Daedalus

by Skully

  From the home gate, there were three bases which formed a diamond pattern when the home gate was included. A cadet had to capture one, two or three bases before returning home. They were scored on time, number of bases captured and the number of enemies taken down. If you lost your life in the process, there was a hefty penalty of a hundred points. Which meant that three cadets had already achieved negative scores.

  Daedo’s strategy had the team leaving out the third base which was surrounded by the most enemies. They captured two, took down seven groups and headed home as fast as possible.

  Barran was certain their opponents would copy this strategy as soon as they saw how effective it was. They each had four cadets still to compete where Fortescue had all eight runs in the middle of the day, in one large group. The disadvantage of going first was somewhat alleviated by the four cadets going last.

  The last enemy closed on Barran, and as it predictably blasted off its plating, he brought his shield around on reflex and let it take the brunt. The one-handed railgun and shield combination was perfect for this scenario.

  Barran left the goo on the shield. It wasn’t hampering him, and the shrapnel did damage the shield but not beyond usefulness.

  The next group he barged, the second of the mechanoids with the shield, while firing at the other three, downing them with one shot each. It ended up sticking to its own goo and blasted uselessly into the shield. Other than the fact it destroyed the shield’s usefulness in doing so.

  Barran happily stomped the last mechanoid, crushing it underneath the shield.

  He was trying to take them down as quickly as possible and moving as quickly as possible. The only way he would beat Daedo was with a better time. They would take down the same number of enemies and capture the same number of bases. What Barran could bring was speed, brutality and style to his run.

  He smiled as he kicked one mechanoid from the air while blasting a second. Daedo didn’t use the shield because he had that damn grappler, but Barran didn’t feel confident with it compared to the shield which he used in nearly every arena.

  If he beat Daedo’s time, then there was no way he would be letting the team down. There was nothing he could do about the cadets who came after in the afternoon runs.

  A small twinge of an idea attacked Barran as he captured the second base. He could attempt the third, or at least siphon off one mechanoid to increase his score. His AI, Jenkins, informed him he was ahead on time by thirteen seconds.

  Barran shook his head. It was too risky. They needed every point after the upper academy performed dismally. He didn’t want any of the blame for a loss coming to haunt him.

  And even if their opponents copied their strategy, they didn’t have this exo. He put on all the speed possible and headed for the home gate.

  Barran smiled. He was enjoying the fact he was in M1 and competing in the first inter-Academy. Even in his wildest dreams, he hadn’t thought this was a possibility before the first term.

  But with Daedo and Daedalus, all things were possible.

  Chapter 34

  Attendance at Fortescue Military Academy M1 Y:2142

  Inter-Academy Round 1 Fortescue Points: 95 Rank: 8

  Tier 3 Daedo M-Rank: 155

  Term: 3, Round: 1

  Daedalus Financial Position +2,550,000 bitcreds

  ◆◆◆

  Fortescue Round One Inter-Academy League Tier Three Report:

  The first round was at home for the Fortescue team. They lined up against Seoul MA and Humboldt MA earning 53 points against Humboldt, edging them out as overall winners by six points.

  Seoul was another matter. Despite the performances of the middle academy, Gauntlet and Arena teams, Seoul MA came away handy winners due to the dominance of their upper Academy team and overall competence with equipment quality and pilot skill.

  Seoul MA came out on top 57 to Fortescue’s 43.

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  Fortescue MA versus Humboldt MA

  Round, R1

  Middle Arena, 32 (out of a possible 32)

  Upper Arena, 9 (out of a possible 52, Loss and opponent had five mechs standing)

  M Gauntlet, 8 (out of a possible 8)

  U Gauntlet, 4 (out of a possible 8)

  Fortescue Points, 53

  *A wipe or maximum points is a total of one hundred. Total points when adding the two teams scores together is always one hundred, so when Fortescue achieved 53, Humboldt earned 47.

