Chương 288: Volume 2 - Chapter 96 - Rules of Engagement

Arc 1 - Chapter 24 - Exhilarating Sights Thea woke to the familiar feel of her wristband alarm vibrating. Groggy, but quickly recovering from her drowsiness, Thea let out a big sigh, ' Time for another, long day… Gonna have to fix up the stuff with Alpha Squad, first and foremost…' Leaping from her bed, she embarked on her morning regimen, dedicating around an hour to exercises that had, thanks to the Sovereign, become remarkably more efficient.

The Sovereign had even offered to furnish her room with a new-tech treadmill.

After completing her workout, she indulged in a quick shower in what could only be described as the most luxurious bathroom she had ever encountered. After putting on her uniform, drying her hair and putting it up in her signature, short ponytail, Thea mustered herself in the mirror.' Hmm… I don't think I've changed much from before the integration, physically… Although my muscles are slightly more pronounced… Must be the 3 points of Strength at work…'

Flexing her muscles to check for any differences, Thea did feel a bit odd, as she wasn't exactly muscular, like Isabella was. If she had to describe herself, she'd definitely prefer the word toned. After a quick inspection of herself in the mirror, that definitely had nothing to do with the fact that Thea was hesitant to step out of her room and meet the day, she finally turned towards the door with a big sigh, before opening it and stepping through into the shared living space of Alpha Squad.

Startled, she immediately stopped moving however, as she found herself face-to-face with an equally startled-looking Isabella. An awkward moment of silence followed, that was ultimately broken by Isabella speaking up, in a tone of voice that was very unlike her. She sounded uncertain, downright nervous to Thea, which made her pay extra close attention to what the towering woman had to say.

"Ahh… Hi. I didn't want to knock and wake you, as I wasn't exactly sure if you were awake already… Whatever the case… I just wanted to stop by and apologise. I see that you're working hard to fit in with the rest of the squad and I'm definitely somebody that's making it harder for you. Potentially, for no good reason.

"See… It's hard for me to trust someone with your background, due to my history… Ahh… What I'm saying is that I'm sorry about treating you so unfavourably, despite us being the only two mid-worlders around here. What you said yesterday really hit a chord and Karania told us about your… incident during Practical with that one piece of shit… Ehhh… Axel? Something like that… We mid-worlders should stick together, with all the prejudice directed towards us…

It's really not fair for me to make your life harder, when you're trying your best out there…

"Ahh… I'm not great with words. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry for treating you the way I have, so far, and I'll try my best to rectify that. I still struggle with fully trusting you, purely based on my own historical issues with undercity Cyans, but I also recognize that you're nothing like the ones I've previously met.

"I'm sure I'll be able to get over this fairly quickly, but… Please, give me some time? Maybe we could even… I don't know… Like spend some time together at some point, get to know each other. I'm sure that would help… Only if you want to, of course. I could definitely understand you not wanting to, with the way I've treated you, Thea." Isabella was uncharacteristically fidgety during her explanation, which felt oddly humanising to Thea as a whole.

This was exactly the situation she had expected herself to be in - to be the one apologising to others, despite her social deficiencies. Hearing Isabella address her by name, for the first time ever, had also made Thea's eyes widen. So far, Isabella had only addressed her as 'Cyan', so it truly felt like she had made strides towards becoming more acceptable of a person, in the eyes of the hulking woman before her. With a genuine smile, that Thea was unable and unwilling to hold back, she answered, "I…

Don't know what to say to that… I really appreciate your words. I truly do. I wasn't expecting this, whatsoever. I was ready to apologise for my… childish outburst yesterday, so I really wasn't… I wasn't thinking it would lead to this." Shaking off her initial anxiety, as she continued speaking and got to the parts that truly excited her, Thea's manner of speech sped up slightly, "And to answer your proposal, I'd love to spend some time together, yes!

