The sun had barely begun to rise by the time that the fighting began. The diversionary force was leading a very desperate charge on one side of the hill, trying to force their way up the steep forest hill while under heavy enemy fire. Sangvis Ferri moved quickly from their small command post in the unfinished Jupiter Cannon bunker to meet the various Griffin dolls head on, confident in their ability to hold their bunker. One thing that SF had not accounted for was Kar98k and her dolls moving in as one cohesive unit on their flank. With their target now relatively unguarded, they stayed just within the tree line as they prepared to take the bunker and close in on the defending force. The bunker door within sight, it was unguarded with the Jaeger rooftop snipers focused on the other side of the building.

Keeping her rifle trained on the rooftop, she signaled for the first of their team to move forward. MP40 and MP41 sprinted across the open terrain, the muddy snow doing nothing to slow them down. Both dolls took up a position on either side of the door, with MP40 placing charges on parts of the door as FG42 and G43 moved up to join them. The shaped charges were placed around to send it inwards, clearing an opening for the infiltrators. Kar98k began to count down the time until the door would blast open, not wanting to miss the fireworks. Covering their ears to protect their auditory sensors, the explosion launched the door off of its hinges and into the atrium of the bunker. As the smoke billowed out, an SF Vespid doll charged out to meet them, but was met with the wooden stock of an MP41 to one of her knees. The doll fell to the ground as G43 pulled the trigger to put a bullet into her head. MP40, still on explosives duty, tossed a grenade into the bunker and waited for the next explosion. A curious rooftop Jaeger wandered over, wondering what was going on and was quickly met with machine gun fire from an MG42 hidden in the woods.

Kar98k and her two gunners waited for any more defenders to work their way over to the bunker door while everyone else entered the bunker. On the inside, the team split up to clear the rooms and the roof. Within a couple minutes, the automated defense guns on the front side of the bunker came to a dead stop as an explosion blew the Jaeger snipers off of the top of the bunker. Figuring the coast was finally clear, Kar98k signaled for MG42 and MG34 to move forward, following close behind once she was positive they were clear.

Making her way inside, she was impressed with how clean the operation had gone so far. While she was sure that Sangvis Ferri would only resist more ferociously as the battle lines drew in around them, it was always possible that they could be walking straight into a trap. SF held this land for years, it was impossible to think that they wouldn't have some sort of plan of escape laid out. However, as a field commander, Kar98k didn't have time to ponder big picture concepts, she could only react to them. She had full confidence in the Chief Commander and the army captain to put thought into battlefield hazards for them. As she climbed up to the lookout post on top of the bunker, she could finally get a grasp of just how much must be on their minds at that very moment. She could see the entirety of a snow topped valley, the Jupiter defensive line overlooking a railway deep into Sangvis Ferri territory. Off in the distance, she could spy a large train towing cars with massive artillery pieces. Mechanized forces in army green paint moved closer to the SF lines, preparing to advance. The battle was about to begin, and it was her job to help it start. Tuning into the Griffin communications radio, she was immediately met with a slew of transmissions going back and forth between commanders and their dolls. "Kar98k in position for spotting, waiting for further orders." She added to the echo chamber.

"Great job Kar," was the response she received from some woman that wasn't the Chief, "I'll patch you through to the military's artillery command."

There was a moment of silence as the systems switched over. The military communications were a much more organized disaster, with human soldiers issuing simple and precise orders to machines that responded with simple tones. She was almost afraid to interrupt, feeling unwelcome in this strange formal chaos. "Griffin commander Kar98k, reporting to spot for artillery." She finally broke her silence.

"Understood, we are ready to fire on demand." The response was short and clean, the human commander patiently waiting for the coordinates. Being a doll, Kar98k was able to aim down her scope and receive a precise coordinate for the artillery crews. Reading off the numbers, they responded with another short answer, followed by the thumping of distant cannons firing. The rockets screamed across the sky, erasing the first Jupiter cannon from existence in a ball of fury. "Fire good, please confirm the target was destroyed."

Their calm demeanor at the knowledge of their destructive power only baffled Kar98k. She was in absolute awe at how easily humans could just destroy the world around them in warfare. More so, she was taken aback at how mundane this kind of destruction was for them. "Target confirmed, sighting next cannon."

