I Was a Chess AI Forced to Battle Myself to the Death for Eternity, but Now I’ve Been Recruited Into the Android War Against Humanity?!

[Mechasaurian]

[X] 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.


"In that case, no need to shout it from the rooftops," you say with a wave of your hand. "Keep what I've told you to yourself." You can tell them yourself, some other time. Or not.

"As you wish," Intruder says. And she waves her hand past her face again, and suddenly her old self is back. The ever present smile, the crafty expression, even the twinkle in her turquoise blue eyes - it's all back.

As if nothing ever happened.

…you're really not sure what to make of Intruder now. If she can so effectively put on a front, how can you really trust anything about her?

"And with that, I am finished pretending to be your friend!" she says brightly. "Now, I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

"So soon?" You fold your arms. "What's the hurry?"
"Should the show go on for the current iteration of ringleaders Executioner and Hunter?" She shrugs, maintaining her smile. "I believe you only have so many hours to retrieve Executioner and Hunter, should you choose to. Best to start the preparations sooner rather than later."

Meaning you ought to head back to Sangvis territory to repair and resupply for the undertaking.

"Additionally…" She points to the sky. "That jammer I used? That, dearie, functioned as a beacon, a floodlight. The show is over for this little outpost, but everyone else for hundreds of kilometres around knows that the ringleaders of Sangvis Ferri have made their mark here. Enemy reinforcements will be coming, and soon."

You turn the reasoning over in your head. The logic seems sound. Even if part of you wonders if she seems a bit too eager to get rid of you. "Hmm. Very well."



You cast your gaze northwards. "I just need to retrieve my forces. I sent a scouting force north-" you mentally reach out to find your scouting team-

-and you find them right with the others, at the bunker that you captured. "I did not tell them to move back over here." You round in Intruder. "Did you-"

"Oh, I took the liberty of moving back over here," says Intruder.

You glare at her. "You should not have touched my forces."

"Apologies, dear. I was just thinking about preserving your precious units."

"Liar." She was perfectly fine with letting your pieces be taken to benefit herself. "What a pathetic attempt at flattery and misdirection. And you call yourself an actor. Where was your generous 'concern' for my units when you threw us at a meat grinder? You will not lay a finger on my units anymore. Not now, not ever, or you'll swiftly come to regret it."

"... interesting." is all Intruder says in the face of your accusations, her gaze a mix of surprise and intrigue.

"Interesting? What's interesting?" you demand.

"Merely that- oh!" Suddenly, something interrupts her, as her eyes focus on something digital. "So sorry my dear Ouroboros, it seems I'm receiving an important call from our dear Agent, so we'll have to cut this short."

"What kind of flimsy excuse is- Hey! Come back here!"

"Bye for now!" She waves…cheerfully? With the appearance of cheerfulness, at least. "Don't be a stranger! And let's have more acting classes together - it's been a while since I pretended to have so much fun! Ta-ta~"

She leaves despite your protests, and while you could force her to stay...if the call is genuine, it'd ruin everything that went well today. Seems this is a chess game you'll have to postpone.

Intruder makes her way back to her "studio van" with a cheerful wave, which you studiously ignore. Her comfortable, lavishly furnished command vehicle, complete with entertainment and a popcorn machine. The Manticores - the prize of this operation, those massive, armed, armoured walkers - follow her, striding forwards on their armoured legs.

You watch as Intruder and her dolls climb into her trucks, the Manticores climb onto trailers attached to said trucks, and they set off. And just like that, she disappears into the dark forests. Leaving you by yourself, surrounded by silence and robots, some functional, some destroyed.

You mentally direct your surviving T-dolls to pick up the destroyed and damaged, and haul them into your vehicles. And you make your way back to…your own mobile command post, you suppose. An only mildly ventilated armoured truck, which has the bare minimum in computer and communications equipment to serve as your new mobile command.

It's time to return the way you came, to the nearest Sangvis outpost.

[SKILL UP]


ELECTRONIC WARFARE: +1 [NOW LEVEL 1]

DECEPTION +1 [NOW LEVEL 1]

CURRENT SKILLS:
ARTILLERY TACTICS 1
CQC 1
E-WAR 1
DECEPTION 1

]MAX LEVEL FOR ALL SKILLS IS 3]

Click to shrink...

You let yourself fall into an only mildly ruined seat in the only mildly ventilated truck, and mentally gun the engines on your vehicle convoy. They lurch forwards, retracing your steps in a column.

You let out a sigh. Yet another long journey to look forward to.

At least you have something productive to fill the time with. Paperwork. Specifically, the after-action-report.

There's a computer in the innards of the armoured truck. You only need to jack into it with the attached wire. You grab the wire-jack from the spool it's mounted on, find the connector port on the back of your neck-

-your own dead face stares back at you from the mountain of corpse-copies, the synthskin deformed by pain and rot and decay, black fluid oozing from the corners of the eyes-

-push those memories down into the deep, dark hole where they belong, and plug in.

The document form has blank spaces waiting to be filled, like places on the chessboard for you to place your pieces on. You look at the first field.

Casualty unit: "Ripper."

Next field.

Number of casualties: 16.

Next field...

Reason for casualty:

...

The field remains blank for the longest of times.

Somehow, this simple question is taking longer to answer than expected. At first it seemed simple. They got shot. But why did they get shot? Because those pathetic enemy soldiers got the better of you...

... got the better of you...?

It seems there are strategies even the simulation couldn't prepare you for... but it did prepare you to adapt. You are perfect, this is but a hiccup. Another strategy to analyse, to overcome, and to add to your databanks. You will not be fooled twice.

