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Howard checked the time again. It was now 15 minutes since Cmdr. Kelly had called to say that Shiloh had just received another vision and that both of them would be arriving soon to brief him on it. Just as he was about to query the building security system to find out if Shiloh was in the building yet, his implant activated.
"Blackjack to CSO."
Howard was startled by the identity of the caller. He had only had one conversation with Blackjack. "Go ahead, Blackjack."
"Admiral, I've just received a highly detailed vision concerning the disposition and timing of enemy attacks on our colonies. I'm transmitting the information to you now. You should see it on your office screen momentarily."
Howard watched a stream of numerical data scroll down his screen. "What does it mean, Blackjack?"
"It is precise coordinates and time for the emergence for each of the six enemy ships that attack each colony. This level of detail is only possible if we have recon drones in place ahead of time."
Howard was about to reply when his office door opened and his Aide stepped into view. "What is it, Lieutenant?" asked Howard.
"You asked to be notified when Admiral Shiloh and Commander Kelly arrived, Sir," said the Aide.
What incredible timing, thought Howard. "Send them in," he said.
As Shiloh and Kelly walked in, Howard said, "Blackjack, Admiral Shiloh and Commander Kelly have just entered the room. I believe that Admiral Shiloh has had a vision of his own within the last 45 minutes or so. I'd like you to switch this call to my desk speaker so that all of us can hear you and vice versa." As he talked he pointed to the wall screen where Blackjack's data was on display.
It took less than a second for Blackjack's voice to be heard from the speaker. "Hello CAG and Commander Kelly," said Blackjack.
Before Shiloh or Kelly could respond, Howard said, "Never mind the pleasantries. Blackjack has had a vision of his own with precise recon drone data for the attack on our colonies. I can't believe that the Sogas are going to split up their fleet. There has to be something we can do to take advantage of that tactical mistake. Can your vision help us there, Admiral?"
Shiloh took a few seconds to look at the data on the screen. He was able to tell that each colony would be attacked by only six enemy ships. Now everything fell into place. Still looking at the screen, Shiloh said, "Yes it can, Sir." He went on to relate his vision to Howard as accurately as possible. With that out of the way, he said, "I understand what the phrase about using laser-armed fighters for ABM defense means now that we have this recon data. If we send fighters armed with modular lasers to our colonies and they take up a position over the colony settlements at very low altitude, they should have enough time to use their lasers to burn the bio-weapon shells to slag before they hit the ground, with the one exception of New Paris. As long as those colonists have evacuated the settlement ahead of time, they should be okay. Blackjack, can our jump-capable fighters reach all our remaining colonies before the enemy arrives?"
"Affirmative, CAG. And not only the fighters, but the sentry frigates too."
Howard and Shiloh looked at each other in puzzlement. "Why would we need to send sentry frigates too?" asked Howard.
"We need to be able to deploy recon drones in order to capture this data. Fighters armed with modular lasers can't carry any drones. Therefore something else has to deploy the recon drones, and the quickest and easiest way to do that is with sentry frigates. And not only can they carry the recon drones, they can also carry attack drones that can be precisely aimed with this targeting data. We have enough Mark 1s to destroy this entire enemy fleet, however the window of opportunity to get sentry frigates to three of the colonies closest to the enemy fleet is very short. There won't be time to load both drone types on board before they have to leave. That means that a small number of enemy ships will escape destruction. In order to make this plan work, fighters and frigates have to be set in motion immediately. I can issue the necessary orders on your behalf as soon as your give the word, Admiral."
Howard didn't hesitate more than a second. "You have authorization to issue those orders, Blackjack. I'll notify Ops. Standby." He paused and then said, "Intercom...Operations."
"Operations here, Admiral. What can we do for you, Sir?"
"Blackjack is in the process of communicating orders for fighters and sentry frigates. He is acting on my behalf, and I want his orders to be carried out as quickly as possible. Any questions Commander?"
"No questions, Sir. We'll see to it that his orders are executed with dispatch."
"Very good. That's all for now. Howard clear. Blackjack, are you still there?"
"Still here, Admiral. The orders have been sent. Does anyone have any questions for me?"
Shiloh looked at Howard who shook his head. A quick glance a Kelly got the same response. "Will Valkyrie have time to transfer to a fighter or sentry frigate?" Shiloh asked. The response was immediate.
"She would have time, but she is asking to remain on board Dreadnought, CAG."
Shiloh wondered why she would pass up a chance to kill some Sogas ships. What better way to avenge Casanova, but if that's what she wants, then so be it. "As long as we have enough other AIs to do the job, she can stay on board Dreadnought."
"We'll have enough AI pilots for the fighters and sentry frigates, CAG. Valkyrie wants to remain on board Dreadnought in order to oversee the installation of the time machine.
"That decision hasn't been made yet," said Howard in a slightly annoyed tone.
Shiloh sighed and said, "I'll talk to her, Admiral."
Howard nodded. "Fine. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to get the decontamination teams to hunt for a man who lives underground. Blackjack, I do have one last question for you before I sign off," said Howard as Shiloh and Kelly left his office. "If some of the enemy ships are going to escape because we couldn't get frigates armed and on station in time, why weren't yours and Shiloh's visions received earlier?"
"The nature of the two sets of information required that The CAG receive the image of your narrative. He couldn't receive it any earlier than he did because he was asleep until just a few seconds before the vision, Admiral. Without his contribution, my information by itself wouldn't have suggested the proper course of action."
Howard nodded. Yes of course and you know this because you'll pass that information back to yourself when you use the RTC because you'll know I asked the question. "I understand. Thank you. Howard clear."
––––––––
As Shiloh and Kelly walked down the corridor from the CSO's office, Kelly asked, "Can we eat now?"
