Gods Dogs, Book 3
Chapter 37

Two Years Later

A lot of people think international relations is like a game of chess. But it’s not a game of chess, where people sit quietly, thinking out their strategy, taking their time between moves. It’s more like a game of billiards, with a bunch of balls clustered together.

Madeleine Albright

During the last two years, the Chert Empire recovered from their civil war more quickly than the Dobal and Baston empires. It was mainly due to Anjevin joining the shadow government on Upana. Many officials loyal to him defected to give him a de facto government-in-exile. This government, since it was on Upana, resolved the differences between Chert superiority by bumping up against those other races in their empire that formed much of the shadow government. They resolved the differences through negotiation on Upana, and that carried over to the larger empire.

The Chert people were not overly resistant to losing their privilege, because they didn’t reap many, if any, benefits from it anyway. The elites, on the other hand, fought to maintain their status to the bitter end.

Jolene’s team was witness to much of that, and when Quinn’s team relieved her, his team watched the evolution as well. They alternated six month assignments on Upana, and only needed to knock a couple heads together to convince the rest not to be stupid. The assignment challenged their non-violent conflict resolution skills more than their fighting skills.

Because of their familiarity with the issues and the players, it was Quinn and Jolene and their teams that were dispatched to bring the next blow to the conquest ideology.

Those elites that clung to their ‘legacy’ in each empire eventually joined forces as they lost ground in their home empires. They were metaphorically circling the wagons in the attempt to salvage something of their lifestyles.

The Accords Committee agreed upon a joint fleet of all five empires to finish off what they called the ‘elite fleet.’

The Coyotes were requested as buffers among the different empire command teams. There was still no trust among them, even though they now agreed on many of the same principles. Generations of knowing each other as enemies didn’t fade with only a few years of cooperation.

The Machine Autocracy was the agency that pushed for Coyote involvement, and the others finally agreed. Their track record on Upana was a deciding factor. The two Coyote teams were directed to the Accords station.

They arrived, docked at the upper donut, and met with Delta Rho Prime as they disembarked.

“Quinn,” the android greeted him. “We meet with the council this afternoon to finalize your involvement.”

“That is good,” Quinn said. “It wasn’t clear what our mission is.”

“It is still unclear. The problem is their egos. The former non-dominant species want recognition. The former dominant species have all the command experience. They are united in their need to defeat the elites. They bicker on how to do so.”

Moss snorted. “Well, we have experience in dealing with that.”

Quinn went on, “This is Jolene, team lead for the other team you requested.”

Jolene stepped up to say, “Good to meet you.”

DR Prime looked at her and her team. “You also carry sentient A.I.s in you.”

“Yes,” she replied. “All active duty Coyotes do.”

“May I link with them?”

After a paused, Jolene answered, “Yes. They have prepared a virtual space for you.”

DR Prime went silent for a moment when he linked to the four A.I.s; then he said, “You are using caution in uplifting implant A.I.s to sentience. We approve. I’m certain our scientists would want to review your research on this.”

“I’ll pass that on as a request,” Jolene said. “Your perspective on our research would be a valuable addition to their efforts.”

They followed DR Prime to the cafeteria for lunch. He left them there to become reacquainted with the others that Quinn knew from before.

That afternoon they met with the command teams from the five empires in a large room. Admirals and their flag staffs were there with the diplomats from each faction. There were nearly a hundred beings in the room seated in a pentagon arrangement three deep. The Coyotes were with the androids as they numbered far fewer than the rest.

The Iracian Ambassador Mudark Vannessen called the meeting to order.

“The two Coyote teams are here, as the Machine Autocracy requested. Their purpose is to mediate the disputes we may have going forward.”

There was some grumbling at that announcement, but Mudark merely glanced at those grumbling before going on.

“A battle plan is agreed upon. Our next task is to determine the order of battle from the ships available.”

A holo-image appeared in the center of the room that showed a chart of the warships available: five columns of ships names that numbered in the thousands.

“I propose this,” a Baston admiral said, and a second holo-image appeared with his proposal of what ships should be involved.

Four other proposals followed. Quinn noted the overlap. Two thirds of the ships were present in all five proposals. The remaining third showed wildly different configurations for a battle order. He suspected that had to do with the differing doctrines each empire preferred.

“Any comments?” Mudark asked.

Quinn decided to jump in. “I am assuming the different battle arrays represent different doctrines. I think that should be settled first.”

“Doctrine is a function of assets,” the Baston admiral said. “We trust the assets we know.”

“Then I propose we get the tactical officers together. You know what the enemy will do. You have access to assets they don’t. What are they, and how could you use them?’

The participants shifted in their chairs, apparently not comfortable with that idea.

Quinn went on, “The Iracian, Machine, and rebel forces think and fight differently than the elites. That gives you an edge, an advantage that needs to be recognized and exploited.”

Mudark spoke into the ensuing silence, “All tactical officers will retire with the Coyotes to the adjoining conference room. We’ll meet back here when you are ready with a report.”

Then the meeting broke up. DR Prime moved up to Quinn. “This is what they bicker over. My way is better than your way. Good luck in the other room.”

As the exercise progressed, the magnitude of the strategic problem became more apparent. Each side of the conflict could field tens of thousands of ships. The Accord members possessed more, but they were responsible for countless worlds, and in three empires, the civil wars were still concluding. The elites didn’t have those responsibilities.

It took a few days to come up with the strategic assets Quinn was looking for. Then it took another half-day for the Coyote strategic thinkers, Quinn, Jolene, Moss, and Rob, to come up with what they thought was a winning battle array. For the rest of that day, both Coyote teams tore it apart and put it back together.

Finally, they presented it to the empires’ tacticians. Once they were satisfied, they presented it to the command staff in the larger room.

