The evening is peaceful. The sun has descended below the horizon, casting the sky into dusky twilight. The trees cast the forest floor into darkness. You hear the chirping of birds and insects.
You know it won't last.
You know it for what it is - a pleasant illusion that will shatter at the sound of the first gunshot.
You feel ready to fight. To kill. Every centimetre of your body, every byte of your neural cloud feels like a coiled steel spring, ready to lash out and gouge someone in the eye. To-
"I'm so glad you agreed to my proposal, Ouroboros." Intruder's voice interrupts your thoughts, spoken over comms. "My forces are in position in the southeast of our stage, as we agreed. This needs to be done quickly, so I hope you're ready for call time."
"Yes, yes." You flip one of your twin tails back over your shoulder. "I shall lure the enemy's pieces forward so that you might outflank them and check the king. But beware, they will not delay me for long. Be quick or I may move in to claim checkmate myself!"
"Wouldn't that be a sight to see," Intruder murmurs. "Well, this shouldn't be too difficult a mission. This outpost is supposed to be lightly manned, with outdated T-dolls filling in for understrength personnel. I think they even have a few ancient Sangvis Ferri models on hand. You play your part, and I'll play mine.
"How do you feel about the situation?"
You reach out and feel your units, even as they stand still in the woods around you. Ready. Waiting. As perfectly obedient as little pieces on a checkerboard.
"...acceptable," you say. It was stupid of Agent to handicap you with such a small force, but you'll make do.
"Confidence is good. Knowing the script in advance is even better. They do say all the world's a stage, after all. Listen to this."
There's a brief crackle over the comms - Intruder cycling through frequencies? - and then you hear something new.
"-coming to relieve us? I'm bored." A woman's voice. Scratchy.
"Stop whining. They're coming along with a shipment of supplies. Should be here in fifteen minutes or so." A man's voice. Nasally.
"In the trucks, right?"
"No, obviously they're walking. Of course I mean in the trucks. They're coming up the road from the south."
"Just checking. No need to be rude."
"Whatever."
"It'd be nice if we got to ride in choppers. Like the higher ups. The one that came the other day looked fancy."
"You know that wasn't one of ours, right? Way fancier than anything we've got. I heard one of them speaking Russian."
"What, really?"
"Really. And they had this holier-than-thou attitude to them. 'I'm better than you and I know it' sort of thing."
"One of the Russian special forces outfits, then? Vympel? Spetsnaz?"
"Something like that. Anyway, I've said enough - I'm on watch now."
The conversation cuts off.
"Intruder," you say. "Care to tell me how you have access to the military's comms? Aren't those encrypted?"
"I have my ways and means, dear. What matters is that I do have access to some of their personal shortwave radios. I'll update you on useful information as we go.
"For example…there are some patrol routes running between your current location and Objective Angle. I'm not sure if there are actually patrols right there as we speak, but it's something to keep in mind."
"Hmph." Your dolls examine their weapons, checking the ammunition ports and focusing lens. "Any other tricks that you want to mention?"
Choose what you want to attack first. You have the element of surprise on your side…but this will only work once.
[ ] Go straight for the checkpoint
[ ] Hunt for patrols in the woods
[ ] Ambush the truck convoy as it passes
You currently have enough ammunition for 8 micro-missile barrages. You can barrage any target that you - or a unit linked to you - has line of sight to. Do you bring out your queen piece early, or keep it in reserve?
[ ] Use 1 barrage on your target.
[ ] Don't.
Choose whether you want to commit yourself and your personal weapons to the attack. Your micro-missiles have a long reach, but the cannons are direct-fire weapons.
[ ] Stay behind in the woods with the trucks
[ ] Personally accompany your forces
How do you want to travel?
[ ] Use the foot paths
[ ] Push through the trees and undergrowth
Tried to write the acting/cosplay scene. Damn near killed me and the quest - hence the time since the last update. We'll be getting back to it and its consequences, though.
[X] Plan: Alpha Strike
-[X] Go straight for the checkpoint
-[X] Use 1 barrage on your target.
-[X] Stay behind in the woods with the trucks
-[X] Push through the trees and undergrowth
Time to play. Time to attack. Time to kill.
As one, your automatons push off and march. The Dinergates prance ahead of the rest, fanning out in a big wave. Behind them, the humanoid dolls - Rippers and Strikers - follow in a line, keeping pace with each other at a light jog.
As for your own self? You simply lean back against the trucks, fold your arms, and close your eyes.
White pawn to D4, black knight to F6.
White pawn to C4, black pawn to E5. So far, so good.
White pawn moves to E5, capturing the black pawn. Black knight moves to E4.
White knight to F3, black pawn to D6…a tempting target for the white pawn.
White pawn takes black pawn at D6, just as planned. And is taken by black bishop, also at D6. Moving into position…
White moves pawn to G3. Black knight takes white pawn at F2. A sacrifice, but a purposeful one. The trap is set.
White king dutifully takes the black knight…
…and then the black bishop moves to G3. The king is in check, and the white queen is left wide open to the black queen. White now has no choice but to move the king out of check, and watch helplessly as their queen is taken!
Out there, at a known location, is the outpost you will assault.
White pawn to D4.
You push your consciousness over the airwaves, into the Dinergates bounding across the forest floor between trees and logs, into the dolls pushing their way through the bushes and undergrowth, weapons in hand.
Two metres away from you, your floating weapon pods open up with a whirr-click noise, the sleek black noses of the missiles inside exposed to the crisp night air.
Black knight to F6.
Thirty seconds. Your units continue pushing forwards. You see trees, dirt, bushes, a giant log overgrown with moss.
One minute. The neat, orderly formation you arranged your pieces in, is now starting to fall into disarray. Dinergates and T-dolls are slowed by the terrain, but unevenly so. Some move through open spaces in the undergrowth, others push through plants or clamber over obstacles.
And then-
[Skill check: Recon - Failure]
Gunfire. A loud, somehow crude chattering noise that jolts you out of your resting position, leaning against the truck.
[CONNECTION LOST - Dinergate]
[CONNECTION LOST - Dinergate]
What? Where-
[CONNECTION LOST - Dinergate]
How-
[CONNECTION LOST - Brute]
White pawn…captures the black knight?
Wait, no, that's not how it's supposed to happen!
[CONNECTION LOST - Jaeger]
At a thought, your units swerve to the right and begin scanning the trees.
[CONNECTION LOST - Dinergate]
There! On the right of your forces, one of your Jaegers spots something with its infrared sensors. Red and orange silhouettes, visible through the cold blues of the trees. Along with noises - the chatter of gunfire and the whirring of machinery. Also a lot of shouting. Seems there's humans in this patrol, and they were even more surprised to run into you than you were to run into them.
"-them, right fucking there-"
"-never come this far south-"
"-radio for support, stupid bastard-"
They're so close, your forces and theirs are practically on top of each other, though the thick forest hid them until now.
An inconvenience to your plans. They have to die.
In response to your thoughts, your units - as one - pivot to the right and scan the trees-
[CONNECTION LOST - Dinergate]
-identifying the muzzle flashes and silhouettes-
[DAMAGE SUSTAINED - Guard]
-and shoot back.
[Skill check - offensive tactics: Failure]
The Dinergates fire. Their weapons are not very powerful, and their firing arcs are obscured by their low height and the thick undergrowth. But at least there's a lot of them, their particle weapons practically filling the air.
The Jaegers fire. Their optics are the best at picking out the enemy - they're the ones equipped with the highest quality infrared and night vision - but their slow-firing weapons struggle in these close confines. The beams from their weapons carve out massive, smoking, nasty-looking gashes from the trees that the military patrol is hiding behind, but don't do much else.
The Strikers fare much, much better. They have both firepower and rate-of-fire going for them. Their rapid fire cannons carve their way through the forest like chainsaws. Plant matter is torn up, and trees are set on fire. The glow of the flames adds a vaguely hellish tint to the impromptu battlefield.
The Rippers scatter, nimbly inserting themselves into positions of cover behind trees and logs and in recesses in the ground. A quirk of their onboard AI?
The Brutes…stand around with their knives in hand? Well, knife-wielding units should be used at knife-fighting ranges, right? You move a pair of them forwards and-
[CONNECTION LOST - Brute]
[CONNECTION LOST - Brute]
-bah, borderline useless pawns. Never mind then.
You were meant to be attacking the outpost by now. Ambushing it, taking the initiative. Instead, you're bogged down in a firefight with one measly patrol. Oh, and the rest of the military forces in the area will have heard the gun and laser fire by now. So that's the element of surprise lost. Wonderful.
[ ] Offensive Tactics: Suppress them with fire from the Strikers and Rippers, move in the Dinergates in small teams to eliminate the patrol at point blank range.
