Welcome to the first of the side chapters for Diamond Union. These are events that occur within the overall story but aren't critical to the main storyline. It's not necessary for these chapters to be read, but it will give you some important insight on events that happen in the background, the primary example being this first side chapter. These stories can come out before or after a main chapter, and are usually written solely by a single author (again, with the exception of this first side chapter). Though, there may be more side chapters in the future that are written with more than one author. The optional YouTube soundtrack is also present here: (/playlist?list=PLfUttKNcUeSbjeMmG9z98WlI5VDId3X0P), but you will have to complete the link yourself due to this site's editor automatically breaking links.


-Side Chapter 1: Old Reliable-

-Several Weeks after Pearl Harbor-

-Snake's PoV-

"Hey, boss..."

Revolver Ocelot sat across Snake in the under-construction meeting room. Only some metal folding chairs and a placeholder wooden table were the things to note about the room, save for it's unpainted, reinforced metal walls illuminated only by a single light fixture. It was 0430, right at the crack of dawn. Most soldiers were still asleep, but Ocelot had explicitly requested his presence. Ocelot had a black bag next to his feet.

Snake was relieved to have his prosthetic arm repaired thanks to a certain little girl with green hair and cat ears. Finally being able to move his arm freely, he leaned back in his chair. "So, what was the reason you woke me up a little earlier than usual?" Snake asks while still partially asleep.

Ocelot, however, leaned forward onto the desk. "Ah, still a bit tired. Well, I think you might want to wake yourself up a little more, because It looks like there's still more of us out there."

Snake craned his neck from left to right, then sat properly in his chair. "Oh really now? How do you know this?"

"Remember that scouting party you sent out a week ago? They returned an hour ago with some pretty interesting findings."

Ocelot grabbed the bag next to his feet, putting it on the cheap table. He then extracted a few things - an intact, but damaged handgun, a few cigarettes and... a patch. Snake leaned forward, grabbing the battle-worn pistol and inspecting it. He then extracted the magazine, and looking into the magazine. Just a few bullets left.

"They found these at a makeshift campsite near a Latin American island, they tell me. But I'm sure you recognize that gun, no?"

"Indeed. It's a Burkov... a weapon we let the soldiers willingly choose. But this weapon wasn't made until after World War 2. This was definitely one of our men... but why did he leave that base behind?"

"I think that patch might answer your question."

Snake calmly placed the handgun on the table, pointing away from the both of them. Snake grabbed the patch, but couldn't quite tell what it looked like due to poor lighting conditions. He got up from the table, holding the patch under the light. That was when he recognized it - a patch of a fox looking upwards, as if to look upon the viewer with superiority. It was holding a knife it's mouth, and the patch had the words "Desafiar" wrapping around it.

"The San Hieronymo Resistance patch?... There's only one person who still holds onto it."

"Sageful Advisor." Ocelot answered. "That means that the old codger survived the incident. And chances are, he's still kicking... but he won't be for long if we don't find him first."

Snake got up from the chair, dropping the patch and the handgun back in the bag. "Right. Organize a search party. I want you and a few others to help me find him."

"Of course. Anyone in particular you want on the team?"

Snake slid the chair back under the table. "No-one comes to mind. We just need 2, but one should be experienced in surveillance and the other in ambush anticipation."

"Roger that. We'll rendezvous at 0630 at the marine bay."

Snake and Ocelot both exited the room, going their separate ways down the hall. Snake took a detour towards his personal quarters, reflecting on this sudden revelation. Sageful advisor was alive? At least one of the experienced men had made it through the rift. As far as Snake knew, Code Talker was likely dead, and they were short of some aged wisdom in their ranks. If Sageful Advisor was still alive, some of the staff would receive a good morale boost.

But the question is... where in the world was he...?

.

..

...

-Unknown PoV-

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

3 bullets. More than he wanted to spend. Perhaps he could have angled that shot a little better...? No matter. He cleared his throat, and continued walking back to camp. He wouldn't even bother moving those men's bodies, for he had no reason to.

.

..

...

Wait a moment... something was off. His senses immediately on guard once he had reached the camp, he slowed his footsteps to be nearly inaudible and aimed his pistol, surveying the site. He remained there for a solid minute, and only began moving again once he confirmed the lack of movement. Continuing to proceed quietly, he inched his way to the tent until he reached it. Sadly, his senses were right about one thing - his camp was raided. Strangely though, no food supplies were taken. Only just a broken handgun and his patch. Oh well, he had no reason to keep the patch if no-one could recognize it.

