Daedalus

by Skully

  Barran began to imagine a breathless Moreau watching him break down the faux timber walls of the barn. As he smashed through the other side, at top speed, she cheered him.

  No time now Moreau, he thought, he had work to do. But it felt good that she was watching.

  Three orange and one red dot filled his minimap. Mars, his AI, was doing a great job with the HUD. Bringing up the minimap using the full display, before increasing the transparency and then dropping to the lower section of his field of view. As soon as Barran thought about his route relative to the minimap and coloured dots, Mars would bring it up again centrally, for a second. They were working well together after the hundreds of hours practice they had put in.

  Daedo: Full jump jets. We got you!

  Daedo sent the message to Barran and presumably the rest of the Vanguard. Full jump jets simply meant don’t hold back, if the exo ran out of juice, so be it. Needing to recover power and being alive was preferable to having 50% storage remaining whilst dead.

  Barran headed to the red dot, trusting Daedo and Myrmidon’s calculations that this was the optimum target. With a thought, Mars popped up the designation of the target, it was one of their liberos, an Amun-Ra cadet named Jakov. Like the entire M3AI squad, he was highly skilled when compared to other Fortescue cadets.

  Holding his shield in front, as he ran, it was able to cover half his frame. But Barran wasn’t going to run for long, he was merely gaining speed before he would fly. Leaping into the air, he fired the jumpjets, max power. He brought his shield underneath him and rode it like a sled.

  “Woohoo,” Barran yelled as a railgun round hit his shield. The new composite could take a beating, even from the penetration power from railgun rounds.

  Underneath him, the orange dots moved as the photon blade cadet moved to intercept. Barran laughed, he was sure they were playing right into Daedo’s sneaky hands.

  After flying for twenty seconds, Barran began to twist into a barrel roll while strafing towards the ground, and his victim. The movements would make hitting him difficult, his armour could take a few hits, but it was always his aim to mitigate as much damage as possible.

  His target moved out of the way as Barran’s shield struck the spot he was standing moments ago; they both recovered quickly as the third member to the party arrived. The Shu Photon blade wielder, Sandor, landed and was running the last few steps to intercept him before he could engage Jakov.

  Barran smiled, as the thought ran through his mind, ‘perfect Daedo, perfect!’

  A barrage of grenades was landing on and around Jakov, as Barran faced the photon blade.

  Its colloquial name came from streams, however, it was not made of photons, it used similar technology to the PPC. The blade consisted of particles inside a magnetic field, and the length was dictated by a thin central element.

  As they clashed, Barran activated a particle burst from his glove and directed it at the blade. It blinked out. He could not see the Shu cadet’s face, but Barran had to assume he was surprised as feck.

  M3AIS had trained with their squad. They probably thought they knew all the tricks that could be thrown at them. Sandor knew Barran’s style and capability. And although Daedo had warned Siderus, again and again, the photon blade was susceptible to disruption, he continued to use it. There was a reason no Tier one squad used this weapon. And Sandor was learning why, the hard way.

  Barran hoped Miss Moreau was watching as he decimated the best bladesman from M3, albeit he had no blade, but that was hardly his problem.

  Before finishing Sandor, he copped a round in the back. Jakov was under pressure from the Thoth liberos, but he was still able to hit Barran.

  Barran spun after Sandor went down, he didn’t have to find Jakov, the red dot was clearly visible on his minimap, and he flew directly at the M3 cadet.

  He brought his shield up, but it did little to assist, he was being pummelled from all sides now. Siderus’ squad had reacted to his presence within their ranks, Barran was being hit by grenades and railgun rounds. His armour was dropping fast.

  “No,” he screamed. There was no cover, nowhere to hide. How was he going to impress Moreau if he only killed one cadet!? There was only one option, he barged into Jakov as the Amun-Ra cadet attempted to escape.

