House Rank: 1, Squad Zero
M1 Rank: Unknown
Term 1, Round 1
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The first section was for exoskeletal hydraulic power armour, known simply as ‘exos.’
There were literally thousands, which made sense when there were over seven hundred cadets in Thoth M1 to M3. The exos appeared in four main shapes and sizes, although none were larger than two metres, as most were for young cadets.
Master Nader gathered the 255 cadets from M1 Thoth. “M1 cadets, whether attending classes or conducting physical training or general activities around the academy, you will wear your bodysuit at all times. During gunnery, you may don an exo over your bodysuit. And during the Gauntlet and arena combat from M1 to M3, you will be using an exo. You will not be permitted to use a six-metre mech until U1.”
There were quite a few groans from disappointed cadets who wanted to jump right into mechs.
“The standard exos will be provided from here.” She swept out her arm to indicate the thousands of exos lined up on racks. “They fit into four specific categories: mesh, light, medium, and heavy. You will be free to choose a standard exo from any category. There are no restrictions when it comes to squad arena combat other than the inter-academy rules regarding exos. Familiarise yourself with those rules.”
She made the last sentence sound like a dire warning.
“Once you have selected your chosen exo for competitions, you will need to book it out in your name. You can only have one exo booked at a time. This is the only exo that you can tune, tweak, and adjust. If you choose to change categories, you must revert it back to its original state before returning. Failure to do so will result in demerits which affect your ranking and course grade.
“When you modify your exo, it still must adhere to the academy competition specifications. You can find these specifications in the documentation provided in the academy guidelines. These are the same specifications that are used for inter-academy competitions all the way up to Tier One. If there is a change to the overall inter-academy rules, you may need to adjust your exo so that it meets current specification criteria.
“What we have on racks here are over a thousand exos, but there are more beneath. You merely pick your exo up using the library, log it out, and log it back in. When you figure out what you want to use on a more permanent basis, there is a single storage unit in your living space where you can stow your checked exo.
“What this means is that if an exo is modified, it cannot be returned here; it must be stored in your apartment. If you return it here, it must be reverted back to its original state.
“Although the exos are only for M1 to M3, as U1 to U3 progress to six-metre mechs, we need enough to outfit the three-year levels, at any one time, for competition purposes. You will only ever be able to store one exo in your room, which – if you are competent in math – is the same number you are permitted to have booked in your name.
“If you have any questions, submit them on the house form, and the answer will be sent to all,” Master Nader said, finishing her lecture. She waited for a quick salute before striding off.
The cadets watched her depart. She was both enigmatic and frightening in the way she talked, stood, and even walked. The fact that her face and her real voice were hidden added to her mystique. It was likely that most of the other cadets had no idea whether she was male or female.
Squad Zero collected together in a huddle.
“We have free time now?” Barran asked.
“Yes, I would think so,” Gaumont said. “The only assignment we have is the report on our squadmates’ strengths and weaknesses, and our next item in the calendar is our first class tomorrow.”
A few of the others nodded.
“So, are we allowed to power up an exo and take it for a spin in an arena in our free time?” Barran asked excitedly.
Daedo accessed the controls and reported back to the group, “They are locked until we have completed orientation. Probably in piloting and gunnery class.”
“Damn,” Barran said.
“I’m going back,” Daedo said. “I need to write the report and get a start on Picard’s AI.” He headed back to their quarters. Picard and most of the others followed.
Daedo began to discuss the AI with Picard while the others listened. “There are different ways your AI will learn. It can watch you, or you feed it information directly. You could also send it out to grab information from the public net, but that’s not advisable.”
Despite this advice to Picard, Daedo allowed Myrmidon to access the public net, but only when it was after additional information on a subject because its knowledge was inadequate. Daedo put no restrictions on it.
“You can play games with it or against it,” he added. “And you can code it directly. The core that I write will be lean. Other than the safety measures, it will contain only one directive: to learn from you. This will allow it to operate efficiently and autonomously. Which of the above methods will you likely utilise the most?”
“Ah, I think it will be watching me,” Picard said. “I will feed it information directly, and I will play games with it.”
