by Daniel Gibbs
Detached from Space Special Warfare Command, there were four commando teams assigned to the Lion, for a total of twenty-four tier one operators.
The command staff was operating on limited sleep, as was almost everyone else on the ship. David could see dark circles under the eyes of all those in attendance, and he knew from his interactions they were all on edge and stressed out. Everyone stood and came to attention as he entered the room, except for Doctor Hayworth. “As you were!”
As everyone returned to their seats, David took his regular chair at the head of the table. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for joining me. Everything else on our agenda today is secondary to the first topic of discussion. Can we successfully engage the League’s mines?”
Ruth and Hanson exchanged an uncomfortable glance, but Ruth spoke first. “Sir, at this point, we’ve been unable to determine how to target the stealth mines with our point defense systems either in automated or manual mode. The problem is they are only visible to our sensors when activated, and when they’re activated, it's already too late.”
A frown creased David’s face. “I see. What about other countermeasures?”
Hayworth took the opportunity to interject, “Actually, Lieutenant Goldberg, that’s not correct. Your targeting sensors can’t detect the mines before they go active. Our scientific scanners, on the other hand, can.”
Ruth looked over at Hayworth. “Doctor, that doesn’t do us any good because those two systems aren’t integrated. I’ve already talked to Mr. Lowe about the possibility of linking the scientific sensor suite into our fire control systems, and we don’t believe it’s possible.”
All eyes turned to Kenneth as David followed up, “Is that correct, Mr. Lowe?”
Kenneth nodded. “Yes, sir, I’m afraid we just don’t have the time, manpower, or proper expertise for that kind of a radical redesign of the Lion’s systems.”
David looked around the room. “I refuse to accept that this problem doesn’t have a solution.”
Calvin leaned forward on his chair. “Well, sir, leave it to a Marine to find the solution for you. Might not be the one you were thinking of… but we’ll find one,” he said in his normal cocky tone.
“I’m all ears, Colonel,” David replied.
“Working with the sensor logs the fleet compiled, some of the electronics specialists determined the mines have a control system. There’s a central point that controls when they turn active.”
“And?”
“We’ve identified that point as one of the pylons on this League station. They have a large network of antennae and comms gear. We’re not sure what the space is, but our scans show it’s some kind of control room,” Calvin stated proudly. “Bottom line is Captain Singh and I believe that our commandos can affect a surgical strike.”
David exchanged a glance with Aibek, who was nodding his approval. “Very bold, Colonel Demood. And how do we deliver those men to the target without the League seeing them coming?” David asked.
“We can use a stealth raider to get close, coat the sleds and spacesuits of the commandos in the same material. I already talked to our resident civilian contractor, and he says we can do it.”
Well, that’s quite inventive…got to hand it to Calvin. “Sounds doable. Thoughts, people?”
Ruth interrupted, “Colonel, it’s a great idea except for one thing. We’ve got no idea what the detection abilities of those mines are. If one goes off, the entire commando unit’s dead. Even if they aren’t killed instantly, the radiation will kill everyone in a couple of hours.”
“You got a better idea, fleet?” Calvin shot back.
Ruth’s face turned red, but before she could verbally shoot back, David cleared his throat loudly. “Enough. The enemy is outside. Not in here. Colonel, your plan has merit. But it’s high risk. Before I approve it, the risk will need to be mitigated.”
“The powered combat armor the commandos wear has its own integrated command and control system,” Hayworth stated. “Clearly what’s needed is to interface a sensor capable of detecting the mines into them, so the team can avoid setting off any mines.”
“We can’t even interface those sensors into our ship, Doctor. How the heck are we going to interface them into one of the suits?” Calvin replied, the tenor of his voice indicating annoyance.
“Oh, I don’t know. You’ve got one of the smartest minds in the Terran Coalition in the room. It’s either that or you could all go pray.”
David openly rolled his eyes and fought down the impulse to order Hayworth out of the room at that moment. “Doctor, I don’t care how smart you think you are. Do you have a solution to our problem? If you do, speak up. Otherwise, stow it or get out.”
For a second, David thought Hayworth was going to storm out, but he saw Merriweather put her hand on his knee and shake her head.
Hayworth cleared his throat. “We need to interface an advanced artificial intelligence into the suit and use it to build the interface.”
“Artificial intelligence is banned by the Terran Coalition except in the most limited of applications, Doctor. You know it would take years to get this approved,” Hanson said.
Glancing between the two of them, David found despair building in his soul again. He forced it back down and made eye contact with Hayworth as he spoke. “I’m guessing the good doctor has a solution or he wouldn’t have brought it up, Major.” Smiling thinly at Hayworth, he continued, “Please tell me I’m right.”
“You are, General Cohen.” Hayworth offered a condescending smile in return. “We already have the AI on the ship. Our Hunter missiles.” Pausing for effect, Hayworth waited until all eyes were on him. “The solution is simple. We unlock the AI on a Hunter missile, reconfigure it for our needs, copy it twenty-three times, and run simulations to make sure everything works. Then Captain Singh’s team can do what it does best… kill Leaguers.”
