Chương 241: Volume 2 - Chapter 59 - Trust

Interview conducted by Senior Correspondent Milene Hart, UHF Internal Broadcast Network (IBN-UHF). Hart:" Major Varrin, there's a lot of confusion among new Recruits about how the economy aboard a UHF Recruitment Ship actually works. Could you break it down for us in simple terms?" Major Varrin, nodding:"Of course. The short version is this: The Digital Mission System is designed to pay for your day-to-day life.

"One standard Digital Mission a week—our mandated minimum—nets roughly a hundred Credits, even at the lowest successful completion payout. And with the cheapest meals going for about two Credits each, you can live a full week on less than forty to fifty Credits if you're frugal. Naturally, that includes the one free daily meal every Marine gets from the Faction as well." Hart, noting down information on her datapad:" So the DMs cover basic living.

What about the big-ticket items—licenses, Skill Classes or private DDS alterations by the ship's AI?" Major Varrin smiles:"Now, that's where Assessments, Special Digital Missions, and your own initiative come in, of course.

"Standard DMs aren't designed to make you rich.

"They give you steady trickle-income—Credits, some Merit, and, most importantly, a ton of first-hand experience in combat, which you will be very thankful for once real deployments start after your Recruit year.

"But the heavier payouts come from the bigger-ticket events.

"Partial and full equipment licenses can run from a few dozen to a few thousand Credits. A Skill Class can cost even more, depending on what you're applying for. Anything that alters your living space inside the DDS—new furniture, expanded space, even specialized training environments—can run from a few dozen Credits and quickly climb into the tens of thousands, depending on what you're asking for." Hart, puzzled:" Where does all that money go?

Recruits ask this constantly, especially when they see just how expensive some of these purchases truly are." Major Varrin breaks into a lop-sided smile:"That's by design, actually. The Allbright System itself is the one that requires a certain baseline of resource expenditure to allow the DDS connection with itself, and in-turn, to issue Credits, Merit, and Contribution Points based on activity inside it.

"So every Credit spent feeds back into the miniature economy that keeps the DDS running.

"Part of it goes back to the Faction, of course. Another chunk goes to the corporations that provided the infrastructure and built the equipment you're licensing. And a small piece—usually overlooked—also goes to the very designers of those pieces themselves.

"If they're not Integrated, which is more often the case than not, the UHF converts their System Credits into Imperial Credits at the going exchange rate. Usually around one-to-five, give or take, depending on the current course." Hart, circling information on her pad:" So the economy essentially revolves entirely around the Marines here?" Major Varrin, nodding vigorously with a broad smile:"Exactly! Every bit of it.

"A Recruitment Ship isn't just a military installation—it's an economic ecosystem built around the people training inside it.

"Nothing is wasted. Nothing exists as busy-work.

"Every DM, every Credit, every purchase feeds into a cycle that sustains the ship, the Faction, and the Allbright System's requirements.

"Recruits don't always see it, but the whole structure is built to keep them fed, housed, trained, challenged, and—most importantly— improving." Hart, leaning slightly closer:" There's also a rumor that Marines who keep failing DMs get flagged. Is that true?" Major Varrin, now serious:"Yes. The ships track performance trends.

"A Marine who fails occasionally? Normal. Downright expected, really.

"But a Marine who fails DMs every time? That's a red flag, no two ways about it.

"We'd have to investigate how a single person could possibly crash that many simulations. Either they're doing something incredibly wrong, or something deeper is at play. In either case, it wouldn't be ignored." Hart, nodding to herself and leaning back:" Last question, then. What would you say to a nervous new Recruit worried about money, licenses, and getting the things they need?" Major Varrin putting on a gentle, warm smile:"Simple: Don't panic.

"Run your weekly DMs. Learn from them. Earn your Credits, use them wisely, but don't fret about running out. As long as you consistently take part in the DMs, as you're mandated to, you won't ever run out.

"And always remember that the ship's economy isn't built to crush you—it's built to support you while you grow.

"Now… If you want more than the basics? Work for it.

"The UHF is a meritocracy, so show us your merit and we will reward this initiative in kind.

