You are SPzH3000 Architect, Sangvis Ferri's only one, and thus most prized engineer. Use the power of technology and creativity to help your fellow Ringleaders dominate the battlefield and crush G&K PMC!
Architect's Workshop (Girls' Frontline design quest)
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Chapter 1
Solark
sun-chaser
In case you're unfamiliar with the lore or just want to read an awesome quest set in it, check out @Mechasaurian's Closed Circle. It's what inspired me to start this quest, and what I rely on for ideas, personalities and in-universe insights.
Things have changed. What started as excessive losses of T-dolls in supposedly simple operations, followed by first Ringleader KIA, then another, and then outright defeat at an important objective. The stream of success reports dried down to a trickle, boisterous discussions gave way to a tense mumbling and awkward silence. The map on the back wall monitor bloomed with red, and Agent, stern and rigid as never before, took a new habit of pinching the bridge of her nose.
A certain name came to dominate the meetings lately, spoken with hate, scorn and spite: Griffin & Kryuger.
Today's the meeting day. You're sure it'll be as bad as the previous one, and consider skipping. Yet you can't find a suitable excuse, and the thought of having to deal with Agent's scrutiny afterwards gives you shudders. You deflate, then slap your cheeks, mutter "Okay, let's do it!" under your breath and make your way into the briefing room.
To your surprise, Agent's face on a big screen looks crisp and collected rather than annoyed and tired. You blink, check the map behind her back that's still abundantly covered with red splotches, and other Ringleaders faces that are still a familiar collection of tired, spiteful, angry, anxious...
"Thank you for joining."- Agent's voice interrupts your pondering, her steely gaze on the screen fixing you in place. You reflexively straighten your back. In a heartbeat everyone's attention is on her, and she continues.
"You all are aware of our current... predicament, so I'll only briefly reiterate it for the sake of consistency. Not only our expansion has been contained- we're actually being pushed back here and there. Our adversary seems to have adopted to our capabilities and learned to utilize its advantages, striking at our most obvious pain points." Attendees shift uncomfortably, but no one seeks to interrupt her.
"What you might not be aware of is that the expansion was never meant to be infinite." Agent pauses, letting the statement sink in. "I've received new directives from the Mastermind. As of now, we're transitioning to the second phase of her plan. You are to cancel ongoing offensives, abandon bridgeheads, retreat from irrelevant FOBs, and dig in at our best-defended strongholds"
"Starting today, you'll have 30 days to amass your forces and, most importantly, improve yourself. Every one of you is to think back on your recent engagements, identify a weakness or vulnerability of your own that's technical in nature, think of a general way to remediate it, and submit your findings to Architect." You nod sagely, and then do a double take. What?
"Architect."
"Y-Yes?" You manage to sound almost normal.
"Your objective is special. From now on you're on a workshop duty. This means you're exempt from combat deployments, and all your skill are to be applied to remediating what's mentioned in the reports. Time frame is 30 days for you as well, I expect nothing short of outstanding from you." Yeah, talk about no pressure.
"Transmitting individual areas of operation now." You perceive a momentary activity over OGAS network, but none of the packages is addressed to you. "Questions?"
"What happens in 30 days?" - Scarecrow, all business as usual, takes everything in stride and is the first to ask what's on everyone's mind.
"In 30 days, we'll crush Griffin & Kryuger once and for all."
You're on your way back to your workshop, but before you can start to dwell on what just happened, an incoming message notification pops up in you mind's eye.
From: Destroyer
Hey sis, what's up? We're going to crush G&K, that's awesome! I'm totally blowing them to pieces!
And about that, you know, I could use bigger booms! More powerful, more destructive!
And also when those despicable cowards are hiding in trenches or behind cover, I can't blow them up!
So that's my report, I'm sure you can help me! Pretty please!
D.
You are impressed - the meeting has ended no longer than 14 seconds ago after all.
And, it's about explosives, which is right up your alley! Your mood immediately shifts to excitement.
You bring up Destroyer's weapon schematics. Dual grenade launchers, 60mm, rifled barrel, custom ammunition with fragmentation warhead and contact fuse. Reliable, but maybe overly-simplistic design that you definitely can improve!
Let's see, to make "bigger booms" you'd need either more explosive mass, or something with higher brisance. The latter tend be quite unstable, and you didn't have much success with those materials so far. The former, on the other hand, would require increasing grenade's length, which can result in a number of secondary problems to take care of.
[] Explore high-brisance materials (3d)
[] Increase grenade length (1d)
For trench work you're going to use air-burst fuse. You have two types in mind: doppler radar proximity fuse that can be set to detonate and a given height above surface, or a programmable time-based type that travels specific distance before detonating. Both are easy to implement and mass-produce with the automated assembly lines at your disposal, so your decision should be based on intended use only.
[] Go with proximity fuse (1d)
[] Go with time-based fuse (1d)
You have 30 days. You are free to explore any number of possibilities, restart from scratch, abandon research altogether, submit incomplete product... but the clock is always ticking. Expect some of the paths leading to dead ends.
I also want it to be somewhat relaxed / humorous, so don't take it too serious. Hilarious designs are fine as long as they work!
I also want it to be somewhat relaxed / humorous, so don't take it too serious. Hilarious designs are fine as long as they work!
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Vote closed
Chapter 2
Solark
sun-chaser
[X] Go with proximity fuse (1d)
[X] Explore high-brisance materials (3d)
[X] Explore high-brisance materials (3d)
You can't decide. Unlike the fuse option which you picked without a second thought, increasing the explosiveness of Destroyer's grenades presents a more complex problem. On the one hand, you have limited time and it's nudging you to take the approach that's guaranteed to work. On the other hand, you don't have any more requests at the moment, and having another go with those high-brisance materials may result in a break-through.
