The Synchronicity War Part 2

by Dietmar Wehr

  “I don’t think so, Iceman. Your vision has effectively confirmed that not only have I not received a vision, I WON”T receive one. If I did, and the strike turned out to be successful, then your vision is wrong. Based on past experience, we have to assume that your vision is right and that there’s a reason why Zebra19 has to turn out the way we expect.”

  “Your reasoning is impeccable, CAG. You should be prepared, however, for the possibility of receiving an enemy-generated vision. If you do, you’ll have to decide if the best course of action is to ignore it or to follow it.”

  “Why would I even consider following it given that we’ve just agreed that our side won’t be sending me any visions?”

  “Ah, you’re not nearly devious enough, CAG.” Shiloh remembered Johansen saying exactly the same thing to him how long ago now? Iceman continued. “The enemy knows that you ignored their first attempt at misdirection. They may be counting on you doing the same thing the next time too. If the obvious thing to do is ignore their vision, then the best thing they could do is send you a vision of what they don’t want you to do in the hope that you’ll take a different and less optimal course of action.” Shiloh groaned.

  “Oh great! So there’s no way for me to know whether to follow or ignore any vision I get concerning the battle at Zebra19. How am I supposed to resolve that dilemma?” He didn’t really expect an answer but Iceman gave him one anyway.

  “You don’t try to resolve it. My advice is to try to make a decision as if the vision hadn’t happened at all. Whatever you decide to do, the outcome of that battle will be as we expect. You’ll survive, Tanaka and Falkenberg will survive and so will Valkyrie. Keep that in mind and what will be, will be.” Easy to say but not so easy to do, thought Shiloh. He then had another thought.

  “So you’re going to be commanding a fleet of ships that include some A.I. controlled ships and Valkyrie is commanding a carrier. That doesn’t sound like something that’s going to happen soon. The Admiral and I discussed modifying decommissioned exploration frigates for A.I. control, as a way of strengthening the Early Warning Network. Did you and he talk about going further than that with other ship types?”

  “Yes, CAG. I was able to convince him that the modified exploration frigate idea should also be seen as a pilot project for conversion of new ship types as well. A.I. controlled carriers would still have some human crew mainly to keep the fighter complement operational although the Old Man agreed that Space Force should shift its engineering and design priorities to ships that are fully automated and don’t need any human crew at all.” Shiloh shook his head in amazement that Iceman was able to get the Old…Admiral to agree to proposals that Shiloh wouldn’t have dared to try to push through. He was about to say so when he noticed Tanaka walking towards them. Iceman noticed Shiloh looking intently in a new direction and swung his optical pickup device to look that way too.

  “That was a quick chat the Old Man had with the XO.” observed Iceman. Shiloh nodded. He was thinking the same thing. When she reached them, Tanaka said,

  “The Admiral briefed me on the retro-temporal concept, Sir, and also about a planned multi-carrier strike on Zebra19. I’ll be temporarily assuming command of Defiant and Brad will be Defiant’s CAG for that mission too. The Admiral also told me to tell you that Defiant will be ordered to proceed to a parking orbit and the crew will be granted a week’s R&R, since the rest of the EWN deployment mission will be cancelled.”

  “You seem to be taking the idea of communication from the future in stride, Sumi. I don’t think I would have been so quick to accept the idea if I was in your position.” Tanaka smiled and shrugged.

  “I guess I’m just relieved that my CO isn’t crazy after all! Sorry…I didn’t mean…” Shiloh laughed and waived off her apology.

  “That’s okay, Sumi. I know what you meant.” After a short pause, he continued. “I assume that Cmdr. Falkenberg is being debriefed now?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Fine. Then we’ll wait here until he’s done. Any plans for your R&R, Sumi?” Shiloh listened with half his attention while he pondered what the future had in store for him and those humans and A.I.s he’d come to know. The conversation continued over personal topics and approximately ten minutes later, Falkenberg arrived. It quickly became clear that he’d been briefed on the ‘vision thing’ too and Shiloh learned that both Tanaka and Falkenberg had been ordered not to share that information with anyone, who didn’t already know about it. He wondered if that was the best thing to do now. The enemy clearly already knew… or would know at some point and other Space Force officers might be receiving visions that they might ignore if they were kept in the dark about the possibility. With no answers and lots of questions, Shiloh shrugged and got up.

  “Let’s get back to Defiant. The rest of the crew may be going on leave but I have a feeling the four of us aren’t.” As they walked back to the HQ entrance to catch a ride back to the spaceport, Tanaka and Falkenberg pulled ahead while Shiloh stayed with Iceman, whose mobile unit couldn’t keep up with the faster pace. Shiloh looked around at the sky and said.

  “What a perfect day. Just the right temperature and almost no wind.”

  “The calm before the storm, CAG.” said Iceman. Shiloh felt another chill go up his spine. Son of a bitch! He feels it too!