"Always have, always will." End of transcript. [Excerpt from Frontline Economics: Life Inside a Recruitment Ship, PFC896] Thea could hear her own heartbeat roaring in her ears, each thud pounding like a bell inside her skull as she waited for Major Quinn's answer—an answer to what was undoubtedly the most dangerous question she'd ever asked in her entire life.' Questioning a superior like this is not a great move…

but it's the best one I've got,' she reminded herself over and over again, just like she had on the walk here with Kara. Æht's appearance and words during the Digital Mission had forced her hand. Not because Thea believed everything that strange… thing had said, but because, when she had actually taken some time to think about it and picked apart its ramblings, too much of it made uncomfortable sense. She had been far too open and trusting with the Runepriest.

She had no real proof he was someone she could trust on a personal level—only that he would do what was necessary for the UHF. And that, decidedly, wasn't the same thing at all. And with Æht's warning that just being near the Runepriest put them at risk, something Thea couldn't fully confirm nor fully deny, falling back on James' Golden Rules was the only sensible path left. And those rules required trusting an individual.

Out of everyone she had met inside the UHF, Major Quinn was the only one who fit all of her requirements. She held enough rank that she might be able to act, if acting became necessary—even if she was "just" a Major, she still ran the entire Recruitment Drive, which had to count for something. And she was also the only officer who had taken responsibility for the UHF's screw-ups so far. She had apologized to her. Twice, even.

Once in-person and once through Selene, who unfortunately didn't hold enough influence nor knew enough about the Runepriest on a personal level to truly fit her requirements, otherwise she would definitely have been her first choice. It really wasn't much that Thea could bring to the fore in favour of trusting Major Quinn, but it was something. And that was about as good as she could hope for her, given her current situation.' If I want answers about what's happening with me, I have to trust someone eventually.

I just really hope I picked the right person… Everything's riding on how Major Quinn reads this—how she answers, and whether she actually knows the Runepriest well enough to judge him right,' she thought, the stress clawing at the inside of her skull like a daemon trying to break free.' Please don't lie to me. Please don't treat this like insubordination. Please understand that I'm barely holding it together and this is me reaching out as far as I can… Please, please, please…'

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of meeting Major Quinn's searching gaze with every fiber of her willpower and being, the legendary Marine moved ever so slightly, leaning back in her cushy armchair and letting out a heavy sigh that seemed to stem from the deepest corners of her being.

"You are, without a doubt, the most troublesome Marine I have ever dealt with, Thea," she started, Thea's breath freezing entirely.

"The question you just asked, if you had posed it to quite literally anyone but me, would have you written up for insubordination at best. It could even be considered treason by overeager officers, Recruit… But I take it you know this already." Thea nodded slowly, smothering the burgeoning flame of hope within her heart—hope was a poison that smothered reason, she had learned early in her life.

There was no place for it in a situation like this, when she needed to be attentive and listen to the exact words spoken and how they were spoken, to make future decisions that could quite literally end her life, if she chose wrong.

"Well… you're in luck, then. Or maybe you've thought this through more than I expected—maybe I misjudged you a bit… But either way, I'm not going to do any of the things you're afraid I might," the Major said.

"Instead, I'll answer your question honestly, in the same spirit you asked it. I'm assuming you're dealing with something you're worried could be misunderstood as dangerous to the UHF, even though you're certain it isn't." Thea considered her answer for a moment, then nodded. Æht was something she more or less had under control—for now, at least. Nothing she had experienced so far pointed to the strange entity being able to interact with the real world unless Thea let her.

So, as far as she could tell, it wasn't an actual threat to the UHF. Major Quinn tilted her head, sighed, and continued, "I'm truly, deeply sorry that things ended up like this, Thea… The fact that you even have to ask a question like this means something went very wrong along the way already. And I get why you'd feel the need to. I really do… In a perfect world, I'd now tell you that there's no difference between what's best for the UHF and what's best for you, as an individual Marine.

But I don't believe that—and based on what you've been through, I doubt you would believe those platitudes either." Thea's eyes widened a bit at the blunt honesty. She hadn't expected the Major to be this straightforward about the problems in the institution she served. But, then again, this was a problem that any sufficiently large institution faced, so it wasn't like this was a particularly large revelation to admit.

"So," the Major said quietly, "I will give you my honest answer to your question. But you are not to repeat this to anyone unless I tell you exactly who you can share it with. Most people wouldn't believe you anyway if you tried to accuse me of something—but even rumors would be a nightmare to clean up. This stays between you, me, and whoever I authorize. Are we understood?"

