The army is no place for being idle. A bad soldier is one who can't get this into his head; one who'll do anything to get out of work, who's forever looking for a quiet corner where he can sit and do nothing.

But Konstantin was not that soldier. Konstantin was always looking for ways to make himself useful. He even took on tasks that no one in their right mind would volunteer for. And because of that, he received a steady stream of awards from his commanders. Quite possibly, his commanders would have preferred not to be constantly giving him awards–it might draw attention from headquarters, after all–but the recruit was single-handedly doing the job of a whole platoon. They had to reward him with something, even if they weren't quite sure what . . .

A promotion? And his very own squad to command? Yes . . . that would be a reward and a punishment, all rolled into one.