Valoris climbed into her pod at station twelve, the seat conforming to her body with disconcerting precision. The control interface lit up as she settled in, now familiar from months of training.

  Through the transparent canopy, she could see her squad members entering their pods. Zee moved with athletic efficiency, settling into the pod without hesitation and selecting a Vanguard-type. Saren selected Marksman, her movements precise and controlled. Quinn claimed the Scout position, tablet already integrated with the pod's systems. Milo fidgeted as he chose Specialist, adjusting something that probably wasn't authorized.

  The enhanced coordination interface was immediately obvious: additional displays showing the positions of all four squads with color-coded icons representing each pilot and a shared tactical overlay that would display information visible to all twenty participants. It was overwhelming at first glance, requiring Valoris to process significantly more information than standard simulations.

  "Neural interface synchronization simulation beginning," the automated voice announced.

  The canopy sealed over Valoris with a soft hiss. The world outside became muffled, distant. Inside the pod, displays flickered to life: tactical overview, squad status, environmental data, ally positions. She could see her squad members' simulated vital signs on one display, their positions marked relative to hers. On another screen, the other three squads appeared as clusters of color-coded icons with tags denoting their pilots.

  "Simulation parameters loading," the voice continued. "Scenario: Multi-squad entity suppression. Objectives: three high-value targets requiring secure extraction. Time limit: forty-five minutes. Failure conditions: squad eliminated, time expired, objectives lost, excessive friendly fire. Begin."

  The central holographic projector erupted with tactical space, not just for observers this time, but integrated with each pilot's individual display. Valoris's personal screen showed her first-person perspective, the simulated environment stretching before her avatar's eyes. But the shared tactical display showed the full operational theater, all twenty avatars visible as glowing figures color-coded by squad.

  The corrupted urban environment materialized around them. Buildings twisted at wrong angles, streets that curved in geometrically impossible ways. Reality bent visibly where dimensional corruption exceeded safe thresholds. Entity signatures scattered throughout, clusters of three to five positioned at strategic points, suggesting a coordinated defense rather than random distribution.

  Valoris's display highlighted her squad members’ green avatars: Zee's avatar in aggressive vanguard positioning, Saren elevated for precision fire support, Quinn slightly back for tactical analysis, Milo in flexible specialist configuration. They were marked by last name: ZAVARETTI, MADDOX, STERLING, RENN floating above their heads. Around them, the other three squads appeared as distinct color groups with Thorne-03 in brilliant white, Corvini-14 in deep blue, and Holloway-46 in dark red.

  "All squads, status check," Kaito's voice came through the communication channel with easy confidence. "Thorne-03 operational. Corvini?"

  "Corvini operational," Brenna confirmed.

  "Holloway ready," Maxine added.

  "Kade operational," Valoris said, trying to match their professional certainty.

  "Perfect. Combined assault on central objective. Thorne takes point, everyone else supports according to plan. Maintain formation, watch entity markers and communicate threats. Let's do this clean."

  The twenty avatars moved forward in loose coordination. Thorne naturally took the lead position, their formation tight and practiced. Corvini and Holloway spread to flanking positions with competent precision. Squad Kade-07 held the rear support, covering vectors that might allow entity approach from behind.

  The first entity cluster engaged at four hundred meters. Corrupted geometric forms materialized from twisted architecture, moving with that characteristic wrong-motion that suggested they existed partially outside normal physics. The shared tactical display highlighted them in hostile bright red, threat assessment algorithms calculating danger levels.

  "Contact, northwest quadrant," Sable's quiet voice announced. Then Kaito, louder: "Entities northwest. Corrin, suppression pattern delta. Grey, free engagement when in range. Everyone else maintain formation and watch for additional contacts."

  Thorne-03 executed with that familiar fluid precision. Jace's avatar unleashed suppressive fire that lit up the holographic display in cascading orange. Corwin's avatar advanced with measured aggression, engaging individual targets with precision strikes. Petra maintained central positioning, her support systems keeping the squad functional.

  Squad Kade-07 held their assigned position, scanning for flanking threats. Zee's avatar prowled the perimeter with alert readiness. Saren maintained her elevated position, her precision fire eliminating entities that tried to slip past the main engagement. Quinn tracked entity movements, calling out patterns through the communication channel. Milo deployed something that created interference in entity coordination; probably custom-programmed, definitely effective.

  "Additional contacts, southeast approach," Quinn reported, their voice carrying the flat precision of pure data analysis. "Three entity signatures, moving to flank primary engagement."

  "Entity contact southeast,” Valoris said over the comms. “Kade Squad moving to intercept." Valoris scanned her display. "Zavaretti, engage southeast targets. Maddox, support fire. Renn, disruption on entity coordination if possible. Sterling, continue scan."

