The air inside the ceremonial hall held a solemn weight, one woven from discipline, reverence, and the kind of silence only soldiers knew how to maintain. When Vanguard Rebecca stepped forward, her boots echoed crisply against the polished floor. The room quieted further, like a breath held in collective anticipation, as she began to speak.
"The skirmish that took place recently was one we never expected to occur," Rebecca said, her voice commanding yet calm, the cadence of a veteran who had led through chaos and come out the other side with her spine straighter. "But as soldiers of the Federation, we are trained to expect the unexpected… and neutralize the unstoppable."
'She's really good at this,' Leon thought, arms crossed, slouched slightly in his seat beside Elizabeth.
"We battle at the frontlines," Rebecca continued, "so those we wish to protect may live without fear. And those who have fallen… may never be forgotten."
