FN-49 did not regret following FAL after everything calmed down. She took none of the chances to leave over the years, always steadfast in her choice to remain with the scheming duo and their comrades, a choice that so far remained a wise one. Being protected by the stoic Ballista, and two people who were probably just as awful as those who sought to use them might have sounded like an unfair choice, but FAL and Five-seveN tended to use their awfulness for good things. And if they didn't, Ballista let them have it, which could always be counted on to amuse.
Nonetheless, the delighted cackling coming from inside the building now designated as 'the armory' set FN-49 on edge and had her reconsidering this entire affair. She recognized that laughter as matching SOPMOD in the middle of punching a Vespid in the face and ripping out its 'brains'. That alone provided enough evidence to suggest fleeing to be the better option, but she needed to get her rifle, and the only way to do that involved going inside.
Peaking in the door, she couldn't see AR-57 or SOPMOD. More laughter drifted from an open side door along with muffled words. That would be where she needed to go. Steeling her nerves, FN-49 stepped inside, doing her best to not make any noise.
"So, we're in luck, since they did set up M16's to use rifle grenades at one point, and it wouldn't take much to great something that works." AR-57 seemed to be explaining, over the manic giggling. "Making different kinds of warheads might be harder, it's not something we can just order."
"I can get parts!" SOPMOD sounded far too excited by that idea. FN-49 could just imagine how she intended to acquire said parts, and her stomach turned.
"If you can get me some of those Vespid rifles, I think we could rig up an EMP grenade or something, see how that works on Sangvis." The conversation turned to the specifics of what AR-57 wanted for a moment, as FN-49 found herself staring at the open door with trepidation. "Probably steal some bits and use them for a crude timer…"
FN-49 stuck her head around the corner, getting a good look at the workshop where the two were set up. Benches covered in metal and disassembled bits of things lined the walls, with the duo hovering over something that FN-49 could not see at a distance. A bundle of energy, SOPMOD bounced on her feet, clawed hand flexing in excitement. "The Sangvis bits are easy. I can just rip 'em out!"
"I need them intact, so less ripping, more whole bodies." AR-57 snapped, waving that idea aside without even a second of consideration, and allowing FN-49 to release a bit of a breath. She didn't really want to see SOPMOD tear things apart barehanded again.
"Okay." SOP did not seem bothered that her idea got shot down. "Just give me a list of bits, and I'll add them to my collection." FN-49 stepped in the room, but neither seemed to notice her yet, and AR-57 did a few flicks of her fingers, likely transferring data. "Thanks, AR-57!"
"No problem." The pink haired doll rolled her shoulders. "It's an interesting project, and anything that blows up more Sangvis is good in my book." She finally caught sight of FN-49, sharp eyes pinning the sniper in place. "What?"
"I-I need my rifle." FN-49 hated stumbling over her words, but the intense stare, and the mere exposure to the violent glee of SOPMOD proved hard to overcome.
A feeling that only got worse when SOPMOD's attention turned to her. "She could help." Crossing the distance in a blur, the blonde Doll got far too close to FN-49 for her comfort, seeming entirely ignorant that personal space was something people wanted from time to time. "You're going after Sangvis, right?"
"N-No?" Even if they were, FN-49 didn't want to be dragged into what mad scheme this duo had in mind. "We're just practicing?"
"Well, you can practice on Sangvis." The declaration seemed to ignore every piece of reality except part SOP needed, and FN-49 realized that she should have run away.
"I don't believe there are any Sangvis patrols nearby for them to practice on." AR-57 countered, to FN-49's relief. "Although, you'd make a good tester for some of these prototypes. Pretty sure I can rig the mount for an FN-49 in my sleep." Now able to see the workbench, FN-49 could see what they were working on, and much of the preceding conversation made considerably more sense.
She did not want to know why they were putting those things together, and she did not want to. "I'll pass." The refusal carried more spine than usual, FN-49 straightening, ready to defend that position.
AR-57 blinked, seeming to sense the change but didn't object. "If you're sure." She motioned for them to follow, heading back into the entry and towards the area where they stored weapons and ammo. "Practice is a weird way to say having a competition or something."
"It's not-" FN-49 tried to object, only to be cut off.
"Lady, SV-98 and Ballista were here for the same thing earlier. There is no way you aren't getting dragged into some kind of measuring contest about headshotting prowess." AR-57 vanished for a minute, returning with FN-49's rifle and a bandolier with ammunition. "Have fun and kick her ass."
