Chapter 41 When Strategy Meets Reality

West's loud voice cut through the room, “Next! Who else has an idea that won’t kill us all?”

A couple of the dropouts in the back - guys notorious for being here just to kill time - joined in, clearly unable to resist the chance to make a joke. One of them, Max, leaned back in his chair with a lazy grin, giving a loud, exaggerated sigh.

“Oh, I got this, sir! We just call in an airstrike! Blow the whole block to pieces! Boom, mutants gone, problem solved. Easy as pie.” He grinned, nudging his friend.

“Hey, worth a shot, right?”

West’s glare could’ve burned through steel as he said, “The only thing that’s gonna be worth a shot is if I launch you all out of this academy right now!”

 He pointed at the dropouts with a level of disgust that even Harry didn't receive.

 “This is strategy training, not a comedy night! If you won’t take it seriously, I’ll make sure you’re never allowed to show up in here again. Understood?”

The dropouts exchanged sheepish grins but gave a half-hearted “Yes, sir,” as West returned to addressing the rest of the class.

"Next! Come one! Is there no one who can come up with a decent strategy?! If you can guess it right, the rest of the day is free! Just please! Someone! Show me there is still hope for this class!"

Jacob raised his hand, “Sir, I think the best approach would be to call for reinforcement and position the tank mech on higher ground for visibility, then use suppressive fire to keep the mutants at a distance. That way, we could thin them out before they get too close.”

West paused Jacob’s answer.

 “Alright, positioning for higher visibility and using suppressive fire - solid on the basics. But, Jacob,” he continued, crossing his arms, “that strategy might work if mutants behaved like textbook enemies. The problem is that these mutants are fast and adaptive, and suppressive fire alone won’t stop them if they swarm from all directions. What happens if you’re surrounded? Or if your visibility’s shot by debris and rubble?”

Jacob hesitated, realizing the simplicity of his plan had left critical gaps.

 “Uh… I suppose I’d try to… find a fallback position, maybe retreat to a more defensible area?”

“If only it were that easy. These city ruins don’t offer many fallback options, especially not once they get that close. Not bad for someone who was in the academy only a month but next time, think through how the mutants will react - and be prepared with a contingency for the unexpected. This is survival, not just textbook tactics.”

After a round of half-baked ideas and strategies that had West growing visibly irritated, Aria decided she’d had enough of watching her classmates struggle. She raised her hand.

“Sir, could you maybe stop giving us scenarios that are just… impossible? If you look closely, this tank mech in your scenario - it’s busted from top to bottom. The internal wiring’s shot, mech mode’s unusable, boosters are damaged, ammo’s spent, weapons are gone, the combat pilot’s down, and the reactor’s overheating. And on top of that, we’re surrounded by Velkys coming in from all directions? Sir, you’re not walking out of that alive, at least not in the mech.”

The class went quiet as she continued, “The best you can do is jump out, abandon the mech, and get on foot. Leave it in drive mode to attract their attention - Velkys are always more interested in larger, mobile targets. You’ve got a slim chance to survive by hiding in the ruins. The Velkys will lose interest in you because you’re not big enough prey; that’s Aegis mutant territory. Then, maybe you survive long enough for a rescue team. But, realistically? You’d have been dead a long time ago, well before things got this bad.”

West stood silently, she wasn’t wrong. A scenario like this was pretty much a death sentence.

“Well, at least someone here isn’t delusional. You’re right, Hale. Sometimes, even the best strategy doesn’t guarantee survival. All the tactics in the world can’t fix a situation where everything is against you. Sometimes, escaping with your life is all you can manage - and it’s better than staying in denial, clutching a broken machine, hoping something will miraculously go right.”

The class stayed silent, a mix of frustration, awe, and discomfort. A few cadets glared at Aria, clearly unhappy with her harsh realism, but no one dared say anything.

Aria said, "Well then, I will be on my way. You promised a free pass from class, and I think I will use it."

West shouted, "Not so fast, Hale! Let's talk about it outside the class, now! And the rest of you self-study!"

As they walked through the academy’s hallway, West spoke with a surprising hint of concern in his voice.

“Where’ve you been, Aria? And how are you holding up? You just disappeared, without a word. I got a call from Dyar, he said you were in some trouble.”

 “Ran into some... complications in the ruins. Recovered a couple of tank mechs, and brought one back in tow. Had to face down a few mutants and got into a bit of trouble for going off the radar, but it’s dealt with. No trouble.”

West said, clearly impressed, “Wow, you're amazing, good to hear you’re back in one piece, then. While you were gone, we had some upgrades of our own here. The VR rooms got updated - finally. We’ve got access to level-five scenarios now, so things are about to get more intense. They even added Raptor 01 to the roster. Science division cooked up the scenario from the data they pulled from the tank mech you and Ewan returned to Beehive.”

 Aria’s eyes lit up. 

 “Raptor 01!? Oh, you can be damn sure I will give it a go.”

“Figured you’d like that.” 

West gave a half-smile, almost as if he knew she’d jump at the chance.

 “It’s waiting for you if you’re up for it.”

She made her way toward the VR rooms. However, just as she turned the corner, she caught sight of Sierra leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and a look of steel on her face. Sierra had been waiting for her.

“Hale, we need to talk. Now. Behind the academy. Follow me.”

"Sure, lead the way."

 Aria followed her down a side corridor and through a narrow door that led to the academy’s outdoor training area, empty in the early hours. They stopped near a secluded spot by the storage sheds, hidden from view.

Sierra looked Aria up and down in frustration and jealousy. 

“Hale! Hear's the deal! I hate you! You think you're so smart, don’t you? Coming out of nowhere and acting like you know everything like you’re some kind of genius pilot. Do you think you can just breeze in and make us all look like idiots? We were doing just fine before you got here. I mean, yeah, Harry’s nonsense is a nightmare and he dragged us down, but at least we were scraping by! Our scores weren’t anything special, but we were passing. And then you waltz in, raising the bar to some impossible level - and you’re in the Academy only a few days and not even here half the time! You blow off classes, and everyone just assumes you’re out with some guys, probably ditching responsibilities and having fun. Meanwhile, I’m here, struggling and fighting to get this right, because I care about becoming a pilot. I’m not here to play games like you seem to be!”