I mumble as we stay stashed in an alleyway. "Well, we could always use the windows. They're firing out of those, with how big cannons are surely someone can get in."
"Who's on point?" Springfield asks.
"PPK, you're climbing up. Springfield, Enfield, cover her approach and dissuade the curious if anyone sees her. Spectre, communications, relay anything PPK observes to me. Once PPK's inside, she'll make her way to the entrance and pop it open for us. We'll storm it then.
"I've done quite a bit of heavy lifting today, so I hope you have a good reward later~" PPK says, starting to scale the wall and latching onto a windowsill, pulling herself up. Springfield and Agnes move as well, to get on the rooftops where they can see.
"Gautier." I say, radioing in. "I need a quick visual recon."
"Where to?"
"I've got three of my squad on the rooftops, ready to assault the tower we were given. We're visible from the south. Respond when you have visual."
"Standby… I see you. We cannot move into support, just as a warning."
"I know. Just need you to keep an eye out for us while we infiltrate the tower."
"Understood. Will relay positions of hostiles. Squad, form up!"
It's tense as PPK climbs up, with Gautier handing us instructions. It's evident we don't go unnoticed due to being on the rooftops, but fortunately the towers seem to have a protocol where they don't shoot at each other, thus forcing them to dispatch troops across the rooftops.
And, as their archers quickly learn, attempting to look down off the tower to shoot straight down is a bad idea, as Springfield or Agnes immediately put a bullet through their chest. I heard at least four bodies hit the ground, with Springfield reporting an archer kill every time.
"Spectre, incoming squad of six across the rooftops, heading zero-eight-seven."
"Copy that. Forwarding to Springfield."
"Also, incoming from PPK."
"Patch her through."
"Commander, Commander~ I'm unlocking the door right now. You might want to get coming in. It takes quite a while to get going."
"Understood. Spectre, recall the others, we're moving to the door." I then activate our long range transmission device. "Gautier, we're about to infiltrate the tower. We'll let you know once the airspace is clear."
"Copy. Might want to hurry, I just noticed a squad of fifty knights deploying from another tower."
"Got it. GK Team, on the double! We've got a lot of incoming!"
Running over to the large doors, likely sized so they can wheel in ballistas and cannons, I can see it slowly opening. Spectre and I open fire on the soldiers that come out of the alleyways before Springfield and Agnes join in on the fray.
I glance behind me, finding the doors are just big enough for us to start squeezing through.
"GK Team, in the hole!"
We continue to keep firing as we make a hasty retreat, taking out archers and mages first. A few of them try to get in close, but Spectre's speed despite her leg still makes quick short of them.
"PPK, close the door!" I yell as soon as we're all through. I see her flip a lever with her leg in the other direction, with the gears slowly grinding to a halt. "And cover us from above! You too, Spectre!"
Spectre flips directions and starts aiming up as well, shooting down anyone who's trying to get an easy shot from above. Springfield, Agnes, and I keep clearing out anyone who tries to get in the closing doorway, trying to keep it clear of any debris so it doesn't jam.
"There really is no end in sight for them, huh?!" Agnes shouts over the roar of gunfire. "Don't they have other towers to defend?!"
"Guess no one's gotten brazen enough to waltz through the front gates." I say before hearing a satisfying thud as the door slams shut. "Alright GK Team, move up along the stairs! Take the higher ground!"
I'm surprised there isn't an elevator-like pulley system in the middle, but frankly I suppose they have magic for the heavy lifting. For those without magic though, and likely for maintenance, there's a large staircase that loops around the walls, taking us up.
"All GK Team members, I'm giving authorization for special weapons! PPK, authorizing use of your ability at will, do what you need."
The issue is there simply is no cover. Thus, speed is of the essence. While an arrow might not be able to hurt the T-Dolls, the same can't be said for Agnes or myself. That, and combat mages can still lay the hurt.
"Cover me, I'm reloading." Spectre says, swapping magazines. "Starting to get a little low on ammo here, Commander."
"What's everyone at?"
"Down to three with this one, sir!" Spectre says, gunning down another person as we continue to advance.
"Two magazines left, with this one halfway spent, Commander~" PPK adds on.
"Second to last clip, sir." Springfield says as she also reloads.
"Springfield, take it easier and switch back to your normal weapon. PPK, do the same. I want you two to work on prioritizing targets. Spectre, mop up whatever these two can't."
