Attendance at Fortescue Military Academy M1 Y:2142
House Thoth, Squad Leader, Squad Zero
M1 Rank: 1/1275, Tier 3 M-Rank: Null
Term: 1, Round: 5
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Stanley Martin was part of the EU Defence Force (EUDF), one part of the five-segment earth defence. America, Russia, China, and the combined private forces made up the remainder of the five. America consisted of the mainstay; the North American Union that merged with and organised their southern neighbours.
China led Asia, with the exception of Japan, which folded into the Russian contingent along with the Middle East. Africa joined the EU, forming one of the strongest contingents with only the combined private sector holding more armaments, technology, and manpower.
When it came to defending the planet, the private sector would follow orders from the grand marshal per the Treaty of 2110.
There was no grand marshal at the moment; one of the defence force marshals would be elevated to that position at a time of interstellar war. Currently, the Russian marshal was selected to take office in the event of an invasion or imminent threat. Out of the five segments, the Russian contingent was the smallest, which suited politically if they took the office of Grand Marshal.
Disregarding politics, Stan was quite comfortable with the Russian marshal, Mikhail Lebedev, known as ‘Misha the Master’ in the corridors.
Amongst the EU, Stanley Martin was a colonel, designation 06-pilot. The ranks from 01 to 08, which were standardised across all the defence forces, served as dedicated mech pilots; it was not mandatory for ranks above and below.
These days, there were very few mech pilots who did not come through the academy system. The main exceptions were those who participated in the competitions who decided to serve, whether it was in private or with a government military organisation.
Stanley could have served with a private force, but he didn’t. It was his own personal choice. Fortescue, for example, did the bare minimum to earn their tax credits. The gear and funding were substantially worse than the EUDF due to their tightfistedness. Contrarily, private organisations that took their responsibility seriously were the norm and Fortescue the exception.
It was Tuesday, the day of the M3 tier one group rounds. Stanley could have just come on Friday, but he would miss seeing all the elite cadets from M3. He liked to see the potential of this entire group of cadets.
He made his way up to the boxes. Marais, as usual, was playing host. They were good people, and although they did not have a standing military, they paid their fair share in taxes to support the EUDF. They also generously supported the academy with no ulterior motive other than to support the training of future pilots and engineers who would defend the planet one day.
Granted, EUDF spent millions annually on Marais Industries equipment, but that decision-making process had nothing to do with him.
“Sophie, Cillian.” Stanley bowed as a way of showing respect. Cillian would salute him, but it was not proper to return the gesture.
“Oh, Stanley – you’re here! You made our day,” Sophie said enthusiastically.
Cillian shook his hand, only to keep hold of it and lead him over to the box window as Stanley mumbled his thanks to Sophie.
“You have to see this,” Cillian said excitedly. He proceeded to pull up group two’s information.
M3 Shu Squad One
M1 Horus Squad Zero
M3 Osiris Squad Zero
M3 Amun-Ra Squad Zero
M1 Thoth Squad Zero
“What am I looking for?” Stanley asked, “Oh!” He was stunned for a moment. “What’s going on? Why are there two M1 squads in the M3 tier one group?”
“I haven’t seen the Horus squad,” Cillian said. “They aren’t competing in the M1 tournament, only the M3. But the Thoth squad is competing in both. And they, my good friend, are something to behold.”
“So it’s not some sort of stunt?” Stanley asked. He couldn’t imagine an academy master, let alone the entire group and the commander, allowing such a stunt. But it was unheard of for one, let alone two, M1 squads to compete with the M3s.
Cillian shook his head. “It is possible that with the Horus squad, there is something different about them and a plausible reason for the anomaly.”
Stanley was not someone to get overexcited. He merely waited for Cillian to explain.
“The Fortescue’s daughter, Karine, is in Horus M1,” Cillian stated.
“Oh? And is she good? I expect she would be well-equipped and well-prepared,” Stanley said. Although for him, there was little to be gained if Karine Fortescue was a dedicated and talented pilot. It would probably be wasted in Fortescue’s military arm unless the daughter herself changed things for the better. But there was a minuscule chance of that happening. He wouldn’t hold his breath.
“She’s ranked third in M1 behind two cadets from Thoth,” Cillian said.
“You have me with this Thoth thing. They never featured in the semis when I attended, and it’s been extremely rare that they have since that time.”