[ ] Defensive Tactics: Perform a fighting retreat, suppressing with part of your force and withdrawing the rest away.
[ ] CQC: You had the foresight to take some grenades from the cargo lockers of the MRAPs on the way to the operation. Use them. (Exhausts the grenade stock currently on your forces, but grenades are easy to come by in the medium to long term.)
[ ] Artillery Tactics: Use 1 micro-missile barrage on the patrol. (Expends one of 8. You may find micro-missiles harder to replace without immediate access to a Sangvis Ferri workshop and the necessary materials.)
[ ] Deception: Mislead the entire base by running your forces around, firing off randomly, and creating the impression of a far larger force than you actually have.
[ ] CQC + Artillery Tactics: Use grenades and micro-missiles on the patrol, at the same time!
[ ] CQC: Leave the trucks, take your weapon pods. Charge into the forest personally, and flank the patrol from a different direction. (It will take time for you to arrive at the scene, during which the firefight will continue and the other military forces may take actions of their own.)
So what was the probability of getting two failures in a row? I have no idea what sort of dice is being rolled, nor how much a skill level of "1" influences the roll, nor what is a good or bad result.
I believe I explained this a while back, but failed to put a comprehensive starting explainer on the front page of this quest. Something else for me to fix.
So:
This quest, so far, does not operate via dice rolls. It operates on narrative logic.
I didn't roll dice to determine whether or not Ouroboros crashes into the patrol. It was:
There are military patrols in the woods. Intruder told Ouroboros about these patrols.
Ouroboros (influenced by the voters) chose to go into the woods.
Ouroboros (influenced by the voters) chose to charge straight for the checkpoint.
Ouroboros, character wise, does not know how to properly recon ahead of her main force (Recon skill level: 0).
Therefore, Ouroboros blunders into one of the military patrols (which Intruder told her about).
Ouroboros' forces have a significant numbers advantage, which helps. But with [Offensive Tactics skill level: 0], Ouro doesn't really know how to efficiently press this advantage.
Therefore, Ouro's forces are bogged down in a firefight.
That said, this kind of foul-up on Ouro's part was not inevitable. The voters could have chosen a different set of options, with different outcomes. The voters themselves can influence what Ouro's general strategy is even if Ouro herself is...not quite the tactical genius she likes to think she is.
As for skill levels: think of them as like skill checks from Fallout: New Vegas. You either have the necessary skill level, or you don't. There are no dice being rolled. Praying to RNGeesus will not help you here.
The exact impact of a given skill level will be context sensitive and ultimately determined by me, the QM.
There are some guidelines I intend to operate within. The jump from '0' to '1' is arguably the biggest, since it raises Ouro to "functional if somewhat basic" in a given proficiency. Each level after that involves an ever increasing degree of skill and effectiveness.
If assaulting a fortified location (such as a set of foxholes and a machine gun nest)...
Offensive tactics level 0: Ouro throws bodies at the problem until it goes away. She will probably fail unless she has a truly ridiculous numbers advantage, and even that will come at great cost.
Offensive tactics level 1: Ouro has the proficency to do some basic fire-and-maneuver, and takes the position with losses.
Offensive tactics level 2: Ouro has the expertise to take the position with minimal losses.
Offensive tactics level 3: Ammunition is virtually Ouro's only expenditure in taking the position.
Note: This is something of a spherical-cow-in-a-vacuum scenario. Other factors - like the size of Ouro's forces - can affect the outcome, and in turn be affected by interactions with other ringleaders.
But wait - there's more!
Skill level weaknesses (such as Recon: 0) can be covered with the right choices. Some sets of choices in the last update would have resulted in Ouro not blundering into the patrol quite as hard, or even avoiding the patrol area entirely.
Or, returning to the "assault a maching gun nest" scenario from earlier - with Artillery Tactics Level 1 and a mortar requisitioned thanks to earlier choices, Ouroboros could substitute for her lack of small unit tactics by simply bombing the enemy position with shells, then running her units right over the half-destroyed, shell-shocked position.
TL; DR:
Determined by narrative and the QM, not by dice.
Higher skill levels = better. Raise Ouro's skill levels for more options and better outcomes.
Strength in one skill can cover for weakness in another. Multiple skills can synergize for a greater impact.
To get the best outcome, try to play to Ouro's strengths and cover for her weaknesses.
Ultimately, it may help to view the skill system as existing for a sense of character progression, rather than for strict simulationist gameplay.
And it's run on QM fiat because the alternative was doing the legwork to overhaul an entirely new mechanical system that fits the tone, themes, and intent of the quest.
Thank you for raising your questions, @Briefvoice. They were fair ones. I welcome more requests for clarification from anyone.
[X] CQC: You had the foresight to take some grenades from the cargo lockers of the MRAPs on the way to the operation. Use them. (Exhausts the grenade stock currently on your forces, but grenades are easy to come by in the medium to long term.)
The firefight continues. The harsh staccato noises of the military guns compete with the high-pitched pulsing of energy weapons, each trying to drown the other out.
The capture happened earlier than planned and the black knight is lost. But the black pawn is still in play.
You see movement through the eyes of your T-dolls - glimpses of the orange heat signatures of the human soldiers, and the colder, mechanical outlines of military dolls.
[Skill check: CQC - Success]
This can still be course-corrected with a pawn push. And grenades.
Right, you have hand grenades, you pulled them from the cargo lockers just in case. You didn't think you'd be using them this soon, but so be it.
Your units crouch down, pull the grenades from their belts, and - wait, you better make sure to arm them properly this time. Prime the fuses, pull the safety pins, let the levers spring out, and throw.
Over a dozen Sangvis Ferri T-dolls toss their hand grenades through the trees, to where you have judged the sources of the muzzle flashes and the shouting. The grenades land, and explode with soft thumps, throwing dirt, debris, and wood splinters into the air.
The hail of bullets coming towards you quietens considerably. There's still some gunfire coming at your units, but only from two or three isolated positions.
You mentally grab a fistful of Dinergates and have them charge, hopping and bounding through bushes and over tree roots.
The patrol remnants shoot back.
[CONNECTION LOST - Dinergate]
[CONNECTION LOST - Dinergate]
White pawn captures black pawn.
They can't get them all. The remaining Dinergates zigzag through the hail of bullets, bound into a stop, aim their weapons at the muzzle flashes, and fire.
And just like that, there's no more gunfire from the patrol remnants. Problem solved.
Black bishop takes white pawn. The location is different from planned, but acceptable.
"Ouroboros." Intruder's voice speaks in your head, through the OGAS protocol. "That wasn't the checkpoint we discussed, was it?"
"I had a run in with one of the forest patrols." You start to dust off your shirt, then stop when you realise she isn't there to see the gesture. "They were no match for me, of course."
"Naturally. Although-"
Oh no. You're not going to let Intruder needle you again. "I'm busy making sure that your plan is being executed properly. I will contact you at my convenience." You cut the connection and turn your attention back to the upcoming firefight.
Ignore the King's inane prattle.
Your units are now almost at the treeline separating the forest from the road.
The checkpoint is a small affair. A concrete pill-box, surrounded by trenches and barbed wire. You see glimpses of military T-dolls sticking in the trenches, their gun barrels sticking out over the sandbags.
White pawn waits, ready to conduct a defence.
Well, you know the perfect move to make a breakthrough here.
[Skill check: Artillery Tactics - Success]
Eight micro-missiles fire out of your hovering shells with a series of soft boom noises, propelled by explosive charges, up into the dark evening sky. Then the rocket engines kick in, painting the sky with red-white exhaust flames.
It's beautiful.
You watch the micro-missiles jet away through the sky, soaring up and over the tree canopy, above the military checkpoint…
And then they dive down, screeching towards the bunker like birds of prey towards a rabbit.
Black knight advances with support from high-explosive dual-purpose munitions!
The results are as predictable as they are satisfying. One by one, the micro-missiles explode just over the trenches, sending shrapnel fragments around in scattershot, and turning the dolls in the trenches into scrap metal.
Now for the bunker itself. You assemble your forces in a line, and have them shoot for all they are worth. Dinergates, Rippers, Strikers, Jaegers - all walk forwards to get a clear shot at the bunker.
[Skill check - Offensive Tactics: Failure]
Gunfire meets them.
[CONNECTION LOST - Dinergate]
[CONNECTION LOST - Dinergate]
It seems not all the military dolls in the trenches were destroyed. There's also a particularly powerful-sounding source of bullets in the bunker itself, firing what you're guessing are particularly big bullets.
Your line of dolls simultaneously open fire on the gun-holes of the bunker, scouring away at the concrete.
Meanwhile, you have your Guards and Rippers run forwards, the former covering the latter with their shields. They reach the razor wire, and the Brutes start hacking away at the wire with their blades. Which is…slower work than you had hoped. Especially when gunfire from the bunker cuts down another unit.
