Formal Exchange Chapter 1: Duty Calls, Alterations Made

“Sorry, just confirming, but you said you have a witness for your claims, correct? Are they there with you?” A calm feminine voice spoke over his internal radio. If he could shake with anxiety, he would, and the feeling was only somewhat remedied by the presence of his closest friend sitting within his hull.
“Y-yes, yes I do; he’s right here if you’d like to speak with him.” He said quietly, and turned the volume up so the woman on the other line became audible from the inside.
The witness in question was a young, spindly looking man with curly blond-ish hair; he couldn’t be any older than twenty three, and after his presence was requested, he clambered out from the driver’s seat he was sitting in and moved to the radio operator’s seat to both hear and be heard better during the call. Once he sat down, he fixed his shirt collar as if there were someone there to impress, and spoke.
“I’m at the radio now, what do you need to know?” He asked, some nervousness tinted his tone.
“Have you been listening to the entire call?” The woman replied.
“I have.”
“Can you vouch for the claims this unit has made thus far or offer any of your own accounts of the events?”
“Of course;” He paused for a moment, sighed, and relaxed his shoulders before casting his gaze up to his friend’s internal optic. He nodded, and returned his attention to the radio, clearing his throat. “Besides my own unit. This unit is one which I hold the most trust in. I whole-heartedly endorse his claims and request that he be transferred as soon as possible from his current crew, for they’ve displayed blatant disregard for his wellbeing.”
From there, the man proceeded to offer his own perspectives on events mentioned before, and added some that weren’t. The call lasted for another twenty minutes, about, and once it was over, the only thing the two could do was wait for appropriate actions to be taken. ...If there were any.
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“So, word on the street is that ol’ Core is looking for another transfer candidate. The one being taken out, from what I’ve heard, was in a pretty nasty situation: downright neglect - for a long time, too. Feel sorry for the poor bastard, don’t ya?”
The man set his pop can on the small folding table at his side, and leaned back to look at his companion. Her turret turned to offer him a curious raised brow along with her reply.
“Really? Another one?” She asked concernedly, “Isn’t that the second one this week? And the-”
“Fourth one this month? Yeah, and it’s only the 19th.” He finished her sentence, “Starting to get pretty damn worrying, if you ask me. Almost feels like something is up with your whole lot; gotten so restless lately… I mean, I don’t blame ya, there’s been some pretty hellish fighting this year, but just seems like there’s a lot going on in between too, I don’t know.” He scratched behind his neck, then went to grab his pop to take another swig.
“I mean…” The tank started, “Just what you said; the year’s been hellish. Aren’t you starting to get… I don’t know, sick of it?” She queried.
“Who isn’t? Everyone wants it to be over, but we can’t exactly just roll over and expect the enemy to follow suit, right? We just have to hold out until they give in, and that feels like it’s coming up soon.”
“You’ve been saying that for as long as I can remember.” She said, and turned away to look off at the rest of the encampment. “I wonder who they’re gonna pick for that transfer, huh? Can’t be easy to find just any old unit willing to move in with some certified asshats. If it were me, though, I’d probably show the whole lot a piece o’ my mind.” She added confidently, raised her gun and rolled forward some as if she wanted to puff her glacis plate out.
The man couldn’t help but chuckle, and leaned over once more to give her a few firm pats on the fender. “Now don’t get yourself too into that idea, Telli; you gotta stick around for us, remember? Lani’s birthday is next week! ...And you’re our tank, that’s probably a little important, too.”
She gave her friend a somewhat guilty side-eye, and brought a hand down to pat his right back. “Yeah, and I have it pretty good, too.” She said bluntly. “It’s kinda started weighing on me lately, almost: thinking about that. That, and how shitty others have it, it feels like there’s something I could be doing to help, y’know?”
“Well…” He started, “There isn’t much to be done for other camps from here, I guess, but you could always, I don’t know, set up a support group? You never know what your pals have going on behind closed doors, but if you wanna help units like that one, it’s a start.”