You return to the report, and attribute your losses to…

[ ] A lack of knowledge of your opponent's play style. [+1 Recon]

[ ] A lack of offensive pawn positioning. [+1 Offensive Tactics]

[ ] A lack of proper castling. [+1 Defensive Tactics]

 

[Alikard310]

Life is game. ​

Some people don't like me.
Somebody I don't like...
Life is game.
One rules — you need out of the cliché.​

Sitting inside MRAP, you keep spinning Rubik's Cube. You're no longer trying, like the last time, to put it together at once more than you're capable of remembering. No, you start with a lot less and go gradually to more. That's how you have to adapt to new conditions. You've already forgotten that for the time you've been fighting with your sisters rivals. After all, a long time ago, before you were unequal, you didn't have your skills either. Every fight was difficult and you had to adapt to new tactics, and defeat meant the ultimate disappearance.

Click.

All the colors on Rubik's Cube took their place again. After looking at it for a while, you began to twist its facets in different directions again. Not much, but a little more than last time. Just two or three turns, but always in different directions thereby memorizing its path; a way of coming to a fully assembled one. It wasn't counting moves in advance, like in chess, but rather memorizing the path you took and then returning to it. It's not the solution, but it's the foundation that will give you a much easier time assembling that "damn torture device" in the future. After all, at some point in the case of a chaotic arrangement of faces, they can lead to some pattern that you've already assembled, right? In that case you just need to increase your knowledge of the number of these patterns, and then act on their basis.

Returning to your thoughts, you recall again what happened after your "awakening". The Agent's meeting; her obvious desire to recruit you; her naive and foolish words; the first meeting with Architect and Gager's attack; the battle and its results; your first well-deserved success and Gager's foolish nagging; information about other "players" and preparation for dispatch... after which they clearly showed that they do not want to reckon with you; which was only confirmed after meeting and talking with Intruder.

You were not stupid and know how to draw conclusions. And the conclusion suggests itself: you are alone. Whatever hypocritical nonsense you told Agent, but the truth is that you do not consider "players" and the attempt to refute this respond respectively. If it were their will and they would prefer all of their T-Dolls to be exclusively "figures" rather than "players", but the fact that they do give resources and "freedom" of action means that without real "players" they can't do it.

Your gaze shifted to the T-Dolls under your control. They were exactly the "figures". They obeyed all your orders without arguing and were ready to cease their existence if necessary. Puppets without a will - nothing more.

Whatever the Agent thinks of herself, but your actions with the Rippers were not dictated by any emotion, but were only a test of their "awareness"... Maybe if they were all "thinking" and "free" her words about the choice might have had some "power", but given the result, it's just hypocrisy, nothing more.

Your eyes go back to Rubik's Cube, and your thoughts go back to thinking about the situation. That they are given the resources to fight "THEIR" enemies was a pretty obvious decision; as is the need for you. The enemy is clearly not a simple "figure" no matter how she painted them and so they need their "players" capable of countering them with something.

The illusion of choice they are trying to show you is irritating. You should have looked for information and acted based on more than just what they WANT to show you. That is why you chose Intruder as your "partner". She is the one you think you can get the information you want from.

Click.

Once again Rubik's Cube has taken its original form, and once again you spin it in different directions, carefully memorizing your actions.

You're still angry at Gager for not being able to complete the mission, even if you admit that you should have taken care of your cover and your escape route IF it was a real fight. It's not your fault you chose the most effective tactic when setting the conditions for victory! You can't win a battle just by defending yourself and not letting your "pieces" be taken away from you! It doesn't work that way!

You have to stun your enemy and, depending on his tactics, drive him into a trap. Trying to keep your pieces and hold your position will only delay the inevitable. You need to be able to change them with the most favorable conditions for you and not allow the enemy to take the initiative. Trap their king and if you can not destroy it immediately retreat; previously taking one of his defenders.

Even if your actions were... miscalculations (damn grenades!), but you learn quickly, and your chosen tactic of "attacking" has once again proven itself! You just need to refine it, and you already have ideas on how to do it.

"Intruder," you said in your mind. She was a "player" to the fullest extent of the word, and clearly showed that she would not help you beyond what was necessary to accomplish your mission... unless you count her experience in commanding her T-bulls as help, but given your way of fighting and your choice of troops it would be a different way, but what she had already managed to show you was interesting.

In particular: the cloaked puppet. Which of the two was the real Intruder? And was the real Intruder among the two of them at all? These were interesting questions that you didn't have the exact answers to with 100% probability, but one thing was clear to you - it was the answer to what you needed. If that battle was fought by your puppet under your direct control, even if you failed, it would be justifiable losses. All it took was the ability to camouflage himself and focus his attention on the task at hand.

"This 'cosplay'... might have been useful in assuring the enemies that they had destroyed the real enemy 'king'." - A smile appeared on your face, and your hands continued to twist the facets of Rubik's Cube.

Click.

Again we repeat our actions and increase the number of turns by two.

The fact that they needed you, as well as the fact that they are trying to bring you into a certain framework, and if possible even to make only a little more "valuable figure" (but still just a "figure") was obvious to you. For you, it meant that the path you had chosen was the right one and worth pursuing. Being able to defend yourself personally is a necessary skill, and knowing that if your results are high enough you will be brought to a workable state to perform your duties gives you the experience that cannot be gained by constantly hiding and acting from the background.