FN-49 took her cue to leave with all the haste she possibly could, ignoring the shouted 'if you want to help, tell me' from SOPMOD. Escaping that situation unscathed qualified as a victory to her, but that didn't mean her heart slowed down at all. If anything, the memories made it beat faster. Sangvis drones were not people, and blowing them to grisly chunks did not have the same results as doing so to a human. This did not make FN-49 any more okay with being used as a tester for such a weapon.
Making her way to SV-98 and Ballista, now with an SRS, she decided that yes, maybe she did regret at least a little bit of agreeing to follow FAL all those years ago. She could have talked FNC into starting a bakery again, and going back to a normal, quiet life, without the threat of a bloodthirsty killer, and whatever AR-57 was following her. Instead, she'd agreed to follow FAL's lead, and found herself in Ukraine, running away from a pair of weapons crafting lunatics and into a 'friendly' contest of skill that she would surely lose.
Even thinking about it made the bakery sound so much better.
-Faded Glory-
In GSh-18's professional opinion, the entire situation she found herself in could be summed up as weird. Not the bad kind of weird, just a very weird sort of weird that she struggled to articulate, even to herself. Most of the people were very nice, even if she ended up doing her job much sooner than expected and could be absolutely sure that SV-98 lied about how she got stabbed.
Then again, that only covered a part of the weirdness. Most military bases that GSh-18 knew of did not have a professional psychologist on staff, and didn't include people from both sides of a recent war. Even less have all those people mostly get along. Still, she'd dealt with weird things before, and she'd do it again.
The precise click of footsteps broke her from her musings, and brought a bit of a surprise. "Miss 9A?" While GSh-18 expected a visit from the more reserved doll, she didn't expect it today, especially as she'd been busy dealing with a lingering servo issue for SV-98. Even that did not manage to convince the sniper to spill what caused her injuries, only that the problem was dealt with.
Stopping upon being noticed, the other Doll dipped her head in a small greeting. "GSh." Her stare didn't quite qualify as intimidating, but it did make GSh-18 squirm. From her limited talks with 9A-91 the other doll seemed quite good at picking people apart and had sharp insight which fit her job but made her somewhat intimidating. "If you have a moment?"
"Of course." Intimidating or not, GSh-18 wasn't about to be rude. "I'm done with everything important for the moment."
A slow, measured nod answered her, and GSh-18 realized that 9A seemed to be really thinking about how to form her question. Before she could prompt with encouragement 9A spoke up. "You were not a combat medic, correct?"
While that seemed like an odd opening question, GSh-18 didn't mind. "Nope. I've always been a nurse, fighting, or being in a fight wasn't part of my job at a hospital." She patted the spot on her hip where her gun would be if she carried it. "With Griffin they gave me a weapon just in case, but I've never had to use it." A pause, as she processes the oddity of the question. "Aren't you the same way? You weren't a soldier, right?"
The question seemed to amuse 9A more than anything else. "Strictly speaking, no, I was not a soldier." A considered admission. Her phrasing struck GSh as rather unusual, as it left a lot of wiggle room. She'd heard patients say things like that before it meant bad things. Probably that she was employed by the military or something like that. "A friend insisted I learn how to defend myself."
"Sounds like a good friend." GSh-18 felt okay asking the probing question, given how little she knew about 9A.
A brief smile flashed over 9A's otherwise serious features, and she did seem to relax, albeit slightly. "She is. Even if she insists that danger exists where there is none." Shaking off the tangent, 9A continued, "But, that is getting off track. I would like to ask for, I suppose, both help, and a favor."
"Help I can do, it'll depend on what the favor is."
That seemed to be the right answer, given how 9A smiled. "They are mostly one and the same." Moving further into the room, 9A let the door swing shut, and seemed to visibly deflate. "I'm sure you noticed the tension here?" GSh nodded, wondering how anyone could not. "I'd ask that, if someone experiences something traumatic, even if they appear to be handling it well, let me know." GSh opened her mouth to point out how that surely violated all kinds of confidentiality regulations, then paused to take in the intensity of 9A's expression. "I realize it is underhand, and in the real world can be considered questionable but, in this context, someone who is not coping with a situation is a risk to their life and others. We are standing atop a ticking bomb as it is, so I would like to get ahead of what parts are possible to avoid."
"Oh." GSh could see that logic at least, even if she'd have to think long and hard about just how to go about any of that, if she wanted to at all. "I'll do my best?"
"That is all I ask." 9A straighten with the acceptance. Turning to leave she stopped halfway. "I don't suppose SV-98 has told you how she got stabbed?"
Funny to think she also brought that up. "No."
"Blyat." The curse caught her entirely off guard, but 9A did not elaborate on her position. "I would also request what assistance you have in keeping AR-57 and SOPMOD away from each other, in the interests of having less work for us both."
"What? Why?"
