R3: Where is the commander?
Sveta: Hmm? Kolya? Having his operations right now, won't be available all day, I thought you knew about that
R3: Hm... Never mind then, do you know then about R1s whereabouts?
Sveta: R1s... I'm pretty sure I saw her in the shooting range, I'm pretty pretty sure I did, not 100% though
R3: Hmng... Alright, thanks again
She said before turning tail and walking towards the interior shooting range they had, with high hopes of finding R1s there, Sveta looked at how R3 quickly speed-walked to said room, a quick yet soft hum coming from wondering what happened to her but having a light suspicion just by looking how she carried a jacket on top of her own uniform.
Sveta: Hm good luck with that then R3... What was I doing... Oh right searching for Raisa
She quickly stretched out and turned tail herself to keep searching for her sister, not after long finding her in the cafeteria doing today's launch, Sveta quickly grabbed her attention with a yo and approached the counter, leaning the upper half of her body inside the kitchen to get a better look of her sister. Raisa stopped stirring the soup and stared at Sveta with a raised eyebrow.
Raisa: You need something?
Sveta: Actually yeah, ya already know about Nikolay's operations today and that he won't be able to take care of anything today and yada yada right?
Raisa: Uhm, yes I do, I informed you all of that after all... But what about it?
Sveta: Well~... Uhm you didn't specify what to do when something happens
Raisa: What no, I did, you gotta inform me of it and I will talk it wit--... with Nadya... I get you now, what the hell happened?
Sveta: We got like uh... Remember that commander? Julian, I think it was? She would like to contact Nikolay
Raisa: Well, what did you tell her? You send her away right?
Sveta: About that uh she is like at our gates ya know
Raisa left the soup alone and turned around entirely to face Sveta.
Raisa: What?
Sveta: Yeah she is like at our gates, being held off by R4 and R5 while I went to inform you
Raisa: You should have informed me through the radio then you idiot!
Said Raisa in response and quickly turned off the stoves and put the soup away she will get back to it in a second after dealing with this.
Sveta: What radio tho? You don't have any I would have contacted you long ago but you didn't pick up
Raisa looked down at herself and checked the pockets of her uniform realizing she forgot to add it to her equipment for today most probably she got enough on her plate as always when she gotta take charge for Nikolay and just forgot to bring it with her.
Raisa: Goddamn it alright you can scold me later let me go and deal with that, here keep cooking
Said Raisa giving Sveta a knife startling her immensely as she couldn't even react at that same instant as Raisa ran off.
Raisa: I leave it on ya care!
Sveta: But! But what am I supposed to cook?! I don't even know how to peel an apple!
Raisa: Just keep cooking that soup!
Said Raisa before slamming the doors close behind her, Sveta just stood there with a knife in hand as she stared at the doors, her mind now hazed with doubt, she only cooked once, and that was preparing meat, not actual grilling, smoking, or boiling. Just being a butcher.
Sveta: ... Is stew a soup?...
She muttered rubbing her chin with knife still in hand, in which her face and eyes reflected, not so long after that face holding a proud smirk.
Sveta: Imma do rabbit and veggie stew!
·····
R1s reloaded her rifle as the empty mag fell to the ground, the targets around the shooting range punctured with bullet holes, most of them hitting their mark yet it didn't feel right to her, she failed some which was already a big difference to her performance before joining Nikolay. Her hands went a bit limp just lowering down the assault rifle in her hands as her eyes stared at the closest target, with several misses that failed to hit its mark correctly, most of them in a real combat situation would have hit the shoulder and sides of the combatant even though she aimed for the heart and stomach.
R1s: ... *Gritting her teeth*
"Calibrating complete: Overall 79% accuracy"
She quickly pulled her weapon up again and slammed the button beside her to re-start the circuit, all targets dropped to the ground and started moving around from left to right, up and down from cover. Inhaling sharply her eyes bounced around with her sights setting down on the moving targets, shooting two bullets into the wooden cut-outs as they popped out instantly made them drop down and stop moving letting her set her aim into another one, it was just 27 seconds before they were all downed, the timer on the wall stopping to count and displaying her numbers "00:00:27:34".