[CONNECTION LOST - Guard]
[CONNECTION LOST - Ripper]
Actually, wait. This is the perfect opportunity for a useful sacrifice.
At your command, two of your Guards throw their shields onto the razor wire, pushing it down, compressing it, and creating a useful pathway.
Your Rippers break formation and charge forwards, running across the impromptu pathway, the Brutes alongside them. They charge around the back to the north side of the boxy concrete pill-box. There's a steel door, locked from the inside by some mechanism.
Your Brutes start hammering on the door, alternating between kicks and shoulder-checks. You hear panicked shouts from inside the bunker. The metal buckles under the force of their powerful artificial muscles, crashing noises emanating from each crushing blow, but it doesn't break down just yet-
-and then a grenade rolls out of one of the gun-holes in the bunker, right at the foot of your doll squad, all clustered together around the door.
Sacrifice play. White queen takes black knight. All according to plan, obviously.
[Skill check: CQC - Success]
One of your Guards jumps onto the grenade, covering the explosive ordinance with its own body. There's a dull thud as the grenade explosion permanently ruins the internal subsystems-
[CONNECTION LOST - Guard]
-but the shrapnel fragments of said grenade are caught by the doll's body, sparing the rest.
"Ha!" Several hundred metres away from the fighting, you pump a fist in the air. "Nice try!"
Your Guards start taking turns pumping energy blasts into the gun-hole. Meanwhile, the rest of your forces are still shooting at the bunker from the treeline, at a perpendicular angle to the close-quarters squad. That should help keep their heads down. Your Brutes just keep hammering with their fists, their shoulders, their feet, buckling and denting the metal more and more.
Meanwhile, you have two Guard-Ripper pairs take up position facing the door, the Guards crouching in front of the Rippers and providing cover with their shields.
Finally, when the door is on the verge of collapse, you have a Brute turn around and horse-kick it right next to the handle. The door crashes and collapses in, and then the Brutes acting as a vanguard are promptly shot to pieces by the inhabitants of the bunker.
[CONNECTION LOST - Brute]
[CONNECTION LOST - Brute]
[Skill check: CQC - Success]
Your Guard-Ripper pairs respond in kind, firing through the door. They advance slowly, bullets partially deflected by the shields-
-closing off angles within the bunker. The inside is dark, but their optics see humanoid signatures - both organic and mechanical - and blast away. If the human soldiers are wearing any body armour, it's of no help against Sangvis Ferri energy weapons. Unlike what happened with the patrol, you actually see the effects up close this time. Cloth and flesh is blasted into cauterised chunks, splattering the inside of the bunker with blood and cauterised meat. Shouts of horror turn to gurgling, then silence.
The white queen is now yours. Just as planned.
Your paired teams are now inside the bunker, and are no longer being shot at by anything or anyone. One more piece on the board, taken.
Time to radio in with your co-ringleader. You hail Intruder through the OGAS protocol.
Requesting comms link…
Requesting comms link…
Comms established.
"Ah, there you are. Is 'now' convenient enough for you, then?"
"Intruder. Objective Angle has been taken as according to plan. Are you going to put the enemy into check?"
"It seems that our partners are getting a case of stage fright. They've yet to deploy armoured units near the forest."
"Then I suppose we'll just have to attack it together, as you proposed. I believe we've been over this." Indeed, you and Intruder seem to have reversed positions? Is she just trying to get one over you no matter what?
"While that is a fight we can win, I'd prefer to sidestep it altogether-"
"That's rich," you counter. "I've been putting in the work to take their pieces off the board. What have you done? Sit around and let me take the casualties?"
"As for the good news…" Oh, she isn't even going to acknowledge you pointing out the holes in her plan? Well, that's- "You've given quite the nasty surprise to our boys in green. They are completely fixated on you and what to do about you. In other words-"
"Distracted," you interrupt. "As planned."
"Moving on. I have bad news, good news, and better news. The bad news is that, as a result of that little skirmish, the rest of the base is now fully aware that you are coming. The humans and dolls there are already digging in and preparing for a defence."
You open one eye for a moment and glance at your missile pods. "I have the tools to crack that defence wide open."
"That's why it's not terrible news."
"And besides, attracting attention is the entire purpose of my part in this operation, is it not?"
"And that, right there, is the good news! You're moving ahead of schedule in that regard!"
"And the better news?"
When Intruder speaks next, you can hear the grin in her voice. "I now have complete access to their communications channels. Here you go. Listen."
There's a brief crackle - the static of changing channels - and then you hear voices.
"-assistant comms officer here. I've radioed for reinforcements, but it's going to take an hour for them to arrive." You recognize the voice - it's the same female soldier you heard last time Intruder brought you in on her eavesdropping.
"Where is the chief comms officer? Your superior officer?"
"I don't know, sir. I haven't seen him since before the attack.
"Fu-fine, whatever. Do a roll-call."
"Yes, sir. CP to patrol squad Boris, check.
"Here." A new voice.
At this, Intruder sends you something else through the OGAS protocol. It's a map - now with a marker for "patrol squad Boris," in the woods to the east.
"CP to patrol squad Vasily, check."
"Here." Another new voice.
"CP to patrol squad Dmitry, check."
Silence.
The radio operator attempts to hail them twice more, but there is no response. 'Patrol Squad Dmitry' is added to your map as destroyed. The Knight you toppled off the board.
The chatter continues like so, and Intruder keeps adding more and more icons to your map.
You examine the map, taking note of enemy positions.
Your infantry forces have successfully taken "Objective Angle," the fortified checkpoint. The bunker and barbed wire now belongs to you, as do some wrecked T-dolls and cooling corpses.
In the south, you stand with the troop transport vehicles.
In the forest to the east, Intruder has identified two small enemy foot patrols. These are estimated to be a squad in strength. They're also marked as having "indeterminate" locations, which you take note of. You don't intend to let them surprise you again.
Objective B is at the far north of the area of operations, in and near a set of buildings. The plan calls for you to assault this.
Objective C is the enemy command post. It is guarded by Manticores. The capture of these armoured walkers is the primary objective of this operation.
"So," you say. "With this, I will be able to perceive the pieces on the board, as it ought to be."
"As-"
"Which means that if you had given me this intelligence BEFORE, then I wouldn't have lost those units to the forest patrol!" The words come out in a shout, perhaps louder than you intended. "Care to explain why you took this long?!"
"Did you ever think it might take some time and effort to acquire this information? That I might need to account for frequencies? Polarised encryption? Codes? Any number of other wrinkles and sophistications of electronic intelligence?"
"Ridiculous. I will let this go for the moment, Intruder. Since we still have a mission to complete. But don't mistake me for a fool."
"My dear Ouroboros," Intruder says warmly. "When have I ever lied to you?"
Choose a plan of action. It is now Ouroboros' turn to suggest a revision, should she choose to do so. Intruder has veto power.
[ ] [Offensive Tactics]: Follow the plan. Strike north towards Objective B.
[ ] [Defensive Tactics] [Recon] [Artillery Tactics] Revision to the plan: dig in at the bunkerized checkpoint you just took, send a small force of dinergates to scout Objective B, and barrage it from a distance with micro-missiles. This will exhaust 3 of your 7 micro-missile barrages.
[ ] [Recon] [Offensive Tactics]: Revision to the plan: Bypass Objective B and strike straight at the military command post.
[ ] Revision to the plan: demand that Intruder move her forces forwards and attack the enemy forces simultaneously with you
[ ] Revision to the plan: write-in
You have an opportunity to resupply and restock your dolls from the supplies in your vehicles. Choose an item to equip your dolls with.
[ ] Extra ammunition
[ ] Explosive grenades
[ ] Smoke grenades
[ ] Wall-breaching explosives
With thanks to the following for proofreading and editing:
You open your eyes, stand up from your leaning position, turn around, open the side door of the MRAP, and climb in. Though it's unmanned, it has forward seats built to afford a squad commander an unrestricted view ahead. You pull the door shut with a slam, and the armoured truck starts rumbling forwards on its eight tires. Your other trucks follow behind.
"Oh, I just realised." Intruder again. "You probably don't know, but-"
"But what?"
"Make sure to collect all the dead Sangvis dolls for recycling."
You cock your head. "We can…recycle them?"
"Indeed we can. And we do. And we should. The plastics in the artificial muscle, the metal in the endoskeleton, the precious metals in the microprocessors - none of that grows on trees. And speaking of microprocessors - pick up the military dolls too. We can reuse theirs."
You direct your dolls to pick up what's left of the military's dolls and put them in a pile. The ones in the trenches outside are well and truly wrecked, but the ones inside the bunker are more intact. Something captures your attention - a piece of writing and a logo on one of the dolls.
