Good Luck, Yukikaze y-2

by Chohei Kambayashi

  “I’ll try to find some candidates from my end again,” the major replied.

  “Right, and I hope you’re always on the lookout for those, but another unit contacted me with a man they hope we can use. In other words, he’s a giveaway. What I wanted to consult with you about was whether or not I should accept him. I’d like to hear your opinion on the matter.”

  “Who is he? Does he want to join the SAF? Does he have any personality problems? I’d welcome a guy with a personality like Captain Fukai’s, but people like that don’t usually offer themselves to us.”

  “He wasn’t the one asking us to use him. It was Colonel Rombert.”

  “Colonel Rombert? From the Intelligence Forces?” asked Major Booker, the cup of cocoa up at his mouth.

  “Right. Ansel Rombert. He says that if we’re shorthanded, to please use one of his men. The candidate has electronic warfare experience and doesn’t seem to have any problems as far as competency goes. But he comes with another problem.”

  “Yeah... the Intelligence Forces probably want to find out what’s going on in the SAF and maybe get some intel from us as well. I think Colonel Rombert sees our situation presenting itself to him as a chance to get some quid pro quo. Did he say anything like this guy he’s offering wouldn’t be an SAF transfer but just an Intelligence Forces member on loan to us?”

  “Yeah, that’s basically the impression I got from him. Rombert’s attitude toward us will probably change depending on what moves we make. For now, though, he seems to be friendly to us,” General Cooley said.

  “The colonel seems to be planning to start openly collecting intel on what goes on in the SAF. This personnel recommendation may just be a bluff. In any case, I think this is a declaration from him that the Intelligence Forces aren’t just going to leave the SAF to its own devices. We should take it as a warning.”

  “I don’t want Colonel Rombert and his forces interfering with what we do here. The last thing we need is them breathing down our necks. I want to avoid anything that endangers our autonomy. Normally, I’d reject the offer out of hand, but right now, we’re really hurting for personnel, so I’m thinking of accepting it,” said Cooley.

  “Accept an intel forces guy with strings attached, huh? All combat intel will end up getting passed straight to Colonel Rombert. Are you saying you’re okay with that?”

  “So says the man who was just saying he wanted anyone, even a JAM.”

  “That was just a figure of speech, General.”

  “I didn’t think so. You sounded pretty serious to me when you said a JAM human could get us info on the JAM.”

  “A JAM human. What Colonel Rombert refers to as a Jammy. Well, maybe this would be better. If the colonel’s recommending this guy, it’s pretty much a guarantee that he won’t be a Jammy,” Booker said.

  “I can imagine that Colonel Rombert has been watching us for any strange moves ever since we told him that we’ve already been infiltrated by a duplicate once before. It’s only natural that he can’t disregard any actions the SAF takes now. We were prepared for that already.”

  “True, but I figured he’d do it behind closed doors. I never expected him to openly send in a... well, spy may be too strong a word. How about observer?”

  “No, Colonel Rombert sends in his right-hand man who will then report on what happens here to him. But at the same time, we’ll know about it. With that in mind, I want you to stay on your toes. This is also a good chance for us to learn about what the Intelligence Forces are up to. What I’d like to ask your opinion about is if you think we can do that, Major Booker.”

  So, that’s what she wanted to consult me about, thought Major Booker as he sipped his cocoa. The general was right; they couldn’t just ignore Colonel Rombert’s activities and speculations. If they left this to lie, the Intelligence Forces would certainly be investigating the SAF in secret. But the colonel had shown his cards; he wanted to gather information through this guy they were sending over, so that the arrangement would be an exchange of information between the SAF and the Intelligence Forces. In that respect, Colonel Rombert had made a fair proposal.

  But there was no mistaking that the colonel thought that he’d be getting the better end of the deal. Would Booker be able to handle this talented soldier Rombert was sending over? He was a spy, an expert in information warfare, while the major wasn’t. To be honest, Booker didn’t really want to take on any duties outside of the war with the JAM. Still, they weren’t going to get anywhere with the war unless they had the manpower to fight it.

