House: Thoth, Rank: 1/255, Squad Zero
M1 Rank: ?/1,275
Term 1, Round 1
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As he walked to Chief Albert’s office, Daedo reviewed his time at the Fortescue Academy thus far.
He had not set a Gauntlet time or score, preferring to explore the scenario further. He had gathered key intel regarding travel paths of the guards and how they reacted when an alert was sounded. It was much more complex than a simple game; the guards were not scripted, as they had their own unique code with the capability of independent calculations and decisions. They would not necessarily do the same action twice given the same scenario. It was an excellent system which mimicked reality as best it could. There were still eight sessions in which to set a time before that particular layout reset at the end of the two-week round.
During their two exo combat practice sessions, Daedo used a launcher and carried various other off-the-shelf traps. He would not use a swordlance again until his exo modifications were made. A melee weapon was at a significant disadvantage while the movement was sluggish and top speeds were slow.
For the rest of the week, he would set himself drills and practise with all the available traps in different combat scenarios. Baiting, escaping, destabilising, and restricting or controlling enemy movement. Each trap was different, and he was working out the limitations and possible improvements that could be made. It would take significant practice to lay a static laser line down at the right moment to damage or control an enemy, as they were easily detected and avoided if used poorly.
He would begin to work with Vannier and Picard on forcing and keeping opponents in their line of sight. Where other cadets were concerned with their kill-to-death ratio, he was concerned with development.
Daedo had not been topside since entering Fortescue Academy. The area was lit, so there was no need to use sensors from his helmet to find his way around, but he did use the HUD with the map overlay in order to arrive on time.
Daedo entered the building Chief Albert had indicated. It was an ancient edifice with tapestries, bookshelves with old school books, carpets, and wooden furniture. He was not one to care about such things, but even Daedo could appreciate the atmosphere.
“Cadet,” Chief Albert called as he came in from a side room.
“Sir.” Daedo saluted as they had been instructed.
“At ease, Cadet,” Chief Albert commanded. “Follow me into my study.”
They walked past an ancient library and into a contemporary office similar to Master Nader’s. Modern tiles and a programmable grid were a stark contrast to the ancient library until the door slid shut and turned opaque.
“Please sit,” Chief Albert ordered as a stool popped up for Daedo. The chief continued to stand and pace. The wall lit up with Daedo’s math solution, and the chief addressed it directly.
“This problem has only ever been solved once before by a cadet. It took him nine weeks, and with a few errors, mind you. So you could say they deduced the method but did not calculate the solution with one hundred per cent accuracy. And the reasons are evident; they did not use vector shapes, whereas you did. Therefore, they did not reverse engineer to the same accuracy as your equation enabled. This is my summary, and it is impressive. I have a few questions for you, Cadet.”
The chief’s tone of voice shifted, foreshadowing what was to come.
“Did you cheat? Wait – before you answer, know this: Cheating is not a bad thing, and you will not be punished for cheating. If you were in a battle against an enemy and cheated to win the battle that helped our planet, then why would we discourage cheating? What is cheating anyway? So really, my question to you is: Did you solve this problem using conventional means, or did you adeptly outsource the method and calculations?”
“No, I did not cheat, but I did use shortcuts,” Daedo said.
The chief waved his hand, dismissing Daedo’s last words. “Shortcuts are commendable, young cadet. All the best mathematicians use shortcuts. Look at the abacus, for example – a tool that is essentially a shortcut method. Now, can you describe to me how you solved this problem?”
Daedo went through the process, only downplaying Myrmidon’s assistance by stating he had written or altered existing code to do some of the time-consuming calculations.
When he finished, the chief said, “I must say, I am impressed. Even your profiling, which indicated high competency, was not able to capture your potential correctly. Would you like extra problems to work on? Ones that would make a real difference … not just tests.”
“No, sir,” Daedo answered succinctly, and the chief’s face sank.
“What do you mean? You will be helping us prepare for the upcoming war,” the chief said.
Daedo frowned. “What upcoming war?”
The chief shifted nervously about for a moment before nonchalantly saying, “I mean the potential alien threat. We must prepare as if war is coming.”
“Sir, I have so much to do right now. I cannot take on further work until I complete the exo upgrades we have planned,” Daedo said.
The chief looked thoughtful. “Maybe it is for the best. This problem was difficult. It was given first so we could find ones such as you early.” He paused in contemplation before mumbling, “Perhaps I will rearrange the next four problems …” It was not a question.
“Sir, are you proposing to add expert problems as our general coursework, so that I will attempt it?” Daedo asked.
The chief looked abashed, then smiled and nodded. “Yes.”
Daedo was worried. He had inadvertently caused the entire M1 class to receive problems that were probably impossible. But then he immediately stopped worrying. It was not his issue what the chief did, and the performance of other cadets was not his concern except when it came to his squad. He would just advise them to do well on the coursework and ignore the problems. That would be enough and would save them time.
“I see you’re concerned,” the chief said. “I will send the problems through now so that you have almost the entire ten weeks to work on them. You are dismissed, Cadet. You have much work to do.”
