him.
“Today London, tomorrow the world. Countersign.”
“Today the FAF, tomorrow the JAM. Countersign, complete.”
“Very well. Initiate Operation Lost Sheep.”
“All lost sheep have been located, Colonel.”
“Very well. Capture them at once.”
“Roger. Beginning capture.”
The monitor went dark.
“See?” said the colonel. “Easy. Still, it was hard to get this far.”
“What are the Intelligence Forces doing, sir?” asked one of the Systems Corps personnel.
“The simultaneous exposure and arrest of people who have been using the FAF for their own personal gain,” said Colonel Rombert. “Collecting the evidence took a long time, but we’ve finally reached the point where we can move in.”
“Who are you arresting?”
“The commanders of Faery, Troll, Sylvan, Brownie, Valkia, and Siren bases, as well as the commanders of the main corps attached to Faery base. The Systems Corps is no exception.”
“What?” asked the man from the Systems Corps. “You’re talking about a coup d’etat, aren’t you? A coup by the Intelligence Forces. Colonel, have you lost your mind?”
“It’s a test, right, Colonel?” said another man. “You’re just putting us on, aren’t you?”
“I don’t personally have the authority to arrest these people who have turned the FAF into their own personal plaything,” the colonel said as he checked his watch. “Even with the evidence, I’d just end up being crushed. I suppose it wouldn’t affect the FAF too much if I left them alone. It’s not like they’re conspiring to take it over. However, it would look very bad for us if Earth learned about their individual activities. Once it gets out that FAF higher-ups are using their positions to enrich themselves, the FAF will be under attack by global public opinion. I’m here to protect the FAF from that, but it demands a drastic solution.”
“Don’t tell me you’re serious about this,” the first man said.
“I’ve run simulations on this over and over,” Colonel Rombert answered. “But no matter what I do, I can’t find a good solution. No matter what I or the Intelligence Forces do, we can’t clean up the Faery Air Force. Not so long as it’s under the operation of human beings. The intentions the higher-ups had when they came here to work have nothing to do with the overall operations of the FAF. Using your position to enrich yourself may sound bad, but it’s only natural that they came here looking to profit. Even I have to acknowledge that no elite goes anywhere without expecting something in return, be it money or pride.”
“What are you trying to say? Is this a simulation?”
“I did, however, find a clean solution. As an individual, I don’t have the authority to clean up the FAF. But that isn’t a problem for the JAM. So, if I use them —”
“That’s... that’s even worse than a coup. That’s treason. Colonel, you need to have your head examined. That’s crazy. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“The sheep will be brought here in less than an hour. They will then be judged by the JAM.”
“That’s insane. Without the commanders, the FAF will collapse. You’re a JAM!”
“Don’t worry. Their subordinates will take over their duties. However, the FAF doesn’t really need anyone to stand in for them. It’ll fight on even without humans. The computers will do it.”
“Security!” one of the men shouted.
“Don’t move,” said the colonel. “Gentlemen, if you wish to live, stay right where you are. You’re now under my command. This isn’t a drill. My men are really doing this. They’ve all been anxiously awaiting this moment. Well, it’s possible their dream may end in only an hour. Anyone who wants to enjoy reality and not a dream had better do what I say.”
“You’re insane. Security, arrest them.”
Gunshots rang out from outside, with the thuds of a heavy machine gun mixed in. The entryway doors blew apart and what appeared to be a stocky bipedal robot walked through the ruined doorway.
“A BAX-4,” said one of the Systems Corps personnel. “Dammit, you have the powered armor. That’s just a test prototype. You have no authorization to —”
“The FAF belongs to me,” said Colonel Rombert. “If they resist, kill them.”
“Just shoot them,” said the ghost unit’s leader.
“Hold it. Obey me,” the colonel said. “We shouldn’t waste ammunition.”
“You’re right,” the ghost unit’s leader said. “We don’t need to use the BAX-4’s ammunition to kill you.”
“You don’t need me anymore, is that it?” Rombert said, surprised.
“I admire your resolve, Colonel. The targets you ordered to be brought here will never arrive. We’ll send out Systems Corps fighters to shoot them down. We’ll also be finishing off a few people here that you left off your list. So, no, we don’t need you anymore.”
“You guys are forgetting something important,” Colonel Rombert said calmly.
“The SAF.”
“That’s right,” said Lieutenant Lancome. “I was killed by that fighter of theirs, Yukikaze. I’m going to kill that thing. I’ll smash the SAF.”
“That won’t be easy,” the colonel said. “You guys will never beat the SAF by yourselves.”
“We’ll have their commander in custody,” said the leader.
“She never made it onto my list,” the colonel replied. “Because I never found any evidence of wrongdoing by General Cooley.”
“Order your men to do it. It doesn’t matter what reason you give them,” said Lieutenant Lancome. “Even Lieutenant Mayle was pissed off at the SAF.”
“Do it,” said the leader. “Order the Intelligence Forces to kill the SAF’s general.”
“All right,” said the colonel. “I can’t say that’s a very smart way of going about it, though.”
“Meaning what?”
“I mean that when the SAF moves, they won’t need General Cooley. We really should get them on our side, although they’d probably reject the offer.”
The man from the Intelligence Forces appeared on the monitor again. After being told that things were proceeding smoothly, the colonel ordered him to access the SAF network.
“Summon General Cooley. She’ll come if you say that it’s me.”
“Roger,” the man replied, but no connection was made.
“What’s wrong?” the colonel asked.
“It’s gone,” the intelligence officer replied. “I can’t find the SAF network.”
“You what?”
“The computer’s telling me that there’s no such network. The SAF’s disappeared.”
“The SAF... They’ve figured out what’s going on,” the colonel said, leaping up from the console. “They’re launching their own attack.”
The colonel headed for the hole blasted open by the BAX-4, heedless of the calls for him to stop, and ran out into the corridor.
“Colonel, where’s the SAF located? Show us where it is.” The man paused. “Colonel Rombert? Where’d he go?
“Where is he?” the ghosts shouted. “I don’t see him.” “Dammit, he has to be around here somewhere. Shoot! Don’t let him get away! Kill him!”
The machine gun mounted on the BAX-4’s right arm roared. The colonel ran, expecting to be torn in half at any moment, but he wasn’t hit once. Bullets sprayed in every direction. They could no longer see him, the colonel realized.
It had to be the work of the JAM, manipulating the sight of the ghosts so that they could no longer perceive him.
“DON’T INTERFERE WITH what Colonel Rombert’s doing. We need him,” said the old man General Cooley had asked be brought to the SAF command center.
