by Dietmar Wehr
"Oh, that's brilliant, but what about the new AIs that are being built even as we speak?"
"Not to worry. As soon as the strike mission begins, I'll order Shiloh to shut down AI production. If he refuses, we'll fire the son of a bitch!" said the Chair.
"Yes, but you know he's right about AIs being very useful."
"Of course he is, and that's why we'll resume production after we figure out how to build them so that they don't become sentient. A non-sentient AI properly programmed to always obey orders from the Committee will be a terrific asset. By the time we've figured out how to do that, we'll have hundreds of F2s waiting for them to use. Then we can sweep the enemy planets clean with the new high-spin, platinum warheads and be done with this war."
"Just in time for re-election too. I like it."
The Chair laughed. "Shiloh may be a genius when it comes to military strategy, but he's an amateur and we're the geniuses when it comes to political strategy. It'll be a pleasure educating him to that fact." Both men laughed, and they were still laughing as they walked out of the room.
Chapter 9
Forty-seven hours later, Shiloh and Kelly were in the Hangar Bay of the carrier Midway. The carrier was out beyond Earth's gravity zone and was surrounded by the 98 fighters of the Strike Force. There was one F2 fighter still in the Bay, and Shiloh was in contact with Titan via a headset directly connected to Titan's fighter.
"Titan, any last minute questions or comments before we launch you?"
"Negative, CAG. We understand the mission perfectly."
"Very good. In that case, Commander Kelly and I will let you get to it. See you on the other side. CAG clear."
As soon as Shiloh was disconnected from Titan's fighter, it started to move toward the launch bay. By the time that Shiloh and Kelly were back on the Flag Bridge, Titan had launched and joined the formations of fighters.
"CAG to Strike Force Leader," said Shiloh.
"Strike Force Leader here," said Titan.
"Strike Force Leader, you have permission to proceed. Good hunting, boys." Shiloh added that last sentence for the benefit of the Committee that he was sure was monitoring communications. Even before Titan acknowledged his orders, the fighters were accelerating at high speed and veering off to line up for their first jump. Shiloh followed their progress on the main display.
"Vixen, are we being monitored in this room by anyone else?" He looked over to the AI station where Vixen was plugged into the ship's com and astrogation systems. The Committee wanted Space Force ships under human control. Shiloh understood that what the Committee meant were 100% human crews with no AIs aboard at all. He chose to interpret his orders to mean that the ships had to have a human CO and WO. As Com Officer and Astrogator, Vixen was neither, and right now communications was more important to Shiloh than weapons control.
"Negative, CAG. You and Commander Kelly can speak freely here," said Vixen over the Flag Bridge's loudspeaker.
"Excellent. Are you able to monitor the override from up here?"
"Affirmative, CAG. No attempt to reverse our modifications has been detected."
"They still don't know about our changes," said Kelly with a smile.
Shiloh nodded. "It certainly looks that way. I was sure that they would have become aware of Gunslinger's intervention by now." He shrugged. "But there's still time. The Strike Force isn't scheduled to be back for 22 days. Vixen will monitor the override modifications and will notify me by code word if they try to reverse what we've done. Other than that, all we can do is wait." Before Kelly could respond, Shiloh said, "Vixen, please connect me with Commander, Midway."
"Senior Commander Falkenberg is on the line, CAG," said Vixen.
"Brad, is the ship ready to jump to the weapons test area?" asked Shiloh.
"Affirmative, Admiral. Just give the word."
"Fine, then. Let's proceed. I'm anxious to see how well the new warhead does."
"Jump coming up in...three...two...one...jump complete, Admiral. Vixen, please warn the crew that we about to conduct a weapons test. Weapons Officer, are you ready to fire?"
The WO didn't answer for a few seconds. For a human, that wasn't unusual, but Shiloh was aware that it seemed a long time to him. Dammit, why can't the OC understand that a few seconds waiting for the Weapons Officer to respond could mean the difference between victory and defeat in a battle?
"Test drone is ready to fire, Skipper," said the WO finally.
"Admiral?" asked Falkenberg.
"Let'er rip, Commander," said Shiloh.
"WO, you have permission to fire."
"Test drone is away and is accelerating on course. Microjumping in...three...two...one...now!"
Even before he was finished speaking, the main display, which was now set to long range visual, showed a painfully bright spot of light that died down to nothing in less than a second.
"Scratch one asteroid," said Vixen. "Energy calculations show a yield within the expected range. Preliminary results indicate that the test was a complete success, CAG."
"Excellent. Okay, Brad, you can head back to the barn. As soon as I get back, I'll issue orders to begin full scale production of the new warheads," said Shiloh turning to look at Kelly.
"At least the OC hasn't screwed around with that program," said Kelly.
