Nibioda, Anikegama Territory, the United States of America

June 19th, 1805

Lucius Bonapart, Sergeant of the United States Army, wiped off a bead of sweat from his forehead and grunted. He was just over 174 centimeters in height and was physically nonintimidating. However, he was cunning and an excellent shot, which made him one of the top soldiers in the Army, "Why did they gather us here anyways? Hell, most of the group are from the Marines..."

One of the Marines, a Mohawk Corporal named Kariwase, glared at him. He was huge and a seasoned warrior, having been deployed to the west for nearly two years upon his own request, "It's not like we wanted to be stuck here with a bunch of Georges either. We were roped into it."

There were around four dozen men waiting outside the perimeters of Nibioda, a small, but growing town of nearly a thousand individuals. Around thirty of them were Marines, while the rest were part of the Army. The commanding officers of each individual warned them to be on their best behavior, as they were going to be "put under evaluation" for a special unit. All the participants accepted their "evaluation" willingly but weren't told that the evaluation would be a joint one between the Army and the Marines. The two branches got along with each other well... on the battlefield. But outside of that? There was a strong rivalry between the two branches to prove that they were the most effective ground force. Some even claimed that the rivalry went all the way back to Commandant Kim and General Washington in the Revolutionary War, though everyone was well aware of the Marines' feats during America's War for Independence.

"Settle down you two," Captain Justin Jin-Un Kim, the highest-ranking officer in the vicinity, scolded the two men. He was tall and lean, with both Asian and White features mixed into his face. His hair was charcoal black, but his eyes were strikingly blue, "Remember, you are to be on your best behavior. We don't want a repeat of what happened four days ago, do we?"

"Not my damn fault that the Georges couldn't even make fucking breakfast correctly," Corporal Kariwase replied with a deadpanned expression, "I mean, uncooked bison meat?"

Captain Kim, to his credit, was much like his father. He was tough as nails but looked out for his fellow soldiers. His facial expression softened ever so slightly as he sighed, "Don't forget that I suffered through the incident as well. Now, look sharp and stop talking. You don't want to make a scene before the evaluation begins, do you?"

"What are the evaluations even for?" Sergeant Bonapart asked.

"You'll see," The son of the first president answered nonchalantly.

Soon enough, a group of officers made their way to the evaluation group. Despite their rivalry, the two branches put aside their differences for now and saluted the officers as they passed by. Captain Kim at the front of the evaluation group in the very right corner, as they were all standing in rank order. Brigadier General Richard Arnold, who was overseeing the evaluation, passed by each individual with a hint of a nod or a smile. When he reached his "step-brother," he gave a knowing smirk, which the captain only returned in kind. "At ease, men."

"I'm sure all of you are anxious to know what this is all about," General Arnold said as he strutted to the front of the group, "So I will quell your worries right now. You have all been chosen for a special task force, the first "special forces," if you will. You will undergo three months of intense training, more intense than the training the Marines receive. In fact, it will make Marines' training look like child play."

A few Army soldiers paled at the words and Lucius nearly paled as well. It was no hidden secret that the Marines went through a lot of tough shit. Despite the crap that the Army piled on them at times, even the most pro-Army soldiers begrudgingly admitted that the American Marines were some of the toughest bunches that the United States had to offer.

"However, this task force will offer you a chance to become the very best and give you a front-row seat to end this war in the west. You will receive higher pay, new ranks, and a personal recommendation from the Commander in Chief after you retire. The other officers and I have already discussed each individual here and decided that all of you here were the best possible candidates for this task force. So now the choice is up to you."

"Sir," Captain Kim saluted as he stepped forward, "Is there a name for this group?"

"United States Special Operations Forces, or just "Special Forces." General Arnold closed in on him and whispered under his breath, "Congrats with that princess. Uncle married a farm girl from the south and you married a princess. I'm guessing next is a French Revolutionary?"

The captain sputtered as the Army general gripped his shoulder lightly, "Any questions?"

"What's the difference between this "Special Forces" and the Recon Battalion, sir?" Corporal Kariwase asked, "Because I'm a member of the Recon Battalion and we already do "special" missions."

"The key difference is that you will be doing penetration missions. Once you are formally accepted into the Special Forces, you will be given further clearance on the matter. But for now, all I can tell you is that this task force will be critical to the end of the war here in the west. And I mean critical. It is an initiative established by the President himself since he wants this war to end within two years' time. You will not only do fieldwork but intelligence work as well."

"That's usually reserved for the NIS though, sir."

"But the NIS can't be everywhere and most of their agents aren't capable of combat," Arnold smiled, "But all of you are."

Kim already knew about the formation of the Special Forces beforehand. After all, his father had informed him about it as soon as it was formed. Before, he still had trouble believing that his father was a man sent from the future, but then he was introduced to the laptop and interacted with it. His father revealed the secret when he was twenty-four (just after he was promoted in the Marines), but raised him like a "21st-century child" in terms of education and morals throughout his entire life. He knew that in his father's eyes, he was the most suitable to carry out his father's role as a member of that very shady organization that watched over the United States with a cautious eye (though, he saw the sense in keeping an organization like that alive to keep a check against any demagogues or authoritarian groups). It helped that he was fully accepting of all the "modern" ideas.

He also knew the history behind the Special Forces and knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"I accept, sir."

"The others haven't finished asking their questions."

"Regardless, I accept."

+++++

AN: So Napoleon has (and had, in our history) a lot of siblings. Here's what they're doing right now:

Joseph: Practicing law in Pennsylvania, aiming to join his sibling in the House. However, he's a Republican and doesn't agree with some of Nathaniel's political views. He's one of the few Bonapart family members to not live in New York.

Lucien: The current holder of the Bonapart family business. The Bonapart family is well off and owns vast tracts of land in New York. They also own several factories, numerous shops, and a fleet of merchant ships. He's an outspoken Unionist living in New York. He's married to an African American woman that he met when he was in Virginia for business.

Elisa: Teaches at the federal primary school in New York. She graduated from Federal New York University with a degree in mathematics. She's married to a wealthy French-American that also lives in New York. She's also a Unionist like most of her siblings.

Lucius (Louis, who changed his name so he didn't have the same name as that King Louis): Captain in the American Army. Currently deployed in Anikegama Territory. Fluent in Ojibwe, French, English, and Quebecois-French. He's a graduate of Westpoint Academy (class of 1799) and is single.

Paula (Pauline): Born in 1782, she's currently helping out her family's business with Lucien since she's not interested in pursuing a university degree. She's good friends with Samuel Kim's second son, Darren Sungho Kim, who is currently twenty years old. Darren is also managing his father's business and is set to inherit most of Kim's industrial and trade empire.

Virginia (OTL Caroline): Born in 1784, she's getting ready to enter the Federal University of New York like her oldest brother Joseph. She's planning to become a doctor in the near future.

John (Jerome): Born in 1785, he's still attending the federal primary school in New York City. He's drawn to factories and machinery and will study engineering to improve the efficiency of the Bonapart factories.

All of them are acquainted with the Kim family.