[X] AA-12
"Very well. I'll notify her right away. Give her a minute to pack up. And... I wish you both the best."
With the important things said and taken care of, StG44 turned in her heel and walked off. She could've pried, demanded more details. After all, they believe you're part of Griffin, and that you wouldn't be able to disobey an order to state your true intentions. Yet she didn't do that. Was it out of respect? Kindness? You're not sure, and you'd be pushing your luck prying her about it when she left you off the hook so easily. Whatever her reasons, you must return the same sentiment. Perhaps one day you'll repay her.
Now, you decide that maybe it'd be best to check on your new companion, the shotgun AA-12. The order must've no doubt come as a surprise to her, as it would've for anyone. Whether it's a welcome or unwelcome one, that remains to be seen.
------ minutes later ------
"Heh… what was it you said yesterday? We don't have to like it, orders are orders?"
You found her at the equipment storage area, getting her gear in check. You see that Type-64 has gotten to her as well, her clothes fixed and now a clean, vibrant white, the black and purple accents on her hoodie clearly visible, her white hair less of a mess than before and topped off my a hat. The main addition to her appearance being the armor plated shields extending from under the zipped up hoodie. A smooth, black and extremely durable material, the pride of a shotgun's defenses, handled by three mechanical arms to face whatever direction needed. The three shields will most definitely come in handy in the days to come. She looked way better than yesterday overall, and it weren't just the clothes that made the woman here. Her eyes were lighter, less strained, same as the rest of her. Rest and rations did her some much needed good. She stood up from her bag - which she was stuffing with all kinds of snacks and ammo - to face you properly. Light blue eyes still looked somewhat tired from this angle, but they clearly weren't. The makeup gives them that look constantly, as was her pale skin. Maybe her height compared to your also played a role, you had to tilt your head upwards quite a bit to look at her properly.
"Don't worry, I'm not mad... I owe you one, anyway, we all do. I would probably tag along if you just asked… probably."
Clearly even her grumpiness subsided, but there was something in her voice, like she was struggling for the right words. It was as if they were forced out rather than simply said. Perhaps she's not as pleased about this arrangement as she leads on, trying not to let her displeasure show, but there wasn't an utter lack of sincerity in her voice. Whatever the case, she's still coming with you. Better address her properly then.
[X] "It'll be a pleasure to fight alongside you, miss AA-12."
[ ] "Thanks for tagging along. I appreciate it 12."
[ ] "Sorry for having to drag you along, AA-12."
"Don't sweat it. I actually prefer a trip like this instead a deployment on the frontline. Much more peaceful."
She stuck her gloved hand into her pocket to pull out nothing else than a lollipop, deftly undoing the cover that speaks of a thousandfold times of practice, finally plopping the sweet into her mouth and stashing the litter back into her pocket to dispose of properly at a later time.
"You stocked up on ammo and supplies? There aren't that many outposts in the area, not to mention, not all of them can offer support if their stocks are running low or they're under siege. With SF increasing their presence in S09, we better be prepared."
All valid points as you think about them. You're pretty sure that you stocked up sufficiently, but now that you're right next to the outpost's stockpile, a second thought couldn't hurt. You also decided to do a check on AA-12's inventory too while you were at it. She was packing a lot of ammo, unsurprising considering her weapon's nature. Drum magazines for a fully automatic shotgun known to clean groups of enemies like a lawnmower. It lacked any sort of special attachments, no special ammo or muzzle type, but it didn't need those to be formidable. In terms of rations, she took several military rations and what can only be every single lollipop the outpost had, including some other sweets. When you looked at her, she was trying her best to avoid your gaze, knowing exactly what you came across. You're not exactly sure if Griffin tolerates this kind of behavior, but since you're not truly part of them, it's none of your business. You let her bag be, and look back to your own stash. You already made a summary of it, but since you aren't restricted by Griffin's maximum resource per T-doll limit, nor do you need authorization to take equipment you shouldn't have when no-one's looking, you could potentially take more. Of course, carrying too much has its own risks, mainly affecting your carrying capacity and making it more difficult to stay undetected with all that stuff clanking in your bag. And speed is an SMG type's pride after all. You evaluate each option, and decide to...
[ ] Take extra ammo.
[ ] Take extra rations.
[X] Take extra stun/incendiary/frag grenades.
[ ] Don't take any more than you need.
"By the way, StG assigned you as momentary squad leader, but don't let that get to your head. Abuse me, and you're gonna regret it."
That sounded more ominous than expected. The shotgun looked completely serious about it this time. You can be assured that she is no pushover, figuratively and literally. That scene during her capture might speak otherwise, but as you look at her now, it's like a completely different person. Maybe it was just the sweet taste in her mouth, but she still looks a lot more capable now.
