"... it can't be helped, then…"
A sigh escaped the assault rifle's mouth. She looked up, seeing the shell about to be loaded into the jaguar unit. She looks at her rifle, locked, loaded, finger nearing the trigger.
"So be it. The secret weapon shall reveal herself… for a secret attack!"
Weapon raised, stance taken, she looked ready to jump out of cover. Star eyes shining with determination and resolve. You and SPP-1 can already tell from her posture that a decision has been made, and join her in preparation for this secret attack. The handgun taking a glance at the new boots she's been given, takes a deep breath like she's about to dive into deep waters. You keep your newly acquired machete and stun grenades easily accessible, as you may not be able to afford being very conservative in this situation.
"Join me, comrades. Secret ambush technique, go!"
Leading the charge, Ots-12 fired a volley of bullets before swiftly dashing out of cover, an accurate burst aimed at the unit loading the scanner shell, one it could not possibly have seen coming. It got shredded by bullets like the clueless thing it was, whatever missed hitting the mortar launcher behind it, though that was a more durable unit. Before its body fell to the ground, the encampment was on red alert. You and SPP-1 moved, sticking close to your squad leader, send some fire of your own. You've made it to cover just in time before almost every SF doll in your line of sight opened fire at you. The number of energy rounds whizzing by were enough incentive not to stick your head out again.
"Plan progressing as expected…"
"E-expected? But we're pinned down!"
SPP-1 questioned, sliding into cover next to you and reloading. Her pistol might not be as effective on land, but her role as a scout does not suffer the same. Though, even she required cover to evade this barrage.
"Our backup must've heard the gunfire, they'll be here soon."
"Will they make it in time? Sangvis will spot them and might shoot a mortar, and I worry miss HK23 isn't the fastest…"
Ots-12 remained quiet, trying to take a peek behind cover. What little she managed to see were the Jaguar units moving, taking aim somewhere else. The assault rifle's eyes glimmered again, like she picked another target, but was forced to pull her head back quickly to avoid more suppressive fire.
"Lilac Prowler, stun grenade."
You nod, pulling one out and feeling your finger around the pin. You could tell what she was planning, a blind charge after most of the SF have been stunned, aiming to disable or at least stall the Jaguars until AA-12 and HK23 arrive. SPP-1, realizing this as well, takes several deep breaths before nodding. You all prepare to jump into hellfire, before…
BOOM!
…?!
An explosion, yet the grenade is still in your hand. The electric discharge would be so loud anyway, or so strong as the see the glow and fire over your cover. Something exploded on the side of the SF. Ots-12 act immediately to see what's going on, peeking out to see the flaming remains of a Jaguar, and a pair of broken Vespid units caught in the explosion, their parts still smoking. What could've caused this, a malfunction? Sabotage?
Bang!
The answer came in the form of a delayed sound wave, that of a very high caliber rifle, and echo ringing all throughout the forest, one you recognized too. In fact, you heard it just earlier today.
"It's Beta team!"
Cheered SPP-1, a hopeful smile forming on her lips.
"Enemy's charging our location!"
Ots-12 brought her straight back to the battlefield with the incoming threat. You can hear the stomping of feet as they SF units run to your cover, so you ready your weapon, other hand still holding the stun grenade. As soon as the head of a Ripper peeked into your line of vision from your left, you opened fire. Tiss handled the right while SPP-1 tried to take shots from the top of your cover with the little capacity her pistol offered. The giant boulder worked well to shield all three of you, but only from one side. Moments later you've shot two units to bits already, not taking your aim down as you hear a third one approaching. Much louder, much harder footsteps, getting ever closer. Though, it was too late when you noticed the direction was different…
"G-guard!"
Calls SPP-1, ducking down as you feel the stomps impact against the boulder. You turn to see the shield wielding Sangvis unit walking right over your cover to get to you. Looking up, it looked like it was about to use you as ground to plant its shield, which would no doubt cause tremendous damage to your frame, put you out of battle and possibly even kill you if it hits your head and cracks you open like an egg. In the heat of the moment, you hook your finger under the pin of your stun grenade, pulling it out, ready to throw. Hopefully it'll shock the unit before it applies too much pressure to your small body. That was the plan, until…
Bang!
The Guard unit just stood there, shield still hanging above to smash you, yet unmoving. A small gust of wind later, it keeled over backwards like a sack of potatoes, a big hole where its nose used to be. You heard the delayed gunshot again, a smaller caliber than the last… you suppose you have PSG-1 to thank for this one. SPP-1 sighed in relief, reloading once again. Ots-12 didn't even seem to have noticed anything happening, taking shots at her own targets. The immediate danger to your life is now gone, but you still have an unhinged stun grenade in your hand. On reflex, you lob it out with the phrase:
[ ] "Fire in the hole!"
[ ] "Stun grenade!"
[X] "Present for ya!"
[ ] "Have a taste of this!"
