You and your fellow recruits line up rigidly for the welcoming ceremony, the morning sun glinting off the metal buttons of your uniforms. Your palms sweat slightly against the seams of your pants as you scan the platform where the base leadership stands. There—General Harold Hawkins commands attention at the center, his posture perfect, uniform immaculate. Your heart suddenly races as your eyes lock with his briefly before he looks away, his expression unreadable. He appears even more striking than he did yesterday during orientation. You drink in the sight of his strong jawline and the way his short-cropped hair catches the light, but the moment is shattered when the Captain's voice booms across the parade ground, "Attention!" The horn sounds, and you snap back to attention, your heart still pounding in your chest as the ceremony begins.