“Our targets are the key members of the FAF high command, beginning with General Laitume,” the leader of the duplicates said. “If we kill them, what will you do? Use the Intelligence Forces to take over the FAF?”
“That’s what I’m planning.”
“No, I don’t believe you. Remember what you said to Lieutenant Burgadish a few minutes ago?”
“I said that I didn’t want to be an oil baron. What I want is a modestly peaceful life. Well, I suppose that’s old age talking.”
“What are you really after, Colonel Rombert?”
“To toss out the war-weary fools in the FAF high command. They don’t live for the FAF.”
“The FAF has no future. Surely you know that too, Colonel. You’ve been used. You may have thought you could use the JAM to your own ends, but if you really think that’s going to work, then the one who should doubt your sanity is you.”
“I’ll keep your advice in mind, thank you,” Colonel Rombert replied. “Anyway, good luck to you all. I’ll use the Intelligence Forces to let you move more easily.”
“Colonel, what’s your real objective here? Please tell us.”
“You want to know anyway, even though you don’t have to?” Colonel Rombert looked around at them all. Everyone’s attention was on him. “Well,” said the colonel. “As with all things, you don’t know what you can do until you try. Even I don’t know if this will work or not. However, gentlemen, if you must know what my objective is, then in deference to your history, I’ll tell you. What I’m after isn’t control of the FAF. That’s only a means to an end. What I’m after is control of the JAM.”
Not one of them moved or spoke.
“What’s wrong?” asked the colonel. “You can laugh if you like, men.”
“We don’t share your sense of humor,” said the leader.
“I’d have thought that the JAM would find it easier to understand me. There’s not much difference between the JAM and me. If you think me a fool, then I think the same of you. We’re the same. While our goals may be different, for now our objective is the same. So, what will you do? Shoot me here?”
“Set the Intelligence Forces in motion, Colonel. As planned.”
“Very well. Follow me.”
As the colonel came out into the corridor, the ghost unit began to move. The colonel was joined only by Lieutenant Lancome and the duplicates’ leader in the Systems Corps’ central systems command center. The rest of the group split up in preparation for seizing control of the corps’ armaments. Only six Systems Corps personnel were at work in the command center. They saluted Colonel Rombert and asked what he wanted.
“I have some representatives from the retraining unit with me,” Colonel Rombert replied. “I wanted to teach them about the practical applications of the FAF computer network. This is good timing. You can help me. I want to issue simultaneous test directives to the Intelligence Forces from here.”
“Understood,” nodded one of the controllers, clearing a console for the colonel to use.
“Now then, gentlemen,” Colonel Rombert said as he sat down. “The FAF computer system really is very well designed. I can access my control computer from anywhere. The method for validating authorized users varies from system to system, and these methods are not public knowledge. However, since I don’t trust computer validation, I issue my instructions to a human subordinate, not the computer. Everyone in the Systems Corps probably laughs at me for using this advanced computer as a glorified videophone, but...”
The face of a man from the Intelligence Forces appeared on the console monitor. The colonel spoke to him.
“Today London, tomorrow the world. Countersign.”
“Today the FAF, tomorrow the JAM. Countersign, complete.”
“Very well. Initiate Operation Lost Sheep.”
“All lost sheep have been located, Colonel.”
“Very well. Capture them at once.”
“Roger. Beginning capture.”
The monitor went dark.
“See?” said the colonel. “Easy. Still, it was hard to get this far.”
“What are the Intelligence Forces doing, sir?” asked one of the Systems Corps personnel.
“The simultaneous exposure and arrest of people who have been using the FAF for their own personal gain,” said Colonel Rombert. “Collecting the evidence took a long time, but we’ve finally reached the point where we can move in.”
“Who are you arresting?”
“The commanders of Faery, Troll, Sylvan, Brownie, Valkia, and Siren bases, as well as the commanders of the main corps attached to Faery base. The Systems Corps is no exception.”
“What?” asked the man from the Systems Corps. “You’re talking about a coup d’état, aren’t you? A coup by the Intelligence Forces. Colonel, have you lost your mind?”
