Thea found her consciousness returning to her in the middle of a modern-looking military locker room.
Looking around, she immediately recognized the matte-grey and dim-red palette of the UHF on most things in the room. From the lockers, over the metal benches situated in the centre of the room, down to even the otherwise bare rockcrete walls themselves, everything was styled using the UHFs typical colour palette. She noted that, if nothing else, the UHF really liked to push their branding.
Before she could do anything else, however, a light-blue coloured message screen appeared in the centre of her vision. As she focused on it, it automatically opened into a sea of text.
[Welcome, Private Thea, to the UHF Deep-Dive Simulation Challenge #6,473!]
[You have been granted temporary access to the UHF’s lockers in this room, in order to switch out your equipment. Please note that your chosen weapon from the tutorial section has been placed inside the lockers as well.]
[This challenge will consist of a live-combat engagement on an outpost planet going by the designation of “Rog’An Prime” located in the Cygnus Rift star cluster. You will be transported to one of the UHF temporary fortifications near the frontlines and are tasked with holding out until reinforcements can arrive.]
[The reinforcements are scheduled to arrive 10 hours after the beginning of the mission, which starts once you enter the door on the opposite side of the locker room you’re currently standing in.]
[The mission’s primary objective is simple: Survive.]
[Secondary mission objectives may appear over the course of the challenge. Be advised however, that the primary mission objective is of paramount importance. No matter how many secondary mission objectives are cleared, the challenge will not be marked as completed if the primary mission objective is failed.]
[Your commanding officer for this challenge is Captain Eirik Sable. Unlike in the real-world, you will be directly reporting to them instead of being part of a squad. You are, however, encouraged to support other members of the UHF whenever possible.]
[Lastly, the scores for the challenge will only be revealed once you are exiting the Deep-Dive Simulation. You will not receive updates on whether actions you have taken are positive or negative for your score. The only advice regarding positive scoring that you will be given is this: Behave in a way that shows you have the UHF spirit.]
[This concludes the mission primer. You are now cleared to start the challenge at your leisure]
[May the Emperor’s light guide you, Private Thea.]
After taking in the primer, Thea slowly started to formulate a plan, as she made her way to the nearest locker.
First, she needed to take an exact inventory of what equipment she had to work with during the challenge.
Secondly, she’d need to report to the Captain immediately after her arrival at the outpost. She was certain he would be able to explain the details of the mission in more detail, maybe even provide a forecast of what she could expect. At the very least she would be able to ask about what kind of enemies they were facing, as that was still entirely unclear to her.
Was she fighting other humans? Some kind of beast? With no information to go on, she simply had to hope that her chosen equipment was up to the task.
Lastly, she’d need to scout out a few solid places to set up in. With her chosen weapon being a DMR, she’d do best at medium-long range, so having a couple of fallback positions scouted out before she needed to retreat was important.
Opening the locker in front of her, she was greeted by an all-too-familiar sight.
An inventory-screen, one similar to those she’d find in the games she played at the arcade, had appeared in front of her. It showed her current equipment, listed simply as “Civilian Clothing”, as well as a whole slew of items inside the locker.
There were three distinct types of combat armour listed. They were simply called “Light UHF Armour”, “Medium UHF Armour” and “Heavy UHF Armour” in the inventory screen, but Thea suspected this was simply a way for the simulation to make it easier to understand. There was no chance that any production company would call their armour systems something as generic as this.
She quickly chose the light armour variant. As someone focusing on the medium-long range of engagements, she needed to be mobile enough to retreat in the case of an unexpected breakthrough, after all. Anything but light armour would simply be too heavy to quickly move around in and reposition.
As she dragged the armour onto her equipment screen, she saw her “Civilian Clothing” disappear from her body, immediately replaced by a sleek-looking, matte-grey coated armour.
The light armour was a sleek and streamlined suit that hugged her body like a second skin. Made of advanced synthetic materials that Thea had never seen before, the armour was extremely lightweight and flexible, allowing for a wide range of movement.
