The Allbright System - A Sci-Fi Progression LitRPG Story

His expression hardened slightly.

“Nullwarden.”

The Colonel leaned back when he said it, eyes unfocused, like he was looking at a different war entirely.

“People see the rank and think they understand her. Or even have a basic grasp on who she might be. Major Zephyr Quinn. Sounds very modest, doesn’t it? Like she just happened to land there. That she’s still climbing, slowly but surely. That she hasn’t finished becoming whatever she’s meant to be.”

A dry chuckle followed.

“That’s the first and biggest mistake you make, when it comes to her.”

He paused, then continued more quietly, almost fond or reverently.

“She was so young… Emperor protect, she still is, if you measure time the way any Integrated person usually does. But talent like hers doesn’t wait for permission, does it? From the moment the Black Sigil took her on as a personal student, the writing was on the wall. You don’t get tutored by him unless the future already has its claws in you and you are meant for greatness beyond comprehension of us mere mortals.”

The Colonel shook his head slowly.

“She learned fast. Way too fast. Anti-Psyker doctrine, suppression theory, counter-Inheritance behavior—and she didn’t just memorize it all. She became it, at a fundamental level, then simply… Made it hers. Like the rules of Psykerdom simply didn’t apply any longer unless she deemed it so. By the time most Marines were still learning how to incorporate their Tier 2 Classes into their overall Build, Zephyr was already dismantling Psykers that even veteran Battlefield Aces refused to face.”

He smiled faintly, without humor being mirrored in his eyes.

“And the thing is—her rank? That’s a choice. She could outrank me tomorrow if she wanted to. Could outrank almost all the people who give her orders, or ‘recommendations.’ Power-wise? It wouldn’t even be a contest. I’ve seen her in action, over a decade ago now. Even back then, she wouldn’t have broken a sweat putting me on my knees nowadays, and we both know it.”

The smile faded.

“But that’s the nature of Proprietors, isn’t it? The Council doesn’t pick administrators or politicians. They pick the monsters among monsters to keep everyone else in line.

“Zephyr earned her place inside the UHF an infinite number of times over. First as the Nullwarden, breaking enemy Psykers and doing the impossible, again and again. Then as the Proprietor of the Kuigon Sector, turning a bleeding mess of UHF space into something stable enough to have the chance to matter, all while holding the Western-Supply Lanes without incident. Her fingerprints are all over our war effort, whether people admit it or not.”

Another pause, longer this time.

The Colonel shifts in his seat slightly, the armchair’s synthleather creaking.

“And yet—you’ll never see her name on any major banners. Never hear speeches praising her brilliance directly. She doesn’t want it. Because, for everything she is, she believes in the cause. Truly believes in it. All Proprietors do, of course. But Zephyr… She’s on an entirely different level, as she always is. She does not do half-measures, even with things as flimsy as belief.”

The Colonel looked straight at the interviewer now.

“To most people, she’s just “Major Quinn”. Seen as a stern, efficient, politically dull but very amicable and fair officer of the UHF Marine Corps... Exactly how she wants it.

“But make no mistake. If you corner her—if you ever threaten what she’s protecting—you won’t be dealing with a mere Major. Or even “just” a Proprietor.”

A thin smile returned, teeth showing.

“You’ll come face-to-face with the Nullwarden herself, and by the time you realize your mistake, there will be no Powers, no Abilities, no prayers—no gods—powerful enough nor willing to save you.

“And in that moment, you’ll understand exactly how it was your own fault for cornering the wrong monster among monsters…”

[Excerpt from “Recorded Interview: Senior Command Perspectives”, UHF Classified Archives, PFC929]