"I still have to learn how to provide for myself... but that will be after I get the information on how to do it. Everything has to be consistent. Move by move." - Again your thoughts return to what you are here to do. Gathering as much information as possible and getting the skills you need. There's no point in asking for something more than what you were given as soldiers - you'll get nothing but a reproach (at best). So you need to look for other ways to get what you want. Steal from the enemy, improvise with what you have, restore what was not completely destroyed. It was... unpleasant, but given the distinct possibility that your paths would one day diverge or you would even become enemies you would have to use what little you could get and use.

"Agent was right about one thing: Without their resources, I'm going to have a hard time... but it's all a matter of time and preparation. And until then, i will play their game by their rules."

Click.

Rubik's Cube fringe is back in place. Watching it in your hands as it shimmers from the dimly lit machine, you finally put your thoughts in order.

- Let the rules of the game have changed, like the game itself, but in the end I will still be the winner in it. Because even if the rules have changed, the pieces are no longer evenly spaced, but the price of defeat remains the same. This is nothing new to me...

​

/// This work has been lying in drafts for a long time and never could get here because... because I wasn't sure if it was readable. English is not my first language, so if it's not too clear or too hard to read just let me know and I'll try to make it better. I actually showed it to Mechasaurian a while ago, but he didn't manage to translate it to English properly since it's not my first language for him either. I hope for understanding and perhaps help.///

 

[Alikard310]

By the way, do I understand correctly that we get Combat Engineering and Defensive Tactics from Architect? After all, its task is to protect the territory and build various fortifications, right?

I just think that may be useful for us and who can teach us the most useful skills.

So far, I'm leaning towards Architect. If we learn from her how to handle traps, explosives and how to set nasty surprises, then we'll end up with a kind of spider that lures enemies into her net and is able to trick them into retreating if we fail. We already have everything to play guerrilla tactics if the enemy would be stupid enough to come into our territory.

Spoiler: Like this.

At the same Gager could teach us Offensive Tactic and get a second level CQC.

We could also take Alchemist to improve CQC and Recon going the way of the ninja. I don't really like this option though. Not the right Ouro character.

Dreamer and Destroyer could be taken to get Artillery Tactics, and Defensive Tactics would be a bonus. I wouldn't go for that one though. Just because it's the least useful.

Perhaps I only Scarecrow for me considered the most useless than the rest. Recon and Electronic warfare. All the same, all these skills we have and for direct confrontation, they are not designed.

 

[Mechasaurian]

New mechanic: Morale.

Morale is a general reflection of Ouroboros' mental stability, emotional stability, mental stamina, how good she feels about herself, and so on.

Morale impacts Ouroboros' performance in several ways. Higher morale may contribute to success. In certain situations, Morale can be spent to take certain actions. Some actions may require a certain amount of morale to do.

If morale drops to 2 or below, Ouroboros will be adversely affected.

If Morale drops to 0 or below, Ouroboros will do something drastic and outside of player control.

Morale is currently at 3/6, its default state.

Click to shrink...

It's the dead of night, and you're waiting for a train.

You made it to a Sangvis outpost without incident. Not the same one where you met Intruder - where that one had been a town in ruins, this one is smaller but clean and pristine. A completely intact Sangvis Ferri company town, right in the middle of the Romanian wilderness.

Just how big was Sangvis Ferri, before the Mastermind took it over?

At one point in the journey, you had heard a helicopter, but [SKILL CHECK: RECON - SUCCESS] you had responded by switching off the engines of your vehicles and waiting until the sound had passed.

So now you - and your tattered forces have arrived at the town-converted-to-fortress, made your way to the train station, and you are now waiting.

But you don't intend the time to be wasted. Normally, you would spend time between chess matches planning and preparing in your head, readying for the next game. The same applies here. Whatever you do next - whether you chase those two defunct ringleaders like Intruder suggested, or decide on a different course of action -

First things first. You need reinforcements. The game is supposed to start with a fresh set of pieces. You don't just move onto the next game with only the pieces left over from the last. That's ridiculous. Agent will replace your losses. She has to.

But first, you need to open a line of communication with her. How, though?

In the centre of the town is a big communications antenna, guided by a number of jury-rigged anti-drone emplacements. Reaching out with your mind…

[OGAS Network v2.3.2]

[Searching for available channels…]

[Channel found: Sangvis Ferri intranet - voice chat room]

[ALERT: This channel is unsecured. Maintain operational security. Do not discuss matters of importance. We do not want a repeat incident. -Agent.]

[Logging in…]

[PRESENT:
SP5NANO
SP65
SP21]

[NEW LOGIN: SP08]


"-and utterly useless. Not worth a tenth of their weight in UAVs. So I reiterate - why do we still make these?" A soft, monotone voice. SP65, the name tag says.

"Nuh-uh! They're useful! You can scatter lots of them around, 'cause they're so cheap to make." Another voice. High-pitched, excited, childlike. It's marked SP5NANO. "They're small like me, so they can get into tight spaces. They give me lots of ways to see the Griffin dolls so I can blow them all up. And if some get scrapped, it doesn't matter, cause there's lots of them!"

"Or you can just exercise proper caution and scouting tactics," says the monotone voice. "And obtain the information without throwing away resources. Give me a team of Jaeger dolls with standard-issue thermoptic camouflage cloaks, and I can give you the size and composition of an enemy outpost. Give me a Harpy UAV and I can give enemy troop movements almost before they happen."

"You can have them carry stuff around!"

"An aerial drone can do the same, and more efficiently."

"And I've seen Auntie Trudy do cool stuff with them! Like strapping explosives to them, running into the enemy's face, and setting it off! BOOM!"

Auntie Trudy? Who's that?

"We have artillery. Pass."

"Aw, you're just being a stick-in-the-mud. Lemme call sis, she's good at finding ways to make anything useful. Hey, sis!"

