Cosmic Military Police. Military Hospital Building. 08:21 AM.

Hyeri quietly sits on her hospital bed taking a moment to clear her head. She looks to her window and tries to draw up a clear image of what she sees just outside. It's been a few days since the bandages covering her eyes have been removed and she's been trying her best to get her vision back to a hundred percent but it's been difficult. She recalls the instructions of the doctor gave her the day her eyes began healing. 

"It's not much, but it's a step in the right direction. The nerves of your eyes still need time to heal and exposing them to minimal light is the best way to get the healing process started. Your iris and pupils still need some adjustments so do expect you'll be needed back here for some eye laser surgery to get them lined up correctly."

Hyeri plays around with the old bandages she asked to keep as a reminder and continues to gaze outside her window, trying to make up what is happening outside but really all she sees is a light that hazes through the glass separating her room from the outside. "The cherry blossoms should be blooming right about now. What a shame I can't appreciate it", she whispers to herself. She stares down at the bandages she's playing with, recalling the worst part of that conversation she had with the doctor.

"We can't guarantee you an exact date on when you'll be fully healed, but the process may take up to half a year depending on how much therapy we put you under. So obviously, with a month left till graduation from the program, we have no choice but to pull you from the CPSE, cadet."

Tears drop one by one on the bandages now tangled with Hyeri's hands as she faces the reality of not graduating with her friends and joining the CMP. She wipes every tear that escapes her eyes and tries to comfort herself by telling herself to be happy for her friends and that one day she will be by their side in uniform once again. She untangles the bandages she was playing with and carefully folds them neatly.

A knock interrupts the girl in thought and inside comes one of the hospital's nurses and in her hands, a set of clothes for Hyeri to change in. "Your transport has arrived cadet Ahn Hyeri. Once you've finished changing, we will then gladly take you to the graduation ceremonies," the nurse smiles and leaves the set of clothes at the foot of Hyeri's bed and exits the room.

As Hyeri finishes changing, she calls for the nurse back and the nurse helps Hyeri get off her bed and escorts the girl out her room and through the halls of the military hospital. The door closes behind them and a glance of  Hyeri's bandages are seen carefully laid on her bedside table, neatly folded beside a small picture frame of her with the fourteen other girls from her barrack taken on the day they first entered the training program.

The sun shines brightly on the main field of the CMP Training Facility, a proud eight hundred ninety-one students have successfully finished the four-month intense training civil service examinations of the Military Police. Hyeri is seated near the front of the audience, just beside some of her commanding officers and generals as she was given the honour to witness the graduation rites of her fellow colleagues. 

She looks to her far right, having difficulty in trying to spot for her friends, she squints her eyes as much as she can so she is able to see her entire barrack seated together, just three rows behind the row of trainers and officers. Ironically, the first person she is able to recognize is the tiny Luda because of her newly dyed grey hair. She recalls her friends teasing her that they will all start changing hairstyles just to make it even harder for Hyeir to recognize them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 84th Annual CMP graduation rites and the last batch for the year. To our esteemed, Captains, Corporals, and Generals from the vast sectors of the CMP; from the Rear Guard to the Front Guard, and to the Vanguard, welcome and thank you all for being present for today's proud celebration. We are here to welcome eight hundred and ninety-one new members to our proud organization!" The reader announces from the podium as he reads off a piece of paper.

"It is my honour to have and welcome General Yoon Bora of the Vanguard to the stage to kick off our commencement exercises." The crowd of graduates with the members of the board of Captains, Corporals, and Generals all stand from their seats and give the beautiful general a round of applause as she makes her way up the stage and onto the podium. She glances proudly at the sea of students she has taken care off these past few months, and especially to one row where barrack A-12 is seated.

"This year's batch of cadets has definitely been one of the more memorable ones in my time of commanding not only the Vanguard but also the CPSE for the CMP. Yes, not only is this currently the highest number of graduating cadets the CMP has ever produced but I believe it is also because of the reason that you are also one of the toughest to ever take on the CPSE. You were all outstanding, and all very deserving of receiving the title as a member of the Cosmic Military Police. 

This year has been one of the most challenging ones yet. With our planet currently on the crossroads of a second planetary war, you all rose to the occasion. You erased all fear and doubt in your systems and have devoted your lives to continue living the promise of protecting our planet, the King, and of course his people, and that is honestly the only powerful tool any member of the CMP really needs. We lay our lives for every Ujung on this planet so they may live to see another day. 

