SAO:BTFL Chapter 5 – Operation Aincrad Military Intelligence Sector 5
Zumfut local Tavern
Zumfut
Floor 3, Castle Aincrad
Sword Art Online
December 15th, 2022 10:35 am AST
Day 36 of SAO
"An Intelligence Gathering Guild"
I gulped down my beer before turning to Yua who was sitting beside me "run that by me again?" I asked.
She had talked about starting an Intelligence Gathering Guild after Kiabou and Thinker both offered me jobs as their Heads of Intelligence, The Aincrad Liberation Squad, a floor clearing guild and MMO Today, a Mutual Aid Organization. I turned them both down, I like to get paid for my work with some illegal activities on the side. This was one thing I learnt from my Commanding officer Rin "If you going to do something, always get paid for it from the source, never deal with being someone's lacky, and if possible, take some private offers on the side" of course she was talking about the work we did for NATO and the Japanese Government but it was all off the books illegal anyway.
"I mean, think about it Master Sergeant, we are both Military Intelligence, right?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with Sword Art Online?" I questioned the girl.
The rest of our little group, Sachi, Sayori and Itou were out doing stuff. Itou was doing his job of transferring materials between players on different floors and Sachi was hanging out with Sayori at a nearby market street.
"We could make a lot of money gathering Intelligence for the Front line as well as intelligence on other guilds" she stated.
I thought about this for a moment, theoretically it could work. In the real world such business exist and there are rich, but this is Castle Aincrad, and the only people you could call rich is Thinker.
"You know what" I said "that's not a bad Idea"
I lowered my beer jug down and opened my Interaction Menu scrolling to the guild tab. Opening it a list of currently created guilds popped up, several were shown. I moved to the create a guild tab and opened it, a form popped up asking for the Guilds Name, amount of max players I'd like, if it's a Private or Public Guild, name of founding player and if I'd like to invite any inaugural members.
"What should we call it?" I asked out loud.
"Aincrad Military Intelligence?"
"If we are gonna go that route how about Aincrad Military Intelligence Sector 5? It has a real-life counterpart, Military Intelligence, Sector 5, an Internal Intelligence Agency in the UK"
Yua nodded, since she agreed I placed the name into the answer bar "Aincrad Military Intelligence Sector 5" in the guild tag bar I placed "AMI5", I placed a 1,000 Player Limit on the guild, just in case. I put it as a Private Guild, placed in my name and invited Itou, Sayori, Yua and Sachi.
"Done"
I clicked the button that corresponded with my words and another interaction menu popped up asking for a Picture. If I remember correctly, I had a picture of MI5's logo without the words stored in my Nervegear's Harddrive but I can't enter my local harddrive can I? A menu popped up asking if I'd like to download a picture from Local or if I'd like to draw it, I chose local and a window that looked like a Document window on a PC came up in front of me, I navigated to the downloads part of my Local Harddrive and found nothing, I navigated over to my photos and found what I was looking for. I downloaded that and it appeared in the box. I accepted it as my guilds logo and soon the picture appeared on the right of my name.
Yua joined as well and the logo appeared in the same exact place. We still had the party from the first-floor boss raid so I could see Itou, Sayori and Sachi's name. Sayori and Sachi's name also had the Logo of AMI5. A message appeared on my screen from Itou.
"Huh? What's going on?" It read.
"We're starting an Intelligence Gathering Guild, of course you can keep you day job, but this is just a way to get a little extra income" I responded.
Soon enough Itou joined the group. That was how Aincrad Military Intelligence Sector 5, the largest Information Gathering & Security Guild in Sword Art Online and possibly VRMMO's was created, in a Tavern on the 3rd floor of Castle Aincrad by two Military Intelligence Officials trapped by a tyrannical terrorist.
Zumfut Town Center
Zumfut
Floor 3, Castle Aincrad
Sword Art Online
December 15th, 2022 5:00 pm AST
Day 36 of SAO
"Alright listen up" I barked at the congregation of players "welcome to the first clearing meeting for the third floor, as many of you know, I am SeanCityNavy, your local and friendly Info Trader and now founder of Aincrad Military Intelligence Sector 5 or AMI5. Before we get started, the Aincrad Liberation Squad's guild leader would like to say a few words"
Kibaou walked up from just behind me and addressed the crowd, that thanks to the information I had gathered on the first-floor boss earlier that day would allow us to create detailed plans and strategies. He once again went on his normal rant about Beta Testers to which ticks me off every now and then, but I normally let it slide.
