by Skully
Daedo, Mace and Picard ran to the village in exos, leaving the two mechs behind.
“Are you keeping an eye on the base?” Daedo asked through voice comms shared between the three remaining Daedalus members.
“Yes, I left one of my friends there. I can see everything for a few kilometres,” Mace replied.
“Who wants to take point at the village?” Daedo asked.
“I think it has to be you. We will provide backup,” Mace said supportively.
“Sorry, Daedo. Without Vannier, you have no one to pass the buck to,” Picard observed.
“Barran would have volunteered,” Daedo speculated sadly.
“Yeah, and you’d let him?” Picard asked with a laugh.
With jumpjets, the exos were almost as fast as the ancient truck. Daedo checked the systems, the amount of sand and heat had him concerned, they weren’t used to operating in this type of environment. He was happy that the arkernite prompted him to establish a base here. All his invented reasons were built on sound logic.
Testing of equipment in harsh environments. Experience with building a remote base, from scratch, in an inhospitable environment. And even establishing the remote base as insurance for an alien invasion made sense.
The trio halted at the outskirts of the village. The housing was sparse, they could not have been more than a few thousand people living here. Their base was on the northeast of the Eye of Sahara, and this village was on the southwest. Which was probably the reason the government allowed the Daedalus operation in that area as opposed to closer to this village.
The homes were either square or rectangle, and it was immediately obvious they were not made from constructofoam. They were constructed with some sort of earthen brick.
“I guess they don’t have many issues with snow on their roof. They’re all flat,” Picard observed.
“Or water,” Mace added.
There was a central well in the village, it was probably tapping the aquifer that Aemo’s drones had found. So much for undiscovered, it just wasn’t mapped or recorded.
Daedo removed his helmet, despite the heat he was sure locals would respond better to a face. The exo was covering most of his body and would keep him cool.
“I hope they take us inside. I don’t want to get burnt,” Mace said.
Picard adjusted her helmet to sit on top of her head and showed Mace how to do it.
“Thanks,” she said.
Daedo walked slowly into the village, followed by his two squad mates. They were all unarmed, and now their heads were unprotected.
The streets cleared before them. Women and children who were busy working or playing had disappeared in moments.
“I don’t think they get many visitors here,” Picard said.
“They probably don’t get many that come in a carrier half the size of their village,” Mace observed. It was an exaggeration, but not by much.
Before they reached the centre, a cadre of men approached them headed by the leader presumably. It was a blessing when he spoke in fluent universal.
“Hello. Welcome to our village,” the man said. He looked haggard, but there was no grey in his hair. It was likely his skin was weathered by the conditions which made him look older than his natural age. His skin tone was darker than Daedo’s, as was his hair.
“Thank you,” Daedo replied. “We are pleased to receive a kinder welcome this time. I am Daedo, this is Mace, and this is Picard. May I ask your name?” He said while introducing his two friends.
“I am Berko,” he replied. “You surprised some of our men with the large vehicle. What was it?”
“It was a carrier. It has to be large to carry our equipment. As you can see we have no weapons and we meant no harm,” Daedo said.
“I understand,” Berko replied. “The men said you had documents. Can you show me?”
Daedo pulled up the documents regarding the land titles, mining rights and licences that Axel-Zero had procured from the Mauritanian Government and the EU.
“I see,” he said unconvincingly. Daedo was sure he had no idea what he was looking at.
“Berko,” Daedo announced. “We wish to be good neighbours. We wish to be friends with the Wadan.”
“This is good to hear, but your creds are not welcome. We cannot be bought young man,” Berko said looking at Daedo seriously.
Daedo smiled. They had not judged him a child, they assumed he was a young man by looking at his actions.
“We will never give you creds,” Daedo said smiling. “Not unless we owed them to you for goods or a service that you provided.”
“We are concerned with noise, with pollution and most of all we are concerned about desecration, young Daedo,” Berko said sternly.
“I am concerned with security and with protecting our assets. I do not wish your people to break the law by sneaking into our base and damaging equipment,” Daedo replied.
“You accuse us?” Berko asked.
“You accuse us?” Daedo retorted.
Berko was confused for a moment before he realised the point Daedo was making and he smiled broadly.
“If you meet our concerns, we will meet yours,” Berko said.
Daedo nodded. “We can meet yours, Sir,” he said respectfully.
Berko held out a hand to shake which Daedo took.
“I have a question Berko,” Daedo asked, and the man tilted his head indicating he was listening.
“Do your children attend cyberschool?” Daedo asked.
“No, because our machines keep breaking, and the government does not send new ones. We cannot afford to keep replacing them,” Berko said.
“Would you be offended if I built a cyberschool venue. I could design it to reach the net and keep the machines from breaking. We could also power it and the entire village,” Daedo offered.
“It is possible this would be offensive to some. We will have a vote whether we will accept your gift and I will explain it has nothing to do with our bargain,” Berko said.
Cyberschool was free to all children. However, there was an issue if you could not access it.
Chapter 27
Attendance at Fortescue Military Academy M1 Y:2142
Term: 2 to 3, Break
Daedalus Financial Position -1,660,000 bitcreds
◆◆◆
“How did you swindle Old Dawg into the mix?” Barran asked.