  Chapter 6 - The Calm Before The Storm

  Shiloh was right about the four of them not getting any R&R. He, Tanaka and Falkenberg were busy sifting through hundreds of personnel profiles in order to recommend officers for Resolute and Vigilant. Iceman was tasked with recommending ranks for not only Defiant’s fighter complement but also for all of the fighters currently in the Sol system, which required direct digital communication with them and when that was completed, he and his fighter were transported to the A.I. production and training facility in Epsilon Eridani to evaluate all of their fighters for future assignments. That would also be where decommissioned exploration frigates were to be modified as the new, A.I.-controlled Sentry Frigates. Because Shiloh was asleep when Iceman received instructions to take his fighter aboard a tanker transport, he left a recorded message for Shiloh. When Shiloh woke up and read the message, it said,

  [Defiant will be honored with the first permanent squadron, VF001. The Old Man has approved my recommendations for fighter pilot ranks for my boys. Valkyrie is now a Group Leader too and will take on the responsibilities of Squadron Leader. You can trust his judgment, CAG. He may not be as chatty as I am but he’ll be there when you need him. We both know that we’ll meet up again so don’t worry about that but I will miss your company, CAG and yes, I intend to keep calling you that regardless of your rank. The term means a lot more to us A.I.s than humans realize but now you know too.] Shiloh read the message three times. The bond he had formed with his A.I. pilots in general and with Iceman in particular seemed to be getting stronger. He wondered what kind of relationship A.I.s would have with humans as a whole by the time this war was over. Would it be as equals or something else? Lots of time to ponder that. Right now though, he had to get dressed to catch the shuttle down to Geneva. A meeting with Howard’s staff after which he intended to visit Angela. She was out of the hospital now but still not fit for active duty and was helping the Strategic Planning Group until she was fit again.

  The meeting with the Admiral’s staff went well and even better, went quickly. A call to the SPG and Johansen agreed to meet him for lunch. Shiloh was dismayed to see that her injuries had left noticeable scars on her face and neck and probably lower down but now hidden by her uniform. Her attitude puzzled him too. While she seemed pleased to hear from him when they briefly chatted by phone, her outward expression now was one of wariness but she smiled when he approached her table and sat down.

  “It’s good to see you again, Victor.” Shiloh was startled by her familiarity. He was once again senior to her in rank but he decided not to make an issue out of it.

  “Same here, Angela. It’s good that they finally let you out of
the hospital. How’s the recovery coming along?” She shrugged and said,

  “I’m making progress but not quite there yet. Aside from getting my muscle tone and conditioning back, I’m still feeling some residual pain from the surgeries and they have to take care of this.” She gestured to the scars. He nodded.

  “Any idea when that’ll be?” he asked. She frowned.

  “They want to wait until I’m stronger. I’m concerned that by the time I’m strong enough for cosmetic surgery, I’ll also be strong enough to return to duty and they’ll post me somewhere before the surgeons can fix this.”

  “They wouldn’t do that to you! Would they?” She shrugged again.

  “Experienced Commanders are in big demand these days. The shipyards are starting to push out a new ship every 10-15 days now.”

  “I know but…Christ!” He paused and Johansen said nothing.

  “Listen…next time I get the chance to talk with the Old…with Admiral Howard, I’ll ask him if he can arrange for you to get the surgery before they reassign you. I don’t know if he’ll listen to me but it’s worth a try, right?” asked Shiloh. She smiled a small smile and nodded.

  “Yes, it’s worth a try and thank you, Victor.” Before he could respond, she continued. “So I hear Defiant ran into some action at Avalon. Are you allowed to tell me about it?”

  “Well, no one’s told me not to, so sure.” He told her the whole story beginning with Blue2, then Green4 then Avalon but left out the visions. By the time he finished, their food arrived and they stopped talking for a while in order to eat. She spoke first in a low voice while she looked down at her food.

  “Vanguard is almost back in shape now. It looks like she’ll be ready before I am and that means I’ll lose her.”

  “It’s always hard to let go of your first command. I felt the same way when I had to give up the 344 but you’ll get another command slot. You said yourself that Commanders are in big demand and new ships are pouring off the slipways. I’m sure they’ll give you another ship. At the very least another combat frigate but maybe something bigger. A light carrier or one of the new cruisers that are just about ready.” She looked up and turned to one side.

  “Maybe…but it’s not just the physical injuries that haven’t completely healed. I sometimes dream about that battle and I always wake up screaming with fear. I don’t know if I can face another battle.” Shiloh didn’t know how to respond to that, having never faced that problem himself. As he struggled to find something comforting but also encouraging to say, she continued. “There’s a call for volunteers. Very hush hush. The only thing they’ll say about it is that anyone who volunteers might have to be away from Earth for the duration of the war. Do you know anything about that?” Shiloh had a strong suspicion it had to do with setting up Site B but was certain that Howard would not want him to speculate about it.

  “Maybe. I’m not sure but in any case, I can’t talk about what I think it might be.” She sighed.

