"You can strike with the few and be many if you strike your adversary in his gaps."
– Sun Tzu
'VI: Weak Points and Strong,' The Art of War
Chapter 1: Good Evening, Sabre Team
9:12 p.m. (GMT+3)—June 17, 2063—Point Onyx
After the crisis-turned-miracle in the village of Kurilev, the ceasefire between Griffin and Sangvis Ferri did not last long. As the dolls from each side returned home with mixed feelings and unprecedented stories, they once again prepared to face each other upon the battlefield of the Sangvis rebellion. Had that chance encounter between Kia and RFB tipped the balance of fate ever so slightly towards an unforeseeable future? Or perhaps things will eventually settle back to where they have always been? Nobody knew what would come to be, but for now, amidst the unchanging backdrop of war, something felt unmistakably different.
Deep within a dense forest inside Sangvis territory amidst lush foliage and untarnished serenity sat a lake. It wasn't an overly large lake nor was it exactly a pond, but it broke the monotony of the trees like an oasis within a sea of green. One would not be remiss if they lost themselves to the scenery and didn't notice the small concrete structure sat at the edge of the water. It was a small building—about the same size as a quaint old hunter's lodge—but its design was modern, with the brutalist architecture typical of a Sangvis Ferri military outpost. One would naturally question what the purpose of such a tiny structure was, failing to realize that it was merely the tip of a larger complex that sprawled underneath the surface. This base was known by the Mobile Task Force as Point Onyx, a staging ground for perhaps one of the most infamous teams within the organization. In fact, the mysterious Point Onyx was essentially synonymous with that team, which consisted of only four members. Its name a reference to the nature of their existence—when the sun sets below the horizon, they awake, searching for their next prey.
The official name of that team was Sabre, but they were better known as the Children of the Night.
"Wake up, sleepyhead~" cooed a gentle voice from across the room.
That voice belonged to Sabre 3—nicknamed Sapphire—the marksman and reconnaissance expert of the team. She was tall compared to the rest of her team, just like her rifle—a marksman variant of the American MX known as the MXM. She had long hair which flowed down her back like a curtain of water, its colour a mesmerizing cosmic violet. Her bangs were swept to one side, covering her right eye which was linked to an incredibly advanced optical instrument attached to her rifle, much like a certain maple syrup-loving Griffin doll. As stereotyped as it may be, Sapphire was usually a quiet doll during missions, preferring to listen to others talk instead of talking herself. However, her clairvoyance and ability to notice patterns and clues were second to none, earning her uncompromising attention from everyone whenever she did choose to speak.
Sapphire walked across the room which was furnished as a cozy lounge—one of the few hospitable-looking areas in the underground complex—as she approached a doll sleeping on a sofa. That doll, dressed in all-black, was the leader of Sabre team—designated Sabre 1. She had a somewhat peculiar appearance, possessing a pair of fluffy feline ears and a long tail. Her fur was jet-black, as was her neatly trimmed hair, which had found its way all over her back and face in a messy sprawl. Underneath the curtain of black hair was the pale skin of a sleeping face, which along with the two conspicuous tufts of snow-white fur on the inside of her ears broke the monotony of darkness that was the infamous Demon of the Night.
"Night Eyes~" Sapphire cooed again as she reached a finger out to tickle the back of Sabre 1's ear.
Suddenly, the sleeping doll's eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of bright yellow eyes. With blinding speed, her fist swung towards Sapphire's head, narrowly missing its target by a hair's breadth as Sapphire pre-emptively moved out of the way.
"Hello~" Sapphire smiled innocently as Sabre 1—nicknamed Night Eyes—propped herself up and glared at her with seemingly murderous intent.
Being the leader of the venerable Sabre team, Night Eyes was many things. However, if there was one thing that she wasn't, it was being sociable. Night Eyes didn't necessarily hate other dolls, she just never felt compelled to like them either. The nature of Sabre team's operations meant they rarely worked together with other dolls, and Night Eyes' leadership certainly also contributed to that. The truth was, there usually really wasn't any meaningful way Sabre team could properly integrate with other Sangvis units—the others would generally end up being more of a liability than an asset, and Sabre team was usually too deep within the heart of Griffin territory anyway. They had meticulously built up a reputation of being the elites amongst elites within the Mobile Task Force, with not-unfounded rumours of entire Griffin squads vanishing without a trace into the darkness, being picked off one-by-one by Night Eyes' pitch-black MX rifle. That's not all to say that Night Eyes didn't like her teammates, however. In truth, her care for them ran just as deep as her expectations of them, although she would never admit it. Perhaps a better way to describe her would be that she was perpetually grumpy, like a grumpy cat.
