41 M1 - Term: 1, Round: 5 (1/2)
Attendance at Fortescue Military Academy M1 Y:2142
House Thoth, Squad Leader, Squad Zero
M1 Rank: 1/1275, Tier 3 M-Rank: Null
Term: 1, Round: 5
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”We should take a break from this problem and focus on the upcoming arena battles,” Gaumont offered. Their first battles were in three days against Thoth M3 squad zero and one. The tournaments proper would begin next week. Week ten.
Daedo was focused on trying to make his latest idea work. It was promising at first, but the theory kept failing. It became less elegant the more he tried to manipulate the algorithm to force a positive outcome.
”And. Really. With the Tournament proper starting next week, this is our last chance to complete all our subject course material and assessments,” Gaumont continued to prevaricate.
”Gaumont,” Daedo said patiently, ”surely all your coursework is done? We are working on this problem now because I have nothing else to do. Well, other than being beaten with bo staffs.”
Gaumont shifted nervously and asked. ”Seriously. You have done everything?”
”Yeah,” he paused. ”What? You haven't?” Daedo responded.
”Um. There are quite a few things from reference, AI nurturing, behavioural and my tech project.” Gaumont said.
Daedo sighed. ”Very well, I will call Cisse and talk about our ideas and lack of progress. See if she can give me some inspiration. You can go and do your coursework.”
As Gaumont left the virtual room, Daedo pinged Cisse and invited her in. Daedo was wearing his helmet and was in a room he created with Gaumont which contained all the workings on the cosmological constant math problem (aka ZPE problem). Although this problem was given to him by the Math Chief, Chief Albert, he thought it should have really sat in physics.
”Ah this is where the magic happens,” Cisse said as she appeared in the virtual lab. The lab had four walls covered with scribble and several boxes which contained the archived work stored under different headers. Although she said this is where the magic happens it was not her first visit. She had been in the virtual lab on a number of occasions to chat with the two cadets.
”I have come to a conclusion that I have a problem with the question,” Daedo said.
Cisse hummed a sound which indicated she was listening.
”Me too,” Myrmidon said. He appeared as a miniature ancient Greek warrior, one who would have followed Achilles. Excluding the fact he was fifteen centimetres tall.
Cisse laughed. ”And the great and magnificent Myrmidon appears,” she lathered Daedo's AI with praise. Cisse was now contracted to the squad's company, known simply as Daedalus, so she had received information from Myrmidon, albeit secondhand, from Daedo, on a few occasions.
”Oh yes,” he squeaked. ”I love the Virtual Lab, there is nothing stopping me from interacting with everyone.”
”But it's the first time I have seen you here,” she observed.
”I can't help that I am shy,” Mymidon said, and Daedo laughed.
”I don't recall any code which encouraged you to lie,” Daedo teased.
”Then I'm not lying,” Myrmidon riposted.
Daedo shook his virtual head and changed the topic. ”Cisse, I invited you here for some advice. Something has been bugging me.”
”Hmm?” Cisse responded.
”Well,” Daedo began, ”the cosmological constant problem may be based on incorrect theories. I do not believe that what was known as dark energy actually exists in its entirety in the vacuum as fluctuating fields. It doesn't add up, no matter how I attack the problem.”
”These theories are supported by observation from more than a few sources. All of which are replicable. You can see for yourself,” Cisse replied.
”Perhaps there are other variables which affect the observation that we are ignorant,” Daedo said exasperatedly. ”It's either the math doesn't add up, and the observation is flawed, or the observation is correct, and I cannot find the cosmological constant. Or perhaps everything in quantum mechanics is wrong. I don't know.”
”I would go with one of the first two,” Cisse answered. ”Daedo there is a reason no one has solved this problem yet.” She paused and exclaimed, ”It's damn hard!”
After a period of contemplation and another aborted working.
”I had another idea for a reactor,” Daedo said quietly.
Cisse stood, virtual legs appearing under her. ”I'm listening,” she said attentively.
”Well. All the research I have done into quantum mechanics has me thinking about fission, fusion and annihilation as a sequence,” Daedo said. He had spent literally hundreds of hours researching quantum physics. And this was from material Myrmidon had spent the equivalent of millions of hours searching and prioritizing.
”If you weren't twelve I would think you were trying to seduce me. Tell me your theory Daedo,” Cisse said excitedly.
He ignored the joke. Life was easier that way.
”We take a Hydrogen Atom isotope, deuterium, in the first field and split the nucleus into a proton and a neutron. Then we split the proton and neutrons into three up quarks and three down quarks in the second field. We then allow the quarks to recombine in the third field and half should form antimatter, while the other half forms regular matter. Antihydrogen and Hydrogen,” he began.
”Ah, that's why you want to use Deuterium, for the extra neutron which has the extra down quark,” Cisse said excitedly.
”Yes, well this is all in my imagination. I have no idea if half will recombine into antimatter. It just seems logical to me.” He paused a moment before continuing. ”There have been some experiments, for other purposes, which led me to this conclusion though,” Daedo explained.
Cisse became over-excited, ”I love how you will gain energy from the fission, the fusion and the annihilation. Its like three reactors in one.” She pondered for a moment. ”Where does this energy come from?”
”From the Zero Point,” Daedo laughed at his answer. He meant the energy came from the hidden source of the vacuum, the unexplained source known as dark energy. Which in other words meant he did not know.
Cisse laughed with him. It was a physics joke they could both appreciate which not many others could. In reality, they would need to supply energy to begin the initial fission, and the mechanics behind fusion was well understood. The unknown was where the energy of matter and antimatter annihilating each other came from.
”You know Daedo,” Cisse said after their laughter died down. ”I could build the fission and fusion reactors and an accelerator to attempt to prove this idea.”
”I am sure you are one of the few people who could,” Daedo replied smiling at Cisse.
Cisse was very happy how their relationship had blossomed after Daedo began attending the military academy. It was something she least expected. The Academy of all things being the catalyst was what amazed her the most. Daedo was so into his exos that he had finally needed her. It was not what she had imagined, but it would do.
The whole experience had changed her world so much she began to contemplate doing something about her legs finally. There were many options available to her from regrowth to artificial. She had always had the finances to take the plunge but had chosen not to for various reasons. Most of them revolved around survivor guilt.
”Daedo,” Cisse said quietly. ”I am going to need some materials for these accelerators, and we may need to dig out the basement. Can I have a budget?”
”I think you can have five k without an issue, any more and we will have to wait for news on some of our ventures,” Daedo answered.
”You can drop five k that easily?” Cisse was gobsmacked.
”We made that much last week,” Myrmidon answered.
”In one week?” Cisse asked continuing her astonishment.
”Shu squad zero from M3 wanted to rush their order. That was the payment for early delivery,” Daedo answered.
Cisse could have fainted if she wasn't sitting down already. It amazed her how a twelve-year-old could make so many bitcreds in such a short amount of time. In her mind, he was destined to build an amazing company out of Daedulas. The Fortescue Group was clueless about what was coming. And it existed in their own Academy. That irony alone made her very happy.
”Will five k do?” Daedo asked.
”Yes. Easily. We only need materials. We have the equipment to build the parts we need from the materials,” she answered. ”And thanks to your father we have plenty of robot labour to dig out the basement.”
”Let's do it then,” he said happily.