This camp was still compromised all the same, so he had to move positions again. Grabbing what he could have food supplies and putting it into his backpack, he then took his pillow and blanket, stuffing them in there all he could. He may be a soldier, but there's no way he would pass up a good night's sleep.

.

..

...

-Snake's PoV-

🎵Call of Duty 4 - Main Menu Theme🎵

"All reporting for duty, sir!"

Two Diamond Dogs stood in front of Ocelot and Snake, in a straight posture and saluting. Snake raised his hand up, performing a gesture that indicated 'At ease', and spoke up.

"Ocelot selected you two specifically for a personal mission of mine. A scouting party returned yesterday with evidence that an important Diamond Dog may still be alive, but we don't know their whereabouts. You two are going to help us look for him on the island. Now, what are your codenames?"

"Vigil Owl, sir!" one of them replied. "Judging Rhino, Boss." The other said.

"I see." Snake remarked. "We will be heading to the armory, then immediately setting off. Any questions?"

"'No sir!'" both of them replied.

"Good." Snake replied while nodding. He then turned around and began walking, the two Diamond Dogs and Ocelot following behind. Several soldiers they walked passed saluted Snake when he passed them. A few minutes of walking later, they arrived at the armory. As they entered, Snake turned around again.

"Men, we are running very low on non-lethal ammunition, so for this mission we'll all be using lethal rounds. You all know the drill; shoot to disable and aim for limbs. Don't take a shot unless you know you won't miss. Vigil Owl will be using a Renov-ICKX." Snake hands Owl the rifle. He takes note of it having iron sights before checking the chamber to make sure it isn't loaded. "Judging Rhino will be armed with an AM-MRS4 Assault rifle. Ocelot will of course be using his personal Tornado-6 revolver." Ocelot smiles, pulling out his revolver to do a quick spin before holstering it back at his side.

"I will be equipping a Sz-336 SMG. In addition, I would like to have you trade your Windurger 2 pistols for AM D114's for this mission." Snake pauses for a moment to take a deep breath. "You are to strictly aim for non-vitals only. Any casualties are grounds for extreme punishment."

"'Sir yes sir!'" they both replied.

Judging Rhino walks past Snake to a stack of large boxes in the corner of the room. Vigil Owl opened a nearby ammo box and started loading a few magazines with lethal rounds. Judging Rhino opened a large box, grabbing one of few AM-MRS4's that survived. He laid it on the table, grabbing several magazines from the box and some bullets from a separate ammo box. He then began loading the magazine with bullets one by one, as Snake and Ocelot headed to a different side of the room. Ocelot grabbed more than a few speedloaders worth of bullets, while Snake grabbed one of several Sz-336's hanging on the wall. He unloaded the magazine, but found it was already full. He then knelt down under the table, pulling out a box and opening it to grab a few spare magazines. Snake pushed the box back under the table, grabbing another one and placing it on another table in the center of the room. Ocelot opened the box for Snake and the two soldiers, and they grabbed another few magazines worth of pistol ammunition.

"Hey, boss." Vigil Owl looked to his left to face Snake. "Do you know when the R&D team will start making grenades again?"

"Soon. The only things we're capable of making are tear gas grenades though."

Vigil Owl shrugged. "Hey, it's better than nothing."

Snake walked over to the door. "Men, it's time to disembark. The individual we are recovering is an old soldier named Sageful Advisor, one of the important soldiers we presumed dead in the incident."

The two saluted, while Ocelot nodded. Prepared and sufficiently equipped, they exited the armory and made their way towards the Marine Bay.

.

..

...

-Unknown PoV-

A few more hours, yet he hadn't gotten anywhere he deemed "safe". The island was, unfortunately, occupied by what he presumed to be illegal poachers. They hunted the animals like it was a game. While he didn't pay that any mind, it was only when they began firing upon him as well, that he responded with equal force. They were armed quite well, but good weaponry requires a good hand to fire it.

Too bad he was the one who knew how to use his.