"Alright thank you" I said pushing the man aside so that I can share my information "Nerius the Evil Treant" I continued to share the information I had gathered then returned the floor to Kibaou so he could start creating strategies.
I walked back to my squad mates of Sayori, Yua and Sachi. Itou was still doing his job, I asked him to find a small place that would make sense for an Outpost in the Town of Beginnings where we can have our HQ.
"Did Itou respond?" Yua asked.
I shook my head "He hasn't, I told him it wasn't as important"
"Were not clearing this time?" Sayori asked.
"No" I responded as I gestured to the about 150 players gathered in the Square "They've got this covered"
"You just don't want to deal with this huh?" Sayori observed.
"I'm not a grunt Sayori, I'm an Intelligence Officer so your god damn right I don't want to deal with this" I confirmed.
Special Activities and grunt work are two different things. When you're an Army Grunt you get no respect, from either your superiors nor your fellow grunts. You do other peoples dirty work, get placed into unnecessary danger, die because of stupid mistakes made by said superiors. However, when you work in Special Activities you have respect from both your superiors and your fellow operators, you get placed into necessary danger, you can only die from mistakes from Intelligence Officers, and your job relates to problems of National Security. It goes the same for being an Intelligence Officer but without the danger.
"Back to beating your asses in Poker then?"
"Is that a challenge?" Yua questioned Sachi.
"Damn fucking right that's a challenge" Sachi replied.
Sayori laughed.
Room #679
Building 85T, Floor 2
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
December 23rd, 2024 4:35pm EST
Day +47 of SAO
"Alright, I think that's enough for today" my Psychologist Dr. Emily Reed said as she closed her book.
"Doc, I honestly don't understand why you are doing this or why I'm doing it here"
"as I told you when you entered this room Mr. Michalek-"
"Master Sergeant"
"Not in the US Army your not" she snapped "you are an American Citizen that was caught up in a accident on foreign soil"
"Yes, but I'm also a Japanese Citizen who works in the Ground Self-Defense Forces Intelligence Command, this shouldn't be an issue that needs to be handled by the United States" I replied.
"Mr. Michalek, when you entered Yokota Air Force Base and was admitted to the Hospital there you became our problem meaning this is an American Issue"
"I never asked to be transferred to Yokota's Hospital, y'all did that on your own accord" I responded harshly.
I got up and left the room. I was transferred out of Japan on November 23rd, a month earlier to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, just 72.7 Miles from the place where I went to High School. I walked down the hallway and into the elevator, taking it down to the main entrance. As I exited the Hospital I moved my hand up toward the bright sky and shielded my eyes from the sun, I was about to curse whoever turned the brightness setting up on the sun when I remembered, I'm in the real world and not Sword Art Online. I sighed and walked back to the Bethesda Naval Lodge were I was staying during my Psychiatric sessions. Basically, it's the US Governments way of keeping close tabs on me. I open the door to my one room hotel room with a kitchenette and crash onto the bed after removing my shoes and closing the door behind me. I grab the remote off the bed side table and flick it over to CNN.
"In International News Today, we are continuing our coverage of SAO: The Online Disaster, live from Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications HQ in Tokyo it John Alister, John any news?"