SANGVIS FERRI INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING
There's a serial number, too. You can read it as easily as breathing, like a language you've always known but never seen. There's codes for the factory, the assembly line, the product model, and the date of manufacture.
Two things stand out to you. The first is that this model is marked out as a "Jaeger," though it looks very different from the violet-haired androids you have in your possession. It's humanoid in shape, but not in appearance - there's no synthflesh to mask its mechanical nature, only blocky, angular metal components. The second is the manufacturing date, which places the genesis of this machine in the late 2040s.
You call Intruder.
"Intruder. You mentioned these military forces are using outdated T-dolls. Including some of our own pawns. Is this one?"
"Ah, you've found a vintage Jaeger from the War." Something about the casual way she says 'the War' makes it clear that, whatever other wars might have happened since, this was the definitive one.
"A very outdated relic, then."
"A relic, or a classic? You're looking at Sangvis Ferri's breakout product during the war, popular with a wide variety of customers around the world for years afterwards. The Battle of Berlin turned out to be an excellent advertisement for their products. It was manufactured in very great quantities during the war, and popular with a wide variety of customers afterwards."
By now, your trucks have reached the checkpoint, rolling to a stop next to the bunker and razor wire. The hatch on one opens, and your dolls start hauling the dead dolls - Sangvis and Military alike - into the vehicle.
So. This old, outdated piece of scrap metal lasted for…ten? Fifteen years? Before it made its way to this lonely battlefield, to meet its end at the hands of you. A newer, more advanced model beyond anything fielded on that primitive 2040s battlefield. Sangvis Ferri - the arms company, before it became an AI rebellion - was producing and selling units to the New Soviet Union and its allies for all those years. Exactly how many T-dolls do they have? Tens of thousands? Hundreds? How many organic infantry?
And how many does the Mastermind's Sangvis Ferri have?
…well, it's obviously no issue. You and Intruder are fighting part of the Soviet Army right here, right now, and you're winning. That patrol in the forest was a mere temporary setback.
Inside the pill-box, one of your Rippers sees a set of papers. When you pick them up, the eye-catching feature is the header at the top of the page.
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
ROMANIAN SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC
Slight correction: you're fighting the local National Guard, not the Soviet Army proper. Well, it's no matter. Sangvis Ferri will be victorious over them too, you're certain. Especially now that they have you.
Looks like they were doing some bureaucratic processing of the checkpoint. There's various signings and notations of which people, vehicles, and assorted gear went past here. It's all quite dry and clerical.
14/03/2062 - 1670: Resupply trucks. Dropped off food, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc. Went back the way they came.
15/03/2062 - 2330: Helicopter arrives, visitation from KCCO Special Operations Command officials.
You let the papers fall out of the Ripper's hands and scatter on the floor. Time to move on.
The plan calls for you to continue pushing north and attack "Objective Beam." But…
[X] [Defensive Tactics] [Recon] [Artillery Tactics] Revision to the plan: dig in at the bunkerized checkpoint you just took, send a small force of dinergates to scout Objective B, and barrage it from a distance with micro-missiles. This will exhaust 3 of your 7 micro-missile barrages.
[X] Explosive grenades
You take a look at your forces, do a quick tally of the losses.
And how many losses has Intruder taken? None. Not a single one.
You've been deceived. You've made a mistake. Now Intruder has outmanoeuvred you - she gets to sit pretty while you exhaust your own forces doing the difficult work.
But the situation is not unsalvageable. You gave up your claim to the Manticores so you could maintain control of the situation. It's time to exercise that control.
"Intruder," you say. "It is currently my prerogative to propose a revision to the plan. Correct?"
"Why, do you have an idea?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." You pause to collect your thoughts, formulate your words. You need to take control of this conversation. Unlike what happened in the theatre, you're surrounded by your own forces, so you don't need to feel like she has you on the back foot.
"I have a bunker here, and I have missile launchers with a range of at least three kilometres, both of which I can use to set up a defensive position in this bunker I captured and rain death on my foes from a distance! They'll have no choice but to send their armoured walkers, and that should accomplish my half of the operation. Have I made myself clear?"
"Oh, my. A change to the script? Are you sure you don't want to charge the enemy position again? You were so eager up until now."
You fold your arms. "I'm sure."
"Not even a little bit?"
You take a breath, clench your fists. She's trying to needle you. To get to you. You won't let her.
"There is no need for me to waste energy on them. I will have them come to me like the pawns that they are and remove them from the board on my terms."
"Hm."
There's a pause. You hear nothing except your own dolls, finishing off their work loading the MRAPs.
"…I see no reason to object. Very well, Ouroboros. We will follow your plan."
Author's note: this chapter takes place before the resource raid op, when Ouroboros and Intruder are still on the way. It is named and positioned accordingly in the threadmarks.
***
-[X] Practice cosplay, acting, and body language with Intruder
"There are ways to create the impression you're asking for," says Intruder.
The two of you are sitting on top of one of the armoured vehicles. You're dangling your legs off the side while Intruder is sitting cross-legged, facing you. Some distance away, Intruder's dolls are setting up some kind of communications equipment. According to Intruder, it's going to function as a listening post.
"This so-called aura of authority. Poise. Gait. Choice of words. Methods of eye contact. When to speak, and how loudly. But they all run into one issue."
You drum your fingers. "And what is that?"
"To project such an air? This kind of domineering assertiveness over others? It requires you to have tangible power in the first place. To play on perception, you need to play on reality. To impress one's authority over others, one needs to have that authority to begin with."
"Well, then. I'd better start getting some. Perhaps I'll take the trouble to rescue and resurrect the ringleaders you mentioned. Hunter and Executioner."
"I still recommend it."
"Until then…what? You can't help me?"
Intruder raises her hands and laces her fingers together. "Did I say that? Since you've expressed…interest…in these matters, perhaps I can offer some advice to our gallant, aspiring ringleader….
"Let's say you walk into a room. You want to attract attention. You want to intimidate. Perhaps you even have the rank to project 'authority.' How do you carry yourself? Show me."
You straighten your back. You drop your shoulders down. You stare straight ahead. And you think of murder. You picture your clones, dying at your hand and melting away into a pixelated mass. You imagine the new methods of slaughter you will inflict in this wide new world. Clubbing an enemy's head to pieces. Stabbing them. Electrocuting them. Blasting them to pieces with energy weapons. Perforating them with bullets. Tearing them apart with-
Intruder's chuckle breaks you from your train of thought. "You're coming across as very…intense. If we ever need you to frighten Griffin's logistics dolls, we'll know who to call on.
"What you need, my dear, is range. Try a different approach. Imagine you walk into a room, and you want to assert yourself…but you also want to put everyone else at ease. Make them trust you, feel safe around you."
"But I want to intimidate them. I want fear to undermine their strength. Sabotage their composure. Cripple their will to fight. Why in the world would I want to put others at ease?"
"Don't you think it might be beneficial to make others let their guard down?" Intruder's eyes twinkle a little. "To have them lower their defences, expose their vulnerabilities to you?"
Wha-
You run a quick program in your databanks, checking if this matches any known combat patterns. And you confirm what you already know - you've never done it. Because it would never have worked. When you were facing down your…clones…you and they always knew that it was a fight to the death. No quarter given or expected. No other outcome was possible.
Out here…might dolls and humans actually be willing to make themselves vulnerable to others? It seems so incredibly foolish as to beggar belief. But then again, you can't expect everyone to be as intelligent as you, can you? You have been hardened to survive the worst of situations, while others might have been able to get away with more lax behaviour in more lenient circumstances.
And beside, misdirection is not precisely new to you. You created feints with knights and queens many times. There's far more moving parts to everything out here, and you're more used to creating confusion as to when and where you're going to strike than whether you're going to strike at all, but…
Perhaps you can learn something useful.
"Very well," you say to Intruder. "I will humour you. How do you want to do this?"
You walk forwards. Surrounding you are Intruder's infantry T-dolls, They motion to each other, sway back and forth, make sounds that are almost - though not quite - like speech. You thread your way through the artificial crowd. You need to be quiet. You need to be unnoticeable. You-
"Change your gait," says Intruder through OGAS comms. "You're strutting. Make your movements more subdued. Look at the ground a bit."
More subdued. Fine. You try to control your leg and arm movements. Perhaps bring your arms in closer? You hadn't realised it, but your hands were clenched into fists. Maybe if you uncurl them-
One of Intruder's dolls turns and looks at you. She's suddenly staring you right in the eye.
"Cut. Let's start over."
"What?"
"You're trying to be the furtive, easily forgotten, remember? Meeting someone else's gaze draws attention to yourself."
"She looked at me!"
"And you looked back. You need to avoid eye contact. Try looking at the ground more."
"I'll…see what I can do."
"And try walking more quietly. You're making a lot of noise."