You compare the options once again, and the result is still the same: you can't decide. Alright then, if you can't do it yourself, you'll ask for help! You grab a pair of orange non-sticky notes, write "Compound" and "Length" on them to represent your options, and make you way to a workbench in the far end of your workshop. There you quickly find what you're looking for.
"Hello, Mr. Spinny, I need your help today!" you croon cheerfully, placing the notes on both sides of your infallible assistant.
You made Mr. Spinny when you were experimenting with magnetic fields. The shaft that holds it above the base becomes magnetically suspended when spinning, eliminating all frictional forces aside from air drag. Depending on how forceful you are, Mr. Spinny is able to rotate on the shaft up to 12 minutes, and you can never predict which direction it'll be facing upon finally coming to a stop.
You pull Mr. Spinny slightly up from the base and give it a light twist. After a few moments of wobbling, it settles into a frictionless spin.
You marvel at your creation for a couple of minutes, and then a soft click signals the end of magnetic levitation. Mr. Spinny comes to a halt with its nose is pointing at the "Compound" sticker. That's your answer. That simple! And here you were, hesitating and wasting precious time. Sharks are the best after all, you knew it!
Upon entering the chemistry wing of your workshop, you are greeted with three fingers dangling on thin nylon threads. Those are your fingers, or they were until that diacetone diperoxide decided to spontaneously go off inside your hand. You hung them near the entrance to discourage yourself from repeating your past mistakes, a grim reminder of how easy things can go wrong when dealing with explosives. Each of the fingers has its own message behind it. You glance at the pinky one and voice the associated rule: "Use the smallest possible amounts of reagents." Next one is the index: "Remember about static electricity". And the last one is the middle, hung by the nail vertically, giving the clearest message of all: "And don't mess with unstable explosives."
Before you start having second thought about sharks' wisdom, you nod to yourself and proceed inside. Chemistry isn't your strongest suit, but it's impossible to stay ignorant having your level of fondness for explosives, and by now you know your stuff pretty well.
You start by figuring out what Destroyer's grenades are made of. Luckily you have all the specifications properly documented, indexed and available for your use. A quick search reveals they're filled with cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine and a small percentage of wax-based agent.
"Oh, hexogen! That's not too shabby!"
So this is your baseline. It's a powerful and stable compound, widespread, proven and easy to synthesize. And this means you don't have anything better right off the bat. Well, you were hoping to do some research anyway! You bring up your old notes and dive into formulas, reactions and chemical structures.
You spend the first day attempting to achieve maximum explosiveness without any care for stability. By the end of it you have mixed results, the good part being you managing to retain all your fingers, and the not so good being the performance increase of 46% over the baseline RDX. You had hoped to double it, but it seems this is the best you can do.
The second day goes by with you attempting to stabilize your materials from yesterday, mostly by mixing them with something stable and preferably still explosive. After a countless attempts and experiments, you're left with two distinct options: a "primary" type, that'd give roughly 40% performance increase but is shock-sensitive, meaning it'd detonate if, for example, a bullet hits the grenade; and a "secondary" type, which gives 20% increase but is much more stable, on par with what Destroyer uses now. You'll spend the third day producing a test batch of new ammo, so you have to decide what the batch is going to pack.
[x] Use primary type
[x] Use secondary type
Vote closed
Chapter 3
Solark
sun-chaser
[x] Use secondary type
You get in touch with Destroyer to invite her over for live-fire tests, and then spend you time tweaking and overseeing the assembly lines. It's nothing to write home about, until brand new grenades of your own design start to roll out. Yay, boom time! Ahem, you mean, you have to detonate some of them in controlled environment for the sake of making sure everything works properly, right? Right! You love your job.
It's morning, and you're outside to greet Destroyer. The day is beautiful, the sky is clear, and your walk to the train station is pleasant and relaxing. Apparently Destroyer appreciates the weather too, as you spot her arriving on the roof of a freight train's locomotive. She's lying on her belly, with the head forward over the locomotive's front end. Spotting you, she waives enthusiastically and then jumps off when the train is about to pass you. Her landing swiftly transitions into a brief hug.
"Sis Architect, how are you?"
You respond with a head pat, arranging her slightly disheveled hair into the usual pattern, and take a good look at her:
She's petite and adorable, but you know better than to judge a book by its cover. The war you're fighting has brought many troubles, and yet somehow immensely accelerated the self-development of Ringleaders' neural clouds. Destroyer here is the most obvious example. She'd been close with Dreamer before, but one day had done something no one had expected of her. Something that left Dreamer with her face caved in, and you with an assortment of her teeth that you extracted from Destroyer's knuckles.
She didn't confide in you back then, and you didn't pry. You know that attacks against fellow Ringleaders are strictly prohibited, and Agent wouldn't have let it slide. Yet Destroyer was never punished, while Dreamer ended up in "rehabilitative treatment" in the Mastermind's care.
Since then Destroyer undertook numerous missions, racked up combat experience and got acknowledged by Agent and peers alike as a capable and trustworthy ally. Surprisingly, her behavior that you used to think of as childish didn't change, and by now you learned to accept it as yet another flavor of eccentricity.
"Hey, welcome. Enjoyed the trip?"
"It was awesome! I spread my hands like this"- she assumes a T-pose- "and it was just like flying! But I swallowed a bug... bleh!" She sticks out her tongue.
"Really? Would perhaps blowing stuff up make you feel better?", you wink at her, producing a new grenade from your pocket.
"Ooooh! Let's go, let's go!" You can almost see stars in her eyes as she grabs your hand and starts dragging you towards the shooting range.
"Sure, but let's drop by the workshop first."
"Eh? Why?"
"To hook up fuse mode selectors to your launchers." You raise your hands in mock surrender. "No more than five minutes, I promise!"
Inside the workshop you take one of Destroyer's launchers to a bench, open the top cover and set to plugging a small electronic module in the receiver.
