Chương 59: Arc 1 - Chapter 36 - Galactic Politics Lecture II

After a brief pause, Professor Hilax shattered the sombre quiet.

"The Emperor's declaration ignited a war across the galaxy, precisely as he had predicted and desired. Some despise him for inciting such chaos and death, while others comprehend his rationale. Yet again others remain indifferent, believing that war was an inevitability regardless of the Emperor's actions.

"The true objective of this conflict has been obscured from the public eye, but every participant in this war understands its true purpose. It's crucial that we never lose sight of the ultimate aim of this struggle: ensuring the survival of humanity beyond the 1, 000-year mark." With a swift gesture, she re-engaged the holographic projector. This time it portrayed a two-dimensional model of the Galactic Bubble, with the Terran Sector nestled at its core.

For Thea, this marked the first glimpse into the immense expanse of the Galactic Bubble, and the unfathomable scale of the galaxy beyond Lumiosia and the Sovereign. She had trouble even figuring out where Lumiosia was, as barely any Star Clusters were named beyond the one housing Terra itself.

"Do you know where Valtrusia is...?" she whispered to Corvus, her voice barely audible. Corvus squinted at the map for a moment before indicating a small star cluster about a quarter of the way towards Terra from the bubble's outer boundary.

"That ought to be it, I think. The Valtrusian Star Cluster is fairly distinctive due to its relatively small size, when compared to the greater region it is in," he elaborated.

"Any idea where your home planet might be located?" In response, Thea shook her head, her brow furrowing in concentration as she peered again at the map, just as it was divided into eleven sectors emanating from Terra itself. Before she could figure out all the changes however, Professor Hilax answered her unspoken question.

"These represent the territories of the current major factions, each vying for the future of humanity. For clarity, I've positioned us, the UHF, at the centre bottom. We will closely examine only four of the ten other factions as these are the ones most likely to impact you over the next couple of years, maybe ever.

"As you can envision, " Professor Hilax continued, articulating her words with a methodical, measured cadence, "initiating a conflict with factions that are not immediate neighbours to your own sector is incredibly complex. Armies are not allowed to traverse the neutral-zone under Terra's influence, so the only feasible option would involve either conquering or infringing upon an adjacent faction's territory to engage in war with one farther afield.

However, permitting a hostile army, sizable enough to instigate a potential conflict with another faction, into your own territory, is a prospect no tactician would entertain seriously."

Professor Hilax paused, letting the meaning of her words permeate the room and making sure everybody was paying attention, before she resumed, "This results in us only really having active conflicts with the two most directly adjacent factions on either side, with the factions one further out being a rare occurrence and the ones beyond that being non-existent.

"The faction that most of you have dealt with so far, and immediately on our left in this diagram, is the 'Stellar Republic'." With a gesture of her hand, a new image was displayed on the holographic projector. It showed an emblem featuring a radiant star surrounded by a wreath of celestial bodies with a soaring eagle above the star and an open, ancient-looking, book below.

"The Stellar Republic operates under the rule of what are, ostensibly, officials elected by all members of the faction. Their perspective on humanity's future resonates surprisingly closely with ours, albeit with a noticeably lower regard for human life. This disconcerting trait is prominently reflected in their approach towards this ongoing war and has earned them the nickname of 'Freaks' amongst our Marines and service members.

"They are renowned, rather infamously, for their 'human-wave' tactics - flinging bodies at their problems until they're submerged under a deluge of fallen. This is far from a hyperbole, as you will realise. The core composition of their armies exemplifies this approach. On average, for every 1 integrated soldier that the Stellar Republic deploys, there are approximately 50 unintegrated soldiers. The ratio can fluctuate drastically across different battlegrounds.

In some critical theatres, the ratio may be as narrow as 1: 5-10, while in less pivotal conflicts, it could skyrocket to 1: 100 or even higher." Thea's eyebrows rose involuntarily at that thought. The sheer idea of being an unintegrated soldier, going up against even just Karania or Corvus, was utterly terrifying. She didn't even want to imagine what it would be like for a normal human soldier to go up against a beast like Isabella instead…

"Since factions other than the UHF lack the capacity for mass-integration, they tend to lean on deploying enormous swaths of unintegrated soldiers. This is not only to bolster their ranks but also to seize any opportunity to create new integrated personnel through each encounter.

