Chương 259: Volume 2 - Chapter 75 - Grand Assembly

"Zephyr? Well… there's a lot to say about the Major." The Proprietor"." He let out a dry chuckle.

"She's gone by a lot of names over the years, hasn't she…? But for most of her life—at least to me—there was only one that ever really mattered when it came to Zephyr." His expression hardened slightly." Nullwarden." The Colonel leaned back when he said it, eyes unfocused, like he was looking at a different war entirely.

"People see the rank and think they understand her. Or even have a basic grasp on who she might be. Major Zephyr Quinn. Sounds very modest, doesn't it? Like she just happened to land there. That she's still climbing, slowly but surely. That she hasn't finished becoming whatever she's meant to be." A dry chuckle followed.

"That's the first and biggest mistake you make, when it comes to her." He paused, then continued more quietly, almost fond or reverently.

"She was so young… Emperor protect, she still is, if you measure time the way any Integrated person usually does. But talent like hers doesn't wait for permission, does it? From the moment the Black Sigil took her on as a personal student, the writing was on the wall. You don't get tutored by him unless the future already has its claws in you and you are meant for greatness beyond comprehension of us mere mortals." The Colonel shook his head slowly.

"She learned fast. Way too fast. Anti-Psyker doctrine, suppression theory, counter-Inheritance behavior—and she didn't just memorize it all. She became it, at a fundamental level, then simply… Made it hers. Like the rules of Psykerdom simply didn't apply any longer unless she deemed it so. By the time most Marines were still learning how to incorporate their Tier 2 Classes into their overall Build, Zephyr was already dismantling Psykers that even veteran Battlefield Aces refused to face."

He smiled faintly, without humor being mirrored in his eyes.

"And the thing is—her rank? That's a choice. She could outrank me tomorrow if she wanted to. Could outrank almost all the people who give her orders, or 'recommendations.' Power-wise? It wouldn't even be a contest. I've seen her in action, over a decade ago now. Even back then, she wouldn't have broken a sweat putting me on my knees nowadays, and we both know it." The smile faded.

"But that's the nature of Proprietors, isn't it? The Council doesn't pick administrators or politicians. They pick the monsters among monsters to keep everyone else in line.

"Zephyr earned her place inside the UHF an infinite number of times over. First as the Nullwarden, breaking enemy Psykers and doing the impossible, again and again. Then as the Proprietor of the Kuigon Sector, turning a bleeding mess of UHF space into something stable enough to have the chance to matter, all while holding the Western-Supply Lanes without incident. Her fingerprints are all over our war effort, whether people admit it or not." Another pause, longer this time.

The Colonel shifts in his seat slightly, the armchair's synthleather creaking.

"And yet—you'll never see her name on any major banners. Never hear speeches praising her brilliance directly. She doesn't want it. Because, for everything she is, she believes in the cause. Truly believes in it. All Proprietors do, of course. But Zephyr… She's on an entirely different level, as she always is. She does not do half-measures, even with things as flimsy as belief." The Colonel looked straight at the interviewer now.

"To most people, she's just "Major Quinn". Seen as a stern, efficient, politically dull but very amicable and fair officer of the UHF Marine Corps... Exactly how she wants it.

"But make no mistake. If you corner her—if you ever threaten what she's protecting—you won't be dealing with a mere Major. Or even " just" a Proprietor." A thin smile returned, teeth showing.

"You'll come face-to-face with the Nullwarden herself, and by the time you realize your mistake, there will be no Powers, no Abilities, no prayers—no gods—powerful enough nor willing to save you.

"And in that moment, you'll understand exactly how it was your own fault for cornering the wrong monster among monsters…" [Excerpt from " Recorded Interview: Senior Command Perspectives", UHF Classified Archives, PFC929] Major Quinn's Presence was the first thing that told Thea the announcement was about to begin. It rolled through the hall like a tidal wave, cutting off conversations mid-sentence.