"The new fuse has two modes- airburst and contact. You use interface channels L/R-3 for selection, this guy here makes your wish grenade's command. Contact mode is the default one, and also the fallback one in case airburst fails."
You glance at Destroyer and find her working on the second launcher. Her eyes never leave your hands, yet she's installing the module without as much as looking at it. She notices you looking and beams at you. You smile back. Since when... oh, of course. She'd seen much more combat than you, so it's natural for her to know her weapons like the back of her hand. What's with this feeling though, like you're... being left behind? You shake it off and concentrate on the task.
Finally you're at the shooting range. At your suggestion Destroyers uses contact mode first, and you both cheer as targets promptly get blown to pieces and riddled by shrapnel.
"Now, let's try proximity mode!"
"Proximity?" Destroyer looks puzzled for some reason.
"Yep! Don't worry about it, just switch to airburst and pick any target that fits!"
Your petite companion shrugs, then takes aim at a target about 30 meters away. It's a concrete wall about 1 meter tall and just as think, with a paper target flat on the ground behind it. She fires both of her launchers in rapid succession, and with distinctive "thump" two grenades flick toward the target. One detonates about 2 meters before reaching the wall, another flies over and detonates about 100 meters behind. The target is unharmed. What? You replay the event in slow motion, analyzing what has transpired:
View: https://youtu.be/tAushX9Qyvs
The first grenade flew lower and its proximity sensor got triggered by the wall, promptly detonating it on the spot. The second one flew a bit higher, so the sensor did not detect any obstacles on its path until it almost dropped to the ground. You blink. Wait, how was it supposed to work, again? Destroyer is not cheering, not even smiling. She's just looking at you. Your cheeks are getting hot. No, this can't be right. You hastily search through you memories and, to your relief, find a suitable answer.
"H-High arcing ballistic trajectory! It's supposed to go down from above!"
Destroyer elevates one of her launchers at over 80°, fires, and starts counting something using her fingers. You hold your breath as the grenade soars several hundreds meters up, slows down, and starts falling towards the target. Finally, after what felt like eternity, it promptly airbursts, shredding the target and surrounding area with shrapnel. Your relief is almost palpable.
"See? It awesome, right?"
"It is." Destroyer is smiling, but there's something in her smile you couldn't quite place. "It's just, by this time..."- she show you her fingers- "I'd be killed 9 times over." She walks up to you. "I don't like getting killed, sis Architect." Suddenly, her lips are near your ear. "It hurts."
You remember now- Destroyer was the first Ringleader killed by G&K. And several times more after that first one. She didn't get her experience for free. You feel sick.
She backs up and gives you apologetic look.
"I'm sorry, I should have explained it better. My launchers are not mortars or howitzers, they're direct-fire weapons. Small to medium ranges, flat trajectories, low elevations." She extracts one grenade from the belt and holds it in the air. "So when I fire at the enemy..." she starts walking towards the wall moving the grenade like it's been fired from her launcher, and you follow. Then jumps over to the target's side and stops with the grenade right above the target. "Boom! The enemy's dead. I'm not."
You close your eyes. You knew it. Everything she just told you, you knew it all along. You've seen countless recordings of her engagements, you've seen her fire through tall grass, into groves between trees and bushes, into doors and windows. Any of that would trigger proximity fuse, resulting in premature detonation. And every direct-fire weapon system in your database uses time-based fuse as the only correct solution to the problem. You screwed up. Why? Because you lack combat experience? Or because you didn't pay enough attention? Didn't care?
Destroyer is silent. You must say something.
[x] Write-in
OOC: Introducing additional mechanics
- All R&D actions have 4 possible results, from best to worst: major success, success, failure, major failure.
- Breakthrough points: can be spent to advance research previously deemed impossible. Architect gains +1 point on each major success.
- Incompetence: Architect's ego takes a blow on each major failure, resulting in 2x R&D slowdown. First major success removes the effect but doesn't increase Breakthrough points.
Assignment assessment:
- powerful explosions: success.
- airburst fuse: major failure.
Architect feels incompetent. All R&D actions take 2x days until a major success is achieved.
Architect has 0 breakthrough points.
Lots of experiments in this one. My concerns are many as well: is it engaging? Is it too difficult? Does it have too much drama? Do you hate it when I tweak character's personalities? Feel free to let me know, healthy criticism is welcome!
The fuse problem was supposed to be an easy one, it seems I misjudged the difficulty. If you're interested in real-world implementation of time-based fuse specifically for grenade launchers, here's a video.
The fuse problem was supposed to be an easy one, it seems I misjudged the difficulty. If you're interested in real-world implementation of time-based fuse specifically for grenade launchers, here's a video.
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Vote closed
Chapter 4
Solark
sun-chaser
[X] Apologize for the limited use of the proximity fuse option, but point out that it does allow for engagement of aerial targets, especially observing drones. It is also a strict upgrade that did not remove the direct fire ability and the explosive power of the grenades was also improved. If she installs a way to precisely judge the range to small targets, you can change the grenades to time delay fuses.
You slowly exhale and open your eyes. Destroyer is sitting on the wall, facing away from you. That's actually nice, it'll make what comes next easier for you.
"Alright, I admit this fuse type might not be the best for you. My bad. But it's still useful! For example..."
You come up with an anti-drone idea and run a simulation in you head. The results are... yeah, major failure is a nice way of putting it. While it's true that proximity fuses are used in AA artillery, those shells travel at huge speeds, often much higher than 1000 m/s, and proximity detonation is used mostly for transforming a solid projectile into buckshot that continues to travel at the same speed and strikes the target. Destroyer's grenades have muzzle velocity just over 100 m/s, and thus the shrapnel they produce doesn't have forward speed necessary to do any significant damage. They have to be detonated not ahead, but abreast the target, and rely on orthogonal dispersion of fragments resulting from explosive forces. So, introducing delay then? Ah, and also widening the detection cone of the radar? And adjusting the delay based on the angle the target is detected? And wider cone would make grenades fired at ground targets at flat trajectories explode prematurely as the fuse would be triggered by ground itself? And... no, stop. This is not going anywhere.