"I've actually wanted to ask you, before I thought I had messed it all up yesterday, if you'd be willing to spar with me? After our daily classes, here in our Alpha Squad training room? I'd love to get some pointers from you and see how someone with your Attributes and physique fights, before I run into someone like that in the middle of a battlefield. Would that be… acceptable?"

Uncertain of how her request would be received, as she had never really scheduled to meet up with anyone else, except for Karania, Thea felt her heart racing as her throat tightened. A brief moment passed, which felt like an eternity to Thea, before Isabella's raised eyebrow lowered itself into a genuine-looking smile, mirroring the one Thea had given her just moments prior.

"I'd like that. Hand-to-hand combat is a perfect way to get to know each others' true intentions and to really get to know each other as people, as well. I like that idea a lot. I hadn't thought of you as someone so willing to step into the ring… consider me positively surprised. Let's meet up after our Warfare 101 classes then?" Slightly taken aback by the enthusiasm in Isabella's acceptance, Thea blinked rapidly a few times to clear her head, before agreeing, "That sounds great! After the 101, then."

What followed her acceptance, was a brief moment of awkwardness, as both parties did not exactly know how to exit a conversation. Isabella simply stood in front of Thea's door, trapping Thea behind her own door and her muscular physique. They both looked at each other, realising that they were at a bit of an impasse, before the awkward situation was finally resolved with Isabella clearing her throat and stating, "Well…

Until later then, Thea," before turning away and leaving, her step ever so slightly more brisk than necessary. While this moment had only lasted mere seconds, it was surely going to haunt Thea for a long time, as her mind was already racing, reprimanding her for not taking charge of the situation and ending the conversation in a more distinct manner. Breathing her third big sigh for the day, Thea violently shook her head, to clear her destructive thoughts.

Going over what exactly had just happened in their conversation, Thea inwardly squealed in excitement, ' That went exceptionally well and entirely against what I expected… I managed to set up a training session with Isabella! This is so awesome!' With a spring in her step, she left Alpha Squad's dorm, to head towards the cafeteria, in which Karania was undoubtedly waiting for her. An hour later, Thea was on the way towards her Warfare 101 classroom - without Karania.

They had been split up for their second day of classes. Instead, Lucas had been the one to be grouped up with her for the Warfare 101 class. Karania and Thea had chatted lively about all types of things during breakfast, after a brief moment of hesitation from Karania.

She had clearly been uncertain how to approach Thea, after her explosive exit the previous day, but Thea, in a surprising bout of social aptitude, had quickly smoothed things over with her unbridled excitement to have managed to set up a sparring session with their close-combat ace. Seeing her excitement and the fact that Thea was seemingly in a better state of mind than the previous day, Karania had rapidly found her stride as well, interacting with Thea in the same way as had become their usual norm by now.

As she turned the final corner towards the classroom, she stopped. In front of her was a small group of her fellow Recruits, all staring towards what was obviously the entrance of the classroom. Thea slowly moved closer to the gathered crowd, a puzzled frown etched on her face as she tried to discern the reason for the commotion.

Despite her keen senses, she couldn't identify anything unusual, except for a potent perfume that oddly reminded her of the vidrin flowers on Lumiosia, emanating from one of the marines in the crowd. Shaking off the distracting scent, she redirected her focus towards the classroom's open door. As she manoeuvred past a group of taller marines whose view had previously obscured hers, she was able to glimpse inside the classroom. Suddenly, she halted, her eyes widening, and her mouth falling open in surprise.

Now she understood why everyone had gathered here, unable to move even a step further. Beyond the door, a vast open-air landscape sprawled out, so enormous that it was difficult to believe it was housed within the confines of the Sovereign, even considering the existence of the DDS. It was a breathtaking spectacle that defied the conventional understanding of an indoor space, as it was merely separated by what seemed to be a normal doorway.