*BANG*BANG*BANG*

Suddenly, a series of rapid shots cracked out through the air. He immediately dropped to the ground, synaptically grabbing his pistol. He slowly crawled along the ground, as the bullets sailed above him. He didn't know if they were foolish or if they were deliberately targeting him, until he felt the familiar feeling of a bullet hitting the grass a mere few feet from him. He kept himself as flat to the ground as he could until the bullets finally stopped. And even when they stopped, he remained there for several minutes... until he finally made his move. Moving his pistol cautiously to his front, he raised himself just barely enough to see a few men holding guns, but not wearing uniforms.

"Well, you young fools... you pick a fight with an old man, he shows you how outclassed you really are."

Like clockwork, he immediately aimed for the hand and arms of the men with near-perfect accuracy. Even though he was old, his hand-to-eye coordination and point accuracy was still as good as it was when he used to fight on the frontlines. In just one second, he fired a few shots at their arms, causing them to drop their firearms. Next, their legs - he shot each of their legs, crippling them to the ground.

"7 bullets... agh, perhaps I got a little too rustled."

All that mattered was that he disabled them. However, instead of immediately getting up from the ground, he continued laying there and performed a 180 degree inspection of his surroundings. After determining that there were no potential sniping points or enemies laying in wait of him, he finally - and slowly, rose to his feet. Seeing the person who shot their legs, the 3 men attempted to reach for their guns, but failed pathetically. No expression crossed his face as he slowly walked over to them, pistol still raised and still surveying his surroundings.

In front of him, one of the men spoke up indignantly. "Ugh... So you're... the bastard who keeps stopping us." he spoke in a thick Latin accent.

He shook his head. "No. I'm simply retaliating."

From behind his back, he unsheathed his knife that he had been using for survival. He then held it up to the poachers neck. But instead of slitting his throat, he instead spoke a few words.

"I deliberately aimed for parts that won't permanently cripple you. Leave - I only spared you out of obligation to my morals."

The man's arrogance was shattered in that moment, as he and the other two men attempted to waddle back to wherever they came from. As much as he wanted to remain hidden from them and exfil this island once and for all, it seems he was found... he had to make it clear to them that he would not tolerate this again.

He may be a Diamond Dog, but if push comes to shove, he will do what is necessary.

-Snake's PoV-

-A few hours later-

🎵MGS5 - Africa Sneaking🎵

"Boss, I've spotted an island in the distance."

On a small dinghy, the four soldiers were crowded together as best they could. Despite the boat's small size, it was quite fast, but also noisy, so Snake had to be cautious when driving it. He starred in the direction of where Vigil Owl was pointing.

"Ocelot, is that the island the scouting party found that tent on?" Snake asked loudly, slowing the craft down until it's engine noise was quiet enough.

"It's features look like what they described," he replied. "And it was only a few hours ago they returned. We'll likely encounter him if he hasn't already found a way off."

The boat 'silently' approached the island. Judging Rhino readied his rifle and aimed it towards the island. Snake continued along the circumference of the island until he found a suitable place to enter land from as close as possible. Snake stopped the boat, shutting off it's engine and unfolding the stock of his Sz-336.

"Exit." Snake said with one word, and the three methodically exited the boat. They swam a short distance to the shore as silently as they could, and touched foot on the beach. On the sand, each of them readied their weapons. Snake looked towards Judging Rhino. "Take point."

Judging Rhino walked to the front of the group, while Snake took up the rear. Ocelot and Vigil Owl walked side by side, the group walking slowly into a nearby forest.

.

..

...

-A few hours Later-

It's been nearly 5 hours since their departure from their boat, and the group of Diamond Dogs have been wandering endlessly through the forest of the large island with no luck in finding their missing man. As the sun reaches the peak in the sky, the group reaches the summit of the highest point on the island, looking out over a cliff at the forest foliage in the middle of the island. Vigil Owl quickly positions himself near the edge of the cliff, kneeling down on one foot while holding his rifle in his hands.

"Can you spot any signs of human activity, Owl?"

"No Boss, I see nothing but trees and the ocean." Owl says while looking down the iron sights of his rifle. Snake nods, then looks over at Judging Rhino who is covering their rear. Ocelot, who is staring out over the cliff, turns around and slowly walks over to Snake.

"You think he might still alive?" Ocelot asked Snake.

"Yes. From what he told me in the past, he used to be sent out on missions with Big Boss regularly. He's experienced in this kind of situation."