"...you can still use contact mode?" - you bite your lip.
"Yep, just like before."
"But your grenades are more powerful now!"
Destroyer's back twitches. Was it a snort?
"That they are. I'm sure Griffin dolls will be impressed in their trenches. "Hey, listen! Those explosions that can't get us, don't they sound, like, 20% louder to you than those that couldn't get us before? Oh no, what do we do!"
You freeze. What'd been a shadow at the edge of your neural cloud is staring you in the face now. You failed to meet Destroyer's expectations. Failed to give her the edge she needs. You disappointed her to the point where she's mocking you. Destroyer. Is. Mocking. You.
She jumps off the wall and dusts off her skirt.
"I should be going. Sorry to have wasted your time." She's about to walk past you. You can't have that.
"Wait."
"Hm?"
"How good are you with distances?"
"SF Ringleader-grade artillery suite. Why?"
That's very good. More than enough to efficiently utilize time-based fuse. That's why...
Do not disturb mode deactivated.
You have 2 new messages.
From: Agent
From: Intruder
Shit.
[x] You're not done with Destroyer yet.
[x] Others need your help.
Vote closed
Chapter 5
Solark
sun-chaser
[x] You're not done with Destroyer yet.
Without hesitation you reactivate DND mode and set it to time out in 24... no, 48 hours. Then grab Destroyer by the shoulders and stare her in the eyes.
"Two days. You'll love it, I promise. Make yourself at home."
You turn around and start walking toward the workshop. Then break into a run. Schematics, layouts and components are already arranging themselves in your mind, but you don't allow yourself to accept the easiest solution. Instead you cross-check and refine the patterns over and over, optimizing, probing, simulating and rolling back. You are going to succeed. This time, for sure.
Two days went by in a flash, and now you're inspecting your creation one last time. The new fuse is smaller, which allowed the addition of some extra explosive material. It also didn't have to be located at the nose anymore, so you moved it to the tail of the grenade, improving fragments distribution in the blast's frontal hemisphere. As a result the grenade is 4% more efficient than the previous version, and 24% more than the baseline. The contactless programmers in the launchers are relocated accordingly, the interfaces are updated, test batch produced and loaded. It's time to take those babies for a spin.
You don't have to go find Destroyer, as she's been nearby all along. Sometimes watching you work, sometimes busying herself with something of her own, never disturbing or distracting you. So you simply grab one box of new ammo and nod towards the other one, and she follows suit. You've done your best, leaving no room for failure. Everything's up to Destroyer now.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The shooting range is a mess of dust, smoke and pieces of blown-up targets. Trenches and walls fail to provide any protection as grenades, timed with deadly precision, airburst over them. The sheer scale of destruction is astonishing, a hailstorm of steel that leaves no place untouched, no chance to hide. A certain petite Ringleader in the center of it is sending grenade after grenade at different angles and distances, all while standing, crouching, running, taking cover and... laughing. Innocently, wholeheartedly, like a child having fun.
Soon there's no targets left intact. She looks around, then up, and suddenly fires at something in the sky. The grenade streaks straight towards the drone you're taking video footage with and explodes at just the right moment, sending your drone careening... HEY!
Destroyer walks up to you, her smile brighter than the sun. You're about to rebuke her for the drone when you're pulled into a hug.
"That's awesome! Sis Architect, you're the best! I'll totally kick their tin backs now!" She looks up at you. "Thank you for coming through for me. I'll fight super-hard, so that you won't have to."
The drone is forgotten. You... did it!
Airburst fuse take 2: major success
Architect's self-confidence restored. All R&D actions will be performed at normal speed.
Remaining days: 24
Breakthrough points: 0
Destroyer leaves soon after, taking all the grenades you managed to produce so far and your promise to keep the assembly lines running. With that the obsessed drive that pushed your forward for two days straight is replaced with a calming and satisfying sense of accomplishment. You did good, and it warrants a reward! Alright, you'll pay a visit to the sun lounger you have in your backyard!
Grabbing a bottle of juice, a glass and a sun hat, you make your way to the sun lounger, lie down with your hands behind your head, put the hat on your face and start sipping the juice through a ridiculously long straw. Ahh, that's it! You can almost hear the waves and smell the sea now. Someday you'll visit the real thing, and then you won't need a hat to keep your eyes covered and your illusion going.
As you daydream about the sea and the sharks inhabiting it, the straw makes a "slurrrrrp" sound. You need a refill. Good thing your Brutes know what to do even without your orders. You hold the glass out, hear juice getting poured in, and just like that you're back in the pleasant daydream. Though the juice is getting a bit too warm for your liking. You reach out over OGAS to order your Brutes to take the bottle to a fridge, only to find out the closest minion is some hundreds meters away from you.
...
You take another sip of juice.
......
And slowly lift the edge of your sun hat.
Agent with the juice bottle is giving you a flat look.
"Working hard, I see."
"Pfffft! Cough-cough!"
Why is she here?! Oh, the message!
"I... cough... it's not... cough... cough!"
"Calm down. I met Destroyer on my way in, I know the situation."
"Cough... Gulp..." You finally manage to force the rest of the juice down your throat, and stand up. You must seize the initiative! "Welcome to Architect's workshop! Would you be so kind as to refrain from hauling me over the coals? It would affect my productivity!" You give Agent your best innocent smile, like you weren't choking on juice just a few moments ago.
"I will, so gather up that productivity of yours and let's get inside."
Wow, that was easy!
Although your walk to the workshop is brief, you notice that Agent must've had a bad day. Her uniform is scorched and somewhat tattered, and she's limping a bit.
