Chapter 14
The First Rule
“The First Rule of this universe, the only thing you really need to remember if you forget everything else I tell you is this: The only one capable of truly stopping you, is you, so don’t. Ever.” – Teachings of Marcon
Arla placed her hand on the grading sphere. This was the one calibrated to test for those who met the minimum threshold of power necessary to reach A-Rank.
Looking at the stone, Arla felt a wave of nostalgia for some reason.
Only after she placed her hand on the odd sphere that looked so unlike Federation technology did her sense of nostalgia make sense.
Cerusian System Calibrated. Anomalous Record sources detected.
As soon as her hand touched the sphere, her Cerusian System, a system that came to life and claimed to be awakening close to a week ago finally sprang to life within her mind.
With this awakening, it was clear that whatever the Federation did to Awaken people was either a direct but incomplete copy of the Cerusian system, or a parallel evolutionary path. Either way, Arla found symbols and numbers running across her mind.
These were the Cerusian letters and complex characters for different concepts that took seconds for her mind to read, interpret, and then comprehend.
It was clear from the stream of characters scrolling through her mind, that some sort of troubleshooting process was being invoked.
Data Corruption Detected.
Data Corruption deleting…
Deleting…
Corrupted Data unable to be deleted.
Compartmentalizing Corrupted Data.
Cerusian Power structure loading…
With that, Arla felt parts of her mind awakening.
Cerusian Power structure corrupted.
Retrying…
Retrying…
Trying new method, this might take a moment.
On and on the messages went.
Fortunately, Arla was able to focus through the flowing streams of energy to show that while the information she obtained from her Federation awakening was being compartmentalized, she could still see everything.
Most importantly, she saw her Primal Seven, or the Seven Prime Attributes noted and recorded:
Strength: 1-> 50; Compact Size: 1->75; Condensed Strength: 1->75; Explosive Tension: 1 ->238
Dexterity: 1- >50; Precise Movements: 1 -> 75; Intricate Fluidity: 1-> 100; Blurred Coordination: 1 -> 188
Agility: 1->50; Graceful: 1->75; Fluid Movement: 1-> 100; Lightning Reflexes: 1-> 234
Endurance: 1->50; Enduring: 1 ->75; Untiring: 1-> 100; Dauntless: 1 -> 224
Vision: 1 -> 50; Perceptive: 1 -> 75; Keen Eyed: 1 -> 100; Cognizant: 1 -> 212
Intelligence: 1 -> 50; Processing: 1 -> 75; Perfect Recall: 1-> 100; Mind: 1 -> 222
Wisdom: 1 -> 50; Understanding: 1 -> 75; Making Connections (AKA Deductive Reasoning): 1-> 100; True Insight: 1 -> 157
For a moment she paused, as she registered exactly what it meant to have been bound to so many different souls that she passively gained Attributes from. It didn’t feel like much, particularly with how many she had, until she realized that her Attributes were phenomenal for seasoned veterans. While Marcon easily out classed her in most attributes, Arla soon realized that there was a vast difference between Marcon and all other soldiers.
Still, Arla was able to realize that while she had been distracted and unable ended up only being able to suppress her primary power, the one denoting Ignition. In the end, she had to rely on the sphere to limit what extra information it shown and recorded.
With baited breath, she glanced at what her initial assessment for the military would be.
Name: Arla Proma
Role: Support Class
Age: 18
Primary Power: Soul Power: A+ Rank
Spirit Infusion: Infuse energy into items.
Prime Seven Attributes:
Explosive Tension: 100+
Blurred Coordination: 100+
Lightning Reflexes: 100 +
Dauntless: 100+
Cognizant: 100+
Mind: 100+
True Insight 100+
Skills:
Trunk: 11
Branches: 14
Seeing those qualifications, Arla paused, realizing that the sphere had been far more powerful than she thought, catching her fourth evolutions for each of her seven Attributes.
Still, they hadn’t captured her true ratings in each, but the fact that they had been able to capture the fourth tier at all was impressive.
Whistle.
The proctor who had been recording Arla’s measurements read the recordings and let out a whistle of anticipation.
Hearing that, a somewhat distracted Captain came forward to see what all the fuss was about.
Seeing the sudden enthusiasm from the Captain, Arla was at first leery. For her whole intent was to lay low.
