[Vietnam:] Competition Breeds Excellence

[Joe]

National Defense Academy of Vietnam 93 Hoàng Quốc Việt, Nghĩa Đô, Cầu Giấy Hà Nội, Vietnam ​ Dear the Esteemed Director Jerónimo de Gregorio y Monmeneu, It goes without saying that the Spanish Armed Forces are among the best at the world. They consistently hone their craft, choose to be the best in the field, and never settle for anything less. However, it's abundantly clear that this excellence is a result of the fantastic officers and cadets that the Academia General Militar seemingly churns out. It is these corps of cadets that create the prestige and honor of the Spanish Army, Air Force, Armada, and Royal Guard. For that very reason, we hope to extend a request to your government. With the recent inauguration of President John Duc Ngo, he has prescribed an overhaul of our nation's long complacent armed forces, an armed forces that has consistently suffered from inexperienced and incapable military officers that take the spot of much more meritorious individuals. We hope that the Academia General Militar can host a number of our cadets and midshipmen from our National Defense Academy of Vietnam, as well as our Air Force and Naval Academies, and train them to the best of the Spanish military's abilities. We wish for them to learn the ways of your officers and soldiers, so that they can return home and become commissioned into the Republic of Vietnam's Armed Forces and bring our forces on par with yours. We hope that you accept our request. For your convenience, we have attached a list of the cadets we believe are the best that we have, along with psychological reports and recommendations. If you do wish to take on our request, you may select four. Best, Brigadier General Thạch Kiên Cường Superintendent of the National Defense Academy of Vietnam

