Jeremy gently pushed Thomas back a step and positioned himself between Rajveer and Thomas. "Captain Rajveer, welcome to the family," he warmly greeted, extending his hand with a smile.
Rajveer blushed slightly but reciprocated the handshake with a grateful smile.
"Yes, Captain. Pay no mind to these two. They can be a bit possessive when it comes to our Naina. But trust me, they're like coconuts... tough on the outside, but soft on the inside," Natasha jokingly remarked.
Rajveer nodded, a bashful smile adorning his face. "I suppose I'll have to get used to it, right?" he replied with a smile.
Naina giggled and affectionately wrapped her arm around his.
"NAINA!" Yudi called out excitedly.
"Yes, Yudi?" Naina responded.
"Is everything alright, cadet?" Rajveer asked.
"Everything is fantastic, sir. Naina, everything has been taken care of. Please gather everyone and come to the training grounds. We have a surprise waiting for everyone there," Yudi announced, his smile widening.
Nodding, Naina, Rajveer, and the rest of the Campbell family began making their way to the training grounds. Along the way, they saw Yudi instructing others to do the same. As they reached the training grounds, a sense of awe filled the air, captivating everyone's attention.
Naina, Yudi, Huda, and a few other first-year cadets from affluent backgrounds had organized a delightful bonfire party for everyone that evening. Separate barbeque grills were set up to cater to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian preferences, ensuring that everyone could enjoy the feast. The gathering offered an array of hot chocolate, coffee, and cold drinks to quench everyone's thirst. Huda and Alekh expressed their desire for alcohol, but as the party was hosted on academy grounds, it was not permitted. To keep everyone comfortable, small portable fans were provided to the faculty and family members.
Brigadier Chandok and Colonel Shakti arrived at the grounds, pleasantly surprised by the scene before them. When Naina had approached BC seeking permission on behalf of her batch, there had been some initial skepticism. However, he was now pleased that hee had agreed to it.
"Wow... the cadets organized all this, sir?" Colonel Shakti asked, genuinely taken aback.
"Yes, Colonel. This particular batch has several cadets from well-to-do families. And their leader is Cadet Campbell. When she first presented this proposal to me, I had my reservations. But Cadet Campbell has always displayed responsibility. I had a feeling she would handle the situation well, ensuring compliance with all the rules. I'm glad to see that my faith in her was not misplaced," Brigadier Chandok praised.
A smile formed on Colonel Shakti's face. He was increasingly impressed by Rajveer's girlfriend. Receiving compliments from a strict officer like Brigadier Chandok was indeed a genuine compliment. "What kind of cadet is Cadet Campbell? I mean, coming from a wealthy family, one might expect her to be arrogant," he inquired.
"I had similar thoughts initially. However, as time passed, I realized that she is one of the finest cadets this academy has ever seen. Not only does she excel personally, but she also motivates her group of friends to perform their best. She extends her help to her fellow batchmates, even those who aren't particularly close to her. Whether it's assisting with studies, understanding a drill, or addressing personal problems, they all know that Cadet Naina Campbell will lend a hand. And if she can't help, she will find someone who can. Yes, 'Super Six,' as I call her and her group of friends, can be mischievous at times, but they are also the highest-ranking students in this batch. You might see them joking and playing pranks on each other one moment, and then find them gathered in a random spot with their books open, engaged in a group study session the next hour. I'm truly proud of these youngsters," Brigadier Chandok expressed his admiration.
Colonel Shakti nodded, intrigued by the description, and decided to observe them closely for a while.
BC approached Naina and her friends, who were conducting a last-minute check-up after settling their families down. Colonel Shakti followed closely behind him. Naina greeted the senior officers with a warm smile.
"Good evening, sirs! I hope you'll enjoy our little effort," she said cheerfully.
"Good evening, cadet. You and your team have done a commendable job," BC commended with a smile.
"We simply wanted everyone to have a memorable time here," Naina replied humbly.
"Did your family also join the event, Cadet? Would you mind introducing them to us?" BC inquired.
"Of course, sir," Naina replied.
After a short while, Thomas and William warmed up to Rajveer and began chatting with him casually. Natasha and Jeremy had reminded them that Rajveer was Naina's partner and a part of their family. They realized there was no need to treat him as a threat, but rather to get to know him on a personal level.
Rajveer straightened up as he noticed BC and CS (Col. Shakti) approaching with Naina. He observed how Thomas stepped forward with Jeremy beside him, while William and Natasha stood a step behind.