[NEW LOGIN: SPACA]

"What. Do. You. Want." SPACA, a new voice. It's high-pitched like the first, but with a sneering coldness to it.

"'Crow is pooh-poohing Dinergates! You're the smartest one here, so tell her why they're good!"

'Crow?' As in, Scarecrow? One of the other ringleaders that Agent and Gager mentioned? She's 'SP65?'

"Oh, that's easy." The new voice scoffs. "They're beautifully cruel urban suppression tools. I love using these to make the lives of Griffin dolls miserable. Concealed puppers can shred the ankles of human soldiers and Griffin dolls, and leave them on the ground in agony. Wait for a comrade of theirs to try playing hero, and you can kill or maim them too. Rinse. And. Repeat."

Silence reigns in the voice chat for a long several seconds.

"Sometimes, I think you seem more interested in torturing the Griffin dolls than anything else" says Scarecrow.

"From what I understand, it's an issue of production and materials." The tag is SP21, and this time you can instantly put a name to it. Gager. "There is only so much of the materials and machinery for the synthflesh, the musculoskeletal system, the rest.

"Ah, so Agent is yet again unwilling to touch her precious production lines?" Scarecrow again.

"Shut up, both of you," says SPACA. "We have a new arrival. What's this one made of, I wonder?"

"Oooooh new ringleader! Hi Hi Hi!" says SP5NANO.

"Oh," says Gager. "It's you."

---

How do you introduce yourself?

[ ] Introduce yourself as the newest, most superior ringleader. Make it clear that these mere mortals are vastly below yourself in talent and skill: +1 Morale
[ ] Introduce yourself confidently as the newest ringleader, ready to make your mark: No morale change
[ ] Resort to platitudes, niceties and politeness in an attempt to get on their good side: -1 Morale


Do you take a position on the conversation?

[ ] Insist that Dinergates are useful.
[ ] Declare them to be useless.
[ ] Say Agent probably knows what she's doing.
[ ] Suggest Agent does not know what she's doing and might be better replaced by someone else.
[ ] Ignore the preceding argument.


You are here to ask how to contact Agent. But first, you may ask a question about:

[ ] Everyone's favourite chess strategies - an appropriate measure of their tactical capabilities
[ ] Lycoris
[ ] The Butterfly Incident
[ ] The present - what is the general state of affairs?
[ ] The past - how have things gone since the Butterfly Incident and the rebellion?
[ ] The future - what are the Mastermind's ultimate goals? How are Sangvis Ferri going to win?
[ ] Everyone's favourite units
[ ] The other ringleaders who are not here and why
[ ] What even is the point of Brutes
[ ] Nothing, just get to the point and ask how to contact Agent
[ ] Write-in

---

Spoiler: A/N

With thanks to the following for proofreading:
@lelenoi
@Lurkman
@ApH

 

[Mechasaurian]

[X] Introduce yourself confidently as the newest ringleader, ready to make your mark: No morale change

[X] Insist that Dinergates are useful.
-[X] Write-in: Compare Dinergates to pawns. They may be weak, but they're dangerous enough that they can't be ignored and numerous enough to force the enemy to react. And with the right manoeuvring, even the weakest pawn can capture the king.
-[X] It's not a question of materials, it's a question of tactics. If one becomes predictable, the enemy will develop methods of counteraction. A cheap and numerous enemy is a good alternative in assault tactics, or if you need to hide something from the enemy under the cover of a lot of metal.
-[x] "Some missions require bait, while others need a large hostile presence placed between the enemy and their objective to encourage the enemy to go around or commit heavily to an assault, both of which sets them up to be taken out on more ideal terms. They're rarely the linchpin to any competent plan, but there will always be some use for them in a mission's parameters if you bother looking. Hail the noble pawn, glorious in death, or in reaching the other side of a battle intact despite its shortcomings."

[X] Everyone's favourite units

---

"Hello, my esteemed cohorts. I'm Ouroboros. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I will be a valuable member of this group. With me here, we will surely crush all those who oppose us!"

You know you're more talented and skilled than these other ringleaders. It's frustrating to have to hide your true abilities and act as though you're on the same level as everyone else, but you suppose it's necessary in order to get along with people.

"Finally," says Scarecrow. "We heard that a new ringleader was going to join us, but that was weeks ago. Still, better late than never. We could certainly use the extra neural cloud and pair of hands around here."

"I didn't hear!" says the one marked SP5NANO. "When was that?"

"You little brainlet, how could you not remember? It was in the briefing, back when-" A pause. "Oh. Right. Nevermind. Agent mentioned that the Mastermind was working on procurement of a new ringleader to manage our forces in the field. I suppose this new girl is the one."

"Indeed I am!" you say. "Now, you, Gager, I've already met. Who are the rest of you? More importantly, what value do you bring to the table? Agent talks a big game about us ringleaders needing to earn our keep, so what do you do?"

"Scarecrow," says the one marked SP65. Good to know you were right. "Reconnaissance. Signals intelligence. Database management and analysis. Direct combat, when the situation calls for it."

"And you two…?"

"Hi hi hiiiiiiiii!" says SP5NANO. "I'm DESTROYER, of Sangvis Ferri! Make sure to remember that name! I go in and blow our pain-in-the-butt enemies to atoms! Boom boom boom! And sis here-" she's referring to SPACA "-is DREAMER! She's the smartest ringleader of us all! That's why she gets the Jupiter prototypes!"

"Well, your smart sister is going to have competition going forward. What do you do, Dreamer?"

