"Zahi... if I die too soon, can you become the next Captain of the Special Infantry Troop?"
Those words first came into Zahi's mind when he heard the news of Captain Wright's death. It was something that Wright told him a few years ago. And now that he's been appointed as the new captain for the special troop as per Wright's early recommendation.
"Wright was a man of many talents. A lot of people relied on him for his skills and brilliance, and maybe that's why the authorities chose you to take his place as Wright requested." Said one of Zahi's fellow Captains from the Airborne Department, Rohan Patel.
"Tch, that bastard's really trying to piss me off even after his death." Zahi ranted. "I never wanted to go back to the special troop, I'm sick of working on the front lines."
Zahi never have any intention coming back to the special troop and was only forced to become the captain all because of Wright. He hated being reminded of his past as a former member of the troop, especially when it would remind him of all the countless time when he witness a comrade die.
Being a part of the Special Infantry Troop was the worst experience for Zahi Nor, they have the highest fatality rate considering that they're fighting from the front lines and faced with unimaginable destructive forces coming from the enemy.
Rohan pats his back and chuckled. "Maybe this was Wright's revenge. After all, you left him alone to deal with all the responsibilities in that troop."
Zahi paused for a moment to think. "...what a pain in the ass, man." He uttered.
The two were at the smoking longue, wasting away their free time until Zahi had to meet up with the Special Infantry Troop for a meeting. By the time Zahi was done with his stick, he got up and sighed.
"Going to meet up with the troop now?" Rohan asks.
"Don't bother asking the obvious. I'm outta here."
Then as Zahi marches to the assembly hall, everyone from the troop was already there. There were a huge change in numbers within the troop after the war at the eastern coast. So from the previous count of 163, the troop was reduced to 102.
Seeing this worries the remaining platoon commanders Devian Rivlin, Gunther Neumann, and Felix Solberg.
"...we've lost a lot of our people." Felix murmured.
Devian, running his hands on his hair, felt overwhelmed by all the loss they suffered. "Leon, Julia, Bernadette, and then Captain Wright! We've lost so much that I don't know what to do anymore."
Gunther gently placed a hand on his shoulder, attempting to ease Devian's worries. "Don't let it get to you, Dev. This is something we all should expect when we put our lives on the line. Not everyone here is guaranteed to survive as long as this war continues."
"Tch! I don't need you to remind me that." Devian brushed his hand off and glared at him. "I know damn well that everybody won't always be there with us forever."
Felix sighed as he watched the two argue, and at the corner of his eye, he caught glimpse of Raphael from afar. The guy was resting, sitting on the floor by himself with his eyes closed. "Oh... what about him? Is he really going to be like that until he's dead?" He asked.
The two also noticed Raphael at a distance.
"An eyesore." Devian looked at Raphael with a vile stare. "That bastard gets on my nerves, seriously. I would've preferred him gone than Captain Wright."
"It's ashame that Raphael chose to defend such a foul woman. The woman's name is Claire Duvent, right?" Gunther asks.
"It is." Felix nodded.
"I was right to trust my gut, I've always doubted her since the day she joined the troop. Though I never thought she'd kill a lot of our comrades."
Then the man they were all waiting for have finally appeared, barging into the doors of the assembly halls. Their new Captain, Zahi Nor, shamelessly walks in a cocky manner despite being late for their meeting. When he walked pass by the platoon commanders, Devian and the rest follows him from behind and stands on the stage along with him.
As Zahi stands before them all, the whole troop got into formation and felt an intense pressure from Zahi's piercing eyes. Unlike Captain Wright, their new Captain seemed vicious and unforgiving. Everyone was already having thoughts on not to get on Zahi's nerves.
"...Special Infantry Troop, was it?" Zahi looked at each and everyone carefully.
"Well, from now on, I'll be the Captain of this troop until I die or when the authorities decides to replace me. I don't expect much from this new generation of the special infantry troop after losing 35 percent of its people—" he scoffed. "—it probably won't be long until each and everyone of you gets replaced by new faces. All of you look so weak and easily replaceable. If any of you aren't up for the challenge, I suggest that you walk out of here and get yourselves reassigned to a new department."
"...is this alright?" Devian whispers to Gunther. "Don't you think his approach is rather... demoralizing? The troop might dissolve if Captain Zahi keeps this up."
"I trust Captain Wright's decision in recommending him as our new Captain. Who knows, maybe he's someone that we actually need right now."
Then after some people walks out, only 54 remained. The result of Zahi's suggestion made him shake his head. "If the rest that remains here are fully decided to keep on fighting as a part of this troop, I respect your bravery and resolve. Honestly, I don't want any people fighting for their lives with half-assed determination here, so it's probably better off this way."
Devian jaws have dropped to the floor after seeing how much more members they lost. "What the hell!? Is this really fine, Gunther!?"
"E-Err... I'm not so sure anymore." And Gunther was also unsure of this.
"Alright then! Let's begin with the reformation, shall we?" Then as the meeting progressed, the troop proceeds to reform. The current special troop was now divided into four squads with 13 members each.
The first squad led by rank number 2, Devian Rivlin. The second squad led by rank number 3, Gunther Neumann. The third squad led by rank number 4, Felix Solberg. And the fourth squad led by rank number 5, Nam Nguyen.
After they were done sorting the squads, Zahi dismissed the meeting and ordered the squad leaders to increase the intensity of their trainings. "...understood, sir!!" Replied the squad leaders.
"I'll take my leave." Then as Zahi left the stage, he made his way to Raphael who remains standing at a lonely corner of the assembly hall. "Hey, you stupid dog." He referred to Raphael.
"...yes, sir?"
"Follow me to my office." Zahi ordered. Raphael had to obey without complaint and they marched out of the assembly hall together.