50 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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Master Nader's AI, Zeus, consumed all the raw data streams from the group 2 matches. Although she took an interest in all Thoth M1 squads, only one was the spearhead.
Zeus presented the data in the format Nader preferred. A frontend dashboard consisting of tables with all the cadet's key stats. Backed up with a deeper focus on critical events and data. The dashboard tables were nothing like the killboard. They included stats on reflexes, adrenaline, speed, damage quality quotient, accuracy, cybernetic bandwidth. Some of these stats Zeus could pull directly from the raw data, others he had to calculate, for example, reflexes and damage quality.
Lastly, what Master Nader was most interested in could not be defined and tabularized by Zeus. Strategy. Or more specifically, tactical awareness, strategic decision making, risk-taking and creativity.
Most of the cadets in squad zero were handpicked by her and needed nurturing just as an elite AI did, but only one was the reason for her being in this position at the Academy. With the others, she built a support team around him.
It did not take much to place her as a Chief in the upper school, for AI, and once there little effort was needed to move to a House Master position at the appropriate time.
Hacking the Academy's systems was child's play. She had altered the raw data to ensure the cadets she had assessed in the previous years were placed in her squad. Once the Academy system assessed the data it placed them predictably with a set of defined criteria, she didn't even need to hack the outcome, she changed the input knowing the end result.
Although she thought she could now be used elsewhere; the tiny snowball at the top of the mountain was rolling in the right direction and would become a force all on its own. Her superiors wanted her to remain in place to ensure the potential was maximised.
Assessing the data, she began to find weak points, areas for improvement and risk-taking which resulted in the loss of life to win a match in a faster manner. That was the problem with these matches. They weren't real battles. Loss of an important squad member or its leader was inconsequential. Where in reality it would have a massive impact on the next and all future battles.
She would need to rectify this logic path at some point. The sooner, the better. She did not want bad habits creeping in.
The last match was about to start, and another message made it through her filter.
*Commander Mallet: Fortescue request a meeting.*
Master Nader had blocked direct attempts of communication from irrelevant parties. So they went to the Commander. Why didn't they just go to the Lieutenant General, she wondered. The Fortescue military officer in command of the Academy.
*Master Nader: specifics sir?*
*Commander Mallet: you, me, LG and Yasmin Fortescue. Masters meeting room 1630.*
Which was in thirty minutes. Basically immediately after this match depending on how long it lasted.
*Master Nader: interference is not appreciated, sir.*
*Commander Mallet: noted.*
These men were weak. They would do nothing and allow the Fortescue woman to do as she pleased. Nader was not weak.
*Master Nader: Zeus.*
*Zeus: Master.*
*Master Nader: I am going to take a twenty-minute nap. Surveil the area, capture all the match data.*
*Zeus: Master: your vitals do not appear in need of a recharge. Anything I need to know?*
*Master Nader: No, there is not.*
Unlike Myrmidon, Daedo's AI, Zeus was not her friend. At most he was a companion. Nader used him as her most important and essential tool. Her effectiveness was directly related to his effectiveness.
Zeus began to capture the data from the match as it got underway and immediately started to sort, filter and assess.
Thoth and Horus formation captured. Two-D rendering. Cover analysis overlay. Line of sight overlay.
Reflex data calculation and interpolation: Barran 2.34, Picard 2.39, Mace 2.29, Daedo 2.42, Vannier 2.43, Gaumont 3.15. Fortescue 2.44, Paget-A 2.72, Raoult 2.35, Paget-L 2.71, Brassuer 3.04, Girard 3.09, Niel 2.97.
Cybernetic Bandwidth mean: Barran 122, Picard 139, Mace 209, Daedo 504, Vannier 141, Gaumont 104, Fortescue 174, Paget-A 137, Raoult 89, Paget-L 77, Brasseur 80, Girard 81, Niel 69.
And so forth, Zeus' collected the data for Master Nader's interpretation. The match proceeded along a predictable path. The two squads had equivalent equipment. Thoth's mobility was much higher, where Horus' armour values and burst damage were superior.
The physical prowess tables covering speed, stamina, coordination, strength and reflex were not disparate by a significant margin.
The main differential was the creative element that Zeus could not measure effectively. He could measure the outcome, which were the match results. A simple four-line program could achieve that calculation.
The data streamed in as the match progressed and it was not long before Horus began losing squad members. Thoth had trapped them, and once there was a large difference in combatants the match wrapped up quickly.
M1 Thoth Squad zero (1) def M1 Horus zero.
Zeus concluded the revelation of the energy shield which soaked most of the damage from the PPC weapon was a significant surprise factor to the Horus opponents and ruined their predetermined strategies. Master Nader would make her own conclusions based on the available data.
After the completion of the M3 Tier one, group two, the points table was finalised.
M3 Shu Squad one10.4
M1 Horus zero0.0
M3 Osiris Squad zero10.0
M3 Amun-Ra zero3.6
M1 Thoth Squad10.4
Master's squad was through to the semi-finals, only losing one match to Osiris who did not proceed due to losing a match to Shu and the higher number of deaths incurred during the matches they won.
The semi-finals were as follows. Shu Zero versus Thoth Zero. Shu One versus Osiris One.
Zeus woke Master Nader at the appointed time. She viewed the results and was not surprised.
Master Nader: very good Zeus. Forward the report to Squad zero Daedo and Vannier for all the group matches. I will speak to them later.
Master Nader made her way to the Middle Academy Administration Office passing squad zero in the hall. The young cadets stared at her in anticipation. Did they expect congratulations? She wondered. If this group stage was a war, they would all be dead.
She arrived at the Commanders offices with her usual punctuality, 1628, allowing two minutes to prepare, be seated and begin the meeting on time.
She sat there alone at 1630, 1631 and then finally at 1632 the Commander entered with the Lieutenant General Berger (LG or Berger).
”You're late,” Master Nader accused. To her it was inexcusable. They were not assaulted by enemies, there were no obstacles to overcome. It was merely a deficiency on their part that caused them to be late. Fortescue was a different matter. She would be late to show superiority, which was something that Nader understood.
Mallet stared at Nader, a look of warning crossing his features. Nader considered that he did not know what he was dealing with. It was the other parties which needed warning. Nader knew everything about them, and they knew very little about her.
The LG strode to the head of the table, paused, considered and then moved to the seat to the right of the head of the table. Commander Mallet sat to its left, leaving a vacant seat in between for Yasmin Fortescue.
A tiny urge flared in Nader, which she quickly quashed, the urge to tell them that she was not in the least intimidated by their authority nor the fact the meeting was three and one and not two and two.
At 1639 Yasmin Fortescue entered the meeting room. She was dressed in a bodysuit similar to Thoth's without the white insignia. Instead, it displayed FORTESCUE in iridescent silver writing. She was trailed by what Nader presumed were lackeys and proceeded to apologise profusely for being late.
”Oh, my apologies gentlemen. I know you are all extremely busy and not only do I take up some of your precious time but I am late,” Yasmin smiled as she swooped in shaking hands of the Commander and the LG.
Berger waved her words away, ”it is nothing, Ma'am,” he said stoically.
”Oh, Yasmin, please. I am not one of your superiors. Merely a concerned parent,” Yasmin Fortescue said politely.