by Dietmar Wehr
“There’s no way to know at this point where you can be the most useful to the overall effort, Amanda. If you’re meant to go to Site B, it will happen in due course anyway.” And if I’m not meant to go, it won’t happen. I get it.
“Okay. Enough about me. Let’s talk about Strategic Temporal Planning. I haven’t had a chance to really think deeply about this so why don’t you start the discussion, Valkyrie.”
“Certainly, Amanda. First of all…”
Chapter 12 - Thanks For Looking Out For Us
When Shiloh returned to Howard’s office, he was tanned, rested and raring to get back into action. When he entered, the Admiral surprised him by getting up from his desk and coming around to greet him. After the usual pleasantries about his R&R and tan, Howard said,
“Let’s get out of this office. I sometimes get tired of looking at the same four walls and this is one of those times. Follow me.” Shiloh let the Admiral take the lead and walked behind him. They ended up on the roof of the HQ building. It was still early in the day but there were dark clouds overhead and a brisk breeze blowing by. Any colder and it would have been uncomfortable. As it was, Shiloh found he was enjoying the fresh, cool air and the feel of the wind blowing in his face. They walked over to the edge and Howard leaned on the high railing looking outward. Without looking at Shiloh, he said,
“These past ten days have been quite eventful, Shiloh. The SPG came up with a brilliant plan to use expendable tankers to carry a fighter strike force back to Zebra19. Preparations are underway. The design for the new tanker should be completed in about three weeks. We may also know by then if the jump drive from a message drone can be adapted to a fighter. Valkyrie is now a full member of the SPG and she and Cmdr. Kelly have been kicking around some ideas on temporal strategy, most of which are purely theoretical at this point but they agree that Site B is going to be crucial to a successful outcome of this war and in order to get that started sooner rather than later, we have to get a workable jump drive for fighters. Finding a suitable system for Site B is the big immediate hurdle and A.I.s are the obvious choice to conduct that search. The less people…sorry, the fewer humans, who know the location, the less chance of that information falling into enemy hands. Once the site’s been chosen, all traffic back and forth between Site B and the rest of Human Civilization will be handled by A.I. pilot/astrogators. Defiant is being modified to allow for A.I. Helm/Astrogation control. When she’s ready and has a complement of jump-capable fighters, you will take her out to conduct the search. You already know about the idea of Site B. When your fighters have found a suitable location, you’ll be in charge of setting up the initial base. Once that’s done, depending on the circumstances at the time, it might be possible to bring you back here for a more proactive role but I don’t think we should risk you in combat again. I had to send you on Operation Uppercut for political reasons but this second attempt will be 100% A.I. controlled so there’s no reason why you need to be involved with that. We know from Iceman’s vision that you’ll be spending at least some time at Site B. I see no reason why it shouldn’t start right now.” Shiloh thought about that for a few seconds and said,
“Which A.I. will you send back to Zebra19?” Howard sighed.
“I’d really like to send Valkyrie but Iceman’s vision says that she controlled the ship that brought you back from Site B after the battle. Does that mean she didn’t take part in the 2nd attack or that she did? We don’t know. What do you think?”
“I think that we should keep her here. Let her decide who’s the best pilot/astrogator A.I. to assign to that mission.” Howard considered that and then nodded.
“Okay. I’ll ask her who she recommends.” Before he could say anything else, Shiloh jumped back in.
“I’d like to make a request. Put me in charge of the project to develop and test a reliable jump drive unit for use by fighters. If we’re going to risk A.I.s on these kinds of missions, I want to make sure their jump drives work properly and are reliable. Defiant can’t begin the search until that’s done anyway.”
“Cmdr. Kelly asked that you be assigned to the SPG. She was clearly thinking on a permanent basis but I was considering letting her have you temporarily until the search mission is ready to commence. She and Valkyrie need your practical RTC experience to flesh out their strategic thinking. Wouldn’t that be a better use of your time?” Shiloh was about to respond, when his vision blacked out. Son of a bitch! I’m having another vision! When the blackness faded, he was looking at a ship’s tactical display and saw a text message scroll across the bottom.
[Vandal to CAG. Hunter has returned to Bradley. Strike Mission to Z19 successful. Hunter said to tell you that he wouldn’t have made it back if not for the reserve jump drive that you insisted jumpfighters have. Thanks for looking out for us, CAG. End of message]
The vision faded back to the view from the HQ roof. Howard was looking at him strangely.
“You seemed to be in another place for a few seconds. Did you just have another vision?” asked Howard.
“Yes, Sir. I just saw a text message from Vandal, telling me that Hunter made it back from a successful strike on Zebra19 but the only reason why he made it back was because of a reserve jump drive that I apparently insisted on adding to jump-capable fighters. That tells me, that I have to supervise the jumpfighter project. I may still be able to meet with Kelly and Valkyrie but they can’t have me full time, Sir.” Howard frowned. He looked like he was about to refuse Shiloh’s recommendation. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Shiloh jumped in.
