44 Book 3 - Chapter 102

Attendance at Fortescue Military Academy M1 Y:2142

House Thoth, Squad Leader, Squad Zero

M1 Rank: 1/1275, Tier 3 M-Rank: Null

Term: 2 to 3, Break

Daedalus Operating Capital: -1,760,000 bitcreds

It didn't matter whom he was facing, Barran knew he had to win. It didn't phase him that he drew the worst possible opponent in the qualifiers, a mech equal to his own with a talented pilot.

Picard would stick to predictable movements. The only issue was they were highly effective. When green light flashed, both mechs stood stock still facing each other, while waiting for the other to move.

Where other mechs had to walk into melee range. For the two Titans; the starting position was within strike range.

Picard weaved from side to side, preparing for a move from Barran. And not wanting to stare at each other all day Barran did just that.

He began with short, sharp steps, this would enable him to change direction much easier than long strides. Although it didn't look elegant which was a faux pas in Barran's book, moves not only had to be effective, they had to look cool.

As he approached, Picard bent into a slight crouch, she was ready to block or perform a pre-emptive lunge attack.

Barran began to strafe to the right, as he wanted Picard to keep guessing. She turned, tracking him.

As soon as he was within twelve metres, Barran jumped causing his mech, Titan Hyperion, to jump. He led with his knee aimed directly at Titan Eos' torso. She could block, but gravity and momentum were on his side. A typical advantage for the instigator.

Eos jumped back avoiding contact altogether and as soon as Hyperion landed her timed strike approached his torso. Hyperion tried to grab Eos' arm, but she broke through his grip landing a blow.

Hyperion rolled with the punch, turning to his left while leaving a blindside open. It was something Eos could not ignore. Her kick aimed for Hyperions hip but at the last moment, before connection, a mech hand appeared below her foot and knocked it upwards.

The move was unexpected, Hyperion had timed her kick to perfection, and now Eos was trying to find balance on one leg. It would take her precious seconds to regain it.

It seemed to the spectators that Hyperion growled as he finished his turn with a roundhouse punch on Eos' right shoulder. With her right leg still in the air, she almost toppled. She should have toppled. But she was using the momentum of her right leg to swing her centre of gravity to counter the blow's effect.

Eos was on the defensive; she was unable to launch a counter-attack at Hyperion as he crouched low. Eos hesitated to use her right leg again on a downward arc. She was too open to Hyperion grabbing it and pushing her off her feet altogether this time. She opted for the more cautious approach by not attacking and bringing her leg back into position.

Moments before her leg landed on the ground Hyperion began a leg sweep.

Mace was deathly silent. While the rest of the Daedalus extended family were quietly comparing notes and watching the proceedings. These two Titan mechs made the rest of the competition look third rate. They possessed speed and strength well above the dreamers who came to the Svarski invitational wildcard qualifiers.

Vannier looked around at the once vocal crowd. When Old Dawg was in action most of them, even if though they weren't Old Dawg fans, went wild during the match. It was in stark contrast to this match. They all leaned forward in quiet concentration while watching every move intently. The stadium was silent other than the clashing of mechs.

There was a sharp intake of breath as Hyperion crouched, put his hands on the ground and swept Eos' leg. The range of movement was impressive for a mech. Even so, Barran had adapted the move and kept it within the confines of the design.

Hyperion's lower leg connected with the rear of Eos' left lower leg as her right landed. Eos was unable to maintain balance and went down in a heap. Both mechs then raced to a standing position. Hyperion had the advantage of preparation and a much better starting position. He was able to strike Eos' in the torso keeping her down.

Hyperion danced around Eos landing a kick and then a knee as she struggled to her feet. Every strike played havoc with her balance which made it difficult for her to get back up. It was only Picard's skill and determination which allowed her to stand at all.

Eos was able to deflect and counter strike Hyperion's last blow, and the pair began to exchange strikes, blocks, and counter strikes.

