65 Book 4 – Chapter 123 (1/2)
Y: 2142
Inter-Academy Round 5 Fortescue Points: 578, Rank: 5, PR: 0.723
Term: 4, Round 3
Daedalus Financial Position: +500,000 bitcreds
Picard dodged and weaved before she kicked Mace's side. The diminutive girl expertly deflected the blow, but her power achieved the desired result, she knocked Mace off balance.
She then affected a roundhouse punch bringing her opponent's eyes up high, it was almost cheating because of their height differential, but as Daedo liked to say there was no such thing as cheating in war.
Mace was her closest competition apart from Barran, but, much to her chagrin, he was busy with her Father.
Physical training was focused on martial combat at the moment, her Father who they all now referred to simply as ”Master” dictated the regime. He had a few titles within the Daedalus structure, but technically when it came to education, he was a Chief. It was a homage to his recent days in the EUDF where he was known as the Master, a nickname, and his Daedalus Private Military rank of Master Sergeant.
And who do you think started calling him Master? Picard grimaced for the fifteenth time in forty minutes, Barran of course.
What made it worse was Daedo approved, stating it would cut down confusion and despite their no nickname policy, that was it. Everyone agreed and liked calling him Master.
Even Picard didn't mind it deep down. She searched her feelings about why she was angry about it. It didn't take long, she wasn't unhappy with the title itself, it was the blossoming relationship between her Father and his new pet student.
She was ordered to be his second in martial combat, running drills, sparring with all the cadets. While the ”Master” played with Barran far too much. She wanted to critique her Father, he was supposed to train everyone. But it was impossible. He was impossible. They both were.
Mace surrendered, ”I need a break.” She rubbed her sides and limped towards the medibot.
It was then her Father deemed to show his presence as he danced past he whispered, ”Spar just above their capability. That was too heavy-handed.”
She glared at him. She knew this. She wasn't a noob to be so ignorant. And he knew she knew this. It was his fault she was angry and lost control, she spat, ”Bah” he probably knew that too. Evil mother fucker.
The Master whirled around the cadets. Giving a tip or adjusting a motion and then allowed them to proceed to practice the adjustment.
He then whirled back to Barran.
”Had enough?” he asked mildly. He was an evil mother fucker there was only one response to a question phrased like that.
”Never Master,” Barran replied grinning. Without further warning, he lept at the Master. An aggressive punch and kick combination, opening himself up for a counter. A counter which would result in the Master taking a blow.
That was all Barran wanted to do, his satisfaction and outright glee were never higher than when he landed a blow on the Master. He was up to three in two months.
”Good,” Master grinned as he knocked both aside easily. He proceeded to state the obvious to cement the tactical thinking of his student, ”You gave me a choice, defend or be hit. I couldn't counter without taking at least one blow.”
”Again,” Master ordered which meant Barran had to do the exact movement and the Master would show him a different way to defend than the conventional.
He stepped inside the first blow while remaining outside the second, Barran gawked, that should have been impossible. The Master was thin, but not that thin.
”How did you do that?” Barran asked.
”It's a long journey,” Master Picard stated, ”It starts with balance, here, here and here.” The Master pointed to his head, heart and then indicated his entire body.
”Aw man,” Barran whined, ”You rarely give straight answers.”
”Son, that was a straight answer, you just don't see it.”
Barran looked at the ground, contemplated what the Master was trying to teach. ”Okay,” he said. ”I want to learn. What do I need to do?”
”I can teach you balance of the body and the mind, but you will have to work out the last part yourself, its different for everyone.”
Barran nodded. ”Let's start with the body.”
”We already have,” the Master replied, ”Next you learn Tai Chi and practice your yoga seriously.”
”Tai Chi?” Barran queried, ”That old people shit?”
His Master laughed, ”Tai Chi is a martial art. And an important one. I want you to learn to meditate, and you can do both at the same time, it's a more efficient way.”
Barran readied as if for a drill, ”I'm all about shortcuts Master. Teach me Tai Chi.”
”It will be more efficient for me to Teach everyone, we will begin tomorrow. Watch some tutes I will send you on it and meditation and come prepared.”
