"We don't live in a world without conflict. We're not here to stop it, but we do have responsibilities; war does have rules."
– Nathan MacDade
IDAP Seminar on the Laws of War (2035)
Common Denominator - Chapter 1: Situation Report
4:43 p.m. (GMT+3)—April 24, 2063—Point Topaz
Inside the command room of the main Griffin facility in Sector S09, the Commander and Kalina sat at a table, listening to the long-range radio as a frazzled RFB gave her briefing on the situation in the village. It had been less than half an hour since Magic first reported the presence of collapse fluid within the village, and the situation was slowly spiraling out of control.
"Wait, wait, slow down here, RFB," the Commander said over the radio, his right hand massaging his temples. "You're talking too fast here. What do you mean there's 'collapse fluid everywhere' and people are 'going crazy?'"
"Um-, sorry, let me start over again," RFB stammered, trying to organize her thoughts as she watched Glock 17 try to calm down a hysterical villager in the distance. Upon hearing Magic's shocking news, Kia and the Griffin dolls quickly rushed over to the scene of the discovery, seemingly having once again put aside their differences. While digging through the rubble, Howl managed to find a leaking container of collapse fluid buried in it. While trying to pull the glass container out of the rubble, Howl accidentally ruptured it, causing over a litre of concentrated collapse fluid to spill into the ground. As the gravity of the situation dawned upon the dolls in the village, their frantic discussion was overheard by one of the villagers. Now, word was spreading throughout the village like wildfire, sparking fear, confusion, and resentment.
"Okay, so, we arrived at the village, we met the Sangvis doll and tried to save the guy who stepped on a landmine. That much you already know from before," RFB began, "Then, G17 and I tried to get the Sangvis doll to leave, as you told us. But before we could do that, one of the other Sangvis dolls—I guess she was searching the village for bombs—she told Kia, erm, the first Sangvis doll, she said over the radio that they found collapse fluid in the village."
"Collapse fluid…" Kalina softly murmured, looking at the radio with a worried expression on her face. Having grown up in a poor environment, Kalina witnessed first-hand the devastating effects collapse radiation could have on a human being. Memories of tumorous silicified skin and animalistic behaviour were etched into Kalina's memory from events during her childhood.
"So anyway, we decided to put our dispute aside and go take a look at what happened," RFB continued her explanation, "Um, we got there, and apparently there was a container of collapse fluid stuck under a bombed-out building, and it was slowly leaking into the ground beneath. And then one of them tried to pull the container out of the debris, accidentally broke it, and all the collapse fluid leaked into the ground."
"How much collapse fluid is there?" the Commander asked RFB, "Is it a significant threat to the village?"
"I… I'm not sure, but the Sangvis dolls seemed pretty stressed about it," RFB replied, "One of them was talking about the collapse fluid getting into the water table, I think, and into the river or something. But one of the villagers must've heard us, because he went running off and now everyone is scared that they're gonna turn into ELIDs or something. We- none of us knows what to do, Commander!"
"God damn it," the Commander muttered to himself, "When we first received the call from the village, I never expected the situation to be so complicated."
"Commander… G17 and I really don't know what to do…" RFB trailed off, "I-, I'm kinda scared…"
"Don't worry RFB, you've been through a lot, but we're all here with you on this one," the Commander reassured RFB, "M590's team is still on their way, once they get there you should focus on removing the UXO threat first while steering the villagers away from the spill site. We don't have any resources on hand to deal with radiation contamination, but I'll see what I can do on my end, alright?"
"Yes… Understood, sir," RFB acknowledged, "But… What about Sangvis Ferri?"
"…Okay, got it. So we'll take some rad samples around the place and cordon off the places we haven't demined yet. Hopefully the situation—or Howl, hah—doesn't boil over before the others get here," Magic's voice broadcasted over the Sangvis base's command terminal as Archangel and Mace Actual—head of Mace division, nicknamed Nyx—listened in attentive silence.
"What the hell did we get ourselves into…" Nyx sighed, leaning back into her chair and burying her face into her hands after terminating the connection.