This strategy, as one might expect, often results in a significant human cost on their part, as unintegrated soldiers are effectively helpless when compared to even the newest recruits among your ranks - a fact that your recent Practicals would have emphatically demonstrated. You stand leaps and bounds beyond the capabilities of ordinary soldiers, simply by being integrated into the Allbright System itself.

"Despite this however, you should never underestimate the capabilities of a group of soldiers, regardless of whether they are integrated or not. Their weapons are just as capable as ours. If you don't pay enough attention or get overwhelmed by their numbers, you will undoubtedly die a quite embarrassing death.

"Now… The Stellar Republic's Faction Trait is known as 'Duplication' and is as literal as it sounds. It duplicates the user, including all their personal gear within mere seconds, and for a remarkably nominal Merit cost. Many of you would have confronted them in your cube challenge trials and learned about this troubling Trait first-hand, roughly two years ago." Her words lingered in the room, a stark reminder of the first taste of war they all had faced as part of the UHF.

A chorus of nods and murmurs of agreement swept through the room, while furrowed brows and tightened jaws betrayed the recruits' shared annoyance at the recollection of having to fight the Stellar Republic's tactics. Corvus was no exception. He clenched his jaw visibly, his usual calm facade replaced with a clear expression of annoyance and hints of disgust as he grappled with the memory.

Observing him from the corner of her eye, Thea felt a thread of worry twist inside her as she wondered to herself, ' What exactly happened during his trial? I've never seen him this upset...' Uncertain about whether it was her place to ask about his memories, Thea silently turned her thoughts inward instead, reflecting on her own experience during the cube trial. It was as vivid in her memory as if she had just yesterday set foot into that immense, high-tech cylinder back on Lumiosia.

Her recollections were most vibrant about the four UHF members who had since become her guiding lights in this bewildering galaxy: The seemingly unwavering Squad Leader Kellerman, the dependable, albeit somewhat stand-offish, Squad Medic Orion, the goofy Ace-killer Lieutenant Frost, and the kind, empathetic Sergeant Selene. She cherished their brief encounters, harbouring a hope that one day their paths might cross again.

She had also not forgotten about the pledge she had made to Sergeant Selene, a vow to reunite after graduating from Basic Training. As for the Stellar Republic however, Thea did not remember much about them individually, other than the fact that the duplicators had been a huge pain for everyone else to deal with. Her strange gut-feeling had made her an invaluable asset on the UHF's side during the defence however, which had ultimately drawn the ire of Captain Ionheart and led to the showdown between himself and Lt.

Frost. Suppressing a chuckle as she reflected on these past events, which, in retrospect seemed exceptionally amusing, particularly Lieutenant Frost's demeanour and antics during the trial, she redirected her focus to Professor Hilax, who appeared ready to resume her lecture.

"Fundamentally, at Tier 0, the Duplication Trait is rather restricted. Much akin to your own Soul Transfer, each tier upgrade is accompanied by a substantial upgrade in the functionality or raw potency of the Faction Trait. For the Stellar Republic, this enhancement primarily manifests in three distinct facets we've discerned: Quantity, Quality, and Control.

"At the entry-level, a Tier 0 Duplicator - the term we assigned to the integrated members of the Stellar Republic's military - might be able to produce only a scant number of copies, each possessing limited accuracy and lacking refined motor control. On the other hand, a Tier 1 Duplicator could potentially double this quantity, enhance their copies' overall agility, or even empower them to execute tasks more complex than simply discharging a weapon at a distant target.

"Such incremental progress continues with each tier ascended by the Duplicators, with each individual step bringing vastly increasing numbers of changes to the previous one. There have been unsettling accounts of higher-ranking members, assumed to be Tier 5, capable of cloning themselves to an almost indistinguishable degree, with no apparent loss of control or dexterity.