  The M3 cadet was fast, but not fast enough, Barran had dropped his swordlance and shield before he grabbed Jakov. He pulled the M3 cadet close and headbutted him with all his strength. They were both in three-point-two exos, but Barran was a melee expert where Jakov was a libero. He was probably as surprised as Sandor was thirty seconds ago.

  By holding Jakov close, Barran was able to smash him, using a fist, knee and head. The wiry cadet was taller, experienced and well trained, but probably had not fought in this fashion before. Neither had Barran, but that didn’t stop him when he was inspired.

  As soon as it was clear Jakov was doomed, the assault on Barran recommenced. Siderus had momentarily called a halt not wanting to damage his own cadet, but there was no point in protecting him from friendly fire now.

  Barran had to be content that he outlasted Jakov by a few seconds.

  The AR adjudicator deactivated his movement, and he lay there looking up at the sky. Poor Jakov had not been protected from the assault by the AR adjudicator, and both their exos were worse for wear. But Jakov was certainly covered in bruises, the Amun-Ra hotties would not be happy.

  Barran smiled, as he watched a cloud pass by, Moreau was in Horus.

  Chapter 23

  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 <1,660,000> bitcreds

  ◆◆◆

  Picard and Gaumont bounded to the west before swinging around to the south in an attempt to use a hill for cover. Each stride they fired their jumpjets for almost two seconds, which caused them to look like they were running on the moon with ten-metre strides. They were able to cover a hundred metres in less than ten seconds.

  Gaumont shadowed Picard directing his shield to the east, while she faced her shield to the north. As they ran to the red dot, Picard pointed up in the air, and a message appeared on Gaumont’s HUD: DEATH FROM ABOVE. When they were thirty metres from the target, he soared into the air. And immediately attracted fire from the northeast. Holding his shield in his right hand, Gaumont was able to block some of the damage.

  Picard was intercepted by the infamous Matthias before she got to her prey, when he landed directly in front of her and brandished his swordlance. Unlike his partner, Matthias used the recommended equipment, swordlance and shield, with a one-handed railgun slung at his side.

  He didn’t pause for long and charged Picard, she wondered why he didn’t try and land on top of her but shrugged off the thought as she prepared to defend herself.

  Moments before the pair made contact, Matthias spun to meet the incoming Gaumont, and Picard used this opportunity to impale her opponent. He was quick. He pushed off Gaumont with his shield and brought his own lancesword around to deflect Picard’s blow.

  She anticipated this move and brought her own shield around in an attempt to barge Matthias. He leaned into her bash, but the force behind Picard’s shield had enough momentum to overpower the strong M3 cadet, and he was pushed backwards upon contact.

  The Thoth Liberos and Cover were keeping the rest of M3IAS busy as Gaumont and Picard attacked their opponent furiously. Despite being pummelled by two cadets, Matthias kept up his defence, but he was unable to launch a counter-assault.

  Daedo: On one, leap back out of range, 3 , 2, 1- GO!

  Picard and Gaumont activated jumpjets and moved away as fast as possible, Matthias realised something was up when a drone exploded on top of him and released what seemed like a hoverbin worth of goo.

  Picard: Railgun!

  She ordered Gaumont, but Matthias could still swing at them, and his def
ence would be much better if they got into close range, despite the goo. But from this range, all he had was his shield.

  The M3 cadet frantically tried to block the incoming fire and break free of the goo. It was an almost comical amount of movement coming from his knees and elbows. The exos were strong, but this goo was extremely sticky.

  A grenade landed directly on Matthias after the fourth railgun round and fire from M3IAS began to increase on the Thoth Vanguard as well. They were quickly becoming the focal point of the entire battle.

  Daedo: V2 V3 LOS

  An image appeared on their HUDs before Daedo began to speak, it was showing Matthias as a sundial with green, orange and red zones. Gaumont did not move, but Picard strafed to the green zone in moments. With their current positioning, they would continue to flank Matthias who was still able to block some shots with his shield, but if they both moved into the green zone, they would lose the crossfire advantage.

