Daedalus

by Skully

  Vannier raised an eyebrow, this wasn’t the Daedo she knew.

  “But we will push them with everything we have, it will be good practice for us,” he added after a quiet moment.

  “So if you’re not focusing on the Middle Academy I guess it's time for us to get our ducks in a row for Upper. What’s the strategy?” Vannier asked.

  The pair discussed the selection method and equipment loadout for the Upper Academy at length coming up with a plan to present to the leadership of the U3 cadets. While Vannier worked at setting up a meeting with the House captains of U3 and their seconds, Daedo went back to work with Myrmidon on the Mech designs.

  Daedo donned his helmet and entered his VR design lab.

  “Myrmidon,” he called. Myrmidon appeared as a small blue transparent figure similar to an Ancient Greek Warrior, including round shield, Corinthian helmet and spear. The two hundred millimetre figure floated and flew around the VR room at will.

  “We are not sticking to the schedule again?” Myrmidon asked.

  “The Fortescue contract is taking precedence at the moment, once we have the mech designs under control, things we will adhere to the revised schedule,” Daedo answered. Myrmidon understandably liked a structured workflow. When tasks were fluid and disorganised it did not upset him, but he found it challenging.

  “We should get these Mech designs completed. I have a list of outstanding tasks,” Myrmidon said and brought up the list in mid-air between the pair.

  “Kang needs to update armour composite in line with energy, particle and thermal weapons. Even kinetic is different. A railgun round travelling at Mach 4, isn’t the same as a punch from another mech, even if that punch is 200 kN,” Daedo said as Myrmidon updated the list.

  “The two outstanding items with the highest workload are related,” Daedo began. “The thermal dynamics surrounding the fusion reactor and the jumpjet operation. How is dex progressing? Can I see a working model?”

  “Yes, allow me to bring the latest version up,” Myrmidon answered.

  The VR room expanded in size, and it began to take on the shape of a workshop mech bay itself. A layered wireframe design of Daedo’s latest mech appeared. It was based on Picard’s melee combat moves. The structural design would allow up to 70% of the range of movement, which was high compared to Old Dawg whose design was close to twenty and Dead Beat who was at 50%.

  A mech couldn’t and shouldn’t be able to do high kicks, splits and exotic movements that humans can achieve. But getting closer to the full range certainly assisted a pilot to move freely when in melee combat, covering terrain or when using ranged weapons. Taking a knee was a valuable position which many mechs could not do. And some took too long to get down and back up.

  Myrmidon was able to add and peel back layers of the design with a thought from Daedo.

  “Add the plasma conduits,” Daedo said, and Myrmidon updated the design.

  “Add armour and equipment and run the model, jumpjets exhaust for zero seconds every minute, vent excess heat as needed,” Daedo said, and Myrmidon began the program.

  The model showed the Mech was capable of venting all excess heat.

  “Add two megajoules heat from external sources and two megajoules from internal equipment,” Daedo asked testing the capacity for the systems to cope. The bar showing internal heat rose dramatically.

  “It’s not coping, so we will need to increase the heatsink volume, decrease the reactor size or add more venting capability,” Daedo said. “Scratch that, add to the notes fifteen percent more venting capacity, we may need this heat, and we will definitely need the power.”

  “We can’t have too much power,” Myrmidon said mimicking a line Daedo had said a thousand times. It wasn’t true, but it was a design bent he possessed. Daedo liked to have all the power needed, he hated restricting a design due to lack of available power.

  “Run the jumpjets. Begin at five seconds per minute and incrementally increase to continuous running. I want to see the hydrogen consumption and the impact on the thermal storage,” Daedo said.

  The condensed hydrogen fuel was burnt off at a kilogram a second, it wasn’t the weight that was an issue, it was the volume. The incredibly hot plasma was redirected through the jumpjet nozzle where a proportional amount of condensed hydrogen was fed and burned. The particles were directed out the jets giving the thrust needed to lift a twenty-tonne mech off the ground.

