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?"

a few moments,

good these elites are, you will still be the core element and the deadliest weapon of the cohort.

Sunny smiled.

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.

thought for a few

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

a bit, and

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

was basically the description of most

at his communicator for a bit, then

me. They are also devoted government servants, while I am somewhat of a hired mercenary. I

shook her

at the same time, it's a sign of excellence and greater potential. After all, none of us managed to Ascend before

paused, then added in

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,

Master Jet smiled.

think that it will be too hard. Once we reach Antarctica, things will fall into place. Lead them to victory, keep them alive, and

for a bit, then

the start, but battle would swiftly resolve everything. Either he would win his soldiers over, or all seven of them would die. In

briefly gripped his shoulder, and then

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