Ammo in Violin Cases (Gunslinger Girl)

We are talking about the Serbian Mafia. One boat and a dozen guys is cheap for such an organization. Though it would be the kind of losses that would force them to reconsider trying to sell to pandania again. Or it could make then double down a la the idea of 'nobody fucks with the Serbian Mafia and gets away with it'

Of course, their shipment being interrupted could do the same anyway. Its just different in degrees of severaity.
 
Mission 2 - Wrapping Up
Mentally you decide to focus on keeping the boat as the center of your attention, though for now you let Fiorella handle things of her own accord on the ground. Cutting off one shipment of guns won't make much of a difference if the Serbs just come back in a week or two. You need to clamp down on the route, or at least apply greater pressure to make sure that they back off.

The gun pushing against your shoulder with each shot is a repetitive and oddly comforting sound as the fight goes on. Return fire comes your way but is not enough to deter you from providing support as you have been so far. There is confidence in each shot, the sharp bark, the smells that you have become used to with successive missions. Like an old friend watching over you.

While you might be busy with reminiscing as you provide oversight, Fiorella is busy down below. She's already taken out four of the Padania men, and a couple of the Serbs too with your help. With the general lack of cover it makes maneuvering difficult, and as you watch Fiorella takes out another overeager Serb criminal.

That seems to push their leader to make a decision, and both groups begin shooting at you and at Fiorella, forcing you to resist your impulse to duck. While they're laying down suppressing fire one of the remaining Padania men goes for the truck, the other for the rope that moors the boat in place. Naturally you'd prefer not to allow either of them to escape, but if you can send a message to the Serbs, that may dissuade them from dealing with Padania in the future. Or at the very least they'll have to be more circumspect about it.

With your position and their weapons they are unlikely to hit you, so instead you focus on dealing with the current problem. Fiorella will just have to handle the Padania men, and the sound of gunfire from her indicates she's doing just that.

Through the scope you single in on the man going for the driver's seat, waiting patiently for your shot. You can see the panic on his face as he moves, fleeing the unknown assailants that have struck without warning. But his desperation does not stay your hand as you eliminate this threat for the good of Italy.

The muffled crack of your rifle fills the air again as a hole appears in the windshield of the truck. The man who has put himself in the drivers seat jerks back and then slumps from the hit. Even if someone else tries, they're going to end up delayed by getting rid of him to get to the driver's seat.

If anyone gets the chance, which seems unlikely with the amount of people left remaining to face Fiorella down there. Even as you watch she guns down another, leaving a small amount behind.. This cleanup is going to be simple.

The revving of the boat engine disturbs that fantasy, as does the fact that they did apparently manage to untie the boat. Escape will be unfortunate for you and the Agency, but Fiorella is already springing into action. "Going for the boat," she tells you while in mid motion. Her gun is discarded as she takes off in a sprint, blowing past the remaining defenders as she heads towards the pier.

Swiveling about, you lay down covering fire as Padania goons fire at her while she blows past. You do what you can but she still gets struck. Even then it doesn't stop her, and she barely stumbles as she reaches the pier itself. Angling towards the boat, she reaches the end…

And jumps.

She soars, rising high into the sky in a way that surpasses all but the greatest of Olympic jumpers. The men on the boat can't help but gawk in surprise, quite reasonably not having expected that a little girl could jump that far. But they don't know about the sorts of augments that the Agency has. Which is exactly why they have them.

Not that they have time to do anything like appreciate the engineering work that has gone into creating cyborgs. They have little time for anything as Fiorella lands on the rear of the boat and rolls forward. The guy closest to her doesn't have the chance to react as she slams a fist into his leg before knocking him out in swift moves.

He does manage to get off a few shots on reflex, but those are fired harmlessly into the sky rather than at anyone in particular. Following his knockout, Fiorella snags his gun and turns it on his companions as she moves, clearing out the boat in a blaze of speed and violence. At some point you lose sight of her, due to distance and her moving below decks, but if she had trouble she would call for assistance. Not that you could provide much at that range anyway.

Silence falls with the last of the Padania men finished off. You remain motionless, waiting on your rooftop perch for events to wrap up on the boat. An eye is kept out for anyone who might stumble across the scene, but if they haven't yet then it probably won't happen at this point.

At last the boat begins to slow and stop as Fiorella emerges into sight. She is victorious, though there's a cut on her forehead and her left arm is hanging limp with red trickling down to her fingertips. "Mission successful," she informs you over the comm.

"Good, think we're done here," you reply with an ebbing tension. "Bring the boat back and we'll be on our way."

"Understood."