  Her squad executed adequately. They didn’t have Thorne-03’s fluid perfection, but they managed with functional competence. Zee's avatar intercepted the flanking entities before they could threaten the main engagement. Saren's precise fire eliminated targets efficiently. Milo's… whatever he was doing… created visible interference in entity movement patterns.

  The combined assault overwhelmed the first objective's defenses through sheer concentrated force. Twenty students operating as a coordinated unit, different levels of skill but adequate cooperation. The holographic display showed it clearly, four distinct squad formations moving in rough alignment, supporting each other's operations.

  "Objective one secured," Kaito announced fourteen minutes after simulation start. "Extracting now. All squads maintain perimeter while we pull the objective back to safe zone."

  The extraction went smoothly. Thorne-03 secured the objective marker while the other three squads provided defensive coverage. No casualties. No mistakes. Textbook execution.

  "Outstanding work, everyone," Kaito said, genuine enthusiasm in his voice. "See? Coordination's not that hard when everyone knows their role. Splitting up now: Corvini and Holloway, take northeast objective. Thorne and Kade, we've got southwest. Questions?"

  "None," Brenna confirmed from Corvini.

  "Negative," Maxine added from Holloway.

  "We're good," Valoris said for Squad Kade-07.

  The tactical display showed the twenty avatars dividing into two groups of ten, the shared overlay automatically adjusting to highlight relevant squad positions for each pair. Thorne-03 and Kade-07 turned southwest together, their color-coded icons moving through the corrupted urban terrain toward the third objective.

  "Combat spread," Kaito called out. "Thorne front, Kade support positions, maintain visual contact and communication through shared tactical display."

  Thorne-03 moved into formation with practiced efficiency that made it look effortless. Corwin Gray's avatar took point position, moving with that same polite casualness that Valoris knew would vanish the instant combat started. Jace Korrin spread wide right, already marking firing solutions with enthusiastic commentary through the communication channel. Petra Kaine maintained center position, her support systems creating a visible coordination buffer on the tactical display. And Sable… Sable's avatar faded into background positioning, barely visible but constantly analyzing.

  Kaito moved with his squad, not leading from behind but from within, his presence anchoring them without requiring formal command structure.

  Squad Kade-07 took assigned support positions: Zee on left flank with alert readiness, Saren on right flank with rigid precision, Quinn slightly behind with constant tactical updates, Milo in flexible specialist position. Valoris maintained her center coordination point, watching both her squad's performance and Thorne-03’s operations through the enhanced interface.

  Through her pod's speakers, she could hear the constant low murmur of Sable providing information from her scout position; quiet observations about entity positioning, terrain hazards, optimal approach vectors. And Kaito translating those observations into confident orders that made complex tactics sound straightforward.

  "Objective visible," Sable's voice announced. "Southwest quadrant, heavy entity concentration. Defensive positioning suggests coordinated resistance."

  "Copy that," Kaito said, louder, projecting confidence. "Everyone sees the objective? Good. Standard assault pattern: Gray and Corrin front engagement, Kaine central support, Vex coordinate from concealment. Kade Squad, we need suppression on the northwest approach to prevent flanking. Can you handle that?"

  "Confirmed, Thorne," Valoris responded, already calculating positioning for her squad. "Zavaretti, take point on northwest perimeter. Maddox, weapons free on any entities attempting flanking maneuver. Sterling, track movement patterns and call out coordination changes. Renn–"

  "I'll do something helpful and probably unauthorized," Milo announced cheerfully.

  "--stay within parameters that won't get us written up," Valoris finished.

  They engaged.

  The holographic display erupted with activity as both squads hit the objective from coordinated angles. Thorne-03’s avatars moved like choreographed dancers, with Corwin's polite demeanor vanishing instantly as his avatar transformed into something aggressively efficient. Jace's artillery support turned sections of terrain into kill zones, suppressive fire creating safe corridors for squad advancement. Petra's support systems maintained squad coherence even as entity resistance intensified. And Sable's avatar stayed almost invisible, her quiet voice providing constant tactical updates that Kaito translated into commands with showman's flair.

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  "Entity cluster northwest attempting flanking maneuver," Quinn reported through the communication channel. "Six signatures, coordinated movement pattern."

  "Engaging," Zee confirmed, her avatar prowling toward the threat with aggressive efficiency.

  Valoris watched her squad execute the suppression with precision. Zee intercepted the flanking entities before they could threaten Thorne-03’s assault. Saren's position provided sniper fire that eliminated targets with minimal wasted ammunition. Quinn tracked entity movements and called out pattern shifts before they became dangerous. Milo deployed something that looked like disruption equipment, effectively scrambling entity coordination.

  Through the shared tactical display, Valoris could see Thorne-03’s assault in detail. They didn't just execute tactics, they made tactical execution look like natural movement. Corwin engaged with aggressive efficiency. Jace's artillery calculations turned chaos into controlled devastation. Petra kept everyone functional through sheer support competence.