  “Colonel Rombert has good people working for him, and so do I,” said General Cooley as she looked at Major Booker. “I know you can handle this.”

  “Hm. Well, I’d like some details on the man he’s recommending.”

  “Colonel Rombert arranged to have a hard copy of his file sent over. It looks like he didn’t want the computers knowing about it.”

  “He probably has the file memorized anyway. That’s the safest way. It’s kind of amazing how he’s able to do that.”

  “The colonel’s abilities aren’t that praiseworthy. I have a feeling that you’d be able to tell me the detailed personal histories of our personnel and the current condition of their planes immediately if I asked you to,” the general said. “You’d do well not to overestimate the man.”

  “It’s an objective evaluation of him, General. The fact that the colonel has his position in the Intelligence Forces is evidence of his ability in itself. My saying it’s dangerous to make light of him is another way for me to say I’m ready for anything he dishes out. It doesn’t mean he’s got me shaking in my boots.”

  “As a member of the SAF, you know that we can’t let our guard down with Colonel Rombert, right?”

  “The same way we can’t get sloppy with the JAM. Anyway, I want to know about this guy they’re sending before he gets here. He can’t be a total mystery man, can he?”

  “We’re still waiting on his detailed personal file, but I’ve been given a brief précis of it.”

  “Then could you please start by telling me what you know?” Major Booker asked. “Colonel Rombert may be distracting us with this guy while he thinks of some other measure to use against us, but I can’t make any judgments without data to work with. I want that data and some time to consider all this.”

  “Very well. If you judge that he won’t fit our needs, then I’ll turn down the colonel’s offer. Don’t take too long, though. We should decide if we’re taking him as soon as we can.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Akira Katsuragi. Second lieutenant, currently assigned to the electronic warfare analysis division of the Intelligence Forces. He comes from Japan and originally enlisted in the Japanese Air Force. So he’s Japanese, not a Jammy. Why don’t we pair him up with Captain Fukai?”

  “You’re saying their coming from the same country will make them more compatible? That’s —”

  “Compatibility has nothing to do with it. First of all, Yukikaze needs a flight officer. Second, we’ll need Rei’s and Yukikaze’s help if we’re going to outwit the colonel. Rei won’t let a new guy do as he pleases, and neither will Yukikaze. Particularly Yukikaze, since she’ll be recording every single thing the flight officer does while aboard her. He won’t be able to interfere with any SAF computer without her knowing about it.”

  Booker paused a moment, considering his options.

  “You know what, General? Let’s take Colonel Rombert up on his kind offer. Right now, figuring out the JAM’s strategy is more important than speculating on the Intelligence Forces’ intentions. After that is figuring out what our unit’s CIs are up to. I’m also interested in Yukikaze on that front, but I know what she’s doing from Rei’s reports. He’s working hard to get that information out of her. Compared to that, this little intrigue on Rombert’s part is a minor annoyance, and we’re going to let him know that through the new guy.”

  “I’ll give you a little time to consider this.”

&nbs
p; “Ma’am?”

  “Take some time to enjoy your cocoa, Major. If you don’t want to do it here, you can take the cup to your office.”

  Booker thought it over, then replied, “I’ll do it here, General.”

  “I know you think you need a private secretary too, but there’s nobody qualified available. Getting a bad candidate in there will probably just cause more trouble for you, but I want to help you with that if I can.”

  “I appreciate your concern, General. I’m fine, though. My coffee and cocoa tastes best when I fix it for myself.”

  But as he slowly sipped his drink, Major Booker thought that cocoa made for you by another person didn’t taste so bad.

  “We need to get Captain Fukai and Yukikaze to work on this new strategy against the JAM,” General Cooley said conversationally as she sipped her tea. “I’ll be expecting you to do your best with it.”