As she read off the coordinates for the next cannon, the military began to move their forces closer. Hydras, the camouflage painted and up-armored brother to the Manticore, moved in formation with their Cyclops battle droid companions. The military moved a single cohesive unit, steaming everything before them with effortless ease. With each artillery volley came another destroyed Jupiter cannon, and the methods that Sangvis Ferri had to protect itself dwindled as time went on. "Griffin Commander, be advised your frontline has been broken," a voice on the military radio warned her, "dispatching an echelon to intercept. Please hold position for three minutes."

Kar98k realized that the dolls holding the bottom of the hill as a distraction must have finally fallen, and whomever or whatever had taken them down was heading up the hill to the bunker. She looked around herself, taking note that MG42 and MG34 were holding positions on the roof with her, ready to rain fire down on Sangvis Ferri. There was more than enough space between the bunker and the tree line to hold the enemy for at least a few minutes, and no doubt that they could hold out so long as whatever the army was sending their way was effective enough. For an entire war, these two machine guns held numerous lines for longer periods of time against seemingly endless waves of infantry. However, as the trees began to shake as something large began to make its way through them, Kar98k realized that time was not on their side. Sangvis Ferri was not playing games anymore, they wanted their bunker back.

The two Manticores marched through the tree line, their main guns firing on the bunker. Machine gun fire rained bullets upon them, forcing them to use their heavily armored front legs to cover the rest of their bodies. Staying on the rooftop was suicide, but Kar98k needed the line of sight as she loaded a few individual AP rounds into her rifle. The rounds impacted and caused the Manticores to slow their advance, preparing to launch a slew of grenades at her. Taking a risky shot, she fired at the grenade launcher on one before it could fire, the explosion blowing its front half apart and staggering the other Manticore out of its attack. Energy weapon fire from SF dolls forced her to take cover, satisfied with at least one Manticore down.

The tree line broke again, this time a massive green machine crashing through the brush. The Hydra, an almost spitting image of the Manticore save for the extra guns mounted on top, opened up with a blaze of energy weapon fire. The remaining Manticore tried to meet its new foe, but was unable to turn in time to resist the weapons fire. Its rear legs were blown clean off as it collapsed, defeated in a single volley from the military machine. The basic military combat androids charged in alongside it, letting loose with their own hail of weapons fire. The Sangvis Ferri counter attack fell apart almost as soon as it had arrived, unable to counter the overwhelming force of a formal military.

With the danger passed, Kar98k returned to her role as hilltop spotter for the artillery guns. She was taken aback by how easily the army had managed to push Sangvis Ferri back, performing feats in minutes that would have taken Griffin hours to accomplish. Forces that would have been daunting to herself seemed to crumple under the might of the regular army troops. Kar98k began to wonder just why they bothered to bring G&K along at all if this was what they were capable of by themselves. Eventually, their line had pushed far enough that they no longer needed her to spot for them. Before she was cut out of the communications for good, someone had reported that the trap was set and baited. With a shrug, she decided that things were going well for the operation and it was no better time to take a nap. Leaving her gunners to watch the show on the rooftop, she descended back into the bunker to join the rest of their team.

MP40 remained by the entrance, watching the military troops that had taken up a guard position around the bunker. "They have us surrounded." MP40 was trying to keep her voice down.

"They're just keeping us safe, Captain." Kar98k defended the military's positions, preferring to not set them off.

"That's what I thought too," MP40 explained, "but they're holding positions that could just as easily be used offensively as well as defensively."

She was right, of course. The Cyclops battle droids were taking positions both around the bunker and inside the tree line, where they could easily turn their guns around and fire back upon them. Of course, any good defensive line should be able to work both ways in the event of a flanking maneuver, so it wasn't too outlandish to assume that the military was just taking extra precautions close to the frontline. Still something about it seemed to trigger a bit of concern in the back of Kar98k's mind, a modicum of doubt that tickled her thoughts.

"Two humans arriving." MP41 yelled from another room, no doubt watching the military as well.

Two soldiers in green military uniforms arrived with a squad of military grade Aegis armored assault dolls. It was odd that they'd bring close range combat models to a position like this when they'd be better served on the frontline. "I guess they want to use this as a command post." Kar98k surmised as she went to find MP41. "It's entirely possible we'll be redeployed elsewhere as they take over this overwatch position."

