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The Eighth Squad is an elite special forces unit, the finest within the JDR (and arguably the most formidable
on the planet Nox), which earned the moniker "Task Force Fleet". Yet while Earth boasts ten carrier battle
groups, Nox possesses but one such squad. Elena, aged merely twenty, commands this elite force. The Bureau's
senior leadership is well aware that Elena prioritises the team's safety: only the most crucial missions
warrant the deployment of the Eighth Squad, yet rarely are these missions so vital that they necessitate
the sacrifice of these elite special forces operatives.
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In the initial planning stages of the Eastern Project, the preparatory group reached a cooperation agreement
with the Joint Development Region Security Bureau. The Security Bureau agreed to send its most elite force,
the 8th Squad of the Operations Department, to provide security for the preparatory group's operations in the
United Territory in exchange for urgently needed foreign exchange. After the search for the "Legacy" officially
began, the personnel of the 8th Squad of the Operations Department were formally incorporated into a search
team under the Eastern Project, called the "Vostok-08 Squad," directly led by the head of the Eastern Project
preparatory group, a former officer of the Primorsky Republic who was also a "warrant officer." To avoid legal
disputes along the way, it was not nominally an official military organization of the Primorsky Republic or the
Joint Development Region.
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The Eighth Squad was even more formidable than it is now: both frontline combat and support units comprised
seasoned Union Special Forces elite. The team operated with seamless coordination and a protective, almost
patronising attitude towards new members. However, The Eighth Squad was far busier back then than it is now.
Perhaps because experienced Union veterans came too readily, the JDR Council treated the special forces elite
as a jack-of-all-trades and a propaganda poster, assigning The Eighth Squad numerous non-essential tasks.
They even demanded the squad frequently make public appearances within the JDR and the Republic to reassure
the populace, going so far as to require The Eighth Squad to train the Republic's Defence Forces.
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Consequently, whilst returning from a Ruvilian Defence Force camp, Squad Eight's vehicle was overturned by a
massive roadside bomb, inflicting heavy casualties among the team members, Elena alone survived because she
had remained behind. Subsequent investigations revealed that the bomb had been the product of a violent clash
between citizens of two knightly domains, originally intended for an enemy militia. The domainers' conflict
had inadvertently harmed the Earth Gentlemen, bringing disgrace upon the knightly lords. Over two hundred
militia members were consequently hanged. However, the remaining veterans of the Eighth Squad were so
disheartened by the incident that they chose to withdraw. The Committee had no choice but to entrust
Elena with rebuilding the Eighth Squad, whose conditions were that the Eighth Squad henceforth retain the
right to refuse non-essential assignments and that she retain complete control over the Eighth Squad's
personnel and operations.
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