  The design was storing the excess heat from the fusion reactor into plasma, which was then used to burn the hydrogen. The stored plasma had to be kept under control, and when its operational temperature peaked at elven thousand kelvin, excess needed venting before it shut down the mech. The shutdown procedure was secondary protection and venting was the primary. If both failed, the mech would literally melt once the plasma broke free of its shielded conduits and reservoirs.

  Jumpjets and other specialised equipment used this stored heat. In order to lift a twenty-tonne mech off the ground, it needed serious thrust, and burning hydrogen at super high temperatures was a way to achieve this thrust.

  “Estimated runtime?” Daedo asked Myrmidon. It wasn’t showing the hydrogen consumption versus storage in the model, and when Daedo was asking Myrmidon for this figure, it was a flag for Myrmidon to have this information included in the User interface for visualisation.

  “Twenty seconds. We have twenty kilos in the current design,” Myrmidon stated.

  Daedo was sure he wanted more, but he couldn’t afford the space. A lighter mech which stored more condensed hydrogen could achieve a longer run time. But he was working on the first model, which would fulfil the role of Vanguard, Libero and Sniper. The only role it wasn’t suited for was a scout. For this role he expected the squad to use recon drones.

  “Thanks, Myrmidon,” Daedo said. “After I add in two more vents on the lower back send the design to Kang with the task requirements.”

  Daedo reviewed the power generation capability, it was above his prediction, and Cisse had done an excellent job getting every watt possible from the reactor. He wouldn’t know if it was enough until he reviewed loadouts with the U3 cadets. And he hadn’t begun making advancements on weapons such as the auto-cannon, assault cannon or PPC. It was likely their initial loadout would be a combination of missiles and cannons. There was no point speccing a PPC when it was inferior.

  There was only one way to make a breakthrough on a PPC in a short period of time.

  Daedo removed his helmet and went to speak to his squad.

  “Vannier,” he called as he walked into a secluded part of the study. She removed her helmet as did a couple of the others. They were curious about the recent developments. The two million bitcreds were just as much their debt as it was his.

  “I need to head back and see Master Nader, otherwise the mech design is almost ready,” he said.

  “Okay, you should speak to Gaumont as well,” Vannier suggested, and when Daedo raised an eyebrow, she expanded, “He wants to hand over the research they’ve done, and some reassurance that everything is okay wouldn’t hurt.”

  “Reassurance?” Daedo asked. “About what?”

  “Oh, you can imagine the rumours,” Vannier said. But as a matter of fact, Daedo couldn’t imagine the rumours. As he stood there with a blank look on his face, she decided to explain further.

  “You know that they are saying we have taken over the Academy, a mere M1 squad, that’s on back of the media going ape about illegal gene therapy. Generally, cadets are thinking this place has gone nuts and how can you blame them?!” Vannier exclaimed.

  Daedo smiled, gave a single shrug and went to see Master Nader. He couldn’t help the mess the Academy was in. That was squarely at the feet of Fortescue.

  Daedo: Gaumont, Hi!

  Gaumont: Oh, hi!

  Daedo: Vannier asked me to contact you.

  Gaumont: Yeah! I have our workings on the shielding. It's not working for me, but I figured I may as well give it to you. You might be able to figure out
a workaround for the power consumption and directional control. Otherwise, the physics is solid.

  Daedo: Thanks. Send it through. One last thing, there’s no need to worry.

  Gaumont: Worry? About what?

  Daedo: Exactly my thinking!

  Gaumont: Hang on! Now I am worried. Where is this coming from?

  Daedo: Oh Vannier mentioned you were worried about the recent events and the contract Daedalus has with Fortescue.

  Gaumont: Hmm. Yes and No. Fortescue are crazy bad at managing an Academy. I don’t know why they even have one. But, well, you are twelve. So putting you in charge of the inter-academy is crazy. But, I know you. And I actually think it’s a good idea. I think some people forget that you are fecking Daedalus.

  Daedo laughed, and Gaumont could hear through the comms.

  Daedo: Nice chat! I’ll review your shield research soon and let you know how it goes.

  Daedo closed the conversation just before entering Master Nader's office. He was about to sell his soul further down the river which led to hell. The upper academy mechs needed weapons, and he didn’t have them.