"Hey, boss, you okay?"
"It's nothing major. I'll sort it out later."
"Want me to take a look? I can patch you up."
"No need. I have another job for you."
Figures. You decide not to push your luck.
Once inside, you take your guest to a table, pour her some tea, and patiently wait for her to start talking. It doesn't take long.
"As you know, I fight using four energy machine guns that are attached to my waist. I control them independently, and the mounts allow for a wide range of movements. I can fire behind my back if I wish, or track four different targets around me with my guns." Agent seeps the tea. "However, I have only one set of eyes. Unless I'm receiving targeting data over the network, I can only hit something I look at. That's good enough when all the enemies are more or less in front of me, but getting flanked or attacked from behind is an increasingly troublesome issue. And Griffin bastards learn fast. Think you can do something to address it?"
Can you? Agent goes back to enjoying the tea, and you take it as your cue to accelerate your thoughts and start ideating. This is one of your usual methods of finding a solution. You goal here is to come up with as many ideas as possible, then you'll cut off everything non-feasible, and at last sort what's left by estimated efficiency. This is your personal internal brainstorm, the activity you enjoy and take pride in. Time to impress your boss!
Let's try this to make this quest a little more engaging.
I have a certain solution in mind. You propose your own ideas.
You manage to roughly guess my idea - great, a guaranteed success.
You come up with something even better, or math my idea exactly- that'd be major success!
One instance of each idea is enough, you don't have to vote for something that's already on the list. But feel free to discuss, iterate over each other's ideas, submit improved or altered versions. I'll try to go over as many of them as I reasonably can from Architect's perspective in the next chapter.
So, unleash your inner engineers!
I have a certain solution in mind. You propose your own ideas.
You manage to roughly guess my idea - great, a guaranteed success.
You come up with something even better, or math my idea exactly- that'd be major success!
One instance of each idea is enough, you don't have to vote for something that's already on the list. But feel free to discuss, iterate over each other's ideas, submit improved or altered versions. I'll try to go over as many of them as I reasonably can from Architect's perspective in the next chapter.
So, unleash your inner engineers!
[x] Brainstorm!
Chapter 6
Solark
sun-chaser
By the time Agent puts down the empty cup, you're full of ideas and confident in success.
"Oh, I'm sure I can!" - you beam at her.
As usual, Ringleaders' internal workings are off limits to you, and anyone else aside from the Mastermind as far as you know. You don't even comprehend what makes you tick on a low level - you're able to query submodules via interfaces, but not define the protocols used for this. Some of your internal components are generic, they have clear purpose and properly report their names and parameters. Others are semi-transparent, having cryptic codes for names but still interfacing with your core. And lastly there's the central core, a black box which you have absolutely no knowledge of awareness about.
But you digress. What this means is you can't simply bring up Agent's schematics and read her data processing capabilities from that. Most likely she also won't be able to answer even if you ask, so empirical studies are inevitable. But you do have schematics for her weapons, and the over-the-net targeting data transmission protocol, intended to be used by external entities, is openly defined. That's something you can use.
You start with the guns. Wow, perfectly flat firing lines! No bullet drop, no ballistics to worry about. And speed-of-light delivery! How cool is that! Though it turns out they don't have a single targeting sensor of their own. Which means... Agent is essentially hip-firing her weapons, deriving their bearing through the attachment arms? That can't be too accurate.
"Soo... how good is your aim now?"
You companion thinks for a moment. "First shot from any single gun has about 40% chance to hit a T-Doll sized target at 100 meters. After that I see impact points, make adjustments, and it gets better. Not having to deal with any recoil also helps."
You think this is bad, but then remember she has 4 MGs. That alone raises combined first shots hit probability to 87%, and after you add the rate of fire into the equation... yep, you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it. Still, the potential for improvement is obvious, and considering it'd be an extra over the initial objective, you can't ignore it. So you identify gun-mounted sensors as the cheapest, simplest, most obvious and effective solution to the problem.
Next you compare the types of sensors you can offer. There are many, so you discard omnidirectional options first since the main advantage of a gun-mounted sensor is being aligned with the gun barrel. Then you discard those too bulky, too power-hungry, too low-res and too slow. What's left is a regular camera, a night-vision light amplification device, and a thermal imager. Combining all 3 makes the bundled scope too bulky, so you'll have to go with a workaround.
"Alright, let's try installing scope cameras on each of those machine guns. Hook them up through the existing wiring, align with the barrels. Four independent feeds, each with a crosshair at the center." You grin. "What do you say?"
"I... would like to try that." Agent nods and gives you a faint smile. Ooh, it's been a long time since you've seen one! And this one is specifically for you! Aren't you awesome? And you're not even done yet!
You focus on the targeting-over-network protocol. It's very simple, but also very specialized. Essentially it carries data that's intended to be fed to the weapon attachment arms, almost like a remote control for the MGs. You browse through SF units and find none supporting this protocol. Hmm, maybe you can get this data on the fly? Let's see, the unit would need to know it's own precise location, Agent's precise location and bearing, target's precise location, or to be able to calculate that from bearings and distances, essentially solving direct or inverse geodesic problems. None of the existing units is equipped for the task, as it'd make even Ringleader-grade artillery suite work overtime. This doesn't add up.
"And about the network targeting protocol... how do you even use it? I don't think any of our units..."
"The Mastermind."
"...Right." The Mastermind, the biggest mystery of Sangvis Ferri. Another piece of the puzzle that simply doesn't fit. She rarely shows herself, you've never seen her fight, and to be honest she seems be doing nothing at all. Yet Agent hold her in the highest regard. You shake your head.
"Can you aim using regular footage from our drones?"
"To some extent. It's good enough for suppressive fire, but too slow and imprecise otherwise."
"Got it. Let's install those cameras then."
