.Of course, when it comes to Valkyries... nope, that support structure is not needed. Which means that, reading between the lines of our service record and the Valkyrie Corps' own internal rating system, Anna being a lieutenant is partially an administrative simplification
Actually, Anna was promoted to be a Commissioned Officer explicitly because otherwise she wouldn't have authorization to see the classified information regarding Wave Force Manipulation. Considering she's literally the only person on the planet that can consult on the matter, that information being classified to her is rather counterproductive.

From this, we can intuit that valkyries do not receive arbitrary ranks (Anna literally being a one-of-a-kind exception), and in fact are very probably not made into officers at all, unless they're qualified to be one. It makes much more sense to treat them as an elite corp of soldiers, which would receive promotions to NCO positions unless they had the credentials to be made into Commissioned Officers, as per usual.
 
Actually, Anna was promoted to be a Commissioned Officer explicitly because otherwise she wouldn't have authorization to see the classified information regarding Wave Force Manipulation. Considering she's literally the only person on the planet that can consult on the matter, that information being classified to her is rather counterproductive.

Sorry, but this seems to imply otherwise:

Clearance level is not quite so cleanly stratified.

You have nearly the highest level clearance when it comes to information about Antagonists as with nearly all Aces, and near unrestricted access to battle reports, regardless of how utterly disastrous they turned out for the UN, but when it comes to personal info, like the backgrounds of other people, your access level is basically OF-1, no particular modifiers. It's higher than the enlisted and that's about it.

We are cleared because we have a demonstrated need to know and can handle the information.

From this, we can intuit that valkyries do not receive arbitrary ranks (Anna literally being a one-of-a-kind exception), and in fact are very probably not made into officers at all, unless they're qualified to be one. It makes much more sense to treat them as an elite corp of soldiers, which would receive promotions to NCO positions unless they had the credentials to be made into Commissioned Officers, as per usual.

This is plausible, but without a WOG on the matter it's conjecture, just as much as my explanation for why Anna is a lieutenant is.
 
This is plausible, but without a WOG on the matter it's conjecture, just as much as my explanation for why Anna is a lieutenant is.

Actually we have in story confirmation that not all valks are officers. In one of the more recent updates there was a thing on all the career paths open to valks which listed becoming an officer as only one of them:
"As said in the opening ceremony, for those of you who listened, you will learn the basics of combat throughout your entire first year. Every Valkyrie must learn at the very least of how to survive on the battlefield. More than anywhere else, you are needed on the frontlines. For more than anything else, you are needed to hold back the tide. However, there is more to a Valkyrie than just combat."

Meyer then takes over.

"As you all know, at the heart every Arcology is a Valkyrie Core. Some Arcologies, such as Perth, are singular Valkyrie frames, the largest and most massive Valkyrie systems in existence. The large scale Builders, that you have probably seen at some time through your lives, are Valkyrie frames also. There can be more to your future than just combat. For those of you who may wish more to build towards the future of humanity rather than fight towards it, a mixed focus stream will be offered for you at the beginning of your second year."

At this, Leonhart resumes talking and sweeps her arm in a broad gestures across the room.

"For those of you who will fight, you are not drones and it would be a grave misuse of your abilities to treat you as directed weapon systems. For all its strengths, our Strategic and Tactical Combat Command Networks rely on our inputs and opinions to function optimally. Despite our best attempts, it cannot always reach every corner of the battlefield with perfect clarity or sometimes even reach those corners at all. There will be those amongst you who will need to make calls without the assurance of STRATNET approval at your back. Calls that might lead to brilliant victory or catastrophic defeat. Calls that can save lives or condemn them. Hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of lives will rest on you."

Both Instructors pause at that, glaring over the room slowly, making eye contact with every cadet individually. Next to you, Shuri meets their gaze flatly, her posture completely still. Sandra holds her head high, her chin jutting out defiantly. Koujirou shuffles in his chair and clenches his fists, looking troubled, but does not avert his gaze. Setsuna bites her lips but also manages to maintain eye contact. Many others do not.