Though the volume of these clones would naturally be minimal, I doubt I need to underline the degree of trouble a cloned, fully operational Tier 5 Ace presents on a battlefield." The thought of confronting multiple identical high-tier Aces made Thea involuntarily gulp, a knot of anxiety forming in her stomach.' Trouble is a monumental understatement... That Trait is insanely overpowered... What the fuck? Resurrecting from the dead is nice and all, but how does that balance against the prospect of multiple Lt.

Frosts, or potentially even worse, rampaging through the battlefield?' she thought, her mind racing as she tried to digest this newfound information about the Duplication Trait. Corvus, sitting next to her, mirrored her unease.

His brow was knitted into a pronounced frown as his fingers rapidly tapped away on his data-pad, capturing a whirlwind of thoughts, as Professor Hilax continued.

"The crux of our challenge, when it comes to combating the Stellar Republic's forces, lies in the sheer volume of combatants they can mobilise due to these two factors working in unison. Although the numbers are reasonably manageable, albeit already challenging, on T0 and T1 battlefields, this balance begins to tip alarmingly once we reach T2 and beyond.

By this stage, most Duplicators have acquired at least one or two quantity upgrades for their Trait, escalating the sheer quantity of troops and equipment they can deploy against us.

"So long as the Duplicator survives and retains Merit, they can continually spawn an infinite number of copies, irrespective of how many we eliminate - there is no spawn limit on the total number any single Duplicator can create during a day. The only viable strategy to curb this relentless surge of reinforcements is to take down the Duplicators themselves. However, this, in itself, poses a significant problem as well.

"Given that the clones are precise replicas of the original, differentiating between them becomes incredibly challenging. While managing a large number of clones can be mentally taxing and necessitates the Duplicator to stay relatively close to the frontlines, often leading to them appearing somewhat disoriented, locating them amidst the sea of bodies is a near impossible task."

Reflecting on her own trial, Thea recalled the initial difficulties she had faced in distinguishing between the cloned soldiers and the actual Duplicators. However, she felt a certain disconnect with Professor Hilax's depiction of the situation, almost like she was overplaying the issue at hand. After all, Thea herself had managed to eliminate a substantial number of Duplicators during her trial, despite being a simple, unintegrated soldier.

If she could accomplish such a feat without the help of the Allbright System, there was no way that the higher-tiered, integrated Marines couldn't achieve the same or even superior results.

"It's not that hard..." Thea murmured absently, her mind lost in a sea of memories. But like the sharp crack of a whip, Professor Hilax's voice jerked her out of her reminiscing.

"What was that, Recruit?" she asked, her tone ringing with a challenge. Startled, Thea's heart began pounding like a war drum in her chest. She hadn't intended to draw attention to herself like that. She could feel hundreds of eyes swivelling towards her, the whispers and murmurs humming through the air as the room came alive with curiosity. Her face flushed with heat and her hands, resting in her lap, started to tremble lightly.

She had unintentionally stepped into the spotlight in a room of 300 fellow recruits, and she felt her social anxiety creeping up on her like a monstrous shadow. Stammering slightly, Thea tried to collect her thoughts and formulate an appropriate response. She glanced sideways at Corvus, hoping to find a semblance of reassurance, but he was as shocked as the rest, his gaze fixed on her with wide-eyed surprise. In that moment, all Thea wanted was to disappear, to fade away from the intensity of the scrutiny.

But she knew there was no escape from the current predicament.

"I... Uh... I didn't mean to—""Please, go ahead, Recruit," Professor Hilax cut her off, her tone sharp and demanding, "If I'm not mistaken, I heard you utter, ' It's not that hard'? If you possess any unique insights into identifying Duplicators that have escaped the UHF's attention, I insist you share them with the rest of us. After all, this could be paramount for all of our survival on the field," the Professor retorted.

Her voice held a trace of irritation, hinting at her displeasure of being unintentionally contradicted. Thea swallowed hard, feeling the heat of the room suddenly magnify under the weight of the professor's challenging gaze and the attention of 300 recruits. She wanted to be swallowed up by the floor as she scrambled to find the right words. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she took a deep breath, hoping to control the tremor in her voice.

