The company of Recruits, under the watchful eyes of Major Quinn, continued their brisk march through the hallways of the Sovereign. The imposing corridors were lined with sleek metal panels that reflected the soft, ambient lighting above. Occasionally, they passed by massive reinforced doors, their surfaces adorned with various symbols and identifications, hinting at the vital areas and facilities they concealed within.
As they proceeded deeper into the ship, Thea couldn't help but marvel at the sheer scale and complexity of the vessel.
Despite being a 'mere' Troop Transporter, The Sovereign was a testament to the technological prowess of the UHF, and its intimidating presence was a clear reminder of its primary function – to ferry elite soldiers to the far reaches of the galaxy.
The rhythmic echoes of their boots against the metal flooring filled the hallways, punctuating the otherwise mostly silent journey.
Thea could, thanks to her high levels of Perception, occasionally hear whispered conversations from her fellow Recruits. However, she decided to actively ignore them and not pay too much attention, practicing the advice she had gotten from Sergeant Kaelin. She was mostly busy being captivated by the amazing technology that she passed by on a regular basis, as they walked through the Sovereign’s continuously maze-like hallways.
At times, the company passed other crew members who went about their tasks with practised efficiency. Some cast curious glances at the group of Recruits, no doubt wondering what challenges awaited them in their upcoming missions.
Thea continued to steal glances at Karania throughout their march, hoping to find an opening to patch up whatever she had managed to break during their last conversation, but Karania had completely retreated into an uncharacteristically silent brooding, making it impossible for Thea to find an opening.
Finally, they arrived at a large set of double doors, adorned with intricate patterns and marked with the words "Deep-Dive Simulation Chamber."
Major Quinn halted the company with a swift gesture before scanning in her wristband on the access panel beside the doors. With a hiss and a low hum, the doors slid open, revealing a vast room filled with rows upon rows of sophisticated Sim-Pods. Thea’s heightened senses told her that there were a total of sixty-five Sim-Pods inside the large room.
At the behest of Major Quinn, Thea and the others stepped inside, their eyes taking in the impressive array of technology that surrounded them. Contrasting to the previous hallways they had passed by, the Deep-Dive Simulation Chamber was as though they had entered an entirely different dimension.
The first thing that came to Thea’s mind upon entering, was that the inside reminded her of the Cube that had started her journey to becoming a UHF Marine more than two years ago.
Unlike the rest of the Sovereign they had seen so far, which was distinctly functional, but rugged in design, the space inside the room was sleek, neat, and bright. Every single inch of the room looked as if it had been meticulously cleaned just seconds before.
Similarly to the Cube all those months ago, the inside of the room seemed as if it had been cut by a hyper-precise laser, for there were no seams, no bolts or anything of the sort visible. Furthermore, a matching golden glow seemed to emit from all surfaces, lending the entire room a sense of regal appeal, without overpowering any of the other aspects presented.
Each Sim-Pod was sleek and futuristic, equipped with a plethora of wires, tubes, and monitors. This was where they would be digitised and immersed in the virtual world for their extended stay on board the ship, a process that would not only conserve resources for the UHF but also allow them to live in a more spacious environment as a whole, if the Major's words were to be believed.
Standing in middle of the room, Major Quinn addressed the company in her usual, authoritative voice, "Recruits, this is the Deep-Dive Simulation Chamber. This is where we will all say goodbye to our physical bodies for the time being."
Seeing the concerned look on some of the Recruits’ faces, she quickly added, “Don’t worry. This time, I will go first. I promise that there are no more sudden death-beams in your immediate future. Alpha Squad will be right there alongside me as well, so you can all watch before you decide to join us in the virtual world.”
Surprised to suddenly be mentioned, Thea snapped her eyes to the Major, who was in the process of preparing her Sim-Pod. It seemed to Thea like she was checking the settings and the connections of the cables, wires, and tubes for any obvious flaws.
Without paying further attention to the Recruits, Major Quinn continued, “Once you're digitised, you'll be connected to the ship's Deep-Dive Simulation servers, where you'll undergo further education, advanced training simulations, and engage in team-building exercises as well as your assessment trials at the end of the week.