  The objective was secured in eighteen minutes. Combined time for two objectives plus initial coordination: thirty-two minutes. Well within the forty-five-minute window, with Corvini and Holloway reporting successful extraction of the second objective moments later.

  "Objective three secure," Kaito announced through the communication channel. "Corvini, Holloway, status?"

  "Objective two extracted," Brenna confirmed. "No casualties. Everything smooth."

  "Outstanding," Kaito said, and Valoris could hear the genuine pleasure in his voice. He actually enjoyed this. "Everyone extract to designated safe zones. Great work, all squads. Textbook coordination."

  They extracted without complications. The simulation environment tracked their movement back to safe zones, entity resistance diminishing as they withdrew from the corrupted area. No casualties across all four squads. No serious mistakes. Mission complete with eleven minutes remaining.

  "Simulation complete," the automated voice announced. "Performance evaluation processing. Results will post in three minutes. Squads are dismissed to staging area."

  The virtual environment faded. The pod canopies opened with synchronized hisses of pressurization release. Twenty students emerged from their simulation pods, some breathing hard from the mental exertion of coordinated operations, others looking energized by success.

  Valoris climbed out of her command pod, immediately checking her squad's status. Zee looked satisfied but guarded. Saren's expression was thoughtful, analytical, already processing what they could have done better. Quinn had their tablet out, downloading simulation data before it finished processing. Milo was practically vibrating with excitement.

  "Performance evaluations posting," Quinn announced, reading from their tablet. "Combined squad assessment: Excellent. Individual squad ratings processing... Thorne-03 rated exceptional. Corvini-14 rated very good. Holloway-46 rated good. Kade-07 rated... good."

  "Good," Valoris repeated, feeling something tight in her chest ease slightly.

  "Better than expected," Saren said. "Joint exercises often expose individual squad weaknesses. We maintained cohesion and supported effectively."

  "We were fine," Zee said, but her tone suggested she was trying to convince herself as much as anyone else. "Adequate support with no mistakes. Mission success."

  "Functional performance," Quinn confirmed. "Though comparative analysis shows Thorne-03's coordination efficiency exceeded ours by forty-three percent across measured categories. Their target engagement speed was thirty-one percent faster. Their tactical adaptation was–"

  "Stop tracking comparative metrics," Zee muttered. "It's depressing."

  "Data collection is constant. Depression is subjective."

  Kaito was already approaching their station, that easy confidence radiating from him like physical presence. His squad followed in loose formation; Sable quiet and observant, Petra warm and welcoming, Jace enthusiastically discussing something with Corwin who maintained his polite expression.

  "Great work, Kade Squad," Kaito said, genuine warmth in his voice. "Your suppression coordination was solid. Really good coverage on that northwest approach, prevented the flanking attempt before it could develop. You're improving a lot."

  The words were meant as a compliment. Valoris knew they were meant as a compliment. But something about the delivery – you're improving – made her feel like a student being praised by a teacher. Patronized. Like he was the adult encouraging children who were trying so very hard.

  "Thank you," Valoris said, maintaining professional courtesy. "Your squad's coordination is exceptional. Very efficient."

  "We've been working on it," Kaito said easily, as though exceptional coordination was just a matter of practice rather than genuine tactical genius.

  Petra Kaine approached the group, her presence immediately making the interaction feel less like evaluation and more like friendly conversation. She smiled at Squad Kade-07 with genuine warmth.

  "You all did really well," she said, and unlike Kaito's encouragement, hers felt sincere instead of condescending. "That suppression coordination wasn't easy. Entities kept trying to slip past, and you shut down every attempt. Solid work."

  "Thanks," Zee said, slightly less guarded. Petra made people want to trust her.

  Milo practically launched himself toward her with enthusiastic energy. "Your support systems! The way you maintained coherence during heavy engagement! Can I ask about your coordination algorithms? Because I've been trying to calculate optimal timing and your performance was–"

  "Nerd," Zee muttered, but she was almost smiling.

  Petra laughed, clearly delighted to discuss technical details. "I'd love to talk systems. We should coordinate after evaluations finalize. I've been working on some optimization approaches that might interest you."

  Milo looked like she'd just offered him access to restricted research archives. "Yes. Absolutely. That would be amazing."

  Sable Vex had materialized near the group, not approaching directly, just... present. Quiet. Observing. When Valoris glanced toward her, Sable met her eyes briefly, offered the smallest nod that might have been acknowledgment or assessment or both.

  Then she faded back into the background again, uncomfortable with attention, content to let Kaito handle the social interaction while she remained invisible.

  Squad Thorne-03 was genuinely exceptional. Not arrogant, not hostile, not condescending in any obvious way. Just demonstrably, measurably better. And they were nice enough not to rub it in anyone's face.