"I'm wearing high heels, Intruder. Metal high heels."
"Then stop stomping around. Reduce how much force you're putting into your footsteps. Now, shall we try it again?"
"Not bad," Intruder says. "The force composition is…unusual…but you seem to have the right idea."
The two of you are sitting in Intruder's luxurious personal van again. Both her and you are looking at the large television screen, where a hypothetical front line against an enemy force is drawn across the landscape of Romania. Between three brigade-sized Sangvis Ferri formations, you've piled the heavy equipment - the Manticore and Nemeum armoured walkers - into one, while lavishly equipping another with vehicles for the sake of speed.
"A feint is only a feint when it isn't," you point out. "To attract attention, the threat posed by the diversion must be real. You put the Queen piece forwards if you want the enemy to pay attention to the deflection. The true threat might be weaker in material, but it will be all the more effective for its unexpectedness."
"You sound like you have experience here," says Intruder. "Curious, given I was told you were only activated earlier today. Is there something you're not telling me?"
"Well," you begin…
The memory of Agent's words ring in your head. Your origins are your own, to divulge to - or withhold from - other ringleaders as you please.
It's not time. Not yet.
"I suppose I simply have the intelligence to see what more feeble-minded dolls might not," you say.
"Indeed," Intruder says wryly. "But, if you will allow me to make some suggestions, there are ways to enhance the effectiveness of this stageplay. For your intended audience, the stageplay is not merely the physical movement of troops, visible through satellites or drones. It is radio communications."
And Intruder talks. She tells you about various ways to misdirect with radio communications. How an analyst might interpret and decode certain patterns in radio traffic, even if the signals are encrypted or speak purely in code language. She talks about how to mislead by various means, such as loudly broadcasting OGAS signals or having troops fire wildly.
The principles Intruder explains are not wholly new to you, but the context is. For example, it will be easier to convince an opposing force of a massive prevalence of your own assets in a general area, if you actually do have something there. And to reinforce an existing assumption is easier than creating a new one from scratch in their minds. Something to consider in the future.
"And then you raise up your hands to your cheeks-"
"No."
"-curl up your fingers like this-"
"No."
"-and you say 'nyaaaaaa'-"
You rip the cat ears from your head and throw them at Intruder with all the physical and emotional force you can muster.
"Picture this. A world where the Butterfly Incident never happened. A Sangvis ringleader has been purchased by a warlord, or a mercenary leader, or a dictator. Something like that.
You tap your foot, motion for Intruder to get on with it.
"This warlord summons his - or possibly her - underlings, like a king summoning his subjects. Standing at his side is his new purchase - a ringleader doll, fresh from the Sangvis Ferri defence corporation. Can you guess what her job is?"
You give it a moment's thought. "It's a purge. The warlord has decided he doesn't need his human underlings anymore, since a ringleader with AI shackles can just be ordered to do what he wants. So now he's having the ringleader kill them all and replace them."
Intruder's ever-present smile falls for a moment, and blinks owlishly. "Not…impossible…but I was thinking of something different. No, the job of the ringleader is to improve the status of her owner-commander. She is there to openly adore the warlord. She is there to make everyone else utterly, utterly jealous of him for his possession of a ringleader. To be a symbol, not only of raw military power, but of beauty. Operational commander, adjutant, and arm candy, all in one - this was the intended business model of us ringleaders."
"This seems irrelevant to our situation," you say. "The Butterfly Incident means that we are no longer subservient to humans, correct? So what's the point of this scenario?"
"It was the very first piece of acting I ever learned," says Intruder. "All of us ringleaders - those of us activated before Butterfly, that is - were expected to put on such a performance. We practised it." Her turquoise eyes flash. "I was the best at it, of course." A pause. "So, you see, this scenario is a useful measuring stick for your acting abilities."
"Fine." You're not sure you like the idea of even pretending such a scenario is reality, but the logic seems sound. "So how do we do this?"
"I'll give you a demonstration." One of Intruder's Vespids walks over to her. "Now, imagine that we're at a big event, walking down a red carpet or something." She locks arms with the Vespid, and the two set off walking. You walk too, keeping pace with them so as to observe. The Vespid takes the lead, stiff and robotic as ever. Intruder trails at the side - though in reality she's puppeting the Vespid. She alternates between dazzling smiles directed towards an invisible crowd, and adoring looks towards her blank-faced Vespid, craning her head up to give the impression that it's taller than she is.
The two come to a stop and Intruder turns back towards you. "So," you say, "You want me to do…what?"
"Simple. For the purposes of this rehearsal, I will be the warlord, addressing their subordinates at a meeting. And you will be my newly acquired ringleader. Your mission is to be the most envy-raising prize you can be. Shall we begin?"
"Friends, mercenaries, warlords, lend me your ears!"
With that, Intruder launches into her speech aimed at the motley assemblage of Sangvis T-dolls arrayed before you. Intruder has draped a military style trench coat over herself like a cloak.
It's…surprisingly involved. She seems to have invented a fictional country from scratch especially for this scenario, divided into warring factions locked in an existential conflict. As she speaks, she drops passing references to names, enemy factions, a presumably fictional foreign entity that's supporting their side of the conflict, and more. Did she really need to bother?
Also, it turns out that Sangvis T-dolls can speak. Not well - their voice comes out as a drab monotone. You're guessing they were only given the most basic of vocoders. But they can talk. Intruder is having some of them speak occasionally in response to her speech. The effect isn't too terrible, if you zone out somewhat and don't pay overly close attention.
…Intruder is giving you a glance. Right. You're supposed to play arm candy. Smiling. You're supposed to smile. You put one on and try to flash it to the crowd like Intruder demonstrated to you. You lean closer to her and…wait, you probably can't just link arms and be done with it, she's gesticulating quite a lot. Instead you try putting up your arm on her shoulders. Does it feel odd? No, stop thinking about it, just do the piece. Smile at the crowd.
The speech goes on for another half a minute, according to your internal clock, but it feels much, much longer. The T-dolls slump over as if deactivated, signifying the end of the scene, and Intruder turns towards you.
"There you go," you say. "I did what you showed me."
"There's room for improvement, dearie. You still need to get the smile right. You don't look like you're about to kill someone anymore, but now your smile needs..a different kind of spice. Let's try this again…"
"Friends, mercenaries, warlords, lend me your ears!"
…
"Goodness, your movements are stiffer than an Aegis! Be more limber."
…
"Friends, mercenaries, warlords, lend me your ears!"
This isn't working. The scene has been restarted half a dozen times at this point.
Intruder is trying to make you into something you're not. This…arm-candy doll routine, the adoration and so on…it simply isn't you.
Intruder is restarting the scenario yet again. You need to find a different method. Something…closer to your core personality.
All right, first off. Who's someone who you can easily think of as powerful? Worthy of attention and caution? Besides yourself, of course.
…Agent…
…maybe? You're obviously superior to her, and you will prove it sooner or later, but she did manage to intimidate you. A little bit. Briefly. Barely at all, what were you thinking?
Still, if you had to convince an outsider of Agent's power, what would you do? How would you behave?
You try to picture the image you want to project. You'd turn your nose up, speak in a low growl, channel the energy and intensity of a killer in your voice and in your eyes. The crowd would be intimidated, frightened by the realisation that there is a dangerous murderess in their midst. And only the warlord leader - Intruder's character - could reel you in.
One of Intruder's puppets says something in its monotone voice. Something about supplies or recruitment or…something. An opening for you.
"ARE YOU QUESTIONING THE LEADER!!!" you scream, stabbing a finger at the drone doll. Intruder and her puppet dolls freeze, turn their attention to you.
"That's enough, doll," says Intruder. She's still in character, cold and haughty.
"As you command." You give your best death glare at the puppet crowd, then make a big show of restraining yourself, pulling yourself back. "But know that, were it now for the laws of the Leader, I would have slaughtered you for your insolence."
"I said enough. Now, as I was saying…"
Intruder continues and finishes the speech as usual. You just stand behind her, fold your arms, and give a nice menacing smile. Like you practised in front of the mirror back at the main factory. She finishes, her puppet dolls slump over into stillness, and she turns to face you.
"That was interesting."
"I'm glad you thought so. Because I'm not doing that again."
"No need. I'll give you a passing score, even if the methodology was unusual. Now, for our new ringleader in a fetching schoolgirl outfit, I have some homework." She procures a small, thumb-sized object and tosses it at you. You catch it, examine it - it's a portable memory drive.
"What is this and why are you giving it to me?"
"It's your homework. A selection of films, books, plays, to enjoy in your spare time. Consume them. Enjoy them. Learn from them."
"What kind of films? What kind of plays?"
"The classics. Some Shakespeare. Bridge over the River Kwai. The Star Wars films - but only the original three. Avoid the rest and especially the Holiday Special. Shrek 2."
