Tectonic Shift (2/5)

Arriving at the 1st and 2nd Companies' barracks, Cadet-Major Montanillo and Cadet-Captain Torio excused themselves so they could return to their own company barracks and inform their Junior Officers and NCOs about the creation of the Presidential Guards Company. As soon as they left, Cadet-Major Del Rosario and Cadet-Captain Francisco were left with the Nirvana team, an awkward atmosphere surrounding them as they stood outside the barracks.

"When do we get to meet President Kobayashi?" Cadet-Captain Kim suddenly asked.

"You'll meet him soon enough. We still have an hour before his class ends, until then, we'll brief you on the details about President Kobayashi as well as the student culture here at Mount Juliet" Cadet-Captain Francisco chimed in, still feeling uneasy about working with the Nirvana team.

"What does the student culture here have to do with our mission?" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo asked.

"Everything" Cadet-Major Del Rosario responded, "Knowing the student culture here will be integral on how you will come up with security and protective measures for President Kobayashi" she continued as Cadet-Lieutenant Shin arrogantly scoffed, causing Cadet-Major Del Rosario and Cadet-Captain Francisco to look at her direction.

"Is something the matter, Cadet-Lieutenant Shin?" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked, her eyes squinted.

"I think you're just stalling for time by trying to explain to us the student culture here" Cadet-Lieutenant Shin responded arrogantly, hitting a nerve on Cadet-Captain Francisco.

"All due respect ma'am, but we've been assigned to far more difficult and complicated missions than this, I'm sure we can handle it without your help. Just give us the information about President Kobayashi and we'll take care of the rest from there" Cadet-Lieutenant Shin continued.

"Is that what your entire team feels, Cadet-Captain Kim?" Cadet-Major Del Rosario asked as she shifted her attention from Cadet-Lieutenant Shin.

"I apologize if she said that crudely" Cadet-Captain Kim apologized for his subordinate's blunt answer, "But we do agree with what she said, it would be a waste of time briefing us on something so irrelevant" he continued as he gave a half-hearted smile, exposing two deep dimples on both cheeks.

"Does that mean you won't be needing any support from the rest of the 1st and 2nd Companies?" Cadet-Major Del Rosario asked for clarification.

"That's correct. Babysitting isn't our specialty, but it'll be easy" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo confidently replied.

"Is that right?" Cadet-Major Del Rosario responded with subtle sarcasm, "If that's the case, let's head to my office so we can start your briefing, we don't want to waste any of your time" she added before doing a slow 180 degree turn and started walking towards the entrance of the barracks, Cadet-Captain Francisco following suite, with the Nirvana team following behind her.

As they walked through the barrack's common area, some of the cadets and NCOs present couldn't help but subtly look at the members of the Nirvana team. Cadet-Captain Kim and Cadet-Lieutenant Heo were both being eyed by the female cadets, while Cadet-Captain Shin was being eyed by the male cadets – an ominous sign of what the Nirvana team was soon going to face, completely oblivious to the unique student culture that they have at Mount Juliet.

Although the Nirvana team failed to notice the subtle glances that the Cadets were making, it was quickly and easily noticed by Cadet-Major Del Rosario and Cadet-Captain Francisco, both of whom knew it was going to be everyone's natural reaction after seeing them since the three of them could easily be mistaken as K-Pop idols or even actors if not for the ROTC combat uniforms they were wearing. Had they arrived before the Hotlist was released, they would undoubtedly rank at the Top 10 – especially Cadet-Captain Kim and Cadet-Lieutenant Heo.

When they arrived at her office, Cadet-Major Del Rosario immediately sat behind her desk and turned on her computer to print out the information that the ROTC have on Aiden – which was only a page worth. She then placed the papers she printed out in three separate folders, one for each member of the Nirvana team who was about to get a crash course on the Student Council President.

As the information was printing, Cadet-Major Del Rosario opened a PowerPoint file they have on Aiden and his Praetorian Guards. It's a presentation that was made by the ROTC Intelligence Division and sent to all the ROTC Company Commanders in the event a presentation was to be given to new ROTC cadets assigned to their company – and in this case the Nirvana team.