"Well... uh, Professor," she started, her eyes darting around the room before settling back on the imposing figure of Professor Hilax, "I... um... mean to say... during my cube trial... it seemed that... um... the Duplicators, they seemed disoriented... a bit off... when compared to the clones, as you mentioned." With her hands clenched into tight fists in her lap, Thea fought to steady her voice.

Imagining herself in a calm setting, as if she was simply delivering a report to a superior officer, instead of being under the microscope in a lecture hall teeming with her peers, she tried to steady her heartbeat, her anxiety threatening to overrun her composure.

"Essentially," she began, her voice slightly stronger now, "once I concentrated on that particular tell— the disorientation and vulnerability of the Duplicators, I didn't encounter too much difficulty identifying them. In my trial, my role was predominantly that of a sniper, which perhaps gave me an advantage in carefully observing and zeroing in on individuals displaying these signs…"

She hesitated for a moment, attempting to swallow her anxiety once again before continuing, "It's just a thought, but wouldn't this kind of method be plausible for higher-tier Marines? Or maybe we could even have specialised squads whose primary focus is to detect these subtle discrepancies...?" Her voice trailed off, her statement hanging in the silence of the room, the echoes of her suggestions lingering.

The silence in the room seemed to stretch for an eternity, with Thea feeling the weight of hundreds of eyes on her, before Professor Hilax finally broke it.

"An interesting theory, Recruit," Professor Hilax began, her tone laced with a hint of scepticism.

"It would indeed be an ideal solution if such a method was consistently effective. However, you must remember that your experience in the trial was a controlled environment, one that mirrors some of the less intense battlefields of past UHF engagements." A faint murmur spread across the room, the Recruits exchanging glances, their expressions ranging from confusion to amusement. Thea felt a sudden surge of heat rise to her cheeks, her heart pounding in her chest.

Professor Hilax continued, "This is not to discount your efforts, Recruit. But, there is a likely chance that your success can be attributed to fortuitous circumstances, such as the precise timing or even the conditions of the simulation being easy to manage. Believe me, the UHF has tried and tested this approach time and time again. If only it were as simple as picking out the disoriented soldiers in the field. But alas, we have found it to be of little consistent success.

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"Now, I appreciate the desire to distinguish yourself among your fellow Recruits," she added, her tone chiding and even slightly demeaning in Thea's ears, "but disrupting my lecture without substantive insights isn't the optimal route to do so. Exercise discretion with your contributions in the future, Recruit. Unless, of course, they're based on substantial, worthwhile evidence." With Professor Hilax's last words, something in Thea ignited.

She felt a rush of indignation at the belittling of her hard-won success, the casual dismissal of her trials as mere fortunate circumstances. She could feel the tension building, until suddenly, something snapped inside of her.

"That wasn't just any ' easy to manage simulation', Professor!" Thea retorted, her voice loud and steady despite the undercurrent of emotion coursing through her.

"My cube trial was the defence of Rog'An Prime's Theta Outpost. I've been told it's one of the hardest assessment trials to get." Her rebuttal stirred a wave of surprise through the classroom. Nobody had anticipated such bold defiance from Thea - herself included.

Understanding she had passed the point of no return and would have to conclusively prove her words now, she tapped into her Allbright System's Accomplishment screen and brought up her Achievement—a familiar, holographic blue box displaying her feat for all to see. [Senior (Silver) Stellar Republic Menace Accomplishment] Successfully kill more than 50 soldiers of the Stellar Republic that are actively using their Faction Trait. She held it up towards Professor Hilax.

The hologram flickered in the dim light, a silent monument to her words. Even in her current state of indignation, Thea felt a pulse of pride looking at it. Her eyes met those of Professor Hilax, challenging her to disregard her achievement now. Taken aback, Professor Hilax took a moment to process the information, muttering quietly under her breath, almost too quiet for even Thea to perceive despite her massive Perception, "No way… Theta Outpost defence…?"

Then, maintaining her composure, she offered an apology, "My apologies, Recruit. I didn't mean to belittle your achievement. It seems I have been wrong to judge your suggestion this quickly. Nevertheless, we have tried that very same one before, as I previously mentioned…" A flicker of respect crossed her features before she continued, "Perhaps we could all take this opportunity for further learning. If you permit, we could access your Assessment Profile and share your trial recording with the class.