Recruits suddenly went quiet, shoulders stiffening, breaths hitching as sweat broke out along brows and necks without them even knowing why.' Right… Most of them don't even know Presence is a thing, do they…?' Thea thought, bracing herself as the Major's Presence pressed down on her. It was powerful—but definitely manageable. She had felt far worse already. The Runepriest's Presence was several worlds above this, and even Major Quinn herself had almost crushed her during the Attribute upgrade.

She was definitely holding back for the sake of the Recruits.' This is basically nothing in comparison.' The steady thump of boots echoed through the silence as Major Quinn walked up the stage and took her place behind the podium. The Proprietor of the Kuigon Sector let her gaze sweep slowly across the entire hall—an entire Drive of Recruits. Her Drive. Thea had never dared doubt that claim.

If Major Quinn truly wanted to, she could probably kill everyone in this room before half of them even understood what was happening. Thankfully, that scenario was purely theoretical. The Presence vanished just as suddenly as it had come. Thea's Perception caught the sharp sound of several Recruits sucking in deep breaths, as if they had been moments away from suffocation.

"Welcome, Marines," Major Quinn's voice rang through the hall. Thea's spine straightened on instinct at the sound—and she was far from the only one as she noticed out of the corner of her eyes.

"Today, I will be going over all Challenges that have been issued and accepted by the UHF, as well as give you a general rundown of the next two months." Major Quinn didn't waste time. She folded her hands behind her back and began. She made it immediately clear that she would only be announcing the ones that affected Alpha and Beta Squad directly. The rest would be published on the official Challenge-List after the assembly concluded for people to peruse at their leisure.

"If you want your name spoken on this stage," she added dryly, her gaze sweeping over the masses, "try harder in the next Assessment. Challenge your way into the Squads whose names matter. Playtime is over, Marines." Thea frowned at the words. They had been downright cutting and for a split second they felt quite unlike the Major she had come to know over the past few weeks. But then she caught the reaction around her. She noted her fellow Recruit's spines straightening in defiance. Eyes shining with a quiet spark.

A low, restless energy sparked through the hall like static before a storm.' Right… not unlike her at all.

'Thea corrected herself.' Just calculated aggression. Same thing she did back at the Awards Ceremony to the Masters' girl when she had allowed Lucas to receive the same Medal.' She gave a faint, satisfied nod as she understood what Major Quinn was doing—for once. The Major was casually lighting a fire under a thousand Marines. She let the tension build for a few heartbeats, the rumbling of whispers swelling across the hall, before continuing.

"Now," Major Quinn said evenly, "the first Challenge is likely the one most of you are interested in, given the dramatic flair surrounding it: Thea McKay from Alpha Squad has issued her Challenge to Tiberius Soren from Wano Squad." The reaction was immediate. The low rumble exploded into full-blown murmurs, heads turning, voices overlapping in sharp whispers. Thea felt the sound wash over her like a physical thing as hundreds of eyes immediately went towards her.

She kept her face neutral, chin slightly raised, even as her pulse started ticking a little faster. This was expected. She had Challenged the entire Drive back at the Awards Ceremony, so catching everyone's eyes when it was ultimately accepted was just natural. If she showed even a hint of weakness now, all the effort she had put into changing her image in everyone's minds would go to waste. The noise and distraction thankfully didn't last long, however.

Presence slammed down on all of them again—far heavier than before. The air seemed to physically compress. Conversations died mid-word as Recruits stiffened under the invisible weight. This time, there was no hint of the prior gentleness to it. They were no longer Recruits fresh off Integration. They were Marines now—and the Major clearly treated them as such. Silence fell right away.

"The second Challenge is no less exciting," Major Quinn continued, as if nothing had happened, the Presence receding, "if not more so. We have a classic match-up between Alpha Squad and Beta Squad: Rachel Veronica Masters from Beta Squad has Challenged Lucas Callahan from Alpha Squad." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Another ripple moved through the hall—quieter this time, more restrained.