As the leader of Mace division, Nyx was an expert in all aspects of explosives and military policing. Despite her experience, however, this would be the first time she tackled an issue as unique and interdisciplinary as this. Not only was there the double-threat of explosives and radiation, they would also be operating in an inhabited village alongside Griffin presence no less. No matter how Nyx approached the situation, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at the potential outcomes. But on the other hand, as a part of Archangel's cadre of close associates who knew of and even agreed with her views on Sangvis Ferri, life, and things in general, Nyx knew that there was no way Archangel would sit idly by while disaster gripped the village.
"What's a container of collapse fluid doing in the village anyway?" Archangel thought out loud, turning her head towards Nyx. "It doesn't make sense."
"Definitely not normal," Nyx scowled, fidgeting with the collar of her faux leather jacket as she analyzed the situation, "You think it's us?"
Archangel paused in contemplation, looking over at Nyx who looked absolutely annoyed at the situation. Although Nyx tended to dress and present herself in a rather punk-esque fashion, beneath the rugged clothing and thick black eyeliner lied an incredibly sharp mind and an unwavering dedication towards her principles. Those who were close to her knew that she was actually one of the frontrunners in engineering and justice within the MTF—perhaps befitting the one in charge of a division with such a nuanced mandate—even though Nyx herself would loathe to admit it.
"I think Agent does have some CF stored somewhere," Archangel finally replied, "But why would she plant it in Point Topaz of all places?"
"Yeah, true," Nyx agreed as she leaned forward and plugged herself into the command terminal, retrieving the list of available dolls in the region and sharing it with Archangel. "Anyway, who are we sending?"
"Hm… Let me see…" Archangel muttered as she compiled a list of candidates for the reinforcement team.
"Woah there, that's a big team you're making there," Nyx warned, "Too much movement's gonna tip off the ringleaders, Archangel."
"Am I overcompensating?" Archangel asked, "You're the expert here, how many people are we gonna need?"
"Isn't Griffin sending a team over as well?" Nyx remembered, "Well, first of all, are you sure it's a good idea letting Griffin have a presence here?"
"It's like I said," Archangel responded, "If we're going to show Griffin that we can be a judicious and principled organization, we have to start somewhere."
"You're still on about that stuff?" Nyx questioned, "You understand the consequences if we get caught, right?"
"Of course, but this is something I must do," Archangel insisted, "If we can't even see eye-to-eye with Griffin on an issue like this, then just how far have we strayed?"
"You sure seem to have taken a liking for Griffin," Nyx remarked, "You planning something?"
"I'm just saying, I can't just keep following along with Elisa forever," Archangel confided, "I feel like I've lost sight of what I'm fighting for. There must be some sort of light at the end of this tunnel, right?"
"What you're saying sounds really close to treason," Nyx warned, "Just saying."
"So what? I know you agree with me," Archangel replied, flashing a cheeky smile.
"I know, I know, but…" Nyx sighed, "Whatever. I don't like it, but if Griffin's gonna be here too, they will be able to at least contribute some manpower. I'd say sending a fireteam plus fodder complement should be enough for now."
"Right," Archangel acknowledged as she removed a few names from her list, "How does this look?"
"That's more reasonable," Nyx replied as she began drafting mobilization orders to the dolls selected by Archangel. Four dolls were on the list, a pair of explosive specialists from Mace, someone from Falchion, and of course, Acre from Katana.
"Another thing, though," Archangel continued, "About the collapse fluid…"
"That's gonna be an issue, yeah," Nyx pre-empted, "The data suggests the CF is highly concentrated, close to storage-grade, even. The absolute volume is low and its still concentrated near the spill site, but if it spreads the entire village could be dead within days."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Archangel muttered, "Didn't Magic also say something about the CF leaking into the water table?"
"Yes, groundwater recharge means the collapse fluid can make its way into the aquifers, which will take a few days based on the region's hydrogeographical data," Nyx answered, "It's crucial that we remove the contamination before a significant amount reaches the aquifer, where it can remain there for years."