It might serve as an educational tool for everyone to better understand the strategy you employed." Before Thea could respond, Professor Hilax appeared momentarily distracted. Her gaze still rested on Thea but seemed to look beyond her, before her complexion subtly reddened. Swiftly altering her suggestion, she added, "Upon second thought, perhaps we should postpone this for another occasion.

There's plenty to cover in today's lecture, and the rest of the year will present ample opportunities for such detailed discussions." Perplexed by the abrupt shift in the Professor's plans and demeanour, Thea sought clarity from Corvus, only to encounter his astonished expression.

"Thea... What the fuck? That achievement... You're amazing!" was all he managed to stammer, a big smile forming on his face, before Professor Hilax's clap echoed through the room, silencing all chatter. With an air of composed normalcy, she resumed her lecture as if the brief discourse had never occurred.

"Resuming from where we left off… For the vast majority, discerning Duplicators from their clones is a formidable challenge, which considerably complicates our efforts against the Stellar Republic's ceaselessly duplicating troops," Professor Hilax stated, her voice cool and steady.

"As you might surmise, weaponry with explosive attributes and large-scale attacks have proven to be most effective in repelling their forces. Given that Duplicators typically operate close to the frontlines, taking advantage of collateral damage often proves crucial in eliminating them.

"After today's session, you'll receive a detailed handout outlining the Stellar Republic's tactics and Trait usage to assist your preparations for the end-of-week assessments. This, of course, extends to all factions we'll be reviewing today. My main aim here is to lay the groundwork, offering you a solid foundation of information on which to build. Experience has shown this approach to be significantly more effective in preparing our Marines for real-world scenarios than relying solely on handouts."

With a sweep of her left hand, Professor Hilax signalled a change in the holographic projector's display. The emblem of the Stellar Republic transitioned into a new one - a symbol unfamiliar to Thea. The insignia featured a radiant celestial sphere, adorned with intricately crafted constellations. A magnificent golden crown encircled the sphere, its regal shape gracing the top.

"Shifting our focus eastward, we encounter the 'Celestial Dominion.' Their worldview is strikingly different from ours, particularly when it comes to perceptions of humanity. The Celestial Dominion champions human supremacy, seeing us as the apex of all evolution. Consequently, their strict concept of what exactly 'the pinnacle of mankind' entails leads to profound prejudice, discrimination, and outright racism within their borders."

For a fleeting moment, Thea noticed a slight twitch on Professor Hilax's typically stoic face. As soon as it came, it vanished, causing Thea to question whether she'd imagined it.

"Similar to the Stellar Republic, the Celestial Dominion relies heavily on non-integrated soldiers to amplify their combat forces, often delegating the... less desirable segments... of their population to the frontlines. The ratio of integrated to non-integrated soldiers on a Celestial Dominion battlefield can vary significantly based on its strategic importance, ranging anywhere from 1: 10 to 1: 150.

"As mentioned earlier, many of you may have already encountered the Celestial Dominion during your challenge trials and be somewhat familiar with their Faction Trait. Often dubbed as 'Cellular Regeneration' or simply 'Regeneration,' it bestows every integrated member of the Celestial Dominion with regenerative abilities that far exceed even the highest Recovery Attributes. Wounds that would typically be fatal to others merely set them back momentarily before they rise again.

"The Faction Trait of the Celestial Dominion essentially gifts their soldiers with functional immortality, unless a specific region of their body—the 'Core' as we refer to it within the UHF—is targeted and obliterated. The Core has numerous unique characteristics and typically serves as the focal point for their Faction Trait upgrades at each Tier increase. Primarily, the Core is remarkably durable. Simple weapons such as knives or swords cannot penetrate it, nor can a mere piece of shrapnel fracture it.

"Secondly, the Core's location within the bodies of Celestial Dominion's soldiers isn't fixed. We've identified seven potential locations, all of which will be detailed in the handout, where the Core might be situated. The location varies among soldiers, making it nearly impossible to land a lethal shot on the first attempt.