“I guess so, that could be nice…” She brought a hand to the bottom of her mantlet in thought before turning back to face him. “You know what? I might do that. I’ll talk with a few of the others about it.
“Atta’girl! I always knew you were the type - at least, I’d hoped I’d brought you up that way.”
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Later that night, most all humans beyond the night watch had gone off to bed, and all AI units had returned to their tents. All were resting in preparation for the uncertain times to come, which seemed to be… most of the time, these days - all except one, who was busy making a very important call.
“Hello, this is the CoreAegis unit support division, can I help you?” A young man picked up the other end of the line.
“Yeah, I’m here to ask about that unit waiting for a transfer in Platoon 57A, have you found anyone yet?”
“Give me just a moment to find that file, and… No, doesn’t seem like it; not many units are willing as of late, unfortunately.”
“...I think you might find yourself in luck, then.”
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Heads and turrets alike turned in the camp of Company 34B as the sound of unfamiliar engines emerged from the ambiance, and interest was piqued even more so when they were found to be of CoreAegis, with a heavy transport vehicle in tow. What did they want now? What’s with the transporter? Most, after the initial surprise, simply continued on minding their own business, but a familiar tank loomed nearby as she waited for them to state their business. Good for her, she wouldn’t have to wait long, as her Captain emerged from his quarters and an associate hopped out of their truck to greet him.
“Can I help you?” Captain Teyssier met them in the middle of the clearing, and clasped his hands together, slack at waist level.
“Yes, actually, you can.” The woman replied, and held up a tablet to review something on it. “We’re looking for one of your units; they requested a platoon transfer last night.”
Now this caught some proper attention. The captain looked somewhat taken aback, and looked from left to right before making his reply.
“I can assure you, there’s nothing going on here serious enough to warrant a transfer!” He replied incredulously, “If there were, I’d have straightened it out long before it could get so serious as to reach you all. I mean - if it is serious, though, I can set up interviews with each unit, I wouldn’t hesitate to allow-”
“Sir, it’s not about the treatment here,” She cut him off; surprised, but what else could one expect when it sounded like she’d just accused them of abuse? “They’ve requested transfer on behalf of a high priority unit. They want to be the one to take their place.”
“...Oh. I see.” He said a little dumbfoundedly, and rubbed a hand at the base of his neck. “Which one was it?”
Some other company men had gathered around to eavesdrop on the conversation, having become curious. None of them had caught wind of a bot requesting a transfer; their tanks would surely tell them about it first, ...right? A familiar member moved to the side of a few friends, considerable concern in his expression.
“Hey Decaux, you good?” One turned back to face him, and asked somewhat lightheartedly.
“Yeah, I’m just… Telli was talking about that bot yesterday. Y’know, the one we were all feelin’ bad about. Said she wished there was somethin’ she could do to help, and I’m just hopin’ she didn’t take it too far.”
“Oh, come on, what’re the chances?” Another pitched in, “There’s 35 tanks here, what’re the chances it’s actually her? Could be Saski’, he was always the ambitious type.”
“Hey!” The first replied, “He’d never ditch us - I wouldn’t let ‘im, anyways, he’s borrowing my some of my favorite books!” Their mouth upturned into a little grin, “I really don’t think it’s him, though. We tell each other everything.”
“Says here that it’s… Unit 5411-5.” The woman looked at her tablet once again, then back to the captain.
“Telli?” He asked, “I’d say color me surprised, but I guess she’s about the type I’d expect; I’ll go talk to her about it if you want.”
“Please do, they requested pick-up ASAP, and…” She motioned with her eyes to the transport vehicle, and Teyssier just nodded before turning away to look for her.
“...It’s Telli.” Decaux said bluntly, and his shoulders slumped.
A solemn sort of silence fell upon the group as it dawned on them that they’d really just lost one of their own, but it also created a good deal of questions that came along with it. Just how far out was she going? Were they going to be taking care of the other unit now? What are they like, if that’s the case?