Daedo walked slowly back to the travelator that would carry him to the M1 underground complex. He replayed the conversation in his mind. Between Chief Albert and Master Nader, there was more going on than the adults were letting on. They knew something that was not public knowledge regarding an alien threat. It was obvious; they didn’t even try that hard to hide it. Perhaps it was common knowledge in their circles.
He wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery more than he cared about solving incredibly difficult mathematical conundrums.
Daedo arrived back at the squad quarters where Vannier and Axel-Zero greeted him.
“We were just about to go for physical training. Do you want to come?” Vannier asked.
Daedo looked at the two girls. He wasn’t tired, and his last few sessions before bed were flexible. But he said, “I’ve already done my two for today.”
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Axel-Zero looked disappointed. “When did you go?”
Daedo flipped out a holopad from his forearm projector and pulled up his schedule. He had physical training down for 0645 and 1630 daily.
Vannier and Axel-Zero looked at it closely. “Hang on,” Axel-Zero said, “you have the whole day broken into forty-five-minute sessions and have the entire week planned?”
“I’m not surprised,” Vannier opined and made ready to leave.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Axel-Zero said. She was holding onto his hand, which was in front of his projector.
“Ah,” he began. And an important memo came through from the Chief of Math, Albert.
Cadets,
The four math problems from weeks two through to eight have been brought forward and released. These problems are significantly more difficult than the first. Therefore, they have been released early to allow extra time for their solutions to be derived.
Chief Albert,
Math Department
“What!” Gaumont could be heard yelling from his room before his door slid to the side and he came out. “Daedo, did you get this memo?”
“Yes,” Axel-Zero said. She was still holding Daedo’s hand. “Everyone did.” She suddenly realised how long she’d been gripping his fingers and finally let go. Gaumont did not notice, but Vannier and Daedo did.
“Why would he do this?” Gaumont asked. “Wait. Do you think someone solved the first problem?” He looked directly at Daedo.
“Sorry,” Daedo said. “We’re running late for physical training.” He grabbed onto Axel-Zero’s hand and headed for the door. “Don’t have time to discuss this now.”
Axel-Zero blushed and followed him out. The trio made their way to the Thoth physical training gym. There was another benefit to being in Thoth, the math and engineering fortress of the academy: The gym – which was the same size as the other houses for M1 to M3 – was almost empty.
“Was it you?” Vannier asked. “Because your schedule had you down for review time, but you left the arena and went somewhere.”
“I was summoned by Chief Albert,” Daedo said.
“So it was you!” Axel-Zero accused. “Did you solve the problem on the second day? I thought you weren’t going to spend much time on math and physics.”
“Yes, and yes,” he answered.
“Wait.” Vannier stopped and turned to face him. “So you just popped up the problem that I don’t even begin to know how to solve, and you solved it in an hour in your spare time?”
Daedo nodded. “It was difficult, just not time-consuming.”
“So you are the reason we have these problems early?” Axel-Zero asked.
“Yes, but don’t bother with them, just get the core work done,” he said as they began to walk again.
“Why?” Axel-Zero said, her voice taking on a higher pitch.
“Because Chief Albert asked me to take on some harder problems, ones which no one can do, apparently, and I refused, saying I was too busy. So he switched out our scheduled problems for four that he wanted me to look at.”
Vannier stopped again and stared at him, her mouth open. “I don’t even know where to begin. At least I can smash you in the obstacle course, my puny genius.” Then she ran the rest of the way to the gym.
“Who said he’s yours?” retorted Axel-Zero, running after her.
Daedo shrugged and followed the girls. He did not even want to contemplate what they were discussing.
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It was Friday during breakfast that the news of their workshop finally came through. Daedo had sent creds to Axel-Zero’s lawyers in exchange for shares in a new company. This company was named ‘Daedalus.’ Since he was the major shareholder, and he had the rights to the name, all the squad members who were purchasing shares insisted on using it.
Barran had said it was either going to be ‘Daedalus’ or ‘Ranky Turtles.’ It was a threat. Daedo succumbed and told them the origins of the name Daedalus. They all agreed it was perfect.
Only Picard and Gaumont were not shareholders – one by choice and one by circumstance. Even when a token share was offered to Picard, she refused; her pride would not allow such a gift.
“The lawyers have said we need to put in funds for the company so it can pay its bills in proportion to our shares until it can start earning its own funds,” she said. “It doesn’t have a lot of costs, just tax on the land, utilities, and the like. Since we purchased the building, we don’t have to pay rent. But we should find a way for it to make a small about of creds for future costs and upgrades.”
“Why don’t we register my AI foundation code as a product of the company to sell?” Daedo asked.
“We would need a way of selling it,” Axel-Zero said. “It needs to pass through controls and stuff. It’s not something any of us know about.”