The excruciating two dozen seconds of silence finally ends as both Instructors finish their sweep, relaxing minutely as Leonhart resumes talking.

"We recognise that not all of you will be capable or willing to make such calls, but for those of you who are willing, starting second year there will be an Officer stream. We will go into further details later in today's lesson

Given that becoming an officer is it's own set of classes, separate from just the combat stuff, it seems reasonable that the majority of Valkyries are enlisted with only those who both feel and demonstrate themselves capable of taking command if needed becoming officers.
 
6

Edit: dear god, I can post a single, solitary number in this thread and I get ratings.

Double Edit: mmmmmm okay fine. I even got another like after I made that edit. Clearly I need to give you people something to fucking rate so you don't lose your minds. Please hold, minor omake OTW.

Triple: Oh wow senpai already has a spot prepared

 
Last edited:
Kaizuki - Attention
> So I was going to use the forum generator for this and then I just didn't. Couple reasons why, partly the ratings system, partly I'm a wimp... Partly I wanted to do this fast, not pretty :/
> Also, lazy, tired. Meow. Pet me. /cat

Omake (SHORT) -- Attention

She'd kind of just... hoped it would go away.

It didn't.

_-_-_-_-_-_

Confirmed Third First Year Ace
Page 184 of 184

---

>>Cadet Jenny Green (4,670)
Cadet Xaomi Yan said: It's like something out of a damn scifi movie.
I know, right? We have this and we haven't won yet? Wtf?

---

>>Cadet Sofie Iversen: (6850)
Cadet Jenny Green said: snip
I keep telling you guys, it's the factions in the higher ups jostling for control when the war is over. She's somebody's superweapon beta test and that's why she's here instead of deployed.


---

>>Instructor Fiona Meyer: (Moderator)
No.

_-_-_-_-_-_

And then somebody had leaked footage from... one of her simulations. Twenty pages of posts in under an hour.

She'd told herself a month ago that as long as people didn't start coming up to her and asking questions, she'd ignore the internet gossip.

People were coming up to her.

Something had to change. She had to take action. No longer could she wait for a change that would never come.

_-_-_-_-_-_

Confirmed Third First Year Ace
Page 184 of 184

---

>>Instructor Fiona Meyer: (Moderator)
No.

---

>>Cadet Erin Maki:
Sofie, you just don't learn, do you?

Anyway, I talked with the boy on her flight, and he said that nobody knows what she was doing before she showed up here! It's super mysterious, somebody should ask her!

---

>>Cadet Zara Wight: (12,330) (556)
Cadet Erin Maki said: snip
Maybe there's a reason for that? A lot of the more experienced valks don't like talking about the past.

_-_-_-_-_-_

... Yes, something had to be done now.

But was it the right thing?

Well... the other option wasn't something she was supposed to be doing, so...

She'd try it. One time. Everyone else seemed to have an account for this, so... yes, there was hers.

_-_-_-_-_-_

Confirmed Third First Year Ace
Page 185 of 185

---

>>Cadet Anna Sanchez: (>68,000) (1)
Please stop.

_-_-_-_-_-_

There. It was done. Now hopefully --

_-_-_-_-_-_

Confirmed Third First Year Ace
Page 185 of 185

---

>>Cadet Anna Sanchez: (>68,000) (1)
Please stop.

---

>>Cadet Sofie Iversen: (6850)


---

>>Cadet Isidora Blake: (11,450) (624)
Cadet Anna Sanchez said:
Holy fucking shit. Holy ffucing shkt.

---

>>Cadet Miriam Smith:
That's broken, right? @Penny Washington there's a problem with the board ratings indicator.

---

>>Cadet Julia O'Conner: (13800) (330)
... Why is she a first year? What the hell?

---

>>Cadet Saiko Yamada:
Cadet Sofie Iversen said:
I think she broke.