"Well then, squad lead, you ready to head out?"
With everything checked, gear, squad, status, everything was green. You made a mental note of everything, boxes ticked off to each individual preparation task. Everything went surprisingly smooth, better than you could've even hoped for when you got out of bed this morning. There was one final thing tho, it wasn't very important, not all that necessary, but personal wants don't have to always be ignored. There are a lot of good dolls in this outpost, some were of great help, some you helped and owe you, and it'd be rude to leave without a goodbye. However, they might start asking questions about why and where you're going, questions you'd have to dodge or avoid answering. Maybe you don't have to say goodbye to everyone, only a handful, but that might be even more rude to the rest. It might be the last thing you do before leaving the Fortress of Solitude.
Eventually, you decide to:
[X] Say farewell to:
- [X] Type-64
- [X] Astra
- [X] MP5
- [ ] Write-in
[ ] Not say farewell to anyone.
--------- an hour later ---------
Some distance has been put between you and the outpost. The weather was favorable, the sun shined on the snow covered landscape, barely a breeze was present. You were heading southwest, a bit of a clunky path towards area S06 that'll take you a couple of days. It's not ideal, but even on foot you should make it way before the deadline. Better early than never, something you heard often in the past, thought you're not entirely sure when. Likely during your time with Columba, and while you remember a lot of the work you're done in the company, the important things appear to be inaccessible as part of the memory encryption. A lot more knowledge than just what these memories contain is being suppressed as a consequence, letting itself known with incomplete thoughts and occasional bursts of deja'vu. The only way to unblock these is to decrypt more at night.
You're taking the lead as AA-12 follows, moving at a moderate traveling pace. With only two of you, there's not much of a formation to speak of. You lead the way, she follows. And your keen eyes have spotted no hostiles yet, so you're both in the green and in no need for tactical spacing.
"So, Veresk, you gonna fill me in on where exactly we're going?"
[X] "Area S06, so we've got a long way ahead of us."
[ ] "Southwest, beyond the border. Can't say much more than that as of now."
[ ] "In this direction till we're out of Area S09, that's where."
"We're crossing the southwest border? Is that a good idea?"
AA-12's brows visibly rose at the reveal, looking like she knows a thing or two about where you're headed that you don't.
"Why shouldn't it be?"
"The thing we call a border there is actually a minefield, left there from the war. You can't just get through there on foot."
"How do you get through then?"
"We could go around from the Northern side, but that would take a lot longer, especially with the Sangvis patrols there. South is the same story. Griffin gets its forces through via aircraft."
You could've figured things were going just a little bit too well lately. No way you'll get your hands on something like an aircraft, nor would Griffin conveniently send one for a lowly T-doll such as yourself. Not even StG44 could pull strings like that. This time it appears you are on your own. And for some reason it feels... familiar…
"Any other way we could gain passage?"
"Well… I once heard there used to be a human settlement near the southwest border. The people there supposedly had ways to traverse the minefield, so we might find something useful there. There might even be some people left, though I wouldn't bet on it."
You run the credibility of that story through your head. You must admit that you don't have the slightest hint of experience with minefields. Ways to traverse them are not much known to you aside from the basics. The humans that supposedly knew how to get through could've used devices that detected or deactivated the mines, or perhaps a map. Maybe they had their own aircraft, but you can't know for sure. Whoever they are, they're likely not there anymore, Sangvis having scared away most of the civilians that used to reside in the area. Some towns lay abandoned even since the war. Then again, this town might not even exist, but it is the best lead you've got. The alternative would be going around, taking a route that takes even longer. You cannot afford to lose time now. These thoughts swirl in your head when suddenly…
"Get down."
You noticed it right then too. Right at the corner of your eye, quite a distance ahead. Sangvis scout troops. You ducked just in time to avoid being spotted the same way you spotted them. Crawling through the thick snow you take cover behind two trees, weapons loaded.
"Damn, patrols this close to the outpost?" AA-12 whispered "If we engage them here, they might send more. But if we let them pass… they might compromise the outpost." she leans to take another peek at the enemy. It appears to be a formation made out of a few Ripper units and scouting drones. Considering you have the element of surprise, the odds are in your favor. The only question is whether or not to engage.
As AA-12 said, this close to the outpost, the SF scouting party might stumble onto your allies. They will no doubt be able to handle the attack, but their position would be compromised, alerting the local Ringleaders to the Fortress of Solitude. Engaging the scouts might throw SF off the outpost's trail, though they might pick up yours instead, not to mention send in another scouting party and more.
"You're the squad lead here Veresk. Do we engage?"
[ ] Engage.
[X] Do not engage.