A sudden growl puts Snake on high alert, drawing his pistol to aim at whatever creature was making the noise, only to find Vigil Owl standing before him. He lowers his pistol and puts it back into his holster.

"Hey Boss, we have been exploring this island for hours now, would it be alright if we stopped to eat?" Vigil Owl asks while taking a sip from his canteen. "Yeah, I'm starving Boss, I haven't eaten anything today apart from a few crackers." Rhino says while sitting down on a rock near the edge of the cliff. Ocelot walks up behind Snake, also kneeling down. "It may be best we stop here for chow. If we plan on exploring the rest of this island, we need to keep our stamina up."

Snake nods in response, "Alright, men. Let's stop here to eat. Be sure to pick every bit of trash, I don't want to leave tracks for any potential enemies to find."

"Aye Sir!" Vigil Owl and Judging Rhino says in sync. Ocelot lays down his pack to pull a plastic bag labeled 'MRE'. Owl leans his rifle against the rock Rhino is on, reaching into his pack to bring out his MRE. Snake decides to move under the cover of the trees to eat, walking over by a nearby tree and sitting on the ground under the shade. He takes off his pack from his back, reaching for his canteen, however a loud cry from one of his men stops him from taking a sip.

"AHH FUCK...! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Without hesitation, Snake springs into action, standing up to sprint back over to his men. To his assurance, Ocelot was already slowly pulling Rhino off and away from the edge. Rhino on his knees was taking deep breaths from having a near death experience.

"What the hell happened?" Snake asks Rhino with concern.

"I lost my balance when I stood up to stretch, I would have fallen to my death if it wasn't for Ocelot." Judging Rhino says while gasping for air.

"Hahah, that was one hell of a cliff hanger. Next time, don't sit near the edge." Ocelot remarks while extending a hand down to Rhino to pull him back on his feet. Snake breathes a sigh of relief, thankful that he hasn't lost another soldier. Rhino dusts off the dirt on his pants and takes another glance over the edge.

"Ugh…" He says with a heavy sigh, "My MRE fell down the damned cliff." Snake, despite being very hungry, didn't want any of his men to be operating this mission on an empty stomach, deciding to put the welfare of his troops before his own needs. "You can have mine," He says before running back to his back to pull out his MRE and rushed back. Holding out the MRE by the ends to hand it to Judging Rhino.

Rhino, in response, pushes the bag away. "No Boss, you don't have to give me yours. Aren't you hungry?"

"I would be lying if I said no, but my bigger concern is making sure that my soldiers are fed and able to continue the mission." Snake replied. Judging Rhino, hesitant at first, took the bag from Snake, "Thank you Boss." He says with gratitude before moving to sit besides Ocelot and Vigil Owl.

"Snake, you're not going to eat?" Ocelot asks while taking a bite out of an energy bar. Owl looks up from eating his pound cake to hold out a packaged bag of cheesy crackers to Snake. "Here boss, have my crackers."

"No thank you." Snake said, looking back towards the forest. He didn't want to eat anything from his soldier's rations, instead he decided to do something that he hasn't done in a long time; go hunting for food.

"Men, stay here. I'll be back." Snake says while walking towards the foliage of the forest.

Ocelot chuckles. "I guess old habits really do die hard."

.

..

...

And so he broke off from the group to go find something to eat, looking in every direction, listening and watching for any small amounts of movement. With some minor exploring later, he had found something interesting - a red, black and white patterned snake. He quietly snuck up on it, and when he got close enough, immediately stomped on both of it's ends, reached down and sliced them off. The snake slowly swuirmed around a bit more until it finally stopped moving.

Thinking in the back of his head, he wished he had his iDroid with him. It would have been helpful to get a scan on the snake he caught to make sure it was edible... no, tasty. From judging the pattern of the snake, it seemed like it was a coral snake. However, he was unsure if it really was one as he can recall catching a milk snake, a species identical to coral snakes he once at one point while scavenging for food back in his early days in the MSF. Vaguely, he remembers the differences between the two.

Regardless, Snake didn't care as he wasn't a picky eater. He got down and grabbed the intact middle piece, and went straight into eating it.

...

...

"Mm... that is awful." Snake said quietly to himself after sampling a live snake. That should be enough to last him some time, but it's taste wasn't something he'd have again willingly. Minorly irritated, but strangely now energized, he decided to return right back to the group.