The helmet of the armour was a smooth, featureless dome with a faint blue glow emanating from the visor. The visor provided the wearer with enhanced vision capabilities, including basic thermal imaging and a heads-up display with tactical and health-related information.
The chest and back plates of the armour were reinforced with angular ridges that gave it a distinct and aggressive appearance, while also providing additional protection against projectile-based impacts. The shoulder pads protecting the vulnerable arm joints were small and streamlined, allowing for completely unobstructed movement of the arms.
She felt a wave of giddy excitement wash over her, as she stepped away from the locker to test out her new armour.
‘This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!’ she internally squealed as she went through a couple of the physical exercises she had been doing since her childhood.
Not only did the armour not inhibit her movements whatsoever, it even assisted her in minor ways, slightly boosting her strength and manoeuvrability during her workout.
‘Holy smokes, I need to get myself one of these once I’m done with this challenge thing… although it probably costs more than the entire undercity combined…’
After playing around with her armour for roughly ten minutes, she finally stepped up to the locker again. She equipped her chosen laser-type Mjollnir, a backup pistol called the HX-12 ‘Slicer’, a standard-issue UHF sidearm, as well as a bunch of frontline equipment from the inventory.
The frontline equipment included a reinforced titanium trench-shovel, a plasteel combat knife that was very much similar to the one Old Man James had given her many years ago, around a dozen empty synth-fibre bags to assemble sandbags on the quick; and three days worth of rations consisting of simple nutrient packs and vacuum-sealed bags of liquid.
Stepping away from the locker again, she pulled out the HX-12 from its holster at the left side of her hip and inspected it thoroughly.
It featured a slim, aerodynamic body that curved inwards at the centre, creating a comfortable grip for the user. The exterior was predominantly black with some silver accents, giving it a professional and high-quality appearance, something Thea had not expected from a seemingly standard-issue sidearm.
The weapon's most distinctive feature was a long, thin, and serrated blade that ran along the top of the barrel, giving it the nickname 'Slicer.' This serrated blade was designed to be used for close-quarters combat, allowing the user to strike and slice through their enemies with ease. The blade was razor-sharp and made from a durable metal alloy, which Thea once again failed to identify, that could withstand significant wear and tear according to the manufacturer’s descriptions.
‘This UHF equipment really is just way too cool…’ she sighed as she once again marvelled at the Mjollnir and the HX-12 side-by-side, holding one in each hand.
One last time she went to the locker to see if she had picked up everything provided and equipped all the necessary items she was going to need for the mission. She also double-checked all of her equipment for any obvious faults. Just because a game had given you equipment did not mean it was flawless, after all!
After finding no problems with her issued equipment, she holstered the HX-12 again and let the Mjollnir hang loosely from her shoulder-strap before walking towards the golden door of light on the opposite side of the room.
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“Alright, enough messing around. It’s game-time!” Thea declared loudly into the empty locker room with a savage grin on her face, before stepping through the door of light, beginning the UHF’s challenge.
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Dozens of armed and armoured UHF marines were going about their business inside the central bunker, as Thea materialised near a corner inside of a storage room.
Trying to get a read on where she was, she looked around.
Her feet were solidly planted on what looked like compacted, red-brown dirt. She could smell the distinct aroma of burning ozone created by repeated use of laser-based weaponry, as well as a heavy undertone of metal, gunpowder and oil.
Large, cuboid, steel-reinforced crates were stacked on top of each other until they nearly reached the ceiling of the central bunker. Dozens of open crates filled with different ammunition and ordinances were lined up next to five openings in the wall that led to the outside.
The walls seemed to be made out of quickly thrown together prefabricated rockcrete slabs that held up a large steel-reinforced dome around 7-8 metres above her head. The entire area of the supply room she was standing in seemed to be a roughly 15m x 15m square, which was mostly filled with the rectangular crates stacked to the ceiling.
On getting a rough idea of where she was, she quickly checked her equipment once again, noting that nothing had gone missing during the transport.
She also checked the mission objective in the top-right corner of her vision, which was simply listed as [Primary Mission Objective - SURVIVE: 09:59:15].