Upon reaching them, Naina introduced, "Tommy, this is the Principal of our beloved academy, Brigadier Chandok. And this is Col. Shakti Chandra, Rajveer sir's commanding officer. And sirs, this is my older brother, Thomas Campbell, and his husband, Jeremy Campbell."
"Good evening, gentlemen. I hope you're enjoying your stay thus far," BC greeted, shaking hands with both Thomas and Jeremy.
"Good evening, sirs. Yes, it has been a memorable evening," Thomas responded, briefly scanning the surroundings. "Brigadier sir, it was truly generous of you to grant them permission for this event. Now that they have had the chance to meet their families after such a long time, they can focus more on their studies and drills."
"That was my intention. They need to be reminded from time to time why they are going through such rigorous training," BC explained with a fond smile.
"Cadet, you haven't introduced your parents yet," Col. Shakti reminded Naina.
"Yes, of course. These are my parents, Mr. William and Mrs. Natasha Campbell," Naina introduced as she approached her parents, wrapping her arms around them with a wide grin.
Both older men took a few moments to compose themselves, clearly taken aback by Natasha's striking appearance. Rajveer and Naina exchanged an amused smirk, trying to hide their amusement.
BC cleared his throat and spoke, "Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, you have an exceptional daughter. She is one of the, if not the best cadet in her batch. I can almost guarantee that she will be the top-ranking cadet among her peers. You should be immensely proud of her."
"Sir, we are already proud of our little girl. She is accomplishing things that many older individuals couldn't," William's tone exuded genuine pride, surprising BC, CS, and even Rajveer. While BC and CS believed he was referring to Naina's military training, Rajveer sensed there was more to it.
"Yes, officer. We are proud to have her as our daughter. She has told us about the support you have provided. Please continue to guide her along the path to success, as you have been doing," Natasha requested with a smile.
"Of course, Mrs. Campbell," BC responded, slightly flustered. "By the way, rest assured that I have informed Captain about avoiding public displays of affection on academy grounds. They are permitted to date, but I have advised them to be discreet. When we last spoke, you mentioned having no objections, but I thought it best to clarify everything in front of the young couple as well," he added, gesturing toward Rajveer and Naina.
"We are both adults, just so you know," Naina muttered under her breath, but her comment was disregarded by everyone. Rajveer patted her back sympathetically.
"Thank you, sir. It means a lot," Thomas expressed with a kind smile before teasingly smirking at Naina.
Food and drinks were served as everyone took their seats. One of the cadets handed his father a guitar and requested a song, sparking a marathon of old Hindi songs sung by the elders. The youngsters joined in, enjoying the bonding moment created by this unexpected party. As the night progressed, one of the younger individuals suggested that the bonfire seemed incomplete without storytelling. This prompted the elders to share their past experiences. Some recounted love stories, while others shared tales of horror, battles, or witnessed accidents. It was well past 1 am when everyone finally retired for the night, cherishing the memories of the day.
... - ...
... - ...
... - ...
Early the next morning, the Campbell family gathered in Rajveer's cabin. Rajveer offered them coffee while they waited for Col. Shakti.
"Um... Colonel, sir, doesn't know about what happened with Major Bhargav. I think it would be best if you refrain from sharing any information you gathered from Bhargav with him," Rajveer advised.
"That's a wise decision. Perhaps we should divide our efforts. One team can focus on investigating the weapon trafficking, and another team can delve into the spy situation," Thomas suggested casually as he sipped his coffee.
Rajveer stared at him in astonishment before responding, "No, I believe you should maintain some distance from these matters for now, especially until the situation with Major Bhargav settles."
"That won't do, Rajveer sir. If we wait, Eagle and his men won't take us seriously. We have to strike while the iron is hot," Naina pointed out. Rajveer was about to protest, but she interjected, "How about this? Thomas and Dad can investigate the weapons issue, Mom and Jeremy can gather evidence on the politician, while you and I focus on the spy situation?"
Rajveer pondered for a moment before nodding. "Sounds good, but please be extremely careful. While I'm not entirely comfortable involving civilians in such matters, I have a feeling I won't be able to stop you from getting involved no matter what. So, just take care and remain vigilant," he pleaded. Everyone nodded in agreement.
A few minutes later, Col. Shakti arrived and began inquiring about their findings and the process. Thomas retold the story Naina had previously shared, providing additional details while refusing to disclose the name of the officer they had on their side. He explained that they had promised to protect the officer's identity in exchange for their cooperation, as they didn't want to put him and his family at risk. Col. Shakti was reluctant but eventually understood the reasoning. He warned the Campbell family to be cautious and maintain as much distance as possible from the matter, as it had become serious. The Campbells pretended to agree to his advice.