“There’s more at stake here than just bringing back one A.I. pilot, Sir. If jump drives on fighters are prone to failure, then that could negatively impact the search for a suitable location for Site B too. The other thing to consider is that if Hunter didn’t make it back, we wouldn’t know…or at least couldn’t prove to the Oversight Committee, that the attack on Zebra19 was successful and they might therefore want to try it a 3rd time instead of striking at another target system. There could be all kinds of ripple effects down the timeline, Sir.” Howard thought for a few seconds, then said,
“Alright. You’ve convinced me but try to find some time to strategize with Kelly and Valkyrie while you’re supervising the jumpfighter project, Cmdr.”
“Yes, Sir and thank you, Sir.” Howard nodded his acknowledgement.
“I’ll have my Office issue the appropriate orders later today. I think we’re done here. I’m going to stay up here for a while but you’re free to go, Cmdr.” Shiloh thanked him again and turned to go. When he reached the entrance to the stairs leading down, he turned around and looked back. The Admiral was starring out into the distance. Behind him, off into the distance, Shiloh could see a bolt of lightning from an approaching storm. The analogy was striking and profoundly moving. Whatever burden Shiloh may have felt himself carrying with his visions had to pale by comparison with the burden that the Admiral had been carrying on his shoulders since Day One of this war. He said a silent prayer for the Old Man and headed down the stairs.
24 hours later Shiloh was on a shuttle heading for a rendezvous with the resupply ship Reforger, which was being used to conduct field tests of the jumpfighter prototype. Howard’s orders, putting him in charge of the project, were in his uniform pocket. The current project leader, Lt. Cmdr. Morgan, formerly a member of the Strategic Planning Group, wasn’t going to be pleased at having his project taken away from him only days after being put in charge of it. Shiloh had to wonder if Howard had chosen Morgan for this assignment, given that Morgan had been kicked out of the SPG on Howard’s orders for being resistant to Valkyrie’s ideas and suggestions. That apparent dismissive attitude towards A.I.s seemed to be at odds with the project goal of fitting A.I. controlled fighters with a reliable jump drive. Perhaps someone else had assigned Morgan here without Howard’s knowledge. In any case, once he learned who he was taking over for, Shiloh lost all doubts about pushing for his assignment.
When the shuttle docked wit
h Reforger, Shiloh expected Morgan to greet him at the docking hatch but he wasn’t there. In fact no one was which was contrary to standard protocol. When your boss shows up, greeting him or her was considered the polite thing to do. Once it was obvious that no one was going to greet him, Shiloh activated his implant.
“Senior Commander Shiloh to Reforger Bridge.”
“Lt. Cabrera here, Commander. Welcome to Reforger, Sir.”
“Well I’m glad that someone is welcoming me to the ship because no one’s here at the docking hatch to greet me. Where is Cmdr. Morgan?” The Lieutenant’s voice now took on an embarrassed tone.
“Ah… I believe Cmdr. Morgan is in the Hangar Bay, Commander. Shall I call him and have him come to your location, Sir?”
“No. Just send someone down here to have my gear taken to my quarters and to show me to the Hangar Bay afterwards.”
“Yes, Sir. I’ll send someone right away, Sir. Anything else, Sir?”
“No, Lieutenant. That’ll be all for now. Thank you. Shiloh clear.”
Ten minutes later, with his gear stowed in a tiny cabin, Shiloh stepped through the hatch into the Hangar Bay. There were a group of individuals standing in a circle around what looked like a fighter. As he walked up to the group, he said,
“Commander Morgan!”
“Yes?” said a man who had his back to Shiloh and didn’t bother to look around.
“Yes, what?” said Shiloh as he started to get angry. Morgan turned to look at him and suddenly realized who was talking to him.
“Oh, sorry, Sir. I wasn’t aware that you’d be here so quickly.”
“Really? Are you saying that you weren’t aware that a shuttle was inbound and due to dock with Reforger, Commander?” Morgan hesitated for a second and then said,
“No, Sir.” Morgan’s eyes started to glance at the others near him.
“So if I check the Comm. logs and look at when they were accessed and by whom, your name won’t show up. Is that what you’re telling me, Commander?” He saw Morgan swallow as his expression turned from concern to fear. He’s lying and he knows that I know that he’s lying. If he sticks to his story, he knows I’ll check the logs and if he admits he’s been lying, I can then officially reprimand him which will stay in his personnel file forever. Morgan did not respond to Shiloh’s question, which was itself technically insubordination although a borderline example. Shiloh knew that he himself was dangerously close to crossing the line between questioning a subordinate in front of others and chewing out a subordinate in front of others. The former was okay. The latter was considered an example of poor leadership.
“Walk with me, Cmdr.” said Shiloh in his best ‘Command’ voice. He turned and walked back towards the entrance. Morgan followed him. Shiloh stepped through the hatch and turned to the right so that both of them wouldn’t be seen or heard by the others still in the Hangar Bay. Morgan’s look of fear now showed tinges of defiance.