“And you can do all of that, Doctor?” David asked.
“Some of it. We’ll need a gold level authorization code to unlock the AI, which I believe you have now as a consequence of your shiny new rank. We’ll also need a software developer with a background in AI. I can work with that individual to link the scientific sensors into the AI.”
“And just where are we going to get a software developer from out here? The nerd mart?” Calvin asked caustically.
“Actually,” Kenneth said, and David looked at him sharply as he spoke. “I’ve got several senior grade developers onboard… and one specializes in AI. She’s been installing the upgrades to the Hunter missiles.”
“I guess I ought to read those weekly status reports more carefully,” Hanson said with a light lilt to his voice.
Almost instantly, the mood in the room began to change. Those assembled sat up straighter, smiles broke out on their faces, and for the first time in forty-eight hours, David thought they had the beginnings of a plan.
“Why can’t we just adapt the Hunter AI to work on the Lion? It would be less risky for the commando team,” Ruth interjected.
“We’re not marrying up an AI to the Lion’s computer core,” David replied. “Not only is that a crime that carries a twenty-year prison sentence, the last time we had an AI almost get loose in the wild, it was a disaster. Everyone knows that.”
“We could shackle it, sir.”
“No. The risk is too great. We’ll proceed with integrating with the suit computers. They’re not powerful enough to allow the AI room to grow or evolve.”
“There are times that the will of Allah comes into focus,” Amir said from his seat toward the end of the table. “This is a fortuitous turn of events.”
“Allah had nothing to do with it,” Hayworth snapped. “I already had all this information before I walked in here. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have suggested a plan I knew wouldn’t work.”
Before the two of them could get into a debate, which had happened too many times to count, David cleared his throat loudly. “Doctor Hayworth, take point on the project. I
want hourly updates, and you have a deadline of eighteen hours to produce a working prototype. Are we clear?”
“Yes, General,” Hayworth replied, leaving off the snark.
“Very well. Dismissed. Captain Singh, please stay behind for a moment. I want a private word with you.”
The rest of those in the conference room dutifully filed out, leaving David and Singh alone. An imposing figure, Rajneesh Singh stood just a tad under two meters and had a colorful addition to the usual CDF duty uniform; a curved sword that hung from his belt. “What can I do for you, General?” Singh asked.
“Captain, this is an extremely high-risk assignment. I’m unwilling to order you to do it,” David replied earnestly.
“Let me allay your concern, General. I volunteered, as I’m certain my entire team will volunteer if given the opportunity.”
“You realize it could be a one-way trip with unproven technology?”
“Yes, sir. If there’s a chance to strike a blow on the League, a blow so mighty as to dislodge them from this fortress where they’ve rained destruction on us for nearly thirty years, then it's worth my life, and those of my team to strike that blow. What will happen is the will of Ik Onkar.”
David raised an eyebrow. “Ik Onkar?”
Singh smiled. “Our word for God.”
“I see. I thought that you were—”
“Muslim?” Singh continued to smile. “We still get that a lot. I’m a Sikh.”
David grinned sheepishly. “Well, I have nothing to do for myself but look silly, Captain Singh.”
Singh laughed and extended his hand. “Call me Raj. My full first name is Rajneesh, but it always gets shortened, and I’ve grown to like it.”
David took the outstretched head and shook it warmly. “David.”
“You might be interested to know that my last name, Singh, translates to ‘Lion.’ I found it quite ironic when I was posted to the Lion of Judah.”
“Perhaps God does work in mysterious ways,” David replied, still wearing the same sheepish grin. He felt terrible for disrespecting the man’s beliefs, even though it was unintended.
“One of the tenets of my faith is we do not believe there to be one absolute truth. So it’s entirely possible from my perspective.” Singh paused for a moment. “General, you must not hesitate to strike the hardest blow we can against the League. I’ve seen what it looks like after they’ve taken over a planet and forced its people into reeducation, as they call it. What remains are mere shells of what was formerly a robust population and people. No matter what it takes, we must win here.”
“We’ll do our best… and the League will do its worst,” David said, shaking his head. “Someday, we won’t have to get up every morning and plan how we’re going to kill people. Someday.”
“And on that day, I will celebrate, as will everyone in the Terran Coalition. But it’s not today. Today we must fight, we must fight with everything we have in us, with every ounce of courage and bravery. For if we do not win today, I fear there won’t be many more tomorrows.”
“I don’t disagree. Plan the best op you can, Captain. Godspeed.”
“Godspeed to you as well, General,” Singh said as he braced to attention before walking out of the conference room.
David sat there for a few minutes, reflecting on the battle that lay before them. All of it rested on the ability of Doctor Hayworth to make his technological solution work. He quietly prayed that the doctor would be up to the challenge.
Standing in his quarters, Admiral Seville squeezed the glass of brandy he was holding such that his hand hurt. Damn the Social and Public Safety Committee, damn them all! I delivered a victory, and now after all the blood that’s been spilled, they want to give it away to those damn fanatics. Downing the rest of the brown drink, he flung the glass across the room. It bounced off a wall, undamaged thanks to being a nearly unbreakable polymer. The doorbell to his quarters went off, and he angrily shouted, “Who is it?”
