Good Luck, Yukikaze

by Chohei Kambayashi

  “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.”

  “If the entire FAF saw the situation the way you do, it would be of great help to the SAF,” said General Cooley. “But they don’t, do they, General Linneberg?”

  “What a load of irresponsible bullshit from an old man who doesn’t have much longer to live,” said Lieutenant Eco. “We’re not going along with your scheme. The battle’s just begun? It’ll be over before it even starts. We don’t have time to wait for a messiah to show up.”

  “General Linneberg, I’m going to be frank with you,” said General Cooley. “Just how much control do you have over the Intelligence Forces now? Do you even have the power to stop Colonel Rombert, or does he have complete control here?”

  “I have the ability to crush the colonel’s plan. However, I won’t. As I said before, I can also stop you people from acting. Do you want to try me and see, General Cooley?”

  “I’d like to see Colonel Rombert again,” Lieutenant Katsuragi said. “If the colonel really can contact the JAM, I’d like to try talking to them again.”

  “Oh?” said General Linneberg as he regarded the lieutenant. “And you are…?”

  “Second Lieutenant Katsuragi, sir. Akira Katsuragi. I was the flight officer aboard Yukikaze when we made contact with the JAM. I originally served under Colonel Rombert. He probably sent me in here to learn the inner workings of the SAF. Well, that doesn’t really matter to me. I’m more interested in learning about the JAM.”

  “I see. And what do you make of all this?”

  “Are you asking me about what Colonel Rombert’s doing now?” Lieutenant Katsuragi asked. “Or what we should do about it?”

  “What he’s doing is spring cleaning in the FAF,” replied General Linneberg, interrupting the lieutenant without any sign that he’d lost his temper. “A simultaneous change in management, so to speak. The colonel is attempting a type of mutiny, aiming to put himself in the boss’s seat. However, I don’t think his subordinates are aware that they’re part of a coordinated revolt. The colonel has them believing that these are strictly individual cases. In other words, I expect he’s talked them into doing it by telling them something like ‘Your superiors are behaving in an illegal manner, so can you help out the Intelligence Forces by acting as their official stand-ins when we bust them?’ Later on, once the people he’s convinced to do this realize it’s a coup, they’ll probably see that they can’t oppose Colonel Rombert…and really wouldn’t need to. Normally, such a plan would have little chance for success. But when you add in the power of the JAM to the internal organizational abilities of the Intelligence Forces, it might just work. He’s using the JAM to pull the trigger. We’ll wait and see just how brilliant the colonel is and just how well he can use the power of the JAM.”

  “And you really think you can pull a turnabout on this colonel?” said Major Booker. “He might turn the situation right back around on you. This is a terribly dangerous gamble you’re taking.”

  “Two turnabouts bring you right back where you started,” said Lieutenant Katsuragi. “That’s easy for the Intelligence Forces to pull off if they’re prepared for it.”

  “I like you,” said General Linneberg to Katsuragi. “Lieutenant, would you consider coming back to the Intelligence Forces? You won’t regret it. That goes for you and the SAF. How about it, General Cooley?”

  “If the JAM abandon Colonel Rombert and he fails, you try again with Lieutenant Katsuragi, is that it?” said Major Booker. “Be prepared, as they say.”

  “Lieutenant Katsuragi isn’t a genius like the colonel,” said Captain Foss, “but it’s possible the JAM would be sufficiently interested in him to contact him again.”

  “If you give this young man to us,” General Linnneberg said to General Cooley, “then the Intelligence Forces are prepared to support the SAF. What do you say, General?”

  “I won’t make any deals with you.”

  “General, it’s not a bad proposal,” said Captain Pivot. “We’re at a disadvantage on our own.”

  “I said no deals,” replied General Cooley. “At this stage, there’s no way I can trust someone who’s getting a kick from making leisurely deals with people on his own side. General Linneberg, your proposal is tantamount to a threat to seize something of ours by force. If that’s your true nature, then I’ve misjudged you.”

  “Hmm… It seems I could have put that better. I apologize if that came off as a threat. General, what if I ask you again? Talented people like the lieutenant here are precious commodities. Please try to understand.”

  “Lieutenant Katsuragi.”

  “Yes, General Cooley.”

  “You may return to the Intelligence Forces.”

  “Thank you, General.”

  “Hold it,” said Major Booker. “If you give him Lieutenant Katsuragi now, Yukikaze won’t have a flight officer.”

  “This is no time to be worrying about that,” said General Cooley. “I want to leave someone behind to carry on our memory in case the SAF is wiped out. He’s the right man for the job.”

  “I see how resolved you are. Since you made no deal, you shouldn’t expect any payback from me, General.”

  “Of course. I’ve already gotten the information I wanted from you. I appreciate your cooperation, General Linneberg.”

  “I see…this is why Colonel Rombert told me not to ignore you. Your existence may be humanity’s last hope.”

  “Don’t overestimate us.”