  Gaumont went down under a barrage of fire and then moments later Matthias went down, which was a huge win for Thoth Squad Zero. Picard immediately moved towards another marked green zone, on the west of the closest hill. She skipped backwards with her shield in front of her. They knew the positions of all of M3IAS due to three remaining recon drones.

  She took in a few deep breaths. So far it had worked out well, there was little chance she could take Matthias in a one on one fight, but in a battle it was different. She checked her remaining armour value, and it was just under thirty percent, not good. But she could still participate and make an impact.

  Being in the Vanguard was much more exciting than her previous role as long-range cover. It also played to her strengths. She didn’t realise when term one began the difference in training she had received from other cadets. Her father especially had organised a training regime which gave her skills and experience, in melee combat, well above most cadets.

  The exercise at EUDF highlighted this for her, and if Daedo hadn’t asked her to move to the Vanguard, she would have requested it.

  Picard was now alone. Gaumont was down, and Barran had gone down during their battle with Matthias. Her eyes narrowed, and she focused while concentrating on her breathing. The dots were moving, but her green zone remained safe; it would be best to take the initiative before she was forced to react from a loss of cover. The Thoth liberos were engaging in a cat and mouse game with M3IAS who were understandably cautious of Daedo’s tactics.

  The red dot began to flash, which could mean only one thing. Without hesitation, Picard flew. Her storage had refilled during the short break in the green zone, and she used all the power at her command to close on the flashing red dot in the utmost urgency.

  After gaining full speed on the ground, she took to the air, burning her power reserves while closing on her target. She stretched her swordlance out to full extension while using her shield to deflect any incoming rounds which, so far, had been none, M3IAS was fully occupied with the liberos and cover; they had no one to spare for her.

  Picard realised that Daedo had called for her assault knowing this fact. She loved being under his command for moments like these. They had never been close and were not now, but they respected each other, and that was how she preferred it. Unlike the rest of the squad, she had lived on a base for her entire life and had witnessed the gamut from great commanders to poor ones. Without knowing what she saw at the time, it had started to stack up for her, in the last year.

  Some commanders led by fear of punishment. Some inspired their soldiers, while most didn’t lead at all, they just issued orders. Some led from the front, while others were tacticians from the rear.

  At twelve years old, with her limited experience, Daedo was the best commander she had ever seen. She feared his disappointment, and he inspired her. Day to day, he led the front and was a master battle tactician from the rear. He was amazing. But she would never let him know this, a great commander didn’t want to be praised, they just wanted to win and win well for all of their people.

  Over time he had won her trust, and while she was friends with Vannier, Axel-Zero and even Kang. Trust was in short supply in the Picard family. It had taken a nod of approval from her father to seal the deal.

  As she closed in on her prey, an M3IAS sniper named Bernard, used gravity to eke out the maximum possible speed for her attack.

  The M3 cadet began to roll. He was lying in a prone position and must have been finally warned of the danger he was in. Picard changed the angle of her jumpjets to lift her trajectory. It lowered her speed slightly, but she was able to stay on target.

  *WARNING: DANGEROUS COLLISION*

  The AR adjudicator warned with the large words appearing in between her and her prey. The rules were strict, and while these warnings were rare, they had to be obeyed.

  “Damn!” she swore and pulled her blow missing the M3 cadet on purpose.

  The exos had excellent armour but, apparently, flying at max speed and lancing someone was dangerous. She didn’t have time to scold herself for the oversight, so she rolled and turned to take on the M3 cadet.

  Before she could close on him, he was able to get off a round from his railgun which hit her squarely in the shoulder, threading its way past her shield. Picard was angry at herself for botching the charge and began to take it out on Bernard.

  She kicked his railgun to the side, as he held onto it for dear life it turned his whole body to the right. Picard smiled as she brought her shield around in the same movement smashing it into his left side and pushing him over. She began to strike him with her swordlance while holding her shield between herself and the other orange dots which began to converge and target her location.