"They were in the process of trying to re-invent the rifle grenade last I knew, and seem likely to create at least a few working prototypes to 'test' on the next deployment." 9A turned to leave.
GSh-18 watched her go. That final dire warning did not bode well, and neither did anything else 9A said. Then again, 9A seemed unusually serious, all things considered, and GSh couldn't help but think that she fit in with the rest of the base quite well as a result.
-Faded Glory-
Without a doubt, Groza knew the peace they'd been enjoying would be ending soon. The Commander's withdrawal into his office, and KSG often going with him stood out as an obvious example, given how he'd been putting in effort to be more visible over the recent days. More subtle clues included the push for OTs-39 to be comfortable flying solo, and the movement of supplies both internal to the base and arriving on base. Deployment was coming, and from what little she could tell, her superior did not like it.
"When I was told that you enjoyed brooding, I did not think it to be quite so literal." PPD-40 hauled herself up to the roof, brushing some dust from her skirt as she did. Below and in the distance, SV-98, SRS, FN-49, and Ballista were engaged in some kind of shooting competition, the rhythmic pops and cracks providing a soothing backdrop to her afternoon.
Groza hid her smile from her newest squad member, opting instead for a question. "Are you familiar with the phrase 'hurry up and wait', PPD?"
The younger doll started to speak then stopped again, seemingly trying to pick out some deeper meaning. "I have heard the phrase before, but in a context that does not apply to now."
"Does it not?" Not bothering to wait for a reply, Groza forged ahead. "You have only been here a short while, but you would agree that things are more active now than previously, no?" PPD dipped her head in agreement. "We are doing limited patrols again, both of our pilots are logging far more flight hours than usual, supplies are coming in more frequently. This has all the hallmarks of a military operation in the waiting."
"And what sort of operation is that?" PPD countered. "We haven't heard a thing from the Commander about any deployments, or that he retracted his stance about fighting against one tooth and nail."
All reasonable arguments, and unless Groza missed her mark, PPD-40 would not accept gut feelings. "Full deployment into heavy combat. He's unlikely to report anything until knowing what is coming, but those of us who lived through the war, working out what is going on is not difficult." Her fingers drummed into the railing. "After the sixth or seventh time you start to get a feel for when the officers don't want you to know something."
"For a man you don't seem to like you can guess how he thinks." PPD-40 mused aloud, although the words lacked any of the subtlety, she likely intended them to have. "As it does not seem that your assessment is based purely upon past experience."
"It is not that I dislike the Commander." Groza's lips thinned, attempting to sort out just how to explain her feelings, and finally settling on the purely factual answer. "In many contexts I find him a reasonable, agreeable person, except in those contexts when he does a fantastic job of reminding me of a particular individual that I would rather forget." From the look on PPD's face she obviously wanted to ask more, but managed to swallow her words. "Consider yourself fortunate that your potential deployment ended up cut short, PPD."
Once again, PPD seemed to want to ask, but did not seem willing to broach the subject, instead looking down at the shooting going on beneath. The quartet fell into a rhythm, usually shooting in near perfect sync, but sometimes in pairs, bullets vanishing into the trees. "What are they even aiming at?"
A valid question, as even squinting into the distance, Groza could not say. "I haven't a clue." While she could have connected to SV-98 to find out, the sniper would likely become quite annoyed. "I believe it is as much a contest of speed as anything else, and it is likely they are using some form of network coordination to choose targets. Were I'm feeling generous, I'd say it's a form of building trust and coordination, but I suspect it is really a front for Ballista and SV-98 to constructively sort out their problems, without a PP-2000 to play moderator."
"Could it not be both?" Groza could see PPD's eyes light up at the idea of the teambuilding exercise. "Although it would require some measure of trust to start, no?"
"It serves the function of both, but it is far more one than the other. I would suggest speaking to SRS if you want the precise details, she is most likely to know something useful." Without being a roadblock or running away.
"I may have to do that." PPD-40 nodded. "It's a very intriguing concept to be certain." Then, she frowned. "Although, won't do me much good here."
"Got used to playing drill sergeant?" PPD jerked, expression closing off, as Groza watched. "It seemed prudent to ask the Commander what he knew about you, on the off chance you were also from some secretive black ops unit and going to get into a fight with SV-98." PPD blinked in confusion and disbelief. "If you don't recognize the unit mark 74M wears, that is a good thing."
"I see." A frown followed, and Groza let her form the thought without interruption. "And here I thought a PMC would be free of that sort of cloak and dagger nonsense."
Groza saw no reason to sugarcoat the reality. "The Commander lives and breathes cloak and dagger nonsense as you put it." She could take at least a bit of a consolation that he'd be open about it this time, not that Groza wanted to say that aloud. "For my part, I merely wish to avoid additional interpersonal conflict."