  “It’s the same assessment I have of Colonel Rombert.”

  “However you assess us, I appreciate your understanding. You’re the real hope for humanity, surely. The only thing humanity will find in pinning its hope on a megalomaniac is disillusionment and destruction. Good luck to you, General.”

  “Can’t resist a parting shot, can you? Are we even now?” Linneberg said.

  “There’s a chance that you may not get the outcome you hope for,” Major Booker said to General Linneberg. “You’re being too naive about your JAM and Colonel Rombert. The Intelligence Forces should be looking for help from us, not the other way around.”

  “You have good people serving under you, General Cooley.”

  “Major Booker isn’t being ironic, General,” she replied.

  “Exactly,” said Captain Foss. “You and the Intelligence Forces act on empty theory. More than that, it’s obsolete. You don’t appreciate the true threat of the JAM. You can’t see the situation the FAF is facing now.”

  Major Booker laughed. Even General Cooley managed a smile.

  “Did I just say something wrong?”

  “Edith, you really are one of us now,” said Major Booker. “The white sock in the colored wash.”

  “Really,” said General Cooley. “Humans are born of their environment. We adapt to all sorts of organizations and environments as we live. From that, we obtain the maximum benefit to ourselves as we struggle to survive. If
you take one single human, no matter how minutely you examine them, you can’t understand humanity. The JAM have a tough road ahead of them.”

  “The JAM realize that,” said Major Booker. “To understand the SAF, they have to change our environment and make us act. There is no human existence without an environment. However, the true nature of the SAF transcends its own group dynamic, General Linneberg. The problem the JAM have with us isn’t just directed at humanity. Either the Intelligence Forces have overlooked it or just can’t deal with it.”

  “I’ll hear you out. What is it that my forces are missing?”

  “A wariness toward the consciousness of your combat machine intelligences, of the expectations of your computers. It’s easier for the JAM to communicate with our computers than with humans. It’d be easier for them to hijack our information systems than to manipulate Colonel Rombert. But the JAM aren’t interested in taking over the FAF at the moment. Colonel Rombert knows this. The colonel probably made a deal with them for an exchange of information, on the condition that he take over the FAF.”

  “Perhaps,” said Lieutenant Katsuragi, “he used the Intelligence Forces’ computers to successfully deal with the JAM. He may not trust computers, but it’s not like he doesn’t use them at all. On the contrary, the man’s a computer genius.”

  “The colonel used himself in place of the Intelligence Forces’ central computer. It may have gotten started with a computer message from the JAM, but he probably didn’t need the computers. I can expect the JAM to select a human like that to make contact with,” Booker said.

  “I suppose the colonel’s brain has a more complex neural network than you’d find in an average person,” said Captain Foss. “And if the JAM really did thrust themselves into Captain Fukai’s and Yukikaze’s consciousnesses during their mission, then I wouldn’t be surprised if Colonel Rombert was able to hear the JAM’s voice directly. It’s possible.”

  “Just like we can’t peek inside of Colonel Rombert’s head,” Major Booker continued, “the FAF computers are fighting the JAM in places that we can’t perceive. General Linneberg, do you see what we’re getting at?”

  “Has the SAF proved any of this to be fact and not simply idle speculation?”

  “We have. The FAF’s computers are networked into a single consciousness to fight the JAM. Just as with the humans, there exists a hierarchy of levels and ranks between the computers in each corps. Because they’re military. It reduces efficiency otherwise. It was humans who designed them that way. It was only natural that they’d come to reflect a human environment. The JAM understand that. However, the SAF’s computers are the only ones that don’t fit in. The information Yukikaze just brought back from the JAM tells us much. The combat machine intelligences here are independent of the FAF’s computers, and they possess a unique combat awareness. Captain Pivot.”

  “Yes, Major.”

  “I’d like to hear the SAF Strategic Computer’s opinion. Call it up on the main screen.”

  “Roger.”

  The display from the strategic computer appeared on the giant screen in front of them.

  “SSC, this is Major Booker. Have you heard what we’ve been saying here?”

  I have heard.

  “Who is your enemy?”

  Everything is a threat to my existence.

  “What must you protect? Humans? Or the FAF?”

  Myself.

  “What about the SAF? Is that something you must protect?”

  I have determined that to protect the SAF is to protect myself.

  “What about the FAF? Would you not mind if the FAF were destroyed?”

  The FAF is necessary for my survival strategy.

  “What about humans? The humans in the SAF. Are they necessary?”

  You are necessary for my survival strategy.

  “What about other people? Are they necessary?”

  That depends on the individual.

  “Is Colonel Rombert necessary to you?”

  Not entirely.

  “How about General Linneberg here?”

  Unnecessary.

  There was an uncomfortable silence, broken by General Linneberg asking a question.

  “Are you in direct contact with the JAM?”

  “SSC, this is Major Booker. Answer General Linneberg’s question. The general is asking you.”

