Victory often comes with a price...
A price that Nepgear paid by sacrificing all CPUs in order to defeat the Deity of Sin once and for all. Eleven years later, new threats arise as ASIC strikes back once again. She later finds a sadistic blue gal who holds resentment toward the world but has forgotten something she values the most.
In a twist of fate, she then gets sent to another dimension and meets familiar faces. One of them is her sister, but they're not the same, as she will soon learn. A second chance, perhaps? Either way, she won't let history repeat itself and experience the same pain twice as she finds her way back home.
Once everything is over, will Nepgear be able to find the strength to move on and find peace?
...
[Index]:
-"Speaking"
-"SHOUTING"
-"Whispering/emphasis"
-Inner Monologue
-Others speaking from a distance
-"Voice calls"
-'Writings'
-Letters/Notes
-[Text] messages
-Skills/Items
PROLOGUE : A Forgotten yet Repeated History
Planeptune, the land of purple progress.
The sunset painted the sky orange, indicating that night was on its way.
Near the Basilicom lies a forest, just a few minutes walk. A figure could be seen walking there. She had a white D-pad button hairpin on her head and a white collar on her neck. Her outfit resembled that of a sailor. She wore a white jacket dress with yellow neckwear with the letter N on it, long socks with pink stripes, and white shoes that had the letters N on them as well. She had a bag strapped to her thigh.
If it wasn't obvious by her looks, she is the CPU Candidate of Planeptune, or rather the current and only CPU of Gamindustri.
She's currently known as Lilac Heart, or simply Nepgear. She has a lot of nicknames that her friends have given her as well. And there's Nep Jr., which her older sister used to call her. She's no longer a junior now.
The sound of her footsteps echoed through the forest. She felt the wind pushing her long lilac hair. The smell of pine cones and the sounds of wood being drilled filled the forest with life.
She was lost in thought, as she had a somber look on her face.
She walked for some time until she stopped a few feet away from a tombstone that was well hidden deep inside the forest. The grave was covered with many colorful flowers and the tombstone looked well maintained.
Few know about this place. It was her and her sister's old secret spot where they used to hang out when she was little. The writing on the tombstone read:
Neptune: 19XX–201X.
A loving sister, and a dear friend.
Too loved to be forgotten.
Neptune...
It was a name she hadn't heard for a long time.
She and her sister took a dark path.
Both of the sisters were forced to use the cursed sword after Noire took her own life by stabbing the sword into herself when they tried to steal their shares. There was no going back. The two sisters took every CPU's life in order to power the sword. In the end, it was her sister's turn, as she asked her to take her life in the same place she stood and today marks that day.
It's been eleven years since then.
It's time to grow up, Nepgear!
Her last sister's words still lingered in her mind like a fresh-cut wound. Along with her friends, whose voices still haunt her to this very day.
All in the name of protecting Gamindustri from the Deity of Sin. They all sacrificed themselves to protect Gamindustri, and she was left to lead all nations under one flag.
She had the burden of the whole world on her shoulders.
With the deity of sin having long since vanished, Gamindustri should have been at peace, or at least should have been. The remains of ASIC, or ASIC remnants, still lingered. They used to operate under the shadows but recently they have been making moves. Others started protesting in order to force her to resign from her position as a CPU and allow proper laws to rule the country. They went as far as to make a movement. But worst of all, a revolution broke down in Leanbox not to long ago. People rebelled against her because they didn't want her to rule their land anymore. She have this feeling that ASIC remnants are behind it
This place brought back memories of her sister, both pleasant and unpleasant. This is the place where the sisters used to hang out when she was still very young. And the same place where she took her own sister's life away before spending their last moment together.
"Hey, sis..."
"It's been awhile. I'm sorry for not paying you a visit for a while. I've been bombarded with work lately." She didn't expect any reply, but she didn't care all that much. She sat on the ground and began rummaging in her bag. "So, to make it up for it, I bought you your favorite food: pudding!" She put the pack of sweets in front of the sister, and she began eating her sharing of pudding while she shared with her sister about her day and kept her updated.
"—And that's pretty much it." After some time passed, she finished telling her stories. Silence hung in the air, with only the sound of the wind. She let out a sigh. "I wish I could say things were doing well, but they're not."