“What if we just made money off its patent, like my parents do?” Vannier said. “Someone else does the certification, manufacturing, marketing, and selling. They put their brand on it and pay you royalties. In this case, I doubt an AI needs much manufacturing, but the regulatory controls would need to be navigated by someone with that expertise. The only other solution I can think of is that we hire a specialist to run the business for us. But who could we trust?”
“Trust no one,” Barran said, “and keep your railgun handy.” He laughed and then added, “I like the patent idea. We don’t have the time or patience to mess about with this stuff. And if little genius over here comes up with more ideas, we can continue to register patents until Vannier’s family becomes jealous.” He beamed at Vannier, making her wish she’d never proffered the idea.
She shook her head. “It’s a big world. There’s plenty of room for fifty companies like my parents and there probably already are.”
“I think your family would be ideal to assist with this,” Axel-Zero said to Vannier.
She nodded. “I will do my share and get their experts to help. They specialise in patent law and know who to send it to within Svarski, DaVinci, etcetera.”
Barran clapped. “Problem solved!” He turned to Daedo again. “You did well on the obstacle course today; it’s only been a week – what did you get, fifty-eight something?”
“No, it was fifty-nine minutes and fifty-eight seconds. I really wanted to crack the sixty,” Daedo said.
“And you began the week with seventy-seven?” Barran whistled.
“Yes,” Daedo said.
“I wish I improved that much. I slipped to fourth overall at 36.49. Hey, wait!” Barran exclaimed suddenly. “Did you beat Gaumont’s best time?”
“He did,” Axel-Zero said proudly. She and Vannier had been taking Daedo for a third gym session every evening and working him like an Everlast robot until he dropped. “Gaumont’s best time is still over sixty minutes, so Daedo progresses to stage two of his training.” She looked at Picard.
“Well, if we keep the rabbit chase up, you would be next, Axel-Zero,” Picard said. “You come in fifth at 48.51. That gap is wide, and although Daedo’s first gap was wide, it gets progressively harder to improve as his time comes down.
“We have one week left of this course, which goes until next Friday. It’s closed on the weekends for course changes and repairs. That’s seven more runs. If he can knock off slightly more than a minute per run, he could get under fifty minutes which gets him almost down into our territory. Most Squad Zero cadets run the course in under forty-one minutes, but we are Thoth, after all.”
“I don’t want to hear ‘We are Thoth’ excuses,” Daedo said. Not much got him angry, but that sort of talk did.
Picard held up a hand. “Agreed. I was just thinking about your ranking within Thoth. The course will be weighted much lower than math and the like. Not that I care, I’m with you. Hell, I don’t even know why I am in Thoth!”
“Because you’re smart, Picard,” Daedo said. He knew all his squadmates had strengths and weaknesses. Only Barran did not excel in math and physics compared to the other cadets, and they all knew he was in Thoth because of his sister. All of Squad Zero excelled across multiple disciplines, with some being exceptional in only one or two.
Barran excelled physically, and he coped with stress very well. His attitude seemed carefree, but it was a strength, not a weakness. He did not worry, and he showed little fear, other than when assessing calculus equations for three-dimensional vector shifts.
Vannier was superb in all disciplines. She was rank two in Thoth, and she seemed wiser and more mature than the rest of the squad, showing support and leadership where needed. She was able to charm her way through most social situations.
Mace was ranked third in the squad, behind Vannier. She was intelligent but hid her intelligence, which showed her to be cunning. She rarely spoke or offered advice, but when she did, it would be wise to listen because what she had to offer was gold. The only person she seemed to connect with was Daedo himself; she kept her distance from the rest.
Axel-Zero was an all-rounder; she neither excelled in anything nor lacked. She was always willing to help her squadmates, and she was organised, energetic, and cheerful. Daedo liked having her for a friend, and that was a new sensation for him.
Picard was probably the least gifted in Squad Zero. She made up for this with determination and experience. She had worked hard all her life and already excelled at gunnery before entering the academy. If she had a weakness, it was also her strength. Her determination was inspiring, as was her work ethic, but she was stubborn when it came to something she thought she already knew. She often blamed the rich for situational circumstances and did not seek to overcome them, seeing them as something she needed to work around rather than an obstacle she could overcome.
And finally, Gaumont, who had shown a strong will and a drive to succeed. The main issue was that he did not act like part of the squad, but rather as a cadet alone who had other cadets to do group exercises with. Daedo didn’t judge him too harshly; he’d done the exact same thing in CyberMech. He had disdained all teamwork and had often played as a lone wolf. Even this could be utilized in a combat scenario, though, so Gaumont would be given a lone wolf role to play.
The houses were not meant to be a way of putting cadets on career paths. According to a strict reading of the academy’s guidelines, the houses were just meant to group like-minded cadets in order for them to form bonds and succeed together. That was why cadets who were different, like Barran, were not put in another house when their sibling was in Thoth. Each squad needed diversity. It was their diversity of skills that made them stronger when they came together as a team.
Picard shrugged. “Well, I’m at 41:25, and Mace is at 39:55. Only Mace and Barran are under forty minutes. When I look at the Squad Zero times from the other four houses, we are well behind the others.”