As she does that, you go about returning your gun to its instrument case. Once you have done so, the next step is to address the scene itself, and remove any trace of your involvement. Not that you need to clean the whole thing, just touch up details to make it look like it was another criminal group. There are teams to handle this sort of work, but a bit of assistance is usually appreciated.

Having left the roof, you are just about done scattering around extra bullet casing to paint the initial touches of a deal gone wrong when the boat returns. Fiorella hops back over to the pier and begins to tie it off, even as you approach her.

Doing so allows you a better look at her state. The cut doesn't seem that bad, though she's also been shot in the upper left arm. At least it doesn't appear to be that bad, meaning an easy fix. There's also blood elsewhere on her clothes, but you don't think it's hers.

Boat secured, she steps off of the pier to go retrieve her weapon. You return to what you've been doing before while she stores her weapon in her instrument case. That is finished about the same time that you are done, and you end up meeting next to the truck.

"What do we do now?" she asks, waiting expectantly for whatever instructions come next.

One last check is made as you survey your handiwork. "We've done what we came to do. The public will think the deal went wrong and nothing more. Let's go." She nods in agreement, argument the furthest thing from her mind for now.

Before leaving, it occurs to you that it might be worth saying something about how this had gone. She did good work, but she also went after that boat without you telling her to do so. Such initiative could cause problems later, even if it worked out this time and was in line with what you had wanted to do in the first place. She likely won't care whether you do or not, but there's nothing that is stopping you from doing so before you leave.

[] Praise her performance
[] Chastise her
[] Say nothing about it
 
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[X] Praise her performance

She did good and initiative isn't bad as long as she's loyal and aware of the mission objectives.
 
[x] Praise her performance

Maybe we should run some drills when we get back to the compound, though. Practice making snap decisions with minimal handler guidance will help improve mission performance in the future.
 
[X] Chastise her
If we don't, she'll do something stupid in the future that'll wind up getting her injured.
 
Nice to see this back.

[X] Praise her performance

We should go with praise since she did what we wanted her to do. If in the future she takes initiative we don't like we can chastise her if that happens. It's not like we told her to stop and we easily could have.
 
[X] Praise her performance

Pretty much what has already been said. Neither option works in isolation so we should definitely continue proper training once she's healed up.
 
Mission 2 - Debriefing and Post Activities
Upon consideration, there really is no reason to chastise Fiorella. She may have jumped the gun but her instincts were correct. And while the former can be fixed, the latter is important for the line of work that you're in.

Your tongue is held at least until you leave the immediate area. The harbor transitions back to the city streets of Rimini, and once you have gotten past the docks themselves there is less to be concerned about.

Once you have made it some distance away, to a point where the rising sirens of police headed towards the docks are less of a concern, you address what you wanted to do. With a gentle tug of her arm you lead her on to a side street, one pf those small ones with little clearance on other side if a car were to come down it.

You turn to face her, putting down your instrument case before dropping to one knee. "Here, let me help you with that." you say while producing some clothe to use as a bandage until you get back to the base.

Fiorella remains motionless, shifting as directed and not giving a word of complaint. You lift up the sleeve of her shirt, wrapping the cloth around her arm to cover her wounds. Once you've layered it a couple of times you tear off that portion, repeating the process on top of her clothing so nothing seems amiss to anyone who you might walk by on the way back.

Taking a moment, you test your work to make sure it won't slip before nodding in satisfaction. Only then do you move on to the other thing you wanted to do for her, Remain in place, she is left to blink in confusion as you pat her head. "You did a good job out there," you tell her. "For a first solo run, it went really well."

"Really? You think so?" she asks nervously.

You rise back to your feet, taking her hand in yours as you seek to reassure her. "Of course. Triela and Angelica aren't any different from you, they just have practical experience because they've been doing this longer. You'll get there in time."

She doesn't question, doesn't doubt. Her eyes shine as she nods with what you are saying. If it comes from you then what reason is there to think that you're lying? "Alright. I'll do my best," Fiorella says with a happy smile, one leaving no room any second guesses about her sincerity.

Rising back on to your feet, you retrieve your instrument case. "Good." Gear in hand and words said, you lead her from the alley and back into the city. It's time to go home and see what they think of your performance.



The debriefing is formal, as you would expect it to be. Seated in the Director's office, you are on one side of the formal looking desk, with Jose, Jean, and Director Lorenzo. It isn't as hush hush as the more vital operations are, but the blinds are still drawn to give you some privacy. Rico is near the door, just in case one of you needs something.

Thus far you've already given them a report, and Jose likely has as well since he was the support on the Rimini mission. That doesn't stop them from asking for another summary of the operation, this time as in depth as they wish it to be. Not just about the facts and progression of events, but also about the decisions you made and the justifications behind them. For your first solo mission, they have to make sure that not only does Fiorella perform well, but that your judgment is sound too.