Swallowing hard to refocus herself, Thea decided to step inside the doorway and into the picturesque landscape before her. As she crossed the threshold, Thea was instantly hit by a wave of fresh, clean air, such a stark contrast to the sterile, recycled atmosphere in the Sovereign's corridors that it almost took her breath away. She could immediately discern the difference in taste – a subtle hint of earthiness filled her mouth, accompanied by an unfamiliar sweetness.

Although her own experiences with nature were severely limited, she instinctively understood that these unique flavours came from the sprawling open fields and verdant forests that unfolded before her, underscored by the crisp, cold mountain air enveloping her. The warmth of the sun, another component of the DDS's design for this room, spilled onto her skin, replacing the temperature-controlled monotony of the ship's hallways.

It was a radiant warmth, infused with a gentle breeze that fluttered her uniform and ruffled her hair lightly. The sensation brought her a sense of freedom and openness that the enclosed metal hallways of the Sovereign or the UHF station that she had spent the last two years on had never offered. Taking a deep breath, she took a moment to savour the medley of natural aromas wafting around her.

The smell of pine trees mingling with the scent of stone and desert dust, undercut by the fresh coolness of snow from the distant mountain, was an intoxicating sensory cocktail that made her senses reel. Her heightened Perception meant each scent was distinct and identifiable, and yet they harmonised perfectly, painting an olfactory picture of the diverse landscape around her. The visual spectacle was no less magnificent.

The vibrant greens of the forest, the stark, rocky hues of the desert, the cool, soothing blue of the mountain, and the stern greyness of the hangar bays were a riot of colours that engaged her eyes in a way the uniform, antiseptic whiteness of the Sovereign's hallways never had. The play of light and shadow, the subtleties of colour and texture - everything was brought into sharp, vivid relief by her enhanced Perception.

Stepping from the confines of the ship into this massive, open landscape was like stepping into another world. A world filled with the vibrancy and variety of nature, interspersed with the rugged, utilitarian beauty of human construction. It was surreal and beautiful, and Thea found herself caught in a moment of absolute awe and admiration for the marvels that the DDS could create.

Slowly shaking off her initial shock, Thea focused her attention on properly taking in and observing her surroundings, trying to get a bead on where exactly the class was supposed to take place. To her left, a colossal pine forest stretched as far as her eyes could see, the trees towering and robust, their branches whispering secrets to each other as they swayed in a gentle breeze. In the centre, vast hangar bays stood in meticulous rows, like sentinels guarding a metallic castle.

The smell of cold steel and lubricant blended with the more organic odours, creating a surprisingly harmonious sensory cocktail when coupled with the smells of nature all around her. In the same direction, around five hundred metres away from her, Thea could make out a group of people wearing the same Recruit uniform as her. Nodding to herself, having found the likely gathering place for their lecture, she started walking towards them, as she continued looking around, her eyes still wide in pure awe.

To her right, a stark stone desert unfolded, the roughness of its rocky terrain contrasting sharply with the smooth, constructed lines of the hangar bays she was walking towards. The heat radiating off the stony expanse carried the arid, dusty aroma of the desert, a scent she had faintly recognized upon stepping into the room, but had been unable to pinpoint its source until now. Far off in the distance, behind the hangar-bays and even dwarfing the gigantic pine forest, a majestic, snowy mountain loomed.

Despite its considerable distance, Thea's enhanced Perception allowed her to see it in breathtaking detail. She could make out the icy crags, the snow-covered peaks gleaming in the simulated sunlight, and she could almost feel the crisp chill that would come with the high-altitude air. The sight sent a shiver down her spine, the smell of the cold snow reaching her nostrils, adding another layer to the symphony of scents in the Warfare 101 'classroom', if one would dare to call it as such.