"Yes, Major. I understand," Thea replied immediately and earnestly. And she truly did. Even if she was just some random Recruit, Major Quinn's position meant any bad rumors would explode into a huge mess. Worse yet Thea had already spent more private time with Major Quinn than the average Recruit would likely do in their entire career, as a result of her strange Psychic nature and the fact that she had come out ahead on the first Assessment.

Enough time that, if someone really wanted to connect invisible dots, they might give just enough weight to any rumors Thea might spread that they would become a serious headache for the Major. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Major Quinn nodded, fingers tapping once against the desk before she folded her hands neatly on top of it.

"Then here is your answer: Anrake is, potentially, one of the very few people in the UHF who would give you a chance to explain yourself, if things ever reached that point, just for the sake of curiosity alone. While he's part of the Faction's core—same as I am—his personal power places him far outside the reach of most of the usual hierarchy. Plenty of people try to order him around, but he rarely bothers acknowledging them."

She shifted slightly in her chair, posture straightening as if settling deeper into the role of teacher rather than officer.

"He is, for all intents and purposes, unbound by almost every regulation in the Faction, barring only the most ironclad ones that no one can defy without major repercussions. That freedom means he can act on his own judgement more than almost anyone else alive." She paused, her gaze flicking briefly to Thea's focused expression.

"But the question is less about whether he can, and more about whether he would." Her fingertips drummed once more on the desk.

"Anrake is… old. And not in the way I usually tease him about. I mean that he is truly ancient —among some of the UHF's oldest monsters. He has lived through more versions of this Galactic War than you or I can even imagine. And because of that, he has lost more than either of us could ever hope to wrap our heads around. Comrades. Friends. Lovers. Family… Entire planets and even systems, sometimes. He's jaded—deeply so. Not out of cruelty, or apathy, but simple exhaustion."

She exhaled lightly, almost in a sigh, though her attention never left Thea's face.

"So getting him to take personal interest in someone is… rare. Very rare. Most of the time, he simply defaults to following regulations because they're easy. Predictable. No thought or emotional investment required. And no one can fault him for obeying the letter of UHF protocol." Thea paid very close attention to the Major's unexpectedly long answer.' She's taking this very seriously… good,'she thought, a small thread of relief pulling through her chest.'

The Old Man always said the Proprietor was someone his own pupil had been close friends with… Somebody potentially worthy of trust… Thankfully, it looks like he was right on this.' Major Quinn's gaze met hers again, and Thea didn't miss the faint spark in the woman's eyes as she held eye contact without even a hint of a flinch. The Major's stern expression eased—just a touch—shifting into something almost fond before she kept going.

"Now, I think you've already given him enough reason to put in that level of effort. He agreed to take you on as his mentee right after your first meeting, after all—not something I ever expected, or even dared to hope for, to be perfectly honest.

I was fully preparing myself to just keep throwing you at him until he eventually warmed up to your blunt, earnest nature, but whatever you two talked about during that first lesson clearly impressed him enough—or interested him enough—that he's willing to spend the considerable effort it takes for him to actually care about anything or anyone.

"So… I'd say there is a very good chance Anrake wouldn't react too immediately if you ever showed thoughts, concerns, or behavior that someone else might label as 'anti-UHF.'" She raised a singular finger, "Make no mistake, though: He will question you. Thoroughly.

And you had better have a clear reason and a solid argument ready if it ever comes to that, because there is nobody—and I mean literally nobody within several weeks' travel, even through the Void—who could keep you safe from him if you disappoint him in that answer." She raised both hands disarmingly as if to calm Thea before the panic she could feel rose up inside of her could even begin to set in.

"I'm not telling you this to terrify you. I'm telling you because you asked for the truth, and you deserve the full picture before making any decision on this important topic. You need to fully understand the other side of the coin you're planning to toss: Anrake has no leash anyone can pull fast enough to save you if he decides you're a problem." Major Quinn's gaze was ironclad, holding Thea's own eyes in a spell that did not allow for her to miss the importance of her words, even if she had tried.

"The chance of him ever coming to that conclusion is equally as low, because you would first have to be capable of causing real damage to the UHF for him to even consider you a threat in the first place. And with him literally here, on the same ship as you, nothing on that scale could even realistically happen before he stepped in and erased you from existence.

"His idea of what counts as a major danger to the UHF is already skewed beyond what either of us could truly imagine, so I doubt anything you might say—as a Recruit, especially—would even register as dangerous in his eyes. But again… if you do happen to cross that line? Then it will be the very last thing you ever do." Major Quinn let the last sentence hang in the air. She didn't soften the last sentence, didn't walk it back, didn't try to dress it up in any way.