“We were able to fit the cost into the budget,” Axel-Zero answered.
Barran accused loudly with a hint of amusement, “You set the budget!” He then turned to Daedo and asked, “And you approved all this?”
Daedo looked at Barran with a deadpan expression and asked, “Since when have you been so concerned about budgets and costs?”
Barran flustered trying to think of an instance. His body language admitted defeat, but his mouth had not, “Because that’s what is always thrown at me! Axel-Zero has one rule for her and another one for me!”
Daedo swept his arm wide, indicating the craft they were strapped into, a top of the line Marais VTOL.
Barran looked around and smiled. “Okay, point taken. I’m happy we finally have a first-rate carrier.”
“I’m putting my helmet on before the engines start,” Daedo said. He was surrounded by the Daedalus extended family who did the same. Even Cisse and Mister Kang were accompanying them on this adventure.
The first stage was the qualifiers. And as far as any pro league competition was concerned three of their mechs possessed no ranks nor points from any competition. The Svarski invitational, which was being held in Japan this year, moved around the regions where they were based. It had been held in Moscow, more often than other cities, but it could be held in any city that the leadership of Svarski negotiated and determined.
The qualifiers had almost one hundred and twenty-eight entries from Japan and around the globe. It was open to all, and even some known pro league mechs who could not make the top twenty-eight seeds were fighting for one of the four wildcard places.
Th
ese known mechs received a seeding in the qualifiers amongst the majority of unseeded. They were expressed through to the round of thirty-two of the qualifiers.
To cut a long story short, Titan Hyperion, Titan Eos and Old Dawg would have to win five straight qualifying matches in order to gain one of the four wildcard entries. And this was done over two days. If a mech won a match and was damaged, they had to make the next match on time, or they would have to forfeit.
There was no prize money given for winning four matches and losing at the last hurdle. But the entrant still had to pay for logistics and repairs, on top of all the other costs which were incurred when running a pro league level mech.
The Daedalus crew, extended family and Jeram Marais, their pilot, began to talk on voice comms with their helmets donned and noise cancellation activated.
“Show us the mech pilot registration chart please,” Vannier asked. The mechs were registered as an entrant, and they could have one or more assigned pilots. A mech could have multiple pilots but each pilot was restricted to one mech.
Old Dawg, Pilots: Axel-Zero, Vannier
Titan Hyperion, Pilots: Barran, Daedo
Titan Eos, Pilots: Picard, Mace
Dead Beat, Pilots: Kang, Kang
“Dead Beat is straight through to the round of thirty-two of the quals?” Axel-Zero noticed.
“It’s a pity we didn’t qualify for the tournament proper,” Mister Kang stated. “We only started to perform well recently, so it’s understandable. And thank you again for the logistics and support, I would not have been able to attend otherwise.”
“It made perfect sense to invite you. It doesn’t cost any more to fly with four compared to three mechs. Is this your first Svarski invitational?” Vannier asked.
“No, it’s my third and the first two were many years ago now. We never made it out of the qualifiers. It always cost much more than we gained,” Mister Kang said. “Especially since we gained nothing other than experience, expensive experience,” he said the last ruefully.
“And what do you rate your chances this time?” Barran asked curiously.
“Good! We only have to win two matches,” Mister Kang said happily before pausing and asking his daughter, “I think it is time your friends started calling me Lee. Do you agree So-Ra?”
Kang nodded and added, “Then everyone can call me Kang without confusion.”
“You continue this practice when you’re on holidays?” Lee asked.
“Yes, Father,” Kang said. “Academy cadets are very disciplined. I am enjoying it immensely.” She said with a large slice of sarcasm.
Everyone laughed at poor Kang. The free spirit was being quashed by peer discipline.
“How do you feel about being a designated pilot for Old Dawg?” Kang asked Vannier trying to be diplomatic.
“I love Old Dawg,” Vannier declared. “Nearly as much as Axel-Zero.”
“Old Dawg is still a good model,” Axel-Zero stated firmly.
“I saw the movements of the new Mechs,” Kang said tactfully. There was no question the two Titan mechs would smash not only Old Dawg but Dead Beat as well given an equal pilot.
“Think of it this way,” Vannier began. “Even if this is the first and last tournament we take Old Dawg to, he deserves at least one. He was lying there neglected for years. We, all of us, built Daedalus and rebuilt Old Dawg. He is our heart, and we love him. Yes, he may be an old design, but he has the mesh underarmour, he has your plating and Mace’s polymers. I will fight with all my heart and mind to win as will Axel-Zero.” Her last words were a heartfelt proclamation.
“I wouldn’t want to face that sort of determination in the arena,” Picard added.
“Old Dawg will give us a good baseline. It will contrast the difference the design is making, otherwise, the results would be skewed. We wouldn’t know how much to attribute to mech structural design or what to attribute to the other innovations including the mesh,” Daedo stated.
Barran laughed and said, “Typical Daedo. By the way, did you get all the sand out?”