“Let’s get some things clear here. I’m aware that Admiral Howard gave you the boot from the SPG because of your attitude towards A.I.s. What I’ve seen with my own eyes so far strongly suggests that you’re letting you personal feelings once again get in the way of performing your job to the best of your ability. If you’re pissed off that you’ve lost authority over this project less than a week after taking charge, then you find a way to deal with that in such as way that I won’t have to take notice of it. I’ll make it even more clear to you. You have a problem, Cmdr. If you can’t deal with it, then I have a problem with you and I guarantee you that I WILL deal with my problem. Is that clear enough for you?”
“Yes, Sir.” At least the fear and defiance in his face are gone now.
“Good. Now we’re going back to the group and I’m going to ask you to brief me on the status of the project, when we rejoin the group. Let’s go.” Shiloh followed Morgan back and when they reached the group, Shiloh said,
“Alright, Commander. Please bring me up to speed on where we are with this project.” He saw Morgan’s back straighten up before he replied.
“Well, Sir. Jump Drive Specialist Rollins was in the final stages of getting our first test ready. I’ll let him explain what that test is all about, Sir.” You bastard! Thought Shiloh. I told you I wanted you to brief me, not fob it off on someone else. Shiloh made a special effort not to let his expression reflect his inner thoughts and emotions. He nodded to the technician who was looking at him.
“Yes well…ah…after carefully examining the interior of the engineering section of this CFP, we determined that there’s not enough room to insert a message drone jump drive, without radically rearranging the existing equipment. The next thought was to use the jump drive of a message drone that was being carried by the CFP. In other words, the CFP would piggyback to the message drone as far as the jump drive was concerned, instead of the other way around. Theoretically it should work. However, we have instructions from HQ that the jump-capable CFP’s payload capacity has to be available to carry extra fuel so the piggyback idea had to be discarded. The next thought was to place a message drone jump drive inside the module that’s designed for a human pilot. Because that module includes room and facilities to enable a human pilot to keep his CFP in the field for days at a time, there’s open space that can be used for the jump drive. I’m now very close to being finished hooking up the jump drive with the CFP’s power plant and Astrogation sub-systems.”
“Does that mean that there’s an A.I. piloting this test vehicle?” asked Shiloh while looking at Morgan.
“No, Sir. The Astrogation sub-system can reverse course and do a reverse jump calculation on its own…Sir.”
“Fine. How soon can we do the first test?” The question was aimed at Morgan who looked at Rollins.
“Ah, we could do the test right now if you wish, Sir.”
“I’m not in that much of a hurry, Rollins. Let’s take some extra time to get this right. You keep working on this and when you feel there’s nothing left to do, then notify Cmdr. Morgan and we’ll conduct the test. Okay?” Rollins smiled and nodded.
“Okay, Sir!” Shiloh turned to look at Morgan and said.
“I’ll be in my cabin, Commander. Notify me when you’re ready to launch the test vehicle.”
“Yes, Sir.” Shiloh turned and walked away.
An hour and ten minutes later, Shiloh was on the Bridge, standing beside the Command Station that Morgan was occupying. Shiloh was okay with that. For this project, Shiloh was content to let Morgan continue as the ship’s CO with the accompanying responsibilities including taking duty shifts on the Bridge. Shiloh, on the other hand, had no specific duties and could do whatever he pleased. As he looked at the tactical display, he said.
“How big of a jump will the test vehicle attempt, Commander?” Shiloh pretended not to hear Morgan sigh.
“1 million km, Sir.”
“And how quickly should we expect the text vehicle to turn around and jump back?”
“Roughly ten minutes, Sir.” came the reply.
“Fine. If everything looks good, then let’s do this.” Rollins, who was monitoring the CFP’s vitals from the ship’s seldom used weapon station, nodded.
“First test jump in…five…four…three…two…one…Mark!” The fighter’s icon on the tactical display disappeared. So far, so good, thought Shiloh but he knew the key would be if the test vehicle could jump a second time. For the next ten minutes, Shiloh leaned against the console next to Rollins and engaged him in chitchat, while studiously ignoring Morgan. When the ten minutes was up, he stopped and stared at the display. Seconds later, a green icon re-appeared as the display pinged to notify that a status change had occurred. The sidebar data showed that the test vehicle’s transponder was transmitting and Shiloh could tell from Rollins’ station readouts, that all the fighter’s systems were in the green. Rollins started to turn to look at Morgan but Shiloh tapped him on the shoulder and as Rollins looked up at him, he said,
“Report to me, Rollins. I’m the Pro
ject Leader now.” Rollins smiled a happy smile and said.
“From what I can see on my instruments, Sir, the first test seems to have been a complete success.” Before Shiloh could respond, Morgan clapped his hands together and said in a loud voice.