The Machine Autocracy tactician, Gamma Epsilon Prime, made the presentation, mainly because he could keep all the facts straight.

“A fleet engagement of this magnitude presents logistical and communication problems,” was his understated opening statement. “It also presents our advantage. If we disrupt either their logistics or communication, we can defeat them in detail.”

“How?” the Baston admiral demanded.

“With the stealth system the Iracians use on their warships. The majority of the Iracian fleet will take on their supply ships: missile carriers, ammunition carriers, repair ships, and so on.”

“Simple enough,” a Dobal admiral said, “But I know nothing about an Iracian stealth system.”

GE Prime answered, “The humans developed an Iracian technology that became the stealth system you faced at the battle at galaxy’s edge.”

There were murmurs from the three biological empires. Then the Baston admiral pressed, “We will need access to that technology.”

“No,” the android said. “OpSec is crucial for this plan to work.”

There was more grumbling but no more challenges. GE Prime went on to designate fleet formation, resupply protocols, and so on. It took the rest of the day. In the end, they classified the battle plan as Top Secret, and each empire began the process of mustering their fleets.

Mudark met with the Coyotes a week later at the lunch room in the Accords spoke of the upper donut.

The faint resemblance to a preying mantis was something they were desensitized to by now, and the Iracians were herbivores. Their eating habits were refined.

The eight Coyotes were seated at a long table with Mudark and four other Iracians. A royal guard squad of ten was stationed around the room.

Mudark began, “You have fulfilled your contract with us. We asked for an extension so that you can participate in the battle. Your superiors left that decision up to you.”

Quinn glanced to Jolene, who merely grinned.

Quinn smiled back and addressed Mudark, “Where would we be stationed?”

“One team with the Machines, and one with us.”

“I see you determined what our deeper strategy is.”

“Yes. The biologicals must face each other. The trickery must come from us and the Machines.”

“It is essentially a civil war,” Quinn said. “They need your help to win it, but it must be they who win it.”

“We agree.”

“I volunteer for the Iracians,” Jolene offered.

Moss chuckled and said, “I hope the androids have a ship with air and gravity installed.”

“Some of their cruisers do,” Mudark replied.

After four months, the fleets from each empire were on the move. Their initial goal was to arrive in elite space and en-globe the elite fleet. To do so, they needed to blockade three star systems that were near each other. Each of the three races used a star system for supplies, repair facilities, construction, and so on. The locals in each system were reduced to slave labor.

The plan was to herd the three fleets together. Since the intel suggested the elites wanted a showdown anyway, the herding operation wasn’t too aggressive.

Satya was docked aboard a battlecruiser. There were relatively few battlecruisers, and they served as the command ships for squadrons of cruisers. These squadrons provided defensive fire for the gargantuan capital ships and weapons platforms. Their secondary role was to handle any surprises during the battle.

In this engagement, they served a further role – boarding elite command ships once the elite forces broke.

Before that hoped-for eventuality, the Machine fleet assembled itself in its area of responsibility in the herding operation. Once the fleet was arrayed, the admiral’s voice came over Satya’s speaker.

“We are in position. Conclave to begin in ninety-three seconds.”

“Well,” Moss said from his seated position on the training room mat, “this should be interesting.”

Quinn said, “Shiva tells me the linkages are building.” Then he smiled. “See you on the other side.”

The four of them dropped into meditation and eased into the space they shared with their A.I.s. Those spaces joined into a larger network the A.I.s shared – their battle-net. After a few moments, that network joined the conclave of all the A.I.s in the fleet.

For Quinn, the connection was similar to the sense or feeling of expansion that came with a peak experience – the vast, limitless feeling of being at one with the All.

Similar but not the same, though, because this expansion was controlled. There was a humorless quality to it, lacking the joy, excitement, and awe of a peak experience.

A voice boomed through the space, “We are of one mind to defeat our enemies.”

“We are,” was the solemn response.

“Welcome the Coyotes who are in conclave with us.”

A respectful sense pervaded the space, like an unseen bow.

Shiva spoke for the group, “We are honored. We will do our part.”

“Then let us begin,” the voice concluded, and the expanded space fragmented.

The team was back to the virtual environment of just themselves and their A.I.s.

Moss said, “If that’s what it feels like inside a Singularity, I’ll pass.”

Ari, Moss’ A.I., added, “They are emotionally stunted.”

“Why is that?” Pax asked.

“It’s more than just programming,” Max, his A.I., answered. “Sentience comes with the feeling of being alive, which is the root feeling for the emotional self.”

“Emotions tell us how we are reacting to the world,” River said to preface a question. “Do they just intellectualize those responses?”

“It appears so,” Becky, her A.I., replied.

“That would create a serious blind spot,” Moss commented.

“And one we’ll not discuss with them,” Quinn said. “At least, not until this battle is over.”

“Agreed,” Shiva said. “Making them aware of this deficit now could cause undue confusion.”

River observed, “It may be that just our presence in the conclave shifted something.”

“It’s possible,” Quinn allowed. “Be on the lookout for it. If you detect confusion, resentment, or whatever, tell them we’ll deal with it after the battle.”

Ari said, “That should work. They are good at compartmentalizing.”

“Are we done here?” Moss asked.

The A.I.s collapsed the virtual space, and each of them was back in the place in the brain they shared with one another.

River sent to Becky, [Conclave was intense.]

[Yes, but it felt artificial compared to the Vision Quest we shared when I was young.]

[Interesting. We need to think about this before the androids want answers.]

[We four A.I.s agree, and we’ll be working on it.]

[Thanks. I’ll just let this too-big-for-my-brain problem slide into my unconscious to let it gestate something.]

[Good division of labor,] Becky said with a hint of ironic humor.