forty-one. Since Dawkins didn't know all twenty of the new men prior to their arrival, he used this method to familiarize himself with the newcomers. After taking the silent roll call, he was satisfied nobody was lost or wandering around. He turned to his commanding officer, Lieutenant Wild Bill Brannigan. 'Ever' swinging dick is present and accounted for, sir.'
'Right, Senior Chief,' Brannigan responded from his chair. He nodded to Carey and Berringer, who stood at the front of the group with Dr. Joplin. 'We're ready to rock and roll, sir.'
'Alright!' Carey said. 'Consider this an official welcome to Operation Battleline. We discussed this before, but now the day is here. First thing we'll do is review the overall situation. Your preliminary enemy in Operation Rolling Thunder has been defeated. The Arab and Iranian bad guys are out of that operational area. The Pashtun rebel group who occupied the Gharawdara Highlands gave it up, and now live under the gentle care of Dr. Bouchier's UNREO team in a pacified area farther east.'
CPO Matt Gunnarson frowned. 'It seems to me them Pashtuns is getting off pretty light.'
'This particular group of people are being tolerated because of their very strong anti-Taliban attitudes,' Carey replied. 'And their leader went to the Afghanistan government and declared what is called nanwatai. This is a code in which a loser begs for mercy and humbles himself. Custom demands he be granted mercy. We Americans, therefore, cannot insist on more severe punishment. Thus the Pashtun chief and his people are being well treated.'
Bruno Puglisi, sitting comfortably with his arms folded across his muscular chest, grinned. 'In that case, it don't sound like there's much more to do around here, sir.'
'Unfortunately, that's not the case, Petty Officer Puglisi,' Carey said. 'But I'm getting ahead of myself. You are all aware of Operation Persian Empire. That is an all-encompassing situation that has been boiled down to a small but very complicated matter with delicate political and diplomatic criteria. I'll let Dr. Joplin explain that further.'
The African-American, looking dignified even in the BDUs he wore for the occasion, stepped forward. This intellectually gifted expert in the complicated environment of international diplomacy gave his audience a warm smile. 'It's really nice to see you fellows again. It's been a long time since South America. I promise we'll have some beer together before I leave. And, by the way, I'm buying.'
A spontaneous cheer broke out from the group, with whoops and shouts of gratitude. Joplin's smile spread into a grin. 'I knew somehow you would be pleased.'
Senior Chief Dawkins announced, 'Dr. Joplin has already put in an order for a good number of cases from the BX. But you guys ain't drinking a drop 'til the operation is over and done with.'
'Now with that settled, let me review the Iranian situation for you,' Joplin said. 'You're already acquainted with what's going on, but things have slipped into a sort of different perspective.' He paused to organize his thoughts. 'As you all are well aware, the government of Iran has become rather belligerent lately. They began their latest mischief with their nuclear program and support of the renegade Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. Now they have now begun using their intelligence operatives to bring Shiite insurgencies throughout the Middle East under their control. The objective is to take over the whole of that part of the world with its people and oil, and establish the first steps of a modern Persian Empire. If they succeed, this will spill over to all parts of the globe. The economic effect on the Western world would be catastrophic.'
Lieutenant Jim Cruiser, sitting on the front row with Brannigan and Ensign Orlando Taylor, showed a serious expression. 'What you're describing seems to be a situation that could lead to a world war.'
'We're already in a world war, Jim,'
Joplin replied. 'And your main duty in this upcoming operation is to keep a lid on this volatile situation. A small force of Iranians and Arabs is now in the Gharawdara Highlands in the border country. They are called the Zaheya, which is a Farsi acronym for Strike Force Vengeance. This includes Arabs you've fought before when they were an armored car company. And, as I'm sure you remember, they are led by a deserter from the British Army. I must warn you that he has whipped them into an elite unit of infantry. So you may anticipate that they will be much harder to deal with in the future.'
Mike Assad interjected, 'We'll deal with 'em, alright, Dr. Joplin. Don't worry about that.'
