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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“What just happened?” Andre asked.
“They stepped over the zone line,” Stanley answered dourly.
“Why?” Andre asked, the pitch of his voice rising sharply.
“Something has changed with their tactics,” Cillian mused.
Jeram’s match was due to start in fifteen minutes, and the trio stood by the AR glass, trying to work out what just happened. Stanley’s face was a mask of concentration, and Andre was mumbling while Cillian kept looking up stats on the killboard in case the answer was buried in there somewhere.
The Marais box was usually a calm and collected affair. Today, with Jeram Marais competing in the M3 semi-finals, it was packed full of friends, business associates, and colleagues. After the first semi-final with Thoth forfeiting en masse, the box had never been this rowdy.
Even Cillian’s trio was not immune to interruption.
His head of chassis development, Sandor, injected himself into the conversation. “Cillian, Cillian … this isn’t normal, right? You know, I watch the Tier 1 league matches. They never forfeit.” Though Sandor had been at Marais Industries for four years, it was his first time in the box.
“No Sandor,” Cillian answered patiently, “I have never seen this happen before.”
“The prime melee cadet, he … he dragged the other cadet out!” Sandor said excitedly. “He does know that it’s not real, right?”
“Yes, Sandor. The cadets are well aware, they train in the AR arena every day,” Cillian said.
“So why?” Sandor asked the question no one seemed to have the answer to.
“They’re up again this afternoon in the M1 final,” Andre noted. “It was probably brought forward from Friday because of this squad.”
Cillian wondered if they would be allowed to compete. Technically, they didn’t break any rules. On the other hand, what they did would have angered the faculty considerably. “I wonder what Master Nader thinks?” he said.
Sandor picked up on the sombre mood and asked quietly, “Who is Master Nader?”
“The Thoth house master in charge of this squad,” Andre told him. He wasn’t sure how he was going to report this to the Templars. It had been simple up until now – note the breakout talent in both engineering and strategy from Thoth M1. Now, he would have to report what just happened and let The Templars make their own conclusions.
“Oh,” Sander said, “they’ll probably be in all sorts of trouble.”
It was only yesterday that Cillian and Stanley spent a few hours with the Thoth squad. They were insightful and disciplined. If anything, he thought they seemed too serious. You only got to be thirteen once, and the years ahead were only going to get worse.
“Do you think they cracked under pressure?” Cillian asked Stanley. Other than answering Andre with a simple fact, he had been silent, lost in thought.
“It’s …” Stanley began and then paused. “It’s like they were pretending this was a real battle.”
Andre, Sandor, and Cillian looked at Stanley as if he was as crazy as what had just transpired.
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Commander Mallet: Master Nader, report to the faculty box Immediately.
Master Nader: I am busy. Hold a VR meeting if you must.
Commander Mallet let out an exasperated sigh. Master Nader had rapidly gone from an exemplary addition at the middle academy to his adversary and worst nightmare.
Commander Mallet: Very well.
Within minutes, the commander convened an emergency peer review meeting with Master Becker from Osiris and Master Haddad from Shu. Master Nader ported in as a hologram while the others appeared to her in a VR room.
After a short preamble introducing the masters and events, Commander Mallet got to the crux of the emergency meeting.
Commander Mallet: Master Nader. What remedial actions are going to be taken against the cadets from Thoth Squad Zero after today’s performance?
Master Nader: There will be a review with the squad leader and second in command where I will assess their review of the battle report with the entire squad.
Master Becker: Master Nader, are you stating that you do not review the match yourself? You just review the squad’s leadership review of the match?
Master Nader: Your comprehension is adequate in this instance, Master Becker.
Master Becker: They have no mentor! How is this best practice, in cadet development, that we are held to at this academy?
Master Haddad: Master Nader is responsible for the cadets’ education, but how she accomplishes this is within her purview. That is what I read in the FMA Master Practices and Cadet Development Manual. (MP&CD manual)
Master Becker: That manual is twenty years old!
Master Haddad: And yet it is the current standing document.
Commander Mallet: We digress. This meeting is not about the MP&CD Manual. We will cut right to the chase. Master Nader, can you explain the actions of your cadets at today’s tournament? And can you guarantee it will never happen again?
Master Nader: Yes and no.
Commander Mallet: Do not play games, Master Nader. This is serious; you can be sanctioned at this meeting.
Master Nader: It’s ironic that you are telling me not to play games. The cadets were conducting themselves as instructed by me.
Commander Mallet’s voice rose, as did his blood pressure and heart rate.
Commander Mallet: That’s perfect! Since you instructed them to behave this way, you can now instruct them to stop.
Master Nader: That will not work.
Master Becker: Why not? Don’t you have these cadets under control? They are only M1, for God’s sake!
