>>36921988
"This is strictly a volunteer operation," the major says. "If you accept it, you'll have to go in without any support and you'll have to figure your exit strategy out on your own. The telegraph juncture should be a fairly simple mission compared to destroying the mine, but that's not saying much. On the upside, in addition to causing critical damage to the Empire's operations, I can make sure your team gets top priority for shocktrooper assignments. Even if you don't accept the mission, I have a fencer whose team was wiped out during the beach assault. I'll have him assigned to you. What do you say?"

>"I need to talk to my team first."
>"We'll destroy that telegraph juncture."
>"We'll destroy that ragnite mine."
>"We'll pass. This is too dangerous."

>>36921994
>>"We'll destroy that telegraph juncture."

>>36921994
>>"We'll destroy that telegraph juncture."
our squad is too small to hit a major mine

>>36921994
>"We'll destroy that telegraph juncture."

>>36921994
>"I need to talk to my team first."

They need to make their choice too.

>>36921994
>"We'll destroy that telegraph juncture."

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>>36921994
"We'll destroy that telegraph juncture," you say. "It should at least be less defended than a mine."

"That's correct. Probably." The major points to a spot on the map on the Empire's northern coast. It's a long distance, but it's doable on a fishing boat, so long as it's powered by a ragnite engine. "The telegraph juncture is here. From what we know, it's located in a small fishing village. It's not a strategic location, but the Empire needs to put it there in order to get regular reports from their maritime patrols. There should be redundant stations located elsewhere, so knocking it out won't completely shut down the Empire's communications, but it should cut off their maritime reports for several days and they won't be able to attack us carelessly until they restore the lines. At the very least, this will give us a reprieve. Unfortunately, we don't have any more information for you. You'll have to improvise."

"It won't be the first time, sir," you say. "When should we leave."

"Tomorrow morning, at the latest," the major says. "I'd like to send you out sooner, but we need all the boats to get this equipment back to the mainland. For the moment, you can focus on guarding the island."

"Understood, sir."

>Look for that new fencer the major promised you.
>Get your team together and inform them about your next mission.
>Go on a quick patrol of the island. Something might come up.

>>36922402
>>Look for that new fencer the major promised you.

>>36922402
>Look for that new fencer the major promised you.
We'll want everyone together to let them know they've been Voluntold for the operation.

>>36922402

>Look for that new fencer the major promised you.

>>36922402
"I'm going to go look for my new fencer," you say. "Can you tell be anything about him?"

"Second Lieutenant Karl Schreiner," the major says. "He should be in charge of his own team, but I don't have anyone to assign to him, so he'll have to make do with a pseudo-demotion for the time being. Given his personality, it shouldn't cause any problems. He's currently guarding the bullet cases."

"Thank you, sir."

You leave the major to his work and go looking for your new teammate. You find him on the beach, loading crates onto a boat.

"Second Lieutenant Schreiner?" You call out to him and he turns towards you after setting his crate down.

"Yes? Ah - you must be First Lieutenant de Velde," Schreiner says. "A pleasure to meet you, sir. Major Lenier told me I was being assigned to your unit for the time being. I look forward to it."

"Likewise," you say. "The rules are fairly simple. Follow orders while on duty and keep things informal while off duty. There's no point in being tense about everything."

"That's fine with me, sir."

>"Good. Let's get you introduced to the rest of the team."
>"If you don't mind me asking, how do you feel about this assignment?"

>>36922909
a>"Good. Let's get you introduced to the rest of the team."

>>36922909

>"Good. Let's get you introduced to the rest of the team."

>>36922909
>"If you don't mind me asking, how do you feel about this assignment?"

>>36922909
>>"Good. Let's get you introduced to the rest of the team."

Might as well get him comfy with the team.

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>>36922909
"Good," you say. "Let's get you introduced to the rest of the team."

