Thea leaned forward in her chair, eagerness written on her face. This was exactly what she had been hoping for from the Systems 101 class: Specifics!
Even back on Lumiosia, she had always been obsessed with the fundamental mechanics of the games she played, striving to extract every last bit of efficiency from everything she could, to gain an advantage. And what was the basic structure of the Allbright System akin to, if not a massive, galaxy-spanning game?
“The Allbright System primarily rates participants in one way: Levels. Similar to how most advertising campaigns, loyalty rewards programs, corporate structures, or even basic VR games work, the higher the Level, the more impressive the results. This is not a coincidence, by the way.
"The Terran administration has systematically introduced the general ideas of the System into humanity as a whole by incorporating System mechanics into everyday life through these kinds of societal changes. This is all in preparation for the 1,000-year deadline when everyone will become part of the System. If the population is accustomed to the terms of the System by that point, assimilation will become much easier. At least, that's the theory.
"Aside from Levels, there are also Tiers. They represent milestones at which an individual's power increases significantly due to class advancements and access to new and better technology, which the System keeps locked away from the lower Tiers.
"The basic structure is quite simple. Tier 0 lasts from Level 0 to Level 10. Once you reach Level 10, you are stuck until you obtain your first class. No matter how much contribution you make to the System, you will never go past Level 10 until you have chosen your class. Some people purposefully stay at Level 10 for a while to unlock further class choices via achievements or titles, but the vast majority of Marines simply take what is offered.
"Tier 1 lasts from Level 10 to Level 30. These are your average Privates, mostly. A lot of Marines get stuck around the Level 20-25 area for quite some time, as the overall strain on each individual increases drastically around this range. Towards the top-end of this bracket is the Corporal rank. Only the top ten-or-so percent of Marines manage to advance to Tier 2 and beyond.
"Tier 2 lasts from Level 30 to Level 60. This is the minimum requirement for most Sergeant and Staff-Sergeant-ranks. As you can imagine, the higher up we go in the Tiers and Levels, the fewer overall number of Marines make it there. Only around a single percent of Marines reach this stage, and less than one-tenth of those make it to the end of Tier 2.
"Tier 3 lasts from Level 60 to Level 100. Starting from Tier 3 onwards, you unlock your Specialisation. I won't go into what exactly that is, as you are all still many, many years away from ever reaching this point. This is where most Officers and Lieutenants reside, but there are exceptions. Anything beyond this point is the realm of Majors, Colonels, and Generals, which won't matter to most of you anyway, as you will likely never get there.
"Levels are gained as a result of your contribution to the system. You will have seen your Level and current Contribution Points during the initial System Integration, but if you want to take a look at it again, simply pull up your Status screen.
"I trust that all of you have gotten at least that part down by now," he paused, scanning the lecture hall while taking another sip from his glass.
Taking the opportunity to note down some of the information the Professor had just disclosed, Thea quickly got to work on her own data-pad. Throughout the Professor's explanation, she had often taken a peek at Karania and confirmed that her fellow squad-mate was still frantically writing down everything she could think of.
'If I miss anything important, it's good to know that I can count on Karania having noted it all down... and more, I guess,' Thea thought to herself, shaking her head in amusement at the excessive amount of notes being taken by Karania.
"Your Contribution Points are akin to experience in VR games, loyalty points for reward programs, and literally the exact same as the contribution points of corporations. The more you contribute toward the System's goals, the more CP you will receive.
"The amount is also heavily influenced by the level of risk you are willing to take. This is an underlying truth of the Allbright System, as it heavily rewards risk-takers over those who play it safe. This does not mean, however, that all of you should charge head-first into a plasma cannon, hoping to be rewarded. It should simply be an additional incentive for you to take on riskier missions during deployments if you are up for the challenge.
"Talking about risk affecting the payout, the same applies to your System Credits and Merit. By now, you should have learned that everything inside System-Controlled Space, or SCS for short, is paid for with System Credits. If you want new equipment, you need SC. If you want food, you need SC. If you want to take a shit, you need SC. You get the idea. I'm fairly sure that Major Quinn has likely already told you, but I will cover it nonetheless:
"The UHF cannot help you out in terms of SC. The System itself is testing your own resource management capabilities by providing and requiring SC for all things. Factions are limited in the amount of help they can provide as a result. So make sure to keep your SC reserves stocked up by performing well during deployments and signing up for missions whenever you can before you run out."
With those words, the Professor changed the image on the data-screen once again. This time, it displayed a general diagram of the System's economy.