Eight hundred and ninety-one. You all truly worked hard, and we believe in each and every one of you. There are no doubts about the results that you have given us during the service exams. But know that this is only the beginning. This is where the real work starts. Every single day, you will put your lives at risk to make sure others don't. Some of you will choose the road of less resistance but that does not mean you will have it easy.

I would like to remind you that our planet is now at risk of war. And when duty calls, whether you are part of the Rear Guard, the Front Guard, or the Vanguard, your name will be called and you will be asked to fully lay your lives on the line for the preservation of our blue and pure world. This is why the CMP made the decision of requiring the top twenty graduates to commit to joining the Vanguard and forty percent of the batch to enter the Front Guard and I'm sure you are all aware of this.

And with that, it is now my honour to call to the stage the top twenty graduating individuals of the CPSE, who have excelled gracefully in the third CMP service exams of the year..."

"Psst." Dayoung nudges on Eunseo's elbow right beside her as they listen to the announcement of the top twenty graduates. "What?" Eunseo replies, turning her attention towards Dayoung. "Who do you think will be rank no. 1? I bet you it's gonna be Bona-unnie." Dayoung smirks confidently as Eunseo scrunches her lips as she entertains the thought. "Hmm... my bet that it's going to be Seola-unnie. What are we betting on anyway?" Eunseo asks. "Ramen." Dayoung replies.

"... oh it's on." The taller girl replies teasingly as the 20th top ranking student is now being called. Baek Soojin's name is called and the girl's face says it all. She couldn't believe it. The rest of the girls yell in joy as Soojin's name is called. On the far left, they even see Hyeri jumping in joy as she can't believe her best friend actually made the top twenty. "Ya, Baek Sookin!" She shouts and puts out a thumbs up for her friend to see. 

As Soojin makes her way to the stage she thinks to herself the funny situation she has found herself in. "Wait a minute. Why am I so happy to be in the top twenty. I never even wanted to be part of the Vanguard!" She tells herself, thoughts of doubt filling her mind as she remembers the danger that poses when she enters the Vanguard. But as she looks back to where her seat is, she sees her barrack mates and is consoled by their faces, confident that she'll do fine as long as she's with them.

General Yoon Bora approaches Soojin and shakes her hand before handing her the honorary badge of the Vanguard and placing it on the left side of her chest. "Congratulations, Baek Soojin. Welcome to the Vanguard, Lieutenant." Soojin stands to the far left side of the stage as the general then continues to call in the rest of the newly inducted members of the Vanguard. Six more names are mentioned before the rest of the girls' name are called out.

As the General continues to read the names of the top twenty graduates, one of the Senior Majors of the CMP is handed a detailed list of the graduating students and their performance sheets for him to review. He skips ahead to read the top twenty students to see who will be joining the Vanguard and his attention is brought to the top thirteen as all of them seem to come from one barrack. Barrack A-12.

Rank 13/1000: Im Dayoung* | 14.05.2999 | 

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 94.21

Recommendation: Vanguard | Weapons Specialist | Combat Professional | Emergency Response

Pros: Talented shooter, resourceful, team player, excellent fighter

Cons: Has to mature, reckless, dependent on a leader

Comments: Although young and reckless, Im Dayoung has proven to be a very independent fighter and marksman. During her months in training, she has secured her place at the top of the shooter leaderboards.

Rank 12/1000: Son Juyeon* | 27.05.2998 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 94.53

Recommendation: Vanguard | Weapons Specialist | Combat Professional | Emergency Response

Pros: Excellent marksman, athletic, quick to respond to orders, selfless

Cons: Immature, indecisive, obnoxious, a little too energetic

Comments: A careless yet agile trainee, two completely polar opposite characteristics but Son Juyeon has proven time and time again that she has the potential to be the most athletic and quickest soldier to enter the CMP.

Rank 11/1000: Lee Jinsook* | 10.01.2999. |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 95.08

Recommendation: Vanguard | Engineering | Central Intelligence | Emergency Response

Pros: Easy to mentor, team player, nimble, cunning

Cons: Low energy, eats too much, hesitant

Comments: Coming from a background of engineers, Lee Jinsook has the potential to introduce brand new inventions to the CMP's inventory. During her time in the CPSE, she has come up with brilliant but also illegal inventions that have put herself and her barrack in disorderly observation.

