Story Reader / Interlude / Valkyrie / Story
So you're one of the newbies?
Yes. Nice to meet you.
After receiving permission, Vera is now officially qualified to join missions as a soldier.
A Military Academy student? Tch, they didn't even send us a graduate?
Besides the Squadron Leader, who is studying the files in front of Vera, there are a few other Construct members on the teams, though not all of them are professional soldiers.
Still, in missions such as this one, professional soldiers are always way more valuable than civilian Constructs. To veterans like these, Vera, who has not even graduated, is practically a civilian as well.
...I'll do my best not to drag everyone down.
Vera knows the unspoken rules. She ignores the gazes of the others and chooses to keep a low profile.
Good. Everyone else get over here for the briefing.
The Squadron Leader turns on the portable holo-projector and marks out several areas on the battlefield.
We've got a S&D mission this time, with a medium level of Punishing Virus detected. For Constructs like us, we should be able to survive a few hours in the area without problem.
So should we be prepared for a long-term operation?
No. We'll just remain in the safe sections and take out the targets the others missed.
Huh?
Vera is shocked at the answer she received. Apparently the Squadron Leader is not at all dedicated to completing the mission and instead just wants to take out stragglers.
Wait... Wouldn't this make things harder for the other squads out there, or even make the mission impossible to complete?
Who cares as long as things aren't harder for us? Fight safe and steady, survive, earn merit... that's what our objective should be.
But that doesn't make sense. What's the use of merit in times like these? We're Constructs now. That's how serious the virus has gotten.
If we don't defeat the Corrupted when we can, we'll be destroyed regardless of merit!
Just follow the leader's orders, newb. He's doing this for our own good.
A squad member interrupts Vera's protests and explains to her the reasoning behind the leader's decision.
You're lucky to have been appointed to our squad. Boss, it shouldn't make any difference if we tell her about you-know-what, right?
Yeah, fill her in. That should save us lots of pointless arguments in the long run.
You-know-what?
While we're not sure when it's going to happen, the combat headquarters are preparing to evacuate.
Evacuate... You mean abandon the current outer-rim cities?
It's on a larger scale than that. We're moving base to outer space.
Outer space... But do we have enough space stations to hold all the people?
The space station isn't the point. They've got this massive spaceship. Though it's not up to par to the initial design standards, it's capable of following a certain orbit.
Of course, there's a limited number of slots.
The limited number of slots—that must be the reason for their strategy. They fight to survive and gain merit, so that the people up there will take their contributions into consideration.
So that eventually, they will get to be the privileged few to "evacuate."
Vera shuts up. These people in front of her are certainly not going to change their minds just because of her, so she clenches her fist and turns up the pain receptor thresholds in order to keep her anger under control.
Anyway, Vera, since you're a newbie, you can just stay in the back and watch.
You don't need me on the front lines?
You'd only slow us down from there. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
...Got it.
The time for the operation to begin rolls around, and the squad marches off with their gear.
Vera is the only one who remains, watching over the terminal the Squadron Leader left behind.
There is no point sending an excessive number of units just for a S&D operation, which must be why the Squadron Leader chose this passive approach.
Even if they survive with the contributions to show, those in charge still would not hold them to high esteem if the operation itself failed.
Then the answer is simple. They need to reap the benefits as much as they can while ensuring the success of the mission. Short-sighted, but down-to-earth, these squad members are a war-savvy few.
But... there are two combat zones within this area. And the outer-rim section the squad's heading to should be this one...
Vera zooms in on the area map, pans through it and starts outlining various itineraries.
To Vera, whose interests lie in tactical prediction, this process is a effortless one. She marks down the travel route of the Corrupted, including those from the other battle sites.
And that is how she discovers the converging spot of the two battle sites.
Oh no...