-Many hours Later-

Many hours have passed, the sun now slowly setting over the horizon of the island. Nightfall was approaching fast and the group was now getting desperate. Despite nearly spending the entire day on the island, they only scouted half of it. Snake was determined to find Sageful Advisor. However, he was now starting to slowly doubt if the experienced soldier really was really still alive. The thought of it was buzzing around in his head all afternoon, refusing to deny it. However, that thought was put at ease when he and his squad stumbled upon something he didn't expect to encounter; 3 dead bodies laying on the grass in the middle of a forest.

Ocelot was the first to approach the bodies, "Boss, these men were armed… hmm... those weapons though." He knelt down, grabbing one of their guns. It looked like an unfamiliar design, but it had a magazine loaded from the side. "This looks like something from this time period all right."

Vigil Owl knelt down, holding out his hand for Ocelot to hand him the gun. He inspected the gun. "Pretty fancy guns. From what I hear, these things are pretty good even back in the present-day of our world."

"Hmm… These men don't look like military personnel." Judging Rhino said while kicking the corpses with his boot. Ocelot approaches the dead bodies to take a look at their clothes. After inspecting them one by one, he shakes his head and kneels down to reach for something in one of their pockets, pulling out a large tooth.

"Tsk... Poachers." Ocelot clicks his tongue disapprovingly, and hands the tooth to Judging Rhino.

"Poachers?" Snake looked at Judging Rhino in surprise, then at the corpse. He reached into another one's pocket, and grabbed what appeared to be the fragment of a moose horn. "Heh... bad ones at that... smaller caliber weapons won't do shit to an elephant." Rhino says while looking at the tooth Ocelot handed him.

"Maybe, but the dumbasses somehow managed to get that tooth," Ocelot replies. A sudden sound of rustling coming from deeper in the forest, making them all look in the direction of the noise. "Stay frosty, everyone," Snake says quietly. The two Diamond Dogs silently replied with a hush 'ho-ah' as they walked past the corpses into another beach.

The moon was now slowly emerging from the horizon, faintly illuminating the beach's shore. It's light made it easier for them to see where they were walking. Snake had expected there to be more corpses, but there weren't. The beach was rather clean, apart from the occasional washed-up seashells or seaweed. They continued along the beach, as Vigil Owl lived up to his title and maintained vigilance all around them. Snake watched the group's vanguard, and Ocelot watched the places Judging Rhino currently wasn't looking at.

"Were those the only ones, you thin-" Vigil Owl says, but cuts himself off. "Wait up." The group stops. Vigil Owl lowers his gun, kneeling down. "Take a look at this."

He pointed to the sand. In a small patch appeared to be traces of blood... seemingly fresh blood at that. Snake took a second look around then, and then noticed that there was an easily-missable trail of blood. "We're following this trail." he stated. The group then began cautiously walking along the blood trail, which led back through the forest again but in a different direction. Emerging from the trees once more, Ocelot immediately spoke up.

"Well well, it's the tent they were talking about."

In the distance, the group faintly spots a tent in the middle of an open small field with no trees. Nearby it was a small pit with a smoke trail coming off it. Snake turned around to face the direction Ocelot was pointing at. There besides the tent was a single large box next to it. The group slowly began walking towards it. A short distance before they did reach it, Ocelot held out his arm in a "stop" gesture. He then walked towards the tent alone, the three Diamond Dogs covering his advance. Ocelot quietly approached the tent, his Tornado-6 at the ready. A few seconds of tension passed, but Ocelot, as quietly as he reasonably could, opened the zipper. From inside, a man was currently reading what appeared to be a book. It took him little to a few seconds to realize the tent was opened, but once it did process, he had his pistol pointed at Ocelot with startling speed.

.

..

...

But then, he slowly lowered his gun.

"Ocelot? Is that you?"

"It's been a while, Sage. We thought you were dead." he said with a tone of familiarity.

The old man laughed. "Yes, indeed. I'm sure it was fairly easy to locate me after you raided my tent."

"Well, sharp as usual I see. Yeah, that was some of our guys." Ocelot replied, holding out his hand. Sageful Advisor grabbed it, emerging out of the tent. The three Diamond Dogs lowered their weapons after they saw who Ocelot exited the tent with. The wise old man walked right up to Snake, standing not quite at eye level.

"I see the boss himself also decided to look for me. How've you been in my absence?"