Cadet-Captain Francisco on the other hand, placed three chairs in front of Cadet-Major Del Rosario's desk, facing them towards the corner of the office before flipping a switch behind the desk, which activated the drop-down projector and the drop-down projector screen located near the corner of the room.

Cadet-Lieutenant Heo, Cadet-Captain Kim, and Cadet-Lieutenant Shin took their seats in that order before Cadet-Major Del Rosario handed them the files she just printed out. After handing out the files, she gave a laser-pointer that can control the PowerPoint slides to Cadet-Captain Francisco before she turned the lights off and returned to her seat, the latter starting the presentation soon after.

As soon as Aiden's picture was projected on the screen, Cadet-Lieutenant Shin immediately commented on how good looking he is, "Ssibal! Is this guy an actor or something!?" she exclaimed as she looked in awe at the picture projected in front of them.

Cadet-Captain Francisco cleared her throat to get the attention of Cadet-Lieutenant Shin who was clearly distracted at the picture she just projected. "This is Mount Juliet's incumbent Student Council President, Aiden Kobayashi. Sophomore, with a double major in International Relations and Political Science from the College of Global Studies and Social Sciences. He is also the President of the International Student Organization, President of the Japanese Club, Chairman of the College of Global Studies and Social Sciences Student Advisory Board, Chairman of the Foreign Clubs Association, Chairman of the Mount Juliet University Student Ambassador Association, Student Ambassador for both Mount Juliet University and College of Global Studies and Social Sciences, Chairman of the Mount Juliet University Honors Society, and Student Representative for the Mount Juliet University Advisory Board" Cadet-Captain Francisco said as she gave an overview of Aiden and his multiple positions in the university, leaving the Nirvana team with their eyes widened, and mouths halfway open.

"Not much is known about President Kobayashi, other than he has a cold personality, witty, calculating, intelligent, independent, serious, duty-bound, and chronic workaholic – at least from what I have gathered" Cadet-Captain Francisco continued.

"Additionally, he seems to be the type that doesn't sleep much nor eat properly, hence he is usually sleep deprived and has strong dependence on caffeinated drinks – to be precise, a large cappuccino with four shots of espresso, he seems to like it hot in the mornings and cold for the rest of the day" she added.

"So we need to get him cappuccino every time?" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo whined.

"Not quite. You only need to bring him one if you know you're about to agitate him or if he's already in a foul mood – this is especially true in the mornings" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied.

"That's something that we also just learned ourselves recently" she added.

"President Kobayashi is also extremely hard to read, so you have to learn how he thinks and operates as he will mostly not tell you anything, unless it's been pre-planned or he's giving out orders. Asking him any question will probably irk him, so I suggest only ask questions when it's absolutely needed, lest you want to see his bad side – for your sake I suggest you don't" Cadet-Major Del Rosario suddenly joined in on the conversation, the Nirvana team turning their attention to her.

"Furthermore, he can be extremely difficult to track and monitor as he constantly disappears and will only reappear when he needs to. He always plans his movements and doesn't move about out in the open where the student body could see him, unless of course he's doing it in his official capacity as the Student Council President. For the most part, he's usually in his office in the Student Council room if he is not attending class or working on Student Council affairs" Cadet-Major Del Rosario added.

"The Student Council President sounds like an entitled and spoiled brat if you ask me" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo laughed while Cadet-Captain Kim lightly scoffed, and Cadet-Lieutenant Shin chuckled in response.

The comment quickly incensed Cadet-Captain Francisco who greatly respects Aiden, and holds him in an extremely high regard, "You, Cadet-Lieutenant Heo sound like an ignorant fool!".

"Cadet-Captain Francisco!" Cadet-Major Del Rosario called out, "Please mind what you say. I don't need to remind you that there's a ranking officer in front of you, and you're insulting one of his subordinates".

"But-" Cadet-Captain Francisco protested before she was interrupted.

"No matter how much you disagree with what Cadet-Lieutenant Heo said, you need to remain calm and respond accordingly. Not only are you a ranking officer, but you are also the newly appointed handler of the Nirvana team charged with the protection of President Kobayashi" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she reprimanded her subordinate.

