49 Book 3 - Chapter 107 (2/2)
Daedo shrugged. It was a win-win situation for them. The upper Academy either achieved twenty points, pushing them past the .300 minimum while the middle would achieve at a much higher quotient. Or he would begin again with not only the legal authority but moral as well.
”The only issue is that don't wreck our mechs and expect us to repair them on a daily basis,” Vannier said tersely.
”Are we still going to work on weapons for them?” Picard asked.
”We will continue to develop the weapons,” Daedo stated. ”But we won't necessarily hand over any innovations. They can use what they have.”
”We wouldn't want to make it easy for the bloated ego,” Vannier observed.
Krecke sidled up to the M1 cadets. ”Thanks,” she said directing the word at Daedo.
”We didn't do this for you,” Daedo replied. ”The answer to my initial question is to break down the ores into a liquid using heat and pressure.” In reality, they would use variable pressures but why let physics get in the way of a good anecdote.
She nodded. ”I guess I can focus on biology again. At least for a while.”
”Don't get too cozy, this may only last one round,” Vannier said smiling sweetly. The statement sounded polite, but the words were ominous.
Mace joined the pair as they walked back to their quarters on the other side of the Academy underground. ”Is that what you planned?” She asked.
”It was in my calculations,” Daedo answered nodding slowly. ”If they can maintain those points as a minimum we don't have to concern ourselves with them. That's one less thing we have to worry about, and we can focus on more important activities.”
”Development?” Mace asked.
Daedo nodded once. ”We are just getting started. There is so much we need to learn. We not only need to develop equipment but ourselves as well. In CyberMech I spent this amount of time just working on tactics and skills.”
”All the weekly Daedalus reports are in,” Vannier observed. ”Can we get an update on the Eye of Sahara tonight?”
Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please clickfor visiting.
”Not tonight,” Daedo said. ”I need to go back to the workshop and see Cisse.”
Vannier looked slightly disappointed, ”Okay.” She said hesitantly before adding a question, ”Next week?”
Daedo nodded. ”Next week for sure. We are making good progress.”
They entered their quarters where Axelzero quickly stood and asked, ”Can I see the vid?” Not all the squad attended or watched a stream, they were busy with their own responsibilities and studies.
Daedo walked straight through the common room into Master Nader's office. Moments after he arrived, she came through a side door.
”Inter-Academy going well?” She asked, and he wondered how she could not know.
”As well as can be expected,” he answered before adding. ”It's good training.”
”Managing the upper Academy cadets is probably the sharpest leadership tests you have faced yet,” Master Nader stated.
Daedo could not tell if she was sarcastic with full knowledge of what just happened or if she was genuine.
He merely nodded and changed the subject, ”I'm ready for the new material has it arrived?”
”You know the routine,” Master Nader said flatly.
Daedo apologised to Myrmidon as he shut him off from all sensors and his thoughts. Master Nader had her reasons for excluding Myrmidon, reasons which Daedo had not yet fathomed other than the obvious recording of the meetings.
Daedo went through the new weapon designs again, the suggested improvements to the aurora shield but most of all he wanted to review the troika reactor. The project was fast approaching the critical stage of the particle control breakthrough.
Daedo had realised that when creating or annihilating antimatter that the key was particle control. It made all the difference between a negative and positive energy outcome. The only reason humans did not use antimatter was the energy needed to create antimatter was greater than the resultant energy.
But this came down to losing most of the particles, not to mention anomalies in the process. With greatly improved particle tracking and control the reaction would rocket into the positive side of the balance sheet quickly and massively.
The first shipment of Arkernite was now sitting at their workshop. It was time to hand the new material and a few concepts to Cisse to move the process along.
Daedo indicated to Master Nader he was done reviewing the documents. Sometimes it took a few reads to get his head around some of the more complex or original concepts.
Leaving Master Nader without another word he made his way back through the common room and towards the door to leave.
”I'm coming with you,” Vannier stated.
Daedo stopped. He could hardly say no without looking overly suspicious, and there was no real reason to deny her company other than the secret tech.
Daedo nodded. ”Sure,” he said.
Vannier had donned her helmet and had one of their spy drones resting on her back.
”Are you my security escort?” Daedo asked.
”Among other things,” Vannier said smoothly. ”Have you ordered transport?”
Daedo nodded, ”It should be at the topside open vehicle area by the time we arrive.”
”I'm not going to ask why you need to go back and see Cisse,” Vannier stated as they walked towards the hovercar.
Daedo smiled. Her tricks had little chance of working on him, but she knew that, so he frowned. What was she playing at he wondered?
As the entered the hovercar, he responded, ”I'm not going to ask why you need to tag along either.”
Vannier laughed.
She knew he could easily message Cisse unless it was something sensitive that he wanted to keep offline and in the protected environment that was her lab in the workshop.
The sat in silence as the hovercar pulled up to the workshop.
Vannier was on alert, taking the security part of her role seriously. Daedo figured with the attacks on Lloyds, the confrontation with upper academy cadets on top of all other threats known and unknown it was better to be safe than sorry.
He entered Cisse's lab and fortunately Vannier did not attempt to follow. It was a restricted area, and he didn't have to remind her. Not only that an attempt to follow him meant she had the motivation to find out what was going on. And putting aside curiosity he did not want her to have any other type of motivation to discover what he was up to.
”Cisse,” Daedo called.
”Ah you're back,” she answered lifting off her helmet.
”The Arkernite arrived a couple of hours ago,” Daedo began.
”This is the new material the AI miner discovered at your Sahara mine?” Cisse asked.
”Yes. We named it Arkernite because it had similarities with Kernite and was found with it,” Daedo specified.
”And your initial analysis shows it has potential as a superconductor?” Cisse asked.
”Not the ore, but one of its mineral components. The one not found in Kernite,” Daedo answered. ”Can you do some testing once Father extracts it in the forge?”
”Sure, I will send him some schematics of what he turns it into for me,” Cisse said and then added, ”Why don't you just use it in your railgun?”
”Because power is much more important than a single weapon and we found limited quantities of Arkernite. I'd rather have much-improved particle control than a better railgun,” Daedo answered.
”You're that confident?” Cisse asked.
”No. But we will find out,” Daedo answered, although he already knew the answer.
”Between the particle tracking breakthrough from the EUDF and if this superconductor lives up to your expectations, we are making tremendous progress. Far better than I would have dreamed, to be honest,” Cisse confessed.
”We don't have time to mess around,” Daedo said. ”I still think we need to work like an invasion is coming, even if there is little real evidence. And a new reactor could not only power mechs but ships as well.”
”If we can develop antimatter in a cost-effective way it would surpass plasma lithium as energy storage by many factors. That alone is a world-class breakthrough,” Cisse opined.
”Take care,” Daedo stated, ”The invasion isn't tomorrow, and we can't afford an accident.”
Cisse nodded sadly. Daedo left out the word another, but she felt it in her heart.