"Understood, sir!"
"Enfield, keep on doing whatever you're doing."
"Got it."
It's a slog up the stairs, with bodies starting to pile up on the bottom. Additionally, we have to pause on each floor to clear out the cannons so they stop raining hell down on the streets and on our airships.
However, we soon reach the top of the tower, breaking our way through to the balcony up top.
With the fact we're at close range and most of the people up here are either ballista crewmen or archers, it's almost a slaughter. Not to mention they can't compete with the strength and speed of T-Dolls, with some of them hurtling to their death after having their grapples countered and being subsequently thrown off the tower.
"Gautier, you've got friendly skies over our tower, how copy?!"
"We're clear?"
"Mop 'em up, this anti-air tower is inactive. Feel free to let home base know they've got an air corridor here."
"Got it. We'll fly back and relay that information to them."
"We'll hold our position here and make sure they don't take it back. GK Team, get ready for a defensive op!"
"Sir, we should utilize the ballistas and cannons here." Springfield says, gesturing to them. "While headquarters wants us to keep as many towers as possible, we can give our enemies a bit of unfriendly skies."
"Sounds good. PPK, Spectre, you're on defensive duty! PPK, keep tabs on the door down below and alert us if anyone gets in. Spectre, watch for unfriendly aerial targets. Enfield, Springfield, let's load up one of these things and get shooting!"
"Sir, I found some range tables as well!"
"Range tables…?" I ask, looking over to where Springfield is gesturing. "I see. Well, I'm surprised they've developed mathematics."
"It appears to be incredibly crude, though. It seems to be moreso observations."
I take a quick look at them and notice it seems to be more color coded than anything. Wait a second… the painted grass. That's what they did earlier. Holy shit, what a technique. The guys operating these things must've done a lot of observations rather than hard calculations considering how complex mathematics doesn't seem to be too big in this world.
Won't help us out here, but…
"Alright you two, we're going to do a lot of number crunching. Let's get to work on ruining their day while we wait for Gautier to return with more orders."
"Target, sir?"
I narrow my eyes and scan the horizon. Perfect.
"Tally enemy airship, two o'clock. Looks like it's hanging around here where no one can perform any boarding action to incapacitate quickly. Let's give 'em a wake up call. Springfield, calculate the numbers, take your time and analyze any of the cannons here to get them. Enfield, help me load up a shot. You know how, right?"
"I do, sir."
"Then let's move."
"Yes, sir." Both say, immediately moving to their positions.
After loading up the cannon, Springfield gives us the numbers for the angle for the biggest change of a hit.
"Hold onto your teeth." I say as Agnes lights the fuse.
The cannon goes off, sending a mess of hot fury towards the enemy airship. Agnes and I waste no time, immediately loading up another shot as we're ready to go.
"Hit confirmed effective." Springfield says, looking through a spyglass she looted from one of the corpses on here. "Or at least, it struck. I'm surprised that these cannonballs are effective. Can't castle walls be enchanted to be strong against cannon fire?"
"That's because that's earth magic which works with stone and metals. There's no magic really associated with trees." Agnes says as we finish loading the next shot. "So while a fortress can be made to be impenetrable, a ship cannot. However, you can't move a fortress."
"I see, so it's a tradeoff between mobility and defense." Springfield says with a nod. "Commander, I'm seeing a flight of six dragon knights on fast approach, hostile colors."
"Got it. Move back into shelter and prepare to engage."
It's a game of cat and mouse, as we aren't able to provide our own air cover, or a sufficient enough to make enemies heistate. Thus, it becomes a switch around of "arm the cannon, fire, rearm the cannon, run away, kill the fliers, reorient and fire the cannon" and so forth.
"Approaching from the south, don't worry about the fliers that are en route to you." I hear after a while.
"Understood, Gautier. GK Team, continue arming the cannon, we're going to put another hole in that thing! Gautier's providing the aerial cover!"
The team nods as we load up another shot and fire again. We haven't sunk the ship, but that's because Springfield can't sense magic. Not to mention it's some pretty thick wood and we're sniping it from a good distance. Fortunately it seems that it was so occupied fending off its other attackers that they can't spare much against us, so we were able to get so many free shots in to put some holes in it. Had we been able to sense magic, we would've sought out the crystals that power its flight and smashed it to pieces like Agnes explained.
