Sathur, Alliance Colony,

Gemini Sigma cluster, Earth Systems Alliance Space

[Time Frame: ‘97 line + Vivi aboard the SSV LOONA. Space Cadet babies have 1 day left until UWUS Graduation.]

/

Sathur is an Alliance colony. It’s main purpose is to grow ossilbir, a high-nutrition vine that is a staple of the Alliance military rations. Which was why it was so important to defend the Colony from the invading space pirates.

The battle took place for a number days. A little longer than usual due to the fact that the enemy headquarters was located on the same planet. Upon finding out that piece of intel, the objective of eliminating the entire enemy force was added to the defense of the colony.

All of the deployed troops were either from the Alliance Navy’s 5th Fleet or the Alliance Marines’ 8th Division, 6th Regiment. These two divisions were the closest to the Colony at the time of attack. 

/

[Aboard the SSV LOONA. Currently orbiting planetary body holding Sathur.]

Haseul stood in front of the Combat Information Center, or CIC for short, eyeing the galaxy map that showed the ship’s current location. She just gave the order for the LOONA to began descending.

“Entering gravitational pull now, Captain.”

Haseul nodded. “Take her in easy, this planet’s known to have an unnaturally strong G-force.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Seeing as the ship’s crew had it under control, Haseul entered the elevator and selected Deck 5: the Shuttle Bay.

When the elevator doors opened, the cargo bay came into view.

Sooyoung was by her armor locker, making last minute adjustments. Jinsoul was perched on one of the cargo crates, Vivi leaned on one next to her. The two chatted for a bit to pass the time.

“Approaching LZ, Captain. Preparing to land.”

“Affirmative.”

As the ship was landing at the Colony’s Alliance Base, Haseul took the time to equip her armor and weapons.

“Are we ready to go?”

Getting positive responses from her team, she radioed a request to drop the ramp.  

“Aye, Captain. Opening ramp now.”

An alarm blared, signaling that the ramp was opening.

When it settled, Haseul made her way down first, her team trailing behind her.

“So, who are the potential recruits that Counselor Park recommended?” Jinsoul asked as they passed Alliance soldiers wandering around.

“Oh right,” Haseul brought up her omni-tool. A few beeps and boops later and, “There, I just sent the data to you all.”

Jinsoul and Sooyoung skimmed through the data as they walked through the base. Haseul already read the data. Vivi liked to actually see where she was walking, so she just listened along.

“Corporal Kim Jungeun and Corporal Kim Jiwoo, Alliance Marines. Both have 15 months of service under Major Ahn… belongs to the 6th Regiment of the 8th Division.”

Sooyoung listed off a few highlights from the data.

“Were both promoted to the rank of Corporal after exceptional service… shows impressive tactical leadership... efficient yet unconventional methods for completion of mission objectives.”

Jinsoul whistled. “Wow, they both managed to skip 3 ranks after 6 months of service?”

Vivi nodded along, “That’s impressive. Any specialties?”

“Says Kim Jungeun’s officially of the Commando class. But has an unorthodox method of fighting, choosing to utilize a mix of close-range combat and tech instead of traditional long-range. Kim Jiwoo’s her opposite, girl’s a walking tank! Alliance intel lists her class as a Shock Trooper.”

“So they’re both an in-your-face type of fighter, except one’s sneaky and the other one’s a trailblazer.” Vivi smirked, already imagining their fighting styles. “Sounds great.”

Haseul chuckled at her team. They were already talking about sparring practice and field drills. “Alright, enough fawning, we’re here.”

/

“Ok, but HOW did you manage to get that far behind enemy lines?”

“Jiwoo. It is literally my job to sneak into enemy territory.” Jungeun deadpanned.

Chaeyoung and Tzuyu laughed, the banter was a usual occurrence.

The four of them were still at the Colony’s Alliance Base. It had only been a few hours since the final battle against the space pirates. They decided to rest at the base’s canteen.

“So, have you heard of anything about the next deployment?”

Jungeun shook her head. “Major Ahn hasn’t given any orders yet. I think she’s waiting on transport for the few injured soldiers. And for backup to arrive so she can swap the Alliance troops stationed here.”

“Mhm. Yeah, that makes sense.”

The girls were lost in their conversation, taking advantage of what little free time they were given. A rare occurrence due to the busy-body nature of the 6th Regiment.

They didn’t notice the 4 Alliance officers walking into the canteen. And they definitely didn’t notice until they were coming up to their table.

“Excuse me. Are you Corporal Kim Jungeun and Corporal Kim Jiwoo?” A calm voice smoothly interrupted.

“Yeah, who’s—” Jungeun’s eyes widened after she turned her head. She stood up at attention immediately. “Ma’am.”

Her friends quickly followed suit, echoing the salute.

The Captain smiled before nodding to dismiss the salute. “At ease.”

Two Commanders flanked the Captain’s sides. Jungeun’s gaze flicked over their uniform to see Ha and Jung stitched in.

Another Alliance soldier stood to the side, clad in a subtle tactical outfit compared to her companions. It was similar to her own infiltration armor. Spec-ops… Black-ops…? The soldier’s name wasn’t on her uniform, for obvious reasons, but Jungeun could see her dog-tags; Wong . She stood near Commander Jung’s side, cooly crossing her arms and leaning back on a table.

