and it would sweeten the deal for the Russians if we were paying to keep one of their shipyards open and helping to pay the men.'
'Did you get the feeling the Ayatollahs were worried about the costs?' asked the General.
'No,' replied the Admiral, 'I did not. However, they made it clear that although they consider the purchase of two nuclear submarines extremely desirable for our Navy, they did not wish to confirm any operational plans at this stage.'
'And where, Vice Admiral, would you guess that puts me for the moment?' said Ravi.
'I think back in a comfortable house in Damascus,' he replied. 'In fact, I am instructed to fly you and Miss Sabah home this evening by military jet. Meanwhile, I am personally ordered to join a delegation to Beijing later this month. We intend to ask the Chinese formally to act on our behalf in the purchase of the submarines. In strictest confidence, of course.'
'Do you have any further instructions for me?'
'Most certainly,' smiled the Admiral. 'His Holiness wishes you to refine your plans down to the finest detail for an attack on the Great Satan some time in the next two years.'
'Will this all be at my personal expense, sir?' Ravi asked, somewhat facetiously.
'It will not. You will be rewarded at the same salary as an Admiral in the Iranian Navy. And there will be $250,000 in addition, deposited in your bank in Damascus for your out-of-pocket expenses.'
Ravi nodded, unsmiling. But it was Commander Ben Badr who spoke. 'Sir,' he said, addressing his father formally. 'Was there any objection or stumbling block to the broad outline of our plans?'
'Not in specific terms,' he replied. 'But I was most interested in the general objection voiced by one of the hojjats.'
'The older man, who was here with us?'
'Yes. He told us very carefully that he was afraid of one man in the White House. Not the President or any of his right-wing colleagues in Government. The man our hojjat fears is called Admiral Arnold Morgan, the President's National Security Adviser. He believes this Admiral is more powerful than the outgoing President, and that he is quite capable of acting alone.'
'Well, what makes him more terrible than the rest of the Republican gang who run the affairs of the Great Satan?'
'Just about everything. He has the mentality of an Israeli. Strike at him, and he'll strike back. He is vicious, short-tempered, and very clever. The hojjat thinks every blow we have taken in the past half dozen years has been on the direct orders, or influence, of that Admiral Morgan. He also thinks that if we make any move against the West Coast of the United States, Admiral Morgan will order a savage retaliation against us and probably Iraq as well. Maybe even China.'
'Even if he has no idea who has done what to whom?'
'Especially if he has no idea who has done what to whom.
He's done it before. And Bin Laden's escapades apparently put his temper on a hair-trigger.'
'Hmmmm,' mused Ravi. 'Maybe we should think about getting rid of him.'
'I think that might prove beyond our capability,' said Admiral Badr. 'Arnold Morgan is under heavy guard night and day. It would be just about impossible to get anywhere near him without having your head blown off. And what kind of assassin would want to try? Hell, if we missed, he'd probably have Bandar Abbas wiped out.'
Ravi Rashood was thoughtful. 'I suppose it would be slightly more possible to eliminate him while he was in a foreign country, wouldn't you say?'
'Maybe,' replied the Admiral. 'The Soviets used to specialize in that. All I can say is that Arnold Morgan represents a very grave danger to any kind of action we may take. Because he's apt to behave as judge, jury, and executioner. He is without doubt our biggest enemy. And according to the hojjat, he's ruthless and operates with a religious zeal on behalf of the United States.'
'A one-man Intifada,' muttered Ravi.
'When riled, that sounds accurate,' said Vice Admiral Badr. 'At least that's the view of the hojjat, who we know is a man who would not exaggerate.'
'Is he saying we ought not to act at all while this Morgan character is in power?' asked Ravi.
'No. No. He has not gone that far. He has just warned that our chances of unruffled success are greatly diminished while Morgan reigns over the U.S. Armed Forces.'
'What about the President, and the Vice President, and the Defense Secretary, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs?' said Ben Badr. 'Don't their opinions count for anything?'
'Not, apparently, when the Lion of the West Wing roars. He's an ex-nuclear submarine Commander, former Director of the National Security Agency. The President won't hear a word against him. Won't move without him. Everyone else is scared of him.'
'I'm not scared of him,' said Ravi, quietly. 'I think we should make some effort to get rid of him.'
'General Rashood, you are going home tonight, to begin work on our detailed plans for the future. I will make you this promise. If Arnold Morgan is going abroad any time in the near future, and we manage to find out, I will keep you informed. Perhaps then we may put a scheme into place. Meanwhile, let's not worry about him.'
'Very well, Vice Admiral,' said Ravi. 'But let's not forget about him either.'
Two Weeks Later Damascus
General Rashood and Shakira were in Arab dress, strolling along the Sharia Maysaloun toward the Chan Palace Hotel. They'd taken an after-lunch stroll from the excellent Elissar restaurant near the Touma Gate through the city's ancient Roman Wall; all the way west across Damascus, three-quarters of a mile, past the massive eighth-century Umayyad Mosque, around the Citadel, and on through Martyrs' Square.
They were in the right area now, headed for the most famous bookshop in the city, the Librairie Avicenne, a block from the Chan Palace, and Ravi looked forward to buying a few English newspapers. There was nowhere else in Damascus where anyone could be certain of locating these days-old publications, and he came here two or three times a week.
They were only just in time. Ravi bought the last copy of Monday morning's London Daily Telegraph, and they spent a contented half hour looking through the shelves in search of books that might contain details of the principal cities on America's West Coast, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. There was little available, but Shakira found an April edition of French Vogue and two Hollywood show business and film magazines. Shakira was devoted to American movies.
It was almost four o'clock and they walked back through the warm afternoon breeze, back to Martyrs' Square for a drink at the Karnak Bar above the Siyaha Hotel. This was a cheerful place, full of Westerners and Arabs alike drinking cold beer or a raki, Damascus not being an observer of the strict Muslim code of no alcohol.
They found a small table overlooking the square and ordered a couple of glasses of beer. They sat reading for a while until Ravi tired of the newspaper, skipping over the last few pages and then stopping dead at an unlikely headline:
PERSIAN LADY FOR ROYAL ASCOT
Kerman Mare's New Target
He folded the paper back and read the story with interest.
The brilliant victory by Persian Lady in Sandown's Henry II Stakes last Monday is now widely regarded as the best performance by any stayer seen out this season. On fast, firm ground, the daughter of the Irish-based stallion Saddlers' Hall covered the extended two miles in only two ticks off the track record, quickening away up the final hill to win by eight lengths from the Newmarket-trained favorite, Homeward Bound.
Persian Lady's new trainer, Charlie McCalmont, was delighted with her, and reported she had come out of the race without a mark. Last night he said she would certainly now go directly to the Ascot Gold Cup at the Royal Meeting, on Thursday, June 22.
Her owner, the London shipping tycoon Richard Kerman, said last night it had always been his ambition just to have a runner at the Royal Meeting, never mind the second favorite for the Gold Cup.
'We were never quite certain Persian Lady would stay beyond twelve furlongs,' he said, 'but the way she finished up the Sandown hill was electrifying. Charlie is very confident she'll go the extra half mile of the Gold Cup.