"Furthermore, we all serve under President Kobayashi, and the manner in which we serve him reflects upon him. Please don't add to the disgrace that I've already inflicted on our company" she continued as Cadet-Captain Francisco fisted her hand. Although she understands how Cadet-Captain Francisco feels, she needed to be impartial given that she's the commanding officer of the Presidential Guards Company.

Cadet-Lieutenant Heo scoffed after seeing Cadet-Captain Francisco get reprimanded in front of their team, this was short-lived however when Cadet-Major Del Rosario turned her attention towards him.

"As for you Cadet-Lieutenant Heo, please keep in mind that while you're here at Mount Juliet University, President Kobayashi is your Student Commander-in-Chief, hence he must be shown the respect that his title and position deserves. I understand if that's your opinion, but please do keep it to yourself or between you and the other members of the Nirvana team if you plan on trash talking him. He may not sound or look like it, but he is highly respected by everyone here in the university, the ROTC included – that kind of talk will only get you and your whole team in trouble with the student body and President Kobayashi's Praetorian Guards" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said before giving out a deep sigh.

"I apologize for the way the Cadet-Lieutenant Heo insulted President Kobayashi. I'm sure he didn't mean to offend you with his comments" Cadet-Captain Kim interjected.

"That's fine Cadet-Captain Kim, but please do keep your team in line. This kind of disruptive behavior will only be counter-productive to our mission" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said before Cadet-Captain Kim placed his hand behind Cadet-Lieutenant Heo and forced him to bow and apologize for his comment. After he apologized, Cadet-Major Del Rosario gave Cadet-Captain Francisco the 'look' a signal that she should also apologize for her outburst, which she eventually did after figuring out what she meant.

"Now that we have this behind us, let's continue with the briefing shall we? We really don't have a lot of time before President Kobayashi's class ends" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said, gesturing at Cadet-Captain Francisco to continue with the presentation.

"Yes ma'am. The next thing we're going over is President Kobayashi's Praetorian Guards" Cadet-Captain Francisco announced as the pictures of Mingyu, Katrina, Aaron, and Jasper were projected on the screen, prompting Cadet-Lieutenant Shin to react on how good-looking the boys were.

"Although this section is not entirely about President Kobayashi, it's still important that you know about his Praetorian Guards, the team that has been responsible for his protection up until this point" Cadet-Captain Francisco said as he introduced Aiden's innermost circle.

"First is Mingyu Park, he is President Kobayashi's closest friend out of all his Praetorian Guards. He is Half Filipino and Half Korean and is one of the most popular students here on campus. He is a sophomore and currently majors in International Relations from the College of Global Studies and Social Sciences. According to our intelligence reports, he's close enough with President Kobayashi that he can get away with most things that other people don't such as invading his personal space and teasing him – two things that President Kobayashi absolutely hates the most. He is a member of the MJU Volleyball team, and the incumbent Vice President of the International Student Organization" Cadet-Captain Francisco continued.

"The next one is Katrina Tolentino, the only female member of President Kobayashi's Praetorian Guards, she is considered as the voice of reason and rationality in the testosterone-dominated group. She has a hot-headed personality and usually clashes with Mingyu's laidback and carefree personality quite often. She is a sophomore, currently double majors in Finance and Economics from the College of Global Studies and Social Sciences. She's the incumbent Student Council Comptroller, Chief of Staff of the International Student Organization, and a member of the MJU Debate Club".

"The next is Aaron Keeling. He's Half Filipino Half American and a quarter Thai. He is the serious type within the President Kobayashi's Praetorian Guards, especially when compared to Mingyu in all respects. Although he goes along with Mingyu's mischiefs, he is more reserved and shares a common personality with Katrina when it comes to more serious subjects. He is a sophomore and currently majors in Linguistics from the College of Global Studies and Social Sciences. He is the incumbent Sergeant-at-Arms of the Student Council who oversees the planning and organization of security in and around major university events and works closely with the ROTC in the practical implementation of those plans. He is also the Public Relations Officer of the International Student Organization, the Captain of the Soccer team, and the drummer for their newly created band – Milk Foam".