Vannier felt the silence from the stands was deafening, despite them being almost full with spectators. She checked the main pro league streams, and they were all streaming this match live. Something she found a little odd was the up next match featured the two mechs that the Titan's defeated in the previous round.

"What're you doing?" Jeram asked quietly seeing the screen in front of Vannier.

Vannier closed the streams and went back to watching the live match.

Hyperion had the initial advantage, but Eos was steadily gaining superiority with conservative yet effective moves in both offence and defence.

Hyperion lept into the air, gaining two metres in height, as he descended he attempted to strike Eos similar to his opening move. Instead of jumping back, this time Eos moved to the side and brought her fist sweeping around to Hyperion's back. Hyperion ignored the incoming blow and threw his elbow back towards his opponent, who was now very close.

The two blows struck almost simultaneously, and both Mechs were pushed off balance while taking damage.

Both mechs had superior armour, but they were also strong, fast and able to perform maneuvres which added momentum to their blows. The offensive power offset the defensive improvements.

Hyperion jabbed Eos, who instead of deflecting or dodging attempted to grapple Hyperion. She grabbed his hand and pulled him forward, off balance and ready for a followup strike with her knee. As if he planned the whole series of events Hyperion moved with the momentum of the jab and subsequent pull barging into Eos before she could knee his torso effectively.

Hyperion slid a leg between Eos' and proceeded to push her back while using his leg as a lever. Eos proceeded to trip backwards over Hyperions leg, it was either blind luck or an ingenious move on Barran's part. No one would ever be sure because you couldn't take his word for either occurrence.

Hyperion landed heavily on top of Eos. His knee crushing her lower torso and when his elbow was about to strike her upper torso, a halt was called to proceedings. Titan Eos had surrendered.

Vannier immediately looked to Mace who was almost smiling. A small curve of her lips indicated she was not unhappy with the result.

"Mace?" Vannier asked with her pitch increasing while saying her name.

"Picard did well. I won't have to fight in the main tournament and Daedo will," she said happily.

"You have quite a few practice hours under your belt during the first two weeks of the break, how many does Daedo have?" Vannier asked.

Apprehension spread across Mace's face. "Shit," she said. "He was so busy with preparations for the tournament and the mine. He mainly moved them back and forth from the workshop to the practice area and he barely practised with me at all!"

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Daedo and Ikaros were partially disassembling Old Dawg. Once all the armour plates were removed, they could work on repairing the substructure including joints, struts and parts. The interrogation tool would define any parts which needed reconditioning. Kang would assist by repairing the plates and preparing them for reassembly.

Old Dawg and Titan Hyperion were the priority. Once they were fixed, they would see to Dead Beat who needed a ton of work. Titan Eos could wait until they were back in Nanterre in a few days.

"Excuse me?" Three men dressed in white coats stood in the Mech Bay looking up at Daedo and Ikaros.

"Can you cease work for a moment? We need to conduct an audit on Old Dawg and Titan Hyperion," the dark-haired man spoke with a slight Russian accent and serious manner.

As Daedo descended he messaged his squad and opened a feed. He wasn't sure what was happening, but the demeanour of the visitors did not bode well.

"What's the reason for the audit? And what exactly are you auditing, there is design IP which I would like to protect," Daedo stated.

"Young man, it's best if I speak with your senior. Ikaros Daedo is it?" He asked looking up at Daedo's father.

"I'm not sure where you get your information from, but I am in charge here," Daedo said emphatically. Ikaros' name was not on the entrance documentation. Only the designated pilots and Daedalus was the nominated owner.

The three men exchanged glances, "Young man. This is a serious matter. We are the official inspectors for this tournament and it is our recommendations which inform the adjudicating committee.

"I don't recall an audit being a requirement in the entrance terms?" Daedo queried suspiciously. "If there is any question regarding the mechs not meeting certain regulations they can easily be assuaged without a full audit."