As Captain Teyssier turned and began to walk away, it was clear that he was off to relay the news to the volunteered AI, and Decaux wasn’t about to let it go down without at least himself present. He jogged off after him without a word to his friends, and when he found himself at the man’s side, he slowed to match his pace.
“Now wait just a second!” He started sternly, “I know Telli’s her own person - got ‘er own mind and all, but is she really allowed to do that? Just request transfers on her own without even her crew having a say?” He motioned to himself, desperation in his tone.
Teyssier seemed surprised at first by his presence, but that quickly faded with both recognition and sympathy. “I suppose so.” He replied, “If Core showed up, then they intend to take her. Allowed? I didn’t think so originally, but maybe they’re so short on eligible transfers, they just wanted to take what they could get. If a sound of mind unit’s willing to put themself somewhere to benefit a less fortunate one, who are they to say no? It’s… Efficient, if you’d so put it that way. Doesn’t sound like the good answer, but it is what it is.”
“So there’s nothing we can do? Nothing you can do?” He asked.
“We don’t own the robots; we’re just borrowing from them. If they really want to move a few around, there’s only so much that can be done.”
As he finished his comment, Telli moved into view from the corner of one of the larger tents and turned to face them expectantly. Seemed like she was already listening in on the conversation, and knew what was to come.
“They’re here for me?” She asked somewhat flatly, but as her gaze moved onto her gunner, her expression dropped. Her eyes remained transfixed for a moment, but she faltered and turned her turret away. “Before you get to ask, I know what I’m doing. You can’t change my mind.”
“I… wasn’t going to stop you, but why? Is it worth leaving?” Decaux knew he couldn’t sway her, but it was going to eat him alive if he never got the whole motive.
“Because I’ve had a good life.” She started, “A good upbringing, because of you and the rest of the crew. If I go on my own volition, I accept what I’m up against, and I ensure the other unit’s going somewhere safe - to you guys.”
He shook his head for a moment, and looked between the captain and his tank, “Woah woah woah, wait, the other one’s coming to us?”
“That’s apparently the plan.” Teyssier replied, almost sounding as surprised as him, but nodded nonetheless. “I’m sure we can handle them. ...Telli, I guess this means you should probably get going now, huh? You nervous at all?”
The MBT kicked her engine back on, and turned to drive off as they walked out of her way, “Nervous? God, no; they should be the ones nervous about me.” She laughed; it sounded as though she were trying to make light of the situation, but it came out sounding a little hollow. Regardless, she didn’t waste any time in turning away, and was off to board for her new destination.
Teyssier and Decaux were left standing in the middle of the road somewhat awkwardly, and it seemed to occur to the latter that he’d never properly said goodbye. Without missing a beat, he began running after her again.
“Now wait a damn minute!” He shouted and she quite promptly stopped - a little surprised, turret moving to the side so she could get a glance at the man, and she was just in time to watch with a dominant optic as Decaux came barreling toward her with outstretched arms.
“Hey - Hey! Just a sec -” It would’ve been a little endearing if she’d rolled back a bit as the gunner ran into her for the strongest hug he could muster, but it turned out more like him just getting the wind knocked out of himself while she was too busy thinking about said outcome to consider doing something about it. She cast her gaze down at him with knit brows, and brought an arm out to gingerly return the gesture. “You okay there, bud?” She chuckled.
“Yep! Y-eah, better than ever…!” He replied in an uppity tone, but he sounded a little hoarse, and his breathing was heavy. He tried to hide his evident self-inflicted discomfort, but it was obvious even to any other human. “Take care o’ yourself, you hear me? I’ll raise hell if the boys over there do so much as lay a finger on ya.”
“Remember what I just said? I really don’t think I’m the one that has to be worried; after all, I signed up for this. I’ll be fine.” She said, lowering her voice and steeling the tone of the conversation somewhat. “I’ve gotta go now; they’re waiting for me, alright?”