“You will remain in this state for the majority of your time on board the Sovereign, only being reanimated for real-life mission briefings and actual deployments, outside of the one-month ship service that Captain Cross mentioned during his brief introduction."
Seemingly satisfied with her Sim-Pod, the Major turned back towards the assembled company of Recruits before addressing them once again.
“The DDS is directly connected to the Allbright System as well. This means that you won’t have to worry about your Soul. Your Soul will be safe inside of the DDS, as long as there are active DDS servers remaining onboard the Sovereign.
“Should the Sovereign, as a whole, explode, we have bigger problems than having to find a rez-pod, so don’t worry too much about that possibility.
“There are two more distinct upsides to the DDS, compared to having all of you live on board the Sovereign proper.
“First, as the System is connected with the DDS, you can obtain Contribution Points, System Credits, and System Merit from the assessments done inside the virtual world. This is a huge benefit, as it means that we get to train you up a bit before having to send you out into real-world conflicts.
“The goal for this first year will be for each of you to reach Level 10, unlocking your first Class and getting a grasp on the fundamentals of the System. This is the bare minimum requirement for you lot to advance to the rank of Private and to become a viable Marine for real-life deployment.
“Keep in mind that virtual deployments, by their very nature of being ultimately safe, grant vastly decreased amounts of CP, Merit, and Credits. The System rewards risk with greater rewards, so relying on the virtual world of the DDS is not an option past a certain point, as the limited amount of rewards you can get inside the virtual world won’t be enough to sustain your continued growth.”
Thea made a mental note of this part in particular. What she had learned so far about the Allbright System lined up with what the Major had just disclosed as well.
Risk was inherently linked to reward inside the System.
The more difficult a mission, the more likely that the rewards would be substantial. This brought back memories of the difficulty selections in some of the arcade games she had played in the undercity, reinforcing the sensation that she had somehow entered a game, rather than joined the most prestigious military in the galaxy.
The most pressing concern for her, with the information provided by the Major, however, was the fact that she would get a Class once she reached Level 10.
'I wonder what Classes the Allbright System has…? I doubt it would be like the ones in most games I’ve played. I don’t really see a Paladin or Druid fitting with what it’s trying to do… Although I really don’t know what is possible, all things considered. Seeing Major Quinn pull out these insane psychic powers earlier really opened a whole new world of possibilities within the System…'
While Thea completed her mental notes for future study sessions, Major Quinn continued her rundown, “Second, and arguably the most important part of the DDS; once we enter FTL travel, we will be able to dilate time inside the virtual world to certain degrees. This will allow us to provide you with full education timeframes, instead of having to rely on shortened, inferior versions.
“If you want to learn how to become an engineer, for example, you will have to spend the appropriate months of proper education and training. Inside the DDS, we can place you in a segmented part and dilate time around it, allowing you to partake in those months of education and training in a matter of hours or days, ship-time, instead.
“I believe that I don’t have to come up with more examples to adequately portray just how much of a benefit this will be for all of you. I trust that my Marines are at least smart enough to spot a massive opportunity when it jumps right in front of them.”
As Major Quinn finished her explanation, a murmur of astonishment rippled through the assembled company of Recruits.
The idea of time dilation technology was something many of them had only encountered in science fiction, and now they were being told it was very much reality and also an integral part of their training within the UHF!
Thea stole a glance at Karania, who seemed to be just as amazed by the revelation as the rest of the Recruits. The possibilities this technology offered were immense, and it was clear that the UHF was using it to their advantage, maximising their Marines' potential by giving them access to an accelerated learning environment.
Some of the Recruits seemed eager to jump into the virtual world and explore the capabilities of the DDS, while others were more apprehensive, still processing the implications of this advanced technology supposedly existing. Regardless of their initial reactions however, it was evident to everyone in the room that the DDS would play a crucial role in their growth as UHF Marines going forward.