She simply folded her hands again, leaned back into her chair, and gave Thea the space to think. Thea stood rooted to the spot, staring at the Major but not really seeing her for a few long seconds as her mind struggled to catch up. The answer… the sheer depth of it—it was so far beyond anything she had expected that her throat tightened around a breath she didn't remember taking.' She… actually told me everything I could ever need,'Thea thought, utterly stunned.'

She didn't dodge parts, didn't sugarcoat it all, didn't try to redirect me, downright threaten me as a result of the question or hold back parts of the answer I might not want to hear. She actually told me everything. All of it.' For a moment, the tension she had been holding in her shoulders since before she'd even walked into the office loosened.

It wasn't gone—nothing about what Major Quinn had said was in any way comforting enough for that—but the painful strain eased just enough to let her breathe without feeling like her ribs were lined with knives. It was more than she'd dared hope for. Much more. She wasn't sure she even deserved an in-depth and seemingly honest answer like that.

The mention of Anrake's age, his losses, his strictness, the weight of responsibility he carried and the personal power he could bring to bear, both being a freeing aspect, but also a shackle around his feet—it painted a picture she'd never truly considered before in this context or to such a complete degree. Not of the enigmatic, impossible powerhouse and potentially life-threatening danger she had built up in her head, but of something almost… human. Human in the oldest, rawest sense possible.

It didn't make him less scary; not by a long shot. If anything—if she was really, truly honest with herself—it made him even scarier in her mind than anything Æht had ever said to her about him. But it also made the idea of approaching him—of trusting him with something she couldn't tell anyone else—feel… maybe not safe, but not guaranteed to be suicidal either.' So he might very well listen,'she thought slowly.' Not guaranteed. But… highly likely, at the very least.' She wasn't ready to take that leap yet.

Not without thinking about it for hours—maybe days. But she finally had something solid to think about. A reference point, of sorts. And Major Quinn had given it to her without much, if any, hesitation. Thea swallowed hard, trying to tamp down the swirl of relief, fear, gratitude, and sheer emotional exhaustion starting to churn inside her chest. She didn't know how to voice any of it—not in a way that wouldn't sound childish or ungrateful or stupid.

But she didn't need to, she realized as her eyes went searching for the Major's. Major Quinn seemed to understand anyway. The woman's expression hadn't softened exactly, but there was something gentler in the way she met Thea's gaze—an acknowledgement, maybe. A quiet reassurance. Thea let out a slow breath she hoped didn't sound too shaky.' Even if I don't flip the coin yet… at least I have a better understanding of the odds,'she thought, grounding herself on the fact.'

And that's more than I could have possibly hoped for, coming in here.' Thea drew in a long, steadying breath and finally spoke, keeping her voice as even as she could manage, "I… Thank you, Major Quinn. I really appreciate your help with this. Thank you." A faint smile—somewhere between pained and gentle—pulled at the Major's lips before she waved it off, almost dismissively.

"It's fine, Recruit. That's what superior officers are meant to be for, yes? Clearing up confusions, solving problems, answering the questions that would otherwise stop our Marines from performing at their best." Her expression sharpened again.

"That said, I trust you remember the conditions attached to this answer. You are cleared to share our conversation with Anrake, of course…" She paused, then added, "and also with Recruit Karania Faulkner." Thea blinked at that—Kara hadn't been a part of this at all—but Major Quinn continued before she could ask.

"I'm well aware that you consider her trustworthy, despite the short amount of time you've known each other. You also have a tendency to trust her judgement—even over your own in many cases. That is dangerous, I have to warn you," she said plainly, though not unkindly.

"But it's not something I can fairly admonish you for. I have… similar bonds with a few people myself. It can be freeing to trust someone's ethics and intellect that deeply." She leaned forward slightly, folding her hands atop the desk.

"So Faulkner is also cleared for the full contents of my answer, for you to mull over together with her. I doubt you will want to try to dissect everything spoken here by yourself, after all. However, do make sure she understands the conditions you were given, yes? She's more than smart enough to grasp the implications, and I fully trust she won't cause problems as a result."

"Yes, Major," Thea replied at once, nodding earnestly.

"Then, if there is nothing else…" Major Quinn let the pause stretch, giving Thea every chance to add something. She didn't. She'd already gotten far more than she ever expected, and her mind was too busy trying to keep her thoughts from spiraling to even consider asking another life-altering question.