Barran and the Master continued to spar and talk.
Picard, his daughter, continued to fume.
”Did you hear that?” Picard asked Axelzero and Kang.
”What?” Axelzero said dutifully, she knew it was going to be concerning Picard's Father and Barran. Her friend was obsessed with their relationship. Where all she saw was a good teacher bringing out the best in a talented cadet. Up until now, no one had inspired and engaged Barran to a tiny percentage that their new Master had achieved in his first few weeks on the base.
”He called him, son,” Picard fumed. ”Fucking son.” She stormed up the corridor. ”He doesn't have a fucking son! He had a daughter, but he clearly wants a son!”
Axelzero looked at Kang, who shrugged and smiled weakly as if to say, 'I'm not getting involved.'
”How's my Father going?” Kang asked Axelzero.
”He comes to all our business meetings, hasn't missed one. He's doing really well, better than anyone expected,” Axelzero replied.
Kang's Father had shown up in Dead Beat of all things, he was distraught, but after a week on the base, he left with a new role in life. He had a masters in business administration and a degree in marketing from Korea. And he was going to help on the outside and agreed to do so for the normal agent's fee. And he would pay all his own costs, it was a very good deal for Daedalus with someone they could trust.
”Do you know if he will go back to the circuit next season?” Axelzero asked.
Kang shrugged, ”Even if he said he was, it's a few months away, and my Father changes his mind all the time.”
”Hmm,” Axelzero speculated, ”That's not a good thing. But he's doing great now, I hope it lasts.”
Kang chuckled.
”What?” Axelzero asked sensing Kang was laughing at her.
”You're fourteen, and my Father is forty. It's funny you're his boss,” Kang said.
”No, I'm not,” Axelzero specified, ”He's his own boss. I don't tell him what to do, just to go and sell, sell, sell. And he loves having stuff that no one else has, like the PPCs, the shields and the new reactor will be online soon I hope. That will kill.”
”Kill?” Kang asked, she was great at metallurgy, but her Father always handled the business stuff, she stayed right out of it.
Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please clickfor visiting.
”Yeah. Think about it. A reactor thousand times more powerful for the same size and fuel than anything else we have. Ok, we can't make small ones, not yet, but it will revolutionise space travel.”
”So, it will make a lot of money?”
Axelzero smiled, ”It's so big, I have no idea. We could be bigger than Svarski.”
”No. You're shitting me?”
”Why do you think your dad is so excited, imagine getting two percent of all sales of a revolutionary power supply. Even if it's just the royalties from the patents.”
”Won't we be helping the bastards we hate?” Kang asked as they began walking to the cafeteria.
Axelzero shrugged, ”They were leaving anyway, may as well milk them dry first to fund what we need.”
Kang had an idea suddenly, ”If they're leaving why do they care about bitcreds?”
Axelzero stopped in her tracks. Looking at Kang in astonishment.
”I,” she stammered, ”I'm going to talk to Daedo, I'll be right back.” As she ran off she called back to Kang over her shoulder, ”Start lunch without me, keep Picard company.”
Kang sighed. The last thing she wanted to be was the only person sitting with Picard at lunch. The topic was sure to be the same as it was every day.
Kang walked to the cafeteria and sat down dejectedly with Picard.
They had taken so long Picard had already ordered, been served and started eating.
Kang touched the air screen four times ordering her third-day rotation meal, she stopped thinking about it a long time ago and just rotated the same four meals every four days. It would arrive in a couple of minutes, popping up through the centre of the table. It was exactly like the cafeteria at the Fortescue Academy, one of the few things they liked about the place.
Picard opened her mouth to speak, and Kang could tell from her expression she was going to whinge about Barran and her Father.
”Shut up,” Kang said.
Picard's mouth closed more from the shock than the command. She didn't say anything but looked at Kang in askance.
”I'm sick of hearing about your issues with your Father and Barran. Go sort them out or get over it,” Kang was savage when she wanted to be.
Picard flopped down onto the table, resting her head on her arms. There was a look of hurt on her face, a rare sign of vulnerability. She usually covered it up with bluster.