  Fortescue MA versus Seoul MA

  Round, R1

  Middle Arena, 28

  Upper Arena, 6

  M Gauntlet, 6

  U Gauntlet, 2

  Fortescue Points, 42

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  Tier Three Table After Round One (comprising of two matches each)

  <>

  Tehran Mech, 140

  Seoul MA, 126

  Templars MA, 120

  Tsinghua MA, 119

  KAIST, 116

  Heidelberg MA, 105

  Lockhead Martin MA, 104

  Fortescue MA, 95

  Humboldt MA, 79

  Mumbai MA, 77

  ETH Zurich, 64

  Udon Thani MA, 55

  The level of competition faced, will affect standings in early rounds. KAIST and Templars faced each other affecting their overall scores, and they are the two most fancied teams by experts whereas, Tehran Mech, who is also a strong competitor, faced two of the least feared teams in Heidelberg MA and Udon Thani.

  Humboldt MA came out of the Fortescue Home round well under their ambitions, being trounced by Seoul and beaten by Fortescue, who they must have expected to overcome. They are well under the magic .500 average. Which places them amongst the lower ranked teams.

  Udon Thani is setting the bar at .275. Anyone under .300 should fear almost certain relegation. History has proven how difficult it is to come back from the regional Tiers when relegated from Tier 3.

  ◆◆◆

  Daedo’s Gauntlet team only dropped two points after the rounds were finished, both due to exceptional Seoul pilots.

  “Daedo,” Vannier said apologetically, “Krecke is asking that you front the post-match interview.”

  “Why is she asking you?” Daedo asked.

  “Strategy,” Vannier shrugged. “She knows I can explain the importance where you would probably reject her out of hand.”

  “We could send Romulus,” Axel-Zero opined. “He’d love to pretend to be captain.”

  “We should take all these opportunities to push the Daedalus brand,” Barran said.

  “He’s right,” Vannier said. “It’s only tier three, but millions watch these streams.”

  “How am I supposed to do that?” Daedo asked.

  “Wear our bodysuit for a start,” Barran said.

  “Just wait for an opportunity that talks about the equipment and mention it was developed by Daedalus, a cadet owned company,” Axel-Zero stated.

  “Okay,” Daedo said. He had always dodged media when he competed in CyberMech for many reasons but mainly because it was out of his comfort zone and skill set. He contemplated handing off these duties to Vannier, but he knew she wouldn’t be asking him to do it if she didn’t think it was the best strategy.

  Aside from that, it was him and Barran that got them into this position. In his mind, he couldn’t punish her for something they had instigated.

  “I want Vannier and Barran with me,” Daedo said. “If I get stumped, you can jump in rather than feed me a line through our AI assisted comms.”

  Barran nodded and grinned. With a tilt of her head, Vannier made a sound that indicated ‘alright.’

  It only took a few minutes for the trio to change into their Daedalus bodysuits. Fortunately, it was not a misdemeanour. Vannier checked quickly before they did so.

  Spectator Cadets were free to wear whatever they wished on the weekend, while many still wore Academy colours, as did all supporters. These colours were different to their house colours with the black and silver of Fortescue Academy. />
  Now that the official matches were over, the competitors were now free to wear whatever they pleased.

  The media room possessed a multitude of technologies catering to all sorts of events including free moving VR, structures supporting AR casting and the room was fully programmable.

  There were several media representatives present, ranging from cadets to adults. Daedo didn’t know nor care if they were professional or started a streaming channel this term.

  Myrmidon: We are going to be on the streams. Are you sure about this?

  Daedo: I guess we all have to do things we don’t like to achieve our goals. Adults are always going on about it.

  Myrmidon: I find it strange that humans are influenced by streams, media and words. It is highly unreliable data. They should purchase products based on analysis.

  Daedo: No one can be an expert in everything, although it’s a good idea to take expert advice. The hard part is knowing whether they are trustworthy or knowledgeable which is a skill in itself.