“These cadets are different. The way they trounced the other M1 squads, it was like they were an M3 squad.”
“You sound like a fan.” Stanley paused for a moment. “Cillian … I came here today expecting to see your son in action. You haven’t mentioned him once. Is he in group one?”
Cillian nodded. “Oh, yes. He’ll be up first. I just had to tell you about the M1 squads.”
Stanley nodded. “I understand. It is extraordinary, and I look forward to seeing them.” In truth, he wasn’t that excited. M3 was a long way from graduation. It was as low as he preferred to go in terms of scouting talent. M1 was a good part of a decade away from becoming potential recruits. Cadets usually had one year off after finishing U3. Which made the entire journey seven years.
Group one primarily contained Squad Ones from the four houses with Shu and Thoth Squad Zero. Usually the Squad Zeros were the seeds, but in this case, Thoth was trounced every match. Nothing new.
Their exos were impressive, showing off their engineering and innovation. But the Shu squad’s exos were superior in terms of mobility. And when it came to piloting, tactics, and gunnery, the Thoth cadets were woeful in comparison to the others.
“Your son did well. With his squad making it through to the semis, you must be proud,” Andre said. He had been mixing with others in the box until the battles started and then watched with Cillian and Stanley, although he let them do all the analysis.
Cillian nodded. “Yes. Very proud that he made Squad One and an unexpected feat that they made the semis with Shu Zero.”
“Their piloting and tactics were strong, which led them to only lose the one match. It was well deserved,” Stanley said.
“Horus wasn’t up to par. They would have expected to go through, no?” Andre asked. Horus was the other M3 Squad Zero in the group aside from Shu and Thoth.
“Their equipment was slightly below the standard of both Shu and Osiris,” Stanley said. “Did you have a hand in your son’s equipment, Cillian?”
“Only a token,” Cillian said. “They like to do it all themselves, and Jeram is quite talented. He probably would have ended up in Thoth if not for his mother.” Cadets would always be placed in the same house as their parents originated.
“It was a close thing. The Horus cadets performed well,” Stanley said. “They missed out by less than three points.” If Horus had beaten Osiris, they would have gone through; the first match ended up being the deciding match of the group.
“Thirty minutes until the next group,” Andre said, and with that statement, he took his leave. He would come back again and watch with the duo when the time came.
“How is it on the front lines?” Cillian asked Stanley.
Stanley scoffed. “Hardly front lines. We haven’t seen an alien in over forty years. But it won’t be long.”
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“How long?”
“We don’t know for sure – five years, ten, or somewhere in between.”
“What’s the story behind The Spiral?” Cillian asked softly. It was the first time he had seen Stanley since the announcement. Marais Industries, despite their military contracts, was not large enough to get a seat at the table. They were as blind as a normal citizen. Other than the fact that he knew everything was not as it seemed.
“We will stay here. All the GDFs will,” Stanley said. GDF was short for the Governmental Defence Force – American, Russian, Chinese, and EU.
“So the corporations are going? Going where?” Cillian asked.
“I know as much about their plans as you do.”
The combined private mechanised armies were nearly as large as the combined governmental forces. Which ostensibly meant Earth was splitting its forces in two, and even the colonel didn’t know why.
Cillian was aware that if Stanley knew but could not divulge the information, he would have just said it was classified. But he’d said he did not know. Which was significant in itself.
After a small amount of chit-chat and somewhat healthy nibblies, Andre returned. Group two was about to get underway.
“Who’s up first?” Andre asked.
“M1 Horus and Shu Squad One,” Cillian said. It was apparent to Cillian that Horus was using the inter-academy equipment, albeit from the previous year’s tournament, but with one exception: Four of their squad were carrying PPCs, while the other three had miniguns. “It’s a year for firsts,” he mused.
They had not assessed Shu’s equipment yet. They would have to wait for the match to commence. But what was obvious to Cillian was the academy equipment.
“What now?” Stanley asked.
“The exos that M1 Horus is using is the academy tournament edition from last year,” Cillian said.
Stanley frowned. How did this progress cadets’ learning in engineering? How did this allow the more skilful pilots to advance if they were on the opposing squad? What left his lips was a displeased growl.
“I’m interested to see what that PPC does though,” Andre said. The fact that there were four of them was telling.
“I would suggest the miniguns are to keep close and melee range off the PPC detachment,” Stanley said.