"There does seem to be plenty of that." With a huff, PPD conceded the point. "The kind that festers."
"I suspect that it has died down for now." Rather, Groza knew it had, unless Ak-Alfa did something extreme, which, from the way KSG reacted, she would not.
PPD lacked that knowledge and context and did not seem convinced. "If I believe that to be the case."
"Regrettably, I have seen these sorts of things enough to see the patterns." Groza stretched a bit, as SRS and FN-49 dropped out of the contest. "Much like I suspect you can pick out someone who has aptitude for certain things quickly."
That silenced the objection for a moment, and eventually PPD dipped her head. "Fair point." With only SV-98 and Ballista shooting, the sound from below died down, coming in two almost synced shots every second or two. Ballista did shoot slightly faster, and so they slowly drifted out of phase. "How does she do that?"
"Hm?" Groza put a bit more attention on the duel going on below. While Ballista did shoot faster, from the visible impacts, SV-98 seemed to be more accurate.
"Ballista's chassis is simply better than SV-98's. How is SV-98 keeping pace?"
"That is a question for SV-98." Or, Groza just didn't know. "She'll probably tell you that Ballista's awful at air density calculations or something, which will make no real sense, because as you say, Ballista should be able to compute faster." Unless Groza missed her mark, it wouldn't be enough, as Ballista managed to work her way to a full shot ahead of SV-98 in the sequence.
"And she still lost." PPD confirmed that suspicion a moment later.
If you are done watching, come down here and be useful. SV-98 sent over the network with barely contained annoyance. I'm pretty sure you have a girlfriend now, so staring at my ass is a bit rude.
It's a bit hard to stare at something that doesn't exist, SV-98. Groza tuned out the insult that followed, content that whatever trouble had been, could be safely put in the past.
-Faded Glory-
"You're brooding." Five-seveN didn't take long to find her, or to make the statement. The petty and tired part of FAL wanted to ignore her, but the large part knew that this needed to be addressed now, before the problem got worse. Much like Groza she didn't buy into the story but for an entirely different set of reasons.
"And you are causing trouble." FAL didn't try and keep the edge out of her voice, having long since concluded that she let this fester long enough. "I realize that I turn a blind eye to a lot of your antics Five-seveN, but really?"
"I bear no responsibility for the actions of others." Her second settled into a chair with a smile, only to falter when FAL turned her gaze.
"Spare me." She didn't have the energy for it. "Did you at least figure out whatever airheaded thing you wanted to figure out?"
"That Kalina can-" It figured that Five-seven would try one last time to be cheeky.
FAL would never admit that she growled, as such a thing would be thoroughly undignified, but she certainly did intimidate Five-seveN. "Five-seveN." The other Doll shut her mouth, perhaps finally understanding that she'd genuinely annoyed her superior for the first time in years. "I don't care how you choose to amuse yourself; I care why you choose to start fights with the new girls on base."
For a while, Five-seveN didn't look FAL in the eye, a sure sign that FAL would absolutely love this story, before sighing. "You could be more like your girlfriend, and not ask me questions."
Yet more evidence that whatever explanation she got would be stupid. "Unlike Groza, my pet fool dissembles and dances with her words, instead of wearing them on her sleeve." FAL countered. The smile suggested Five-seveN took that as a compliment. "And while I have known you long enough to guess as to your motives, I would prefer to give you the chance to answer without the nonsense."
"Such little faith." Five-seveN tried to mock, only to fall on deaf ears, which finally seemed to get her to be serious. "I wanted to know more about her, given how little we do know."
Of all the answers she could have given, FAL considered that one stupidest, in light of the method. "And what did you learn?"
"That she will stab first, and ask later." A beat, in the vain hope FAL would give her an opening. "She's emotionally withdrawn, thinks poorly of herself while thinking worse of others, and has a strained relationship with her squad. Is not a team player, and completely lacks a sense of humor."
"I see." Letting herself loose the battle with groaning in frustration, FAL crossed her arms, settling back against the wall in the way that Groza liked too. "Must you do these things?" The look said everything she needed to know in reply. "You do understand that some day you'll annoy someone I cannot save you from?" FAL stopped. "In truth you probably already did and are only here right now because someone else took some measure of pity on you?"
FAL took no pleasure in watching Five-seveN squirm, as the implications of that sank in, and the other Doll tried to work through just what that all meant. "I do not see how you come to either conclusion."
"Beyond the fact that those four Dolls are well beyond what we can do?" FAL started simple, but that didn't seem to make the point. "Someone doesn't go to that much trouble to retrieve someone unless there is a reason, and that's the only reason that makes sense. Combined with the fact that even as green as she is, she held her own in a fight with Ak-Alfa, and it stands to reason that those four are well outside your ability to survive."