"Lastly, the Core facilitates an exceptional degree of regeneration that verges on the absurd. If a soldier's body, brain, or even the entirety of his existence has been eradicated, the Core can reassemble the owner in mere minutes, provided sufficient Merit is supplied. The cost of regeneration does not seem particularly steep, though it appears to increase proportionally with the deadliness and destructiveness of the injury.

Therefore, aiming for headshots can serve as a temporary stop-gap measure that simultaneously drains their resources fairly quickly." Professor Hilax paused, allowing the Recruits time to absorb the wealth of information she'd just revealed. Thea's eyes widened in astonishment as she listened to the elaborate description of the Celestial Dominion's Trait.'

I thought the UHF's respawn ability would give us an absolute edge in this war, but now I understand why we're in such a desperate predicament, with all these insanely powerful Traits at play on either side of our borders... If a single shot can't eliminate them, what role can I even play as a sniper...? Simply go for headshots and wait for my squad to get close enough to crack the core…?' she pondered to herself, before letting her attention roam.

Meanwhile, Corvus appeared to be diligently capturing a significant amount of information on his data-pad. Thea speculated that these were likely prospective strategies or tactics for their squad.' His dedication to his role is remarkable... Does he ever relax?' she wondered while watching the intensity on her squad leader's face grow ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath to brace herself for the ongoing wave of information, Thea rolled her neck, eliciting a satisfying crack.

Just as she did, Professor Hilax resumed her discourse, as if she had been waiting for the crack as a cue.

"As we ascend to higher Tiers, the issue exacerbates. The Celestial Dominion's Faction Trait evolves along three identified paths: Quantity, Resilience, and Speed. Quantity increments do precisely what the term suggests - they provide additional Cores to a specific soldier, effectively rendering a single-shot takedown an impossibility unless you wield a considerably destructive weapon.

"In rare instances, we've observed T4+ Celestial Dominion soldiers boasting up to five separate, distinct Cores spread across their bodies. The most significant challenge in confronting this is that Cores possess the capacity to regenerate other Cores. Therefore, unless you eradicate all of them within a relatively short timespan, they will inevitably regenerate.

"Resilience, as you might intuit, refers to the robustness of the Core. We've seen instances where high-Tier Cores withstand direct hits from standard-issue rifles, demonstrating a durability that rivals even T1 material alloys on occasion.

"Finally, speed enhancements amplify the rate of regeneration provided by the Core. This allows higher-Tier members of the Celestial Dominion to literally shake off devastating injuries like decapitations. Their heads would regenerate so rapidly that they can continue their advance almost uninterrupted." With barely a pause, Professor Hilax gestured once again and the holographic projector switched its image, displaying a new emblem.

The emblem portrayed a complex web of interlocking gears and cogs, encircled by a sleek, sweeping arc.

"Flanking the Stellar Republic to the west lies the dominion of the Unified Syndicate, a vast coalition of politicians, corporations, businesses, and oligarchs. Their outlook on the ongoing war is strikingly simple, yet devastatingly harmful to humanity as a whole: War is profitable.

"Indifferent to the costs in human life, scorched planets, or even the impending rupture of the Galactic Bubble, their single-minded pursuit of maximum profit before their inevitable end is relentless. The rampant espionage, treachery, and intra-faction discord within the Unified Syndicate are only surpassed by their ruthlessness on the battlefield.

"Like the previously discussed factions, the Unified Syndicate heavily depends on non-integrated soldiers. However, surprisingly enough, they treat them relatively well, offering them battlefield-based payments akin to contracts with some of the mercenary factions.

"Their Faction Trait, while straightforward, presents unique challenges: Teleportation. Commonly referred to as 'Blink' within the UHF, it allows the integrated members of the Unified Syndicate to teleport over short distances, much like in science fiction movies. This makes them particularly favour close-quarter combat, heightening the threat they pose as a result of their Trait." Upon the mention of teleportation, a murmur swept through the assembled recruits.