She once again lowered her weapon and calibrated her accuracy after pressing the button one more time to pull the targets up once more to get a look at them, seconds after she angrily pulled out the empty mag and threw it into the tables in front of her.
"Calibrating complete: Overall 80% accuracy"
R1s: How can sounds affect my accuracy?!
She was feeling frustrated, really frustrated, if her over-all accuracy dropped a stunning 12% just from sounds alone what would happen if she gets hallucinations on the battlefield again?
Breathing heavily she left her rifle on top of the table and pressed the smaller button below the previously pressed one, this one simply pulled every target back to its original position and stoped the entire circuit. The doll silently looked at them, not understanding at all her bad score, even though it was easy to notice, her hands shivered lightly from the sounds she was experiencing, every bullet she heard echo from her past put tension into her body and every loud sound activated her fight or fly response throughout her body, yet her mind remained calmed almost as if her emotions, brain, and body were three separate things working alone.
The door into the range opened making the doll inside turn her head around to get a look at who just entered. Her eyes settling on one of her sisters making them go dull from the frustration they displayed before, staring blankly at the other doll.
R3: Finally found you...
R1s: What's the matter R3?
Said the sister turning around and grabbing her gun and pulling the bolt back to eject the remaining bullet if there was any at all. R3 followed R1s with her eyes but quickly distracted herself by the amazing amount of caskets on the floor almost as if someone was using a machinegun in here not an assault rifle. R3's eyes then settled on the targets punctured with bullet holes to the point they looked like sponges, one of them even hanging to its head by a small portion of wood left, just a strong wind would blow that off and leave the target decapitated.
R1s: Did the cat bite your tongue?
R3: Oh no, uh... Here
Said R3 taking out the extra jacket she wore on top of her uniform already even though the heatwave was still raging on. The jacket offered to R1s was quickly taken by the same doll, putting it on, completing back her uniform. R3 stayed silent as she stared at her sister, still as majestic looking as always but yet something still was off.
R3: I also wanted to talk to you...
R1s: About?
Said R1s reloading all the empty magazines she previously discarded. As soon as she had that done she could leave and keep avoiding things. One by one her fingers fidgeted with the bullets from the ammo box which slowly but surely started to refill her mags with the 5,56 mm as her fingers kept the swift motion of getting one bullet and pushing it down the mag with her thumb after.
R3: Uh... It's about R2... I got asked by N--
R1s: No need to keep talking
Said R1s coldly as she kept reloading the magazines, R3 got startled a bit as always from her older sister's reactions and responses but she quickly reincorporated herself and took a step forward to try and get her attention as her tone of voice raised also.
R3: No, I can't, Nikolay asked me about R2's overall behavior, I wanted to ask you if I should tell him or just refuse
R1s stopped reloading for a second, wanting to get a look at her sister as she genuinely was confused about why was she asking her this all of a sudden.
R1s: ...? Why are you even asking me about it? You should talk with R2 not me
Said R1s leaving a full mag with the rest and resting her hands on top of the table leaning a bit into it as she kept looking at R3.
R3: You may be right, but I'm asking you because you are still our leader, after all, the final saying should go to you...
R1s stare cleared from doubt and became soaked in disappointment and regret. Turning her whole body around once more to face the table and avoid eye contact with R3.
R1s: I'm not your leader... I was just a dreadful and cynical excuse of a sister that chewed too much for her little jaw to take...
She said with a surprisingly normal tone, not mockery nor seriousness behind it, just her pure and true thought. Her fingers gently took a bullet and fidgeted it into the magazine, the clipping sound being the one to interrupt such pessimistic words. R3 eyes were wide just from hearing her say that for real, not a single drop of second intentions behind it, just pure thought, which made her grit her teeth.
R3: Don't lower yourself like that...