'There is no doubt in my mind you can handle it, Mike,' Joplin said, keeping his apprehension to himself. 'They are joined by some hard-core Iranian Army Special Forces who have completed a most demanding program of training and preparation. These men are totally dedicated to their national aims. So your work is cut out for you.'
'How many of them are there?' Joe Miskoski asked.
'A few more than you,' Joplin said.
Brannigan frowned. 'I thought you were talking about a world war. But we're not dealing with forces of thousands or even hundreds of troops here. This is literally a clash of dozens. I don't understand.'
'I'll try to explain this complicated and confusing issue to you,' Joplin said patiently. 'Neither we nor the Iranians want a big to-do to settle this thing. The bigger it is, the more dangerous it becomes for everybody concerned. And believe me, it would fuel the fire of this world war we're now involved in. The Iranians want a foothold in Afghanistan to renew the Pashtun revolt. They plan to accomplish this illegal goal unobtrusively.'
'Well, hell!' Connie Concord said. 'Why not just bomb 'em to ashes?'
'We could certainly do that,' Joplin said. 'But that would cause a backlash in the Middle East. Therefore we must follow Iran's example and also be as low-key as possible.'
CPO Matt Gunnarson raised his hand. 'What is so important about Afghanistan to the Iranians?'
'They can accomplish two things in that country,' Joplin replied. 'First they have an immediate expansion of their territory; and second, by ruling Afghanistan it would be only a matter of time before they took over Pakistan. If that happened, the international implications are bound to be catastrophic. It would be exactly like the situation that brought about the start of World War One. Before that conflict erupted, the leaders of the affected European nations--the kings, emperors, czars, and what have you--were more afraid of what would be thought of them if they didn't go to war, rather than if they did.'
'Excuse me, Dr. Joplin,' Puglisi said, 'but what the fuck are you talking about?'
'I'm talking about egotistical assholes within the Islam world not wanting to be considered candy-asses,' Joplin said, choosing words the SEAL could relate to as a fighting man. 'Their only consideration would be whose side to be on in the inevitable war to come.'
'Alright!' Puglisi said. 'I can dig it.'
'So if the thing is settled in a small, unobtrusive manner, then the government in Tehran can back off without losing face if they are defeated here in Operation Battleline,' Joplin said. 'The problem goes away.'
'That's fine if the Iranians lose,' Gutsy Olson remarked. 'But what if we lose?'
Joplin took a deep breath. 'My dear friends, you cannot lose! The country couldn't afford it. You see, we don't have the luxury the Iranians have. If you're kicked off that mountain, then Israel will move in big time to squelch Iran's master plan. As you know, they will employ considerable force that would entail the use of one of their own WMDs. Such a destructive attack would change the present global situation for the worse. Muslims in all parts of the world would rise up, including those in Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Turkey, Nigeria, and even China. All in all, we're talking about one point two billion people who would respond in a most violent way.'
'Then nuke all the motherfuckers,' Monty Sturgis, one of the new guys, suggested with a smile.
'That wouldn't be very good for this planet we're living on,' Joplin replied. 'It would be a thousand times worse than what Israel would do.'
'Excuse me, Dr. Joplin,' Chad Murchison said. 'Couldn't our government proscribe Israel from taking such a cataclysmic step?'
'They would not listen,' Joplin said.
'How do we know that?' Brannigan asked.
'Because the Israelis said so,' Joplin replied. 'Having a Persian Empire ruled by people who have sworn to wipe Israel off the map is not the same as dealing with Hamas in Palestine or Hezbollah in Lebanon. The leaders in Jerusalem are not willing to take that chance.' He shrugged. 'Therefore--and please forgive the cliche-losing is not an option. With your victory in a contained campaign, all those big problems will go away.'
Somewhere within the group of SEALs could be heard a single utterance of frustration. 'Shit!'
'Yeah,' Joplin agreed. 'Any questions?' When nobody spoke, he gave them another smile. 'No matter the circumstances, I really enjoy being with you again.' He stepped back as Carey retook the floor.