Top Cadets​

Name:	Details:	Psychological Evaluation:
Tiêu Hồng "Sonny" Sơn	Age: 19 Sex: Male Rank: Midshipman-Commander Branch: Navy GPA: 4.0 Accolades: Black belt in Judo Captain of the Naval Academy Rugby 7s Team Youngest Midshipman-Commander in Naval Academy History Presidential Scholar	Psychological Report: Dedicated to service... sky's the limit... no known vices... always perpetually bright and smiling... has a streak of niceness about him that belies a darker interior... always willing to compete... never takes a no. Commanding Officer Report: Midshipman-Commander Tieu is perhaps an engima in the current National Defense Academy. Having come from a relatively poor background, it was a series of coincidences and events that led him to earning a scholarship and a place in the Corps of Cadets... for something that is earned purely on merit, that is uncommon. Projected Service Role: Naval Surface Warfare Officer Known Relationships: Lindy Nguyen - Relationship is extremely complex. The two are extremely close, which is rare between two differing service academies. Both have been forced to compete with each other a numerous amount of times but the relationship has only appeared to grow strong because of it. Suspected that there is a romance between the two. Regardless, if one were to leave the other behind, both performances would recieve a noticable plummet. Fish Nguyen - Best friends since Midshipman Sergeant-Major Nguyen served as Tieu's mentor. Both are expected to be friends for life after the trials that both went through at the end of Tieu's 3rd year cycle when both were selected as a pair for combat simulations. Võ Hữu Hùng - [DATA REDACTED]
Nguyễn Hồng "Linda" Linh	Age: 20 Sex: Female Rank: Cadet-Lieutenant Junior Grade Branch: Air Force GPA: 4.0 Accolades: Black belt in Taekwondo First female admitted to the Air Force Academy in History Top scores in Air Force Combat Simulations	Psychological Report: Has a mean streak about her... turns everything into a contest... suffers from feelings of inferiority that always makes her want to compete... wears a chip on her shoulder... a true force to be reckoned with. Commanding Officer Report: Her flying skills behind the plane are insane. I've never quite seen anything like it. While her leadership skills can be lacking at times, such as when she alienates the rest of her squadron, when she's behind the stick, she's something else entirely. Projected Service Role: Air Force Aviation Warfare Officer Known Relationships: Sonny Tieu - (SEE FILE ON SON HONG TIEU) Glasses Phung - As roommates, the two are closer than sisters. Glasses constantly helps Linda with schoolwork and in return, Linda protects Glasses from anyone that would think to push the dimunitive cadet around.
Sái Mạnh "Manny" Quỳnh	Age: 20 Sex: Male Rank: Cadet-Captain Branch: Army GPA: 3.89 Accolades: Brown Belt in Judo Scored in the 1st percentile in Armored Combat trials National Defense Academy Boxing Champion	Psychological Evaluation: It's quite apparent that Quynh "Manny" Manh Sai suffers from bloodlust... ultimately has a desire to seek solutions outside the box... creative and incredibly curious... remarkable knack for making something out of nothing in situations.... can lack restraint. Commanding Officer Report: He freaks me the hell out sometimes. He's quiet, but he's observant. During Marine Infantry Combat Trials, they called him the black death. I tell you now, I've seen him take on units that were three times larger than his own, and he still came out on top. Projected Service Role: Army Armored Warfare Officer Known Relationships: Thatcher Vo: The two constantly get up to pranks with one another and are close friends.
Nguyễn Bảo "Fish" Khánh	Age: 22 Sex: Male Rank: Midshipman-Sergeant Major Branch: Marine Corps GPA: 3.94 Accolades: Nominated as Naval Academy Marine Sergeant Major as a 1st year at 19 Top Jungle Warfare Operator Martial Arts Champion	Psychological Evaluation: Is a chainsaw rather than a scapel... possesses the do-or-die attitude that is common among Marines... accomplishes the mission no matter the cost... stubborn and has a crass attitude... can be rather quiet at times... prone to shrugging losses and pushing on... can alienate unit. Commanding Officer Report: This kid is going to do great. I can't say how many times I've seen him in the simulations absolutely dominating cadets who've been established far longer than him Projected Service Role: Marine Infantry Commander Known Relationships: Sonny Tieu - See File on Son Hong Tieu
Phùng Bích "Glasses" Hảo	Age: 19 Sex: Female Rank: Cadet-Lieutenant Junior Grade Branch: Air Force GPA: 4.0 Accolades: Hackathon Champion	Psychological Report: Can be pushed around easily... remarkably intelligent... seeks solutions outside the box... can grasp materials extraordinarily fast... nonviolent... bonds quickly to friends... forms lifelong relationships... extremely genuine and nice. Commanding Officer Report: Perhaps one of the most book-smart people I've ever hosted at the Academy. I only wish she had a little more teeth to her bite. I think that a change of scenery would do her well. Besides, it's not like she won't be spending any of it outdoors... she'll be inside tearing apart a cybersecurity system. Projected Service Role: Air Force Information Systems Officer Known Relations: See file on Linda Nguyen
Võ Hữu Hùng	Age: 20 Sex: Male Rank: Cadet-Lieutenant Branch: Military Intelligence Directorate GPA: [DATA REDACTED] Accolades: [DATA REDACTED] [DATA REDACTED] [DATA REDACTED]	Psychological Report: [DATA REDACTED] Commanding Officer Report: [DATA REDACTED] Projected Service Role: Intelligence Officer Known Relationships: ?
Võ Ngọc "Thatcher" Thạch	Age: 22 Sex: Male Rank: Cadet-Lieutenant Junior Grade Branch: Army GPA: 3.89 Accolades: Captain of the Defense Academy Jump Team Currently logged at 576 jumps in 365 days Certified Wingsuiter	Psychological Report: Known daredevil... prankster... has little regard for personal safety... fearless in battle and can be a great asset offensively... extremely creative... can be reckless... enjoys havoc and chaos a little too much... excellent sense of humor. Commanding Officer Report: Batshit crazy but he's got alot coming for him down the road. Projected Service Role: Airborne Field Officer Known Relationships: No known relations with other cadets in the nomination field.

