“He has been told,” Kal said. “He and his Bolo both understand.”
“Good,” Kiel said. “Tell them that for this operation, they are to be designated as `Firebase Shiva.’ Tell them to hold on, help is on the way.”
Six
“He took my plan and is using it as his own,” Veck said aloud, staring at the command screens in front of him. The old man had nerve, that was for sure. “Damn him!”
“May I be of help?” Rover asked.
“No, just do your job,” Veck said.
At the moment Rover was in a pitched battle with two Toro tanks, while at the same time firing his Hellrails at the ships above and moving to avoid spearfall. Inside the Command Compartment, Veck could feel very little of the battle going on around him.
Veck sat back and thought about what had just happened with the general. The old guy had simply turned down his plan to rescue Amad, then stolen his idea on stopping the Kezdai advance. And what was even more upsetting was that Kiel was putting the Tasmanian at risk. Of course, Veck was willing to do that himself, but the transport was the pride of the regiment, and it wasn’t Kiel’s to risk.
“All right, General,” Veck said to himself, “I’ll cooperate, since it’s my plan. But when this is all over and it works, I’m going to make damned sure that credit is given where credit is due.”
Veck turned to the board and got quick updates from his Bolos. All were nearly in position for the shove to Shiva’s position. The Tasmanian was also in position and standing by. The entire operation had to be timed to the Tasmanian’s pass through the atmosphere. Veck just hoped the general understood that fact completely.
“Commander,” Rover said, “the convoy carrying the additional Bolo is located—”
“I don’t care where it’s located,” Veck said, taking some of his anger out on Rover. “That Bolo won’t arrive in time to be a factor and that’s that. Understand?”
Rover said nothing in return.
* * *
The decision is made. I must face the unpleasant reality that Major Veck may be unfit to command. This is no longer a case of judgment or differing information sets. Major Veck has twice ignored simple matters of indisputable fact concerning the incoming convoy. My plots show that the convoy will be behind the line of fire when the Tasmanian makes its attack pass. Fortunately, their distance and position will be such that an actual hit by friendly fire will be unlikely. Still, I cannot allow this situation to go unaddressed.
To judge my Commander’s competency is not something that I, or any Bolo, can do, but the situation seems clear enough that I must appeal to a higher authority. I have filed a form 10354/87-3A with General Kiel’s office requesting a command review and decision. Until such time as I receive an official response, this empowers me to certain latitude when given orders that may directly endanger Concordiat personnel or assets. I trust that this will not become an issue.
* * *
General Kiel finished talking with Kal and studied the large board showing troop positions on both continents, along with enemy movements and ship placements in orbit. He was finally starting to make some sense of it all, figure ways to stop and even turn back the Kezdai offensive. And thanks to Major Veck’s plan, they had a good way of doing it.
Now, if our forces can stand solid against the Kezdai, if that’s even possible, then we may yet turn the tide, he thought.
Behind him Kiel could hear a slight commotion starting, with a voice saying, “Let me in there, damn you!”
Kiel turned around to see the guards stopping General Rokoyan, the commander of the BDF forces. Kiel was surprised. He hadn’t expected Rokoyan to come out of his bunker. The planetary governor must have finally gotten through the man’s thick skull.
“Let him through,” Kiel said.
Rokoyan came through the door into the command center, smoothing his uniform. He was a tall, black-haired man of middle age, with a slight paunch. Clearly the good life before the Kezdai invasion had been a little too good to Rokoyan.
“General,” Rokoyan said, nodding. “I’ve come to bury the hatchet, as the old saying goes. And work with you completely on what needs to be done.”
Kiel could not have been more shocked. Those were not the words he expected to hear from General Rokoyan. Ever. Whatever the governor had done, it had been good.
“General Rokoyan,” Kiel said. “I welcome your help and experience. Can I count on all your forces as well?”
“Right down to the last man,” Rokoyan said.
“Well then, General,” Kiel said, turning Rokoyan toward the big board. “Let me tell you what we’ve got planned.”
As he explained to the local ground forces commander Major Veck’s plan and how they were going to use it, Kiel felt there just might be hope of victory. Or of at least stopping the offensive.
* * *
I and three of my fellow Mark XXX Bolos, unit UGN-404, “Eugene,” unit LXR-107, “Luxor,” and unit PTE-900, “Petey,” rush toward the front to join in what is now code-named “Operation Skyfall.” While our progress is rapid, our individual paths are randomly calculated to disguise our final destinations.
Already we pass the advance units of the Kezdai force, engaging them only defensively as we do. This causes confusion and hesitation. By my calculations, enemy units in within a hundred kilometer radius have slowed their advance by 6.834 percent. Their subtlety in manipulating our forces is now returned.
A standing wave has formed in their advance, clustering their units near Starveil, within range of Bolo Shiva’s weapons, and in the path of our planned counteroffensive. Whatever the outcome of this battle, we now have the opportunity to succeed.
Brigadier General Kiel has designated me as the commander of the ground offensive part of this operation, but the term is not accurate. I do not lead the other Bolos, nor am I permitted to command human forces. I merely act as a coordinator of the various forces involved in the execution of Brigadier General Kiel’s orders.
The semantic point seems small, but is an important one. As a Bolo I am ever bound by a complex web of protocols and procedures when dealing with humans. Some are merely matters of policy, but many are hard-coded into my circuitry and would be impossible to change without destruction of the personality gestalt that is “me.”
This is ever our strength. It provides a Bolo with its unique and indomitable sense of purpose and duty. But in my hundred and seven years of service to the Dinochrome Brigade, I have occasionally known it to be a hindrance as well.
I know that I am more experienced than any human on the battlefield, that I can think faster and process more battlefield intelligence than any human commander. Despite this, it is not my place to presume that my judgment is somehow better or more correct than my human Commander’s. The final decisions must always be his.
Thus it is up to the human commander to determine when the Bolo may act autonomously, and to what extent. General Kiel has always allowed me an unusual amount of discretion to act, and has always respected my strategic insights. In turn, the men and women under his command have generally extended the same courtesies.
I have had many Commanders during my service life, and while I can not credit General Kiel as the most intelligent or efficient, he is the Commander with which I feel the greatest sense of camaraderie. In combination, I feel we have made the most effective fighting team of my career.
Unfortunately, the interactions between Bolos and human forces do not always go as well. I find myself, in any operation such as this one, where I must fight in coordination with human forces outside regiment, apprehensive that there will be problems. In fact, experience has shown that this is one of the most unpredictable variables in such a combat situation.
At times, I am envious of the newer Bolos such as the Mark XXXIVs of the 1198th, possessing as they do circuitry which allows direct interface to the human mind. Though use of this interfaces seems not to be held in much favor within the 1198th, to experience such an interface, even once, would allow invaluable insights into human behavior and reasoning. Such insights would be useful now, in dealing with the contentious local forces.
My one comfort is that General Kiel has assured me that we will have the full cooperation of the Delassian Defense Command, including support from all Delassian Defense Force units on the ground, and coordinated orbital fire-support from their submarine Sea Scorpion. Though this runs contrary to my past experience with the DDC, and I find no evidence to support such a change in policy, I place the same trust in my commander that he has placed in me.