In the bottom right corner of her vision was a small humanoid silhouette showing all major body parts marked as green such as hands, arms, legs, torso and her head. It also displayed a green “100%”, for what she assumed was an indication of her overall health situation. These were one of the features of her armour, providing her with a real-time assessment of her current status.
On her HUD, she suddenly got a new waypoint marker in the form of a small golden arrow, pointing towards one of the doorways. Underneath the arrow it simply read “Captain Eirik Sable”.
‘He prolly got the news I arrived and figured I’d need directions… smart man,’ Thea thought to herself, as she started following the marker through the narrow tunnels of the outpost.
The tunnels had clearly been dug out from the native red-brown soil of the planet, as they were somewhat uneven and the ceilings were raining dirt on top of her at random intervals as she was passing through them. She once again absent-mindedly noted how incredibly realistic this entire experience felt to her. She could even taste some of the dirt-dust getting into her mouth at times.
A couple of minutes later, she finally arrived at an opening that led into something akin to a temporary command centre. A large, portable metal table had been placed inside and around a dozen uniformed men and women were surrounding it, having heated discussions about topics that Thea could only assume were above her paygrade.
Trying to step into the room, a large, burly man stopped her. He was wearing a heavy armour
variant of her own armour, although with some slight alterations. He held a large, unwieldy shotgun in his hands, but had the decency to point it at the floor instead of directly at her.
“This is the command centre. Unless you’re authorised to be here, you have to leave immediately,” a mechanically-produced voice informed her from behind the man’s helmet.
Slightly taken aback by the unexpected voice, Thea decided to channel some of Old Man James’ teachings.
“Sir, my name is Private Thea. I am here to report to Captain Eirik Sable. I have been informed that he is currently present inside this room. If it is not possible for me to enter regardless, please inform the Captain that I have arrived for briefing, Sir!” She also added the UHF typical salute of hitting her chest with her right fist and straightening her back.
Old Man James used to say that the UHF loved their strict adherence to rules and etiquette. One could also never go wrong by showing too much respect to their conversation partner.
Seeing the roughly 2.1m tall, and probably just as wide, if Thea had to guess, man relax his shoulders a bit in response to her declaration, she felt that she had made the right choice by following Old Man James’ advice once again.
“Ah...! I see. Let me quickly check with Captain Sable. Stay here,” the mechanical voice answered, before the imposing giant lumbered further into the room.
Thea could not help but wonder as she waited for the giant to return, ‘This guy doesn’t even need a weapon… He could just crush my entire body in one of his hands. What in the void do they feed these people?’
Just a short minute later, the giant returned with a man in tow. Seeing him step around the giant to greet her, she quickly analysed the person in front of her, to figure out who exactly she was dealing with.
Captain Eirik Sable stood tall at roughly 1.88m with broad shoulders and a muscular build, evident from years of military training and combat experience. His short, dark hair was slicked back neatly, accentuating his sharp and angular facial features.
His clean-shaven face was marked with a few scars that spoke of his battles fought, and his piercing blue eyes seemed eager to inspect his new private.
He wore a standard UHF captain uniform. It was made from high-quality, durable materials designed to withstand the rigours of combat, while also looking presentable and downright regal. The standard colour scheme was the UHF’s typical matte grey with silver trim and buttons, though different platoons usually had variations on the colour and style.
The captain uniforms of the UHF generally consisted of several pieces, including a form-fitting jumpsuit, a high-collared jacket with a double-breasted front, and a tactical vest.
The jumpsuit was made of a breathable, moisture-wicking material that fit snugly to the body of the wearer, allowing for maximum freedom of movement.
The jacket was the centrepiece of the uniform and was traditionally adorned with various insignia and rank badges. The high collar provided protection for the neck and could be fastened tightly for added security. The jacket was tailored to fit the wearer perfectly, with reinforced shoulders and elbows to withstand the wear and tear of combat.
Overtop, representing the last layer, was the tactical vests, which were designed to hold all necessary gear and equipment, including ammunition, grenades, and communication devices. It was made of a sturdy yet lightweight material that provides protection without hindering mobility.