Professor Hilax permitted the spontaneous discussion to unfurl for a moment as she took a sip of water from a glass concealed behind the podium. Internally sighing, Thea couldn't resist thinking, ' Every Faction Trait seems expressly designed to make my job more difficult. I can't neutralise the Celestial Dominion with a single shot, and these Syndicate members can teleport and thrive in close combat. Perhaps I should have opted for an assault rifle or something instead…'

After setting the glass back behind the podium, Professor Hilax drew a deep breath and clapped her hands together, calling for silence as she resumed her lecture.

"The Unified Syndicate's Trait develops along three dimensions: distance, cooldown, and cost. Each is fairly straightforward. At its base level, the reach of their 'Blink' ability extends only about 15 metres, but with each tier increase invested in distance, it significantly expands. Reports from our Marines indicate that higher-tier 'Blinks' can span over 200 metres.

"Cooldown is another aspect to contend with. The fundamental drawback of their Trait is the need for line-of-sight to the destination area and the presence of a relatively long cooldown period, given the split-second nature of battles. Initially, there's an approximately 8-second delay between Blinks. However, with higher-tier upgrades, this delay virtually disappears entirely.

"The UHF Marine Corps has unfortunately lost numerous valuable members to high-ranking Unified Syndicate Aces. Their capacity to 'Blink' in the heat of combat is exceptionally perilous, especially when they close in for hand-to-hand combat - an engagement style they particularly favour for obvious reasons.

"As for the cost dimension, it isn't a popular choice among the Unified Syndicate, despite the irony of their overall profit-oriented mindset. Most integrated Syndicate soldiers rarely invest points into reducing the cost of their 'Blink,' instead relying on their individual capabilities to minimise their need for frequent Blinking." Following her explanation, Professor Hilax gestured once more, and the holographic projector shifted its display to a new emblem.

The emblem featured a central intertwined handshake between two humanoid silhouettes, surrounded by a dynamic ring of miniature-galaxies.

"Finally, we come to our fourth and final neighbouring major Faction for this lecture, the Galactic Human Accord. Primarily, they are a technology-centric Faction, largely due to the nature of their Faction Trait. They are ardent proponents of genetic manipulation, cybernetics, bionics, and all manners of body augmentations, often toeing the line of Terran Decrees.

"Their prevailing conviction is that technology must advance, no matter the cost. They are at the forefront of new innovations, whether medicinal, biological, chemical, or technological. They don't hesitate to test products on the less fortunate sections of their population, regardless of their consent.

"Their approach gives them a significant advantage in warfare, making them one of the most troublesome Factions to combat. They bring around a 50/50 mixture between fully integrated personnel and unintegrated, albeit generally ready-to-be integrated, troops. They put a lot of emphasis making sure their unintegrated soldiers have the cybernetics required to meet the minimum Attribute requirements for integration.

"This makes them one of the closest to the UHF, when it comes to their overall ratio of integrated soldiers vs unintegrated ones, which they deploy on any given battlefield. Additionally, they invariably bring a new piece of technology, combat drug, or weaponry to every battlefield. This makes strategizing against them beforehand nearly impossible..." A sudden commotion at the back of the room interrupted her flow.

She paused, eyebrows raised, and waited until the noise had died down before continuing, obviously irritated but not overly exasperated by the noise.

"... their unpredictability is further compounded by their Faction Trait, 'Quick Swap'. This ability provides them with something akin to an extra-dimensional inventory, enabling almost instantaneous swapping of personal equipment, whether armors, weapons, gadgets, or whatever else their Faction's twisted, albeit very inventive, minds concoct.

"Engaging with the Galactic Human Accord requires patience and readiness to make sacrifices. There are no scenarios in which they are at a disadvantage. Whether it's long-range, mid-range, short-range, or even melee battles, they always have the perfect countermeasure readily available.

"Often, battles commence with a large part of their army equipped with railguns, sniper rifles, or other long-range weaponry, bombarding our lines from a distance beyond our reach, given our limited snipers and long-range options. What follows is a painstakingly slow advance, with our side erecting barricades, trenches, and shields, inching closer until the GHA army considers swapping their weapons.