  After one strike, the shield began to take damage. And before the third and most likely final strike, a railgun round found its way past her shield and struck her leg. Normally this wouldn’t be a major issue, but she was already very low. The AR adjudicator deactivated her leg pushing her off balance and causing her next strike to do minimal damage. She fought for balance with one leg operable and one immobile.

  Before she could finish off Bernard, another round hit her in the back, and as she fell forward, she saw the final message from the AR adjudicator: Siderus/ railgun/ Picard.

  Picard took a small consolation that she fell on top of Bernard and it would take time for him to squirm his way out, a time where he could provide no cover. She wondered what Daedo, Axel-Zero and Mace were doing while she attacked the rear of the M3IAS. One thing was certain, they would be making the most of the distraction.

  ◆◆◆

  Mace was down to one drone, and it was important she kept it well hidden to ensure they had enemy positional data. She considered its current location. While it was not an obvious hiding spot, it was better than being out in the open. And M3IAS would have to take time to search the divot if they were going to find the drone.

  Watching the HUD, there was a new barrage location marked by a purple haze with an orange dot in the centre. She fired off a grenade from her cover location, timing it with Axel-Zero and Daedo.

  Daedo: Mace, advance. We need to engage with railguns. Axel-Zero, continue to provide launcher support. We will rotate shortly.

  Her HUD comprised of orange dots, which meant she was free to choose her target. Designate red dot targets were to coordinate tactical damage and control of manoeuvres. In this scenario, she was to use her judgment on which was the best target based on what method and approach she decided to use.

  Mace jumped up in the air, aiming her railgun, climbing quickly and as soon as the cadet came into her field of view, she fired before dropping down. She didn’t wait long enough to ensure she hit. Although the round travelled at speed faster than the sound, it was an AR round, and the impact was not noticeable in the split second before she completed a controlled fall back to the earth.

  She had to change position. Only an idiot would launch that type of attack twice in quick succession - or a genius- but that trick only worked once. She scanned
the area for drones, looking for a spot where she would hide a recon drone. After checking two, she began to attract fire from two M3IAS liberos.

  Laurent and Paquet were both from Shu and both Liberos in Siderus’ squad. It was important that Mace stay alive. If Daedo were to go down, she was to take over tactical command, and once she bit the dust, it would be left to Vannier.

  After thirty seconds of agile movement and trading blows with the two liberos, something changed. One and then the second broke contact moving to the north.

  It was Picard; she was in behind their line.

  Mace smiled while she thought about Picard causing havoc to the long-range cover cadets.

  Mace: Press?

  Daedo: Yes, press! Axel-Zero, Vannier, Kang come. It's time to damage them while Picard has them distracted. Red dots for focus fire, but if you can’t reach LOS, take an orange.

  Daedo: Cover - Release last of the drones.

  Mace took over control of two drones from Kang and began to close on the red dot. It was Siderus; Daedo was shameless. He wanted to make M3IAS suffer, and if they were going to win, it would be hard fought.

  The particle barrier was a surprise he kept just for this match, and while the cream of M3 would defeat Thoth Squad Zero on paper, they did not have the master tactician.

  Mace’s analysis of Daedo, had his tactical ability as his main strength. The company, the research and direction of the squad, were all strategic moves on his part. His domination of the gauntlet had little to do with his skill in piloting and gunnery and everything to do with his tactical ability.

  Most cadets overlooked this.

  Most cadets also thought she was similar to Daedo, due to academic and other results. Most cadets were wrong. Where Daedo was strategic, she was cunning. Daedo could be naïve, but she merely remained silent with her thoughts, and no one was the wiser. While they were similar in academic outcomes, their personalities could not be more different.

  It was time to hurt Siderus. Mace ran and jetted into position; the two new drones under her control quickly catching her.