The complexity and grandeur of the landscape were beyond anything Thea had expected within a spaceship, much less inside a single room that was essentially supposed to be a simple lecture hall - a testament to the advanced technology of the Sovereign and the seemingly limitless potential of the DDS. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Finally, she reached the large group of Recruits, who were all apparently seated in what seemed like basic metal-frame chairs. Just as she was about to try and figure out where she should sit, her attention was caught by a lumbering man, waving towards her from the front row of seats. Smiling at the unapologetically enthusiastic Lucas, Thea quickly made her way towards him, ignoring the rest of the Recruits as she passed them by.

While she actively avoided making eye-contact with any of them, thanks to her high Perception, she had no trouble picking up the subtle cues of them following her stride with their eyes or the hushed, whispered comments that had become all-so-familiar to her. Strangely enough however, they didn't seem as combative as usual. On the flipside, some of them sounded downright supportive, talking in short, hushed conversations about the previous days' Practical.

It seemed that a lot of the assembled Recruits in this class had been privy to the same Practical as her and had thusly ended up on the receiving end of her knife, or as a spectator to one of her fights. One conversation, especially, stuck out to her as she walked past.

"That's the Cyan that completely wiped the class yesterday, right?"

"Yeah. Her name's Thea McKay, by the way. Don't let her hear you calling her a Cyan. I heard that the last guy that called her that ended up in the med-bay."

"Fuck, really? I guess I can't really blame her… Some people have been real assholes to mid-worlders in these first few days… Bet they shut up real fast after Lt. Eifang's announcement yesterday though, huh?"

"Hahaha, yeah. You can bet your ass on that being the case. Nobody wants to risk going up against her, or Emperor forbid, against the Itoku girl. I watched her fights yesterday, after the classes, and trust me when I tell you, you do not want to end up in an arena with her. Ever." With a satisfied smile, Thea walked ever so slightly faster towards Lucas, feeling like things were finally starting to go her way.

She was slightly worried about the ominous words of the unknown Recruit regarding Isabella however, considering she had straight up chosen to ask for a sparring session, later that day… Her worrying thoughts were cut short by the mellow voice of Lucas speaking up.

"Ahh… Good morning, Thea. I hope you're feeling a bit better, compared to yesterday. I am sorry if I ended up being part of the problem… I try my best not to upset anyone, but with so many strong egos around, it's bound to happen one day or another, despite my best efforts…" Looking up at the large man's face, Thea saw the deep-furrowed frown on his face. Quickly, she scrambled to salvage the situation, lest she might lose the chance to do so.

"Ah! No worries, Lucas! You were definitely not a part of it. Much on the contrary, you've been a welcome change of pace ever since the first day we met. I'm glad you're part of Alpha Squad! I'm also feeling a lot better than yesterday… Isabella came by and we made up, even agreed on a sparring session later today!" At her words, Lucas' face visibly relaxed and lit up, before he gestured for Thea to take a seat next to him and replied, "That's fantastic! I'm so glad to hear things are going better!

Also, very happy to know I'm not part of the issues. Always know that you can come to me, should you run into issues, alright? I meant what I said at the ceremony. Not everyone dislikes Cyans." With a bright smile at the genuinely heartwarming words of Lucas, Thea nodded deeply, vowing to herself to take this offer seriously, as she felt the genuine intent behind them. Nodding his head strongly once, as if to reset his thoughts, Lucas broached a new topic, "So… What do you think this lecture will be about?

I really like this room, at the very least… I could stay here forever, you know? I really love nature…" As his words trailed off, Thea could see his eyes slightly glaze over as he let them roam across the vast landscape beyond. She couldn't help but follow his gaze, as she too, enjoyed this picturesque environment a lot.

Thea had initially wanted to answer the question Lucas had posed, but quickly realised that she had lost the opportunity, as they had both remained blissfully silent for long enough that simply thinking about trying to break the silence caused a major spike in anxiety for Thea. So, they simply sat there and silently enjoyed the warm, gentle breeze that wafted over more of the combined smells of the different, closely-packed together biomes and origins, while waiting for the lecture to start.