"However, this isn't exclusively beneficial to us, as they excel even more in medium-range engagements, thanks to their Trait allowing them to carry an assortment of weapons. Erect many walls? They can instantly produce tens of thousands of rocket launchers to bring them down. Attempt a rush? You'll be met with 50, 000 heavy machine guns blazing simultaneously. And these are just the most basic of options they have.

"There have been cases of entire battalions equipped in stealth-tech light armour infiltrating our lines from the rear, only to swap their gear for the most formidable, heavy-type armors and weapons they possess. Needless to say, rooting them out after they've breached our defences was more than just 'slightly costly'." As Professor Hilax briefly halted her explanation of the Galactic Human Accord's Trait, Thea felt a spark of exhilaration unlike what she'd experienced with the previous Factions.

This time around, she was dealing with an opponent that was unpredictable and innovative, yet one that also permitted her to fight back using her own style. It was a high-risk, high-reward scenario, but that was exactly how Thea thrived! She relished the thought of a head-to-head battle, her wits against theirs, matching tactic for tactic, skill for skill - just like a ranked, competitive match. Next to her, however, Corvus' reaction was quite the opposite. His face, usually a stoic mask, looked visibly rattled.

As someone who seemed to favour strategic planning and careful, controlled manoeuvres, the unpredictability and chaos that the Galactic Human Accord brought to the battlefield was undoubtedly his worst nightmare, similar to how the Syndicate had been Thea's. Corvus shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his fingers tapping nervously on his data-pad.

As Thea looked over at Corvus and caught his troubled expression, she could instantly tell how worried he was about going up against the Galactic Human Accord and couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her squad leader.

"The Galactic Human Accord's Trait evolves along three dimensions: Space, Speed, and Utility.

'Space' simply expands the capacity of their Quick Swap storage. At its most basic, a GHA soldier can store three different sets of armour, weapons, and five small gadgets like grenades or combat stims.

"As this feature is enhanced, it balloons to encompass an entire armoury's worth of equipment. We once persuaded a Tier 4 GHA captive to empty his Quick Swap storage and discovered a cache of over 30 diverse weapons and armour sets, along with more than a hundred individual grenades and combat stims.

"The second axis, 'Speed', controls the swiftness of their Quick Swap ability. While they can't exchange weapons or armour in real-time at base-level, higher tiers enable such rapid swapping that soldiers can sustain continuous gunfire for extended periods without reloading, merely by replacing one gun with another.

"The final axis, 'Utility', offers an intricate array of possibilities, significantly enriching this already versatile Trait even further. It includes features like auto-swaps, which replace their armour when a breach is detected, auto-reloads that replenish any weapon swapped into the Quick Swap as long as ammunition is stored, and automatic stimulant usage and medical aid application. It transforms Quick Swap into an even more versatile tool, making it a formidable challenge to strategize and fight against."

Seemingly having finished her lecture, Professor Hilax deactivated the projector and moved to the front of the podium.

"That concludes the introductory overview of the four major Factions you are likely to encounter in the coming years. Your assessments should focus primarily on the Stellar Republic and Celestial Dominion, our immediate neighbours and current concerns.

"I will be distributing supplementary materials momentarily. Review them for additional details if needed. Finally, expect a test in our next GalPol101 session, covering today's primer. Be sure to refresh your understanding of all the fundamental information before then." Her announcement was met with a collective groan from the Recruits, coaxing the first smile from Professor Hilax since the class commenced.

"Relax, it was merely a joke. Apart from the assessment, there are no tests here. You are dismissed. Good luck with your first real UHF assessments, Recruits!" Her tone had softened, now sounding genuinely kind and encouraging, a stark contrast to her demeanour during the lecture. The sudden reversal elicited chuckles and elated smiles from the assembled Recruits, who started filtering out of the classroom in droves, creating a cacophony of noise as they chattered about the lecture.

Thea waited for Corvus to finish up his last notes, before the both of them followed the rest of the Recruits out of the classroom and headed towards Alpha Squad's dorm. Both were clearly excited, but equally anxious for what was to come next. With the final lecture out of the way, they now had to start preparing for their assessment…