“It’s a test, right, Colonel?” said another man. “You’re just putting us on, aren’t you?”
“I don’t personally have the authority to arrest these people who have turned the FAF into their own personal plaything,” the colonel said as he checked his watch. “Even with the evidence, I’d just end up being crushed. I suppose it wouldn’t affect the FAF too much if I left them alone. It’s not like they’re conspiring to take it over. However, it would look very bad for us if Earth learned about their individual activities. Once it gets out that FAF higher-ups are using their positions to enrich themselves, the FAF will be under attack by global public opinion. I’m here to protect the FAF from that, but it demands a drastic solution.”
“Don’t tell me you’re serious about this,” the first man said.
“I’ve run simulations on this over and over,” Colonel Rombert answered. “But no matter what I do, I can’t find a good solution. No matter what I or the Intelligence Forces do, we can’t clean up the Faery Air Force. Not so long as it’s under the operation of human beings. The intentions the higher-ups had when they came here to work have nothing to do with the overall operations of the FAF. Using your position to enrich yourself may sound bad, but it’s only natural that they came here looking to profit. Even I have to acknowledge that no elite goes anywhere without expecting something in return, be it money or pride.”
“What are you trying to say? Is this a simulation?”
“I did, however, find a clean solution. As an individual, I don’t have the authority to clean up the FAF. But that isn’t a problem for the JAM. So, if I use them —”
“That’s... that’s even worse than a coup. That’s treason. Colonel, you need to have your head examined. That’s crazy. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“The sheep will be brought here in less than an hour. They will then be judged by the JAM.”
“That’s insane. Without the commanders, the FAF will collapse. You’re a JAM!”
“Don’t worry. Their subordinates will take over their duties. However, the FAF doesn’t really need anyone to stand in for them. It’ll fight on even without humans. The computers will do it.”
“Security!” one of the men shouted.
“Don’t move,” said the colonel. “Gentlemen, if you wish to live, stay right where you are. You’re now under my command. This isn’t a drill. My men are really doing this. They’ve all been anxiously awaiting this moment. Well, it’s possible their dream may end in only an hour. Anyone who wants to enjoy reality and not a dream had better do what I say.”
“You’re insane. Security, arrest them.”
Gunshots rang out from outside, with the thuds of a heavy machine gun mixed in. The entryway doors blew apart and what appeared to be a stocky bipedal robot walked through the ruined doorway.
“A BAX-4,” said one of the Systems Corps personnel. “Dammit, you have the powered armor. That’s just a test prototype. You have no authorization to —”
“The FAF belongs to me,” said Colonel Rombert. “If they resist, kill them.”
“Just shoot them,” said the ghost unit’s leader.
“Hold it.
Obey me,” the colonel said. “We shouldn’t waste ammunition.”
“You’re right,” the ghost unit’s leader said. “We don’t need to use the BAX-4’s ammunition to kill you.”
“You don’t need me anymore, is that it?” Rombert said, surprised.
“I admire your resolve, Colonel. The targets you ordered to be brought here will never arrive. We’ll send out Systems Corps fighters to shoot them down. We’ll also be finishing off a few people here that you left off your list. So, no, we don’t need you anymore.”
“You guys are forgetting something important,” Colonel Rombert said calmly.
“The SAF.”
“That’s right,” said Lieutenant Lancome. “I was killed by that fighter of theirs, Yukikaze. I’m going to kill that thing. I’ll smash the SAF.”
“That won’t be easy,” the colonel said. “You guys will never beat the SAF by yourselves.”
“We’ll have their commander in custody,” said the leader.
“She never made it onto my list,” the colonel replied. “Because I never found any evidence of wrongdoing by General Cooley.”
“Order your men to do it. It doesn’t matter what reason you give them,” said Lieutenant Lancome. “Even Lieutenant Mayle was pissed off at the SAF.”
“Do it,” said the leader. “Order the Intelligence Forces to kill the SAF’s general.”
“All right,” said the colonel. “I can’t say that’s a very smart way of going about it, though.”
“Meaning what?”