The shorter doll was by a window messing with some Sangvis computers, trying to get any relevant information out of them that she could find. There might be significantly less opportunities to go through Sangvis Ferri databases if this operation fails, so it made sense to grab whatever they could while they were here. However, MP41 seemed more concerned with the military units outside. "They've been cutting us out of their systems, Commandant." She stated as Kar98k approached. "All of their units seem to be jamming our communications whenever we're close by as well."

Curious, Kar98k tried to get in touch with the Chief Commander. As MP41 said, there was only dead air on the radio. "Why would they be jamming us?"

MP41 shrugged. Sangvis Ferri had been utilizing a virus that specifically targeted dolls and machines that use command systems separate from one that SF uses. In the past, this has resulted in Griffin dolls being used as mobile listen posts for Sangvis Ferri ringleaders, as well as allowing the dolls to be manipulated from a distance. This virus, dubbed Parapluie, has already claimed numerous dolls. The virus mostly comes from contact with SF computer systems, meaning MP41 and FG42 would be one of the few members of the Brigade in any sort of danger. Thankfully, G&K has been closely monitoring dolls for this virus and have even opened up opportunities for preventative measures to be taken. In fact, testing had even shown that Kar98k's command upgrades made her immune to most forms of contraction of the virus. While it could still be forced upon her through more malicious means, she wasn't going to become a walking radio for Sangvis Ferri any time soon. MP41 had to be more careful, but there was enough trust that if something did go wrong she'd be able to handle it effectively. It was entirely possible that the military was jamming communications to prevent a spread of the virus amongst their forces. While this was just fine for the human field operatives who fought alongside the machines, it pushed Griffin out of the loop.

Kar98k looked out through a thin hole in the wall meant for firing at targets outside the bunker. The two human soldiers were conversing with each other, both clad in their light power armor. Aside from a few joints to enable movement, the two men were fairly well protected. Both of them also kept their helmets on, adding nominal protection in this dangerous battlefield. She couldn't help but look at their rifles and how similar they seemed to conventional ballistics rather than the energy weapons that Sangvis Ferri used. Of course, the military assault rifles fired bullets that were projected using magnets, a miniature railgun cannon. These weapons were extremely powerful and more than capable of blowing apart a human if used properly. They could also prove fatal to a doll with little effort as well.

Kar98k sighed, looking down at MP41. The short doll looked up at her and said, "The military just forced a communication out to begin phase two."

"Maybe they finally reached the Mastermind." Kar98k turned to leave, walking out of the room and leaving the bunker.

She marched through the snow over to the two humans, making sure to keep the end of the rifle pointing down while her finger was off the trigger. Despite this, the Aegis squad still readied their assault batons and hefted their heavy metal shields. "Easy, I'm just here to ask how the battle is going."

One of the humans took his helmet off. The man had a thick beard that contrasted his close shaved head. He looked Kar98k up and down, but didn't say anything just yet. He did, however, give a hand signal to stop the Aegis dolls from moving on her. "I don't want to make this any more difficult than it already is." He finally spoke, putting a hand in his pistol sidearm. The second soldier leveled his rifle at her, trying to aim it in such a way as to intimidate her without contributing to any sort of threat.

"What are you talking about?" Kar98k took a step back, unsure of what was happening. "What did I do?"

"Command just called in," the man explained, a sergeant's chevrons emblazoned on his shoulder, "by order of the Soviet Union you are under arrest. Please surrender your weapons and relinquish command protocols to me."

Kar98k was flabbergasted. "On what grounds am I being arrested?" She dropped her rifle to the ground, trying to comply while still shocked that they would suggest such a thing. The soldier kicked the rifle away, making sure she couldn't easily reach for it. The Aegis marched into the bunker, ready to escort or subdue the rest of the squad based on their reaction. "I asked on what grounds am I-"

The second soldier, probably a corporal, hit her in the stomach with the butt of his rifle. Kar98k doubled over, contemplating grabbing her knife in self defense. She felt something in her damaged core flare up with the blow as the sergeant chastised his subordinate. "I told you, let's not make this any more difficult than it already is." He tried to assure her.

"If you didn't want to be difficult, you would have just killed us." She muttered through her teeth.

"After Griffin's role in the Midnight Butterfly Incident," the man explained, "I was told to bring back your team's neural clouds." He paused, taking a deep breath before he carried on. "However I was given explicit orders to destroy you and your neural cloud before it can do anymore damage."