"Young man, may I know your name?" Inspector one asked. The other two let him do all the talking. One was interested in the mechs while the other studied Daedo.

"Daedo."

"And your relation to Daedalus?"

"Officially I am CEO and Chairman."

Inspector one tried hard not to scoff. "ID please," he ordered, and Daedo complied.

"Very well, Mister Daedo," Inspector one began, "As per article seventeen point one we do not have to identify the reason for an audit. Non-compliance could result in immediate disqualification."

The rest of his squad arrived in time to hear the last sentence in person.

"Can you define what an audit entails? Because if you are looking for radioactive material, an external sensor will detect any non-compliance simply," Daedo stated calmly.

"Daedo," Barran interrupted, "How many subscribers do you have on your Daedalus stream?" It was a stream that Daedo had not used since entering the Academy. Barran knew this, and to top it off; Barran knew that Daedo knew that Barran knew this. He didn't use the AI interpreted comms because he must have thought his intent was obvious.

"Ninety million," Daedo said matter-of-factly.

Barran nodded hiding his surprise, "I suggest you open it now for this meeting."

Daedo did what Barran asked, trusting his judgment.

"This is highly irregular!" Inspector one was outraged.

Inspector three, the one who was assessing Daedo took over. "Allow me to assist Anatoly." And with that statement Inspector one, bowed his head and moved behind Inspector three.

"The rules are quite clear. If we, the tournament officials, deem an audit necessary, for any reason, we are allowed to require it without notice. The reasons for an inspection do not need to be disclosed. It is also under the power of the committee to disqualify an entrant based on the outcome of this audit. Non-compliance can lead to disqualification, which is at the sole discretion of the committee." Inspector three stated and forwarded a copy of the regulations to anyone in the local vicinity who wanted to grab the file.

"May we have five minutes to read the regulations?" Vannier asked.

Inspector three nodded politely before stating emphatically, "Five minutes."

Vannier: everyone have your AIs parse it and study any anomalies while I speak to Daedo.

Daedo: Myrmidon is all over it.

Vannier: is there any reason we shouldn't allow an audit? What IP are we protecting?

Daedo: the structural and overall design. The composite material breakdown. The polymer breakdown. The material cannot be patented as they are not significantly different to what is available. But they are improvements on what is available. The structural design hasn't been registered, we are making improvements and changes weekly. So no. I would not want a full audit unless we want Svarski manufacturing these mechs and selling them in a month.

Vannier: Do you know the reason for the audit?

Daedo: We are compliant. Do you think the competition is trying to get rid of us or Svarski want to examine our designs?

Barran: There is a third alternative.

Barran brought up the betting table, the odds, and the worldwide pools from the IBA.

Barran: The IBA. It's much cheaper for them to bribe some officials than to pay us a few million bitcreds.

Vannier: surely they don't have this much power?

Barran: Don't be naïve. Look at the pools.

Vannier: what are we looking for?

Barran: the amount of the entire pool for qualification into the main tournament. It's less than a million bitcreds when you add up all one hundred and nineteen options.

Vannier: Do you get it Daedo?

Daedo: Did we bet too much? The IBA are losing, so they are coming after us?

Barran: It's only a guess. But the IBA doesn't send thugs. They don't need to. They are probably a silent sponsor of the tournament. And while they love it when the favourite loses, it's a moot point when they underdog pays out three times the entire pool. I'm not an expert, but my bet is; Svarski couldn't care, competitors don't have the clout, that leaves the IBA.

Vannier: any luck with the terms?

Axelzero: they are totally one side in the promoter's favour. We have no recourse.

Mace: agreed.

Kang: you guys never cease to amaze me. To think the IBA is getting us DQed.

Barran: we should hit back at them. This is bullshit.

Axelzero: it's stupidly unfair.

Kang laughed out loud which brought the Inspector number three's attention.