"Finally, Jasper Hernandez, the final member of President Kobayashi's Praetorian Guards. He can be shy and easily flustered when approached by girls but is extremely friendly when it comes to the people he is close with. He is the most balanced between Mingyu and Aaron, usually joining Mingyu's mischiefs, but tends to be more restrained, and take things seriously when it comes to serious subjects like Aaron. He is currently a sophomore and majors in Political Science from the College of Global Studies and Social Sciences. He is the incumbent Treasurer of the International Student Organization, a member of the Volleyball Team along with Mingyu, and is also part of Milk Foam with Aaron as their Bass player".

"That's pretty much what we have on President Kobayashi's Praetorian Guards. Most of the information that I shared with you is public knowledge, since we don't know them on a personal level like President Kobayashi does, there might be things we may have missed" Cadet-Captain Francisco explained .

"As we have mentioned before, they have protected President Kobayashi since their High School days, albeit in an unofficial capacity. While it's true there's a limit to what they could do in terms of protecting him since they're not trained soldiers like all of us are, they are undeniably effective, capable, and are most compatible when it comes to working with President Kobayashi. Most importantly, he completely trusts them, that's why they're considered as his innermost circle" Cadet-Captain Francisco explained.

"Furthermore, the Nirvana team will probably work alongside them in the foreseeable future, so it would be best if you do not antagonize them in your first meeting. They have a strong bond and sense of loyalty to President Kobayashi and will not hesitate to fight anyone who would do him harm, or force things on him that he doesn't agree with – including us" Cadet-Captain Francisco added.

"Although this briefing was informational, it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of substance and data in the file you provided us nor the presentation you just gave" Cadet-Captain Kim commented.

"As we mentioned before, President Kobayashi is very secretive, and there's no one in this university that fully knows him, even his own Praetorian Guards. All that we know about him is what's already public knowledge, what we've personally observed, and what was shared to us by the people that have worked closely with him or have known him for a while" Cadet-Major Del Rosario explained.

"I should probably put in a request to the university administration and ask for his personal files. It would help us greatly if we have more insight on the person we are charged to protect" Cadet-Captain Kim said as Cadet-Major Del Rosario leaned on her chair.

"Good luck with that Cadet-Captain Kim. President Kobayashi's file is considered classified, and it would require unanimous consent from the university's executive council, or a written consent from President Kobayashi himself to be released. I suggest you let this idea go" Cadet-Major Del Rosario responded.

"Obviously we can't ask President Kobayashi for his consent since the probability of us getting that from him is extremely low. Our only other choice now is to convince the university's executive council to release those records to us" Cadet-Captain Kim replied as Cadet-Lieutenants Shin and Heo nodded their heads.

"As I've said Cadet-Captain, you should just drop this idea since both options really are a dead end for you. President Kobayashi is also a member of the university's executive council. With that said, you won't get the unanimous consent you need to secure the release of his records" Cadet-Major Del Rosario revealed.

"The best I could do is give you his daily schedule. Although that information is classified as well, being a member of the Student Council granted me the access privilege to his itinerary and class schedule which I'm willing to provide you to help assist your team carry out your mission" Cadet-Major Del Rosario added as she noticed the shocked and surprised reaction of the Nirvana team.

Although they know that Aiden is an important figure in the university, the Nirvana team did not expect that he was that important to the point that he is part of the executive council. It was an unconceivable thought for them to learn that a student was part of the governing body of the university.

"Ssibal!" Cadet-Lieutenant Shin clicked her tongue as she leaned on her chair, crossing her arms as she was visibly dumbfounded and surprised by what she just heard.

"How can a student be part of the university's executive council!?" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo said in disbelief.

"You're a member of the Student Council ma'am?" Cadet-Captain Kim added, obviously shocked by the revelations that Cadet-Major Del Rosario just dropped on them.

"Colonel Yasay said you were briefed when you arrived. I don't know why all of you are surprised by any of this information" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she looked at the members of Nirvana team.

"Yes, we were briefed when we arrived, but only about the university and the ROTC program. We were told about the important university officials, as well as the command structure of the MJU ROTC, but that was pretty much the gist of it" Cadet-Captain Kim explained.