Shu Squad One loadouts were interesting as well. “Three photon blade-wielders in mesh exos. You don’t see that often,” Cillian ventured. “They’re also carrying an assortment of traps.”
“Pistols on their hips,” Stanley pointed out. The loadout consisted of light weapons, giving the cadets versatility. It was the sort of loadout he loved; it allowed the cadet to show what they were capable of, not only in terms of skill but tactical thinking and awareness.
The remaining five Shu cadets had an assortment of railguns, long and medium-barrel.
“Now I am interested,” Stanley said.
“Hmm?” Cillian glanced at the colonel. He had no idea what piqued Stanley’s interest all of a sudden.
“Shu’s loadout,” the colonel said. “If the cadets are average or poor, it is a terrible loadout. These are all weapons that require skill to deal reasonable damage, where weapons like miniguns or missile launchers do not.”
The two squads lined up at each end of the arena. The landscape was an urban scene, which could be the outskirts of any major city in terms of residential apartments, parks, and services. The designer went all out with parked vehicles, robot workers, and the odd moving hovervan and delivery drone. This would be on another level compared to what an M1 squad would be used to.
Andre stood slightly behind Stanley and Cillian. He not only waited in anticipation for the match but also for their input. While the pair was focused entirely on the match, his attention was on them.
Stanley was still in top shape. The military must have a strict regime surrounding exercise. He looked like he could run a marathon and fight hand-to-hand at the end of it. He was not someone Andre ever wanted to mess with; even outside a mech, he was most likely deadly. Over 1900 millimetres tall with an athletic build, he was the ideal size for a six or twelve-metre mech. A four-metre would fit him like an oversized heavy exo. His dark hair was suitably close-cropped, and he was cleanly shaven. What was noticeable about Stanley was that his posture was always superb. He never hunched and rarely leaned.
Cillian was somewhat shorter, around 1800 millimetres, and in his early forties – still young by today’s standards. His hair was short, but messy, although it seemed there was some style to the chaos. He notably wore a bodysuit underneath a white coat. The long white coat was synonymous with his occupation. It said ‘engineer’ louder than a sign above his head.
Both of them had gen-three cybernetic implants. Presumably, Cillian’s was military grade while Stanley’s certainly was. While they were cadets, AI nurturing was at a much lower level than it was now, mainly due to the current advancement of cybernetics.
Andre took his attention off the pair and turned it towards the match. He would record everything they said.
Not surprisingly, the Shu cadets moved fluidly, with grace and speed. They were not as fast as their counterparts from Squad Zero, the undefeated squad that was a current favourite to reach the final.
“Their exos are different, but they move well,” Stanley said, and Cillian nodded.
Shu swarmed into two groups. The photon blade-wielders split off from the railgunners, who began to chase after a height advantage.
M3 Horus had kept together. The cadets armed with PPCs gained height immediately across three buildings in close proximity while the minigunners patrolled the streets below. The minigunners attempted to hide their location from Shu, but it would not be hard to deduce they were close to their squadmates in order to provide protection.
One used a parked vehicle for cover. The other two kept close to the buildings to their south. They would have to rely on the other cadets to inform when and where Shu approached. They were hidden and effectively blind themselves.
“Basic tactical arrangement. I see an M1 squad, although talented, not a practised and experienced M3 squad,” Stanley opined.
“Let’s see what those PPCs do,” Cillian said. “I would imagine that Fortescue has used some resources to ensure the daughter puts on a good show.”
“What is she ranked in M1?” Stanley asked. He mainly wanted to know her Gauntlet and obstacle course rankings.
Before the action started, Cillian displayed the tables for M1, and it only took Stanley moments to scan the overall Gauntlet and obstacle course top tens.
“I see,” he said noncommittally. Despite all the equipment and preparation the Fortescues gave their daughter, she was third at best in most disciplines and overall. Nothing to sneeze at, but surely they expected her to be rank one. Especially since she was using tournament-grade equipment.
“First engagement,” Andre warned.
Horus began firing on Shu with their PPC, but only a few blasts.
“Power?” Stanley asked.
“Undoubtedly,” Cillian said.
Which meant that while the PPC may deal high damage, it drained the stored power of the exo quickly. A cadet would have to shoot well and wisely. It also meant that power would not be available for other systems. While the trio could make an estimation based on their knowledge, they would not know the details.