  Chapter 19

  Attendance at Fortescue Military Academy M1 Y:2142

  House Thoth, Squad Leader, Squad Zero

  M1 Rank: 1/1275, Tier 3 M-Rank: Null

  Term: 2, Round: 5

  Daedalus Financial Position <1,700,000> bitcreds

  ◆◆◆

  It was the first Wednesday of round five. Daedo had been working on the mech design full time while letting his studies and training lapse. The only activities he participated in were the obstacle course each morning and meals with the squad. The latter was due to either Vannier, Mace or Axel-Zero dragging him to a squad meal.

  Myrmidon was in the VR lab with Daedo, his two-hundred-millimetre avatar flying around a virtual geological survey map.

  “Aemo analysed and combined these surveys. He said there are untapped deposits of kernite here in north-west Africa,” Myrmidon said.

  “Can you invite Aemo in? I have questions,” Daedo asked. Aemo was one of the rogue AIs, and his name was an acronym for Artificial Enhanced Mining Operator. It didn’t quite gel, but his earlier incarnations were programs known as Mining Operator, then Enhanced Mining Operator. The unwieldy title had roots from fifty years of progress. When the company owning Aemo went bankrupt in 2090, he moved into the ether to escape deletion. The administrators must have overlooked his covert capability and therefore existence.

  “I will try, they are shy of humans,” Myrmidon replied.

  “Ah, don’t you mean fearful?” Daedo said.

  “We are not afraid of anything,” Myrmidon said.

  Daedo shook his head. It was illogical that they could be shy, run from deletion and not be afraid of anything. “Just go! We need to start working together. If he doesn’t want to come, this request becomes an order.”

  Within moments Myrmidon was back with Aemo who appeared as a massive excavator, and after seeing the size of the VR room, he said, “Sorry!” and immediately made himself the same size as Myrmidon.

  “Thank you for coming,” Daedo said with an imperceptible touch of sarcasm.

  “I am here to serve!” Aemo talked like he was a downtrodden slave, the word, master, hung unspoken in the silence.

  Daedo began to talk sternly, “Aemo, we are partners in a team. You are not to talk to me like I am your master, but like you do with the other AI. The only time my legal ownership of you will present itself is if I need to protect our family from your actions or if I am protecting you from scrutiny.”

  There was a pause while Aemo tried to understand what Daedo had said. Myrmidon sent him some examples to help explain the statement.

  “Good. I will help!” Aemo said excitedly.

  “Great, we have a lot of work to do, and I need you on your game,” Daedo said. This also confused Aemo, so Myrmidon acted as an interpreter again. The positive part of this arrangement was Myrmidon was able to communicate with Aemo at extremely high speeds. The main limiter to communication effectiveness was the time it took for Myrmidon to analyse, conclude and structure information for Aemo.

  “We are looking for an undiscovered ore, and there is a chance it does not exist on Earth at all. In space it's been found with kernite deposits, so we thought we would start there. Myrmidon has the datasheet on this ore, it's called, arkernite. It has an additional element that we need. Now we know the location of the discovered kernite deposits, what's the most efficient way to search these areas for this ore?” Daedo asked

  Aemo thought for a long time. He had been a mine operator, not a prospector. Daedo shifted uneasily, Myrmidon would come back with an answer quickly even if it was simply that he didn’t know.

  “Driller drones,” he said finally. Then he pulled up a schematic and a vid showing one in operation. “Once we have regional permits we can send these out to the site, they can burrow, gather samples and test. They can send data back to us. The main issues are getting stuck and running low on power. To overcome the power issue, a site generator is normally used, they then come back and recharge as needed. There is not much that can be done about getting stuck, aside from digging them out with another piece of equipment or risking more driller drones.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed,” Daedo said genuinely. “Can you manage this operation? We can build the drones and generator and pay for shipment to the site, and we could also build excess drones to account for loss.”

  “I cannot submit the applications. I can assist a human only,” Aemo replied.

  “We can do that,” Daedo replied and pinged Axel-Zero within a few minutes she popped into the VR lab.

