by Cosimo Yap
Wait a sec…Alan thought.
Yes, Lambda sent, Cyberwar is a hacking game. A recreation of Cyberspace, but where you can rebuild your base and choose which units you are fighting with or against each time. The most popular mode of the Game is base defense, where players build up their own base, gathering a set amount of resources over time, and try to destroy their enemy’s base. It can support anywhere from two to, in the case of The War, hundreds of thousands of players.
But for now, set up a private skirmish, you versus Eve, Lambda continued, guiding Alan through Cyberwar’s menus. Let each of you control a squad of marines. I’ll act as a dumb AI, providing raw processing power for simulations you wish to run, but I won’t provide any advice.
Alan set up the battle according to Lambda’s directions. He sensed Eve reading the settings and game manual.
Wait, how is Eve going to control one side? She’s an AI in my head—I can read her thought processes, and she can get a sense of mine, Alan sent.
You can add an AI as a player, and the game will then cut off your connection, Lambda sent. This game is built around hacking, where AIs can command units or even have their own bases.
All right, Alan sent. He set himself as Player 1, Eve as Player 2, and Lambda as his AI assistant.
The match began.
The randomized map had a forest setting. Alan tried to anticipate what Eve would do. He set his squad into a defensive formation, and waited.
Five minutes passed.
Alan wondered if he should move his units forward. Maybe—
Rounds of laser fire flashed, taking out three of his five marines. His two remaining marines fired back, but the number disadvantage was too severe. They were eliminated.
Eve won, an overview screen of the match appearing. Eve hadn’t lost a single unit, and still had four units at full health.
Good game, Eve sent.
Not the brightest of plans, Lambda commented.
Be quiet, the both of you, Alan sent. He reviewed the replay. Eve had initially settled into a defensive position, like he had. But when nothing happened, she moved her units around his, attacking from the right flank.
How did you know where I was? Why did your units see mine first? Alan asked.
Read the settings and check your map, Eve sent. Beginning positions are marked, and units are like real soldiers: their detection range is a cone in front of them, hence my attack from the side.
First lesson: be proactive, Lambda sent. Nothing good comes from just waiting around. Except maybe when preparing an ambush, or if you have a highly defensible location. I guess the real lesson is that you should be proactive when you can.
Thanks, Alan sent. Rematch.
The skirmish restarted. This time Alan moved his units out immediately, but around the left side. He knew statistically that he would choose the side of his dominant hand, the right side, which would be the direction Eve believed he would take. Unless Eve knew that he knew that she would anticipate this. Alan squashed the thought.
He activated hypercognition, running a series of scenarios with Lambda to figure out a formation that would best counter Eve.
Alan managed to win the subsequent firefight with two soldiers left.
Good game, Alan sent.
Alan detected Eve running through the replay.
Good game, she replied after a second.
Second lesson: Be original, Lambda sent. You can’t keep repeating the same tricks on the battlefield, especially when people analyze your replays or play styles.
Let us play again, Eve sent.
All right, Alan sent.
A new battleground appeared this time, one with barren hills. Logic dictated that Alan should try to hold the high ground somewhere, but…he ran a few simulations with Lambda, then had him flip a coin. Heads.
Alan sent a lone soldier toward Eve’s camp, firing up into the air, yelling loudly. Eve’s soldiers ambushed the soldier, but Alan’s soldiers managed to counterattack and take out two of Eve’s squad in return. His forces won the four-to-three battle.
Eve looked over the replay. Why did you do that? she asked Alan.
Well, I’m glad you asked, Alan sent. You see, I knew that Lambda just told you to be unpredictable. So I had him calculate the second-best route to ambush my soldier. There were two, so I had him flip a coin, and had my other soldiers set up to ambush that route.
Interesting, Eve sent.
A dumb plan that should have resulted in the death of a soldier with no gain, Lambda sent. Your logic doesn’t even make sense. Eve, how did you choose the path to take?
Weighted randomization, Eve replied, with better paths having higher weights.
Right, so Alan’s plan should have had less than a 50% chance of working, maybe 20% at best, Lambda sent.
Hey, I won, didn’t I? Alan sent.
The third lesson should have been don’t gamble, but you took it as be lucky, Lambda sent. Betting against the house is a bad idea, Alan.
Except when it works, Alan replied. And thus far it’s working.
Let’s move on to a different format; small battles are too much of a die roll, Lambda sent. Lambda set up another match. This time, Alan and Eve each controlled a contingent of twenty-five thousand units, and buildings that made up a city, with a fixed income. They started on opposite sides of a continent, with natural resources and neutral units filling the map.
The match began.
Alan was crushed. There was too much to do: order units around, prepare attacks, plan supply routes, respond to ambushes, train new units, perform research, build defenses, erect structures, raid enemy supply lines, and scout the map—and these were just the tip of the iceberg, because somehow he had to form an overall battle plan while responding to a dozen situations.
Using divided mind, hypercognition, and Lambda, Alan could barely keep up with Eve. Once his computation power ran out, Eve seized a base that Alan wasn’t paying attention to and then clawed her way across the entire continent with the small foothold.
Good game, Eve sent.