“It won’t be easy for them to hit Shu,” Stanley pointed out. The Shu cadets were dodging and weaving into position, and so far the accuracy and anticipation of the M1 squad were not good enough to land a hit.
The railguns began to return fire. The sonic booms were audible in the box.
“Mach 4,” Stanley said. “Military grade.” He was able to assess the booms and estimate the speed of the round.
“You’re on fire today,” Cillian praised.
“My AI is using the sensors from my suit. Don’t give me any credit,” Stanley said. He was also old school. He used his AI as an assistant but thought of it as a program.
“Military-grade railguns versus Fortescue prototype PPC. I told you this was going to be an interesting group,” Cillian said. “It’s not even an inter-academy match.”
Stanley nodded. He wasn’t going to argue with that point.
Shu’s close-combat cadets held their position in cover one hundred metres out. They did not charge or engage; they waited.
The spectators watched in anticipation for the first crucial move – successful or disastrous – when the railguns and PPCs began to exchange fire at two and three hundred metres range from cover.
The PPCs’ disadvantage – a slow rate of fire – was overcome with their ability to destroy cover, while the railguns’ pure speed meant that dodging a round was nigh impossible. However, this was of little use when the target was behind cover.
The three photon blade-wielding close-combat cadets from Shu began to move, one east and one west. The third stayed hidden in a central location. They were attempting to use width to flank the opposition and possibly draw and waste PPC fire. Every time a PPC bolt flew towards the mesh exo blade-wielders, they dove or engaged jumpjets.
“That is excellent coordination,” Cillian observed. Their squadmates were warning them of the incoming shot.
“Most likely from the squad leader or spotter AI directly to CC cadet AI,” Stanley suggested. By CC, he meant close combat. “Verbal comms would be too slow.”
“They are well-drilled,” Andre noted.
Stanley nodded. This squad was excellent for M3 term one. He would estimate they were as good as their Squad Zero counterparts. Shu had some gems this year. Stanley had his AI look up details of the master of Shu M3 while he continued to watch.
“What do you think the draw is on one of those PPCs?” Stanley asked.
Cillian considered the question. “If I had to guess, 1 MW. The average storage in a heavy is about 3 MW. The tournament edition would unlikely have more; it is designed to maximise armour value, strength, and speed. Power storage usually gives way in terms of space while using the best technology available. The most an exo would have is 5 MW with the minimum being 1MW. We can calculate the relationship between generation and consumption by timing the shots across all cadets.”
Once the storage was consumed, even partially, the rate of fire was limited by how quickly the inbuilt generator recharged the storage. This would not inform the size of the storage but would give them an accurate estimate of the main limitation of the weapon with extended use.
Suddenly, the stalemate was broken. Two Shu railgunners had taken down a Horus PPC cadet when they broke cover to fire.
“That was bound to happen sooner or later,” Stanley said. “That PPC may do a lot of damage, but a double headshot with good railguns will take out any exo.” An average exo could not withstand a single headshot from a military-grade railgun.
Stanley continued his assessment. “The damage of the PPC is offset by the speed of its bolt and its inaccuracy. The railgun is able to maintain a higher rate of fire, it’s harder to dodge due to its speed, and it’s more accurate over medium and long ranges. It also doesn’t consume all the power from the exo, allowing the cadet to perform other functions that require power.”
Horus was being whittled down. They had lost three PPC users and only had one left. Although they were M1, they still only had seven cadets due to being a Zero squad.
“This is the endgame now,” Stanley said.
The Shu close-combat cadets began to encroach into the Horus inner zone from three different directions. The minigunners attempted to engage but were either damaged or pinned down by covering fire from the railguns.
The two flanking cadets closed and then retreated. Horus was busy with the three mesh exos with only one PPC wielder remaining who had to split focus between the close-combat and railgun cadets while maintaining cover.
The infiltration of the close-combat Shu cadets ended up being a ruse to occupy Horus while three of their railgunners took up better positions to get the minigunners into a crossfire pincer.
“Masterclass of tactical play for the M1 cadets and the Fortescue brat,” Stanley said, giving his opinion of the Shu cadets’ movements. It was a chess game where one player had little experience in chess.
Cillian looked over his shoulder to see if anyone other than Andre was listening. He didn’t mind Stanley calling the Fortescue progeny a brat, but someone might.
As the battle ended with Shu losing no cadets, Stanley looked at Cillian. “So much for M1s in an M3 competition.”