[ ] Write-in
She throws, she hits, she scores. You see the bright light and sparks flying, and that's your mark. Or, more accurately it's Ots-12's mark, as she dashes out of cover with the now reduced heat of enemy fire. An understandable tactic, the longer you stay in one place the easier you make it for the enemy, and it's very unbecoming of an SMG to let that happen, so you head out too.
Dashing from tree to boulder to tree, you dance around the encampment where you've got cover, taking shots to slowly chip away at the enemy's defense. You notice some units falling to sniper fire, forcing SF to be on the move too like a buzzing nest of hornets that's repeatedly being kicked. There's little opportunity to get into the nest, as it is only one small structure and a tennis field with a few riot walls shielding the SF from your fire. You take a breather behind a tree to reload for a second time. That's two magazines down, an admittedly rocky start, but it's being turned around.
As you remain hidden, thinking of strategies useful for this occasion, the tree you were hiding behind shook as if struck by some form of impact. Shortly after, the body of a Brute unit, riddled by holes fell by your feet from above.
"Heather! You idiot!"
You recognize that voice, the intensity and irritation. AA-12 came sprinting by, shields up to cover her advance until she got to you.
"I swear, every time I leave you alone you end up a sitting duck. Do I have to cover your ass all the time?!"
"How else would I keep you coming back to me?~ C'mon, let's push through their defense line."
"Ugh, you're such a pain." the shotgun bites down on her lollipop, reloading her shotgun for the incoming push. She must've met some resistance on her way here, but appears generally unscathed. She calls out behind her "HK23, cover us while we advance!"
The small frame of the MG came rushing by, taking cover by a nearby tree. She seemed a bit more shaken up about the situation, but appeared undamaged as well. Her pinkish purple eyes flared up at the order.
"P-provide covering fire? But won't that leave me behind alone?"
"For the love of… I swear, this doll…" muttered AA-12. It hasn't escaped your notice that she was rather clingy, and a little too scared of being alone. Sticking so close to the shotgun as she did to you back when you were on guard duty, it must've irritated her to a great degree.
[ ] "You need to pull yourself together, HK23!"
[ ] "If you don't help us advance, we'll get shot to bits and you'll be alone forever!"
[X] "SPP-1 and Ots-12 will come soon, just hold out until then!"
[ ] Write-in
"A-alright!"
Reluctantly, the MG took a lying position with her gun locked and loaded, ready to cover your advance. You and AA-12 nodded to yourselves, picking a path and taking it. The shotgun took point, her shields covering you both, and your speed allowing you to take quick shots from behind her. It was a very open area you were pushing through, so HK23's covering fire was crucial to your advance. You noticed that Beta team's sniper fire was helping as well. Makes you wonder what took them so long…
"Good. Let's continue like this and wipe them all out."
--- later ---
"Was that all of them?"
Asked AA-12, looking over the tennis field of destroyed Sangvis bodies and machinery, looking more akin to an unearthed graveyard than a sports location.
"Probably. The enemy was no match for our secret ambush plan~"
Ots-12, still crouching behind a Sangvis stockpile like she's the sneakiest person in the room replied, looking around.
"Well, what about the beacon?"
Everyone's attention was brought towards the small structure, earlier just a small concrete storehouse likely once used by humans to store sports equipment, now repurposed by Sangvis Ferri. Though it still displayed the antenna on its roof so proudly, it now differed from what you saw earlier today with riot walls practically encasing the structure. Even as you were standing by near the encampment, the structure was exposed until the battle began. It appears they have learned from leaving their previous signal bouncer exposed and decided to reinforce this one in case of an emergency. The inside is still unknown, so caution is advised.
"Lilac Prowler, Bright Star, perform a secret door breach. The rest of us will stay on lookout. Afterwards we'll regroup with Beta squad."
"Sure." AA-12 complied, and so did you. As the only shotgun in the current squad, she's most qualified to take point, and you're a fitting choice to cover her. You take up positions at each side of the door, a simple wooden one, enough to keep intruders out but not T-dolls. Your task is clear, secure the structure and deactivate the signal bouncer. You take a breath as AA-12 kicks down the door, ready to head in right after her-
BOOM!
… progress demands sacrifice... that is her doctrine...
Noise… ringing… everything's so bright and white…
"... Veresk!... AA-12!..."
… the serpent's tail... filled with poison...
Everything's still so loud, yet numbed at the same time… slowly, that feeling became physical, or you've just realized it. The sluggish regained animation of your limbs, your vision clearing, both so sensitive yet so numb. The ground is pretty cold, yet there's patches of fire around you…
"Veresk!"
You could've kept perceiving things so slowly, take your time, but the voices calling for you reminded you that this is not right. Your processes accelerate, clearing up the fog, dealing with the trauma. You've received a high impact… an explosion, of course. Explains why the hut is bursting in flames. You pick yourself up from the ground, standing firmly on two feet once again. Those work, so that's good. Hands… yeah, those work too, else you would've lost the grip on your gun. The scorch marks do not look good though. That's at least 30% external damage. You're performing a background integrity check now. You barely notice the T-doll running up to your side, it's SPP-1.