  Myrmidon: It is like how you listen to Vannier regarding people interaction, and she does what you say with strategy and design. We could have our own streaming channel on strategy analysis!

  Daedo: That is not even remotely funny.

  “Ready?” Vannier asked. She indicated a seat behind a newly programmed three-person bench. Vannier and Barran flanked Daedo who sat staring at the gaggle of streamers, several present with a few on the net represented by their AR avatars.

  One streamer just began asking a question and there was no moderator which surprised Daedo.

  “Jan from T3 N-Fo,” he began, “Fortescue’s performance today was well above expectations. Congratulations! However, we noticed that all your mechs were new, never seen before, and these let you down. Will you be reverting back to the original mechs, and if not, why?”

  Vannier looked at Daedo, half expecting him to hand it over to her on the first question. It was not straightforward and established a premise which was inaccurate in their minds.

  Daedo answered without flinching, “Why would we revert back to a vastly inferior model? The upper cadets need more time to adjust to this model and it was far better than anything else I saw today.”

  Vannier sighed inwardly.

  “If the mech is superior to the competitions' mechs, then your pilots failed?” The same streamer followed the line of questioning.

  “Failed to win today? Yes! The results are there. We cannot deny them. We need to learn from our mistakes, rectify and improve,” Daedo said emphatically. He was directly answering the questions, honestly and brutally.

  Barran smiled. He knew Vannier would try and be diplomatic, dishing lines that you would hear over and over again on the streams. He sent a message through his AI.

  Barran: Beautiful! You don’t need me here, just keep on delivering like that, Daedo style.

  Barran stood and left. The action made a statement which confused some of the streamers.

  “Do you disagree?” one asked.

  “On the contrary, I am not needed here. Daedo can answer all your questions,” Barran answered, smiling.

  Another streamer turned their attention back to Daedo and Vannier, “What steps will you take to improve, as you said?”

  “Some of that information is for us to work through internally, but I can tell you we will be working hard to improve for the next round. You will see better teamwork, strategies and manoeuvres.”

  The streamers were quiet for a moment. Some were cadets, other hobbyists, and if they were from Fortescue, they would know Daedo and most did not.

  “It’s unheard of for an M1 cadet to be team captain, but listening to you now, I can catch a glimpse of some of the reasons why. Is it true you are Daedalus as well?” Another streamer asked.

  “I had the account name Daedalus in CyberMech. It is now the name of our company,” Daedo answered flatly.

  “To my knowledge, CyberMech players stick to CyberMech and when given a real Mech to pilot they cannot transpose the skills. How do you rate your Mech piloting skills?”

  “Needs improvement. That is why you see me in an exo and not in a mech. It’s true CyberMech in no way prepares for you the real thing. Everything must be learned from scratch, like everyone else. It doesn’t mean a CyberMech player cannot pilot a Mech. They are starting from the same position as everyone. There is talent, IQ, coordination and other physical attributes. A CyberMech player would have to forget everything they learned in the game except the foundations of strategy and tactics. A CyberMech player who nurtures an AI would probably have the only advantage to another beginner pilot. In summary, coming from CyberMech is neither an advantage or disadvantage.”

  “Interesting, most people think it would be an advantage and experts agree it’s a disadvantage. It is interesting that you think it’s neither. The next question is in regards to your age and maturity. Should the supporters of Fortescue be concerned you are so young and inexperienced?”

  “I still have a lot to learn. Every day, I learn from my mistakes and improve my tactics, skills and knowledge. Right now, it is Term Three of my first year at the Academy so it’s safe to say I am a beginner in many respects. I do, however, have a great team who support me with many and varied experiences and skill sets. To think it all rests on my shoulders is an incorrect evaluation.”

  Vannier made a throaty sound indicating she would add to what Daedo had just said. “Daedo may be in his first year. He may still have much to learn. But he is still the smartest cadet in the Academy. All the equipment used today was provided by his company Daedalus.”