“I mean that when the SAF moves, they won’t need General Cooley. We really should get them on our side, although they’d probably reject the offer.”
The man from the Intelligence Forces appeared on the monitor again. After being told that things were proceeding smoothly, the colonel ordered him to access the SAF network.
“Summon General Cooley. She’ll come if you say that it’s me.”
“Roger,” the man replied, but no connection was made.
“What’s wrong?” the colonel asked.
“It’s gone,” the intelligence officer replied. “I can’t find the SAF network.”
“You what?”
“The computer’s telling me that there’s no such network. The SAF’s disappeared.”
“The SAF... They’ve figured out what’s going on,” the colonel said, leaping up from the console. “They’re launching their own attack.”
The colonel headed for the hole blasted open by the BAX-4, heedless of the calls for him to stop, and ran out into the corridor.
“Colonel, where’s the SAF located? Show us where it is.” The man paused. “Colonel Rombert? Where’d he go?
“Where is he?” the ghosts shouted. “I don’t see him.” “Dammit, he has to be around here somewhere. Shoot! Don’t let him get away! Kill him!”
The machine gun mounted on the BAX-4’s right arm roared. The colonel ran, expecting to be torn in half at any moment, but he wasn’t hit once. Bullets sprayed in every direction. They could no longer see him, the colonel realized.
It had to be the work of the JAM, manipulating the sight of the ghosts so that they could no longer perceive him. The JAM must still need me, Ansel Rombert thought happily. He was going to get to enjoy his life a little longer. And what a thrilling life it had become.
6
“DON’T INTERFERE WITH what Colonel Rombert’s doing. We need him,” said the old man General Cooley had asked be brought to the SAF command center.
“Please, General Linneberg. Have a seat over there,” said General Cooley.
“Am I a guest? Or perhaps a hostage.”
“And who exactly is the ‘we’ who needs him?” asked Major Booker without bothering to introduce himself. “Is it you as the chief executive of the Intelligence Forces? Or the FAF?”
“We, the human race,” replied Major General Linneberg, General Secretary of the FAF Intelligence Forces, as he sat down next to Major Booker.
“Colonel Rombert really is an excellent man to watch work on the tasks that capture his interest. He’s grasped the actions and intentions of every person in the FAF and assessed them. He’s even picked out people who would be inappropriate for service here.”
“We think he’s a JAM,” said Lieutenant Katsuragi. “An enemy of humanity.”
“Why did you call me here, General Cooley? Don’t you have to share any intelligence you get with General Laitume first?”
“As I already told you, there’s no time,” General Cooley said. “I’m certain that the retraining unit within the Systems Corps will be initiating destructive action within the next few hours. I believe that the only thing that can stop them is the might of the Intelligence Forces. That’s assuming, of course, that you aren’t a JAM too, just like Rombert.”
“As I said, I have no intention of stopping the colonel. And yes, it’s possible that he is in communication with the JAM.”
“And knowing that, you’ve let him go free?” Captain Pivot said. “Isn’t that just inviting disaster, General Linneberg?”
“If you attack Colonel Rombert, I’ll have no choice but to move the Intelligence Forces against you.”
“And protect the JAM?” said Captain Foss. “For what reason?”
“For the sake of all humanity,” General Linneberg replied. “I’m not simply sitting around and leaving the Intelligence Forces in Colonel Rombert’s hands. We’ve spent years looking for some way to communicate with the JAM. I decided that Colonel Rombert was the right man for the job. No one is more familiar with his abilities than I. He thought he should become a JAM.”
“Become a JAM?” Cooley said.
“Yes, General. The communications method the colonel found was to become a JAM. If he can’t do this, I doubt we’ll ever find another man as talented as he to replace him. That is just how brilliant Colonel Ansel Rombert is. You might call him the representative of all humanity.”
“He seems to have a few odd traits,” said Captain Foss. “I couldn’t say for sure without data from a detailed examination, but Colonel Rombert exhibits a lowered ability to sense fear as well as a tendency to disregard group harmony. Unlike the people in the SAF, I expect it’s due to an abnormality in the brain itself, a glitch in the hardware. It’s archetypal.”