Was it really? Alan asked. That phrase seems so overused that it loses its meaning.
You were the one that commanded I always use it after the completion of a match, Eve sent.
Oh, right, you can stop if you want, Alan sent. That was just for when you were being programmed.
Really? And how was Eve programmed? Lambda asked.
I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I basically gave her internet access then set her loose on a number of online games and puzzles, Alan sent.
That’s it? Lambda sent.
Affirmative, Eve sent.
Odd—they must have come out with a newer model of software, Lambda sent. While AIs can learn, none that I’m aware of have taught themselves up to rank C.
I did a bit of optimization and added some code myself too, Alan sent. I can’t seem to remember all the details, though.
No matter, Lambda sent. Back to the task at hand. Cerberus was right, multitasking and leadership aren’t your strong suits. But you can improve. I’ll train with you and Eve a few hours each day while we travel—it should be beneficial for everyone. Now queue us up for an unranked match, standard rule set. I’ll show you how it’s done.
Very well, Alan sent. He began to look for a match in the AI-assisted division.
An opponent was found.
Lambda dismantled the opponent. Somehow, with a single scouting marine, Lambda was able to figure out the opponent’s entire game plan. With a few tanks, the opponent’s infantry army was destroyed. Their base soon followed.
Tell him he got REKT, Lambda sent.
No. Alan sent the message ‘good game.’ He didn’t know what intergalactic gaming protocol was, but that was probably better than nothing. His opponent left the match lobby.
You’re no fun, Lambda replied. Anyway, that was the definition of a hard counter. As I’m sure you know, units in games generally have counters, units that are best against another t
ype. Generally, land vehicles counter infantry, aircraft/spacecraft counter land vehicles, and infantry counter large aircraft/spacecraft if they can get aboard, which is a big if. Same as in the Game. There are specialized units that disregard these rules, but that’s the meat of the matter.
And defenses? Alan asked.
Defenses are specialized. While laser turrets and shields are all-around good defenses, armor is best against infantry and weak against everything else, Lambda sent. There are more specialized defenses, like EMPs and ion cannons that disable electronics and psionic systems, and that better counter biologic attacks, too. Haven’t you been going over these matters with Eve? You should know this.
I do, just wanted to make sure it applies to Cyberwar as well, Alan replied.
Queue up another match, maybe a large free for all. I’ll show you my mad skills, Lambda sent.
Alan queued for another match.
True to his word, Lambda proceeded to win the next match, and the following four after that. He somehow predicted who would attack him, with what, and always had the perfect counter ready. The only time he came close to losing a match, he was set upon by two different enemies. He asked Eve for help and they managed to pull out a win, swarming the enemy with low-cost units that each controlled perfectly.
Alan offered his help. Lambda ignored him.
That’s micromanagement, micro for short, Lambda sent once the match was done. People always underestimate the ability to control individual units. If you have the ability, you can minimize the chance of attacks working or failing by positioning units well.
These matches seem too easy, Alan sent.
It’s the scouting, Lambda sent. Information is powerful, and I’m amazing at reading people.
Good enough to win a tournament? Alan asked. The credits could be useful.
No. It’s highly unlikely, but someone may detect my play style, Lambda sent. If you want to enter a tournament, you’ll have to enter on your own. Even these unranked matches are a slight risk that we should not take too often. Remember, this game is a hacking simulator; often the Administrators will try to recruit top-ranked players into what they call their Cyberwarfare division.
Got it, Alan sent.
This has been enlightening, but we should return to studying, Eve sent.
Alan sighed.
What about exercise? Alan asked. I’ve been cooped up in that room so long, I need a chance to stretch my muscles.
I have an idea. I am an excellent swordsman, maybe I can teach you something, Lambda sent.
Really? An excellent swordsman? How does that work without any physical body parts? Alan asked.
It’s a mindset. I could show you in Cyberspace if I had a decent opponent, but sword fighting is like an advanced form of rock, paper, scissors. A game of hard counters. But first you must master the movements, Lambda sent. Running is also paramount; I think we should focus on sprinting.
Can’t I just follow your direction? Alan asked.
I could be occupied with hacking, or analyzing the battlefield, or otherwise indisposed, Lambda sent, and not be able to help you in Cyberspace. Besides, the main purpose is for exercise, correct? Before you learn any skills or techniques you must first master basic movements.
And that entails what? Alan sent.
Waving your sword around for hours on end, Lambda sent, followed by sprint intervals.
I see no reason lessons cannot continue while you’re exercising, Eve sent.
Great, Alan replied.
Over the course of the journey, Alan settled into a routine.
Wake up. Exercise with the Crimson Blade while Eve quizzed him on previous lessons. Run. Move on to other lessons. Practice matches in Cyberwar. More lessons. More exercise and quizzes.
The cycle continued.
A month passed.
***
Lambda woke Alan, highlighting a message sent by Thiago. Up until now the planted bugs had only detected standard transmissions between the UWG and Thiago, trade deals that were being negotiated. The message read:
Thiago: Arriving on schedule. Package to be delivered. Operation is a go. No contact as of yet.
What is this? Alan asked.