  Another streamer spoke up, “I see you are both wearing Daedalus branded bodysuits. Are those produced by Daedalus as well? Or is it advertising for your company?”

  “These are top of the range Axel bodysuits,” Daedo answered. “Only members of the Daedalus company are wearing this name on their bodysuit.”

  “Who owns Daedalus? Is it just you?”

  “No, there are nine shareholders altogether. All of Thoth Squad Zero in M1 at Fortescue and a couple of experts in mechanics and power systems.”

  “So your House squad are all shareholders? Interesting! All the M1 cadets who participated in the Middle Academy Gauntlet today are from this squad?” asked an older streamer.

  “Yes, there were three cadets from M3 and five from Daedalus,” Daedo answered.

  “Impressive. You took fourteen of the total sixteen points available. I have so many more questions.” The streamer said.

  “Two more questions,” Daedo stated. He just realised he didn’t have to sit here forever, so took the opportunity to end the interview whilst allowing it to not end abruptly.

  The streamers were suddenly quiet. Thinking hard for two more questions, they even whispered to one another. Before they could ask a question, a VR representative spoke up.

  “Yuli from ALN. I believe we deserve one of the remaining questions as we haven’t yet participated.”

  The other streamers were quiet and bowed their heads differentially. One said she could have the last two questions.

  “Thank you. Daedo, is it true that if Fortescue Military Academy is relegated, your company will forfeit two million bitcreds to the Fortescue Group, and if yes, why did you do this?”

  “Yes,” Daedo answered confidently, at first, but the next part was more difficult. He contemplated a moment as he searched for the reasons; most of which they couldn’t discuss. It was mostly messy Fortescue politics and putting an end to them, “because we will not fail,” he said finally and stood and began to leave.

  “That was only one question,” the journalist from ALN stated, and the others nodded.

  Daedo looked at the VR representation of an older woman, probably in her late twenties or early thirties and contemplated whether he should question her math. It was definitely two questions she asked.

  “I will allow one more,” he said seriously, “but, in future, when I say two, I mean two!”

 
Some of the streamers scoffed at his statement.

  “Okay! Last question,” the ALN representative said politely. “If you were approached by any of the Tier One academies, and assuming everything was taken care of financially, would you consider joining them?” She was careful to word the question in such a way it was considered as one and not two. For all she knew he had already been approached. In such a short time this cadet, had made a name for himself, even if it was just a lower ranked tier three academy. It was impressive.

  “No, we have made a deal, and we will see it through. Even if the amount and contract were covered it is not something my squad or I would do,” he said and began to walk out.

  “What about next year,” one streamer called out.

  “That was the last question,” Vannier said smiling and left shortly after Daedo. She caught up to him quickly in the corridor.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” she stated.

  Daedo scoffed. “Nosy, ill-informed and not all that smart. They didn’t even ask about the exos, the amazing structural innovations with the mechs, or even the aurora shields- nothing!”

  “Tell them next time. You see it all the time from the top managers and captains. They tell the streamers what they should be asking and then answer that. They don’t always answer the question asked.” Vannier said.

  “Send me a couple of good examples to view please,” Daedo asked politely.

  “I don’t know why you sound upset. You were amazing. They will eat that up. You were strong and sure of yourself, that was the real message!” Vannier said, praising Daedo.

  Barran joined in, laughing and rubbing Daedo’s head. “Don’t get a big head though.”

  Daedo grumpily shook off Barran’s hand. His hair was so short that it was impossible for Barran to mess it up, but he still found it annoying, rather than playful.

  The rest of the squad were waiting in the common area of their quarters. Usually, they would all be at the workshop on a weekend, but with inter-Academy matches every second weekend it put a crimp in their usual schedule. Almost the entire Saturday was a write-off when preparation and debriefing were taken into account.