The base was alive with motion, soldiers running drills, squads moving in formation, voices crackling through comms, but the moment Nikko Yakomoto stepped into the corridor, everything stilled around her.
Black uniform.
Black insignia.
Black Vanguard.
Every soldier they passed stood straighter. Boots snapped together. Salutes fired off in crisp unison. And walking beside her, though clad in silver-trimmed navy and not black, was a man of equal weight in presence. Luke Feran.
Nikko didn't slow for the salutes. She never did. Her pace was even, eyes ahead, not a flicker of hesitation in her step. She was leading Luke to the accomodation for unit-1 Leon's squad. Her black hair, tied in a single thread-bound braid, swung lightly at her back as she moved.
Luke walked beside her in silence, the weight of the situation slowly digging into his spine with each step.
'So I have to lower my head to this boy again.'