  “I’ve broached the subject with him, but I’d like for this Lieutenant Katsuragi character to get used to Yukikaze first. We can get to the other thing later. No need to rush. The JAM aren’t going anywhere. We can take our time looking for them.”

  “The SAF was originally formed to carry out tactical reconnaissance, but now we seem to be moving into the realm of strategic reconnaissance,” Cooley said.

  “It’d be better if we didn’t keep pursuing autonomy for our unit. The nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down, you know.”

  “I never set out to start playing internal FAF power games,” the general replied. “But I can’t help but think that having a bit more influence would help us to avoid problems like the ones we’re facing now.”

  “The thing is, you’re still the big gun here. You run things from the shadows,” the major replied. “It’d be better if you didn’t move into the foreground. From the very start, the SAF was never simply a tactical recon unit. Right now, we’re operating as a joint tactical-strategic intelligence unit. There’s a lot of know-how we need from Colonel Rombert. The way we need to think about this information exchange is not as a strategic recon force, but as another intelligence force. Now, of course, Colonel Rombert will probably be on guard for this. And then there are the internal power games we need to play. All these family squabbles within the FAF may be just what the JAM wanted.”

  “Humans really are bizarre life-forms, aren’t we?”

  “Completely. In the face of an enemy threat, we still waste our time with these internal power struggles. There are those who think we have better things to do, but they usually turn out to be the losers. I used to think it was basic instinct for every life-form to seek hegemony over its environment, but now I’m not so sure. There are special groups within humanity where that idea doesn’t hold sway. The SAF is one of them. We really do occupy a special position within the mass of humanity. I can only guess at the troubles it causes you,” the major said.

  “Your sympathy doesn’t help much, but I think it makes me feel a bit better.”

  “As does yours for me.”

  Draining the last of his cocoa, Major Booker rose from the sofa.

  “Please tell me as soon as you get a hard date for Lieutenant Katsuragi’s arrival. I’ll be placing Captain Fukai in charge of bringing him up to speed on Yukikaze, so I need to make plans.”

  “Understood.”

  General Cooley, cup still in hand, nodded her head. Saluting the general as she sipped her tea, Major Booker exited her office.

  He didn’t know what kind of guy Katsuragi was going to be, but now Yukikaze’s rear seat was filled. That was one major problem solved. The next thing to prepare for was the strategic reconnaissance mission to be carried out by Rei and Yukikaze, which could lead to a major turning point in the war with the JAM. They were going to have to carry out that mission with their new flight officer.

  2

  THE PERSONNEL FILE he’d requested on Lieutenant Akira Katsuragi reached Major Booker’s desk that same day. He noticed that the characters spelling his name in Japanese were the ones for redbud, fortress, and clear. After skimming through it, he summoned Captain Fukai and Captain Foss to his office.

  Rei, still on standby and eager for his next mission, came quickly.

  The night of Chef Murullé’s death, after that ill-fated lunch meeting, the major had gone back to his quarters with Rei to share some whiskey. Booker took Murullé’s death harder than usual. As he got increasingly drunk, Major Booker started complaining about the SAF’s manpower shortage. Rei comforted him by saying that he would fly Yukikaze even without a flight officer. He had his reasons for not wanting one. Major Booker had broached the idea of Rei and Yukikaze flying a mission to proactively make contact with the JAM. There was no way of knowing what might happen on a mission like that, and Rei didn’t want a repeat of his experience of having the JAM feed him the flesh of his last flight officer. When he told the major that, Booker replied that he understood how Rei felt, but that there was no way he could let him fly out there on his own. Two would be better than one, and while he was sorry about what had happened to Lieutenant Burgadish, the major pointed out that Rei might not have made it back alive had he flown solo last time. The old scar on his face was flushed as he talked. The major had gone on, saying that he didn’t want to lose any more of his people either, but that just wasn’t a realistic option, and so he had resigned himself to it. And he had to deal with that on his own. Rei had remained silent and simply refilled his old friend’s empty glass.