You lead Karl back to your own team's camp in the woods. Since that's how you were able to take out the Imperials in the first place, the major ordered a watch kept on the forest in case the Imperials tried to sneak back in.

"Attention team, this is Second Lieutenant Karl Schreiner." You point your thumb at him. "Karl, that's Jetje, Nina and Vanessa. Normally, I'd spend more time on this, but we're in a bit of a hurry."

"The major has a new mission for us already?" Jetje asks.

"That he does." You take a seat against the tree. "The Imperials kept extensive records of their telegraphs. We have reason to believe these telegraphs went through a key juncture on the Empire's northern coast. Once we take it out.."

"The Empire's communications will be crippled," Vanessa says. "It won't hamper them for long though."

"Probably not," you say. "However, it'll do some damage and it'll disrupt their maritime operations in the area. If we're really lucky, they'll have to delay or cancel a few attacks. Gallia isn't a massive country, but the Empire still needs to coordinate its offensive if it doesn't want to get flanked."

"When do we leave?" Nina asks.

"Tomorrow morning," you say. "We'll have a spare boat by then. It'll take us a while to reach our destination, but it shouldn't be too difficult. Patrol boats might be a problem, but since we took out their supply post, I doubt it. However, we'll have to do this without any support from the Gallian Army. We'll need to make our own way out. Any questions?"

Your subordinates shake their heads. It's a pretty straightforward mission, all things considered. Dangerous, but not overly complicated.

>"Have the rest of the day off. The other teams have the forest covered anyway."
>"Stay alert until tomorrow. We don't know what might happen."

>>36923316
>>"Stay alert until tomorrow. We don't know what might happen."

Rotate watches, keep 2 on watch while the others rotate out and relax.

>>36923316
>"Stay alert until tomorrow. We don't know what might happen."

>>36923316
>"Stay alert until tomorrow. We don't know what might happen."

>>36923316
>"Have the rest of the day off. The other teams have the forest covered anyway."

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>>36923316
"Stay alert until tomorrow," you say. "We don't know what might happen."

"I guess some time off would be too much to ask for." Nina sighs. "I mean, I wouldn't mind if we were doing something useful, but just waiting is…"

"A waste of time?" Karl asks. "I know what you mean. The uncertainty is the worst part of war."

"Yes, but managing uncertainty is how we avoid getting shot in the face," you say. "We just need to cope with it for the moment. This next mission is going to be tricky and I doubt whatever will be waiting for us will be any easier."

"At least we've been winning," Jetje says. "I heard the armies in central and southern Gallia were starting to dig into trenches."

"Is that bad for us?" Vanessa asks.

"Yes and no," you say. "If the Empire moves a lot of troops in, they might be able to flank the northern Gallian Army. However, the northern Gallian Army can also flank them. It isn't much, but it should be enough to put pressure on their supply lines. Since the resources the Empire can commit to Gallia are limited in the first place, attrition works in our favour. We don't even need to win. As long as we can resist, the Empire will have no choice but to pull out."

You spend the rest of your watch shift making small talk and discussing the mission. The spare supplies are a problem - there's a limit to what the five of you can carry, and your strongest team members are carrying a lot of equipment as it is - but you figure it'll all work out if you prepare caches in advance. You don't expect to have more than two or three battles anyway.

It's soon time for your team's next patrol. The fencers are paired with someone else on account of them not being very good spotters. You can accompany one of them, or you can look for a sniper's nest.

>Accompany Jetje.
>Accompany Karl.
>Find a spot to snipe from.

>>36923758
>>Find a spot to snipe from.

We're best on overwatch so far.

>>36923758
>Find a spot to snipe from.

>>36923758
>>Find a spot to snipe from.

>>36923758
>Find a spot to snipe from.

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>>36923758
"It's time for the next patrol," you say. "Kreuss and Leifstel, you're on the first trail. Schreiner and Stroheim, you're on the second trail. I'll be on overwatch."

"Yes, sir!"

