Washington.
That's the fellow to see alright, Entienne said. He's authorized to take their ambassador's place if necessary.
Alright, the President said. Arrange a meeting with him. Use those skills of yours to sniff out what Iran is trying to pull off. Then issue a subtle warning that we're onto them and will not absolutely will not tolerate this sort of political and military adventuring on their part.
I'll take him to the Bonhomme Richard, Mr. President, Joplin said.
Excellent, the President said. Get this done as quickly as possible. When we've enough information, I'll call the cabinet in to have a thorough discussion on this problem. He stood up. Well, now! Let's go get that breakfast. I'm starving!
The Chief Executive led the four people out of the office.
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CHEHAAR GARRISON
EASTERN IRAN
2200 HOURS
ARSALAAN Sikes was livid. Fuck this bluddy shit!
Brigadier Shahruz Khohollah understood the younger man's anger. You must take time to put things into proper perspective, Captain Sikes.
The two were seated in Khohollah's parlor at one end of his Quonset hut. It was well furnished with ornate plush furniture and thick carpeting. Sikes had come back from the disastrous encounter with the American forces in a roaring rage, and his temper had not improved a bit since then. Khohollah was sincerely sympathetic and empathetic with him. You must be prepared to deal with reversals and disappointments at this stage of our operations.
There ain't no preparations of no kind! Sikes growled. I got to take me lads out without no reconnaissance, no air support, no artillery support, and no reserves to call in if there's trouble. I ain't got the slightest idea o' what we went up against day before yesterday. We was hit with up-to-date antiarmor rocketry right out o' the blue, we was. In the twinkling of an eye, four of me vehicles was blown apart like they was nothing more than sardine tins, hey? Then six more. I didn't have no choice but to turn and get the hell out o' there. And while that was going on, we lost three more before we got back to that bluddy road through them marshes. And I might add that the Yanks know about it now, so we ain't gonna be using that way into Afghanistan no more, are we?
You're absolutely right, Khohollah agreed. And we're going to have to close down here and pull out. The Americans are going to focus a great of deal attention on this area, so we must disappear.
Now, ain't that great, hey? Wot's gonna happen to me? Am I supposed to crawl back to Blighty and get meself put up before a fucking firing squad as a fucking deserter then?
No, Captain Sikes, the brigadier said. We have another operation ready to launch. It involves that band of Pashtun fighters in the Afghanistan mountains. They are fully armed and ready to go. You are well versed in infantry tactics, are you not?
O' course I am, Sikes said. Me old regiment was armored infantry.
Well, you won't be dealing with armor anymore, Khohollah said. You'll be leading a unit of an insurgent force in hit-and-run tactics.
Sikes calmed down. Guerrilla warfare, hey? His old fantasies of being a great battle leader eased back into his conscious mind. What rank am I gonna be?
This group doesn't use ranks, Khohollah explained. You will be called by your name. He paused, well aware of the Englishman's ego. If you do well enough and earn glory and respect, you could well end up with a large command. They will call you Sikes Pasha.
Blimey! When does this start?
Arrangements are being made even as we speak, the Iranian said. He got up and went to a liquor cabinet. Since you're not a devout Muslim in the strictest sense, would you care for a whiskey?
Sure! Archie said. I didn't know you drank liquor, sir.
Oh, well, Khohollah said, pouring two glasses of Dewars. I'm sure there are Jews who enjoy a ham sandwich now and then. And we know that there are Catholic priests who stray into sexual activities, right?
Right, Sikes agreed. And after wot I been through, I needs me a bluddy good jolt.
.
PASHTUN STRONGHOLD
GHARAWDARA HIGHLANDS
23 APRIL
0445 HOURS
NASER Khadid opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling of the cave. The Iranian SF captain did not need an alarm clock to break his slumber. Years of soldiering had turned him into a sort of machine when it came to duties that must be attended to. And having to wake up at certain times was paramount; thus, he had an inner clock that sounded a silent alarm. He stretched languidly, glancing over at the fourteen-year-old girl beside him. Her name was Mahzala and she was his second wife.
The marriage between this thirty-two-year-old Iranian and the pubescent Pashtun girl was the sort classified as muta in Islam. It is a temporary arrangement in which a carefully negotiated contract details the length of the relationship. This can be from a few hours to up to ninety-nine years. Khadid also had a wife back in his hometown of Shiraz who awaited his return with their two children. However, Khadid's assignment to the Pashtun rebel group was going to keep him away from home for a couple of years. He was a lusty man, and going that long without sex was something he wasn't prepared to deal with. Since he could have as many as four wives, he decided to take a second from among the Pashtun females. He worked out a deal with Mahzala's father after seeing her among the women getting water from the communal well. She was young, slim, and pretty. The girl's father knew the Iranian wanted his daughter for no more than a sexual playmate and housemaid, so he offered no dowry. In fact, he pressed his case until Khadid agreed to give him a donkey and to remain married in the muta arrangement for at least two years or pay a penalty. The Iranian captain also had to guarantee he would support any children resulting from the union until adulthood.
Now, at that early hour, he reached over and gently shook the sleeping child bride. She instantly came awake, knowing what was expected of her. She left the covers and went to the fire, stirring up the coals to begin preparing coffee. Khadid then got up and wrapped a blanket around his shoulders to keep off the early morning chill. He went to the long-distance Soviet radio with its wire antenna that was strung along the cave and out the entrance. He turned on the old tube set to warm it up, then slipped the earphones on. He waited for a few moments, then at exactly 0500 hours, the daily scheduled transmission from Chehaar Garrison began sounding its dits and dahs.
The Iranian did not write down the unencoded incoming message verbatim; instead, he jotted just enough to get the gist of the meaning:
serious setback ... heavy losses of armored cars ... Chehaar deactivated within the week ... troops to join you ... includes English defector ... prepare to begin active operations in Afghanistan ... draw attention away from Iran ...
The transmission came to an end. Khadid glanced over at Mahzala, kneeling with her back to him as she put the pot on the fire. He gazed appreciatively at the shape of her rounded buttocks through the thin siltirag undergarments she wore. He decided he should begin getting into her kusi as often as possible in the coming weeks. Once the raiding and ambushes began, he would be spending a long time away from the base camp.
.
BONHOMME RICHARD CLUB
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
NOT even the oldest members of the club knew why it had been named after John Paul Jones's famous Revolutionary War ship, though it was widely accepted that the first affiliates were former Naval officers and had probably chosen the name to honor both the captain and his vessel. In fact, nobody even knew for sure when the organization was founded. The only records available, such as minutes of meetings, treasurers' reports, and a few files, showed the earliest date as 1815. However, the Bonhomme Richard Club was referred to in journals and newspapers as much as a decade or so before that, so the organization limited to no more than one hundred