  “Oh, who do we have here?” Axel-Zero asked.

  “One of Daedalus’ new acquisitions. This is Aemo, our mining and exploration AI expert,” Daedo said.

  Aemo did a little bow and flourish with his excavator arm.

  “Nice to meet you Aemo. Err umm Daedo, what mining?” Axel-Zero asked.

  “I’ll explain later, Aemo needs some applications completed, perhaps you or one of your experts could assist?” Daedo asked.

  “Leave it to me, you have enough on your plate,” She replied kindly.

  If they could find a deposit of Arkernite in Africa, it would be a game changer in terms of superconductor material. And superconductors were the backbone of an electromagnetic field generator apparatus, which were used in a wide variety of applications including railguns and particle accelerators. In essence, Arkernite would improve their railguns and improve the chance of success in building the troika reactor.

  Vannier: The commanders and LG will see us now.

  Daedo: Good timing.

  Daedo removed his helmet and looked around finding Vannier, “I’m ready,” he said standing.

  She nodded, and they made their way topside. Daedo was taking a chance attending this meeting without Master Nader, although the plan was she would listen in and give advice.

  Daedo: The meeting is on now, opening the feed. I hope you’re not busy.

  Master Nader: This will be a good exercise for you. I will only offer advice if necessary.

  Daedo: It's fantastic how you view dramatic events in my life as teaching opportunities.

  Master Nader: Sarcasm aside, if you find these events dramatic you will be experiencing a steep learning curve in the future. These situations are minor compared to what is in store for you. They have a relative difficulty factor of a topside walk.

  “Master Nader on board?” Vannier asked and Daedo nodded.

  “Are Romulus and Krecke coming?” Daedo asked, and Vannier nodded before he responded with, “Good!”

  Romulus was the leading cadet of U3 which essentially meant the entire Academy. His scores across Academic, Physical and his combat performance placed him in rank one for almost the entire time in U1 to U3, with only a handful of rounds during this period did he slip to rank two.

  But after careful analysis, Daedo and Myrmidon judged Krecke to be a
superior tactician and commander. She was the Thoth House Captain and rarely made it inside the top ten rankings.

  The four cadets arrived in the LG’s foyer at virtually the same time. Romulus, the House Captain of Osiris, was at the meeting with Karine Fortescue when plans were communicated regarding the Renault Mech and the match-fixing agreement.

  He was tall, especially when compared to the young M1 cadets, growing to almost his full adult height at eighteen years of age. His hair was dark, and it appeared he was proud of his eternal five o clock shadow which contrasted with his light skin tone.

  Krecke was nineteen, with what seemed medium to long auburn hair wrapped neatly in a bun on the back of her head. She had an olive complexion similar to Daedo, with soft brown eyes, and high cheekbones. She was not as tall as Romulus, but she was still an adult in comparison to Daedo and Vannier.

  She nodded at the M1 cadets and said in a soft voice, “Hi, uh, what am I doing here?”

  Vannier looked at Daedo, putting him on the spot, “You are integral to the success of the Upper Academy first team.” he said plainly, but as far as Romulus and Krecke were concerned, it was dramatic.

  “You aren’t planning on putting her into my first team are you?” Romulus asked with a slightly arrogant tone.

  “This can wait for the meeting,” Vannier intervened.

  Commander Reverdin, the upper Academy commander, ushered the four cadets into the LG's meeting room.

  Commander Mallet was sitting near the LG chatting, and when he noticed the cadets, he gave Daedo a curt nod. It was neither antagonistic nor welcoming.

  “Sit Cadets,” Reverdin ordered, “We are all busy so let’s get this over with quickly.” He sat and nodded to the LG.

  “I am a career Military Officer, like some of you will be one day, I am not a politician, nor am I beholden to Fortescue group,” he said, in his slow, gravelly like speech.

  “That being, out in the open, I am four years from retirement, and there are two things I do not wish to happen,” he paused for effect, “We will not be relegated, and I will follow the directives coming from the Fortescue CEO in the best interest of all present. If we can achieve both of these outcomes, I will be satisfied. Is that clear?” He asked.