"You won't believe how 'lucky' I was. The moment the door opened, the whole room was full of people."
Edwin's signature loud voice could be heard clearly even from outside the tent.
"And then there was their commander—totally stunned when he saw us..."
Arcia Levanovsky Virdona sat alone on a stack of crates, unwrapping the gauze around her abdomen. The second-type medical agent's excellent healing and hemostatic properties had kept her going until they returned to camp for more advanced treatment—a definite perk of being a Night Knight. Even if your limbs were blown off, a trip to the Altasa base for "repairs" could bring you back good as new. Regular soldiers, however, weren't nearly as lucky; they'd often be left with permanent disabilities. Still, even for a Night Knight, a shot to the head meant game over. For vital organs like the heart or lungs, though, the second-type agent could keep you hanging on.
Now that she thought about it, despite the war raging for over a year, Arcia had never needed a full-on "factory reset." Nor had Nordhausen. Edwin, on the other hand, had been hit by shrapnel from an artillery shell six months ago—he had brushed shoulders with death back then.
A transport truck rolled into camp. Arcia straightened her clothes and tossed the bloodstained gauze into the garbage incinerator pit.
"You can't throw medical waste in there."
The voice came from behind. She turned to see Marcia, the platoon's medical officer. She was in her early thirties, with striking green eyes and flowing golden curls. Her curvy figure stood out even beneath the lab coat—unsurprising that she'd once been the object of many wounded soldiers' and officers' affections.
"It's all going to be burned anyway," Arcia muttered, pouting slightly.
"This pit was just burned out. Next round won't be for another three or four days. In the meantime, all kinds of domestic waste and kitchen scraps will get dumped here. It becomes a paradise for flies and mosquitoes. If any of those bugs carry your blood to another unit, that's a full-blown disaster waiting to happen."
"Is it really that dangerous...?" Arcia frowned, unsure if Marcia was exaggerating.
"Absolutely. You supers' blood is basically poison to regular humans."
"Really? I've never heard that before."
"I told you all during setup to be careful about disposing of medical waste and anything contaminated with your blood, didn't I?"
Arcia turned her head and looked away, silent.
"Did your previous medic officer not mention any of this?"
"I never even met the last one."
"...Fine. Just don't do it again. And next time, get a doctor or a nurse to remove your bandages."
Arcia raised both hands in surrender.
"Marcia? What brings you over here now?" Edwin and Nordhausen had appeared outside at some point.
"I heard we're getting new recruits today, so I came to greet them and go over the camp hygiene protocols."
Marcia shot Arcia another pointed glance.
"What were you and Arcia talking about just now? Sounded like you were arguing," Edwin asked.
"Since you brought it up, I'll say this—Arcia's young, so some rebelliousness is understandable. But you two—grown men—you should've been watching her. She was just sitting there unwrapping her own bandages. Didn't I already tell you about the blood-transmission incident in Second Army a while back?"
Edwin and Nordhausen exchanged a guilty look, regretting they'd brought it up.
"Yes, yes, we were careless. It's our fault," they said in unison.
"Honestly..." Marcia shook her head in frustration. She knew all too well that if she didn't stay vigilant, this kind of thing would just keep happening.
"Anyway, looks like the new recruits are here. I'm going to check them out," Nordhausen said, seizing the chance to retreat.
"I'll come too. I bet some are headed for my squad," Edwin added quickly.
"You coming to take a look?" Marcia asked Arcia.
Arcia shrugged, then followed her toward the transport truck.
"Feeling better?"
"Good as new."
"Come by the medical tent later so I can check on you."
…
Eleven new recruits were already lined up beside the transport. Aside from Fourth Platoon, the other three platoons also needed reinforcements.
"You all beat me here," said Otto, the Fourth Platoon leader, as he walked over while putting on gloves. As per protocol, Nordhausen and Edwin gave him a brief salute, which Otto returned. They were familiar enough not to stand on ceremony.
"You here to join the fun too?" he said to Arcia with a grin as he gently pinched her cheek.
"She's not a kid. Hands off," Marcia said, slapping his hand away and pulling Arcia to her side.
