Thirteen individuals stepped forward, wearing the official EOC uniform with a katana attached to their back-waist.
"You're going to be under Harvey for now, understand?" Arthur asked.
They nodded.
"Good. You're dismissed for now."
The enforcers saluted him and marched off. Arthur crossed his arms and opened his mouth.
"All previous first unit enforcers step forward."
Three men stepped forward.
"You're also dismissed."
They also saluted him and marched off. Arthur followed them with his eyes for a while, a glint of pity visible on his face. He shook his head and lifted his head.
"Harvey…teach them good, alright."
"Yes, captain. I'll adjust them to meet our criteria." Harvey replied.
Arthur smiled but wiped it off quickly. He drew a sharp breath and looked forward. Five officers were left. Their posture seemed confident which made Arthur frown.
'So…these are the new guys. It's gonna be a hassle to deal with Stratos graduates.'
He stayed quiet, letting an awkward atmosphere take over as he analyzed the new officers. When the silence didn't break, he raised his brows and nodded. He walked up to the first enforcer and knocked him on the chest.
"What's your name, cadet?"
"Elke, sir."
Elke had dark eyes straight dark hair that covered his forehead with a cross hanging from his neck. Arthur puckered his lips and asked in a raspy tone.
"What's your attribute?"
"I can 'adjust' to anything, sir." Elke replied.
Arthur raised a brow. "Adjust to anything? I'll need you to explain that to me later."
Elke nodded and Arthur moved onto the next cadet.
"And what's your name?"
"Saul, sir."
Arthur looked him up and down. Saul had combed black hair and eyes with a mole under his right eye.
"What's your attribute, Saul?"
"I can…um, control anything within a certain radius, sir."
"Control anything…? You aren't lying to me, are you?"
"No, sir!"
Arthur patted him on the shoulder and moved on.
"You know the drill." Arthur said.
"I'm Jasper, sir!"
Jasper had a round face, fluffy brown hair and eyes with a warm complexion.
"You're pretty excited…what's your attribute?"
"Super strength, sir!"
'That's a good attribute…good for you.'
Arthur nodded and locked onto the next enforcer. He stayed silent, wanting to see if the new officer knew what to say.
"The name's Frank, sir!" Frank said as he realized Arthur's intention.
Arthur narrowed his eyes. Frank had blonde hair with brown eyes and a light bread.
"What's your attribute."
"Invisibility."
Arthur crossed his arms and smirked.
"Well – well – well…It's not every day you get to see a good attribute…You must be a sly one."
Frank didn't respond. Arthur stepped towards the last recruit. He had rough dark hair and brown eyes with a slight scar on his left cheek.
"My name is Major, sir." Major spoke before he could open his mouth. "My attribute is information absorption."
"…Do not ever say anything before I ask you, understand?" Arthur reprimanded.
"Yes, sir."
'These guys are interesting…but this Major's attribute…well, we'll see how it goes. It's our job to make sure they survive.'
He sighed and stepped back.
"…Okay, good. You'll be a team so, decide your captain by tomorrow."
"Yes, sir!" They shouted in unison.
"Now…" Arthur turned around. "Which one of you will be taking them under your wing?"
"I don't think you'll choose me, will you? I've already got a heavy load – enough for an old man like me." Harvey chuckled.
"No – no, not you…not Kay either, he can't teach…"
"Aw…" Kay said.
Arthur frowned and looked at Amelia.
'She isn't a combatant so the last option is…'
Then, he locked eyes with Maple. Maple flinched and looked away slightly when Arthur locked onto her. Arthur heaved a sigh and turned back to the new enforcers.
"You'll be under Enforcer Maple. She'll be your teacher during this expedition, understand?"
"YES, SIR!" The group shouted with all their might.
Arthur blinked. "The hell are you shouting for?! Lower your voice before I turn you into a crisp."
"YES, SIR!"
'These guys are not what I expected…their acting like this is the military or something. I expected them to more or less be cocky brats like us but…'
He smiled and nodded at them.
"You're dismissed. Training starts tomorrow."
They saluted him and marched off. Arthur lifted his head and gazed at the sky. Night had swallowed the sky. Stars sparkled like gems in a cave. A full moon eclipsed just above the horizon. He stared at the stars for a while before snapping back.
"Hey, captain. Are you spacing out?" Amelia asked with a grin.
"No, I'm not." Arthur grumbled. "Now, shut it."
Amelia pouted while Kay peeked at the fire behind. "It looks like dinner's almost ready, let's get going."
"Really? I was getting quite hungry." Arthur walked past them.
"It looks like we'll be eating rations." Kay said as they approached the fire.
They sat down and were handed packages with a plate and drink. They opened the pack and hot water was poured into them. After a few minutes, they opened it and poured the delicious food onto the plate. Water was poured into all of the drinks also. Under the view of the galaxy, they happily eating meat, vegetables and other delectables.