"Time is up. You have had adequate time to review, and I am sure you find our request legitimate under the regulations. I have one question. Will you allow the full audit or would you prefer we inform the committee you had something to hide," Inspector three sounded too smooth to be an engineer.

"I prefer you to …." Vannier stopped Barran from finishing the sentence.

"Sir," Daedo spoke calmly and respectfully. "Before I answer I would like some clarification."

Inspector three was well aware of a potential audience," By all means ask, but I expect an answer immediately. You have delayed us enough. We have a tournament to run."

"You would like to audit our mechs. Mechs which possess innovative designs which we are understandably protective of. You will not specify what the issue is. And you will not agree to a non-invasive inspection. Are these the facts?"

"The regulations which you agreed to upon entering the tournament had these conditions. If you did not like these conditions you should not have entered," Inspector three stated.

"Would you agree to an audit of Old Dawg where you did not take samples of the composites and compounds?" Daedo asked.

"We will make no such allowance. We have been tasked to complete a full audit by the committee, and that is non-negotiable," Inspector three answered, "You have delayed enough. Yes or No?"

"No," Daedo said and then added for a prospective audience. "I will not allow you to steal our innovations under the guise of an audit when you give no cause. Not a single issue have you raised. We can only assume that you have ulterior motives for this audit."

Barran: if it is the IBA and we allowed the audit they would just find the mechs non-compliant and not say why. We would have given them all the designs and still lost the bets.

"I would like to add something," Barran said officiously trying to sound like Daedo before tuning into classic Barran, "Fuck you!"

Picard took a few steps to stand beside Barran in solidarity. She said nothing but stared at the Inspectors like she wanted to hurt them. Physically. Perhaps maiming was on the menu.

Vannier: calm down everyone. If we escalate this, it could get worse for us.

Mace: I'm trying to lay in a rootkit on Inspector three now.

Vannier: Mace!

Barran: do it.

Vannier: Daedo?

Daedo: do it.

Inspector three sighed at the juvenile behaviour, but he was obviously smug getting the desired outcome.

The three inspectors left.

Ikaros sighed and stated his belief based on a lifetime of first-hand experience, "I hate big companies. They will do anything to get their way."

Axelzero came over to give Daedo a hug, "I am so sorry. You never got to pilot."

Daedo pushed her gently away, "It's ok. Really."

"We can kiss those millions of bitcreds goodbye," Barran said sadly.

"Do we lose the bets as well?" Vannier said.

Barran scoffed, "What do you think?"

"That's a hundred thousand creds!" She exclaimed.

"Technically it's eighty thousand. We did win some with smaller bets on the early rounds," Daedo said.

"Um," Barran said, "Sorry but disqualification will mean all results are nullified."

"Oh," Daedo said sadly.

"Daedo," Barran said softly at first before tapping Daedo, "Turn off your stream." He then laughed, "I just checked you had a million viewers! Holy. Imagine the creds you would make it you streamed piloting in the pro league."

"I can't stomach any more pro league at the moment," Daedo sad sourly.

"Aww," Barran said commiserating and condescending at the same time. He began rubbing Daedo's shoulder when he continued, "You're just learning to play with the big boys. They don't play fair."

"Excuse me?" A lady in a red bodysuit interrupted.

Barran had his back turned to her and said aggressively, "What now!" He then turned to see a beautiful woman in her early thirties.

"I mean, how can we help you, Miss?" Barran corrected himself while turning up the politeness of his tone to the maximum setting.

She scanned the group and addressed them as a whole, "I have seen your mechs in action for the last two days. The Titan models specifically. Are these for sale from the Daedalus company do you know? I want some for my teams." She looked at the blank faces.

"Forgive me," she continued, "I am Angelique. I manage the Havoc Outfit."

Kang: they have mechs across several pro leagues. They are one of, if not, the biggest outfits.

"Oh," Barran replied taking on the role of sales manager. "Well, you're in luck."