“I can imagine that Colonel Rombert has been watching us for any strange moves ever since we told him that we’ve already been infiltrated by a duplicate once before. It’s only natural that he can’t disregard any actions the SAF takes now. We were prepared for that already.”
“True, but I figured he’d do it behind closed doors. I never expected him to openly send in a... well, spy may be too strong a word. How about observer?”
“No, Colonel Rombert sends in his right-hand man who will then report on what happens here to him. But at the same time, we’ll know about it. With that in mind, I want you to stay on your toes. This is also a good chance for us to learn about what the Intelligence Forces are up to. What I’d like to ask your opinion about is if you think we can do that, Major Booker.”
But there was no mistaking that the colonel thought that he’d be getting the better end of the deal. Would Booker be able to handle this talented soldier Rombert was sending over? He was a spy, an expert in information warfare, while the major wasn’t. To be honest, Booker didn’t really want to take on any duties outside of the war with the JAM. Still, they weren’t going to get anywhere with the war unless they had the manpower to fight it.
“Colonel Rombert has good people working for him, and so do I,” said General Cooley as she looked at Major Booker. “I know you can handle this.”
“Hm. Well, I’d like some details on the man he’s recommending.”
“Colonel Rombert arranged to have a hard copy of his file sent over. It looks like he didn’t want the computers knowing about it.”
“He probably has the file memorized anyway. That’s the safest way. It’s kind of amazing how he’s able to do that.”
“The colonel’s abilities aren’t that praiseworthy. I have a feeling that you’d be able to tell me the detailed personal histories of our personnel and the current condition of their planes immediately if I asked you to,” the general said. “You’d do well not to overestimate the man.”
“It’s an objective evaluation of him, General. The fact that the colonel has his position in the Intelligence Forces is evidence of his ability in itself. My saying it’s dangerous to make light of him is another way for me to say I’m ready for anything he dishes out. It doesn’t mean he’s got me shaking in my boots.”
“As a member of the SAF, you know that we can’t let our guard down with Colonel Rombert, right?”
“The same way we can’t get sloppy with the JAM. Anyway, I want to know about this guy they’re sending before he gets here. He can’t be a total mystery man, can he?”
“We’re still waiting on his detailed personal file, but I’ve been given a brief precis of it.”
“Then could you please start by telling me what you know?” Major Booker asked. “Colonel Rombert may be distracting us with this guy while he thinks of some other measure to use against us, but I can’t make any judgments without data to work with. I want that data and some time to consider all this.”
“Very well. If you judge that he won’t fit our needs, then I’ll turn down the colonel’s offer. Don’t take too long, though. We should decide if we’re taking him as soon as we can.”
“What’s his name?”
“Akira Katsuragi. Second lieutenant, currently assigned to the electronic warfare analysis division of the Intelligence Forces. He comes from Japan and originally enlisted in the Japanese Air Force. So he’s Japanese, not a Jammy. Why don’t we pair him up with Captain Fukai?”
“You’re saying their coming from the same country will make them more compatible? That’s —”
“Compatibility has nothing to do with it. First of all, Yukikaze needs a flight officer. Second, we’ll need Rei’s and Yukikaze’s help if we’re going to outwit the colonel. Rei won’t let a new guy do as he pleases, and neither will Yukikaze. Particularly Yukikaze, since she’ll be recording every single thing the flight officer does while aboard her. He won’t be able to interfere with any SAF computer without her knowing about it.”
Booker paused a moment, considering his options.
“You know what, General? Let’s take Colonel Rombert up on his kind offer. Right now, figuring out the JAM’s strategy is more important than speculating on the Intelligence Forces’ intentions. After that is figuring out what our unit’s CIs are up to. I’m also interested in Yukikaze on that front, but I know what she’s doing from Rei’s reports. He’s working hard to get that information out of her. Compared to that, this little intrigue on Rombert’s part is a minor annoyance, and we’re going to let him know that through the new guy.”
“I’ll give you a little time to consider this.”
“Ma’am?”
“Take some time to enjoy your cocoa, Major. If you don’t want to do it here, you can take the cup to your office.”
Booker thought it over, then replied, “I’ll do it here, General.”
“I know you think you need a private secretary too, but there’s nobody qualified available. Getting a bad candidate in there will probably just cause more trouble for you, but I want to help you with that if I can.”
“I appreciate your concern, General. I’m fine, though. My coffee and cocoa tastes best when I fix it for myself.”
But as he slowly sipped his drink, Major Booker thought that cocoa made for you by another person didn’t taste so bad.
“We need to get Captain Fukai and Yukikaze to work on this new strategy against the JAM,” General Cooley said conversationally as she sipped her tea. “I’ll be expecting you to do your best with it.”
“I’ve broached the subject with him, but I’d like for this Lieutenant Katsuragi character to get used to Yukikaze first. We can get to the other thing later. No need to rush. The JAM aren’t going anywhere. We can take our time looking for them.”
“The SAF was originally formed to carry out tactical reconnaissance, but now we seem to be moving into the realm of strategic reconnaissance,” Cooley said.
“It’d be better if we didn’t keep pursuing autonomy for our unit. The nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down, you know.”
“I never set out to start playing internal FAF power games,” the general replied. “But I can’t help but think that having a bit more influence would help us to avoid problems like the ones we’re facing now.”
“The thing is, you’re still the big gun here. You run things from the shadows,” the major replied. “It’d be better if you didn’t move into the foreground. From the very start, the SAF was never simply a tactical recon unit. Right now, we’re operating as a joint tactical-strategic intelligence unit. There’s a lot of know-how we need from Colonel Rombert. The way we need to think about this information exchange is not as a strategic recon force, but as another intelligence force. Now, of course, Colonel Rombert will probably be on guard for this. And then there are the internal power games we need to play. All these family squabbles within the FAF may be just what the JAM wanted.”
“Humans really are bizarre life-forms, aren’t we?”
“Completely. In the face of an enemy threat, we still waste our time with these internal power struggles. There are those who think we have better things to do, but they usually turn out to be the losers. I used to think it was basic instinct for every life-form to seek hegemony over its environment, but now I’m not so sure. There are special groups within humanity where that idea doesn’t hold sway. The SAF is one of them. We really do occupy a special position within the mass of humanity. I can only guess at the troubles it causes you,” the major said.
“Your sympathy doesn’t help much, but I think it makes me feel a bit better.”
“As does yours for me.”
Draining the last of his cocoa, Major Booker rose from the sofa.
“Please tell me as soon as you get a hard date for Lieutenant Katsuragi’s arrival. I’ll be placing Captain Fukai in charge of bringing him up to speed on Yukikaze, so I need to make plans.”
“Understood.”
General Cooley, cup still in hand, nodded her head. Saluting the general as she sipped her tea, Major Booker exited her office.