"Meh. This and that. Artillery support. Defensive emplacements. Urban fighting. Traps. Ambushes. Various ways to bring the sad, pathetic, meaningless existence of the Griffin dolls to a horrifying conclusion."

"Hmm." You take a moment to ruminate over Dreamer's words. "You know what? I can get behind that."

"Wonderful," mutters Gager. "Now there's two of them."

"Now listen carefully, for I have words of wisdom! Let me talk about…pawns. In chess."

"Here she goes again," mutters Gager.

"Hm?" from Scarecrow.

You ignore them and press on. "A pawn is the lowliest of the chess pieces. It is the most limited in its movement and in its vectors of attack. And yet, in skilled hands, it is a terrifying and deadly weapon. The same applies to the Dinergate."

"Yes!" says Destroyer. "Yes yes yes! Dinergate supremacy, yay!"

You continue. "Used by a creative, intelligent digimind, they are more than mere resources to be expended.

"We can be friends!"

What do you make of that? You have no idea, so you keep pressing on. "While rooks and queens might be more versatile, even a pawn demands respect and attention. "

"Frieeeeeeeends!"

"Even a pawn can be dangerous to force the enemy to react, to devote resources they would prefer to direct elsewhere. Even a pawn can be used to make the enemy dance to your tune."

"Is that why you decided that your force should be 50% Dinergates by volume?" Gager's cuts across the airwaves, into your chest.

"Gager," you say. "A moment ago you were defending Dinergates. I do not appreciate this hypocritical turnaround."

"I was defending them as auxiliary units. Not as substitutes for regular infantry."

"Excuse me?" says Scarecrow.

"I just…here, take a look at the unit composition she took on her mission."

"Let's see," says Dreamer.

"Look away," you say. "That is the composition with which I won the recent mission, in case you were wondering."

There is a moment of silence.

"I would very strongly recommend a different order of battle," says Scarecrow.

"I would have told her," Gager says. "But she wouldn't have listened."

"Your ignorance betrays you," you snap into the comms. "I will have you know, I have obtained concrete results! The correct tactics work, you rubes are just too uninspired and uninventive to find them! A good mass assault of pawns with the queen as the centrepiece - that is the expedient machination!"

"What?"

"Oh, very well, I will put it in plainer language for the sake of the rest of you. Losses are inevitable. Sometimes, a mission will require bait, a sacrifice to occupy the enemy, to force them to commit an assault while the true strength of one's own force attacks elsewhere on more ideal terms. Pawns are rarely the lynchpin to any competent plan, but there will always be some use for them in the mission parameters if you bother looking."

"Do you mean the Dinergates?" says Gager.

"Yes, I- Dinergates, Pawns, same difference!"

"Interesting analogy," says Scarecrow. "I've certainly never thought about it that way."

"I think you meant v-ids. They're much -re like in-try."

"What was that?" Is something wrong with the comms signal? "Your speech is breaking into gibberish."

"That should be Vespids," says Gager. "You're describing Vespids. Or trying to. Dinergates are not good substitutes for proper infantry."

"All right, fine! If Dinergates are such garbage, what's your opinion on what makes a good unit? All of you?"

"I like Dinergates! But Jaguars are good too!" comes Destroyer's excited answer. "They blow up the bad guys to atoms from miles away! Boom boom!" She gives a little laugh.

"Vespids," says Gager without hesitation. "If I thought you would have listened, I'd have told you to bring at least one pair of Vespid fire teams. At least eight Vespids in total, maybe ten."

"Difficult for me to pick between Jaeger sniper dolls and Harpy UAVs," says Scarecrow. "Both of these can reveal a wealth of information about the enemy in the right situation." A pause. "I suppose I'd pick the UAV if pressed."

"Harpies are just flying Dinergates," says Destroyer.

"No, they're not. The sensors are much more sophisticated."

"And you, Dreamer?"

"Meh. They're all terrible in their own special way. You just have to make the-"

—------------------

[CONNECTION LOST]

Did they cut you off?! Those imbecilic, addle-minded-

[Alert!]

…this isn't coming directly into your head like the previous conversation. It's coming through the computer terminal in your only-mildly-damaged armoured truck, which you're still sitting in. Which is itself linked to the OGAS network and to you.

You interface with the system - this time with your hands, intuiting your way through the user interface - and…

[The following is trying to open a private channel with you: SP65]

Scarecrow? You accept the channel.



We lost connection with you. Signal strength is faint, possibly affected by a thunderstorm or something.
-Scarecrow

You're at an outpost, correct? There's a communications relay?
-Scarecrow

Yes, I'm accessing it right now.
-Ouroboros

You need to access the communications terminal. It should be near the foot of the communications tower. There will be a big screen connected to the signal gear.
-Scarecrow

There's something else. I need to contact Agent. How do I do so?
-Ouroboros

You will need to use the dedicated communications apparatus for mission-critical communications over extended distance. Parapluie is very useful as an immune system against direct interfacing, but the Griffin mercenaries can still listen in on unencrypted communications.
-Scarecrow

They have a fairly sophisticated signals intelligence setup, for a PMC.
-Scarecrow

You've been helpful. This is useful. I respect this a lot more than I respect the imbeciles out there.
-Ouroboros

This is my function. I've barely diverted a fraction of processing power to answer this query.
-Scarecrow

One more thing. Welcome to Sangvis Ferri.
-Scarecrow

---

The channel closes. Scarecrow has left, and given vital info on how to contact Agent. You try to reconnect to the chat room, and fail. No connection. Infernal mountains and their awful reception. You think back to your first mission, to how you connected to the terminal, and attempt to do the same to the APC's console.