Snake sighed. "Well... not so good. Our base is a shimmer of what it used to be, and we're running low on resources. But we now have an ally who helped us back up onto our feet. And unfortunately... Pearl Harbor happened."

Sageful Advisor frowned at Snake's statement, remaining silent for a few seconds. "You mind running that by me again?"

Snake was about to speak, but Ocelot quickly butted in. "I'll explain this, boss. That rift we were brought through... it sent us to the past, but in an entirely different world. We're currently sitting a few weeks after the Pearl Harbor raid. The only good news about that is that Snake sent himself and a few of his guys in to help evac some allies. America."

Sageful Advisor was once again quiet, but for far longer. The silence was incredibly awkward, but he finally spoke. "...I'm sorry sonny, but that's a bit tough to believe."

"It's still tough for us to believe too." Ocelot said seriously. "This world is vastly different from ours, and we are only just understanding what it has in store for us."

Sageful Advisor "I... see. Well, I'm gonna have to ask you to let me-"

*BANG*BANG*BANG*

🎵MGS5 - Africa [NIGHT] Alert, Level 4🎵

Suddenly, bullets whizzed right past them. "CONTACT!" Ocelot yelled at the top of his lungs, the five Diamond Dogs immediately dropped for cover onto the ground. In the distance, Snake could hear their attackers, yelling words in a different language he wasn't familiar with. Judging Rhino fired suppressing shots, while Snake fired controlled shots at the legs of the aggressors. From over the sound of the skirmish, someone yelled at the top of their lungs.

"GODDAMNIT, I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE SPARED THOSE IMBECILES!"

Sageful Advisor joined in on the battle, despite using a pistol. His accuracy was incredible, putting down five enemies in a quicker time then it took Judging Rhino to take down one. However, the old man landed a shot right in the head of one of the shooters, causing Snake to also shout.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?"

"NOT NOW, BOSSY BOY!" Sageful Advisor shouted. "SURVIVE FIRST! IF PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, THEN I WILL DO WHAT IS NECESSARY!"

Snake had extremely mixed feelings on his response, but that was the least of his worries. A large number of poachers began rushing their position, shouting even more phrases in foreign language while returning fire on the defenders. Sageful quickly dropped to the ground to reload his pistol, allowing Ocelot and Vigil Owl to join in. The men, when shot, yelled in pain and immediately ran away as fast as they could, but more came in as the wounded fled. It was like a conveyer belt of illegal idiots determined to get revenge. Bullets traded all around, and Snake could feel himself sweating all over. It was only then that their numbers began thinning out, and they were able to get up and safely combat them from their own two feet.

"WHAT'S THE CALL, BOSS!?" Judging Rhino yelled, tagging two more poachers. "DO WE PURSUE OR EXFILTRATE!?"

"WE'RE LEAVING!" Snake yelled. "OCELOT, COVER MY F-"

A shot blows through Ocelot's right arm, causing him to fumble his revolver. He clasps his arm and lets out a furious, painful yell and wastes no time grabbing revolver with his other hand.

"AHHH, SON OF A BITCH!"

"NO, OCELOT!" Sageful Advisor looks back at Ocelot, then immediately faces the enemy again, taking aim and landing a shot on the head of Ocelot's attacker. Snake wanted to reprimand him, but couldn't bring himself to because he just saved Ocelot's life. The group quickly began retreating through the forest, Snake backpedaling and providing suppression to cover their escape. The lack of visibility made it difficult for the group to navigate through the forest. Snake while running, tripped on a tree trunk, but was able to quickly recover and keep running.

They all ran as fast as they could through the forest as their pursers kept chasing them down like a pack of wolves. Eventually after maneuvering through the dark forest, the squad of Diamond dogs reached the shore, in the distance was their boat. Wasting no time, the group started sprinting towards the boat, rushing into the water and swam frantically towards the boat while under fire. Vigil Owl helped Ocelot swim while Judging Rhino provided covering fire. Thanks to the cover of the night, the group of Diamond Dogs were able to blend in easier with the water, allowing them to reach their boat unschaved. Snake and Sageful Advisor boarded the boat, helping the two up as Vigil Owl disabled a few pursuers. Judging Rhino was the last one to enter the boat, pulling himself out from the water and dropping to the deck of the boat, soaked in seawater. With everyone now boarded on the boat, Snake yelled again.

