Prompt by @[email protected]: dear combat doll

“Come back intact this time, dear. That’s an order, understood?”
“Yes, ma’am!” The doll acknowledged, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, drawing the attention of a couple of nearby troopers who regarded the pair with equal parts unease and distaste.

Still, no one could deny the efficacy of allowing doll-handler fraternization on combat operations. Not one had been lost in action since – though there were murmurings of what disasters might happen, were a handler or doll alike lose its partner. No one wanted to answer that.