She said with a clear tone of worry in her voice but it was also filled with anger, a small drop of anger that wanted to straighten R1s right in place and get her back on track, get her back into that shining path she was traveling not so long ago.
R1s however hearing the mutter kept her face straight, slightly turning her head around to get a side look of her sister who stared at her doubtingly.
R1s: There is a fine line between pessimism and realism R3...
She said and analyzed her reaction as she expected something to happen, she knew R3 too well to know that after following her game she will just give up and turn tail.
R3: That line shouldn't even be an option for you, where is the optimism that I saw so much before? What is the meaning behind it not being on display anymore? You are worth much more than this image you giving yourself!
She said stepping forward and trying to convince her and maintaining her anger at bay, even though R1s underappreciating herself made her want to slap back all sanity into her she decided to take a new approach remembering what happened with R5 it was clear that her anger was going to take her nowhere.
However her words ricocheted from R1s, not a single one going through, not a single change in her emotions or face, R3 kept staring at her expecting to have at least made a change in her. She just inhaled silently and looked back forward to keep reloading the magazines she used, just a tiny bit more to go before she can leave and avoid furthering this conversation longer.
R1s: ... It's gone, there wasn't optimism to being with, just the purest form of something vile as overestimation... Stop lying to yourself and others, I always had the options, and I always took them instead of making my own, besides, I'm not your leader anymore, Raven group is and was gone, FAK has fallen under its own pillars, and my privileges with it... And what if I'm your leader? I've done a horrendous job at it, what kind of captain thinks about the short term reward instead of the long term benefit, I've ignored patience and patience ignored me... Just accept it, R2 was right, I'm not worth more than an arm...
She said finishing loading a magazine, the silence from her sister part making her raise her head back again and get a side look of what she was doing, her eyes widening as she saw R3.
R3: You are an idiot...
The tears that hanged to her eyes just burst from them and rolled down her cheeks, her teeth gritting so strongly that if you paid close attention you could have heard the soft creak they produced. Before R1s could do anything however R3 rubbed one of her eyes off tears with her wrist and run off from the shooting range, leaving R1s alone who stood there paralyzed, frozen in place still with the semi-filled magazine in hand.
·····
Julian: I hate heatwaves...
Julian kept standing beside the gate, leaning on her Humvee's hood, inside the humvee her escort dolls, behind the wheel being an MP-7 model doll, tapping on the steering wheel as she waited inside the vehicle with a Super SASS model doll and a Hk33 model doll the three of them cooling themselves off with the AC at full power. Outside with Julian however a P38 model doll kept her company, also leaning on the vehicle's hood although unlike Julian she leaned on one of the sides, near one of the open doors of the vehicle.
R4 and R5 kept their SMG's still in the display, fingers near the triggers just incase even though they already know of commander Julian, both sisters kept guarding the sides of the gate, keeping a look on the vehicle as the blazing sun kept shining upon them all, the boom gate still lowered denying access to anyone into the base. The silence between them all was broken quickly however as a new figure approached the gate from the inside of the base, Raisa quickly made her presence and took deep breaths to recover some air from running around, all the people looking at her, R4 and R5 being the ones to sigh in relief as they saw her.
Raisa: Halt... *Inhale* Goddamn it... Ghm, ghm...
Julian: You... Alright?
Raisa: I am... Just give me a sec... For fucks sake...
It took her just some seconds to recompose herself but in the end, she achieved it and straightened her posture staring back at Julian who still waited to be attended.
Raisa: What do you need Julian?
Said Raisa finally getting into the meat of the situation. Julian stretched out a bit and adjusted back her commander's coat as she made a small hand movement while speaking.
Julian: Heard from one of my sources that Nikolay has been awake for a week now, I would like to meet him in person again to discuss something
Raisa: I'm sorry to inform you but Nikolay isn't available today as he is having some medical operations done on him, secondly our base is under lockdown until further notice so neither you, any other commander and even Kryuger himself are not permitted to enter the base nor its surroundings without a prior document sent to us informing of your date of arrival and reasoning behind the visit
R4: I thought we were just doing the basic protocol? That sounds awfully like the turquoise one...