"OWL, PILOT THE BOAT! I NEED TO TEND TO OCELOT!"

Owl said nothing, rushing to start the boat's motor and immediately hitting full throttle without a second thought, causing the boat to buck backwards. Judging Rhino provided more covering fire to cover their escape, as the boat sped away from the island as fast as possible. He knelt down and mounted the side of the boat with his rifle, continuing to watch their back as the boat continued it's escape. Snake placed Ocelot against the side of the boat, immediately grabbing a nearby medical box they packed, taking out a few bandages, sutures and a bottle of disinfectant. Snake proceeded to patch up Ocelot's arm as best he could, and finished off with pouring the disinfectant straight over the wound for a few seconds, causing Ocelot to groan in pain. Snake only closed the wound to stop bleeding, but he needed full medical attention as quickly as possible, since the bullet was still lodged in there. As they pulled further away from the Island, Rhino stopped shooting his rifle and pulled it back onto the boat. The tip of the muzzle from the AM-MRS4 was spewing smoke from how much Rhino fired it.

🎵No Music🎵

Now out of range from the island, the group of Diamond dogs relaxes their guard. "Hahah, we fucking made it!" Rhino yelled in celebration while sitting back down in his seat. Snake putting away the bandages back into a medical box catches sight of a strange glowing light from the corner of his eye. He quickly closes the medical box and stares out over the boat. In the distance he spots a group of mysterious bright yellow lights. He couldn't make out what it was in the distance, but the lights and the dark sillouthee vaguely resembled a person who seemed to be riding on top of something.

"Huh, boss, what are you staring at?" Vigil Owl asks, looking around until he spots what Snake is looking at.

"W-what...?" Vigil says, speechless in his words. Soon everyone else in the boat redirects their attention to the strange anomaly before them. "Is that a fishing boat?" Sageful asks, squinting his eyes.

"That doesn't look like a fishing boat," Judging Rhino replies. "It... looks like a person?" He says with uncertainty. Snake knew he had seen these familiar lights before, weeks back when he first traveled to the oil rig deep in the water.

After a few more seconds of gazing at the unidentified source of lights, the mysterious lights suddenly disappeared, fading into the depths of the ocean. The group then looks back at each other with confusion, but Snake with a strange sense of deja vu.

'What was that? Could it be another shipgirl?' He thought to himself.

.

..

...

-A few hours later-

The base was immediately put on low-alert when Snake and his group returned with one extra soldier in tow, but with Ocelot badly wounded. He was immediately rushed to the impromptu medical wing, while Sageful Advisor followed Snake back to the meeting room. Entering it together, the two took seats at a table.

Snake took a seat away from the door, while Sageful Advisor took a seat closest to it. Snake smiled. "Welcome back home. It isn't much, but it's what we work with for now."

"I see promise in this base. But that's not the field I work in..." the old man corrected his posture to sit comfortably. "I'm more interested in seeing what the R&D team looks like now."

Snake sighed calmly. "A small handful of people. They're good, but not good enough. And with their small numbers, the best they can do is maintain what we still have. Think you can show them how to rebuild our old gear?"

"Under one condition, young boss." Sageful Advisor sat forward. "I'd like to tell you about an idea I've had since before we were... 'transported to this new world', as you claim." he grabs a cigar from his pocket, and a lighter, lighting it. Snake was surprised there were still some of those left, but yet wasn't all that surprised.

Sageful Advisor took his time taking his hit from the cigar, but finally exhaled the smoke. "I'd like to expand the R&D team to cover vehicle development."

Snake appeared hesitant. "Well... we don't have the funds for that yet."

Sageful Advisor smiled knowingly. "You don't. But you mentioned you have allies, correct? Ask for help from them. The Diamond Dogs will need machines to help us do our work out in the field... and I'm sure the engineers have a few ideas up their sleeves they want to try... just like the old days."

Snake contemplated this decision. In-house vehicles wasn't something he gave much thought to, since most of their vehicles were stolen from the Russian military or the various african militias. But he did have to admit that developing their own vehicles would give them the edge. If The Commander and Azur Lane were willing to help, then it could be worth trying.

Snake smiled and got up from his chair. "Alright. Go tell the engineers the good news."

"Of course." Sageful Advisor also got up, extinguishing his cigar on the armrest of his seat.

"They'll love what's to come."