Daedo also did not mention it could be educated by another AI because no one should have one to educate her AI with. “What are the main roles you would like your AI to perform?” he asked, as that would dictate how it should be trained.
“Computational, general and mech systems handling, and a gopher,” she said.
All fairly standard, generic answers. Picard did not have enough knowledge to know specific combat roles she wanted her AI to fulfil. And it didn’t matter to the code, Daedo just wanted her to start thinking about the concept, it would help her nurturing.
“All right, I have enough to create the foundation,” he said. “Be prepared to spend all your spare time on it initially; it will know less than an off-the-shelf AI, but it will be leaner and faster.”
The computational speed of an AI was limited by two things: the specifications of the cybernetic implant and its code efficiency. Bloatware could slow down even the fastest processor.
“Shouldn’t you add in general knowledge regarding the academy rules or math and physics into its core?” Mace asked. She was likely the most proficient coder in the group aside from Daedo.
“No, they will go into primary memory,” he said. “The cache must be clear for the current processes only. I will also code all secondary data to be stored in the cloud and not in the primary storage onboard the implant.”
“That sounds amazing. I didn’t know it could be done that way,” she said.
“Axel has storage capability as a prototype add-on in their bodysuit. I’m keen to use this as tertiary space for the AI to utilize.”
Axel-Zero nodded and said, “It’s a pity we didn’t meet earlier. If you’re after extra storage, you could always purchase another implant or volunteer yourself as an R and D subject for a study into using your brain as storage.”
Daedo shook his head. “I already ruled that out; I didn’t have the bitcred at the time, but purchasing another implant is an option.”
“When did you get your military-grade implant?” Axel-Zero asked.
“When I was nine, before my first attempt to pass the entrance tests,” he said.
“Ah, of course,” she said. Nine was extremely young to take on a military-grade cybernetic implant, but it had been done before.
Daedo sat in the communal area and completed his first assignment, then put the finishing touches on Picard’s AI. Since he already had one prepared, it didn’t take long.
The next day would be packed with five orientation classes for their ten subjects, as several had similar methods of delivery and were combined.
First was math and physics combined orientation. Then came another combined for behavioural, reference, and philosophy. Before they broke for lunch, there was a combined session on tech studies and AI, and after lunch, gunnery and piloting were combined. The last one for the day was physical.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Daedo got as much rest as he could, retiring at 2100. He would rise at 0600 with Gaumont, and they would explore the obstacle course together before breakfast and orientation classes starting at 0800.
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The obstacle course for M1 was supposed to be basic. There was no wall running or falls from heights greater than twenty metres. It consisted of elements of speed, strength, agility, and endurance. There was an agility obstacle and a swinging pendulum array where the runner needed to jump from pendulum to pendulum in order to cross the chasm. There were six pendulums in all with an additional three swinging in a perpendicular direction.
The other obstacles had components of all three. The rings were both strength and agility, there was also climbing up the vertical wall, and a spinning tunnel required speed or agility or both. The course was both amazing and scary. A few cadets had set times yesterday with the best being forty-two minutes.
Axel-Zero, Vannier, and Barran had come as well to train. And although a person had to complete the obstacle course solo, two cadets could run side-by-side without interfering with one another. This system also allowed faster cadets to pass slower ones using the second lane. Due to the sheer number of cadets, this obstacle course was for Thoth only; there would be four more for the other houses, and they were identical, to allow times to be compared across the academy.
Squad Zero arrived early. It was a Sunday, and the control panel allowed one entry for the day. In the future, they would have to book a session and follow that schedule for the entire term. If all 255 cadets showed up at the obstacle course at 0615, it would be clogged for half the day.
There were other physical outlets if the obstacle course did become overcrowded. There was the Thoth gym, large enough for three hundred cadets, which serviced all M year levels. There was a track that toured the Thoth section of the underground facility. A cadet could also go topside for some sun and run through the parks. And then there were the hand-to-hand combat arenas attached to the gym, where a cadet could battle using AR pistols, swords, and other melee weapons.
“There’s no one here, and I can’t book it,” Daedo said after Barran, Gaumont, Vannier, and Axel-Zero arrived. They looked at him, wondering why he didn’t say so earlier.