Rank 10/1000: Park Soobin* | 14.09.2996 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 95.15

Recommendation: Vanguard | Central Intelligence | Reconnaissance and Stealth | Emergency Response

Pros: Intelligent, quick-witted, loyal, excellent strategist

Cons: Slow to follow orders, dependent on others

Comments: Serving as an on-field scout during her student days, Park has shown her capabilities in the CPSE during extraction missions, being able to carefully survey out the best plan of action for her team to engage in. 

Rank 09/1000: Nam Dawon* | 16.04.2997 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 95.84

Recommendation: Vanguard | Medical Field | Combat Professional | Emergency Response

Pros: Very knowledgeable in medicine, kind-hearted, excellent team player

Cons: none

Comments: She is very very smart. A truly gifted student of medicine. Very valuable. 

Rank 08/1000: Cheng Xiao* | 15.07.2998 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 96.10

Recommendation: Vanguard | Reconnaissance and Stealth | Combat Professional | Emergency Response

Pros: Agile, stealthy, quick on her feet, obedient

Cons: Doesn't speak the language well, can be a little clumsy sometimes

Comments: A little difficult to communicate with but very obedient and respectful nonetheless. We recommend utilizing her abilities for highly sensitive stealth missions. Very agile as well.

Rank 07/1000: Cho Sojung* | 06.11.2995 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 96.15

Recommendation: Vanguard | Combat Professional | Weapons Specialist | Emergency Response

Pros: Independent, strong, very quick, can be a good leader in the future

Cons: Reckless, disobedient, immature

Comments: Very dangerous when on-field. Keep an eye on her at all times, very reckless. Hard to manage. Doesn't listen to authority but her performance as a soldier can lead to very impressive results. 

Rank 06/1000: Meng Mei Qi* | 15.10.2998 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 96.71

Recommendation: Vanguard | Combat Professional | Medical Field | Emergency Response

Pros: Very excellent all around, quick learner, excellent fighter, mature for her age

Cons: none

Comments: One of our best trainees to date. Very well rounded, can almost pass a team leader. Her communication skills are very good and she has no trouble when leading other people. 

Rank 05/1000: Lee Luda* | 06.03.2997 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 96.81

Recommendation: Vanguard | Combat Professional | Information Technology | Emergency Response

Pros: Excellent fighter, very well versed with technology, survivalist mentality

Cons: Hot-tempered, can be rude at times, hard to work with others

Comments: Very aggressive and can be very dangerous at times but she is brilliant and a good team player. Might need extra-small uniforms when she is finally transferred to Vanguard HQ. 

Rank 04/1000: Wu Xuan Yi* | 26.01.2995 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 97.11

Recommendation: Vanguard | Combat Professional | Central Intelligence | Emergency Response

Pros: Highly intelligent, brilliant strategist, loyal, team player

Cons: Can be slow at times, dependent on others, prefers to let others outshine her

Comments: Highly intelligent even if she doesn't look like it. A very smart strategic planner, do not underestimate her. During her days in the CPSE, both her and Park Soobin have been assigned to non-related, official CMP scouting missions.

Rank 03/1000: Yoo Yeonjung* | 08.03.2999 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 97.78

Recommendation: Vanguard | Information Technology | Central Intelligence | Combat Professional | Emergency Response

Pros: Highly motivated, strong-willed, good fighter, a potential for growth

Cons: immature, oversensitive, hot-tempered

Comments: Yoo Yeonjung can be very unpredictable at times. She has much to learn but is very very talented and very experienced in real life combat even at a young age. 

Rank 02/1000: Kim Jiyeon* | 19.08.2995 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance Score: 98.34

Recommendation: Vanguard | Combat Professional | Weapons Specialist | Special Tactics | Emergency Response

Pros: Excellent fighter, a good marksman, has a strong personality, a great leader

Cons: Aggressive, hot-tempered, very sensitive

Comments: Extremely volatile but a very good team leader. The second in command of Barrack A-12, she has proven time after time her resiliency has one of the squad leaders. Emotionally unstable, highly competitive. 

Rank 01/1000: Kim Hyunjung* | 24.12.2994 |

Barrack: A-12

Avg. Performance: 98.65

Recommendation: Vanguard | Special Tactics | Central Intelligence | Reconn