"Where's the company commander?" asked Nordhausen.
"He's in a meeting with HQ. Asked me to handle the new recruits."
"Sounds like we've got another mission coming," Edwin muttered.
Otto pulled out a dossier and started matching the photos with the recruits' faces. He stopped in front of one girl.
"Sennia!"
"Present!" The clear female voice drew everyone's attention.
"Another girl?" someone murmured.
It wasn't shocking, just mildly surprising. The Night Knights had a relatively high percentage of female soldiers, thanks to drug augmentation eliminating physical disadvantages in combat.
"You'll be with First Squad, Fourth Platoon."
"Understood."
"You four..." Otto flipped through more pages. "Second Squad, Fourth Platoon."
As expected, the recruits remained silent.
"You—Third Platoon, First Squad. You—First Platoon, First Squad. And you three—Second Platoon. Your leaders will brief you separately."
Otto closed the dossier. "You five, follow me."
He led the five recruits assigned to other units away.
"Sennia!"
"Sir!" Sennia snapped to attention as Nordhausen stepped in front of her.
"I'm Nordhausen, First Squad leader, Fourth Platoon—your commanding officer. I hope you'll make an impression."
"Yes, sir!"
He gave a nod of approval as he looked at the silver-haired girl.
"Great. All the 'normal ones' end up in your squad, and I'm stuck with a bunch of mute lugs," Edwin joked as he walked over.
"This is Edwin, Second Squad leader," Nordhausen introduced.
"Hello, sir!" Sennia gave him a crisp salute.
"Hello!" Edwin returned the gesture.
"You four, come with me," he said, then led his squad off.
"This is our platoon medical officer, Marcia, and this is your comrade, Arcia," Nordhausen continued, introducing the two standing behind him. Sennia saluted them respectfully.
"Nice to meet you," Marcia said, stepping forward to explain some essential camp hygiene rules.
"Come on. I'll show you around camp and get that fire stick—uh, rifle—of yours replaced."
As she followed Nordhausen, Sennia briefly glanced back at Arcia, who seemed to be about the same age.
…
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen—we've got our new assignment."
Everyone in Fourth Platoon had already assembled in the tent per earlier orders. After a brief wait, Otto entered holding a stack of documents.
"Intel reports enemy activity in Ripova. There's a high likelihood that their command center is based there."
He pointed at Ripova on the map—a mid-sized town.
"Our aerial scouts from Army Aviation took some photos, but enemy fighters drove them off pretty quickly."
He pinned the reconnaissance shots to the board.
"Our mission is to infiltrate and sabotage enemy military facilities and command structures in Ripova. Assemble in front of the tent tomorrow at 0700."
Otto looked at Nordhausen and Edwin, who both nodded in affirmation.
"Good. Dismissed. Nordhausen, come with me."
Nordhausen noticed Otto's serious expression and quickly followed.
"What is it?"
In a quiet corner, Otto finally spoke.
"I've received orders from the company commander to look after Sennia. Ensure her survival, no matter what."
"...What?"
Nordhausen froze, not quite processing what he'd just heard.
"I know. It's strange. The commander said it's a directive from higher up, but didn't go into details."
Nordhausen's expression darkened. His gut told him something was off.
"Is there anything unusual in her file?"
"No. Everything checks out—birth date, background, date she left Altasa... all standard."
The two men fell silent, deep in thought.
"For now, let's just follow orders," Otto finally said.
Note:
Combat Enhancement Agents: Temporary injectables designed to amplify Night Knights' physical and sensory capabilities while avoiding permanent body modification that might affect daily life. Numbered I–IV.
No. 1 Agent: First-generation physical enhancer, now obsolete due to the dual-functionality of No. 3.
No. 2 Agent: Medical agent; promotes rapid healing, seals wounds, and reduces pain and bleeding.
No. 3 Agent: Standard issue combat enhancer. Used pre-battle. Lasts six hours, effectiveness tapers with time.
No. 4 Agent: Energy booster for extended ops without food intake. Compensates for the massive energy demands of physical enhancements and healing.