“Yeah… yeah, you’re right.” Decaux weakly pushed himself away from the tank, and rubbed his eyes. “Give em hell - or - whatever you’ve gotta do over there.”
Telli’s optics pushed up into a smile, and she began to pivot her hull back into the direction of the camp’s main road. “Yeah, I sure will.” She gave him and the Captain a little salute, and with that, she was on her way. ...For real, this time. The associates had brought a trailer with them plenty sturdy enough to carry her; must’ve just been more fuel efficient than letting her drive there herself. It didn’t take long for the MBT to situate herself, and just like that, they were already ready to hit the road again. The trucks that had come what felt like not even an hour ago kicked on their engines, and pulled away from the camp. Decaux had followed them to the camp’s gate, and gave a weak wave as they disappeared behind the trees. Telli could certainly see the gesture, but it was hard to reply when her utility arms had been stowed away and her gun fastened down for the trip. Teyssier walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry about her too much, alright? I see how you raised her; she’ll be fine.” He tried to reassure the man, but at the moment, at least, it just seemed like whatever he said was going in one ear and right out the other. He stood there for a moment longer, looked around, and eventually turned himself back to the camp. “Take a little time for yourself if you want, but Crehan and the boys need help sorting out a few supply crates tonight.”
“Yeah… Yeah I’ll get right to it. No sweat.” Despite his comment, Decaux leaned on a nearby fence post and his posture sank somewhat. It didn’t seem as though he was going to be going anywhere any time soon. The Captain slowly nodded in acknowledgement, and went on his way to get back to whatever he’d been doing before.
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Telli wasn’t really sure what else she was expecting from the ride over to her new camp; some newfound feeling of pride or excitement? ...Yeah, nah, that wasn’t there. At least in the moment, it just felt like any other trailer ride she’d ever been on: drive for a few miles down a shoddy back road in dire need of paving, pass through a few small towns - it was amusing seeing the locals’ reactions to her vessel sometimes, especially the children - go through a larger town, maybe even see a well intact city somewhere, then back into the more rural areas. Sure, all the sights were new, but nothing was new, if that could possibly make any sense. See enough little neighborhoods torn by war… It never gets any better, but after so long, they seem to meld together in the head. No offense.
Through the boredom, the MBT found herself lost in thought; not towards what was around her, but what was yet to come. In her short yet almost annoyingly eventful little life, only two years had passed. The war was what she was born into - born for - and thus, it was all she’d ever known. She’d heard her fair share of campfire stories about civilian life, and it all seemed quite pleasant. Really, imagine waking up in the morning and being able to relax before heading out to work. Crazy, right? And to pick what you wanted to do as a job? Unthinkable. Don’t get her wrong! She was more than eager to work with her crew: training was always fun with friends, combat was exhilarating, especially in the real death-defying stunts, and those moments when she and her crew members seemed like they were all acting in perfect sync in the heat of battle… unbeatable. The more she hung around and listened to them talk about their home lives, though, the more it felt as though there was a lot she was missing out on.
Since no one was paying attention to her anymore, she allowed her optics to move from their “closed” appearance to a glossy, vacant look as she rested, adrift in thought. Was ruminating on this kind of stuff good for her?
...Probably not; the war had been raging for seven years now. Everyone had expected it to be a quick job - get in, stifle the border disputes in Eastern Europe before it got out of hand, get out, work done.
Right?
Apparently not. How were so many dragged into the conflict? Why was everyone so determined to hold their ground? A sense of duty? Stubbornness? Arrogance? Pride? She didn’t have much input; it all happened before her time, and her kind were supposed to be the ticket to a quick surrender, ceasefire, something. Grounds were starting to shift in favor of the West since their introduction to it was promising, but in recent times, there was a peculiar sensation in the air of battle that led she and her peers to suspect an approaching storm.
There were less enemy support vehicles out on the fields lately, and something seemed to be boosting troop morale behind the scenes. That former observation sounded awfully familiar.
