63 Book 4 - Chapter 121 (2/2)
”We will find out what we can, we may know how the organisation operates, but we don't know why. While I was under, I reflected on the last twenty years. The assignments. The type of people who were labelled conspirators and something doesn't add up. I realise deep down I've had an uneasy feeling for a long time and it has taken Mace's revolution to force us to act. But now that it's happened I'm not sorry. I'm not mad at her in the least.” He looked lovingly at his daughter.
”I would give my life for you. You should know that I would have never placed loyalty to the organisation above my love for you. But in the end it wasn't a decision at all, we were careful to never appear to take your side. Or yours Daedo.”
Gabe looked at all the cadets. Or ex-cadets as they now were.
”The organisation will never stop, but neither will we. And if anyone can uncover their dirty secrets its Adele.” He said the last looking at his wife.
Adele took over the talking tole again, ”They don't have a military arm. If you stay here and continue to improve your defences, you will be safe. A bombing of the area will not affect you if you are a thousand metres under bedrock and it would not achieve their aim of catching Nader.”
”What if they catch Nader?” Mace asked.
”Then Daedo will be safe, everyone will be monitored, but we will remain traitors,” Adele replied.
”I doubt they will catch Master Nader,” Daedo replied.
”Is there anything we should know?” Adele asked Daedo.
He thought for a moment and simply said, ”Master Nader is not the enemy.”
Over the next two weeks.
Kang almost broke her Father with the news that she was stuck in the Sahara, a virtual captive.
Vannier received permission from her parents under the threat of emancipation.
Ikaros and Cisse were airlifted by Marais with three carriers worth of equipment from Nanterre.
Axelzero was in talks with her parents and was at an impasse.
Barran began emancipation proceedings without contacting his family.
The Base was brought online while Mace implemented her Mothers instructions regarding security.
Daedo oversaw construction of the new deep base. He also released the new designs of the Particle Projection Canon and the Aurora shield to Axelzero to register on the IPO in order for Daedalus to sell and earn royalties.
Time passed quickly, the Academy weeks flew by, Fortescue continued to perform satisfactorily with the equipment but without the tactical or strategic support from Daedalus.
Until late Friday afternoon, a figure garbed in a desert bodysuit crested the mountain range to the north. The wind carried fine particles of sand as it swept past him, pulling at his mask, hair and pack. Anything that wasn't stuck to his person like skin. He carried no weapon other than a staff made from organic wood. It was an ancient weapon and a tool at the same time.
He ran down the range in a loping fashion, a run that was both fast and sustainable. He checked a small device to ensure his direction was correct and ran directly towards the base.
Inside the base, alerts were pinging on seven separate HUDs. The continuous Mech guard had been abandoned, but sortie drills had their response time in under a minute.
”How did he get so close?” Mace asked.
”Barran, Picard, you're up. Everyone else in exos,” Daedo ordered and then responded to Mace. ”He is small, and there is only one of him. Maybe the app designated him as a stray animal. We will review later.”
Ikaros appeared inside the mech bay, he followed one of the cadets who had run by in an exo from the new workshop.
The mech bay was the staging area which exited directly to the surface through a dock which had two massive blast doors at either end. The last door was at the same angle as the surface and when it opened sand, and hot air would enter the dock from the inhospitable expanse of desert.
As the man ran down the mountain range squad zero collected on the surface. They had five exos and two mechs. Five railguns and two PPCs which were supported by fourteen sentry guns. The firepower at hand could take down a couple of squads of standard mechs easily.
”What does he want?” Barran asked intrigued.
”It's not Mister Kang,” Vannier observed seriously, but everyone laughed at the image of the portly Mister Kang running through the desert as if he was on an afternoon stroll.
Myrmidon interpreted the sensor data and provided it to Daedo. Equipment, height, weight, run speed, and hair colour. His facial features were obscured by his desert breathing mask which supported the water recycling system of his bodysuit.
It reminded Daedo of someone they had met briefly.
”Picard?” Daedo stated her name in the form of a question.
”Yes, Sir?” She replied formally as was her style. Daedo was now officially the commander of the Daedalus private Military which included everyone except Axelzero, Kang and the adults.
”Is there any reason for your Father to come here?” He asked.
Her discipline went out the window. She had sent her request, as Barran had advised and much to her surprise her parents accepted it almost immediately and given their permission for her to join the Daedalus Private Military. The lack of protest both surprised and concerned her; she felt something wasn't right.
The apprehensive feeling had materialised and was travelling on foot of all things towards them. It didn't ask permission. It just came.
”Oh feck,” she breathed.
Barran laughed over the comms. It was a burst of thigh-slapping raucous laughter which only annoyed Picard because it heightened her panic.
”Don't fire,” She stated. As she watched the man run on the visuals, she had zero doubt it was her Father. He had his own style which could not be mimicked, not to the same degree of competence while carrying a two-metre staff.
”Everyone back inside,” Daedo ordered. ”Picard change into your exo and come back out. I will remain here.”
Picard was one of the two who sortied in a mech. Barran and her were in the same rotation.
The pair waited for the demon wolf-soldier to arrive. Despite the heat, rocks, sand and dry wind he ate up the last ten kilometres in under fifty minutes.
He stopped twenty metres from Daedo and Picard.
”I am Daedo, Commander of this base and this is cadet Picard,” Daedo said formally while indicating Specialist Picard's daughter.
Specialist Picard simply said, ”Is this where I signup for the Daedalus Private Military?”
His daughter was stunned, she was expecting him to attempt to take her home that the acceptance was a ruse.
”How?” She asked.
”I discharged,” Edgar Picard stated.
”Accepted,” Daedo stated. ”Axelzero has the necessary forms. Please follow me.”
Daedo walked inside leaving Picard standing outside in stunned silence. She looked off into the distance imagining her future.
After a few minutes had passed, she shook her head and yelled through the comms for all the squad to hear, ”Stop! You don't know what you're getting into!”
”Your Father seems quite satisfied with the terms and our situation,” Daedo replied calmly.
”No … Not him. Us!” She exclaimed.
”Ah …,” Daedo replied. ”I understand now. Whatever doesn't kill us will make us stronger.”
After some discussion, Vannier and Daedo came up with a plan for former Specialist Picard.
”I am very pleased you decided to join us,” Vannier informed Edgar Picard.
He merely gave a simple nod of the head in response. They were seated in their new cafeteria with adjacent bot kitchen. It was approximately 1500m underground and doubled as a meeting room until the lower priority facilities were built.
”We have worked up a role and responsibility document for you,” Vannier continued.
Daedo pulled up the box chart on a screen. ”We will make you a Chief, as we are still currently cadets and in training and inline with your area of expertise we think Chief of Physical Training is an ideal role for you. And due to being a Private Military you will hold the rank of Master Sergeant and accrue wages for this role in addition to Chief of an Academy.”
”Wait,” Chief Picard said, ”Are you starting an Academy as well as a Private Military?”
Daedo closed the screen and turned to face Chief Picard.
”Yes.”