"Alfa's not that dangerous." A good attempt, but FAL could hear the waver, and see Five-seveN deflating as she said it.
"Alfa is not dangerous in the same way you are not dangerous." There would be no escaping this time, and FAL would make sure of it. "While she may not be the most capable hand to hand combatant, she is more than capable of hurting someone if she must, and she hides a surprising amount of danger beneath her façade of normalcy." Five-seveN made a face but didn't argue that point. "More to the point, rumor holds that the only reason SOPMOD isn't trying to rearrange your insides with that claw of hers is that SV-98 made a compelling argument for them staying out of things. Now, tell me, Five-seveN, do you really think you can survive if SOPMOD decides that your skin looks better as her new hat?"
That, for the first time, seemed to make a serious impact, what little color Five-seveN had drained into a ghostly white.
"I'll save you the trouble, that is not something that you are likely to survive. And it's entirely likely that she'll make it hurt as she tears your legs off." Taking a breath to reign herself in, FAL did her best to harden her tone. "This is not a problem you can flirt with, or seduce, or talk in three different circles. This is the same sort of problem that someone who hurts one of us is faced with; an irrational opponent, not willing to listen to traditional arguments."
"Alright!" Five-seveN cut her off. "No more antagonizing AR-15."
FAL kept Five-seveN pinned in place with her gaze, knowing that was the best she was going to get, even if she wanted something better. "Good." Pushing off the wall in preparation to leave, before adding on. "In the future, remember to lock the door. The next person who walks in on you and Kalina is going to get free reign for some manner of revenge." Ignoring the spluttering, FAL set off, intent on finding something more enjoyable to do with the rest of her day, and wash the foul taste of that entire conversation from her mind.
-Faded Glory-
"Commanders." While Leon and the girl who Ian didn't know the name of relaxed, he couldn't bring himself to entirely let his guard down as Helian's hologram joined them. Her stiff posture only reinforced his choice to be cautious. "I will get to the point. We are in the middle of a concentrated offensive by Sangvis Ferri." A map formed between the holograms, complete with markers for each Sector, and the red arrows of Sangvis offensives. Said map closely mirrored the one hiding under paperwork on Ian's desk, and he did not try and hide the scowl that followed. While his information didn't account for everything, he'd been far too close for personal liking. "Every Sector save 2 and 9 has been under constant assault for nearly two weeks, without sign of relent."
"Ideas why they are leaving us alone?" Leon crossed his arms, looking between everyone there. "Seems awful convenient, we kill some Ringleaders and Blackwood and I get off easy?"
"I suspect you provided the reason. We killed Ringleaders. We are also both relatively isolated by other Sectors, suggesting a perceived need to fight through those areas to get to us." Ian tossed out the best theory he'd been able to come up with. "At least, that matches the evidence at hand."
"It matches what we have concluded as well." Helian directed a small nod in his direction. "Those sectors around you have been holding the line without issue, and while the intensity of attack is tapering off, they remain under threat. Analysts believe that Sangvis merely wishes to keep those forces occupied while they concentrate elsewhere."
"Sector 14." Ian took the guess and hastened to elaborate based on Helian's sharp look. "Ignoring that part where I'm reasonably confident she," he pointed at the fourth person on the call, "Is the Commander for that sector, it's a reasonable conclusion based on this data." He motioned to the map.
Helian's eyes stayed narrow before relenting on the matter. "You are correct. In ordinary circumstances we would relocate forces from closer Sectors, but they are all occupied."
"Thus, us." Leon picked up the thread, and did not look happy about it. "We've worked together, know each other, makes sense." Tracing the route on the map with a hum, he asked the sensible question. "How soon?"
"As soon as possible." Helian looked between them, obviously expecting an objection, especially from Ian, but he merely nodded. "I expected more arguing."
"I've been following the reports, Sector 14 is up a creek, and it's been long enough that my previous stance is no longer needed or reasonable." Helian accepted that answer but didn't seem to entirely believe him. "For our part, putting boots on the ground is probably going to be at least ten hours, probably closer to eighteen if we want to go in with an actual plan."
Helian confirmed a few further details, "I will let you coordinate with Sector 14." And she disconnected.
"Blackwood, how the hell'd you figure this one out?" Leon demanded as Helian vanished.
"Reading reports and making educated guesses." Unfortunate amounts of experience. "It's not that hard to work out what the pattern is with a little thought. It does require hunting down the reports though." He turned to the very confused looking teenager. "Ian Blackwood, Sector 9."
