Phillie, back in San Antonio, know. But he wouldn't tell his mother and she's your girl. Harry Gordon and his assistant in Guyana know. They wouldn't tell anyone either. Terry Welch knows. So does Biggus Dickus. Their teams don't know. Cruz knows. So does Kosciusko. They're not going to say a word. Everyone else is pretty much in the dark. Illegal Mexicans are assembling kit planes near Seattle and have not clue one. A bunch of Chinese with Kosciusko just want to escape China.'
Boxer chewed at his lower lip for a moment, then said, 'In a way, we're not compromised enough.'
Stauer's eyes widened, incredulously. 'Huh?'
'I haven't told any of my contacts what's up. I need to, or eventually they're going to start asking questions and maybe interfering on general principle. You know Victor's reporting to the FSB. But he can only report what he knows, which is that men, arms, and equipment are being assembled for an operation. He or FSB could probably gather, based on the equipment list, that that operation will be in Africa. But since they don't know where, and since Russia has some interests in Africa, or thinks it does, they might want to stop us in case we are going to interfere with those interests. We need to assure them that this is not the case. Brazil doesn't know shit yet, I think. No,' he corrected, 'I'm sure they don't. But if they get a hint that an armed force of foreigners is being assembled on their soil they will certainly get difficult about it. And a surprise visit by Brazilian Marines would be a ‘bad thing,' marca registrada.'
The last warning, at least, wasn't a surprise. Indeed, the force was taking some pains to ensure the Brazilians stayed in the dark. The management team for the plantation they'd bought on what Khalid thought was his behalf had been reduced in numbers and the remainder segregated far away-thirty five miles-from the base camp. The camp itself was now, under the sergeant major's tutelage, quite well hidden despite the numbers of tents they'd set up. Supplies and personnel were to come in mostly by air from another country. And the trees were being cut in irregular patterns that tended to disguise the appearance of the field. And the really 'dangerous' equipment would be offloaded to landing craft before the ship carrying it even reached Manaus.
'So you think we should bring both the Russians and the United States in on this?' Stauer shook his head. 'The idea fills me with dread.'
'Yes and no,' Boxer said. 'I think we should tell them slightly different stories . . . and slightly false ones. I'd like your permission to pass on to the United States Department of State that this is a Russian supported anti- piracy mission. They've had some problems with pirates in the area and so our folks shouldn't balk over that. We tell the Russians more of the truth, that this is a hostage rescue mission. If we have to be more honest about it, we can tell the Russkis just how we intend to rescue the hostage. All things considered, they'll approve. The United States would not.'
Stauer considered this, then said, 'You can talk to the Russians, since they've already got reason for suspicion. Arrange to take Victor with you. Not a word to State. When do you think you should go?'
'Probably in about five or six weeks,' Ralph replied, accepting with good grace that Stauer had only taken his advice in part.
'Fair enough. Now who else is reporting to whom?' Stauer asked.
'None that I know of yet,' Boxer replied. 'But, once we get people here I'd like your permission to set up a cell under Bridges expressly to monitor any sat-phone traffic.'
'Done,' Stauer agreed. 'And while it's not your bailiwick, what do you think of Victor's proposal to send us a couple of trainers cum mechanics with the armored cars?'
'From a training aspect I wouldn't have an opinion,' Boxer said. 'Not my thing. From an intel point of view, more expressly a counter-intel point of view, I don't think it will matter. After all, you're not announcing where we're going until we're all aboard ship and at sea. By then I can confiscate all the phones.'
'Speaking of communications devices,' Stauer asked, 'do we have commo up with The Drunken Bastard?'
'We do,' Ralph answered. 'They've got a man aboard the Galloway. They'll be striking tonight or tomorrow.'
'Think the boy will be aboard?'
'Almost no chance or I wouldn't have recommended we go ahead. But we ought to be able to find out where they dropped him off.'
Stauer nodded. 'Yeah. Might be worth something.' Stauer changed subjects. 'What do you think about this proposal to replace the 90mm with that high velocity 60mm?'
'I wouldn't do it now.'
'Why?'
'We'll have the anti-tank guided missile Ferrets if there is any armor we have to worry about. And even if there is, there won't be much. We need the larger shell of the 90s to take care of technicals, buildings, fortifications, groups of infantry. Also, I checked. Nobody's ever mounted a gun that powerful in an Eland before and used it operationally. Hate to be the ones to discover that it deranges the turret.'
'Point,' Stauer agreed.
'And the two South Africans Victor wants to inflict on us won't know anything about the 60.'
'Also a point.'
D-107, near Tempe Base, Bloemfontein, South Africa
It was evening over South Africa by the time Victor had his answer. With evening, the rats came out. From their table by a window in a small, moderately upscale restaurant the three, Boer, Bantu, and Russian, could watch the rats as they emerged. Streets quiet in the day became quite lively by night.
'You're in,' he told Boer and Bantu. 'You're even wanted. But it's not a permanent posting. The organization involved is very ad hoc and temporary. It might, and I suspect it does, have unofficial ties to other organizations that may be more permanent.
'The pay is standard for your rank, within the group. In this case it's a bit over three hundred thousand Rand, each, for the entire contract period, which is about three and a half months.'
'Shit, man,' Viljoen said, 'that's a couple of years' pay. What do you say, Dumi?' he asked of his partner. 'We can find something, somewhere, if we have two years pay each to live on while we do.'
The black seemed disinclined to agree. Two years living expenses was not necessarily enough to start a new life somewhere else. Then, too, 'What about our pensions?'
Viljoen snorted in derision. 'Love, there aren't going to be any pensions paid here soon enough, not in anything that has any value. Maybe if they offered a lifetime of free goat meat and mealie. But why do that when they can ‘pay' us in soon to be valueless Rand? And two years pay is over and above what we get for the noddy cars and ammunition.'
He turned to Victor. 'We won't be paid in Rand, will we?'
'No, USD.'
At about that time there was a commotion from the street. All three looked out to see a car stopped by another one with a crowd of angry men around the former. The car's doors were locked. No matter, some of the men produced clubs and stones with which they proceeded to smash in the windows.
The man who had been driving the car was dragged out, the broken class of the window slashing his torso and leaving blood trails on the shards. The woman on the other side of the vehicle screamed as rough hands forced their way in and unlatched the door. She too, then, was dragged out. While the male driver was beaten by some of the crowd, others followed the pair dragging the woman off to somewhere. She screamed for a long time, but the police never came.
All of the participants, on both sides, were black.
'I'm in,' said the Bantu. 'This is no place for a civilized man, of any color.'