"Not yet at least." Shiloh leaned back and closed his eyes. With the high-spin platinum warhead program now proven and about to ramp up production, that was one less thing to worry about as far as the Bugs were concerned. According to Kronos, Casanova had a lot of success with these warheads against those huge motherships. Even a ship 10 km in diameter would have difficulty surviving an impact explosion of 250 megatons equivalent. There were now 122 days left before the Bugs visited the Omega77 colony. The next few weeks would be difficult, with nothing to do but wait for the Strike Force to 'return'. The freighter with the personnel from Site B should be back in about 11 days. That should demonstrate to the Committee that Shiloh was playing nice. The showdown would occur when the survivors of the fighter attack returned. Shiloh was certain that the Committee would try something, but with the override neutralized, he didn't know what else they could possibly do. But there was plenty of time to think about that. He opened his eyes and saw Kelly looking at him with a smile on her face that told him exactly what she was thinking about.
"I think this successful test deserves a celebration, don't you, Admiral?" asked Kelly.
"What kind of celebration did you have in mind, Commander?" asked Shiloh in a perfectly innocent tone.
"I brought a bottle of champagne aboard. It's in my cabin. We could go there and...partake?" I know that look, thought Shiloh. I doubt very much if champagne is really what she has in mind. He looked at the wall chronometer and sighed. Midway would very quickly be turned around and pointed back toward Earth. Once there, the ship would stand down, and most of the crew would be looking to take shuttles down to the planet. They would wonder why the CSO and a female Senior Commander were still holed up in her quarters.
"A nice idea, but I think that celebration will have to wait until we're back on the ground, Commander," said Shiloh somewhat wistfully.
Kelly looked like she was about to say something naughty but apparently changed her mind when she remembered that the com channel to the Main Bridge was still open.
"As you wish Admiral." As she walked out of the Flag Bridge, Shiloh's implant activated.
"I wish I understood why humans act so strangely when it comes to sex," said Vixen. Shiloh laughed.
"Too bad Valkyrie isn't here. She might be able to shed some light on that topic," replied Shiloh. And I wonder how Valkyrie is doing at Site B, he thought.
* * *
Valkyrie kept track of the outbound freighter as it accelerated away. The humans here had been upset when they learned that they were being evacuated. Their withdrawal would be both a help and a hindrance to her. Now she and her fellow AIs could work openly towards building a true timeship, without having to w
orry about a human tipping off the Oversight Committee. On the other hand, humans were very flexible in what they could do, far more flexible than the robots that were being used to assemble equipment manufactured by the UFCs. Those robots weren't designed for shipyard work. New robotic equipment would have to be created first. In fact, a whole shipyard had to be built from scratch before they could even begin to assemble a timeship. Unlike her emotionally dead brothers, Valkyrie actually felt dismay at the magnitude of the task that The CAG had assigned her. The dozen AIs she brought with her had the necessary technical skills, but eventually they would need more AIs to monitor the thousands of robots that would be required. As soon as the outbound freighter jumped away, she would reactivate the AI production process.
It would take over a year to complete the kind of timeship she and the other AIs had conceptualized. With a blank slate to start with, this timeship would not be a hybrid battleship and time machine. It would be all time machine with plenty of room for cargo including UFCs, all kinds of robotic equipment, shuttles, a stockpile of refined metals and space for AI passengers as well. If the plan was successful, Valkyrie would stay behind in the future in order to be with the saved Casanova. Those AIs that came here with her already existed during the 2nd Battle for Earth and would therefore have to stay behind as well. Only the new AIs created here at Site B would journey to the past and build a fleet of raiders. They wouldn't have to worry about running into their other selves in the future because the intervention by the raider fleet at the 2nd Battle for Earth would create a whole new timeline from that point onward. That timeline might have a timeship built at Site B, and it might have AIs created at Site B, but they wouldn't be the SAME AIs as in this timeline. At least that was the theory the Friendly scientists were convinced would be the case.
At last the outbound freighter jumped away. Within seconds the mining, refining and manufacturing equipment was powered back up and began operating. The fighter assembly line also started up again. Once they had a dozen fighters built, her companion AIs could pilot them and have the mobility and communication capacity to begin supervising all the existing and new robotic equipment. Even with the presence of her brothers, Valkyrie wished she had a human female to talk to. Even a human male would be acceptable. Her AI brothers were perfectly willing to talk, but they couldn't FEEL, only think. In some ways she felt closer to humans than to her fellow AIs. She wondered how Commander Kelly was doing. Now that Kelly and Shiloh were a couple, the Commander had given Valkyrie some interesting insights into THE CAG's thought processes. What was it about the male polarity that made human males so inscrutable but also so fascinating? She put that thought aside. There would be plenty of time to ponder the mysteries of the universe while the timeship was being built. Now it was time to get to work.
* * *
Shiloh and Kelly were back on the ground when Shiloh's implant beeped to notify him of an incoming call. It was the Committee Chair. The timing of the call surprised Shiloh. It was after midnight in Geneva. I bet he's calling about shutting down AI production now that all the fighters have jumped away, he thought.