"Leon Sauer, Sector 2." Leon followed suit. "Since I haven't been reading combat logs daily, why don't you start with a briefing on just what the situation on the ground looks like."
-Faded Glory-
An unusual tension hung over the room, as the four combat teams and additional support personnel piled into the repaired mess hall. Clumped behind their respective leaders, a few whispers were exchanged but in general the assembled Dolls were silent, most eyes fixed on KSG. Leaning against the wall near the 'front' of the group, with her arms crossed, KSG did not seem bothered by the attention, nor did she give any indications as to exactly what was happening.
"Right." The Commander cut the silence without warning, all eyes snapping to him, several dolls visibly confused about how he's made it to the front of the group without them noticing, but equally unwilling to ask the question. Taking a moment to survey them all, the man appeared to visibly steel himself for a fight. "No point in sugarcoating this. We are wheels up in roughly ten hours."
If the room were silent before it may as well have frozen over with that grim declaration. From the look on his face, the Commander obviously expected resistance, and every soldier straightened, recognizing that they were now sitting in a briefing, however informal it might be.
KSG, upon exchanging a long look with Groza, FAL, and M4 spoke first, doing a remarkable job of keeping her tone even despite some obvious surprise in her expression. "Destination, objective, allies, hostiles, and the reason why we are getting ten hours of warning."
"Somewhat out of order, Griffon Sector 14, currently held by two light recon elements, to provide them fire support against no less than 'literally uncountable horde' of Sangvis, and we'll be backed up by Sector 2. As for warning, you are only getting an hour and a half less warning than I got." KSG opened her mouth. "I know I expected something, but I didn't think it would be this bad." That silenced KSG's objection, and a subtle shake of her head silenced the other leaders. "I'll send you a better information package after this, but this," placing a small projector on the table and activating it, the Commander paused to let the information load, "is the situation they found themselves in."
A moment of silence followed as the various dolls took that in. SV-98 found her voice first. "Who'd they piss off?"
Spinning the map, the Commander shrugged. "No idea. Far as I can tell Sector 14 hasn't been involved in major ops due to being recently established and having a rookie leading them." SV-98 grunted, seeming to dislike the answer but not objecting to it. "They got caught up in a wave of Sangvis attacks on everything that moved, one that we escaped due to some geographical quirks, and likely Sangvis stupidity."
"Meaning?" Tension shook the word, even if Groza appeared outwardly calm.
"There is nothing stopping Sangvis from using a numerical advantage to pin down other strongpoints and go around them with a second force." The Commander shrugged. "Regardless, they've got every major Sector pinned down at the moment and appear to have spotted weakness here in Sector 14. Attacks have been ramping up for about a week, and they are not being hit roughly every fourteen hours on the clock."
"Where does ten hours put us, in that cycle?" FAL this time. "I assume that time is chosen for a reason?"
"In theory you will be landing about an hour before the next major attack." Starting to continue, the Commander paused. "Flight time estimate isn't great, and some of it is over hostile territory so it's possible rerouting or delays will cut that shorter." Grimacing, FAL indicated her acceptance, slouching back into her chair.
"You said two recon teams. How beat up are they?" M16 tossed out. "Recon doesn't sound suited for fighting a defensive struggle like that."
"Probably means a lot of DMRs, and spotters with light weapons. Range advantage is big, and if they've stayed mobile, it'd be enough to keep Sangvis slow." Ak-Alfa's fingers beat into the table. "That maps a blasted out village. They run out of real estate?"
"I don't have exact Echelon composition, but rifles and light weapons are a good guess." The Commander agreed. "As for how beat up they are, no idea. Their Commander's new at this, and doesn't have a good feel for if a Doll is actually in terrible shape or not, but she claims they are relatively unharmed. How that will change with the change of tactics required by a more urban fight I do not know."
"And if they are beaten to hell?" M16 pressed.
"The expectation is that there is a high chance both flights out will be doubling as med-evac to Sector 14 proper and that the next flight in will stop there with support personnel." The Commander looked to GSh-18. "I realize you only just got settled here, but they appear to be even more short staffed than we are, and I don't think we can reasonably swing hours to fly casualties back here." While he looked to PP-2000 and OTs-39 for confirmation he didn't seem to expect anything but the negatives that he got.
"Got it." GSh dipped her head, undeterred by that idea.
Full focus now on the pilots, the Commander kept going. "39, are you comfortable flying solo?" Receiving a tentative nod in return appeared to be a relief, as his shoulders dropped. "Good. First flight will be both aircraft, deploy all four combat teams into this ruin. LZ is likely to be here, but that is subject to change." He marked a spot on the map. "This is far enough out we won't be having drones overhead, and comms aren't going to be fantastic, so you'll be entirely on your own for organizing the defense. Commander there agreed to have her people defer to your judgment, provided they aren't shot to shit, given that most of you are well experienced in urban warfare." Looking from Echelon leader to Echelon leader, he put more emphasis on the final point. "The objective is to hold ground. We are not here to be heroes."
s
"Sir."