“I know. However, he’s no madman.”
“That may be,” said Captain Foss. “but he shows unusually little concern for anything that doesn’t interest him. How can you entrust the future of the species to someone like that?”
“Someone had to do it. The colonel was qualified.”
“Will you still be saying that if this ghost unit ends up destroying Faery base, General?” said Major Booker. “The FAF is in danger, not to mention yourself.”
“Ghost unit... That’s an interesting way to put it. They’re JAM duplicates, aren’t they?”
“Without a doubt,” said Lieutenant Katsuragi. “Puppets.”
“With them gathered in one place, we can finish them off. A few sacrifices will be inevitable, but —”
“Like hell, they are!” said Captain Pivot. “We’re in this up to our necks now!”
“Shut your mouth, Captain,” said General Cooley. “General Linneberg, you’re saying you’re willing to let that happen?”
“I am. My forces have before them a crucial intelligence task: to comprehend the JAM. If letting Colonel Rombert take over Faery base now that he’s in communication with the JAM will allow him to know our enemy, then I think we should let him have it.”
“And in return for that, you’re saying you’ll get intel regarding JAM activities from the colonel, General Linneberg?”
“Exactly. He’s a medium of communication with the JAM, General Cooley. If he can become a true mediator between humanity and the JAM, then we should let him take control of the FAF. We could form a new organization to resist the JAM and fight them through him.”
“Easier said than done, General,” Cooley said. “All you’re doing is increasing the n
umber of enemies we’d have to fight, aren’t you? You’ll just let the colonel have the FAF?”
“It’s insignificant when seen from a long-term strategic perspective. For over three decades, dialogue with the JAM has been impossible. There was no way for a human to defect to the JAM because they completely disregarded the existence of human beings. We’ve now changed that aspect of the war. The Intelligence Forces have been hoping for a traitor to humanity to appear. I never expected to see it happen in my lifetime. It’s like a dream come true.”
“You people are nuts, the lot of you,” sighed Lieutenant Eco. “I’ll never understand how you people operate with your plots and conspiracies.”
“So the SAF has just been tilting at windmills,” said Major Booker. “Is that how you think of us?”
“General Cooley outlined the intelligence you people have obtained,” General Linneberg replied to Major Booker. “You’ve done well. It’s something the Intelligence Forces couldn’t have done, since we only know how to deal with intelligence at a personal level. To be honest, I was skeptical that you could pull this off. That was until Colonel Rombert told me that we couldn’t ignore you. No, the FAF really has a wide variety of people in it. You aren’t the only special ones. As Colonel Rombert discovered in his investigations, there are some people here to personally profit from the war, and others who were sent by their respective nations back on Earth to gain an advantage for them rather than victory over the JAM. Some are corporate spies, sent in here by businesses instead of nations, others are criminals from the Mafia or the Yakuza. And yet despite all this, the FAF as a whole still has the might to oppose the JAM. The FAF isn’t as powerless, nor is humanity as incompetent, as you think it is.”
“You’re saying that humanity is strong because of the diversity of people comprising it,” said Captain Foss. “But it still requires strong leaders, doesn’t it? You’ll pardon me if I don’t share your optimism, sir.”
“We’ve been at war with the JAM for a generation now. I expect that settling it will take several more. People my age will die without knowing the JAM’s true nature. Think about it, fraulein,” General Linneberg replied. “We can expect that the JAM have a completely different origin from humans. We don’t know what their physical forms are like, or if they even have any. They may be completely different from our conception of life itself. And yes, the SAF has managed to get a glimpse of them once. It would be foolish to think that we could understand such an opponent quickly. We need time. Even if the FAF were lost, mankind can still continue the fight against the JAM, as long as we don’t forget their existence. We have to pass this knowledge on to the next generation. I think even losing the FAF won’t matter, so long as we can get new intel on the JAM. The only way we’ll ever beat them is by learning to communicate with them. The war against the JAM has only just begun.”
Good Luck, Yukikaze y-2 Page 45