System Credits were used for Skills, Equipment, and all miscellaneous expenses that involved a participant's ability to function in society, such as food, clothes, and entertainment.
System Credits were earned by going on missions and fulfilling objectives given by the UHF, and as a result, they served as a fundamental form of payment for Marines. The UHF, in turn, gained SC based on their overall contribution as a faction towards the System's goals.
There was a certain minimum payout that the UHF had to provide their Marines based on the missions and objectives they completed, but there was apparently considerable flexibility for the faction to make adjustments.
Merit was gained in a similar way, but it was entirely controlled by the System, instead of being distributed by the UHF. It was used for Faction Traits, Class choices, and Ability purchases.
Thea was not quite sure what exactly those last two points on the diagram about the Merit section meant, but she decided to wait for Professor Pierce to address those topics before attempting to ask any questions.
Clearing his throat before continuing, the Professor spoke up again.
"Ahem, feel free to note down the important aspects of this diagram right here; it's a helpful overview of how the System's economy works.
"Moving on from the economy for now, there is another way the System rates a participant's level of relative strength, beyond Levels and Tiers. This measure is known as Point Value or PV.
"Every participant in the Allbright System has a specific PV, which can vary drastically between people of the same Tier and even Level. We're not entirely sure how the System calculates PV, but we can say with certainty that it very rarely misses the mark.
"The higher your PV, the more effective you are as an individual Marine on the battlefield. High PV Marines are often referred to as 'Aces,' as they're typically used as strategic assets in System-sanctioned battlefields. You'll learn more about those during the Warfare 101 class, but the general idea is that these battlefields maintain a certain level of ‘fairness’, so to speak.
"Only participants within specific Tiers and Levels are allowed to enter these battlefields. As you might imagine, the difference a single individual can make in such a tightly controlled environment, if they're vastly superior to the rest of the soldiers on the field, is significant. As such, PV is a measure of one's elite status, if you will. You'll want your PV to be as high as possible, as it can also unlock certain rare Class choices, Abilities, and more.
"To check your PV, simply ask the System for an evaluation of your current prowess. Go ahead and do so now; I'll give you a minute."
Eager to learn, Thea immediately prodded the System in her mind, 'Evaluate my current prowess... please.'
She still wasn't quite sure how to interact with the Allbright System itself - whether it was a sentient entity that cared about decorum or not. Just to be on the safe side, however, she decided to be polite to the System going forward.
A familiar blue box appeared in the centre of her vision.
[System Prowess Evaluation]
Point Value: 130
'Huh... I wonder if that's high or not... I wish I knew what Lt. Frost's PV was like...' she thought to herself before turning her head towards Karania.
She briefly saw the glazed-over state of her eyes, figuring that Karania was in the process of checking her own PV. She waited until Karania seemed to be done before asking, "So... what's your PV at? I have no idea how to even begin to evaluate what this value means."
Karania was slightly surprised to be immediately prodded for her PV upon exiting the System screen but quickly recovered with her typical smile. "I'm at a 74! I don't know what this means either... What about you?"
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Taken aback by the number Karania had revealed, Thea tried to figure out how to respond.
'74?! Why is hers so low compared to mine…? We're both members of Alpha Squad, so there shouldn't be too much of a difference, yet I'm nearly… 75% more highly rated than her? How does that make any sense…? Should I tell her or lie…'
Unsure what to do, Thea fidgeted involuntarily on her chair.
"Hey, it's okay if you don't want to tell me now. I know that confiding can be hard. Just do it at your own time, alright?" came the kind voice of Karania from Thea's side.
Her resistance utterly torn to pieces by Karania's continued kindness, Thea could do nothing but breathe a deep sigh. "Haaa… I'm at 130. I have no idea why the System rates me so highly… I wasn't sure if I should tell you or not…"
"Wow! 130?! That's amazing, Thea! Why wouldn't you want to tell me? I'd definitely want to know! Now I know that I can rely on you inside of a battlefield, Ace," Karania replied, finishing with a wink.
Thea returned the girl's smile before abashedly replying, "Don't call me that. We don't even know what those values mean yet…"
"Sure thing, Ace," came the playfully mocking reply of Karania, before she turned her head back towards her overloaded desk and frantically noted down more things inside her many data-pads.
Without her heightened Perception, Thea would have easily missed the subtle hesitation in Karania's usually frantic note-taking when the girl returned to her work. But due to being on high alert since the incident the day before, Thea just managed to pick up on the slight signs of irritation that Karania had shown during her brief teasing and subsequent note-taking, despite the girl's best efforts to hide them.