Jungeun noticed that Agent Wong scanned the rest of the canteen rather quickly, as if she was taking in the number of people present and mentally assessing them.

Jungeun turned her attention back to the Captain when she started talking.

“Captain Jo Haseul, Alliance Navy. Do you mind if we have a word with you two?”

“Not at all.” Jungeun could see Jiwoo shake her head in agreement in her peripheral.

Chaeyoung and Tzuyu made to move away from the table, giving them their privacy. “Ah, we’ll be on our way then.”

Captain Jo looked at them and nodded, but something made her narrow her eyes. Before they could leave, she said, “Oh! Wait, are you two Son Chaeyoung and Chou Tzuyu, by any chance?”

The two soldiers looked puzzled but nodded to confirm.

“Oh good! This saves me some time,” Captain Jo pulled out a small datapad. “A good friend of mine, Major Park Jihyo, has a message for you two. She’s been looking for some new additions for her squadron and you two have caught her attention.”

They both looked surprised. Chaeyoung stood still so Tzuyu was the one that took the offered datapad.

“Major Park Jihyo?!”

Captain Jo nodded. “Yes. She’s over by the Laboratory Wing if I remember correctly.”

The two soldiers saluted the officers before they left, almost eagerly. Chaeyoung said goodbye to Jungeun and Jiwoo, with Tzuyu waving behind her.

“See you guys later then!”

With their friends gone, Captain Jo and her team had their full attention.

“You’re probably curious as to why I’m here.” Captain Jo started with a friendly smile.

“Well, it’s not everyday an Alliance Captain comes looking to talk with you!”

Jungeun had to grin at Jiwoo’s cheerfulness. She and Jiwoo took their previous seats at the table.

Captain Jo sat across from them, with Commander Jung next to her. Commander Ha remained standing but opted to stand behind her Captain’s side. Spec-Ops Agent Wong was still leaning against the table next to them.

A few soldiers in the canteen were curious at the sight of 4 Alliance officers. They carried on with their business when they saw their high ranks. And if they didn’t move on, then they sure did when they spotted Vivi’s sniper rifle and her cold calculating gaze.

“So uh… what’s the reason you’re looking for us?” Jungeun couldn’t help but be curious.

Captain Jo took a moment to observe the two Corporals before answering.

“Long story short, I’m looking to recruit. Counselor Park recommended you two when I asked.”

“Oh! Counselor Park? How is she!” Jiwoo had a bright smile as she asked.

“She’s doing well. Still looking over the cadets at Seoul’s UWUS.”

“Recruitment? For what exactly?” Jungeun was a bit skeptical. This sounded a little too good to be true, but if Counselor Park was the one who recommended them…

Commander Jung chimed in this time. “We’re assembling a mobile tactical squad. It’s a new project, headed by the 12th Fleet’s Vice Admiral Jeong. Officially, each Fleet will have one to three squadrons. These squadrons will be the Fleet’s first line of offense and defense.”

Jungeun and Jiwoo took a few minutes to mull over the new information. She was thankful that the officers didn’t pressure them for an immediate answer. She turned to Jiwoo, communicating something with just their eyes. It seems like they were still on the same wavelength.

“What happens if we say yes?” Jungeun asked once they turned back.

“There would be a place for you on the ship, under my command. Given your service record so far, I’d also promote you two to Lieutenants. I’ll handle the transfer and all the necessary paperwork. You two would just need to pack your bags.”

Jungeun bit her lip, looking like she was still mentally debating it. A transfer to a new Alliance project and a promotion? Now it seemed like it was way too good to be true.

Jiwoo was calm as she nudged her friend. A reassuring smile coupled with a nod broke Jungeun’s mental battle. She returned the gesture.

“Alright, I’m in.” Nothing to lose. 

“Me too!” Jiwoo threw her hands up in a celebratory fashion.

“Good to hear.” Captain Jo smiled triumphantly.

Commander Jung laughed at Jiwoo’s reaction. Even Commander Ha broke her neutral expression to smile. Agent Wong looked amused at the scene.

“When you’re done packing, head over to the 2nd LZ.”

Captain Jo stood up, prompting everybody else to do so as well.

“Welcome aboard the SSV LOONA.” Captain Jo shook Jungeun and Jiwoo’s hands enthusiastically.

It seemed like they were moving a step closer towards progress.

/

“Man, she was pretty cute.” Sooyoung mumbled as they walked back to the ship.

“If it wasn’t official Alliance intel, I wouldn’t believe you if you told me she was a Shock Trooper.”

Jinsoul smirked as she elbowed Sooyoung. “I guess it’s always the cute ones that are the most dangerous.”

“SHUT IT.” Sooyoung shoved Jinsoul away, she felt her face beginning to burn.

Jinsoul merely cackled as her friend’s ears rapidly turned red.

/

Back at the Alliance Base’s temporary housing quarters, Jungeun and Jiwoo were packing what little belongings they had.

“ACHOO!”

Jiwoo sniffled a bit, rubbing her nose after her sneeze.

Jungeun raised an eyebrow in question  and chuckled. “Is someone talking about you or something?”

“Hmm…” Jiwoo looked contemplative before she grinned brightly. “I hope it’s only good things!”

/