---

>>Cadet Hanna Thurgood:
Cadet Anna Sanchez said: Please stop.
Is that really your rating? How did you get so good? Why are you in first year? Are you really the girl from the breachan memes? Where were you born? What's your three sizes? Are you dating anyone? Are

_-_-_-_-_-_

Anna "stared" at the data flooding the subsection of the Arcology net with unrestrained horror.

Her attempt at averting the growing storm had completely backfired.

This... this was not going to be okay.

Hurriedly, she began to talk to the net, querying it for some way to --

_-_-_-_-_-_

Confirmed Third First Year Ace
Page 194 of 194

---

>>Cadet Johnathon Marshall: (Verified Boy)
Cadet Anna Sanchez said: Please stop.
Are you single?

---

>>Instructor Fiona Meyer: (Moderator)
Cadet Anna Sanchez said: Please stop.
Did any of you worthless, idiotic SCUM even read the TWO WORDS she said? I don't even -- no, I DO know where to start. Thread is locked while I hand out infractions and bans, and then I'm going to take it down. After THAT, I'm going to track down each and every last one of you, and I'm going to piledrive something into your EMPTY SKULLS to REPLACE the BRAINS that you managed to LOSE.

Cadet Zara Wight said: Meyer is playing good cop
And any of you in Y1 have just lost good cop privileges.

_-_-_-_-_-_

... Well. That... that... okay.

Whew. Thank goodness for that. Hopefully that would avert the complete disaster she'd managed to create.

_-_-_-_-_-_

GOD VALK IN Y1
Page 1 of 1

---

>>Cadet Sofie Iversen: (6850)
Cadet Anna Sanchez said: Please stop.

Hang on edit this in a bit still typing sorry delay had to behind five proxies VPN before.

_-_-_-_-_-_

Fin.
 
Last edited:
> So I was going to use the forum generator for this and then I just didn't. Couple reasons why, partly the ratings system, partly I'm a wimp... Partly I wanted to do this fast, not pretty :/
> Also, lazy, tired. Meow. Pet me. /cat

Omake (SHORT) -- Attention

She'd kind of just... hoped it would go away.

It didn't.

_-_-_-_-_-_

Confirmed Third First Year Ace
Page 184 of 184

---

>>Cadet Jenny Green (4,670)
Cadet Xaomi Yan said: It's like something out of a damn scifi movie.
I know, right? We have this and we haven't won yet? Wtf?

---

>>Cadet Sofie Iversen: (6850)
Cadet Jenny Green said: snip
I keep telling you guys, it's the factions in the higher ups jostling for control when the war is over. She's somebody's superweapon beta test and that's why she's here instead of deployed.


---

>>Instructor Fiona Meyer: (Moderator)
No.

_-_-_-_-_-_

And then somebody had leaked footage from... one of her simulations. Twenty pages of posts in under an hour.

She'd told herself a month ago that as long as people didn't start coming up to her and asking questions, she'd ignore the internet gossip.

People were coming up to her.

Something had to change. She had to take action. No longer could she wait for a change that would never come.

_-_-_-_-_-_

Confirmed Third First Year Ace
Page 184 of 184

---

>>Instructor Fiona Meyer: (Moderator)
No.

---

>>Cadet Erin Maki:
Sofie, you just don't learn, do you?

Anyway, I talked with the boy on her flight, and he said that nobody knows what she was doing before she showed up here! It's super mysterious, somebody should ask her!

---

>>Cadet Zara Wight: (12,330) (556)
Cadet Erin Maki said: snip
Maybe there's a reason for that? A lot of the more experienced valks don't like talking about the past.

_-_-_-_-_-_

... Yes, something had to be done now.

But was it the right thing?

Well... the other option wasn't something she was supposed to be doing, so...

She'd try it. One time. Everyone else seemed to have an account for this, so... yes, there was hers.