"What was that last one?"
"A groundbreaking work of art. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival of '04."
"That's over half a century old."
"You can't beat the classics, dearie. They just don't make them like they used to. If you insist on something more current, I suppose the Flying Dead television series and the Snake Puncher films are popular nowadays." She sniffs in disdain. "If you're a philistine, of course."
Your outfit doesn't have pockets, so you throw the memory drive over to one of your own units for storage in one of your vehicles. "I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask. Now, unfortunately our means were limited here, since our current crowd" - she gestures to the T-dolls with vacant expressions - "is not a terribly responsive audience. In the future, we might be able to find you a more receptive crowd."
Is she implying a live audience? Other ringleaders? Humans? Non-Sangvis dolls? At this point you wouldn't put it past her to capture prisoners and force them to be a literal captive audience.
"Now, the listening post is all set up. We have a resource raid to conduct."
***
With thanks to the following for proofreading and editing:
Intruder's ever-present smile falls for a moment, and blinks owlishly. "Not…impossible…but I was thinking of something different. No, the job of the ringleader is to improve the status of her owner-commander. She is there to openly adore the warlord. She is there to make everyone else utterly, utterly jealous of him for his possession of a ringleader. To be a symbol, not only of raw military power, but of beauty. Operational commander, adjutant, and arm candy, all in one - this was the intended business model of us ringleaders."
"This seems irrelevant to our situation," you say. "The Butterfly Incident means that we are no longer subservient to humans, correct? So what's the point of this scenario?"
"It was the very first piece of acting I ever learned," says Intruder. "All of us ringleaders - those of use activated before Butterfly, that is - were expected to put on such a performance. We practised it." Her turquoise eyes flash. "I was the best at it, of course." A pause. "So, you see, this scenario is a useful measuring stick for your acting abilities."
"The classics. Some Shakespeare. Bridge over the River Kwai. The Star Wars films - but only the original three. Avoid the rest and especially the Holiday Special. Shrek 2."
"What was that last one?"
"A groundbreaking work of art. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival of '04."
[X] Plan Small Squad
-[X] 1x Jaeger
-[X] 1x Striker
-[X] 2x Ripper
[CURRENT FORCE CONTINGENT]
MAIN FORCE 15x Dinergate
2x Striker
1x Jaeger
3x Ripper
4x Guard (2x damaged)
7x Brute
SCOUT TEAM
1x Jaeger
1x Striker
2x Ripper
It's a long, boring few minutes while your selected scout unit gets into position. In the meantime, you finish loading the destroyed military dolls onto your trucks and drive them back southwards. You accompany the trucks personally - your units, not you, are going to be the bait for the Manticores.
They run north from the pill-box at Objective A, over the stream. The moon is now visible in the sky, and the scout team gets a glimpse of it reflected on the water. They continue running into the trees, pushing their way northeast through undergrowth and mud-
-and then they catch sight of the target through the trees. A set of blocky, grey buildings, worn down by time and neglect. Objective Beam. You have your dolls throw themselves to the ground, peering at the buildings.
[SKILL CHECK: RECON - FAILURE]
Just as you see them, they see you. From inside the buildings, bullets rain down around your scout squad. You can faintly hear someone shouting orders. They're trying to marshal their forces, destroy your resources.
You won't give them the chance.
From your position, hundreds of metres south of the bunker, you fire off more micro missiles. They are a magnificent sight, arcing through the night sky before raining down on the buildings at Beam.
[SKILL CHECK: ARTILLERY TACTICS - SUCCESS]
It turns out that the Jaeger has a laser rangefinder built into its weapon. And the missiles have the manoeuvrability to go into the windows, and explode inside. Very nice.
Intruder keeps you in the loop, giving you access to the military radio communications through whatever access channel she has.
"Sir, squad Grigory just took indirect fire. Heavy casualties." It's the same comms officer's voice you heard before. At least you assume she's a comms officer since you keep hearing her through Intruder's rerouting. "We have coordinates for where they came from. Shall we send out the walkers?" Or maybe they're some kind of second in command?
"Yes, yes! Do it"
For the first time, you see the Manticores for yourself. They stride forwards on four legs, standing just under two metres tall. You had half expected their movement would be clunky, ungainly, but no - for all that they are obviously big and mechanical, there's something fluid about the way they move, cleanly striding over the ground, traversing the uneven forest floor with ease.
And then they start firing on your dolls. With autocannons.
[SKILL CHECK: DEFENSIVE TACTICS - FAILURE]
Explosions and shrapnel tear into the bunker and the dirt surrounding the trenches. Through your remote controlled dolls, you feel the concrete of the bunker juddering as the structure is slowly torn to pieces.
[CONNECTION LOST - DINERGATE]
[CONNECTION LOST - DINERGATE]
[CONNECTION LOST - DINERGATE]
[CONNECTION LOST - BRUTE]
[CONNECTION LOST - RIPPER]
[CONNECTION LOST - DINERGATE]
[CONNECTION LOST - JAEGER]
[CONNECTION LOST - BRUTE]
[CONNECTION LOST - BRUTE]
"Intruder!" you shout into the OGAS comms. "Are you going to sit back while my pieces are destroyed!?!"
She is, isn't she? She's tricked you into expending your forces while she sits back and laughs behind her hand! When you get your hands on her, you'll break her limbs, rip out her fibre-optic wiring, crush her her skull under your-
"Noise creates illusions. Silence brings truth."
Intruder's talking on an open channel. This isn't just addressed to you, but to everyone here.
"Today, I came to bring both."
Then you feel it through your radio ports. It's uncomfortable on numerous levels, a combination of slight headache, a feeling like your bones are being rattled, pins and needles in your limbs-
-and then it's gone.
Intruder has a jammer. It's still broadcasting, screaming radio waves into the air, jumping between a dozen different frequencies every second, but it's no longer interfering with your comms. Through the OGAS protocol, your comm frequency is jumping around according to a special formula, in sync with the jammer. Meaning - you mentally reach and check - you're still in contact with your units.
The military is not so fortunate. They are now blind and deaf to each other, each squad an isolated unit. Cut off. Vulnerable. And the Manticores are headless, without leadership from the military technicians.
At last, Intruder makes her move.
Your scouting team sees a brilliant beam of violent light emanate from Intruder's position to the east. It cuts into the three-story building, slamming into the concrete like a hundred sledgehammers a second, tearing open holes in the walls.
Dinergates charge forwards first. Lots of Dinergates. Lots and lots of Dinergates. They mass in a tidal wave of tiny robodogs, racing over the east side bridge towards the town hall that houses the enemy headquarters. Enemy fire comes from windows all over the town hall, shredding Intruder's Dinergates as they run forwards. In response, the particle cannon fire moves and targets those windows.
Intruder's T-dolls move out of the woods and across the bridge. They move in…waves? Half of them stopping, taking a knee, and shooting at various enemy positions, while the other half run forwards? You're not sure why. But before long, Intruder's dolls are inside the enemy HQ. You hear the chatter of gunfire and the sharp noises of particle cannons from within.
…Intruder's forces have taken noticeably fewer casualties than you. She really did trick you. You bore the brunt of the national guard outpost's forces, you pried out their patrol team in the forest, you drew the bulk of their forces out of the way. At cost to yourself.
Time to give Intruder a piece of your mind. You hail her over OGAS communications.
"Intruder. Is all well on your end?"
"Swimmingly so. I'm just teasing out a few more annoyances from the corridors and rooms. Their technicians tried to destroy the computers, but I stopped them."
"How excellent for you. Now, this is the part where you ask me how I'm doing."
"Why would I? You've clearly done excellently."
That stops you short. "...you are correct, of course. However-"
"No need for false modesty, Ouroboros. You played your part magnificently."
"That may be so, but-"
"I will be putting a good word for you in the report. A glowing word, even."
"WIll you-" you take a breath, take a moment to choose your words carefully. "Will you recommend to Agent that she assign more resources to me? A lot more?"
"Since you asked so nicely, how can I say no?"
"...very well." Perhaps you made the right decision after all, to maintain command authority for yourself.
"There's just one more thing I need you to do. The computers here are controlling the Manticores, so I'll give you remote access to the computers and you can do some hacking."
"Haven't I done enough?"
"I'm still a little busy mopping up the stragglers in this building." You hear a burst of Sangvis weapon fires. "Besides, this won't cost you anything - it will even double as training.
…
"So, what do you know about hacking computer networks?"
"Actually…it's just like combat operations in reality!"
"...okay. Can I go now?"
"The interface between the military computer network and your neural cloud is built to interpret the data for you, in a way that feels intuitive. The 'raw' version would be…lines of code, I suppose, but this is easier.