"What time is it?" Night Eyes finally grumbled, shaking off the last vestiges of drowsiness.
"It's almost nine," a third voice interjected from down the hallway.
Sapphire and Night Eyes turned their heads as Sabre 3—the team's machine gunner—entered the room. She had a similar appearance to Sapphire, but had a more robust physique and exuded a notably more demanding presence. Sabre 3's nickname was Dazzle, which while it may seem out-of-place in a specialist night operations unit, was actually perfectly reflective of her integral role in the team. Dazzle had her jacket tied around her waist, and attached to the belt underneath it was a pair of what seemed to be welding goggles. Dazzle's special trick was that her rifle—the support variant of the MX known as the MX SW—was modified to be able to fire special flare bullets. These flare bullets are loaded with an experimental filling instead of their normal lead core, igniting into blinding lights at night once they are fired. Of course, such a weapon naturally makes Dazzle a target for the confused and disoriented Griffin forces. It wouldn't be possible without her nerves of steel and relentless determination, but her abilities open up a wealth of tactical flexibility for the rest of her team. Dazzle lives by the principle that sticking to a flawed plan is often better than having no plan at all, and her rock-steady resolve has proved life-saving more than once during do-or-die scenarios.
"Nine…?" Night Eyes muttered, frowning.
"You overslept again," Dazzle bluntly stated, "And on the couch too."
"Aw come on," Sapphire smiled, "Nighty Eyes works the hardest out of the four of us. She deserves some beauty sleep too!"
Night Eyes glared at Sapphire.
"There's more to life than fighting and sleeping," Dazzle retorted, rolling her eyes as she sat down on the couch beside her team leader.
"Aw, but I think it's pretty cute!" Sapphire laughed.
"Fuck. Off," Night Eyes snarled.
"Anyway," Dazzle sighed as she picked up a book from the table, "Where's Swiss?"
Just then, as if on cue, the sound of a door being slammed shut appeared overhead. The three dolls turned their heads up at the ceiling as the sound of rapid footsteps began emanating from the stairwell. At about the halfway point, the orderly pitter-pattering of footsteps turned into chaotic tumbling and intermittent yelping as the doll involuntarily continued to descend down the stairs with equal haste.
After a moment of silence, the door to the lounge burst open to reveal a very frazzled-looking doll. The doll was shorter than the others, with neck-length purple hair dyed a vibrant magenta at its tips. Slung over her back was an MXC—the carbine variant of the MX platform. She was wearing the standard-issue combat uniform painted in night camouflage and covered head-to-toe in dirt and grass stains.
"Wha-…" the short doll began as she saw the other three members of her team staring at her with mixed expressions. Sapphire was struggling to stifle her laughter, Dazzle had her head in her hand, and Night Eyes simply narrowed her eyes.
"Swiss… Why are you so dirty?" Dazzle incredulously muttered as she eyed her junior up and down, "Did you get into a fight or something?"
"Huh? No, it wasn't anything like that, I promise!" the doll named Swiss—the fourth and final member of Sabre team—explained, "I was walking home this evening when I saw a bear!"
"You saw a what?" Dazzle replied.
"A bear!" Swiss excitedly repeated, "A brown bear, adolescent, I believe. I was on my way home from surveillance post when I encountered it."
"Are you hurt?" Sapphire asked.
"Nah, I had a few close calls though," Swiss winked, "We were at a stalemate, so I threw a stun grenade at it!"
"Wait, wait, I have so many questions," Dazzle shook her head, "You actually tried to fight a brown bear?"
"Whuh- yeah," Swiss shrugged, "And I won!"
"You threw a grenade at it!" Dazzle retorted.
"A flashbang, alright?" Swiss grinned, "Everything turned out in the end, you know."
"Should've just shot it," Night Eyes sneered.