"Understood."
"Yes, Commander."
"Got it."
Obviously satisfied, he spun the map again, marking a few new spots. "Since we are both closers, and better positioned to deploy on the fly, we are going to be arriving first, and holding until Sector 2 arrives as backup. If attacks continue on pattern, we'll be holding out against at least one wave alone before getting backup from Sector 2." A wave of winces crossed the room, but no objections were raised. "Once those additional bodies are in the field, we will be moving to a search and destroy posture, with the objective of eliminating the Ringleader or Ringleaders behind this."
"Who do you have in mind for that?" All attention turned to FAL, eyes hard, and lips thin. "None of our Echelons are exactly suited to pulling off that kind of operation on our own."
Giving a small dip of the head to indicate his agreement the Commander closed the map with an electrical snap. "My personal desire would be to have such an operation be a coordinated strike with all four of our Combat teams, while the local forces and additional reinforcements occupy the footsoldiers, but the situation may force our hand in other ways." That answer appeared to satisfy FAL's curiosity, and so he looked around for any other questions.
"Why us?" M4 found her voice at last. That drew a number of agreeing nods.
"Beyond merely Sangvis having no understanding of operational complexity, and thus leaving us free to do so, Sector 9 is now one of the more combat capable Sectors, as I understand things. Griffin by itself is a concentration of military dolls, and experienced people, but even by those standards, we stand out." He nodded to FAL, then KSG. "There are a variety of Dolls here intimately familiar with holding actions such as this one, thus giving us an experience edge over a number of other Sectors, and in terms of heavy combat, until this wave of attacks, we'd seen the most in recent times." The Commander stopped, then shrugged. "Add in the AR team, a former Spetsnaz Doll, and cumulative decades of warfighting experience, and my own operation history is mostly small unit tactics, and precision strikes like this one, and it's hard to argue against sending is."
No one appears to have a good argument against that point.
-Faded Glory-
M4 considered running based purely upon the collection of dolls still in the mess hall. MG4 and 74M on opposite sides of a table, a pair of still steaming but otherwise untouched coffees between them. AR-15 and Ballista rounded out the group, a mutual frigid stare not helping the atmosphere. None of them immediately noticed her, nor could she quite figure out how the strange collection arrived where they did in the first place.
Most of it appeared to boil down to some kind of quiet power struggle, the first portion of which MG4 and AK74M appeared to win, leaving them to stare one another down, as M4 skirted what she hoped to be the safe distance.
"M4." Apparently not far enough, as 74M's voice cut the silence.
"Y-yes?" She cursed herself for stuttering, but the former soldier's expression made it even harder to not than when dealing with the other Echelon leaders. They were merely closed off, while 74M looked capable of killing her with a coffee mug.
"Know anything else about this mission?" 74M shifted, drawing all eyes to M4 as she did so.
"No." M4 did her best to keep her voice level, even if there wasn't much success. "Just what the Commander told everyone." A bit of amusement danced across 74M and MG4's eyes, as if they knew she was lying to them. "Why?"
"See, three of us have a theory, and this one," 74M jabbed a finger at STAR, "Doesn't think we're wrong."
"Something about this annoyed the Commander, in a very different way than our little excursion to pick you up did." Ballista took over.
"She," A gesture at STAR followed, "didn't know anything so we're asking you."
"I don't know." M4 shrugged, settling for a technical truth. All eyes said they didn't believe her, including AR-15's eye roll. "We know a few more specific details but nothing about what might have upset him."
"And didn't say a thing otherwise?" Ballista didn't appear to buy in, crossing her legs, and starting to beat a pattern into her knee.
M4 shook her head. "Not really. Just that he wanted to try and 'give better information to try and alleviate some existing pain points around the fact that he's a jackass." MG4 and Ballista expressed their amusement differently, but both made it clear they found that entertaining.
"Jackass." Ballista shook her head in open disbelief. "That's what he calls it."
"In the context of what people know, and don't know, that is a reasonable description." 74M countered. "And given his circumstances, I would contend he is not that compromised."
"That's the second or third time you've made it sound like you 'get it' somehow." AR-15 cut in. "Gonna bother explaining?" In reply 74M tapped her shoulder, where her former unit patch was. "Not all of us can turn a picture on your arm into a menacing memory of getting shot for treason."
