ACR X SAME ALT ASSIGNED HAD LTSS FROM ACR Y. SYS ERROR.

Narrative

SECTOR 70 CALLED ME ON R-95 AND SHOWED ME 2 ACFT ACR X AND ACR Y COMING TO MY SECTOR IN CONFLICTION AT FL330. SECTOR 70 SAID THEY WOULD TURN X DIRECT TXO TO FIX THE PROB; I AGREED AND TOOK THE HDOFS. THE SAME INTERPHONE CALL; SECTOR 70 SHOWED ME ANOTHER 'PAIR' AT FL370 (MIL JET AND A BIZJET) SAID THEY HAD TO HOLD ON THE MIL JET FOR OTHER TFC; THEN WOULD TURN HIM BEHIND THE BIZJET. I AGREED AND TOOK THE HDOFS. A MIN OR SO LATER; I VIEWED THE VECTOR LINE PROJECTED SEPARATION BTWN X AND Y AT 10 MI OR MORE. THE CONFLICT ALERT WAS THEN ACTIVATED ON THE FL370 TFC. THIS DISTRACTED ME TO THIS SIT AND I CHKED TO SEE IF THE ACFT WAS ON FREQ; HE WAS NOT. LOOKING BACK AT THE FL330 TFC I NOTICED Y HAD STARTED A SUBSTANTIAL L TURN. I INSTRUCTED X TO TURN 40 DEG R (RIGHT AS OR AFTER CONFLICT ALERT WAS ACTIVATED). HE ACKNOWLEDGED; I IMMEDIATELY TURNED Y 15 DEGS R. (THERE WAS NO RESPONSE; SO I EXPEDITED X DOWN TO FL310). STANDARD SEPARATION WAS LOST AT 4.56 MI 6 SECONDS BEFORE X RPTED LEVEL AT FL310. Y WAS THEN RAISED AND QUESTIONED; HE REPLIED HE WAS ON COURSE OVER LVS. 1) ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS; ACFT HAD TO BE CALLED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THEY ANSWERED. 2) I THOUGHT Y WAS ASSIGNED PRESENT HDG; HE WAS NOT. 3) Y MADE ABOUT A 20 DEG L TURN ACROSS THE AIRWAY IN FRONT OF X. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 303180: ACR Y CHKED IN ON NEW ZAB FREQ -- LOTS OF CHATTER ON THE FREQ. FEW MINS LATER ZAB CALLED TO ASK WHY WE HAD NOT MADE A HDG CHANGE THAT HE HAD SUPPOSEDLY GIVEN US PREVIOUSLY. NEITHER THE CAPT NOR I HAD RECEIVED OR ACKNOWLEDGED THAT DIRECTIVE FROM ATC. EVIDENTLY ANOTHER ACFT ACR X WAS GIVEN VECTORS/ALT CHANGE FOR SEPARATION INTEGRITY ON US BECAUSE OF OUR HDG/ALT. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE CTLR WAS VERY BUSY WHEN WE CHKED IN ON HIS FREQ. ALSO A FLT ATTENDANT WAS IN THE COCKPIT AT THE TIME REQUESTING FLT INFO. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE CTLR GAVE US THE CALL BUT WE DID NOT HEAR OR ACKNOWLEDGE BECAUSE OF RADIO/FLT ATTENDANT DISTRS. AS A CREW; OUR ONLY REQUEST IS THAT IF THE CTLR DOES NOT RECEIVE AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM US THAT HE REPEAT THE COMMAND; SPEAK LOUDER TO GET OUR ATTN (IF STILL NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT); OR ASSUME THAT WE DID NOT RECEIVE THE XMISSION AND ARE THEREFORE UNABLE TO COMPLY WITH REQUESTED FLT CHANGES.