A heavily encrypted transmission, sent to unknown parties, Lambda sent. Unlike the UWG transmissions, there have been too few messages to use as data to fully break the cipher. I only deciphered the header.
Don’t you need a key to decrypt stuff? Alan asked.
If we were not in-game, perhaps. Cryptography has moved past the point of only involving keys. Besides, it is not the locks that I break. I can read between the lines, and possess all the keys of the kingdom, Lambda sent cryptically.
When Alan inquired further, Lambda said that he would need to learn a great deal more math before it could be explained. At the rate Alan was learning, Lambda estimated another fifty years at the very least.
Alan went back to bed.
***
“Thank you, Pharaoh, for allowing us back on your ship,” Thiago said.
“It was my pleasure, and I will gladly bring you to Khersath once you have completed your task, the Three will it,” Pharaoh said.
“You’re waiting here, then?” Alan asked. They were docked in the Haxlard space station outside of the Solar System.
“No, my business takes me farther into our empire, but I expect to make a return journey to Khersath. How long were you expecting to be on Earth?” Pharaoh asked.
“I’m not sure, but thank you for your offer; we will consider you as soon as we are done,” Thiago said. He clapped Alan on the shoulder, almost shoving him into the dropship doors. Kitana and Aphrodite followed behind.
“Have a blessed journey,” Pharaoh called out as the doors shut.
Alan took a seat. The dropship was identical to the one they had taken from Earth to the Titan the first time. The only difference was that this time the cargo bay was filled to the brim with metal boxes of unknown goods. Alan tried to see through them with his different layers of vision, but the material was solid. No electromagnetic waves escaped.
A message appeared:
Warning! You have entered a war zone.
All items will drop upon death. War Contribution Points will be awarded based upon actions, such as killing enemy combatants, conquering enemy Control Points, and completing war-related tasks.
“You need to watch what you say,” Thiago said to Alan.
“I was just trying to gain more information. Exhaust the dialogue tree, so to speak,” Alan said.
“I’d prefer a bodyguard that kept his mouth shut,” Thiago said. “I expect that Pharaoh made you an offer to deliver a message to the leaders of either Earth faction. I ask that you ignore this request.” Thiago stared at Alan.
Say that you agree, for now, Lambda sent. Alan complied.
“Good. Now that we are landing on Earth, you need this,” Thiago said. He pulled out a tablet and an ID card. He handed the card to Alan. “This is your ID. We will be landing in the D.C. Spaceport and will have to proceed through customs.” Thiago tapped a few buttons on his tablet. “I have just sent you a message with the data on this new identity in case you are questioned.”
Message received, Eve sent.
“What about you three?” Alan asked.
“Aphrodite and I are here under our real names, while Kitana received her ID earlier, as we expected it would take more time for her to memorize the details of her new life,” Thiago said. “After we land and proceed through customs, you and Kitana will go to the Administrative Center and change your usernames to GuardA and GuardK.”
“What? Why?” Alan asked.
“Because even though you can hide your username, people may demand to see them,” Thiago said. “And though there are many players using the same username, identifying you will be much easier once they have that information. I am not an idiot, Alan. I have planned for every contingency.”
That’s technically impossible, Lambda noted. But ignore that. J
ust nod and smile, Alan.
Alan nodded, smiling.
He felt Lambda give a mental wince. Maybe we should have spent more time acting natural and less time swinging a sword. Make that our next lesson, Eve.
Affirmative, though it should be noted that I have tried such lessons previously and they have been unsuccessful, Eve sent.
I have a few ideas, Lambda sent.
“Aphrodite and I will begin to fulfill trade agreements once we land,” Thiago said. “We will travel in a convoy for a short ride to New York City, where the Control Point for the Eastern Seaboard is. After a few days of additional trading we will then fly to London, and then travel through what was the EU to Russia, China, and eventually Japan.”
“And when are we meeting up with the…underground contacts?” Alan asked.
“I’ve been told they’ll be in New York,” Thiago said. “I think I’ll leave you to scout out the area beforehand, assuming you are as good as you say and won’t be detected.”
“Whatever you want, boss,” Alan said.
The dropship slowed its descent.
Alan had returned to Earth.
Chapter 15
Alan returned from the Administrative Center with Kitana, his in-game name now GuardA. The Air Force base, renamed the Washington International Spaceport, had gone through a few rounds of construction since Alan had left for the Tutorial.
Aircraft hangars had been remodeled to allow for spacecraft to enter from above. Metal hatches swallowed ships like hungry hippos. Small shields now covered many hangars as well.
As Alan and Kitana walked back to the dropship through a maze of security measures and scanners, Alan checked people’s message logs. Thiago continued to negotiate trade deals, trying to get the best price. He hadn’t agreed to anything yet, but had delivered the supplies the United World Government had requested. Aphrodite talked with friends in New York City, trying to figure out the latest fashion trends. Power armor was in, oddly enough. Kitana was discussing possible arena runs with a gladiator commissioner. It seemed like it paid well.
Alan still felt bad about this invasion of privacy, but it was better to be safe. He looked up at the bright blue sky. It felt good to be on Earth, even if he wasn’t really here.