_-_-_-_-_-_

Confirmed Third First Year Ace
Page 185 of 185

---

>>Cadet Anna Sanchez: (>68,000) (1)
Please stop.

_-_-_-_-_-_

There. It was done. Now hopefully --

_-_-_-_-_-_

Confirmed Third First Year Ace
Page 185 of 185

---

>>Cadet Anna Sanchez: (>68,000) (1)
Please stop.

---

>>Cadet Sofie Iversen: (6850)


---

>>Cadet Isidora Blake: (11,450) (624)
Cadet Anna Sanchez said:
Holy fucking shit. Holy ffucing shkt.

---

>>Cadet Miriam Smith:
That's broken, right? @Penny Washington there's a problem with the board ratings indicator.

---

>>Cadet Julia O'Conner: (13800) (330)
... Why is she a first year? What the hell?

---

>>Cadet Saiko Yamada:
Cadet Sofie Iversen said:
I think she broke.

---

>>Cadet Hanna Thurgood:
Cadet Anna Sanchez said: Please stop.
Is that really your rating? How did you get so good? Why are you in first year? Are you really the girl from the breachan memes? Where were you born? What's your three sizes? Are you dating anyone? Are

_-_-_-_-_-_

Anna "stared" at the data flooding the subsection of the Arcology net with unrestrained horror.

Her attempt at averting the growing storm had completely backfired.

This... this was not going to be okay.

Hurriedly, she began to talk to the net, querying it for some way to --

_-_-_-_-_-_

Confirmed Third First Year Ace
Page 194 of 194

---

>>Cadet Johnathon Marshall: (Verified Boy)
Cadet Anna Sanchez said: Please stop.
Are you single?

---

>>Instructor Fiona Meyer: (Moderator)
Cadet Anna Sanchez said: Please stop.
Did any of you worthless, idiotic SCUM even read the TWO WORDS she said? I don't even -- no, I DO know where to start. Thread is locked while I hand out infractions and bans, and then I'm going to take it down. After THAT, I'm going to track down each and every last one of you, and I'm going to piledrive something into your EMPTY SKULLS to REPLACE the BRAINS that you .

Cadet Zara Wight said: Meyer is playing good cop
And any of you in Y1 have just lost good cop privileges.

_-_-_-_-_-_

... Well. That... that... okay.

Whew. Thank goodness for that. Hopefully that would avert the complete disaster she'd managed to create.

_-_-_-_-_-_

GOD VALK IN Y1
Page 1 of 1

---

>>Cadet Sofie Iversen: (6850)
Cadet Anna Sanchez said: Please stop.

Hang on edit this in a bit still typing sorry delay had to behind five proxies VPN before.

_-_-_-_-_-_

Fin.
Well, she tried.
 
So, I'm not sure I understand why Anna's rating was (>68,000)(1). What's the one supposed to indicate? What are those numbers measuring again? Because if it's supposed to clock (synch hours)(combat synch hours), then those should be closer to (>68,000)(>34,000) or something.
 
So, I'm not sure I understand why Anna's rating was (>68,000)(1). What's the one supposed to indicate? What are those numbers measuring again? Because if it's supposed to clock (synch hours)(combat synch hours), then those should be closer to (>68,000)(>34,000) or something.
At a guess....

(Sync hours)(Rating)

Which then raises the question of why a non-Anna cadet is 30 places out of the 300, and another is merely 324, but.

Can our local cat chime in?

Edit: And he did. (Combat Rating)(300 list ranking)
 
Last edited:
So, I'm not sure I understand why Anna's rating was (>68,000)(1). What's the one supposed to indicate? What are those numbers measuring again? Because if it's supposed to clock (synch hours)(combat synch hours), then those should be closer to (>68,000)(>34,000) or something.

At a guess....

(Sync hours)(Rating)

Which then raises the question of why a non-Anna cadet is 30 places out of the 300, and another is merely 324, but.

Can our local cat chime in?