As Thea pondered the potential of time dilation and its impact on her future, she couldn't help but feel excited about the opportunities that lay ahead. With the DDS at her disposal, she could master skills and gain knowledge at an accelerated rate, making the most of her time during her first year as a UHF Marine.
'The amount of technology I'll be able to study with this time dilation tech will be amazing! I can't wait to get my hands on some new-gen tech inside the DDS... Maybe even a piece of next-tech...?'
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As Thea's imagination ran wild, Karania appeared equally lost in thought, possibly contemplating the implications of time dilation on her own growth, both as a Marine and a Scientist.
The revelation was undoubtedly significant, and Major Quinn had nonchalantly dropped the information on the Recruits as if it were the most ordinary thing in the galaxy. Giving them only a brief moment to process the shocking news, Major Quinn soon continued speaking.
“Now, before you all lose your heads in amazement, let me give you a quick rundown on how things will work within the DDS. Keep in mind that the DDS is a one-to-one replica of the actual Sovereign, except for the housing module or areas where some extra space was needed like the entertainment districts' bars, so you can become intimately familiar with its architecture and functions before any real-life deployments. There will be rooms that are off-limits to you, so don't wander around blindly, stumbling into every door you find.
“First, we will get ourselves digitised inside these Sim-Pods. They are a bit different from the ones you've used before, as they also double as atomizing chambers. Once your Soul has been properly uploaded to the DDS servers, the Sim-Pod will disassemble your existing shell, allowing us to recoup some of the Merit the UHF spent on your current bodies for future use.
“Second, once inside the DDS, we will wait for everyone to finish digitising before we move onto the next step, because I really hate having to repeat myself.
“Third, I'll lead you through a quick tour of the Sovereign's entertainment, shopping and housing modules, culminating in the allocation of each individual squad's housing units.
“Each of you will get your own room with a bathroom, plus a shared squad living area and kitchen. The DDS allows us this luxury, which would normally be impossible to provide for the nearly 90,000 Marines on board the ship, so be thankful for its existence.
“Lastly, I will show you how to access your schedules and leave you to your own devices from then on out. Remember that The Sovereign is always watching, so don't misbehave.”
With that rundown complete, Major Quinn suddenly started taking off her uniform, rapidly stripping down to her underwear with practised ease and efficiency.
Upon hearing Major Quinn's final words and seeing her begin to undress, the assembled company of recruits exchanged glances, their expressions a mixture of surprise, curiosity, and apprehension. They hadn't expected such a candid display from their commanding officer, but it was a stark reminder of the reality they were about to face – leaving their physical bodies behind in the Sim-Pods.
Some averted their eyes in embarrassment, their heads tinged in a slightly red tone.
Seeing this, the Major spoke up again, while continuing to strip down to her underwear, “Don’t look away in embarrassment or false shame. You will be seeing the naked bodies of your fellow Recruits and superior officers very often, once we get to real-world deployments, so you better get used to it now already.
“The Rez-Pods create your shells fully naked, so every time you die, you will find yourself in a cramped Rez-Room with dozens of other naked marines, including your superior officers like me. Embarrassment and shame have no place in the UHF Marine Corps. We are all part of a larger body that protects humanity as a whole. Your own personal bodies do not belong to you any longer. They’re property of the UHF Marine Corps until you wash out or are discharged from service, so there is no point in this wasteful behaviour.”
As the Major continued to speak, the majority of recruits seemed to take her words to heart. Some who had averted their eyes out of embarrassment now turned their gaze back to the scene, their cheeks still flushed, but with a newfound determination in their eyes to overcome their unease.
Seeing this, Major Quinn nodded in approval, her stern expression softening slightly. "That's better. Remember, we're all part of the same team, and there's no room for unnecessary modesty in our line of work. We need to trust and rely on each other, no matter the situation."
When Major Quinn finished stripping down to her underwear, she stepped into her Sim-Pod with confidence, setting a shining example for the Recruits to follow.
