Raymond Long: author of fiction and non-fiction
Extracts from More Than Human:
"Total machine war"
Unable to look away, Rachel gave her attention to the leading formation of Liao war machines that flew south over the Andes. Daoshan-Huohai told her that the majority were White Cranes models 3 to 7, later variants of the pilotless aeroplanes that had escorted her out of Basel after the Human Freedom League's attempt on her life. Among them were Fireswords, simple rockets with minimal guidance systems.
The first wave of Liao's air force was quickly closing with Catamarca's. Liao's tactical flight controllers in the Peruvian Federation issued final course instructions to the Fireswords, and then gave them their locking orders: the Fireswords were now locked onto a course of flight and detonation that could not be changed. At the same time the White Crane-7s were ordered to slow down, then a moment later the White Crane-6s, then the 5s, each earlier model number cutting its thrust a few seconds later than the next newest. Why were they doing that? Rachel asked Daoshan-Huohai, which showed her a tactical planning discussion from the previous year. The discussion concluded that the first aircraft to enter the fray would take the heaviest losses, so it was best to sacrifice the less advanced models.
The White Cranes slowed in waves, and as they reached their battle speed each one ejected canisters from its tail. These burst open to release swarms of what Daoshan-Huohai labelled 'ordnance'. Rachel examined this ordnance: it consisted of a bewildering variety of small flying machines. Some were smart missiles or gun platforms programmed to recognise anything not Liao's and destroy it, some carried counter-measures to disrupt the systems of enemy machines, while others were information gatherers which observed the battlefield and relayed information to the White Cranes, whose own sensors might be blinded.
The Fireswords, not slowing like the White Cranes, raced ahead. Rachel looked ahead at Catamarca's air force, and saw thousands of dots being labelled with model numbers, each assigned a probability of correct identification. Like Liao, Catamarca was sending things identified as unguided missiles forward. The White Cranes and the gun platforms among Liao's ordnance started shooting their guns at these. Missiles from both sides blew apart in the air between the two rapidly closing forces, but more ploughed forward. Explosions ripped through the Liao air force as they detonated, scattering fragments that smashed ordnance and White Cranes out of the air. The White Crane-3s and 4s at the front bore the brunt of this, leaving the more advanced White Crane-7s at the back barely touched.
Then the clash came, as the leading White Cranes and their equivalents on Catamarca's side crossed into each other's formations, guns blasting. Immediately communications began to break down. The picture that Daoshan-Huohai showed grew vague and uncertain. Clear visual images could be seen from the second wave of aircraft, coming up behind the first: there were huge explosions as the two clashing air forces ripped into each other. The images that came back from the first wave itself were few, and those that came were often broken and patchy. Rachel asked Daoshan-Huohai why this was and it spewed a complicated analysis. The summary told her that countermeasures to communication were of primary importance. Each side wanted to stop the other's from coordinating with each other or the ground, leaving them to fly only on the skills of their onboard computers and denying the enemy up-to-date intelligence.
More of Liao's pilotless flying machines were coming up behind, wave after wave. The second wave of White Cranes slowed, releasing ordnance, while the Fireswords screamed around the thundering patch of sky to detonate on the far side, knocking out whatever Catamarca might be bringing up in the rear. Then the White Cranes and ordnance of Liao's second wave ploughed into the churning sky of battle. Machines ripped each other to pieces...