Just around five minutes later, Thea's enhanced hearing picked up a high-pitched, very distant sounding hum. It was barely noticeable, even to her exceptional hearing, but furrowing her eyebrows at the unknown sound disrupting her silent enjoyment of the moment, Thea looked around, trying to figure out the origin of this unknown sound. Unable to find the source immediately, she got up from her chair, which prompted Lucas to break out of his own, almost zen-like state.

With a raised eyebrow, he looked towards her, but before he could open his mouth, Thea signalled him to be quiet and to listen. Immediately, Lucas' eyes focused and his face became hard, as he seemingly switched into something akin to a 'serious' mode, as Thea would come to call it. She was happy that he had understood her hand signals properly and immediately, as she hadn't really used them ever since they had been taught during Basic.

Returning to her current objective at hand, to find the origin of the high-pitched hum, Thea strained her Perception to the utmost. Unfortunately, despite her best attempts at isolating the source, the surrounding Recruits, which by now numbered around ~300, were creating too much ambient sound for her to do so. After a brief moment of contemplation, she activated her Ability, determined to find the source, regardless of the other Recruits.' Sensory Overdrive.'

Once the words passed her mind, the world around Thea seemed to crystallise. The previously overwhelming din of the chatter around her from the gathered Recruits started to separate into distinct voices and conversations. The rush of the wind became a symphony of varying gusts, each whispering the tale of its journey across the expanse of the classroom.

The aroma of the landscape intensified, layering the sweetness of grass, the crispness of pine, the heat of the desert, and the freshness of the distant mountains in an intricate web of smells. However, amidst the cacophony of amplified sensations, the high-pitched hum that had piqued her curiosity came to the forefront. It was clearer now, an oscillating whir that rose and fell in a rhythmic pattern. It didn't belong to the wind or the Recruits' chatter.

It was something mechanical, something that wasn't part of the natural landscape. With her Perception honed to its zenith, she traced the sound back to its origin. As she focused her hearing, she could tell that it was not just one continuous noise. There were fluctuations in the frequency, small shifts that suggested movement. The sound was coming from beyond the doorway she had entered through, moving quickly towards her location. Her eyes followed the path suggested by the sound, and there it was.

An incoming grav-bike, a sleek, powerful machine seemingly defying gravity by hovering closely above the arid, sandy soil was zipping across the terrain from behind the doorway, slicing through the air. The high-pitched hum was unmistakably the sound of what had to be its anti-grav engines at work. Thanks to her Sensory Overdrive, she was able to pick up its arrival long before she would normally have been able to confirm its presence.

Signalling the location of the sound towards Lucas, while keeping her enhanced eyesight peeled on the miniscule dot at the horizon, Thea smiled brightly. This was the first time she had truly been able to use her new System Ability for, what was likely to be, its intended purpose - and she utterly loved it. Being able to crank up her own Perception by such a massive factor felt exhilarating in ways that Thea would likely never be able to put into words.

But what she would definitely be able to say is that she felt empowered, in doing so. Locating a moving grav-bike at multiple kilometres distance purely through listening, was something she had never deemed possible, yet it had come to her so easily. It almost felt like she was inside of one of the arcade's games, featuring a superhuman main character that had a detection button. But instead, this was real-life and it was her doing the detection, not some miraculous cheat-like button.

As Lucas tried to follow her indicated direction, by narrowing his eyes into tiny slits, Thea's Ability ran out, leaving her with an even more enhanced feeling of backlash than usual. Stumbling slightly at the loss of her super-enhanced Perception, Thea thought to herself, ' Ughh… I guess the more intense the environment, the worse the backlash… I really wish there was a way to get around this, like a gradual reduction of the Perception levels, rather than a drastic drop, or something… This always feels so bad…'

Lucas, almost instantaneously, stabilised her with one of his massive hands, before gesturing with his other hand whether she was okay or not, with a deep-seated frown marring his otherwise gentle face.