You lead your guest to the workshop. There you choose a rugged miniature camera model from one of SF drone types and make Agent interface with 4 of them at the same time to see if there's any issue with processing all the feeds. There isn't, and you're excited to go ahead.
"Place your weapon on this bench, please. One at a time."
Agent gracefully lifts her skirt - not high enough to be indecent, but still a gesture completely out of place after her weapons, resembling legs of a spider bot, unfold from underneath with a soft whir. She then detaches one from the mounting arm and places it on the bench. You set about installing a mounting rail.
"Uh, boss... you know, I've wondering for a while..." - being in your natural habitat and facing away from her emboldens you to reach beyond the usual comfort zone. "Why the maid outfit? Why have the weapons under your skirt? Don't take me wrong, I'm not judging. It's just... doesn't make much sense?"
You don't stop working, and for awhile it's only the clanking of your tools. Then Agent speaks.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this." Her voice softens. "Imagine... a social event. High-class guests from all over the world, top scientists, government officials, influential businessmen, the press. Tuxedos, ballroom gowns, live music. Security too, but they do not brandish weapons. It's all hidden under their immaculate suits." She pauses, and you hold your breath.
"All the attendees have gathered there for a purpose: to lay their eyes upon the treasure of humanity, to witness a new epoch budding. Then, the main guest makes an appearance, and I'm but a humble maid by her side. Attending to her needs, protecting her from excessive attention, escorting her. This uniform is not a whim, this is simply who I am. Who I meant to be. And should a madman decide to deprive humanity of its treasure... I could draw my concealed weapons faster than the black suits, and have firepower to drop a rhino. I wasn't supposed to do that often, if at all. And when I would, then it'd be a situation where no one would care about the color of my panties."
You catch yourself staring at her wide-eyed. Her eyes are closed, and she looks sad, almost devastated. Then she opens her eyes, and the usual Agent is back. "But enough of that. Are you done?"
You know better than to push for more, and you already have enough surprises for the day. So you proceed to equip her weapons with mounting rails, then disassemble the cameras to laser-etch reticles, and after it's done, finish putting everything together. You zero the MGs on a bench and give Agent a thumb up. She reattaches the weapons, folds and unfolds them to make sure the cameras are not interfering with anything, and nods at you.
"So, shooting range?" - you ask.
"Shooting range."
Agent exits the workshop, and you follow. On the way, when you approach a T-section of the corridor that goes left and right from there, your guest holds up her hand, her weapons unfolding. You tense. She approaches the intersection, then steps out, her weapons fanning out in pairs in both directions. Then fold back under her skirt. She turns her head to give you an approving look.
"Very good."
Phew. She's testing it even before the shooting range? Maybe that's the stuff she also deals with. At least she's pleased with the upgrade.
At the range Agent rechecks her zeroes and starts with engaging unmoving targets at 100 meters. She uses single shots, alternating between her guns after five each. Then she does it again with her eyes closed. None of the shots misses, and you confirm the improvement from baseline 40% up to 100%. She proceeds to engage at 200 meters, and the results are much less stellar, closer to 40%. She doesn't attempt greater ranges, instead moving to the center of the CQB section. Multiple targets raise up around her and start moving in random patterns. Her guns fan out like a compass rose in four directions, and four targets are reduced to splinters simultaneously. Then the bursts of energy get longer, and all the remaining targets are gunned down in seconds. She stands there, her guns swiveling about, scanning the surroundings. Then they fold up, and she walks up to you.
"Impressive. Not only you've resolved what I asked of you, but my accuracy has also improved."
You grin and make a V-sign with you fingers over you eye. "Architect's workshop takes pride in being a customer-centric business! But wait, there's more!"
You hand four cases to Agent.
"Here, night vision attachments for the cameras. Fusion type, thermal overlay over light amplification greeny stuff. Easy to put on and off, selectable modes. Might come in handy some day... I mean, some night."
Agent weights those in her hand.
"Too heavy for dynamic combat, and will interfere with folding. Nevertheless a great asset to have in certain circumstances. I'll put them to good use." You see a menacing glint in her eyes. "You have helped me more than I expected. Well done, and... thank you."
Yes!
Agent Interrupt assignment assessment:
Success conditions: independent per-gun targeting systems (1/1 required)
✅Gun-mounted cameras
Major success conditions: provide additional capability (1/2 required)
✅ Night-ops capability (night vision, thermal vision or equivalent)
❌Extended range target identification and engagement capability (LPVO, or variable zoom, think Trijicon VCOG 1-6)
Agent's request: major success
Remaining days: 23
Breakthrough points: 1
"I'll be going back now."
"To make repairs?"
Agent hesitates. "To raiding G&K supply lines, I'm afraid."
"Aren't we supposed to dig in and sit tight?"
"We are, but our enemy wouldn't have it. Fortunately the Mastermind provided me with a mean of fast transportation and a capable helper, so we've been hitting them where they feel it. Their helos are grounded for now."
"I... can do more for you. Give you some extra protection, maneuverability, situational awareness..."
"I have no doubt you can." Her gaze is unusually kind. "But I can't spare any more time, and you have a queue of... customers to take care of. You can do me one extra favor though: modify the blueprints for my weapons. I wouldn't want to be without these cameras when I wake up in a new body."
With that she turns around and leaves. Even limping and in tattered uniform she looks graceful, resolute, unwavering. You look at her back until she disappears around a corner, then hear something like a motorcycle engine revving up and fading into the distance.
She said when I wake up in a new body, not if. Seems like repairs were never on the table. She's just going to push herself until she's destroyed, then do it all over again, huh? Before you retire for the day, you update the schematics as she asked.
[x] From: Agent
[x] From: Intruder
[x] From: Executioner
[x] From: Judge
[x] From: Alchemist
"Oh, I'm sure I can!" - you beam at her.