"If nothing else," the Major added with a playful smile, "this will likely be the most competitive of the Challenges, given the closeness of Alpha and Beta Squad in the current hierarchy and the results of the Assessment. Both of our very own Valiant Defenders will be going up against each other in a head-to-head Challenge… Doesn't get much more exciting than that, I dare say." Thea felt a faint prickling sensation in her fingers at the mention of Masters.

She flexed her hands once, then stilled them against her thighs. They had prepared for this—w ere preparing for this. They had analyzed Masters' likely Build from every angle. And with Evelyne's information, they were walking into that Challenge more prepared than anyone else in the Drive likely thought possible.' Let her come,'Thea thought, her gaze steady as she stared ahead at the stage.' We'll be ready.' Major Quinn continued without missing a beat.

"That concludes all Challenges directed at Alpha Squad." For a split second, Thea didn't fully process the words. Then relief loosened the tight coil in her chest. That was it. No more names from Alpha. No sudden additional curveballs they had to prepare for. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Corvus' shoulders drop ever so slightly, and at the same time Desmond, somewhere even further to her left, let out a quiet, triumphant, " Yesss!" under his breath.

Lucas' patted his back and nodded at the Drone Operator, earning himself an empathetic, grateful smile. That, more than anything, had been their biggest concern. Someone sniping Desmond out of the squad before he could properly get his Build online in this first round of Challenges. If that had happened, Alpha Squad would have bled long-term strength in a way that wasn't easily patched up. But it seemed that luck—actual, honest-to-the-Void luck—had decided to sit on their side for once.

"Beta Squad, however," Major Quinn continued smoothly, "is not getting off quite as easily as Alpha, I must say." The mood in the hall shifted immediately, attention snapping back toward the stage.

"Jin Shi'Zon from Arctic Squad has Challenged Mayra Symon from Beta Squad. Additionally, Yonbu Langri— also from Arctic Squad—has Challenged Vitaly Koniryk from Beta Squad." An immediate one-two punch. The rumor mill tried to spin up again, but this time Major Quinn didn't even need to release her Presence. A single cool look swept over the hall, and the noise died instantly. The control she exerted over the assembled Marines with nothing but a glance was… impressive. And more than just a little terrifying.

Unexpectedly, the Major smiled.

"Now… It seems somebody understood the assignment of clawing your way up the hierarchy better than the rest of you." A few heads turned even before she said the name.

"Tiberius Soren from Wano Squad has Challenged Patrick Matani from Beta Squad." That set the hall alight again, but Major Quinn spoke right over it.

"And before anyone decides to cry about fairness—perhaps read the rules laid out more carefully next time: While you may only Challenge a single person, the regulations say nothing about being Challenged in return. Recruit Soren has evidently made good use of that little detail. With Recruit McKay's open Challenge ripe for the taking, he has secured not one, but two chances at an Alpha or Beta Squad position in this very first round of Challenges. Well done, Recruit Soren."

She nodded down toward a specific section of the hall. Thea didn't need to look to know exactly where Tiberius was sitting. Karania leaned closer, her voice barely a breath against Thea's ear.

"We're going to have to keep a closer eye on him going forward. I—I didn't expect that at all."

"Same," Thea whispered back immediately. Internally, she was quite a bit more rattled than she let on. Something Karania hadn't anticipated? That was rare enough to file under minor miracles. But then again, Kara wasn't omniscient, and Thea knew that. Tiberius had been practically invisible up until today. While, yes, he had gained an award at the ceremony, he hadn't really made any obvious moves since then. That, in hindsight, was the most worrying part.

Nobody in Alpha Squad had even really talked about him before, except Corvus. And even then, only in relation to his Squad Leader duties and how Tiberius was one of the more talented Squad Leaders in the Drive, as far as he could tell. So… He'd been there. Undeniably competent but never loud enough to force any of their attention on him. Yet now he'd maneuvered himself into two high-profile Challenges with seeming ease. Thea felt a faint prickle crawl up her spine. She was confident—utterly confident—in her role.