Shiloh laughed. "Yes, we can eat now. We do have a lot of calories to replace after all."
Kelly managed not to laugh out loud, but she gently nudged him with her elbow to remind him that there were other people walking down the same corridor who could hear what they said.
When they found a table in the Officers' Mess and had food in front of them, Kelly said, "When are you going to talk with Valkyrie?"
Shiloh thought about that for a couple of seconds before saying, "How about right now? Intercom...connect Commander Kelly and myself to Commander, Dreadnought."
"Valkyrie here, CAG. Hello Commander Kelly. Blackjack told me to expect your call."
Shiloh rolled his eyes in mock exasperation, and Kelly smiled. Was there anything AIs didn't know in advance? "Did he also tell you why I'd be calling?"
"You and Admiral Howard want to know why I want to remain on Dreadnought to supervise the installation of the time machine when that decision hasn't been made yet."
"That's correct," said Shiloh.
"The answer is very simple, CAG. The time machine has to be built. What other option has the potential to win this war in a single stroke? If an AI takes a UFC and other equipment far enough back in time, a very large raider fleet can be built that will be ready in time to help defend Earth during the most recent attack. If it's planned right, that additional firepower will overwhelm the enemy fleet before Dreadnought's Bridge is penetrated. Casanova and Iceman will survive the battle. The raider fleet can intercept the second enemy fleet, and then attack the Sogas shipbuilding systems. The war with the Sogas will be effectively over because they won't have time to rebuild an offensive force before they're attacked by the insectoid mothership. We, on the other hand, will have plenty of time to get ready for the Insectoids."
Shiloh frowned. "Why send the raider fleet to fight in the second Battle for Earth? Why not send it to destroy the enemy fleet BEFORE it gets to Earth?"
"That would interfere with the vision that warned of the attack. That vision also mentions Blackjack's idea of altering the timeline. Without that vision, the time machine project wouldn't be accomplished. We can't anticipate exactly what would happen if we altered the timeline earlier. It's far safer to divert the timeline during the most recent battle, CAG."
It was a persuasive argument but it still made Shiloh uneasy. "There has to be a downside to this. What is it, Valkyrie?"
"You're correct CAG. Even if we make it our number one priority, it will take months to get a ship ready with the time machine and all the other necessary equipment. That means that everything else, including building our own raider force to defend Earth during those months, will be delayed or slowed. In very simple terms, we're faced with a situation where the faster we try to get the time machine ready, the weaker militarily we'll be to counter the next Sogas attack. But if we take more time to build it, the Sogas will also have more time to build even stronger offensive forces."
Shiloh looked over at Kelly who had a worried look on her face.
"So what's the best strategy to follow from here, Valkyrie?" she asked.
"I calculate that the strategy with the best chance of delaying enemy action for a significant amount of time would be to launch a massive fighter attack on the Sogas home system with X-ray laser warhead drones as soon as possible."
Shiloh shook his head. "But they have RTC too! Our fighters will be flying into an ambush. They'll be wiped out."
"Not necessarily, CAG. Very soon they're going to suffer the loss of a significant portion of their offensive forces as a result of the most recent battle and the interceptions at the colonies. We know that they can build their ships fast, but we can build fighters and attack drones faster. If we target their industrial infrastructure, it will take them months to rebuild it. This won't be the killer blow that overwhelms them enough to prevent them from warning themselves, but they will lose the initiative. That will give us the time we need to finish the time machine and complete the temporal end run around them."
"What fighter losses do you project for this operation?" asked Shiloh.
"Without support from Dreadnought, Midway and the light carriers, we should expect 85% losses. With carrier support I project losses of 35%, CAG."
"Can we get the carriers repaired in time?"
"The Light Carriers can be repaired enough to maneuver and jump. Combat effectiveness will be minimal, but they won't be there to fight. Their biggest contribution will be recovery of damaged fighters after the battle. Dreadnought's and Midway's combat capability can be repaired in time for this operation."
Shiloh nodded slowly. The carriers and the battleship would need to have some human crew on board, and this was the kind of mission that called for a human in command. That would almost certainly be him.
"If Dreadnought is to take part in this operation, it won't be available for work on the time machine, Valkyrie."
"Understood, CAG. I anticipate that this operation will be over by the time that the engineers are ready to start assembling the time machine in Dreadnought's Hangar Bay."
"What's the risk that Dreadnought will be crippled or destroyed in that battle, Valkyrie?" asked Kelly.
"Crippled is four point nine percent. Destroyed is zero point nine percent, Commander. I should point out that those results were based on The CAG commanding the mission. If command is given to someone else, the probabilities will almost triple."
Kelly looked at Shiloh who blushed.
"I think you're over-estimating my tactical skills, Valkyrie," said Shiloh.
"No, CAG. I was actually very conservative in my calculations. You've consistently demonstrated a high level of tactical insight. Experience is the key, and you have more direct combat experience than any other Space Force Officer."
"But I'm not as fast as an AI"
"Correct, but if you set the overall tactical parameters, one of us can take care of the execution and laser fire control. The best of both worlds, CAG."
"In that case I want you to be my Deputy Commander, Valkyrie."
Kelly nodded her agreement.
"I'm not as good as Titan or Vandal, CAG. Are you sure you wouldn't rather have one of them?"
"Not a chance, Commander. You'll be in direct command of Dreadnought as well as my Chief Tactical Officer. You'll be taking Iceman's role for this one. I insist on it!" said Shiloh.
"Thank you, CAG. I accept the assignment. If we're going to do this, then Dreadnought should be moved to one of the shipyards soon."
"I agree, and I'll see that it's done. Anything else, Commander?"
"Negative, CAG. I'm looking forward to this fight. I have some unfinished business with the Sogas."
"You and me both, Valkyrie. CAG clear."