As Gautier's knights sweep around, our aerial enemies break away, but are shot down before they can escape. The older gentleman lands on the platform and I notice behind him that we have an airship moving up in the now controlled air corridor.
"New orders." He says. "They're moving troops to man the tower and they're making headway at the other locations. Your new job is to sweep the streets and eliminate any squads that are moving to reinforce their positions."
"So basically, free reign."
"No real direction, but it's mostly an interception role. Be on the lookout and stop any reinforcements from getting through."
"Understood. GK Team, new mission! We're sweeping the streets and intercepting enemy forces as we find them!" I pause, then lean in and drop my voice to a whisper. "Gautier, question."
"Go for it." He says, getting the idea.
"Any idea on what looks like a storeroom?"
"I didn't take you for the type." He says, a bit taken aback.
I lean my head towards my dolls. "We use some pretty exotic equipment, as you can tell, but we're starting to run low on ammunition. I get the feeling that some of the other field commanders won't be too keen on sharing due to my… let's say, status, so I'm looking to replenish their supplies, especially because I've gotten word that some merchants in Tristain were trying to smuggle weapons here. They might have sold off something my team uses. I don't really care about any valuables or anything like that, it won't keep my soldiers alive."
"I see." He closes his eyes and thinks. "I saw what looked to be a warehouse by the docks. That tower seemed to be losing reinforcements as they're moving people to support the big fights over by that airship. I'd try searching there, first."
"Understood. Thank you."
"Don't disappoint me, Commander Baker."
"I'll try not to."
"And do open the door on the way out, so our troops can get in."
"Will do. GK Team, let's move!"
"I feel a bit bad about this." Spectre says as PPK bashes down a door that is used for people rather than cargo into the warehouse.
"We're not here to wantonly loot the place. We're here to search for ammunition. Seeing as the princess gave us that box with specialized equipment earlier, I'm hoping that maybe, something like that has turned up here." I say again, but even if Spectre understands that, I can get why. "But I get what you mean. It feels like we're looting the place while everyone else is fighting."
"Cheh, most of them out there are gloryhounds, anyways." Agnes grumbles. "A thousand commoners died trying to get close to the walls, but only the nobles will be remembered. There won't even be a grave for the fallen."
"Then let's fix that." I say.
"You say that so nonchalantly that I'm scared of what you're going to do."
"When we get back, I'll request a list of all the names of the deceased." I say, a plan already formulating in my head. "They'll have something to remember them by."
This quiets Agnes, who just shakes her head and starts searching.
"Commander, we should probably not waste our time looking through every shelf. If they discover anything that is out of the ordinary, it would be stored away from the common goods where it can't be easily discovered." Springfield suggests. "We should look for a restricted area."
"I see. That's a good move, Springfield. Everyone, let's look for any doors leading deeper in."
"I'll search the office areas." Spectre says.
"Take PPK with you, no one goes alone. PPK?"
"Yes, sir~"
As the two leave, Springfield, Agnes, and I silently slink our way around the warehouse, looking for any more doors.
After a while, we find one rather large door that seems to lead into an inner portion of the warehouse, and after following the walls it looks the outer warehouse completely surrounds thisi one. However, it's locked.
"PPK, this is Springfield with the Commander. Do you have anything?"
"We haven't found anything of note aside from a key."
"Head to our position, PPK." I say, with Springfield forwarding the command. "Looks like we found a use for it."
"We could try to break it open." Agnes says.
"I don't want to leave a trace that we accessed the innermost parts. Ideally it looks like we came in here, confirmed Gautier's intel that this was a warehouse, and bugged out. PPK, also make a note of where you found it."
Once the duo returns, we use the key on the lock and it works. Opening the warehouse doors, it seems we've hit the jackpot. Outside there were merely food items, cannonballs, and so forth. This on the other hand, is where they were keeping the treasures and any exotic items.
"Commander." Springfield says, gesturing to what looks like a crate similar to the one Henrietta gave us.
"I've got a more modern one here." PPK says, pointing to another box.
"Careful now, let's not get too hasty. Prioritize."
After combing over the "inner sanctum" of the warehouse, we're definitely feeling better. Everyone's got at least ten clips or magazines to carry on them, which was the most important part, with plenty to spare in the boxes we found. However, we were also able to obtain a few other things, such as an T-type exoskeleton for Spectre. Additionally, Springfield was able to find five clips of armor piercing ammo for herself, along with a telescopic sight. For Spectre and PPK, we found some laser pointer sights. Thank God for Griffin's modular designs.