In her skill. In her ability to beat anyone in a straight fight. But would someone who evidently understood the Challenge System this well really walk into her crosshairs without more layers behind the scenes…?' Would someone like Tiberius really ask me to Challenge him, if he didn't think he'd actually have a way to win…?' Thea thought. Major Quinn didn't give Thea any real time to dig deeper into her thoughts. She moved on smoothly, her voice cutting through the hall again.

"With all that in mind, Beta Squad may very well look entirely different come the next Assessment. Four names. Four potential Role shifts. That is how quickly things move inside the UHF if you are not performing." A ripple went through the assembled Marines. Four positions on one of the top squads hanging in the balance—more than half the entire squad.

"If you thought securing a Squad placement after Integration meant safety, you were sorely mistaken," she continued.

"Competition is not optional inside the UHF. It is the foundation of your growth and your survival once this first year is over. If you are not climbing, someone else is going to climb over you." Thea could almost feel the tension tightening across the hall like a wire being pulled taut. The Major was driving the point in hard.

"As stated earlier," Major Quinn added, "the remainder of the Challenges will be published via the official Challenge Listing after this assembly. If your name is not mentioned here today, perhaps work harder next time so that it might." That earned a few tight expressions around the room.

"Now. The next two months: The Challenges themselves will be held three weeks from today. Newly formed squads will have at least one full month afterward to establish cohesion and train together before the next Assessment. DMs will continue to be available during that time and will remain mandatory at least once per week for every Marine until two weeks before the Assessment." Thea nodded slightly. That part had been expected.

It wouldn't make much sense to have the Challenges take too long or the newly put together squads were at a major disadvantage going into the next Assessment. But with a month lead-up, that was plenty of time to get things sorted out.' We'd only had around a week for the first one, after all…'

"Public Leaderboards will go live in three days," the Major continued. That caused a heavier buzz than just about anything else so far.

"With the Leaderboards finally active, any Marine ranked above you may request a Challenge-slip from a lecturer or higher-ranking member of the UHF—Lieutenant or higher—to issue a Challenge, provided there are at least two weeks remaining before the next Assessment. Such Challenges carry significantly less preparation time and are considerably harder to defend against as a result." A few heads turned instinctively toward Alpha and Beta Squad, and Thea felt a hundred eyeballs on the back of her head.

"If you are currently seated in a higher-ranked Squad, you may wish to increase the frequency of your Digital Missions…" She let those words hang for a few moments longer than the rest.

"Additionally, Squad rankings will also be compiled and displayed alongside individual performances. Higher-ranked Squads will receive increased access to the Sovereign's facilities. This includes the option for private dormitories—just like Alpha and Beta Squad are enjoying already—expanded training allocations, and additional logistical privileges. The higher your combined Squad total, the greater your benefits going forward."

At that, the buzz inside the hall grew heavier, and Thea could definitely understand why. They had already expected brutal competition from the Assessments alone. But all this? This was the UHF turning the pressure dial all the way up: DMs. Personal rankings. Squad rankings. Facility unlocks. Short-notice Challenges. Long-term positioning. Everything was tied to merit. Yours—and the people standing next to you. Thea felt the weight of it settle in her chest. It was definitely not unpleasant, however.'

Now that's the kind of pressure I can work with… Performing at the top of my game every single day for months—maybe even years? That's the only way you ever climb to the top of the ladder anyway. Nothing new there, really...'

"Finally," Major Quinn continued, her voice once again cutting cleanly through the rising buzz in the hall and forcing it back down into silence, "the next roughly two months will also include another suite of mandatory lectures and classes for all of you, so figure out your DM and Skill Training timings ahead of time.

"Those lectures include the much-anticipated Psychic 101—covering the fundamentals of Focus control, basic defense against hostile Psykers, and recognizing early signs of Psychic instability in yourself and others, as well as the Awakening.