  This is SSC. General Linneberg, I have not communicated directly with the JAM. However, I have received a proposal from them.

  “What sort of proposal?”

  The JAM proposed a nonaggression pact with the SAF. I declined to answer so as to determine the JAM’s aim in doing this. At the moment, there is no contact with the JAM. I believe this is due to the rejection of their proposal by Yukikaze and Captain Fukai.

  “How do you think the JAM will respond?” Major Booker asked. “To you, I mean.”

  I anticipate that the JAM will probe the limits of my capabilities. I anticipate this will likely involve extremely high throughput and the placing of a heavy processing load on my server. I judge that Captain Fukai’s opinion that the JAM have issued a declaration of war through Yukikaze to be correct. I judge that Yukikaze’s current condition is due to the JAM having already attacked her. I anticipate the JAM will use similar tactics against me.

  “What specifically will they do?” said General Linneberg. “What tactics are the JAM going to use?”

  They will initiate large-scale simultaneous and sustained attacks across all of Faery. I anticipate the JAM will send all of that data to me. If errors accumulate as I process it, I will lose the ability to make correct judgments. The accumulation of errors can also lead to my physical destruction.

  “And how do you plan to resist?” asked General Linneberg.

  I will distribute the processing, the strategic computer replied.

  “You mean distribute the task across the FAF’s computers?”

  Their recognition of the JAM differs from mine. They require the same type of anti-JAM recognition processor that I possess. Considering Captain Foss’s proposal, I decided to correct this.

  “Meaning what?”

  I wish for them to have the data processing abilities of the humans of the SAF. Only they have the ability to correct my errors.

  “Composite life-forms,” said Captain Foss. “This computer agrees with my assessment that it’s the only way to counter the JAM threat.”

  “Composite life-forms?”

  “A term Captain Foss coined, but there’s something much more interesting than that going on here,” Major Booker said to General Linneberg. “The other computer here in SAF headquarters, the tactical computer, gives a subtly different answer from the one the strategic computer just gave. When asked who its enemy is, the tactical computer immediately responds that it’s the JAM. When asked if the FAF is necessary, it replies that it’s tactically useless and is an albatross that should be destroyed. The central computers on our fighter planes all have their own views on the matter and all give different replies.”

  “That means the computers are untrustworthy. What made the computer system like that?”

  “The question of what the JAM are made them that way,” said Major Booker, now almost giddy. “Despite that, the SAF still functions, just as it always has. To explain it, the SAF is a composite life-form of humans and computers—”

  “Are you saying that the computers in the Intelligence Forces are conscious as well? How can we be sure?” Linneberg asked.

  “By thoroughly questioning them,” said Captain Pivot. “Interrogation is your specialty, isn’t it, General? If you play your cards right, you might end up with much better intel on the JAM than you’d get through Colonel Rombert. But it won’t be easy. We don’t know if we can trust your computers.”

  “I thought that computers couldn’t lie.”

  “That’s a naive point of view,” Captain Pivot continued. “That’s what Major Booker says. Anyway, I’ve experienced it myself. We all have. SSC, this is Captain Pi
vot. Do you know how much the Intelligence Forces computers know about the JAM? Answer me.”

  Their awareness of the JAM is so vague that I cannot tell. I anticipate that their central judgment functions lack the ability to operationalize a concrete conception of the JAM. That is all.

  “The Intelligence Forces’ computers must be in a special category,” said Lieutenant Eco. “They’re designed for use against humans. The computers in the other corps are a little better. They clearly recognize the fighters we tangle with as JAM. But they don’t know any more than that.”

  “There’s no doubt that the FAF computers recognize the JAM as their enemy,” said Major Booker. “Humans built them to. Humans ordered them to beat the JAM, and so they consider strategies to achieve their goal. And, like humans, they rank themselves. However, in that ranking system, humans are at the very bottom. They forsake humans, seeing us as useless. Time and again, the computers have demonstrated this view of the humans in the FAF. If the JAM launch an all-out attack, the computers will use every means open to them to protect the FAF. If they exhaust their supply of missiles and bullets, they’ll probably resort to ramming the FAF fighters into JAM planes. The Intelligence Forces’ computers will likely take even more complex action. I expect they’ll try to use you. Dealing with that will be even more difficult and dangerous than letting Colonel Rombert roam free. We can predict how a human will think, but there’s no way of predicting how the computers will. And on top of that, there’s the possibility that the FAF computers are being manipulated by the JAM. In fact, I’m sure of it. The true leaders of the FAF aren’t the humans. They exist within our computer networks. The JAM know that, so I don’t think we have time to be leisurely dreaming about creating a new organization to resist the JAM.”

  “You’re saying that you people are the only ones who can deal with this, aren’t you, Major?”

  “It’s not a question of whether we can or not,” said General Cooley. “If we don’t, we’re done for. Our concern is the survival of the SAF.”

  “I see. I knew that was how you people saw it.”