 

[Zak]

KINGDOM OF SPAIN "Plus ultra"​

ENCRYPTED​

Recipient: Brigadier General Thạch Kiên Cường, Superintendent of the National Defense Academy of Vietnam I'd like to thank you for your message and we would like to accept four students to come to Spain from Vietnam, however the General Military Academy only provides training for the Spanish Army and Civil Guard. It is down to other academies to provide training for the Air Force and Navy but I have made contact with my counterparts in these organisations and we have come to a decision on who to bring to Spain. - Sái Mạnh "Manny" Quỳnh will go to the Toledo Infantry Academy to undergo an intensive training period. - Võ Hữu Hùng will go to the General Military Academy to undergo a rigorous training program with the Civil Guard. - Tiêu Hồng "Sonny" Sơn will go to the Naval Military Academy to gain an insight to working as an officer within the Spanish Navy. - Phùng Bích "Glasses" Hảo will go to the General Air Academy to undergo a rigorous training program. If you have any special requests then please feel free to let me know and I will do my best to cater to these requests. I have passed on the information to the Minister of Defence who is pleased of the cooperation between our training organisations and hopes that this will lead to more cooperation between Spain and Vietnam in the future. _______________________________​ Colonel Jerónimo de Gregorio y Monmeneu Director of the General Military Academy​

Jerónimo de Gregorio y Monmeneu General Military Academy, Carr. de Huesca, S/N, 50090 Zaragoza, Spain​

 

[Joe]

Although the four cadets and midshipmen stood front and center, they were not the only ones present. Behind them stood the rest of the contingent who had been nominated, but ultimately not selected for the role They had been standing as still as rocks, staring into the empty abyss for the last hour. Truly, it was nothing compared to what they as plebians, first years at the academy, had to do. Hours on end of standing watch; of keeping the peace; of looking out over the land of Vietnam. They had all been recalled from their duties at the academy by Brigadier General Thạch Kiên Cường. As a matter of fact, Midshipman Commander Theiu was rather annoyed about that fact. He and Linda had liberty and were spending it racing around Hanoi on motorcycles, with plans to end the day at their favorite iced coffee parlor.

He resisted the urge to look behind him. Cadet-Lieutenant JG Nguyen was rather upset he had been picked and not her... and he had an inkling of a suspicion that it had nothing to do with who was the better student, soldier, or athlete this time around. Rather, the day had been strained and somewhat awkward. The easy conversation, the back and forth banter, was absent. In it's place was a melancholy and sadness that would not depart.

"Attention!" A Military Police Officer cried out, walking into the room.

The cadets immediately stiffened, looking straight ahead. Clicks resounded behind them as General Thach stepped into the room. His shoes were polished so brightly, one could see their own reflection. The short, squat general walked to the front of the room, inspecting the candidates mutely. He stopped in front of Sonny Theiu, looking up at him. Proudly, he patted him on his chest. Much to Sonny's chagrin, Thach considered Theiu his protegee, something that Sonny actively tried to downplay.

"Xung phoung!" Thach suddenly said.

"XUNG PHOUNG!" The cadets roared in unison.

"Xung phoung!" Thach repeated louder.

"XUNG PHOUNG!" The cadets yelled.

Thach grinned, inspecting the line of cadets. "You will all need to know why you are here, I'm sure. It is now clear and has always been clear, that the Chinese dream is a world in which we no longer exist. To them, like the Taiwanese, like the people of Singapore, like the people of Hong Kong, we are something foreign. Thus, the war machine of China is poised to attack us. While I may not live to see the next sunrise, you all will survive. You will learn how to fight. You will learn how to kill in the name of Vietnam. But, we must never forget... Vietnam is immortal. Vietnam is forever."

"VIETNAM FOREVER!"

"VIETNAM FOREVER!"

"VIETNAM FOREVER!"