"If I was shooting you for treason AR-15, you wouldn't remember any of it." 74M's offhand delivery made the statement worse. "The Commander and I share a similar background and have worked with people in the other's position frequently. In that context, he does not appear any more unfit for duty than those individuals, and I would posit he is fitter than most of them."
"Right. Whatever you did that M16 thinks is worrying." AR-15 huffed but backed down from asking more questions.
From somewhere, a chair was produced, and indicated that M4 should sit. "Go over the extra details then." MG4 requested, although it felt like an order. "Maybe there is something experience will see."
M4 wanted to feel insulted, even if she knew MG4 had a point. Explaining what was happening, along with annotating a crude paper map took most of an hour, and by the end, all three veteran soldiers were deep in thought.
"He doesn't trust them." That was the first, and most obvious conclusion, but Ballista put it forth anyway. "If the plan includes a provision to evacuate them immediately as a near forgone conclusion."
"Doesn't trust, or thinks they are going to be so beat to hell they can't fight." AR-15 cocked her head. "Not everyone can spend this long in a fight and stay intact."
"Possible." MG4's eyes were narrowed on the map laying over the table. "Limited defenses constructed, using ruins to fight more than prepared positions. Largely scouts."
74M cocked her head. "Are we intended to hold this position?"
"I think so." M4 nodded. "That's how he's talked about it, that we're fighting until Sector 2 arrives."
"Two full Sectors is a lot of firepower for one target." Ballista mused. "And that's one target without much information to go with it. Might be what is annoying him. FAL never had the impression that Commander liked not knowing."
"It annoyed KSG." MG4 threw out, and M4's eyes narrowed on the smaller doll, realizing that she probably knew as much or more than M4 herself. From the slight curve of her lips, it looked like MG4 knew she'd been caught and felt only amusement in the process. "I don't get the impression that is the sole reason for his frustration however."
All eyes returned to M4, who could only shrug. "I don't know." She repeated.
Eventually the questioning died down ,and most of the rest drifted away. MG4 stood to leave when M4 stopped her.
"Why ask questions you have the answer to." AR-15 froze, blinking rapidly before scowling, seeing what M4 had, with the prompting.
"Everyone looks at things differently. Of the four of you, you are the only one who isn't a soldier, and thus doesn't approach these things as a military problem. It's entirely possible you would see something we did not." MG4 held her gaze, and M4 found herself backing down. "I will be abducting your sister for a while."
"What?" STAR asked at the same time M4 did.
"Just what I said." MG4 gave off the aura of being annoyed that she had to repeat herself. "Follow." STAR traded a look with M4, who only shrugged, as they found themselves following MG4 across the base. AR-57 favored them with a nod on the way past the armory, and 9A sent them a long, piercing stare, before moving away, until they were standing in a corner of the base.
"Right, what'd you want?" AR-15 crossed her arms.
MG4 just stared at her for a while, then, without warning, deflated. "I am not going to ask what Alfa said, or why you decided the correct solution was to put a knife in SV-98's kidneys."
"What?" AR-15 stiffened.
"I have known Ak-Alfa for a long time. Of the three of them, she is most likely to say something to produce a violent reaction, although likely spurred on by the other two." MG4 shook her head. "I do not care what she said, or why. I do, however, care that she," MG4 jabbed a finger at M4, "Knows, and I do care if this is going to cause yet more problems, or if that issue can be considered resolved."
"It's settled." AR-15 bit off. MG4 stared at her for a long while. "What?"
"It is not settled, but you want me to stop talking, and want to put what you see as humiliating behind you." AR-15 took a step forwards, probably to object, but M4 grabbed her arm, holding her back. "I have one absolute moron to deal with." The implication, that AR-15 should not make it a second, hung in the air. Her eyes turned to M4, seeming to size her up, before the German spun on her heel and started off in a different direction.
"What is her deal?" AR-15 muttered.
"I think that is her way of saying is there is trouble, she's going to be extremely upset, and that we don't want to see her upset." M4 started out guessing, but with each word she felt more confident in her assessment. "As well as suggesting that Alfa is willing to let things go."
"That bitch-" AR-15 started then caught herself. "Fine."
M4 wanted to ask why her sister kept the details of that altercation, including the cause, a secret, but held her tongue. It didn't seem like AR-15 would have anything to say at this point, and if the matter was 'over' M4 would let it be 'over' for the time being. It meant one less thing to have to keep in mind tomorrow, considering everything about to happen.
AN: I blame PR for this taking so long. Next chapter we'll be back to more action packed nonsense to wrap up this portion of Faded Glory.
Usual thanks to Branded for putting up with my crap, and a brief shout-out to Clearly for inspiring me to rewrite this whole thing cause I was a dumbass.