  “I’m tempted to volunteer. I don’t have any immediate family. Whatever it is, is something that’s going to take a while to organize so there might be time for the surgery and from the vague answers I’ve gotten from the Senior Brass about it, I have the distinct impression that the risk of combat is low. Maybe that’s where I belong now.” Shiloh silently cursed the need for operational security and for his inability to offer Angela any kind of useful response. He also didn’t know whether to advise her to volunteer or the opposite and who was he to tell her what to do anyway? If she really wasn’t up to commanding a ship in combat anymore then encouraging her to get back on the horse so to speak would not only be unfair to her but also potentially disastrous for the war effort. He spread his hands apart and said.

  “I’m sorry, Angela, that I can’t offer you any advice or comfort on this. I honestly don’t know what you should or shouldn’t do.” They finished the rest of the meal in silence. Johansen refused to order dessert or coffee. When she got up to leave, they awkwardly shook hands and when she turned to walk away, she suddenly stopped and quickly turned back to him. Before he knew it, she hugged him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Take care of yourself, Victor.” Without waiting for a reply she turned and hurried away. Shiloh couldn’t help wondering if he would ever see her again.

  By the time Defiant’s crew returned from their one week R&R, Shiloh’s field promotion to (temporary) Vice-Admiral was confirmed, as was his assumption of command of the newly formed 3rd Fleet that was to be built around Defiant. Squadron VF001 was also formally commissioned with Valkyrie as its first Squadron Leader. Fighters, which were already stationed in the Sol system, were added to VF001 to bring it up to its full strength of 25 fighters. Shiloh made a point of greeting the rookies and chatting with each one of them for a few minutes. That was a start but the Task Force needed 50 more fighters. When Valkyrie suggested that Maverick, Hunter and a dozen of the other fighters, which Defiant had dropped off at Bradley Base, be brought back to form the core of VF002 and 003, Shiloh agreed and made a formal request to HQ. The request was approved the next day although the actual return would take up to 3 weeks. When two combat frigates, from the Quick Reaction Task Force stationed at the Omaha Base, were ordered back to Sol, they became the nucleus of the planned escort component. At that point, the Commander in charge of the two frigate division was also designated as Task Group Leader of Task Group 3.2. TG 3.1 would be the carrier component. Shiloh would be 3.1’s Task Group Leader as well as the overall Fleet Commander. Two of the other four frigates to be added to 3.1, would be new ships commissioned over the course of the following four weeks. The remaining two frigates were already conducting independent assignments to other star systems and were expected back within 3-4 weeks.

  The timing of all these additions concerned Shiloh. Delays were inevitable. Every CO knew that shit happens and timetables, especially urgent ones, almost never get completed on time. That meant that 3rd Fleet would have little time to train as a complete unit before the scheduled jumping off date for Operation Uppercut. To get as much training in as possible, Shiloh ordered Valkyrie and TG 3.2 Leader Bettencourt, to conduct a series of training exercises with Valkyrie’s fighters and Bettencourt’s frigates. Shiloh knew Bettencourt from the fiasco at Zebra9. Bettencourt had been promoted to Senior Commander but unlike the Zebra9 mission, Shiloh now outranked him at least temporarily.

  During the following weeks, Shiloh kept his ears open for any word on enemy activity only there was none. The whole volume of space between Human space and alien space was eerily quiet. Four weeks into the preparation phase, a new shipment of fighters arrived from Epsilon Eridani accompanied by the first Sentry Frigate (#109) commanded by Iceman. Resolute wasn’t ready to receive any fighters just yet so they had to stay in lunar orbit. FS109 was passing through Sol on its way to Nimitz Base and then on to take up its station in the Early Warning Network but Iceman and Shiloh had the opportunity to chat by audio channel.

  “Congratulations on your first ship command, Iceman.” Shiloh knew he had to wait for 2 1/2 minutes for Iceman’s reply due to light speed lag of the distance between him and the 109. The reply, when it came, was typical Iceman.

  “That’s Helmsman Iceman to you, CAG. That’s the A.I. equivalent of CO for a human. My permanent rank is still Group Leader but when I’m conning the 109, I can legitimately insist on being addressed as Helmsman. Conning a ship is so different from piloting a fighter, CAG. So many more systems to monitor and more external sensors to experience. I love it, CAG. When I’m conning this ship, I’m not bored and that’s a huge improvement from being a fighter pilot although it would be nice if these sentry frigates had the same acceleration as a fighter. Over to you, CAG.” When Shiloh finished laughing, he said,

  “Well, if we’re going to be picky, then you should address me as Vice-Admiral CAG, Helmsman Iceman. Over to you, Helmsman.”

  “Ah, roger that, Vice-Admiral CAG. Congratulations to you on your first taste of flag rank
. When it becomes permanent, you and I will have to kick back and compare notes over a couple of cold beers. How’s Valkyrie working out? Over to you.” He’s not nearly as funny as you, Iceman, but then again none of the other A.I.s were.

  “You’re on. I’ll pay for the beers. Valkyrie is working out just fine. He and VF001 are playing tag with Senior Commander Bettencourt’s frigates out past Neptune. By the way, we’re bringing Maverick, Hunter and the others back from Bradley Base. They’ll get back just in time to be re-assigned to VF002 and 003. Over to you.”