  It had been two days since that meeting, and Rei hadn’t been sent out with Yukikaze. Rei entered the office and immediately asked, “Have you worked out the details for my and Yukikaze’s new mission?” The major replied that no, he hadn’t yet. Still, the major’s attitude now made his drunken bellyaching from a couple of nights back seem like it never happened.

  “You get some good news for a change, Jack? You look like you just inherited a fortune.”

  “You can tell? Nothing to do with money, I’m afraid, but I’ve got you a new flight officer. That’s enough to make me happy. His transfer isn’t official yet, but as long as there’s no complaint from our end, it’s a done deal. Now we won’t be down a plane anymore. I’m still putting together your special strategic recon mission against the JAM, but I’d like you to fly some regular tactical recon missions in the meantime. The new guy can get used to Yukikaze while you do.”

  “Shouldn’t we leave him out of the special mission?”

  “That’s part of why I want to see how good he is,” the major said. “Anyway, I want to see if he’ll be of any use to us under fire. Check over his file to see what kind of person he is before he gets here.”

  “What, are you telling me to play nice with the new kid? This isn’t kindergarten. What the hell’s the matter with you?”

  “I’m not asking you to get along with him. Of course I wouldn’t expect you to do that. Actually, kindergarten is a good way of putting it, since he is kind of like a transfer student. Think of him as a student from the Colonel Rombert School. He’s the kind of guy you’d throw into an intelligence war or something like that.”

  Rei seemed a bit taken aback. “I didn’t realize we were that short of qualified people,” he said. “You’re really going to have me fly with a spy in the back seat?”

  “I know how you feel. That’s why I’m giving you the background info on him.”

  “I suppose there’s no point in my saying no to this.”

  “Not before you fly with him under fire. If you judge there to be a real problem after we get him up to speed, and not one just based on your emotions, then report that to me. If it means anything, I don’t like having to pair you up with a guy like this either.”

  “Hmm...” Rei replied. As he skimmed the personnel file of his new flight officer that he’d been handed, Captain Foss arrived.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she said.

  “You’re actually earlier than I expected. Looks like you’re getting into the flow of things here.”

  �
�Yes, thankfully.”

  “Well,” said Rei. “If you don’t need me now, then —”

  “Hold it. I’m not done with you yet, Captain Fukai.”

  Rei stopped at the door. Major Booker brought Captain Foss up to speed on the new flight officer’s planned arrival, including the detail that he was one of Colonel Rombert’s men.

  “Now, you see,” the major said to her, “I’d like you to analyze the personality of this new man. If the file they sent isn’t enough, figure something out. I especially want you to find out if he’ll be able to work with the SAF in general and Rei in particular. Take Colonel Rombert’s expectations into account as well. Since he’s about to take up his post here, I’d like you to give this matter your continuous attention.”

  “Yes, Major. In other words, you want me to try profacting this man,” she replied.

  “I’m not that familiar with your field’s terminology, but I think so. I thought it was called profiling, though.”

  “Profiling techniques were never widely accepted in the fields of psychology and psychiatry. Since the term was also broadly interpreted and used arbitrarily by the general public, it fell into disfavor in the scientific world. Profacting is a method used to analyze the load intensity of the mind and body in order to theoretically predict a subject’s behavior or psychology.”

  “It’s your specialty. I want you to analyze him the same way you did Rei.”

  “Understood, sir. I suppose we’ll need to analyze Colonel Rombert’s psychology as well.”

  “Just be prudent and don’t be too obvious about it. I know you can do this.”

  “I’ll try to live up to your expectations, Major.”

  “Good to hear. Ask for Captain Fukai’s opinion in your analysis. He knows more about Colonel Rombert and the relationship between the SAF and the Intelligence Forces than you do.”

  “You want me to help with this too?” Rei asked.

  “Right,” the major said. “You’ll do this together. This is a question that concerns your continued existence, Rei. The results of his psych analysis will be helpful in that regard.”