"Ah, yes. Sorry for making you worry, Lucas. Just a side-effect of my Ability. We can talk again, by the way. I just needed silence to listen for the bike's engine," Thea explained, while stepping back towards her chair. Her neck had taken on a slightly red tint, at the thought that she nearly fell in front of the assembled class of Recruits, for no apparent reason.' I really need to be more careful with this… Or find a way around it. That would be best…'

"The… bike's engine…?" Lucas asked, his voice suffused with confusion, as he returned his attention towards the direction Thea had indicated.

"Ah, yes. There's a grav-bike out there. I heard the engine hum earlier, that's why I asked for quiet. Couldn't quite tell where it came from, so I used my Ability to locate it. It's… right there," she explained, while pointing towards a certain direction in which a miniscule cloud of dust could be seen, assuming whoever tried to look for it had enough Perception. Lucas strained visibly to see what Thea was pointing towards, but ultimately gave up, as he simply looked at her with wide eyes.

"You… You heard the grav-engine from here…? And you can see the bike, right now? I know you have a high Perception, but that is utterly ludicrous… Honestly, I'm feeling so much safer, knowing that you're our Scout now, haha," he broke into a hearty, belly laugh that caused Thea to giggle involuntarily. Being around Lucas, it was hard not to follow his carefree and cheerful demeanour, Thea had quickly realised.

"I only heard a very faint hum… If we hadn't been listening to nature, I doubt I would have even picked it up now, to be honest. Lucky timing," she waved the praise away, while fidgeting with the sleeves of her uniform. Thea had always been fairly bad at taking compliments, when directly spoken to. If it had been left in a chatroom, she would've gladly taken it and asked for more, but real-life interactions were a whole different breed.

Something about the fact that a real person was saying the words, rather than her own brain reading the information, made compliments feel vastly more awkward to her. Just as Lucas seemed to want to say something else, she finally managed to spot the grav-bike with her normal Perception.

"Ah! There it is!" she exclaimed, while pointing Lucas towards the location of the bike. A few seconds later, Thea added, "Hot damn, it's fast…" Finally seeing the dust cloud at the horizon move, Lucas breathily replied, "No kidding…" The bike was rapidly closing the distance, now coming directly at them, rather than moving perpendicular from them at the edge of the horizon-line as it had done before. In merely twenty seconds, it had already passed around half the distance from the horizon towards them.

At this point, the sound of the grav-engine could be heard by all of the assembled Recruits, as it was seemingly working overtime to keep the bike afloat through the high-speed manoeuvres the driver was putting it through. Despite there being no real obstacles in the bike's way, it swerved slightly and drove towards them in a more serpentine motion, kicking up dust, debris and rocks along the way.

By the time the bike was only around a kilometre away from the assembled Recruits, all conversation had stopped, as everyone stared at the rapidly approaching vehicle. Once again, Lucas and Thea marvelled at the speed of the bike, as it rushed towards them. It had leisurely covered the roughly 4km distance towards the horizon-line in slightly less than 30 seconds, despite its serpentine movement.

Simple, rough math that Thea subconsciously did in her head estimated the bike to be going somewhere around 550-600 km/h! This was faster than anything Thea had ever seen in her entire life, outside maybe the UHF shuttles that had taken her from Lumiosia and the Sovereign itself, although she had never really seen those either. The bike crossed the last kilometre in less than ten seconds and slowed down to a stop in front of them.

As the high-pitched hum of the grav-engine quieted down to an imperceptible level, all the assembled Recruits could not stop themselves from gawking at the marvellous machine, despite the vast amount of dust that had been swirled up into the air. The grav-bike was an astonishing machine, an embodiment of both ingenuity and power. It was clad in a sleek plasteel-titanium shell, designed to resist the most hostile of environments.

