The people of Earth had been roused from the slumber of complacency and cured from the disease of endless and often meaningless hostility. Oh, there had been defeats as well as victories. Of good note, times of victory had evoked humility rather than pride. Times of defeat merely strengthened resolve.
A strong unity had been forged that was strong enough to last beyond the immediate crisis. There was still a trace of fear. A war of unknown composition loomed. For most, so it seemed, acknowledgement of a grand purpose set before humanity moderated the fear.
There could be only a limited peace dividend as humanity had merely entered a lull before the greater storm. Yet the spirit of unity brought with it a willingness to share. We will let the philosophers determine the cause of the effect.
Viz wrote in one of her articles that humanity had since entered a time of spiritual renewal, a time of action-oriented love. There was certainly data that suggested as much. Yet, the depth of that renewal would still need to be tested, as is the nature of such things. Real testing comes with the storm, not during the calm, inevitable as that storm may be.
As the world slipped into a relatively normal routine, the Shockwave youth moved on from High School to University. There was the underlying assumption they would all enroll in ROTC, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. There was some unexpected pushback.
***
THE INTERLUDE WITH VIZ. HIGHLIGHTS.
For Viz, the time had come to choose a college major. As the clock wound down for a decision, she was still uncertain, torn between Chemical Engineering and Journalism. Rock seemed to know what she would do even before Viz did. Perhaps, deep down, they all knew.
“It’s Viz. She’ll just carry a double major,” Rock declared.
That is exactly what she did. She chose a double major in Chemical Engineering and Journalism, a combination that would surely keep her quite busy. Then there was ROTC.
Viz was not interested in ROTC. She was adamant about that. Her grandad pointed out she was a born leader. In fact, she found herself leading more often than she wanted, which was actually never. There was a spark, a confidence, that caused people to look to her more often than not.
Of course, there was something more complicated going on deep inside. In general, the assertion that Viz was leadership material was borne out by test scores and personality inventory assessments. All that was clear on the surface. A bit below the surface it was murkier. An attentive review of the assessments would likely shed light on any potential problem areas. Or, one could just ask Viz.
Mr. T was exasperated. “Sweetie, you are a leader. We need people like you to be well trained. ROTC will help with that.”
The conversation had been going on long enough that Viz was a little distressed. “Here’s the way it is, Grandfather, sir. I tend to freeze up when there is a life-and-death situation. Or any important decision. It doesn’t happen every time. But it happens enough. I’ll get people killed. With respect sir, I will not do it. I don’t feel I should do it.”
Mr. T looked thoughtful then held out his hand as though it held the solution. “What if we can determine the cause? And fix it?”
Viz glared just a little and lifted both her hands in response. “How will we do that Grandfather? Will you delve me?”
Mr. T thought about it. “Hmmmm. That is an idea. But I think the answer lies with a deep analysis of your personality inventory assessments. I’m having the Shockwave AI do that even as we speak.”
Viz look puzzled. “You mean Communal?”
Mr. T shook his head. “That’s not a bad idea either. But I’m speaking of the AI program that was set up for operational planning and headquarters management. It is on par with the best strong AI systems available. It’s not Communal, but it is more than capable of the data mining required. Let’s see if Mr. Peabody has completed his task.”
Mr. Peabody is quite a marvel. It is not on a level with a human being of course, or Communal for that matter. Still, it is a capable state-of-the-art quantum AI construct. Viz and Mr. T went to his office. He shut the door.
“Mr. Peabody,” called Mr. T.
Mr. Peabody sounded energetic and very human. “Hello Mr. T. Hello Viz. I suspect you are here to discuss my review of the personality assessments. You would like to know if there are any data points of interest. Do you have a specific area of inquiry?”
“Leadership aptitude,” responded Mr. T.
“Very good,” said Mr. Peabody. “As you requested, I have data mined all pertinent personality assessments, background interviews, and several volumes of mission debriefing reports. In most leadership categories Viz scores in the 4th quartile. Good job! Top 25% of your class! Ahhhem.
“Yet, Viz exhibits a high degree of anxiety when confronted with a need for expeditious determinations in the midst of a crisis event. She is often able to overcome the anxiety and make a decision within a reasonable interval of time. Occasionally the anxiety reaches that of a low-level amygdala seizure.”
Viz shrugged. “Isn’t that what I said? Except the amygula thing.”
Mr. Peabody was happy to correct her. “Amygdala. It is a part of the limbic system, associated with memory and emotion. The seizure, in your case, can be severe enough to lock your response for a significant period.”
Mr. T cocked his head. “What is the cause? Can it be cured?”
Mr. Peabody sounded uncertain. “I do not have sufficient data to answer your questions. I can say that a sufficiently traumatizing event, especially at a young age, would correlate well with the data I have analyzed.
“Recognition, acknowledgment, and self-analysis of the initial emotional trigger event could greatly reduce the level of anxiety. That in turn could resolve the amygdala seizures.
“I have access to subroutines that would allow a