“Midpoint isn't too far up ahead, slow down some.”
A voice spoke, muffled from inside the truck, and Telli promptly retrained her eyes on the path ahead. It’d since grown dark; with the sun below the trees now and the sky cast in colors of deep oranges and purples, before fading to darker shades of blue. The truck had since turned its headlights on, and streetlights in distant towns were flickering to life. Ahead, somewhere in the thick of the brush obscuring a bend in the road, she could pick out the fleeting glimmer of another set of headlights between leaves, and further dedicating her focus alongside the movement of both parties, she could make out that it was a vehicle of the same make as their own.
She tuned to the truck’s radio, and a minute static was introduced to her receiver as they picked up on the duplex channel, for whatever reason. She increased the squelch threshold out of habit.
“That’s them, right? They have the other unit?” She asked.
“Yep, the truck ahead of us has been keeping in contact with them the whole time. They say he’s only barely coping with the ride, not handling it very well.” The driver replied in a somewhat sorrowful tone. “I probably wouldn’t be either, if I had his background.”
“I see.” Telli replied bluntly. If there were anything to solidify her choice, there it was right there.
Eventually, it rounded the bend and the other tank came into their view. Just looking at him now, he already looked pretty rough even from the distance that remained between them. The discoloration of his hull was almost mistaken for simply being part of his camo, but further scrutinization told her that it appeared more like shoddily repaired battle scars - she didn’t even have that many, and he was half her age, according to what limited information she’d been given on his history so far. His thistle optics shone bright in the waning light of the evening; almost excessively so. His pupils couldn’t have been any larger than what the cameras within them permitted, probably something to do with the monumental amount of shock the poor thing was in.
“Stop here.” She transmitted to the cab, just as the trucks were preparing to sidle up to each other in their respective lanes “I just want to say something real quick.”
“Oh? - Oh, alright, just a second.” The driver spoke back. He adjusted the radio’s tuning, and as the MBT’s line went into silence, she could just hear him communicating something into the mic, most presumably to the truck ahead. Predictably a few seconds later, both were putting on their breaks.
As both slowed to a stop, Telli found herself staring directly into the face of the Abrams she was replacing. Just like she’d assumed, his eyes didn’t look to be anything more than three dots with a slash through them, and the light spilling from their taut membranes was intense enough to cast a warm hue upon both of their vessels - a deer caught in its own headlights. Then, in a sudden moment of realization, he was looking at her that way. Without much of a second thought, she averted her gaze for a moment and widened her pupils.
“My apologies - for the staring, I just wanted to see you before we had to part ways again so quickly.”
She clarified, then, after a brief pause, looked back at him with what was hopefully a corrected, less perceivably hostile look. “My guys are gonna take good care of you… okay? Swear my life on it. I’m not sure what happened to you for you to wind up here, but whoever did it, I’ll take care of them.” Upon her last remark, she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes into a glare, but she hoped it was plenty clear enough that it wasn’t intended for him.
At least to her, what followed was a particularly prolonged silence. Whatever the other unit was thinking now, she had some trouble deciphering through his almost dead stare, but eventually,
“...Thank. You.” He whispered, barely audible, “Thank you s-so much. Find Kyle Jensen, he’ll… help you, maybe.”
Telli contorted her optics into knit brows, “I’ll be sure to do that, thanks.” She paused for a brief moment, then exhaled from her frontal vents. “Just remember, you’ll be safe at my place, alright? Even if you’re having trouble with someone, don’t be scared to let someone else know; they’ll be on that guy’s case faster than you can blink, or I’ll be driving right back to deal with them myself.”
In regards to her last comment, she could have sworn she caught a flicker of an up-pushed smile in his optics. Good. Even if it was a short-lived moment, she hoped that wouldn’t be the case for long. In return, she gave him the best grin she could, and a thumbs up.
“You’ll do great, I promise - see you on the other side, man.”