The displays showed his small robotic fleet re-forming around
“Sir, we’re receiving the preliminary battle damage assessment from Dutch Harbor OPFOR,” Meilof announced, a note of satisfaction in her voice. “OPFOR losses: two destroyers, three frigates, six missile boats, two submarines. Total kill probability: ninety-four percent. Our losses…” She paused for effect. “One, and one damaged ACV.”
The CIC remained silent for a moment. They had proven something today. They’d proven that a handful of unmanned combat vessels, properly coordinated, could defeat a force many times their size.
“Well, Mr. Schreck,” Trammell said quietly, “what are your thoughts on how GIDEON performed today?”
The contractor rubbed his chin before responding, weighing his answer carefully. “Honestly, Captain? It performed better than we modeled, better than I thought it might. The emergent behaviors, the adaptive tactics, GIDEON’s not just executing preprogrammed responses anymore. It’s actually learning, adapting. From a programmer’s perspective, that’s either very good or very scary, depending on how you want to look at it.”
“Interesting. From my perspective, this concept of autonomous naval warfare works,” Trammell offered, then turned to his senior chief. “Thompson, what’s your take?”
The veteran sailor looked thoughtful. “Sir, I’ve been running combat systems for sixteen years. What I just saw… it’s like watching the first radar-guided missile hit its target. You know everything just changed, even if you don’t know how yet.”
Trammell nodded slowly. “Alice, download all exercise data. I want a full analysis ready for Admiral Reeves by 0800. Include the emergent behavior patterns — he’ll want to know about those.”
“Aye, sir.” Meilof’s fingers were already flying across her console. Then she paused, looking up at him. “Captain? We just changed naval warfare. You realize that, right?”
Trammell looked at the displays one more time. Outside, the storm picked up again, dark clouds and stormy waters threatening a rough night. But inside
“I realize it, Lieutenant Commander. Question is whether we changed it fast enough.”
He thought of the intelligence reports, the satellite imagery of Chinese shipyards, the growing Eurasian Alliance. Time was not on their side. It never had been. But today, in the gray violence of the Bering Sea, they’d proven that numbers weren’t everything. One ship, a handful of robots, and an AI that learned — properly wielded, it might just be enough.
The real test was yet to come.
The scent of grilled lamb and vegetables lingered in the kitchen, competing with the pine tang of the wood-burning stove. Klara leaned back on the worn linen sofa, wineglass in hand, legs folded beneath her. She looked perfectly at ease, her features soft in the amber glow of the lamp by the bookshelf. Across from her, Lars moved with a practiced ease, stacking plates in the kitchen sink, sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing forearms speckled with sawdust from the morning’s shift at the GEAB substation, where he had reworked some safety mechanisms for the electrical line from mainland Sweden.
“You know,” she said, swirling her glass just enough to keep his eyes on her, “for a man who works twelve-hour days and drills on the weekend, you make a mean dinner.”
Lars chuckled, tossing a dish towel onto the counter. “I make a point of feeding people I like. Occupational hazard of growing up with two older sisters.”
Klara tilted her head. “Mmm, lucky me.”
She rose and crossed to the counter, lightly brushing against him as she set her glass down. Her fingers traced the edge of a laminated training schedule pinned to the fridge, subtly scanning it — dates, unit numbers, logistics.
“Your next Home Guard drill… that’s the joint readiness thing, right?” she asked casually, as if recalling something he’d mentioned weeks ago.
“Yeah, big one.” Lars nodded, drying his hands. “We’re supporting P18 with inland security sweeps. Moving supply caches, establishing fallback zones outside Slite and Klintehamn. Kind of a distributed logistics test.”
She gave a soft whistle, feigning mild surprise. “That’s serious. Do they expect… something?”