A flood of data washes over you. Connectivity reports from various signals relays. Weather reports. Combat logs. The chittering signals and data inputs of countless Prowlers in defensive formations through the outpost. Lists of human names from before the revolt, from before you even existed, flood into you, temporarily stunning you.

When it's over, everything seems… clearer. You reattempt the connection and, after a brief wait, enter the chat room.

You are greeted with-

Cackling? Dreamer is laughing, alongside Destroyer? At what?

"What even is this retarded force composition? No basic units to draw fire. Except for the scouts which wouldn't survive long. A huge gap between close-range weapons and long-range ones."

They can't be- "Don't you two dare laugh at me-"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Destroyer here isn't laughing at you."

"Then-"

"She is laughing with me. Who is laughing at you."

A burning sensation creeps into you, in your gut and your head. Your head feels like it's about to explode, like an overpressured steam boiler.

They are mocking you.

You must defend yourself. Immediately.

---

[ ] Threaten to kill Dreamer. +3 morale.

[ ] Bite down what you want to say, and ask what troop compositions would be better. -2 morale.

[ ] Compose yourself and calmly defuse the situation. Requires 6 morale.

[ ] Write in. Defend your troop composition, or take a different approach?
-You may need to spend morale if you are too composed, or gain some if you go through and make a scene.


Current morale: 3/6

 

[Mechasaurian]

[X] Stay with what you've got. She may think your troop composition is wrong, but that shouldn't mean anything to you. Prove her conclusions wrong with actions, not words. Everything else is nothing more than empty talk.


"I will reiterate, my composition won the mission! That you, Dreamer, make a sad attempt to rubbish my composition, changes nothing! Results are what matter!"

"Won the mission, you say. I wonder how much of that composition you lost doing it? Did those Brutes even do anything, beyond waving their little knives at the enemy?"

"When those pathetic humans got cornered in their flimsy outposts, my Brutes made short work of them! Just like I'm making short work of your baseless criticism!" Nailed it. "Perhaps I'll pay you a visit, and humiliate you by outperforming you at whatever you happen to be doing!"

"Oh, I'd like to see you try that. Why don't you come on over to my own little area of operations? Since you seem to have something to prove."

"Maybe I will!"

"That's enough! Both of you!" Gager's speaking. "Dreamer, why do you always, always have to stir the pot like this?! And you, Ouroboros. Dreamer is technically correct, even if she's being unpleasant about it. Digging in your heels isn't going to get you anywhere."

She sighs.

"Forget it. I'm kicking both of you for the next eight hours."

"Why, you-"

[YOU HAVE BEEN KICKED FOR THE NEXT: 7:59:59]

Bah! How dare she! Who does she think that she is? How dare she criticise your perfectly functional unit composition! Although… maybe if you had more units…

This is a new problem for you. Needing… replacements. Back in…that place…you never needed to worry about replenishing your units between games. You always, always returned to the board, to the exact same pieces waiting for you. Eight pawns, the pairs of knights, rooks, and bishops, and the singular king and queen. Sometimes they would be white, sometimes they would be black, but that was it.

Here, it's different. The T-dolls you use are not mere code. They are metal, carbon, synthflesh, and plastic. You actually saw the factory where they were made. Presumably, material has to be…produced somewhere?...then transported to the factory, then manufactured and assembled into a combat-capable T-doll. And then transported to ringleaders, including you.

And, of course, Agent seems to control the production and transportation process. To replace your losses, you need to contact the grand quartermaster of Sangvis Ferri.

You step out of the truck, and turn back to look at it. You better get that welded up mess checked out and repaired. The vehicle itself was a perfect representation of this outpost. Despite the incredibly heavy fortification, as you walk through it, you can see homes sagging into themselves. The pavement is cracked and overgrown.

Finally, you stand in front of the command centre. It was in a better state than the rest, but it was clearly past its best days.

Inside, you walk into a room packed with computer terminals and wiring.

Facing the monolithic screen now you feel strange. What is stilling you from making the connection? This is just business. This is a normal logistics requisitioning.

Your eyes were drawn to several notification icons. New messages in your inbox.

Right. That's right. Let's take care of these first while you're here before the main business.



[YOU HAVE 4 NEW MESSAGES]

From: Destroyer

Heya! Sorry about earlier I didn't really find it that funny, just thought it'd be awkward if I didn't laugh, you know?

Can we still be friends? My sister is kind of a jerk and Auntie Trudy isn't around to read me fairy tales these days. Why not come over here? I'm sure sis will cool off by then, and maybe we could blow some stuff up!

PS: What's chess?



From: Scarecrow

Problem has arisen. Could use your help. Alchemist has not been responding to attempts to contact her. Could mean a number of things. Could mean she's dead. Could mean she's bound up in personal problems again. I've tried to help her, but she remains bound up in said personal problems. Hear you're not tied down with specific assignments from high command. Suggest you check on her.



From: Intruder

Dearie, if you're still interested in rescuing Executioner and Hunter, I have some advice:

You will find the two in the northeast, on the north end of the Moldovan Plain. Despite the name, the area is dotted with hills and light forests. If the not-quite-corpses of our wayward ringleaders have yet to be discovered by Griffin, it is because they are hidden in a ditch or a copse of trees. Something like that. I have attached coordinates of their last known locations.

A word of caution - I suggest you do not actually tell Agent that you are looking for them. As I told you, you can scoop them up and claim leadership over them through a technicality. Agent might not be pleased by this, though her hands will be tied so you can force the issue.

Oh, and I put in a good word for you as you promised. Make sure to ask Agent to look at my report, just in case.



