# Chapter 12: The Commandant
The Main Assembly Hall was even more impressive the second time.
Isabella filed in with hundreds of other first-year cadets, the scholarship group staying close together as they found seats in the middle section. The massive screens flanking the stage displayed a rotating feed of TSD vessels in action—destroyers engaging pirate raiders, frigates escorting colony transports, cruisers maintaining defensive perimeters around vulnerable stations. Each image was a reminder of what they were training for, what they would become.
"This feels more official than yesterday," Marcus murmured, adjusting his temporary badge.
"That's because yesterday was processing," Haruka said, her eyes tracking the security cameras positioned throughout the hall. "Today is indoctrina