  Which somehow made it worse. If they'd been arrogant, Valoris could have resented them properly. But they were genuinely friendly, offering encouragement and support, treating Squad Kade-07 like promising students who might eventually reach their level if they worked very hard.

  They walked back to barracks in silence, all five members of Squad Kade-07 processing the exercise in their individual ways. The evening air was cold, dimensional energy making the temperature drop unpredictably. Around them, other squads dispersed to their own quarters, some celebrating success, others analyzing failure.

  Finally, as they approached their building, Zee broke the silence.

  "They're not that good."

  It was such an obvious lie that nobody bothered responding immediately. They entered the barracks, filed into their common room, and settled into their usual positions. Zee on her bunk, Saren at the desk, Quinn at the small table with their tablet, Milo on the floor with whatever he was tinkering with, Valoris standing near the window looking out at the academy grounds.

  "They're very good," Saren said finally, her voice carrying flat honesty. "Performance metrics confirm superiority across all tactical categories. Their coordination efficiency exceeds ours significantly. They execute complex maneuvers with minimal communication. They adapt to changing conditions seamlessly. They're exceptional."

  "I know," Zee said quietly. "I just... wanted to pretend for a minute."

  Quinn looked up from their tablet. "Comparative analysis shows Thorne-03's tactical coordination at ninety-four percent efficiency. Ours averages seventy-one percent. They complete objectives thirty-one percent faster. Their engagement precision is forty-three percent higher. They're ranked first place by a significant margin for legitimate reasons."

  "Thank you for the devastating statistical confirmation," Zee muttered.

  "You implied disbelief. Data was provided for correction."

  "I was lying for psychological comfort."

  "Lying is inefficient."

  "So is being relentlessly honest about how much better other squads are than us."

  "Can we not?" Valoris said, still looking out the window. "Can we just... exist for a minute without analyzing everything?"

  Her squad went quiet. Not because she'd commanded them; she didn't have that kind of authority, never really had despite being designated squad leader. But because four months together had taught them to recognize when someone needed space.

  The silence lasted maybe thirty seconds. Then:

  "Petra wants to talk engineering," Milo said, his voice carrying genuine excitement that academic brutality hadn't crushed. "She's brilliant. Did you see her coordination algorithms? The refresh cycles were perfectly optimized. And she wants to discuss system modifications! With me! Someone actually wants to talk about technical optimization instead of telling me to stop experimenting!"

  "You should stop experimenting," Saren said automatically.

  "But she wants to discuss it," Milo continued, ignoring the correction. "Like, genuinely discuss optimization approaches. Not just tell me I'm dangerous. Actually engage with the engineering!"

  "Because she's competent and recognizes competence," Quinn observed. "Mutual expertise creates a basis for productive technical exchange."

  "See? Quinn understands."

  "I'm stating facts, not encouraging unauthorized modifications."

  "Close enough."

  Valoris turned from the window, looked at her squad. They were processing the exercise the way they processed everything; Zee deflecting with sarcasm, Saren analyzing with cold honesty, Quinn tracking metrics, Milo finding joy in technical details. Different disasters coping through different mechanisms.

  "We did well," she said finally. "Not exceptional, but good. That's improvement. Four months ago we were ranked sixty-first. Then thirty-second. We hit twenty-eighth, this exercise should help us climb further. We might break into the top twenty-five."

  "Optimistic," Saren observed.

  "Realistic," Valoris countered. "We supported a joint operation with the top-ranked squad and didn't embarrass ourselves. That counts for something."

  "It counts for adequate," Zee said. "Which is better than disaster, but not as good as exceptional."

  "Adequate is progress," Valoris said. "Progress is what matters."

  The ranking update posted three days later.

  Valoris saw it during morning formation, the digital boards updating with new numbers that reflected the week's evaluations. She found Squad Kade-07 in the listing, felt something tight in her chest ease slightly.

  Squad Kade-07: #26

  Two places higher.

  "Twenty-sixth," Zee said quietly beside her, reading the same board. "We're almost respectable."

  "Almost," Valoris agreed.

  Over the next several weeks, Squad Kade-07 continued their steady climb through the rankings. Each simulation, each tactical exercise, each evaluation adding fractional improvements that accumulated into measurable progress.

  Week 18: #26

  Week 19: #24

  Week 20: #23

  Week 21: #21

  Twenty-first overall. Upper middle tier. Respectable, if not exceptional.

  Squad Thorne-03 remained at #1, their position seemingly unshakeable. But Squad Kade-07 had proven they could improve, could become something better than the disaster they'd started as.

  We'll get there, Valoris thought, watching her squad exist together in their common room after another successful evaluation. We're getting better. We're becoming what we need to be.

  They weren't there yet, but they would be. Eventually.

  Whose file should I release at 30 followers?