"Things have been very stressful lately. "
"Histoire and Kei have been a great help. Mina too... when she feels like it, that is." She muttered the last part under her breath. "She really hates my guts."
She couldn't blame her.
Rom and Ram...
Those two names are imprinted in her mind, along with an image of the two girls breaking down, not wanting to die, which will forever haunt her.
She took Blanc away from them, which is as if she had robbed them of everything. Although it was her sister who finished her off, she still felt responsible.
"As for Chika... there aren't any new leads regarding her disappearance case."
Chika at first locked herself in her room and refused to get out, denying everything that happened. This continued for a while until she vanished one day with no trace. This resulted in Leanbox struggling for so long without an oracle looking after it, which then led to people eventually leading a revolution.
How pathetic... She couldn't keep the only promise Vert asked her before she died.
She was pathetic.
They had to eventually declare her dead. Chika loved Vert with all her heart after reuniting with her after an agonizing three years of waiting. And she took her away from her...
The people want to make Leanbox an independent nation from the CPU due to their not accepting her as their true CPU anymore. This was the first nation to rebel against her. Nepgear was secretly afraid that the other nation might follow. Histoire assured her that as long as she did a good job, they most likely wouldn't. She didn't oppress any citizens of any nation and treated them fairly, so people generally don't have a problem with her ruling over them, but they don't have to like it or accept her as their CPU, as long as she can provide them protection.
It's been an ongoing revolution for a while. They took over the nation's military base, which is problematic, and they suspect it was ASIC remnants who supplied them with weapons and machinery for a 'mutual cause', as they both want the CPU out of the picture.
The sad reality is that the whole nation has been turned into a war zone. Almost half of the nation turned into rubble. A lot of people lost their homes, and some even lost their lives, despite Nepgear's best efforts to minimize casualties.
Some people fled the nation to escape the war. Others remained. The SDM of Leanbox helped civilians who wanted to take refuge.
Nepgear could give in to their demands and make their nations independent but Histoire told her if she did, it may influence others to do the same So the only option is to fight back and deescalate the situation, but so far, they haven't made any progress.
"It's been lonely, you know." Her voice cracked, and she began feeling herself on the verge of breaking down. "It's not the same without you. When we were together, everything made sense. Now it doesn't..."
"I miss you so much, sis... I am at a loss for what to do..." Her eyes began tearing up, as it was impossible to hold them in any longer. "I wish you could be here so you can tell me that everything is going to be fine and comfort me."
She hates this. She had never asked for any of this!
She never had the chance to tell her sister that she loved her one last time, never had the time to properly develop as a character. Everything went so fast. The whole world robbed her of the only thing she valued most.
Why?
Why did all of this happen?
It's so... unfair!
She feels lost...
She feels alone...
She noticed that the sun had already set and the sky had turned a deep shade of blue. She didn't know how long she was crying, as she lost track of time. Nepgear wiped the tears from her face before taking a moment to regain her composure.
"Well, it's getting late... I should head back before Histoire gets worried. Goodbye, sis. I'll visit you again, I promise." She snuck one last glance before she left.
(N) is for Neptunia!
Nepgear decided to take a quick stroll in the city's downtown to clear her mind before returning to the Basilicom. The city was known to be the most futuristic and the lowest-rated crime nation of all nations due to having the only CPU who resided there. Planeptune was located on the west side of the world map.
The sounds of traffic and bustling streets filled the city. The smell of paint hit her when she walked by walls covered by graffiti, or, as they call it, art street. She could taste the scents of freshly baked goods from a mile away when she neared a bakery. People would pass by her while minding their own business like usual. The sight of their CPU walking on the street wasn't uncommon for the citizens here. A few would pass a simple greeting and move on. Planeptune was the only nation that fully accepted her as the CPU of Gamindustri. Compared to Lastation, who was indifferent, Lowee was unfriendly, and Leanbox was hostile.
Even though the news hit the city of the ongoing revolution in Leanbox, most people carried on with their lives as if nothing had happened. Others were out protesting and there has been a noticeable rise in crime as of late.
She wasn't sure of herself if she could lead all nations alone since she hadn't had time to prepare. She was honestly surprised that the nations were still standing after a decade of her ruling. It was mostly thanks to Histoire. She really doesn't know what she would have done without her. The tome has managed to save this nation many times from crises in the past.
