"Your theory is not just valid, it’s actually correct," said Corporal Thomas as he and his team sat with Nero in the mess hall. Recently, the number of scientists and researchers in their base had dwindled, and since no new missions were being sent into Perilith, the activity in the base had reduced.
In fact, things had been relatively peaceful even outside the base, finally allowing the soldiers to rest and recuperate properly. As a result, Thomas and his team were relatively free. After all, their primary mission was to protect the scientists, but that was no longer possible since, well, they were gone...
"It’s basically an open secret," he continued. "Dr. Iris is... a little eccentric, yes, but she’s an Ayurvedist doctor. Those are pretty rare all across Kolar, let alone in small bases like these. Furthermore, it’s clear to everyone that she cares a lot about healing her patients completely. Yet during active duty, that’s not really the priority for commanders as they need all hands on task.
"So, while she doesn’t do anything during actual battle situations, it’s basically common knowledge that outside of emergency situations, she will medicate her patients so that their CO’s can’t make them return to duty."
Even though Nero had long suspected this, having his theory confirmed was slightly shocking.
"How can she break army protocol like that?" he asked, bewildered. "Isn’t she afraid of getting punished? Or affecting army operations?"
The question was genuine. How could one person disregard army discipline like that? No matter what position, such blatant disregard for streamlined army operations should have warranted some reaction!
Yet to his surprise, the group only chuckled at Nero’s question, and gave him the kind of look seniors gave to newbies. Nero suddenly realised that once again... perhaps his overzealous devotion from the army from when he was a kid had crept in.
Having grown up believing stories of how the army operates like clockwork, how everyone is perfectly in synchronisation with each other, all focused on their tasks, he might still hold some of those beliefs as true.
"On paper, that’s how things are supposed to be," Thomas answered with an amused smile. "In practice, every CO runs things differently. Some are more lax, some are more strict, and some change depending on what the situation demands. Similarly, all officers are different. Firstly, there are Operational Officers, who primarily deal with combat leadership, and then there are Specialist Officers who are doctors, engineers, artisans and the sort.
"As unfair as it sounds, Specialist Officers tend to get a bit of special treatment because on the field there will be many who can stand in for an Operational Officer, but few who can do what a Specialist Officer does.
"Dr. Iris is a tough one to deal with. She has a high rank, and on top of that her skills are exceptional. So, as long as she does not cross a certain line, even her commanding officers have no choice but to tolerate her. After all, she has the unwavering support of the soldiers. If they treat her too harshly, it could destroy morale, and that’s a quick way of losing a winning battle."
Nero nodded, understanding the practicality of the situation. After his morning routine, he had decided to spend his lunch hour with the corporal and his team. Since they were going to be working together, it would be best to get used to one another as quickly as possible, and to show them that he was not slacking or wasting time. It was also a good way to implement and practice some of the things Vanessa had told him.
So, in a display of sincerity and not keeping unnecessary secrets, Nero had mentioned to the corporal his theory of how his doctor was keeping him weakened. He hadn’t done it in a way insinuating malicious intent, but rather as a piece of interesting gossip - one of the fastest tools to make friends if done properly.
Well, it seemed that not only had his gossip strategy worked, the corporal and his team’s impression of Nero improved slightly. Whether it was his experience of doubt at his doctor, or his seeming naivety about how the army worked, both were highly relatable.
Behind his awkward smile and thankful gaze, Nero calmly studied the effectiveness of this strategy. Some things couldn’t be helped - he had been raised to be analytical and that was not a trait he was going to give up. However, even this single experience brought him a tremendous amount of insight into the effectiveness of being relatable.
His whole life, he had leveraged his uniqueness and dedicated efforts to gain the admiration of his peers. This was an entirely new experience for him.
The group continued to chat, making fun of Nero the newbie every now and then, though they also greatly admired his record during his past few missions.
"What’s wrong? Don’t like the dessert?" Thomas asked, noticing how Nero left it after a single bite.
"It’s bitter," Nero answered offhandedly, and delved into a different topic, diverting the conversation.
Thomas gave a single glance to the caramel pudding, but didn’t question how it could be bitter. Among soldiers, certain things need not be explained.
Once the lunch was over, the soldiers were supposed to return to their posts, but given the lax mood in the base, they decided to be lazy about their return. Nero, still in his wheelchair, was naturally pulled along.
"I take it you’re going to be joining KMA after this?" one of the soldiers - the one pushing Nero’s chair - asked.
"Yeah, that’s the plan," Nero answered.
"You’re lucky you got selected," he continued, sounding envious. "When I applied, the competition was really tough. I passed all my physicals, but didn’t get in because my high school results were too low. I kept asking my professor what mathematics has to do with being a soldier... well, it doesn’t matter now. Did you know that regular soldiers actually get more off time than officers? Now I’m kind of glad I didn’t get in."
The soldier’s tone seemed to insinuate otherwise, but Nero did not choose to point that out to him. Instead, he pretended to not have known that fact - as if he hadn’t memorised all public information about the army years ago.
"Mathematics is the bane of all that is good and holy," Nero said, testing the response he got from the soldiers for various levels of relatability. His preliminary findings were that being too relatable also wasn’t a good thing. It would cause dwindling respect, as well as a loss of uniqueness and identity in the minds of others.
"Alright, alright, enough slacking," said Thomas finally as they neared their posts. "Nero, I take it you can head back on your own. I’ll have you know I’m the kind of leader who expects complete professionalism and seriousness when it’s time to work."
Nero nodded, and was about to respond when he felt the ground tremble beneath his wheelchair. With an odd expression he looked downwards, but noticed nothing other than a normal road. Then, just a couple seconds later, he heard a muffled sound from the distance.
Although it was not so loud, Nero, and the rest of the soldiers too, recognised it for what it was. An explosion far away from the base. .
The corporal’s expression changed as he began barking orders.
"Report to your posts immediately! Get your weapons ready and put on your armour. Be ready for deployment at a moments-"
Before Thomas could complete his orders, an even more devastating sound interrupted him.
"NOOOO!" roared Lieutenant Earl’s gut wrenching voice across the base, followed by another explosion. The roof of the observation near the boundary wall disappeared, shooting into the sky, as the lieutenant leaped into the sky, rushing towards the distant explosion.
Nero caught sight of the man, and saw that his right arm, which was normally encased in a cast, was free. Or perhaps he should have said the skeleton of his right arm, for what was beneath the cast revealed itself to be nothing more than bones, wrapped in a black, terrifying glow that seemed to radiate more cursed energy than anything Nero had ever seen.
He didn’t get much time to observe because the lieutenant fell behind the wall, the sight of him blocked, as he darted towards the distant explosion.
Nero didn’t wait for any orders and quickly turned his wheelchair around, rushing towards the hospital. In his current state, Nero was nothing but a burden to anyone he was near, not to mention he was extremely vulnerable.
He realised something big had just happened, and he had a dreadful sinking feeling in his stomach, as if he knew exactly what it was.