ARES:Gods of War

The Squad Part 1:Tactical Announcement

Chief was sat outside the Mighty Tools repair shop of the Outpost. He had asked to speak to Product-12-09 and Signal and Delta after the mission. 09 was still undergoing repairs, unsurprisingly. Her physical damage had been extensive, ranging from missing limbs to the wounds sustained during active-duty combat against the enemy. Elysion had requested that she be sent to them alongside an AAR of the Rescue operation, in order to discern what to do with her.

He saw the two other girls marching up to him in a parade formation of sorts. More just the two forming a line, with Signal being behind the taller leader of their two-person team. Chief stood to his feet and also noted that Delta wore her standard camo shorts, shirt and rig now, rifle slung over shoulder and pistol in the thigh holster wrapped tightly around a revealed thigh. Cortana snorted at the sight.

The two girls then lined up in front of the Chief, Signal slightly trembling as they both snapped salutes. Chief saluted back and said, "At ease. I'm an NCO, so saluting isn't necessary."

"Sir," Delta replied, "Sorry, sir." And she let her hand fall back beside her. Signal, meanwhile, continued trembling, trying to keep a straight face. Her TL cast a quick glance of concern her way, but her face remained a stone wall, sort of like the Chief's. The Spartan turned to Signal and walked up to her, then took a knee, much to the scared girl's surprise. He depolarized his visor, revealing his human features.

And he spoke to her with a soothingly calm voice, "Relax. I'm an ally and a comrade in arms. We all share the same objective here."

"Y-Yes, sir..." The girl seemed to shy away for a moment. Chief gave her a nod and a pat on the shoulder, then straightened back up and looked to Delta. He walked up face-to-face with her, still towering a head above what was supposed to be a humanoid combat machine meant to rip apart the mechanoid creatures that nearly drove their ward species to extinction in this place.

He told her, "I have a couple of questions, Delta."

"I'll be more than happy to answer, sir," She replied, all military-like, giving him a nod.

Chief appreciated that kind of honesty. Was refreshing from a soldier like him. So, he started, "Products. You girls mentioned they are mass producible units for combat work, their brains repeatedly copied in order to be deployed into combat. What happens to those that get so severely damaged, like 09, that if and when they are eventually recovered, they are taken back?"

"Usually, sir," Delta hummed, "Their brains are removed, bodies scrapped and said brains are grilled for information via the NIMPH. After that's done, the brain is either installed in a new Product body, or discarded depending on the damage..." And that seemed to make even the Spartan pause. Even considering how nonchalant Delta was about it. She told him, "Us more specialized Nikkes, like me, Signal and the Counters and other units present on-site, have unique brains. They are to be recovered if we have any hope of surviving to fight another day."

"I see," Chief took that new information to heart, while Cortana wrote it down in a digital black-over-white. He hummed, then stated, "What would happen to Oh-Niner, then?"

"Normally, she'd be recycled back into active use," Delta commented, then sighed deeply, "But considering she let her Commander die along with the rest of her platoon? Presumably, final dispensation will be completed the moment she is returned to Elysion, sir..." And, at that, the Chief's expression seemed to darken behind his visor, despite no actual, visual changes like wrinkles.

He sighed and said, "I'm going to protest that. Resources aren't being expended to bring 09er back to Combat duty for nothing."

"The Commander is already on that, sir," The Scout stated, offering a small smile. To the confused Chief, she explained, "Commander Harris openly views most of us as fellow soldiers and human beings, too... Though it's good to see that more humans think like him." And she gave the Chief a nod of respect. Cortana let out a short chuckle, while the Spartan simly gave a nod back.