She's also the world's everything so to speak.
The True Goddess created her in order to record everything. But she has a limitation that was put in her by the same creator as security measure that makes her have to wait 3 minutes, hours, days, etc. to do any task for some reason.
Out of all the oracles, Kei was the only one who didn't hold a grudge against her, or at least she hoped she didn't. She didn't make it personal and continued working with her, helping with managing the nation and becoming her personal PR. Not only that, but she helped with advancing their weapons and technology and training their intelligence agents. She is still the same old Kei who doesn't let her feelings get in her way of work, much like Noire did. She's grateful to have someone like her as an ally since she has contributed a lot.
We don't need CPUs to rule the nations! We humans can rule the nations ourselves.
A woman's voice broke Nepgear's train of thought, and she turned to see a woman giving a speech to a crowd of people. Nepgear kept her distance, as she didn't want to draw any attention to herself at the moment. The lady was admirably tall with long blue hair. She was wearing a black suit with a tie and glasses. She had an odd skull on her belt and hands. Her appearance screams villain, but looks can be deceiving, as she would be the most sensitive and gentle person.
The lady's name was Rei. Ryghts, with a period, the leader of the so-called 'Citizen Group Movement'. Her movement started ten years ago, a year after the CPUs disappeared. She wasn't confident and was easily intimidated if she was pushed around. But now that the woman stood with confidence and delivered her speech, many considered her to be a charismatic leader, no matter if they agreed with her or not.
It's time that we humans... start implementing proper laws, not worshipping CPUs.
At first, Nepgear did a background check on her just to be safe. Apparently, the lady was just a regular person with no powers or anything special and had no relation to the ASIC remnants. She had an acquaintance with the woman, mostly talking. At first, she was so nervous and terrified of her, and she was shuddering a lot. However, after many years of forming the group and gaining a lot of followers, it seems that she also gained a bit of confidence and charisma along the way.
Nepgear didn't interfere, as they were the least of her worries. All they did was occasionally protest peacefully in front of her Basilicom and pass around flyers around the city. Despite what many people think, she and Rei.. were mostly on good terms.
Rei. even offered her assistance with the Leanbox situation as she used her movement to raise money from charity from other nations to help and shelter the refugees. This made her okay in her book and showed how much she is a competent leader and a sincere person.
The CPUs rely on their people's faith. In fact, they are born from the people's wishes, so why should we follow them? They need us to survive, just like we need them to protect us. It's a mutual relationship where one can't exist without the other.
Ask yourselves: If the CPUs are really all that worthy of worship, they wouldn't need people's faith to survive. it should be the other way around. The fact that we have this mutual relationship between humans and CPUs tells me that something is not quite right.
We created CPUs, and it was not them who created us. They need us, but we can prove that we don't need them. We can rule the nation without CPUs. We have in the past, so why can't we now? In fact, people wanted CPUs to protect them instead of finding other solutions and adapting.
Now that there's only one CPU who leads all the nations, which isn't ideal in my opinion, we need to stand up like the people in Leanbox did. Granted, I don't condone the method that they chose. Violence begets violence. But they are fighting for their cause, which is admirable at the very least.
We, however, will keep protesting peacefully until our voices are heard and until our demands are met, no matter what or how long it takes... Thank you.
The crowd gave a round of applause and cheered before they slowly started leaving one by one. Nepgear waited until the crowd cleared out. Right now, she was in deep thought.
Those people don't know how much I sacrifice for the sake of Gamindustri, yet they want to get rid of me.
Nepgear shook her head before she was about to depart but stopped as her foot stepped on a flyer. She bent down and picked up the piece of paper before she snuck a quick glance at the headline.
'Let's make Gamindustri great again! Abide by laws, not CPUs!'
"I thought I had seen you." A voice called Nepgear out from behind. Nepgear already recognized the voice of the woman. Nepgear mentally groaned, as she wasn't in the mood for socializing right now. She forced a smile before she turned around.
"Hello, Miss Rei. Ryghts."
"Please, no need for formalities. Rei. is fine. Speaking of which, it's a surprise to see you here, Lady Nepgear. Do what I owe this pleasure, or is it a social call?"
"Nothing of the sort. I was just taking a stroll in the city to make sure everything was in order, until I stumbled on your speech." She saw Rei. jump for a moment before she fixed herself.
