The formal cadet dress uniforms arrived three weeks into the term, delivered to each cadet's quarters in sealed packages bearing the Primori Academy crest. Isabella opened hers with hands that trembled slightly, pulling out the dark blue jacket with its silver piping, the crisp white shirt, the perfectly creased trousers.
Her uniform. Her identity as a cadet, made tangible.
"It's beautiful," Aisha breathed, holding up her own jacket. The silver piping caught the light, and the academy insignia on the shoulder seemed to glow.
Isabella tried hers on, standing before the small mirror in their quarters. The uniform fit perfectly—the academy's biometric scans had ensured that—but it was more than just fit. It was transformation. Looking at her reflection, Isabella didn't see the machinery re