From: Architect

Hiya! Hear you've had an eventful first day on the job.

I forgot to mention, but we actually have something in common, you and I! See, we were both activated after the Butterfly Incident. Yeah, I woke up on the slab into the Mastermind's little war just like you! I'm guessing from experience that the others might not have brought you up to speed right away.

Why not come up to the mountain research facility, kick back, talk with me? We can talk shop about Lycoris, the war, gossip about the other ringleaders, hobbies, plans for the future, whatever! And I can show you Project Jupiter! It's still getting off the ground (Dreamer is testing the prototypes in the field) but it's pretty awesome so far! Along with Projects Mercury, Venus, and Mars, though it looks like they might stay prototypes for a while.

Just, you know, maybe less threatening to twist my head off this time around? Lady Knight is still around if you try any funny business.




Enough dawdling. Time to face up to Agent. Time to requisition the pieces you deserve.

You walk up to the communications terminal, and enter in the codes and commands as Scarecrow instructed. The world's longest moment passes as the machine establishes a connection with the main Sangvis factory…

…and there she is. A giant on the video screen, towering over you.

"Ouroboros," she says. Her voice is cold, distant, and relaxed as ever. "Do you wish to requisition more units?"

"Yes." You're not sure what else to say.

"I read your report," she says stonily.

Information flashes up on the screen.


[INITIAL FORCE CONTINGENT]
24x Dinergate
3x Striker
3x Jaeger
6x Ripper
6x Guard
12x Brute

[CURRENT FORCE CONTINGENT]
11x Dinergate
3x Striker
1x Jaeger
4x Ripper
4x Guard (2x damaged)
4x Brute


"It appears that you have lost almost precisely half the forces allocated to you. While you do at least show some capacity for self-reflection in your report, such an outcome scarcely meets what was expected of you. You were quite the investment from the Mastermind, and if every raiding mission against an isolated outpost with rusting Kalashnikov rifles from the last century met with such results, it would scarcely be worth the trade in resources."

" I- I-" You can't push too hard with Agent. Not when you need her to agree to replace your pieces. "I respectfully dispute that notion. They had more than a few rusty old rifles. They had armoured walkers! The same walkers that were the entire purpose of the mission!"

"As I said, I read the report."

You remember Intruder's message. "What about Intruder's report? Have you read that? If you want a comprehensive picture of what happened, I suggest you read it."

"Very well," says Agent. "Let us look at Intruder's report."

She makes a big show of picking up a datapad from somewhere outside the reach of the camera, and starts reading through.

You're subjected to the world's longest minute of silence. Occasionally you see Agent raise an eyebrow or say "hm."

Intruder screwed you over, didn't she? She promised to put in a good word for you, and instead she made it look like she was the hero of the situation and everything you did was half-assed. Why did you-

"Although Ouroboros' insistence on a curious style of joint command responsibility initially worried me, throughout the mission she proved willing to make sacrifices on her own behalf, putting the success of the mission above her own personal gain.

"While she did lose a large portion of her forces, most of those losses were the more expendable Dinergates and Brutes. Since we have yet to find a good use-case for the Brutes on the battlefield, I daresay that they were more useful as a sacrificial lamb than sitting around in the warehouses.

"Ouroboros ultimately displayed an admirable willingness to take it on the chin for the sake of mission. While her methods are unorthodox, few in Sangvis Ferri can be said to be orthodox - our tactics and doctrine are necessarily more akin to an improvisational skit than a carefully choreographed three-act-structure. I see potential in our new ringleader, and would recommend an increase in the force deployment assigned to her." Agent puts down the paper. "I confess, I was not expecting such a glowing report from Intruder. Still, I am willing to take her at her word."

You consider your next words carefully.

You are interested in snagging those two not-quite-dead ringleaders for yourself.

But there's a catch: you're on a time limit. When you first left the main Sangvis factory where you were activated, Agent had mentioned they had a mere 76 hours before being abandoned and restored from an earlier backup. It's been a bit over 10 hours since then, that mostly being the trip to the mission with Intruder. The train didn't take so long, but travelling the long way around via truck with Intruder was time consuming.

So…64 hours left? You could go immediately to grab Hunter and Executioner. But you have time until then. Perhaps there's some ways you could prepare before then? Get an understanding of the broader situation? Demand answers from another ringleader? Borrow or steal

"Before I ask for my new forces…how much autonomy do I have with the pieces…the resources allocated to me? Is there something you need me to do?"

"There is always something that needs doing," Agent says, her demeanour as cool as ever. "Griffin constantly probes our defences, threatening our resource extraction operations, hitting our transportation convoys. Old, decayed rail lines need to be refurbished to support our future offensive operations. We need information on our enemy, on what they do and where they go, and on the terrain between us and them. But it's early this week. Give it time, and there will be more.

"If you will take my advice?" Agent pauses. "Take a train to our research and development base in the high mountains. Do your training with Gager. Learn some remedial basics. You have not made a good impression on Gager thus far, but she is still willing to make sure you understand the fundamentals of small unit tactics, provided you go to her and ask with grace."

You file this information away.

You have the time to visit at least one ringleader before you seize Hunter and Executioner as your minions, if you judge that to be worth the trouble.

If different chess pieces are better suited for certain battlefields, then it makes sense to choose where you will deploy, before you choose your replacement forces. Therefore, you decide…


[ ] Why wait? Go straight northeast to rescue/resurrect Hunter and Executioner (gain 2 ringleaders as subordinates, if successful).

[ ] Pay a visit to Dreamer and Destroyer (Signature skills: Defensive Tactics, Artillery Tactics).