“Finally, a recruit worth their weight,” the Captain exclaimed while looking down at the orb.
Hearing the comment Arla was at first confused, until she noticed the not so subtle stares directed at the now gaggle of S-Ranked students, many of whom were still being evaluated, while only two remained after Arla.
Seeing the gesture, Arla realized that there was likely a lot of competition between the two groups. Likely for resources, which would be pulled away from other ranks to support an overpopulated S Class of students.
“Should we request that she try for the S-Rank?” The proctor asked tentatively.
“What?” The Captain declared violently, almost as if asking to choose to give away a prized pet. Then the Captain quickly corrected herself as she understood what the proctor meant, but seemed to come to her own conclusion.
Taking a deep sigh, the Captain paused and then looked up at Arla. The moment their eyes met, Arla could see a shiver run down the Captain’s back. But still she did not falter from her intended plan.
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“The Corporal here is correct, we are normally supposed to encourage one such as yourself to try for the S-Rank line, to see if you meet their standards. Normally, when there are only a few of you, this is a preferred option.” At that, the Captain turned to face the gaggle of S-Rankers, “but as you can see there are a lot of S-Rankers currently. Should you choose to join them, we cannot stop you, but know that you will be ranked according to your Power rating and Power efficiency for a Combat Team. While you do have a great power, it is a Support Power, meaning you would get less resources…”
The Captain went on, seeming to try to undersell how bad of a deal it would be to go over and try, let alone make it as an S-Ranker with her particular power.
Holding up her hand to forestall any future ramblings of the Captain, Arla decided to push her own agenda.
“Two things,” Arla began.
“Two things?” The Captain parroted back.
“Yes, to keep me here, you will need to agree to two requirements,” Arla explained.
Hearing that, the Captain paused as she seemed to finally view Arla as if for the first time.
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“First, I will not be assigned as the Squad Leader, Team Leader, Class Leader, or any other honorific a Leadership position would entail,” Arla began, making sure to get her chief concern dealt with right here and now. The reason for this stipulation was simple, she wanted to remain low, out of sight, and have more free time for herself. As a Leader she would have to go to multiple leadership meetings and often deal with soldiers who were not conforming to standards for various reasons. While Arla felt she could do this, this was not her chief motivation for going into the Military Academy.
At that comment, the Captain drooped her shoulders slightly, a sign that she clearly wanted Arla to join them for just such a role. Something Arla assumed based on how high her Attributes and noted Skills were.
“Well, you are a Support Class, so that does make sense,” the Captain capitulated.
Hearing that her first request was accepted, she decided to go for broke with her second negotiation request.
“Second, I want to be enrolled in the Advanced Mechanical Track,” Arla stated, wondering just how much sway this Captain had. This second request was due to a combat patch the Captain wore, one denoting the 5109th Engineering Fleet. The patch meant that at one time the Captain had served on the Engineering Fleet, while they were set to patrol and protect against the Harbingers. While most would eventually get such a badge, and people that weren’t necessarily related to Engineering could get that badge, Arla felt that there was a bit of a mechanic in this Captain.
Hearing the request, the Captain paused, as she took in Arla. This time she seemed to truly look at her as if seeing her for the first time.
“The Advanced Mechanical Track? As an initiate?” The Captain questioned.
Her tone was clear, do you know what you are even asking.
Arla just nodded.
“Yes, I know there will likely need to be a practical assessment of some kind, which I am certain I will pass,” Arla commented.
So much for keeping her head down and laying low.
Though she had seen the future where she did keep her head down, a future where Arla knew she did not try for this advanced track. One where she got her Doctorate, but barely. While she felt she might still barely get the parchment, it was clear from her uniform that she did not have the Advanced Mechanical Track pin on her uniform when she arrived. Meaning she either tried this very trick and somehow washed out, or she had never tried.
Seeing this point, Arla wondered if this was the true power of a ‘Cog. Being able to see the future, and finding a chance to make a change, where no one would expect a change to exist.
Everything she had done to this point was going to see her at that one seemingly inevitable future on the outskirts of space, waiting for Harbingers to find them.
While that future was fine, for it meant she had been able to become a full Federation citizen, upon her completion of time in the service, she found herself suddenly wanting more.