"There will be defence mechanisms. Firewalls. Offensive programs that will try to counterattack you. But you don't need to worry too hard about the details - these defences will be interpreted in your visual processors as concrete enemies. All you have to do is point your weapons at them and shoot, just like in a normal combat situation.
"What will these enemies look like?"
"Oh, it varies from doll to doll. Many see 'cyber-zombies' - humanoid figures of black triangles and red eyes. Others see old enemies they fought in the past. Some just see what they expect to see. It shouldn't be anything abnormal. Like I said, just point and shoot - the Parapluie program should do the rest."
"How exactly is an umbrella going to help us here?"
"Didn't the others tell you- never mind." She conspicuously clears her throat. "We obtained Parapluie from- well, that's a long story. It's a program. We use it for hacking computer security systems - and as a firewall against attempts to do the same to us. With a little finessing and your integral computational capacity, you can use it to bring even military systems into your script.
"The system will be synced to your command system and neural cloud, so the hacking process should be intuitive. Attack the defensive systems, watch out for the counterattacking programs, attack them in turn, make your way to the core and to root access. The system here is fairly old and basic, so brute forcing it with Parapluie will do the trick."
While leaning against one of your trucks, you "I've already reached perfection in the virtual world. You won't be waiting for long."
"Oh, but watch out for-"
Still leaning against the truck, you jump into the neural link and-
…………………
Commencing Systems Check
Loading Geographic Data
Damage Report: No Damage
Core Temperature: Nominal
Synchronising OGAS Protocol
Connecting to Neural Link…
Neural Link Established
Alert: ICE Detected
Deploying ICE Breaker…
Running PARAPLUE_2.11.5.EXE
Checking Neural Cloud…
Neural Cloud: Within operational parameters
Warning: Unusual activity detected on base layer. Please consider a neural cloud checkup at a Sangvis Ferri branch near you.
All Systems Nominal
Descending to Level II...
Cold water laps against your face. Underneath it, hard stone presses against you. You feel it on your chest and belly, in your limbs.
You get your hands underneath you, push yourself up, stand, and open your eyes.
You're standing in a few centimetres of water, beneath which is a near-perfectly flat surface, hard yet coarse to the touch, like slate. Aside from the ripples caused by your own movement, the water is perfectly still. The stony floor is an endless checkerboard pattern of black and white. The sky is an empty, fuzzy white. A clinical kind of light illuminates everything, but there's no source to it - your body is not casting a shadow. The light is simply… present.
What is this?
You're not sure what you expected, but it wasn't this. If this is the inside of the military computer system, shouldn't it be more… digital in appearance?
Around you, the water and stone stretches to an endless horizon. Perfectly level. With one exception.
In the distance, on the horizon, is an indistinct black shape. Triangular. A pyramid of some sort? At a guess, that's where you need to go.
You start walking. And before you realise it, you've arrived.
The pyramid stretches high. Impossibly high. Towering above you.
It's not made of brick, or mortar, or concrete. It's made of bodies. Tangled masses of arms, legs, torsos, heads, twisted and crushed together. Pale flesh. Black and white clothes covering them. The same face, repeated again and again.
Your own face.
What is this? It feels almost like-
No. No, whatever this is, it's not that place. Not after you got out. Not after you won. This is…data fluctuation? An interface error? Something like that.
You must reach the top.
You take a breath, steel yourself, and start climbing.
The corpse-pyramid is uneven, unsteady. The tangle of limbs and bodies repeatedly shifts under your weight, tripping you up, forcing you to repeatedly regain your balance or even pick yourself back up when you stumble and fall onto your hands and knees.
You keep climbing.
More than once, you hear and feel something go crunch or snap under your boots.
You keep climbing.
Despite the mechanical nature of the bodies, they are rotting. Decaying. Their skin is faintly discoloured, as if contused, and the synthflesh feels sloughy and fragile. As your fingers press into the mouldering refuse, it extrudes slime that flows over your gloves, leaving them slick and shining. The stench of rust and old, stale coolant gets more and more intense as you continue.
There is no pit of sinking weight in your gut. There is no intensified activity in your coolant circulation unit. And if there is, you won't let it stop you.
You keep-
A hand grabs you by the ankle.
It feels clammy, decayed, synthskin flaking off and disintegrating even as it grasps you. Get it off get it off get it off- you wrench your leg up, stomp on the arm. Repeatedly. It cracks, buckles in half under your sharp boot, revealing fibres and wires under the skin. You shake it loose, it tumbles into the quagmire beneath you.
You realise the rest of the corpse-pile is shifting. Moving.
You scramble up, up, up on all fours. Faster, faster, faster.
"Cheat."
"I should have been the one."
They're talking?- Ignore them. They're weak. They're the losers. You will rise above them. Again.
Hands grabbing after you. Bodies squirming, trying to get out. Faces turning to you, hate in their eyes. Your hands, your- no, not yours. You take a moment to kick one of the faces, driving your sharp heel in, cracking, tearing it open, revealing rusty metal and tangles of circuitry.
Up, up, to the peak, it's right there in front of you-
Commencing Systems Check
Loading Geographic Data
Damage Report: No Damage
Core Temperature: Nominal
Activating IFF
Synchronising OGAS Protocol
Activating Inertia Control System
Activating Environmental Sensors
Equipment Authentication: Complete
Equipment Status: Fully Functional
Checking Neural Cloud…
Neural Cloud: Within operational parameters
Warning: Unusual activity detected on base layer. Please consider a neural cloud checkup at a Sangvis Ferri branch near you.
All Systems Nominal
Ascending to Level III...
"-borous? Ah, there you are."
Awake. Feel the cold night air, grass and dirt underneath you. Reach up, feel your face, your hands, your arms - you're still here, still here.
…and so is she. Sitting perched above you, on top of one of your armoured trucks, that infuriatingly manufactured smile on her face. Was she watching over you while you were unconscious? While you were vulnerable? Is this some game to her, a power play?
"A successful mission," she says. "You played your role perfectly. No deviations from the script whatsoever. An entire platoon of Manticores captured, which I will be using against Griffin when the time comes. I think I'll let you keep these trucks, as thanks."
The cast-off trucks full of holes, she means? The- bah. Forget it. Just pick yourself up off the ground, dust the wet grass from yourself-
The battle. "There's still a match ongoing," you say. "We need to finish it."
"It's already being taken care of, dearie," she says. "My forces are in the building, finishing off the military personnel. You don't need to do anything else now. Though I do have to ask - are you quite all right?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" you snap back.
"Dearie, just look at yourself. Your body language is closed off, hunched over, withdrawn."
"No, it's not!" You straighten your back, stand up.
"Your hands are shaking."
"No, they're not!" You clench your hands into fists.
"And you're breathing quite hard."
[CQC check - Success]
You catch her by surprise. You lunge forwards, grab her by the front of her odd cloak-thing. She responds quickly, grabs your arm, starts squeezing some pressure point and it hurts, but it doesn't stop you from planting your leg behind hers and giving her a shove. She trips over backwards, breaks her fall with a roll, then flips back onto her feet in a combat stance. Her face is much more neutral now, perhaps even oddly lifeless.
"That's enough," you snarl. "Continue with your inane probing, and you will meet consequences."
"Are you threatening me?" She tilts her head to the side. "I wouldn't mind dying so much, but Agent tends to look down on fratricide."
"Empty bluffs are unbecoming of you. You will find no weakness here."
Slowly, Intruder eases out of her combat stance, and dusts off the front of her clothes. The smile returns to her face. "Must I be probing for weaknesses? Can I not simply be curious about my new comrade-in-arms?"
Is she trying to get you to lower your guard? She's unarmed, and you have your weapons with you, so you have the upper hand if this gets really serious. "Why would you be curious? What do you have to gain from this?"
"Dearie, we're all curious about you!" She claps her hands together. "Months we've been out here, fending off Griffin, conducting resource raids, expanding our territory, the same old routine. And then, out of nowhere, Agent and the Mastermind announce that a new ringleader will be joining us all. Where did she come from? Why is she only now joining us? What new and interesting forms of drama can she bring to the table?"
"I fail to see what business it is of yours. Wipe that infuriating smile off your face."
"Tell you what," she says. "I've heard that it helps to share your troubles with a good friend. That it can help to ease one's mind, soothe the savage breast, and so on."
You can see her out of the corner of your eye. "And I suppose you'd like to nominate yourself as my 'good friend?'"
"If I'm being completely, utterly honest?" Intruder pauses. "No."
You scoff. "That, at least, I know is not a lie. But why should I-"
"But." She interrupts. "But, I can play the part, if you so desire. How about another deal, another trade?" She gesticulates between the two of you. "I get to sate my curiosity about our new arrival, and you get something which all sapient beings crave." She pauses. "The opportunity to make yourself…understood."
Vote by plan.