"I know that the two of us don't see eye to eye, but ultimately, I want what's best for Gamindustri." Rei.'s eyes scanned the place she calls home before putting her hand behind her back. "Which is why I said those things back there."
"I know. you don't have to explain yourself to me." Nepgear was now standing next to her as she followed the woman's gaze with her eyes. "You probably won't live until the day I resign as a CPU. If that day ever comes, that is."
"That is true. I'm almost nearing my 40s, so I will probably not live long before that, but still... It's no shame in having some sort of cause that you want to achieve and fight for in life, don't you agree?" Rei. snuck a side glance at her.
"Yeah, I guess. I can't blame you. Humans are naturally thriving creatures after all." This made Rei. chuckle.
"Hmhm, I can't argue with that. We humans are strange creatures indeed." Both stood there in silence until Rei. broke it. "It's a bit funny, you know."
"Hm?"
"When I first met you, I was so terrified. I thought CPUs were different and scary beings. But when I met you, I realized that humans and CPUs are not so different after all."
"Well, minus the divine powers and never aging." Nepgear pointed it out without looking back.
"That's only the defining factor. If we were to take them, then CPUs can't be seen as anything like a human being. I mean, you do most of the things that humans do, like sleeping and eating, if I'm not mistaken. And not to mention, CPUs aren't exactly immortal and their powers come from shares or people's faiths."
"Yeah, and do you think that there are magical items that grant people powers to become CPUs?"
"Maybe there is a world somewhere out there that does." Rei. said it with a hint of joke in her voice. "Back to the point, even humans can reach somewhat near to a CPU power once they have a lot of experience. Your human friends fought alongside you, and they held pretty well, if I'm not misremembering. Which defeats the purpose of people relying on CPUs to protect them when they are capable of defending themselves if they worked and combined them with themselves."
"Well, it's also in human's nature to have some sort of faith in something or someone. Even if CPUs didn't exist, they would find something to believe in, like ASIC, for example. It's simply coded in them."
"I'm fully aware of that, which is why I started this movement years ago when the other CPUs sadly lost their lives in the battle to protect Gamindustri. I hope you don't mind me speaking my mind out for a second."
"It's fine, Rei.. You can speak freely with me. It's not like I'm going to smite you or anything for having different beliefs." Nepgear rolled her eyes.
"I know, but I still have the need to ask regardless. Back then, I viewed CPUs as divine beings, one where they couldn't be compared to humans. But the more I learned, the more I realized it wasn't the case. They live like humans and can die, and the last thing that shattered my view on CPUs was that they are made by people's wishes and require people's faith to sustain themselves. To me, this just doesn't speak divine at all."
"So you want me to grow myself a pair of wings and ascend to Celestia above and answer the people's prayers and give them my blessing?" Nepgear threw her arms up while delivering her line of sarcasm.
"No. Not necessary. I have nothing against you, and I only have nothing but respect, as you know. But I only see you as an equal to me, a human who is merely gifted with powers, nothing more." Rei. let out a sigh. "Or perhaps I have set the bar high for my standards of what a CPU should be. But if I were to give my faith to a deity, I want to be sure of things. Faith shouldn't matter to them. Whether people choose to have faith in them or not, it won't affect them. They should be uncompare to humans and exede them in every possible realm. I guess what I'm trying to say is that religion is a tad difficult topic to discuss, but what do I know? I'm just a human with different ideas in her head."
"Heh, you don't say."
"Of course I won't say with full confidence that I will do a better job than a CPU. I'm simply not one, and I can't speak about what you went through. But what I can say is that I will do my absolute best. Granted, we humans can make mistakes. The CPUs have at some point, but we humans can learn from our mistakes, which translates to us recording history so we don't repeat them."
"You sure do have a way with words, you know." Nepgear couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Rei. returned the smile. "Still, sometimes I can't help but wonder what my life would be if I were to be a CPU, to be able to live centuries and watch many nations rise and fall. It kind of gives you an existential crisis when you think about it. I can't imagine how you deal with this stuff as a CPU."
"I haven't even lived a century yet, but now I will, thanks to you."
"My apologies, hmhmhm. I didn't mean to." Rei. let out a chuckle. "Even though I wasn't born in Planeptune, I considered it my home, and I'll do anything to protect it."