As for me or Agnes, there wasn't much. However, in the modern boxes were a few goodies that I'll have to look through later.
"Shouldn't you take that?" Agnes asks as I offer her the Five-SeveN we dug up.
"I took the other one that was in there, so I felt you should have it. Besides, you're better at aiming than me. You'll get more use out of it."
As for the other gun, it was a Serbu Super-Shorty. Probably the best thing I could have asked for, as it was a decent close range "situation has gone FUBAR" weapon. It meant an enemy had gotten within close enough range and couldn't be intercepted by a T-Doll in time.
Preferably, I would have taken a submachine gun or better yet, an assault rifle, but beggars can't be choosers. That, and I'm sure it'll be a nasty surprise for anyone who gets in that close.
"As for the rest of this equipment, we need to bury it or hide it somewhere. It'll be suspicious if we torch this place, and we can't let it fall into even our hands."
"There a reason for that?" Agnes asks.
"Germania is allied with us. You want them handling this stuff? Or any other noble, even of Tristain, who might get smart and decide to use this against the princess?"
"Good point."
"PPK, Spectre, locate another exit out of here. We'll find a house with a basement to stash it in and hide it."
"Baker, this is Gautier, can you hear me?"
I raise a hand and signal for the others to continue while responding. "This is Baker. What's the situation?"
"It seems some mages are attempting to make a beeline for the docks. We're currently engaged, can you intercept them? Not sure if they've hidden something there."
"Understood, we'll move to intercept. Also, we can confirm your intel, this was a warehouse for their supplies, looks deserted." I say, disengaging the comms. "Agnes, Springfield, take a look outside, we have enemy officers coming through here. Let's move to capture, we need whatever info they have. Leave the box to the rest of us once we locate an exit."
This damn box is pretty heavy though, forcing me to drag it along the ground. PPK and Spectre are able to find an alternative exit for us to pull the box through, and we stash the weapons cache in the basement of a fairly unassuming house that's been cleared out and half destroyed by stray fire.
"Sir, Springfield has something." Spectre says as we exit the basement. "She's asking us to move to her position."
"Take us there."
What Springfield found, of course, was a "lower" area of the docks that instead of housing massive airships, housed much smaller, perhaps personal ones, crewed by perhaps ten or so people.
The mages were all nobles, of course, and most of them were summarily shot in an ambush. Based on what was down here, I think they were trying to escape rather than obtain a superweapon.
"Springfield?" I ask as she confirms her kills.
"Sorry, sir. I was just… the second in command."
"Ah, I see."
"If he's an older man, as the senior leadership tends to be these days, he might have a sense of pride in him. He won't run away. He'd rather die on the battlefield than waste away in a jail cell as a prisoner of war." Agnes says as I radio in to inform Gautier of the situation. "See how these ones are younger? They're the type to just care about themselves. Life hasn't taught them yet."
"It's not that I'm concerned about, Enfield. It's his family."
"We've split a lot of families today, Springfield."
"...I know. But, in this case, I saw that child and him together. You must understand, yes?"
"I can't say that I do. I didn't have the luxury of knowing that kind of relationship."
Springfield frowns. "I see."
"Alright, everyone quiet for a second. Gautier, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear."
"We found the nobles and intercepted them. Seems they were just trying to escape as there are some smaller airships here. Any others we should be aware of?"
"I don't see too many moving towards the docks. Additionally, we've captured two more towers after you made a foothold in one. Tide of the battle is shifting in our favor."
"Got it. We'll head back up top, then, and help sweep the streets. We're topped off on ammunition, as well."
"If that's the case, we'll swing by and pick you up. If you can shoot as well as you all did during the aerial assault, we can afford to be more daring when going close to those towers."
"Understood, we'll see you topside." I say, then turn back to the team. "GK Team, we're moving back up top! Gautier's team will be here to pick us up, then we'll start sniping people on the towers. Let's move!"
The battle is over by the time the evening starts to fall, with six of eight towers captured, and two not captured destroyed. We've taken a pretty nasty beating, though. I wasn't informed what the official attrition numbers were, but just by a walk through of the camp, you can tell that it was definitely high.