Emboldened by her words and actions, the first group of Recruits, including the members of Alpha Squad, began to undress and prepare themselves for the digitization process, embracing their newfound courage due to their renewed understanding of what it meant to be a part of the UHF Marine Corps.
Thea suddenly realised that she had been intently staring at Major Quinn’s body, marvelling at her impeccable physique that looked like it had been bioengineered to physical perfection by a superhuman genius, while the rest of Alpha Squad had started to prepare for their own digitisation process.
Aware that she had fallen behind once again, Thea quickly made her way to the nearest Sim-Pod, hastily shedding her UHF uniform as she walked. Although she felt a huge surge of anxiety at the thought of the upcoming digitization process and the fact that she was stripping in front of over 900 strangers, she focused on the image of the confident Major Quinn as a source of inspiration, determined not to further drag the rest of Alpha Squad down due to her continuous tardiness and anxiety.
Before the Major closed the Sim-Pod she had entered, she gave the rest of the assembled Recruits another reassuring nod, “I’ll see you on the other side. Don’t make me wait, Alpha Squad.”
With those words, she closed the Sim-Pod via the data-pad inside and initiated the digitisation process. As the cylinder was made out of a material that did not allow for others to look through, the process remained hidden from the Recruits' view.
The assembled Recruits waited with bated breath for something to happen, unsure of what exactly the digitisation process even looked like, until a slight droning noise started being emitted by the Sim-Pod and the inside of the cylinder was briefly bathed in a bright, golden light, that swept from the top of the cylinder to the bottom.
Moments later, the Sim-Pod’s cylinder opened by itself, accompanied by its characteristic hiss, the inside devoid of any traces of Major Quinn.
Having seen the process first-hand, the members of Alpha Squad started their own digitisation in response. The first of them to activate their pod was the noble-looking Recruit, who had become the de facto squad leader for the time being.
Thea, who had chosen a pod on the opposite side of his, saw him activate the process and close his pod. Due to her enhanced senses, she picked up a slight notion of unease evident on his otherwise impartial-looking face, in the last few moments before the cylinder fully closed and hid the man from view.
‘I guess even the courageous squad leader has concerns about this whole thing… That’s an oddly calming thought, to be honest…’ Thea admitted to herself, before initiating the digitisation on her own Sim-Pod as well.
With the characteristic hiss of the Sim-Pods’ cylinder, that she had first heard over two years ago on Lumiosia, it closed shut and cut Thea off from the rest of the Recruits.
‘Back to the virtual world I go… I hope this time won’t be as painful as the last one. That challenge really did a number on me back then…’
Before Thea’s thoughts could delve further into reminiscence, she felt a sudden tug at her mind, followed by a brief blackout of her vision.
Blinking a couple of times to clear the sudden bout of blackness from her vision, she wondered whether something had gone wrong with the digitization. After all, she found herself still inside the Sim-Pod and felt the exact same as before.
Confused, Thea tried activating the digitization process again, but found no option to do so on the data-pad inside. The only option listed was to open the cylinder.
With no other option presenting itself, Thea opened the cylinder, which once again let out its characteristic hiss, before she saw the Deep-Dive Simulation Chamber in front of her. It looked identical to the one she had found herself in just seconds before, aside from one major difference.
There were no other Recruits, except for the few members of Alpha Squad, who were currently stepping out of their Sim-Pods completely naked.
A brief moment passed in which she was processing what had happened, until Thea quickly checked herself and realised that she was also completely naked, standing inside of the open Sim-Pod.
The amused voice of Major Quinn ripped Thea from her stupor, “Welcome to the Sovereign’s DDS, Alpha Squad.
“I’m glad to see you all made it without any apparent troubles. You know… you actually didn’t have to strip, as your uniforms were System-made too. They would have simply been absorbed with the rest of your shell during the atomization process.
“I didn’t want to rain on your parade though, seeing how eagerly you all started removing your clothes. Good show out there! Loved the enthusiasm!
“Now, get yourselves clothed before the rest of the Recruits show up. There’s lockers next to each Sim-Pod embedded in the walls. Simply press your open hand against the walls and they’ll open up for you.”