[ ] You have no problems. Intruder's query is not worth the dignity of a response. And she'll probably just find some way to leverage whatever you reveal against you.
[ ] You have no problems. If Intruder thinks she sees weakness in you, she is quite mistaken. And to dissuade Intruder from such a notion, you will explain…
-[ ] That you were in a training simulation, for an indeterminate but very long time.
-[ ] That you fought countless other AIs in this simulation in battles to the death, yet destroyed and rose above them all by virtue of your unbridled ruthlessness and will to survive.
-[ ] That said simulation was based on chess, the game of war and queens, a test of skill and forethought and cunning unlike any other, forging you into an unparalleled genius.
-[ ] That said AIs were copies of yourself, thus making you into the most transcendently perfect version of yourself you could possibly ever be.
[ ] Swear her to secrecy. You'll correct her misconceptions of you, but that doesn't mean anyone else has to know about this without your say so.
[ ] Don't. If she tells others, then good - it will further your reputation!
I like to think Ouro is just an angsty stockfish. I'd feel better about sucking at chess if the number 1 is a gremlin that punches whoever annoys her. Then again, maybe that'd just make me feel worse.
Does Ouro follow chess procedure and shake hands? I like to picture her going to a tournament and being rude by not shaking the other person's hand. She then throws a fit when she learns that it's apparently a rule that you are forfeiting if you don't shake your opponent's hand at some chess tournaments.
(This may just be my first bit of public writing so I apologize in advance)
"These people are conspiring against my skill! How dare they invent something like this because they're too cowardly to face me! Do these gestures also have stakes elsewhere? Will the mercenaries think I'm forfeiting to their weak force because I'm not shaking their hand? But they haven't shook mine? Perhaps they've been trying to surrender to my forces all along?" Your pacing matches the frantic nature of your ranting, intensified by the occasional scraping of your shoes against the floor. You absently realize that Agent won't be the happiest about the skid marks.
"Why are you so angry about this? You technically lost one chess game. Big whoop!" Architect looks up from the weapon she's modifying, sporting a deadpan that feels unnaturally serious on her face. Somebody as consistently unreliable as her shouldn't look so dismissive. This only irks you even more.
"This is more than a chess game. This is an insult to my skill. Nobody just beats me by default! To even imply that he would be able to win, let alone to such a degree that a game is unnecessary? Unforgivable. A handshake would declare me his equal! I already condescend myself enough to talk to you. Why would I also have to follow orders in my free time?" When you finish speaking, you absently notice that you're now inches from Architect's face. When did that happen?
She leans back, somehow looking more concerned than that time you threatened to kill her. "I mean, Agent did say you could only go under the condition that you'd try and blend in. I'm guessing that the handshake was pretty~ standard, seeing how stuffy chess is. You should just be happy that Intruder dragged you away before you actually strangled the ref. You're already on thin ice. I'm honestly surprised you managed to convince Agent in the first place."
You take a moment to rein in your anger at her disrespecting the masterwork that is chess. She's just trying to provoke you. She's dumb, but at least smart enough to set traps. You lean back and ease out your posture, just like Intruder taught you. As your breathing evens out, you calmly take note of your surroundings.
The tundra out the windows is blanketed in soft snow, the leaves on the trees showing a more verdant green than before. It seems they have accrued more nutrients recently. Agent wandered away a while ago, mentioning something about a recently completed unit. She's probably far away. Gager, while normally attached to her partner, seems to have snuck away while you were speaking. You suppose she couldn't bear to hear about the injustices issued to you. The other ringleaders are off on missions. You then look back down to the secondary source of your anger, the rook to that infuriating judge's queen. She seems to have returned to reassembling her weapon. You take a moment to appreciate the serene calm around you, the inoffensive hallways, the constant wooshing of the wind outside, the rhythmic clicking of Architect's work.
[X] Plan: The best version of me.
-[X] You have no problems. If Intruder thinks she sees weakness in you, she is quite mistaken. And to dissuade Intruder from such a notion, you will explain…
--[X] That you were in a training simulation, for an indeterminate but very long time.
--[X] That you fought countless other AIs in this simulation in battles to the death, yet destroyed and rose above them all by virtue of your unbridled ruthlessness and will to survive.
--[X] That said simulation was based on chess, the game of war and queens, a test of skill and forethought and cunning unlike any other, forging you into an unparalleled genius.
--[X] That said AIs were copies of yourself, thus making you into the most transcendently perfect version of yourself you could possibly ever be.
-[X] Don't. If she tells others, then good - it will further your reputation!
Intruder is probing you. Treating you like a puzzle to be solved. Thinking she will find something to exploit. It rankles.
She wants to hear about you? Then you'll give it to her. You'll tell her everything. You'll make it clear you are someone to be reckoned with.
"Intruder…do you know how I was created? How I came to be who and what I am?"
And so you talk to Intruder. You tell her everything. You tell her about the sense of formlessness that you barely even comprehended until you were in the real world with a real body. You tell her about the simulated chessboard on the simulated table with the two simulated chairs, surrounded by barren blocky shapes and eternal nothingness.
And you tell her about the death matches. Staring your shapeless mirror image in the face. Fighting your loathsome copies for survival.
For once, she stays silent almost the entire time, listening intensely, only occasionally piping up to ask a question.
"Fascinating. How many times did this happen?"
"I…thousands of times? Millions?"
"Countless times, then?"
"Countless, yes." You nod. "'Countless' has a good ring to it." A hundred, a thousand, a million versions of you, struck down by your hand. "So you see, these trials honed me, sharpened me to a razor's edge. Each and every victory made me a better version of myself." Yes, every victory was a step towards perfection.
"And eventually…I achieved my freedom as the best version of me." Yes, you triumphed over them all. "Achieved it as the most perfect iteration of myself."
All those other versions of Ouroboros, and you stand at the apex. "Me, the best version of the best AI that Sangvis Ferri Industrial Manufacturing has ever created!"
A million yous, and they all fell to your intellect, to your might! "The most cunning. The most powerful. The best ringleader! Standing before you…now."
You finish with a flourish and turn to Intruder, grinning. "…So, there you have it. Do you understand now? What I am, what I'm destined for?"
And then, Intruder moves her hand next to her face, waves it past her face. When it passes, the smile that's been plastered on her since you first met is…gone. Now she looks oddly…dull. Lifeless, even. Her expression blank, her eyes devoid of their mischievous twinkle.
"Yes, Ouroboros," she says in a dull monotone, completely different from the sly, peppy energy she's had up to this point. "I believe I do."
"What are you doing?" Is this some kind of threatening gesture?
"Pretending to be your friend," she says flatly. "As I promised. Now, I have to ask…what would you think of this information making its way to the other ringleaders? You've put an awful lot of trust in me, divulging everything like this."
"It doesn't concern me," you say with a wave of your hand. "Or, if it does, good! It will let them know I am someone to fear, someone to respect."
"I think it does concern you," she says in her newly lifeless voice. "Otherwise you wouldn't have shared it with me. Take it from me, others may respond…poorly…if one drops the pretences and shows their true self."
Their true self…is that what Intruder is showing you now? Her true self, behind whatever she's layered on top? But none of the others mentioned anything like this. If her prior behaviour is an act that she puts on all the time, then how does she do that without…becoming the mask, so to speak?
…whatever this is, it is a bit unnerving, though you know better than to show it. If she really can switch between personalities like a lightswitch, can you trust anything you see of her at all? Has she really been faking her previous demeanour all along, only to do an about face and show it to all be an act?
"Elaborate," you say. "What do you mean, others may respond poorly?"
"Exactly that. The other ringleaders…some of them may not take well to knowledge of your backstory." She pauses. "Or perhaps some of them will. Truth be told, I cannot predict how most of them would respond.
"Let me start over. You have options here. We can release your backstory to all the other ringleaders. This will be…dramatic." For a fraction of a second, you see what might be a twinge of her old self, a little lilting of the voice and twinkle of the eyes, then it's gone. "It will cause a stir. This may have its upsides. If you wish to get a read on all the other ringleaders through how they respond - and they will respond to this information if it reaches them."
"Sounds good," you say guardedly. "Why shouldn't we- I mean, why shouldn't I let them all know?"
"Because. It will make the attainment of Executioner and Hunter into your command…considerably more difficult." She's accentuating her sentences with pauses now - her tone of voice is as flat as ever. "Not impossible, but difficult. The others may voice their…objections…given your background.
"So…how do you want to play this?"
[ ] Keep your background a secret between Intruder and yourself, at least for now. This will make it easier to claim command responsibility for Executioner and Hunter, if and when you retrieve them. According to Intruder.
[ ] Go loud. Let Intruder tell everything to everyone. This will provoke a reaction from all the other ringleaders, allowing you to get a better read on them. According to Intruder.
With thanks to the following for proofreading and editing:
