Arknights: When Hunters Meet (A Tacet x Projekt Red novel)

Chapter 8 - Mission Incident

We were assembled in enough of a haste to realise this was a big one. Reunion was striking in force and fast. The most senior and elite of operators that could be gathered for the operation were assembled in the flight hangar directly. The Doctor of Rhodes Island was present there to brief us quickly before we all would depart.

-Mission objective are to repel the Reunion force advancing onto the city and subdue any residue of their forces left standing. Our intel suggests this attack is led by a Reunion leader we have not met before, designated Retributioner. Our force will de divided into three teams.

-Alpha team will be led by Texas, second in command Tacet.

-Lambda Team will be led by Liskarm, second in command Franka.

-Delta Team will be led by Meteor, second in command Rangers.

-Projekt Red will take part in this operation as an emergency stop gap at my discretion, should things get difficult. So beware, you may see her on the battlefield carrying special orders.

-Overall leader will be Texas.

It was somewhat of a strange decision to assign me as second in command to Texas's squad. Considering alpha team was formed exclusively of Penguin Logistic operators. Exusiai, Sora, Croissant and Mostima. Of course during an operation I could probably rely on them to respect the chain of command, especially when they knew their seccond wasn't a complete retard.

But with this wild bunch I could never be sure. Yet this is what I was given to work with and work with it I would. Lambda team would be formed by mostly Black Steel operators. Including Saria, Jessica and Silence. Delta Team would be formed by Skyfire, Provence, Ptilopsis, and Lappland the trouble wolf. I could well notice Texas's hidden grimace knowing she would have to handle her on the battlefield. Attached to all three teams would be a set of various backup operators as well.

The situation on the client landship must have been grim, considering we were basically three entire teams that formed a platoon. Which was quite a force to be reckoned with for a force belonging to a pharmaceutical company. It must have been a disaster in the city if so many of us were called up in such a short time. Heavy hitters too, like Projekt Red, Texas, Lappland, Saria, even me.

We were deployed in our air cabs as I liked to call them. They would fly us straight into Hell. The one I was in had only the Alpha team. There I shared few words with Texas to establish our expectations on the field of battle. I had worked under her leadership before, and we got along just fine without any problems. We needed little talk exchanged to convey all the information we needed to say. While I had worked with Texas before, I had never worked besides her fellow Penguin Logistic colleagues. That was a new for me. We reviewed the latest data we had on a tablet she held as the Osprey shuddered.

-''This is the situation we know about.'' Concluded Texas.

-It might as well be ancient history by the time we arrive. We'll have to be quick about it so as not to be caught off guard by the reality on the ground.

-True. I want you to be our eyes and ears from afar. I'll have Exusiai for close sniper support, but I know you won't let anything sneak up on us nor let anything go unnoticed.

-Count on it.

-''So, this is Tacet.'' Said a curious Mostima, she had the looks of a troublemaker.

I acknowledged her but I gave no further answer. She was the last member of Texas's team that I haven't been introduced with before. The others I have interacted with more or less in the past.