'Karania is definitely upset, even if she doesn't want to show it… Why in the Void am I at 130? How does the System even come up with this? I can definitely understand how she feels, though. It seems unfair to be rated so much higher compared to her, when we definitely don’t seem that different from one another…'
Thea felt deflated at the thought of having, once again, made Karania upset, but she had no idea how to rectify this issue. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault that the System had decided to rate Thea so much higher than Karania, in terms of its Point Value, after all.
With a sigh, Thea refocused her attention on Professor Pierce, hoping that new information and revelations would distract her from her melancholic thoughts.
The Professor took another sip from his glass, before clearing his throat and continuing his lecture.
“Ahem… Now then, I believe all of you should have been able to get your Point Values from the System by now. If you haven’t been able to, please consult a medical professional and have your brain checked for potential issues, as it’s really not that hard.
“Most of you should be around the 30-40 PV area, with the top 1% being somewhere around the low 50 area. I believe we do have some members of Alpha Squad here, who will likely be around the 70+ area, in terms of their individual Point Value. This is important information for all of you, as the PV is what the UHF uses to determine who deserves to be part of Alpha Squad.
“So, if you want to take their spot, or defend your own, make sure to increase your PV as much as you can. You do this by enhancing your Attributes, gaining new Abilities and most of all, having a coherent style, or build, in mind while doing so. The more efficient you are at what you want to do, the more PV the System will evaluate you with.”
Thea immediately noticed that Karania's hands had stopped flying over her data-pads at the mention of the Point Values and their direct influence on the slots of Alpha Squad. It didn't take Thea's high Perception to tell that Karania was alarmed at the idea of losing her spot inside Alpha Squad, as obvious distress was visible on the girl's face.
Unsure of what to do, whether to try and calm Karania down or simply pretend not to have seen, Thea felt her chest tighten.
'If I try to calm her down but say the wrong things, she'll be even more upset… But if I don't say anything, then she might also get upset for not helping her out… Why is this so complicated?!'
Before she could make a decision, however, Karania's facial expression turned into one of pure determination as she went back to typing on her data-pads. Her hands seemed to fly across the data-pads at speeds that Thea didn't think were possible when attempting to write down anything of worth, demonstrating her redoubled effort at not wanting to fall behind.
With another sigh at her own inadequacy, Thea returned her attention to Professor Pierce.
"Now, talking about Attributes and Abilities, let's do a quick rundown. Attributes should mostly be self-explanatory, but there are a couple of things that are important to realise.
"When it comes to the Attributes of the Allbright System, they represent an objective value rather than a subjective one. Anyone with the same Attribute score will be able to do the exact same things. This even applies cross-gender, as the Attributes are based on an aggregate of the average of our species.
"The average human adult between the ages of 20-40 usually comes up to around 1-1.5 Attribute points per Attribute. Athletes generally top out at 2, while the winners of galactic competitions get up to 2.25, with the highest ever being around 2.5. We can't be 100% certain on these numbers, as we can't exactly ask a non-integrated person what their stats are, but based on comparative analysis, these are the numbers that the UHF assumes to be correct.
"Most of you should have 3s across the board, with a rare 4 here or there. Our Alpha Squad members could have started with a single 5 somewhere, but it's not a given. Where are the members of Alpha Squad sitting? Could I get a quick raise of hands?"
Being suddenly asked to identify herself, Thea was startled but quickly raised her hand, as she saw Karania's hand race into the air next to her.
"Am I right to assume that you have multiple 4s and a 5 among your Attributes?" came the follow-up question from Professor Pierce.
Both nodding, Thea and Karania confirmed it, "Yes, sir."
"As expected... I was told that this recruitment drive has really been a goldmine for talent across the board, so having Alpha Squad with 5s should not be too surprising... Yet, I can't help but still be impressed.
"You see, my lovely Marines, these Attributes you see on your current profile are the base Attributes you start with. They're called base because they're what everything else works off of. You have all undoubtedly reached at least Level 1, with a rare few reaching Level 2. Alpha Squad might be closer to Level 3 or might have even reached Level 3...?"
Professor Pierce ended with a questioning glance towards Thea and Karania, who both nodded in confirmation.
'Wait... Level 3? But... I'm well into Level 4! What exactly is happening here? Did I get a bonus somewhere along the line without realising...?' While Thea was fairly confused about this, she also decided not to question the Professor about it in public.
She was fairly certain that Karania would not be happy to hear that Thea was further ahead of her in yet another thing regarding the System, after all... 'Maybe this is why my PV is so much higher...? But would one Level really make such a difference...?'