This casing had been coated with a colour scheme that was an electrifying mix of midnight black and crimson red. The black was so deep it seemed to devour the light around it, while the crimson was so vibrant it radiated with an almost palpable energy. The colours interplayed in a pattern that seemed reminiscent of stylized auroras coiling their way forward along the bike's aerodynamic form. Scattered across the bike, reflective silver decals added to its imposing personality.

The most prominent decal, positioned on the fuel tank, depicted a winged serpent wrapped around a celestial body. The winged serpent, painted with an impressive attention to detail, gave off an aura of both menace and majesty, as it bared its golden-coloured teeth ready to devour the celestial body beneath at a moment's notice. Nestled into the front chassis, the dual headlights shone with an iridescent, ethereal glow, giving an impression of an animal ready to pounce.

Adding to the grav-bike's ferocious character were two menacing looking lasguns, prominently mounted on either side of the bike, pointing viciously toward the front. These imposing weapons were finished in a harsh, industrial matte black, a contrast to the otherwise glossy, sleek paint job of the bike. The lasguns were of a heavy-duty design, each barrel flaring out to accommodate the powerful energy discharges they undoubtedly had to endure.

With an elegant, flowing aesthetic, they seamlessly integrated into the bike's design, looking less like add-ons and more like a natural extension of the bike's aggressive stance. Chrome detailing on the handlebars, wheel rims, and exhaust pipes gave the bike a futuristic aesthetic, while the matte leather seat offered a hint of old-world charm. The handlebars were fitted with advanced holographic displays, providing all essential data - from speed to weapon status - with just a glance.

Thea could barely hold back her excitement at the sight of such a marvellous piece of new-tech. However, her attention was swiftly drawn to the figure dismounting from the bike. It was a man, clad in a sleek suit of black armour, its surface shimmering with a light-type technology that made it look like a liquid shadow had been moulded into a protective shell. The man towered over them, standing well over 210cm tall.

He carried an air of command that matched his physical stature, with an aura that was as imposing as the bike he had just dismounted. Beneath the helmet that he now cradled under one arm, he had a square-jawed face that was hardened and lined with the perils of many battles fought. His hair, the colour of steel under the sun, was cropped short and neat. His eyes were the most captivating aspect however - a piercing, dark blue that seemed to shimmer with an inner strength.

They were eyes that spoke of countless tales, experiences beyond the ordinary. Over his armour, he wore a combat harness, from which hung numerous devices that were probably just as advanced as the grav-bike. They were a mystery to the uninitiated, but they spoke volumes about his rank and capabilities to those in the know. A standard-issue, plasma pistol was holstered at his side. As his stern-gaze passed over the assembled, anticipating Recruits, a smile started forming on his well-proportioned face.

With a voice that carried authority and barred all arguments or interruptions, he spoke up.

"Welcome, Recruits. My name is Lt. Jorvik and I'll be your instructor for the Warfare 101 course and also today's lecture.

"I chose this lovely little place out here, because I like driving my bike before lectures and it also provides me with some added options to demonstrate specific aspects of what we'll be talking about.

"In the hangars behind me is a large collection of most of the vehicles that the UHF has access to and you will be encountering in your time amongst the UHF Marine Corps. Before we begin taking a look at those however, we have a couple topics to get through, so sit down for now.

"The most important part first: If you are, at any point during or after this lecture, interested in the role of an engineer or a vehicle-expert - be it transport or combat of any kind - let the Sovereign know of your interests, before you reach Level 10. There are some really amazing classes out there for combined arms specialised Marines, so don't hesitate if that's what you want to go for.

"With that out of the way, sit down everyone, we've got a lot to cover." At the Lieutenant's behest, all the assembled Recruits returned to their seats, as he leaned casually against his grav-bike, using it as a makeshift bar-style chair. Thea quickly returned to her seat while sharing an excited look with Lucas. Surprisingly enough, he seemed just as excited as her about the prospect of seeing UHF vehicles in action…