Whispered R4 to her sister a bit confused about their current rules around the base.
R5: No, the basic protocol was lifted by Nadya some days before Nikolay's awakening, we are now indeed in the turquoise one, the one you referring to is referred to in the manual as the green protocol not basic...
Responded back R5 to her sister with several whispers, Raisa sighed at their confusion knowing full well that giving them just a manual about how the base should roughly operate wasn't the best of ideas while Nikolay was in a comma thus not being able explain himself with a quick briefing how the base should operate normally and under certain, more specific, circumstances.
Julian: Huh... I see sorry for my intrusion then
Raisa: No, don't worry, we had and still having a lot of logistical problems recently so we couldn't inform anyone else other than kryuger properly about this matter, however, if the information isn't as nearly important to be delivered directly to Nikolay we can let you pass and discuss it with me or Nadya
Julian: And you are...?
Raisa: Oh right I know you but you don't know me, uh, ghm, I'm Raisa, the second oldest daughter of Nikolay, also his substitute in these moments and most times when he is gone and can't attend his duties such as today Nadya is his wife, also could be considered my mother although she just feels like a little sister to me... *Sigh* If she wasn't so childish sometimes and didn't act like a brat I think I could refer to her as a mom without wanting to blow my head off...
Julian got startled by the entire narration and quickly tried to recompose herself even though her jaw was still somewhat unhinged from surprise about a certain statement that somehow ended being prioritized as more important information in her brain.
Julian: Wait a second! He's married?! That old suicidal madman?
P38: Ghm, ghm, commander Julian, please behave yourself
Julian: I... I mean sorry to hear that he's going through medical operations right now, yes, eh, may uh...
P38: May we get to have a...
Julian: May we get to have a-- ... Wait a second I'm not a child!
P38: You are acting like one Kommandantin (Commander)
Replied P38 with a sigh of tiredness, just like always when she has to babysit her commander. MP-7 muffled laugh could be heard from inside the vehicle as she rested her head against the steering wheel trying to hide her laughter.
Julian: Jeez! Alright, uh... Oh yeah, we would like to appoint a visit tomorrow morning if that's possible?
P38: I thought you wanted to talk about that right now and today
Julian: I prefer to leave the matter hanging for some hours and discuss it properly with him instead of going through several processes
P38: So you just slacking off to not have to do several reunions got it
Said P38 getting back inside the vehicle seeing they won't have a meeting today as it was planned. Julian rolled her eyes just like a teenager would when he gets scolded by her mother and looked back at Raisa.
Julian: Yeah, sorry for the show
Raisa: No worries, and rest assured I will inform him of your visit around tomorrow morning as soon as I can
Julian: Great! Well sorry for the disturbance, I will take my leave
Said the commander putting her red trenchcoat back on properly and getting inside the car, after closing the door it could be seen through the glass how Julian nudged MP-7 a bit to get her back on driving and probably to also stop laughing, which she kinda did, now with just a smile on her face she reversed the humvee out of there and they quickly started to travel back up on the main road.
R4: So her getting bullied by her dolls wasn't just a coincidence...
R5: Hmhm...
Said both sisters lowering their guns seeing they can rest a bit now that the show has ended, Raisa sighed deeply as she leaned against the boom gate and wiped out a bit of sweat from her face, not bothering much to hide herself from the sun.
Raisa: And to you two, we are not under protocol turquoise nor protocol green, we are currently in protocol cyan, and what Nadya lifted a week or two ago was not a protocol but a temporary rule for anyone on guard duty
R4: Huh...
R5: ... *Inhale*
Raisa: Yeah I know that poorly written and rough manual given out by Nadya isn't the best but please have patience while I and Nikolay try to get this base running properly
R4: No, don't worry is understandable... At least the food is good and on time every day
R5: Hmhm, that really calms the stress
Raisa: Fuck, I left Sveta in charge of cooking! Uh yeah, I try my best, well I will get going now, keep doing great at your guard shift!