Your team splits off towards their respective trails, while you go directly towards the coast. You find a small lake that flows into the sea and follow the stream until you find yourself a good nest to snipe from. You set your rifle down between two bushes and lie down. From here, you have an unobstructed view over most of the coast, while no boat will be able to see you coming.

It seems like a perfect place until someone kicks you lightly in the ribs.

"That's my spot," Ernestine says.

"Sorry, I got here first," you say. "Just like the Imperial camp. You'll just have to make do."

"Fine, fine." Ernestine sets her rifle down near your position, while you stare through your scope. "That reminds me, I forgot something."

She kneels down next to you. You take a peek and see her take out a small doll dressed in black clothes.

"This is your reward for getting to the Imperial camp before me," she says. "You've earned it."

"A Darcsen doll?" You ask. "Aren't those really personal?"

"The truth is…" You feel her leaning over your body and she whispers in your ear. "I didn't have any spare cloth on hand, so I had to use some of my underwear."

>"Thanks, I'll be sure to treasure it."
>"… does that mean I should make you a doll out of my underwear?"
>THE HORRORS OF WAR HAVE NOT PREPARED YOU FOR THIS

>>36924210
>>"Thanks, I'll be sure to treasure it."

>>36924210
>"… does that mean I should make you a doll out of my underwear?"
Snark is the refuge of the besieged mind.

>>36924210
>"… does that mean I should make you a doll out of my underwear?"

>>36924210
>>"Thanks, I'll be sure to treasure it."

>>36924210
>"Thanks, I'll be sure to treasure it."
>"… does that mean I should make you a doll out of my underwear?"

>>36924210
>"Thanks, I'll be sure to treasure it."

>>36924210
>>"… does that mean I should make you a doll out of my underwear?"

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>>36924210
"… does that mean I should make you a doll out of my underwear?"

"Only one doll?" Ernestine asks. "I thought you could make three or four."

"Oh, well done. Excellent counterattack." You take the Darcsen doll and place it safely inside your uniform. "Thanks, I'll be sure to treasure it."

Ernestine moves away and takes and settles in her own sniping nest.

"For what it's worth, I'm looking forward to our next match."

"It's going to have to wait," you say. "The major has a special job for my team, so we'll be away for a while."

"Is it dangerous."

"It's war."

"Right, stupid question." Ernestine pauses for a moment. "Just be careful not to get yourself killed. Even if you can't keep up with my score, you're still doing a better job than the other snipers."

"Oh, I'm very, very careful," you say. "I don't want to retire before making colonel, at least."

The rest of your watch is silent. While having two snipers here is somewhat redundant, you don't quite have the same angle, so it's not completely useless. Although in the end, it doesn't really matter. As the sun sets, both you and Ernestine get back up and stretch out to get your blood flowing again.

"I suppose I'll see you when you get back," Ernestine says as she heads back to her squad.

>"I don't mind walking you back to your camp."
>"I'll see you when I get back."

>>36924592
>"I don't mind walking you back to your camp."

>>36924592
>>"I don't mind walking you back to your camp."

>>36924592
>>"I'll see you when I get back."

>>36924592

>"I don't mind walking you back to your camp."

>>36924592
>>"I don't mind walking you back to your camp."

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>>36924592
"I don't mind walking you back to your camp," you say. "It's not that far anyway."

Ernestine shrugs. "Suit yourself," she says.

You walk in silence. At this time, only the Moon lights your path, and you need to be careful not to trip or hit your head on anything. Ernestine is somewhat less cautious.

As you follow the stream back, she trips and stumbles into the water. The stream is shallow and it's not very rocky, so aside from being wet, she should be fine. However, she's propped up on her hands and knees. The Gallian military uniform for women has a skirt and Ernestine's stockings, wet as they are, are no longer quite as opaque as they are supposed to be, giving you an excellent view of the underwear she didn't turn into a Darcsen doll.

She swears and mutters to herself, but she quickly realizes her position and turns back to look at you, her face flushed bright red in embarrassment.