Col. Shakti left to bid farewell to BC, as he had to return to headquarters. The Campbell family rose from their seats as the parents prepared to depart after breakfast. "We'll keep an eye on the weapon trafficking matter," Thomas assured Naina, disregarding the earlier warnings from CS and Rajveer.
"And we'll take care of the spy situation," Naina responded with a nod. Rajveer facepalmed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"After dealing with Naveen's death, I thought I was done dealing with stubborn idiots. Clearly, I was wrong," Rajveer muttered, glaring at his girlfriend and her brother.
Naina and Thomas exchanged a glance before turning to Rajveer and giving him a shameless smile in response. Jeremy, Natasha, and William chuckled in the background as Rajveer huffed in exasperation.
... - ...
Two days later.
During the morning assembly, BC made an announcement about the commencement of the final exams for the first-year batch. The news instilled a sense of dread among all the cadets, even those who had diligently studied throughout the year felt as though they had forgotten everything at that moment. Over the next week, cadets could be seen in various locations, diligently studying with their books in hand. The teachers provided assistance whenever requested and offered support as needed. The drills were scheduled to take place at the end of the week, allowing the cadets to focus on the theoretical aspects first.
Amidst all of this, the Super Six (S6) learned that Dr. Ritu had faced reprimands from her superiors for failing to steal the triggers. Naina informed Rajveer about this and advised him to remain on high alert at all times. During that week, Dr. Ritu attempted to steal the triggers on two more occasions.
Realizing that the triggers could no longer be risked, Rajveer decided it was time to relocate them to a safer location. He discussed the matter with BC and CS, and together they devised a plan. Under the pretense of the final exams, Rajveer would lead the Super Six on a special drill. However, the real objective would be to discreetly move the triggers to a different location, taking advantage of the drill as a distraction.
Later that evening, Rajveer summoned his favorite cadets to his room. The cadets entered the room, engaged in conversation about their exam papers from that day. Rajveer watched with amusement as Naina confidently led her friends into his room, unaware of the formalities.
"Shame on you, Cadet Campbell. You're spoiling your poor friends," Rajveer commented, shaking his head.
Startled by his remark, everyone gave him a perplexed look, while Naina pouted in offense. "What do you mean? What did I do?" she asked, feeling indignant.
Rajveer responded with a cheeky smile, "You never knock on my door... but at least, let your friends knock. While you're my girlfriend, they are still my students."
Ali gasped, horrified by the realization that he had entered a faculty member's room without knocking, and promptly rushed out, dragging his friends along with him. "We're sorry, sir. It was an honest mistake. We were so engrossed in discussing today's paper that we didn't even notice when we entered," Ali apologized to Rajveer.
Rajveer chuckled and dismissed his concerns, saying, "That's okay, Cadet Ali. Come in, everyone... and please remember to close the door behind you," as he took a seat on the couch.
The cadets gathered in the room, closing the door behind them, and assumed an alert position with their hands behind their backs, ready for any challenge that might come their way. Rajveer observed them with pride, recognizing their true soldier-like demeanor. "At ease, cadets," he said, offering them a smile.
Relaxing their stance, the cadets looked at Rajveer with curiosity.
"Cadets, I'm sure you must be wondering why I called you here today. One of the reasons I was assigned to this academy was to uncover a spy, but I was struggling to make any progress. Suddenly, in recent weeks, I started receiving small hints about the spy's next moves. The existence of this spy has been a closely guarded secret from the beginning, but somehow you all found out about it. I have no idea how. Then, out of nowhere, Naina, my girlfriend and your dear friend, informs me that Dr. Mishra, Naveen's girlfriend, is the spy. I want to understand how you all became involved in this and how you've been gathering this information," Rajveer asked, raising an eyebrow.
The Super Six exchanged glances but remained silent.
"I assure you that you can trust me with this information," Rajveer reassured them.
"We made a pact," Ali began. "We took vows to keep it until our last breath," he explained.
"A pact? Interesting... What initiated it?" Rajveer inquired.
"Suriji's account of Captain Naveen Singh Ahluwalia's final months at this academy," Yudi answered.
"Suriji's version? What was different about it?" Rajveer questioned, although he already knew parts of the story. He wanted to understand what motivated this group to delve into Naveen's case without knowing his true relationship with Naina.