The other three turned to stare at Night Eyes.
"Aw come on, Night Eyes," Swiss started again, "Bears are endangered species you know? Besides, they are not especially territorial animals, so I doubt it'll become an issue for us. Did you know that the home range of brown bears in the Carpathian Mountains…"
Swiss then went on for a while about the behaviour and physiology of brown bears, seemingly lost in her own world. In stark contrast to her fellow teammates, Swiss was a rather lively doll, with her demeanour oftentimes bordering on the edge of childishness. However, she was also Sabre team's engineer and technical specialist, being responsible for learning and applying all sorts of mission-specific knowledge. In that sense, her curiosity and energy could be seen as a virtue, allowing her to quickly become an expert in meteorology, electronic warfare, and demolition. She was the proverbial Swiss army knife of Sabre team, hence her strange name.
"Okay, Swiss, stop," Dazzle interjected, raising a hand to interrupt Swiss' impromptu bear lecture. "Stop talking about bears and go get yourself cleaned up already."
"Who's talking about bears here?" another voice suddenly appeared through the speaker of a hologram projector.
The four dolls of Sabre team instantly tensed up. A figure appeared over the projector, but they already knew the owner of the voice. SP7C "Alchemist", a high-ranking ringleader within Sangvis Ferri, and a rather sadistic one at that, too.
"Alchemist," Night Eyes growled, her yellow eyes staring holes into the ringleader's projection.
"Sabre team of the Mobile Task Force," Alchemist calmly replied, giving the four dolls a sinister smile.
"What do you want?" Dazzle demanded, her hand on her hip.
Although all divisions within the Mobile Task Force were technically subordinate to each of Sangvis Ferri's ringleaders, most orders given to the dolls were routed through either a divisional head or Venator—Archangel's adjutant. This was especially true for Sabre team, who often received orders from Archangel herself and almost never from anyone outside of the Mobile Task Force.
"I'm just doing my job," Alchemist continued, her expression unfazed. "As you know, I'm in charge of a large proportion of Sangvis Ferri's intelligence-"
"Irrelevant," Night Eyes dismissed, emanating unfiltered animosity towards the ringleader as she stood up to go turn off the hologram.
"-How would you like to kill the highest-ranking Griffin officer in the entire sector?" Alchemist interrupted at the last second.
Night Eyes stopped, coming face-to-face with the hologram.
"Speak," Night Eyes muttered after a while.
"We've intercepted encrypted communications directed towards a Griffin outpost not far from what I believe you refer to as Point Mercury," Alchemist explained, "As it turns out, the Commander will be making a stop there for an inspection."
"What?" Swiss asked, "When?"
"Tonight," Alchemist replied.
"Why would the Commander be doing an inspection at a random outpost in the middle of the night?" Sapphire questioned, "How do we know your intel is correct?"
"I'm sending you the original packet right now," Alchemist said, "You can confirm it yourself if you'd like."
"Swiss," Dazzle prompted.
"Right," said Swiss as she walked up to the hologram projector and downloaded the packet.
"It seems legit," Swiss concluded after a minute or so, "No reason was given, but the authentication and other transmission characteristics match up."
"It could be a trap," Dazzle suggested.
"It could be real," Alchemist countered, "Besides, I don't think you ladies have anything else planned for tonight, right?"
"Does Archangel know about this?" Sapphire questioned.
"No, she's on a mission right now," Alchemist smiled, "And besides, I would worry about her judgement regarding such… sensitive matters."
"You don't control us," Night Eyes shot back.
"Of course," Alchemist conceded, "I am simply giving you the info. The ball is in your court now, Night Eyes. Your move."
With that, Alchemist disconnected from the call, leaving the Sabre team dolls to ponder their next move.
"So what's the plan?" Dazzle finally said, breaking the uneasy silence.
"Maybe we should go and ask Venator?" Swiss suggested, "She's the closest one to Archangel."
"Mercury is a fair distance away," Dazzle noted, "We're not going to have much time to deliberate if we want to make a move."
"Isn't that all the more reason to check in with someone first?" Swiss argued, "I can patch us into Venator right now, it won't take-"
"No need," Night Eyes cut in, turning head to face the other three. She had a stern expression on her face.
"Tonight, we kill the Commander."