Good Luck, Yukikaze

restroom for some cleaning supplies and began to mop the floor clean of Lieutenant Mayle’s vomit. Completely dumbfounded, all Mayle could do was stand aside and silently watch his formerly dead subordinate push a mop across the floor.

He’d always been like this, Lieutenant Mayle recalled. Good-natured, a man who hadn’t a bad thing to say about anyone else. It was like a peaceful scene out of their everyday life, as if nothing had changed at all. Times like these were so much nicer than the hours they spent in their planes, fighting the JAM.

There was the sound of a number of footsteps behind him. Lieutenant Mayle turned to look. His roommates were coming down the hallway toward them, with Lieutenant Burgadish in the lead. They all looked fine. Lieutenant Mayle didn’t know quite how to react to this.

“It isn’t wise to drink too much,” Lieutenant Burgadish said. “Your body isn’t just yours to do with as you want.”

“Heh,” laughed Lieutenant Mayle with self-derision. “You mean our bodies belong to the military, is that it?”

“What you just saw was real,” Lieutenant Burgadish replied.

“What are you talking about?” asked Lieutenant Mayle.

“What you saw was reality. You saw our bodies. We’re all dead, as are you, Lieutenant Mayle.”

“That’s crazy.”

“What we are,” Lieutenant Burgadish went on, his tone now friendlier, “are consumable weapons. We were all sent to Faery to die, so it’s the same as being executed. The FAF is just getting the most use they can out of us. We’ve figured out that they’re going to just keep bringing us back to life so that they can use us over and over. Well, we’ve had enough of being used. We’re going to smash the FAF. If we don’t, we’ll never rest in peace.”

“I’m no ghost,” Mayle said. He was so thirsty now.

“You’re not alive,” said Lieutenant Burgadish. “You may as well be a ghost. The original you died. Try to remember.”

God, he wanted water so badly.

“The consciousness we now possess isn’t real. We’ve been brought back, and the FAF plans to just keep right on bringing us back. This ‘retraining unit’ is nothing but a ghost unit. We’re immortal now because we’re already dead. They can send us on any mission, no matter how dangerous it might be. We have no hope because they can’t bring us back to life for real. In that case, better to just let us die for good. You must see that will be the best thing for us. Look at yourself. You’re nothing but a dried-out mummy now.”

He was suddenly aware of his body growing thinner. He could hear a sound like somebody walking on dead leaves. Lieutenant Mayle held both of his hands up in front of his eyes and stared at his palms. His skin was losing its color, turning the brown of dead leaves, crackling as it changed. His bones clung to the withered flesh as it dried and shrank.

Mayle could feel his hair standing on end, but couldn’t make a sound. He didn’t have the strength to stand anymore and slumped against the wall. He felt as though he’d collapse at any moment. His vision went yellow, then he couldn’t see anything at all, but he remained conscious. He wanted water. Just a drop of water, that’s all.

Please, he pleaded to the rescue party. Find me, soon. His survival rations and water were all gone now. He’d fallen into the dense forests of Faery and could neither climb out nor push his way through the thick branches and leaves. He couldn’t move anymore. He couldn’t see the sky anymore. How many days had it been? His survival beacon breaking down had been the deathblow. Dammit, he wanted to see the sky. Just one more time, just a glimpse.

And then his consciousness had grown distant... What were these memories he was seeing? Was this reality, and he’d just forgotten it? Then, what had he been since being rescued?

“We’re all duplicates now,” Lieutenant Burgadish said.

2

SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING in the Systems Corps. What had Yukikaze found?

Aboard Yukikaze, Rei checked the main display and saw that she had activated the T-FACPro II software. Before he could ask his question, Captain Foss, in the rear seat, spoke.

“This is Captain Foss. Yukikaze, what do you mean the JAM are in the Systems Corps? On what basis are you making that claim? Answer me. What have you found there?”

Yukikaze’s response scrolled onto the display.

I cannot answer Captain Foss’s question without clearance from Captain Fukai.

“Yukikaze, I’m granting you clearance,” Rei said. “This is a vital ongoing mission to predict the JAM’s future behavior. Captain Foss is participating in it as well. Yukikaze, answer Captain Foss’s question.”

Roger.

The response came up on the display in natural human language.

The names of people confirmed dead have shown up on the roster of the retraining unit that has been organized within the Systems Corps. Second Lieutenants Burgadish and Lancome.

“W-w-what?” Rei spit. “Lieutenant Burgadish? As in our Lieutenant Burgadish?”

Lieutenant Burgadish, former flight officer of SAF Unit 3. I identified Lieutenant Lancome as an enemy and destroyed him. Persons with corresponding names are currently extant within the Systems Corps. I predict other persons who would not be expected to be alive are also within this unit. These people are not human. I have therefore judged them to be JAM. I also predict that they will be taking destructive action against the FAF in the near future.

“The people in the retraining unit must be JAM duplicates,” said Captain Foss. But Rei, still unable to believe it, sat staring at the display.

“Captain Fukai, what’s wrong? Captain. Rei! You shouldn’t be surprised by this. We anticipated it.”

“Even if we did...” Rei muttered. “I ate Lieutenant Burgadish’s flesh. And this guy, Lieutenant Lancome... Yukikaze killed him. I ordered her to do it.”

Foss sees this all as a game, Rei thought. Like it was nothing but a big chessboard. This doctor had no real feelings for the two dead men. But to him, they were a reality that held a palpable sense of dread. Lieutenant Burgadish and Lieutenant Lancome...?

Rei unconsciously shivered. If those two were there, then they were duplicates. They had to be. They couldn’t be ghosts. So why am I so terrified? he wondered. What do I have to be scared of?

“The JAM have the ability to bring back the dead,” Rei muttered, then nodded at his own words. “That’s right. That’s what being able to duplicate people is. You could also call these duplicates the living dead.” That was even more frightening than a ghost, and if there was anything that had power over every human being, it was fear.

Yukikaze’s reply continued.

The names of Lieutenant Burgadish and Lieutenant Lancome and their personal histories have been entered into the Systems Corps personnel management computer as members of the new unit. I can verify that there are human bodies that correspond to those names. I can’t confirm if these bodies have the same identities as the men who once shared their names, but that confirmation will not be necessary when an attack is made on this unit.

“Why, Yukikaze? Why do you say that confirmation is unnecessary?”

It is enough to verify the existence of the men with these names. I have made the verification. This is a declaration of war against the FAF by the JAM.

“What...?”

“Yukikaze, you received a message to that effect from the JAM while you were inside of the mysterious battle zone, didn’t you?” Captain Foss asked. “The JAM told you of their strategy against the FAF on your last mission, didn’t they? Answer.”

I recall receiving a message from the JAM that they were preparing a declaration of war. We are preparing a declaration of war in a way which only the SAF will understand. Pay attention to the humans within the FAF, it said. I judge that this situation denotes that declaration. Attack the new unit, Captain Fukai. Not one of