>"So… is black the only colour you wear?"
>"Technically, I've already seen it, so this shouldn't be a big deal."
>Say nothing and help her up.

>>36925017
>>Say nothing and help her up.
pleas we are nobility were better then that

>>36925017
>>"Technically, I've already seen it, so this shouldn't be a big deal."

>>36925017
>Say nothing and help her up.
>Then "So... is black the only colour you wear?"

>>36925017
>Say nothing and help her up.

>>36925017
Supporting this plan of attack >>36925058

>>36925017
>>Say nothing and help her up.

>>36925017
>>36925058
This.

Since we have a tie, I'll switch my vote:
>>36925050
to support
>>36925058

did jetje unlock anything since she rekt that one fencer alone?

>>36925058
this

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>>36925017
You calmly step into the stream and walk next to Ernestine, who's doing her best to both glare at you and contain her embarrassment. You simply hold out your hand to her. She takes your arm, staining it with mud, and pulls herself up. You follow after her as she turns around, hands holding her skirt down firmly, and climbs out of the stream. You stay silent until you're both back on the trail, safely away from the stream.

"So… is black the only colour you wear?"

Ernestine stops and you can see her shoulders shaking in anger.

"We will never speak of this again."

"Right, right, sorry," you say. "Let's just head back. It's not that cold, but it's not warm either. We need to dry off."

Ernestine says nothing, but head straight ahead. She doesn't turn to look at you, even when she has to follow a different trail to her own camp.

"I'll see you when you get back," she says.

"I'll make sure to drop by after I'm done with my report," you say. "Good luck."

When you arrive, the rest of the team is enjoying dinner. They all immediately stare at your soaked pants.

"Now's not a very good time for swimming," Karl says.

"I noticed," you say. "Just give me a moment to put on some dry clothes."

You change your socks and pants and hang your wet clothes near the fire to let them dry.

"We're leaving as soon as possible tomorrow, so I want everyone well-rested," you say. "Fortunately, we our team doesn't have watch during the night, so we can get some rest."

"Are you sure we're going to be able to make it?" Vanessa asks. "The mission, I mean. Going into the Empire without supporting sounds like suicide."

>"Don't worry about it. We haven't taken any casualties yet and that's not going to change."
>"It's dangerous, but it's also a chance to prove ourselves and build our reputation."
>"Honestly, it's incredibly dangerous and the odds aren't good, but someone needs to do this."

>>36925326
Yeah, but I'm waiting for a suitably dramatic moment before revealing it. It's pretty good.

>>36925537
>>"It's dangerous, but it's also a chance to prove ourselves and build our reputation."

>>36925537
>>"Honestly, it's incredibly dangerous and the odds aren't good, but someone needs to do this."
Tell it like it is.

>>36925537
>"It's dangerous, but it's also a chance to prove ourselves and build our reputation."

"And if not us another equally small squad."

>>36925537
>"It's dangerous, but it's also a chance to prove ourselves and build our reputation."
Plus someone has to do it.

>>36925537
>"It's dangerous, but it's also a chance to prove ourselves and build our reputation."

>>36925537
>"It's dangerous, but it's also a chance to prove ourselves and build our reputation."

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>>36925537
"It's dangerous, but it's also a chance to prove ourselves and build our reputation," you say. "The major already promised to give us priority for shocktroopers if we do this. The more we can build up our team, the more effective we can be in the field."

"And the quicker we can end the war," Vanessa says. "I suppose the pay also helps."

"I'd prioritize survival over pay," Karl says. "I saw what a machine gun can do. Having one of those on our side would make things a lot easier for us."

"We are a bit lacking when it comes to keeping the enemy pinned down," you say. "But that's all for the future. Our immediate priority is to accomplish our mission. Let's get some rest."

You put out the fire and your team mates wrap themselves in blankets to keep warm during the night. You close your eyes and practice the breathing exercises you developed during military training so that you could fall asleep in any environment.