“We stripped them down, gave them an electrolytic bath and rebuilt for this tournament,” Daedo said. “We could have just built different models, but I have to go back to first principles for field mechs. Our trip to the Sahara highlighted something for me, and in that, it was a success for that experience alone.”
“What did it highlight?” Lee asked.
“All our competitions are in controlled settings. They are missing an extremely important factor, and that is the environment itself. If we were to build a military force, it would not be identical to the best arena mech we produced. It needs life support, and it needs to work reliably in all possible conditions it will be exposed to. Not only do I need to improve the ingress protection to a much higher level, but the design should be able to flush out foreign objects seamlessly from the outer components.”
“Such as sand?” Barran asked.
“Sand, dirt or any small material, and then liquids, gases; all possible types of foreign objects,” Daedo said. “The design needs to not only be a war machine but environmental protection for itself and the pilot.”
“Fortescue could learn a lot from you, Son,” Ikaros said frankly. He was referring to robot design.
The squad broke out in hysterical laughter.
“What did I say?” Ikaros said genuinely. The squad members of Daedalus did not bother the adults with academy business.
Through tears brought from excessive laughter, Vannier stated, “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
“The teams are set, is everyone happy?” Axel-Zero said.
“I’m not!” Jeram said through the comm system as he piloted the carrier, “I’m just the pilot. It’s torture watching you guys be heroes everywhere we go.”
“Everywhere?” Vannier asked. “What happened at the Eye of Sahara?”
Barran tapped Daedo on the shoulder, “My partner would have made you proud Vannier. We were invaded by a thousand blood-thirsty tribesman, and he fought them off with words alone. By the time he was finished, he had a peace treaty and all their kids in cyberschool.”
“That’s not exactly what happened,” Daedo corrected.
“Correct,” Picard added. “There were a lot of adults lining up to attend cyberschool as well.”
“Bah,” Daedo said as everyone laughed. “Jeram how long?” He asked.
“Three hours Sir Lawrence,” Jeram replied with tongue in cheek.
The trip continued with banter back and forth between the cadets. One moment they would be discussing an intricate engineered design, or a risky yet lucrative business venture and the next they would be teasing one another. Cisse was quiet most of the time. She enjoyed relaxing and listening to the young adults. Even though they were mostly thirteen, she couldn’t think of them as children. It was impossible. Practically, once they passed prep, they were young adults as far as the education system was concerned, and as soon as they passed into the Upper Academy, they would be technically treated as adults.
“Who is taking the first match in team Hyperion?” Vannier asked Barran and Daedo. Each Mech entry was working out their own pilot schedule.
“Barran will take the first five matches,” Daedo said.
“Really?” Mace asked sounding concerned. “What if he doesn’t make it through?”
“I’m right here,” Barran said.
“He will,” Daedo said, and his faith in Barran brought a smile to the taller cadet's face. The way Daedo spoke made it sound like a calculated certainty.
“And you will take over in the tournament proper?” Mace asked, but before Daedo could answer, she added. “There is a reason you always win the Gauntlet, Daedo. It’s not just about pilot skill. Your tactical ability enhances your skill beyond that of not only every cadet in M1, but every cadet in M3 as well.”
“And that is why I will take over in the main tournament,” Daedo stated. “Barran will win through, I have no doubt, and our first opponent will
study the qualifying vids and data very closely.”
“Oh, that’s evil,” Barran said. “I love it. Is there any way we can place a bet on ourselves? I just got access to some extra investment funds.”
“If my father agrees he can place it for you. As long as there is nothing illegal in doing so,” Daedo replied.
“Ikaros. The best mechanic in the whole wide world! Can you place a bet for me?” Barran called through the comms all too loudly with lavish praise.
“I don’t like betting. But if it’s your discretional creds I can place a small bet for you,” Ikaros said.
“Fifty-kay,” Barran said beaming. “Ten on outright win and forty on making the second round of the main tournament.”
“50,000 bitcreds?” Ikaros asked flabbergasted. “Where did you get 50,000 ? And that’s insane! No!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll ask my fund manager to place the bet for me,” Barran said enthusiastically.
“Wait,” Daedo said equally enthusiastically. “This is probably the best chance we have of receiving long odds due to being an unknown. We will do very well; I know we will. All I need to do is to run some statistics with Myrmidon on the odds and our calculated results. We can determine which odds are high compared to low-risk outcomes and place bets accordingly,” Daedo said.
“Yes! Finally! You see the light,” Barran was ecstatic.
“Axel-Zero, can you run a budget on what funds you deem prudent for this sort of short-term investment? What do we have available?” Daedo asked.
“I won’t tell Mum, don’t worry,” Jeram added from the cockpit.
“The maximum would be a-hundred-kay bitcreds,” Axel-Zero said. “But do we, as a group, agree with this type of activity?”
“It’s statistical math Axel-Zero, it's not unlike any other calculated investment,” Daedo said unemotionally.
Barran was quiet, knowing his enthusiastic support would only hurt Daedo’s case. He sat still waiting for a reply from the rest of Daedalus expectantly.
“If Daedo thinks he can work it statistically I have no concerns,” Vannier said evenly. “Can we do it conservatively? With creds we can afford to lose in case factors unknown to us come into play.”
