61 M1 - Term: 1 to 2 - Break (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: 2, Round: (holiday)
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Mace's parents were in Munich to catch-up with their Daughter. They would attend to some business matters in Germany early the following week. Axelzero's great Aunt set two extra places for the Korean guests which brought the dinner party to eleven in number. The six cadets, Mace's parents, Sabine Axel and now the Kangs.
”So tell us who our new guests are?” Aunty Sabine asked. The Kangs were to arrive soon and were running slightly late. It was 1830. It went without saying that Aunty Sabine liked to serve dinner on time.
”Kang Lee and his daughter Kang So-Ra. They own a Mech from the EU Professional Mech League called Dead Beat,” Vannier explained.
”I apologize, Aunty Sabine,” Daedo said. All the cadets were encouraged by Sabine Axel to call her Aunty Sabine since they were guests in her house and close friends with Pascale (aka Axelzero). ”We needed a business meeting with them, and I asked them to join us for dinner.”
”Etana, my dear boy. It is quite alright. I wanted you all here rather than going out to a restaurant, and I am not concerned when a guest who has not had adequate time to prepare is running a few minutes late,” Aunty Sabine replied gently.
”I like your new outfits,” Mace's Father, Gabe, announced, changing the subject. He traced the lines of Ameline's (aka Mace) bodysuit. ”Axel is very well known for producing the best bodysuits in the world.”
”Yes,” Aunty Sabine replied, wooed by the compliment. ”We take care and pride in the manufacturer, but also invest heavily in development to ensure they are cutting edge. I especially like this model, you chose well Pascale.”
It was the same model Axelzero and Daedo were using at the Academy, just with all the relevant add-ons that were available to a family member in addition to all the military-grade sensors.
”I think it's wonderful the children have started their own company. It shows tremendous initiative. I didn't think the Academy would have such an effect on Ameline,” Mace's Mother, Adele stated to which Sabine and her Father nodded.
”Ah,” Mace corrected shyly, ”it has more to do with my squad than Fortescue Military Academy.”
Vannier agreed, ”we have some enormously talented squad members who were the instigators. You really can't give the Academy credit. Only Master Nader has had any involvement.”
Gabe Mace rubbed his daughters head and then put his arm around her, ”she has come out of her shell so much it is unbelievable. If this is the influence of her new friends, then all I can say is thank you. I know you are all exceptional just for being in squad zero. But what you are doing has really surprised us.” Mace's Father was a smooth talker who left Barran and Vannier for dead. Only he didn't apply this skill so well in his daughter's direction who was turning bright red with embarrassment.
”Ah, our guests are here,” Aunty Sabine announced.
Lee Kang, or as it was said culturally with the surname first, Kang Lee was of average height and a thin build. He was taller than Barran, at 1600mm, and shorter than Mace's Father Gabe who was 1800mm. His hair was jet black with no signs of grey, and he had kind eyes.
Kang So-Ra, was the same height as Mace, 1500mm, slightly taller than Daedo at 1480mm. She was wearing a red skirt over a black bodysuit, she also had a red bandanna wrapped loosely around her neck. Now that her hair was clean. it was confirmed as jet black and cut into a neat bob that almost reached the bottom of her neck. Her demeanour was best described as surly.
The dinner party got underway with adults and cadets exchanging pleasantries and engaging in general conversation. So-Ra was quiet offering only one-word answers when addressed directly.
Aunty Sabine was an excellent cook and host. In the modern world, cooking involved selecting a menu, ingredient adjustment and even tweaking preparation method that the bots would use to deliver the meal. The way Aunty Sabine allowed the guest to select from numerous dishes showed her age. It was common for a host to have three selections for guests and run the dinner on a couple of set themes. Aunty Sabine allowed guests to select from twelve or more options each course.
Daedo hated having to think about what to eat and just chose the first item from each of the courses. He noticed So-Ra did much the same except she chose the eighth every time without reading what it was, she just scrolled down counting to eight and poked with her finger. The server bot wheeled away after collecting everyone's orders.
The eleven sat down at the table as the dinner service began, little bots bringing out trays of steaming food and the drinks machine lowered itself from the ceiling extending its long hose to each up dispensing their chosen beverage.
”You all drink water?” Lee asked. Seeing the six cadets sticking to water where the adults drank all sorts of things from ginger ale to green wine. So-Ra was drinking red pop, and Lee himself had pineapple crush.
”Habit,” answered Barran, ”I wanted to ask you something, Mr Kang. The move you do before each match, it doesn't gel with your friendly personality.”
”Oh that,” Kang Lee replied, ”well I can't dance, so I asked So-Ra to program in an opening move which is permitted before a match starts. And the first time we used it was surprising. The crowd's reaction was riotous. I thought we would be in trouble, but after the match, the organisers said they loved it, and they wished for us to continue playing a villain role. They said it would help us with seeding in future competitions. So…we show our middle finger every match now.”
Barran laughed, ”that makes sense. It was you.” He directed at So-Ra who returned a slightly sarcastic smile followed by a middle finger which brought a round of laughter from the table.
Mr Kang waited until the meal was over before broaching business. ”Who is the Business Manager and Communications person who are conducting the discussions?” He asked Daedo.
Daedo replied, ”Barran and Vannier Mr Kang.”
Kang Lee looked confused, he leaned closer to Daedo and whispered, ”they are cadets from your squad zero?”
Daedo nodded.
”And not the parents?” Kang Lee asked politely indicating Mace's parents.
Daedo shook his head.
Kang Lee was surprised at first but got it under control quickly and was smiling again. ”Very well, Mr Barran and Ms Vannier can we begin? It has been a long day.”
To Mace's unease and Kang Lee's satisfaction, the entire party collected around an inner circle of lounge chairs. Seated next to Mr Kang was his daughter and across from the pair sat Vannier with Barran on her left and Daedo on her right. Behind those three cadets stood Picard, Mace and Axelzero. The other mildly interested witnesses of Sabine Axel, Gabe Mace and Adele Mace sat within earshot in the next enclave. They were silent and listening intently, curious as to what the children were up to.
”Now cadets,” Mr Kang began, ”is that what I refer to you as cadets?”
Vannier nodded and smiled, ”yes Mr Kang, cadets is fine, individually our names, or you can refer to us as a group as Daedalus.”
”Good, good. Now as I understand it, Daedo invited us here to discuss Daedalus using our composite material technology and what sort of deal we could make to allow this to happen,” Mr Kang began with a summary of the reason for the meeting.
Vannier looked at Daedo who moved his hand from side to side indicating comme ci, comme ça.
Vannier smiled, ”in a way, yes. This is a good place to start,” she shifted in her seat slightly and continued. ”Mr Kang, I have a question. The composite have you patented it?”
Kang Lee shifted slightly uncomfortably, ”No. So-Ra keeps changing and updating it so often it is hard for us to pin down what, if anything, to patent.”