As usual, Ringleaders' internal workings are off limits to you, and anyone else aside from the Mastermind as far as you know. You don't even comprehend what makes you tick on a low level - you're able to query submodules via interfaces, but not define the protocols used for this. Some of your internal components are generic, they have clear purpose and properly report their names and parameters. Others are semi-transparent, having cryptic codes for names but still interfacing with your core. And lastly there's the central core, a black box which you have absolutely no knowledge of awareness about.
But you digress. What this means is you can't simply bring up Agent's schematics and read her data processing capabilities from that. Most likely she also won't be able to answer even if you ask, so empirical studies are inevitable. But you do have schematics for her weapons, and the over-the-net targeting data transmission protocol, intended to be used by external entities, is openly defined. That's something you can use.
You start with the guns. Wow, perfectly flat firing lines! No bullet drop, no ballistics to worry about. And speed-of-light delivery! How cool is that! Though it turns out they don't have a single targeting sensor of their own. Which means... Agent is essentially hip-firing her weapons, deriving their bearing through the attachment arms? That can't be too accurate.
"Soo... how good is your aim now?"
You companion thinks for a moment. "First shot from any single gun has about 40% chance to hit a T-Doll sized target at 100 meters. After that I see impact points, make adjustments, and it gets better. Not having to deal with any recoil also helps."
You think this is bad, but then remember she has 4 MGs. That alone raises combined first shots hit probability to 87%, and after you add the rate of fire into the equation... yep, you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it. Still, the potential for improvement is obvious, and considering it'd be an extra over the initial objective, you can't ignore it. So you identify gun-mounted sensors as the cheapest, simplest, most obvious and effective solution to the problem.
Next you compare the types of sensors you can offer. There are many, so you discard omnidirectional options first since the main advantage of a gun-mounted sensor is being aligned with the gun barrel. Then you discard those too bulky, too power-hungry, too low-res and too slow. What's left is a regular camera, a night-vision light amplification device, and a thermal imager. Combining all 3 makes the bundled scope too bulky, so you'll have to go with a workaround.
"Alright, let's try installing scope cameras on each of those machine guns. Hook them up through the existing wiring, align with the barrels. Four independent feeds, each with a crosshair at the center." You grin. "What do you say?"
"I... would like to try that." Agent nods and gives you a faint smile. Ooh, it's been a long time since you've seen one! And this one is specifically for you! Aren't you awesome? And you're not even done yet!
You focus on the targeting-over-network protocol. It's very simple, but also very specialized. Essentially it carries data that's intended to be fed to the weapon attachment arms, almost like a remote control for the MGs. You browse through SF units and find none supporting this protocol. Hmm, maybe you can get this data on the fly? Let's see, the unit would need to know it's own precise location, Agent's precise location and bearing, target's precise location, or to be able to calculate that from bearings and distances, essentially solving direct or inverse geodesic problems. None of the existing units is equipped for the task, as it'd make even Ringleader-grade artillery suite work overtime. This doesn't add up.
"And about the network targeting protocol... how do you even use it? I don't think any of our units..."
"The Mastermind."
"...Right." The Mastermind, the biggest mystery of Sangvis Ferri. Another piece of the puzzle that simply doesn't fit. She rarely shows herself, you've never seen her fight, and to be honest she seems be doing nothing at all. Yet Agent hold her in the highest regard. You shake your head.
"Can you aim using regular footage from our drones?"
"To some extent. It's good enough for suppressive fire, but too slow and imprecise otherwise."
"Got it. Let's install those cameras then."
You lead your guest to the workshop. There you choose a rugged miniature camera model from one of SF drone types and make Agent interface with 4 of them at the same time to see if there's any issue with processing all the feeds. There isn't, and you're excited to go ahead.
"Place your weapon on this bench, please. One at a time."
Agent gracefully lifts her skirt - not high enough to be indecent, but still a gesture completely out of place after her weapons, resembling legs of a spider bot, unfold from underneath with a soft whir. She then detaches one from the mounting arm and places it on the bench. You set about installing a mounting rail.
"Uh, boss... you know, I've wondering for a while..." - being in your natural habitat and facing away from her emboldens you to reach beyond the usual comfort zone. "Why the maid outfit? Why have the weapons under your skirt? Don't take me wrong, I'm not judging. It's just... doesn't make much sense?"
You don't stop working, and for awhile it's only the clanking of your tools. Then Agent speaks.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this." Her voice softens. "Imagine... a social event. High-class guests from all over the world, top scientists, government officials, influential businessmen, the press. Tuxedos, ballroom gowns, live music. Security too, but they do not brandish weapons. It's all hidden under their immaculate suits." She pauses, and you hold your breath.
"All the attendees have gathered there for a purpose: to lay their eyes upon the treasure of humanity, to witness a new epoch budding. Then, the main guest makes an appearance, and I'm but a humble maid by her side. Attending to her needs, protecting her from excessive attention, escorting her. This uniform is not a whim, this is simply who I am. Who I meant to be. And should a madman decide to deprive humanity of its treasure... I could draw my concealed weapons faster than the black suits, and have firepower to drop a rhino. I wasn't supposed to do that often, if at all. And when I would, then it'd be a situation where no one would care about the color of my panties."
You catch yourself staring at her wide-eyed. Her eyes are closed, and she looks sad, almost devastated. Then she opens her eyes, and the usual Agent is back. "But enough of that. Are you done?"
You know better than to push for more, and you already have enough surprises for the day. So you proceed to equip her weapons with mounting rails, then disassemble the cameras to laser-etch reticles, and after it's done, finish putting everything together. You zero the MGs on a bench and give Agent a thumb up. She reattaches the weapons, folds and unfolds them to make sure the cameras are not interfering with anything, and nods at you.
"So, shooting range?" - you ask.
"Shooting range."