"Not any as of recent, as you all know, after November 7th when all the effected persons, including fifteen Americans, Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces Master Sergeant Sean Michalek 'SeanCityNavy', a Resident of Maryland, University Student Mayden Dutton 'Sayori_Maple', also a resident of Maryland, University Student Ray William Muttin 'JamesMcCalin', a resident of California, US Marine Corps Private First Class Alex Aburaage 'SgtMajAblie', a resident of Wisconsin, US Air Force Airmen First Class Rebecca Strongwilled 'FighterBecca', a resident of Texas, the list goes on, awoke the man responsible for this disaster, Kayaba Akihiko who went by the name of 'Heathcliff' in game was found dead in a Cabin, his brain fried. Currently sources won't tell us anything further about the incident, however they assure me the SAO Incident Victims Rescue Force's investigations will finish up soon, back to you in Atlanta"
I turned the TV back off. When the SAO Incident first kicked off, the US wanted in almost immediately but with no actual known American's participating in SAO's live game the US couldn't step in with there own Investigation, they did try to petition the UN but, surprisingly enough, it was shot down by a combined force of the UK, Russia, China and Japan, I was apparently their saving grace. The US State Department got a call from the Ministry of Defense in Japan asking if I was in the states because I hadn't been on the job in two days and I hadn't filled any paperwork saying I was leaving, the US immediately went to work on this and found out that I was part of the live game, so they transported me out of the MOD Barracks while everyone else was being transported out and took me to Yokota Hospital. I was the reason the US was able to be involved in an incident they never should have been involved with, which is why I'm back in Maryland, being psychologically evaluated and being forced to tell my whole story in SAO from start to finish. I picked up my Phone, an LG Stylo 4, something I've had since 2019, opened up Youtube and turned on some ASMR, I slowly drifted to sleep.
Boss Room
24th Floor Tower
24th Floor, Castle Aincrad
Sword Art Online
March 31st, 2023 11:45 am AST
Day 146 of SAO
Myself, Sachi, Yua, Sayori, Itou and the rest of the players watched in absolute horror as the Boss of the 24th Floor wiped out half of the Aincrad Liberation Squad's members.
"I fucking told them it was too much for them!" I yelled to no one in particular "I tell them the information they paid for and they completely fucking Ignore it!"
Yua and Sayori was now holding me back from smacking Kibaou in the face who was now just staring at me in abstract horror. I'm 100% sure I looked worse then any boss SAO or Kayaba could throw at us, my eyes showed the eyes of a man who wanted nothing more then to kill the man standing right in front of him.
"Do it then Minister!" Kibaou yelled at me "The Great Aincrad Minister of Intelligence slays the leader of a guild that just had half its men wiped out just for his own stupidity alone"
I threw my dagger to the ground as it slid over to Sachi who picked it up "I'm not going to FUCKING kill you because your own FUCKING stupidity got your GOD DAMN MEN KILLED KIBAOU!" I yell at him "I'm going to SMACK THE SHIT OUT OF YOU till some COMMON FUCKING SENSE enters that EMPTY FUCKING MIND OF YOURS! YOUR MEN, YOURSELF, THE REST OF US, WE AREN'T READY FOR THIS FIGHT, AND HERE WE ARE THE GREAT 24TH FLOOR INCIDENT OF 2023, WHERE HALF OF THE LARGEST FUCKING CLEARING GUILD IN THE GOD DAMN GAME WAS WIPED OUT ONLY BECAUSE THEIR LEADER COULDN'T SIT ON HIS HANDS AND WAIT FOR HIS MEN TO CATCH UP TO THE LEVEL NEEDED TO BEAT THIS BOSS"
"Sean!"
"Master Sergeant!"
I hear the voices of both Sayori and the Corporal below me but all I could think about is smacking Kibaou until he was at 1 HP. Itou finally stepped in.
"Sean, you do this to Kibaou here and now, when we finally get out of here, I'll be forced to arrest you for assault"
This wasn't an empty threat, Itou, a member of Japan's National Police Force was actually threatening me with Jail Time for smacking a player in an Online Game. I go limp, Sayori and Yua step back and let me fall to the ground. Every player is gathered around us now, the boss was defeated just fifteen minutes ago.
"Sean?"
"Master Sergeant?"
"Minister?"
The voices of Sayori, Yua and Sachi fill my head.
"If Silica found out you'd hit this man, what do you think she'd say?" Yua asked me.
Silica, one of Aincrad Military Intelligence Sector 5's Department of Foreign Affairs members and a person we met in February who has grown close to myself and the rest of the group, someone I though of as my own Daughter at this point, she'd be disappointed in me.
"You better think about what you've done, and the next time you pay for information, you better fucking use it"
I got up , Sachi, Yua, Sayori and Itou followed me out of the Boss room and onto floor 25.