“Colonel Strappi, sir.”
“Come in.”
The door slid open, and Strappi strode in with purpose. “It’s time, Admiral.”
Seville shook his head angrily. “I should not have to beg the Social and Public Safety Committee to listen to me on this matter. I have successfully led this war! We just wiped out a fifth of the Canaan Alliance’s fleet.”
“Admiral, while I, of course, completely agree with you, you must realize the committee wants to see more losses inflicted on our foe. They want to erase the specter of defeat that has haunted us so closely these last months.”
“If they wanted to win, they’d send me the reinforcements I’ve asked for,” Seville replied.
“I cannot speculate except to say the committee believes those forces are needed elsewhere.”
“Yes, it’s our great affliction. Our territory is so vast, our massive fleet is needed in twenty places at once to secure it,” Seville spat, pausing for just a moment to collect his thoughts. “Is it time, Colonel?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then bring up the video link.”
In the few seconds it took Strappi to engage the real-time communications link back to Earth, Seville marveled at the incredible amount of resources that were going into this holocall. They were so far away from Earth that, on both ends, almost the entire power output of two large fusion reactors had to be used to power the link. After a moment, the holoprojector engaged, and they were suddenly in the meeting room of the State Security Committee. Seville bowed his head respectfully, as did Strappi.
“Mister Chairman, it is, as always, an honor to speak with you and the rest of your esteemed colleagues,” Seville said, with every fiber of his being seething inside.
“Admiral, thank you for taking time for this meeting from your assuredly full schedule as you seek to track down and eliminate the Terran Coalition’s military, once and for all,” Pallis said.
“Anything I can to help further the cause of our League is in no way a burden, Chairman Pallis,” Seville replied.
“Well then, Admiral, since time is at a premium, especially with the cost associated with this link, let’s get down to the matter at hand. What is your plan to finish off the Terran Coalition and Saurian Empire’s combined fleet? We understand from your reports it still exists, despite significant losses.”
“Chairman, right now, we occupy a position of strength. While weakened, the enemy fleet is still a formidable opponent.”
Several of the members of the committee looked at each other; one wearing the uniform of the League Navy spoke up. “Admiral, you have them at your mercy. Do you have a firm location on the Terran and Saurian fleets?”
“No, sir, I don’t. I’ve been holding my ships in closely, rather than send them out to search. I believe our foe intends to attack us again, and I want all of my strength in one place so that we might grind them into dust.”
Pallis shook his head. “Admiral, the committee does not believe this is the wisest course of action.”
Seville interrupted the chairman before he could begin to speak again. “Chairman, while I understand the desire and the very need to destroy our hated enemy, we must realize that for the last three months, they’ve won battle after battle. Now we have a weapon they can’t match. Prudence dictates we allow them to come to us yet again, and then we can strike the final blow. I’m certain of this strategy, more certain than I’ve been of any yet devised.”
“I’ve heard this before. You said it before we tried to bomb Canaan from orbit four months ago. We all know it turned into an unmitigated disaster that brought the Saurians into the war on the side of the Terran Coalition,” the same admiral fumed.
“We’ve succeeded today, Admiral. Let us not dwell on the events of the past. We must focus on destroying the Terran Coalition and her allies. Chairman, please give us a few more days. The Terrans aren’t going anywhere. They haven’t even broken radio silence for one of their news broadcasts. They’re hurting, but they’re planning something.
I feel it in my bones. Dividing our forces now is exactly what they want us to do,” Seville said.
“Admiral Seville, you’ve earned my indulgence and by extension the indulgence of this committee. Don’t squander it. When we speak again, I want a concrete plan of action to destroy the remaining Terran Coalition forces,” Pallis replied.
“Yes, sir, I understand.”
“Very well, Admiral. We’ll speak again soon.”
As soon as Pallis finished speaking, the feed cut out, returning Seville’s quarters to its usual drab interior.
“Idiots!” Seville screamed at the top of his lungs. “They can’t run a war from thousands of lightyears away by committee!”
“Admiral,” Strappi said, trying to soothe the man. “Please, we must remain calm. The Social and Public Safety Committee is the embodiment of the will of the people, and the knowledge of the state. It can’t be wrong.”
“Oh, you’re a worthless fool,” Seville raged in return. “You believe that? If you do, try breathing in space without a spacesuit!”
“You can’t say such things, Admiral! Even if they are true,” Strappi replied, glancing around the room as if they were being monitored in some fashion.
“We have fought for nearly thirty years to liberate the Terrans. We’ve spilled the blood of so many sailors, it’s a mere statistic now that’s too large to conceive of,” Seville said, beginning to calm down. “I will not allow our success now to be thrown into jeopardy because some old men back on Earth want a quick win!”
“You need a convincing plan, Admiral,” Strappi said quietly.
“The plan is to wait for the Terrans to attack again,” Seville insisted. “They’re feeling us out now, they’ll come back, and we’ll crush them.”
“That’s not good enough for the Social and Public Safety Committee. You have to dress it up.”
