Welcome to the Teddy Bear Division

Welcome to the Teddy Bear Division,

Since I won’t be there to tell you all of this in person, I’ll state the obvious: this primer introduces general guidelines. No one of any significance will critique you. No one will reprimand any action you take. Only you can decide what is necessary and imperative at any moment, in any situation. As long as you do your job, you will face no real backlash here. You have carte blanche. You are a ghost. In this light: relax, and have fun.

Now, it’s time to meet your Doobi. Your D9R is the latest and greatest, and you’ll know exactly why soon enough. Give her a name and be creative! Like Greta, Ruxpin, or Fazbear, for example. Ask around to get ideas!

While you’re at it, a good Pilot Operator gets to know their machinists, mechanics, and supply personnel—you’ll rely on their expertise and perspective more than you can imagine.

Ahead of deployment, log as many hours on the test range as possible, so you grow to appreciate any quirks about your particular unit. Initially, yours won’t be equipped with any special weaponry, such as grenade launchers or mounted turret guns, but these upgrades may become available to you as you progress, so it’s worth putting in the range time with such mods. We’ve got plenty of ammo to spare, and there’s always more coming in.

You would be wise to read the manual. Cover to cover. This is an operational primer, at best, and there’s no substitute for preparedness. Plenty of green Operators before you have opted to self-frag, stalling out in one of these things at the wrong time. Don’t neglect your limits. With that being said, you also need to understand how much power this little Teddy is capable of. So, read. Study. Ask questions. Log hours. Learn, and do it fast. You’ll be activated in no time.

Now, review these FAQs:

What’s our SOP?

You’ll receive dailies, but it’s mostly à la carte, as you prefer. I’ll leave it open-ended for now, but you’ll soon understand. We’re on Sweep-Up duty. We make the piles go away. Ask around, if needed, but don’t ask too much, either. You know? Get the job done. Think: quantity over quality.

What level of engagement should I expect?

As you may have heard, much of the action is over, for now, but that doesn’t mean things don’t pop off every day out there. It’s still a target-rich environment. Maintain constant vigilance with your lines of sight, and keep your rifle and sidearm in mind at all times. Any engagement will be on the wrong side of the Yellow Line, so all bogies are fair play. Safeties free. Open fire at will. Someone will sort it out after.

What’s our team structure?

Heavy ground with air on stand-by, although structures may change from day to day.

All teams include at least one overwatch drone unit and at least one deployable combat dog.

What kind(s) of surveillance are we running?

As usual, get familiar with all relevant Division OS ahead of deployment.

How’s Division morale?

It’s the best. Why?

How does a typical Op run?

As it unfolds. Be aware that fellow Teddy Bears often play music as they operate—loud, from cab-mounted speakers—and it’s usually quite terrible music. “The worse the better,” they say. There are psychological advantages to this, despite any glaring tactical drawbacks… But here we all are. And mopping up needn’t be misery, after all. I doubt that’s a sufficient answer, but it is emblematic of anything even approaching an honest answer. I’ll leave you to sleuth through that mystery.

Is there anything else I should be aware of?

No one will say it, but everything out there is probably considered evidence to someone who wants us all hanged just for doing our jobs. The faster that evidence goes away—underground, broken apart by your scoop, and shattered to dust under your treads—the better it will be for all of us. For the whole world, even. Only then will we finally be able to move past all of this. I hope you grow to appreciate this aspect of your job. The world is waiting to see how we’ve turned this desolation back into a garden on Earth. Also, be prepared to regularly encounter significant deposits of biological waste among the concrete and rebar. Dispose of such waste accordingly. Personally, it was the dogs—finding and burying them—that was the most troubling, but that’s just me. It’s different for all of us.

I would have enjoyed the opportunity of meeting you, but that is no longer possible. Heading this Division was my greatest achievement, and my time here will stay with me until the end. Those with whom I’ve served, the actions I’ve undertaken, and all I’ve seen shall haunt me with an enduring sense of pride. I wish you great success, and regret only that I could not share in it beside you. Some are better built for an all-out campaign. Some are better suited to a scorched landscape. I wish that these conditions hold for you, just as I once wagered they might for me. Having tried for years, however, I find I cannot make them true. Not for me.

With regret, I can no longer effectively serve in my position as Captain, and so this small primer must suffice to orient you until a new Division head is appointed. I don’t believe there is a place for me anywhere, anymore, which doesn’t alarm me—odd as that may be. I no longer belong among family, friends, neighbors, or strangers. Not with my name. Not in my skin. Not holding onto these memories. And this is for the best. It’s my turn, now, to bury myself with the rubble.

Faithfully, and with all of my sympathies,

Your recent and former Captain, Teddy Bear Division