Shadow Slave

Master Jet pointed at another new symbol on the screen of his communicator.

"The process is basically the same. You can shop for members of the cohort through your comm… well, not really. Contribution points have nothing to do with the selection, of course. There is a pull of elite Awakened fighters that have been transferred to this port. The First Irregular Company has priority right to recruit forty-two of them, six per cohort. As the youngest captain, you get the first pick."

Sunny stared at the screen, deep in thought.

So, the first thing he had to do was to pick six Awakened that would become his soldiers during the Antarctica campaign. He had no doubt that each of them was an elite warrior among the government forces… but being a good fighter was not enough.

Creating a strong cohort was no small feat. Its members not only had to be able to pull their own weight, but also meet a long list of needs that a combat unit possessed. This was especially true for the seven cohorts that were going to comprise the First Irregular Company, since each of them was expected to operate independently.

In a sense, this approach was more familiar to him. Awakened serving a large force were able to specialize within the confines of their units. One cohort could do especially well in melee combat, but lack the means of dealing damage from range. Another cohort could specialize in attacking exclusively from distance. By working together, these different units were able to shore up each other's weaknesses and allow the soldiers to express their greatest strengths.

An independent cohort was very different. Although it could possess a specialization, it had to be well-rounded and excel in various aspects by necessity. This is how most cohorts in the Dream Realm functioned, and what Sunny was familiar with.

In any case, choosing six Awakened that could fulfill a multitude of roles while synergizing with each other was a daunting task. There was a lot of factors he would have to consider.

And after that… he had to assume command of these strangers and lead them into battle after battle. Their survival was his responsibility. Their deaths, should any of his soldiers fall, would be on his conscience, too.

Sunny let out a long sigh, then looked at Master Jet.

"Any advice?"

She lingered for a few moments, then nodded.

"No matter how good these elites are, you will still be the core element and the deadliest weapon of the cohort. Don't neglect variability, but choose those whose Aspects compliment yours."

Sunny smiled.

"Ah, that won't be a problem. I might not excel in any one thing, but at the same time, I am sort of a jack-of-all-trades. While my Aspect leans toward utility, I can do a bit of everything. That leaves me at a disadvantage in some situations, but it also means that I can work well with a great variety of Awakened. Anyone can benefit from having me by their side, and vice versa."

Master Jet thought for a few moments.

"Versatility is a strength in and of itself. Since you are not limited by a narrow focus, the best course of action would be to assemble a well-balanced group of fighters that can respond to any situation with a high level of effectiveness. That will actually make my job a bit easier, since I'll be able to send your cohort to solve a wider variety of problems."

She lingered for a bit, and then added:

"If there is one piece of advice I can give, it's to not neglect utility in favor of direct combat strength. Antarctica… no matter how prepared we think we are, it is going to test us in ways that no one expects. Things will go wrong, and then go from bad to worse. Mobility, survival, mental resilience… all these things and plenty others might turn out to be much more important than we think. It is also going to be a long, cruel, and punishing campaign. Keep that in mind."

Sunny sighed. Long, cruel, and punishing… that was basically the description of most of his experiences with the Nightmare Spell. That was nothing new.

He stared at his communicator for a bit, then asked:

"What about after I've assembled the cohort? Most of these soldiers are probably older than me. They are also devoted government servants, while I am somewhat of a hired mercenary. I doubt that they will be happy to be under command of someone like me, instead of one of the other distinguished Masters."

Soul Reaper shook her head.

"You are not exactly correct. Sure, you are younger than the other captains of our company. Some might see it as a weakness, but at the same time, it's a sign of excellence and greater potential. After all, none of us managed to Ascend before turning twenty. I am considered somewhat of a prodigy, and you beat my record by five years. So, I don't expect these soldiers to show reluctance to respect your command."

She paused, then added in a serious tone:

"However, there is a great difference between being able to issue orders and being able to inspire confidence. There is no easy method to make your soldiers follow you, not simply obey you. You will have to find a way to win their loyalty on your own, Sunny."

Master Jet smiled.

"However, I don't think that it will be too hard. Once we reach Antarctica, things will fall into place. Lead them to victory, keep them alive, and they'll learn to trust you."

Sunny thought for a bit, then nodded.

Actions spoke louder than words. He might face some resistance at the start, but battle would swiftly resolve everything. Either he would win his soldiers over, or all seven of them would die. In any case, the problem was going to disappear.

Soul Reaper briefly gripped his shoulder, and then said:

"Anyway, I don't think you should worry about these matters yet. You have plenty of other issues to solve. No matter how professional and prepared these guys are, forming a strong cohort takes more than simply assembling all its members together. You will all have to learn how to fight side by side and leverage your unique powers to form good synergy. Well, I don't have to tell you. You're not a novice."

Sunny scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah… I have some experience with that."

She sighed.

"Do remember that you will only have three, maybe four weeks left to prepare. That is not nearly enough time to deepen the cooperation level of the cohort, but do as much as you can. There will be proper training facilities aboard the ships, so don't stop working until we make landfall."

Sunny looked at her with a serious expression.

"I won't."

Master Jet nodded, then waved a hand.

"Well, I bet you have enough to think about. I'll leave you to it, then. Don't take too much time deciding on who you want to recruit. The sooner you settle that, the sooner you can start bringing your cohort to shape and spending those sweet contribution points."

He smiled and looked as she turned around and disappeared into one of the corridors of the underground bunker.

Then, Sunny lowered his gaze and studied the screen of his communicator.

He had a lot to think about, indeed.