"Radiation storms naturally cause seepage, don't they?" Archangel asked.
"That's true, but the radiation concentration in a storm is less than what we're dealing with here. My concern is that the area immediately beneath the village will become so irradiated that it causes chronic exposures symptoms in the villagers before it diffuses to safe concentrations, if it doesn't just outright kill them all," Nyx explained.
"So what can we do about it?" Archangel queried, "Without alerting the Agent and the others, I mean."
"Once Magic and Howl figure out the extent of the contamination, we can react accordingly." Nyx replied, "But unfortunately, there's probably not much we can really do about it in my opinion. Most of our containment measures are designed for military installations and dolls, revolving around brute-force dilution and physical insulation; using those methods in the village would obviously be less than ideal."
"Is there nothing we can do then?" Archangel frowned, "What about…"
"Well, there is one option," Nyx admitted, staring past the computer terminal screen deep in thought. "But I'm not sure if it's ready yet…"
"Your project?" Archangel guessed.
"Yes," Nyx responded, "Azure Shield."
The Commander sighed, running his hand through his hair as he pondered what to do about the enemy presence in the village. From what he could gather, RFB was clearly hesitant to antagonize the Sangvis Ferri Mobile Task Force members, and it's not like the Commander couldn't emphasize with her either. By RFB's account, the three SFMTF dolls were genuinely out to help the villagers, and if they also possessed demining equipment, perhaps it would be more efficient to simply not stir up any conflict right now.
"What do you think, Kalina?" the Commander asked, looking at his adjutant.
"I don't know…" Kalina muttered, "It's just... I can see what the Mobile Task Force dolls are doing, but deep down I still can't trust them…"
"Mmhm, yeah," the Commander responded, his eyes closed in contemplation.
"Do you trust them?" Kalina asked.
"I guess I don't fully trust them either," the Commander admitted, "But how will we know for sure if we never give them a chance?"
"Hold on a second, RFB," the Commander talked over the radio to the Griffin doll in the village, "You said there were Sangvis dolls in the village. Where are they now?"
"Um, I think the medic—I think she's the leader—she's off with the village chief right now," RFB replied, "The other two—the EOD girls—I dunno."
"I'm pretty sure I saw them running about, taking some sort of measurements around the village," Glock 17 interrupted, "Guess they're trying to figure out the extent of the collapse fluid contamination."
"I see. It would be best for us to get a grasp of the situation as well," the Commander responded, "Glock 17, can you reach out to the Sangvis dolls and gather some info?"
"So we're really gonna be working with Sangvis Ferri then, huh?" Glock 17 noted.
"I'm just being pragmatic, that's all," the Commander replied.
"Understood, Commander. I'll get on it now," Glock 17 acknowledged as she began searching for one of the Mace girls.
"Anyway, RFB. Can you bring me to one of the Sangvis dolls?" the Commander asked, "I would like to ask her a few questions."
"Um, of course," RFB complied as she began making her way towards the chapel where she last saw Kia. She passed a few villagers standing around the entrance to the chapel, who looked at her with ambivalence as she entered the door. Inside, she saw Kia discussing something with Kirov the village chief while another T-doll with blue hair stood beside them.
"RFB," Kia noted, pausing her conversation with Kirov as she noticed the Griffin doll's presence. The blue-haired doll swung around in shock, hastily pulling her F2000 assault rifle from her back as she reacted to RFB's presence.
"Woah, stop!" Kia shouted as she put her hand on the blue-haired doll's gun, "Stand down, Veritas!"
"What the-" RFB muttered as she took a step back and instinctively placed a hand on her rifle, her face mirroring the blue-haired doll's—Veritas's—shocked expression. "Who the hell is this?"
"I'm sorry, this is Veritas, our driver," Kia apologized, urging Veritas to shoulder her weapon. "And Veritas, this is RFB, from Griffin. As I said, we're working together for the time being."