"Sir, according to Suriji, he portrayed Captain Naveen as a sorrowful man who suddenly found happiness when he got a girlfriend. It seemed like Captain Naveen wanted to spend his life with her, but then he was arrested for something. This Jatt, being a romantic himself, couldn't comprehend how someone in love would shift their focus to stealing. It didn't make sense, especially if he intended to introduce his girlfriend to Suriji, who was like a father figure to him," Huda explained.
"Yes, sir. That's why we decided to investigate this network and uncover the true connection. After all, mysteries are meant to be solved," Pooja added, sporting a smirk.
Rajveer remained silent, his gaze shifting between the five cadets before finally settling on his girlfriend, who was also silent. He wanted to understand her perspective and whether she had revealed her true identity to her friends.
"What's your take on this?" he asked her directly, seeking clarity. He wanted to know if she had disclosed her real identity to her friends.
"Ever since we arrived here, we were warned not to become like Captain Naveen. We were simply curious to uncover who he truly was. If our journey to understand him leads to unraveling the mystery surrounding his case, then why not pursue it?" Naina replied.
Rajveer arched an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by her response. "So, you're telling me that you all willingly involved yourselves in this incredibly risky mission purely out of fascination with the mystery of Captain Naveen? Seriously?! Do you realize the potential consequences that you could face if those involved in this operation even get a hint of your existence? Not only you, but your families could be put in danger!" he admonished them sternly.
"That's precisely why we made the pact, sir," Alekh responded.
"What exactly is this pact you keep mentioning?" Rajveer inquired, genuinely curious about the nature of their commitment.
"We will defend those who cannot defend themselves. We will speak up for them when they are unable to do so," Alekh firmly stated.
"We will not divulge any information about this mission without the unanimous agreement of all six of us," Naina added.
"We will not let deception blind us," Pooja declared firmly.
"We will not allow anyone to conceal the truth, no matter the cost. Sometimes, it's necessary to fight for the truth," Ali emphasized.
"We will confront all obstacles to uncover the underlying truth. We will not let fear sway our decisions," Huda stated resolutely.
"We will persevere until we unveil the truth, whatever it may be," Yudi concluded with determination in his voice.
Rajveer was stunned by the unwavering resolve and strength exhibited by these young cadets. It was evident that they were firmly committed to seeking the truth. He sighed, realizing the depth of their determination. "Okay... BUT... I have a condition. You must do EVERYTHING in your power to remain in the shadows. No one should even suspect what you've been doing. If you perceive any risk, you will inform me in advance," he ordered them sternly, ensuring they understood the seriousness of the situation.
The Super Six exchanged glances before addressing Rajveer. "Sir, we'll ask for help if we find ourselves in trouble, but we would like to complete mission 'Guiding Light' on our own," Ali politely informed him.
"Alright... But I expect regular updates so that I can intervene if necessary, understood?"
"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.
"Good. Now, dismiss everyone. Naina, please stay back for a moment," Rajveer requested.
Nodding in acknowledgment, the rest of the Super Six left the room. Rajveer approached Naina and inquired, "You didn't tell them, did you?"
"No... and I don't plan on telling them," she replied firmly.
"Why? I'm certain they wouldn't leave your side if you revealed the truth," he suggested.
"Rajveer, there are reasons behind my actions that I can't disclose at the moment. That's why I could never reveal that I'm Naveen's long-lost sister. Naina Singh Ahluwalia is better off as dead. After I avenge Naveen, I don't intend to maintain any connections with these people. It wouldn't make sense to share anything with them," Naina explained with a sad sigh, realizing the consequences of outliving everyone she knew.
"What about me? What about us? What happens to us once you've completed your mission?" Rajveer asked seriously, concerned by her previous statement.
Naina smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry... you won't be able to get rid of me that easily. I'll stick by your side like a shadow until you're ready to join me," she replied with a smile.
Rajveer sighed in relief. "You scared me for a moment. I thought you were planning to leave me behind, just like you intend to do with your friends."
"Nah... you're my soulmate. Where would I go without you? Always remember that even if I have to vanish temporarily, I'll always be watching over you. You'll never be alone. I'll be there beside you," Naina promised.
"I hope you keep this promise, Naina," Rajveer said with a tinge of sadness on his face.
Naina cupped his face and asked with concern, "Are you alright? You seemed sad for a moment there."
Rajveer gently removed her hands from his face and kissed them. "I'm fine. I love you, Naina," he declared.
"I love you too, Rajveer sir," she replied.
Rajveer sighed. "My name is Rajveer... not 'Rajveer sir'," he playfully complained.
Naina giggled and embraced him in a hug.