Lore time (mild spoilers)

Straker takes it well when he finds out that other humans began passing the Drone Training, and some even passed Gelan's Trials.

Others took it badly and got competitive. Some humans thinking they were the only ones worthy, or eager to impress their new Sekarri girlfriends got into fights and generally made humanity look bad.

Straker was still one of the top performers, along with Marta.

After the first 20 hours of gameplay, things move along really fast (mild/mid spoilers ahead).

Once humanity acquires its own fleet, the nations of the world scramble to staff them, they plead with Tiff to spare Sekarri trainers - but the remaining Vanguard are short on staff themselves and have to depart soon.

As such, humanity made the decision to staff both the Sekarri loaned ships and the new ..ahem, special ships with a ratio that looks roughly like this.

70 % youth 20% middle aged 10% super experienced.

But an emergency UN session brought about a general doctrine, the youth should be accelerated into leadership positions ASAP. No outdated, stagnant and irrelevant experience from submarine captains or fighter pilots should trump that of an aspiring young officer in completely alien situations.

But it shouldn't be ruled out either .

A global struggle ensued to create RDP - Rapid decisioning protocols, so that no shipmen need be unclear on who makes decisions and when.

There is a whole galaxy to explore, the only thing going for us is our youthful energy and innate traits as humans.

Humanity's love affair with Straker became short lived once greedy politicians saw fleets of destructive power to fight over. Straker became an after thought.

Marta and Straker, though mild rivals, have a strong bond of respect - Marta encourages Straker not to join up with the new human tasks forces; but to leave with the Sekarri and the few advanced human scouting parties to make a difference now, not tomorrow.

Marta, raised in Grudziądz Poland no idiot to human history and arrogance, she fears that the new emboldened humans will become reckless and suffer a bloody nose which could result in the quick and swift extermination of humanity.

Marta, has the potential to become a supreme commander of many human contingents see's hope in Straker, he can do things she can not - he can keep the Sekarri and humanity together for the long term future.