She said before running away back to the main building, the two sisters just responded with an aye-aye and nodded resuming their guard duty and changing places walking a bit closer to the walls to get some shade.
·····
Alyona: Oh I see
Alisa: Yeah I know right? Also, how should I dye this lock?
Both sisters were in Alyona's dorm, the two of them talking while Alisa helped Alyona dye her hair, Alyona sitting in front of the mirror and guiding Alisa through every step of the process.
Alyona: Just do as with the other one and after that we just cover it up and let it dry
Alisa: Oooohhhhh, so that's how it works... Hmm alright, so yeah, I was saying... Hmm, ah right, that was a mess, yeah, I still need to find and somehow prank back Fang
Alyona: Hmhm, good luck with that then
Alisa: Thanks! Oh yeah, I heard also that Sveta got reprimanded into doing her yearly tests again, how did they go?
Alyona: Ah that's right, Raisa forced her into getting to me and doing them, hmm, they were okay, she is stable as always I didn't see a problem
myself and she is still fit as always for anything so we shouldn't worry
Alisa: Hoho, I wanted something more exciting, oh well... Ah it's done, do I cover it up with that plastic bag?
Alyona: Hmhm, careful with the adjusting though
Alisa: Alright, alright
Said Alisa doing as said and after finishing sitting beside her sister and looking at her expectantly.
Alisa: So how much till it dries?
Alyona: Hmm, the package said around one to one and a half hour
Alisa: Huh... Hmm, wanna watch a movie while we wait?
Alyona: Sounds fun, sure
Alisa: Hell yeah, lemme get the TV
·····
Vega: Hm... You look, horrible sister
The figure in front of her kept coughing as her skin glitched and kept switching from pale to normal to having red spots due to still feeling weak, she kept laying on the floor as the energy flux provided earlier to her to get her back on track failed to properly recharge her.
Vega: Fomalhaut we got a problem
"What is it now marble block?"
Quickly responded to her sister, her voice echoing inside Vega's mind as Fomalhaut was connected to every single one of her sisters as their little internal assistant.
Vega: Merak is having a little... Malfunction throughout her body
Said Vega still looking down at her, she almost seemed as she would implode as she squirmed in pain trying to redirect the little power that got through into her to keep her organic parts alive and not cause her to go into a catatonic state.
"That doesn't look like a 'little' malfunction to me Vega"
Said Fomalhaut connecting to her vision and watching the show.
Vega: What is it then?
"The show of your incompetence"
Responded Fomalhaut giggling loudly as she then suddenly stopped and just probably stared at the one sister agonizing on the floor through her other sister's eyes.
"Connect her into the grid properly after putting her back into stasis, or I will make sure to put you into stasis myself Vega"
She said before disconnecting from her, Vega hummed before snapping her fingers to get the attention of her two mechanoids and ordered them through her Digimind to link her sister back into the cell and redo the process. Just after some intense minutes of the machinery and electronics around the big room repeating their job again to try and fix what was happening to Merak they finally achieved to surge the proper amount of energy into her.
Then as she was dropped from stasis again she laid on the floor for a while as her skin regained color and her breathing went from hyperventilation into heaviness, then she tried to get up for a moment standing on all fours as she vomited out some blood and shivered for a while.
Vega: You do indeed look horrible Merak
Said Vega at the weak sight of her sister barely maintaining herself alive as her systems tried to reboot her into a more lifeful state.
Merak: I am not the one to be blamed for my state when my entry back into the world depends on an incompetent sister such as the one standing in front of me...
Said Merak, finally starting to get up without shivering, her voice still quite weak.
"Glamorous entry Merak, please don't slip with your own blood I don't want to let Vega restart you for the third time"
Merak: ... Fomalhaut... As funny as you always are hm?