PPK went off to train Agnes with her pistol, since even if it's not the one she's etched with, at the very least a pistol specialist will be helping her. While of course, Agnes is already a good shot, the design of the handgun is far different compared to what she's familiar with. Spectre went off to be with them, as it seems she and PPK are a pair.
"I thought I'd find you here. You'll miss dinner at this rate."
It's of course, Springfield, who flashes a smile as she comes holding a tray of food.
"You sure it's okay for me to have this much?"
"It's a real party tonight, and because the storehouse was unharmed, there's food a plenty. There's also a Consolation Corp, sent by the princess to help deliver food as the air corridor has been secured. So, please eat."
"Thanks. Did you hear anything about… you know?"
"Ah, yes, I asked around. It seems he was captured and his wife and child are still alive, having been evacuated. Additionally, I spotted Saito and Louise, so they survived. Lastly, I handed your request to the general, who said he would get it to you within the week."
"I see. Thank you for going that far for me." I say as Springfield puts the tray down on the table. I feel a bit bad as this isn't our house, it's simply been abandoned, but I suppose it beats a tent.
"It's what I can do, sir. It makes me feel a bit like your adjutant, if I may be so bold."
I chuckle, shaking my head. "What's so bold about being an adjutant?"
"Ah, well… I've heard from other dolls that sometimes an adjutant and commander get involved."
"Despite company policy?"
She sighs. "Yes, despite company policy. I… wasn't sure if you would take it the wrong way, even as a joke. I didn't want to come off as forward or with that sort of intent."
I laugh, waving her off. "You don't have to worry about anything. I… well, I suppose I skirted the line with my adjutant, actually."
"Hm?" Springfield asks, tilting her head. "I did not expect that from you."
"Ah, don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I was involved with her in that way, it was just… a close knit friendship that was often mistaken for romantic interest. Had I fully adhered to the company policy, I would have clearly not let our friendship get that far." I say, deciding to change the topic. "Anyways, you seemed like you had something else to talk about?"
"Mhm. But, it seems that we got lucky today, hm?"
"I'm just a bit uneasy about it, is all. Seems a bit too convenient, no?"
"I suppose that so. Do you think there'll be a big operation right away?"
"I hope not, but… I suppose I have that kind of feeling, too."
"Well, I also heard there's going to be a ceasefire. The Festival of the Founder's Advent is coming up, or in other words, a New Years' Festival."
"So they have something like that here, huh…?" I mumble. "Well, if that's the case, we can take a break. At the very least, our enemies are responsive to things like that. The Sangvis weren't so willing."
However, part of me has a bad feeling about this. The enemy is losing, badly so. A ceasefire means that they have time to recuperate and reposition themselves. Due to the religious aspect to this festival as well, we're in no political position to deny it.
"Should we remain on alert, sir?"
"As much as I hate to have you all patrol during the holidays, let's agree to take any patrols during the time period and to stay wary. Additionally, since we've taken the city, it can't hurt to try to explore and find where those T-Doll signatures came from."
"Seems like we never do get a vacation."
"Did the SF ever give us one to begin with?"
"Touche, Commander. Well, I wish to go make sure those children are okay, so if you'll excuse me."
"Of course." I say, Springfield curtsying as she leaves. I guess the end is nigh, for this war, huh…? Yet, I can't help but wonder if there's one last major obstacle…
Wew, there we go. Definitely had a lot of fun with a bigger scale battle this time, plus it gave me a solid excuse to have Oliver and the others gear up. For a while I debated on what weapon to give Oliver, since I thought a SMG would be nice, but felt like since the SMG, Pistol, and Rifle slots were taken, it'd have to be an AR or a Shotgun. I took ARs off the table since that felt like a way too big upgrade for Oliver, and shotguns seemed good because well, Oliver wouldn't be doing a lot of the fighting anyways, so it seemed like a good "oh shit" weapon as Oliver actually needing to reach for a weapon generally means bad things are happening.
Not really a ton to say here, but if you're a fan of FoZ, I think you know what's coming up next. I also tried to sneak in a bit of development for Springfield and by extension Agnes, who's in that small scene as well.
Next chapter is taking it a little easier after the rising tension that was All Ghillied Up and this chapter, though. Probably won't hit until after the new year, so until then, folks. Have yourselves a very Merry Christmas.