Agent exits the workshop, and you follow. On the way, when you approach a T-section of the corridor that goes left and right from there, your guest holds up her hand, her weapons unfolding. You tense. She approaches the intersection, then steps out, her weapons fanning out in pairs in both directions. Then fold back under her skirt. She turns her head to give you an approving look.
"Very good."
Phew. She's testing it even before the shooting range? Maybe that's the stuff she also deals with. At least she's pleased with the upgrade.
At the range Agent rechecks her zeroes and starts with engaging unmoving targets at 100 meters. She uses single shots, alternating between her guns after five each. Then she does it again with her eyes closed. None of the shots misses, and you confirm the improvement from baseline 40% up to 100%. She proceeds to engage at 200 meters, and the results are much less stellar, closer to 40%. She doesn't attempt greater ranges, instead moving to the center of the CQB section. Multiple targets raise up around her and start moving in random patterns. Her guns fan out like a compass rose in four directions, and four targets are reduced to splinters simultaneously. Then the bursts of energy get longer, and all the remaining targets are gunned down in seconds. She stands there, her guns swiveling about, scanning the surroundings. Then they fold up, and she walks up to you.
"Impressive. Not only you've resolved what I asked of you, but my accuracy has also improved."
You grin and make a V-sign with you fingers over you eye. "Architect's workshop takes pride in being a customer-centric business! But wait, there's more!"
You hand four cases to Agent.
"Here, night vision attachments for the cameras. Fusion type, thermal overlay over light amplification greeny stuff. Easy to put on and off, selectable modes. Might come in handy some day... I mean, some night."
Agent weights those in her hand.
"Too heavy for dynamic combat, and will interfere with folding. Nevertheless a great asset to have in certain circumstances. I'll put them to good use." You see a menacing glint in her eyes. "You have helped me more than I expected. Well done, and... thank you."
Yes!
Agent Interrupt assignment assessment:
Success conditions: independent per-gun targeting systems (1/1 required)
✅Gun-mounted cameras
Major success conditions: provide additional capability (1/2 required)
✅ Night-ops capability (night vision, thermal vision or equivalent)
❌Extended range target identification and engagement capability (LPVO, or variable zoom, think Trijicon VCOG 1-6)
Agent's request: major success
Remaining days: 23
Breakthrough points: 1
"I'll be going back now."
"To make repairs?"
Agent hesitates. "To raiding G&K supply lines, I'm afraid."
"Aren't we supposed to dig in and sit tight?"
"We are, but our enemy wouldn't have it. Fortunately the Mastermind provided me with a mean of fast transportation and a capable helper, so we've been hitting them where they feel it. Their helos are grounded for now."
"I... can do more for you. Give you some extra protection, maneuverability, situational awareness..."
"I have no doubt you can." Her gaze is unusually kind. "But I can't spare any more time, and you have a queue of... customers to take care of. You can do me one extra favor though: modify the blueprints for my weapons. I wouldn't want to be without these cameras when I wake up in a new body."
With that she turns around and leaves. Even limping and in tattered uniform she looks graceful, resolute, unwavering. You look at her back until she disappears around a corner, then hear something like a motorcycle engine revving up and fading into the distance.
She said when I wake up in a new body, not if. Seems like repairs were never on the table. She's just going to push herself until she's destroyed, then do it all over again, huh? Before you retire for the day, you update the schematics as she asked.
[x] From: Intruder
[x] From: Executioner
[x] From: Judge
[x] From: Alchemist
Wow, that brainstorm vote went way better than I expected! Lots of interesting ideas, some of them never crossed my mind. I'll be using this type of vote on a regular basis from now on.
So, as you probably figured already, the success condition was to suggest gun-based targeting sensors. It's simple, but still different from situational awareness, and many had misjudged that. Of course, from my side wording is very important, and though I don't think I messed up anything here, I'll be careful with it.
Major success condition was to provide Agent with one or more additional capabilities while resolving her problem, i.e. something she wasn't able to do before. I identified 2 of those, and decided 1 would be enough to fulfill the condition - since Agent would adjust her operations to take advantage of whichever is provided to her. Nobody mentioned variable zoom, so be sure to mention all the little details even if you think they should be included by default. You essentially provided a 1x / red dot scope equivalent to her.
Now props to those who identified the root of Agent's problem correctly- it's very important for this quest.
Also good job distinguishing between getting ambushed and getting flanked/attacked from behind. Especially categorizing flanking and encirclement as maneuvers. Agent was aware of the enemies moving behind her, she just couldn't target those behind and in front at the same time.
Props for suggestion to reuse the results of our previous research - I was wondering how long it'll take for someone to do it.
And lastly, lots of great ideas were suggested that'd make Agent more effective in many ways. I have an idea about taking advantage of them better from now on.
So, as you probably figured already, the success condition was to suggest gun-based targeting sensors. It's simple, but still different from situational awareness, and many had misjudged that. Of course, from my side wording is very important, and though I don't think I messed up anything here, I'll be careful with it.
Major success condition was to provide Agent with one or more additional capabilities while resolving her problem, i.e. something she wasn't able to do before. I identified 2 of those, and decided 1 would be enough to fulfill the condition - since Agent would adjust her operations to take advantage of whichever is provided to her. Nobody mentioned variable zoom, so be sure to mention all the little details even if you think they should be included by default. You essentially provided a 1x / red dot scope equivalent to her.
Now props to those who identified the root of Agent's problem correctly- it's very important for this quest.
Also good job distinguishing between getting ambushed and getting flanked/attacked from behind. Especially categorizing flanking and encirclement as maneuvers. Agent was aware of the enemies moving behind her, she just couldn't target those behind and in front at the same time.
Props for suggestion to reuse the results of our previous research - I was wondering how long it'll take for someone to do it.
And lastly, lots of great ideas were suggested that'd make Agent more effective in many ways. I have an idea about taking advantage of them better from now on.