Said the figure now recomposing herself and activating her hologram to cover her skin just like Vega, and just like her at the start her blank eyes came back into life as they formed two bright sky blue iris and two small dark obsidian pupils on each.
Vega: Hm, calling me incompetent just shows how much greed you both hold
Merak: If that was the case my dear sister, not just me or Fomalhaut would call you that, you are being called incompetent for your lack, well better phrased, inexistence of skill other than commanding and managing
"Ho, finally someone tells her"
Vega: Hm... How is your part doing Fomalhaut?
"Rigel and Sirius are back into this world, both of which are already on their way to try and bring back the other 7 left"
Vega: Good, leave the job to them and try and reinforce our main force while we do the rest here in main base
"Even though I'm the one who came back to get your frozen butts out of stasis and repaired the most important chunk of this base by myself you are already sending me out, kicking me off this home of ours? How cruel of you Vega"
She said disconnecting yet again not before as heard doing those little guilt inducing phrases and theatrical like performances. Merak ignored the words said by Fomalhaut and stared at Vega, who analyzed what Fomalhaut said, almost as if she just understood half of the things played out in that little dialogue of hers.
Merak: So Vega, how is everything looking?
Vega: Hm? Oh, yes you are still here
Merak: ...What do you try to say with that huh?
Vega: Nothing, answering your redundant question, as good as a fish out of water
Merak: Because?
Vega: Most of the troops are scrapped, we will have to produce an entirely new army by ourselves just with the help of this little squad of Palatine's Fomalhaut recovered
Merak: That already is telling me what our next task after repairing all this will be
Vega: No, we will repair all this after we steal some vessels and conquer back our other facilities
Merak: The factories will be top priority I'm assuming?
Vega: And setting a foothold on the mainland
Merak: Hm as you wish then Vega
Said Merak enabling her internal minimap and looking at their base's integrity, just 6 of 13 reactors working, and seemingly heavy damage and collapses around some areas impeding them from accessing and even repairing or kickstarting some of the reactors left.
Merak: Should I get into doing one of your tasks already?
Asked Merak closing her HUD and just staring blankly at her sister who did the same to get a side look at her and just answered before going back to managing some of the few mechanoids they had.
Vega: If you can... Do as you wish as long as you ain't doing no harm to our plans
Merak stared for a while at Vega before shining a bright smirk filled with excitement and second intentions behind it.
Merak: Heard you as loud and clear as the voice of a radioman
She said before starting to walk away from there her white long hair waving behind her as she walked against the wind that howled around the desolated base.
·····
Pr-15: Huh... Are you hearing it also?
WIST-94 nodded as they kept quiet while their interceptor did the work for them, and while greatly concealed behind the vegetation of the forest they listened and intercepted G&K communications through the headphones neatly connected to the previously mentioned machine.
"So that's Nikolay, hmm, and you say Kryuger lets him do his own thing?"
"Seems like so, though restricted he is definitely operating outside normal G&K rules"
"I don't see why are you so concerned about this new commander being honest with you, the files I'm seeing from your research are just as blank as your face"
"I'm gonna shove those unbased and unreasonable statements up your own ass till you understand it then, can't you see his strange patterns?"
"Such as? He went into an operation, it went south and now he is recovering, what's so strange? His base being on lockdown? His seemingly illegal contacts? You can't even prove if that rumor of him braking into Kryuger's office is even true"
"... I think you don't understand it, he has to have done something big for getting Kryuger on his level Sila"
"First of all remember to call me by my surname second yeah I guess but what? Is he doing you any harm? Are you perhaps jealous that he might steal your spotlight on Kryuger's eyes? He ain't even interested in SF by a single bit, you are definitely being really paranoid and treating him as if he was I don't know, the next Rasputin of Russia"
"Agh, just you wait and you will see I was right with him being somewhat sketchy"
WIST-94: Guess our commander making people question him is just his passive talent huh...
Pr-15: I think they starting to change the topic... Let's search for a new channel