Master Nader: I not only gave them instruction, I told them why. This cannot be undone short of mindwipe.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Master Becker: What are you talking about? It makes no sense. Commander, do you know what she is saying?
Commander Mallet: Master Nader is being vague and obfuscating on purpose. Don’t let it rattle you.
Master Haddad couldn’t help himself; he scoffed at the last remark.
Commander Mallet: Master Nader. Let me put it another way.
Master Becker: Don’t give her any wiggle room.
Commander Mallet: Master Nader, if any of your cadets forfeit in a future match they will be expelled from the academy immediately.
Master Nader: Commander, while I commend you for taking a firm stance, I would like to inform you that if any cadet – any single cadet under my tutelage – is expelled for any reason, I will leave this academy and take all the cadets who are willing with me to another, more progressive, establishment. This is not a threat. It is a warning.
Master Haddad: Commander, it is not within the rules to expel a cadet for such an action.
Master Becker: But it is for disobeying a direct order.
Master Haddad: Sorry. Again, if Master Nader does not give this order, then it is not a direct order.
Master Becker: Why are you here if you aren’t going to support the academy and the commander?
Master Haddad: Ah, forgive me. I am a new master; it’s only my first year. This meeting is an emergency peer review, and I was invited because I am a peer. Is that correct? There was no mention of resolute support for whatever the commander proposed in the criteria.
Commander Mallet: You two, stop arguing. The meeting is again diverging from its purpose. Master Haddad is correct. We cannot expel a cadet for forfeiting a match without changing the academy rules. However, we can hold a misconduct hearing in front of the honour committee which can recommend expulsion to the LG.
Master Nader: I look forward to it.
After her last response, Master Nader blinked out of the meeting.
Master Becker put his hands on his forehead in a sign of exasperation. “Can we hold a misconduct inquiry for Master Nader?”
Commander Mallet laughed hoarsely. ”Sadly, no.”
“Will they go with her?” Master Haddad wondered aloud. Everyone knew who he was referring to.
“Who cares?” Master Becker said. “Such a threat is beneath the academy’s notice. Someone who dares such a thing shouldn’t be teaching here. And if the cadets are stupid enough to leave, then we don’t want them!”
Commander Mallet was silent. His once black hair was getting greyer by the day.
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Osiris One was knocked out of the M3 semi-final by Shu One. Today had not been a great day for Cillian.
The mood in the box went from rowdy to sombre in a matter of thirty minutes. Many guests left after lunch to watch the mech semi-finals. Normally, very few would have stayed to watch an M1 exo final rather than four mech matches consisting of U2 and U3 semis. But many interested spectators wanted to see what Thoth Squad Zero would do next.
Stanley and Cillian were alone. Even Andre had left to watch the mechs.
“He’ll be okay,” Stanley said.
“To lose by such a small margin is heartbreaking,” Cillian said for the sixth time.
“Let’s watch what the recalcitrant Thoth squad does next. That will take your mind off it at least.” Stanley wondered if Cillian was taking the close loss harder than his son Jeram.
“I’m surprised you know that word,” Cillian chuckled.
“Just because I’m in the military doesn’t mean I’m stupid!” Stanley looked mortified.
“On the contrary, you have one of the keenest minds I know, Colonel,” Cillian said earnestly.
As time passed from the mass forfeit, the adults calmed down. What had been a massive shock at 1030 was now something funny that happened at 1500. If it was an inter-academy match, it would have been a different matter, but most viewed the inter-house competition as a vehicle to pick the academy team and for grading cadets.
“They’re in the corral,” Stanley noted.
“What are their loadouts this time?” Cillian asked.
“Much the same as the last match. Even if they get desert again, this isn’t M3 Shu they’re up against.”
“That was unfortunate,” Cillian opined.
“They’ll learn to be prepared for all maps in future,” Stanley said. “Although, in reality, you would know where you were being dispatched.”
“Wait, there are only six. One is missing.” Cillian observed.
“What?” Stanley took a closer look. ”Gaumont is missing.”
Six of Thoth Zero were lined up against seven of Amun-Ra Zero.
Delcroix, Favre, Duval, Stuart, and Deimos were rarely ranked in the top ten cadets of M1, yet here they were in the final. The Amun-Ra squad focused on short-range, high-damage weapons and their combat skills.
Their weapon of choice was known as the blaster. It was a weapon with historical roots as a shotgun, while the ordnance had evolved into a munition that exploded into a small fireball after leaving the barrel. Its secondary explosion increased its velocity as well as creating a small superheated plasma ball, also known as a fireball. It was the size of a small fist with a thirty-millimetre radius at most.
The nature of the munition kept it as a low-fire rate, short-range weapon. Amun-Ra loved blasters. Some would speculate they should change the house banner emblem to a blaster. However, it already looked like a fireball.