"Ha, fantastic! This really is a good batch. The rest of you Marines will have to work hard to make up the difference to these young ladies, if I do say so myself... You see, when you Level up, you are given a certain number of Free Attribute Points to divvy up among your Attributes as you see fit.
"For all of you, that number should be 4. There are ways to increase or decrease this amount, based on certain Classes, Artefacts, or System Perks, but all of you should be at the baseline for quite some time.
"These 4 points are not, as you might imagine, full-on Attribute Points like your base ones are. Instead, they represent a percentage increase to your base Attributes.
"Each point invested results in a 5% increase to your overall Attribute. That means once you've invested 20 points, you double the base value of your Attribute. As those among you who have passed basic math in kindergarten will have realised by now, this means that Marines with a higher base Attribute get a higher increase for each point spent, widening the gap to the rest of you with each point invested.
"However, do not despair, non-Alpha-Squad. This does not mean that they will automatically be better Marines or completely spiral out of control. While they have an easier time doing so, the amount of effort required to Level up and to find a proper build that is in sync with what you're trying to do is the exact same.
"There are also ways to increase your base Attributes later down the line, usually through a passive Ability or Class Ability of some sort, but I wouldn't rely on them too much if I were you. It's generally better to plan things out with what you know you have available than what you might have later on."
Karania visibly relaxed at the information provided by Professor Pierce, as she let her body slump back into her chair just a bit more.
Thea took in the information with wide eyes, her heart beating a bit faster than usual. 'Huff… It seems that Alpha Squad has a leg-up on the competition from the start, at the very least. That's good. Having a high base Attribute is a massive benefit… And I have two 5s in my base, too!'
"Furthermore, Attributes do not scale in a way that would make immediate sense to people. While the doubling of an Attribute leads to exactly twice the benefit, the actual distribution is a bit off. Let's take Strength as an example.
"Assuming that a 3 in Strength can lift 200kg, a 6 does not necessarily mean they can lift 400kg. The distribution is based on everything the Attribute governs, not just one certain aspect. As muscles don't simply increase the weight you can lift but also the speed at which you can do so, a 6 could instead mean that you can lift 300kg but twice as fast. The overall efficiency increase is indeed doubled, but the results are somewhat counter-intuitive."
"Last thing on Attributes before we move on: There are two hidden Attributes on your profile sheet, as you will likely remember from your System Integration. The first of the two is the Psychic Attribute. It won't unlock until you have a combined minimum of 30 Attribute Points in Vitality, Focus, Perception, and Resolve. Beyond that point, anyone can theoretically become a Psyker, but, and I cannot stress this enough, I'd highly recommend against it.
"Only Marines with a certain aptitude for the Void can become true Psykers. If you don't have at least a 4 in at least two of those Attributes as a baseline, you won't succeed, I'm sorry to say. Psychic Powers are not something you should take lightly.
"Not only are psychic powers incredibly dangerous to the enemy, but they can also be even more dangerous to yourself and your fellow Marines. The reason there are Vitality and Resolve requirements for this Attribute is because Psychic Powers are prone to different levels of backlash. This can and absolutely will kill you and anyone around you if you aren't robust enough to handle them.
"In order to become a Psyker for the UHF Marine Corps, you'll have to undergo specific training and further education once you have unlocked the Psychic Attribute, to prevent such incidents during deployments. Despite this, incidents involving Psykers happen regularly. As such, please heed my advice and do not attempt to go down that path unless you are absolutely certain you have what it takes."
With those words, Professor Pierce lowered his head toward the class in a genuine appeal.
The lecture hall fell silent, the weight of Professor Pierce's words hanging in the air. The students exchanged glances, their faces reflecting a mix of concern and curiosity. Some shifted nervously in their seats, while others frowned, reconsidering their ambitions that they might have had after the display of Psychic might by Major Quinn, just the day before.
Thea and Karania, sitting next to each other, shared a significant look.
Thea's eyes widened as she considered the dangers of Psychic Powers and the implications of pursuing the Psyker path. ‘Maybe this isn’t for me after all… Although… My base Attributes seem to point me in that direction. I’m already at a 16, more than half-way towards unlocking the Psychic Attribute and I haven’t even spent any of my Level-Up points…’
Karania's expression, on the other hand, was a mixture of fascination and determination. It was clear that the warning resonated with her, but it also seemed to ignite a spark of curiosity. Her eyes glimmered with the desire to learn more and test her own potential, despite the risks involved… or maybe specifically because of them.
Both Thea and Karania remained silent, lost in their thoughts as they contemplated the possible paths before them, regarding the Psychic Attribute…