They didn't go after Dreyden.
That would've been predictable.
Instead—
They went after his shadow.
The adjustment appeared quietly at 08:13.
Merit distribution revision.
A minor policy update, buried in administrative logs:
Cross-Rank Strategic Facilitation Incentives Suspended Pending Stability Review.
Translation:
Mixed-rank coordination no longer generated merit overflow.
Which meant Class B and C students participating in shared planning gained less.
Significantly less.
Not zero.
Just enough reduction to make cooperation inefficient.
Subtle.
Legal.
Devastating.
Maya saw it first.
She ran comparative indexing on merit accrual rates from the previous three weeks.
"They're disincentivizing cross-rank interaction," she muttered.
Dreyden didn't look up from his notes.
"Yes."
"You're too calm again."
"They chose economics."
"That's not reassuring."
"It's smarter than force."
Maya crossed her arms.
"They're not targeting you."
"No."