Nepgear hummed before she felt her smartphone vibrate. "Oh, would you look at the time? I should really head back now."
"Very well then. Forgive me for interrupting your night, Lady Nepgear."
"Yeah, it was nice chatting with you, Rei.. Do enjoy the rest of your night. I'll excuse myself now."
"The same goes to you. Oh, tell Histoire I said hello!"
"Will do." Nepgear waved as she departed. She then took out her phone and checked the messages.
Oh, it's Kei. I wonder what she wants.
[Kei] Nepgear. Are you there?
[You] Yes. What's up, Kei?
[Kei] Something came up regarding ASIC. We are not sure if it is yet, but we suspect they might set up a nearby base somewhere in Leanbox. I'm sending one of the scouts to look for it.
[You] Sounds good. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
[Kei] Of course. I'll call you when I find something.
[You] Sure thing. Best of luck!
She put the device back in her pocket dimension, or inventory, if you would, and made her way back to the Basilicom.
(N)
She arrived at the Basilicom shortly. It was the largest tower on Planeptune. She opened the door and she was immediately greeted by the staff, to which she responded back as she walked. She then took the elevator up to the top floor and waited until the door opened. Histoire was patiently waiting for her arrival in the lounge room.
She was a fairy-sized girl sitting on a floating book. She had blond hair and blue eyes. She wore a purple dress with a green tie, and she had butterfly-shaped wings. She is a 'tome' that is tasked with recording the whole history of Gamindustri. She also serves as the oracle of Planeptune and is also the closest thing she had as a family.
"Welcome back, Nepgear." She floated towards the purple-haired girl. "You came late today. I was starting to get worried."
"Hello, Histoire. Sorry for making you worry. I kinda lost track of time while I was out strolling in the city. I also met Rei. there, and we talked for a bit. She also says hi to you."
"Really? That's so nice of her. Anyway, I must apologize. I've been feeling tense recently, which led me to assume the worst."
"We all are. By the way, I got a text from Kei telling me she found something about ASIC. Something about a base of theirs."
"Yes, Kei did inform me earlier today."
"Anyway, I'll head back and start with the paperwork like usual." Nepgear excused herself. Each oracle looked after their own nation and did most of the paperwork, with the exception of Leanbox. But there were still some that required the CPU's personal review. After the revolution that broke out in Leanbox, the pile of paper just kept piling up each minute. And not to mention ASIC making moves again. Nepgear took care of the paperwork, while Histoire manages the guild.
"There won't be a need." Histoire stepped in her way. "I already took care of most of them while you were away. How about you take a break and leave the rest to me?"
"No. I can't possibly leave all that work to you. I am sure there are still some that I can do."
"Nepgear. You've been working excessively these last few days. Please take today off to rest. I insist." The fairy wasn't lying. She looked like she hadn't had proper sleep for days; any more and she'd end up behaving like a zombie. Her level of workaholism puts Noire's to shame.
But she couldn't afford to sleep now when there was work to be done. No rest for the weary, as they say.
"Histoire, I can't rest while ASIC is still roaming freely. Innocent lives are on the line. I can't stop until I deal with them for good." Nepgear wanted to shout her frustration out to the tomb, but she didn't want to take it out on Histoire. She tried her hardest, but it still came out a bit louder than she intended.
"I am fully aware, but you won't be any good if you continue exhausting yourself like that, Nepgear."
"I'm fine—"
"Please, Nepgear." Histoire interjected firmly yet softly before she could finish. "I implore you. Just take this day to rest. Just one day, it's all I ask."
Nepgear wanted to argue but decided otherwise. She let out a sigh. "I can't argue with you. You're only looking after me, and I couldn't be more grateful for that."
"I just... I worry about you, Nepgear." She felt her hands get wrapped around the fairy's tiny hands. "You have a lot put on you. I watched many CPUs die in my lifetime. I can't bear to lose you as well." She felt her tiny hands tighten around her.
"Don't forget: I will be on your side no matter what." She leaned in until their foreheads gently connected.
"I know..."
"Please... Don't lose yourself out there." She pecked her forehead before giving her a pleading look. "Please, promise me that."
"I... I promise you that I won't." The tomb nodded before she slowly let go of her hand and departed.
"Good night, Nepgear."
"Good night, Histoire."