“We probably have to come early to ensure free usage,” Gaumont said. If the course wasn’t booked and had the capacity, it allowed free use. But looking around, the group noticed they were the only ones there.
“We can look at the bookings again after orientation,” Barran suggested. “I’m surprised there aren’t more here now; I thought 0700 would be primetime.”
“They’re probably at the gunnery range or the exo AR arena playing around,” Axel-Zero said. “We are in Thoth, after all. This is the obstacle course. I bet Shu’s has a hundred cadets lining up now.”
“We should think about arranging friendlies in the arena with squads ranked ten or lower,” Vannier said, wondering how the term should occur. She knew from older cadets that they would get one arena slot and they could trade combined use with other squads to practise against one another.
“That’s a great idea,” Barran said. “Damn, someone’s coming. We should start.”
The door read the cadets’ identifiers as they filed in, registering them for a circuit attempt.
Daedo had trained for a month before the entrance exam, running eight to ten kilometres daily. After he passed the physical, he had stopped his daily runs and strength exercises. He realised now that was a mistake.
The course was punishing. Climbing a sheer wall was time-consuming and jumping over from one moving tile to another was difficult when out of breath. The slackwire required balance that he didn’t have. He had to attempt it four times. And there was a lot of running up and down to keep him out of breath. Even swinging on the rings made his arms ache, and it wasn’t long before Barran passed him. Although he’d started a full three minutes behind Daedo, he had passed him within the first ten minutes.
Then Vannier and Axel-Zero passed him, and finally, despite starting a whopping twelve minutes behind, Gaumont passed him just after the zig-zag run through the pretend ruins.
Daedo’s lungs were burning, and every muscle in his body ached. There were aches in places that he didn’t even know had muscles before this morning. Myrmidon was little help; all he could do was tell Daedo the best time to jump on the pendulums and report on his bodysuit’s internal health sensors.
The worst part was the last incline. It was fairly steep, at least forty degrees, but it also spiralled, which it made impossible to carry momentum from the flat section before the start. Daedo fell to his knees four times before finally cresting the top, and he walked what was supposed to be a sprint finish.
His time was over seventy-six minutes. It had taken him so long, he barely had enough time to shower and have breakfast before the first class started. Fortunately, the travelators were running today, and he hightailed it back to their living quarters. He was surprised to see that everyone, except Barran, had waited for him. Daedo didn’t blame him. Barran now had the record of thirty-nine minutes and forty-one seconds. He was the fastest in Thoth by almost ten per cent and was second overall on the M1 rank board.
There were a few times slower than Daedo, but with times of ninety minutes, perhaps those cadets had just been fooling around.
Time flew by, and 0800 was fast approaching as Daedo and his squadmates hustled to their first lecture. The orientation lectures all took place in the M1 auditorium, which was large enough to accommodate cadets from all the houses – all 1,275.
There were stools and a bar for the cadets to lean on, and some cadets took notes. However, notes and audio capture of the orientation were provided. The head teacher for each subject was simply known as ‘Chief.’
Each chief had thousands of cadets, and there were only thirty of them in the entire academy. The chiefs for M1 to M3 carried them through the same ten subjects which would only change, to become more specialised, in U1 to U3. In the middle academy, there were ten chiefs, and the upper academy had twenty, signifying the increase in subject choice and variety.
Most of the work the academic chiefs completed was in preparation, primarily creating the curricula and programming their robot aides. Once the interactive tutes – usually in VR – were made, the cadets could learn at their own pace. The chief would either code an aide or create a specialised AI to discourse with the cadet. There was other media the chiefs used to convey the subject material, such as vids, audio streams, and even reading material.
The respective chief merely had to keep on top of the content and check any anomalies with the grading from the robots. This was true for math, physics and reference, as well as the theory parts of tech studies, AI nurturing, and philosophy.
The practical or other components that needed in-person interaction were scheduled and completed in groups with one, two, or three forty-five minute sessions per week.
Physical, gunnery and piloting were entirely interactive, with the chief or a robot aide present for each class. They each had two classes per week, and as with all interactive classes, the length of a double was ninety minutes.