>Nope. Can't sleep.
>Bullets. Bullets everywhere.
>Same as always. You're going to feel extra lonely in the morning.
>Black is the best.

>>36925928
>Black is the best.

>>36925928
>Black is the best.

>>36925928
>Black is the best.

>>36925928
>Black is the best.

>>36925928
>>Bullets. Bullets everywhere.
PTSD!

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>>36925928
You're back in your family estate - your estate now - sleeping comfortably in your bed. You keep your eyes closed and simply enjoy the warmth and safety. You're distracted when Ernestine playfully pokes at your check. You crack one eye open to look at her.

"Good morning," you say.

"Good morning," she says. "Are you sure it's all right for me to stay here? There'll be trouble if your parents find me here."

"So what? They can just go back to the capital. If father doesn't like it, then he shouldn't have abdicated his title in the first place." You lean over to kiss her. "I won't have you stay in the servants' quarters like some noble's secret Darcsen mistress."

"I am some noble's secret Darcsen mistress," Ernestine says.

"Not really," you say. "They're never actually secret."

Ernestine smiles and laugh. She crawls on top of you and kisses you, aggressively drinking the saliva from your mouth. Her cheeks flush and she slowly slides one arm down your body -

The light of the sun wakes you up and you realize you're desperately hugging your pillow like it was an actual human being. Then comes the crushing loneliness of knowing you're the kind of man who sleeps with his arms and legs wrapped around a pillow as if it was a woman. That goddamn feeling gets you every time this happens. Every. Fucking. Time.

"Good morning, Renard," Jetje says as starts cleaning up her part of the camp. "Did you sleep well?"

>"Yes. Yes, I did."
>"It was great until I woke up."
>"Let's just get going."

>>36926321
>"Yes. Yes, I did."

>>36926321
>>"It was great until I woke up."
"Also, where's the coffee?"

>>36926321

>"It was great until I woke up."

>>36926321
>>"It was great until I woke up."

>>36926321
>"It was great until I woke up."

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>>36926321
"It was great until I woke up." You untangle yourself and make sure to keep you crotch hidden. "I don't suppose we have any coffee left?"

"Sorry, it's already been packed along with all the cooking equipment," Jetje says.

"Fuck my life." You take a moment to calm down and start packing your own things. "All right team, listen up. We're packing all our equipment and leaving immediately. Let's hope the major found us a good boat."

"I've packed all the medical supplies and grenades," Nina says. "We should have enough for several heavy battles. It'll be heavier than normal to carry, but it's still within army standards."

"Ammunitions won't be a problem either," Vanessa says.

"Jetje and I can carry more than our fair share," Karl says. "Our armour's weight is distributed, so it's not as heavy as it looks."

"That'll do for bringing the equipment onto the boat, but I'm going to want you light in combat," you say. "There's no point in making things harder for us than they need to be."

"Of course," Karl says.

Soon enough, the packing is done and you're all carrying as much equipment as a Gallian soldier can possibly carry. It's like survival training all over again.

You lead your team to the beach where the major is waiting for you next to your boat.

"It's a fishing boat," Major Lenier says. "They usually head out for days at a time and we added some extra ragnite tanks in the hold in case you need more fuel. You'll be able to reach the objective with no problem. The map's in the captain's cabin along with everything else we can spare and some spare clothes if you need to disguise yourself. I suggest you avoid Imperial patrol boats, but I'll trust your judgement on the matter."

"We won't fail, sir." You step onto the ramp. "Team, it's time to invade the Empire."

>>36926738
That's a wrap for today. The next thread will probably be Monday December 29th. As usual, you can check twitter for announcements.

Thanks for playing and Merry Christmas.

>>36926764
Merry Christmas. Thanks for running.

>>36926764
Merry Christmas catch you next time.

>>36926764
im confused was that a memory or just a dream

>>36927550
really anon