"I- I see… I'm sorry," Veritas also apologized, still shaken by RFB's entrance. She slinked behind Kia, looking at the ground; her face burned from the shame of having almost screwed up the situation once again.
"It's- Whatever…" RFB replied as she walked up to Kia, "Anyway, the Commander want to speak to you."
"What?" Kia asked as RFB put her radio pack on the ground, handing the headset over to Kia. "Who?"
"Ahem," a man's voice appeared from the radio.
"Huh?" Kia exclaimed, straightening herself as an unfamiliar voice appeared through the headset. "Who is this?"
"I am the Commander of Griffin forces in Sector S09," the Commander calmly answered, "Who might you be?"
"The Commander of Griffin?!" Kia muttered to herself as she shot a glance back at RFB, "I- I am… SQS-006, designation Katana 1-Alpha of the Sangvis Ferri Mobile Task Force…"
"Kia, was it?" the Commander politely asked, remembering his previous conversation with RFB.
"Yeah, I-" Kia replied, shifting uncomfortably; having the Griffin Commander call her by her nickname felt really odd. "Yeah, my name is Kia… Um, is there anything I can help you with?"
RFB took a seat on one of the benches in the chapel, watching Kia converse with the Commander as the village chief made his way to the entrance where a group of villagers was congregating. RFB looked back to Kia, then to one side at the other Sangvis doll who was standing by the corner of the room. RFB raised one of her eyebrows; if there ever was a prototypical Sangvis doll, the one currently in RFB's view—Veritas—was pretty much the polar opposite. Long verdant-green hair sat atop a beautiful face containing emerald eyes while a intricate quilt poncho covering her body—a marked departure from the rather brutalist and colourless aesthetic typical associated with the rogue military arms manufacturer. Even the doll's behaviour sharply contrasted that of the norm, the doll timidly fidgeting with the collar of her poncho, making eye contact with RFB for a brief moment before immediately looking away and shrinking further into the corner.
"I- I don't understand, sir," Kia talked into the headset, a troubled look on her face. "If you don't trust what I'm saying, you can corroborate everything with the Griffin dolls you have on scene here."
"No, no. It's not that I don't trust the facts of the situation you've laid out; RFB and Glock 17 both saw first-hand the readings on your instruments," the Commander corrected over the radio, "What I'm having difficulty trusting, is you, and the rest of this Sangvis Ferri Mobile Task Force you're part of."
"We're letting Griffin come into our territory to provide humanitarian aid, is that not enough of a gesture of goodwill for you?" Kia questioned, "Is it not imperative for us to put aside our differences to give the people here a fighting chance?"
"I want to believe what you are saying, but Sangvis Ferri isn't exactly known for its humanitarian principles, and I don't have enough information about your Task Force to make a differential judgement," the Commander sighed over the radio, "My point is, how do I know this isn't a trap?"
Kia closed her eyes, letting out a long breath as the Commander asked the question Kia dreaded to hear. RFB stared at Kia's face; it was a question that RFB herself had wanted to ask her but never got the chance to do so. As RFB studied Kia's face, she could make out a turbulent mixture of emotions thinly veiled beneath Kia's exterior appearance: frustration at the Commander's distrust, worry for the safety of the villagers, regret for those who could not be saved, disgust at the meaningless violence, anger at the injustice the Mobile Task Force had been dealt, despair for its grim future, and within it all, despite all the darkness that surrounded it, RFB could make out a sliver of… hope.
"You won't know unless you tried," Kia slowly began after a moment of silence, speeding up into an impassioned appeal as a look of desperate determination filled her face, causing the Commander and Kalina to exchange uncertain glances. "You gotta start somewhere… Every marathon begins with a first step, and it's often the hardest one to take. If you believe that there is still a chance at all that this conflict can be resolved peacefully…"
"If you believe that there is any humanity left within us…" Kia pleadingly whispered, "We are risking our own safety here by disobeying our orders, risking our lives for what we believe in and trusting that you'll do the same. This is the best chance you'll have to do so. After all…"
"…Trust goes both ways, you know?"