It was noticeable, but not surprising, that Amun-Ra Zero carried two blasters each. They did not dual-wield the weapon, but the standard issue had a habit of overheating and jamming. Although the weapon did not shoot actual ordnance during the AR match, the AR adjudicator still calculated the chance that the weapon would overheat and shut down.
“There are no surprises with the loadouts, but why are they missing a cadet? Is he injured?” Cillian asked, but no answer came.
The match began, and the map was revealed. It was a ruined city; blocked streets with rubble everywhere. Structures were toppled. However, plenty of height and cover remained. It was one of the most interesting types of terrain. Cadets’ agility and mobility played a major factor as well as the squads’ tactics.
“I am sure the little commander is breathing a sigh of relief,” Cillian quipped.
“More like he’s asking why they didn’t get this map for their last match,” Stanley countered.
“I couldn’t interest you in a bet on the outcome?” Cillian proposed.
Stanley laughed. “Sure. Thoth wins with zero casualties. Ten bitcreds.”
Cillian shook his head. He wasn’t taking that wager.
Stanley and Cillian watched as Thoth ran through the ruins to the centre. They were using their mobility to reach the tower in the middle of the map first. It was a communications tower, reaching twenty metres in height – by far the tallest structure.
Four cadets lay prone and spread out across the top of the structure, while two hid amongst the rubble below.
Amun-Ra did not want to approach the tower. They took cover within 150 metres and waited.
The four Thoth on top of the tower held their position and waited.
“This is the problem with survival matches,” Cillian observed.
“No objective to fight over. Hmm …” Stanley said.
The two hidden Thoth cadets – Mace and Axel-Zero – crept towards Amun-Ra’s position, keeping low in the rubble. The spectators could see them, but it was doubtful Amun-Ra could without breaking cover and becoming a target for the long-range railguns.
After five minutes of creeping slowly towards Amun-Ra, the two cadets stood suddenly and began to fire their launchers down onto the Amun-Ra position.
Amun-Ra had a decision to make – retreat or get into range and return fire. Thoth was only sixty metres away, but it would put them into range of the railguns held by Vannier and Picard, both of whom were proven crack shots at longer range.
Amun-Ra charged.
Stanley offered his assessment. “This won’t last much longer.”
Amun-Ra was trying to take down the two cadets and then retreat back to cover. Axel-Zero and Mace jumped back towards the tower, using jumpjets while continuing to launch grenades.
“Why aren’t they using the railguns?” Cillian asked.
“The one-handers?” Stanley asked, because the long-range railguns were beginning to damage Amun-Ra. When Cillian nodded, he said, “They already had launchers equipped; they would lose valuable seconds by swapping. And the frag grenades create a chaotic environment. They will slow the charge.”
Two of Thoth’s cadets flew down off the tower to meet the incoming Amun-Ra assault, and once they closed to one hundred metres, they began to fire. All six Thoth cadets were firing upon Amun-Ra cadets, who had not closed to their blasters’ maximum effective range of fifty metres.
After three Amun-Ra cadets went down, the squad leader must have called for a retreat. The remaining four split off in two directions.
Thoth followed the squad leader’s group, all four chasing the two Amun-Ra cadets and focusing them down before they could hide amongst the rubble.
There were only two Amun-Ra cadets left. They had run east and were using a collapsed building for cover. The two cadets positioned themselves so that Thoth had to come into range of their blasters in order to engage with their railguns.
The four Thoth cadets closed down the distance, leaving Vannier and Picard on top of the tower.
“Do you think with two blasters they can take one down?” Cillian asked Stanley, purely for conversation. The match was over.
Stanley shrugged. “Why put themselves in that position? They know where they are and they have launchers, grapplers, and mobility advantage.”
His assessment was correct. Thoth used the pair on the tower as overwatch covering the east, while the remainder spread around the Amun-Ra cadets, staying out of range of their blasters and picking them off with launchers and railguns.
Thoth Squad Zero (0) def Amun-Ra Zero
The M1 final was over.
“Again they surprise us,” Cillian said. “It’s very rare that medical can’t heal an injured cadet in five minutes. He didn’t break his back nor was he caught in an explosion.”
“If not injury, then what?” Stanley asked.
“Does it have something to do with the forfeit?”
“Wait,” Stanley said suddenly. “Gaumont was the one incapacitated in the match against Shu. The one they dragged out.”
Cillian raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t you see? They’re pretending that these matches are real. They didn’t take him, because they are behaving as if he was critically injured!” Stanley exclaimed.
Cillian laughed. “Surely you jest.”
Stanley shrugged. “I could be wrong. You come up with a better explanation. Or better yet, ask them.”