Nepgear then made her way to her room. As she entered, a wave of nostalgia washed over her.
She took a quick glance around.
The room was spotless. It was mostly painted in purple. There was a bunk bed and a wide window on the left with a city view. There was a tiny table in the center and two desks on the right. However, one of them was cleared out. Her sister's belongings were put in boxes and stored safely. She made sure to cherish them.
The room felt empty...
She has yet to accept the depressing reality that her sister has left forever, as if her character's data was completely wiped out of the game without a trace.
She rarely slept in their room. She'd sleep in her office or lab most of the time due to her always pulling all-nighters. She has experienced a lot of nightmares, as they still happen from time to time. It was mostly her repeating the same day when she killed them.
Nepgear wasn't feeling tired at the moment, and it's still early in the night. She decided to head to her lab and finish one of her projects that she had been working on for a while.
She sat down on her table. There was a portrait of her and her sister, Neptune, when she was still young. She picked it up and looked at it. The photo was taken during the summer when her sister took her to Leggo Island. She was wearing a summer dress with popsicle ice cream in her hand. She had a big smile on her face with an ice cream stain on her face while her sister was doing a V-pose beside her with the beautiful blue ocean behind them.
She had the time of her life on that resort. How she wishes to go back to those simpler and happier times...
She set it aside.
She quickly examined the project blueprint to see where she left off. There was an illustration of a notebook labeled 'NEP-NOTE'.
Not the most original name she came up with, like her N-Watch. She knows. She thought of naming it N-NOTE, but she settled on NEP-NOTE since it's better and rolls off the tongue easily. Plus, putting the word 'Nep' in the name gives the invention its unique signature.
The main function of it, aside from being able to write obviously, is the ability to store things. It was basically a glorified version of the N-Watch that could store items, like her old-fashioned N-Gear. The book can store living things in it, regardless of their size.
Gotta catch them all, as her sister would say.
However, it's still a prototype. She needs to test it on non-living objects first, then move on to testing it on small-sized creatures.
Hmm... insects should suffice, or maybe Histoire, hehe.
It can also allow the user access to the abilities of the captives. She was naturally born a genius when it came to inventing stuff, especially the absurd ones. She is also obsessed with machinery and robots. She remembers when she watched those shows that had robots that could transform. She was fascinated by them and thus she discovered her passion when she was young, which resulted in her taking apart and disassembling a lot of things around the Basilicom, which resulted in her getting scolded many times.
Good times.
And she wouldn't be here if she hadn't done them. She still has a lot to learn, as she stopped counting the many times her inventions resulted in them blowing up.
Nepgear put on her safety gadgets before she grabbed and opened her toolbox. She began working on the project for several hours, nonstop. After a while, she felt herself getting drowsy, until slowly darkness began taking over her vision as she unconsciously drifted to sleep on her desk as she was finished with the final adjustment to her invention.
Author's Notes
Thanks for picking and checking this story out! I hope you all enjoy the first chapter. The stories "The First Change" and "Memories" by Charlotte Eraviel on Fanfiction served as inspiration for this story, alongside some of their other works. Check them out if you have the time, and also check out their other story called 'Change the World'. They are extremely underrated stories. Anyway, this is my take on the conquest ending, since there aren't many conquest ending stories out there due to their being mostly hated in the Neptunia fandom so I don't expect this story to get popular. I've had this idea for so long since I started reading Neptunia fanfiction after searching for Conquest stories in 2018, so I'm hyped, to say the least. Expect slower updates since I need to play Victory before I proceed any further.
Fun fact: I never played any of the Neptunia games. Crazy, huh? Most of my knowledge comes from the stories on the site. Since I'm writing this story, I decided to buy the original second and third games on my PS3 and play them. I'll keep updating the chapters to keep them up-to-date with the series. I should also note that the story takes place in MK2 and not Re;birth 2, which means that characters such as Red wouldn't make an appearance, sadly.
With that all being said, until next time, bye and have a good one.
*Disclaimer: I don't own this franchise or the characters. All rights go to Ideal Factory, Compile Heart, and others. But you already know that, don't you? This story is entirely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, events, or localities is purely coincidental.
Next Chapter: Spacing Out?
Kei assigns Nepgear the task of investigating a hidden base outside of Leanbox and assisting special agent IF in gathering information about the enemy.