Waitwut

Wut

What

I thought it was (combat rating) (300 list position).

Wut where when

Asdf
 
/Which.... still raises the question of why a cadet is only 330 spots out of the 300 though. If half the active Valkyries are 300, that... does not say good things.

Notice how most the cadets don't have a 300 ranking. I suspect you've got to be an Ace to receive a ranking so the numbers aren't going to be that high.

Oh and those rankings are canon:
>>Cadet Marianne Braun: (12,100) (583)
>>Cadet Julia O'Conner: (13800) (330)
>>Cadet Zara Wight: (12,330) (556)
 
Oh and those rankings are canon:

Yup, they're boned.

Fine, they're Aces, but... that's like saying the 900th best tank driver in the world at the present moment during World War 2 is... studying at West Point. Sure, it's possible, but... it doesn't say good things about the number of tanks on the field.

That's either great worldbuilding or "Lol, I do not math" on Avalanche's part.
 
Nope, that was me guessing. Thanks for chiming in.

/Which.... still raises the question of why a cadet is only 330 spots out of the 300 though. If half the active Valkyries are 300, that... does not say good things.
Some Valkyries are just naturally talented enough to reach Ace-level before graduating. Shuri, for example, is (14,300) (201). There are about 600 or so Aces in the world, but not all of them are active-duty; some are still students and some are busy teaching. There are tens of thousands of Valkyries in service, but the vast majority will never break through the "wall" between "elite" and "ace".

There are two types of Aces, "talents", who just have a naturally high sync rate and are therefore extremely combat capable even without much actual training, and "veterans", who have achieved their strength through extensive combat experience. Most Cadet Aces are "talents" rather than veterans. "Talents" are technically Ace-level, even as cadets, but they haven't actually completed their training, and the situation in the war is not quite dire enough that they can't afford to complete their training before entering active service.

There's a wide variance in Valkyrie ability based on innate talent; it takes literal years of combat for a low-innate-talent Valkyrie like Anna to reach 300-level. It's more like "the five-hundredth best chess player in the world happens to be a high-school student".
 
I suspect Anna is never going to have the ... whatever, to make officer. Mental fortitude she's got, in some ways, but not the right kind for officer.
 
Anna is the equivalent to what a nuke would be in the 1950's undeniably powerful requiring hell of a reason to use, but fear that the if Anna is seen on the battle field type 0's will be deployed to counter her.
 
Yup, they're boned.

Fine, they're Aces, but... that's like saying the 900th best tank driver in the world at the present moment during World War 2 is... studying at West Point. Sure, it's possible, but... it doesn't say good things about the number of tanks on the field.

That's either great worldbuilding or "Lol, I do not math" on Avalanche's part.

Eh. Studying at west point & has combat experience. Also, please remember it's only been (offhead) ~12 years since AGs arrived. Academies are just kicking into high gear w/ cadet training. @gym so cant respond atm much.
 
Yup, they're boned.

Fine, they're Aces, but... that's like saying the 900th best tank driver in the world at the present moment during World War 2 is... studying at West Point. Sure, it's possible, but... it doesn't say good things about the number of tanks on the field.

That's either great worldbuilding or "Lol, I do not math" on Avalanche's part.
The academy also teaches critical skills that are not captured by the combat rating and that are absolutely required for the military to be able to deploy a valkyrie in good conscience. For example, Anna's combat rating is sky-high, but she can't coordinate. She doesn't know any of the protocols, protocols for things like radio communication, not blowing out everybody's sensors, or fighting type zeros. She doesn't know what her fellow valks can do and can't anticipate what they can and can't do. She doesn't know what the Human military can do and will often be just as much a danger to her own side's strategic situation as she is to the enemy's (see her high-speed run blowing out sensors all over the continent).

The other high-score aces are likely in the same boat. They're good at shooting, but they aren't soldiers yet. That's why they're still in the academy.
 
Back
Top