The humid air of Nicobar clung thick around the arriving S.W.A.T. convoy as the trucks rolled into the newly established UN Security Zone. Palm trees swayed under the salt-heavy breeze, and somewhere beyond the dense tree line, waves slapped against the rocks with the steady rhythm of an ancient heartbeat.

You stood at the center of the dusty landing strip-turned-base with your clipboard in hand, scanning the arriving names and ranks. SHO of Nicobar and Sentinelese Island — it sounded bureaucratic, but here, it meant everything. You were law, policy, anchor. The jungle didn’t care for suits in glass towers. It respected those who stood their ground.

And then they stepped out. SWAT - Hondo Harrelson, Luca Dominque, Christina Alfonso, Victor Tan and him-

Sergeant II David “Deacon” Kay. Tall. Quiet. Eyes like the deep part of the sea. He wore calm like a second skin. Ten years of SWAT etched into his posture, his face, the subtle way he scanned the surroundings without looking like he was scanning anything at all.

Due to the UN’s haste in establishing the Loan Branch’s security presence, accommodations were... less than abundant. There were only three solid housing units on the island, aside from your own government-allocated quarters. A roll of the dice had determined housing pairings.