27 M1 - Term: 1, Round: 1 (1/2)
Attendance at Fortescue Military Academy M1 Y:2142
House Thoth, Squad Zero
M1 Rank: ?/1275, Tier 3 M-Rank: Null
Term: 1, Round: 1
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It was the second Friday after the term's commencement. Each term was ten weeks which were broken into five two-week rounds. This Friday was the last day cadets could set times or scores in many subjects as it was the conclusion of round one. Specifically, the Gauntlet and Obstacle Course would close at midnight for renovations over the weekend in preparation for round two.
Up until this point if a cadet attempted the obstacle course or Gauntlet every day available they would have a total of nine attempts. On the weekend these venues were closed for official attempts. Thoth squad zero with nine attempts of the obstacle course under their belt and their times were as follows.
Obstacle Course Time, R1 A9, M1 Rank (1275)
Daedo, 59.58, 842
Barran, 35.45, 3
Gaumont, 61.02, 855
Picard, 39.32, 37
Axelzero, 48.51, 292
Vannier, 41.14, 87
Mace, 39.01, 29
R1 means Round one
A9 equals attempt nine
M1 rank out of 1275 cadets in M1
During the week Daedo had worn the weights provided by Picard. They had slowed him down, but even with the added weight he almost beat his time of fifty-nine minutes on Thursday morning. Ten kilos was a relatively massive burden for Daedo, he only weighed thirty-two kilos.
Today, he would run with no weights and aim for his best time possible. Looking at the curve of cadet results there was a major hump between forty minutes and sixty minutes, with Daedo near the ass end of the curve. For every minute he knocked off, he would jump numerous ranks. It was almost fifty ranks per minute, with the biggest glut of cadets around forty-nine minutes.
There was slightly more than forty cadets with times under forty minutes, which showed how good his squad were, with three members in this top echelon.
The beeps counted down his last ten seconds, and Daedo became more nervous than a world championship match of CyberMech. This was his worst subject by far, at least of the easily measurable subjects. Who knew what he ranked in AI Nurturing or Reference and Philosophy didn't even grade cadets.
But his gut confirmed this was his weakest link, he had only taken Physical Training seriously in the last six weeks and had years of sitting on his ass doing nothing to work off. Fortunately, he was young, and the sedentary lifestyle was still able to be remedied, or so Picard told him.
One by one Thoth squad zero ran the obstacle course, spacing out two minutes between start times with Barran leading off with Mace. Picard and Vannier went off second so it would be nigh impossible for multiple passing scenarios to occur. Not that it mattered, but when you were going for your best time the last thing you wanted was a distraction. The course could easily handle two cadets side by side but when a third came through they needed to pass in front of at least one.
Axelzero and Daedo lined up together. Picard and Vannier only needed the thirty-second start, if that, but they waited the full two minutes.
”Good luck Daedo,” Axelzero said as the last beeps sounded.
If Daedo could keep up with Axelzero, he would get under fifty minutes, assuming she ran her average pace. And at first, it was no problem at all.
”Don't hold back for me,” he said between breaths, they were running up some large steps after a downhill sprint. Daedo had an inkling she was pacing him.
”If you don't run your best then how am I supposed to get under forty-eight?” Daedo asked, and Axelzero picked up her pace. She probably was taking it easy. Although it was a long course, almost eight kilometres of running, jumping, dodging and climbing. So a slow start would not affect her time as long as she pushed as hard as possible through the slowest portions.
She hit the rock climb wall just ahead of him. They both scaled it quickly after connecting their carabiner to the ropes in situ. Even if they fell, a robot attendant would extract them into medical in mere seconds. The fall was not high enough to injure someone too badly, and with the medical facilities at the academy, most injuries were remedied in hours if not minutes.
They were halfway through, and Daedo felt good. Navigating the maze of moving blocks was an area where he could pick up time. Myrmidon was able to predict the path correctly every time from his analytic skill and the information available to him from the sensors onboard the bodysuit.
Myrmidon: you are on schedule for a time under forty-seven minutes Daedo.
Daedo: great. I feel good. No weights!
Now it was Daedo's turn to inspire Axelzero as he pushed harder and harder as the end drew closer.
In his mind, he knew the closer he got to the end the less he needed to keep in reserve. Which meant he could throw caution to the wind. He was not like the other cadets who knew what they were capable of and improved incrementally with each run. Daedo was in unknown territory.
”You are killing it,” Axelzero said gasping for air, ”don't wait for me.” She said as they climbed thirty-meter ladders before the long slackline down circuit. Although the ladder climb was thirty meter, the slackline was barely a meter off the ground, but if you fell, you had to go back and repeat.
Daedo completed the slackline and slid down the opposing ladder rather than use the rungs. In the style all the sub forty runners used. Hands and feet grasping the outside of the ladder rails and using friction to slow their descent. The crazier the cadet, the less friction they applied.
Daedo was not at Picards level, he still controlled his descent to a slow fall, almost stopping every ten meters. Picard almost fell the entire thirty before applying force in the last four meters then jumping the last meter once she had slowed to an acceptable level.
Daedo lost sight of Axelzero in the last part of the circuit. It was a five hundred meter run. Too long to sprint, too short to jog. The length itself drove a cadet crazy. When he reviewed Picard's tactic, she would power the first hundred meters before resting into a steady gait that was as fast as she could go without tiring. The only problem was her steady gait was faster than his sprint.
With so many talented cadets in his squad, he did not need to look further for information. And although Barran was the fastest, being rank three overall, he was naturally gifted. Picard was not, her time was earned through hard work and application of techniques and strategy. She was his role model, there was little point of him trying to emulate Barran as there was a noob trying to emulate Daedalus playing CyberMech.
After the five hundred meter, almost sprint, there were the holes and trips. If you kept going at the same pace you would likely land flat on your face, this section required concentration and agility to ensure correct foot placement, especially if you tried to maintain a fast speed.
Before the finish was a forty degree spiral ramp. The inclination was a killer, even if you felt good for ten meters after a hundred you were dying. And if you stopped and walked it was extremely difficult to start running again. The fact it was spiral killed your momentum. Whoever designed it was extremely sadistic Daedo thought.
Once at the top there was only a hundred meters to the finish, this is the section where cadets could leave every ounce of strength on the course. Daedo felt like his lungs were bursting, his legs felt like rubber, and his vision was becoming blurry from sweat and exhaustion.
Myrmidon was quiet, not making any sound in Daedo's head as he pushed himself past his limits. His heart rate was peaking above anything Myrmidon had ever monitored before, even without the ten-kilo weights.
Picard was right, as soon as he took the weights off he was able to fly through the course. It was not just physically better, but the missing weight gave him a massive mental boost. He would thank her for the torture, it had worked wonders. Daedo had forgotten all about Axelzero as his crossed the line and collapsed. His squadmates came to his rescue with water and got him to sit and then stand.
”Up, up,” Picard ordered, ”you can't recover lying down,” she pulled him under the shoulders, ”and you have to arrive ready to fight. A prone Daedo would be cannon fodder.”
”Not too much water,” Vannier said, ”just small sips.”
”Wow, you really tried to kill yourself Daeds,” Barran laughed with his new nickname for Daedo. Daedo was too tired to correct him, but there was no way he would allow Barran to call him Daeds.
”Good time,” Picard said proudly. Axelzero had crossed when he was on the ground, and she knelt breathing heavily before Picard told her to stand as well.
”My … legs….are…jelly,” Daedo said. He felt light-headed. He hadn't even looked at his time.
He had finally recovered by the time Gaumont arrived.
Obstacle Course Time, R1 A10, M1 Rank (1275)
Daedo, 46.39, 235