According to the information she had learned from Old Man James, a captain’s uniform had better defensive capabilities than even mid-tier heavy armour!
To Thea, the mere thought seemed rather absurd, seeing both of the armours worn right in front of her, side-by-side, but she dared not doubt the words of her teacher, for he knew vastly more about these things than her.
Just as the captain reached her, she saluted once again, making sure her back was perfectly straight.
“Captain Sable, Sir! Private Thea reporting for duty. I have been briefed on the general mission objectives and was told I was going to report directly to you, so please do not hesitate to throw me right into it. Although, I would like to know a bit more about the mission's specific parameters, if time allows.”
“Ah. Private Thea, yes. Welcome to the United Human Federation’s Theta Outpost on this shithole planet’s frontlines. I’ll have you mostly do some errant tasks for starters, as everything is currently fairly calm. Just a couple of pushes on our far eastern flanks this morning, but nothing to worry about.” Captain Sable saluted back and gestured for her to stand at ease.
“As for mission parameters… I guess I’ll just start from the top..?”
“We’re here on a shithole planet on the outskirts of the UHF’s influence. We are to erect a planetary outpost capable of supplying multiple UHF platoons as a reroute station.
"Basically, we need to pacify the local population and secure a large enough swathe of land to get the constructors in here to build the damn thing.
“As for the locals, they’re all part of the Stellar Republic, so no need to take prisoners or show mercy. Those guys are absolute lunatics, let me tell you. If you see one of those freaks run at you, shoot to kill or get away as fast as you can. Suicide bombings have been their MO since time immemorial,” the captain finished, a snarl forming on his face.
“Roger that, Sir. Shoot to kill it is,” Thea acknowledged with a determined nod.
“Ha! I already like your attitude, Private. Don’t let me catch you dying out there.” As if suddenly remembering something important, his face lit up.
“Oh talking about dying. We got a respawn station set up for UHF usage, so if you kick the bucket, you’ll come back there. I won’t lie to you though, once shit hits the fan, that station will be gone before you know it, so don’t count on it. Keep your head low, instead,” he nonchalantly added before turning away from her to look at a nearby datapad.
‘Respawn stations…? So this is like a video game, after all! Neat! I better try to stay alive though, there’s absolutely no way I won’t lose points for using it… Best keep it as a last-resort, if anything.’ Thea thought to herself as she digested the new information.
She patiently waited for Captain Sable to finish his work for a few minutes, before stepping in line with him, as he left for one of the tunnels in the underground network.
The captain explained the assignment to her as they walked through the narrow tunnels: “Listen, Private. I’ll bring you over to one of the west-side outlooks.
"I want you to set up there and keep an eye on things. Based on the preliminary data I’ve managed to obtain from our scarce recon drones, I have the feeling that the freaks will try something over there sooner rather than later. If they come in for a big push, make sure to ping me over your com.”
“Understood, Sir! I’ll ping you on a big push. Am I to assume that outside of big pushes I am free to act at my own discretion?” she asked for clarification.
This was another one of the things that Old Man James had hounded her with, over the years. ‘Always make sure you know your exact assignment parameters. That way you won’t be able to get court-martialed on things you weren’t aware of.’
“Correct, Private. Unless your entire vision is filled with freaks, you’re free to act at your own discretion. I’d advise shooting them, but I ain’t here to micromanage your every action,” the man responded, with a chuckle.
During their roughly ten minute walk through the tunnels, Thea spotted a lot of UHF marines travelling through the pathways as well, usually stopping to salute Captain Sable on their way.
She silently wondered if they were all fully simulated entities or if they’d simply deactivate when they got far enough away from her. She still wasn’t quite clear on how detailed and expansive the Deep-Dive Simulations could be.
For now she simply assumed that everything was “real”. That was the safest bet she could make, as, if she was wrong, there was less to deal with. However, if she assumed everything would disappear at a certain distance or complexity, and she ended up being wrong, she’d inevitably run into a situation where things happened that fell outside of her expectations.
This was not a risk she was willing to take.