FICINT [FICTIONAL INTELLIGENCE]
SHORT STORIES written by AUGUST COLE
ARCTIC NIGHT
The Norwegian Army commissioned a short story exploring conflict in the 2030s. Featuring ad-hoc national armies, Russia and China sparring over Norway’s Arctic access, and battle buddy AIs, the short story Arctic Night offered an alternative way of thinking about warfare in the High North.
Excerpt from ARCTIC NIGHT by August Cole
“They never, ever should have put the rocket batteries by the kiddie pool, she thought. Ingrid Torlund sighed at the boxy wheeled weapons, articulating quad launchers at each corner. They looked like giant upside-down tables kicked over by an ill-tempered god. No, the Vulkan systems were too exposed here.”
UNDERBELLY
To better explain the future of hybrid warfare as part of a briefing to NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, the short story Underbelly imagines how British and American commandos might use irregular warfare tactics that fuse live social media with long-range raids deep inside Russian-controlled territory.
Excerpt from UNDERBELLY by August Cole
“The major general had forged his 31-year career in the British Army by sheer will, be it through SAS selection, stultifying desk jobs, Iraq, Afghanistan, a PhD in Russian literature, and much more. But just getting his fork from the plate to his mouth required more strength than he’d ever had. Two peas, nested in cold mashed potatoes, perched upon the tines. The room’s sole candle cast a long shadow across the tabletop, the mobile phone flipped screen-down next to an untouched, perfectly creased paper napkin.”
RUST AND REASON
As part of the Defense Department Defense Innovation Board AI Ethics Task Force, a series of short stories, including Rust and Reason, were used by task force members to facilitate discussions about how AI-enabled systems might be employed in future conflicts for everything from close-air support targeting to directing entire carrier battle groups.
Excerpt from RUST AND REASON by August Cole
“US Navy Rear Admiral Tim Park swished the cold coffee around in his battered aluminum thermal mug, staring at the grounds swirling in the bottom. In some cultures, you could divine your fate by doing just this. Tasseography was the word. But Park already knew the future, he just didn’t know what to do about it.”