She had money, over two hundred thousand credits, thanks to her supplying over twenty Ignition stones to Lyria’s father.
But money meant nothing, if she didn’t have the clout to be able to wield such finances effectively. This was why she felt part of her new outlook on life would be to change her mindset.
Right now, she knew that if she went about things as they are now, she would scrape by.
However, she was done with merely scraping by.
In her future, that is, in her dream future, she would be more.
Keeping low was fine for those trying to make it to be accepted by society as a whole, to become a citizen. But now that she was here, she had that, and a chance for more. That was why she now pushed.
For the first time in forever, she was granted freedom and she decided to push for more.
In her mind, she already knew that she could succeed at the ends of space. It would take less than nothing for her to make it out there. In fact, she even felt the edges of space calling for her now.
Mentally, she wondered if this was what her Cerusian system was awakening in her. This need, this want to do more, to experience more. As if she was meant for something greater.
Perhaps that, along with the awakening of the Cerusian system within her, let her feel these new wants. Wants that had forever been buried within her own mind and consciousness.
“You do know that the Advanced Mechanical Track is for those with exceptional talents? And I should also point out that you will only get one chance to apply for such a position?” The Captain pressed.
Hearing that, Arla was more certain than ever that there was something about this track that was calling to her.
She remembered Marcon telling her stories about the lone Mechanical Engineer for their team, who managed to work miracles. While it was clear that Marcon had a moderate understanding of machines, the way he spoke of reverence about this person, this mechanic with glowing reviews stated a lot.
Remembering the way he would always tell those stories and then look at Arla made her realize that this might be someone that Arla reminded him of. Particularly after she showed an inclination towards mechanical engineering.
“I understand,” was all Arla could say to that, for at that moment, her Cerusian system that had been mostly dormant as it attempted to reboot itself finally came with an answer.
Cerusian System back online. Newest Universal Model 7.2.1 corrupted beyond repair.
Instituting Cerusian Baseline Template: 1.0.0.
Cerusian Baseline scan complete.
New Cerusian Baseline Class assigned: Tinkerer.
Tinkerer: (Support/Creation Class)
Primary Purpose: Build Around and Find Out.
Primary Bonus:
Secondary Bonus:
Tertiary Bonus:
Extra Perks:
Congratulations! You have awakened the Meta-Chondrial system for Universe &@^%@1%!
Pulse.
There was a faint burst of energy that Arla felt erupt from her, one that she somehow knew was related to her awakening Cerusian system coming alive and scanning the world around her.
Error, outside primary universe.
Surrounded by non-native species.
Murder Experience points doubled against foreign entities.
Experience Doubled for being in non-native universe.
Reading the messages, Arla suddenly felt her mind reach out for a universe that was infinitesimally far away. Judging by the numbers provided, she was at least six universes away?
Also, with the experience bonus, suddenly a few things made sense.
Namely, why Cerusians would volunteer to be on the front line of wars. But given that Cerusians would fight Harbingers, did that mean that the Harbingers were from a universe that the Cerusians stumbled across?
If that was the case, then it would make the Cerusians not the innocent escapees of a dying universe, plagued by the Harbingers. Instead, this new discovery would seem to imply that Cerusians were the initial destroyer of universes that had enemies follow them out of a sense of revenge?
If that was the case, then why were the Cerusians here? Better still, what were the Cerusians doing while here? Were they searching for something, and if so, then what?
These questions plagued Arla’s mind for a moment as her thoughts spun with hundreds of runes that her mind tried to decipher.
The wording of the new system was older, more archaic, overly formal. But that also proved that these were the baseline model of the language, of the system that all Cerusians carried in their fully awakened mitochondria.
Only after taking a second to realize that the Mitochondria that now resided within Arla came from a different universe entirely did it make sense that hers would be different, even when being awoken by the standard processes of this universe.
Also, what did it mean that other universes had different power structures?
These thoughts and more went through Arla’s mind, but it was the words of the Captain that brought her back to reality.
“I think we can arrange that, but regardless you will be in A-Rank, no matter what?” The Captain demanded.
Hearing the words, Arla’s mind reverted back to the present. Dismissing the hypothetical what ifs that she could not explain now.
“Yes,” Arla stated clearly. The one thing she was confident about, as she suddenly felt that she needed to be prepared. More prepared for the future than she already was.