The Major ended with an uncharacteristically candid giggle, partially obscured behind her hand in an attempt to hide it, clearly amused by the incredulous looks that all members of Alpha Squad threw her way at the admission.
This was definitely a side of the Major that none of them had ever seen before, but it was a very welcome change of pace for Thea, as Major Quinn's more relaxed attitude eased her heightened anxiety at the current situation.
Quickly tiptoeing out of the Sim-Pod, Thea rushed to the nearest wall and followed the Major’s instructions by placing her open hand against it.
Without a single sound, a clothing rack smoothly extruded itself out of the wall next to Thea. She briefly marvelled at the seamless manner in which the rack had fit into the wall, as even for her enhanced Perception, the wall itself had seemed perfectly flush across the entire section.
Knowing that this was not the time to be entranced by technology, however, she took a closer look at the clothing rack in front of her. It was filled with a myriad of differently sized UHF uniforms, fitted with the typical UHF Recruit insignias already attached.
Having lived in practically the exact same clothes as were in front of her right now for the past two years, Thea quickly found the correct size for herself and put it on, careful not to create too many creases in her new uniform.
Once she had fully clothed herself, she did note one major difference to the uniform that she had worn over the past two years.
On the cuff of each of her sleeves, tiny golden-coloured embroideries could be found that read “UHF M. C.”, denoting her as an official member of the UHF Marine Corps.
Genuinely delighted by this discovery, Thea quickly rushed over to the rest of Alpha Squad with a renewed sense of pride, to prepare for the arrival of the rest of their fellow Recruits.
They had lined up in rows of three in front of Major Quinn, who was mustering their appearance with experienced eyes, looking for any obvious flaws in their uniforms.
Following the Major’s inspection closely, in order to glean insights into potential flaws in her own appearance, Thea saw that both Lucas and Isabella had managed to find uniforms that fit their impressive physique a lot better than the previous ones they had worn.
They no longer had to rip off their sleeves in order to fit their muscular arms inside the uniforms, much to the obvious chagrin of Isabella, who seemed distinctly uncomfortable wearing a sleeved top. She was constantly moving her arms and tugging at her sleeves, before the Major reached her during the inspection, as if to try and make them fit with her arms better, to no avail.
Seeing the obvious unease on the Recruit’s face and in her fidgety behaviour, Major Quinn briefly addressed Isabella’s concerns specifically, “You can request alterations to your uniform in the shopping district later. I know quite a few high ranking officers that feel the same way as you do. Bear with it for now, it won’t be like this forever.”
Practically lighting up at the words of the Major, Isabella finally stopped fiddling with her uniform and stood up ramrod straight, letting the Major continue her rudimentary inspection of Alpha Squad’s appearance without further interruptions.
A few minutes later, once Major Quinn had inspected each member of Alpha Squad briefly, the Major gave a satisfied nod, before she headed towards the door of the Deep-Dive Simulation Chamber.
“I’ll let you handle the introductions for the rest of the Recruits, Alpha Squad. Get them dressed and presentable as soon as possible, I don’t want to wait for the rest of my days here. Make sure they’re all accounted for, we don’t want any stragglers running around without a head inside the DDS.”
Surprised by the sudden responsibility thrust upon them, the members of Alpha Squad shared a few glances, before the noble-looking Recruit fell back into his role of squad leader, just as naturally as he breathed.
“Alright then, let’s split up into groups of two, so we can have each other’s backs in case we get overwhelmed. Isabella, you come with me. Lucas, you group up with Desmond. Karania, you take Thea. This should give us an even spread, hopefully. Just try to get them clothed as soon as possible and make them line up in rows for the Major, I don’t think we need to do much else. Any objections?”
When nobody spoke up in the silence that followed, they efficiently got to work at opening the clothing racks next to each Sim-Pod, in order for the incoming Recruits to easily find and clothe themselves.
Thea was anxiously excited about the possibility of spending some time with Karania in their small group task, quietly hoping to find a good opportunity to mend their seemingly strained relationship…