"You are dismissed. Have a good rest of your day, Recruit—and make sure to think things through thoroughly from here on out." Thea gave a quick, proper salute, then turned and left the office—careful to keep her pace steady so she didn't look like she was running away, even though it absolutely felt like she was. The door slid shut behind her, and she let out a heavy sigh that almost buckled her knees. A steady hand landed on her shoulder, keeping her upright, and she looked up into Kara's eyes.

"Thanks, Kara… That was… more than I bargained for," she managed with a weak smile. Before her friend could even open her mouth, Thea added, "I'll give you the rundown in a few days. I… I have a lot to think about first. But I promise I'll talk to you about everything once I figure things out for myself." Karania didn't answer right away. She just met Thea's eyes, holding the look with that calm, unreadable focus of hers.

For a moment, Thea couldn't tell if Kara was worried, annoyed, or trying to piece something together behind those bright, sharp eyes—not that she ever reliably could, really. But then a small, warm smile tugged at Kara's lips. She nodded once and gently steered Thea away from the office door, one hand still lightly on her shoulder as if making sure she stayed upright.

"It's alright," Kara said quietly.

"If you want to keep some things to yourself for now, that's fine. I'm not going to get mad or anything, we all have our own thoughts and problems to deal with. But if you need help sorting through any of it… I'll be right here."

"I definitely will," Thea muttered before she could stop herself, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I just… need to figure out how to even bring it all up properly." Kara's eyebrows twitched upward in open curiosity at Thea's caginess, but—thankfully—she didn't push. She just gave her another small nod, accepting the answer without turning it into an interrogation. Thea felt a weight fall off of her shoulders at that. For the second time today, she felt something like real relief settle in her chest. Both people she'd chosen to trust—Major Quinn and Kara—had actually respected that trust.

In Quinn's case, it had been quite literally a lifesaver. If the Major had pushed even a little—had asked why Thea needed to know, or what had brought it on—she would've been trapped. A direct question from a superior officer wasn't something she could simply refuse to answer, nor something she could realistically dodge appropriately. And Kara… well, if Kara had pressed right now, Thea doubted she'd be able to explain without oversharing something she wasn't ready to voice yet.

She trusted Kara entirely, of course—that wasn't the issue. But she still needed to be careful in what she said, and how she said it. They walked in silence for a bit through the Sovereign's hallways, Thea drifting into her own head until she realized she needed a break from her thoughts before they ate her alive.

"So uh… what else do we do today?" she asked, glancing over.

"It feels like there should be something, but my brain's completely fried."

"It's already late afternoon, thanks to the DMs," Kara replied, shrugging lightly.

"Probably nothing unless you had something specific planned."

"I didn't," Thea admitted.

"Honestly… I wouldn't mind some time to think. Maybe watch the DM recording a few times—figure out what I can improve on or something..." Kara nodded immediately, a smile spreading on her face.

"Same, actually! I was going to do exactly that and note down things as I do. I already have half a dozen ideas on how to change my triage priorities in future, similar situations… I'm honestly more excited about this than I thought I would be." Thea couldn't help but break out in her own smile at that. Seeing Karania excited about something as oddly "her" as triage priority alterations just felt right.

After the full day of absolute chaos and mayhem from start to finish, it was good to see that some things just simply made sense. They turned toward the direction of Alpha Squad's dorms, walking together but already mentally separating their plans. They ultimately agreed it'd make more sense to take a little personal time first before going over each other's recordings and notes in the next few days.

"Oh—actually," Thea said as they reached the corridor where their dorms were located, pulling out her datapad.

"I wanted to message Peria. I tried out the different Gram variants during the mission, and I kinda want her thoughts on some things."

"That's probably a good idea. Get those questions out while they're fresh," Kara said, nodding.

"And tomorrow's mostly free after the System 102 lecture."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Thea replied, grinning, already typing out the message to her newest acquaintance. She let Karania look it over first, earning a raised eyebrow and a reluctant nod—which Thea counted as a win, since she didn't have to change anything this time—then sent the message off just as they stepped into Alpha Squad's dorms. The dorm was quiet, empty of the rest of Alpha Squad, leaving nothing but the soft hum of the ship around them and the welcome promise of a few hours to breathe.

They exchanged quick goodnights, both clearly ready to collapse into their own thoughts for a while, and peeled off toward their separate rooms to go over the day and their Digital Mission recordings on their own time…