“Okay then, come with me and I will help you get set up,” the Captain stated, her want to keep Arla as part of her class clear on her mind. Arla understood this, as the number of competent recruits you produced looked favorably on an instructor, and if you managed to get a lower ranked cadet to outperform a higher ranked, talent wise, cadet then you were no doubt going to get funding and incentives.
Arla almost felt the need to ask what power set the Captain had, but a faint golden glow to her eyes answered Arla’s question almost immediately. It was a faint glow, one that was nowhere near the same level as Dr. Hylinch, but apparently it was enough to help her be able to find talent.
Realizing this about the Captain, Arla couldn’t help but think back to how Dr. Hylinch had all but forced her to go this path. One that began when they were all but forced her to cross paths with a Behemoth. From there she managed to awaken her Cerusian system just in time to register at the Military Academy.
One where she would happen to join when this Captain a minorly gifted Cog would happen to be at the line just in time when Arla had finished to make herself look presentable, before lining up.
Everything seemed to be too perfect.
But then again, maybe that was the point.
“Wait here,” the Captain said, as they both now stood outside the door of a different building. Looking at the name of the building, Arla read GreyNoise Hall.
With that sign it was clear that this was where the engineering department faculty resided. At least, that is what Arla hoped that the converted and stylized version of a condensed space core crystal engine meant.
Seeing the design, Arla realized that this was part of the intricate design of the Captain’s 5109th Engineering Fleet combat patch. There were also ships, mechanoid units, and all other simple designs woven into the badge, but at the heart of it all was a power core, one similar to the design humans first used to travel the universe and make contact with alien species.
“WHAT! Fine, if a brat wants to fail out before even learning the basics, then it is no skin off my nose,” an angry male spoke.
The more he spoke, a few things became clear to Arla. The first thing that became clear was that the argument was about her. As this was likely soon to be admissions proctor, someone who no doubt was asked to give this exam multiple times a day.
The second thing that became clear to Arla was the fact that she could feel one of her sympathetic bonds awakening as the owner came within her power’s maximum range. This was always odd, for Arla could see and feel these connections, but judging by the way the person didn’t stop their rant, it was clear that the bond didn’t affect the blessing of her Ignition the same way that she could.
Swoosh.
The mechanical doors opened up to the sides to reveal a mountain of a man. One who had grease and dirt stains coated into his military uniform. Normally this would be completely unacceptable, except for members of the engineering corps who dealt with chemicals that would remove color from materials.
“Is this the…” the mountain of a man cried out, but suddenly stopped as he laid eyes on Arla.
Arla for her part just stood there, as she remembered this man vividly, for he was one of her first patients. One that Marcon apparently had to settle a past debt with.
Judging from his reaction, it was clear that he also remembered her. That or he was finally close enough to feel the effects of their symbiotic relationship coming to life.
“This is the one, so do you think you can give her a chance?” The Captain cut in, her voice somewhat doubtful but cheery nonetheless.
“Aye, I can test her now,” the mechanic stated, while giving the Captain a dismissive wave.
At that, the Captain grimaced slightly, as she wondered if she should try to help out a bit more. But ultimately prudence won out.
“Cadet Proma, once you are done with this evaluation, realize that registration will be over, so you will likely find me at the main administration building. I will have your course curriculum ready for you,” the Captain stated. Her words and actions clear.
It made sense, likely there was some time limit to joining and getting evaluated with a particular ranking. By the Captain immediately shuttling her off to get evaluated for the Advanced Mechanical Track, it would mean that Arla would be stuck with her A-Ranking. At least, until the next examination period took place.
Hearing her Arla just nodded, then turned her attention back to stare at the overly large and muscular mechanic before her.
“Right then, toodles,” The Captain stated as she apparently felt intimidated by the Mechanic, or maybe the situation in general, as her next reaction was to turn about and leave with a purpose.
Then it was just Arla and the Mechanic, staring at each other.
Arla knowing this for the intimidation factor that it was just stared back, her face devoid of emotion, just as Marcon had taught her.
Chuckles.
Finally, after a long moment, the mechanic broke first and stated, “you look just like him.”
“Like, Marcon?” Arla asked.
“No kid, you look like your father…”