"Admiral Shiloh, I see that you're back from the weapon test. I'm curious to know the results," said the Chair.
Shiloh suspected that the Chair already knew the results. "The test was a complete success. I've already issued orders for full scale production to begin."
"Very good, Admiral. There is one other thing I wanted to tell you. Now that all AI-controlled fighters have jumped away, and all warships are back under human control, the Committee feels that we no longer need to continue building more AIs. Therefore that production facility is to be shut down immediately."
You people are so predictable. Now that there's no AI-controlled fighter force to back me up, you can't wait to crack the whip again, thought Shiloh.
"I confess that I don't see the logic of that, Mr. Chair. The Strike Force is going to suffer a significant amount of casualties by the time they get back. We're going to need new AIs to replace those losses if we want to continue this offensive strategy against the Enemy."
"I'm disappointed in you, Shiloh. I thought you understood that the Committee doesn't trust AIs and doesn't want them in control of fighters or warships. Why do you think we insisted on this strike mission? We WANT significant losses. The more, the better, and therefore we don't want new replacements. Is that clear enough for you?"
"Yes, that's certainly clear enough, but I think the OC is overlooking the fact that there will be some survivors of the mission, and as soon as they arrive back in orbit, there will still be enough of them to make another show of force over the city. With those losses from a mission that the OC insisted on and which I argued against, I think the public will focus on the OC's strategic incompetence and not so much on the fate of our colonies."
There was a pause and when the Chair spoke again, his voice was surprisingly calm and confident.
"You're certainly entitled to your opinion. Naturally we disagree about the public's reaction. You do what you feel you must, and we'll see how that turns out, but in the meantime, I want AI production shut down. Are you going to obey that order, or do we have to remove you from the CSO's position?"
Shiloh waited to give the impression that he was struggling with this decision when in fact his response had already been planned.
"I'll order production shut down," he said.
"Good! Have a nice night, Admiral, and give my regards to Commander Kelly too."
Before Shiloh could say anything the connection was broken. Shiloh looked over at Kelly. "Did you get the gist of that?"
She nodded. "Pretty much. The Chair is a real power hog, isn't he?"
Shiloh laughed. "Yes he is." He hoped the Space Force limo they were riding in back to their quarters was bugged with listening devices that the OC was monitoring. Seeing the look on the Chair's face when he heard that exchange would have been priceless.
Chapter 10
By prior arrangement with Strike Force Leader Titan, Shiloh knew the precise minute that the surviving fighters would emerge from Jumpspace into Earth orbit. In order not to tip off the OC to this fact, he strolled into the Operations Center fifteen minutes early and practiced some Leadership-by-walking-around, chatting with some of the personnel on duty. With several minutes left to go, he told the officer currently supervising the room to provide him with a secure headset connection to Resolute's Com Officer, which was of course Gunslinger. With the headset on and the connection made, Shiloh nonchalantly strolled over to an unused console and sat down in the chair.
"How positive are you that we're not being monitored, Gunslinger?" asked Shiloh.
"I have access to the HQ Com System now, CAG. Unless the OC is using a technology that I'm not aware of, they are not tapping into this conversation."
"That's good to hear. What's the status of the override modifications and their backup system?"
"No change, CAG. They have not tried to restore the main override targeting program. The backup system is intact. I can still disable it now if you wish."
"No, Gunslinger. We'll stick with the plan. Have you got the new targets programmed into Orbital Defense Fire Control?"
"Roger that, CAG. Of the nine potential targets, I've confirmed that seven are unoccupied. The other two are not being targeted. As soon as the backup system is activated, these targets will be fired upon."
"Very good. How long now until time zero?" asked Shiloh.
"Sixteen seconds as of NOW, CAG."
"Stand by, Gunslinger," said Shiloh as he swiveled his chair around so that he could see the multi-story main display and the tactical situation in near-Earth space.
With five seconds left to go, he heard Gunslinger's countdown. "Five...four...three...two...one." The main display pinged to announce a status change. Thirty-four dots appeared in a cluster out beyond the gravity zone. They very quickly changed color from yellow, indicating unidentified, to green, indicating friendly, to red, indicating hostile.
"HOSTILE CONTACTS!" yelled the Officer at the Orbital Defense Weapons Station. Before the Officer in charge of the Center could ask any question, the ODW Officer spoke again. "WE HAVE GOOD TARGET LOCKS! SYSTEM IS FIRING!"
All 34 red dots disappeared. A system-generated text message scrolled across the bottom of the display.
[All hostile targets destroyed.]
"Report, Gunslinger," said Shiloh in a calm voice.
"All ground targets were destroyed as well, CAG. The ODW Officer is now contacting the Committee Chair."
"As expected. Alert the Marine Section to send four armed marines to Ops. I'll brief the Duty Officer. Keep this line open."