“ATTENTION!”

The sound of 5000 cadets snapping to attention was precision in sound form, every one of us saluting as the commandant walked up to the stage. I could actually see her, aside from being somewhat shorter than many of my fellow cadets, I was in the very last row.

“AT EASE!”

The click of our shoes against the tile floor was a single sound, not a single soul out of step with the rest of our battalion. I caught my first view of the commandant on the gigantic screen behind her as she stepped up to the podium.

“First let me welcome the family of these fine cadets as they leave behind their standard youth training and move on to the next step in their roles as the future officers of the American Protectorate Military.”

The roar of applause from the rows of family, sponsors, and other notables washed over those of us in the back few rows. Despite raised hands by the commandant asking for silence it took several minutes for the noise to drop below a steady murmur.

“Before we begin, I have an announcement to make. These fine cadets you see in front of you will be the first group to begin using our new Full Immersion Virtual Reality Training System.”

Even us cadets couldn’t believe what we were hearing, causing more than a few to shuffle or murmur to themselves. We’d all heard the usual rumours about the the FIVRTS but everyone assumed it was still years away. Hearing that we’d be the first batch of cadets to actually use the system was one part exhilarating and part frightening.

“For those of you who are not familiar with the FIVRTS, it connects the entire body to the VR system allowing for muscle and mass gain by supplying a perfect blend of nutrients while stimulating the various muscles used within the training simulation. Additionally thanks to the new time compression mechanics our engineers have devised, a single day here is equivalent to four days in the training simulation, allowing for a much higher degree of training.”

“The world in the simulation has been set up much like a role playing game, you will receive experience for any action of significance, although the law of diminishing returns will apply for repetitive actions. Any deaths that you incur will result in the loss of a full simulated days worth of time, the loss of 5% of your accumulated experience points, and relocation to your spawn location. If that death is directly caused by another cadet, the 5% taken from you will be applied to their total.”

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“When you arrive, each of you will be placed in a unique city state across the world designed by the Ais. When you arrive you will have a basic set of gear, 10 units of currency, and the ability to read, write, and speak the local language. The goal is simple, build an empire. How you accomplish your task is up to you, the primary purpose of this is for you to grow, learn, and test yourself.”

From that point on I think most of us mentally tuned out everything the commandant said for the next 30 minutes. The show she was putting on wasn’t for the cadets anyway and we knew it. That didn’t mean we got to wander off, it meant we kept ourselves quiet and in formation while our minds wandered. I imagined the questions going through my head were the same for nearly everyone, what would the world be like, would we be limited to the weapons that worked within the protectorate? Would it mimic the energy transmission abilities of the creatures beyond the barrier? The whole announcement seemed very vague other than to make clear that it was very much a competition as much as it was training. I suspect the details were kept quiet specifically to ensure that nobody could prepare beyond the usual rule the world fantasies of any teen.

“Normally we only allow 1 day between training schedules, but due to the fact that the cadets will be enclosed within the FIVRTS for the next five years, we will be giving them the next 3 days away from the Institute.”

I think most of the cadets were still swept up in their thoughts of how the simulation would work to really notice what the commandant was saying, but there was a murmur of approval from the crowd behind us. Personally, I’d just as soon start as soon as this was over, it’s not as if I had any loved ones waiting for me. 

“One last thing before we wrap up, Cadet Li, Front And Center!”

Hearing my name snapped me out of my reverie. I couldn’t fathom why the commandant was calling me up, but I couldn’t imagine it meant anything good. I snapped to attention, stepped backwards 1 step, snapped to my right and marched to the end of the line. From there I snapped left, continued to the front until I stood before the podium, and saluted the commandant.

“Cadet Li, this institution has done it’s duty to give you the government mandated education. It is not however, required to provide advanced training, be it civilian or military, to the child of traitors to this country. You are hereby expelled from this Institute and are required to leave the grounds within the next hour. Sergeant Biwala will escort you to your room to collect your belongings and verify you exited the front gate. Get. Out.”

I dropped my salute, snapped left, and marched out of auditorium with Sergeant Biwala right behind me. I’d like to believe I maintained a stoic façade until I made it out the door, but the snickering of the rest of the cadets along with the laughter of the crowd was hard to endure. I wasn’t particularly surprised by the turn of events, no matter how much it hurt, I’d been waiting for something like this ever since my parents vanished.