Battlefield 101 will be featured as well, which will focus primarily on giving you a more cohesive primer on how Battlefields work out there in the real world: How Battlefield Ace slots are decided, how attacking and defending planets or entire sectors work, what kind of deployment can be brought to bear and so on." A few people shifted at that, their interest obvious—Corvus chief among them.

"In addition," she continued evenly, "CQC classes will resume with increased intensity. Expect full-contact drills, weapon retention exercises, and live simulations focused on confined-space fighting and zero-G maneuverability lessons.

There will also be expanded System-based instruction—nuances of Class progression, more in-depth explanations on Build creation, Challenge regulations, leaderboard mechanics, and further administrative realities of being a Marine inside the UHF after the Recruit-phase is over and dealt with." Her lips curved slightly, though there was no softness in it.

"You will find all of them marked on your calendars once this assembly concludes. Plan accordingly. Excuses for tardiness or absentees will not be entertained." She let the tension hang for a few seconds longer, her sharp gaze sweeping across the thousand Marines packed into the hall. Then, slowly, the edge in her expression softened—just a fraction.

"Now," she said, her tone losing some of its steel, "despite what some of you might think after the last fifteen minutes… I am very proud of this Drive and your performance so far." That earned a few surprised looks.

"You got through Integration. You absolutely crushed your first Assessment. You survived being around each other for an extra week after," she added dryly, and a ripple of restrained laughter moved through the hall.

"That already places you ahead of the vast majority of candidates across the UHF. You are learning. You are adapting. And, most importantly, you are improving—day by day. That is exactly what I want to see." Her eyes hardened again, but there was warmth beneath it now.

"I did not take command of this Drive to babysit you. I took command because I believe you can become something formidable. Marines who do not just endure the Galactic War—but shape it. That takes pressure. That takes friction. That takes you pushing against one another until only the best habits remain." She paused, then added with a faint smirk, "If that occasionally feels unpleasant… Good. Growth rarely feels comfortable.

Take it from someone who's gone through more than her fair share of tribulations and very uncomfortable stretches of growth." A few more quiet chuckles followed, tension easing across the room.

"I look forward," she continued, more quietly now, "to watching each of you grow into the Marines you are meant to be. Some of you will surprise yourselves. Some of you will disappoint yourselves. Both are acceptable and encouraged—despite what it might sound like. The only thing I will not accept for any of you is stagnation." Her voice sharpened again at the end, a bit of her Presence eking out to underline and remind everyone exactly who stood before them and said those words.

"Our next grand assembly like this will take place in a little over a week and a half. We will be stopping at Eonon Station to pick up the second—and final—group of initial Recruits for the Sovereign." A low murmur started immediately, and she allowed it this time.

"Yes. That will bring its own… adjustments." Her gaze turned almost amused.

"Those of you feeling comfortable in your current leaderboard positions might want to enjoy that feeling while it lasts. The rankings will be combined with the ones the Eonon batch has been working on for just about as long as you have—plus an additional week, as they got Integrated about a week earlier than all of you. Quite a number of your names may find themselves… relocated downwards after the merge." The murmurs grew louder.

"The second group is nearly twice the size of this one," she went on calmly.

"And Eonon Station has their own Alpha and Beta Squads as well, I'll have you know. While the Sovereign's will generally take priority in the merger, that won't matter for the Public Leaderboard—so don't think just because you're at the top now, you will still be afterwards. That might not work out as nicely as you hope—just like it seemingly hasn't for Beta Squad, if the Challenges are anything to go by." She let that sink in, then gave a single, sharp nod.

"Compete. Improve. Show that you deserve to be here—not just today, but every day. That is all. Dismissed." And with that, the Proprietor of the Kuigon Sector stepped back from the podium, the assembly officially concluded, leaving behind a hall full of Marines whose comfortable ground had just been thoroughly shaken…