"Your mission was to intercept the shipment and keep it from reaching Padania. Why did you allow Fiorella to go after the boat," Jean asks with a stern tone to go with his present frown. "She could have been in unacceptable risk there, and it may have escalated the conflict by earning Padania more support from the Serbs if they found out it was us."

While he doesn't looked pleased, you've come to realize that that is something of a norm for him. So you remain calm and composed as you answer. "The situation was under control," you assure him. "The shipment was contained art the port, and allowing them to escape would confirm an outside force had interfered. This way we have reasonable doubt to craft our own narrative."

"He has a point," Lorenzo admits after a thoughtful hum. "Both choices had merits to them, I don't think we can say there was an optimal course of action here."

His support buoys your spirits, though it does not seem to be quite enough for Jean. "Still, keep a more firm eye on her. It worked out this time, it might not the next." With how and Rico get along, his sentiment isn't all that unusual.

Shifting in your seat, you meet his gaze with a small nod. "I plan on it," you reply. This was an acceptable risk, but they won't always be that way.

With that addressed, Lorenzo changes the topic as is his prerogative, after rubbing his chin in thought. "Given the success of the operation, I think we can consider Fiorella cleared for active duty. Wouldn't you say so?" He looks over at Jose, since he has the best idea of your performance on your own.

Though his head is slightly bowed, that doesn't stop the other Croce brother from providing his honest answer. "Yeah, it should be alright," he agrees. With no further objection on Jean's part, the decision is made.

"Consider yourself on the active list," Lorenzo announces. "Go ahead and enjoy the moment. A new mission will be along soon enough. I still have a few things I need to talk about with these two anyway." He gestures towards the door, this portion of the meeting drawn to a conclusion.

You rise to your feet at their urging. "Yes sir. I look forward to it." With that you depart the office, leaving the trio to discuss whatever important business they still need to address. There will always be another mission, so this downtime needs to be enjoyed while it lasts.

Hands in your pockets, you make your way down to the gym where Fiorella currently is. The day is overcast, though it is not humid in a way that indicates imminent rain. But it does hurry you along as you move through the complex of buildings, nodding to those you pass by on the way to your destination.

Entering the exercise area, you can see a few people already present and hard at work on the machines. It looks like Fiorella is lifting weights, keeping on the lighter side as she puts the repairs made to her arm through their paces. A full replacement of the arm wasn't needed at least, meaning her time under for the operation was fairly short.

Seated on a bench, she curls her arm with an intense look fixed upon the dumbbell. It isn't the heaviest available in the gym but it isn't light either. You strongly suspect that you would have trouble lifting it if you were in her place. Meanwhile Triela is also present, currently a short distance away and using the pull up bar with unceasing motion. Who knows how long she's been going at that.

"Fiorella," you say, drawing her attention to you as you come to a stoop near her. "How is the arm doing?"

Your voice shakes her from her concentration, and her exercise slows as she looks up with a smile. "Oh, hello Mister Montagna. My arm feels great," she says with a somewhat exaggerated wave. "How did the meeting go?"

For the moment you remain standing, more due to lack of nearby seating than anything else. "It went well. We're officially on the active roster."

"Really? That's great!" Fiorella beams at the news, hardly able to hide her excitement at the news even if she wanted to. She is eager for action, and to do what she was made to do.

Holding in place at the top of her pull up, Triela glances over at the two of you. "Congratulations," she calls out. "I knew that you could do it."

Triela's confident words are appreciated, and you move on to the other reason for your visit. "Since we did make it, I was thinking that we could go for that gelato you mentioned wanting earlier. When you're done with your exercises of course."

Hearing that causes Fiorella's eyes to shine, though she quickly resumes her arm curls with the dumbbells now that she knows what you want out of her. "Sure. Just give me a few minutes."

Strolling over to the side of the gym, you lean against the wall while watching Fiorella work out. As she does that, you plan. It shouldn't be too hard to find the sort of cafe she wants to go to, and cost isn't an issue. Still, while it's a good reward and potential bonding experience, you could always invite along one of the other girls as well. She likely wouldn't object if you brought it up. Though it does look like Rico will be busy with Jean for a while, and Claes is confined to the base, so you'd have to ask one of the others instead.

Well, you have some time to plan out what to do. It's not like this is particularly urgent after all.

[ ] Go by yourselves
[ ] Bring one of the other girls with
-[ ] Henrietta
-[ ] Triela
-[ ] Angelica
-[ ] Elsa
[ ] Don't go just yet. You have more important things to do instead
 
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