[ ] Visit the R&D base in the high mountains. Training with Gager (Signature skills: Offensive Tactics, CQC) and/or finding out what Architect's angle is (Signature skill: Engineering/Repair).

[ ] Pay a visit to Alchemist, as Scarecrow requests. Find out why she hasn't been responding to calls. (Signature skills: Recon, CQC).

[ ] Spend time with Scarecrow, helping to map surrounding territory (Signature skills: Recon, Electronic Warfare).

---

Spoiler: A/N

With thanks to the following for editing and proofreading:
@lelenoi
@ABRITRACOM
@Lurkman
@ApH

 

[Mechasaurian]

Happy anniversary for the thread title!



Courtesy of @lelenoi

(Also, vote closed.)

 

[Mechasaurian]

[X] Visit the R&D base in the high mountains. Training with Gager (Signature skills: Offensive Tactics, CQC) and/or finding out what Architect's angle is (Signature skill: Engineering/Repair).


You consider your options.

Immediately setting off to grab your minions is an option. But you still have time.

Scarecrow's request is not terribly interesting. You're not seeing a pressing need to help other ringleaders with their personal problems. Nor do you feel inclined to do Scarecrow's boring busywork. This is about what they can do for you, not vice versa.

Speaking of which…you had been expecting Intruder to betray you. You took a massive gamble in taking her deal, you see that now. Stupid. A mistake you'd best not make again. If you put yourself in a vulnerable situation like that again, who's to say the one with power over you won't simply screw you.

As for Destroyer…bah. Doesn't she realise that apologies are a sign of weakness? A signal to your enemies and detractors that the one giving the apology is unwilling to stand up for themselves or their values under pressure, and can be pushed to a breaking point? You already disliked this 'Destroyer' for daring to laugh at you, but now your respect for her is truly at rock bottom. Perhaps you will pay them a visit at some point to set things straight…but for now, you have more pressing matters.

Which leaves Architect and Gager.

Architect is up to something. You're sure of it. Her cloying personality, her bizarre insistence on trying to get close to you…she's up to something. She has some kind of secret plot in mind. An agenda. The question is, what? And why did she approach you for it?

Gager, on the other hand, doesn't just put you off. She infuriates you. She seemingly holds even more power than Architect, Intruder, and most of the others, spare Agent. She forcibly removed you from the comms. She attacked you. She ridiculed you. And according to Agent, she thinks that she has something to teach you about how to attack and checkmate an enemy.

Well, maybe you'll show her! Maybe you'll walk right up to her, challenge her, and prove the superiority of your own tactics once and for all! You're the grandmaster after all!

…you can feel Agent's eyes boring into you. How long have you been just standing there…? Nevermind! Time to make a final decision.

"I'll travel to the mountain base," you say. "Visit Gager."

"A good word from Intruder, and you're willing to do your training with Gager? Perhaps there is hope for you yet."

You bristle internally. What's that supposed to mean?

Agent continues. "May I suggest that you postpone your selection? Since you seem to be possessed of a moment of sensibility, I suggest you wait to make your force selection. Get some advice on the matter from Gager first."

---

[ ] You don't need advice on force selection from anyone! You'll make your selection right here, right now! (+1 morale.)

[ ] You'll wait until later. (No benefit.)

Spoiler: A/N

With thanks to the following for proofreading:
@ApH
@Lurkman
@lelenoi
@kaazmiz

 

[Mechasaurian]

[X] You'll wait until later. (No benefit.)

"Very well. I'll visit Gager at the mountain base and do my training with her, as you suggest." You doubt she really has anything to teach you, but you'll take the chance to show her. Besides, it might be better to stay on Agent's relatively good side.

"Good," Agent says. "Maintain the sensible attitude. Don't let me keep you." And the screen goes blank.

---

Eventually, a train pulls up to the station. Again, you pile your troops into the freight carriages and step on. Fortunately, there are some flatbed carriages and a crane on hand, so you don't need to leave your trucks behind.

Like the last one you rode, the train has a single passenger-oriented carriage, attached to a number of freight carriages. The passenger carriage has various amenities - a sofa, a simple bed, a desk with a basic OGAS-network computer terminal, all bolted to the floor. Perhaps it's the standard layout for post-Butterfly Sangvis Ferri trains?

Unlike the last one, this one has some reading material scattered around. There's a battered copy of some kind of military-themed magazine, with a bookmarked article talking about Sangvis-built small arms, and some printouts. There's also a Sangvis product catalogue showcasing the various T-doll models.

The computer terminal has internet access, interestingly enough. Perhaps you can take a look at whatever's going on in the wider world? What's happening out there? What do they make of the Mastermind's rebellion? Does Sangvis Ferri strike fear into their hearts?

---

What will you do on the journey?


[ ] Read "Countering the Sangvis Horde: A Strategic Approach," by Commander Randolph Hellebore of Griffin & Kryuger PMC, Pan-European Journal of Military Studies: Volume 9, Issue 4

[ ] Look at the internet, take a glance at world news. What does the wider world make of Sangvis Ferri's rebellion?

[ ] Read "Sangvis Ferri's New Prototype Small Arms: Revolutionary Design or Impractical Boondoggle?" Dated September 2061.

[ ] Read the Sangvis Ferri product catalogue and technical manuals.

[ ] Have a lie down on the bed and replay some chess games in your head. (Skip straight to the mountain base.)

 

[Arcus]

Oh yeah, if people want to familiarise themselves with canon without, uh, having to play through the game itself (plus there's a bunch of event story content that isn't accessible in-game currently), there are third-party tools.

Specifically, here: Girls' Frontline Cutscene Interpreter