 

[Zak]

The garage doors opened and four vehicles pulled into the underground car park, each member stepped out from their vehicle and met up with each other, these four members shared one thing in common, they had been selected to 'buddy' up with the members that would be training with the Spanish forces. They had travelled from all across the country to meet at the Ministry of Defence. They made their way into the building and passed through security, none of these young soldiers had ever expected to come into one of the most guard facilities in the country but that dream was now a reality. They had all been signalled to meet the Chief of the Defence Staff and all four members walked into the office, the last member closing their door as they all stood at attention. General Fernando Alejandre Martínez stood up from his desk as he saluted the four soldiers that had been sent to represent their academies. He inspected their uniform which was of immaculate work.

"Officer Cadet Paúl Aparicio, representing the General Military Academy, reporting for duty, sir!"
"Sergeant Natalie Sarmiento, representing the Naval Military Academy, reporting for duty, sir!"
"Corporal Aarón Manzanares, representing the General Air Academy, reporting for duty, sir!"
"Captain Hector Gonzalez, representing the Toledo Infantry Academy, reporting for duty, sir!"

Each soldier saluted the Chief of the Defence Staff before he told them to stand at ease.

"I'm going to make this short and sweet, your commanders will have told you what is happening and I want to make sure that you represent each of your academies well in this visit by foreign soldiers. If you do well, their may be a promotion in line for you, your main role is to act as a guide for each soldier, do I make myself clear?"

"YES, SIR!"

Each recruit took a folder from the table, the folder was about the people they would be partnering up with, each soldier left the Ministry of Defence headquarters in their vehicle and made their way to Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport where they would wait for their compatriots from Vietnam to land.

 

[Joe]

"What the hell are you reading?" Sonny asked, peering over at Manny. Manny was slouched in the first class seat, poring over a textbook. During all their time shared together at the Naval Academy, Sonny had never seen Manny read at all. In fact, he had never seen any of the Midshipman-Marines read... at all. He usually saw them cleaning their excessively big weapons, flexing their excessively large muscles, and playing with their excessively long knives.

Manny looked up at him, peering at him with his blank, brown eyes.

Sonny suddenly wanted to take his words back. Despite outranking Manny by a handful of ranks, he knew that Manny could just reach over and snap his neck. Every Marine Officer at the Academy was required to master at least one martial art. Many chose the traditional Vietnamese art of Vovinam, and with it, the ability to do a flying scissors kick to snap someone's head clean off one's shoulders. Others, like Sonny and Manny, picked Judo. Sonny was tall and lanky with a long reach, able to execute throws with gusto. Manny was just big and strong.

"Spanish," Manny answered, going back to his book. "For Dummies."

"Ah.." Sonny replied awkwardly. "Carry on."

He turned back to look in front of him, already ready to finish his tour of duty so he could return home. By the time the plane taxied from the gate in Hanoi, he had realized that he missed Linda, his fellow cadet at the Air Force Academy. Of course, they weren't anything "official" and had barely gone on a few dates, but they had such an easy time together that they may as well have been. Instructors from both academies consistently put them against one another, best on best, knowing that they both loved the competition. From martial arts to combat trials, they had fought against one another and had fought at each other's side. They were closer than a married couple.

Sonny continued to remain in his own head, alternating from reading his Spanish dossier, to reviewing the curriculum he'd be learning at the Spanish Naval Academy, to looking at potential extracurriculars (the Rugby team looked particularly interesting) that the Naval Academy had to offer. He was particularly irked that he was being assigned a handler, a Spanish cadet by the name of Natalie, during his stay in Spain. As if he needed a babysitter!

Finally, after hours of flight, the plane announced that it was beginning it's last descent. At last, the plane touched down on the runway and taxied to a special gate. Sonny stood up and assembled the cadets. They all looked quite sharp in their dress uniforms that somehow remained immaculate during the whole flight. After a final inspection, Sonny, as head Cadet, turned around and led them off of the plane and through the terminal where they would meet their counterparts.