The cadets were going to work extremely hard. With ten subjects, they would be spending anywhere from sixty to eighty hours per week studying to achieve first-rate results.
The orientation for math and physics informed the cadets on how the information would be delivered and how they were to progress through the modules. There would be ongoing testing and challenges, but overall, no final test. It would be impossible to cheat because the chief would know who was completing the challenges and tests.
The math chief would set five problems for the term meant to challenge the top cadets, while the physics chief had one practical project for the term. The project was to be of the cadets’ choosing; it just had to match the term’s curricula in some way.
Gaumont leaned in to whisper to Daedo. “So we could theoretically complete all the work for the ten-week term and then put math and physics aside to focus on other subjects.”
“That might be the point of this method,” Daedo whispered back. “It’s not only teaching us these subjects but also time management and prioritisation.”
“What are you going to do?” Gaumont asked.
“Just as you said, I have bigger problems than math and physics,” Daedo said. “I’ll probably spend more time on my weaker subjects.”
Gaumont smiled. If Daedo skimmed through math and physics, he wouldn’t get the top grades. Gaumont wanted Daedo to succeed, just not beat him.
The room was full of all M1 cadets. Daedo looked around, but no one really stood out. There were just twelve hundred kids sitting in their bodysuits listening attentively or using a screen. Daedo had his helmet on his back. It could be useful in the downtime to get some work done. Or he could just talk to his squadmates … which, after the dry lecture, seemed more appealing. Even his brain needed to rest. During the whole lecture, he was thinking up study strategies.
“What’s the best way to approach these two subjects? Think as a team, not as an individual,” Vannier opined.
“You want to work through these classes as a team?” Barran asked.
“It was made clear that strategy is open to us,” she said. “And helping each other is not forbidden, only cheating is. Even Master Nader encouraged Daedo to help his squadmates.”
“And we’re competing against everyone, especially Horus,” Mace said. ”They have Karine Fortescue and the Paget sisters.”
“But in the end, who are we really competing against?” Daedo asked seriously.
Gaumont frowned. “What do you mean? There’s an intra-house ranking, a year ranking, and competitions. In order to do well in the competition, surely you have to excel at piloting, gunnery, strategy, and engineering.”
“And then, who does Fortescue compete against?” Daedo asked.
“The other academies,” Mace said. “In the end, cadets like Karine Fortescue will be your squadmate against KAIST or Templars. If you make the Fortescue team.”
“And then after you’ve graduated?” Daedo asked.
“Other companies?” Barran answered, seeming unsure himself.
Daedo shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we excel, whether it’s alone or as a team.”
Vannier stared at him. Daedo had a way of thinking that was both strange and amazing. She had merely thought of pooling their resources – not because of possibly competing against each other, but to worry about M1 and competing against the other houses. But Daedo had thought ahead ten steps. Vannier wondered if this was what Master Nader meant when she talked about thinking things through.
“What do you think we should do?” Axel-Zero asked Daedo. Mace and Barran nodded their agreement with the question.
Daedo shrugged. “Do your best and help each other if needed. It would be the most efficient way. I can see where some guidance with tech studies and AI nurturing will assist, but the others are self-taught from the learning assets. You either complete it, or you struggle at a particular point. And if you struggle, you seek assistance.”
“That’s simple,” Barran said. “I expected some master strategy coming from Daedalus.”
“Efficiency is usually simple,” Daedo answered. “Speaking of help, I have constructed a training regime to assist me in improving fourteen aspects of physical training in order to complete the obstacle course faster. Would you review it, Barran?”
Vannier peered at him. “Barran is probably not the best choice. He’s too naturally talented. You’ll want Picard to review it.”
Barran looked offended for a moment until he realised he didn’t want to review the document anyway.
Daedo thought about what she said, then read the content again and realized she was correct. Picard had worked hard to get where she was, while Barran had it handed to him. Picard would have a keen understanding of using training methods as a means of improvement, where Barran would be a good guide for strategies in overcoming the obstacles themselves while completing the course.
Picard, who was the proud owner of Daedo’s bespoke AI, nodded and gave a rare smile.
“Sent,” Daedo said.
The next lecture was starting.