The iron walls of the Astralis Imperial Academy shimmered faintly beneath the crimson light of dusk, their monolithic structures rising like the very pillars that upheld the empire itself. For centuries, this academy had been the crucible where cadets were molded into officers of steel, the backbone of the Imperium's military machine. Within these walls, the scions of noble houses, the offspring of admirals and governors, trained and fought with the certainty that their names already carried power.
But amidst the banners of glory and the echoes of proud footsteps, there was one who walked in silence.
Aldric Kael.
His name was barely spoken in the halls, and when it was, it carried with it a sneer. He was not the son of a noble house, nor the protégé of a decorated war hero. His family name meant nothing, a forgotten line swallowed by the endless bureaucracy of the Imperium. Amongst peers who wielded influence like weapons, he was little more than a shadow that drifted unnoticed.
Yet, Aldric did not despise this anonymity. He wore it like a cloak. He observed. He listened. And within the silence of his heart, a fire burned.
---
The training hall rang with the sounds of combat. Cadets clashed in simulated skirmishes, armored suits locking in duels as the holographic systems projected the battlefields of distant planets. Screens shimmered with tactical maps, glowing lines and shifting grids that represented war reduced to cold logic.
Aldric stood at the edge of the arena, waiting for his turn. His hands were steady, though his peers mocked him.
"Kael? Again? What's the point?" Cassian Vale's voice carried above the crowd, smooth and laced with arrogance. Cassian, heir to House Vale, was a golden figure in the academy—tall, sharp-eyed, his every movement confident. Where Aldric's presence drew silence, Cassian's drew admiration. "You'll only embarrass yourself."
Laughter followed, cruel and unrestrained.
Aldric did not reply. His gaze met Cassian's for a brief moment, but he lowered it just as quickly. Not out of fear—no, his silence was a choice.
Let them laugh, he thought. When the time comes, their laughter will turn into silence.
"Cadet Aldric Kael," the instructor's voice rang. "Prepare for simulation."
The chamber darkened, and Aldric stepped into the pod. Cold metal pressed against his back as the system initialized. A surge of static crawled along his skin, and the familiar flood of data filled his vision.
Only this time, something was different.
---
The world shifted.
Instead of the academy's standard training module, Aldric's interface flickered. A strange symbol appeared—an intricate sigil of interlocking gears and stars. A voice, mechanical yet resounding with authority, echoed in his mind.
[Strategos System initializing…]
Aldric's breath caught. His eyes widened, yet his body remained still, locked within the pod.
[User identified: Aldric Kael.]
[Authority level: Commander.]
[Strategos System has been awakened.]
"What—?" His lips moved, but no sound carried.
Suddenly, streams of data flooded his vision. Tactical grids expanded into dimensions he had never seen before. Every unit, every resource, every probability—laid bare before him as though the universe itself had become a chessboard. The battlefield pulsed with clarity beyond imagination.
[Mission Objective: Defeat Cassian Vale's fleet in simulation.]
[Note: Probability of victory under normal parameters—0.6%.]
[Strategos Calculation: Victory achievable. Deploy recommended formation?]
Aldric's heart thundered. This was impossible. The academy's simulations were notorious for their bias—stacked in favor of nobles like Cassian, designed to crush those without resources or connections. He was never meant to win.
And yet—
0.6%? Aldric's lips curled into the faintest trace of a smile. Even the smallest chance is still a chance.
"Deploy," he whispered.
---
The battle began.
Cassian's fleet surged forward, sleek starships glittering under the simulation's artificial starlight. His movements were aggressive, bold, the kind of tactics expected from someone born to privilege. "Overwhelm him! End this quickly!" Cassian's voice carried through the comms, dripping with disdain.
But Aldric saw everything.
The Strategos System mapped out trajectories, highlighting vulnerabilities invisible to ordinary eyes. It whispered to him in silent commands—shift here, delay there, sacrifice this, bait that.
Aldric's fleet moved like a blade. Weak, fragile ships were repositioned as lures, drawing Cassian's powerful cruisers into narrow choke points. With precise timing, Aldric redirected hidden reserves into ambush formation.
One by one, Cassian's ships fell.
The crowd outside gasped.
"This—this isn't possible!" one cadet shouted.
"How is Kael—?!" another stammered.
Cassian's confidence shattered. His hands slammed against the console. "No! Counterattack! Destroy him!"
But the Strategos System had already anticipated his moves.
With a single command, Aldric's fleet encircled Cassian's flagship. Ion disruptors fired in unison, disabling engines and locking the ship in place. A final barrage of simulated plasma tore through the flagship's defenses.
The battle was over.
---
Silence filled the training hall.
The simulation ended, and Aldric stepped out of the pod. The eyes of his peers were upon him—shocked, disbelieving. Even the instructor's usual mask of indifference cracked with astonishment.
Cassian emerged moments later, his face twisted in rage and disbelief. "You—cheated! There's no way you could've beaten me!"
Aldric's gaze was calm, his expression unreadable. "Then perhaps," he said softly, "you underestimated me."
The murmurs spread like wildfire.
For the first time, Aldric Kael was not invisible. For the first time, the silence around his name broke into noise.
---
Yet, as the crowd buzzed, Aldric felt the voice again.
[Strategos System notification: Tutorial complete.]
[Next mission initializing…]
[Warning: Transitioning from simulation to real-world application.]
His vision blurred. The training hall dissolved, replaced by the cold vastness of space. The stars stretched infinitely before him, and alarms wailed across the void.
[New Mission Objective: Survive battlefield engagement.]
Aldric's heart froze. This was no longer a simulation. This was reality.
The Strategos System had thrown him into a war.