"I'm pretty sure our superiors were expecting us to fill you in with everything else, but then again, as you've mentioned earlier it would be a waste of time explaining something so irrelevant, so we'll just keep this discussion about President Kobayashi" Cadet-Major Del Rosario responded.

"Is there anything else we need to know going forward?" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo asked.

"All I can say at this point is that President Kobayashi has enormous influence, and his presence is felt in every aspect of life here at the university – the ROTC included" Cadet-Captain Francisco added.

"Isn't that a little vague? It would be hard to get President Kobayashi on board with our protection plan if he holds such an important position within the university administration, not to mention all of his other extracurricular activities on campus" Cadet-Captain Kim replied.

"The way we do things here at Mount Juliet is far different from what you and your team are probably used to doing Cadet-Captain Kim. President Kobayashi will not adjust to how we operate, it is us who'll have to adjust to how he operates, that's the reality around here" Cadet-Major Del Rosario interjected.

"This would make things more complicated than what we were expecting" Cadet-Captain Kim admitted.

"You're finally catching on to our earlier point at the Commandant's office" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as Cadet-Lieutenant Shin squinted her eyes at their company commander.

"There's a first time for everything, and this is definitely a first for my team. But then again, we could use a challenge or two – no matter how complicated this may get" Cadet-Captain Kim confidently replied.

"I do hope the Nirvana team is up to the challenge, it would be a disappointment If you fall short of the expectations that Colonel Yasay and Cadet-Colonel Belarmino has for this team" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "In any case Cadet-Captain Kim, this is all the information that we have on President Kobayashi, everything that you need to know will come from working him" Cadet-Major Del Rosario added as the projector screen started rolling back up in the ceiling.

"Do you have any questions so far?" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked.

"I guess we'll have to go along with you on this one Cadet-Major Del Rosario" Cadet-Captain Kim conceded.

"When in Rome do what the Romans do" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo added.

"This reminds me of the time we were deployed to Kaesong" Cadet-Lieutenant Shin commented before Cadet-Lieutenant Heo gave her a fist bump.

"What's our mission parameters? What's the current threat assessment on President Kobayashi's safety? Who are we considering as threats, and what is the RoE?" Cadet-Captain Kim asked.

"Nirvana team's sole and primary objective is to ensure the Student Council President's safety within the university, of course this includes university-sanctioned trips and other travels outside the university that relates to the work of the Student Council. Although your primary objective is President Kobayashi, as new members of the 1st and 2nd ROTC Company, and by extension the Presidential Guards Company, you are also obligated to ensure the safety of the other members of the Student Council, as long as it doesn't compromise and affect your team's core mission" Cadet-Major Del Rosario explained.

"Since the situation regarding the AGs and the MGs are still fluid, consider the threat level to be at yellow, meaning while there's not a direct threat on the safety of President Kobayashi or the university in general make sure your team is on alert at all times. While not exactly threats, the only people that are seen to compromise the safety of your objective are the students at this university" Cadet-Captain Francisco said.

"In regard to the Rules of Engagement, you are to exercise maximum restraint and tolerance. You are not to use force against any of the students, faculty, or staff of this university by any means, no matter how the situation may look like. You are only allowed to use defensive measures in protecting the Student Council President and members of the Student Council. If there is an imminent risk of serious injury or harm to President Kobayashi, you are authorized to disarm and restrain the individual in question by any and all means necessary short of grievous bodily harm or even death" Cadet-Major Del Rosario explained.

"So there's no kidnapping threats or even attempts on his life?" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo exclaimed.

"No, none of that. If there was, we'll let the local authorities handle that" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied.

"Your only job is to keep President Kobayashi's fans and followers from swarming or even ambushing him, they can get wild at times, and risk of minor injuries from their stampedes and ambushes usually happens" Cadet-Captain Francisco added.

"So we're basically working as bouncers?" Cadet-Lieutenant Shin added as she clicked her tongue.

"More or less, that's what the job entails. Of course, all of you will also be required to participate in our daily routines and drills during your stay here. I reckon all of you will be attending classes at the Military Science Building?" Cadet-Major Del Rosario asked.