"Veresk! Thank god you're alright!"
[X] "Yeah… cough… that could've gone worse…"
[ ] "I hate breaching duty…"
[ ] "Just to check, we get compensated for almost dying… right?"
[ ] "Damn, that snake is learning fast…"
[ ] "..."
[ ] Write-in
"So, if you're alright… where's AA-12?"
… if you weren't fully out of it before, you sure are now. Your safety is reassured after all, now it's the second most important thing's turn.
"She was…"
You look around, trying to see past the smoke of the explosion. The blast wave threw you both away from the epicentre, and you were protected by a wall. It must've been even more devastating to the shotgun, meaning it must've thrown her away further…
"... there!"
The handgun pointed, and you rushed into the direction she indicated. You didn't even see what she did, nor did you wait for confirmation, her sense was better and that's what mattered. And sure enough, you ended up at the feet of your companion… her dislocated feet. Her legs were critically damaged, bent in unnatural ways and internal components exposed. Parts of her white coat were still on fire. Her upper body was covered by one of her shields, and you hurriedly pull it off to see how the rest of her is doing. Her left arm was bruised by the heavy metal plate, her right arm burnt to the metal but still clutching her gun. In fact, as you pulled off the shield, her first instinct was to aim it at your face. You saw the realization in her blue eyes, noticing it was just you, and flopped back onto the ground. She coughed loudly a few times, groaning.
"You're alright… damn Sangvis… damn everything…"
You see her trying to reach for something in her coat, but it seems the impact messed with her motor functions a bit. You know exactly what she's trying to get. Her pained expression turns to surprise, then relief as you pulled out one of her lollipops and put it into her mouth. Her jittery motions subsided, and she sighed.
"Why is it… something always explodes whenever you're near…"
[X] "Fuck if I know. Sure makes things interesting though, doesn't it?"
[ ] "Shhh, you're in no position to talk back. Just hang tight and we'll fix you up."
[ ] "Thank goodness you're alright…"
[ ] "You better not ask for hazard pay now."
[ ] Write-in
"Lilac Prowler! Bright Star!"
This might be the first time you actually heard Ots-12 approach. The smoke was slowly clearing, opening your vision to the other T-dolls of your squad rushing by.
"Glad to see you both still operational… we've been blindsided by a new secret Sangvis strategy. We have never observed them rig their most useful equipment with explosives. I sincerely apologise for my oversight. Had I taken more caution…"
"It's not your fault, Ots-12." voiced HK23 "None of us could've predicted this. We are-"
"IDIOTS!"
Your combined gazes snapped back into the direction of a voice that didn't belong to any of you. Someone was rushing towards you, and although some of your took a defensive stance, it was soon revealed to be a friendly. The SMG Specter M4.
"Miss Specter? What are you-"
"Idiots! You idiots!"
She repeated, halting just before your group. Now in full view, you can see shrapnel damage on her left leg and arm, stains of coolant on her arms and clothes, but she appeared operational. She was breathing heavily, likely having run all the way from Beta squad's position. After taking a second to catch her breath, she continued.
"Why did you attack?! The plan was clear, wait for us!"
"The enemy was loading a scan shell into one of their Jaguar's. If we hadn't acted-"
"We knew!"
"... what? What do you mean you knew?"
"Huff… Zener is back online, isn't it? Ask JS05… huff… I need a lie down…"
With an inquisitive expression, Ots-12 complied with the suggestion and reconnected to the network, striking up a call with Beta team's leader. The call was picked up immediately and audible for all.
"Tiss! What the hell happened? Is Specter there? Did anyone get hurt?"
"Yew Tree here. Two casualties, but we're all still operational."
"Good… then what the hell happened?"
"The enemy was loading a scan shell into one of their Jaguar's. If he hadn't acted, all of our positions would've been revealed to the enemy."
"Tiss… we were in position. I had eyes on that same Jaguar, I was just waiting for the opportune time. We saw the SF pack explosives into that shed, I had PSG-1 at the ready to light it up when the door was open. Then you attacked and the riot walls went up!"
"You… you mean…"
"Did you think that shell from earlier hit us? C'mon, do you have that little faith in your teammates? You keep acting out on your own. I thought Groza talked to you about this."
"I…"
… yet how much can one bite off... until you reach the head?
[ ] "It's my fault, I pressured her into acting." take the fall for Ots-12.
[ ] Stay silent.
[X] Write-in: "Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me you had the shot that was our signal to start and you sat on it? To showboat!? For HOURS! Until they could have taken all our initiative and get us lit up like a Christmas tree? Tiss wasn't acting out on her own, she had a valid reason to act the way she did, and I agree with it. Belief in others does not make you bulletproof, or safe from ringleader traps."
)