"Yes, although we're stationed here for a year, we only have to attend four classes. Advanced military leadership, strategic operations, special operations tactics, and counterinsurgency operations tactics. The rest of our time here is dedicated to protecting President Kobayashi" Cadet-Captain Kim revealed.

"What about lodgings? Have you received your orders regarding that?" Cadet-Major Del Rosario asked.

"Yes, we've been assigned to this barracks, I understand that our things have been delivered to our rooms" Cadet-Captain Kim replied.

"Understood. We'll give you a tour of the barracks and the ROTC Quarter at a later time. I'm also going to have to go to the personnel office and get the paperwork regarding your transfer here, since the binder that I received didn't have the transfer paperwork" Cadet-Major Del Rosario explained.

"It seems you really weren't told about any of this, Cadet-Major Del Rosario" Cadet-Captain Kim said to the surprise of both Cadet-Major Del Rosario and Cadet-Captain Francisco.

"What do you mean by that Cadet-Captain Kim?" Cadet-Major Del Rosario asked.

"We just heard talks at the ROTC Headquarters that this decision was made recently. We were supposed to be sent here with other ROTC Cadets from our university the following school year, but our applications were fast-tracked by the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs" Cadet-Captain Kim revealed.

"Do you know the reason why your team's application was fast-tracked?" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked, curious about the abnormality of the circumstances that was surrounding the arrival of the Nirvana team.

"Unfortunately not, we only overheard our superior officer talking with the admission councilor from the Office of Admissions when we arrived here early this morning" Cadet-Captain Kim further revealed.

"Ma'am, this all too sudden and suspicious" Cadet-Captain Francisco said as she turned towards Cadet-Major Del Rosario who was also as puzzled as her.

"I agree with you, but this was a decision made by a senior member of the university. Whatever the reason was or how suspicious this may seem, we can't stick our nose into something that's out of our mandates. We'll just have to go along with this, no matter how irregular this may look. Although President Kobayashi may dig into this matter once he learns of this" Cadet-Major Del Rosario responded.

"Agreed ma'am" Cadet-Captain Francisco said as she nodded her head.

"Cadet-Captain Kim, Cadet-Lieutenant Shin, Cadet-Lieutenant Heo, I would need the three of you to keep the information you just told us to yourselves. We can't afford to have any rumors circulating around the university especially one that involves a prominent member of the university administration" Cadet-Major Del Rosario asked as the members of the Nirvana team nodded in agreement.

"I don't know how irregular this situation is ma'am, but I do agree that we should keep this information between the people in this room. I rather not rock the boat on our first day here" Cadet-Captain Kim said.

"In any case, it's almost time for you to head to the Humanities Building" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she noticed that it was already 9:00 AM, "Cadet-Captain Francisco, please escort the Nirvana team to HU-317 and wait for President Kobayashi" she added as Cadet-Captain Francisco turned the lights on.

"Ma'am, request permission to have two other Cadets join us to the Humanities Building" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked as the members of the Nirvana team got up from their seats.

"Granted Cadet-Captain, take Cadet-Sergeant Cruz and Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad with you, they should still be in the common area" Cadet-Major Del Rosario replied.

"Is it really necessary to have additional Cadets with us?" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo asked.

"Believe me we will, especially since most of the students will be out of their classes soon" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied before turning her attention to Cadet-Major Del Rosario.

"Good luck and Godspeed to all of you" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said before giving a salute to her officers as Cadet-Captains Francisco, and Kim, and Cadet-Lieutenants Shin and Heo saluted back.

Suddenly, three chimes rang out from the PA speaker inside the office indicating that an announcement through the PA system was about to be announced, "Aiden Kobayashi and Rathavit Pattaya from CGS3. Report to International Exchange Program Office immediately; repeat, Aiden Kobayashi and Rathavit Pattaya from CGS3. Report to International Exchange Program Office immediately" the announcement said as another three chimes rang, indicating the end of the announcement.

"Cadet-Captain Francisco!" Cadet-Major Del Rosario quickly called out after hearing the announcement.

"Yes ma'am! Nirvana team with me! Double time!" Cadet-Captain Francisco quickly ordered as she rushed out of the office at breakneck-speed, a confused Nirvana team following behind her.